Dark Horse: A My Little Pony Story

Chapters

Prologue
Chapter 2: All Dressed Up
Chapter 3: A Ride
Chapter 4: The Grand Galloping Gala
Chapter 5: Late Night Stroll
Chapter 6: Seeking and Searching
Chapter 7: Reunited
Chapter 8: Advice And Vice
Chapter 9: Time
Chapter 11: Malevolence
Chapter 12: Severed Ties
Chapter 13: Prose
Chapter 14: Ginger Blush
Chapter 15: Chorus
Chapter 16: Reunited (Reprise)
Chapter 17: Hope (Reprise)
Chapter 18: The End
Epilogue
Chapter 1: An Invitation
Chapter 10: Hope

Prologue

A dark shadow skulked about the grand halls and perfectly-paved streets of Canterlot. All around the city, preparations were being made for the biggest event of the year: The Grand Galloping Gala. All of the most important and powerful ponies were sure to be in attendance. What a perfect place to be if you're bent on exacting revenge and taking over all of Equestria.

Chapter 2: All Dressed Up

"I can't believe we're going to the Grand Galloping Gala!" Chorus chirped. "It's like the biggest event of the year! We're all going to Canterlot! TOGETHER!"

Prose started nervously breathing in and out. "It's so soon! There's so much we have to do. We have to find nice outfits, we need to secure transportation, I need to brush up on my Canterlot history, we need to make plans-"

"I think I can help with one of those things," Ginger Blush interrupted. "I actually have a connection at the Carousel Boutique. I'm sure we can find some nice outfits there."

"Oh, perfect! We can head over there while I put together our to-do list in my head," Prose instructed.

"I'm so excited!! It'll be like we're actually royalty. Don't get me wrong, I love Ponyville, but it must be nice to feel like a fancy Canterlot pony, even for a day," Chorus beamed.

The ponies left their lovely meadow and charted a course towards the Carousel Boutique. Visions of their perfect outfits danced around in their heads as they approached the boutique. This would be the first time any of them had actually purchased any really fancy clothes. You can't show up to the Grand Galloping Gala in just anything.

They arrived at the Carousel Boutique and Ginger Blush gently pushed open the door. They entered the large circular room to find Rarity patiently stitching together a new design onto a mannequin. Rarity turned to face them as she heard them enter. She smiled in recognition of the ponies in her shop. She set down her sewing tools and walked closer to them.

"Ginger Blush! Oh, how delightful to see you and your friends. Prose and... Chorus, was it? I can't thank you enough for saving all of us from that catastrophe a couple weeks ago. What can I help you with today?" Rarity asked the group.

Ginger Blush stepped forward. "Funny you should bring up that 'catastrophe', because fixing it actually landed us three tickets to the Grand Galloping Gala! We were hoping you could design some outfits for us."

Rarity gasped and clapped her hooves together.

"I would LOVE to! Don't even worry about paying. I owe it to you for, you know, saving all of Ponyville."

"Thank you so much, Rarity! Do you need anything from us? How can we help with the process?" Ginger asked her.

Rarity pushed her red eyeglasses up on her face.

"I need each of you to stand up on one of those pedestals over there. Tell me all of your hopes and dreams for these ensembles while I take down your measurements," Rarity excitedly ordered.

The ponies quickly fell in line and stationed themselves on the pedestals, awaiting Rarity's measurements. She started with Prose, stretching her measuring tape up and down her limbs and taking down notes.

"Prose, tell me about your dream dress," Rarity proposed.

Prose pictured herself at the gala, wearing a dress that perfectly suited her. She tried her best to visualize that perfect dress.

"I'm thinking something modest and elegant. Something sleek and dark. I want to look nice, but I don't want anything too crazy. I'm sure whatever you put together will be excellent," Prose graciously explained.

"I can already see it in my head. Marvelous!" Rarity cheered.

She slid quickly over to Ginger Blush, measuring tools in hand.

"What would make your dress absolutely stunning, Ginger Blush?" she inquired.

Ginger envisioned the dress that she would want to wear to the biggest event of the year.

"I think I want something more delicate and beautiful. Nothing that clashes with my fur or mane. I want something soft and timeless," she expressed.

Rarity's eyes glowed, imagining a perfect dress. "Perfect! I will make sure you look fabulous, Ginger Blush."

She scooted quickly over to Chorus and began to measure him.

"Chorus? What about you?" she asked.

Chorus pictured an outfit in his mind. Ideas bounced around back and forth across his thoughts until they amalgamated into a coherent outfit.

"I want something a little bit flashy, but not obnoxious, you know? Something pink, of course, and also somewhat classy. Did that make sense?"

"It makes perfect sense, darling! It'll be amazing, just wait and see," Rarity boasted.

The ponies all beamed with excitement over their upcoming couture designs.

"Now shoo, shoo! Let me get to work so I can have your ensembles ready in time for the big night!" Rarity ordered.

The ponies stepped off of their pedestals and headed for the door.

"Thanks again, Rarity! See you soon," Ginger thanked.

Rarity immediately began tracing designs and grabbing different fabrics off of her shelves. Chorus, Prose, and Ginger Blush exited the Carousel boutique.

"I can't believe Rarity is going to design our outfits for the Grand Galloping Gala!" Chorus exclaimed.

"Generosity isn't necessarily out of character for her," Prose joked.

"You guys, we're going to look so good at the gala," Ginger Blush said. "We have Rarity designing our outfits for the most prestigious event of the year."

"It's going to be perfect! I have literally never been more excited," Chorus exclaimed.

Prose laughed. "As long as nopony is plotting an evil scheme that we have to remedy, it should be a great time."

Chapter 3: A Ride

It was finally the day. The Grand Galloping Gala would take place that very night. Chorus, Prose, and Ginger Blush all eagerly rushed from their houses to their meadow, ready to pick up their custom outfits from the Carousel Boutique.

"I actually cannot wait," Chorus admitted as the group came together, nearing the boutique.

"Me neither," Ginger sighed. "These outfits are all I've been thinking about."

The ponies came upon the door to the boutique. They looked at each other, preparing to meet their new clothes. Prose pushed open the door and the ponies entered the spacious purpley building. Twilight Sparkle and Rarity were found chatting inside; Twilight was trying on her dress for the gala that very night.

"Prose! Chorus! Ginger Blush! Rarity was just telling me about the outfits she made for you three! I'm excited to see them," Twilight greeted the group.

"Twilight! I didn't expect to see you here," Prose happily gasped.

Twilight was wearing a custom designed dress. It was a silky deep violet, with underlying pinkish-magenta sparkles. The beauty of the dress made the ponies even more excited about their custom pieces.

"Well, I don't want to keep you from the big reveal," Twilight chuckled. "I'll let Rarity take it away."

Rarity faced Chorus, Prose, and Ginger Blush.

"It took me a short while, but I think I perfectly captured each of your distinct essences with these ensembles," Rarity prefaced.

One by one, she pulled three mannequins out of storage. Each mannequin was adorned by the ponies' custom designs. One by one, Chorus, Prose, and Ginger Blush felt their jaws drop at the sights in front of them. The ponies were in awe.

Prose was first to walk up close to her dress. A sleek midnight black gown laid before her. The silky, elegant fabric flowed off of the mannequin like a waterfall. Subtle diamond-like gems were embedded within the fabric, sparkling like the night sky. Black ribbons crossed over the chest, matched by the ribbons wrapping gracefully around the legs. It was beautiful.

"It's incredible, Rarity. I'm speechless," Prose speechlessly spoke.

Ginger Blush stepped forward to admire her new dress. A soft, beautiful, tannish-brown fabric laid delicately over the mannequin, draping into a white lace trim at its hem. White ribbons dotted the bottom of the dress, accompanied by delicate white line detailing encompassing the fabric. The front leg holes were wrapped with a ruffled white lace, tying together the whole look.

"Rarity, it's exactly what I wanted. It's perfect," Ginger expressed.

Chorus was the final one to take a full look at his outfit. A black, standard notch suit collar rested upon the mannequin's neck, accompanied by white, buttoned-up fabric beneath it. At the top of the front piece, a pink, sparkly bow tie glittered and shined. Each of the mannequins legs was decked with a shiny gold band. It was showstopping.

"You've really outdone yourself here, Rarity. This is outstanding," Chorus admired.

Rarity clapped her hooves together. "Oh, I'm so glad you ponies like them! You're going to totally steal the show at the gala tonight. Now, go ahead, try them on!"

Chorus, Prose, and Ginger Blush each carefully removed their outfits from the mannequins. They each delicately placed their hooves, legs and bodies into their outfits, until all of them were perfectly clothed. They turned around towards the mirrors and got a good look at themselves.

"We look spectacular," Chorus boasted.

"I'm so glad we finally have everything we need. The plans were made, I studied up on everything there is to know about Canterlot, and we finally have the perfect outfits," Prose sighed with relief.

"What about our ride?" Ginger Blush asked.

Prose stared blankly ahead. "Our ride?" she paused. "OUR RIDE! I completely forgot! How are we supposed to get there? This is really bad!!" Prose began to hyperventilate.

Twilight noticed the situation and chimed in. "It's okay, Prose. I know exactly how to get you a ride. All I need is a fruit or a vegetable!"

"A fruit or a vegetable?... on it! I'll get you one of those immediately!" Prose stormed quickly out of the boutique.

The ponies stood in silence for a few seconds, contemplating the speed at which everything just happened. Before they could finished contemplating, Prose had already returned with a carrot in her mouth.

"It was all they had," she said, muffled by the carrot in her mouth.

"It's perfect," Twilight said. "This will do nicely. Now, if you ponies would meet me outside I can show you how to really get a ride to the Grand Galloping Gala."

Prose passed the carrot from her mouth to Twilight's hoof and the ponies followed her as she headed towards the boutique door. Rarity, Twilight, Chorus, Prose, and Ginger all exited the building and waited outside for Twilight to do whatever she was about to do. Twilight set the carrot down on the dirt road outside of the boutique.

"Everypony stand back," she instructed.

The group backed away from Twilight Sparkle and the carrot on the ground. They all watched as Twilight's horn began to sparkle with a pinkish glow. Magic spouted from her horn and formed a direct stream into the humble carrot. The orange vegetable began to grow and change shape. It expanded in a swirl of pink magic, growing into a large, carrot-shaped, pearly mass. The ponies watched as the carrot-thing grew wheels and windows. It became apparent Twilight was turning this carrot into an impressive carriage. Gold accents sprawled across the carriage, perfectly framing and decorating its design. Once the carrot had fully transformed into a beautiful carriage. Twilight gently set it back down onto the road.

"There," Twilight said. "A carriage fit for royalty."

Chorus, Prose, and Ginger Blush stared in awe at their incredible new ride.

"A marvelous job as always, Twilight," Rarity complimented. She turned towards Chorus, Prose, and Ginger Blush. "You ponies should step inside. Time is ticking, and the gala isn't necessarily close by."

"You're right," Prose agreed. "We should probably get going. Thank you, once again, Rarity. These outfits are flawless. And thank you, Twilight. This carriage is more than we could've ever asked for."

"Yes, thank you guys. You've really helped make this night even more special than it already is," Chorus added.

"Seriously, thank you so much," Ginger finalized.

The ponies walked up to their elegant carriage and each followed each other inside of its velvety, intricate interior. They marveled at the beauty of the carrot carriage.

"It's beautiful. A beautiful carrot carriage. A carrot-age, if you will," Chorus joked.

Ginger Blush and Prose stared at Chorus.

"I know, I regretted it as soon as I said it," Chorus admitted.

Twilight and Rarity stood outside of the carriage, ready to send the ponies off.

"You three should be there in about... two hours? Around two hours, I would say," Twilight informed the trio.

"What do you mean? How are we getting there?" Prose asked out of the window.

Twilight flashed a quick spark of magic out of her horn, enchanting the carrot-age wheels to burst into motion.

"See you ponies there!" Twilight shouted after them.

"Have such a marvelous time, darlings!" Rarity added.

The carriage drove itself through the dirt streets of Ponyville, passing by all the familiar landmarks and ponies that Chorus, Prose, and Ginger Blush had known all their lives.

"It's actually happening. We're on our way to the Grand Galloping Gala," Chorus laughed.

"Canterlot is like one of the most beautiful places in all of Equestria. It's going to be like a night-long sightseeing tour," Ginger Blush fantasized.

"There's so much history in that city. It's like a citywide museum. The gala itself is a historical artifact. I also love a good party as much as the next pony," Prose expressed.

Ginger Blush's eyes glowed as a thought crossed her mind. "What if we all, you know, meet somepony," she giggled. "Like, somepony special. The gala would be a perfect place for that!"

Prose and Chorus sat in an awkward silence. Neither of them wanted to comment on that thought, both for different reasons.

"Okayyy, I guess I'll change the subject then," Ginger awkwardly stated. "I heard there's going to be a live band. And Pixie Dust will be joining them."

"Pixie Dust!?" Chorus and Prose gasped.

"Like, famous singer Pixie Dust?" Chorus asked.

"The one and only," Ginger confirmed.

"This is sure to be a night to remember, then," Prose added.

The carriage rolled just outside of the city limits, and the ponies looked back out of the windows at their hometown. It was going to be a crazy change going straight from Ponyville to Canterlot, but it wasn't anything Ponyville's saviors couldn't handle. The ponies chatted for a long time about their hopes, dreams, plans, and rumors about the gala. They were too distracted by their lively conversation to feel the carriage jolt as it ran over a stray, ominous black crystal in the middle of the road.

Chapter 4: The Grand Galloping Gala

As Canterlot began to appear closer, the ponies were practically exploding with excitement. The towering white and gold buildings appeared to stretch taller and taller as Chorus, Prose, and Ginger Blush rode closer to the city. On the way, the bumpy dirt roads of Ponyville had morphed into the neatly paved, smooth dirt roads of Canterlot. The ponies knew they had arrived when the sides of the road had begun to be lined by a long stretch of red velvet ropes.

"I'm so nervous," Chorus exhaled. "Are we sure we're not out of our depths here?"

"Oh, no," Prose started. "We are definitely out of our depths here. That's what will make this a real adventure."

The carriage pulled up to the city gates. Guards in golden suits of armor awaited tickets from the guests. Ginger Blush presented all three tickets to the guards, granting them access into the city. The ponies could feel Twilight's magic begin to fade and slow as the wheels on the carriage began to end their journey. The carriage pulled to the side of the road and came to a stop. The beautiful towers and buildings surrounding them were ethereal, and yet intimidating to the small-town ponies.

