The world came back in stark focus to Ephialtes. He sat up in the clearing, alone and startled at what he had just witnessed. The corps of Commander Nexus still lay still in the middle clearing. Ephialtes was about to get up and check on him until a deep chuckle caused him to turn away.

“He’s dead Ephialtes. At your hoof.” Sombra’s voice called out.

Ephialtes turned and saw something he had never accepted; it was him. It was like looking into a mirror. The only glaring difference was the flowing, purple aura emanating from the now green eyes.

“This may be hard for you to comprehend, but it seems you’ve given me a new body. I would like to thank you before I send your soul to Tartarus.” Ephialtes’ doppelganger said lowering its horn.

Sombra launched a black bolt of lightning at Ephialtes. Ephialtes didn’t know any shield spells, and he would have resigned to giving up; if it hadn’t been for a white bolt of lightning deflecting Sombra’s into a near by tree.

“What!? How did you- Lunarus.”

“That’s right Sombra.” Nexus’ spirit said stepping out from behind Ephialtes.

“What? I thought you were dead?” Ephialtes said staring at the transparent figure in front of him.

“I am, but that doesn’t mean you have to fight alone.” Nexus’ spirit replied.

“Fight? I can’t fight him!”

“He’s right Lunarus. You should accept your fates and lead him to Tartarus.”

“You don’t seem to understand the words Element of Honor very well do you? Even in death I fight for Luna and all those that serve her. We are the New Evening Armada! We are born to die, but not before you!”

“Still not sure how this helps me win here. No offence.” Ephialtes said.

“You don’t, you let your instincts. Armada soldiers were never made, they were born. And you are one of them. Just let your instincts take over and follow your gut.”

Nexus vanished and so did his voice. Ephialtes gulped and looked Sombra in the eyes.

“His trust is misguided. I know you don’t have it in you to fight me.” Sombra said charging Ephialtes.

Ephialtes dropped to the ground and rolled out of the way of Sombra’s charge. Sombra accepted the move and stopped dead in his tracks and attempted to bring his hind legs down on Ephialtes’ head. Ephialtes put up his forelegs and took the blow. Ephialtes rolled to his hoofs and took a stance.

“You have skills. But I know everything you do.” Sombra said.

“Does this mean this will never end?”

“Thankfully no. But I will leave you with a little treat.”

Sombra’s horn flashed and he was gone in a swirling mass of black. Though the world was not quiet, the forest was alive with whispers. Some spoke of danger, others soothed him. A deep growl vibrated Ephialtes’ eardrums before a bone chilling roar caused him to nearly jump from his skin. As he turned to locate the source of the sound when a Manticore paw nearly knocked his skeleton from his flesh. His body was thrown like a rag doll to the other side of the clearing by the Manticore. As he stood, battered and weary, more began slowly advancing from the edge of the forest.

Ephialtes shut his eyes and felt a jolt of electricity shoot through him and out his horn. The lightning spell came again, but this time sapping a lot more of his energy. He knelt for a moment then saw that one of the Manticores were gone and a pile of golden dust was left. He tried summoning the lightning again, but he didn’t have enough energy. Before he could even think of trying anything else, a spear shot out of the sky and struck the closest Manticore in the leg. The spear arched with power and the Manticore began to convulse before turning into dust.

The cavalry. Four Evening Guard Pegasi soldiers landed in front of Ephialtes, lightning lances at the ready. The Manticores exchanged looks then slowly backed away into the darkness of the overhanging trees. Ephialtes couldn’t udder a word of thanks before he was shoved to the ground by Hestaria and a lightning lance shoved in his face.

“Tell me why I shouldn’t skewer you right now Ephi!?” the gray Pegasus demanded.

“Halt!” a regal voice called out from the sky.

Ephialtes looked past Hestaria and into the night sky. Princess Luna, glided down from high above the tree tops and landed behind her guards.

“Release him.” she commanded.

Hestaria let Ephialtes up but kept a close eye on him.

“Please, Ephialtes, step forward.”

Ephialtes nervously took a step forward. Before he could take another however, Hestaria stopped him and whispered in his ear. “I’m really happy to see you’re not insane anymore.”

“Let him pass, Hestaria.”

“Yes, Princess.”

She moved out of the way and allowed him to stand face to face with her. Luna’s horn glowed lightly as she looked into his eyes. She sighed and looked back to Nexus.

“Lunarus.” she said.

“Princess!” a mare shouted in the distance. “Princess!”

“Dust, stay back!” Luna shouted back as a light brown Pegasus mare with a black mane swooped down into the clearing.

