My Little Pony: Harmony is Magic

Chapter 3: The Shadow Prison

Twilight, her friends, and Radiant Hope entered the crystals that trapped the evil creatures of darkness known as the Umbrum. Upon stepping hoof inside, they were met with pitch-black darkness.

“Be careful where you step,” said Radiant as she was the last one to enter. “It’s very dark.”

“Not anymore.” said Twilight as she, Starlight, and Rarity lit up their horns and illuminated the surroundings. The Princess of Friendship spotted a set of stairs over by the edge of what appeared to be a cliff as she pointed over to them. “Let’s go down these stairs and see what we can find.”

They all went over to the staircase and descended down them as they looked around at their surroundings. They saw nothing but dried up trees and grass that looked dead, and rocks beyond galore that expanded out into the darkness. Thankfully, The further they descended, the more light illuminated their surroundings.

“This place is positively dreadful.” said Rarity. “It looks like the total opposite of our beautiful and welcoming home on the surface.”

“Well, you can’t judge everything by its appearance,” said Radiant.

The white unicorn wrinkled her nose in disgust. “What about the smell? It stinks like a fart.”

“I don’t mind. This place looks like a really fun place for Nightmare Night!” said Pinkie Pie. “Imagine if we made Ponyville look just like this!”

“Like it’s the end of the world? No way.” said Rainbow Dash. “Are we almost at the bottom? We’ve been going down these stairs for a long time.”

“I hope we get out of here soon. It looks really scary already.” said Fluttershy as she yelped at a scary looking tree.

“We’re almost at the bottom, and then you can meet my friends,” said Radiant Hope.

“We’d better get down there soon.” Rainbow grumbled to herself.

Thankfully for her, they reached the bottom of the long staircase as they looked around to see more dead-like trees, grass, and pretty much nothing else.

“Rabia! Rabia, it’s me, Hope!” Radiant Hope called out into the darkness. “I brought guests that want to meet the Umbrum and learn more about it.”

“Who are you talking to?” asked Starlight.

“My friend, Rabia. She and the others live down here.”

Everyone waited patiently for the said being to show up, only for no one to make an appearance after waiting a few minutes.

Rainbow Dash face-hooved herself. “We don’t have all day.”

“There she is!” Radiant exclaimed as she pointed over to a creature flying up to them, whom neither Twilight and her friends have ever seen before.

She was a gray pony-like creature that was half their body height with a pair of transparent butterfly-like wings, a flowy mane and tail, and white fire-like mist rising upward from her eyes.

“Friend Hope! You have returned!” the creature spoke in a ghostly female voice as she flew over to the crystal unicorn with an ecstatic smile. “Is it time? Are we free?”

“Almost, Rabia.” replied Radiant Hope. “I brought some new friends. This is Princess Twilight, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, and Starlight. They wanted to meet you and the others.”

“Oh! A princess? Here?”

“Hi, Rabia.” Twilight smiled at her. “Radiant Hope has told me about your kind and how you were unjustly imprisoned.”

“Even though you deserved it.” Rainbow added under her breath.

“Yes, it’s a painful memory for us all.” said Rabia with a thoughtful expression as she observed the Princess of Friendship. “Hmmm…a princess in the prison of shadows? That’s unheard of.”

Rabia, please-” Radiant began to speak only to be ignored.

“You know it was a princess who locked us down here over a thousand years ago, right? What if she tries to hurt my friends? I need all seven of you to promise not to use your magical capabilities for anything while you’re here, no matter how small it is.”

“I promise you, Rabia, that neither me nor my friends will use our magic,” said Twilight. “Right, girls?”

“Woah woah woah. You don’t want us to use our magic?” Rainbow said incredulously. “What if it’s an emergency?”

“You can leave it to me and my friends, but you can’t use your magic. Ever.” said Rabia. “Can you promise me that you’ll keep to your word?”

The cyan pegasus sighed with annoyance. “Fine, we promise not to use our powers.”

“Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye!” said Pinkie with a grin.

“Good, and what are those little pieces of jewelry you and your friends have?”

“These are the Elements of Harmony. We used to use them to defend Equestria from all kinds of mean meanies, but we had to give them up in the beginning of Season 4 to fix the Tree of Harmony.” answered Pinkie. “Aren’t they pretty?”

“They are, but you can’t use them down here in addition to your magic. They look like they can not only harm myself, but my friends.” said Rabia. “Anyway, without further ado...”

She led the group to a tunnel as she lit up her eyes and illuminated it. They went through it and emerged on the other side as they arrived in a cave with multi-level prison cells carved into the walls and Umbrum flying around. “Welcome to the Shadow Prison.”

“This place is impressive. I’ve never seen homes carved into cave walls before.” said Fluttershy as she looked up at a trio of Umbrum flying overhead. They waved down at her as she waved up to them with a smile. “And everyone is really friendly.”

“Yes. Us Umbrum have created many things in our time down here, and these cells are only one of many things.” said Rabia. “Follow me and I’ll give you a full tour.”

She led Twilight and the others up a spiral staircase as they went past the cells. “As you can already tell, this is the prison area where convicted criminals are punished, but they get released after they’ve learned their lesson.”

“Hello, Hope! So glad you’re back!” waved a passing Umbrum.

“Hello, Princess. You sure are beautiful.” said another one as he smiled at Twilight.

“This way please, everyone. I want to show you our sporting cave.” said Rabia as she led everyone past the prison cells and up another spiral staircase.

They entered a large indoor stadium that was packed with Umbrum as they cheered on two teams playing what appeared to be buckball, much to Rainbow’s surprise. One of the teams scored a point as the audience erupted with cheers.

“Okay, that’s new.” the cyan pegasus said aloud.

“Are they playing buckball?” Applejack asked with surprise.

“Buckball? We don’t know the name. Down here we call it thrust hoop.” said Rabia. “Doesn’t it look fun?”

“Of course it is! Whatever you call it, buckball is super duper fun!” said Pinkie.

“I’m glad you think so. Now then, onward with the tour.”

