Our Empire of Darkness

With another scratch notched into the wall, Twilight returned to her sitting position next to the bars. The schedule helped keep track of the days, along with the comings and goings of the warden. Wake up, mark the day it roughly was, sit at the bars for breakfast, do exercises to keep her muscles in shape, sit at bars for lunch, review knowledge from books she read, sit at bars for dinner, do another round of exercise, think of her friends and family until she fell asleep. Rinse, repeat.

Oddly, Sombra had taken up the jars with him last night before bed. There were only two remaining, but she hoped it wouldn’t mark the end of her meals. The fire outside her cell was smoldering, providing very little light for her gloomy situation. Twilight thought of her friends, keeping her memories of them alive and the determination to see them again. The crystals on her horn wouldn’t break, her cell bars were too strong to buck down, and she was constantly checked on by the king.

He had asked her about everything at this point. Modern technology, magic, the Equestrian government, geopolitics, her personal life, desires, beliefs... Some of his questions she answered truthfully, as there was no getting around it. He knew Princess Celestia and Princess Luna were in charge of Equestria, and he knew of Cadance, if not her name. It didn’t hurt to tell him those small bits of information. But with the jars gone and his lateness this morning, she could only assume this was the end of the line.

As the bars down the hall creaked open, Twilight took one last look at the tallies she had made. Thirty-seven days. Princess Luna stopped by her dreams every few nights to ask more about what Twilight knew and to make sure she was still alive, something that seemed to perplex the lunar princess. Luna had told her about her friends and what they were getting up to in Ponyville. Apparently, Trixie had attempted to enslave Ponyville using a powerful artifact seeking revenge on Twilight but was defeated by the regal sisters.

King Sombra’s eyes came into view as he floated next to the campfire, examining her. “So this is how it’s going to be?” Twilight asked, her head against the bars. “Good cop is over and it’s time for bad cop?”

“You still don’t trust me.” He moved toward the bars, his eyes and horn closer to her than ever before. “I see now that you never will.”

“You’re right. I’ll never trust you.” She flicked her eyes up into his, turning back down at her lightly illuminated blankets.

The king backed away from the bars as a tendril extended to the door of the cell with keys jingling at the end. Twilight backed up as he unlocked the cell and opened the door wide open. “I’ve gotten what I wanted from you.” He said, eyes focused into hers even as she prepared herself to die or lose control of her own body. “I have no use to keep you prisoner.”

“Then get it over with.” Twilight kept staring at him, her teary vision focused into his own. A tendril extended to her horn from the shadows, wrapping around it and...

Flakes of black crystal dropped from her horn as her eyes went wide.

“There we go.” He moved his tendril back. “I can show you to the surface. It’s a little warmer up there.”

Her trembling hoof picked up one of the broken crystals, turning it. For the first time in over a month, she lit up her horn and illuminated the surrounding space. “I-I don’t understand.” She looked back up into the king’s eyes. “You’re letting me go?”

“What could you possibly tell them they wouldn’t already know or would matter?” He rhetorically asked. “I know you’ve been speaking with Luna this entire time. Come, it will be nice for you to get some fresh air.”

She exited her cell, following the shadows through the hallways of the lower complex and up a flight of stairs. Her heart pounded and her mind was still processing what was happening. Was this some elaborate trap? At the end of another stairwell, she could see natural light for the first time since fainting in the Crystal Empire, her breathing getting shallower. What is going on?!

Twilight entered the upstairs hallway, dousing her horn and looking around the hall. Sombra kept floating toward another open set of bars while she stood there, the light from the small windows on the corner of the opposite hall bathing it in a gentle northerly blue, vines having creeped in from the outdoors.

Sombra turned around to look back at her. “Is something wrong?”

