The Bearer of the Apocalypse

The train ride to the Crystal Empire was a silent one. Celestia told everyone else that she would explain the plan when Cadence and Shining were present, not wanting to repeat herself and for everyone to be on the same page. She had even offered to Twilight to take the blame for the idea of Sombra’s revival, but she was denied for Twilight wanted to take responsibility. If someone was going to get yelled at for wanting the revival of a tyrannical king, then it was going be directed at Twilight Sparkle.

The train soon arrived at the Crystal Empire as the large group departed and were greeted by the Empire’s guard. The head guard explained that Cadence and Shining had been busy with preparations for their arrival and had sent the guard to escort them to the palace. Celestia thanked them as they walked through the streets, passing by and greeting the crystal ponies who bowed in respect and smiled in awe at their presence.

However, those fears were pushed aside when they noticed that Spike wasn’t with Twilight. While they wouldn’t know the reason, Spike had stayed behind so that he could help Starlight with something because she would be teleporting to the kingdom after finishing a small but quick project. Once again, she didn’t tell anyone what she was doing, but with so much on her mind, Twilight didn’t question her and simply told her to be at the empire with Spike the moment she was done with what she was doing.

The group soon arrived at the palace where Cadance and Shining greeted them. The guards left as the rulers of the empire led them to a dining hall where Sunburst, who was joining them, had been waiting. They all sat down and had a few minutes of idle chatter before Celestia cleared her throat and slightly raised her voice.

“While this has been a nice chat, I’m afraid we’ve all come here for a far more serious matter. And this time, while it doesn’t directly involve Acnologia, it does come around to him. However, this is all coming from Twilight, so you can start anytime you would like my dear.” Celestia became quiet and let Twilight become the center of attention as the young Alicorn gulped. This wasn’t going to go well, no matter how many times she replayed the current situation in her head Twilight knew that there was no win situation in this, but she was still going to try.

“Thank you, Princess. As she said, this is something that requires serious thought. And I want you all to hear me out before interrupting me with objections because I know they’ll exist. “Twilight started as they all raised a brow, suddenly confused and worried about Twilight’s demeanor. “About maybe an hour ago, me and Ember returned to the Dragon Lands to her father’s den, it’s where we discovered a hidden lacrima where he gave a brief history lesson on Acnologia. And suffice to say, it was certainly something.” Twilight gave a summary of what she and Ember learned as everyone gained sick feelings in their stomachs. None were too happy with Torch’s decision, which was to be expected, but Sunburst pointed out the other threat that was mentioned aside from Acnologia.

“I was just getting to that. You see, more creatures use dark magic than the known creators. Although, not even Discord is that well-versed in that form of magic, and there’s only one pony in known history who can be called a master of Dark magic. And that…is King Sombra.” The moment Twilight spoke his name, she could feel the room get colder. The guards that had been situated in the room had grown stiff and slowly started shaking, as did Fluttershy and Rarity. Rainbow Dash and Applejack were quite shocked, staring at Twilight as they started to wonder where she was going with this. As for Cadence and Shining, their shocked faces were slowly replaced with a harsh look.

“And what does King Sombra have to do with this, Twilight?” Shining coldly asked as Twilight shivered. He rarely used her actual name unless he was being serious or was angry at her, and the latter was quite rare. And the tone that he spoke in was something that Twilight found a little intimidating.

“W-Well, we know that Sombra couldn’t have been alive during Acnologia’s reign, so he couldn’t be one that Torch was talking about. And a-assuming that Sombra has a master who taught him his magic, a possible creator, well I was thinking that we could…have Discord revive Sombra.” Twilight’s spoke in the same manner that Fluttershy normally does, nearly being unheard. But she was heard, everyone who hadn’t already known heard her, and they all were deathly quiet. Despite their ears devouring Twilight’s words, their minds didn’t fully process it until Cadence slammed her hooves on the table.