They descended back down the staircase and back past the prison cells as they went down to the main level and went over to a large grassy field with dried up flowers and trees similar to the ones they saw when they entered the realm. Lots of Umbrum families were having picnics and playing with each other, all having a good time together and having fun.

“This is Family Park, the most beautiful park in the entire shadow realm. This is where families come for picnics and other gatherings, for basically fun things of lots of kinds.” explained Rabia.

“This is where I come to play with the other Umbrum and read my books.” added Radiant Hope. “Isn’t it nice?”

“It is.” nodded Fluttershy politely, secretly finding the park a little lifeless compared to the meadows and gardens she was used to in Equestria.

‘Not even a little.’ Rainbow thought bluntly with an eye roll.

“I’m glad you like our park, but it’s nothing compared to our grand city.”

“You guys live in a city down here?” asked Twilight while trying to hide her surprise.

“But of course. We may have lived down here for over a thousand years, but we made ourselves quite at home.”

“I’ve been there, and it’s really big,” said Radiant.

“I can’t be that big.” muttered Rainbow with boredom as Rabia led the group through the park and up a tall hill. Once they reached the top, Twilight and her friends, including the cyan pegasus, gawked.

“Welcome to Umbrumtopia!” Rabia proudly proclaimed.

Down below them was the biggest city they had ever seen. There were countless skyscrapers as far as the eye could see as well as lots of streets and homes, but that wasn’t the main thing that separated it from all the cities in Equestria. What did was the tall castle that stood in front of it. It was taller than the currently existing castles in Equestria combined with lots of tall towers and windows, something far beyond anything that was ever built on the surface.

“Sweet Celestia, this city is as big as Equestria, including that castle.” said Rarity with amazement. “It makes Equestria look like a scale island.”

“Yes. Umbrumtopia is home to our best businesses and homes, which is where us Umbrum really live. I for one find the peaceful bustle of the everyday rushour to be really relaxing to listen to in the morning and the evening, but it’s the friendly respect that we show one another no matter what problems we face.”

“It sounds like a lovely place,” said Fluttershy.

“It is.” Radiant nodded. “I live here in Umbrumtopia.”

“Really? Do you both think you can show us some of the best sights and attractions?” asked Starlight.

“Of course we can.” nodded Rabia. “Now follow us and we can continue the tour.”

They both led Twilight and her friends down the hill and into the city as they were led down many streets and saw many amazing things.

“To your left is Heartbreak Hotel, a resort for female and male Umbrum who suffer broken hearts from their relationships. It’s also the tallest hotel and one of the tallest buildings in Umbrumtopia.”

“Ooh!” Pinkie said with wonder.

“To your right is the Performance Center, the biggest musical theater in the city housing five hundred thousand six hundred twenty one seats.”

“Impressive.” said Rarity.

“Down below is our transit system. It can take you to any location all throughout the city in a short amount of time without delay.”

“How short of time?” asked Starlight.

“In less than twenty seconds.” replied Rabia. “Anyway, up ahead is the Castle of the Umbrum, where our beloved queen rules over us. She’s the nicest ruler we’ve ever had and puts our well-being into high priority. If you want, I can introduce her to you.”

“That would be lovely.” said Fluttershy with a smile.

“Great.”

Rabia led Twilight and her friends towards the Castle of the Umbrum as Rainbow Dash couldn’t help but scowl, watching every single Umbrum that they went past. Applejack noticed this and looked up at her with a raised brow.

“Everythin’ okay, sugar cube?” she asked. “You’ve barely said a word since we got here.”

“I don’t trust Rabia,” said Rainbow. “She’s clearly up to something. I mean come on. No magic? No Elements of Harmony? Aren’t you even a little suspicious?”

“I can’t say that I’m not, but I’m sure she has her reasons.”

“Like what? This is obviously a trap, and I’m not going to fall for it. I can’t believe we’re actually trusting Radiant Hope with this.”

“Why? Don’t you trust her?”

“Not a hundred percent. She stole the crystal heart and is friends with evil monsters. How do you expect me to treat her, Applejack? I mean, I get the importance of trusting others even if they don’t seem trustworthy, but even I have my limits on how I view others.”

“But is assumin’ the worst really the better thing to do?” asked Applejack.

“I don’t call it assuming the worst. I call it keeping your guard up.” replied Rainbow. “Besides, we’re in the Shadow Prison, so pretty much anything can happen while we’re here.”

“Like what?”

“The Umbrum might steal the Elements of Harmony and break them, they could infect us with their dark magic, they could turn us into monsters, and who knows what they could do to Equestria if they escaped their prison. You may not know this, Applejack, but even the nicest creatures aren’t what they seem, and I can think of plenty of reformed villains who were once like that.”

The Element of Honesty observed her friend for a moment before she let out a sigh. “If that’s your opinion, then I can’t change it. Just don’t do anythin’ that’ll make our situation harder.”

“No promises.” Rainbow said as they continued on with the tour.

“Are we there yet?” asked Pinkie.

“No. we’ll be there soon.” answered Radiant Hope.

“Okay. How about now?”

“No, Pinkie. As you can clearly see, we aren’t even close to being half way.” said Rabia with developing annoyance.

“Okay. How about now, how about now, how about now?”

She let out a sigh and flew over to Twilight. “Is your friend always this annoying?”

“Unfortunately yes, but it’s better than being sad and depressed.” replied the Princess of Friendship. “Do you think we can use the underground transit system to get there faster?”

“Why yes. There’s a staircase not too far away from here I can take you all to. There we shall get on board the underground transporter to the castle.”

“At least we’ll get there faster.” Rainbow uttered under her breath as Rabia led them down the streets towards the stairs to the underground transit system. “The sooner, the better.”

Fluttershy looked up at passing by Umbrum as she stopped and waved at them, causing them to wave back with friendly smiles. “The Umbrum are really friendly. I wish everypony in Equestria was as nice as them, right girls?”

She turned to where she thought she’d last seen them but frowned when she saw no one. “Girls?”

