My Little Pony: Sora's Misadventures in Equestria

by xinbra

Sora is sent into the land of Equestria after his failure at the Mark of Mastery. Along the way, he will face all sorts of challenges coming towards Equestria. Credit goes to Codex92.

241. Chapter 241

The Scars Darkness Leaves Behind

Sombra gawked at his beloved princess in stunned disbelief. Standing before him, using her magic to weave her form into her "costume" for Nightmare Night, was the mare she became when the darkness of her loneliness and anger unraveled and changed her for the worst. He didn't understand the concept of the spooky holiday, especially when it was once "celebrated" as a night of terrors to spook other ponies while also receiving candy from their neighbors while dressed in all sorts of costumes. Though "Nightmare Moon" wasn't menacing, just seeing her in this form pained his heart despite her assurances she embraced the holiday as a night of scary fun.

"Well, 'peasant', does mine image not instill fear in your heart?" Luna said, her voice changing to sound just like her Heartless persona with a sinister giggle.

"...I still do not see why you...enjoy a holiday that's meant as a reminder of your downfall as a benevolent ruler," Sombra mumbled.

"I thought it as rude as well when I first celebrated it, but when I learned that it was all in good fun, it's not so bad," Luna said, dispelling the spell modulating her voice to break out of character. "I wish to surprise Ponyville with my presence again. And you'll meet my adoring subject who claimed I am his favorite princess."

"Ah, yes. The colt I mistook for another suitor," Sombra sighed.

"It will be far more enjoyable than suffering through mine and Tia's arguments on our small vacation," Luna assured. "You've been stuck inside the castle since then."

"Only to avoid the public seeing my face and instilling a panic," Sombra said. "Does fear not bring the darkness? And what of Nightmare Night with its 'fun-filled scares'?"

Luna grimaced, biting her bottom lip anxiously. "...There were a couple moments when the Heartless struck...but I believe tonight will not be so dangerous in that regard." Sombra didn't feel so sure about being out in public. Their vacation was a much different reason because Celestia and Luna definitely needed one to kick off items on their bucket list, which nearly ended in disaster when they started arguing and Celestia took over most of the activities. "I even thought of a perfect costume for you to try on and join in the festivities with me."

Pulling out her future husband's costume, Sombra stared at the outfit with some concern. It was a fake suit of armor of blue and black, matching the Nightmare Night illusion Luna wore. It looked like a royal suit of armor, which would make him look like Nightmare Moon's right-hoof guard, or even her king despite their difference in height. There was even a crescent moon insignia on the chest shrouded with dark clouds.

"...Uhh...That is...interesting?" Sombra said.

"Go ahead and try it on!" Luna excitedly said, practically flinging the costume at the stallion. "I even have an extra pair of fake fangs to make you look more menacing!"

"Dear, I'd rather not appear more of a menace than the Heartless who took over my heart made me," Sombra groaned. As he looked over the fake armor, when he glanced back at his future wife, "Nightmare Moon" had crouched low and gazed up at him with a sad pout. It was unnerving to see someone as terrifying as the Mare in the Moon to have such a timid, pleading expression, but the childlike begging with his beloved eyes breaching through her evil façade waned on his will, and broke him as he let out a long, heavy sigh. "...Just as long as nopony else thinks I've 'returned' to cause trouble."

Luna squealed, snatching Sombra and held him in a bone-crushing hug. "Oh, thank you, my love! We will have so much fun tonight! And we shall give the foals a fright and accept their offering to appease the Mare in the Moon!" Releasing the limp unicorn, Luna giggled and skipped out of their room. "I shall wait for you outside when you're dressed!"

Sombra sat up, cracking his spine with a sigh. "The things I do for my princess," he mumbled to himself, unable to hide his smile. He laughed at how silly it was to see Nightmare Moon prancing and skipping like a filly who was happy to get a new toy. It was impressive how Luna was more than a thousand years old, yet she still has the youth of a mare barely in her prime with the personality of a teenager or slightly younger. Giving the outfit another once-over, Sombra let out another sigh and began to undress out of his normal attire. "I truly hope nothing awry happens this evening."

The sun was beginning to set, the eve of spooks and scares back for another year to celebrate. Everyone has their creepy decorations set up around their homes and the streets of Ponyville, getting themselves suited in their costumes this year to enjoy the night. Classes at the School of Friendship ended early for the students to enjoy the festivities and get themselves ready to dress up and show off their costumes to everyone, whether they be creepy and terrifying or innocent and pretty.

"IT'S HALLOWEEN!" Sora cheered, swooping around the throne room where he and the rest of his friends gathered. Laughing, he landed on the crystal map, dressed in his favorite costume he fashioned from his Halloween Town outfit for the umpteenth time. "Can't compare to Christmas, but it's a close second! Who's ready for creepy crawlies and endless sweets to give us cavities!?"

"You're wearing that again?" Riku questioned. Sora leered at his friend, who was dressed as a vampire, wearing a pair of fake fangs and his mane slicked back to make his costume more regally sinister. "Can't you come up with anything original anymore?"

"Hmph. Never doubt the best costume that can never be beat," Sora scoffed.

"Yeah! This is Sora's go-to Nightmare Night costume for chapters like this!" Pinkie stated.

"What Pinkie said," Sora said, sticking his tongue out at Riku.

Around him, the others were dressed in their costumes, the pegasus back at home enjoying her Nightmare Night staying inside with her animal friends. Twilight had a similar vampiric costume like Riku, Pinkie was a clown, Rarity dressed like an alternate version of Nightmare Moon in her own image, Applejack was coated in silver body paint with a metallic chassis around her barrel and a metal funnel on her head to make her look like a tin pony, Rainbow Dash was dressed like a pirate. Fluttershy was among then and was willing to try to enjoy Nightmare Night again, accompanied by Discord and Dizzy. She was a chimera with her as the tiger head, and Discord and Dizzy were merged with her as the goat head and snake tail respectively. As weird as it was to see Fluttershy look almost like a real chimera with the draconequui's heads joining as part of the "costume", everyone was a little concerned wondering where Discord and Dizzy had been ever since Sombra's attack.

Donald and Goofy took inspiration from Sora's outfit and dressed themselves in their blended "disguises" from Halloween Town, though less monstrous and realistically creepy as a Frankenstein's monster and a mummy. Terra was a knight, bearing silver armor with a fake sword and shield attached to his back and hip. Aqua was a wizard, donning similar blue robes like that of Yen Sid's, though her hat she wore was more akin to a witch's hat with the top bent back at an angle. Ventus wore a green vest, wearing a bandanna of a similar color around his head with a pair of fake daggers resting at his hips. Xion had a pair of fake butterfly wings with a flowing white dress and a flowery wreath on her head, dressed like a fairy. Lea was dressed like a demon with fake, curved horns sticking out of his mane and a ragged black and red robe along with some face paint to make him look more menacing. And Kairi decided to go as a living ragdoll with painted scars along her limbs with every other segment tinted a slightly darker or lighter shade of pink, taking inspiration from Jack Skellington's girlfriend, Sally.

"Maybe he couldn't come up with a better costume idea because he's been so busy," Discord remarked. "Can't compare to the originality of our 'costume', eh, Fluttershy?"

"I can't believe you managed to convince Fluttershy to hang out with us on Nightmare Night again when she tried a couple years ago," Ventus said.

"Perhaps it's because Discord's the scariest out of any fictional monster, and literally turning into a chimera with those other two heads is far more disturbing than terrifying," Lea said.

"I do feel safer with Discord around, but I believe with my grown confidence, I'm willing to give Nightmare Night another chance," Fluttershy said.

"Too bad Discord made Fluttershy the one in charge of moving the entire body while we're just the heads," Dizzy commented, sighing heavily in boredom. "Why can't I do any snake things as the tail!?"

"Because I said so," Discord said.

Dizzy blew a raspberry at Discord, who in turn did the same, their childish tiff ended with Fluttershy gently nudging their heads away. "That's enough of that," she chided.

"Yes, dear," Discord mumbled.

"Simp," Dizzy snickered.

Discord turned to leer at the smaller draconequus head. "Alright, enough of your brotherly bickering," Aqua scolded.

"You're all being nice to him because he's the younger innocence of my heart!" Discord whined.

"At least he isn't too miffed at Sora anymore after..." Twilight paused as she glanced at Sora, who flapped off the table to join Kairi. Even though Discord had forgiven Sora for his furious outburst months ago, after not hearing anything from him for a while, they were all concerned if he was still upset about that incident. It was also a time no one wanted to be reminded of how serious Sora could get when his anger was pushed far past its tipping point. "Well, just as long as Discord doesn't go back to his old chaotic nature."

"Alright, if Sora's finally gotten his excitement for the holiday out of his system, we've got to be ready for the crystal ponies planning to visit Ponyville for the festivities," Terra announced. "After getting some time to adjust to the present era, Cadence and Shining Armor think it's enough for them to learn about the current holidays in Equestria."

"We're each going to chaperone a pair and guide them around to enjoy the festivities," Aqua added. "And considering they had gone through a horrible experience with a certain 'monster', we don't want them to be too terrified to come back or celebrate the holiday within their own kingdom. Which means no random lightning bolt jump scares, Rainbow Dash."

"Pth. I grew out of dumb Nightmare Night pranks like that," Rainbow scoffed.

"I think a good one would have been when we stopped your random pranking spree that got on everyone's nerves when we countered your messy rainbow cookie prank by making them turn us into zombies," Sora reminded Rainbow with an impish grin. She frowned, grimacing slightly after having a heart attack thinking her prank could have caused an apocalypse of cookie-starved ponies. Teasing her more, Sora uttered a low groan, staring blankly with his hooves raised out toward the pegasus. "Coooooookieeeeeees. Giiiiive meeeee cooooookieeeeeeees."

Everyone else laughed while Rainbow huffed, crossing her hooves bitterly. "Ok, ok, I got the lesson already. That still scared the hay out of me."

After poking fun at Rainbow Dash, the doors to the throne room opened, and in ran a foal wearing a black coat, and in their hooves, flung a pair of plastic discs in the crowd. They flew and smacked into Lea, startling him as all eyes were on the "assailant". Standing on their hind legs, the foal removed the hood veiling his face, revealing Axle Beam, but his hair was painted red and spiked up and back similar to Lea's. He grinned and waved at Lea, losing his balance and flopping over on his rump, still working on trying to be just like his role model/father figure, especially with his choice of costume for Nightmare Night.

"Hey, I've got a little mini me!" Lea laughed. He picked up the discs, which were meant to be his chakrams, but though it was only a rounded frisbee, the hoof-drawn shape of his fiery weapons were slightly sloppy, but very closely detailed. He walked around to join the colt, humming curiously as he judged his future step-son's costume. "Not bad. Grow your hair out a little more, and we've got a perfect lookalike, bud."

I couldn't wait to show you what I wanted to dress up as; my favorite hero and new, awesome dad!* Axle signed with a wide grin.

Lea laughed, proud and amused as he ruffled the colt's dyed and spiked back mane. "You didn't tell your mom what you've been calling me yet, have you?" he asked, which was answered with a shake of Axle's head. "Good. Save that surprise when the time comes." Placing the colt's "chakrams" on his back, Lea set him on his back. "Hopefully you don't mind one missing body for the crystal ponies coming down to enjoy the holiday. Sweety's got a bake stand in town selling some delicious pumpkin cookies and I promised I'd take Axle trick-or-treating while she was busy with hungry ponies."

"Figured," Aqua muttered, rolling her eyes with a small laugh as she expected Lea to play hooky again. "There are plenty of us to watch over the crystal ponies tonight. Just don't have too much fun."

"Yes, ma'am!" Lea said with a mock salute, Axle mimicking him before they bolted out of the castle to get a head start on their candy hunt.

"Should be about time for the train from the Crystal Empire to arrive," Terra said. "Let's go out and meet our guests."

With all in agreement, they filed out of the castle and made their way to the train station. "It's too bad Shining, Cadence, and Flurry couldn't join them," Riku mumbled.

"Were you curious to see what silly costume they'd put Flurry in?" Twilight asked with a smirk.

"My best bet would be a pumpkin," Riku said.

Twilight giggled, imagining how adorable Flurry Heart would be dressed up in a round and plump pumpkin costume.

Sombra felt uncomfortable in his costume as he and Luna were riding in the Princess of the Night's chariot, pulled by a pair of her thestral night guards. It wasn't the fact that the fake armor was the issue with the softer padding on the inside while the design of it was made to look realistic. Nor was it the fake plastic fangs Luna wanted him to put on to match with her illusion as Nightmare Moon by being a "willing" follower of her nightly rule. If anyone were to recognize him by his face and be fearful of him and not pretend to be, he wasn't sure if he would be accepted by the public. He didn't want Luna to be heartbroken again by her ponies' negative judgements toward her, but he also didn't want to stir a panic or, at worse, a riot revolving him and the history his darkness brought upon the world.

Ponyville was in sight as the thestral guards swooped down and landed in the middle of the town, their presence now known to all of the ponies out and about in their costumes. Putting on a wicked grin for her audience, "Nightmare Moon" stepped out of her dark blue and black chariot, flaring out her wings as the crowd eyed her with fear.

"Bow before me, my subjects of the night!" she announced. "Your princess has arrived! And we shall make this night last! FOREVER!"

She cackled maniacally as she used her magic to create loud thunderclaps to emphasize her power. Sombra winced as at each bolt, cautiously stepping off the chariot, waiting for screams of terror at his beloved's presence as her Heartless persona. Instead, after her performance, many of the ponies cheered, all of them happy to see the princess again. Baffled, Sombra stared at the ponies praising her. Even when he looked at the two guards who escorted them, they were just casually remarking how well this year's night was going to be and mentioned the near disaster that happened the first year Luna celebrated Nightmare Night.

"...They...do not fear this side of you anymore?" Sombra uttered.

"Oh, they do, lest I gobble up a poor colt or filly who do not offer me enough 'tribute'," Luna replied with an excited giggle.

"Princess Luna! You're here!" Running through the crowd was Luna's most admirable subject, the small white and brown splotched colt, Pipsqueak. This year, the colt from Trottingham was dressed up as one of Luna's night guards, bearing the same dark purple and blue chest plate, helmet, and boots. He skid to a halt, with a little more grace than his first Nightmare Night in Ponyville a few years ago, looking up at his favorite princess with a salute. "Loyal Lunar Guard Captain Pipsqueak at your service, Your Highness!"

"Ah. My most loyal subject," Luna tittered. "But, sadly, I have already chosen a captain for my guard to accompany me this evening."

She gestured to Sombra, the colt tilting his head and glanced at the stallion curiously. Sombra grinned sheepishly, giving Pipsqueak a nervous wave.

"Huh? Who's he?" Pipsqueak asked curiously. Stepping closer, he eyed Sombra, making the stallion more worried than ever. He knew his Heartless took over Ponyville and brainwashed every pony living here to follow his orders, and one of them was probably this colt as well. Squinting his eyes, Pipsqueak let out a startled gasp, making Sombra panic. "Oh! I knew I forgot something important for my costume!"

"...Err...I beg pardon?" Sombra questioned.

"How am I supposed to be Nightmare Moon's loyal guard if I forgot about my teeth!?" Pipsqueak lamented. Sombra let out a heavy sigh, both in relief and exasperation for the sudden scare.

"How about, instead, you can be one of my lieutenants?" Luna suggested. "You can patrol the town and make sure to inform everypony to pay their tribute in candy unless they wish to be 'gobbled up' by me."

"Really?" the colt asked.