“N-No.” Twilight shook her head, mind still adjusting to the change of scenery. She loitered behind him as she followed him through the different hallways. It really was a prison. She saw rooms the guards used to either side, making their way through the reception area and out into an overgrown town. Stepping down the steps of the prison, Twilight took a deep breath of the cool air. Her ears twitched at the sounds of waves, wind blowing against her fur. Her eyes shut on their own, and she couldn’t help but shed a tear at how nice it felt to be free from that cell.

The shadow creature that was King Sombra turned around once he reached a house across the street. “I collected a few things while I kept you here. They should help you on your way back home.”

Finally opening her eyes, Twilight didn’t even know what to say. It was too good to be true. “I don’t understand.” She said, her voice much weaker than she intended.

“You probably wish to see you friends again, do you not?” He questioned from where he floated.

“Why are you letting me go?” She asked, her thoughts having been ground to dust and blown away. Every time Princess Luna saw her, she assured her with an absolute certainty that King Sombra was manipulating her. That she would be rescued by them long before the king ever even considered letting her go. That this king, the evil and tyrannical King Sombra, would do anything to get what he wanted and crush anypony in his way.

“I told you, I have no use for you.” He floated closer, Twilight backing up onto the steps of the prison. King Sombra halted, seeing her fear and confusion. “You didn’t expect to live, did you?”

“No, this has to be a trap.” Twilight shook her head, backing up into the prison reception area. “You want me going back to... to do something! You cursed me, didn’t you?!” Her shouts sent tears away from her cheeks, her breaths uneven and hateful gaze focused against her former captor.

“Twilight Sparkle, I did no such thing.” He moved to the doorway but no further, floating there, his eyes communicating slight concern. “I’m sorry if you believed you would die, but that’s not who I am. I wouldn’t kill you unless you were a serious threat where I didn’t have another reasonable option.”

“I... I...” Twilight fell onto her haunches, tears rolling down her face as all she was told came crashing down. It was impossible! He was pure evil! He had to be! He had to be...

The shadow monster moved forward into the reception area and floated ahead of her. “You are free, Twilight Sparkle. Do not worry, I will not seek harm upon you.”

“Y-You have to be...” She let loose a choked cry, blubbering toward the floor. “Y-You h-have to...”

Sombra remained silent as she worked through all the emotions. He knew what she was going through, as it had been a common reaction for those he sent for rehabilitation. They believed something so strong that there was no other choice, and when they were shown that it was wrong, they couldn’t even begin to comprehend it. The regal sisters were extremely talented at converting agents to their perspective, as skilled as himself.

“Y-You...” Twilight finally entered the next stage. “YOU’RE A MONSTER!” Her screams ricocheted around the prison entrance, finally snapping her head from the floor. “YOU KEEP ME LOCKED AWAY FOR A MONTH WITH ONLY... Only...” Her tears returned, her choking on them as they cut her off.

He stayed silent, letting her work it through herself. Eventually, it would reach the end, and she would understand, like all the others did.

“W-Why?” she asked herself more than him. “Why d-did you keep me...” She sighed, her rapid breathing ending that wagon of thought. “Y-You have n-no more need for me...”

“No. I don’t.” He said, affirming her attempts at acceptance.

“B-But...” She took a few deep breaths. “I-I can go home?”

“Yes. I have prepared several things for you to take with you. It will be an arduous journey back through the arctic wastes.”

“I can go home...” Her eyes were still wide, although they took on another quality as she tapped at the floor tiles. “I...”

“Yes, you can go home.”

She sat there, thinking everything through. It was so much. The singular idea she had been fighting against all month resurfaced, her heart pounding away at the realization, but her mind coming to accept it. She was wrong. So. Very. Wrong.

“O-Okay.” She got up onto her hooves and followed him outside toward the house in front of the prison. Vines wrapped around the two decorative pillars in front of the home, the door rotted away so much that King Sombra had removed it and set it aside. Stepping into the home, Twilight saw moss having grown over much of the floor, the furniture rotted or broken. A bookshelf had a few remaining books that were beyond reading due to water damage from the holey ceiling and upper floor, and the other rooms were as ruined as the main room.

