Sombra was content. Therefore, he was bored. He didn’t think it would be so...peaceful. Death was nothing like the old mare’s tales. He was in a sea of other pony souls sifting through the planet. His presence then sensed another presence. He swam towards it. He found a black stain in the lifestream, calling out to him.

“Ah, finally. A being with real power…” the black form said.

“What are you? A demon? No, I sense something else...alicorn magic!?” Sombra said to the black form.

“If that’s what passes for a god in this blasted pony world, then yes…”

“But how?!”

“How what?”

“How could an alicorn die!?”

“I’m not dead, you fool…”

“But you’re here. This is where the dead collect.”

The black form gave a ghostly chuckle, “So it would seem. But my body would not survive on the moon, so it deposited my essence here,”

Sombra thought for a bit, then replied, “Then what ARE you? If not alicorn, then what?”

“What I am does not matter. What matters is what I am about to propose to you.”

“What could you offer me, demon alicorn?”

“How about a body?”

Sombra was taken aback, “How could you create such foul sorcery in your form?”

“We are but dust of the earth, I recall. I’ll create a form that is an amalgam of both of us, and you can achieve your heart’s desire. Deal?”

Sombra didn’t have to think about that, “Deal,” and they were both ejected from the lifestream.

----
Cadance was sitting in the throne room of the Crystal Empire. Her throne room, she reminded herself. Her and Shining Armor had gone through Tartarus to gain this from the foul beast Sombra. She thought of her amore, training the Crystal Empire team for the Equestria Games. She ran a hoof through her hair, imagining him all hot and sweaty from running. She giggled at the image literally running through her head.

Just then, a flash of light burst from the center of the throne room, as dust particles collected in its wake. They pieced together the shape of a pony as tall as Celestia, with a wicked curved horn. Cadance stood up, prepared to battle what she assumed to be Sombra, back from the grave, until wings started piecing together. Cadance raised an eyebrow. I don’t remember Sombra being an alicorn, she thought. But as the pieces materialized, there atop of his head was his unmistakable curved red horn, along with one cream wing offset by a grey wing. Cadance looked upon the Sombra-alicorn as he rested upon his hooves, cracking his neck.

“Hello, Cadance,” Sombracorn said in his low rumble.

“Sombra!...corn…” Cadance said loudly.

“Call me Safer Sombra...I like the way it rolls off the tongue…” Safer Sombra said, “hmm, it’s nice having a tongue again…”

Cadance raised and eyebrow, then steeled herself, “This ends now, Safer Sombra!”

Safer Sombra stared at Cadance, “Your mind says no, but your body betrays you…”

And indeed it was. Cadance’s knees were shaking, frozen in place.

“Come to me…” Cadance tried to resist, but her body had other thoughts. It lifted one leg, then the other, then the other, then the other as she slowly walked towards Safer Sombra. She approached him, noticing how...handsome he was.

“You know, for an evil overlord, you’re not a bad-looking stallion…” Cadance murmured.

“I always thought so myself,” Safer Sombra said, admiring the back of his hoof. Cadance’s stomach jumped. Did she just say that out loud?

“Did I…”

“Yes, you did. Now kiss me,”

Cadance’s mind reeled at that. There was no way she was going to-

Their lips met and danced midair at the passionate kiss they shared. Cadance pulled back, her face awash in horror. Safer Sombra, however, looked uninterested.

“Kiss me again,” he commanded.

Cadance tried her hardest to resist. He enslaved the Crystal Ponies! He’s a monster! He’s probably a zombie! Not to mention a great kisser-and her mind froze. There she was, kissing the evil overlord again. She pushed him back as she heard wine glasses shatter. Shining Armor stood at the entrance of the throne room, mouth agape in shock at the scene before him.

“It appears I’ve been caught with my tongue in the cookie jar,” Safer Sombra said. He then looked at the broken wine glasses, the wine in them pooling across the crystal floor, “And that was some of my finest crystal, too…”

Cadance said, “It’s not what it looks like! He has an-” and her mouth clammed up. Her eyes pleaded with her loving husband, and they shared a glance that the kiss was not of her doing. Shining Armor then noticed the curved red horn atop the alicorn’s head and steeled himself.