"Who's ready?" Prose asked the group. Nopony responded. "Perfect! Let's go. We have to jump right into it like it's cold water."

Ginger Blush and Chorus almost protested, but they quickly realized Prose was right, and they threw themselves out of their gorgeous carriage before they could wallow in their own fear. Prose knew the general layout of the city, so the group followed her as she guided them through the streets to the entrance hall.

"Here we are, everypony," she said as they walked up the steps.

The ponies entered the enormous entrance hall, walking slowly towards the golden arched doorway that would lead them to the most important pony in attendance. The ponies could all clearly see the dazzling Princess Celestia standing atop a redly-carpeted staircase. The sight of her was enough to make anypony feel starstruck. Celestia was stationed on the staircase, greeting every guest as they arrived. Chorus, Prose, and Ginger Blush approached the staircase, patiently waiting in line to be greeted. The massive stained glass windows behind Princess Celestia made her seem that much more majestic, powerful, and glorious. After a short while, the ponies had arrived at the front of the line.

"Chorus, Prose, and Ginger Blush! I'm so glad to see you could make it!" Celestia greeted. Even though the ponies had been personally invited by the princess, they were taken aback at the sound of her using their names out loud.

"H-hi, Princess Celestia," Prose greeted. Chorus and Ginger Blush, mute from nervousness, let Prose do the talking.

"Prose! Twilight Sparkle has told me all about you and how you and your friends heroically saved Ponyville. I humbly thank all of you for your heroism," Princess Celestia thanked and bowed her head to the ponies.

"We're so thankful for your... thankfulness! Thank you for inviting us here tonight. We couldn't have asked for anything more. And speaking of Twilight, do you know if she's here yet?" Prose asked the princess. She hoped to find her and speak with her.

"Yes, she is. I believe she is somewhere around the main event hall. She'll be glad to see you. She's told me about how much she appreciates you as a fellow scholar," Celestia remarked.

"She has?" Prose blushed.

Celestia nodded.

"Well, we don't want to keep you from the other guests. I guess we'll go to the main event hall. Once again, thank you for inviting us," Prose cordially spoke.

"Yes, thank you," Chorus spoke up.

"Thank you, Princess," Ginger Blush added.

"Thank you, my little ponies. Enjoy the night!" Celestia waved goodbye to Chorus, Prose, and Ginger Blush as they headed up the rest of the stairs and into the Grand Galloping Gala.

The event came into view as the ponies reached the top of the stairs. The sun setting in the sky beautifully illuminated the event space as they entered. Spotlessly clean checkered floors gleamed in the light. Red carpets crawled all across the floors and grand staircases, establishing the luxurious feeling the event embodied. Huge stone pillars and archways were scattered throughout the place, outlining and leading to many different areas of the event. Many tables were placed throughout the hall, decorated with beautifully bejeweled dark pink tablecloths.

"Should we take a table for now? I don't see anypony we know yet," Chorus offered.

"Sure, I'm kinda thirsty anyway. Maybe one of the servers will see us and get me a drink," Prose hoped.

The ponies stationed themselves at the nearest table, and sure enough, a server pony was quick to come over. The server pony had off-white fur and steel blue, slicked-back mane. His upper lip was decorated by a perfectly trimmed, steel blue mustache. His white server outfit complimented his fur quite nicely. Ginger blushed at the sight of this rather charming server.

"Can I get you ponies anything?" the server pony asked in an accent unfamiliar to the ponies.

"I would actually love something to drink," Prose gratefully ordered.

"I think I'm good for now, thanks," Chorus added.

The server looked over at Ginger Blush. "And anything for the pony with the beautiful eyes?"

Ginger almost choked on nothing.

"I think I'll just have water, thanks." her cheeks flushed a deep orangey color.

"And maybe I could also interest you in a dance?" the server offered. "I'm very nearly done with my shift."

Ginger Blush's eyes widened in shock. Chorus and Prose watched her react to the offer, remembering her hopes to meet somepony that night.

"I-" Ginger stuttered. "I- uh... sure! Yes! Yes, I would like that."

"I'm Savoir Fare," Savoir Fare introduced himself. "And you are?"

"Ginger Blush," she answered.

"What a beautiful name, Ginger Blush," Savoir complimented. "I'll be right back with those drinks."

Savoir Fare turned around and headed presumably towards some kitchen area somewhere. Chorus and Prose stared at Ginger Blush, waiting for her to speak on the events that had just happened.

"Do you guys think he likes me?" Ginger finally spoke.

Prose and Chorus looked at each other.

"Ginger, he just asked you to dance. I'm pretty sure he likes you," Prose confirmed.

"What if he was just being nice?" Ginger wondered aloud.

"Being nice is taking our drink orders. Complimenting your name and eyes? That's liking you. He likes you, Ginger," Chorus explained.

"What do I say to him? What am I supposed to do?" Ginger panicked.

"Just be yourself, Ginger. Talk to him like you'd talk to us, only flirtier," Chorus advised.

"I'm so nervous. I don't know if I'll even be able to hold a conversation," Ginger worried.

"Relax, Ginger. If you aren't able to talk, just dance. That's what he asked you to do anyway," Prose recommended.

Ginger fought to relax her nervousness. "You guys won't be mad if I spend time with him instead of you?"

"Go get your stallion, Ginger. We spend most days together anyway. Go enjoy yourself," Chorus laughed.

The group hushed themselves as Savoir Fare headed back toward the table with their drinks. He handed Prose a purple drink in a crystal glass. He smiled at Ginger before gently setting her water glass in front of her.

"I'll be back soon for that dance," he said. He turned away from their table and headed to serve some other ponies.

Prose almost commented on that, but she was stopped as a deep violet dress caught her eye across the room. Twilight Sparkle was happily admiring the event space and politely mingling with guests. Prose watched as she strolled around the room.

"I see Twilight," Prose told her friends. "I think I'm going to go talk to her."

Ginger Blush raised an eyebrow at her. "Is there something you want to tell us? About you and Twilight, perchance?"

Prose blushed and turned away, trying to hide her embarrassment. "I'm just gonna go talk to her." Prose briskly parted from their table, heading into Twilight's direction. Ginger Blush and Chorus were left alone at the table.

"I think we might all meet somepony tonight, after all," Ginger remarked.

"What do you mean?" Chorus asked.

"I met Savoir Fare, and I think Prose might have something going on with Twilight Sparkle. I'm sure it's just a matter of time before you meet a lucky mare or-"

"Can we change the subject?" Chorus interrupted. "I just- I don't think anything is in the cards for me tonight. I think I'll just enjoy the gala."

"You know, it's okay if you-" Ginger started.

"I don't really want to talk about it," Chorus interrupted again.

Ginger Blush was about to actually change the subject this time, but she was interrupted by an off-white pony with steel blue mane approaching their table.

"May I take you to the dance floor, Ginger Blush?" Savoir offered.

Ginger smiled and blushed at the kind gesture.

"I'll see you later, okay, Chorus?" she told Chorus as she took Savoir Fare's hoof in hers.

"See you later, Ginger," Chorus sighed.

Chorus watched as Savoir Fare led Ginger Blush to the dance floor. The live band was wrapping up their current orchestral number as the dance floor lights dimmed. The ponies stopped dancing to stare up at the stage as a single spotlight illuminated the center of it. Chorus watched from afar as a pony with baby pink fur and pastel yellow mane took the stage, stepping into the spotlight. Pixie Dust had arrived to perform.

"Hello, everypony!" she spoke into a microphone.

The crowd of ponies in front of the stage cheered passionately for her.

"Are you guys ready to hear some music?" she asked the audience.

She was once again met with a roaring applause.

"All right, everypony. I'm gonna kick things off with a bit of a slow one, because I know we have some lovebirds out there tonight," she introduced her first song.

The ponies cheered for her, and the couples within the audience took their appropriate dancing stances. Chorus watched as Savoir Fare took Ginger Blush's hoof in his own, pulling her in for a dance. Pixie Dust began singing her song.

You put the moonshine to shame tonight

While your eyes glow like the sun

Chorus saw two more familiar faces enter the dance floor in the form of Prose and Twilight Sparkle. It seemed like they were having a great time. Chorus was happy for his friends, but sighed at his obvious loneliness.

The way that you're dancing tonight

Makes me think that you're the one

As much as Chorus wanted to watch Pixie Dust perform, he didn't feel like he could watch any longer. He left his table and headed towards the towering archway that led to a beautiful garden. He stepped outside into the grass. The moon shining outside showered the garden in a beautiful somber light.

Chorus maneuvered through the garden, admiring the gorgeous rare flowers and tall walls of blue-ish bushes. He wandered deeper into the garden until he found a large gangly tree positioned in the center of a secluded area of the garden. He sat down underneath the tree and gazed up at the moon in the sky. Even if he was lonely, this place sure was a beautiful place to be.

"What is a pretty pony like you doing out here all alone?" a deep, gravelly voice echoed throughout the area.

Chorus stood up from his seat and scanned his surroundings. "Who's there? Where- how-" he stuttered. "Pretty?" he blushed. "Where are you? I can't see you anywhere."

"Don't worry about where I am," the voice ordered. "Just answer my question."

Chorus looked around again, trying to find a glimpse of anypony around. It seemed like he was completely alone. Chorus thought twice about talking with a stranger, but figured it might be easier to get things off his chest with somepony he didn't know.

"I guess I-," he started. "I guess I was alone in there anyway. I thought I might as well try to enjoy some of the natural beauty of Canterlot if there's nothing going on for me in there."

It felt good to get at least some of that off of his chest.

"I know that's not the whole story," the voice smugly replied. "Tell me what's really going on."

"You don't know me," Chorus retorted. "You don't know that that wasn't the whole story."

"You're not denying it," the voice rebutted.

Chorus blushed again. The voice was right. He wasn't denying it because he couldn't.

"It's a lot," Chorus warned.

"I've got time."

Chorus sighed and sat back down underneath his tree.

"Nopony really gets what I'm feeling. I don't even really get it. I don't think my friends would judge me for it, but I know it would change things. Ponies would see me differently, and I would see myself differently. I- I don't know. It just feels like I can't cross over that line. I can't make that change," Chorus confessed.

"I don't think I'm understanding what you're saying," the voice spoke.

Chorus sighed. "I'm not looking for a mare in there. I don't even know if I'm capable of going for what I actually want in there."

"Oh," the voice voiced. "I think I understand what you mean. I know what it feels like to feel like an outsider."

"I guess I'm lucky to have found you then - or I guess you found me. We can be weird together," Chorus joked.

"Hmh," the voice chuckled. "You remind me of somepony I used to know."

"Do I?" Chorus asked. "You know, this conversation would be much easier if I could actually see you."

There was silence for a moment.

"You're different from other ponies," the voice softly spoke.

"Not really, actually," Chorus nonchalantly refuted. "My friends inside are just as sweet and cool as me." Chorus looked down as he said that, remembering he had left his friends inside. "I should probably get back to them soon."

"Let me give you something before you go," the voice echoed. Chorus suddenly noticed a silhouette shrouded in the shadows. In the darkest corner of the garden, a tall unicorn stood, almost entirely obscured by darkness.

"Come into the light," Chorus asked.

"Come into the dark," the unicorn contradicted.

Chorus didn't feel like arguing or losing his chance to meet the mysterious unicorn. He obediently joined the unicorn in the deep darkness. He couldn't make out any defining features about him. He could only see his mysterious silhouette.

"What did you want to give me?" Chorus questioned.

The unicorn held out his hoof in front of Chorus. "A dance," he offered.

"Why?" Chorus inquired. His heart rate undeniably quickened. "You don't even know me. I don't even know you. For all I know, you could be an evil mastermind."

The unicorn laughed. "If you really must know, this would be mutually beneficial. You would get what you really wanted out of this night, and I would get to relive some bittersweet memories."

Chorus looked down at the outstretched arm of the unicorn in front of him. He briefly considered his options, and even more briefly placed his hoof into the unicorn's. The mysterious unicorn quickly pulled him in. Pixie Dust's song could still be faintly heard from the main event hall. The two unicorns danced slowly back and forth in the darkness. The unicorn leaned in close, putting his mouth up near Chorus's ear.

"This night is going to end sooner than everypony thinks," he whispered. "You should get out of here while you can."

Chorus's eyes widened as he heard his words. The unicorn backed away from Chorus, disappearing into the garden just as quickly as he'd arrived. Chorus looked down into his hoof, the one that had just been holding the unicorn's hoof. A single rose delicately rested in his grasp, its petals blacker than the night sky.

Chapter 5: Late Night Stroll

I think you know that it's not fair

The way you hold your longing stare

Making me come undone

Pixie Dust's song echoed across the dance floor, enchanting all of the ponies who heard it. It was almost impossible not to feel love in the air. Ginger Blush looked up at her dance partner, smitten by his undeniable charm. She and Savoir Fare swayed along to the love song, thoroughly enjoying their first ever dance together.

"What brings you to the Grand Galloping Gala this evening?" Savoir sparked up a small conversation.

"It's a lot," Ginger warned.

"We've got all night," Savoir laughed.

"Okay," Ginger started. "Well, one day my friends and I discovered that somepony was secretly plotting to take over our hometown, so of course we tried to stop it. I actually got trapped in a coma by him while my friends went to fight him head-on."

"This sounds pretty intense," Savoir interrupted.

"Oh, it was," Ginger confirmed. "Anyway, I was trapped in some sort of dream world where I learned all about our enemy, and I actually ended up feeling kinda bad for him. Then, when my friend Prose encouraged my friend Chorus to cast a spell that reversed all of our enemy's spells, I woke up. I immediately headed to find my friends, and we all convinced the Dollkeeper to stop trying to take over the world."

"The Dollkeeper? You and your friends were the three ponies who stopped the Dollkeeper? I heard about that!" Savoir Fare gasped.

"Yes! Anyway, Princess Celestia heard about it, and she invited us to the gala. So, that's why I'm here," Ginger Blush finished.

"You are one impressive pony, Ginger Blush," Savoir Fare complimented. "Not many ponies get to say they saved their entire hometown."

"Yea, I guess so," Ginger smiled. "So, why are you here tonight?" she asked, trying to turn the attention away from her.

"Well, I was hired to be here," Savoir spoke with a smile.

"Right! How could I forget that?" Ginger laughed.

"The uniform gives it away a little bit," Savoir laughed. "I've been hired to work in a lot of places, actually. I've even worked in Ponyville. That's where you're from, right?"

"Yes, I'm from Ponyville," Ginger certified.