Sombra pointed with a tendril toward a small pile of items. Both jars of preserved food were there, along with several dozen potatoes wrapped in a haphazardly sown together sack. Rope was coiled up next to it with a metal hook on the end, a pair of improvised saddlebags laying to the side. A winter coat was draped over the chair, along with boots and a scarf. It was everything she needed to get back home.

“Travel through the mountain pass away from the ocean and continue south-east or south-west as long as you can. Eventually you’ll reach a mountain range. Pass through those mountains and continue. If you see Mount Everhoof, use the front path to show you the direction you should head. Continue south until you see civilization or the Crystal Empire.” Sombra said to her as she examined the supplies. “Did you catch all of that?”

“Y-Yeah.” She turned up to him, her frown still present. “Thank you.”

“You are welcome, Twilight Sparkle.” He floated toward the door, halting when Twilight shouted back:

“Wait!” He turned back to her, waiting on her follow-up. “I-I, umm...” she cursed herself on the inside. “C-Can you stick around for a few days? I-I’m not ready to go yet.”

His eyes tilted. “Now I am not understanding. Do you not wish to return home?”

“I-I’m just not ready.” Twilight rubbed her foreleg, looking up at him with a nervous smile and sweet eyes. “I-If you would be alright with it, that is.”

“I guess I could stay another day or two.” He answered, righting his eyes back to how they were. “I’ll be at the potato grove if you need me. Feel free to have a look around town. Nopony will mind.”

Twilight nodded in understanding as he floated from the door. Her heart was going wild as she turned back to her supplies. She sat down on the chair and put on the boots, her mind going over the motions of what she asked. He wasn’t a bad pony. He just needed a friend. She was certain her friends would understand her taking a few more days away to reform a villain.

“Where the hay were you?” Applejack narrowed her eyes on Twilight, getting her to shift on her hooves.

“I-I was helping King Sombra. He isn’t a bad pony.” Twilight defended even as her five friends and number one assistant stared her down.

Rarity let out a scoff. “Don’t be ridiculous, darling! He can’t be reformed!”

“Yeah! He probably cast some curse on you.” Rainbow narrowed her eyes at the purple unicorn as she took a step back from her friends.

“I am very disappointed in you, Twilight.” Celestia spoke from behind, causing Twilight to spin around to the disapproving glares of both regal sisters. “First you fail your test, and now you betray Equestria.”

“I-I’m not...” Twilight’s words were cut off as a sob came from deep within her throat, trying to wrap her emotions around the idea that she would ever consider such a thing.

“Perhaps she can learn her lesson somewhere better suited to handling traitors.” Luna suggested, her angry glare focused on Twilight. “There’s no place in Equestria for traitors like her, but there is in Tartarus!”

Twilight took another step back and fell to the ground, looking around. The darkened spires of the prison surrounded her, chains on her neck and legs, which kept her from moving too far from the center of her cell.

“P-Please listen to me!” she called out, tears dropping from her face onto the ashy rock as she searched for anything, anypony, who would listen. There she wept. She lost her friends and the respect of her mentor. Her family didn’t even want to see her. She was alone and friendless, with not even Spike to comfort her.

It was over.

“Twilight Sparkle?” Luna’s concerned voice tore her from her thoughts. Looking up, she saw the princess descend from above, landing next to her.

“P-Princess Luna! P-Please forgive m-me!” She pleaded, trying to crawl toward her but getting shackled by the chains.

Luna lit her horn and fired off blasts which disintegrated the chains around Twilight. “This is a most peculiar nightmare.” She mused, walking over to Twilight to give her a hug. “Do not worry, you have nothing to be sorry for.”

“B-But...” Twilight choked on her words, cluing into something. “W-Wait... Nightmare?”

“Indeed.” Luna released the hug and sat next to her. “What is it that has you so worried?”

She took a few breaths before looking at Luna to answer: “I-I’m staying with King Sombra for a few more days.”