She galloped down the direction she thought they’d went, beginning to develop fear from being separated by her friends. If only she didn’t get distracted when they were talking, she would’ve listened to where they had gone.

She turned right and flew down that street as she looked all over for her friends. “Girls? Girls! Where are you?”

More fear began to overcome her as she looked around for the others, dreading the possibility of finding a way to the castle all on her own. As she looked around, she saw something up ahead zip to the right down the street up ahead as she sped up to catch up with it.

“Girls?”

Fluttershy made the right and saw something small and black running up the sidewalk before turning and running into an alleyway. She went up to it and entered it as she saw what appeared to be a black kitten running towards a small cardboard box with a small entrance cut into the side.

“Wait, I won’t hurt you.” said the yellow pegasus as she slowly approached the kitten, who turned to her and began to back away in fear towards the box. “It’s okay, little one. Don’t be scared.”

The kitten arched its back and pinned its ears against its head as it hissed at her, signaling that it was feeling threatened and wanted to be left alone. It began hissing at her before suddenly growing in size to the height of two ponies as it growled at her and showed its teeth.

Fluttershy froze dead in her tracks as she looked up at the giant black cat with fear in her eyes. “Um…nice kitty.”

It roared at her as she screamed and ran out of the alley, running away from it and the large cat as quickly as possible before looking behind her. When she didn’t see it following her, she slowed to a stop as she let out a relieved sigh. She was fairly used to aggressive animals back at her cottage, but that didn’t mean it didn’t scare her sometimes. What was scaring her now was the fact that she’d lost the group and couldn’t find them so far. It could take almost an entire day to find them.

“Excuse me, ma’am, but are you okay?”

She looked up to see a male Umbrum floating in front of her with a concerned look. It had a somewhat familiar voice, but it sounded too ghostly for further recognition. “Oh, I’m fine. I just got distracted by the other Umbrum flying past me and lost sight of where my friends went.”

“I can help you find them if you want.” the Umbrum suggested with a smile. “I mean, if you want me to, that is. I know my way all around Umbrumtopia.”

“Oh, I couldn't possibly accept an offer like that.” Fluttershy declined politely. “Besides, my friends couldn’t have gone too far.”

“Are you sure? You don’t look like you know your way around Umbrumtopia.”

“Well…I don’t.” she let out a sigh in defeat. “Okay, I’ll let you help me find my friends.”

“Great!” he smiled at her as he held out his hoof. “My name’s Smokey by the way.”

“Thank you, Smokey. I’m Fluttershy.” the yellow pegasus smiled and shook his hoof.

“Cute name, so do you remember where your friends said that they were going?”

“We were going to the underground transit system so that we could get to the castle.” Fluttershy replied, feeling a little flattered that someone found her name to be adorable. “Do you know where it is?”

“Yup. I know my entire way around Umbrumtopia and the location of all the underground transit system stations.” said Smokey. “The nearest one is three blocks northbound. Is that where your friends are going?”

“I guess so.”

“Great! Now let's get going.”

They went down the street towards the Castle of the Umbrum as the yellow pegasus waved at passing Umbrum, beginning to feel less scared knowing that she’ll be reunited with her friends. “Thanks again for helping me out, Smokey.” Fluttershy smiled gratefully at him. “You didn’t have to do this, you know.”

“I know, but it’s nice helping out others whenever they need it.” said Smokey as he smiled back. “So what brings a pony like you down here to the Shadow Prison? I’ve never known anyone like you to be down here before.”

“A pony named Radiant Hope tried to steal the crystal heart back in the Crystal Empire, one of the cities in Equestria. After she was stopped, she explained that she was trying to free the Umbrum that were wrongfully imprisoned down here.”

“Wait a minute. Did you say the Crystal Empire? As in the Crystal Empire? I thought it disappeared.”

“It did, but it returned and we had to defeat an evil unicorn named King Sombra.” said Fluttershy, shuddering at the memory of the unicorn king. Even though she knew of his origins, it didn’t completely change her view on him. “Anyway, Radiant Hope told us about you and we came down here to meet the Umbrum. Along the way, we met her friend Rabia and she’s giving us a full tour of the Shadow Prison and is even introducing us to the queen.”

“Rabia? I think I saw her a few times in the last millenia, but she’s introducing you and your friends to the queen?”

“Mmm-hmm. I hear that the queen is really nice, but I’m a little nervous to meet her.”

“Don’t be.” Smokey smiled at her. “The queen is a really kind and motherly ruler and she always puts our well being her first priority, and she’ll be especially nice to your friends and a pretty pony like you.”

“Pretty? Oh, I’m not pretty.” Fluttershy said modestly.

“Yes you are. You may be the second pony I’ve ever seen, but you’re a really nice looking girl. Has anyone ever told you that your mane makes you look really cute, or that your eyes seem to reflect the night sky, and don’t even get me started on how angelic your voice sounds. You’re one of a kind and you know it.”

She looked at him with surprise, finding those compliments to be strangely nice. “Do you really think I’m…beautiful?”

“I really do.” Smokey smiled at her as she looked away with a blush.

“Um, thanks…I guess. Are we almost at the underground transit station?”

“Yup. it’s just to the left around this corner.”

They turned left and went westbound along another street as they saw a sign that read ‘2nd West Ave Station’ as they went towards it, and much to Fluttershy’s relief, she saw her friends heading towards it. “Girls! There you are!” she exclaimed as she rushed over to them, forgetting to thank Smokey.”

“Hey, Fluttershy! I had no idea you were taking a faster way to get here, but what are the odds?” said Pinkie cheerfully.

“Where were you?” asked Twilight. “When we turned around we saw that you were gone.”

“Sorry, everypony. I got distracted and didn’t know where you all went.” said the yellow pegasus with a guilty smile. “But at least we’re all back together and we can all go to the castle.”

“Indeed.” Rabia nodded. “Now follow me and we’ll catch the next train to the castle.”

She led the group down the staircase and into an underground train station that was busy with hundreds of Umbrum entering and exiting it, getting to wherever they wanted or needed to go from the train that was waiting patiently at the platform.

