Shadows of the Heart

by Scribblestick

Rating: everyone
Tags: King Sombra, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Flurry Heart, Romance, Drama
Length: 19540

Flurry Heart knows the legends, but what about the pony behind them?

Flurry Heart has grown up with the legends of King Sombra's evil deeds. Crystal ponies fear him. Her parents despise him. Even Twilight Sparkle, the Princess of Friendship, considers him a lost cause after thrice thwarting his attacks on Equestria and the Crystal Empire.

Any one of these factors would cause a reasonable pony to avoid him at all cost. But Flurry Heart isn't always a reasonable pony. And so, one fateful day, she decides to call on the king of shadows himself to answer a few questions.

Cover art by me!

Thanks to Gnarlwood and Pantone Burst for prereading!

Entry for Bicyclette's Crackship Contest.

Published 2022-02-03 16:20:00 UTC
Last updated 2022-02-16 17:34:04 UTC

Calculus

"Mom, where did King Sombra come from?"

Flurry Heart's question wasn't meant to startle, but she still winced when Mom jumped a little and momentarily lost concentration on the levitation spell she was casting. She caught the delicate crystal statue just before it shattered on the floor. The palace was a bit more busy than usual with the Crystal Faire coming up. Ponies hurried around the castle, setting up decorations and accommodations for the expected guests. The talking and clanking rattled against Flurry's ears and made her feel dizzy.

Mom placed her statue on a nearby table and turned to face her daughter. Her pink, purple, and cream-colored mane was frazzled, but still curled elegantly around her head and body. Flurry had heard ponies call her the picture of grace under pressure, but she noticed the twitch in the corner of her eye, the flicking of her tail, and the way the tone of her voice rose ever so slightly. A part of her mind began to process what that meant. Mom walked closer and spoke in a whisper. An intense whisper. Afraid? No. Scared? No, not that either.

"Flurry, did you hear me?"

Flurry blinked. "Huh?"

Mom sighed. "I was reminding you that every question has an appropriate time and place. Remember?"

Flurry grimaced. Annoyed. Too bad hindsight only worked too late. "Right. Sorry." She noticed a few widened eyes and soft gasps around her. Apparently her quiet voice still needed some work.

Mom flashed her a smile and gave her a quick hug. "Don't let it get you down," she said, her volume and tone returning almost to normal. She led Flurry away from the bustle of the throne room. "I know all this excitement can be overwhelming, so why don't we find a quiet place?"

Flurry Heart sighed, and wings drooped a little. Mom wasn't wrong, and that fact annoyed her. "I'm fine," she said with as much cheer as she could muster. "Actually, I had a few more ideas about how to improve this year's Crystal Faire. I've spent a lot of time thinking about it," she added proudly.

"So that's why you've been up so late. I should have known you wouldn't be happy until everything was perfect," Mom said. The two entered a small side room reserved for private meetings with important visitors. Mom sat and gestured for Flurry to do the same. "Well? Let's hear what you think."

Flurry grinned and conjured a list from thin air with a flash of magic. "Let's start with the opening ceremony. Adjusting the wording to include everycreature is a nice touch, but I think we should skip the reception line. We don’t really have to say hello to every visiting dignitary, do we?"

"It is customary to greet visitors, not to mention good manners," Mom answered.

"Manners. Right…" Flurry frowned, but conjured a quill and dutifully scratched the item off her list. "Okay. What about the mingling right before the ceremony with the Crystal Heart? I bet we can cut that down."

"We could, but then the crystal ponies might not be in such high spirits," Mom replied. "That is the Faire’s purpose, after all."

"That’s a good point, but with so many visiting creatures, their added positivity should be more than enough to compensate. I’ve run the calculations," Flurry added quickly. "I can show you if you want."

Mom let out a chuckle. "You certainly have a bit of your aunt in you." She took Flurry's list in her magic and read it over.

"I tried to be as thorough as possible," Flurry said while her mother checked her list. Her heart fluttered in her chest as her mind analyzed Mom's posture and expression, struggling to keep up. "Is it okay? Anything you like?"

Mom gave her a smile, but Flurry noted the corners of her mother’s eyes didn’t crinkle like they should. "You've done everything you can to minimize interacting with other creatures,” she observed.

"T-That’s... It's not just that," Flurry stammered, much to her chagrin. "Look, right here are some ideas to improve jousting safety. And here’s a revised bracket structure for the flugelhorn competition."

"Both wonderful ideas," Mom acknowledged, "but that’s not what this is really about, is it?"

Flurry tried to hold her mother’s gaze, but her internal calculations made it difficult. Mom's smile was small, with the right amount of eye crinkle and shine. She had a slight twitch in her face. Her ears faced forward. Her wings clung loosely to her side, relaxed. Her weight was evenly distributed on all four hooves. Flurry’s mind ran these details though her complicated mental calculus, developed carefully over twenty years. It was one of the few tools she had to accomplish what seemed to come so naturally to everypony—nay, everycreature—else. It wasn't exactly reliable, though, and with Mom, the perfect diplomat who so effortlessly controlled every gesture and word, Flurry often found it impossible.

Mom wrapped Flurry in her wings before the calculations could finish. "I know you’re nervous about this. Even I get jittery before the Faire." Flurry's face twitched involuntarily. Mom's eyebrows raised near her nose, and her smile stretched sideways. More data to add to the equation. "I'm sure everything will be just fine," Mom continued. "Your father and I will be right by your side."

Flurry nodded and closed her eyes. She felt her mother's heart beating against her own, so slow and steady in comparison. She tried to let her heart follow suit, but she just couldn't do it. "I'm scared," she admitted.

Mom's embrace tightened. "Don't be afraid to talk to us, so we know how to help," she said. "Remember, understanding starts with listening."

"And understanding brings peace." Flurry finished her mother's favorite axiom. "What if I mess it up, though?" Too often, her social missteps cut short any conversation she tried to start.

Flurry felt her mom's smile, though she couldn't see it. "You won't. I believe in you. Your father and I are proud of the mare you are becoming, quirks and all."

Quirks. She tried not to show how much that euphemism stung. Her parents had tried so many, and for their sakes, she accepted quirk as the best they could do. It really was her favorite, in the same sense that King Sombra's second invasion of the Crystal Empire was the best of the three—short-lived and minimally damaging.

Flurry felt more than she saw her mother back away. "Flurry Heart," she said. Her smile was gone now. Eyes wider, eyebrows raised. Flurry's calculation spat out an answer. Worried. "One day, you'll be the ruler of the Crystal Empire. I know it seems like that time is far away, and it probably is, but..." Mom's eyes drifted down and away. "I just want to make sure you're ready. All these roles I've asked you to play for the Crystal Faire... I really think they'll help."

Flurry didn't have to wonder if Mom meant it. Mom and Dad always did their best, and succeeded so often that Flurry never doubted their love for her. But those few failures, they always came back to her... quirks. She was still the only natural-born alicorn Equestria had ever seen. Even in infancy, her magic rivaled that of the Royal Pony Sisters. And this strange process she had to follow simply to tell what another pony was feeling and thinking...

"Your majesty, you're needed in the throne room." A crystal pony approached the two. Flurry Heart was pretty sure he was somepony important, but at the moment, she couldn't place a name to the face.

"Of course." Mom nodded, and the pony walked away. She gave Flurry one more smile. "Your father should have some lines for you to practice for the Faire. Maybe those will help you feel better."

There it was again—the eye twitch, the slightly raised tone. Flurry's calculation reached its conclusion at last. Doubt. She forced a smile and nodded. "Sounds like they need your help. I'll find Dad on my own."

Mom smiled and turned away. "I'll practice with you later, if you want," she called.

"I'd like that, thanks." Flurry heard the slight strain in her own tone, and felt the way the words came out in a sigh. No doubt her mother could as well.

"Hey, Dad, where did King Sombra come from?"

"Huh?" Shining Armor's blue mane was tucked away in his helmet, but a helmet didn't hide his furrowed brow and frown. "I dunno. Around here, I guess?"

"Huh." Flurry conjured another scroll and jotted down her father's answer. The weather outside the castle was warm and sunny, perfect for the Crystal Faire. It was busier here than inside, but the open space made the noise more bearable. Ponies hung the traditional colored banners and set up stalls in the city square. A gentle breeze rustled the paper as she wrote, but she held it steady in her magic. "Any idea how old he was when he first invaded the Crystal Empire?"

"No..." Flurry heard him stepping closer. "Why the sudden interest, kid?"

"It's the anniversary of his second invasion. It's topical."

"Uh huh." Her father's hoof pushed the scroll away from her face to reveal narrowed eyes, raised eyebrows, and a half-smirk. Amusement? Is he laughing at me? "Last year, it was figuring out the mathematically perfect recipe for crystal berry pie. The year before that, it was developing the ideal flame-resistant cloth for the banners."

"I... just get a little obsessive sometimes," Flurry said. Dad raised an eyebrow. She knew that look without having to analyze it. Skepticism. "I know, it's not good to get so hyper-focused on one thing, but sometimes I can't help it."

"'Sometimes' comes right around this time an awful lot. Your mom and I have heard you staying up late, you know," Dad said. A moment passed. Dad's smirk softened. His eyebrows relaxed. Is that sympathy? Or is he giving up on me? "It's a distraction, isn't it? You're worried about the Faire."

Flurry nodded. Her parchment and quill vanished in a flash. "Mom said you had some lines for me to practice?"

Dad chuckled and retrieved his own scroll with a levitation spell. "Here. Your Mom and I came up with some common questions, and I wrote down some responses." Flurry took the scroll in her own magic. "What do you think?"

Flurry opened the scroll and began reading the questions. Q: What do you like most about the Crystal Faire? A: I like seeing the joy it brings everyone and knowing the Crystal Empire is safe for another year. It was almost true; her real favorite part was the petting zoo, but she was too old to spend all day with the tiny ewes.

Q: What do you think about (any other nation)? A: As always, maintaining friendship with others is my highest priority. I'm happy they could attend. OR I hope to see them again soon. She had to read through that question a couple times to make sure it stuck. She felt confident about her ability to remember who was in attendance, but that confidence often faltered in the face of real conversation. A familiar pressure pressed against her ribs. She shook it off. Worrying would only make things harder when the time came.

Q: What have you been studying?

Her father's written answer had something to do with changeling politics, which was true enough, and she read it over a dozen times to make sure it was firmly lodged in her brain. Revealing the other answer would be... inadvisable.

"I like these," she said quickly. "I think I'll go inside and practice them."

Dad nodded and gave her a wink—their established gesture of mutual understanding. "Once I'm done overseeing security, I'll come by and lend you a hoof." He gave her a quick hug. Flurry returned the gesture. "You can do this, kid. Don't overthink it too much."

As Flurry Heart returned to the castle, she couldn't help but let out a long, slow breath. Sometimes, it felt like overthinking was the only way she could do anything.

Summons

Flurry erected her privacy wards the moment her bedroom door shut behind her. Magical lock. Zone of silence. An alarm set to trigger if anypony approached her room. She cast them all with hardly a thought. It was her way of escaping from the world and finding a moment of peace—a moment she desperately needed now.

Her room was tidy, as always. The sheets and comforter clung snugly to the mattress. The books on her shelves lined up nicely, organized by topic. Her study desk was bare when she walked in, but a moment later it was covered with assorted notes about her latest fixation. She glanced at her father's scroll before setting it aside. It would have to wait. The all-too-familiar urge had been growing all morning, and now she had no choice but to give in.

Just another of Flurry Heart's quirks.

As she unfurled her notes, she had to remind herself that she was making progress. As a child, she'd often found herself trapped in an intense focus on one topic or another, to the exclusion of everything else. Her cutie mark, a magnifying glass, signified as much. Unfortunately, her fixations often caused her to fall behind in everything else. She still remembered the years of effort, not to mention untold number of bits, spent to help her cope with this particular oddity.

It never went away, but most days it was manageable enough for her to complete her duties as princess of the Crystal Empire. On good days, she hardly noticed it at all. On bad days...

Well, today was shaping up to be one of those days.