“YOU WHAT!? You want to revive one of the most dangerous beings in existence on a mere ASSUMPTION!?” Cadence roared with the royal voice as she glared hard at her sister-in-law, who currently had her ears folded back. Before she could properly explain herself, Cadence continued. “This isn’t just some experiment! This is a pony who has killed this nation’s first ruler, enslaved the crystal ponies, and sealed them away for a millennium! A pony whose dark powers rival both Celestia and Luna, a pony who’s so cunning and schemes so brilliantly that not even Chrysalis could outsmart him! And what’s even worse is that you believe that King Sombra would help us! He’d sooner bring back the first ruler of the Crystal Empire than help us!” Cadence finished as she was breathing quite heavily. The table itself had gained a few cracks from her shouting, and a few other objects had shattered due to the brief release of her magical power.

Even though she wasn’t all that much of a fighter, Cadence still possessed an absurd amount of magical power because she was an alicorn. Cadane’s rage wasn’t unwarranted, as Twilight’s friends gave her a disappointed look. This was, in their eyes, the stupidest thing that she’d ever thought of. Twilight would always think things through, it was one of her best qualities, although they wondered if she had even heard herself

“...L-Look I-I know how it sounds. But there’s no other creature who’s adept in dark magic like Sombra is. And there’s no book I can read that’ll tell me who Torch was talking about. He’s our only choice, and Princess Luna has a plan to keep him in line. Isn’t that right?” Twilight explained as she looked over to Luna, hoping for some assistance. Luna knew that she would be brought up, but now she was needed to calm things down and help take the raging flames off of Twilight’s flank.

“Indeed. However, not only would we like your approval for his revival, but Sombra himself would need to go along with what I have in mind. We would also have you and Shining Armor to keep him confined to an area to prevent his escape. And, as you have said with his intellectual prowess, he wouldn’t have much of a choice but to go along with what I have planned.” Luna explained as Cadance released a breath. She was not in the mood for this, and her anger only slightly went down with Luna’s plan. Still, she needed Twilight to know just how seriously angry she was with her. “You wish to bring back someone who has caused nothing but pain and suffering to my subjects. Someone who will not hesitate to do and use whatever means necessary to win. I thought you were smarter than this, Twilight.”

Twilight looked towards the cracked table as she wiped the forming tears in her eyes. She knew it wouldn’t go well, but this was far worse than she imagined. Being berated by her former foalsitter was new, but Twilight couldn’t let this get to her, not now anyway.

“Please, I need you both to trust me. Sombra isn’t going to be able to break free of a shield spell from both of you, especially if me, Celestia, and Sunburst help you strengthen it. I don’t like it as much as you do, but Sombra is our only choice to figure out who Torch was referring to. And once we figure out who it is, we can prevent them from ever appearing and then properly deal with Sombra. I’m not asking you as a family member, but as another Princess of Equestria and on behalf of every creature who Acnologia has killed. Please, don’t let him add any more creatures to this massive death list that he’s created.” Twilight tried her hardest to convince them to trust her with this. Their expression remained the same, angry and cold. While she wasn’t giving up, she felt dejected as she excused herself from the table and left.

Twilight walked the halls by herself as she let her body go on autopilot. She was heading to her room to be alone and escape everyone. She knew that her friends and family wanted some time to discuss and think about what she had proposed, and it would’ve been better without her there, she knew it. Twilight hadn’t felt like this since Celestia had threatened to return her to Canterlot for the Want-It-Need-It spell incident; losing her friends, the best thing that had ever happened to her, was one of her worst fears. Another fear was disappointing and failing others, and right now, she felt like both of those fears were slowly coming true.

Soon enough the young alicorn arrived at her room and threw herself onto her bed. She didn’t cry, but Twilight felt exhausted. Deciding to get some rest, Twilight went to sleep and hopefully, by the time she woke up, Cadence and Shining would have agreed to follow her plan.