“There’s the train. Let’s hurry up and hop aboard before it leaves.” said Radiant Hope as they went through the crowd and hopped aboard the train before the doors closed seconds later. The train slowly pulled out of the station and accelerated into the dark tunnel as the group took their seats and got comfortable.

As Twilight and the others talked amongst themselves, Fluttershy looked out the window and couldn’t help but think about Smokey. She forgot to thank him and felt guilty about it, but the main thing that she was thinking about him was the compliments he gave to her. It strangely felt a little nice to hear such things, and no one had ever complimented her before, not even her friends unless she was wearing a pretty dress.

She found herself beginning to miss him, even though they didn’t know each other that well, and only conversed for a little while. He seemed like a really friendly Umbrum and a good friend to be around. Too bad they didn’t decide to become friends while they were walking down the streets together and thank him for reuniting her with her friends, but she was still happy to talk to someone else and felt less scared about being alone in a large underground city she’d no idea how to get around. She hoped that she would cross paths with him in the future and talk more, but for now, she could enjoy the company of her current friends and await visiting the queen.

Not too long later, the underground transit train pulled into a station and came to a complete stop. “We’re here,” said Rabia. “Now come on, everyone. Let’s go to the castle and meet the queen.

Rainbow Dash jolted awake and let out a yawn as she stretched her legs and followed the group out of the train. “Already? Didn’t we leave the other station a few seconds ago?”

“I wasn’t joking when I said that the underground transit system transports you to anyplace in the city in a short amount of time, Rainbow Dash. Now come along, the queen cannot be kept waiting for too long.”

They arose from underground up onto a sidewalk as they went alongside a brick wall towards a set of two large wooden doors that had two Umbrum guards hovering in position on both sides of them. Once they saw Twilight and the others approach the gates, they flew in front of them to block their path.

“Halt. State your business.” demanded one of the Umbrum guards.

“They’re with me, sir.” said Rabia as she flew in front of the group. “They’re acquaintances of Radiant Hope and wish to meet her majesty, the queen.”

The guards looked at each other for a second before floating out of the way and opening the gates. “You may pass.”

“Thank you.”

She and Radiant Hope led the Mane 6 and Starlight up the long hill as they looked up at the large castle that was up ahead.

“Okay, that’s huge.” said Rainbow. “Very huge.”

“My castle isn’t nearly half that size.” said Twilight with amazement. “How many rooms are in that palace?”

“Hundreds, if not thousands.” said Radiant Hope. “I toured it when I first came here, and it’s seemingly endless on the inside.”

“You’ll soon see how endless once we get inside.” added Rabia as they went all the way up the hill to the front doors of the castle. The Umbrum guards standing post there opened the doors for them as they went inside and looked around in amazement.

The interior of the Castle of the Umbrum was extremely tall from the floor all the way up to the ceiling with tall banners displaying unique symbols hanging from the walls and a soft red carpet along the floors. The windows had colorful decorative patterns in them that lit up and illuminated the hallways in a projective way, making the interior more impressive. There were also display cases that had rock jewelry and other expensive looking accessories in them that were protected by miniature force field domes.

Rarity looked at it with impressment as she let out a dreamy sigh. “I was right. This castle isn’t at all like the ones back in Equestria. It’s far better than I could’ve ever imagined.”

“Bet you I can jump up to the ceiling!” said Pinkie as she bent her legs and bounced all the way up to the ceiling before landing gracefully on her hooves. “Ta-da!”

“How did you do that, Pinkie?” asked Rabia. “I’ve known Radiant Hope for over a thousand years, and I’ve never known a pony to jump that high in my entire life.”

“I have no idea.” she replied honestly.

“It’s better not to think about it. Pinkie does a lot of strange things that none of us can understand.” added Fluttershy.

The Umbrum looked at Pinkie with a raised eyebrow before rolling her eyes and leading the group down the hallways, up a wide spiral staircase. And straight towards a pair of large doors made out of rocks that had two Umbrum guards hovering in their posts.

“We are here to visit the queen, sirs.” said Radiant Hope as they opened the doors and allowed them entrance into the throne room, which resembles the one back in Canterlot Castle and had colorful stained glass windows but was bigger.

Sitting on a gray throne made out of the rocks of the Shadow Prison was a tall alicorn-like Umbrum with a gray flowing mane and tail, wearing a rock crown with purple jewels in them.

She watched the visitors approach her with a kind smile as they stopped in front of the throne. “Hello, Rabia and Radiant Hope. I see you both brought some visitors.” she said.

“We did, your highness.” replied Radiant Hope as she and Rabia bowed respectively. “Meet Princess Twilight, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, and Starlight Glimmer.”

“Welcome to the Shadow Prison, girls. I am Queen Melinoe.” said the Umbrum known as Queen Melinoe.

“It’s nice to meet you, your highness.” said Twilight as she and her friends respectively bowed. “I’m sure you’re wondering why we’re all down here.”

“I am.” Melinoe nodded. “It’s been over a thousand years since me and my people have last seen ponies.”

“We know, and we’ve heard of your…ahem…past transgressions in the Crystal Empire with Princess Amore.”

“And your deserved punishment.” Rainbow added quietly as Applejack nudged her in the side.

“But Radiant Hope has shown us all how friendly you and the Umbrum are, and it’s really nice to see that you’ve changed from your evil ways.”

“We have, and we deeply regret our actions against the Crystal Empire.” said Melinoe with guilt. “Why do you bring this up, my little pony?”

“Because we can free you from your wrongful imprisonment! With these!” said Pinkie as she pointed to her Element of Laughter.

“Are those the Elements of Harmony?”

“Indeed they are.” replied Rarity. “We used to use them to defend Equestria from all sorts of uncouth villains trying to put an end to Equestria, but we had to put them aside many months ago due to safety reasons but have long since reunited with them.”

“And you say that you can use them to free us from our prison?”