Flurry double-checked her wards before spreading her notes across every available surface. Papers piled on the bed and stuck themselves to the walls. Threads wound their way from clipping to scrap to photograph, creating a visual display of her inner thoughts. At the center of it all lay the most feared unicorn in the Crystal Empire—King Sombra himself.

Everypony knew how the tyrant king's story ended—obliterated in Canterlot by the raw power of friendship. Except Flurry Heart knew better. He'd survived being locked away with the rest of the Crystal Empire when Celestia and Luna put an end to his dreams of expansion. He'd been blasted away by the power of the Crystal Heart, only to be pulled back into reality by Discord. The legendary Elements of Harmony took their best shot, but he returned almost immediately to destroy them. He was last seen in Canterlot, when Aunt Twilight and her friends defeated him. How could anyone be sure that was the end of it? Flurry couldn't leave anything to chance. Given his obsession with the Crystal Empire, she considered it her duty to find a permanent solution.

With no other clues moving forward, she set her sights on his past. Between the official archives and firsthand accounts, his rule of the Crystal Empire was well-documented, from the ponies who suffered in the mining camps to the crystal shards exported to some unknown location. But what about before? Where had he come from? How did he gain his powers—not just his incredible resiliency, but also his shadow magic and longevity? Flurry was convinced the ultimate solution to the Sombra problem would be found at his beginning, but his origin was just as murky as the unicorn himself.

This, Flurry knew, was the root of her fixation. The combination of duty and mystery practically guaranteed she'd become obsessed with the king of shadows at some point.

She'd poured through everything the Empire's archives had to offer and found nothing. That much she'd anticipated. Her next step was to write to Discord, hoping he might know more. So far, his only response had been to send her a large tome titled "SECRET STORY OF KING SOMBRA'S TRAGIC CHILDHOOD" that, when opened, shouted "CRYSTALS!" in Sombra's voice over and over.

Her next idea was a bit of a longshot. She suspected her parents kept hidden records somewhere, containing information that would be dangerous in the wrong hooves. Surely the secrets of Sombra's power fell into that category. Unfortunately, she hadn't worked out how to broach that subject with her parents. She'd hoped asking them questions out of the blue while they were otherwise occupied might do the trick, but today's efforts had proven that tactic a dud. If they knew anything, they weren't letting it slip.

She let the option of a direct approach roll around in her brain as she studied her notes. On the one hoof, they were her parents and had been happy to help her with these projects in the past. The second hoof supported the first, as she felt she had a solid argument to support solving this mystery. The third hoof, however, reminded her of all the times they'd refused to help her, for fear she might delve into something too dangerous. The fourth hoof agreed, as it was common consensus that whatever power Sombra had was a corrupting one. No one would risk somepony like Flurry Heart falling to that kind of influence.

Flurry closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and let it out slowly. With hooves tied, records exhausted, draconequus unhelpful, and parents tight-lipped, she turned to her most desperate option yet. It stood to reason that if Sombra survived, he could be contacted. And who better to answer questions about his past than the king of shadows himself?

She put away most of her notes, piling the relevant ones on her desk. She'd been over it a hundred times, the spell that would put them in contact. She had no intention of bringing him back permanently, obviously. She wasn't that foolhardy. All she needed to do was talk to him. For a mare with her raw power and determination, it should have been easy enough.

A shimmer of magic enveloped her horn. She cleared the center of the room and, with one last glance at her notes, cast the spell.

The wards were the first to appear—four spatial bindings to prevent teleportation, three barriers to block direct attacks and movement, five magic nullifiers to cancel out his magic, an inversion to immediately reverse the entire spell should she lose consciousness, and, if all else failed, a retribution spell to ensure that any magic that affected her would target him as well. With wards in place, she added the final effect—calling King Sombra himself. It was the part she was least sure about, as it was a spell of her own making based almost purely on speculation and guesswork. A swirling vortex appeared in the center of her wards. For a moment, nothing happened. Doubt crossed her mind. Then, shadow began to fill the space, crackling with red lightning. Deep, resonating laughter soon followed. Were it not for her zone of silence, it would have echoed through the entire castle.

At last, King Sombra's face took form—the gray and black fur, red horn, and iron crown framing his glowing green eyes and knife-toothed grin. "Well, well," he said, staring at her from within the layers of magic that encased him. "Somepony came prepared."

Flurry had to take a moment to steady herself while the rest of his body formed. His iron chestpiece and greaves glinted in her magical light. His mane and tail floated like wisps of shadow. His red, fur-lined cape appeared with a flash. His grin widened.

"Not just anypony—an alicorn," Sombra said. He paced around his enclosure, but his eyes remain fixed on Flurry's. "You look familiar."

"I-I'm told you used me as leverage to capture the Crystal Empire when I was very young," Flurry stammered.

"Ah. The child. You alicorns must grow quickly." Sombra turned his head to the side and raised his chin, along with a front hoof. Is he ignoring me? Did I overlook something? No, he would have broken out by now. He closed his eyes and smirked. "Still, I suppose you're smarter than that idiot Grogar. The nerve, thinking I would ever bow to him..."

Grogar? She knew the name, but it was an ancient one, from before the time of the Royal Pony Sisters. Did Sombra's history really go that far back? Her heart began to race. Parchment and quill readied themselves in her magic. "Sombra, I've called you here to ask you some questions," she said.

"King Sombra," he snapped, stamping his hoof. His eyes and nostrils flared. Flurry recoiled. Frustration? Anger? I hope I didn't forget something... "I gave you too much credit," Sombra said. "Only a fool would summon me for so trivial a task."

Flurry scowled. "Believe me, I wouldn't if I had a better option. Now, where do you come from?"

Sombra's frown morphed into a smirk. He stood tall, head held high. "Where do I come from?" he repeated. "You are a denizen of the Crystal Empire. I know you've heard the stories." He leaned forward, teeth gleaming. "I come from the shadow at the edge of your vision. I'm shrouded in the darkness that creeps into your dreams. I'm the quiet fear you hide away where nopony else can see—but I see it. I always see it. And in you, I see..."

Flurry noticed something then. The way he stood, the way he smiled, his near-whisper with that menacing intensity, it all added up to one thing. Threat. And yet, something stuck out, a misplaced digit that refused to fit into that conclusion. Was it the slight twitch in his right ear? The way his eyes couldn't quite stay locked on hers? What was it?

"Are you listening to me?"

"What?" Flurry snapped out of her daze. Sombra glared at her from within his prison. "Sorry. I got distracted."

"Distracted?" There it was—the sharp rise in tone, verging on a shriek. But what did it mean? "I'm laying bare the darkest parts of your soul, and you're distracted?"

The calculus stalled. She needed more information. "I guess," she said. "I mean, it all sounded poetic and intimidating, but I was asking in a more literal sense. Like, where were you born? Where did you grow up? That sort of thing."

Sombra's mouth fell open. His wide eyes stared at her. Surprise, maybe? "You dragged me out of the depths of the ether to ask... where I grew up?"

Flurry nodded with a smile. "I can't find the answer anywhere, and who better to ask than you?"

"Who better to—" Sombra's words came to a spluttering stop. She watched him pace around for a moment, her calculations chugging onward. He found his voice and rounded on her. "I am the king of shadows!" he shouted. High pitch. Slight stumble in the hooves. "I am the conqueror of the Crystal Empire!" Hoof waving erratically. "I am the very being of nightmares, and you've called me to ask about my childhood?"

The calculus finished. Flurry gasped. Her quill had noted it before her conscious thought had fully processed the implications. Fear. But... of what?

A silent alarm pinged in her head. Somepony was standing outside. She glanced at the door. "Sorry, but I have to go," she said. "We'll talk again soon, okay?"

Sombra's mouth hung open as the vortex sucked him back into the ether. In seconds, he was gone, along with all the wards she'd cast to contain him. She stuffed away the notes for her spell, then unlocked and opened the door. "Yes?"

"Hey, kiddo!" Dad ruffled her mane with a grin. She jerked away, but returned his smile. "I just finished my rounds. Ready to practice those lines?" Flurry nodded and welcomed him in. Dad looked around the room and nodded. "You know, I kind of expected to see a bunch of papers and books out. Glad you're keeping things tidy this year."

"Heh, yeah," she answered. "Wouldn't want you to take a crystal berry encyclopedia to the face again."

Dad laughed. "Let's get you ready for the Faire. Nothing like practice to steady the nerves."

And steady her nerves it did, but she was secretly running a new set of calculations now. Sombra, the self-proclaimed master of fear, was hiding one of his own, something connected to his origin. Deep in her heart, Flurry knew this would be the key to unraveling his shroud of mystery.

One problem, though—the same problem that so often plagued her hyperfocused investigations. She had no idea what to do next.

Facade

Flurry always hated the banquet preparations. Rarity did her best to make the gown fitting pleasant, but there was only so much one pony could do to alleviate the torture of standing in one place with her appearance being prodded and scrutinized. Then there was the interminable runthrough of all the formalities, from entering the banquet hall and standing in the greeting line, to practicing where and how to sit and who would say what. On and on it went until Flurry wanted to die of exhaustion and boredom.

Her parents did their best to keep everything brief, but Flurry dreaded every moment of it. Once, a psychologist had speculated that her pre-Faire fixations were brought on in part as an escape from the anxiety of this rehearsal. Every year, Flurry granted the theory more credibility. The unfortunate reality was that she couldn't simply avoid this event. She was, after all, slated to be the next ruler of the Crystal Empire.

"Once everycreature is seated, Shining Armor will give the official welcome," Mom was saying while Flurry played with an imaginary fork. Her place of honor was to Mom's left, and Dad's on the right. From her vantage point at the front of the hall, she would be able to see the entire assembly staring back at her. It always made her uneasy, but she was able to bear the countless eyes so long as Mom stayed next to her.

"I'll follow with the formal recognition of dignitaries," Mom continued. "The list is long this year, so be sure to remind the staff not to rush the meal out to our guests. Some of the hippogriffs might start to worry if it's left sitting too long."

Worry. What was Sombra worried about, exactly? Come to think of it, hadn't he said something about her darkest fear before her calculations distracted her? He must have finished that sentence at some point, but she couldn't recall what he'd said. Not that it really mattered, because right now her biggest fear was—

"After the meal, Flurry Heart will give the dismissal."

Flurry's spine straightened, and her breath lodged somewhere between her mouth and her lungs. The speech. Dad grinned and gave her a nod. Mom watched her, smile small, left hoof pawing slightly at the floor. Worry? No, that's not it. Nervous?

"Flurry?" Mom stepped back from the stand. "Would you like to practice?"

"Uh-huh." The sound had to squeeze its way past a gulp on its way out of Flurry's throat. She stood and walked toward her mother. Dad gave her a wink and whispered, "You've got this, kiddo!" Mom's smile never wavered, but she couldn't contain the swish of her tail. Definitely nervous. And definitely not the only one. But getting a good read on her mother for once, it somehow steadied her.

Flurry took her mother's place and looked out at the hall. The tables were mostly in position, but not yet adorned. A pair of decorators stood in the back, discussing the floral arrangements in a whisper. Flurry cleared her throat and conjured a single sheet of paper. The dismissal. It was the shortest of the three traditional speeches, and in the past, Mom had always given it. But Flurry was an adult now, and expected to take on more official duties. She couldn't avoid public speaking forever.

"Ahem." She held the paper in front of her. Its words blurred. She took a deep breath. "Ahem." She glanced back at Mom, who nodded. "On... On behalf of the Crystal Empire, I..." She gulped. "I thank you for joining us for this... this most important of traditions." Her voice sounded hollow and alien. Her hooves rattled against the floor. "Tomorrow, we shall together enjoy the... the..."

She spotted it out of the corner of her eye. The shadow. She jerked her head toward the pony-shaped void lurking there, but by the time her eyes had focused, it was gone.

"You're doing great!" Dad whispered.

Flurry shook her head and focused on the paper. "T-Tomorrow, we shall together enjoy the delights and wonders of the Crystal Faire." Her voice cracked under the rapid stream of words. "At sunset, the light that shines in everypo—I mean, everycreature will fill the Crystal Heart and... andprotectourkingdomfortheyeartocome."