"It's a lovely little town. Beautiful, really. Sometimes I prefer places like that over the 'high-class' establishments where I'm usually employed. Ponies are much more humble and kind in places like Ponyville," Savoir confessed.

"I get that. There's a certain beauty in places like Ponyville," Ginger Blush commented.

"You're exactly right, Ginger," Savoir Fare smiled. "I want to show you something."

Savoir Fare took Ginger Blush's hoof and guided her carefully through the crowd of dancing ponies. Ginger followed Savoir as he led her across the event hall and through back hallways, presumably only to be used by the service ponies.

"Where are you taking me?" Ginger asked.

"There's a place just outside of Canterlot where you can see all of Ponyville. At night, the lit-up houses shine so beautifully. I wanted you to see it," Savoir explained.

Ginger smiled at the thoughtful gesture. Savoir led her out of a back door and into the grass and streets of Canterlot. The city looked hauntingly beautiful at night. The tall, sleek buildings shined and sparkled as Savoir and Ginger made their way through the empty Canterlot streets. They passed by Ginger's carriage, indicating that they were getting close to the city limits. Savoir led Ginger through backroads and gardens, past statues and fountains, until they were nearly to the perfect viewing location. Ginger's excitement grew as they neared their destination, excited to share such a personal moment with her date.

Savoir Fare parted some vines with his hooves, revealing a precarious, beautiful cliffside, perfect for viewing anything that rested below.

"Fillies first," he invited Ginger Blush to step onto the cliffside. Ginger smiled and stepped through the vines, briskly heading to see the view. After a few steps toward the edge, her face smacked into a solid force, blocking her from advancing farther. Ginger stepped backwards stumbling into Savoir Fare.

"What is it? Is something wrong?" Savoir asked worriedly.

"Look at this," Ginger instructed.

She put her hoof in front of her and walked forward again, once again stopped by a solid force in front of her. She watched as her hoof touched an invisible barrier, causing a deep blue light to radiate off of it. She felt along its surface, quickly realizing just how far this wall spread.

"There's some sort of force field surrounding Canterlot," Ginger hypothesized.

"What could somepony be trying to keep out?" Savoir wondered aloud.

Ginger felt anxiety rise within her chest. "What if somepony is trying to keep something in?"

Chapter 6: Seeking and Searching

You know I could be anywhere

But here with you, the time I share

Is as bright as the sun

Prose stood in front of Twilight Sparkle on the dance floor as Pixie Dust sang a slow song; a love song. She didn't know what to say to Twilight. They had somewhat known each other for a while, but they'd never really held a decently long conversation.

"The gala is beautiful," Prose commented. "I can't believe I get to be here."

"Of course you get to be here! You saved all of Ponyville," Twilight commended. "You even saved me!"

"Yea, I guess I did do that," Prose admitted.

There was a slightly awkward silence for a short moment.

"Do you... wanna dance?" Twilight offered.

Prose exhaled, relieved they were finally going to dance. "Yes, I would like that," she said.

She held out her hoof for Twilight to take, and they began to slowly sway back and forth to the music. Prose couldn't help but notice Twilight's attention wasn't fully on the dance. Twilight kept subtly glancing around the room, as if looking for something.

"Is everything okay?" Prose asked.

Twilight glanced back to Prose, realizing how inattentive she'd been.

"Everything's great!" Twilight cheered.

Prose wasn't really believing that.

"If you want to step outside or something, that's okay," Prose offered.

Twilight's eyes widened slightly, as if she'd just gotten an idea.

"Actually, there's somewhere I need to go, but I think you would love it there. You should come with me!" Twilight suggested.

Prose raised an eyebrow at her, slightly suspicious of her motives, but just as eager to spend time with her.

"Sure, I'll go," she hesitantly agreed.

"Perfect!" Twilight grinned. "Follow me."

Prose followed Twilight as she abruptly left the dance floor. Twilight guided her through the event hall, zigzagging around attending ponies.

"Where are we going?" Prose asked,

"You'll see," Twilight responded. "You'll love it."

Prose followed her as she led her down staircases and out of the doors to the event hall. The streets at night looked so beautiful as Twilight ushered Prose through Canterlot. They walked for a couple long minutes before Prose caught sight of two marble unicorn statues. The statues sat in front of a large pillared building topped a magnificent glass dome.

"The Library of Magic!?" Prose exclaimed.

"I knew you would like it!"

Prose followed Twilight up the steps to the Library of Magic. She had wanted to visit this place while her and her friends were in Canterlot, but she feared they wouldn't have the time. Twilight was right, she did love this place. Twilight pushed open the doors and let Prose inside. Prose's jaw dropped in awe as she marveled at the extensive collection of books before her. A sole librarian roamed the building, organizing books.

"Excuse me, ma'am?" Twilight called out to the librarian.

The librarian turned towards Prose and Twilight.

"Do you know where I could find any books on the history of the Crystal Empire?" Twilight asked. "Specifically regarding any... difficulties they've faced?"

The librarian walked up to the pair of ponies.

"Anything we have on the Crystal Empire is going to be deep in our history section. I doubt we have anything, though, considering its... erasure," the librarian advised.

"Right," Twilight remembered. "Thank you anyway."

Twilight immediately bolted towards the history section of the massive library. Prose followed shortly behind her. As they arrived, Twilight began frantically searching the shelves.

"Are you sure everything's okay, Twilight?" Prose asked from behind her.

"Of course!" Twilight said without turning around. "Why do you ask?"

"I don't know... I guess I was just hoping we could spend time together tonight, but you seem rather... preoccupied," Prose sighed.

Twilight turned away from the books and back to Prose.

"I'm sorry, Prose. I want to spend time with you, I really do. But this matter is kinda urgent," Twilight confessed.

"Urgent? Why? What's really going on, Twilight?" Prose asked, desperate to find out the truth.

Twilight sighed. "If I tell you, you have to promise not to tell anypony," Twilight warned.

Prose mimicked zipping her lips shut, indicating she could keep a secret.

"Well, you know how I've been a little tense this evening?" Twilight started.

Prose nodded.

"Well, before I headed into the gala, I spoke with Princess Celestia. She didn't want to cause a massive panic, so she only told me, Princess Luna, and a couple of other royals. It's suspected that there's a major threat to everypony at the gala, and nopony even knows about it! It's basically up to me to figure this all out before the gala is over," Twilight explained.

"My friends and I actually have some experience controlling a major threat," Prose boasted. "We might be able to be of some assistance, if you need it."

Twilight made a doubtful expression. "You and your friends have accomplished some impressive feats, but this issue is almost out of my league."

"Which is why you need all the help you can get," Prose predicted. "Speaking of which, why haven't you told your friends? Surely they could be of some help."

"You may be right about that, but I really don't want to make this their problem. Lately, we've been facing quite a lot together, and this night was supposed to be a relief for us," she sighed. "I can handle it on my own. I have to."

Prose looked quizzically at Twilight. "Will you at least let me help you?"

"I... I guess I've already roped you into this. But trust me, this won't be easy. This is serious, Prose. I've only barely defeated him once before. We don't even know how he managed to come back."

"'Him'? Come back? Who are we talking about right now?" Prose asked.

"Do you know anything about the Crystal Empire?" Twilight inquired.

"Of course," Prose responded. "Not that much, of course, but it's quite fascinating."

"The reason you don't know that much about it is because it disappeared for a thousand years. Once it reappeared, somepony else reappeared with it. Somepony evil. Somepony who Princess Celestia believes is here this very night."

"Who?" Prose asked, desperate to know what exactly was going on.

Twilight tensed and looked around to make sure nopony else was lurking in the library at the same time as them.

"Princess Celestia thinks King Sombra has returned."

Chapter 7: Reunited

Chorus tucked the black rose into his suit collar. If the strange unicorn was to be trusted, Chorus had to get out of there, and he had to do it quickly. A battle of multiple moral conundrums occurred inside of his head, all at once. If he was going to escape whatever was about to go down, he would have to bring his friends. But what makes him and his friends more important than anypony else at the Gala? It was the Grand Galloping Gala after all. There were loads of important ponies in attendance.

What if there wasn't even anything to be afraid of? The unicorn had been so vague with his wording, and his trustworthiness wasn't exactly provably airtight. What if he stopped the gala, warning everypony of certain danger ahead, and nothing even came up? Then he'd be known as the pony who ruined the Grand Galloping Gala. Chorus could not decide what to do. The only thing he knew he had to do was find his friends. Prose and Ginger Blush would make everything clearer. They would know what to do.

Chorus made his way through the twists and turns of the garden and back towards the main event hall. He re-entered the enormous room and scanned the crowds and ponies for his friends. He aimlessly wandered around, hoping he would run into them eventually. As Chorus searched, a glimpse of a beautiful tan dress caught his eye. Chorus followed that sight and finally found Ginger Blush roaming the hall with her date, Savoir Fare.

"Chorus!" she greeted. "I was just looking for you!"

"I was just looking for you!" Chorus explained.

"Chorus, I think there's something suspicious going on here," Ginger suggested.

"I know there's something suspicious going on here," Chorus confirmed.

"Did you find the barrier too?" Ginger asked.

Chorus raised an eyebrow. "Barrier? What barrier?" Chorus questioned.

"There's a barrier encasing all of-" Ginger was interrupted by the arrival of two familiar ponies. Prose and Twilight Sparkle walked up to stand with Chorus, Ginger Blush, and Savoir Fare.

"Hey guys," Prose greeted the group, trying not to sound worried about current events.

"Hi, Prose. Hi, Twilight," Chorus addressed. He turned back to Ginger Blush. "What were you saying about a barrier?"

Ginger regathered her thoughts. "Oh, yea. There's a barrier encasing all of Canterlot. Nopony can get in or out. Savoir and I discovered it when we went for a stroll outside."

Savoir Fare quietly nodded in agreement with Ginger's explanation.

Chorus watched as all of his iterations of escape plans fell apart in his mind. No escape plan would work if everypony was truly trapped inside. Prose looked over at Twilight Sparkle, not sure what she could say.

"Is anypony going to say anything? Are we not worried about this?" Ginger asked the group.

"Trust me," Chorus began. "I'm definitely worried."

"Should we just tell them?" Prose asked Twilight.

"Tell us what?" Ginger worriedly asked. "Why do I feel like none of us are on the same page right now?"

There was a moment of tense silence before Twilight stepped in.

"Princess Luna is the one holding up the barrier," she explained.

"Princess Luna?" Ginger questioned. "Why?"

Twilight paused and took a deep breath. "There is a threat facing the gala tonight, and we'd prefer if we kept it contained."

"Do we know what the threat is?" Chorus asked, hiding his ulterior motives in asking.

"And aren't you trapping all of us with the threat as well?" Ginger added.

"Yes, and yes," Twilight confirmed. "The princesses are confident in their abilities to protect the ponies here tonight, but they're less confident in their abilities to effectively capture the threat, hence the barrier."

"Why not just cancel the gala? Why go through all of this?" Savoir chimed in.

"We can't let the threat know we're onto him. If he believes we're oblivious, it'll be easier to take him down, to surprise him." Twilight explained.

"Him?" Chorus felt an anxious pain in his chest. "Who are we talking about here?"

Twilight lowered her head, trying to remain secretive, and the rest of the group followed her motion.

"Supposedly," Twilight started. "King Sombra is somewhere here tonight."

The group tilted their heads in confusion. Twilight forgot the Crystal Empire wasn't as widely known as she thought.

"King Sombra," she elaborated. "Evil tyrant of the Crystal Empire."

The group's eyes widened in recognition and understanding. They recollected what they knew about the tragic tale of the Crystal Empire. Chorus felt the tightness in his chest become unbearable as a frightening realization set in.

"If you ponies will excuse me, I have somewhere I need to- something I need to- I just- I need to go," Chorus stuttered.

Chorus abruptly left the group, leaving them in confusion.

"That was odd," Prose commented.

Chapter 8: Advice And Vice

Chorus pushed past all of the partying ponies and tried to make his way back to the garden. He had to confront the unicorn he had danced with earlier. He clamored over the red carpet and slid across the checkered floors before accidentally crashing into a very familiar pony.

"Chorus!" Pinkie Pie beamed. "Twilight said you were gonna be here! Come with me, we need to catch up!"

Chorus looked outside at the forest, then back at Pinkie Pie, trying to decide his next move.

"Okay, Pinkie," he sighed. "Show me the way!"

Pinkie Pie led Chorus away from the garden and towards a long table lined with barstools. She sat down, and so did Chorus. A server pony passed them by, and Pinkie waved him down.

"Two pink lemonades, please," she asked the server pony in her most professional tone of voice.

Shortly after, pink lemonades were delivered in front of them. Pinkie Pie took a big sip of her drink and turned to face Chorus.

"So, Chorus, a little birdie named Twilight Sparkle told me you'd be here tonight. That same birdie told me all about your super spectacular time saving Ponyville. I mean, everypony knows about that, but I want to hear about it from you. How did you save everypony? How did you cast that crazy spell!?"

Chorus contemplated how to explain everything that went down.

"It actually all started with you, Pinkie," Chorus laughed.

"Really?" Pinkie's eyes glowed.

"Yea," Chorus started. "It all started when I went to your house and you slammed the door in my face and forgot my name."

Pinkie gasped.

"Exactly. I knew you wouldn't do that, so I tried to investigate exactly what was going on, and that's when I ran into Ginger Blush and Prose. We uncovered the entire plot to take over Ponyville. A whole lot of stuff went terribly wrong, and I ended up alone in Ponyville. I was basically Ponyville's only hope at that point. I was really lucky that my friends had been encouraging me so much, convincing me that my magic was powerful enough to save everypony. Without them, I might not have had the confidence to even try. I was able to harness powerful magic by weaving it together with my music magic. What really saved us in the end was our collective collaboration. I don't need to tell you about the power of teamwork. I bet you and your friends have saved the world like five times since I last saw you," Chorus finished speaking, slightly out of breath.

"Don't be silly," Pinkie giggled. "It was only like three times."

The two ponies laughed with each other. Chorus's expression became slightly somber as he remembered his current situation.

"Pinkie, can I ask you something? I think I need some advice,"

"Sure!" Pinkie replied.

Chorus searched his brain for a way to ask for helpful advice without revealing what was really going on.

"If... somepony I know is doing some- or has done some... bad things, is there anything I can do about that? Is it truly possible to... fix somepony?" Chorus asked.

Pinkie Pie raised an eyebrow and put her hoof up to her chin.

"Nope," she answered.

"Nope?" Chorus echoed her.

"Nope," she repeated. "You can't fix somepony."