"And if thou dost a splendid job, thou may reap a portion of our tribute for thine efforts," Luna said with a dark chuckle.

Excited, Pipsqueak stood back at attention before the princess and saluted again. "Royal Lunar Guard Lieutenant Pipsqueak hears and obeys your command, my princess!"

"At ease, my minion," Luna said. Pipsqueak immediately relaxed, then ran up to hug Luna's foreleg, earning a pat on the head before he let go of her. "Dismissed."

The colt saluted again, then turned about-face and began marching off to begin his "patrol". "Well, he has the enthusiasm of a loyal follower, at least," Sombra said. "Are you sure the colt doesn't have a crush on you?"

"Perhaps he does, but I think he'll grow out of it one day," Luna said.

"Not if he's that into his role as your 'lieutenant'," Sombra pointed out.

"Oh? Is that a hint of jealousy, love?" the princess asked with a mirthful grin.

"I'm just grateful he did not notice who I was, or what 'I' have done to this town," Sombra said.

"That was not you, and if anypony were to say otherwise, I would defend your honor with my life," Luna insisted.

"I do not wish for you to throw all that away for my sake," he argued. "You had only received yours again upon your return from the demon you're masquerading as. I would rather be hated by everypony than to have others be spiteful toward you for defending somepony who was once a monster."

The couple stood in silence. They did not want to start a scene, especially as ponies were excited to see Luna visiting them this year again. She knew everyone in Ponyville had heard and seen how much pain she put herself through by creating the Tantabus, reminding her of what she had done and how much she hurt others. But the creature of her own misery caused more harm as she blamed herself for trying to make things right, almost letting it escape into the waking world to cause more pain. They had even witnessed Sombra's return as a Dream Eater, stopping the Tantabus while everyone else could not altogether, instilling her the hope she thought she'd never achieve again and the forgiveness she deserved when she felt she shouldn't. Luna was seeing in Sombra what she had experienced with the Tantabus, and his darkness bringing fear and pain to Ponyville felt like it was his fault for that happening, even though it was brought out by her uncle a thousand years ago. At first, a curse to make them miserable, but a blessing in disguise where their future would be much more brighter than the time period they once lived in.

Kneeling down to his height, Luna looked her beloved in the eyes. "Sombra, the past does not define us anymore," she said. "When I created the Tantabus, I was hurting myself for what I have done. I felt I deserved to be punished for something that wasn't in my control, but you saved everypony when you came back to me as a Dream Eater. Though others had forgiven me, I was afraid you wouldn't."

"There was nothing to forgive you for," Sombra said. "I don't want you to be upset ever again."

"And I do not wish for you to go through the same self-doubts I had and think that the world still hates you for what you became; against your will," Luna said. "Even when that Heartless came back, Ponyville had witnessed your presence in that combined dream. In all the dreams you traversed with me and our adorable Dream Eater companions throughout all of Equestria. They see the Sombra I know and love." Sombra's ears drooped slightly, knowing he's done as much as he could as a Spirit for Luna to help and repent for his darkness' crimes. He didn't expect the roles to be reversed, putting himself down for his past, and needing a pep talk from his lover to assure him he wasn't at fault. Luna just wanted him to have a good time and enjoy the evening without any worries or fears, ironically during a holiday where fears were the highlight of the event. "Kairi's words come to me when she and Sora shared their vows at their wedding; you protected me, but now, it is I who will protect you."

Stunned, Sombra stared at his princess. Back then, he felt wholly responsible as a stallion to protect his mare from anything. He knew that times were far different than what he knew more than one thousand years ago, but regardless of the time period, chivalry was still important as a former guard. Luna was much stronger than she seemed, and it showed when they fought hostile Dream Eaters in ponies' dreams; far stronger than she was just as a normal princess. Despite the role that he felt should be permanently ingrained in any stallion, without Luna in his life, he didn't know how he would have been able to move on. He trusted in her with all his heart as she had in him back then and when they reunited.

Sighing, he gave her a small smile. "Let us hope our vows don't plagiarize Sora or Kairi's when our wedding comes," he said.

"Oh, there are far more words I've wanted to say that are not similar word for word from another's mouth," Luna said. Seeing her words reached him, she leaned forward, planting her lips against Sombra's, the couple sharing a make-up kiss. Ignoring onlookers watching the lunar princess kissing her fiancé, their kiss ended abruptly with how oddly it felt with their fake fangs. They both laughed awkwardly after separating. "Perhaps we lock lips without these plastic mandibles interfering."

"Agreed," Sombra said. "So, what shall we partake in first?"

"Let's see if they have the pumpkins ready to be launched!" Luna fluttered off, using her magic to drag Sombra along with her with a startled yelp.

"D-Dear, you know I can walk!" Sombra called out, trying to keep up with his hooves as she led him to the different Nightmare Night games in town.

The train had arrived at its destination in Ponyville, dropping off its passengers returning home or taking part in the festival for Nightmare Night. Among them were a few of the crystal ponies who volunteered to leave the safety of their kingdom to learn and enjoy the one night of the year full of spooks and scares. Many of them were curious about some of the other ponies dressed up in different costumes on the ride over, though one pair were slightly wary. An elder stallion with aged white hair tied in a short ponytail, a bushy mustache, and had pale yellow fur. He wore a green and yellow tunic, and for his age, he was quite fit as he had the build of a soldier despite his more slender frame. And huddled beside him as they disembarked with a young filly wearing a similar tunic as the stallion's, but blue. Her fur was a brighter shade of yellow, and her mane was blonde, tied back in a ponytail with a pink ribbon, and even her tail sported a similar ribbon at her dock.

"What is the purpose of all these ponies in these...'outfits' again?" the stallion muttered to himself.

"Some of them are a little scary," the filly uttered, then noticed some other foals who were dressed in not-so-scary outfits.

"Ahh! Look! The Warrior of Light!" one of the crystal pony mares squealed, pointing out to the arriving wielders and Element bearers, recognizing Sora's spiky mane while dressed in his hoofmade Halloween Town costume.

The filly smiled at the mention of their kingdom's hero, forgetting her fears and ran forward to see him in person. The stallion smirked and followed her before he lost sight of her, though when he caught sight of their outfits, the confusion he felt came back. All of them were dressed like monsters or some other fairy tale creature, yet the reason why on this specific night throughout Equestria was eluded to him and the other crystal ponies.

"Welcome to Ponyville, ponies of the Crystal Empire!" Sora announced. "And welcome to your very first Nightmare Night; a holiday where sweets and scares are the ideal fun for the evening!"

One of the ponies raised their hooves. "Uhh, what's with the...'clothes' you're all wearing?"

"These are costumes," Sora explained. "That's also the fun of Nightmare Night. You get to dress up as whoever or whatever you want to be, whether it's creepy and terrifying-" He hovered off the ground, posing menacingly with a hiss, showing off the fake fangs he had in his mouth. "-or something pretty and not as scary." Dropping down, he emphasized Xion's and Terra's costumes among the group's. Growing curious of all the different costumes everyone was wearing, the crystal ponies got an understanding of what they were meant to be. "If anyone's interested in playing dress up to join along, you're welcome to. It can be a mask, some face paint, whatever you feel you want to be. After learning about all your customs and special celebrations in the Crystal Empire, this is a good opportunity for you to learn about the other pony holidays you missed since your kingdom was lost in the shadows for a thousand years."

"And there's more to the costumes," Aqua added. Waving a hoof out to the town, the crystal ponies noticed the other ponies going about, moving from stall to stall and getting in line for some of the many different games or attractions set up for the public. "We've got all sorts of games, spooky snacks, and for the foals who are present, there's also trick-or-treating, where you can go door to door and get a lot of candy."

The younger ponies present seemed to light up in excitement at the prospect of getting free candy just by going up to a stranger's house. Already, the ideal behind Nightmare Night roused the crystal ponies and got them eager. All except for the elder stallion, who still thought the holiday sounded preposterous. He was the eldest of all the volunteers, though he had to go to chaperone his grandfilly when she seemed eager to see Equestria beyond their borders.

The group gathered in pairs, accompanying two or three crystal ponies with them to explore and, if they so wished, get themselves dressed in a costume to join the rest of the town. As the groups dispersed, Sora and Kairi were left with the stallion and his granddaughter as the lucky duo who would accompany the Warrior of Light and his wife.

"At least there's a silver lining to leaving the empire," the stallion said. He approached Sora, holding his hoof out to the pegasus. "It's an honor to personally meet you, Warrior of Light."

"I think I get enough praise and greetings anytime I visit the Crystal Empire," Sora chuckled, but he shook the stallion's hoof. "And you can just call me Sora. No formalities necessary."

"Please. You did us a favor saving us from our fate," the stallion said. "I am Galuf, former captain of the Crystal Guard. And this is my grandfoal, Krile."

"'Former'? I don't think I saw you working any of the rounds when I was there the last few times," Sora said, never seeing this stallion before.

"...I was forced to retire much earlier than intended," Galuf uttered, subtly glancing down to the filly staring at Kairi's painted scars.

Noticing the older stallion's gaze, Sora looked at Krile, taking the hint. "...I see...Did...something happen?"

Galuf grunted, frowning in anger, though he kept his composure. "Some say I should be lucky that I was not on patrol the day Sombra decided to turn to such malice," he said. "I wish that spell he cast on us all when we were lost to the shadows with him remained after the Crystal Heart was brought back to us...What that monster did? No remorse for slaughtering so many good soldiers...For murdering our queen."

Shocked, Sora didn't think any of the crystal ponies recalled who their former ruler was. From Sombra's final journal entry and Spike mentioning him speaking directly to the lingering spirit of the queen of the Crystal Empire, not a single resident within that barrier knew of her existence. And from the way Galuf glowered with disdain for what Sombra did, especially his return to attack and take back the Crystal Empire again, Sora was nervous to see the former captain learn that the real Sombra was back and no longer a threat to their kingdom or the world.

"...You...remember the queen?" Sora uttered, unsure if they should speak openly about Queen Amore around Krile or the other crystal ponies.

"I seem to be the only one," Galuf confirmed. "When our memories returned, nopony remembered our queen and the sacrifices she made for us. Not even her disappearance. Though, 'disappearing' sounds far better than the alternative he chose." Grumbling to himself, Galuf rubbed his head, bitter and disappointed. "And to think I gave that unicorn a chance to join our ranks. He held such promise, but then he had to stab us in the back with that kind of power."

"Wait, you're saying you trained Sombra?" Sora asked, completely blown away by this revelation.

"More than that; I even found and took him to the empire when he was a colt and left orphaned out in the freezing snow," Galuf added. "I didn't adopt him, but if I had, I would be a broken stallion to see him grow into that tyrant who threatened to destroy the safety our queen granted us lesser earth ponies." Galuf lifted one of his hooves, then stomped down, forming a small crystal spire to appear in front of him, shocking Sora. He'd seen Sombra do this when he forged his crystal broadswords, but he thought it was the result of his magic as a unicorn. Galuf reached his hoof out to the top of the crystal, which shattered and formed into a small dagger. "I taught that colt everything during basic training. Not many crystal ponies have the privilege to wield the power crystals bear. Her Majesty entrusted me with a unique spell for all the hard work I've done to help make her dream for us crystal ponies to be freed from the harshness of the world; from the other ponies' nonsensical battle for land in a wasteland of their own making...Perhaps, this was why my memories were fully restored; her blessing she left to me and leaving a burden that I will gladly shoulder alone."

Galuf gazed at Sora, his words holding true just from the heavy weight only left on the older stallion. It would be better if the crystal ponies did not know of their former ruler who was slain by a darkness-controlled Sombra, otherwise their peace and happiness would be tarnished, thus leaving the Crystal Heart to be left without their light to continue protecting themselves from the harsh cold of the north and threats beyond its barrier. Galuf even had a vendetta against Sombra, and no amount of persuasion was going to change his mind. His home was nearly destroyed by the stallion who he risked his own life to rescue, and the loss of his comrades and queen had steeled that mindset until his day comes.

Galuf turned the small knife into crystal dust, the particles seeping back into the earth. "...W-Well, I...guess you don't have to worry...too much about him anymore," Sora said with a nervous laugh. He turned around, grimacing awkwardly, praying Luna didn't decide to come to Ponyville to celebrate and drag Sombra with her this year. Focusing on trying to bring Galuf and his granddaughter a fun night to remember, he approached Krile and Kairi, the filly distracted by all the details of the Princess of Heart's costume. "Guess that guy must have been on leave for a long while after returning."

"What's wrong?" Kairi asked.

"I'll...tell you later," Sora uttered, subtly gesturing to Krile with a wing.

"Oh," she mumbled, getting the hint that whatever it was both stallions talked about must have been sensitive.

"Umm, miss?" Krile said, getting Kairi's attention. "What are you supposed to be?"

"I'm dressed as a patched up rag doll," she said, then laughed as she wore a cheeky grin, leaning over toward Sora. "I get a little roughed up when my husband 'plays' with me too much."

Flustered, Sora stammered at the sly, subtle phrasing, though it flew over the filly's head when she stared at the couple in awe. "You're married to Mr. Warrior of Light? Wow. You're so lucky."

"Oh, I'm not the only lucky one," Kairi agreed.

"Try telling that to the other mares who still think they have a shot with me," Sora mumbled.

"...Can I 'dress up', too?" Krile asked. "For this...Nightmare Night party?"

"Why, of course!" Kairi said. "Any idea what you want to be?"

"Can I be...a kitty?" Krile asked.

"Ooh. That's a good choice," the alicorn said. "Let's get you all kitty-fied and get us some candy!"

"Yay!" Krile cheered. "Grandpa, I'm gonna be a kitty!"

"Yes, I heard, sweetheart," Galuf said with a small chuckle, watching his granddaughter skip alongside Kairi as she guided her to get her her costume.

"You want to join in?" Sora asked.

"I'll just observe and learn this holiday at a distance," Galuf said. "I feel a bit too old to be asking for sweets from random ponies."

"Hey, you're never too old to have fun, right?" Sora asked with a grin.

Galuf shrugged, moving along to catch up with Krile and Kairi. Sora followed behind, concerned by the older soldier and what he would do if he ever caught wind of Sombra's presence.

Luna cheered as she landed another pumpkin from her catapult on the target with perfect accuracy. Sombra was on a losing streak, just barely missing his targets or sailing it too far or too short. He was never good with long-ranged weaponry, especially with the spears for the jousting competition during the Crystal Fair. Though he lost to his beloved princess, he did admit that it was kind of fun being outside the castle and enjoying himself. And no one was wary of his appearance, costume or no.

As night settled in, lights of orange, purple, and white lit up the buildings, emphasizing the spooky atmosphere for the holidays. Fillies and colts ran about, carrying buckets or sacks as they raced to the next house, chanting the popular phrase to the awaiting ponies for some delicious sweets. There were also stands set up around with other confectionaries, from pastries to beverages, all of them themed to be as spooky as Nightmare Night can be.

Sombra sipped on some punch, taking a breather from the fun games and activities while Luna interacted with her subjects. "Hey, Sombra!" Turning around, Sombra noticed Lea and Axle Beam approaching him, though their costumes perturbed the stallion. Lea looked like a strange abomination of a demonic unicorn, while his charge was dressed as Lea. "I didn't expect you to be here!"

"...Err, you are...Lea, yes?" Sombra asked. "It has been a while."

"Yup. What're you dressed up as?" Lea asked.

"...Nightmare Moon's loyal soldier," he answered. "Not my idea; it was Luna's."

