Hold Your Horses: A My Little Pony Story

Chorus felt the blankets on the other side of the bed move as he opened his eyes from rest.

"Sombra?" he groggily mumbled.

Sombra slipped off of the bed and turned back towards Chorus.

"I didn't mean to wake you," he apologized.

Chorus sat up in bed. "It's fine, but where are you going so early?"

"The royals wanted to talk before we leave for that meeting today," Sombra explained.

Chorus blinked his eyes, trying to wake himself up. "Meeting?"

"The 'Leaders of Equestria' meeting. Remember?"

Chorus's eyebrows shifted in confusion.

"Princess Celestia? Cantlerlot?" Sombra tried to refresh his memory with buzzwords.

"Canterlot?" Chorus's eyes brightened at the mention of that city.

Sombra smiled. "Yes, Canterlot. Where we met."

"You mean where I saved you," Chorus joked. "Well, I mean where we..." Chorus trailed off, remembering the night he and his friends stopped Sombra from destroying the Grand Galloping Gala. But, most importantly, he was remembering his friends, Prose and Ginger Blush. It had been a while since he'd seen them.

"What's wrong?" Sombra asked, noticing Chorus's emotional shift.

"I haven't seen them in so long," Chorus spoke.

"Seen who?" Sombra wondered.

"Prose and Ginger Blush," Chorus explained somberly.

Sombra surely recognized those names. "I guess it has been a while, huh," he consoled. "But, you know..."

"What?" Chorus asked.

"It's the 'Leaders of Equestria' meeting today. Your friend Twilight Sparkle is certainly a leader in Equestria. It's entirely possible she brings her mare along with her."

"Prose!" Chorus exclaimed.

"Exactly," Sombra agreed. "And who knows, maybe somehow Ginger Blush will find her way to Canterlot as well."

"I would like that," Chorus daydreamed.

Sombra headed towards the bedroom door. "Well, I should really go meet with the royals."

"Okay," Chorus said. "I'll be out soon!" Chorus blew a kiss in Sombra's direction.

Sombra pretended to catch the kiss and stick it lovingly into an imaginary pocket. He slipped out of the door and let it close behind him.

Chorus laid back down into his bed and gazed up at the beautiful ceiling of his room. Chorus had been staying with Sombra in the Crystal Castle for quite some time. Even with time, Chorus hadn't ever gotten used to the iridescent walls and the crystalline detailing of the beautiful castle. The way the light danced across the crystals that comprised his room was breathtaking. All of it was every bit as wondrous as the day he first arrived.

Chorus sighed and pushed the blankets off of his body. He hopped out of bed and stood in front of a crystal mirror.

"Crystal mirror, on the wall," he began. "Does my mane look nice today?"

The mirror did not respond, because it was a normal mirror and could not speak.

Chorus brought his hoof up to his mane and attempted to brush it into place. Once he had coiffed it to perfection, he headed towards the bedroom door. He entered the magnificent castle hallways and wandered around, searching for Sombra and the royals. He heard mumbles of a conversation echo throughout the hallways.

"... living proof that reform is possible for the umbrum. We wouldn't have to fight or fear them anymore."

Chorus recognized that as Princess Amore's voice. It was a long and arduous journey, but Chorus and Sombra had pieced her back together and returned her to life. She immediately took a more active place in the Crystal Empire government.

"How can we expect to repeat Sombra's success consistently? How can we perform tests like that without jeopardizing the safety of our citizens?" It was Shining Armor. Chorus followed the sounds of the conversation to a room near the back-right of the castle.

"If we can successfully tame the umbrum, it could mean great things for the prosperity of the Crystal Empire- oh! Good morning, Chorus!" Princess Cadance greeted Chorus as he entered the meeting room.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt anything," Chorus apologized.

"It's fine," Princess Amore graciously spoke. "In fact, it's probably better that you're here."

"Really?" Chorus asked. "Why?"

Sombra turned towards his stallion. "We're talking about healing umbrum malice, and knowing you're the healer of mine, you seem like the perfect pony to be here."

"Well it was really a group effort. Friendship is magic, as they say," Chorus laughed. His smile quickly faded as he remembered once again how long it'd been since he'd seen his friends.

Sombra came to Chorus's side to comfort him. "It's all right, Chorus. You'll see them soon."

Chorus smiled. "You're right," he concurred. "My point is, I'm not the sole answer to figuring this out. I can help, though."

"Perfect," Shining Armor spoke appreciatively. "We've already got Princess Amore's side of the story, as the leader at the time of Sombra's takeover. I'd love to hear your perspective on all of this."

Chorus took a second to gather his thoughts. It was hard speaking to the royals. Even after living with them all this time, he still felt so small compared to all of their greatness.

"I guess... what's coming to mind is... love and friendship. Every major issue I've faced has been solved through love and friendship," Chorus nervously spoke, afraid his answer was totally useless.

"Interesting," Princess Cadance commented. "I always thought umbrum were weakened by the light of love and friendship, but maybe that's the solution to all of this after all. Maybe their weakness is their cure."

Sombra gently nudged Chorus as if to communicate good job.

"We've actually been taking notes and observations on the whole thing," Sombra informed the royals. He turned to Chorus. "Chorus, would you mind grabbing the journal?"

Chorus nodded and made his way out of the meeting room, heading down towards the room where his and Sombra's journal was held.

About ten minutes went by, and Sombra and the royals began to become concerned. Chorus should've been back with the journal by now.

"I'll just go check and see what's taking him so long," Sombra suggested.

Sombra headed out of the room and down the hallway, on course for his room. After a short walk, he arrived at his room to find his door ajar. He walked through the door and found the journal lying flat on the floor in the center of the room. He picked up the journal from the floor and looked around the room.

"Chorus?" Sombra called out.

He was met with no response.