"Really?" Chorus asked, disappointed.

"You can't fix somepony. But you can help anypony. If there's anything I've learned from my adventures with my friends, it's that nopony is beyond help. Everypony has a reason that they do what they do. All you have to do is figure out that reason, and then you can help them. The only way somepony can be 'fixed' is if they want to 'fix' themselves."

Chorus stared and blinked at Pinkie Pie.

"That was incredibly insightful, Pinkie," Chorus commented.

"I know! I'm feeling very insightful today," she smiled.

Chorus laughed. "Thank you, Pinkie. I think I'm going to go use your advice."

"Okey dokey lokey! See you later!" Pinkie shouted after Chorus as he left their table.

Chorus made his way back through the event hall, back towards the garden. He maneuvered back through the garden wandering deeper into the garden until he found the large gangly tree he had visited not long before. He stood at the base of the tree and looked around at the moonlit garden.

"I know you're out there," Chorus called out. "You know, when you said the night would be ending early, you didn't specify that you'd be the cause of it!"

Chorus's shouts were met with an eerie silence.

"Don't pretend you can't hear me!" Chorus shouted.

There was another long pause of silence, broken suddenly by a deep voice echoing from the darkness.

"You know nothing," the voice snarled.

"I think I know enough," Chorus snarkily replied. "King Sombra."

Chorus felt chills all over his body as the bushes near him rustled. Chorus watched as the mysterious unicorn stepped out of the shadows and into the pale moonlight. King Sombra, the King of Monsters stood before him, decked out in his usual steely gray armor. His dark scarlet cape perfectly matched his menacing red horn, which was now clearly apparent in the light.

"So you know who I am now," Sombra pointed out.

"And I know what you've done," Chorus added.

"As I said, you know nothing," Sombra repeated. "I know what you've heard, Chorus."

Chorus shuddered, not knowing how Sombra knew his name.

"I warned you to get out of here, too. And now here you are, doing... whatever it is you're doing. You've doomed yourself."

"No, you've doomed me." Chorus stated. Sombra glared at him as he spoke. "You're the one doing all of this. Why, King Sombra? Why are you doing this? Wasn't taking over an entire empire enough?"

Sombra fumed. "Since when do you ponies care about why? Why do you care about why?"

"I- I just-" Chorus stammered. "I've met you. Sure, it was a brief meeting, but it made me believe there's more to your story. And I might be the only pony alive who's willing to listen, so now's the time for you to tell it."

"Chorus!" Chorus heard a voice call out from behind him.

Twilight Sparkle, Prose, Ginger Blush, and Savoir Fare all appeared behind him, rushing into the garden.

"We've been looking for you," Prose stated. "Where have you-" Prose was stopped mid-sentence as she noticed Chorus's company. Everypony stared in fear and shock at the sight of King Sombra.

"W-what is h-he doing here?" Ginger Blush stuttered.

"You really want to know why, Chorus?" Sombra spoke, ignoring the present company. "I'll show you why."

Dark, shadowy magic burst out of Sombra's horn, flooding the garden and blinding the surrounding ponies. Suddenly, the darkness of the moonlit garden was replaced by a beautiful shining sun.

"Where are we?" Chorus asked.

"When are we?" Twilight asked, noticing their surroundings.

Chapter 9: Time

Author's Note

Author's Note: The next few chapters HEAVILY reference the official My Little Pony "FIENDship is Magic" comic in order to illuminate Sombra's backstory.

Chapter 9: Time

Everypony gazed around in awe at their new surroundings. It was the site of an astoundingly beautiful city. Shining, stunning crystals grew up from the ground and decorated the city streets and buildings. The architecture was grand and elegant, and every building sparkled in a special way. The colors were vibrant and iridescent, like the entire city was in technicolor. Ponies roamed the streets of the city, but they weren't like any ponies that Chorus, Prose, or Ginger Blush had seen before. Their mane and fur sparkled and shined, as if they were made of crystal themselves. This whole place seemed like it was pulled straight out of a fairy tale.

"We're in the Crystal Empire," Twilight Sparkle observed.

The group looked around once more, recognizing their surroundings as the beautiful Crystal Empire. Sombra faced away from the group, seemingly waiting for something to happen.

Chorus walked up to him and spoke up. "Why did you take us here? What are you trying to show us?"

Before Sombra could explain, he was interrupted by the appearance of several ponies wearing shining suits of armor heading down the road, straight towards them. The ponies were followed by a small, black-maned, black-furred unicorn. The group stepped out of the way of the traveling ponies, giving them room to move past them. The armored ponies guided the small unicorn down the street. The small unicorn looked utterly lost and confused.

"Is that..." Chorus started.

"Me," King Sombra confirmed.

King Sombra began to follow his younger self down the road, leaving everypony else to decide whether or not to follow. The rest of the group of time travelers convened for a brief meeting.

"He seems vulnerable right now," Twilight Sparkle noted. "Should we try to stop him? Should we capture him or banish him or something?"

"Banish him where? We're not exactly in our home territory right now. We don't know the rules of this place. Trying to thwart him on his home field might turn out badly for us," Prose explained.

"Are we just supposed to follow him? I don't know if we can trust him," Ginger Blush spoke.

"What else can we do? He's taken us back to his own past," Savoir Fare added. "I think we might not have any other choice."

"If I had a coin for every time I was taken back to the past of my enemy, I'd have... two coins. Which isn't a lot, but it's weird that it's happened twice," Ginger Blush commented.

Chorus interjected into the discussion. "I think we should hear him out."

Ginger and Prose eyed him doubtfully.

"Are you sure, Chorus? This feels really dangerous," Prose warned.

"Come on guys, this isn't our first time trying to empathize with the enemy," Chorus optimistically pointed out.

"But it is our first time dealing with King Sombra," Ginger Blush included.

"She's right, Chorus. My friends and I have dealt with and empathized with many villainous ponies on our adventures, but King Sombra is one of the only enemies my friends and I couldn't help," Twilight revealed.

"But did you guys try to? Do you guys know anything about who he his? His past? His motivations?" Chorus asked, desperately hoping he wasn't wrong about this whole thing.

"Well, no, But-" Twilight started.

"Exactly, Twilight! Now's our only chance to discover if he's truly as evil as we've all known him to be," Chorus advocated.

Ginger Blush sighed. "If you're truly confident about this, Chorus, then I trust you. I find it hard to believe, but maybe there really is something we're all missing."

Prose looked back and forth between Chorus and Ginger Blush. "I'll trust you guys on this, but if things go south, we have to take him down. If we let him, I believe he's capable of conquering... well, everything."

"Understood," Chorus confirmed. "Now, let's see where his story leads."

Chorus departed from the group and caught up with King Sombra down the road. The rest of the group warily followed him, walking down the road with their sworn enemy. The ponies followed King Sombra and his smaller self to a beautifully blue, sparkly, decorated building. A large sign above the door of the building spelled out exactly what the place was.

Crystal Heart Foal Center

It seemed to be some sort of foster home for young ponies. The guards knocked on the door, waiting for somepony to open it. A beautiful crystal pony opened the door. Her wavy auburn mane complimented her yellowy fur. She had a kind face that housed a warm expression as she greeted the ponies at her door.

"Sombra?" the young unicorn spoke.

Chorus turned to King Sombra.

"Why was that all you said?" Chorus asked.

"I didn't know anything else," Sombra clarified. "When the Crystal Guard found me, that was all I knew. I couldn't remember my family or where I came from."

"Sombra?" the nice pony at the door spoke. "My name is Chestnut Falls. You're going to come live with me for a while, okay?"

"She seems nice," Ginger Blush commented.

"She was," King Sombra agreed.

As Little Sombra entered the door of the Crystal Heart Foal Center, reality began to swirl and warp around the ponies. Their setting quickly and abruptly morphed from the exterior of the foster home to the interior of a charming crystal classroom. The ponies scanned the classroom, searching for Little Sombra. Their eyes all eventually landed on a little unicorn in the second row of desks. Sombra sat at his desk, looking mildly frustrated. A small sheet of paper was taped to the top of his desk, illustrated with every letter of the alphabet. It seemed like it was there as a reminder to Little Sombra as to what the letters of the alphabet were. The reminder did not appear on any of the other students' desks. It appeared Sombra was behind in school.

"So, when you said you didn't know anything else, you really meant it, huh," Prose suggested. She immediately winced after she spoke, fearing Sombra might destroy her for that comment.

"I was a quick learner," King Sombra nonchalantly commented, ignoring Prose's remark.

The ponies watched as Little Sombra fumbled with his pencil, scribbling down barely legible sentences into his notebook. It was a pitiful juxtaposition to the rest of his classmates, who wrote with ease and certainty.

And suddenly once again, reality warped around the ponies as their setting morphed from the charming crystal classroom to a humble crystal bedroom.

"These transitions are making me nauseous," Savoir Fare lamented, his cheeks green, holding his hoof over his mouth.

King Sombra glared in his direction. Savoir put his hoof back on the ground and smiled, pretending to be fine. In the bedroom, Little Sombra was sat on his bed with both of his hooves on an open book. He squinted his eyes and furrowed his eyebrows, seemingly unable to successfully read the book.

Chestnut Falls stood beside the bed.

"Sound it out a little bit at a time," she kindly advised.

Little Sombra pointed at the word on the page and sounded it out. "Peg-uh-sus."

"That's right! Pegasus!" Chestnut Falls cheered. "You're doing so well, Sombra!"

Twilight Sparkle stepped forward towards King Sombra and faced him as she spoke. "I don't understand. It seems like you had support, like you were being cared for. How could you betray all of that?"

"There's more to the story, Twilight Sparkle, if you would be patient," Sombra scolded.

Twilight left Sombra's side and returned to Prose's.

"Prose, I don't know how much longer we can afford to be here," Twilight whispered. "If the gala ends before he's finished, Luna will have to take the barrier down, and he'll be free to get away."

Prose winced at the thought. "Let's hope it doesn't come to that."

She watched as Chorus attentively consumed Sombra's life story, desperately hoping he was right about all of this.

Chapter 11: Malevolence

Reality materialized back into place, revealing the familiar setting of Little Sombra's bedroom. Chorus, Prose, Ginger Blush, Twilight Sparkle, Savoir Fare, and King Sombra watched as Little Sombra slept soundly in his bed. Clearly some time had passed since their last flashback. The moment of peaceful silence was quickly interrupted by sound of the bedroom door abruptly swinging open.

"IT'S TIME FOR THE CRYSTAL FAIRE!" Radiant Hope shouted from the doorway.

Sombra burst out of sleep, frazzled by his impromptu wake-up call.

"Hope!" he wheezed. "You scared me!"

Hope rushed to his side. "It's the biggest day of the year, Sombra! A little extra excitement will do you some good," she defended herself. " Now get ready and let's get out there! Last year they ran out of flugelhorns! I'm already the pony without a cutie mark, I will not be the one pony without a flugelhorn."

Hope nudged Sombra's body with her head. A bizarre expression possessed Sombra's face. He looked anxious; shaky. He began to sweat profusely.

"Hope! Hope, help!" he cried.

"What is it, Sombra?" Hope asked.

"Hope, I can't move my legs."

The memory quickly shifted. The ponies dissolved into the air and the sun rose a little higher into the sky. Little Sombra reappeared in bed, thermometer in mouth. Radiant Hope and Chestnut Falls appeared at his bedside.

"The doctor said there was nothing wrong with me," King Sombra disclosed to the audience.

The memory shifted again. Radiant Hope disappeared, and Chestnut Falls stayed. The Crystal Faire roared outside. Laughter and cheers could be heard through his window. It was obvious Little Sombra wished to be included in the festivities, but he remained bedridden, shaking and sweating.

The memory shifted once more. Chestnut Falls disappeared, and Radiant Hope returned.

"Oh, Sombra, I wish you could see it," she said. "It's so beautiful."

Sombra continued to shake and sweat in his bed, weakly crying. As the festivities died down outside, it appeared Sombra's ailments died down as well. His breaths became longer and his eyes appeared less anxious. As he fell asleep, Hope laid her head onto Sombra's blankets.

"Next year, Sombra," she consoled him.

Her words echoed around the room: Next year, Next year. Reality shifted slightly, almost unnoticeably. The Crystal Faire was suddenly back in action, the noise once again roaring from outside. A slightly older Sombra and Hope appeared, almost in the exact same positions as before. A shaky Sombra, sickly and crying in his bed, and a somber Hope, consoling him from his bedside. In swift succession, several years of sickness were depicted. Different, aging iterations of Radiant Hope and Sombra appeared in nearly identical positions. Sombra was always sick every Crystal Faire, and Hope was always by his side, comforting him.

The quick changes came to a stop on one year, indicating some sort of importance. An older Sombra writhed in bed while Hope sat at his bedside. It seemed just like the other years, except this year's sickness looked to be manifesting physically. As Sombra squirmed in his bed, it appeared his skin was beginning to... crack. His skin began to fracture and splinter like a porcelain doll. Shadowy darkness began to seep out of the fissures and crevasses that were gradually forming. Suddenly, Older Sombra began to float from his bed, alerting both himself and Hope that something was very wrong.

"Sombra! What's happening?" Hope screamed in worry.

"I don't know. I'm not controlling it," Sombra grunted through his pain. Dark purple magic began to flow out of the sides of his eyes. Some sort of transformation was occurring. His teeth began to sharpen into daggers, and his horn changed from its usual soft black to a bright, piercing red.

"Sombra, you're disappearing," Hope cried.

"I'm what? Help me, Hope! Help me!" Sombra pleaded.

Sombra's skin began to crack and fall off, revealing a shadowy mass of darkness underneath. Sombra screamed in pain.

"I don't know what to do!" Hope wailed. "Don't leave me Sombra!"

"Save me, Hope!" Sombra begged.

Tears streamed down Hope's face as she began to spark up some magic in her horn. She cast a desperate spell, sending beautiful bright blue magic out of her horn and straight towards Sombra. Her magic encased him in a brilliant blue bubble. Everypony watched as the pieces of Sombra's porcelain skin slowly rose and returned back to their original locations, trapping the shadowy darkness back inside of Sombra's body. Sombra's eyes and horns returned to their normal state, and the cracks in his skin sealed back up. Hope's magic faded out and dropped the healed Sombra down to the floor.

Sombra weakly looked up at Hope with eternally grateful, tired eyes. His eyes traveled to something that had just changed about her.

"Hope, your cutie mark," Sombra acknowledged.

