Fortress Umbra hung motionless in the sky, its presence dominating everything for miles around, casting its shadow over the ruins of the Crystal City. The sun could do little to lighten the black fortress, what little light could find its way past it, flittered down into the city, where the shattered dome would allow, only to be met by a thick haze that barred any further advancement. Beneath the haze an inky black fog clung tightly to the ground, obscuring it. Here and there the tell tale signs of a body could be seen poking out of the mist along with broken columns of crystals, jutting from the ground and buildings. One of the many reminders of what had transpired there.

Near the center of the city, just outside the Crystal Palace, the black fog began to move. Slowly at first but rapidly growing in speed, the fog whirled along the ground before raising up into three pillars that soon took on distinct shapes. The shadows fell away, leaving three ponies standing amidst the dead city.

“You sure did a number on the city.” Rainbow Dash said, pulling her black hood down around her neck.

“Such a waste.” replied Sombra.

“You did what you had to do.” Twilight said reassuringly, placing a hoof on Sombra’s armoured shoulder and smiled up at him.

“Yes, were it not for the Alicorns barrier I would not have needed to use such means to retake my city.” He glanced down at Twilight, smiling as he did so. “But that does not matter now.” He looked to his left, noting a nearby body and walked towards it.

“Could you maybe tell us why you woke us up so early?” Rainbow asked, stifling a yawn. “One of us still needs a full nights sleep, you know.”

Twilight nodded in agreement. “I know you're planning something, you had that look, but what could it have to do with what's left of the city?”

“There is a resource here that we need.” He said simply, coming to a stop beside the body. Igniting his horn, Sombra encased the body in a green aura, lifting it above the fog.

“Ew.” Twilight and Rainbow both said at the sight of the corpse. A blue unicorn stallion by the looks of it, his head was thrown back and his eyes were wide with terror but what had caught their eyes was the black crystals that appeared to have burst out of his neck and grown down into his chest.

“This one will do nicely.” Sombra said, walking back to the pair. He smiled once again at Twilight. “Would you mind holding this, my dear?”

She looked between him and the corpse. “Not at all.” Her horn glowed and a purple aura replaced the green.

“Thank you.” He looked behind him and off into the distance. “If you could wait here, my dear. There is one last thing I need to collect. Shadowbolt? If you'd come with me.”

“Sure.” Rainbow Dash said, unfurling her wings and hovering just behind Sombra. He walked briskly, taking care not to trip over any bodies or chunks of crystals all the while his eyes scanned the the ground, searching.

“Ah here we are.” He said, after walking around a large column of crystals. Rainbow Dash moved around the column to see what he had found. Inside the crystals was a light green unicorn mare, completely encased, her eyes frozen in pure terror.

“How did that happen?” Rainbow asked quizzically.

“Likely she was standing there when the crystal started to grow and she was simply caught inside.” He stepped back and gazed upwards, noting how high the column extended into the sky. “Shadowbolt, I need you to fly to the top of this column and when I give the word, drive your sword into its peak.”

“What will that do, exactly?”

“If youl do as I say, you'll see soon enough.” Replied Sombra, returning his eyes to the encased mare.

“Right.” Rainbow beat her wings faster and quickly ascended to top. Unsheathing her sword, she hovered just over the top, head poised, ready to strike.

“Now!” Sombra’s voice said loudly inside her mind. Driving her sword down with all her might, Rainbow caught just a glimpse of what looked like red lightning traveling down the blade of her sword, just before it was buried in the crystal.

A second passed and Rainbow was just about to pull her sword out when red lightning erupted from her sword and traveled down the column, cracking it as it did so. Seconds later the entire column exploded outward in a red shockwave, every piece of the column evaporating into red mist. Rainbows eyes were wide in surprise at what had happened. Sheathing her sword, she flew back down to Sombra who was checking the pulse of the now free mare.

“Just as I thought.” He said, just as Rainbow rejoined him. “Shes still alive.” He removed his hoof from her neck and stepped back, nodding down at the mare. “We’ll take her with us. If you would, Shadowbolt.”

“Uh...yeah.” Responded Rainbow, dropping to the ground beside the mare and lifting her up onto her back.

“What did you do, to my sword I mean?” Rainbow asked, falling in step behind Sombra as they walked back to Twilight.

“That? I simply charged it with a disintegration spell. As Ive said before, your sword was crafted from crystal located deep beneath us. One of the unique properties of these crystals is the ability to channel magic much like a unicorns horn. The only difference is that it can only hold magic and not create it.”

“So does that mean you or Twilight could cast a spell on my sword to make it do something like that all the time?” Rainbow asked, excitement in her voice

“Not on that scale but yes, one of us could enchant your sword so that it gains a particular magical attribute.”

“Like what?”

“Fire, ice,and lightning to name a few. If you're truly interested, Twilight will no doubt explain in much greater detail.”

They approached Twilight who was carefully studying the corpse as it floated next to her.

She looked over at them noticing that the mare on Rainbows back was still breathing. “Whose that?”

“A resource.” Sombra said, simply. “We have everything we need, let us return to the fortress.” Sombras horn sparked suddenly and the black fog rose up and covered them before sinking back to the ground.

“Fire?” Twilight said, slightly surprised. “I thought you'd go for the lightning.”

“Lightning would be cool but theres just something about a flaming sword that speaks to me.”

They had returned to Fortress Umbra and were currently in a large study room. Sombra was across the room, sitting at a desk with the crystallized corpse before him. The mare they had rescued was lying on a small cot in a corner, sleeping.

Twilight levitated the crystal sword into the air and turned it over slowly. “Well the fire would look better with the red blade, plus Im pretty sure there would be quite an intimidation factor when your sword catches fire.”