“I don’t believe you have much of a choice.” Luna raised a brow, confused at the proclamation.

“I’m free. He released me today. He’s not a bad pony. And I’m not going to let him go without a friend for any longer.”

Luna’s expression hardened, her seriousness on full display. “Twilight, we have spoken about this many times. It’s all a lie. He’s trying to manipulate you into siding with him. Can you not see that this is all a ploy to make you receptive to his true goals?”

“He’s not a bad pony!” Twilight snapped, taking Luna aback and deepening the concern. “He’s not a bad pony.” She took a few deep breaths to get her emotions under control. “He cares about his subjects and even his enemies. We don’t need to be foes.”

“How do you know that is the case? How do you know he was being truthful about what he said?”

“Because he hasn’t lied to me.” She stared at the ground in front of her hooves. “He could have tried lying at any point and didn’t. He told me where I am, why he captured me, what he hoped to learn from me, everything. Why would he lie about his foalhood when it was so cheerful? Why would he give me supplies to make my way back home?”

“To make you believe he is good.” Luna stressed as the dream field began to distort, the unicorn’s agitation increasing. “It’s all a tactic to make you believe he isn’t how he actually is. Make no mistake, this is all part of a plan to turn you to his side.”

Twilight took a few breaths. “Or maybe you’re wrong about him.”

“Pardon?” Luna straightened up.

“You heard me. Maybe you’re wrong about him. Why do you say he’s such a bad pony, anyway? He’s been nothing but kind and respectful to me. He saved my life and made sure I was reasonably comfortable in my cell. Why shouldn’t I believe he is being truthful? The crystal ponies seemed to only remember positive things from before their disappearance, and the Crystal Empire seemed to be filled with happy ponies before we came.”

“Twilight, he would conquer every pony under his dark grip. It may have looked happy, but he ruled by fear.” Luna reached out a hoof to touch Twilight’s shoulder. “What happened to those hundreds of ponies who disappeared without a trace? How did he ensure his rule remained stable with such minimal delegation? I do. I know what he did, what he really is. On the outside, he may seem kind, but he has a heart corrupted by darkness.”

“Then what did he do?” Twilight turned up with a resolute defiance in her eyes. “What did he do that made you so unwilling to believe he’s a good pony?”

Luna winced. “He had an organization which operated in the shadows. They would snatch ponies away in the middle of the night, sometimes entire families. Nopony would hear what happened to them. The crystal ponies were too afraid to speak out lest they disappear. Both my sister and I have seen him enslave the minds of innocent ponies using dark magic. He has produced abominations using necromancy and blood magic without a single shred of regret. You must trust us, Twilight Sparkle. His heart is irredeemable, and nothing will change that.”

With one last sniffle, Twilight ground her teeth together, her anger rising toward the princess. “Get out of my dreams.”

“Do you understand? We know you believe he can be redeemed, but we’ve tried, and it only resulted in more deception. What he is, who he became, cannot be changed. Even if his acts of kindness are genuine, it’s not representative of his beliefs. Please don’t make the mistake of believing he can reform his ways.”

Twilight’s back straightened, jaw clenching as she stared off into the murky distance. “And just what does he believe?”

“He believes only magic users deserve power. You must understand this would cause rifts between the types of ponies. Only unicorns would have authority in his Crystal Empire, the rest serving as slaves to their whims. The strife would–”

Luna got cut off by Twilight slapping her hoof away and standing up, turning from her. “Get out! I don’t want more of your lies about what he is! I’m staying to reform him, and if you can’t accept it, then leave!”

The princess stood and took one last look over Twilight. The emotions in the ambient field were clear enough to understand was going on, and she knew that there wouldn’t be a way to help Twilight while she was still in the manipulative hooves of the king. Her wings sent her into the false air and away from the dreamscape. She knew what had to be done.