A symbol had appeared on Hope's rear. She was now adorned with a golden caduceus, a symbol fit for a healer. Hope gasped at the sight of her new cutie mark, and rushed over to bring Sombra into a magical, magnificent hug. The moment was beautiful, but King Sombra didn't appear nostalgic or happy as he watched it.

Before anypony could comment on King Sombra's odd demeanor, the scenery quickly changed into the next scene, almost as if Sombra was deliberately cutting that moment short. The ponies were back out in the streets of the Crystal Empire. Older Sombra was walking alone down the street.

"Sombra! You'll never believe it! The most amazing thing has happened!" Hope rushed down the street towards Sombra, carrying a letter with her magic as she ran.

Older Sombra saw the seal on the letter, instantly recognizing the seal of Princesses Luna and Celestia. Sombra closed his eyes and ran away from Hope, charging down the street as fast as he could.

"Sombra? Sombra, where are you going? I didn't even tell you the news!"

The scene changed into a setting that they had not seen before. Older Sombra had run outside of city bounds, into the freezing, snowy cold of its exterior. His eyes were still closed, feigning tears as he ran. The wind and snow battled him intensely, forcing him into defeat on the ground.

"Sombra, my dear. What is wrong? Why have you come here to see me? Is your work done already?" a voice floated through the cold, jagged and dark.

"Who?" Sombra weakly questioned.

Sombra stood up to face the voice, only to come face to face with a large maroon crystal that staggered up through the snow. The voice floated right out of the crystal, clear as day.

"Don't you recognize your own mother when you see her?" the crystal spoke. "I'm the one who brought you into this world."

Sombra shook his head in disbelief and confusion.

"I don't understand. The crystal guards found me out here," he said.

"And haven't you ever wondered how you got here? Haven't you ever wondered why you are different than everyone else? Why you don't have one of those silly little cutie marks like other ponies?" the crystal ominously expressed.

Sombra stepped closer to the crystal.

"Tell me, please!"

"The answer is so simple, Sombra. You're not like them because you're not one of them. You're not a creature of shining crystal. You're the opposite. A creature of shadow and smoke. You're the thing they fear. An umbrum. A shadow pony," the crystal explained, its words like knives.

Older Sombra shook his head again. "They're not afraid of me," he insisted.

The crystal laughed. "Oh, they are. They just can't remember why. You see, we're the darkness they fight to keep at bay. We haunted their every nightmare. Until they created a weapon to keep us away."

Sombra took a couple of steps back, his expression changing from one of anger to one of confusion. "The Crystal Heart!" he remembered. "That's why the Crystal Faire makes me sick," he figured. "Because it's supposed to protect them from me."

Sombra felt a disappointment and rage rise in his heart.

"But why? I can't do anything!" he snapped.

The crystal chuckled again. "Oh, but you can. Your magic is very powerful, but your magic makes you vulnerable to the Heart. So we kept it locked away. Until now."

Instantly after the crystal finished that sentence, a dark, corrupt purple magic burst out of its tip, connecting like lightning directly with Sombra's horn. His horn became bright red, and it was matched by the pupils of his eyes. Purple, menacing magic streamed out of the sides of his eyes. It was like he'd instantaneously undergone the transformation that Radiant Hope had previously saved him from.

"Go easy now," the crystal warned. "Your powers are stronger than you have any way of knowing. You may not be able to control them at first."

A malicious smirk took over Sombra's mouth. He turned his horn towards the snow and blasted a dark purple magic out of his horn. A wall of dark, shadow-black crystal grew up from the ground where he struck.

"That's it, Sombra. Show them your power!" the crystal reveled.

Sombra's pony-like form broke apart and dissolved, forming a large, shadowy mass. He floated in the air, basking in his dark powers.

"What do I do with this power? Why am I the only one with it?" Sombra inquired.

"You aren't," the crystal clarified. "There is an army of umbrum waiting below the city. We only wait for you to dig down and set us free. But first, you must destroy Amore's weapon."

A tinge of humility and compassion shone through Sombra's eyes. It seemed his old self wasn't completely gone just yet.

"But if I try to destroy the Crystal Heart, I'll lose the only friend I have," he spoke, a sense of guilt apparent in his tone. A single tear escaped his corrupted eyes.

"You no longer have a choice, Sombra," the crystal threatened. "If you have not removed the Crystal Heart by the next Crystal Faire, it will destroy you."

Chapter 12: Severed Ties

The ponies were suddenly transported back to the Crystal Castle, the home of the Crystal Heart. They observed as a menacingly-cloaked Sombra skulked closer and closer to the beaming crystalline heart. He pulled out a burlap sack, fit for fitting a large crystal heart. He thrust it over the magical artifact, capturing it. He pulled it from its resting place and sealed it within his bag.

A voice unexpectedly broke the silence of the dark night. "Even now, it's not too late for you, Sombra. You can return the Heart and walk away."

Sombra turned around to face the voice.

"Princess Amore!" he recognized. A bead of nervous, guilty sweat dripped down the side of his face. "What are you doing here?" His confidently mischievous demeanor was visibly weakened by the arrival of his most esteemed role model.

"Somepony needed my help, so I came," she calmly stated.

Sombra violently shook his head, refusing to abandon his mission.

"I don't need your help!" he shouted.

"Then why did you believe I was talking about you?" she posed the question.

Sombra clenched his teeth in annoyance. "You have no idea what I've been through, Princess."

"Then tell me, Sombra," Amore graciously pleaded. "Don't make a mistake you can't take back. You don't have to be one of those monsters."

Sombra was taken aback. "One of those...?" he stumbled backwards, offended and confused. He stepped back forward, confrontationally positioning himself in front of Princess Amore.

"You know what I was all along and you never told me," he seethed. "You knew why the Crystal Faire made me sick. You knew, didn't you?"

"Yes, I did," Amore confirmed.

Sombra's eyes widened with shock. "All those years of suffering. And you knew why because you made it! You made the Crystal Heart to hurt me!" he anguished.

"Not you, Sombra," Princess Amore sternly corrected. "I saw that you had the potential to be better." Sombra gritted his teeth as she spoke, boiling with anger and frustration. Sparks of dark magic sizzled out of his horn, involuntarily. "I see it even now," Amore continued. "You can choose-"

"ENOUGH!" Sombra shouted. Crackling magic erupted from his horn and engulfed the princess. The princess was suddenly encased in a black, obsidian-like crystal. She stood deathly still, preserved as a dark, shadowy statue. Sombra looked upon what he'd done, a look of guilt and betrayal displayed on his face.

"Why didn't you tell me?" he spoke to Princess Amore's statue. "Why?"

The audience of observing ponies gasped in horrified disbelief. They watched as something inside of Sombra changed forever. His eyes became soulless, his stance became hauntingly confident. The old Sombra, the one with a conscience, was gone. A scared crystal unicorn watched from the sidelines, horrified to watch her best friend disappear in front of her.

"Sombra, what have you done?" Radiant Hope spoke from behind Sombra.

Sombra viciously smirked as Hope rushed towards the petrified princess.

"It's okay. I can fix this!" Hope panicked. "Come on, Princess, snap out of it. Just a little healing spell and we'll be right as rain."

Sombra chuckled maniacally. "Everything is right, Hope," he laughed. "Everything is finally the way it was meant to be."

Hope turned towards her best friend, desperate to believe there was a shred of his innocence left.

"Run away, Sombra," she begged. "Get away before they come for you. They'll hurt you."

"You don't get it, Hope," Sombra spoke. "We'll be the ones doing the hurting from now on. You and me, we're the powerful ones. We can rule as King and Queen."

"Oh no. Sombra, what are you talking about?-"

"You remember, Hope, don't you? How they teased us? How they tormented us? How they made me writhe in pain?" he growled.

"Sombra..." Hope began to stumble backwards in fear.

"Now I've found my power and you're on your way to being a princess. I will bring them under my hoof. I will find my people. And you can rule by my side."

Fear and tears were apparent in Hope's eyes. "But... this is Princess Amore's castle. We can restore her. We can bring her back. I can help you, Sombra."

Hope took Sombra's hoof in her own. He yanked it away quickly, unwilling to succumb to her kindness.

"Restore her? Help me?" Sombra evilly laughed. "You've got it all wrong, Hope. I don't need help anymore. And as for Princess Amore, she's not the saint you think she is. Inside she was..."

Sombra stomped his hoof on the ground as hard as possible, shattering Princess Amore's stone statue into pieces. The pieces clinked hauntingly onto the ground.

"Broken," Sombra finished.

Radiant Hope took in the situation with pure horror in her eyes.

"Restore that," Sombra taunted.

Tears streamed down Hope's face, she began to uncontrollably sob.

"They were right about you all along!" she wailed. "You are a monster!"

She stormed away from him, leaving him in the night.

"I am not just any monster, Hope," he called after her. "I am the King of Monsters!"

The flashback ponies faded away, leaving the time-traveling group alone in the streets of the Crystal Empire.

"Now you know 'why', Chorus," King Sombra spoke through the silence. "You all know."

"Did you actually... kill Princess Amore?" Chorus fearfully questioned.

"No," Sombra clarified. The group sighed in relief. "I couldn't bring myself to truly destroy her. But only I know where the pieces of her are."

"So help us find her," Twilight intervened. "Help us find and restore her. You don't have to be the 'King of Monsters'."

"I don't think you're understanding, Twilight," Sombra coldly replied. "I'm not here to 'make amends'. The Crystal Empire may have retrieved the Crystal Heart, but when I have all of Equestria on my side, they won't stand a chance. I'll raise my umbrum family from the ground. I'll save them all."

"Is that really what you want?" Ginger Blush chimed in.

Sombra stomped his hoof on the ground, shaking the earth. "It's who I am."

Prose cautiously stepped in. "It's not who you have to be," she stated. "The princess said it herself, you are capable of being more. You're capable of being better."

"I agree," Savoir Fare humbly added. "I'm not an expert in magic or 'umbrum', but I believe a magical princess when I hear one."

"We can all help you, Sombra," Prose offered.

"Help me?" Sombra seethed.

"We can help-" Prose started.

"NO!" King Sombra interrupted. "I've had enough of everypony trying to fix me. THIS is who I am. THIS is what I do."

"But-" Twilight tried to add.

"ENOUGH!" Sombra commanded. Dark magic spouted out of his horn, building a cubic shape around Prose, Ginger Blush, Twilight Sparkle, and Savoir Fare. A black, crystalline prison cell solidified around them.

"Chorus!" Ginger Blush called out for help.

"QUIET!" King Sombra shouted. He blasted magic towards the cell sending it speeding it down the street until it disappeared from view. Chorus could hear his friends desperately clamoring as they were driven away.

"Sombra! What are you doing?" Chorus worriedly shouted.

"They were never supposed to be here anyway," Sombra grunted.

"Those are my friends!" Chorus cried. As the word 'friends' left his mouth, a question surfaced in the forefront of his mind. "I need to ask you something, Sombra."

"What?" Sombra impatiently snapped.

"When Hope got that letter from the princesses, why weren't you happy for her? Why did you run? It seemed like you loved her," Chorus imposed.

"You seriously didn't piece that together?" King Sombra scoffed. "You should know better than anyone what happens when the princesses take notice in a unicorn with powerful magic, I mean, given your current company and all."

Chorus remembered the inspiring story of Twilight Sparkle's rise to princesshood. A realization formed in his mind.

"She was gonna become..."

"A princess," Sombra finished his sentence. "Just like she saw when we looked into the Crystal Heart."

"That's when you thought your vision was sure to come true," Chorus comprehended.

"Now you're getting it," King Sombra sneered.

"Just because hers came true, it didn't mean yours had to as well. You choose who you are," Chorus tried to get through to him.

"You sound just like everypony else," Sombra jabbed.

Chorus feared he was quickly losing Sombra as he tried to reason with him.

"I just- I..." he stuttered. He knew he probably only had one more chance before he joined his friends in the crystal cell. "Why did you bring me here? Why am I here if you don't need me to help you? If you're happy staying how you are, why bring any of us into your past?"

Sombra squinted his eyes at Chorus, not appreciating his tone of voice.

"I only have one regret from my past," he admitted.

"What is it?" Chorus prodded.

"I loved Radiant Hope, and I let her leave," Sombra lamented.

Chorus racked his brain trying to figure out how that was relevant to their current situation. A realization settled into his brain as he figured out what exactly he was doing in Sombra's past.

"Are you... asking me out?" Chorus asked.

"No," King Sombra scoffed. "I'm asking you to come with me. We could rule together."

Chorus was shocked at how serious Sombra's tone was.

"Sombra, we just met tonight," Chorus pointed out.

"Well, it's not exactly easy to meet ponies when you're the King of Monsters," Sombra grumbled. "Just come with me, Chorus. I don't know when a chance like this will arise again."

"Sombra, I..." Chorus stumbled ever-so-slightly backwards. "I can't. My friends... and all those innocent ponies. These ponies don't deserve this, Sombra."

Sombra's expression became cold and distant.

"These ponies are not innocent, Chorus," he insisted.

"Not everypony is perfectly innocent, I know," Chorus reasoned. "But I can't support what you're doing. I've seen you grow up, Sombra. I know there's a part of you deep down that agrees with me."

Sombra's eyes darkened.

"This was a mistake," he muttered. He turned his back to Chorus and began to walk away. Chorus saw that the world began to crack and crumble around him. Sombra's flashback world was quickly ending.

"Sombra, wait!" Chorus called.

It was too late. Reality collapsed around him, and Chorus tumbled into a familiar grassy ground. Ginger Blush, Prose, Savoir Fare, and Twilight Sparkle stumbled into the garden as well. Everypony had been transported straight back to the garden. Judging by the position of the moon, it appeared no time had passed since they departed. King Sombra was nowhere to be seen. The ponies all stood up from the ground, discombobulated from the transition.

"Chorus!" Prose called. "Are you okay? What did he do to you?"

The entire group gathered together, reunited again.

"Nothing," Chorus said. "He just asked me out."

The group silently stared at Chorus's claim.

"He... asked you out?" Ginger Blush asked.

"Why would he do that?" Twilight Sparkle added.

"You saw how he was with Radiant Hope," Chorus addressed the group. "He wanted her to rule with him. He asked the same of me, but of course I said no."

"What?" Ginger Blush asked in disbelief.

"Why would he ask you?" Prose investigated. A quizzical, suspicious look appeared on her face.

"Well, it's a funny story actually," Chorus nervously chuckled. "I actually met him earlier tonight. We talked and we... danced together."

"You danced with King Sombra?" Prose questioned, baffled.

There was a brief, uncomfortable silence.