"Ah. Weirdly fitting since you two are a thing now." Sombra just sighed, gulping down the last of his drink. "I think everyone else is gonna be surprised to find you here."

"Admittedly, it is much better being out of the castle for a while," Sombra said. He glanced down at Axle, who was going through his bag of candy from all the houses they hit so far. "...Is this colt supposed to be...you?"

"Yeah. The resemblance is uncanny, huh?" Axle looked up at Lea, nodding his head, then put his sack of sweets down and grabbed his "chakrams". Standing on his hind legs, he held them similarly to how Lea would if he were bipedal, but he quickly lost his balance and fell over on his back. "He's kinda copied some of my mannerisms if I was a human. He's got my stance almost perfectly. Minus the balancing."

"Heh. Adorable," Sombra commented. Lea helped Axle back on his hooves, who blew a raspberry, almost managing to stay upright on two legs longer than last time. "Practice does make perfect. Takes much effort to achieve what may sound impossible."

Axle nodded his head, taking the lesson to heart. "He's a smart kid. I think he might be able to pull off switching between two and four legs in a few years if he wants to be like me. Better looking up to me as a father figure than his real dad." Axle frowned and stomped his hooves, blowing another raspberry bitterly. "Hey, language, mister! Your mom hears that, she's gonna chew me out for teaching you that!...Which I absolutely did not."

"But...he said nothing," Sombra stated.

"Axle's mute," Lea explained, startling Sombra.

"...Oh. My apologies," he mumbled.

"Ah, it's fine," Lea assured, Axle even giving the black-furred unicorn a shrug in response. As he looked around, he spotted some of his friends leading some of the crystal ponies around. Grimacing, just remembering that the crystal ponies were present to learn about Nightmare Night, if any of them notice Sombra, they were really in for a fright. "Oh, crap, that's right."

"What is it?" Sombra asked.

Shifting his eyes, he was thankful no one noticed Sombra. At least not yet.

"Uhh, is there a helmet to go with that fancy suit of armor?" Lea questioned.

"Why? Luna did not include one with this," Sombra said.

Wincing, Lea quickly looked down at Axle. "Uhh, why don't you go join the other colts and fillies for the Nightmare Night tale, bud? I think that's gonna start soon." Confused, Axle looked at Lea, then to Sombra. Lea nudged him over toward the group of fillies and colts who were gathering around Zecora, who was already regaling the horrifying tale of Nightmare Moon and the made up legend about her. "Go on. I'll catch up. I just gotta...talk to Sombra."

Reluctantly, Axle began to walk toward the group, glancing back at him before hurrying off. "Why do you not wish for him to hear our 'discussion'?"

Lea surrounded Sombra in his magic, teleporting both of them behind one of the houses, away from prying ears and wide eyes. "Ok, I completely forgot while having fun trick-or-treating with Axle, and I had no clue you would actually be here with Luna tonight."

"Will you just explain what is the matter instead of delaying whatever it is you're concerned about!?" Sombra exclaimed.

"...The others at this moment are busy guiding some volunteers from the Crystal Empire to enjoy Nightmare Night tonight," Lea finally said, giving Sombra a sheepish grin. Sombra's face drooped, eyes widened in shock. "Heh. We've had this planned for a while, and...no one else seems to know you're here."

"Crystal ponies are in Ponyville?" Perturbed, Sombra poked his head around the corner of the house they were behind, his blood running cold when he spotted a few residents from the Crystal Empire partaking in some of the games nearby or trying some of the sweets at a visible vendor's stall. Gulping nervously, Sombra hid behind the house, now regretting coming out to enjoy Nightmare Night with Luna. "This is not good. If any of them see me, they will spark a panic and bring Heartless to attack the town."

"Uhh, I know this is bad and all, but aren't you exaggerating just a tiny bit?" Lea questioned.

"Lea, do you have any idea what damage this can cause to those ponies if they so much as get a hint of my existence after hearing I was destroyed by Sora's power of light!?" Sombra exclaimed, grabbing Lea's shoulders and shook him. "They will remain in fear and refuse to leave the empire! What's worse, their hearts will no longer be filled with light or happiness to give the Crystal Heart the power to protect the kingdom! That fear will spread and Heartless will surround the weakened barrier until it shatters, dooming the entire kingdom!"

"Ok! I see your point!" Lea said, grabbing Sombra's hooves and removing them from him. "I know none of us want that, but so far, no one seems to recognize you. And, you are in a costume, so they'll think you're just some random pony who's joined into town to enjoy the holiday, and you have a striking resemblance to yourself."

"No, you do not understand," Sombra uttered. "What my evil persona had done to those ponies...It was horrible. He enslaved those ponies. He cast a curse on them to strike fear into their hearts, and even erased any memory of the benevolent queen who spared them all from the horrible fate the earth ponies had before Equestria was ever founded. I'd call it a blessing in disguise, but for them to be mistreated by a unicorn and slaughtered Queen Amore and the unfortunate soldiers who got in my dark side's path..." Sombra hung his head, riddled with the overwhelming guilt he was burdened to bear; the mistake of entrusting the words of Luna's uncle to turn him into a monster, even though these actions would lead to both of them to be far more happier in the future. "...To know I shed blood on the kingdom who granted me shelter and raised as a crystal pony among them...It may not have been the real me, but that blood had been stained by my hooves..."

"Maybe if we can explain to everyone that that pony wasn't you, they might forgive you," Lea suggested, but Sombra shook his head.

"They will never forgive me," he said. "The moment they see my face, they look in my eyes, all I would see would be terror and dread if I were ever in their presence." As Sombra grit his teeth, he grumbled at the fake fangs in his mouth, spitting them out in his hoof. He stared at the fake teeth, seeing an image of Heartless Sombra bearing a dark, toothy grin, gazing menacingly as the tyrant who lived to hurt others and seek power to establish his dominance. "No amount of time will erase the horrid acts he had committed. That will linger within their hearts for all eternity. And knowing I still exist, freed from my darkness or not, that fear will keep the barrier from functioning, and the peace the Crystal Empire had will be lost forever. I will not bring the kingdom to ruin again." Sighing, Sombra ran a hoof through his mane. "I need to find Luna and call our night early before I bring anymore fear to these ponies."

Suddenly popping in between the stallions, Luna giggled with glee as she danced in place. "There you are, dear! It's about time for all the foals to head into the Everfree Forest to offer a statue of Nightmare Moon tribute to avoid gobbling them up!"

"Uhh, Luna, there is a slight problem with-" Sombra barely got another word in before Luna snagged him with her wing.

"Let us give the foals a fright to remember just as the night; FOR ALL ETERNITY!" Her maniacally laughter turned into a squeal, then she teleported herself and Sombra out to the meeting place to give the foals a fright they'll never forget.

Lea blinked, grimacing slightly. "Oh boy...I think I need to warn the others."

Krile was incredibly excited, but also deathly nervous as she shuffled up to her first house. Dressed in her kitty cat costume, it wasn't a fully-fledged suit, but Kairi managed to improvise with what Rarity had when making numerous costume designs. The filly wore a yellow cardigan with a cowl, a pair of cat ears pointed up atop her head, and her face was painted with a pink nose and black whiskers across her cheeks. As she reached the door, she looked back at her chaperones, Sora and Kairi grinning as they nodded, encouraging her, while Galuf just smiled and watched her. Taking a breath, she looked back at the door and gave it a small knock, startling her when it opened a few seconds later and the owner stood before her.

"Uhh...N-Nightmare Night, what a fright...Give me something sweet to bite?" she chanted timidly.

"Aww, well aren't you just adorable!" the mare squealed. Reaching for a bowl nearby, she grabbed a few pieces of candy as Krile held her bucket out, dropping them inside. "There you go, sweetie!"

"Thank you," Krile said, then ran back to Sora, Kairi, and her grandpa. "Look! I got candy!"

"And you did a fantastic job!" Sora praised. "There's a lot more houses to hit, which means more candy to collect!"

Her trepidation vanished, Krile began to run off to the next house, the adults hurrying behind her so she didn't get lost. "Good thing I'm still fit enough to keep up with this energy of hers," Galuf joked.

"When it comes to free candy, that's always enough to get a foal excited for anything," Kairi said.

"Then the sugar rush after munching a pound of candy, and finally crashing with rotten teeth and an upset tummy," Sora chuckled. "So many good times when we were kids."

After going to a few more houses, Krile's bucket was half filled with all sorts of candy. Her joy from the fun caused her coat to sheen and brighten for a moment, surprising Sora and Kairi that the effects of a crystal pony's mood still appeared even while outside of the Crystal Empire. They took a little breather from trick-or-treating and looked around at some of the games and snacked on some treats at the stands. While Krile was busy enjoying a spooky smore and Galuf drank some punch, Sora and Kairi took a moment to themselves as they waved to their other friends guiding their crystal pony charges.

"So, what exactly were you two talking about earlier?" Kairi asked curiously. "Besides more praise as the 'Warrior of Light'."

Sora rubbed the back of his neck, mumbling to himself awkwardly. "...Well...Galuf really dislikes Sombra for what he's done to the Crystal Empire," he said. "But he actually knows the queen who sheltered and gave them the protection they needed."

"Huh? He does?" Kairi asked, surprised.

"He's the only one, and he said Queen Amore had blessed him with her light...and he witnessed the aftermath of the Heartless' attack when Sombra was tricked by M," Sora added. Kairi grimaced, glancing over his shoulder to look at Galuf, who was watching his grandfoal munching on her snack, the filly's muzzle coated in gooey marshmallow and melted chocolate. "He really has a vendetta against him. I don't blame him, but if the crystal ponies know Sombra's still alive without being aware of the real threat to their home is actually gone, they'll definitely freak out, and Galuf might be crazy enough to try to attack him."

"Oh. Well, at least he, Celestia, and Luna didn't go anywhere near the Crystal Empire when they went on their little vacation," Kairi mumbled.

Sora nodded in agreement. They'll have to have a word with the others to try to keep the crystal ponies from traveling too far from the empire, especially to Canterlot when Sombra lives there now. After their break, Krile went back to her door-to-door candy gathering, filling her bucket to the brim. They then bumped into the mass group of foals led by Zecora to hear the tale of Nightmare Moon in the legend of the holiday's lore. The zebra had her mane hanging down with fake spiders clipped to her hair like the first time Sora and Kairi saw her on Nightmare Night a few years ago.

"Sora, Kairi, your costumes are a matching fright," Zecora complimented. "But, Sora, have you worn that for every Nightmare Night?"

"Don't need any other costume besides this," Sora assured. "Perfectly scary and fitting for a night of horrors and monsters."

"Heading off to tell Nightmare Moon's story, Zecora?" Kairi asked.

"All the foals are eager to go," Zecora said. "The others also want the crystal ponies to witness the show."

"What's the story?" Krile asked.

"You'll see when we reach the spot," Sora assured.

Curious, Krile joined the other foals, introducing herself as they all chattered excitedly. She even bumped into some of the friends she knew at home as they showed off the candy they got. Not a minute later, the others arrived with the other crystal pony guests, some of them dressed up in various costumes while others were like Galuf and just observed the activities. With everyone all gathered, they followed Zecora out of town and straight toward the Everfree Forest. They walked down the dirt path, the creepy atmosphere of the unnaturally natural forest enhancing the fear that Nightmare Night brings. They soon arrived at the clearing with the statue of Nightmare Moon sitting in the middle of the field, the crystal ponies gazing at the terrifying alicorn on display.

Among the group, Axle looked around, wondering where Lea was after he left to have a chat with Sombra. Zecora was already telling the tale, using her magic powder to create an illusion of Nightmare Moon as a hungry monster seeking to gobble up the little foals who dared to play under her sky on this very day. As the glowing green visage lunged down to "chomp" on the foals, making them scream when the fake demon alicorn dispersed upon landing, Lea came running up to the others.

"Hey. Finally caught up," Lea said, being sure not to interrupt the story.

"Where'd you go to?" Aqua asked. "I thought you were chaperoning Axle."

"He's with the group enjoying the story. He's in good hooves," Lea assured, pulling Aqua away slightly, confusing her. Before she could question what was going on, he brought a hoof to her muzzle, glancing over at the crystal ponies, who were busy listening to Zecora with the Ponyville foals. "I think we need to get the crystal ponies back to the Crystal Empire and end their Nightmare Night now."

"What? It's only been a couple hours," Aqua grumbled. "Why?"

"Luna's here. And she brought Sombra." The mention of the crystal ponies' most feared stallion made Aqua's face droop. "Yeah. I wasn't even aware they were here until a while ago."

"Please tell me he's in a costume that'll keep him from being recognized," Aqua begged.

Lea stammered, unable to explain his choice of costume Luna gave him, nor any added facial covering to conceal his identity. Out in the woods, Luna peered through the thick foliage, giggling quietly with an impish glee.

"There they are," the alicorn said. "When the moment comes, we appear to accept their offering."

"Uhh, wouldn't that be...too much to frighten the little ones?" Sombra asked nervously.

"Oh, it's all in good fun," Luna assured, ignorant to her future husband's trepidation. "And as a bonus, we get to take some of their 'offerings' to appease Nightmare Moon's hunger. I do hope young Pipsqueak plays along."

"Luna, I'm not sure if-" Before he could protest, he felt himself being teleported once again, their landing point directly behind the statue.

Baffled, Sombra covered his muzzle, dreading his beloved's impatience tonight while she waited for the perfect moment to strike. "Hungrily, she soars the sky. If she sees nopony, she passes by," Zecora said, her Nightmare Moon illusion floating around, searching around for her victims before flying into the night sky and disappearing in a veil of green smoke. "So if she comes and all is clear, Equestria is safe for another year."

Despite the scary show, Galuf huffed in disappointment. "How ludicrous of a tale," he muttered. "I mean no offense, miss, but not all of us are wearing costumes to avoid being hunted by this mare."

"It's just a story," Sora assured. "Nightmare Night was invented by this story after Nightmare Moon threatened to make the night last forever a thousand years ago. And Nightmare Moon was Luna's darkness."

The mention of the Princess of the Night having once been this evil alicorn startled the crystal ponies. It was bad enough they had one monster of darkness. It may have been a bad idea to mention that to them, but at least they didn't have to worry about a second pony turned to the power of darkness to terrorize the kingdom.

"...Our time was filled with nothing but cruelty," Galuf muttered. "Even one of the princesses fell to such power...though she did not seek it like he did."

The field was silent, all eyes glued to the stallion. Realizing just how nitpicky he'd been, Galuf frowned. He was only concerned with the wellbeing of his fellow crystal ponies and his grandfoal. Though the current era they were thrust into was much more friendly and brighter than their dreary past, despite Sombra's constant returns and the near loss of their ancient relic, their kingdom was in a more peaceful state. He opened his mouth to apologize to everyone for souring the mood, but was interrupted as a faint mist began to build around them along with an ominous cackle from the statue.

The stone sculpture started to crack, blue light shimmering through and snake its way down from Nightmare Moon's horn to her hooves. The menacing laughter echoed, scaring the foals as they huddled around each other. The statue soon burst to pieces, revealing Luna in her glamourized costume, her wings flared out as she stood on the pedestal where the statue once stood.

"Bow to the presence of your queen of the night, foals!" Luna exclaimed theatrically. "Thou have bravery to venture to these woods, but if none of you wish to be my next meal, I demand on offering from every pony present!"