“We can if you want that.” said Fluttershy. “After all, we believe that everyone who’s learned the error of their ways deserves a second chance and-”

“I’m sorry for interrupting, but I need to have a quick chat with my friends.” interrupted Rainbow Dash as she pulled her friends (excluding Radiant Hope) into a huddle up position and glared at them. “Are you girls serious about freeing the Umbrum? We can’t do that.”

“Why not, Rainbow?” whispered Twilight.

“Because they’re obviously trying to trick us into breaking them free and returning to their evil ways. Why else would they play nice with not only us, but Radiant Hope?”

“But what if they did change?” suggested Starlight. “What if they genuinely feel guilty for all the suffering that they caused?”

“Yeah right. They’re just pretending so that we can release them without suspicion. That’s what any bad gut would do, especially Discord.”

“That’s true, but he realized the error in his ways, including Starlight.” said Fluttershy. “We should show the Umbrum the benefit of the doubt and trust that they won’t do anything evil.”

“Fluttershy’s right, Rainbow.” nodded Twilight. “So are you in or not?”

Everyone looked at her expectantly as she was struggling with what to do. She was strong with her opinion and suspicions on the Umbrum, but at the same time, she had to admit that her friends made valid points. The reformed villains in Equestria all realized the wrong-doing that they did and made up for them, which accepted them back into society without so much as a glare (despite certain ones not receiving the same consideration).

Letting a defeated and annoyed sigh out of her, Rainbow Dash addressed her friends. “Alright. I’ll help you all release the Umbrum, but if they go back on their claims of being reformed, it won’t be my fault.”

“Fair enough.” Twilight nodded as they all broke up and faced the queen. “Alright, Queen Melinoe. We have all decided to free all the Umbrum from the Shadow Prison.”

“You have?” the queen and Rabia all exclaimed in surprise.

“We have.”

Smiles spread across the Umbrum’s mouths as Melinoe rose to her hooves. “Thank you, my little ponies. You have no idea how much this means to all of us. This calls for a celebration.”

Pinkie gasped excitedly. “You mean a party?”

“Precisely, Pinkie Pie. Tonight in the castle ballroom, we shal host a gala in honor of our upcoming freedom and the ones who will bring it to us.”

“A gala? Now you’re talking!” Rarity beamed excitedly. “Oh, I can already imagine the beautiful dresses, dancing, hors d'oeuvres.”

“What’s an hors d’oeuvre?” asked Rabia with genuine confusion. “Because whatever that is, we don’t have them at our galas, including ‘dresses.’”

“Ya don’t?” asked Applejack before realizing why. When one is imprisoned underground for over a thousand years, you tend to not be involved in any modernization and new things that start up. “Oh. Nevermind.”

“Tonight, we shall host a gala in the castle ballroom and invite every single Umbrum in the Shadow Prison, and then immediately afterwards, you seven will release us back into Equestria. Is that understood?” said Melinoe.

“We understand, your highness.” Twilight said as her friends nodded their heads in agreement.

“Good. In the meantime, I’ll have my servants prepare guest rooms for you all so that you’ll have a place to sleep during the duration of your stay.”

“Really? Thanks!” Pinkie grinned at the Umbrum monarch.

“You’re welcome, little one.” Melinoe smiled back as she clapped her hooves twice, causing a servant to come flying into the throne room.

“Follow me, ladies, and I’ll lead you up to your guest rooms to get settled down.” said the Umbrum servant as Twilight and the others, excluding Radiant Hope, followed her out of the throne room and down the hallway.

They went up to a spiral staircase and ascended up two levels as they emerged from them and went down the hallway and made a right, coming to a stop in front of seven rooms that had their names on the doors.

“Here are your rooms, girls. Take as long as you need to get settled.” said the servant with a bow as she flew off back down the hallway.

Twilight and her friends entered their rooms and looked around them with amazement. They all had high-rise ceilings with crystal chandeliers hanging from the ceiling and queen-sized beds. There was a dresser and wardrobe in each room as well as a closet and a private bathroom.

“Oh my, this room is so nice.” said Fluttershy as she sat down on the guest bed. “And the bed is so soft. I don’t know how the Umbrum keeps them like this.”

Her ears perked up at the sound of tapping against the bedroom window as she looked over and saw Smokey waving at her. She got up and flew over to the wonder as she opened it. “Smokey? What are you doing here?”

“Hi, Fluttershy. I just thought I’d stop by and see how you’re doing.” said Smokey as he flew inside the room. “Wow. I never thought you;d get in the queen’s good graces so quickly and easily, but you did.”

“She was really nice to us, especially now that we've announced that we’re going to release the Umbrum from the Shadow Prison. In honor of it, she’s hosting a gala in the castle ballroom in our honor and is inviting the entire realm.”

“Really? That’s so awesome, my dear! You and your friends really deserve the attention.”

Fluttershy smiled modestly. “Thanks, I-” she suddenly stopped her sentence as she looked at Smokey in confusion. “What did you just call me?”

“Hm? Oh. I call you my dear.” he replied. “I hope I didn’t offend you in any way.”

“No, you didn’t. It’s just that only two of my closest friends have ever called me that.”

Now that she thought about it, there was something about Smokey that was strangely familiar. She recognized his voice and his selflessness towards her, not to mention the way he seemed really polite to her. Every single Umbrum was polite, but he seemed more polite than usual. In fact, he almost seemed a little similar to…

“Discord?”

“I guess there’s no fooling you, is there?” the Umbrum in disguise said as he transformed into the Lord of Chaos himself. “Surprised to see me down here, Fluttershy? Because I for one am beyond confused at you for being down here.”

“Discord, what are you doing in the Shadow Prison?” asked Fluttershy. “Doesn’t the magic of the crystals prevent evil creatures from escaping?”

“It does, but since I’m reformed and have the power to do just about everything, I can come and go as I please.” Discord replied as he floated over to her bed and sat down. “Now that’s all settled, why don’t you explain why you’re down in the Shadow Prison, and with your Element of Kindness. I thought you gave it up to stop my plunderseed vines, not to mention this is where the Umbrum are being locked away due to their little insurrection against the Crystal Empire over a thousand years ago.”

“Well, it’s a bit of a long story.”