Agents Tempest Shadow and Sweetie Drops traversed the Badlands in search of Acnologia. They were quite surprised when they couldn’t find the black dragon given that he was supposedly larger than Torch. But they knew that they were on his trail, it wasn’t that hard when his trail of bread crumbs was a trail of dragon corpses.

“By the way, did you get any useful information out of that dragon in Ponyvile Hospital? I think his name was…Gabe or something.”

“His name is Garble, and no I didn’t, more like I couldn’t.” Bon Bon replied as the two kept walking at a brisk pace. Feeling her partner’s eyes, Bon Bon continued. “I couldn’t get any information because he was transferred to the psych ward. He scarred a nurse with his talons when her tail brushed him. Probably PTSD from the dragon’s tail smacking him. He also scorched parts of his room when he saw a large shadow, thinking it to be Acnologia when there’s nothing there or places that he’s already burned. Finally, he nearly gouged out his eyes after experiencing hallucinations of seeing, according to him, a shadowy figure with red eyes looming over him with an outstretched limb reaching towards him. While not connected to Acnologia, it was enough for them to bind and muzzle him before throwing him into a padded room.” Bon Bon explained as she jumped over a dragon's tail. Tempest whistled and grimly chuckled, wondering how bad it was for Garble to experience first hoof.

“Bad case of trauma for sure, but not the worst one I’ve heard. Either way, he’s gonna be there awhile until he’s mentally sane enough to recognize where he is.” Tempest replied as she pointed out a nearby cliffside. She suggested that they gain the high ground and use that to get a better view of the area. Her partner agreed and made their way over there, silently paying their respects to the murdered dragons they passed.

The two climbed their way until they reached the top, choosing to take a break while surveying the vast area. No sighting of the Dragon King as Bon Bon sighed, wondering how they couldn’t find this dragon. He had no point in trying to hide himself, seeing as he had made his presence greatly known already. At the very least, she was going to appreciate the small break they were taking.

“How are we supposed to track him? Now that I think about it, who’s to say that he hasn’t already flown away? If we assume that he has killed every dragon in this land already, then he could have already left for another part of Earthland and we wouldn’t know.” Bon Bon spoke as she pulled out some food and started eating. She shared some with Tempest who thanked her as the two ate in silence, wondering what they would do if Acnologia had left these cursed lands. Tempest turned her head to the outskirts, intending to start a new conversation when something strange caught her eye.

“...What is that?” Bon Bon turned her head to where Tempest was looking and raised a brow at the cloaked bideal creature. They assumed it to be a young minotaur, but the lack of fur, horns, tail, and hooves had thrown that assumption out the window. Even the height difference was notable, as the creature they were staring at was just a few inches shorter than even a teenage minotaur much less a grown adult. But no matter how long they stared at it, the answer never came to them, although they did wish to see how it properly looked underneath its cloak.

“Never seen anything like that before. Have any idea as to what it could be?” Tempest asked as Bon Bon narrowed her eyes before pulling out binoculars, trying to get a better view. As she watched it, she was grateful for the strong wind that passed by them, and the creature in turn, which revealed dark skin with blue tattoos and a muscular upper body.

Even with the new image, she couldn’t think of any creature in Equestria that she could definitely say that this is what he was. The longer she pondered on him, the more she examined his features, and she slowly started realizing what was before them.

“...Human.”

“What was that?”

“It’s a human. L-Lyra, my marefriend, is always talking about them, and then there was that incident with Princess Celestia’s former student Sunset Shimmer when she took Twilight’s crown and left for the human world. It matches Lyra’s descriptions of them and Twilight’s report on her brief trip there. But humans don’t exist in Earthland unless they were just never discovered.” Bon Bon explained as the two simply watched him walk in the wasteland. They wondered who the hell he was, where he came from, and if there were other humans in the world. Still, it was quite strange that he was on a leisurely stroll in these lands, regardless of what creature he was.