“Sombra!...corn…”, he shouted.

Safer Sombra sighed, “Why does everypony keep calling me that?”

Shining Armor charged up his horn, then released an expanding bubble of magic around him. It grew to the size of the expansive throne room, but failed to repel Safer Sombra. Instead, the bubble curved around his extended hoof as it expanded, the structure collapsing upon itself. Shining Armor looked upon the alicorn in shock.

“But...not even Queen Chrysalis could…”

“I am not whatever creature you just mentioned! I am a new being of great power, and with this new body, I shall be praised for the wonder I am!” Safer Sombra roared, causing Shining to shrink in terror, “Now go tell your precious Princess of my return, worm, while I have my way with your delectable wife…”

Shining nodded at that and galloped off, leaving Safer Sombra alone with Princess Cadance. Safer Sombra smiled wickedly, causing Cadance to gulp.

----

Celestia was sitting in her throne room, meeting with nobles in her Day Court. They were discussing some nonsense about how corn futures would destabilize the economy or something...she wasn’t really paying attention. The doors burst open as Shining Armor galloped in, panting and wheezing.

“Crystal Empire...Cadance...Sombra…” Shining Armor got out.

Celestia raised a hoof, “While I’m sure that corn futures are very important, I have urgent matters to discuss. Please leave, everypony. Court is now closed,” she said, which was met by a series of groans. One of the nobleponies trotted up to Celestia as if to say something, which she cut off with, “What part of court being closed did you not understand?” to which he shrank away and cantered off. Celestia then flew down to Shining and hugged him, “Now, now, everything’s going to be ok…”

Shining’s eyes shot open, “No it isn’t! Sombra came back and he was kissing Cadance, but she wasn’t into it, but more importantly, he had wings!”

Celestia raised an eyebrow, “Wings, you say?”

Shining nodded, “Yes, one of them was grey, but the other one was a cream color-”

“Sephiroth,”

Shining looked confused, “Sephiroth?”

Celestia steeled her gaze, “Nothing you need to worry about,” she said as she stood up and trotted towards the window, “have the guards take care of you. I’ll take care of Sephiroth,”

With that, she took off into the day, leaving a trail of blue, pink and green behind her as she sped off.

Shining Armor gazed, dazed for a second, then stood up and dusted himself off, heading towards the kitchen. He needed some food.

----

Safer Sombra was sitting in his throne room, surrounded by mares fawning over him, Cadance at his side.

“So what should our first order of business be today, honey?”

“I...don’t...know...darling,” Cadance said through gritted teeth, “why...don’t...you...ask...an...advisor?”

Safer Sombra mused at that, “I think I will. Oh girls, what should Safer Sombra do today?” Cadance groaned.

One of the mares spoke up, “I think you should declare a national holiday declaring your return!”

Safer Sombra said, “That’s a great idea...what was your name?”
“Spring Step, lord and master!”

“Spring Step, that is a great idea!” Safer Sombra said. Safer Sombra then sensed something and braced himself.

Celestia barreled straight through the wall and into Safer Sombra, pinning him against the wall by his neck, “Sephiroth!”

Sombra smiled, “Why hello, El…”

Cadance raised an eyebrow, “El?” she asked.

Celestia replied, “Long story,” and then turned towards Safer Sombra, “Now, Sephiroth, undo whatever foul magic you have enacted and give this poor soul his peace in death!”

“First of all,” Safer Sombra said as he plucked a shocked Celestia off of him with his dark magic, “It’s Safer Sombra now, and we made a deal,” and threw her across the room.

“A deal?” Celestia asked, betraying worry.

“Yes,” Safer Sombra said, pacing around the room, “we fused our bodies and souls together to create a being of unimaginable power to take over this planet,”

Celestia said, “Oh, Sombra, whatever have you done?”

“Safer Sombra!” he said as he blasted her with dark magic, her erecting a shield just in time. She felt the impact in her barrel as the magic washed over the shield. Celestia sucked in a ragged breath.

Safer Sombra trotted towards Celestia, eyes filled with malice.