She went over and sat next to him as she explained to him everything that had happened since last night. From how Radiant Hope stole and tried to get away with the crystal heart, to her explaining her reasons and her backstory with King Sombra and the Umbrum.

“So if I heard you right, a crystal unicorn by the name of Radiant Hope, who used to be childhood friends with the King Sombra and was destined to be an alicorn princess, but after a series of events, she abandoned her studies and returned to where the Crystal Empire used to be and found red crystals that claimed to be Sombra’s kind and convinced her to come down here to learn more on how she could free him and his other kind. Is that what you’re saying, Fluttershy?” Discord summarized.

“It is.” Fluttershy nodded.

“And if I’m not mistaken, I see that you and your friends are making a grave mistake by releasing the Umbrum back into Equestria.”

“Why? They’re very adorable and friendly, and they seem to have changed from their evil ways.”

“They may seem like that, but I know an act when I see it.” said Discord. “Need I remind you of how I used to act?”

“Well, you were quite difficult to manage; you still are, but you realize the error in your ways whenever you make a mistake and change from the better as a result from them.” Fluttershy explained. “That’s how Princess Luna, Starlight, Trixie, and the Changelings are who they are today. We should release the Umbrum back into Equestria and welcome them with open hooves and claws. We did the same to you and the other reformed villains, so why can’t we do the same to them as well?”

He looked at her for a moment before summoning a white flag and waving it. “Alright, I surrender. Perhaps the Umbrum did change, but it never hurts to be a little suspicious.”

“That sounds fair.”

Fluttershy’s smile fell as she looked away, suddenly becoming embarrassed. “Um, Discord? Back when we were going down the street to find my friends, you said that I was…pretty. Did you mean that?”

“I said that?” Discord said with genuine confusion before perking up in realization . “Ah yes, I did say that, didn’t I? Well, I can’t say that I was lying. You are a really pretty mare, Fluttershy. I should’ve told you this months ago.”

His voice became low as he gave her a flirtatious look. “Besides, who could ever resist those beautiful eyes of yours, or that lovely voice?”

Her cheeks turned pink as she hid behind her mane. “U-um. Well…I…”

“But now that it’s been said, we can move on as if it never happened!” He returned to his usual demeanor. “Now then, since we have a better understanding of each other, I believe now is a better time than later for me to get going.”

“Wait. you’re leaving already?” asked Fluttershy with surprise and what seemed like a tiny hint of hurt.

“Afraid so, my dear. I still have to blend in with the other Umbrum and reduce the amount of suspicion. I’ll still see you at the gala tonight.”

“Oh. Okay.” she smiled at him as she hugged him. “See you later, Discord.”

“Until next time, Flutterbuddy, and until we’re back in Equestria, my name is Smokey.”

He teleported from the bed to the window as he transformed into his Umbrum disguise as he flew through the window and down into Umbrumtopia. Fluttershy got up and went to the window as she watched her disguised friend descend away with a smile, happy that she could see him given the current circumstances.

Knocking from the door caused her to jump slightly as she flew over and opened it, revealing Pinkie Pie as she grinned at her. “Oh. what’s going on, Pinkie?”

“Hey Fluttershy! The servant from earlier said that it’s lunch time!” said the Element of Laughter. “Come on and let’s go and get some grub!”

A stomach growl from the yellow pegasus caused her to blush with a sheepish smile. “Some lunch does sound pretty good.”

They went down the hallway together as they went to the castle dining room (despite getting lost and asking a passing servant Umbrum for directions) to get something to eat.

Twilight and her friends have spent the rest of the day being treated like they were special. They were treated to a three hour spa-like body therapy session, toured all of Umbrumtopia and were met with friendly greetings and smiles, and even went to a talent show at the Performance Center near the edge of the city. During the entire afternoon, Fluttershy was distracted with her thoughts about Discord.

Throughout their entire time as friends, he’d never complimented her looks before, and he never flirted with her so smoothly like that. It was strange yet it had a strange effect on her heart. It was as if he did that because he found her attractive. The very thought caused her to shake her head. She and Discord were just friends, and he’d never toy with her emotions like that if it was otherwise; not to mention he didn’t ever mention being interested in a romantic relationship, especially with her. Whatever the reason was, she was sure that he was just trying to be funny like he always does.

But now wasn’t the time to dwell on her thoughts like that, considering the fact that it was evening and the entire Umbrum population was flocking into the Castle of the Umbrum and going to the ballroom for the gala.

Fluttershy and her friends along with Radiant Hope were seated at a table on the stage with eight chairs and a larger one in the middle of them, which was likely for the queen. The castle ballroom was, unsurprisingly, large with a high rise ceiling that had multiple chandeliers hanging from it and illuminating the room. There were hundreds of tables that had twenty chairs each and plates with neatly set up silverware and plates, including cups of water and napkins that were folded into triangles.

“Wow. I didn’t think the entire Shadow Prison would come to the castle.” said Starlight as she watched the many Umbrum flood into the ballroom and to their seats at the tables.

“Me neither.” Twilight nodded in agreement. “But tonight’s their last time down here before we set them free, so it’s natural for everyone to show up and worship us.”

“I’m still having second thoughts, but good thing we have these things on our side.” said Rainbow Dash as she patted her Element of Loyalty.

“And the sooner we release the Umbrum, the sooner we get to go home and live in peace.” added Rarity. “I for one miss Equestria quite terribly. Even though Umbrumtopia and the Shadow Prison are really lovely places to live, I don’t think I can stay down here for much longer.”

“You can say that again.”

Queen Melinoe entered the ballroom and flew over to the stage as she sat down in her seat and smiled at the girls. “How are you girls doing?”

“We’re doing fine, your highness.” said Twilight with a smile of her own. “Is the gala going to start soon?”

“Almost. The guards are nearing the end of welcoming all the guests, and once they give me the signal, we’ll start the festivities.”

As if on cue, the last bit of the guests entered the ballroom and went to the tables as the guards flew in and closed the door as they gave their queen a firm salute, signaling that they finished letting everyone in. she nodded and rose to her hooves as she cleared her throat and spoke in a loud voice.