At that moment, the human stopped and suddenly around, forcing the two agents to hide themselves. Tempest had, despite her broken horn, quickly casted a camouflage spell to blend in with their surroundings. Even so, the human continued to stare at their hiding spot, almost as though he knew where they were hiding rather than seeing the activated spell. The agents slowed their breathing and returned the stare, and they immediately felt something wrong.

“This doesn’t feel right. It’s like he knows exactly where we are, but he’s deciding if engaging us is worth his time.” Tempest whispered as Bon Bon agreed. They hoped that the human decided that they weren’t worth his time, not wanting to stray away from their mission to deal with an unknown creature with unknown abilities.

However, to their surprise, a dragon had flown over them. The dragon created powerful rushing winds as it blasted past them, nearly sending them over the edge downward and into the wasteland below. The dragon had closed in on the human, releasing a powerful breath of fire on it. The two ponies had revealed themselves as they watched an undiscovered species being burnt to ashes. They were ready to do something when they were surprised to see the flames dispersing, seeing the human blocking it with one hand as he coldly glared at the dragon.

Before they could blink, the human had torn the dragon in half. The ponies stared with their jaws open, not comprehending what had happened before them. Bon Bon snapped out of her shocked state first and slapped Tempest with her hoof, getting her back to her senses as she cast the camouflage spell once again. This time, however, they knew that the human couldn’t have known they existed as the dragon completely blocked them from the human’s sight.

“What the hell was that?! I’ve never seen such brutality or monstrous strength from any creature in the world! He wasn’t even affected by the fire that was thrown at him; he shrugged it off like it was nothing!” Tempest yelled, having cast a soundproof spell, and Bon started recalling all the nonsense Lyra had constantly talked about. While she had never fully tuned her out, Bon Bon could admit that she wasn’t always fully giving her marefriend the attention she wanted when talking about humans. Yes, it was always a little much when she got on that train ride, but she loved her all the same.

Turning her attention to the land below, Bon Bon needed to–

Her heart skipped a beat.

“...Te-Tempest, where’d he go?” Bon Bon whispered, stuttering for the first time in her life as an agent of S.M.I.L.E. The unicorn snapped her head to see what she was talking about, and low and behold, the human was gone. Sweat slowly poured down their faces as they felt a murderous presence behind them, being caught in what they knew to be the human’s shadow.

He had found them. They didn’t know how, but he did, and now they started wondering what to do. The easiest solution was to kill him, uncaring for the newly discovered species for their lives were far more important. However, they didn’t know if that was feasible, at least for them, due to his durability against dragon fire and superior strength. Fear started creeping in for the first time in their lives, and they could feel his dark glare.

“To think that there are creatures who still harbor dragons, and even live alongside them. How repulsive.” The human disgustingly spoke as Tempest decided to cease her spell, knowing that there was no point in keeping it up when he was addressing them. The ponies turned to face him, ready for a conversation, but it was a mistake as they found themselves unable to move. It took a moment, but the two realized that they were frozen with fear. There was no magic involved, this was nothing more than his overwhelming evil aura, and matters were made worse when he raised one of his arms and pointed a finger at them.

Nothing else was said as he gathered his magic at the tip of his finger, making them aware of his intentions and the need to flee. But before they could, he released his charged spell, and their world turned black as they were blasted off the cliffside.

Starlight had burst into the Castle of Friendship as she set her newly acquired phoenix care package off to the side and headed to her private study. It had taken her quite a bit of time to get everything on the list Fluttershy gave her, but she managed to get everything written down for her. She had set her sleeping Phoenix on top of his new perch while she thought over the day's events.

Along the way, Starlight and Spike ran into Smolder, who hadn’t been herself since Garble’s admission into the psych ward. Her fiery personality had diminished to Fluttershy levels of timidity and quietness, as she had confined herself to the Crusaders clubhouse. She hardly ate, barely doing so even when food was brought to her, she also had never left the clubhouse either; gaining her brother’s fear of the Dragon King but not losing her sanity.