From the group, Pipsqueak squeezed his way through the group and stood before the pedestal, bowing to her. "Oh, great and powerful Nightmare Moon, we shall provide thee with the biggest offering of sweets to sate your bottomless hunger!" Luna smirked, knowing Pipsqueak would play along with her act. The colt stood back up, turned around and held his hoof out to the side. "Our queen demands tribute! Present your hoard of candy to Equestria's true ruler, lest your backsides be gobbled up whole!"

Every foal immediately ran up to the pedestal, shaking out a small portion of their haul of sweets before "Nightmare Moon", then scurried back to the safety of the adults. As each colt and filly offered their tribute, Pipsqueak inspected a few pieces, nodding at the quality of each one for his favorite princess to consume. Once the last of them gave up some of their candy, Luna hovered in front of the pile, humming curiously before chuckling with satisfaction.

"This will do well to satiate my hunger this night," she said. "Thou shall be spared on this night of nightmares. But next year, I shall demand more offerings, or I shall decide to feast on one of you delicious morsels."

Luna bared her fake fangs, licking at the sharp incisors to emphasize her false threat. She got a little too into her role, her teeth were flicked out of her mouth by her tongue, landing on the grass in at her hooves. She quickly stuffed a hoof to her mouth, the fearful illusion failed as the colts and fillies laughed.

"Well, that was embarrassing," Ventus mumbled.

"Nightmare Moon has fake teeth!" one of the foals exclaimed. "Let's take our candy back!"

They cheered and ran forward, startling Luna when they boldly raced and scooped up whatever candy they could back in their respective bags or buckets. "N-No! My tribute!" she whined. She wilted, her scary prank having backfired, scowling bitterly at the fake teeth. Dispelling her illusion, she picked up the pair of plastic teeth. "A shame this was no dream and my teeth are not truly falling out."

She kicked one of her back legs against the pedestal in frustration, which quickly crumbled as the cracks had spread to the stone base and revealed Sombra hiding behind it. Wincing, Sombra turned around, frozen stiff as he stared wide-eyed at the crowd noticing his presence. One look from the crystal ponies made them all gasp in horror, the reaction he expected coming to light. The foals from the crystal empire immediately screamed and scattered from the other foals, running back to their parents or siblings and hid behind them. Krile, however, was frozen in fear, unable to react as she saw not a dumbfounded stallion, but the demonic unicorn who traumatized her home. Galuf was struck with disbelief, the shock turning to anger as he glared at the traitor, somehow still alive and refusing to stay in the darkness where he belonged.

"I-I-I-It's S-S-S-S-Sombra," one of the crystal ponies uttered. "H-He still lives!?"

Confused, Luna looked back at her husband-to-be, growing shocked when she realized that the ponies who were truly panicking in fear were denizens of the Crystal Empire. Glancing to the wielders and Mane Six, they were just as stunned, most of them never knowing Sombra or Luna had arrived in Ponyville unannounced.

"HE'S BACK!" a crystal mare screamed.

All the crystal ponies ran behind the wielders, many of them pushing Sora forward toward Sombra and Luna. "Protect us, Warrior of Light!"

"W-Wait, guys, hold on a second!" Sora exclaimed, trying to explain they had no reason to fear.

"I don't want to be a slave anymore!" another cried out frantically.

The others tried to control the terrified crystal ponies, pulling them away from Sora before they wound up trampling him. Galuf sneered at Sombra, then looked at Sora, stomping over to him.

"Why does he still live!?" Galuf exclaimed. "You eradicated him with your light! He should no longer exist!"

Sora stammered as he tried to explain, unable to come up with the words as the enraged ex-guard angrily glowered at their savior. As Sombra looked among the crowd, his jaw hung open when he spotted Galuf. He hadn't seen him when the Crystal Empire returned along with him and expected the worst, but to see his own mentor again brought him immense shame. Slowly, Sombra stood up, swallowing his fears as he tentatively approached the others. Seeing him moving closer, Krile let out a scream, alerting Galuf as the stallion swiftly glanced at him. Sombra froze from the filly's cry, glancing down at the trembling crystal pony among the others.

"STAY AWAY FROM HER, DEMON!" Galuf roared, slamming his hooves down, launching several spires of crystal around the foals to shield them. Sombra leapt back in shock, Galuf's control over crystals startling everyone present. The older stallion leered at Sora, disappointed in their hero for failing to destroy the unicorn who almost destroyed their kingdom, then looked back at Sombra with malice. "I will not let this madness transpire again."

"C-Captain, I can explain," Sombra begged, only to dodge another crystal spire that nearly struck his face.

"You have no right to call me your superior!" Galuf bit onto thick shard of crystal near him, the segment flashing and transforming into a broadsword before snapping it off. Slowly walking around the barrier he placed, he began to approach Sombra, the unicorn backing away, ignoring Luna as he walked past the princess. "Your crimes do not deserve mercy. You will pay with your life, like you should have done when we came back to this world and a few months back."

Snapping out of her stupor, Luna stepped in Galuf's way, protecting her lover from the old stallion's rage. "Sir, I understand if Sombra had inflicted pain and misery upon the Crystal Empire, but the stallion who dictated your home is not the same pony you're facing now."

"You dare protect this traitor!?" Galuf argued, pointing his blade at the princess without hesitation. "This orphaned runt, I rescued and brought to our empire! Even if he was different, Her Royal Highness, Queen Amore, treated him just like he was one of us! I taught him how to fight, to protect the innocent...And he used it with his...deadly dark powers to slaughter his brothers in arms, even our benevolent ruler! His existence is nothing but a burden on our lives, and if he cannot be slain by our so-called 'Warrior of Light', then I will take his life by my own hooves!"

The crystal ponies grew confused as Galuf mentioned Amore, none of them fully aware that they had once had a queen. All they were able to remember was the pain Sombra's influence had affected them, bringing them fear and taking away any happiness they had under his rule. Some had looked at Sora, part of them still wanting to believe he was their savior, but if Sombra was still alive, they started to question if his bravery and heroics for their kingdom was nothing but a hoax. Luna refused to back down, standing firm as she leered back at Galuf.

"He is my husband-to-be," Luna claimed, startling Galuf. "A thousand years ago, we both met when a dignitary of the Crystal Empire met with my sister and I. Our eyes locked, we spoke, and in the few days he was in Canterlot, we fell in love. When he took control of your kingdom, my heart sank as I could not fathom the pony I loved would do something so heinous. It was only nary a year ago where I had learned that the cause of this change was by a pony whom I knew as a filly who transformed him into such a monster. Before you, that is not the same stallion who struck fear into your hearts. He may carry that burden, but that was not the real Sombra who committed these vile acts toward you and the crystal ponies. He was deceased, destroyed by the light of the Crystal Heart and by Sora's power, but he was only brought back by another power far beyond either of our comprehension.

"I have lost Sombra once; I will NOT lose him again." Her horn lit up, summoning her aura scythe, bringing the curved ethereal blade back, prepared to fend off the old guard. "You attempt to strike him down, I will not hesitate to fight back to protect him."

Galuf silently glared at the princess, then back to Sombra, who was far more worried seeing his beloved get hurt by his mentor. "...You are foolish to think lightly of him." With a quick slice, a shard of his sword shot out and struck Luna's horn. A ring of crystal immediately formed, sealing her magic, dispelling her scythe. The wielders, Mane Six, and Sombra gasped as Luna was left flabbergasted by Galuf's power, but she had no time to react when Galuf then thrust his blade into the earth, shooting more crystals up beneath the alicorn, trapping her as she was left frozen in place. "His corruption has already seeped into your heart if you 'love' a heartless demon like him."

Enraged, Sombra growled at his mentor. "Release her, Captain Galuf! She has nothing to do with your ire toward me!"

"Not until your influence is erased from the world. Permanently." With a grunt, Galuf sliced his blade against the ground, catching Sombra off-guard as a pillar of crystal shot up into his abdomen and launched him deeper into the Everfree Forest.

Galuf began to sprint after Sombra, but Sora flew toward him. "Galuf, stop! Sombra's not evil! It's not his fault!"

Galuf grunted, launching a spiked pillar in Sora's path, nearly impaling the pegasus as he stopped mere inches from the obstacle. "I'm finishing what you failed to do! Interfere, and I will not hesitate to strike you down as well, 'savior'!"

Rushing into the foliage, Galuf rushed after Sombra. Sora had to stop him before the stallion did anything more rash, though revealing his power over crystals and the truth of their long-lost ruler being murdered by Sombra's Heartless had done far more damage than Sombra's physical presence. Though they accepted Shining Armor and Cadence as their new rulers, their memories were still fuzzy from Heartless Sombra's influence, and the light they felt that came from Spike had familiarity to them, but they had no clue why if it was just the light he borrowed from the Crystal Heart.

From the negative tension in the air, Heartless suddenly popped in around everyone. Among the Shadows, there were those that spawned from Halloween Town: Wight Knights, Gargoyles, Search Ghosts, and a pair of Graveyards. The crystal ponies were far more frightened by these monsters compared to Sombra. Quickly summoning their weapons, the warriors all got to work fending off the Heartless.

"Seems like the fun's over now, huh?" Lea commented, slicing down a couple diving Wight Knights heading toward him.

"Less jokes, more rescuing!" Aqua scolded, freezing a Graveyard with Blizzaga and smacking aside a couple of Search Ghosts detached claws. "Break those crystals or levitate the children out of there and get them back into town! Warn the rest of Ponyville if there's more invading tonight!"

Deciding it was easier to break through the crystal, Terra thrust his fist into one side, breaking an opening for the foals to hurry out while Twilight, Rainbow, Ventus, and Riku fended off the Gargoyles and Search Ghosts hovering over the crystal wall. Fluttershy, Rarity, Kairi, and Xion kept everyone grouped together to defend them from stray Heartless attempting to go for them. Krile, however, was far too scared to move, overwhelmed by witnessing Sombra had returned once again, her grandfather able to summon crystals at will and using them as weapons like Sombra had, and the Heartless appearing to hurt them into paralysis. A Shadow snuck inside, getting the filly's attention as she hyperventilated, panicking, her hooves finally moving as she backed away from the slinking Heartless.

Seeing her in trouble, Axle took one of his discs and gave it a hard toss, smacking the back of the Shadow's head with a light thud. It flinched, turning around to face its attacker. Stomping his hoof, goading it to come after him instead, he held his other "chakram" in his hoof, ready to give it another toss. Taking the taunt, the Shadow focused more on the mute colt, startling Krile with his insane bravery. Axle flung his second disc, aiming it right at the Heartless' head. He knew it wasn't going to do much, but it could stun it slightly. Just as the disc was about to make contact, sailing right above it was one of Lea's own chakrams, alight with burning flames and spinning rapidly. It made contact, sending the Shadow falling back as its body ignited, evaporating it into nothing but smoke seconds before its back hit the ground. Stunned, Axle thought he was able to use fire, but he was disappointed and relieved all at once when his new dad leapt beside him, bringing his chakram back to his side.

"Not a bad attempt, but leave fighting the Heartless to the professionals, bud," Lea said with an impressed smirk, tapping the side of his head. Axle grinned sheepishly, mimicking the motion. Setting Axle on his back, he hurried over to Krile, setting her on his back as well. "Come on, sweetheart. We're getting you to safety."

"B-But...g-grandpa...?" Krile mumbled, too traumatized to reply.

Lea didn't know what to tell the filly. If Heartless were attacking, Galuf was more than likely to get hurt as he had no experience facing monsters like them, even if he had been a trained soldier. Taking the two foals out of the crystal barricade, he followed the other girls, adding more support to escorting the foals, the crystal ponies, and Zecora back into town. Sora slashed through several Wight Knights, reaching Luna in her crystalized prison. Slicing rapidly, he then slammed into the crystal, breaking it and freeing the alicorn.

"T-Thank you, Sora," Luna said. "But...what about-?"

"I'll try to stop Galuf and keep him from hurting Sombra," Sora assured.

"No! I am going with you!" Luna brought a hoof to the crystal ring attached to her horn, but as she tried to pull it, she grunted, feeling the crystals had embedded themselves to the appendage. She tried again, pulling her own head as she yanked hard, yelping slightly. "Confounded...I can't...get it off!"

"And I don't want to risk accidentally chopping off your horn or whacking you with my Keyblade," Sora uttered. "You need to go with everyone else."

"I am not losing Sombra like this!" Luna exclaimed.

"Luna, I swear I will not let him die again," Sora promised. "Right now, you can't protect yourself, let alone Sombra from Galuf." A Graveyard floated down behind Sora, the ethereal ghosts from the box swirling back inside before the creepy jack-in-the-box skeleton popped out to slice the pegasus from behind with its scythe arms. Without looking, Sora cast Thundaga behind him, shocking the Heartless, and while it was staggered, he backflipped over it, then sliced his Keyblade downward, cleaving it and releasing its heart from its fading body. "No one's going to die tonight. Now, go!"

He turned and flew into the forest to catch up to Galuf and Sombra. Luna watched Sora leave, hesitating as she couldn't bear to leave Sombra to suffer, but without her magic, she stood no chance out here in this sudden invasion. Left with no choice, she trusted Sora would keep her love safe and bring him back unharmed from a mad stallion refusing to see the truth, flying off to regroup with the others as the Heartless continued their attack.

Tumbling across the grass, Sombra grunted as he came to a stop. Wheezing, he tried to catch his breath as he stood back up. The moment he got his breathing under control, a spear made of crystal suddenly plummeted to the ground mere inches from his face. Grimacing, he looked up, watching Galuf jump through the bushes and charge at him with fury. Sombra quickly leapt back, avoiding the stallion grasping the spear, transforming it into an ax and tried slicing him upward with the sharpened, curved blade. Sombra shot a crystal spire beside him, forging his crystal blade, holding it out in self-defense, his mentor's weapon slowly changing into a sword as he leered at him.

"Captain, I do not wish to fight you," Sombra begged.

"Then you'll make this easy for me," Galuf uttered.

"Please, I implore you to hear me out!" Sombra said, begging for the stallion to understand. "What happened back then, something else took possession of me. A stranger I encountered outside the barrier fooled me into finding a solution to aid in Princess Luna's misery and loneliness. I cannot recall what transpired, but when I awoke to see the carnage I unleashed, I felt that dark presence begin to crawl back and take control of me again, and it succeeded."

"What madpony would dare tread through the tundra and the outskirts of the barrier?" Galuf questioned, refusing to listen. "I felt pity for you when you were just a foal. A mistake I will soon rectify before you ruin the earth ponies who had already suffered under the unicorns and pegasi constantly warring over land and food, with US in the middle of it!" Despite his age, Galuf was able to move swiftly, even while carrying his weapon in his mouth. He swung, Sombra raising his sword, blocking his mentor's as the two began to push back against one another. "You tried to erase our memories to make us forget about our queen. You took her life and slaughtered others who were your comrades! You would have destroyed everything if the princesses did not banish you, yet you had to take us along with you!"

"It was not by my doing!" Sombra promised, both stallions pushing each other back, but while Galuf went on the offensive, Sombra refused to fight back and stick with defending himself. "I swore to bear the burden as my hooves were tainted by a power that I never wanted! I don't want to bring harm or fear to everypony anymore! What that part of me did is unforgivable, for all the empire and for Queen Amore's memory, but if erasing any knowledge of her will spare the others the sorrow of her demise, consider the curse my darkness put upon you as a blessing!"

"I will never forget, as Her Highness' chosen bearer to burden her power for the greater good of our kind!" Galuf argued. His swings grew more aggressive, pushing Sombra back, nearly slamming him into the nearby trees. Sombra fled through the woods, hearing Galuf slicing through the foliage, felling trees and hacking away at the shrubbery overgrown by unnaturally natural time. "Ironic how our kingdom was ruled by a unicorn of benevolence and love, only for it to be tarnished by another unicorn with tainted power, one whom I spared the mercy of the elements and trained as an up and coming soldier to protect the peace!"