Shining Armor held onto Cadance as she leaned her head against his shoulder, both still reeling with the news. Both regal sisters stood staring out the window of the meeting room, both whispering to one another. It wouldn’t be long before the last ponies arrived and they could begin the meeting.

“It must be done this way.” Celestia said firm to her sister.

“I know, but I still believe it to be the best option.”

“If you can think of a better one which doesn’t involve such a sacrifice, then voice it, but I believe this will have to suffice.”

“I’ll try, my sister.” Luna turned back to Cadance and Shining Armor, both still working through their emotions. She walked over to the table to take her seat, spending the time going over what she had learned about where Twilight was located. With the added information about the coastline from Twilight’s memories, it narrowed down where she had been taken to a single town far past the arctic wastes.

There they all stayed, their positions absolute as they each ruminated on what they were going to do. Celestia’s plans for Twilight were ruined, the Elements of Harmony rendered ineffective without the Element Bearer of Magic. Luna herself considered how far gone Twilight was going to be. Every push she tried making toward the mare would only solidify her condition unless she was removed from King Sombra. Then, of course, there was the king himself to deal with. Now with possibly the most powerful unicorn in Equestria on his side, there was no telling what he would do.

About an hour later, the guards at the door pushed them open to allow entry for the six other attendees. They all took their seats at the table as Celestia came over to stand with her head held high, face devoid of any sign of good news. “I’m glad you could all come. There has been a development regarding Twilight Sparkle.”

“Is she alright?” Applejack asked from where she was seated between Rarity and Rainbow Dash.

“Did you find her?” Pinkie perked up, lifting herself on the table, excited as ever. “I already got the welcome home party allllll lined up!”

“Yes, and no.” Luna coughed. “We found out where she is being kept.”

A few of the elements breathed sighs of relief. “So, when’s she gonna be back?” Rainbow Dash asked, rubbing her foreleg as Luna cringed and Celestia’s eye twitched.

“That’s what we wanted to discuss with you.” Celestia continued. “She isn’t. At least not on her own will.”

All six exchanged confused and concerned looks, Spike vocalizing: “What? What do you mean not on her own will?”

Luna cleared her throat. “She has Stockhoof Syndrome, I’m afraid.”

Fluttershy covered her mouth while the other elements looked even more confused. “I’m so terribly sorry, but what is that, your majesties?” Rarity asked. “Is it some sort of illness?”

Sighing, Celestia answered: “She’s grown attached to King Sombra and believes he can be redeemed.” The Elements of Harmony gasped, Rainbow Dash being the first:

“Is it some evil, dark magic? When do we bust out the elements to blast him to pieces to free Twilight?” She asked with the utmost determination.

“The Elements of Harmony won’t work without the Element of Magic.” Celestia shook her head. “But no, we don’t believe this is dark magic.”

“When I was in her dreams, I could tell she wasn’t under any magical influence.” Luna continued. “This is purely psychological. She believes his seeming acts of kindness toward her are genuine and isn’t willing to see the real reason behind them. Unfortunately, the only way to save Twilight is by separating her from Sombra’s corrupting influence. We must retrieve her and bring her back for counseling if she is to return to a somewhat ordinary life.”

“This is why we called you here.” Celestia straightened up. “We want you six to travel north to find Twilight Sparkle and bring her back home. What I ask of you won’t be easy. There are many dangers that far north, but I wouldn’t ask it if I believed it wasn’t necessary. King Sombra won’t take kindly to your retrieval of her, so take the utmost caution. I can only hope that your friendship is stronger than his corruption.”

Each of the elements looked at each other, nodding in agreement. Even though Fluttershy was terrified, she sat straighter, knowing her friend’s life depended on it. The other five with the absolute confidence that this was what they needed to do.

“You can count on us, princess.” Spike saluted. He would do anything to save Twilight after she sacrificed herself to save the Crystal Empire. She trusted him with the Crystal Heart, to complete her test.

He would not let her down.