Despite their vastly different fear levels, there was still enough for Smolder to hide than at least walk around the community of friendly ponies. Starlight had brought her along and placed her in Spike’s care while she finished up her plan. Nightmare Moon was the only known way, as of this moment, to give her the power needed to stand against Acnologia. Yes, Starlight knew the downsides to this, but she was powerful in her own right, and if Nightmare Moon’s powers amplified her own to be able to contend with Acnologia then she would get the nightmare under control as well.

Starlight walked into her study and sealed the door shut. Nothing was getting in or out without her knowing or something forcefully breaking down the runes she put up; which were quite powerful. Starlight walked over to the book containing Nightmare Moon and opened it, letting the demon out of its home. The alicorn manifested itself in front of Starlight through dark blue mist, having a knowing smirk on her face.

“Well well, I suppose you’ve come here for your decision, correct?” Nightmare Moon asked as Starlight narrowed her eyes. She was spot-on, but her smirk and the tone of her voice told Starlight that she already knew. Deciding to temporarily ignore that for now, she stared at her new power source and nodded.

“Yes. When Twilight and Ember said that they were heading back to the Dragon Lands, it made me remember and truly realize what was happening. Acnologia is far stronger than we realize, and maybe even with the power you give me, it wouldn’t be enough to match him. But, if I can at least deal damage to him, it would be more than enough for everyone else to defeat him or seal him away.” Starlight confidently responded as Nightmare Moon raised a brow. She was impressed by how willing she was to delve into darkness if it meant helping others. It was also quite revolting as well, but she could look past that if it meant helping herself.

“So be it then.” Nightmare Moon explained as she gathered a good portion of her magic. She promptly told her new host to gather her own magic and channel it to the tip of her horn. Starlight did as she was told as the room glowed a bright cyan blue and dark blue with Nightmare Moon casting a spell onto herself and Starlight. The dark blue glow slowly vanished as Starlight’s magic faded away, causing her to collapse to the ground.

Starlight’s breath was slightly labored, but she was otherwise fine, at least that’s what she told herself. She got to her hooves and looked around, no longer seeing Nightmare Moon within the room nor did she sense her magic. Starlight became far more alert and went into a panic attack, knowing that Nightmare Moon was gone and it was completely her fault for trusting her.

“What am I going to tell Twilight and the others!? That I thought trusting Nightmare Moon was a good idea!? And the reasoning was literally for more power, they’ll think I’ve turned on them and become evil again!! …WHAT WILL PRINCESS LUNA DO TO ME!?!?”

“QUIET YOU BLUBBERING BAFFON!!” Starlight screamed as she stumbled over her hooves and fell back onto the floor. Shaking her head, Starlight looked around, expecting to see the alicorn somewhere in the room when she heard a snort.

From her mind.

“Ar-Are you–?”

“Yes, I’m inside your mind. I’ve cast an ancient spell, in reverse with some modifications, and made you the host of myself.” Nightmare Moon explained as Starlight created a mirror. She was expecting to see some difference in her appearance, but she saw nothing until her eyes became cyan blue with slits, causing her to gasp. “Let it be known that I can manifest myself if I so choose, and even take control, although not only does the latter require me to have significant magic, but for you to have a weakened mind. Well, unless you give me control willingly.”

“Which won’t be happening.”

“I’m fully aware of that. But still, regardless, you will be able to use my magic while your magical power increases. For now, I will rest while you do whatever you please. Whether that be casting Eternal Night over the world or…helping Twilight Sparkle, is your decision.” Nightmare Moon finished as the slits from Starlight’s eyes vanished. The unicorn waited for her new tenant to say something else, but silence was what she was greeted with. As much as she wanted to experiment with her newfound magic, Starlight was needed at the Crystal Empire along with Spike.