She resisted the overwhelming urge to teleport to the castle's roof and hurried back to her place at the table. Her chest tightened when she saw the strained smiles on Mom and Dad's face. Even the decorators were frowning at her. She shifted her head so her mane blocked them from view and wrapped her tail around herself.

"Thank you, Flurry," Mom said at last. Flurry was too busy imploding on herself to hear the rest of the rehearsal. Stupid. I should have been practicing instead of dragging Sombra out of the ether. She had no idea what to make of his appearance during her speech. Didn't he say he was always hiding in the corner of your eye? It couldn't have been him. I must be seeing things.

She gasped and jerked away when something touched her shoulder. "Sorry," Dad said. "Didn't mean to startle you. Rehearsal's finally over, so there's some good news."

Flurry stroked her leg with a hoof. "The only good news," she mumbled.

"Flurry, you did very well. Ponies are often their own worst critics," said Mom. Flurry forced herself to look at them. Smiles, raised eyebrows, bright eyes. Pity. Embarrassment, her mind spat out. "I'll make some time to help you practice, if you want," Mom continued.

"Yeah. That's great. Thanks."

Her parents exchanged a glance. "Very well. I'll adjust my schedule for tomorrow," Mom said. She stepped forward and embraced Flurry with a foreleg. After a moment, Flurry returned the gesture. Once again, Mom's steady heart beat against the flutter of her own. "Get some sleep, sweetheart," Mom whispered in her ear. "I love you."

The last thing Flurry Heart could do was sleep. The Faire, the speech, the socializing, she couldn't block it out of her mind. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw herself stammering in front of a dragon, or accidentally insulting a yak, or confusing a griffon with a hippogriff, and each time the offended party screamed until Flurry was just a tiny ball waiting for a reprieve that would never come.

She tossed aside the covers and threw herself onto the floor with a pitiful grunt. Her bookshelf, desk, and bed were only shadows in the darkness. She needed something to distract herself, or—failing that—an answer to the question that plagued her. With a groan, she righted herself and cast the spell. Soon, King Sombra stood in her room once more.

"You again? Haven't you become an old mare yet?" Sombra rolled his eyes. "Go on. Let's hear what inane inquiry you've brought for me now."

"Tell me how to defeat fear."

Sombra blinked. Flurry stared back, illuminating him with her horn. "You're joking."

"I'm not. You were rambling on earlier about how you're fear incarnate, or whatever, so that means fear can be beaten."

"Don't waste my time, insolent whelp. You ponies solve all your problems with heart-shaped crystals or rainbow lasers. Give that a try."

"Power of friendship, I know," Flurry said. "What else? You've been around for a long time. Something else must have bested you before."

"I assure you, nothing has come close," Sombra growled with a stamp of his hoof. A moment passed, and his snarl turned into a wicked grin. "You're terrified," he said, voice soft. "Full of fear. Hah! How delicious."

Flurry turned away from him. "You're right. I am afraid. I don't know why I thought talking to you about it would help."

"Indeed. One would think an alicorn, of all creatures, would turn to her friends." Sombra practically spat that final word. "I, of course, am strong enough to stand on my own, but you pathetic, sentimental insects have this annoying need to cling to each other for support. Pah." Flurry's shoulders slumped. Her heart felt like it would crush itself and explode at the same time. "Go on, little pony." Sombra's voice was barely a whisper. She could practically hear his fangs glittering in the dim light. "Go running to the magic of friendship."

"But... I don't have any friends."

Something about Sombra's wicked cackle snapped inside her. She whirled around to see him lying on his back, chest heaving for breath between laughs. "An alicorn... with no friends!" He peered at her with one eye. "It's no wonder you've conjured all these wards. You wouldn't last a second against me!"

"Oh, shut up!" Flurry snarled. "What about you? The king of shadows, beaten by rainbow lasers? That's a pretty pathetic way to go for a pony with an ego the size of... of... something... really big!"

Sombra chuckled as he stood. "Clearly, speaking isn't your strong suit."

"Clearly, competence isn't yours!" Flurry glared at him. "You talk big, and you have some creepy tricks, but what have you ever accomplished, huh?"

"I ruled the Crystal Empire," Sombra answered. "This castle was mine, and so it shall be again."

"Blah blah blah. 'This castle was mine, der de der.'" Sombra's head jerked back at her impression. "I've read the history of your 'reign of terror.' You were here for, what, a month before Celestia and Luna stomped you out? All your tricks and traps couldn't even stop a baby dragon from snatching away the one thing in the whole Crystal Empire that could beat you."

"I destroyed the Elements of Harmony!" Sombra shouted.

"And you still lost!" Flurry shouted back. "To rainbow lasers! Twice!"

Sombra's eyes twitched. He stood back, one hoof in the air. "Talk all you want, but I'm not scared of you," Flurry said. "And not just because of all these wards. You can't stand on your own because all you have is tricks and illusions. You're not real. Nothing about you is. It's all just an act you put on because deep down, you're just as afraid as anypony else."

Sombra's chest heaved as he blinked down at her. Her calculus began to assert itself. Wide eyes. Contracted pupils. Open mouth. What does it mean?

"Hmph." Sombra shook his head. "In all my life, nopony has ever dared to speak to me as you have."

Flurry smirked. "Nopony since Grogar's time? I'll take that as a compliment."

"Grogar? What does he have to do with any of this?" Sombra glared down at her. "That old goat is probably still hiding in his swamp with the rest of his pathetic band." He shook his head. "I wasn't surprised when that annoying pegasus joined him, but Tirek and that changeling queen? Tch. They might have had some potential."

"Tirek? Chrysalis? What are you talking about?"

"Oh, you don't know?" Sombra grinned. "They're out there now, plotting revenge against Twilight Sparkle and her miserable friends."

Flurry held up a hoof. "Sombra, they were turned to stone almost 20 years ago. And Grogar wasn't even Grogar. It was Discord in disguise."

A long silence stretched as the two watched each other, eyebrows furrowed. "That's not possible," Sombra said at last. "I saw them only a few days ago."

Flurry's mind raced to reconstruct the timeline of Sombra's last invasion, from the time of his sudden appearance in the Crystal Empire to his defeat in Canterlot. Those events took place over a span of days, and yet 20 years later, he thought...

"Sombra," she said, "how old are you?"

"I'm 24," he said. "By far the most accomplished unicorn of any other my age. Surely this is common knowledge?" She watched him carefully, gathering every bit of information she could. Neutral tone. Steady gaze. Even weight distribution between all four hooves. Her mind churned out an answer she hoped was right. He's telling the truth.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" he asked.

"Because..." She took a deep breath before finishing her answer. "You've been gone for 20 years, and you have no idea. How can that be?" An answer formed in her mind. She could see Sombra had reached the same conclusion.

"Time must move slowly in the ether," he murmured. "Every time you beat me, I lose decades." His eyes widened. "Duskfall. My home. What has become of it?"

Flurry shook her head. "I've never heard of any place called Duskfall."

He sat, eyes staring at nothing in the distance. Flurry stepped hesitantly closer. His breaths came deeper. His eyes twitched from side to side. "Gone..." His voice was but a whisper. Her calculation was swift.

Defeat.

Cracks

"Duskfall... Duskfall..." Flurry muttered as she tiptoed through the royal library. The only light came from her horn. She worried the night guards might see it and investigate, but it was a risk she was willing to take. She was headed for historical records anyway, and that room was kept away from direct sunlight to preserve the ancient books and maps within. The enclosed space meant no prying eyes to worry about.

She felt a natural sense of urgency, and had to remind herself that Sombra wasn't really "waiting" for her in the usual sense. To him, it would seem only an instant had passed when she returned with her verdict. A part of her, the rational part probably, wondered why she was going through all this trouble for a pony who had threatened her family and her kingdom so many times. The logical part told her he was lying, and that her faulty intuition had been wrong. Yet the look on his face when he learned his home was no more...

She shook her head and opened the door. She'd committed herself to this quest the moment she summoned him.

Flurry headed straight for the oldest maps she knew of—the ones from King Sombra's month-long reign of the Crystal Empire. Delicately, she lifted them from their cases and coughed once or twice in the resulting clouds of dust. She spread them out on an empty table and found the Crystal Empire. It was larger in those days, thanks to Sombra's ambitious expansions. He'd told her Duskfall was to the north and east, deep in the tundra that lay beyond the Crystal Heart's magic. As she scoured the area, though, she couldn't find anything resembling a town. She poured through the map collection again and found an old map from Yakyakistan. She unfurled it, hoping it would contain knowledge the old crystal ponies lacked, but once again, the spot where Duskfall should have been was blank.

She sighed and began to pace. It seemed Sombra's home was just as much a mystery then as it was now. He must have mentioned the name as a way of wasting her time. Why didn't he make a map of his own? Surely between the scare tactics and crystal mining, he would have found a moment to... to...

The crystals! Of course! It was an old mystery, what exactly he'd been doing with the crystals he stole from the Empire. They must have been taken somewhere, and that meant somepony would have left a record of it. She retrieved a chest containing ancient trade ledgers and skimmed through them until she reached the section that corresponded with Sombra's reign. Trading with a passing pony explorer... buying weapons from a Yakyakistan caravan... aha!

There it was, in fading black ink. Raw black crystal. Delivered six miles northeast of empire and left in the tundra. Similar entries took up the majority of transactions that month. She checked several other ledgers to confirm. The pattern was clear. Flurry smiled as she traced the route on the old Empire maps. Those crystals were left almost at Duskfall's doorstep. It was a real place!

"Flurry?"

"Gaah!" The sound of her mother's voice made Flurry Heart leap almost to the ceiling. "Mom! What are you doing up?"

Mom raised an eyebrow as she walked in. "It's an hour after sunrise. I've been looking for you." She glanced at the various maps and ledgers Flurry had strewn across the tables. "What in Equestria have you been doing?"

"Uh... just... learning about old trade routes," Flurry answered. "Really important to know... about trade..."

Mom took a deep breath and let it out slowly. At the same time, she pressed a hoof against her chest, then pushed it away. Flurry knew it was her way of letting go of stress. "Flurry Heart," she said slowly, "did you get any sleep last night?"

Flurry landed on the floor and pawed at the ground. "I'm sorry. I just got... caught up."

Mom stepped closer and smiled, eyebrows raising near her nose. "I know this has been stressful, and that can be... difficult... for you." Flurry couldn't help but roll her eyes at another of mother's euphemisms. "The good news is that I've cleared my schedule for the morning," Mom continued. "To help you practice your speech." Frown. Furrowed brow. Is she mad at me? "I promised you last night that I would, remember?"

"Oh. Yeah. I'm, uh, a little too tired right now."

Flurry tried to walk past her mother and out the door, but Mom moved to block her path. "Flurry, we've talked about this. You can't escape your duties with distractions."

"I'm not trying to escape," Flurry answered. "Like you said, I've been up all night, and I should get some rest." Once again, she tried to leave. Once again, Mom stopped her. Flurry groaned. "You know I can just teleport away, right?"

"Just 30 minutes," Mom said. "Trust me. You'll rest better if you face this now." She smiled. "Come on. Let's go."

"The light that shines in everypo—creature—ugh!"

Flurry stormed off the podium, tossing her paper aside as she did. Mom followed close behind. "Deep breath, Flurry."

"Don't tell me how to breathe!" Flurry had enough sense not to overturn the tables, but it was a close call. "I hate this stupid speech! Why do I have to do any of this?"

Flurry plopped herself on the floor and glared at a passing bug. Mom's gold-clad hooves appeared in front of her. "You've conquered many challenges, Flurry," she said. "I know you'll overcome this one, too."

Flurry groaned. "This isn't some magic spell or achievement test. This is... creatures."

Mom's hooves moved away. A moment later, her body rested next to Flurry's. "I know yesterday's rehearsal didn't go very well for you. I always get nervous before a big speech, too." She gave Flurry a playful nudge.

"It's not the same," Flurry replied. "You've always understood ponies—creatures—whatever! I can't even get the word right!" She flopped on the floor and buried her head in her hooves. "I told you this was a bad idea."