Twilight walked through the old town, taking in the fresh air. It really was nice to be free from her cell. Today, the sun appeared between the clouds, warming her face as she strolled. On one side was a small park that had been reclaimed by nature, trees and bushes covering what was once a playground where foals had played.

This far north, she didn’t expect the weather to be pleasant, but it was pretty decent. Above freezing, and not uncomfortable even without her boots on. As she walked through the rows of houses and small stores, her heart did ache to see her friends again. To see Ponyville again.

To her left, her mood turned up a bit at the sight of the only other pony-like thing in probably over a hundred kiloponi. She trotted over to where the shadow form of King Sombra was checking different potatoes, keeping her eyes on the tendrils working. It truly was fascinating to watch, if you can get over the fact that he was enraptured by dark magic.

“What are you doing?” She asked, his eyes swiveling back to look at her.

“Checking the quality of the potatoes.” He answered, picking one from the upper vines to hold out in front of her. “I’ve never seen them grow like this. Is this new?”

“A little.” She walked up next to him to examine the other above-ground potatoes that grew. It seemed to be a mutated potato plant that learned to grow upward, carrying nutrients through the stem to the upper layers. The potatoes on those upper parts of the plant were smaller than the ones likely below the surface, several roots wrapping around the potatoes as they grew to prevent them from falling to the ground.

“Hmm...” Sombra moved around to the side of the building, following the strange plant and checking more of the tubers. Following, Twilight examined the plant, recalling everything she knew of botany.

“Do you know a lot about plants?” She asked after a minute of them both scanning their only food source.

“Plenty, but usually it is in relation to magic.” He said, plucking another tuber from the vines. “I studied a variety of topics to learn what limitations there were to certain forms of magic. Nature magic still eludes me in some ways, but I can succeed at restoring a burnt forest back to its former beauty.”

“So, you really know several types of magic?” She reached up and rotated a tuber, finding a rotten spot and plucking it to drop to the soil.

“Over a dozen categories and a hundred disciplines.” He continued around the next corner, Twilight following him. As she turned the corner, she came face to face with the king, his eyes staring into her own. “Are you following me?”

She gave a nervous laugh, taking a few steps back. “Hehe, I, um, don’t really have anything to do. Thought maybe you would like some company.”

“I’ve spent entire years of my life in isolation. I do not require the presence of another.” Sombra turned back to examining the vines that wrapped around the house.

“Don’t you ever feel lonely?” She frowned, watching him do his work.

“Yes, but it helps my ability to cast my emotions.”

“What sort of emotions?” She moved closer, but kept a poni away from him in case he turned on her again.

“Despair, anger...” He stopped his progress for a second. “Fear. Every emotion can be used to great effect if you know how. Some would be crippled by their feelings, but if you can understand how to utilize them to their most effective limit, then it makes it much easier to handle.”

“What about positive emotions like compassion, empathy, and love?”

He turned toward her. “I’ve used all three in my work. As I said, all emotions are valuable. It’s more a matter of which you make use of that determines what you can do. Compassion, empathy, and love don’t win wars.”

Twilight bit her lip as he moved into the backyard next door, trotting after him and asking: “What if you cared deeply about those you fought for? That way, they can be used to empower yourself.”

“I love my citizens. I care about their struggles.” He replied while examining the small field of potato plants that engulfed the backyard. “I’ve tried that, but it didn’t have the strength. Why do you think I’m where I am now? I took a gamble and lost. What I had been taught turned out to be correct, like always.”

Clearing her throat, Twilight smiled back at him: “What if you had friends you cared deeply about? Would that be better?”

He faced her again, mulling it over for several seconds. “Twilight Sparkle, are you saying you wish to be my friend?”

“I mean, if you would be better off and we didn’t need to fight, absolutely.” She nodded. “You’re not a bad pony. I don’t know what you did to get Princess Celestia and Princess Luna to dislike you so much, but I can see there’s good in you.”