"I didn't know he was King Sombra at the time," Chorus clarified.

"How would you not know?" Ginger Blush asked.

"Why wouldn't you tell us?" Prose tacked on.

"I didn't know what to do! I didn't know he was going to ask me to rule the world with him!" Chorus defended. The stress was building inside of him.

"And you didn't think to try to free us from the prison cell he trapped us in? We could've helped, you know," Ginger Blush pointed out.

"He wouldn't have listened to me," Chorus asserted. "In case you haven't noticed, he kicked me out of his flashback too."

"Why do you sound so combative right now?" Prose contended. "We're on your side, you know."

Ginger Blush took a deep breath. "Let's just all calm down and start this entire conversation over."

"Calm down?" Prose guffawed. "You think I need to calm down? I'm not the one who hid a huge secret from everypony this entire night!"

"I agree, he should've told us, but-" Ginger started.

Chorus interrupted her, his tone of voice irritated and aggressive.

"I don't have to tell you guys every little thing that goes on in my life! I just thought for once I was experiencing my own romance, which you two clearly aren't short of tonight," Chorus maintained.

Savoir Fare and Twilight Sparkle shared an awkward glance with each other. He was talking about them.

"I can't believe you guys right now!" Prose disappointedly broke. "I'm going to solve this issue myself. We're on a tight schedule and none of us are on the same page. Come find me when you're feeling reasonable."

Prose stormed away from Chorus and Ginger Blush. Twilight Sparkle awkwardly followed behind, uncomfortable from the tense environment.

"You're not gonna stop her?" Ginger Blush asked Chorus.

"Why would I?" Chorus retorted. "She's clearly made up her mind."

"You know, you're making me a little upset right now, Chorus," Ginger Blush warned.

"Yea, well it seems we're all upset then," Chorus snapped back, giving into the stress of his situation. "Join the party."

Ginger Blush shook her head and furrowed her eyebrows. "Goodbye, Chorus. I'm not taking this from you right now."

"Fine, leave," Chorus spoke, unable to control his anger and frustration. "You wouldn't be the first," he finished, referencing Prose's recent departure.

Ginger Blush silently walked away, frustrated and disappointed. Savoir Fare followed her away, unsure of what else he was supposed to do.

Chorus stormed out of the garden, alone.

Chapter 13: Prose

Prose marched through the gala, avoiding all interactions until she sat herself at a table. She placed both her hooves on the table, deep in thought, trying to solve the major issue at hand. Her thought process was interrupted by the arrival of Twilight Sparkle.

"Is everything okay?" Twilight asked.

Prose turned to look at Twilight. It was hard to hide her true emotions; she felt so exhausted.

"No," Prose sighed. Tears began to well in her eyes. "Everything is terrible," she choked.

Twilight put a hoof on Prose's back, comforting her.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Twilight consoled.

Prose nodded quietly, sniffling.

"Come with me. I know somewhere we can talk quietly," Twilight gently offered.

Prose followed as Twilight led her down a back hallway in the event hall. She opened an inconspicuous door, and motioned for Prose to step inside. Prose followed instruction, stepping into the doorway into the dark room. Extra tables lined the walls, extra tablecloths stacked on top of them. Plenty of extra supplies were scattered and organized around the rather small room. It must've been a storage room.Twilight followed Prose into the storage room. She grabbed a candle across the room with her magic, lit it, and set it on an extra table. She closed the door behind them, securing them in their privacy. She sat down on the storage room floor, and motioned for Prose to do the same.

Prose immediately broke down. "We can't do this, Twilight. We can't stop King Sombra," she vented. "I can't do it."

Prose began to cry. Tears of anxiety, disappointment, and defeat slid down her face.

"Prose, it's okay," Twilight comforted. "We'll figure something out."

Prose wiped tears from her eyes. "You saw him out there, Twilight. He had us under his control. It was so easy for him to trap us. We can't compete with that."

"You're right," Twilight sighed. "I shouldn't have ever tried to put this responsibility on just myself, on just us."

Prose met Twilight's eyes with her own.

"Are you suggesting we go find your friends?" Prose asked.

"Well, yes," Twilight started. "But I'm also suggesting we find yours."

"My friends?" Prose questioned. "Did you not just see what happened outside?"

"I remember. But, I think we need them in order to fix this," Twilight proposed.

"You need us? Haven't you and your friends saved Equestria like twenty times?" Prose inquired.

"I'll admit, my friends and I have done some amazing things together, but we've only defeated King Sombra once before. And even then, we had to use the Crystal Heart. The Crystal Heart isn't here tonight," Twilight explained.

"Can't you use the Elements of Harmony?" Prose wondered, recalling the history associated with them.

"We could try, but we don't have them. We didn't anticipate needing them tonight, and, as you know, we're locked in. I couldn't go retrieve them if I wanted to."

Prose put her hoof to her chin and furrowed her eyebrows, the tears drying from her face.

"So what makes you think my friends and I are able to handle this?" Prose asked.

"You've done it before," Twilight pointed out, as if it was obvious.

Prose appeared quite confused. "We have?"

"Of course you have," Twilight spoke. "You even saved me while doing it."

Prose realized what Twilight meant. "That was different, Twilight. The Dollkeeper was just a normal pony, with deep-seated psychological issues, who just needed somepony to save him from himsel-..." Prose trailed off, realizing how similar the situations actually were. "Okay, I see your point. But, you have to admit, Sombra is far more dangerous than the Dollkeeper."

"Of course," Twilight agreed. "It'll definitely take more to stop him, but I believe you and your friends may be our only chance. Your friend Chorus's magic and bravery is quite impressive, and your friend Ginger Blush's compassion and humility are very admirable. You guys make quite an amazing team."

Prose let her gaze fall to the floor, missing her friends. "They are pretty cool, huh," she admitted. "But where do I come in? What's my thing?" she looked back up at Twilight.

"I didn't even think I'd have to explain that to you, Prose," Twilight laughed. "You're kind, intuitive, and incredibly intelligent. You're the pony with the plan, Prose! Without you, I don't know if your team would've even succeeded back in Ponyville. They're incredible, yes, but they need you, Prose."

Prose blushed, appreciating the thoughtful compliments from Twilight. "Thank you, Twilight. But, I don't think my friends even really want to see me right now. I don't know if I could convince them to fight alongside me after all of... everything."

Twilight leaned in slightly closer to Prose. "I've learned a lot of things as the Princess of Friendship, and one of the most important lessons that I've had to learn, a few too many times, is that there's no real friendship without conflict. Friends fight, some more than others, and some less than others. Some barely ever fight. Real friendship, like the kind you have with Chorus and Ginger Blush, withstands conflict. I'm sure your friends are feeling just as down as you right now. You guys just need to talk things over," Twilight monologued.

"We tried talking," Prose pointed out. "It didn't really work out too well."

"The heat of the moment was getting to all of you, I could tell," Twilight recalled. "You all were under a lot of stress, and, understandably, you weren't able to keep your emotions completely in check. Now that you've all had a chance to breathe, I'm sure all you ponies want to do is come back together and save this gala."

Prose sighed and looked off to the side, eyeing some loose silverware.

"I guess you're right, Twilight," she conceded. "They don't call you the Princess of Friendship for nothing."

Twilight chuckled and blushed. "Yea, I guess that's true."

There was a moment of tense silence between the two ponies.

"Thank you, Twilight. For following me. I don't know what I would've done without your guidance," Prose appreciated.

"It's really nothing," Twilight humbly responded. "It's kinda my job."

There was another quick moment of silence. The warm candlelight in the storage room set a certain, undeniable mood within the vicinity.

"You know, under different circumstances, this moment would be kinda romantic," Prose nervously laughed.

"Do you think so?" Twilight asked.

"Yea, I guess. I mean, maybe. I just-" Prose stuttered. "The candlelight, and the darkness and privacy... I don't know."

The ponies met each other's gaze.

"I see what you mean," Twilight spoke.

"I don't mean to make you uncomfortable or anything," Prose clarified. "I've just always really admired you. You're so brilliant and extraordinary. You're a princess. I don't think anypony can help but like you, me included."

"That's so sweet, Prose. I could say the same things about you," Twilight complimented. "I've always wanted to get to know you more."

The moments of silence were becoming plentiful.

Prose leaned slightly closer to Twilight, waiting to see if Twilight would do the same. Twilight hesitantly leaned in closer to match Prose's advancement. The ponies both closed their eyes and leaned in for a brief, nervous kiss. They both pulled back from the kiss and sat in their original positions, not immediately wanting to address what had just happened.

"So... should we think of a plan? To stop Sombra?" Prose offered.

"Yes, yes we should get right on that," Twilight confirmed.

Prose quietly brainstormed a perfect plan, one that would keep everypony safe.

"First, you need to go find your friends. You all should work on warning the guests and clearing out the event. You don't need to tell them the whole truth, just make sure they're safe. I'll go find my friends. We'll come up with a plan to defeat him together."

Twilight nodded in agreement. "Aye aye, captain!" she jested.

"Are you ready?" Prose asked, eyeing the door.

Twilight nodded again.

"Let's go."

Chapter 14: Ginger Blush

Ginger Blush sulked all the way to a distant corner of the garden, ready to sit and fester in her frustration. She plopped herself down onto the grass, but before she could wallow in her anger, her anger quickly turned into a profound sadness. She was upset with her friends, but she never wanted to have fought with them. She began to quietly weep into her hooves just as Savoir Fare cautiously approached her.

"Why are you crying?" Savoir asked Ginger. He sat down on the grass next to her, keeping her company.

"Why do you think?" Ginger sniffled. "You just saw what happened. It was awful."

Savoir Fare sat quietly for a few moments, thinking of how to console his date.

"What makes it so awful?" Savoir asked.

Ginger looked up from her hooves to meet Savoir's eyes. The look on her face made it clear she was confused.

"You were there, right? We just got in a huge fight. We've never had anything like that happen before," Ginger elaborated.

"Fights don't have to be bad, you know," Savoir suggested.

"What do you mean?" Ginger questioned.

"Well, what made that fight so awful for you?" Savoir interrogated.

"All of my friends were mad at me," Ginger began. "And I was mad at all of my friends. That didn't feel good at all."

"But there's always something you can take away from it," Savoir advocated.

"I don't understand what you're getting at," Ginger Blush confessed.

Savoir lowered his head, searching his mind for how he could get his point across.

"Think about it this way," he started. "In my industry, we fight all the time."

"All the time?" Ginger asked.

"All the time," he confirmed. "It's a mess, really. Everypony's always on each other's tails about what everypony's doing wrong. It's hard to have a workday without fighting. And while sometimes it can be really frustrating and seem pretty pointless, it helps us in the long run."

"It helps you?" Ginger inquired. "How?"

"It helps us recognize where we could improve. Nopony's perfect, but everypony is capable of improvement. Even if it means getting nagged about it every time our crew is together."

"I don't get it," Ginger admitted. "If you guys are always on each other's tails, it sounds like you don't really get along that well. Why do you stay together? Why not find the perfect company?"

"Because in my opinion, we are the perfect company," Savoir spoke.

Ginger cocked her head to the side in confusion.

"We might not work together perfectly, but we make each other better. We don't all necessarily 'get along' all the time, but we come together to do some pretty magical things. Like tonight, you didn't notice anything wrong or out of place, did you?"

"No, I didn't," Ginger realized. "The gala is flawless."

"Exactly, Ginger Blush," he said. "I mean, even this morning, my team and I fought about gala preparations. But, as you can see, our arguments resulted in a perfectly executed gala service."

"I see your point now," Ginger agreed.

"And you're saying this is the first time you've ever fought like this? You guys will be fine! That was nothing," Savoir laughed.

"Yea, I guess you're right," Ginger wiped away your tears.

The beautiful night sky illuminated the garden, romanticizing the silence that arrived as their conversation had died.

"So, you like your job?" Ginger asked, creating some simple small talk.

"Of course! I get to travel around, serve all different kinds of ponies, and sometimes I even get to experiment with cooking," Savoir beamed.

"You cook?" Ginger investigated.

"Yes! I love to cook. I'd love to cook for you sometime," he flirtatiously grinned.

Ginger blushed.

"So, you want to see me again after this gala is over?" she anxiously asked.

"Of course!" he cheered. "One night with you and your friends, and I discovered the return of King Sombra, traveled back in time, and got to dance and talk with the prettiest pony here. At this rate, we'll have achieved world peace by next week!"

Ginger giggled at her date's exuberant response. "Yea, I guess tonight has been pretty crazy."

A gentle breeze wafted through the garden, shaking the leaves on the bushes and trees. The wind swept Ginger's perfect hair slightly out of place. Savoir lifted his hoof up to her face and delicately brushed it back into place. Their eyes locked onto each other, unable to look away. The moonlight perfectly illuminated their private corner of the garden, setting their eyes aglow.

"Can I ask you something?" Savoir softly spoke.

"What is it?" Ginger allowed.

"Can I kiss you?" he boldly proposed.

Ginger's eyes widened as she stared at Savoir fare. His shiny mane glistened in the moonlight, and his eyes were putting her in an unshakable trance.

"I- I don't... I-" she stammered.

"How about this," Savoir interrupted. "Nod your head for yes, and shake your head for no."

Ginger stared deeply into his eyes and slowly nodded her head.

Savoir put his hoof on the side of Ginger's face and pulled her in closer to him. He closed his eyes, and Ginger followed, closing hers as well. Savoir delicately touched his lips to Ginger's, passionately kissing her while maintaining his chivalrous nature. As he pulled away, the ponies opened their eyes back up to hold their gaze again.

"That was..." Ginger started.

"I know," Savoir agreed. "Should we go find your friends now?"

Ginger nodded her head. "Yea, yes. We should do that."

The ponies stood up from the grass and brushed their outfits clean.

"Are you ready?" Savoir turned to Ginger Blush.

"I'm ready," she affirmed.

"Let's go."

Chapter 15: Chorus

After Chorus's friends had left, Chorus stormed out of the garden and back into the gala. He didn't know where he was headed, but he knew he wasn't staying in the garden. He wandered around the event hall for a couple minutes before deciding to sit down at a long table lined with barstools.

"Can I get a pink lemonade, please?" he called out to any server pony who might've been working.

"Okey dokey lokey! Coming right up," a voice called out.

Chorus gave a confused look. "Pinkie?"

Pinkie Pie showed up in front of Chorus, carrying a pink lemonade. She was wearing a comically fake pair of glasses, with a comically fake mustache to match. She had even somehow secured a server pony uniform. "Shhh! I'm undercover."