"I did not want this to happen to you or any of the crystal ponies!" Sombra said. He skid to a halt when a crystal stalagmite shot up in his path, which then exploded into hundreds of small sharp daggers and flew toward him. Using his magic, Sombra created a barrier around himself, wincing slightly as they shattered and small shards managed to breach his shield and cut him. Galuf managed to catch up, roaring and slamming into the unicorn, ramming him into a tree. Shoving the older stallion back with his magic, Galuf flipped back on his hooves. "I swear I meant no harm...I truly am sorry for what I had committed, but I was not in control of myself. I would never do anything like this...You knew me better than anypony else."

"...Regretfully...I do," Galuf muttered, gritting his teeth before he lunged forward to attack Sombra some more.

Galuf yelled, swinging a blunted sword at Sombra, the unicorn wearing a guard recruit's armor as he blocked his mentor's training sword with his own. Even with his magic aiding him, his blocks were sloppy, leaving him staggering to keep control without letting it slip out of his aura. Unable to concentrate on his telekinesis and defending himself, Sombra lost his balance, then was struck in the chest, sending him tumbling back across the training grounds with a grunt. Panting heavily, Sombra yielded to the practice duel. Galuf sighed, sheathing the practice sword and approached the unicorn.

"I...I can't...keep up with you...C-Captain," Sombra panted.

"You need better concentration," Galuf suggested.

Sitting up, Sombra groaned, rubbing his sore chest. "I thought my magic would have an advantage. Sadly, my focus on holding a blade and to an opponent in combat is not as easy as you think."

"You showed this much resolve enlisting as a royal guard, you'll master both in time," Galuf said.

Calling their training for the day, Sombra followed his mentor to the mess hall for some food. The other soldiers were wary of Sombra being recruited, but kept their distance. Sombra knew he was different from the crystal ponies and didn't care what they thought of him, though he had to learn how to use his magic on his own or with some advice from the queen if she ever made her rounds to ensure her ponies were happy. Some did care about his wellbeing, like Galuf, though the stallion had kept some distance, not knowing what capabilities Sombra had when he grew accustomed to using his magic.

"And everypony is avoiding me like the plague again," Sombra mumbled, using his magic to grasp his utensils as he ate his meal.

"You have been taught that the Crystal Empire's foundation was by us earth ponies being mistreated poorly by the other two tribes, and Queen Amore, despite being a unicorn, used her power to protect us from being abused like slaves to other unicorns and pegasi," Galuf explained. Sombra paused, glancing down at his spoon held in his red magic aura. As much as he wanted to master his magical prowess, using it for grasping items or using them in place of his hooves or mouth had always put the crystal ponies on edge. The oppression the earth ponies felt made him feel disgusted with himself at times, wondering why he was still living within the Crystal Empire despite being a unicorn. "I did not mean it by that. Though Queen Amore is a unicorn as well, her kindness and the power she wields to ensure our protection earned her our respect. Pegasi and unicorns only see us earth ponies as inferior, only meant to be used to cultivate food for them and their endless bickering over land. They hold more power than us as we're more grounded to the earth, whereas unicorns can cast a multitude of spells and pegasi have the power of flight and agility."

"...I'm all too aware of the lessons growing up as a colt," Sombra mumbled dejectedly. Putting his spoon down, no longer feeling hungry, Sombra glanced at his mentor. "...Somepony mentioned that you saved me from the cold when I was a young foal. Why?"

Galuf barely flinched, gazing back at the unicorn. "...Though you were different, I could not abandon a foal left orphaned and suffer a horrible death," he said. "Whether your family was fleeing to escape from something or traveling to a better place to reside, I do not know. All I know is that the state of the camp your parents had been decimated by something...and only you survived, just barely clinging on to life while shivering in the freezing cold." To learn about what happened to his family was devastating, but as a unicorn, knowing what other unicorns did to these ponies who fled from such a horrible oppression from the other two pony tribes, he despised himself further. As he hung his head, Sombra felt Galuf's hoof rest on his shoulder. "It wouldn't have been right to just leave you to die like that. You were an innocent youth who knew not of the conflicts between our races. When I informed Her Highness whom I rescued, she believed it was an opportunity to allow another unicorn or pegasus to be raised in the Crystal Empire and learn to coexist with us. That way, we could attempt to negotiate peace with the other tribes and live together no longer as enemies."

Despite the words meaning to sound encouraging, Sombra didn't feel so certain. Granted, he'd always been on his best behavior growing up, tried to be friendly, and even made comments in his journal entries whenever he could about his day, what he discovered, and more. The Crystal Empire was his home ever since he could remember, and though he was not an earth pony, he wanted to use his skills as a unicorn to help this kingdom prosper. If he's to be looked down upon, he was going to keep proving himself and to everyone that he was just as much a crystal pony as they were.

"Then I shan't waste this opportunity you gave me, Captain Galuf," Sombra ensured. "If you have not given up on me, then I shall not quit until my loyalty is proven among the empire."

His mood shifted, though not given the same magical effect like the crystal ponies blessed by the Crystal Heart's light, Sombra resumed eating his meal. Galuf hid his grin, having held on to that faith Sombra was able to push himself to be a respectable pony among them.

Months passed as Sombra continued his training, honing his skills with both his telekinesis and physical prowess. Focusing only on weapons combat, he was able to match Galuf's skills, even with the additional handicap of using his magic to swing his sword to throw the veteran soldier off. Over time, Sombra was gaining more respect by his peers and the rest of the kingdom. And Galuf revealed his power over crystal granted to him by the queen's magic power, gifting him that same power as his successor. Once his training using crystals as his weapons was complete, Queen Amore volunteered some of her guards to accompany her to visit the new kingdom of Equestria, where all three tribes have been unified as one. She picked Sombra, to his shock, but he did not disobey her orders and went along for the journey there.

With his successor gone, Galuf had taken some time off from his duties to see his family. His daughter had just given birth to a filly, a tiny bundle of joy he cherished along with his daughter and son-in-law, who was also a member of the Crystal Guard. He returned to his duties just as the queen returned with her escorts, but when he saw Sombra again, the unicorn had a whimsical, lovestruck daze that didn't seem to want to leave his muzzle.

"I assume you enjoyed guard duty for Her Highness a bit too much on the long walk to the new kingdom," he said to his successor. Sombra didn't respond, too dazed in his romantic stupor to pay attention. Galuf waved his hoof in the unicorn's face, but when that didn't snap him out of it, he lightly smacked the stallion's face. Finally awake, Sombra shook his head, looking around in confusion as if he'd forgotten where he was. "Finally awake from your daydream?"

"...Oh. I-I apologize, Captain," Sombra said sheepishly. "I was...distracted by my thoughts."

"I could not tell," Galuf chuckled. "Dare I ask who the lucky mare was?"

Hesitating, Sombra glanced away, too bashful to mention his obvious reaction, but he was also nervous to say. "...W-Well...I-I don't know if you'll believe me, but...she's a princess."

"Oh, a princess, eh?" Galuf asked, intrigued by the claim.

"Y-Yeah...The kingdom of Equestria is actually run by two sisters," Sombra admitted. "I was smitten by the youngest, and...she was a goddess." A dopey smile grew on the unicorn's muzzle as he retreated back in his heartthrob daze. Galuf clapped his hooves in the young stallion's face, bringing him back to reality as he sheepishly laughed. "B-But she really is. You will not believe who they are."

"I'm going to take a wild guess and say they're pegasi," Galuf said.

"Even stranger than that; they're alicorns." Baffled, Galuf quirked a brow at his ward.

"What in the light of the Crystal Heart is an 'alicorn'?" he questioned.

"I...I don't know how to describe it without sounding odd. They had a horn and a pair of wings." Galuf was taken aback, already in disbelief by the brief description. "I couldn't believe my eyes when I witnessed them myself when we arrived. They were a unity of all three pony tribes. They were both majestic with flowing manes...And Princess Luna's mane shimmered like stars in the night sky...Her eyes, too..."

Sombra drifted back into a daze as he thought of his princess. Galuf still couldn't wrap his head around a pony bearing wings and a horn. But, the dream of having all three tribes uniting as one happened much sooner than they anticipated. That, or he'd grown up all his life in the Crystal Empire without any knowledge outside the kingdom aside from what history they knew that Equestria's founding was only a few years ago, but was made present now with the right rulers of the throne. The same could be possible for the Crystal Empire now that all the ponies are considered equals rather than enemies.

Months soon passed after Amore's meeting with the new rulers of Equestria. Sombra had been highly dedicated to training with his magic and the newly bequeathed crystal powers Galuf gave him, though he kept it a secret from the rest of the ponies. He didn't want to risk losing the equality he was given from the crystal ponies and didn't want to startle them if it was dangerous magic. Galuf spent more time with his family, given more time on leave by Queen Amore's orders, but he didn't mind it when it gave him all the time he needed to spend time with his family. He even gave his daughter and son-in-law a chance to relax and foalsit Krile, the infant filly bundled with energy that nearly had the old stallion run ragged.

When he was back to the daily grind and resumed his training with Sombra, Galuf noticed how distressed the unicorn had been. He'd been receiving letters from his princess, his romantic daydreams more than fiction as he'd seen the seals on the letters, but recently, they've been upsetting Sombra. Learning about the two alicorn sisters, both princesses have more power than a group of unicorns and were able to raise and lower the sun and moon. As incredible as the feat was, what bothered Sombra the most was how their subjects basked in Celestia's sun in the day while Luna's night was met with silence as ponies slept and didn't appreciate her time to overlook the kingdom. Granted, he reminded Sombra that most ponies sleep during the night, but the moment the sun sets, ponies ignore Luna as a ruler before turning in to bed a few hours after sunset. And ponies praised Celestia more while Luna was left alone and forgotten, growing more miserable and upset from being ignored by everyone, including her own sister.

"And you plan to marry her to resolve her plight?" Galuf questioned.

"I don't wish for my princess to be left alone with this much pain weighing on her heart," Sombra said, his mind set on being with his princess for the rest of his days. "I meant so much to her during our chance meeting. I believe fate had given us this chance to be together, and I refuse to wait much longer."

"Did you not wish to be part of the Crystal Empire?" Galuf asked.

"...I had...but my desires have changed," Sombra assured. "I do appreciate you for taking me under your wing, Captain Galuf. You were...like the father I never had." Galuf flinched at the comment, not expecting to hear Sombra look up to him like a father figure. "I'm scheduled to overlook the mines, so I'll use that time to search for the best gem I can give to a princess like Luna, resign and move to Equestria, then ask for her hoof in marriage. And...I will keep what you taught me secret from the rest of the world. Only in an emergency, and to protect the innocent."

Galuf couldn't stop Sombra from chasing after his dreams. He felt a slight pang in his heart, giving the stallion he rescued when he was a colt the chance to be a part of their kingdom despite how different he was. He was old enough to make his own decisions. No one was going to guide him the way to what he wanted. Swallowing the lump in his throat, Galuf straightened himself, bringing a hoof to his chest to salute his pupil.

"I would not have taught you if I held no faith in your abilities and determination, Sombra," Galuf said. Sombra smiled, standing at attention, and saluted his captain. "...You know you are always welcome in the Crystal Empire, Sombra...You always have since I saved your life."

Surprised, Sombra almost faltered, but he kept his resolve, giving Galuf a small nod. "...Thank you, Captain."

"If you plan to be leaving, I will no longer be your superior," Galuf reminded the unicorn.

Sombra nodded again, both stallions resting from their salute as the unicorn turned and marched out to begin his "watch" around the crystal mines. As soon as he was out of sight, Galuf nearly doubled over, surprisingly overwhelmed by the heartfelt moment between him and Sombra. He never tried to get too attached to him because he was a unicorn, but Sombra had grown to be a proud and respectable soldier, impressing Galuf enough to grant him the same strength using crystals he was chosen to wield. He was already sad to see Sombra go, regretting keeping his distance despite doing all he could to teach the stallion how to protect himself and others.

Patrolling beneath the castle where the Crystal Heart hovered and shimmered in its light, Galuf spent the next several hours trying to compose himself. Remaining stoic among his troops on the outside, on the inside, he didn't think he would miss Sombra already. He looked up at the relic of light, silently praying for its power to keep protecting their home. Suddenly, the Crystal Heart's light began to flicker, a small signal that there was danger present, but instead of it being repelled outside the barrier, the threat had found its way inside.

"Captain! Something's approaching the castle!" a soldier exclaimed as he found Galuf.

"Some 'thing'? The hay does that mean?" Galuf questioned.

"I-I don't know. There's...a menacing aura, but it's as thick as fog," the soldier explained.

They soon heard a cry of pain in the distance. They looked toward the sound, watching something get flung in the distance and land painfully in front of them. Stunned, the victim was one of the guards, his face frozen in a state of horrified shock, but there was a hole in his chest, blood pooling on the road beneath him. The wound had pierced through his heart and had pierced all the way through his back, dead before he even landed before them.

"What in the...?" Up ahead, they found the culprit who murdered this stallion, the screams of onlookers who witnessed it screaming and fleeing, the light from the barrier fading from the growing fear in the kingdom. Galuf's eyes widened and his heart sank, the monster who was approaching them was none other than Sombra, but he was completely different. The thick aura of darkness that surrounded him matched what the soldier depicted, but Sombra's green eyes had turned red, a dark aura of green and purple seeping from his eyes, dragging behind a crystal sword that was an eerie dark purple, blood from his victim dripping and leaving a trail in his wake. "...S-Sombra?"

"Oh, this is not good," the soldier uttered, backing away slightly. "I knew that unicorn was going to be no good sooner or la-"

Galuf slammed his hoof into the ground, sending hundreds of crystal spires around the castle several dozen feet high, startling the guard. Another shot up beside the captain, grasping it and shattering it, creating a crystal sword.

"Warn the others and protect the queen!" Galuf ordered.

"W-What kind of magic-?" Sombra sliced his sword horizontally through the crystal blockade, causing a chain reaction as the darkness of his blade corrupted the bright blue crystals and shattered each one without much effort.

"DO NOT JUST STAND THERE SLACKJAWED! DO AS I COMMAND!" Galuf yelled. Without needing to be told twice, the guard sprinted off, warning the rest of the soldiers inside to rally toward their queen's chambers. Focusing on Sombra, he had no idea what happened to him, but what power he's wielding was supposed to be expelled by the Crystal Heart's light. He wanted to leave the Crystal Empire to be with Luna, but instead, he's gone on a killing spree, menacingly approaching as his eyes were glued to the relic that was meant to protect their home. "Sombra, why are you doing this!? Do not take another step!"

"...Crystalssssssssss..." The low tone in Sombra's voice made Galuf's fur stand on end.

This was no longer the pony he trained; he's turned into a monster. And he was using the power Galuf gifted to him to destroy the place he called home. Galuf had to put a stop to him, even if it would cost him his life. With a yell, he threw his spear at Sombra, but missed as he weaved to the side. Before he could create another crystal weapon, Sombra suddenly dashed toward Galuf, his thrusting stab barely avoided as Galuf leapt back, feeling the sharp crystal blade slice through a piece of his armor and nearly nick at his skin. Galuf blinked, only to open his eyes and was met with a powerful blast of dark magic from Sombra's horn striking him, sending him flying back into the bottom spire holding the Crystal Heart in place.