Upon entering the clearing the first thing she saw was Nexus’ battered and bloody body lying still under the moon.

“Lunar…Lunar! No, no, no! Get up, please!” she shouted kneeling next to him.

“Lieutenant Storm, please, take her back to the castle.” Luna said looking to the Pegasus next to her.

“Yes, Your Highness. Come on Dust.”

“No, I’m not leaving him!”

She continued to shout and struggle as Strom dragged her out of the clearing.

“As for you, Ephialtes…” Luna said looking back at him.

Ephialtes’ mind was racing a mile a minute. He knew he killed Nexus, well he didn’t know at the time, but he knew that this was more then enough circumstantial evidence to prove he was a changeling. He gulped down a whimper and looked Luna in the eyes.

“I didn’t kill him.” Ephialtes said standing tall.

“Oh, is that so?” Luna asked.

“Yes. I didn’t kill him. I wasn’t in control of my body.”

“Then what was?”

“Sombra.”

Luna seemed very taken back by the statement, but composed herself before continuing. “Sombra was defeated only a few months ago.”

“He can’t die. So long as fear and hate still live, so does he.” he wasn’t sure what he was saying anymore, the words were not his own. Even the way he was standing, hoofs together, neck straight. He was standing at attention.

Luna’s horn glowed as she looked him over again.

“Should I arrest him, Princess?” a guard asked.

“No. He speaks the truth.” she said. “No matter how painful the truth is, he is honest. Sombra is still alive and we have to find him.”

“What about The Commander?”

“He died in battle as he would have wanted.” Ephialtes detected a note of pain and repentance in her voice as she said that. “He was a true hero.”

Nexus appeared next to Ephialtes again, this time looking sad. “Don’t look this way, they can’t see me. I’ve done all that I can for you Ephi, it’s time for you to face what has happened alone. You’re free to do whatever you wish. Leave for all I care.”

“I want to be head of finding him.” Ephialtes said.

Even Nexus’ spirit did a double take when he heard that.

“You want to what?” Luna asked.

“This is my fault. And I want every chance I can to make it right.”

“Princess?” Hestaria said a little afraid. “What if Sombra is still in him?”

“He is. As he is within me. There is always apart of him left behind once he is banished.”

“Only this time he has a body. He can’t hide forever.” Ephialtes butted in. “And may I try something?”

“What would that be?” Luna asked the blood red zebra/pony.

“It has to do with Commander Nexus.”

“What are you doing, Ephi?” Nexus asked.

“As you wish.” Luna said letting Ephialtes walk to Nexus’ lifeless body.

He sat down and lowered his horn to Nexus’ chest. “I ended your life, but now I’ll make it up to you.” he said quietly.

“What are you-ah!” Nexus’ spirit shouted putting a hoof to his right eye. As he pulled it away, fresh blood trickled down his foreleg and left cheek as his eye started to shut in pain. “What are you doing Ephialtes!?”

“Giving you a third chance.” Ephialtes replied as his horn glowed brightly and enveloped Nexus’ body.

The metal plates on Nexus’ body reflect the light perfectly, creating a brilliant show as cascades of purple and white created an aurora in the sky above them. A clap of thunder, followed by a bright purple flash enveloped Nexus and a sharp breath shot into his lungs, followed by a blood curdling shout of pain from him.

“Lunarus!” Luna shouted in joy and surprise. “You’re okay!”

“No!” Nexus shouted back. “I’m not okay, get me a medic now! Celestia be damned, this hurts!”

One of the guards shoved Ephialtes out of the way and started treating Nexus’ still bloody eye.

“Not my eye, my left hind leg!”

“But that’s metal.”

“What did you do to me Ephialtes!?”

“Resurrection spell. It’s the only one I know. Brings dead tissue back to life.” he said in a matter of fact tone.

The field medic waved his horn over Nexus’ leg and Nexus’ pain fueled grunts lessened from the numbing magic.

“Then why do I feel like my leg was just now blown off?” he said through his teeth.

“It can’t be.” Ephialtes said getting closer. “Can you feel this?” he asked pressing his hoof against Nexus’ right hind leg.

“Yes, I could always feel pressure.”

“Can you feel anything else?”

Nexus was about to say he couldn’t, but then the feeling of a chilled hoof came into focus. “I can feel your cold hoof. I can feel the grass under me. I can feel the medics armored knee in my chest.” The medic re adjusted himself as he continued wrapping gauze around Nexus’ left eye. “You didn’t just bring dead tissue back to life, you brought nonliving tissue to life.” he said amazed.

“I did?”

Ephialtes helped Nexus stand once the medic was finished and they proceeded to help him back to the Academy.