Mom was quiet for a moment. Anxiety over what she might be thinking began to overtake Flurry's frustration at the speech. "All right," Mom said at last. Her tone was even. Understanding? Or angry? "Get some sleep, Flurry. We'll practice again later."

Flurry didn't look back at her mother as she walked toward her room. She closed her eyes and tried to reconstruct her mother’s expression. She was facing away from her. Her head was slightly bowed, and her ears were pinned back against her skull. That usually meant something negative. Irritation. Frustration. Disappointment.. She ran through her catalogue of possible emotions, but none of them felt quite right. Then, there was the question of why. Was it me? Herself? Somepony else? On top of all that, she had to consider that her mother might try to hide her true feelings. The uncertainty of it all made her weary mind spiral.

"Why can’t you just tell me how you feel?" she yelled.

For a moment, all was silent. Then, a deep voice asked, "Are you talking to me?"

For the second time that day, Flurry found herself startled into the air. Sombra stood before her, trapped in her wards as always. Her head whipped around and saw a bed, desk, and bookshelf. She had wandered into her room. “How did you get in here?” she demanded, fluttering to the ground while her heart threw itself against her ribs.

"You called me," he answered. Then, he raised an eyebrow and grinned. "You did call me, didn’t you? I hope you’re not losing control of your magic. Has somepony discovered your secret spell?"

"Shut up," she snapped, wishing she had a better retort. She knew it had to be her magic—she could tell by the shimmering yellow glow of the auras. But she hadn’t meant to cast the spell, and it was far too complex to cast on instinct. Wasn't it?

She shook her head and decided to worry about that mystery in a moment. "I think I figured out where your home used to be," she said. "I couldn’t find anything more recent than when you first took over the Empire, though. Whatever happened to them, it happened a long time ago."

"Hmph. I expected as much." Sombra's only reaction to the news was a slight frown. Flurry wasn't sure what to make of it. "Nor am I surprised that no record exists of Duskfall's demise. That would ruin all your preaching about love and friendship, after all."

"What do you mean?"

Sombra grinned, fangs gleaming. "Oh, you haven't pieced it together? It's quite obvious. Your dear princesses Celestia and Luna must have made an example of my home after they locked the Empire away. I know you'll say they would never punish innocent ponies in that manner," he added as Flurry opened her mouth to protest. "Don't be a fool. They're just as concerned about their public image as you are, princess."

Flurry shook her head. "The Royal Pony Sisters kept Equestria safe. They weren't afraid to make the hard choices."

Sombra chuckled—a deep, reverberating sound that shook Flurry's soul. "I may have missed a lot in the last thousand years, but I'm not ignorant. Neither of your precious princesses thought to mention the threats of Discord, Tirek, or even myself until we had already attacked. They were so concerned with appearing strong that they hid the fissures lurking below the surface as long as they could. Princess Celestia herself hid Nightmare Moon's true identity because revealing the truth about her sister would have made her appear weak." Sombra gazed down at her with a smirk. "Even your own parents hide things from the Empire—and from you. Like any ruler, they know appearance is everything. Celestia and Luna obliterated my home in the hopes that everypony would forget about me, and the blow I dealt their reputation."

Flurry heard a soft click. She realized an instant too late that she had forgotten to lock her bedroom door. "Hey, kiddo, I heard you—" Dad stopped halfway through the door, staring wide-eyed at King Sombra. A second later, he shot a bolt of magic straight at Sombra's head. Only Flurry's own wards stopped the strike from reaching its target.

"Flurry! Get out of here!" Dad's horn pulsed with power as he added another layer of shielding to Flurry's.

"Dad, wait—"

"Get out!" he repeated. His leg muscles coiled, ready to leap forward. "I'll hold him off. Go tell your mother!"

"Tell me what?" Mom peeked over Dad's shoulder and gasped. "You!"

"We meet again," Sombra said, grin widening as he lowered his head. Flurry desperately hoped she'd remembered the antimagic wards. Sombra glanced over at Flurry and winked. "You've been keeping secrets of your own, eh?"

"Stay away from my daughter!" Mom squeezed past Dad, horn blazing. "Flurry, sound the alarm and send word to Twilight."

"Mom—"

"Your daughter is the one who invited me here," Sombra said.

"You're lying," Dad spat.

Sombra shrugged. "I'm sure you'll find the notes for her spell somewhere in this room. In the desk drawer, perhaps?"

"That's enough." Mom stomped a hoof. "Flurry Heart. Your aunt needs to know Sombra has somehow returned. Whatever you may have done to bring him here, we'll discuss it later."

Flurry's chest heaved with every breath. She glanced from her parents' faces—deep frown, eyes furrowed—to Sombra's—half-smile, head high. She couldn't begin to discern what was going through their heads. All she could think was that she'd been caught, and she only had one solution. Run.

Her horn flashed, and in a burst of light, she found herself standing hoof-deep in snow. To her surprise, Sombra stood beside her, smile turning to a frown. She hadn't meant to teleport him, but it only took a moment for her to figure out what had gone wrong. Her retribution spell—her final safeguard—had dragged Sombra along. Now, she found herself standing exhausted on unfamiliar ground, alone with one of the most dangerous ponies in Equestrian history.

Sombra took a deep breath, smile returning once more. "Free at last."

Frozen

Sombra's chuckle grew into a laugh, then a roar that shook the tall mountain peaks around them. Flurry feared an avalanche would descend at any moment. "Even your own cleverness has worked against you!" he cackled. "Tell me, Flurry Heart. How does it feel, knowing all your secret preparation has turned in my favor?"

Flurry shivered against the cold. A biting wind rushed through the narrow pass in which they stood. Sombra's mane, tail, and fur-lined cloak fluttered wildly around him, but he hardly seemed to notice. His wide grin laid bare his sharp, shining teeth. His eyes turned green, then flickered as his signature dark aura enveloped his horn. Flurry erected a shield, but the effort left her winded. I'm not strong enough for this.

"Hah! Even now, you fight." Sombra stepped closer, practically pressing his nose against her shield. "I admire your courage, and though I'm loath to admit it, I do have you to thank for my newfound freedom." The aura around his horn faded, as did the glow in his eyes. "I will allow you to leave this place in peace, but do not take me for a fool. By the time your parents can rally a search party, I will be long gone, hiding in every shadow, waiting to take back what is mine."

Flurry let her shield fade away, but not because of his offer. There was something about the twitch in his tail, the way his body angled slightly away from her. She didn't know whether to trust her hunch in this cold, and so, without the strength to teleport home, she decided to ask a question.

"W-Where are we?" she stammered.

"What's the matter? Are you lost?" Sombra chuckled. "I have already spared your life. You'll get no more kindness from me." And yet, he still stood there, watching her down his nose with that half-smirk. Her mind calculated frantically, but the fatigue and the elements muddled the operation.

"P-Please. I... I'll die out here," she said. Her legs trembled, and it took all her strength to stay on her hooves.

"It's no better than you deserve. Somepony must pay the price for Duskfall." Still he did not move. Flurry had to shake her head to keep her mind clear. She raised one hoof and stepped toward him. She felt the crunch of ice. Sombra watched her with raised eyebrows. Come on. What are you thinking?

"Y-You... you c-can't l-leave me," she said, staring at him with all the energy she could spare.

"Hmph. What makes you think that?"

Now it was her turn to smirk. She took another step forward. "B-Because... y-you would have... d-done it already... if you could."

Sombra glared at her. "Don't be ridiculous," he said. The pitch was too high. "This is my revenge, for Duskfall! I'm going to watch it to the end!"

Flurry shook her head with a laugh. "T-There's nothing holding you here," she said. "Y-You're f-free to d-do what you choose. You c-could attack the Empire, o-or... attack me and b-be done with it."

"Pah! You'd like that, wouldn't you? Your retribution spell would only turn my own magic back on me."

"T-That spell ended w-when we t-teleported, and y-you have h-hooves." She took another step closer. Sombra leaned back, but his hooves remained firmly planted in the snow. "Y-You're still here b-because... because you choose to be here. With me."

And in that one instant, Flurry saw through him, through the posturing and deflection. His pupils contracted as his eyelids stretched wide open. His frosty breath came out in quick puffs, tickling her nose before they were whisked away in the wind. Never before had she felt so sure that she knew exactly what another pony was thinking. Her legs gave out, and as she felt the gentle touch of magic catch her trembling body, she spoke, just loud enough for him to hear.

"You're here... because you care."

It was the warmth she noticed first. It stung, but in a refreshing kind of way. She heard the soft crackle of a fire nearby, and orange light danced against her eyelids. When she opened them, she found herself in a wooden shack, laid carefully on a stone hearth. A heavy blanket covered her body from her shoulders to her tail. She could hear the wind howling outside, and she could see the walls around her tremble against its fury. She looked around. Sombra was nowhere to be seen, but when her eyes settled on the blanket, she saw that it was, in fact, his distinctive fur-lined cloak.

"You're awake." His voice echoed around her, and though her ears pivoted this way and that, she could not determine where he was hiding. "It's about time. Your body wasn't built for this climate."

"I guess not," she answered. "What is this place?"

"You're clever. You'll figure it out." Sombra's face melted out of the shadows. He watched her, unblinking, face inscrutable. Flurry watched him back.

"Thank you for saving me," she said at last.

"Hmph." Sombra glared to the side. "I merely decided that leaving you to die was a poor way to repay you, and I don't like leaving debts unsettled."

"Stop." Flurry's voice was more forceful that she intended, but she didn't back down. Sombra's gaze returned to hers. "I've read everything there is to read about you. The Sombra of legend shows no remorse and knows no mercy. The Sombra I've read about wouldn't have hesitated to abandon me, unless he meant to enslave me."

"What makes you think that isn't my intention now?" Sombra asked.

"Because, as I said before, you would have done it already." Flurry let out a long sigh. "The Empire, Equestria, they all know you as a being of nightmares, the avatar of fear itself. That's exactly what you told me the first time we met. But that's not really true, is it? It's like you said back at the palace. Every ruler worries about their appearance. And don't try to tell me you're the exception, King," she said quickly, holding up a hoof to silence the rebuttal she saw coming. "In fact, I think you care about that more than anypony else."

"Tch." Sombra's face melted back into the shadows. "I shouldn't have expected a pony like you to understand. I am the avatar of fear, the king of shadows. As far as you're concerned, my only goal is to wrest control of the Crystal Empire and destroy anypony who stands in my way."

"Then why are you hiding from me?" Flurry asked. Sombra didn't answer. "You're afraid I'll see through you again, aren't you?" Still, he remained silent. Celestia, I hope I'm right. "Fine. If you're too scared to face a half-frozen weakling pony, suit yourself."

Sombra lunged from the darkness with a cry, teeth bared and eyes glowing. He stopped an inch from Flurry's nose. She jerked back. He smirked. "All your talk, and you—ahh!" He stopped when she slapped him across the jaw. His wide eyes darted to her hoof, then to her scowling face.

"Knock it off," she said. "That's a cheap trick, and you know it. Now, stop being a scaredy-foal and come out where I can see you."

Sombra glowered at her. His dark gray body emerged from the darkness, and he lay across from her on the hearth. He looked so strange without his cloak—exposed, even vulnerable. The two watched each other in silence for a time. Finally, he spoke. "Well? Have you figured out where we are?"

Flurry nodded. "Obviously, I never intended to teleport myself into the middle of a blizzard. When you got caught up in the spell, you must have redirected it somehow. You work best in the shadows, and so you would have wanted to go someplace my parents couldn't find you—and, thanks to me, you knew of a place everypony had forgotten."

He shook his head with a smile. "You really are smarter than you appear." He stood. "You are correct. This is Duskfall—or rather, what remains of it." He walked over to the door. With his cloak gone, Flurry could clearly see his flank in the firelight, and the mark that adorned his fur—a golden crown, wreathed in shadow.

"Come here," he said, gesturing toward her with a hoof. Flurry stood and walked to his side. His horn glowed red, but without the inky blackness that usually followed. Beside her, the door began to glow red as well. "I want you to see."