“Hmm...” He thought, moving forward toward her, dipping his ethereal head to be near hers. “How about enslaving an entire city of theirs to end a conflict before anypony got hurt because they refused to fight on the open fields? Or evacuating ponies from their tyranny in the middle of the night?”

“That...” Twilight facehoofed. “That explains what Princess Luna was talking about.”

“Neither could see the bigger picture.” Sombra returned to his examinations.

“While I don’t agree with what you did, I can see that you never intended to bring them harm.” She replied, stepping into the potato field. “You were trying to stop more ponies from being hurt.”

“Perhaps.” He gave a brief chuckle. “Or perhaps it was so that my soon-to-be subjects could see I’m not like the southern tyrants. That quick war resulted in thousands dead, mostly soldiers and the rest being my own citizens. They had no qualms about fighting through towns and conscripting civilians. But I knew that if I stooped down to their level, I would replace one tyrant with another. What good is it to fight a war if nothing changes?”

Twilight smiled, walking over with caution to where he was examining a large potato plant. The thing was taller than her, strange enough. “I guess I was wrong about you.”

“How so?” He turned back.

“You’re not just not a bad pony.” She reached out a hoof, one of his tendrils extending to make contact. It felt cold, sending shivers up her leg and down her spine. “You’re a good pony deep down. And I’ll be your friend. If it takes months, I’ll convince my friends to give you a chance. I’m sure they’ll understand once I explain it to them.”

“I won’t hold out hope.” He gave another laugh, one Twilight still cringed at given how much he sounded like an evil villain, returning to her smile as he faced her again. “But I still appreciate the help.”

“And then we’ll have a huuuge welcome home party with streamers and cider and balloons! *Gasp*, and we’ll invite everypony in town! Do any of you know where her parents live? They must come!”

“Pinkie, darling, please focus.” Rarity winced at her friend currently covered head-to-hoof in fluffy layers. Around the small table outside, the elements checked the map over one last time to make sure they understood it. They would be traveling into unknown territory, with a map of questionable quality. The last settlement along the way was at Mount Everhoof, where they could find a few ponies living around the base on the far side. Then came the wastelands, where they had to keep moving.

“I say we stop at this here hill, then walk the rest in the mornin’. No point arrivin’ in the middle of the night.” Applejack pointed her hoof along the last stretch of the route. Both Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash exchanged glances at one another before one of them spoke.

“But isn’t that where the frost-spiders live?” Rainbow Dash tapped the marker on the hills. “And aren’t they super aggressive?”

“That’s why I’m hopin’ Fluttershy can help us. If the critters are anythin’ like those back home, she’ll be able to get us into their cave for one night.”

To the side of where the five mares and baby dragon did their planning, Shining Armor and Luna sat waiting for them to set off. “They shouldn’t take any chances. Beyond Mount Everhoof isn’t like Equestria or Griffonia. There’s no room for assuming the best from any creature.” Luna said, snapping Shining Armor from his thoughts.

“Have you been that far north?”

“Once. Only once.” She took a deep breath, shivering at the memories. “Equestria is home. It will always remain our home as long as we keep the darkness at bay.”

“Must have been quite something to see the unexplored.” He turned his head to check on how the barricades were faring. At the ready, not lounging around, effective for once. The new Crystal Guard still had a long way to go. They were willing to learn, and had the endurance expected of earth ponies, but lacked all experience in defensive warfare and guard duty. Sombra didn’t seem to leave any regulars behind when the city fell. Odd, but not surprising.

“Not unexplored. Ponykind came from that way, traveled the distance to settle our nation. It is a land of many secrets and dangers. I can only hope they don’t find one of them along the way.”

“You mean the Windigos?” He turned his head back to her, seeing the wincing, how it pained her.

“Worse than the Windigos. They may be able to hurt nations, but they are one small piece of a greater picture stretching back our complete history. For their sake, we can only pray that the wounds of the past lay frozen.”