Starlight quickly turned to the doors and galloped out to find Spike and set out to the Crystal Empire for whatever Twilight had planned. From the mirror that was created, Starlight didn’t notice how her appearance flashed to a darker version of herself. And in time, she will know whether the choice she made was a beneficial or detrimental one.

“TWILIGHT!!”

“AHHH!!” Twilight screamed and fell out of her bed. She groaned in pain before glaring at Rainbow Dash, who had a sheepish grin on her face as she apologized. The pegasus didn’t let her get a word out as she grabbed her front hooves and started dragging her out of the room.

“C’mon, you lazy bum! You’ve slept all morning and Cadence and Shining have decided, and you need to be present to hear it!” Rainbow Dash yelled as she lifted her friend off her hooves and flew off back to the dining room. Twilight stopped her struggles, although she managed to convince her friend to let her go as she flew alongside her. This was the moment she was waiting for, to see if they were going to be reviving one of the greatest dangers to help them deal with, arguably, a bigger threat.

They entered the dining room, where everyone was waiting for them along with Starlight and Spike, who had teleported in a few moments before Rainbow had gone to retrieve Twilight. They had only been given a brief explanation of what was happening, and Sombra’s name made them pay attention to what was about to occur. Twilight, while nervous, confidently stood in front of her relatives and fellow rulers, ready to hear their decision.

“Twilight Sparkle, Princess of Friendship, and my sister-in-law. You’ve come here today with the notion that King Sombra’s revival, a tyrant who has enslaved the citizens of this kingdom, might be able to assist us with the possible knowledge of a being whose dark powers label him as a creator of dark magic and is on par with Acnologia’s destructiveness.” Cadence professionally re-explained and summarized as Twilight firmly nodded, taking into account how she wasn’t labeling anything as facts. “By Princess Luna’s account, she has a way of getting him to cooperate, although it is not a definitive victory for us. Still, I will give this the benefit of the doubt and say that Luna knows what she is doing. However, there is one thing that I want to hear from you, Twilight.”

“Anything.”

“Then I want you to solemnly swear, that you will take responsibility for keeping Sombra in line, with help of course, and watch what he does. You will also take responsibility in the actions he may cause, whether they somehow benefit us or most likely harm us, will befall on to you. Do you swear this, on your title as a princess and of royal status?”

“I solemnly swear that I, Princess Twilight Sparkle, and I alone, will take whatever punishment you choose for whatever crimes King Sombra commits.” Twilight swore as Celestia and Luna were silently impressed. While they had expected Twilight to promise this, they hadn’t expected such a royal swear to receive punishment from her own relatives. Cadence gave a quiet sigh, giving a small glance to her husband who smiled and nodded.

“Then as Princess of the Crystal Empire, I, Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, with her husband Prince Shining Amor, hereby allow the revival of King Sombra.” Cadence finished as she felt a tight hug from Twilight. She gave a soft smile and draped one of her wings over her, reconciling the hug as felt a few tears on her neck. She knew that she was a little harsh with her, and while justified, it had taken an unconventional emotional toll on her.

“I’m sorry for earlier, Twilight. I shouldn’t have yelled at you like that, but hearing Sombra’s name and your plan made me see red and took it out on you. Again, I’m really sorry.” Cadence whispered as she wiped Twilight’s tears. She had forgotten how emotional Twilight could get when it came to authority figures, ones that she greatly respected, berating her for something she had done wrong.

Twilight accepted as she got herself together, managing a smile as she looked at Discord. The draconequus gleefully smiled before snapping his talons, bringing everyone to a large cave system. He snapped his talons again, placing the ponies and two dragons in certain positions; such as Celestia, Sunburst, Cadence, Shining, Starlight, and Twilight near a wall. He then placed Luna right next to him, while placing everyone else behind a barrier.

“Well, let’s get started!” Discord excitedly said as he held a stick in his hands, with no one knowing where he obtained it from, and drew a circle. The circle glowed a bright blue with runes that none of the ponies had ever seen before being on the inside edge he drew a straight line across before drawing an ‘M’, all of which glowed a brilliant blue. Immediately after, a dark crystal sprouted from the ground as a swirl of shadows followed it floating upward with a red horn emerging along with bright green eyes and purple wisps on the side.