The door opened. Flurry braced herself against the biting wind, but Sombra had erected a barrier to block it. Through the red shimmer, she stared at what remained of the village. Jagged black spires rose between half-collapsed houses, crystal spikes sparkling in the wintery sun. Flurry's breath caught in her throat. "It's true, then," she said. "The Royal Pony Sisters... they really did destroy this place."

To her surprise, Sombra was shaking his head. "I almost would have preferred it," he said. "A battle like that would have left scars, even to this day. No such scars exist. Believe me, I checked very thoroughly while you recovered." When his eyes met hers, she knew this was no act. "This village suffered the fate it was always destined to meet. It died slowly over decades, perhaps even a century or two, unable to keep up with the passage of time."

Sombra closed the door and walked back toward the hearth. "I'm sorry," Flurry said.

"Your pity comes too late." His voice came out in a growl, but when he looked at her, his face softened. "Still, I cannot blame you for what happened here. And..." He paused, and took a deep breath as he stared into the fire. "I suppose I should thank you for your sympathy."

A chill ran through Flurry's body, and she returned to the fireside. "Your cutie mark," she said. "What does it mean?"

"It is a mark of my destiny, to be the king of shadows," he answered.

Flurry sighed. So much for honesty. She lay down on the hearth, letting its soft warmth fill her body. "Fine. Have it your way."

Sombra lay down as well. "I'm not lying," he said. "That is what my mark means. That is my destiny."

"To live in darkness? To spread only fear?" Flurry shook her head. "I don't believe that. I don't think you do, either."

"That isn't what I mean." Sombra's voice grew more forceful, with a frown and furrowed brows. Anger. No, wait... "You know nothing of Duskfall or our ways, and so you cannot begin to understand my fate. The king of shadows is not a title of fear, Flurry Heart. It is a title of responsibility."

"So it's your version of... what, princess of friendship?"

Sombra visibly shuddered. "I despise your modern titles, but yes. Princess of the sun and moon I can tolerate, but friendship..."

"What do you have against friendship?" Flurry asked. "You don't seem to mind being friends with me."

Sombra's head jerked toward her, and for a moment, neither said anything. "You saved my life," Flurry pressed. "And I did rescue you from the ether."

"Unintentionally rescue," Sombra added, "but, yes, you are technically correct."

"The point is, I don't understand why you despise on friendship so much," Flurry pressed. "If you were meant to lead, why wouldn't you want friends to help?"

"Because that's not the way things are done," Sombra answered. "Leaders must stand apart, for they are called upon to make decisions no other can bear. It is my burden to be alone, to have my heart hidden from my people—to be the king that stands in the shadows."

Flurry considered his words. In a way, she understood what he meant. Hadn't she done something similar when she decided to summon him on her own? Hadn't she made a heavy decision, took a grave risk, in the interest of her people? Or had she acted out of selfish curiosity? Just another of Flurry Heart's quirks...

"What about the crystals?" she asked, deciding to change the subject. "What was so important that you decided to enslave the Empire just to get your hooves on them?"

Sombra's gaze returned to the fire. He took a deep breath, then let it out slowly. "I suppose there's no point in keeping Duskfall's secrets now," he said. "Very well. I will tell you the tale of my people."

Shadows

"Duskfall was never large or prosperous," Sombra said. "We survived on whatever vegetation we could find, and through sheer force of will. As you can imagine, we never had enough food to go around, and wandering the tundra just takes too much energy. The only way the village survived was through our magic."

Sombra's iron armor glowed red in the firelight. If it was hot or uncomfortable, he didn't seem to notice. "The black crystals made this place possible," he continued. "Every pony born here was a unicorn, and we all learned to harness the power of shadows. The crystals amplified that power and allowed us to endure."

"So everypony here was just as strong as you are?" Flurry asked, shuddering. "That sounds terrifying."

Sombra scowled at her. "Only because you've been taught to fear the dark. No, as the king of shadows, I am a paragon of what my kin could achieve. A few could transform entirely into shadows for a time, but none matched my skill. That is why I was chosen to..." He shook his head. "I'm getting ahead of myself."

"Why did you live out here, though?" Flurry asked.

"Do you believe you are the first pony to run away from the shadows?" Sombra asked. "We did not live here by choice, but because the crystal ponies feared us and drove us away."

"Like Nightmare Moon," Flurry said.

"Tch." Sombra flicked his tail. "Nightmare Moon posed a real threat to Equestria. Our only crime was our existence, and our natural power. We were punished for the overactive imaginations of others."

Flurry's gaze drifted to the flickering fire. Just like I fear other ponies. Or their hidden thoughts, anyway. Does anypony fear me like that? For my... quirks?

"My ancestors were fortunate enough to discover the black crystals, and survived long enough to build this village," he said. "For a time, we lived in peace, staying away from the Empire that scorned us. As a foal, I learned the story of our banishment, and I came to harbor the same resentment as my elders for the way the crystal ponies treated us."

Try as she might, Flurry couldn't fault him for that. "So, what changed?" she asked.

"The crystals started dying," Sombra answered. "Our village would have died with them. We knew more could be found in the Empire, and so we sent emissaries to trade."

Flurry let the silence stretch a moment before speaking. She had a feeling she knew what his answer would be. "What happened?"

"They were turned away, of course," Sombra said. "We sent others. They returned with bruises, and worse. It was decided that if they would not help us by choice, they would do so by force. And so..."

"So you attacked."

Sombra nodded and gazed into the fire. "I struck quickly. I was sure to show the crystal ponies every mercy they had given my kin through the years. The crystals brought new life to Duskfall, but as you know, it didn't last. I can only assume that once Celestia and Luna took the Empire's side, my people's spirit broke. Now, only their ghosts remain amidst these bones."

Flurry shivered again. His breathing was steady. His mane floated around him, casting parts of his face in shadow. His mouth curled down in a slight frown, and his gaze was distant, as though he were trying to stare back through time. She ran her calculations as she watched him in silence. She found no trace of deception. This, she decided, was the truth.

"I'm so sorry," she said softly. "I had no idea."

"Nopony does," Sombra said. "History is written by the winners, you see, and winners always think themselves the heroes." He turned to face her again. Their eyes locked. Flurry felt a jolt somewhere in her gut. "But heroes are only as good as the villains they defeat, and so the legend of King Sombra grows."

Flurry shook away the chills and took a deep breath. "You did inflict a lot of suffering on the Empire."

"Not nearly as much as they inflicted on my kin," Sombra snapped. "What I did may have been cruel, but it was just."

Flurry shook her head. "I've always thought cruelty only created more cruelty."

"Hah! Self-righteous, as always." His half-smirk had returned. "It is easy to speak of peace from a place of power and safety."

"Somepony has to end the cycle," Flurry said. "Otherwise, ponies will keep hurting each other."

"I'm sure that line goes over well with your subjects, but I am no common pony," Sombra replied. "We were always meant to be rulers, you and I. We know better. Even your precious princess of friendship knows that ultimately, violence is the one language everypony understands."

Flurry bowed her head and sighed. "It shouldn't be." She looked up at him from beneath her mane. "So, what will you do now? You... don't exactly have anywhere to go."

Sombra raised an eyebrow. "I've already told you. I'll bide my time, and then claim the Empire as my own."

"Seriously? You know that will only end in rainbow lasers, right?"

"End?" Sombra smirked. "No. Delayed. You seem to forget that the powers of love and friendship have thrice failed to destroy me. Even if I fall, somepony like you will come along and set me free again. Perhaps even Discord himself will bring me back for a bit of amusement. Mark my words, Flurry Heart. The Crystal Empire will be mine. I have all the time in the world."

Flurry squinted at him as she studied his face. "This is just about revenge now, isn't it?"

"Hah!" Sombra snorted. "Have you only pieced that together now? For somepony of your intellect, you're certainly slow sometimes."

"Sombra, listen to yourself." Flurry stood. It felt strange, towering over a pony like him. "Do you really think your kin would want you to keep going like this?"

"I think my kin would have wanted to survive." Sombra stood as well. "I have given you my grace today, Flurry Heart. Do not test its limits."

"You won't hurt me. We've been over this."

Sombra growled softly. His horn ignited, shimmering red. "I have indulged your naivete long enough. Choose your next words carefully."

Flurry's eyes narrowed, and her own horn glowed yellow. "You won't hurt me."

Sombra's blast came quickly, but not as quickly as Flurry's shield. She leapt into the air and beat her wings, twisting to avoid his next two attacks before launching her own. She seized his cloak, still draped over her shoulders, and hurled it at his face. He deflected the heavy cloth easily, but the brief distraction blinded him to the trap she sprung. She blasted the wooden planks upon which he stood. They snapped, and his left hind leg fell out from under him, pinned by splintered shards.

She almost felt proud of herself, but that feeling vanished as Sombra melted into the shadows. Of course I forget the one thing he’s known for. Cursing her oversight, she landed near the hearth and erected a barrier around herself. "Come out!"

Sombra obliged, lunging at her from behind. She screamed as his body slammed against her shield and retreated once more into the darkness. His laughter echoed around her. She jerked this way and that, but the shifting shadows thwarted all her effort. He leapt at her again. Her shield shuddered. Flurry gritted her teeth. Time to change the rules.

She let her barrier fall and bolted for the door. Sombra was on her in an instant, knocking her to the side before vanishing once again. Flurry righted herself and beat her wings, making for the feeble roof. Sombra struck again, laughing at her pained cry as she fell back to the floor. The entire structure shook from the impact.

"What’s the matter, Flurry Heart?" Sombra’s voice surrounded her as she rolled carefully onto her hooves. Her left wing felt bruised, but operable. "Are you waiting for friendship to save you?" Flurry ignited her horn, the light pressing against the shadows. She backed slowly toward the closest wall. Sombra laughed. "I am everywhere," he said, "especially where you least expect."

She turned just in time to see his face burst out the the shade. She ducked as his body took solid form and sailed over her head, then leaped and kicked. The force threw Sombra across the room and through the weak wall. The wind rushed in. Flurry bolted toward the door. She burst from the structure moments before it collapsed, leaving her and Sombra standing in the snow.

Sombra grinned as the wind whipped around him. "Not clever enough," he said. "I can endure this cold for as long as I like. You, however…"

Flurry Heart snorted and prepared to charge. "You can’t hide in the shadows any more."

Sombra reared, then charged. Flurry responded with a barrage of magical bolts. He dodged every one with his shadow magic. Flurry leapt into the air moments before he struck, but was quickly forced to land. The wind made flight almost impossible.

Sombra’s magic enveloped a nearby spire of black crystal. Dark shards hurled themselves at Flurry Heart. She avoided the first volley, but was forced to block the rest with a shield. By the time the crystal dust cleared, Sombra rushed forward and threw her across the ruin with a savage shove.

Flurry’s head spun as she extracted herself from a snowbank. She could already feel herself shivering, but she refused to stand down. Sombra charged at her again. She seized the snowbank in her magic and threw it at him. He punched through, but the effort halted his charge, and the two stood still for a moment, gasping for breath.

"Heh heh. You see now," Sombra said, grinning. "It is as I said. In the end, violence is the only language that remains."

Flurry shook her head, partially in disagreement and partially to clear her thoughts. "That’s only because you decided it was," she said.

"My kin did not strike the first blow!" Sombra roared. "But I will ensure we strike the last!"

Flurry looked around at the scattered crystal spires and the shattered homes. The shack in which they’d taken refuge—where Sombra had gone to save her life—lay just as ruined as the rest. Already the ancient wood began to smoke as the fire Sombra made to warm her body spread to engulf the wreck. A corner of his cloak stuck out from the debris, fluttering wildly in the wind.

Flurry let her magic ebb away, folded her wings against her body, and stood still, facing him. "I’m not going to fight you," she said. "You’ve already been hurt too much."

She almost didn’t see the attack coming. In seconds, black crystals pinned her legs and pressed her back against the snow. She cried as crystal shards pierced her horn, cutting off her magic. She heard Sombra’s crunching hoofsteps draw closer. He stood over her, horn shining red and black, green eyes filled with fire.

Flurry’s chest heaved. Then, she closed her eyes and waited.