“Umbrum of the Shadow Prison, welcome to tonight’s gala. I thank you all for coming here on this amazing night. Tonight, we are all in for an extremely special occasion, because Princess Twilight and her friends will release us back into Equestria, where we’ll all live with the ponies in peace and harmony.”

The ballroom erupted into loud cheers as the queen rose her hoof, silencing everyone.

“Long ago we were once creatures of darkness and destruction, but since our imprisonment, we have learned the error of our ways and changed from evil to good, and I’m sure that the princesses of Equestria would want us to live life just like the ponies.” Melinoe continued. “Speaking of which, I would like Princess Twilight and her friends to speak to you all regarding our release. Girls? If you wouldn’t mind?”

The Mane 6 stood up and moved in front of the table as Twilight cleared her throat. “Thank you, Queen Melinoe. First of all, I would like to thank all the Umbrum in attendance for being very welcoming and friendly with us throughout our entire visit here. It pleases us greatly how you’ve changed from the creatures you once were and how you’ve realized the error in your ways.”

“Twilight’s right.” Starlight added in agreement. “I too have done things I regret to this day, but thanks to Twilight and her friends, I’m who I am today, and I know that you all want to make amends with not only the Crystal Empire and the crystal ponies, but all of Equestria.”

“And before you know it, we’ll all be the best of friends and have an amazing time together!” added Pinkie happily.

“It was really nice to meet and get to know you all, and I can’t wait until we all become the best of friends.” said Fluttershy as she saw one Umbrum wave at her, knowing full well who that was.

“Thank you, girls.” Melinoe smiled at them. “Anyway, without further ado, let’s all venture up to the portal and go back into Equestria!”

The Umbrum erupted into loud cheers as Rainbow raised a brow in confusion. “Already? The gala just started.”

“I apologize for cutting the gala short, Rainbow, but we’re ever so excited to gain our freedom back.” said the queen as she flew down from the stage and over to the ballroom doors. “Come along, everyone. To the entrance!”

The Umbrum got up from their seats and followed their queen out of the castle as Twilight and the others stayed behind.

“Are you girls having second thoughts about this?” asked Rainbow. “The gala didn’t even go for fifteen minutes, and they want to get out of the Shadow Prison now?”

“It is a little strange, but I’m sure the Umbrum are just really excited to be free.” said Twilight as they followed them out of the castle.

“That’s right.” Radiant Hope nodded in agreement. “The Umbrum have been trapped down here for over a thousand years, so it’s only natural for them to rush along the process to get their freedom back.”

“But shouldn’t we be the first ones to the portal? You know, just to make sure there’s no trouble?” suggested the cyan pegasus.

“Don’t worry, Rainbow Dash! I’m sure the Umbrum won’t go back on their word and do something to us like destroy the Elements of Harmony.” said Pinkie.

“I certainly hope so.”

They went through Umbrumtopia, passed through Family Park, the prison cell area, through the tunnel, and over to the stairs. Waiting for them there on both sides were the Umbrum as they chanted ‘freedom’ over and over again. Twilight and her companions ascended the staircase as they were met by Queen Melinoe and two Umbrum guards.

“I don’t know if you ponies are used to this kind of attention, but our freedom means a lot to us.” she said. “Are you ready?”

The Princess of Friendship and the bearers of the Elements of Harmony took their preposition in front of the entrance gateway. “Ready.” they said in unison.

“Good, and take as much time as you need.”

Twilight closed her eyes and lit up her horn as her Element of Magic illuminated, causing the other Elements of Harmony to glow as well. The Mane 6 levitated up into the air as rainbow beams shot out from them and met as one before colliding with the entrance, causing it to open widely as the power died down and the six ponies landed back on the ground.

The Umbrum erupted into cheers as Queen Melinoe flew over to them with a smile. “Thank you, my little ponies. Your deed has made us all very happy.”

“It was no trouble, your highness.” said Rarity with a bow. “Now we can all go home and live together in peace.”

“Yes, but before we leave, there’s something I want to do.”

The queen levitated the Elements of Harmony off of the Mane 6 as her eyes lit up and turned them black, causing them to shatter right before their eyes.

“What the..? Hey!” Rainbow Glared at her. “Why did you do that?”

“Did you ponies honestly think we wanted to live with you ponies in harmony?” Malinoe said with a sinister tone as she physically transformed into an appearance that was more scary and ugly. “You ponies are such fools for believing us.”

Radiant Hope tried to intervene. “Your highness, what’s-”

“Oh, be quiet, you numbskull! You had one job, which was to resurrect Sombra and set us free. But instead, you bring a princess and a bunch of ponies into our doorstep!” the queen turned and glared at the Mane 6. “And you! I thought Rabia made it clear not to use any kind of magic while in here, but you bring in the magic from those repulsive Elements of Harmony in here! It’s one of the only things that can reveal our true forms! We can’t stand them, especially magic!”

“Well I’m glad that we did use them!” said Twilight as she stood protectively in front of her friends with her wings spread out. “You took advantage of Hope.”

Melinoe laughed. “I just gave her what she wanted. She wanted Sombra not to be what we are. She wanted me to tell her that Sombra was not a monster.”

“He’s not!” Radiant Hope glared at her as Twilight held her back. “Sombra’s good on the inside! I know he is!”

“You fool! Sombra’s just as much an Umbrum as all of us. When he was just a colt, we came up with a plan. Our powers kept us from crossing through the crystal, so we had to lock away the darkness inside of him. We had to make him look and seem like an ordinary pony so he could pass through, and when the crystal ponies took him in, they wouldn’t know what he really was. It was hidden even from him until he was finally strong enough, but you kept him from releasing us then! We’ve waited for over a thousand years, and we won’t let any of you stop us.”

“Think again, Melinoe!” Twilight stomped her hoof defiantly as her friends stood beside her. “We may have foolishly freed you from your prison, but we can lock you back here.”

“Yeah!” her friends yelled in agreement.