Discord suddenly waved his hand, warped the cave around them, significantly making it ten times larger, and placed those behind the barrier on their own little floating island. Then, for ponies that were going to contain Sombra, he separated them into different sections. With Celestia, Starlight, and Twilight on one side, with Cadence, Shining, and Sunburst on the other side. Despite their initial confusion, they all got on guard when Sombra appeared, maniacally laughing before setting his eyes on Luna.

“Well well, now what do we have here? I wasn’t brought back to life for idle chatter unless you wish to have a rematch from 1,000 years ago?” Sombra taunted, not paying anyone else any mind before casting a glance at the two current rulers. “Hn, and to think that the current rulers would grace me with their love sickening presence. Along with so many new potential slaves, I am quite touched by the gifts you have given me upon my revival.”

“My friends and family are not and never will be your slaves. And if I remember correctly, I won that battle between us before you sealed away the Crystal Empire.” Luna countered, but Sombra laughed. He wasn’t afraid of her, although, with the sudden barrier placed around them, he became very cautious. Despite his taunting, Sombra knew that there was a reason as to why he was brought back to life, and he was going to know why.

“So then, why have you brought me back to life?”

“You’ve been brought back for the sole purpose of helping Earth Land. According to a source, there is a being that can be considered to be a creator of dark magic, one who will engulf this world in darkness should he be released.” Luna started as she and Sombra started circling each other. The dark unicorn snorted, asking why he would help a possible ally for himself. “Because he could be your master. And even if he isn’t, you may know who he is due to your extensive knowledge of dark magic.” Luna finished as she ceased her movement, standing directly in front of her sister whereas Sombra stood in front of Cadence.

Sombra had been conjuring a plan when he sensed a sudden shift in magic. Luna’s eyes gained a purple wisp to their edge much like his own, and he knew that she was using dark magic. However, it wasn’t that she was using dark magic that surprised him, it was the spell that she was conjuring. This, in turn, made him narrow his eyes as he gained a serious look on his face.

“Princess Luna, ruler of the night, defender of dreams, and vanquisher of nightmares. Surely you aren’t challenging me to that, are you? I would hope you know the consequences should you lose.” Sombra questioned as Luna nodded. Everyone else, sans Discord, suddenly wondered what she was doing. Celestia didn’t know what dark spell Luna intended on using, and her concerns grew even further when Sombra addressed her by titles and even knew the spell she was using.

“Indeed I am. I would not be doing this if I didn’t need to, but the stakes are too high. And this is the only surefire way to make sure you cooperate without stabbing us in the back.” Luna replied as her horn glowed dark blue, and the wisps on her eyes grew larger, turning dark purple. Sombra himself gathered his magic before he spoke, no longer talking down to her.

“State your terms.”

“Should you lose, you will assist us until Earthland is completely safe from harm. Your soul will be bound to me, Twilight Sparkle, Princess Cadence, and Celestia until otherwise. You will not harm us or anyone we consider family or friends, and I don’t need to tell you what would happen should you do so.”

“Hn. I should’ve expected something as much. But I will agree nonetheless. However, should you lose, your very existence will be tied to me until otherwise. You will follow my orders without question or complaint, no matter what it is. And finally, you will lead me to the power source for the Elements of Harmony and give me the Crystal Heart.” Sombra declared his terms and was met with objections from everyone. Naturally, he ignored them and focused solely on Luna, waiting for her response.

“So be it then.” Luna agreed as she was met with an audible gasp, but they were ignored. If Luna was being honest, this was far more tame than she expected, aside from leading the mad king to the Tree of Harmony. Still, Sombra had something planned, he always did and this was no different. At the same time, their glowing horns reached their peak, ready to begin playing the moment they both were ready. At that moment, Celestia realized her sister’s plan, but she was far too late to stop her as the competitors released their magic, and Sombra gave a dark smile before speaking.