She she lay there for what felt like hours, listening to Sombra’s ragged breathing and the shimmer of magic on the brink of striking her. The only movements she made were involuntary shudders as cold seeped into her bones. She thought she heard him raise an iron-clad hoof, but if he intended to hit her, the blow never came. At last, her crystal shackles fell away. She looked up. Sombra sat in the snow in silence, staring at the burning remains of his cloak.

Flurry slowly stood, wincing at the aches setting in. Her hooves shook as she walked, until she stood beside the silent unicorn. Then, she wrapped her leg around him and pulled him close. His shoulder tensed. "It doesn’t have to be this way," she said.

She felt his body twist and braced herself for the onslaught. Instead, she felt his foreleg wrap around her neck, returning her embrace. Flurry thought she felt a drop of water brush against her neck as the king of shadows trembled against her. "I wish it were true," he whispered.

She held him tighter as the wind whipped around them. "Sometimes, a wish is enough."

Memory

Flurry and Sombra walked in silence. The ruins of Duskfall soon vanished, lost in the mountain passes. They stayed close to each other. Without his cloak, Sombra suffered more from cold than he'd let on, and they relied on each other's warmth to keep them moving.

The cold ebbed as Sombra led them down and away from the frigid winds. Flurry's shivering eventually ceased, but started again as the sun set behind the mountains. "We should find shelter for the night," Sombra said. His voice was flat.

Flurry opened her wings. "I'll fly up and see if I can find anything," she said. With a jump and a flap, she soared into the sky and scanned their surroundings. "Over there!" she shouted, pointing along the mountain face. "A cave!"

She landed, and the two walked to their new destination. Flurry gasped when she saw its interior. Black crystals lined the ceiling—not the jagged spikes she'd seen in Duskfall, but almost perfectly smooth, with only a hoofful of blunt protrusions. The floor itself was stone, but bore the scars of picks and heavy iron carts.

"This must be one of the old mines," Sombra said. He performed a quick sweep and detected no other occupants. "Wait here. I'll be back with some firewood."

Flurry Heart made herself comfortable on the cold stone, watching the world outside fade to night. The waning sunlight glinted off the dark crystal, showering the cave with bright refractions. She saw the Crystal Empire in the distance, its castle spires sparkling as well. Mom and Dad must be worried sick. She imagined them rallying the guard for a search party, knowing full well they hadn't the slightest idea where to start looking. I'll be home soon, she promised.

Sombra returned then, blocking the cave entrance with a stack of dried wood held in his magic. He stacked the wood carefully, then ignited it with a spark. A few minutes later, the cave was as comfortable as any room in the castle. The crystal ceiling reflected the firelight, all but eliminating any shadows.

Flurry's stomach grumbled, but she didn't say anything. Sombra lay across from her, firelight dancing in his eyes. There was something in that reflection she found enchanting.

"The Crystal Empire is less than a day away," Sombra said. "If you fly, you should get there safely."

"You're not coming with me?" Flurry wasn't sure why the idea surprised her.

Sombra snorted. "I'd be a fool to expect anything less than imprisonment."

"Where will you go, then?" Flurry asked. "You can't hide out here forever. They'll come looking."

"Then I'll run." Sombra sighed, long and deep. "What other choice to I have?"

Flurry had an answer, but she hesitated. Her rational mind knew he would never accept it, but the other part hoped he would. "Come back with me," she said. "I'll speak up for you."

"You?" Sombra stared at her for a moment. Wide eyes. Open mouth. He's actually surprised. "Why?"

Flurry shrugged. "I trust you." Sombra grunted. Flurry scowled. "If you’ve made up your mind, why are you still here? Why not start running now?"

Sombra's gaze returned to the fire. It took him a moment to speak. "That night, when you first called me," he said. "You asked me where I was from. Did you know that in over a thousand years, you're the first pony to ever ask me that?”

Flurry shook her head, but it made sense. Otherwise, somepony would have written down the answer.

"I've been alone for most of my life, Flurry Heart," he continued. "The king of shadows always is. That was my role, from the moment my destiny became clear." He gestured toward the cutie mark on his flank. "In my day, the king was above questioning. I spoke, and my people obeyed. When I enslaved the crystal ponies, it wasn't just about justice for my kind. I expected them to obey. That was the way things were done, so I made them comply. It wasn't until recently—until I met you—that I realized... it wasn't the only way."

Flurry stood and walked closer to him. He watched her approach, armored forelegs crossed in front of him. "When you asked about my home, I didn't know what to think," he continued as she settled down beside him. "At first, I thought you were just being insolent, but... of all the ponies I've known since becoming king, you’re the first who... cared about me.”

It took her a moment to find a response. “It’s not a big deal.”

"It is to me." For the first time, his face seemed completely relaxed. Open. He trusts me, too. "That’s why I couldn’t… why I saved you. Why… why I let you go in Duskfall. As much as I mocked friendship before, the truth is… I’ve missed it."

Flurry scooted closer to him and gave him a nudge. "Yeah? I’d like to hear about your friends."

Sombra smiled—a warm smile. A happy smile, free of malice. He spoke of his days as a foal, of growing up among the shadow ponies and the other foals his age. He told her of the lessons they learned together, the importance of duty and responsibility and listening to their elders. He laughed—a good, hearty laugh—as he recalled the adventures of his childhood, the narrow escapes and great discoveries only the closest of friends could truly share. Flurry laughed with him, but inside, she felt a gnawing emptiness. Even Sombra had friends. What does that say about me?

Sombra finished one of his tales, which involved a rather complicated pantomime that left Flurry in a fit of giggles. He returned to her side. Flurry felt a kind of thrill run through her body as his tail brushed against hers. As she watched, his smile began to fade. "Everything changed when my destiny was revealed," he said. "I was honored, of course. I had always been gifted, and I don’t think anypony was surprised. But a king isn’t held to the same standards as the common folk. The elders set me apart, and my friends… they became my subjects, and that wall could never be crossed.” He closed his eyes, Flurry felt a tremble run through his body. “I only hope that when their time came, they found peace."

Flurry leaned her head against his shoulder. He smelled of sweat, but not unpleasantly so. The cold edge of his chest plate irritated her skin. "I’m so sorry," she said. "You must have felt awful, going back to Duskfall after all this time."

Sombra shrugged. "Maybe. But there is one good thing that came of it." He turned and faced her. His breath tickled her nose. "I finally found somepony to share it with—the good and the bad."

The records described Sombra’s eyes as blood red, full of hate and evil, but as Flurry stared into them now, she only saw kindness. No, more than that. Determination. Longing. They gleamed like rubies in the firelight, full of passion and regret, but hope as well. She felt her body shake. Is this what it’s like, to understand?

He turned away. Flurry took a sharp breath and looked into the fire as well. "There’s only one thing I don’t understand," Sombra said. "The night I first told you about Duskfall, you said you didn’t have any friends. I knew it was true, because it scares you, but I don’t understand how a pony like you can be so alone."

Flurry Heart closed her eyes and took a long breath. "I’ve always wanted close friends, like my Mom and Dad have, or like my Aunt Twilight. I guess I did have friends when I was younger, but as the years went by, they just… didn’t last."

"Because you’re a princess?"

"Because I’m different." Flurry started tracing circles on the floor. "I don’t… get ponies. What they’re thinking, or feeling, I just don’t see it. That makes it hard to connect to… well, anypony."

Sombra was silent for a moment. Flurry listened to the steady rise and fall of his breath. "I know my opinion may not matter, but it seems to me that seeing is only one part of understanding," he said. "You may not see as others do, Flurry Heart, but you wonder, and you ask, and above all, you listen. I think those qualities will take you further than any first impression could."

He shifted, and the edge of his breastplate dug into her temple. She gasped and jerked away. Sombra watched her for a moment. Then, a red aura flared around his horn. Piece by piece, he removed his heavy armor and set it aside, then shuffled closer to her. His flank pressed against hers. Her stomach fluttered at the touch, and her face felt uncomfortably hot. "It’s going to be a cold night," Sombra said quickly. "We should stay close to each other, for warmth."

"Y-Yeah," Flurry stammered with a gulp. Wood snapped in the fire. A few sparks flew into the air, specks of red that faded to black as they gently fell. "Gotta stay warm so… we don’t… freeze…"

She felt Sombra’s sides shaking. When she turned, she saw him struggling to repress a grin. "What?" she snapped.

"Nothing." Sombra gave her a sideways glance, then winked. "Get some sleep, Flurry Heart. I’ll keep the fire going."

Flurry’s protest was eaten by a long yawn. She nodded, then rested her head on her forelegs and closed her eyes. The crackle of the fire and Sombra’s slow, steady breaths became the lullaby that welcomed her to sleep.

"NOW!"

Flurry jumped to her hooves. She heard the shimmer of several spells being cast at once, followed by a startled yelp. By the time her mind had settled enough to process her surroundings, Sombra lay pinned beneath multicolored layers of magic. "Hold him still!" Dad stood just inside the cave entrance, horn aglow, full armor gleaming in the morning light. Six armored unicorns stood beside him, casting spells of their own. Four earth ponies and five pegasi leveled spears at Sombra‘s face, though Flurry wasn’t sure what their weapons were supposed to do with her father’s barrier spell in the way.

With a grunt, Sombra twisted his eye to look up at her. She realized with a start that she was hovering in the air. "I must have dozed off," he said.

"Don’t speak a word to her," Dad commanded. Sombra sighed and fell silent. "Flurry, are you all right? What did he do to you?"

"Nothing." Flurry fluttered to the ground. "What’s going on? Wait, how did you find us?" Flurry analyzed the spells on Sombra. She only half-heard her father’s explanation—something about somepony seeing their fire and reporting it to the guard. Barriers, spatial bindings, magic nullification. It was her own combination of spells, used to bind him when she’d summoned him herself. The only one missing is the retribution spell.

"King Sombra is contained, sir," said one of the guard. "We should get the princess home."

Dad nodded and pointed to one of the unicorn guards. "Take care of my daughter. Inform Cadance that we’ll be back with the prisoner shortly."

"Prisoner?" The full impact of the scene before her finally dawned. "Wait! You can’t—"

The rest of her sentence was cut short as, with a flash, she and the guard disappeared from the cave and appeared at the castle gates in an instant. "Your mother is waiting to see you," the guard said. "I’ll take you to her."

As Flurry followed him inside, she turned her head back toward the mountains. The cave was but a speck in the distance.

Plans

"Flurry!"

Flurry found herself sandwiched between fuzzy pink and purple walls the moment she entered the throne room. Aunt Twilight was the first to step back, wiping a tear from the corner of her eyes. Her mother’s tears dropped onto Flurry’s neck as she squeezed tightly. "Thank Celestia," she whispered.

"Hi, Mom." Flurry wished she had a better response. "I’m all right."

Mom stepped back at last, eyes wet and smile shaking. "I can’t imagine what you’ve been through at the hooves of that…" She took a deep breath and pantomimed pushing her stress away. "But you’re here, and King Sombra will soon be dealt with. You won’t have to worry about him again."

Flurry was struck with the image of Sombra being dragged through the Empire in chains, obscured behind an armada of spells. She felt her eyes begin to twitch as tears welled up behind them.

"Oh, sweetheart, I’m so sorry." Mom’s face was a bit blurry, but Flurry could still see the hoof pressed against her mouth. "I won’t mention him again."

"It’s not that," Flurry said. She forced back the tears. "Mom, you have to let Sombra go." Two two older mares looked at each other, and then at Flurry Heart. Brows furrowed. Frowns. Frustration? She didn't really care. "I know, it sounds crazy, but he's not evil."

"Uh, Flurry Heart," Aunt Twilight began, "are you sure we're talking about the same pony? The king of shadows? The guy who enslaved the entire Crystal Empire?"

"Yes, but—"

"Not to mention foalnapping you to get your father and I to surrender," Mom added.

"I know—"

"And then he attacked Canterlot and brainwashed the guards," Aunt Twilight continued. "That was not an easy recovery, let me tell you."

"Are you done?" Flurry glared at the two mares. They closed their mouths and waited. "Yes, to all of that, but did either of you actually stop to talk to him?"