"Undercover for what reason?" Chorus asked.

"Secret, undercover reasons," Pinkie vaguely explained.

She placed the pink lemonade down in front of Chorus.

"So," she spoke. "Did you use my advice?"

Chorus sighed. "I tried, Pinkie. I really did. But now, everything's a mess, and I don't know what to do."

"What do you mean?" Pinkie inquired.

"Well, the pony I tried to 'help' wasn't willing to listen to reason, and I totally just ruined the best friendships I've ever had all in one fight. So, basically, we're all doomed, and it's all my fault," Chorus took a long drink of his pink lemonade.

Pinkie took a cloth and began to wipe down and clean some drink glasses.

"Well, your friends are already getting their talking-tos, so it's my turn to do it for you."

"What?" Chorus confusedly asked.

"You can't ruin best friendships in one night," Pinkie replied, ignoring his confusion. "You three are too good of friends to let one fight get in between you guys!"

"I don't think you understand, Pinkie," Chorus sighed. "This fight was bad. This fight had real consequences that I don't know if I can undo. You wouldn't get it. You and your friends always get the job done. You're like the perfect friend group."

Pinkie burst out laughing at Chorus's statement.

"Perfect?" she cackled. "That's a good one!" Pinkie laughed and laughed, her fake glasses and mustache bouncing up and down on her face as she giggled.

"What's so funny?" Chorus asked.

Pinkie laughed for a second longer before being able to answer. She wiped a tear of laugher from her face.

"We're not perfect," Pinkie laughed. "We fight all the time! How do you think we're all so good at friendship?"

"You're all good at friendship... because you fight a lot?" Chorus questioned.

"Yep!"

Chorus took another sip of his lemonade.

"I think I need some more Pinkie advice then. What should I do? How do I fix this? How do I get my friends back together?" Chorus requested.

"They'll come around," Pinkie predicted.

"How do you know that?" Chorus asked.

"They always come around! As long as you apologize, you and your friends have to remember how strong you are when you band together. To take apart a team like yours would be a crime, even if you did it yourselves!" Pinkie encouraged.

Chorus put his hoof up to his chin.

"So you think I should go try to find them?"

"I know you should go find them!" Pinkie insisted. "Besides," Pinkie looked around at the sight of the Grand Galloping Gala. "parties are no fun alone!"

Chorus smiled.

"You're right, Pinkie Pie."

He took a final sip of his pink lemonade and set it down onto the table. Pinkie Pie immediately picked it up and started to polish and clean it with her cloth.

"I'm gonna find my friends, and we're gonna save the gala!" Chorus cheered.

"Go get 'em, tiger!" Pinkie cheered back.

Chorus turned to Pinkie with a thoughtful expression.

"Thank you for all the advice tonight, Pinkie. I don't know where I'd be without you."

"Oh, pshhh. It's nothing! You and your friends saved me from a magical coma once. It's the least I can do."

Chorus smiled. He turned away from Pinkie, hopped off of his barstool, and headed back out into the crowd, ready to search for his friends.

"Let's go."

Chapter 16: Reunited (Reprise)

Chorus, Prose and Twilight Sparkle, and Ginger Blush and Savoir Fare all reentered the gala, hastily searching for each other in the crowds. They scanned unfamiliar faces and paced past partying ponies, all focused on their mission. Pixie Dust sang on the stage, continuing her set for all of her adoring ponies. The lights twinkled from the chandeliers on the ceiling. Ponies danced with their friends and partners, blissfully unaware of the imminent danger they were in. Pixie Dust's song rang out over all of the noise.

I'd cross an ocean wide

To be back by your side

I never should have left

I must've lost my mind

Almost as if pulled by fateful magnets, the ponies' paths miraculously crossed, reuniting them once more. As they all saw each other's faces again, relief flooded through their minds.

"I'm so glad to see you guys," Chorus sighed. "I'm so sorry. I never meant to lose my temper like that."

"I'm sorry too," Prose apologized. "We can move past all of that, right?"

"Well, it seems like we're all sorry," Ginger Blush concluded. "We can definitely move past all of that."

The ponies all sighed in relief. Chorus outstretched an arm, motioning for a group hug. Chorus, Prose, and Ginger Blush all came closer together and wrapped their arms around each other. The warm embrace felt like a weight had been lifted off of their shoulders.

"So what are we gonna do about King Sombra?" Ginger Blush asked.

The ponies pulled away from the hug, suddenly anxious, remembering their current situation.

"I was hoping you guys would have something," Chorus admitted.

The ponies glanced around their group, waiting for somepony to speak up.

"I have... something?" Prose spoke. "Twilight and her friends were going to try to warn everypony while we come up with a solution to stop Sombra."

Prose looked at Twilight, signaling that she could begin her portion of the plan. Twilight nodded and promptly headed off to find her friends.

"So, we don't really have anything?" Chorus worried aloud.

"We do have something," Prose clarified. "We have each other."

"So, we have nothing," Ginger anxiously spoke. "We have no plan."

"We will think of a plan!" Prose optimistically boasted.

Savoir Fare spoke up from beside Ginger Blush. "I, for one, think if anypony could come up with a plan to stop King Sombra, it's you three."

Ginger Blush turned to face him. "Thanks," she smiled. She blushed as her and Savoir held eye contact for a few moments.

"So, what do we know about King Sombra?" Prose surveyed. "We know he grew up as a normal pony in the Crystal Empire."

"We know he was born an 'umbrum'; a shadow pony," Chorus added.

"The Crystal Heart is the only known thing that can take him down," Ginger recalled.

"Princess Amore believed there was always hope for him," Prose noted.

"Radiant Hope seemed to bring out the best in him," Ginger pointed out.

"So, we don't have the Crystal Heart, Princess Amore, or Radiant Hope. Not a great start, I must admit. What are his weaknesses? What are the cracks in his glass?" Prose prodded.

The ponies thought deeply in silence for a moment.

"Deep, deep, deep down he has some empathy. If he didn't, he would've destroyed Princess Amore for good," Chorus suggested.

"So he's not all gone. Is that what you're getting at?" Prose asked.

"I believe the old Sombra is still in him somewhere, yes. Behind all of the shadows and darkness, there's the little orphan from the Crystal Empire," Chorus maintained.

"So how do we get him back? How do we stop the 'umbrum' Sombra?" Ginger wondered.

"How do we get him back?" Prose repeated to herself, thinking it over. "The only person to ever really stop his transformation was Radiant Hope. It seemed like he really loved her."

Prose looked over at Chorus.

"Do you think you could take back what you said?" Prose asked.

"What did I say?" Chorus asked.

"That you wouldn't rule with him," Prose clarified. "Could you find him and tell him you changed your mind? You could take him down from the inside," she suggested.

Chorus contemplated that notion, pondering the weight of that task. If he could infiltrate Sombra's plan, he could try to stop him from the inside. But at what cost? And how could he possibly stop Sombra alone?

"I can't," Chorus decided.

"Why not?" Ginger asked.

"I can't just 'stop him' all by myself. I don't even know what he would do if he caught me in the act. Going undercover isn't exactly as easy as it sounds. Besides, Pinkie reminded me that we're better when we band together. We should stop him as a group."

Prose looked deep in thought. "But how? How do we stop a pony known for being unstoppable? How do we reason with a pony who has no regrets?"

Ginger and Prose continued to converse, but Chorus's mind locked in on one phrase. No regrets. He zoned out of his current position and focused on remembering his last conversation with Sombra. He had regrets. Well, he had 'one' regret. He loved Radiant Hope, and he let her leave.

"I think I might have something, guys," Chorus interrupted.

Ginger Blush and Prose paused and looked at him.

"What is it?" Prose asked.

"How was the Crystal Heart powered?" Chorus asked the group.

"By the love and light within the crystal ponies," Prose knowledgeably explained.

"And that made him weak; that was his weakness," Chorus elaborated.

"What are you getting at?" Ginger asked.

"The last conversation I had with King Sombra, he told me had only had one regret. He wished he had stayed with Hope. He loved her," Chorus began to explain.

"I don't think I'm understanding," Prose voiced.

"It's his weakness," Chorus spoke.

"What is?" Ginger questioned.

"Isn't it obvious?" Chorus looked between Prose and Ginger Blush. "It's love!"

"That's so corny," Prose laughed.

"Yes it is!" Chorus agreed.

"So what are we supposed to do? Love him?" Ginger inquired.

Chorus furrowed his eyebrows, thinking. "I didn't think that far ahead."

Pinkie's words, band together, resurfaced in the forefront of Chorus's mind. A little lightbulb might as well have popped up over his head.

"I have an idea!" Chorus cheered.

Prose and Ginger Blush watched as Chorus smiled and gleamed at the thought of his idea.

"Are you gonna tell us what it is?" Prose asked.

"Yes!" Chorus beamed, breaking from his trance. "Can you guys play any instruments?"

Prose and Ginger Blush looked between each other. Savoir Fare stepped forward.

"I can play the guitar," he spoke confidently, ready to help in whatever way he could.

"I can play the piano," Prose spoke up. "I've been taking lessons since I was a filly."

Ginger Blush smiled nervously and spoke up softly. "I can play the... triangle?" she offered.

"Why do you ask?" Prose questioned to Chorus.

Chorus smiled and looked at his friends.

"I think it's about time for a song, don't you?"

Chapter 17: Hope (Reprise)

"All right, everypony, are we ready for my last song?" Pixie Dust asked the crowd.

A wave of disappointed murmurs passed through the crowd.

"I know, I know," Pixie dust apologized. "I'm sorry. But, don't worry, I saved a crowd pleaser for last. I hope you all enjoy it."

The live band began to strike up a charming melody that flooded the dance floor. Pixie Dust held the microphone in her hooves and began to sing her final song of the night.

Save your last dance for me

As the lights begin to dim

Show me all the right steps

Save me from the cage I'm in

"How are we gonna get on the stage?" Prose asked Chorus as they headed towards the main dance floor.

"I don't know yet," Chorus admitted. "Any ideas?"

Ginger Blush, Savoir Fare, and Prose all followed Chorus over the red carpets and checkered floors.

"Well, we could really use some sort of distraction, something that really catches everypony's attention," Prose suggested.

As soon as Prose finished that sentence, a slight tremor began to rumble the floors of the event hall. It was almost unnoticeable, but it began to catch the attention of a couple of the gala attendees.

"Like that?" Ginger Blush asked.

As Ginger Blush finished that sentence, the lights in the room began to flicker. The ponies looked up to find a shadowy fog lowering down from the ceiling. It seemed King Sombra was taking action. The ominous shadows plaguing the hall did not go unnoticed. Ponies all around the dance floor tilted their heads upward as the shadows fell floorward. Disturbed and scared mumblings disrupted the mood, capturing everypony's attention.

"Like that," Prose confirmed.

The live music stopped as the musicians took notice of the events as well. The haunting silence was chilling. The only sounds left now were the hushed, frightened discussions between the ponies who were partying moments ago. A booming, echoing voice sounded out from the shadows above.

"Hello, everypony. I hope you're all enjoying your evening. Please pardon this interruption," Sombra's voice sounded out across the crowd.. "If you'd all kindly stay where you are, I'll be commandeering this gala momentarily."

The ponies' quiet voices quickly escalated into panicked cries as Sombra threatened them. The panicking ponies rushed away from the dance floor, heading towards hallways, exits, or anywhere they could get away.

"I thought I told you ponies to stay where you were," Sombra taunted.

The ground began to violently shake, mimicking an intense earthquake. The tiles in the floor began to crack and crumble. Suddenly, enormous, sharp, pitch black crystals began to shoot up from the floor. The hallways and exits were blocked by towering, shadowy crystals. Ponies began to scream in terror.

"Is now a good time to try to take over the stage?" Ginger Blush asked her friends.

"Yea, I think so," Prose said.

Chorus led the group towards the stage, where Pixie Dust still stood, petrified by King Sombra. The ponies awkwardly climbed and clamored up onto the stage, fumbling with their fancy outfits. They stood up on the stage, brushed themselves off, and headed towards the microphones and instruments.

"You ponies are still here?" King Sombra's voice boomed directly towards the stage.

Chorus, Prose, Ginger Blush, and Savoir Fare all turned around in fear, worried their plan might be foiled before it even began.

"And just what do you think you four are doing?" Sombra called out across the room, his voice clearly audible over the chaotic noise of the crying crowd. He stood near the back-center of the dancefloor, untouchable.

Chorus shakily stepped forward, ready to defend his friends if necessary.

"We were just going to play one final number. You know, before you end the party," he spoke, trembling.

"I don't think we have room on the setlist for you," Sombra maliciously jested. "I might have to cut it short."

Sombra began to charge down the dance floor, heading straight for the stage. As he ran, his physical pony-like form dissolved away, replaced by his shadowy, gaseous form. He dashed closer and closer, floating through the air with ease. The ponies backed up instinctively, bracing for impact as Sombra neared. He maniacally laughed as he lunged closer and closer. The ponies closed their eyes as they accepted their fates.

"ACK!" Sombra grunted.

The ponies opened their eyes to see Sombra trapped behind a pink, sparkling barrier. It was a familiar magic to the group, it almost looked like the magic of-

"Keep going!" Twilight Sparkle's voice encouraged loudly from the crowd of screaming ponies.

Chorus, Prose, and Ginger Blush tried to spot their friend, but she remained hidden. That was probably for the best, because Sombra's next goal immediately became to track down Princess Twilight Sparkle.

"Twilight! I know you're in here! You know it's just a matter of time before I find you. Why don't you just come out now?" Sombra threatened.

"Over here!" a voice called out. It wasn't Twilight Sparkle. A blue pegasus in a stunning dress flew above the crowd. Rainbow Dash taunted King Sombra, intending to distract him.

"No, over here!" Pinkie Pie bounced and bopped around the crowd.

King Sombra was visibly frustrated, diverting his attention away from Chorus, Prose, Ginger Blush, and Savoir Fare. He chased after Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash as Applejack and Rarity began to corral groups of ponies to safe corners of the room. Fluttershy kindly calmed the raging ponies, offering relaxing thoughts and assuring them of their safety. Twilight and her friends were buying time. With a sparkling pink barrier around them, Chorus turned back to face his friends, ready to put his plan into motion.

"Are we ready?" Chorus asked the group.

His friends nodded back with confidence.

"Savoir, you find a guitar. Ginger, a triangle. I'll take the piano," Prose orchestrated. "Chorus, are you ready to sing?"