Grunting, Galuf tried to retaliate, only to have Sombra rush him again, his blade shifting into a large hammer and slamming him right in the gut. Gasping for breath, the captain fell limp, slumping over as Sombra shattered the crystal hammer. Clinging to consciousness, Galuf watched with gagged inhales as Sombra rose up to the Crystal Heart on a platform of dark crystals. Letting out a demonic hiss, Sombra reached his hooves out and yanked the Crystal Heart from its resting place, causing the barrier to fizzle out and fade away, bringing the cold tundra to the kingdom. Laughing in his triumph, dark veins began to appear around the relic, tainting the light and preventing its protective charm from repelling his darkness.

Galuf weakly reached his hoof out to Sombra, watching him gaze up, his next target bearing the same light as the Crystal Heart; Queen Amore. He watched the changed unicorn leap off his pillar, Galuf's vision blacking out the moment he barged into the castle to attack his soldiers and their ruler. Moments later, Galuf stirred, grunting in pain, left with no clue how long he had been unconscious. He heard the terrified and hopeless murmurs of other crystal ponies. He woke up far from the castle, held in one of the few homes that laid on the outskirts of the city proper.

"C-Captain?" Turning his head, Galuf spotted one of his soldiers, grateful to have seen one of them had survived the attack, but he no longer wore his uniform. He sat up, wincing as he held his abdomen, the impact from Sombra's crystal hammer still stinging. "I-I thought you were dead, but you were still breathing."

"...W-What happened?" Galuf mumbled. He was met with silence, the stallion grimacing as he looked away. Hearing a foal crying, Galuf recognized the cry that came from his granddaughter. "K-Krile? Krile!"

He tried to get up, only to collapse and fall off the cot he was in, groaning in pain while fighting it to reach his grandfoal. "Y-You should be resting," the guard said. Ignoring his demands, Galuf got up and limped off, ignoring the other crystal ponies who were holed up inside the building to search for his grandfoal. He didn't need to search too far as a mare was trying to calm the baby down. The mare recognized him as he limped toward her, gently taking Krile from her hooves. "S-Sir, you're injured."

"I'll rest when I'm dead," Galuf grumbled. Even though he was in pain, he ignored it as he gently shushed Krile. When he managed to get her calmed down, he finally took in the state of everyone present. Despite the cold that seeped inside the building, everyone was despondent and depressed, the luster of their coats gone to match their misery. Remembering what happened to him, with Sombra in possession of the Crystal Heart, he's mostly likely committed the deed in killing their queen. "...What did that monster do to Queen Amore?"

The ponies all stared at Galuf, giving him confused frowns. "...'Queen'?" one pony uttered.

"Sombra went after her after he stole the Crystal Heart with his dark powers," Galuf said, trying to keep his composure to avoid upsetting the infant in his hooves. "Is she safe?"

"...We never had a queen," another pointed out, startling Galuf as he stared at the one who responded.

"...What in the Crystal Heart's light are you talking about? Our ruler of our kingdom," Galuf said. "The mare who gave us earth ponies the prosperity and peace from the oppression of unicorns and pegasi. She was a unicorn herself, but she treated us as equals than useless slaves! How can you just besmirch her memory like this!?"

The room was silent, many too afraid to respond as they all stared at Galuf. Confused, he had no idea why everyone just forgot about Amore after all she'd done for them. Everyone looked at him like he was crazy, delirious, or hallucinating, but Galuf couldn't be anymore sane if it killed him.

"We've been under King Sombra's reign for years," the guard spoke up. Slowly, Galuf turned his head to his subordinate, wide-eyed and filled with disbelief. He saw a flash of green from the stallion's eyes for a moment before he blinked and shook his head, growing more depressed. "We've...been his slaves for as long as we can remember...And you tried to defy him."

The stallion was put under a spell, as well as the other crystal ponies. He seemed to be the only one who retained any memory of Queen Amore, of their once bright and peaceful kingdom now turned into a dark and gloomy tyrannical rule. The rage he felt for the stallion who he saved only grew, but he was powerless to stop him if he was far stronger than he had been before. As he gazed down at Krile, a dreaded thought came to him with no sign of her parents among them.

"...Where is my family?" he uttered. The former guard frowned, avoiding his gaze as he lowered his head. Galuf's heart dropped to his stomach, gazing around, only to find the same response from everyone else. They didn't say what happened, but he didn't need to hear it to know that Sombra had killed them just like the others. Whether they tried to fight back or flee, his murdering spree didn't seem to stop with the other guards or their slain queen. "...No..."

Feeling uneasy, he nearly fell over in disbelief. The soldier noticed and caught him, taking Krile from the older stallion's hooves as tears began to stream down his face. Whatever joy he had was quickly snuffed, his hair and fur dulling color, his light losing its luster. Krile was left an orphan, many of his comrades were killed by Sombra, and now they were all forced to live under his rule as their new king while also brainwashing everyone with fear, making everyone forget about their happiness and the pony who did not turn their eyes down on them. Mourning for the loss of his daughter and son-in-law, Galuf could not quell the hate and anger in his heart. But he didn't have the strength to fight back; retaliating and attempting a revolution would only be met with more unneeded deaths against a powerful unicorn like Sombra. Their kingdom would only fall in ruins, and Galuf held no hope that their home will ever be liberated.

Trapped as slaves, Galuf was split between being forced to mine crystals for Sombra and trying to raise Krile for the next couple years. He remained silent about their past since no one could remember under Sombra's curse. He didn't fight back as much as he wanted to so he could revenge who had fallen by his dark blade. One day as he was busy mining, Celestia and Luna took action when they heard the unfortunate news befalling the Crystal Empire and confronted Sombra. However, one moment, he watched them fight the powerful unicorn, unable to land a single blow to Sombra, and the next, everything went dark as they banished the tyrannical king, but he took the empire and its ponies along with him. Their time in darkness felt like an eternity, but the light of the sun and the cold chill of the tundra returned in a matter of minutes.

Squinting his eyes, Galuf found himself outside of the castle, Krile by his side. Confused, he sat up, shaking off the snow, looking around as the city was beginning to build snow around the crystal streets and buildings. One moment he was forced to work in the mines, and the next, everything went dark before he woke up again. Trying to remember, his head began to pound, his ears twitching as he heard the muffled laughter of Sombra, his "king", tormenting them with his menacing magic. Rubbing his head, he lifted his gaze, watching a barrier flash around the kingdom, protecting the city from the elements, providing a sense of peace for him. Galuf couldn't recall, but the barrier felt familiar to him.

Up the road, he spotted a pair of ponies approaching the castle, hurrying over to check on the other crystal ponies who began to stir and wonder what happened to them with their own bout of amnesia. One was a unicorn stallion, his muscular structure befitting a guard in an army, and with him was a pink unicorn mare, but she had wings and held an air of royalty to her from the crown and gold horseshoes she wore. Bearing all three traits of pony, his mind immediately remembered there were two other princesses who were just like that as well; alicorns.

He heard Krile begin to stir, subconsciously reaching out to pick her up while he gazed at the ponies approaching them. "Sir, are you alright?" the princess asked.

Galuf stared at her, her face somehow very familiar to him. He couldn't put his hoof on why that was, but as he tried to think, his head started to hurt as he grimaced in agony. He nearly dropped his granddaughter, the mare quickly catching her in her blue aura before she hit the ground.

"Easy. Just try to breathe," the stallion accompanying the alicorn said. His headache faded, though Galuf's memory was still foggy. "Do you know where you are and what happened?"

"...The...Crystal Empire," Galuf answered. "This is...the Crystal Empire. My home." As he tried to remember what happened, an ominous laughter began to fill the air. Out in the distance, Galuf's eyes widened as he spotted a spectral mist hovering just beyond the barrier. Sombra's face flashed repeatedly in his mind, swapping between the demonic tyrant who took over their kingdom to a more innocent and loyal stallion. "...S-Sombra?"

Startled, the newcomers looked back to see the unicorn king in the distance. They both nodded, and channeling their magic together, they fired a beam of magic into the sky, strengthening the barrier and expanding it. Sombra rushed forward, but roared as he was pushed back by the barrier. He struggled to fight back until he was flung back. As the Heartless stallion disappeared into the blizzard, the kingdom's new saviors panted after expending so much mana to power their combined shield.

"Stronger than I thought. I'm not sure how we're going to keep him at bay if it took our all to enhance the barrier," the white unicorn stated.

"Then constantly fueling it should keep him at bay," the alicorn suggested. Keeping her horn alight, she constantly filled the barrier with her mana, keeping it strong to prevent Sombra from breaking through. Galuf had no idea who the couple was, but if they came to liberate their home from their monstrous king, he'd be happy to be free from their strife. They turned back to Galuf, the mare still holding Krile as the filly stared at her curiously. "Don't worry. We're here to help free you all from Sombra's reign. My name is Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, but I'd prefer to be called Cadence. And this is my husband, Shining Armor."

Hearing the alicorn's full name, Galuf's thoughts flashed to more memories. More of his life as a guard, protecting the kingdom and accompanying a mare who looked just like Cadence. It was as if his heart was trying to help his mind remember, but the flashes were so brief, they faded away and felt left to be forgotten despite still lingering inside.

"...Captain Galuf," Galuf uttered, struggling to introduce himself. "...Or...former captain...And this is my grandfilly, Krile."

"A captain of the Crystal Empire's royal guard, huh?" Shining mumbled curiously. "Mind showing us the inside of the castle. If Cadence is going to be keeping the barrier up, she's going to need a safe haven, and the castle being in the middle of the kingdom sounds as good of a place as any."

"...Y-Yes," Galuf said. "But...Are you two...truly able to stop...?"

He trailed off as more memories flashed, a devastating defeat when he tried to stand up to Sombra as he attacked. "Princess Celestia will send some backup once we've made sure all of you are alright," Shining assured. "Your home's been lost for a thousand years."

As relieved as Galuf was to hear there would be more to help them, the news that the Crystal Empire had been lost for over a millennia startled him. He couldn't believe it, but right now, all he was concerned about was the well-being of his kingdom, and Krile most of all. Cadence levitated Krile back to Galuf, setting her down on his back, and he led the couple inside the castle.

Days passed, and the expected backup didn't seem like it would be coming. Staying inside his home with Krile, Galuf tried to avoid thinking of Sombra, his face stirring memories that panged at his heart and gave him unbearable migraines. When that help arrived, he took Krile with him, surprised to see a strange group of ponies not native to the kingdom having set up stalls and began entertaining everyone with events for the Crystal Faire. Baffled, he approached along with other crystal ponies as their yearly event was being held. Slowly, every crystal pony was beginning to remember the happiness they once had through their festival, a day to commemorate the blessing of the Crystal Heart providing them protection from the tundra. Witnessing this had helped regain those happy memories, taking his daughter to the fair and having a good time when he was younger. He'd never given Krile the chance to see the Crystal Faire, and the sights were enough to make the filly all bubbly and excited for what awaits.

He'd even forgotten about the Crystal Heart, the ancient relic that gave them the protection of its powerful light. He recalled Sombra had taken it for himself, hiding it from the empire. These strangers who set this all up for them to give the Crystal Heart power to their barrier were lifesavers, giving the old stallion his shimmering luster back. However, as they all grew impatient to the unveiling of their powerful relic, the ponies' delays made them anxious, Cadence fell unconscious, as well as her barrier. If Sombra wasn't the worst of their fears, the new creatures that rose from the darkness that began to surround them had. While rushing to the center of the castle for safety, they knocked over the hidden display of their relic, only for them to realize that it was nothing more than an imitation. Though two oddly dressed ponies fought to fend off these monsters, their numbers only grew, and their hope was starting to waver.

Sensing a powerful light coming from the top of the castle, they witnessed Sora diving down in his Harmony Form, confronting Sombra and holding him back while Spike tried to climb down the outer wall of the castle. Amidst the chaos, the royal couple's backup also had backup assisting them, protecting the crystal ponies. Then they heard Sombra roar and send scattered spires of dark crystals around the kingdom, one of them shooting out from the castle wall, causing Spike to fall along with their relic. Sombra rose from a pillar of crystals to catch the Crystal Heart, only to be intercepted by Cadence being flung by Shining Armor, catching Spike and the Crystal Heart, and Sora made the stallion stumble as he sliced through his pillar at blinding speed, rebounding off the castle, and tackled him far away from the terrified ponies.

Seeing their relic return, they immediately heeded Cadence's plea to gather their light into the Crystal Heart. None hesitated to do so, not even Galuf, spreading their light toward the spire their relic rightfully belonged in, powering it and restoring its light through theirs. It shimmered brightly and unleashed a shockwave of light, expanding its powerful barrier all throughout the kingdom. The monsters were destroyed instantaneously as their bodies shimmered and gleamed in translucent light. The effect even washed over the ponies who risked their lives to bring them the salvation they long since desired. When the light reached Galuf, the old stallion gasped as all his memories came back to him, from as young as he was able to remember to the day their kingdom fell to the unicorn who stabbed them all in the back. He remembered the queen, his relationship with Sombra, the pain he had left as he turned to using a dark power after sharing his dreams and ambitions with him. Though their kingdom as liberated, faintly hearing Sombra's roar of defeat as he was most likely destroyed by the Crystal Heart's power, the misery he left in his wake did not escape Galuf.

The kingdom praised the two heroes who risked their lives the most, Sora and Spike, giving them their respective titles as crystal sculptors got to work making their statues in their honor. Peace was restored and they were now under the rule of Cadence and Shining Armor, however, Galuf was despondent when he asked his neighbors and surviving soldiers about Queen Amore. No one had any clue of her existence; just him. Sombra's curse on their memories had permanently erased any existence of the mare who brought these helpless earth ponies to a kingdom of peace and prosperity. Sombra may be gone, but his influence and his actions upset Galuf, Queen Amore's memory forever erased from history. Not even a single book in their libraries had a slight mention of her. If he were stronger, he could have slain Sombra himself, but that slight weakness in opening his heart to the former captain ended up being his downfall. Focused on raising his grandfilly, he was left as the only crystal pony who knew what truly happened that day, along with the history of the Crystal Empire's proper founding.

Exhausted, covered in scuffs and small cuts here and there, Sombra and Galuf's fight continued as they moved deeper within the Everfree Forest. Sombra refused to strike back, blocking his mentor's crystal weapons with only his sword and magic. No matter how hard he tried to convince his former captain that the faults of his actions were out of his control, but his words only fueled the older stallion's anger. With crystal weapons striking and shattering, they summoned more at their hooves, Galuf's trying to impale Sombra with everything he had.

As they pushed each other back, skidding to a halt, they panted heavily as the caught their breaths, but their guards didn't drop. Sombra knew someone in the Crystal Empire would want him to pay for his crimes and get their revenge, but he didn't think Galuf would be that pony. He remembered Queen Amore, the empire's history, even though his Heartless permanently wiped those memories away and burned the books holding such important information. The stallion he looked up to wanted him dead, but could he blame him? Not even he felt worthy of a second chance, yet despite his impossible chances when he was freed from that darkness, his light still held strong, saving him as a Dream Eater, and the body his evil persona possessed now belonged to him.

"...Captain...I do not wish to fight you anymore," Sombra said. Dropping his sword, he had enough. He couldn't go through with defending himself and risk harming the stallion he respected as a father figure. "I yield."

"You will not chance an escape to bring more ruin upon anyone else," Galuf growled. "You never DESERVED a second chance at life!"