"Flurry, dear, talking only works if the other pony is willing to listen," Mom said.

"And King Sombra definitely wasn't," Aunt Twilight added.

"Well, he talked to me, and I don't think he's evil," Flurry said. "The whole king of shadows thing comes from his hometown. He's just been trying to keep them safe."

"One doesn't enslave a kingdom just to keep their home safe," Mom said.

Flurry sighed. "Okay, it's a little more complicated than that. A lot more complicated. But I've talked to him. We don't have to be enemies any more."

Mom and Aunt Twilight were silent for a moment. Then, Mom spoke. "Flurry, please don't take this the wrong way, but... are you sure you're the best pony to judge his character?"

Flurry took an involuntary step back. "O-Of course. Why wouldn't I be?"

"Dear, we both know you're not the best at telling what another pony is thinking."

There it was. Her quirk. She sat down as a weight settled on her chest. "I know, but..." She looked her mother square in the eyes. "You have to believe me. He's not the pony everypony thinks he is."

"That may be, Flurry Heart, but we can't just ignore the past," Aunt Twilight said. "I don't need to tell you the things he's done, and the threat he still poses to all of Equestria."

Flurry tried to swallow down the frog in her throat, but failed. She sucked in a rattling breath. "What’s going to happen to him?"

"The Council of Friendship will be here tomorrow," Aunt Twilight said. "We will decide then what to do with him."

"Turn him to stone, I hope," Mom muttered. "He’s caused enough trouble already."

Flurry’s tears burst forth at last, followed closely by heaving sobs. The two mares in front of her couldn’t say a word before she ran from the room, not caring where her hooves took her.

The royal archivists were used to Flurry's occasional ransacking of their carefully organized shelves, but even they were taken aback at the fervor to which she set about her task. She spread the entire legal reference section before her. Tables bowed under the dense tomes’ weight. Even the air itself was all but impassable as books and papers swirled around her, held aloft in yellow glow as she dashed to and fro. The midnight moon shone through the skylight by the time she took her notes to the dungeon.

"I want to speak with the prisoner."

The two guards glanced at each other. "Pardon?"

"I want to speak with the prisoner," Flurry repeated. Her heart thumped in her chest as she reviewed her notes. "According to section 17, paragraph 4, clause 6 of the Crystal Empire Penal Code, I have the right to—"

"Yes, you can speak with the prisoner," the guard interrupted with a raised hoof. "I just not sure why you'd want to. Not that it's any of my business, of course," she added quickly.

"You're right. It's not. Now, let me in."

The guards shrugged and opened the door. Flurry trotted through before she could change her mind.

Dozens of candles and torches lit the room. She shouldn't have been surprised. After all, the last thing to give a captured king of shadows was, well, shadows. The room was otherwise bare. Sombra lay curled on the cold floor, half-hidden behind the haze of magic that contained him. Without his armor, she almost didn't recognize him. He cracked an eye open when she entered, then sat upright with a gasp. "You!"

"Yeah. Me." Flurry trotted as close as she could. "Are you all right? They didn't hurt you, did they?"

Sombra shook his head. "I came quietly. It seemed like the best course of action at the time."

Flurry nodded. "You're probably right. It's just..." She pressed a hoof against the outermost barrier. It hummed at her touch. "The Council of Friendship is coming tomorrow. They're going to decide what to do with you."

Sombra stood and walked toward her. "I take it that's not a good thing."

She shook her head. "It's my Aunt Twilight and her friends. They might turn you to stone. Forever."

"Pah. Even your tribunals have sugar-coated names."

Flurry tried to look him in the eye, but he avoided her gaze. "You know, they might be more lenient if you acted less angry."

"I'd be less angry if I believed I would be judged fairly." He faced her then. His red eyes bored into her. His brow furrowed. Not anger, she decided. Fear. And I don't blame him.

"I've read up on how the Council does things. You'll have your chance to speak," she said. "Just tell them everything you've told me. Maybe they'll see the good in you."

"And what if they don't?"

Flurry narrowed her eyes, matching the ferocity of his despair with the resolve of her determination. "Then I'll make them see," she said. "No matter what, you can count on that. You probably think I'm just doing this because you saved my life, but you're wrong. I'm doing this because it's the right thing to do. And… I really don’t want to see you turned to stone."

Sombra's gaze softened. A faint smile came to his lips, and he pressed his own hoof against the innermost barrier. Only a few thin layers of magic separated them now. "I wasn't thinking that at all, Flurry Heart. I know you better than that."

Flurry returned his smile. "Then let's get to work."

The hours passed quickly as Flurry unpacked her notes. Sombra listened patiently as she explained every detail, interrupting only to ask clarifying questions. When they felt comfortable with the process, they moved on to strategy.

"This won't be easy," Sombra said. "The Council won't have forgotten the things I've done to them, and your family. Even if they follow their rules to the letter, I'm not convinced they'll listen."

"That's where I come in," Flurry answered while she organized her notes. "Twilight is my aunt, and the rest of them helped raise me."

"I suppose it's comforting to know that even the Council of Friendship isn't above favoritism." Sombra smirked as he said it, but his tone was slightly strained.

"You don't have to hide what you're feeling," she said.

Sombra frowned. "I'm not hiding."

"Sure you are. You smiled, but you sounded annoyed, or upset," she pressed. "Which one is it?"

"Both." Sombra chuckled at her frown. "You really couldn't tell?"

"Don't laugh. I told you I don't see things like other ponies."

Sombra sighed. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make fun of you. I was just... surprised."

Flurry groaned and turned her attention to her notes. She heard Sombra tap softly on the barrier. "Flurry," he said, "surely you know that feelings are never simple."

"I know that, but..." She tilted her head back. The crystal ceiling distorted her reflection. "But I also don't know that. Does that make sense?"

"Your head understands, but your heart does not," Sombra said. Flurry nodded. "Or," Sombra continued, "perhaps your heart does understand, but your head lacks trust."

"Maybe." She turned her attention back to her notes. "Dad always says I overthink things, but how else am I supposed to understand?"

"You follow your heart."

"But my heart is always wrong."

"Not about me," he answered.

Tribunal

Flurry paced just outside the courtroom. Her saddlebags burst with loose papers and notes, yet she still felt unprepared. The antechamber teemed with creatures of every shape and size. Most were visiting for the Crystal Faire, but news of Sombra’s capture spread quickly, and they all wanted to see what fate held in store for him. The low, constant chatter made Flurry’s ears twitch. Fragments of conversation muddled her thoughts. It has to be enough. They’ll see. Only the hopeful part of her believed it.

The doors opened then, and creatures poured into the courtroom. Flurry fluttered to the royal balcony that overlooked the crowded room. At the far end sat the Council of Friendship, who wrapped up their private discussion and took their seats. Mom smiled as Flurry sat beside her. She didn't bother making herself comfortable.

"Order! Order!" Aunt Twilight pounded her gavel, and silence fell across the room. "This emergency session of the Council of Friendship is now convened to discuss the matter of King Sombra." She banged his gavel again to silence the murmurs. "Bring in the prisoner."

No fewer than twelve unicorns, Dad included, stepped forward, horns aglow. A circular section of the floor slid aside, and a platform rose to take its place. The crowd gasped as Sombra came into view. Flurry had to squint to see him through the multicolored haze of magic. When she did, her heart snapped. In addition to the previous battery of wards, he had also been inflicted with a silencing spell, which covered up what she suspected to be screams of rage. Thick steel manacles bound his legs and neck to the floor. He panted under their weight and, Flurry suspected, potent enchantments.

An eerie quiet settled in the room. "Now," Twilight said, unfurling a scroll. "The most recent charge against him is the kidnapping of Princess—"

"I OBJECT!"

Flurry’s harsh shout took the entire room by surprise. They stared up as her as she soared across the room and landed between Sombra and the council table. "I object!" she said again.

"Okay…" Aunt Twilight frowned at her. "To what?"

"To the blatant mistreatment of the prisoner, of course!" Flurry retrieved a copy of the Rules of the Council of Friendship from her bags. "Section six, paragraph four clearly states that a prisoner must not suffer undue distress or discomfort during the proceedings. Furthermore, paragraph five states that the prisoner is permitted to speak in their own defense." She closed the book and pointed to Sombra’s hunched form. "I don’t know about the rest of you, but he looks pretty distressed to me, and that silencing spell is the exact opposite of letting him defend himself."

Aunt Twilight’s eyes widened. Surprise? Irritation? "It was decided that, given his dangerous nature and unique abilities, that we would use every method at our disposal to contain him," she said.

"Oh. It was decided." Flurry tossed the heavy book over her shoulder. Its thud echoed through the chamber. "Well, since we’re just deciding which rules count, we might as well get rid of all of them, huh?"

The Council members looked around at each other. "She does have a point, Twi," Applejack said.

"Indeed. I can’t imagine he’ll be able to mount a proper defense in his current state," Rarity agreed.

"We are talking about the same King Sombra, right?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"The king of party pooping?" Pinkie Pie stared at Flurry with a quizzical brow. "No way we should take any chances with him."

"You don’t have to." Flurry retrieved a set of notes—the recipe of wards she’d employed when she called him. "These spells will suffice, if you think they’re necessary. I don’t," she added, "but we’ll come to that later."

Twilight took the papers and reviewed them. Fluttershy leaned forward. "Flurry Heart," she said, "do you mean to say you’re defending King Sombra?"

"I am."

Flurry risked a glance back at the tittering crowd. She feared seeing their many eyes would break her courage. Mom’s mouth hung agape, eyes as wide as Flurry had ever seen them. Dad wore a slight frown but retained his composure. A pit settled in Flurry’s gut. She ignored it and turned back to the Council, which had started a discussion of its own.

Twilight banged the gavel before she spoke. "The Council will vote. All in favor of changing Sombra’s confinement." Flurry held her breath. Applejack, Fluttershy, Rarity, Spike, and Twilight raised their hooves. Twilight counted the votes, then nodded at Dad, who gave orders to the unicorns. Sombra’s shackles fell away, as did the silencing spell and several layers of barrier. Only Dad’s vibrant pink remained.

"Hmph. Better not try anything," Rainbow Dash muttered, hooves crossed over her chest. Pinkie leaned forward and stared at him intently.

"Now," Twilight said, "unless there are any more objections, we'll proceed." Flurry nodded and stepped to the side. "We will now discuss the kidnapping of Princess Flurry Heart. King Sombra, what do you have to say for yourself?"

Sombra shook his head as he straightened. "I did not kidnap her," he said.

"Riiiiight. You and Flurry just happened to disappear from the castle at the same time, and you just happened to be hiding in a cave together." Pinkie Pie snorted. "There's an awful lot of happening going on, and it smells like stale frosting to me."

Flurry wanted desperately to answer, but she held back. It wasn't her turn to speak, and if she expected the Council to follow the rules, she would have to do the same. Fortunately, Sombra had their practiced response ready. "When Flurry Heart summoned me, she was well-prepared for any malice I might throw her way. Among other precautions, she enacted a retribution spell, with which I'm sure the Princess of Friendship is familiar. Naturally, when Flurry Heart attempted to teleport away at her parents' request, I was caught in the spell."

"Where'd y'all end up?" Applejack asked. "And how come it took you so long to get back?"

"We were caught in the mountain passes," Sombra answered. "I never learned to teleport, and Flurry was too weak to cast the spell again, so we walked until nightfall and made camp in the cave where Shining Armor found us."

"Those passes can be very dangerous," Fluttershy said. "How did you survive?"

"We took shelter in an abandoned village," Sombra replied. "My hometown, as a matter of fact. I was thinking of it when Flurry's teleportation caught me by surprise."

"I've never heard of a village in the mountains," Rarity said. "How can we be sure this place really exists?"

Flurry stepped forward, another stack of papers floating in her magic. "As his advocate, I can answer that," she said as she passed the papers to Twilight. "Yesterday, Sombra marked the village's location on this map. I had some pegasi guards investigate. Here is their report."