The Umbrum queen erupted into laughter. “And what can you ponies do to stop us? Without your beautiful Elements of Harmony, you can’t do anything to stop us.”

“Not if I have something to say about it.” said a voice from out of nowhere as Discord teleported in front of the girls with crossed arms as he glared at the queen. “Melinoe. It’s an honor to be in your presence, your highness.”

“Discord! What are you doing here?” Melinoe demanded. “I thought you were turned to stone a thousand years ago.”

“I was, but Twilight and her friends released me on condition that I use my chaos for good instead of evil, and I can’t allow you to plunge Equestria into eternal destruction and darkness.” the Lord of Chaos replied. “So unless you want to be turned into tar, I highly suggest you call off your invasion.”

“Ha! Do you really think we’re going to stop our plans to the likes of you?”

She lit up her eyes and fired a beam at him as he got struck and sent flying back.

“Discord!” Fluttershy gasped as she rushed over to him with worry. “Are you okay?”

“A little hit on the ground never hurt anyone, my dear.” Discord replied as he stood back up. “But that queen is going to look even more ugly once I’m through with her.”

He snapped his fingers and widened his eyes in confusion when nothing happened. “What the..? Why isn’t my chaos working?”

Melinoe laughed at him mockingly. “Did you honestly think our powers didn’t get stronger during our imprisonment? I’m equally as surprised as you are, Lord of Chaos, that my powers blocked yours, but the less threats to our plans, the better chances we have at survival.”

“You may have taken away Discord’s ability to use his magic, but that doesn’t mean you don’t have a weak opponent!” said Starlight as she stood in front of everyone and lit up her horn.

The Umbrum queen let out a sigh. “Really?”

She blasted a beam at her horn and blocked her magic as she glared threateningly at the others present. “Who’s next?”

Not wanting to put her companions in danger, Twilight lit up her horn and teleported them and the shattered remains of the Elements of Harmony out of the Shadow Prison as Melinoe growled in anger at their cowardly escape before chuckling darkly. “Those pathetic cowards.”

“Shouldn’t we go and find them, my queen?” asked Rabia as she flew over to her. “You may have weakened their ability to defeat us, but there’s still a high risk of us being discovered and apprehended.”

“You’re right, Rabia. We must go into hiding and contemplate our next plan. Escaping was part of it, but there’s still a lot more that we have to fully think through. For one thing, where the Elements of Harmony came from. They are no longer of any use to the ponies, but there’s a chance that another powerful source is in Equestria. Once we fully contemplate our next move, we will stop everything that stands in our way and rule Equestria.”

“That’s a good plan, your highness.”

“Thank you, but we must go and tell the Umbrum of our change of plans before they make our presence known too early.”

And with that, they flew out of the Shadow Prison and caught up with the other Umbrum and told them of the new plan. Despite feeling upset at having their momentary freedom being taken away, they understood their queen’s actions once she explained to them the next phase in their plan.

Twilight and the others appeared inside of the throne room of Canterlot Castle as they rushed over to the thrones. “Princess Celestia! Princess Luna! We have a problem!”

“Twilight? What is it, and what are those shattered crystals?” Celestia said with concern as she and Luna rose from their thrones and flew down to them.

“The Umbrum. They destroyed the Elements of Harmony.” Twilight replied as they gasped.

“How is this possible?” Luna demanded. “Tell us everything that happened while you were gone.”

“The Umbrum were really friendly with us when we stepped into the shadow Prison and there was one Umbrum named Rabia who was Radiant Hope’s friend and greeted us and even gave us a full tour of not only where they were imprisoned, but their city Umbrumtopia. She even introduced us to Queen Melinoe, who’s the Queen of the Umbrum, and when we told her of our decision to free them, she hosted a gala in her castle that was only a few minutes and we went up to the entrance to use the Elements of Harmony so that we could free them. Once we freed them, they turned evil and attacked us and destroyed the Elements and then Discord showed up but Melinoe used her magic to block his and Starlight’s powers, so here we are.” Pinkie explained in a single breath at a high rate of speed as she gasped for air.

“Unfortunately Pinkie’s right.” Discord nodded in agreement as he snapped his fingers. “Melinoe blocked my magic, so it doesn’t work.”

“Same here.” Starlight nodded as she tried to light her horn, only for no magical aura to form.

Celestia observed the shattered remains of the Elements of Harmony as a serious expression washed over her features, showing her readiness to take action. “Guard!”

A castle guard rushed into the throne room and came to a top in front of her and bowed. “What is it, your highness?”

“Write a letter to Cadence and Shining Armor and warn them about the Umbrum. They have returned.”

“Yes, your highness!” he saluted as he galloped out of the throne room.

“As for the rest of you, you must return to Ponyville and prepare for an attack should one happen.” said Luna. “We cannot take any chances. Without our most powerful means of defense, the risk of Equestria being taken over by the Umbrum is much higher than the last time.”

“I’ll do everything I can do to find something that can stop the Umbrum.” said Twilight as she lit up her horn and teleported her companions to Ponyville.

Once they were gone, Celestia let out a sigh and lowered her head. “I should have never agreed to letting them go to the Shadow Prison.”

“Your guilt is understandable, sister, but now isn’t the time to dwell on that,” said Luna. “We must prepare the royal guard for what could be a violent war with the Umbrum.”

The sun princess nodded. “You're right, Luna.”

And with that, they walked out of the throne room with determined looks, determined to not let the return of the Umbrum end all of Equestria forever.

To be continued…

Author's Note

I’ve had more time to make this chapter due to the snow days I’ve been having here in Loudoun County, Virginia, which has boosted my passion for my determination for making this story. What do you think of this chapter so far? As all of you know, the sports stadium, park, and city were not in MLP comic issue number 36, but I thought it would be nice to make it seem like the Umbrum made themselves at home in the Shadow Prison. My OC for this story, Queen Melinoe has now been introduced to the series. She’ll be a pretty evil foe to deal with, but it’s nothing the Mane 6 can’t handle.

I hope you liked this chapter, and I look forward to making more in the future!