"I know I don't," Sombra agreed. "But I did perish once. The Crystal Heart's light freed me from that monster for mere moments before my heart and body were completely destroyed. I foolishly trusted a stranger to help me find a way to let the ponies of Equestria see that Luna was just as equal as her sister, and I paid the price! I found myself in the queen's chambers, bodies of our brothers in arms on the ground with my hooves covered in their blood, and Her Highness' body vanished without a trace!" Desperately trying to see Galuf understand his plight, Sombra began shedding tears, the memory upon waking still weighing on his heart. "I would never do something as heinous as this...You know who I am."

Galuf wasn't moved by Sombra's pleas. "Not anymore." With a powerful stomp, Galuf launched a pillar of crystal into Sombra's chest again, sending him flying further back into the woods. Breathing heavily, he followed after Sombra, pushing past the bushes and finding an opening from the thick, overgrown trees, finding the unicorn wheezing as he sat near the edge of a cliff toward a dried up ravine. Across the gap, he could see the Treehouse of Harmony, a beautiful sight to see, but could be tainted by Sombra's presence. "You took away everything we had. You treated us just like the others had in the past. At least the unicorns and pegasi back then didn't kill us if we so much as glanced at you suspiciously. If I had known you would destroy our security and salvation, I would have let you freeze to death as a colt with your deceased parents!"

"I...I did not...want that," Sombra weakly pleaded. He got back on his hooves, stuck between his furious mentor and a fall that could badly injure or kill him. "I just...wanted to be with Luna...I never desired to bring harm to anypony."

"Then what of those you slaughtered!?" Galuf shouted. "Even if you didn't kill others by your hoof, putting us to work as slaves brought them to such exhaustion where they died without any medical attention! Your actions destroyed the utopia we needed; you killed friends and family! I had to lie to Krile when she asked where her parents are! You think I like to tell her that they were spared by your tyranny when we were all banished into the shadows with you when you were the one who murdered them!?" Sombra winced as Galuf yelled out every single unforgivable crime his Heartless committed. He knew Galuf cherished his family dearly, and to have caused their deaths against his will, he felt more guilt and shame before the older stallion. Rearing back his hoof, shifting his crystal into a sharpened blade, he glared angrily at Sombra, tears of loss and rage welling in his eyes. "For those you killed, for those you've scarred with your dark magic...I will avenge every single one of my ponies. For every creature in this world."

Sombra braced himself as Galuf let out a scream, his hoof thrusting forward to impale and kill the unicorn once and for all. Flying toward them in a blur, Sora caught up with them, getting between the two stallions and swung his Keyblade. He blocked Galuf's sword, causing it to shatter and send the stallion flying back, hitting the ground on his back with a grunt.

"So many Heartless followed him in his anger," Sora muttered. "I thought I wasn't going to make it."

Groaning, Galuf sat up, his adrenaline waning as he leered at his kingdom's savior. "...Why do you defend him? Do you not know what he has done!?"

"I know what happened," Sora said. He kept his stance up as Galuf got back to his hooves, creating another crystal blade. "But the Sombra you knew who almost destroyed the Crystal Empire with the power of darkness, this stallion is not the same monster."

"S-Sora, there's...no seeing reason to him anymore," Sombra uttered.

"Then I'll make him see you're innocent," Sora said without looking back at the unicorn.

"Stand aside, 'Warrior of Light'," Galuf warned. "I promise I would not hesitate going through you if you interfered."

"I wouldn't try it," Sora warned back. Left with no choice, Galuf stomped his hoof, summoning a wall of crystal to trap Sora. He missed as Sora moved faster than Galuf could ever hope to achieve. With a yell, his next stomp shattered the wall with explosive force, sending sharp shards in the pegasus' direction. Sora swiftly slashed through the shards, coming out unharmed, but he refused to fight back. "You need to stop. Your hatred is bringing Heartless around."

"No! The one bringing these deadly creatures is him!" Galuf argued. "They appeared when the barrier fell! They lingered outside and attacked en masse when it fell before the newborn princess' Crystaling! And when he returned again, he walked through the barrier like it was nothing! His presence has done nothing but bring us harm and misery, and you are protecting him!"

"That's not his fault," Sora explained. "The Heartless appear whenever they wish, hunting down those with strong hearts to snuff out their light and grow their infinite numbers. They may obey whoever is strong enough to control the darkness, but they have their own agenda regardless."

"Then how do you explain how he returned!?" Galuf demanded, swinging his sword and causing it to shatter and send more sharp fragments of crystal toward Sora. He blasted them away with Firaga, but Galuf continued fighting, summoning crystals and shifting them into numerous weapons, either making them erupt into projectiles or just flinging them at the Keyblade wielder. "His body evaporated into emptiness! He should not have survived! If you were meant to protect us from monsters like him, why do you refuse to now!?"

After blocking a large crystal hammer, Sora dashed toward Galuf. As he stood in front of the stallion, he flipped his Keyblade around, slamming the pommel into Galuf's chest, knocking all the wind out of him. He was then slammed in the gut by the Kingdom Key's pommel, sending him crashing to the ground on his back, then pinned down on his back with Sora's hoof firmly placed on his wheezing chest.

"That's something we've been trying to wrap our heads around since we heard he did come back," Sora explained after Galuf had caught his breath and the stallion no longer had any fight left to give in his tired body. "We thought a group we've been at odds against had planned to bring that Sombra back for their cause. They did at first, but the vessel they had for his new body had been stolen, and we don't know who else brought him back after I questioned the Heartless who did. Who you see as the monster was Sombra's Heartless, drawn out by someone who Celestia and Luna knew personally as family to them. Sombra was just as much a victim as you and the other crystal ponies."

"'Victim'," Galuf scoffed. "You didn't see what he did. You were never even a thought from your greatest ancestor to know how horrible he made everything."

"I couldn't imagine what you all suffered through...but there are far worse than Sombra's Heartless that you wouldn't believe exist," Sora stated. "That Sombra really is dead. We both saw to that." Galuf wasn't convinced, but he didn't fight back, knowing he had been outmatched by the stallion who was revered as their kingdom's hero. "Luna wanted me to try to bring the Sombra she knew back. It is possible for someone to come back from the darkness possessing their hearts, but being trapped in the shadows for a thousand years made it impossible. There's one thing I learned about the heart; there's always a light deep down inside that never goes out, no matter how weak or strong it is. Sombra's was nearly snuffed out by the darkness, but when the Crystal Heart restored its barrier that day, I saw the real Sombra before he faded with my own eyes."

"He showed his true colors the day he decided to take the throne for himself, and countless lives," Galuf continued arguing.

With how old fashioned Galuf seemed to be sticking to, it was clear he had held some resentment to the other pony tribes for what they did to the earth ponies more than a thousand years ago. And it was clear what King Sombra had done had inflicted a massive amount of trauma to him and the other crystal ponies. That fear he inflicted would never leave their hearts, but if the crystal ponies were able to adapt to the changes of the era they were thrust into, they can try to find some amount of closure with Sombra and decide whether or not he deserves to be part their kingdom or be banished.

Sora looked back at Sombra, who hung his head knowing full well he would never be given redemption by the kingdom he grew up in. Across the dried up ravine, he could see the bright pink leaves of the Treehouse of Harmony's branches not too far from where they were. If words won't get Galuf to believe either of them, then a divine power of light might finally help him see the truth.

"Then let's prove his innocence," Sora said, pointing to the old castle where the revived Tree of Harmony resides. "Hydaelyn will tell us if Sombra's innocent or not."

"Hydaelyn?" Galuf and Sombra uttered, confused.

Sora brought Galuf back to his hooves, nudging him toward the rope bridge to get them across. He kept him away from Sombra in case he decided to want to keep fighting. Reaching the bridge and crossing it, as they approached the ruins of the castle, Sombra realized that this place was once the former castle he'd visited on his assignment escorting Queen Amore to Equestria, and where he first met Luna. It disheartened him knowing this place fell to ruins after Luna's loneliness made her darkness seize her heart and turn her into Nightmare Moon, the castle abandoned and lost to time in this deadly forest. The treehouse illuminated with a protective light as Galuf approached it, not matching closely to the Crystal Heart's, but it was just as holy and divine.

"What is this tree?" Galuf questioned.

"This was formerly the Tree of Harmony," Sora explained. "A couple months ago, when Sombra's Heartless returned, we made the mistake of letting our guard down after I thought the Keyblades of Harmony destroyed him. He was still alive, found the Tree, and destroyed it." Galuf sneered and turned to glare at Sombra. "Stop glaring at him. That was the mad king who did this, not this Sombra."

"And how does that description make his credibility any better, as you claim!?" Galuf argued.

"Because if the Tree of Harmony sensed darkness, She'll react and eradicate any that tries to come near it." Seeing nothing happen so far, Galuf was still skeptical. "Thanks to the Young Six uniting together to revive Her lost spark of light, it's now a treehouse to offer guidance and protection. If Sombra steps inside and isn't repelled, he's no longer the Heartless you despise."

"And...if it does?" Sombra asked, slightly nervous if the mystical tree did see some malice in him because of his body.

"It won't happen," Sora assured.

High in the trees, Hydaelyn appeared in a small flash of light, hidden under the pink leaves glistening under its glow and the moon's light. She eyed her Warrior of Light curiously, along with the other two stallions accompanying him. Watching Sombra hesitate, she could sense the dread and sorrow in the stallion's heart. She could feel the weight his heart carried as he had been tainted by darkness despite there was none he held. Sombra finally stepped forward, wincing and bracing himself if he wasn't deemed worthy of redemption, entering the opened living space at the base of the tree. Glancing over his memories, she was shocked to witness what had befallen Sombra, taking responsibility for the pain and suffering the dark side of him caused.

"Such pain on so many ponies. Far before I was given sentience upon my own birth," Hydaelyn mumbled to herself. Closing her eyes, she sensed through the trees roots farther beyond the Everfree Forest. In Ponyville, she witnessed the other wielders fending off Heartless as they attacked the town. Several of the ponies kept protected in the middle of the invasion held a similar light to the older stallion currently leering at Sombra, but their fear of the darkness and their past was diminishing the light within their hearts, luring the Heartless to try to take the hearts in their clutches. "The fear has been etched in their hearts like a scar. And the creatures of darkness will not rest until they add them to their numbers.

"I refuse to let them suffer, but I will need assistance." Spreading her wings, she swooped down and faded into a speck of light, making her way straight down to Sora. Merging with his necklace, neither stallion noticed it flash for a brief moment. "My Warrior of Light."

Startled, Sora looked around as he recognized the voice, then looked back at the Treehouse of Harmony. "That voice...The Tree of Harmony?"

"Yes, though, I am given a new name by Master Terra and the new Element Bearers," Hydaelyn said.

"Oh. Right. I didn't think I'd hear you again," Sora uttered.

"Ponyville is in peril, as well as several ponies whose hearts are filled with such powerful light," the spirit informed Sora. "Though the other Warriors of Light are fighting them back, they cannot stave off the growing fear nestled deeply within their hearts."

"And without the protection of the Crystal Heart, they won't feel safe until they get back home," Sora mumbled.

"The one within my protective walls, I have discovered that his own darkness was the root cause of their strife," Hydaelyn added. "His darkness' power still holds over their wills, despite his demise and the assurance of a brighter, freer future. I need your assistance, as well as the other two stallions present."

"Sombra and Galuf?" Sora uttered, confused.

"Though my light can keep the world safe, it is not as strong as it once was in my former form, even when staving off the chaotic one's dreadful vines. The other two, Sombra and Galuf, their hearts are strong, though the older one holds much resentment toward the other." Sora focused on the two stallions, Sombra waiting for something mystical to happen while Galuf was beginning to lose his patience. "Their hearts are strong, filled with light from their ideals and responsibilities, but Galuf's ire is also one of the minor causes of the Heartless striking this evening. I request all three of you to make your way to the second floor and combine your light. The safety of those ponies depends on their cooperation."

Sora didn't know if Galuf would put aside his differences for a few moments, but with everyone else back in town in danger, as well as the rest of Equestria, he didn't want to waste any time. "I'll give it a shot," he uttered. Walking over to Galuf, he began to pull the stallion with him inside the treehouse. "We need to get to the second floor ASAP."

"Hold on a second!" Galuf argued, pulling away from Sora. "You said this tree can prove Sombra is not hostile! Nothing has happened!"

"Perhaps nothing happening is the proof?" Sombra asked, hopeful, but the sour expression on Galuf's face made him grimace.

"Look, this may be hard to believe, but I just heard Her voice," Sora said, diverting the topic. "Ponyville's in danger right now, and so are the other crystal ponies. They're too scared that their fear is bringing more and more Heartless, and she needs all three of us to help stop them."

"Us!?" Galuf and Sombra both exclaimed.

Galuf was going to complain, but Sora silenced him by grasping his shoulder. "Galuf, do you even care that the other crystal ponies are going to die and turn into Heartless if my friends get too exhausted?" he questioned. "Your granddaughter's also caught in the middle of this. Do you want to lose her?" The older stallion suddenly grew fearful for Krile, the only family he's got left. So blinded by his rage toward Sombra, he had forgotten about protecting his grandfoal. It was obvious he wanted nothing to do with Sombra anymore, but now he's stuck at a crossroads. He could still try to fight Sombra and end up losing Krile, or form a temporary truce with the stallion he wanted nothing more to do with the save everyone. "We're running out of time. Either you get moving, or I'll have to force you."

Galuf stared at Sombra, who did the same. Sombra looked just as worried as Galuf had, concerned with Luna's welfare and if she was able to fight back or was still imprisoned in Galuf's crystals.

"...I'm only doing this for Krile," Galuf finally said after a tense moment of silence. "When those monsters are truly gone...I want nothing else to do with you."

"...Understandable," Sombra agreed, disappointed, but was relieved his mentor was giving him the benefit of the doubt.

Quickly, all three stallions hurried up the stairway and onto the second floor. "What must we do?" Galuf questioned.

"Uhh...Good question," Sora uttered. Glancing around the open space, he wondered if Hydaelyn could gain power through others' light just like the Crystal Heart. "Try pouring the light from your hearts into the center of the room."

"Pouring light? You mean similar to the Crystal Heart?" Galuf asked.

"It's worth a shot," Sora said.

"Err...I've never really...done something like that," Sombra admitted. "Though I was born and raised in the Crystal Empire, I was never able to do the same."

"Really? Is it just a thing for the crystal ponies, or any who were born and raised inside the Crystal empire?" Sora asked.

Galuf wanted to make a remark involving Sombra's darkness, but he sighed, pushing those thoughts aside. "Just...focus on whatever brings you joy and will it to fill it with that same happiness," he explained. Sombra stared at his mentor, stupefied by the advice he was given. "Do you wish to prove me wrong or are you going to stand there slack-jawed?"

"R-Right. I'll give it a try," Sombra mumbled.

As Galuf and Sombra stood before each other, they both lowered themselves to the floor, bowing their heads, and closed their eyes. They each focused on what brought them the happiest of memories. Galuf thought back to the time where his home was at peace, the birth of his daughter and granddaughter, raising his daughter and playing with her whenever he was off duty. Sombra focused on his first love and everything he would do for her, in life and in death, to be her listening ear and shoulder to cry on. Sora watched as both stallions' chests began to glow, seeping into the crystal floor and flow between them. The tree started to glow brilliantly, fueled by both of their strong lights.