The Council took a moment to read her evidence. Dad's frown had turned to a kind of half-smirk. Proud? Confused? The assembled creatures whispered occasionally, but otherwise remained silent. Mom, sitting alone on the balcony, wore a frown and a furrowed brow. Her ears flicked left and right, and her tail twitched. Annoyed? It was her best guess.

"Looks like everything's in order," Rainbow Dash said at last, though she scowled as she said it. The other Council members nodded. Flurry felt a weight lift from her chest. "Guess we better vote. Guilty of kidnapping Flurry Heart?" Each member of the Council shook their head. Flurry couldn't resist beaming a smile at Sombra. He nodded at her, but remained silent. Flurry's grin faded as well. This is just the beginning.

"Now, to the larger issue at hoof." Twilight's horn glowed, gently drawing an enormous stack of papers onto the table. "King Sombra, you are accused of many crimes against Equestria and its ponies, including, but not limited to, the hostile takeover of a sovereign state, enslavement, terrorism, kidnapping of an infant, destruction of the Elements of Harmony, and attempted coup d'etat." Twilight glanced through her papers as she read, then stacked then neatly on the table. "Considering the members of this Council were directly responsible for putting a stop to these crimes, it seems silly to ask, but how do you plead?"

Sombra took a deep breath, then spoke in absolute silence. "I am guilty of all that you say."

Although they had agreed to this response, Flurry's heart still pounded as he said it. His confession stirred the assembly into gasps and muttering. Even the Council of Friendship glanced at each other. Twilight banged the gavel and called for order. "Very well. The Council accepts your confession of guilt, and we have determined that there is only one punishment that will end your evil for—"

"I object!" Flurry stamped her hoof for emphasis. "He must be given a chance to defend himself!"

Applejack put a hoof to her forehead. "He already confessed, sugar cube. There's nothing more to say."

"He must be given a chance." Flurry spoke slowly, emphasizing each word. "Those are the rules."

"Flurry, I'm sure you're just trying to be noble, but this is King Sombra we're talking about," Rainbow Dash groaned.

Flurry's heart raced as she stared them down. Her mind floundered for an answer. Her knees shook. She had to force herself not to hyperventilate. "Please," she said. "He deserves to be heard as much as anypony else."

Fluttershy leaned forward, staring at Flurry with her bright blue eyes. "I can tell this means a lot to you," she said. Flurry nodded. Fluttershy turned to her fellow Council members. "I think we should honor her request."

"I second the motion. It's about time we found out what drove this creature to commit such atrocities," Rarity said.

Twilight held up a hoof. "Let's take a vote, then. All in favor of hearing what King Sombra has to say." Flurry's eyes raced to count the votes. Twilight. Pinkie Pie. Fluttershy. Rarity. She let out a rattling sigh. Barely enough, but enough is all that counts.

"All right, then." Applejack leaned back in her chair. Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. "Reckon we might as well get this over with."

Flurry stepped back to make sure they all had a clear view of Sombra. Rainbow Dash slumped in her chair. Spike leaned his chin on a clawed hand. Twilight gave him the thinnest of smiles. "Proceed."

Sombra began with the exile of the shadow ponies from the Crystal Empire. He spoke of his kin's enudrance in the face of insurmountable odds, and his personal struggle with the responsibility he carried. By the time he told of his attack on the Crystal Empire, even Rainbow Dash seemed to be paying close attention. Flurry felt something swelling within her chest, something warm and bursting to be free. They're listening.

Sombra's story continued through the Empire's return and his subsequent banishment to the ether. He explained that he had not been aware of the time factor, and so when Discord brought him back, he intended to continue the mission he'd started. His ill-fated attack on Canterlot was meant to prevent another defeat, an effort that ultimately proved fruitless.

"You know the rest from there," he finished. "I know that this does not change what was done, nor does it bring peace to those I harmed. But understand that I acted from a place of love—for my people, and for all I hold dear." He glanced at Flurry as he finished and, for the first time during the trial, he smiled.

The room was silent for a moment. Then, Twilight herself spoke. "This story does shed new light on your actions," she said. "I have only one question. How can we be sure it is true?"

Flurry's heart raced. She'd expected this question, and prepared for it as only she could. "I will speak for him," she said. "I believe what he says is true. You may rely on his word as though it were my own."

"I object."

Flurry nearly leapt out of her skin. Mom stood across from her, facing the Council. The crowd began to mutter again. "I must object," Mom repeated, "for the good of Equestria."

Light

"Mom, what are you doing?" Flurry hissed. She thought she'd prepared for everything, but she'd never suspected her own mother would try to undermine her. Mom stared straight ahead. The Council members frowned, and their eyebrows rose near their noses. A few tails flicked as they waited to see what Twilight would say.

"I see." Twilight spoke slowly. "Princess Cadance, on what grounds do you raise this objection?"

Mom glanced at her then, only briefly. "I wish to share my objection with the Council in private," she said, "as a matter of sovereign privilege."

Flurry's mind raced through her newly-acquired legal knowledge. She didn't recognize the phrase, but it seemed Twilight understood. She cast a spell, and the crowd's din faded to nothing. Dad stepped closer. "Cadance, are you sure you want to do this?" she heard him whisper.

"I'm sure." Cadance stepped forward and addressed the Council. "Flurry Heart intends to vouch for King Sombra's character, but I believe she is too easily misled by those trained to hide their true motives. The Council would be ill-advised to trust her in this matter."

"What!" Flurry bounded forward. "Mom!"

Mom held up a hoof. Still she faced away. "Flurry, please, don't make this harder on yourself. You've done an admirable job of holding this Council accountable, and I'm proud of you for that, but I can't let him get away with everything he's done, and I won't let your weakness cloud their judgement."

Weakness. Flurry had only rarely heard her use that term, always when she thought Flurry wasn't listening—in private conversations with Dad or closed-door meetings with therapists. For her to use it now in her presence, to discredit her so thoroughly that Sombra would pay the ultimate price...

"Cadance, that's enough." Dad's voice was stern. Mom didn't flinch.

Twilight let out a heavy sigh. "Flurry, do you have anything to say in response?"

She desperately wanted to say something, anything, but her mind turned blank as her mouth tried uselessly to form words. Her eyes darted from Dad's glare to the Council's frowns to Mom, who still refused to face her. Her calculus worked overtime. Angry. Disappointed. Faithless. Mom had always shown such confidence through the years that Flurry could overcome anything, but now, in Flurry's most desperate moment, she turned away.

Sombra cleared his throat. "I would like to speak to my advocate for a moment."

Twilight nodded. "It is your right."

Flurry felt numb as she walked toward him. She stared at the floor as she approached the barrier spell. Tears welled up in her eyes. "I'm sorry," she whispered.

"Don't apologize." His resolve was enough to raise her head. His red eyes locked on hers. "You haven't failed yet."

She shook her head. "I told you before. I never know what ponies are thinking. I didn't even know my own mother would... that she didn't..."

A strangled sob forced its way up her throat. Her tears splattered on the floor. "Flurry Heart," Sombra said, "do you know why your mother has chosen this moment to act?" She didn't respond. He continued. "As king, it was my duty to know the anxieties of my people. Thus, I always know a pony's deepest fear. Your mother has not lost faith in you, but in herself."

Flurry forced her breathing to slow, and her sobs to stop. "What?"

"She worries about your future, as most mothers do," he said. "She wants to give you a better world than the one she inherited, and she fears she won't live up to the expectation she puts on herself. She is afraid that you are making a mistake in believing me, and that your mistake will cost you dearly. She fears that if that happens, she won't be able to make it right."

His words calmed the tempest within. "What should I do?"

"Help her to see as you do," he answered. "If anypony can do it, it's you."

Flurry met his gaze and nodded. With one last rattling breath, she turned back to the waiting Council. "I'd like to speak to everycreature, please."

Twilight nodded. Her spell faded, and the courtroom's din returned. Flurry held up a hoof, and the crowd fell silent. "Most of you are here for the Crystal Faire," she said, "It's one of our most important traditions, a day when we unite to celebrate goodness and joy and... and love." She turned toward Mom, who watched her over her shoulder, face half-hidden behind her mane. Flurry noticed now the slight tremble in Mom's hooves, her pinned ears, and creased brow. Guilt.

She didn't have time to dwell on it now. "In the Empire, we talk about the light that shines in everycreature, the light that maintains the Crystal Heart and protects us," she continued. "I've always believed that that light is strong enough to overcome anything, even when it seems like only shadows remain."

Mom nodded and turned toward her. Straight posture. Ears forward. Tail swish. Flurry pushed her calculus aside and spoke from her heart. "My mother and I are different in a lot of ways, but we both love and care about the Empire, Equestria, and the world. We both want the best for everycreature, and we both worry about the future. Right now, a lot of you are worried about what will happen if I am wrong about Sombra. I understand why you're afraid. But we won't beat fear by giving in. There's only one thing strong enough to defeat darkness, and that's light. I see it all around me, every day, and I've seen it in Sombra as well."

She glanced toward the crowd. Dragons and diamond dogs, kirins and hippogriffs all sat in silence. For a moment, her words faltered, and fear crept into her chest. She looked at Sombra last of all. He smiled at her. She smiled back. Fear fled.

"All I ask," she said, "is that you try to see him as I have. Not as an enemy, not as a threat, but as pony who has made mistakes and wants to make them right. Understanding will bring us peace, but we can't understand unless we listen first."

Mom's tail flicked as Flurry repeated her favorite axiom. She glanced at Sombra, then walked toward the barrier that held him captive. "How can I trust you?" she asked. "How can I know my daughter will be safe?"

"Because she is a good pony," Sombra answered. "Because she believes in me, even when nopony else does. My people are gone, but I can still fight for her. And I will, because..." He reached up with a hoof and carefully removed the iron crown from his head. It rattled as he tossed it to the floor. "Because I care for her."

Flurry felt her breath leave her body. Her head spun, and not just from the crowd's sudden uproar. He cares for me. Her mouth twitched into a smile. Half a laugh burst from her chest. And I care for him, too.

"Order! Order!" Twilight banged the gavel until the room was quiet again. "Cadance? What do you think?"

Mom turned and faced Flurry. She wore a smile as she walked forward and embraced her daughter. "I believe him," she whispered. "I should have believed in you. Please, forgive me for my doubts." To the council, she said, "I withdraw my objection, and I ask this Council to reconsider their decision. My daughter is right. Our light is strong enough."

Flurry giggled as Sombra stepped into the hall, wearing his new white suit. It wasn't Rarity's best work, but considering the rush, nopony could have asked for better. "It's a little itchy," he said.

"I think it looks nice," Flurry answered. She led him down the hall toward a balcony. "Come on. The ceremony is about to start."

"Are you sure about this?" Sombra asked. "The last time I was here for the Crystal Heart ceremony, it... didn't end well for me."

Flurry nodded. "Aunt Twilight checked everything. As long as you project your happiness into the Crystal Heart, you should be fine."

They stepped outside. Their balcony offered a poor view of the creatures gathered outside. That was by design; they had decided it would be best for Sombra to watch from afar, to avoid a panic among the crystal ponies. Most knew what had happened at the tribunal, but seeing him in person would be another matter entirely, one best left for later.

Flurry nudged Sombra's shoulder as Mom began her speech. "You're not nervous, are you?"

Sombra snorted. "I only remain free so long as I am able to make amends," he said. It was the one condition the council had set—making right his every wrong. Sombra was never going to be granted a full pardon, but provisional freedom was definitely a step up from realistic lawn ornament. "It's hard not to imagine how I'll mess it up."

She leaned against his shoulder. It was much softer without his armor. "You'll do fine. We'll just take it one step at a time, okay?"

He turned and held her close. His heart fluttered against her chest, matching her own. "As long as you're with me, Flurry Heart."

The speech was coming to an end. Lines of light traced themselves along the ground, converging on the Crystal Heart. "Ready?" she asked.

Sombra leaned back. His breath ruffled her fur, and his red eyes were radiant in the sunset. "Ready."

Their lips met. Time stood still. Their happiness melded with that of the Empire, but in that moment, Flurry didn't care. All she knew as the Crystal Heart's magic washed over them was that the joy she felt was enough.