"Yes, but I think we're going to need all the help we can get," Chorus spoke. He walked upstage to a trembling, quaking Pixie Dust, hiding near the back of the stage.

"Hi, Pixie Dust. Big fan," Chorus greeted.

"What is going on!?" world famous singer Pixie Dust asked.

"King Sombra is trying to destroy the Grand Galloping Gala and take over the world, I think," Chorus explained.

Pixie Dust's jaw dropped. Ginger Blush stepped over to Chorus and Pixie Dust.

"I know it's a lot, but we could really use your help," she kindly asked.

Pixie Dust stared blankly between Chorus and Ginger Blush.

"Just take a backup microphone. I'll help you from there," Chorus instructed.

Pixie Dust stared blankly into Chorus's eyes.

"Now, please!" Chorus pleaded with a big smile.

Pixie Dust nodded and quickly took a place at a backup microphone.

Chorus stepped up to his place at the lead microphone, taking a deep breath. Prose took a seat at the grand piano. Prose picked up a triangle that was miraculously part of the set of instruments on the stage. Savoir Fare propped a guitar up in his arms, ready to play. Chorus concentrated the magic in his horn, envisioning exactly the spell he wanted to cast. A burst of magic shined out of his horn, enchanting the instruments around him. Prose, Ginger Blush, and Savoir Fare began to magically play a cohesive melody together, all as one. The chords and tone of the music sounded like the start of a sad, powerful ballad. Chorus enchanted Pixie Dust's microphone, making sure she was ready to harmonize with him when he needed it. Chorus looked back at Prose. She nodded confidently towards him, encouraging him to start. He looked towards Ginger Blush. She nodded too, mouthing encouraging words his way: We've got this.

Chorus took a deep breath and turned toward the microphone, ready to attempt to save the world with his friends (again). He opened his mouth and began to sing.

I've seen the light inside of you

Even if you deny it

You can find your way back home

It's not too late to try it

As Chorus finished his first stanza, magic began to brew within his horn. His spell was underway. King Sombra raged outside of the barrier, chasing down Rainbow Dash. Sombra shot a shadowy blast her way, which to everypony's dismay, took hold. Rainbow Dash dropped out of the air and onto the ground, frozen into a black, crystalline statue. Chorus gasped in horror at the sight, and returned to his song, eager to stop more damage before it could occur.

Destiny's a path you choose

Not a game you only lose

The future's never set in stone

It's always up to you

Pinkie Pie stopped in her tracks and gaped in horror at Rainbow Dash's frozen statue. Sombra jumped on the opportunity and aimed his magic directly towards Pinkie. As the shadowy mist faded away from her, a crystal statue remained in her place. The ponies were falling fast. Chorus launched into the chorus of the song, knowing it had resonate deeply with Sombra.

You've fallen down

Quite a treacherous slope

If you can be the heart

Then I can be the hope

The chorus stewed up powerful magic in Chorus's horn, but it didn't feel like enough. He knew they had to double down with a second verse. He knew it would cost them time, but if this spell didn't succeed on the first try, he was almost certain they wouldn't have a chance to do it a second time. He turned back to his band, picking up his hoof and rotating it in a circle, indicating they should keep going. He also motioned his hoof upward, urging them to really bring it. He turned back to the microphone and began the second verse.

I've seen the ups and downs of you

All the times that you cried

I saw the magic break in you

On the day your music died

Sombra tracked down Rarity and cornered her, subsequently creating a brand new pony statue. Rarity's fearful expression was locked into place by dark magic. The band felt like they were watching their time dwindle before them. Chorus leaped into the next stanza, hyper aware of how little time he had left.

I know this is not the end

It's just a wound to mend

Maybe all that broke you

Was only ever meant to bend

Applejack put up quite a fight, but Sombra's raging magic was difficult to outmaneuver. Applejack fell victim to petrification, joining her friends as a crystal statue.

You've fallen down

Quite a treacherous slope

If you can be the heart

Then I can be the hope

I'm holding out my hand

And throwing down a rope

If you can be the heart

Then I can be the hope

Chorus finished the second chorus and felt a wave of worry wash over him. It still wasn't enough. He turned back to his band.

"We need a bridge!" he called out.

"I don't think we have time!" Prose shouted back over the music.

"We have to try!" Chorus pleaded.

Ginger Blush looked confidently at Chorus. "We trust you, Chorus! Bring it home!"

Chorus turned back to the microphone. The music raged around him, beautifully decorating the atmosphere.

Don't hide from the light

It only wants to heal you

The darkness that you hide behind

Does nothing but conceal you

As the bridge sounded out, Fluttershy fell victim to Sombra's grasp. Fluttershy's crystal statue joined the ranks of her friends'. Her horrified expression hauntingly stared up into space, trapped in place. Twilight Sparkle was their last remaining hope. If she was taken out, her protective shield would be taken out as well, exposing the band to King Sombra. Chorus powered through the last half of the bridge.

Shadows haunt your nightmares

The ghosts of when you cared

The pain that keeps you scared

Is only keeping you impaired

You've fallen down

Quite a treacherous slope

If you can be the heart

Then I can be the hope

As Chorus began the final chorus, he witnessed Sombra lock onto a target. Twilight. The alicorn was spotted amongst the crowd, her glowing horn giving her away. As Sombra approached her, she locked eyes with Chorus across the room. Chorus watched as her apologetic eyes were frozen into place by King Sombra's dark magic. Twilight's magic promptly faded around the band, leaving them at the mercy of King Sombra. Chorus's eyes widened in undeniable fear as Sombra turned towards the stage. Sombra began to charge towards the stage. Chorus had to finish his song now.

I'm holding out my hand

And throwing down a rope

If you can be the heart

Then I can be the hope

Sombra arrived at the stage. His shadowy figure clouded everypony's vision, frightening them to their cores. Sombra's sharp, scary red horn began to glow with dark magic. He was about to add them to his statue collection. Chorus pulled his mic off of the stand and backed up to join his friends. They continued to play their instruments, waiting for Chorus to finish the song. Chorus looked at his band, proud to finish his last lyrics amongst them.

If you can be the heart

Then I can be the hope

Chorus began to levitate off of the ground, his eyes aglow. Prose followed suit, levitating off of her piano bench, entangled in Chorus's magic spell. Ginger Blush's triangle dropped to the ground as she joined her friends in the air. Savoir Fare and Pixie Dust rose to meet them, joining them on either side of their trio. Sombra watched as their song manifested into magic before him. His anger raged inside of him, manifesting into a shadowy dark magic spell aimed straight towards the magical band. As the spell reached the fivesome, A ball of blinding pink light engulfed Chorus's horn, spreading rapidly to encase the entire group.

The glowing pink orb stopped any shadow magic that came for them, reflecting it with ease. It began to vibrate and shake around the ponies. It shrank inwards for a small moment, collecting an enormous amount of magic energy. In an instant, the magic pink orb exploded, covering the entire event hall in an absolutely dazzling, blinding light. Sombra was taken aback by the blast, knocked away from the stage and onto the floor.

As the light faded from the room, Chorus, Prose, Ginger Blush, Savoir Fare, and Pixie Dust gently descended back onto the stage floor.

"Did we do it?" Ginger Blush asked out into the speechless room.

A soft grumbling could be faintly heard by the ponies. In the center of the room, a black-furred unicorn laid weakly. A defeated King Sombra put his hoof onto the ground and pushed himself up off of the floor. His legs wobbled and shook beneath him. As he opened his eyes and faced the stage, the ponies could see his menacing red horn had regressed back into its normal, black, unicorn-like state. His evil, villainous red eyes had regressed into a charming green. His eyes lasered in on the stage as he began to rapidly sprint towards it. Frightened cries sounded out from the surrounding crowds, fearing his change in appearance did not signify a change in his mind.

"What do we do? I thought we helped him!" Prose shouted.

Chorus, Prose, Ginger Blush, Savoir Fare, and Pixie Dust all took battle stances, ready to face off against Sombra again if they had to. Sombra effortlessly bounded across the dance floor and leaped up onto the stage. He raced straight towards Chorus and grabbed him in his hooves.

"Chorus!" Ginger Blush cried in fear.

Before anypony could attack Sombra or defend Chorus, Sombra pulled Chorus's face into his, locking his lips onto Chorus's, kissing him.

Chapter 18: The End

Three pairs of ponies sat in the garden, stargazing.

Savoir Fare wrapped his arm around Ginger Blush and pulled her in closer. Ginger blushed at the gesture, looking up at him and smiling. Nearby, Twilight Sparkle and Prose sat side by side, leaning into each other lovingly.

"What a night," Twilight commented.

"What a night," Prose repeated.

Not far away, Sombra sat with Chorus. As they faced each other, Chorus's pink eyes were met by Sombra's eyes of striking green. Pixie Dust's music flowed out from the event hall and into the garden, creating an enchanting night time atmosphere.

After Sombra had revived the statue ponies and dissolved the black crystals across the ballroom, the event was able to return to a frazzled normalcy. The ponies were able to convince Pixie Dust to re-perform her last song, and even add an encore. Princess Luna was finally able to remove the barrier around Canterlot, joining in on the festivities and thanking all the ponies responsible for reforming King Sombra. Princess Celestia also thanked the ponies, shocked to find out the real story of her arch nemesis. The gala continued on, the attendees sparking countless conversations about their brief encounters with the feared King Sombra. Everything worked out after all.

The three couples decided to go out into the garden to watch the stars, relaxing after their long night.

"Even after defeating one of Equestria's most feared villains, you still look beautiful," Savoir Fare whispered to Ginger Blush.

Ginger Blush shyly looked away, unsure of how to accept the compliment.

"How about this," Savoir said. "Nod for thank you, and shake your head if you want me to stop speaking."

Ginger Blush nodded her head and then laid it down onto her date's strong shoulders.

"See, I told you. You may have thought your specialty was with literature, but I'm thinking you may be better at helping ponies with deep-seated psychological issues that need to be saved from themselves," Twilight joked.

"That's one way to put it," Prose laughed. "And... thank you for your help back there. We couldn't have done it without you and your friends, seriously."

"Oh, please," Twilight scoffed. "You and your friends did all of the heavy lifting. We were just the backup."

"Don't downplay it, Twilight. We needed you, and you came through for us. Thank you," Prose graciously thanked.

Twilight smiled and pulled Prose in for a deep, warm hug.

"Chorus?" Sombra spoke.

"Yes?" Chorus responded.

"Thank you."

Chorus tilted his eyebrows upward, warmed by Sombra's words. He closed his eyes and leaned into Sombra, waiting for Sombra to do the same. Sombra closed his eyes and met Chorus's lips with his own.

The stars shined brightly above them, and the gala raged inside behind them. None of them knew what was next, but they knew this was surely a night to remember.

The End.

Epilogue

Chorus placed a final black crystal shard into its place.

"I think that's the last one," he excitedly spoke.

"All right. Stand back, Chorus," Sombra spoke.

Chorus obeyed, moving away from the statue and standing back behind his stallion.

Sombra conjured a pale blue magic with his horn, pointing it in front of him and blasting it at the black, crystalline statue. The shiny surface of the rock softened and changed color with the magic. Pale pink fur began to appear as the unicorn was restored to her original state. As the final bits of statue disappeared and were replaced by live, pony flesh, the unicorn stretched her limbs and quickly surveyed her surroundings. Her eyes landed on the ponies in front of her, shocked to see who was there.

"...Sombra?" she spoke.

"Hi, Princess Amore."

Chapter 1: An Invitation

Prose awoke to the sunlight pouring through her window, illuminating her entire room. She hopped out of bed and over to her bookshelf. She grabbed the book she was reading yesterday, ready to continue reading, and headed for the door. She paused, taking a second to glance at a picture frame placed on her windowsill. Inside of it was a picture of her and her friends, Chorus and Ginger Blush. She smiled at the picture of them in their designated hang-out meadow, where she planned to meet them soon.

She moved on from the picture and moved out through the door. It was a beautiful sunny day, which, she remembered, didn't always mean great things for her. The thought worried her for a moment, but her days of stopping evil plans of world domination were behind her. Now, it was time for friendship, sunlight, and fun. She trotted through the Ponyville streets, passing by many friendly faces and a plethora of adorable shops and houses. Nearing the meadow, she skidded to a halt at the sight of a purple alicorn heading toward her.

"Prose! I've been looking for you!" Twilight Sparkle excitedly shouted.

"You have?" Prose questioned. She wondered what Twilight wanted with her.

"Yes! I have something for you!" she clarified. Twilight pulled out a sealed scroll, adorned with a red ribbon and a golden seal. "It's a letter for you and your friends!" She handed the letter to Prose.

"A letter? From who?" Prose asked. She accepted the letter from Twilight's hoof.

"I think I'll let you figure that out," she smiled. "I hope to see you there!"

Prose raised an eyebrow. "See me where?" she asked. Twilight smiled again and headed away from Prose. It seemed like she would have to find that out in the letter as well.

Prose arrived at the meadow just down the street. She was met by the smiling faces of her friends.

"Hi, Prose!" Chorus and Ginger Blush greeted her.

"Hey guys!" she greeted back.

Ginger Blush noticed the scroll Prose was holding.

"What's that?" she asked.

Prose held up the letter.

"It's a letter. Twilight gave it to me on the way here," she explained.

"A letter from Twilight Sparkle? We better read it now!" Chorus leaped towards Prose.

"It's actually not from Twilight. She wouldn't tell me who it was from. Nevertheless, I agree. We should open it now!" she excitedly squealed. Prose began to unroll the scroll as Chorus and Ginger Blush gathered around her. She pulled the letter between her hooves, flattening it so the entire message was visible. Three golden pieces of paper floated from the inside of the letter down to the ground.

Dearest citizens Chorus, Prose, and Ginger Blush,

Twilight Sparkle has informed me of your heroic efforts in saving the ponies of Ponyville. You have demonstrated a comprehensive understanding of magic, sacrifice, and friendship. I commend you on your honor and bravery. I feel obligated to meet you and thank you myself, and I want to give you an experience to remember. Therefore, I cordially invite you to this year's Grand Galloping Gala. I hope to see you three there.

Best wishes,

Princess Celestia

The ponies looked down from the letter at the three golden tickets on the ground, then looked back up at each other.

"Are we actually going to the Grand Galloping Gala?" Ginger Blush asked in disbelief.

Prose picked up the tickets from the ground. "Well, we're surely not ignoring an invitation from Princess Celestia herself," she stated, trying to hide her intense excitement.

Chorus bounced up and down, elated. "We're going to the Grand Galloping Gala!!!"

Chapter 10: Hope

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