Distracted by the growing light from Galuf and Sombra, Hydaelyn's light left Sora's necklace and joined with the treehouse. As Sora was about to do the same, he paused, watching the light slowly form into a heart. Curious, Sora summoned Crystal Ultima, watching the Keyblade begin to glow a gentle light in reaction to the phenomenon. Aiming the blade down over the heart, Sora closed his eyes as he focused his light to join Sombra and Galuf's, making the Crystal Ultima Keyblade shine brighter, then slowly lowered the blade, which began to sink into the heart as if it was a makeshift pedestal.

The blade sank deeper until halfway down, a brilliant flash of light making the pink crystal leaves brighten and become a beacon in the night sky. A shockwave spread all throughout the woods, reaching Ponyville and washed over the Heartless, the ponies, and warriors defending them. The Heartless suddenly froze from the light, startling and baffling everyone as they wondered what was happening. Suddenly popping up around them were dozens of crystal roots shining with a powerful light, some surrounding the defenseless Equestrians while others were spread around the invading Heartless.

"W-What is happening?" Aqua uttered.

"The Everfree Forest is attacking again!" Pinkie shrieked.

"Hey, it's not my fault this time!" Discord argued. "All my plunderseeds died when you all brought the Elements back to the tree!"

"The tree...Wait, these roots look just like the Tree of Harmony's," Twilight noted curiously.

The roots around the Heartless suddenly and swiftly curled around their prey, squeezing them tightly as they shined brightly. The light burned the Heartless, causing them to burst and release the Emblem Heartless' hearts, its presence finally putting an end to the endless horde that struck. Though it was different, Xion recognized what Hydaelyn was doing after witnessing what She did to the fake clones of the Mane Six. Once the Heartless were completely evaporated and crushed by the roots, the ones surrounding the defenseless ponies curled around them in a protective state. The light around them shined, washing them over with a warm glow, more over the frightened crystal ponies.

The warmth they felt trapped them in a slight daze, light seeping in their chests to their hearts, quelling their fear, though what they felt toward Sombra's Heartless still lingered slightly. With the threat gone and the crystal ponies calmed, the roots sank back down into the earth.

"...Well, seems like Hydaelyn is strong enough to protect Equestria," Lea said. "Guess that means we can take a long vacation, right?"

"But how?" Xion uttered. "She was still recovering before turning into the treehouse, and She shouldn't be back to full strength this soon. Or be capable of doing that this far from the Everfree Forest."

Back in the Everfree Forest, the treehouse's light began to fade back to its normal illuminous state. Hydaelyn returned to her perch at the top of the tree, seeming exhausted despite given the boost she needed to protect Ponyville from the Heartless. Looking down below, Sombra and Galuf stood back up when they noticed the bright light emanating from inside was gone, watching Sora in awe as he pulled the Crystal Ultima Keyblade from the heart-shaped light that came from their hearts. Baffled, Galuf expected it to be tainted, but as the heart faded, there wasn't a speck of darkness like he expected.

"...Did...Did it work?" Sombra asked.

"I think so," Sora said. He brought a hoof to his ear to ask the others if they were fine. "You guys alright back there?"

"Yeah. The Heartless are gone," Aqua answered. "It looked like roots from the Tree shot up and surrounded us. They wiped out the Heartless and eradicated anymore from popping up, and...whatever it did to the others, the crystal ponies are much more calmer now."

"Are you at the Tree right now?" Terra added.

"Yeah. I found Galuf and Sombra's fight ending by the ravine," Sora explained. "...Hydaelyn asked for some help to save you guys. I'll tell you about it later when we get back." Ending his communication, he sighed in relief. "Everyone's safe, so that's some good news."

"Thank the heavens," Sombra sighed.

Galuf said nothing, just as relieved as the other two stallions, but everything he believed about Sombra's cynical nature was proven wrong by their combined efforts to save the crystal ponies. Sombra caught him staring, averting his gaze, knowing their deal was only to cooperate until everyone was safe.

The trio walked back to town on the safe path through the woods, filled with only the sound of nocturnal creatures roaming about until they returned to town. Though the threat has wound down enough where Ponyville's citizens were ready to resume enjoying Nightmare Night. The crystal ponies weren't as shaken up, but that didn't mean what they experienced wasn't erased from their memories. Sombra kept his distance to avoid sparking another terror-filled riot, but when Krile spotted Galuf, she immediately ran toward him.

"Grandpa!" Krile cried out, jumping into the older stallion's hooves and hugged him tightly.

"Thank goodness you're alright," Galuf uttered, holding his grandfoal and comforting her from the terrifying experience she went through.

Luna flew toward Sombra, immediately scooping him into her embrace, relieved to see him alive despite how injured he had been in Galuf's rampage. "I was so worried you would be taken from me again."

"I'm more worried for your safety than my own," Sombra said. When Luna put her fiancé down, he looked at the crystal ponies among the group. They noticed him staring, still incredibly wary of his presence. "...I think we'd better call it a night."

"But we are no longer in peril," Luna said. "We can still-"

"I do not want to make these ponies uncomfortable any longer," Sombra interrupted. "Maybe next year...with notice of who shall be attending."

Luna wanted to refuse, but froze when she heard the crystal around her horn crack and break into dust. Glancing back at Galuf, he stared back, holding Krile while the filly averted her gaze from Sombra. She was still shaken up from the scare, and she didn't want to be around the kingdom's former tyrant anymore.

"...My apologies, Your Highness," Galuf said. "But...we do not want his presence around us anymore."

"Sir, Sombra is not-!" Luna paused when she felt Sombra gently tap against her leg.

"It's no use trying to prove my innocence," he said, lowering his head. "My darkness has done too much damage for them to find any forgiveness in me."

The look of defeat on Sombra's face made the alicorn wilt. She wanted to help the crystal ponies see he wasn't the monster who took over his body and nearly brought the world to ruin after taking over the Crystal Empire. Though time had passed for everyone, the Crystal Empire had been trapped in time after being swallowed in the shadows with Sombra's Heartless. As she looked back at the nervous gazes of the crystal ponies, it really did feel hopeless to try to convince them otherwise. The dark unicorn king had done too much harm to them, using them as his tools for his selfish reign, never once showing remorse toward their pain.

Giving in to her future husband's request, Luna lit up her horn, teleporting them both back to Canterlot. The crystal ponies relaxed, though were now wary of Sombra still existing among them. Nightmare Night seemed to have come to an abrupt end for the crystal ponies. With the trains no longer running at this hour, Twilight invited the crystal ponies to the castle and gave them rooms for the night. While everyone else got the crystal ponies situated, Sora approached Galuf, who was still lost in thought after watching his former apprentice accept the fact the home he was raised in no longer wanted him.

"Why didn't you vouch for him?" Sora asked Galuf. "You got all the proof you needed, didn't you?"

Galuf frowned, refusing to look Sora in the eyes. "...I did," he admitted.

"So why didn't you say anything?" Sora asked again.

"You know why," Galuf mumbled. "Out of all of us, I was the only one who was spared of losing every single memory that made us crystal ponies a happy and carefree group. I remember everything before Sombra..." He winced, realizing after all these years that the unicorn who attacked and took over the Crystal Empire could never be the Sombra he knew. "...No...Before that demon brought back the pain we felt as slaves to do his bidding. Should I try to explain and make others see he was never the monster we saw, would they believe me after I witnessed the proof myself?"

"Actions always speak louder than words," Sora argued. "We have these ornaments that are enchanted to see the memories of the one who wields it. If we show them what happened back with Hydaelyn-"

"They will not believe that, either," Galuf interrupted. "Their memories are wiped of our true history. Our queen who risked everything, despite being a unicorn, to protect earth ponies like us. All they can recall is believing they had been living under 'Sombra's' iron hoof since the day they were born."

"And...you control crystals like Sombra?" Startled, Galuf nearly forgot Krile was still beside him. Looking down at his granddaughter, she was highly conflicted by what she had witnessed along with the fear of being attacked by the Heartless. "...W-Why can you do that?"

He'd nearly forgotten he showed off his crystal manipulation in front of the whole crowd as he shielded them from Sombra and encased Luna in crystal. Sombra's Heartless had that same power, a power that Galuf willingly passed on to his pupil, which was also used against them. To tell the truth, or lie to others and himself, he didn't know if Krile would truly believe him.

"...I was gifted with this power," Galuf said after several minutes of conflicted silence. "Before Sombra, we did have a benevolent ruler who was also a unicorn, but she never looked down upon us. I was chosen as her most loyal soldier, and with her magic, her light, I was able to manipulate crystals as a means of protecting others...but it was a power I kept secret."

"But...we never had a queen," Krile mumbled.

"...We did, sweetheart...but her blessing bestowed on me made me the only one who remembered," Galuf said. "But Sombra...the pony who was here...he was not the same monster who hurt us...and I was too blind with confusion and anger to realize how wrong I was about him..." He sat down, hanging his head, feeling tears beginning to well in his eyes. "...He was just as much a victim to that darkness as we were..."

The next morning, Sombra shuffled through the halls of the castle. He barely got any sleep after causing so much trouble just by being present in front of the ponies he once knew from the Crystal Empire. He knew he would never be forgiven and would have been banished if he ever got near the Crystal Empire's borders. Passing by the murals of the Mane Six's accomplishments, he glanced up at the one where the Crystal Empire returned and his Heartless was fended off by Sora.

"...If Captain Galuf never saved me..." Sombra sighed, hanging his head in exhaustion and sadness. "...Would Luna have still suffered if the Crystal Empire was never sieged by my darkness?"

He began to make his way to the castle's entrance, needing a walk to clear his head. Just as he passed through the doors, he froze in shock, finding his mentor just about to walk inside, along with his grandfoal and a guard who was just about to escort them.

"...Sombra," Galuf mumbled.

"...T-This is...unexpected," Sombra uttered, confused.

"Uhh, Sombra, you have guests," the guard stated.

"...Thank you. I'll...take it from here?" Sombra said. The guard returned to his post, leaving Sombra to invite Galuf and Krile inside. The filly still wore the cardigan, taking a liking to the attire for her costume and was allowed to keep it. Expecting Krile to be traumatized as she was dragged along by Galuf to come up to Canterlot to see him, she didn't seem as scared as before and was looking around the castle with curiosity. Taking the two crystal ponies to an empty room, he closed the door once they had enough privacy, then looked at his mentor. "...I thought you did not want anything to do with me after last night."

"Yes...I did...but I saw enough," Galuf said.

"...What do you mean?" Sombra asked.

"...Your light was pure. Back at that tree," Galuf said. "Our light combined into a heart. I was blinded by my anger toward you for all you've-" The stallion grimaced, shaking his head. "...No. Not you. What...the other you did. I should have known better when you never once did any harm toward us, even when most of the kingdom showed you little respect because you were a unicorn."

"You...believe I was innocent?" Sombra questioned. "But...I don't understand."

Galuf looked down at Krile, who was silently watching and listening to the stallions talk. "...When I revealed my power with crystals...the other crystal ponies were wary of what I was capable of. With no memory of what transpired before the evil unicorn's reign, and having kept these powers to ourselves, they didn't know what to think of me. But as a former captain of the Crystal Guard, I tried to explain how I came to acquire such unique 'earth pony' magic."

"But...this came from the queen. It's not earth pony magic," Sombra said.

"No one else recalls our queen's existence. Nor what had become of us before Queen Amore took us to someplace where we could live in peace," Galuf said. "Your dark side cursed us to forget and remain unhappy while striking fear in our hearts...I was given odd looks at the mention of her name, but I know they can still feel her light giving us protection through the Crystal Heart. That same light came from Spike the Brave and Glorious when he underwent a transformation after the dragoness who was his mother was turned into one of those creatures."

Sombra's ears drooped. He knew the crystal ponies would have forgotten about their past no thanks to his dark persona. Though, with how deeply his darkness scarred the crystal ponies' hearts, it was astonishing knowing they could feel such a familiar presence, yet have no recollection of the mare responsible for their kingdom and supposed peace.

"...So...You lied to avoid confusion and conflict," Sombra uttered.

"I lied to keep these ponies from losing their hope and light," Galuf corrected. "I'm not proud of it, but to keep the peace, it is better that you do not get involved in their lives anymore."

"Or else their fear will no longer keep themselves safe within the empire," Sombra said with a dejected sigh. Even though he expected to feel like being exiled, it still hurt that he could no longer go back to the home he was raised in. Sombra then looked at Krile again, wondering about her no longer being scared or hiding from him. "...What of your grandfoal?"

"Grandpa told me you weren't really bad," Krile said. "You used to train under him when I was a baby, and you weren't liked by anypony back home."

"I told Krile everything," Galuf admitted, rubbing the filly's mane. "She didn't see the damage your darkness caused to truly scar her. Perhaps the same could be said to other foals around her age, or newborns who arrived recently when we returned after one thousand years." Sombra tilted his head at the odd statement. Though he wasn't present when his Heartless returned, he had heard his second attempted liberation wound up with him almost harming Shining Armor and Cadence's daughter, Flurry Heart, who was only a toddler. Even at a very young age, that fear should have at least scarred her. "Now may not be a good time to bring your name up...but, I believe in time, with stories passed down from someone who knew you more personally than any other crystal pony, the Sombra that's known as a monster may fade away and be replaced by the one who should be remembered."

Sombra was taken aback, shocked by his mentor doing something like that for him after last night. He wanted his name to be a forgotten memory for the Crystal Empire, but to have it be cleared and renewed with who he really was in decades' time was something he would never expect. His mentor was going to do just that, and though he caused so much pain to Galuf, he gave Sombra another chance once the truth finally set in through his Heartless' actions not being his own.

"...R-Really?" Sombra asked, dumbfounded.

"I'm not sure if it will be possible to see the change happen in your lifetime, but eventually, the tyrant will be left a forgotten memory while your name will be wiped clean with a new perspective on your true personality," Galuf said with a small grin.

Sombra was speechless. Not once would he have expected a single pony from the Crystal Pony to give him any forgiveness when he returned. Not even the stallion who personally trained him and was his savior back when he was a colt. To be given such an opportunity, Sombra started to get emotional. Trying to keep a straight face, his first instinct was to give his former captain a salute, still respecting him even after the pain his darkness wrought upon Galuf, his family, and everypony from the Crystal Empire.

"...T-Thank you, sir," Sombra said.

"None of that," Galuf said with a frown. "If you forgot the day you mentioned you would be leaving to be with your lover, I was no longer your commanding officer."

Flinching, Sombra slowly relaxed from his salute. "I...didn't forget. Force of habit."

He lowered his head, hearing Galuf's hooves approach him. Before he knew it, Sombra was caught off guard when the older stallion hugged him.

"...I'm sorry for misjudging you for what you became," Galuf said. "...I should have known that wasn't you."

Taken aback, Sombra couldn't hold back his tears. Hesitating, he hugged his mentor back, filled with some relief to hear him forgive him for his Heartless' past actions. He felt Krile join them and hug one of his hind legs, the filly also forgiving him after knowing who Sombra truly was. Even if the Crystal Empire may not forgive him, knowing someone did was more than enough for him.

Through the rest of the day, Galuf and Krile were given a tour around the castle. Krile asked a lot of different questions about Sombra and if what her grandfather said was all true or elaborated to embarrass him. While confirming most, he did give Galuf the stinkeye when he mentioned a few of his slipups during his training. And as evening fell, Sombra saw both crystal ponies off at the train station. Even though he couldn't visit the empire, they would try to visit him whenever they had the chance. Sombra watched the train leave, a small smile on his muzzle. He wouldn't put his hopes up having his name fully cleared in the Crystal Empire, but in time, perhaps his name will be written in history as one of the many victims involved with the deadly power darkness nearly brought to the kingdom.