“Alright! That settles it!” Applejack rolled up the map and stuffed it into Fluttershy’s bag, those that wandered off returning to her. “Let’s get goin’! Twilight is in danger and needs us!”

The six travelers set off, the two watching them walk the path north toward the Crystal Mountains on their own. “Much worse.” She turned and took flight, staring down at the city passing below. How many lies did it take to keep Equestria afloat? How much of their history was willing to be forgotten to ensure nopony tried to poke where they shouldn’t?

She flew in through one of the upper windows to a higher layer of the tower into a hallway, opening the closest door before closing it behind her. Sombra’s hidden storage room, filled with shelves upon shelves of artifacts and oddities from over his decades of ruling. Luna checked out some objects as she went down them, wondering about the full potential of them in their custody. A skull of a unicorn with a single glowing eye, a pendant with spikes pointed inward at the pony wearing it, a spiky mace enchanted for some strange reason, a glass orb that inverts the view that passes through it. Okay, that last one might not be magical.

“Lulu, I don’t understand it.” Celestia said from the desk at the far end, checking out the one device that mattered most to them. “He didn’t want this getting out, that’s for certain, but why contain it like this?”

Luna stopped at the bench, eyeing the glass box with a yellow mold coating the entire inside. Runes were engraved into the crystal-glass, pulsing with energy to keep what was within contained. They both knew what it was. It was something they had to deal with once, and only once, in their shared rulership together. A foal digging a hole with their friends stumbles on a glass jar of purple and red, opens it and wipes out nearly two thousand lives, including their entire village. Nopony would want to believe that the organism still lives, not after they scorched three forests to the ground and vaporized the soil to make sure it was gone.

“Perhaps he wanted to keep it to examine at another date without it degrading or evolving.” She took her seat to eye the box. The fungus had been trapped in temporal stasis, unable to change into one of its worse forms. It was the single most devastating threat in the history of Equestria, able to wipe out all life on the planet if it touched an ocean without appropriate regional enchantments. While the Crystal Heart could sustain such enchantments over most of Equestria, how to implement them safely was far beyond either of the sisters.

“Well, he should have made it easier to open.” She pushed it aside with her magic, pulling forward a bunch of stones formed into a ball of rocks. “At least a tenth of these could work should he return, if we can figure out how they work.”

Celestia attempted to separate the stones with her magic, both seeing the distortion through a crack within before she gave up and let them slam back together with a ripple passing through the air. “I told you we should have just killed him when we had the chance.”

“He didn’t deserve to die, not if he could be convinced he was wrong.”

“He’s a threat to every pony living in Equestria and beyond! Look at all this!” She motioned her hoof to the room. “What sick, broken pony would make such devastating and cruel devices and enchantments?”

“Sinabeak.”

“She kept them to herself, in her personal study, not letting them loose in the world! If the Alicorn Amulet got into the possession of somepony with worse intentions, we would’ve had a full-blown crisis on our hooves!”

“Remind me again how the Alicorn Amulet got loose?” She narrowed her eyes at her sister. “I thought you had that guard wearing it.”

“W-Well, yes, but we thought they were getting corrupted by it. We had to do something!” Celestia returned to the next item, an amulet with a single golden ring on the end. “And how was I supposed to know he wasn’t corrupted? The risk was too great.”

“What do you want to do with all this?” She motioned her hoof back at the items. “Take them to our lab in Canterlot?”

“No. Here will be fine for most. Nopony knows this room exists, let alone how to access it. I would like to take these four, though.”

Luna looked at the last item, a pearled necklace with a single red bead. While she wanted to study the items, trapping the Crystal Heart was her primary priority. If Cadance knew she was sitting on the most powerful weapon in all of Equestria and a cataclysmic stockpile of magic-based weaponry, she would never let them live it down. Not even King Sombra could make something as powerful as the Crystal Heart.

Which begged the question asked since they were first introduced to Sinabeak after their mother disappeared: Who, or what, could?