"Starswirl?" said the prisoner, "Who the hay is Starswirl? Is he one of your righteous, holier-than-thou guards? Or one of your 'peaceful princes'? You once told me you were peaceful. Then you left me to die in that ice."

"First of all, you are Starswirl," said Celestia, "and secondly, you know it wasn't like that. Me and Luna tried but we had to put our kingdom first."

"You are not understanding me" said the prisoner, moving his dark, greasy mane from his eyes, "I am not Starswirl. I said it before and I'll say it again, I am King Sombra of the Crystal Empire, lord of shadows and the rightful ruler of Equestria! One day, one day soon, you will be bowing before me as I punish you for your treason, and as you beg for the mercy that is death I, being a merciful king, will grant it to you!" said Sombra, throwing himself against the bars of his prison.

"I know you don't mean that Starswirl. You are just confused." said Celestia feeling the tears well up, "We were wrong to heft all that responsibility on you. I just ask your forgiveness."

" Don't lie to me!" said Sombra with anger and frustration, "I know you desire something from me! Why else would you keep me alive?! You need me to do something for you! Well, what is it?!"

"You're right, Starswirl. I do need you to do something." said Celestia, using all her might simply to prevent herself from crying, "I need you to remember. Remember the times we had. The good times. We were friends. More than that." When Sombra looked up in curiosity, she knew she could get him to listen, even if just for a little.

"You were an alicorn. Prince of the Stars. You were loved by everypony, me especially." she continues, praying it will spark his memory, "You were the strongest of us overall, though I had better control and Luna was better at combat. You loved the rain because you said it could wash away your sorrows. You love apples and are allergic to oranges."

"Stop. Please." said Sombra. But Celestia pushed on.

"You were amazing with foals, Philomena is your pet phoenix, your favorite food is tomato and sapphire soup, something you picked up from your dragon friends."

"My head! Stop! Stop filling my head with lies!" said Sombra, hooves on his ears. When Celestia continued, he began to bang his head on the wall. "LIES!" he screamed "ALL LIES!"

"It is the truth, Starswirl, and you know it. Your favorite book was 'Magical Mystery over the Millennia'. You loved unexplainable things. Your favorite quote is-"

"Courage is not the absence of fear, it is taking action despite it. If you live without fear, you are stupid." , finished Sombra.

"See, you do remember." said Celestia, " Let's continue. You and Luna were almost inseparable. You still managed to find time for me, your filly-friend. I am madly in love with you and-"

"See, that's how I know you are a liar. You never loved me. You never have and you never WILL!" said Sombra, confused and angry.

"No!" said Celestia, raising her voice for the first time, "I did love you! I always have and I always will! Why can't you remember?! I'm sorry, it's all my fault! I should have tried harder, but you forced me to…" and, with that, the tears broke free. Celestia cried her eyes out, filled with regret and depression over her ex colt-friend.

Sombra looked up and saw Celestia crying. Then, something clicked in his mind. Suddenly, he remembers Starswirl. He is reminded of what he said when they first started dating. If I ever make you cry, he remembers saying, Remind me that it's a dream.

"Don't cry, Tia," said Sombra, "everything will be okay. I am sorry for all the pain I caused." Celestia looked Sombra in the eyes and they were different. His once scarlet eyes had become a deep, stunning blue.

"If it will stop you from crying, I will renounce my power." he said, as tender as his gruff, evil voice could get, "I will scream. Do not intervene. It is the only way. I am going to need some room." When Celestia looks at him with skepticism, he says "Oh come on, Tia, There is no way for me to escape." Celestia mulls it over, considering every possibility. Finally, she points her horn at the lock and says "Aperta porta custodiæ." The prison doors open with a creak. Sombra trotted out of the prison, looked at Celestia and smirked at her. Then without warning, his horn began to glow a midnight-blue. Then it happened. To say he screamed would be an understatement.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!", screamed Sombra. He screamed and screamed and screamed some more. He felt as though every atom in his body was melting. His body convulsed and spasmed. His eyes rolled back in his head. Black aura began to envelope his body. The black aura slowly turned to blue and, in that moment, he screamed louder than he ever had. Celestia, who had been resisting the urge this whole time, finally lost it.

"Starswirl!" she screamed, as she ran to put her hoof on his shoulder. Then, Celestia was the one screaming in pain. The blue aura quickly turned back to black and enveloped her. After a few more minutes of screaming, Celestia stopped and Sombra fell to the floor. Looking up through blurred vision, he sees Celestia standing before him. "Tia?" he asks.

"Princess Celestia is dead. Only Queen Solaris remains." she replies, with an evil grin.