“Prepare yourself, Luna, for the likes of a Shadow Game of which you’ve never played!” Sombra roared as both he and Luna fired a beam of magic, with Sombra’s being crimson red and Luna’s a midnight blue. The beams clashed in the middle, causing a distorsion in reality as there was a swirling vortex in front of them. “Due to our terms, it is only fitting that we do battle with the power of our very souls!”

“Princess, what’s a Shadow Game?” Twilight asked, whispering her question as if speaking at a normal tone of volume would interrupt the game. Celestia, however, didn’t respond, as she was afraid for her sister. A nudge at her side snapped her out of her trance, looking down to see her former student giving her a worried look. With a sigh, she decided to answer the question.

“A shadow game is by far the most vile, twisted, and strongest form of dark magic to exist. There are only survivors, never any winners who choose to partake in such an act. And in most cases, the losers, are banished to the Shadow Realm, where they are erased from existence.” Celestia quietly explained as Twilight and Starlight gulped. That was not a fate they wished on their worst enemies, not even Sombra, and Luna was now risking everything to win.

Despite how the battle wasn’t causing mass destruction with the powerful form of magic being used, it was quite taxing on Sombra and Luna. Neither had expected the battle to be this long, Luna more so due to knowing that Sombra hadn’t had as much to lose other than his life…again.

Even so, Luna wasn’t losing, the option for that was non-existent as doing so would bring ruin to Equestria. At that moment, Luna started pushing Sombra back, using all her willpower to win as her beam shot forward to Sombra’s horn and sent him flying back into the barrier.

“Ha! I’ve won the game! As the loser, you will head to my terms until I’ve stated otherwise. Less of course you wish to invoke a Penalty Game?” Luna declared as Sombra snorted he slowly got to his hooves and he gave a dark glare at Luna. Technically speaking, he was already in a penalty game, one that was very lieniet in the punishment. But he knew full well what Luna was implying, and it left him quite annoyed.

“Hn. I feel insulted that you believe that I would invoke such a thing. A shadow game is strict with its rules, and its power is never to be underestimated. So, until deemed otherwise, I shall…help you.” Sombra shivered at his last statement, hating the fact that he had lost. This, however, only meant that he could plan for the future for his takeover of the Crystal Empire despite the surveillance he would be receiving.

There were a few other things that he noted as well. One of them was the new threat to Equestria if these were the lengths they were willing to go to protect their kingdom. Another thing was the mare on the left of Celestia, Starlight. He could sense that she had a dark force within her, although something had been suppressing its presence from the others.

“It’s certainly not the mare suppressing this power, but she must be aware of the power she has. Even so, what in Tartarus’s name is the true reason that possessed them to bring me back to life and use one of the most dangerous forms of magic to exist?” Sombra thought to himself as Discord snapped his talons and brought them all back together. The reason wasn’t as simple and only about this dark creator and saving Earthland, as the elements of harmony could be used to subdue this creature of darkness. Another being was at hoof here, and Sombra knew that he would get the full story while he helped his enemies. He was snapped out of his thoughts when he noticed everyone’s eyes on him, causing him to put on a neutral look.

“If you’re expecting me to give you an immediate answer for this problem then I’m happy to reveal that I don’t have one. So by all means, please enjoy your disappointment.” Sombra dryly said as he was glared at. He didn’t care as he enjoyed seeing the unamused looks on their faces. He also hardly had any evidence anyway, so he couldn’t tell them anything even if he was forced to. Seeing the awkward silence, Sunburst took this time to address something he discovered.

“Well, now that this is all done and over with, I have something that could help us even more.” Sunburst pulled a book from his saddle bag and levitated it over to Celestia, whose eyes widened when reading the book owner’s name.

“This is a journal from Starswirl!”