“Exactly. So would you do that?” Rainbow Dash asked, leaning forward and giving Twilight her best ‘Your the best ever’ face.

“You know I would.” Replied Twilight with a smile. She turned the blade downward and closed her eyes. Her horn glowed a soft purple as a tiny beam of energy extended from the tip of her horn to the blade, just above the crossguard. The beam burned into the blade as Twilight began to move her head slowly, directing the beam to etch a symbol, the symbol for fire.

With the symbol finished, Twilight stopped her movement as her horn erupted with bright orange flames. The flames traveled down the beam into the blade, causing the freshly etched symbol to glow brightly. The blade flashed as the flames went out and the beam from Twilight's horn disappeared,

“There we go.” Twilight said happily. “Ive always wanted to try that weapon enchantment spell.” She levitated the sword back to Rainbow Dash who eagerly grasped it with her mouth.

“Thanks, Twi. How does it work?”

“Well, when you hold it all you have to do is think ‘Flame’ and the enchantment will activate.”

No sooner had Twilight finished speaking, the blade burst into blood red flames, sending Rainbow into a fit of giggles.

“Oh thats so cool!” She said, waving the sword back and forth, loving the sound it made as it heated the air.

“It is, though I'm not sure why the flames are red, must have to do with the crystal itself. When you want to put it out just think ‘Extinguish’.”

Rainbow stopped waving the sword around just as the fire went out with a hiss. “Aw yeah! Can’t wait to try this bad boy out now!”

“Just be careful, the magic has a limited charge. After you use it for awhile, one of us will need to recharge it.”

“Could you come here a moment, Twilight?” Sombra called out.

“Back in a sec” Twilight said, before turning and walking over to Sombra. Rainbow Dash just grinned as her sword burst into flames once again.

“What is it?” Asked Twilight, coming to a stop beside Sombra.

He glanced over at her. “I need your assistance with the spell I am preparing.”

“Just tell me what I need to do.”

“Levitate the corpse into the air and hold it.”

Twilight's horn glowed as the corpse lifted silently into the air.

“Excellent, now hold it steady.” Sombra closed his eyes as green lightning crackled along his horn. His lips began to move, no words came out but the air around him hummed with power. Lifting a fore hoof, he placed it on the crystal jutting from the stallion's neck, the lightning in his horn sparked, traveling through his body and into his hoof where it passed into the crystal, causing it to glow softly.

The crystal started to vibrate and slowly began to sink into the corpse, getting smaller as it did so. Within moments the crystal was no bigger than a amulet, glowing brightly from its place at the base of the stallions neck. Sombra opened his eyes and motioned for Twilight to place the corpse on the floor. She complied, levitating it to a spot on the ground behind him and cutting her spell. Sombra stood up from his chair and moved to stand over the corpse.

Raising his fore hooves into the air, he made as if to grab something while channeling more energy into his horn, until it thrummed with power. With a powerful motion, he threw his hooves down at the corpse, sending all the magic in his horn through his hooves and into the crystal embedded in its neck. A jolt ran through the body as Sombra let his hooves fall back to the ground.

Twilight moved to stand next to Sombra, likewise Rainbow Dash had also moved across the room to stand opposite them.

“What did you do?” Twilight asked, eyeing the corpse.

“Something new.” A dark smile spread over his face as he looked down on the corpse.

“Rise, my soldier.” Sombra commanded.

Both Twilight and Rainbow gasped loudly when the corpse opened its eyes. Once grey and lifeless, they now glowed green. The corpse rolled to its hooves and slowly stood, joints cracking loudly as it did so.

“Whom do you serve?” Sombra asked in a commanding voice.

“Sombra.” It said slowly, in a hollow voice.

“You brought him back to life?!” Rainbow Dash said in disbelief, taking a small step away from the risen corpse.

“Not exactly.” Sombra said. “Think of it as an unlife, not dead and not alive. His soul has long since departed this world thus he is empty, a husk. Incapable of free thought, he does not know pain or fear and he will never tire.” Sombras smile widened.

“You mean to build an army with these... things?” Rainbow Dash asked, still unsure how to take the idea of a walking, talking corpse.

“Its brilliant.” Said Twilight, quietly. A smile to match Sombra’s own spread across her face. She wrapped her fore hooves around his right leg and looked up at him, eyes shining brightly. “An entire necropolis lies beneath us just waiting to be awoken!” She looked back to the corpse, a thoughtful look coming over her. “Though we will need to find a way to perform the spell over a large area.”

“Together we will find a way but before we can do that there is one final thing we must attend to.” Sombra turned towards the mare, asleep on the cot.

Twilight followed his gaze. “Will she also became one of these?”

“No, we need others who are able to think for themselves. Officers, who can lead and command during battle.”

“But will she join us?” Asked Twilight. “Would she even be useful if she did?”

“She will prove useful. As for joining us...” He looked down at Twilight. “You will make sure she does.”

Twilight looked up in surprise. “Me? How?”

“You will find a way.”

“Can't you do it?” Twilight said, stepping back from Sombra.

He shook his head. “I can but I want you to do it.” He gently lifted her left fore hoof in his own and kissed it softly.” I believe in you, my Queen of Shadows.”

She gazed into his eyes and sighed. “Alright.”

He released her hoof and she walked across the room to stand next to the cot. The mare lay there, her chest rising and falling gently beneath the covers. Casting a quick waking spell, Twilight patiently waited for the mare to awaken.

The mares breathing quickened as her eyes fluttered open. Twilight could see confusion in them as she looked around. Confusion turned to fear as her eyes fell on Twilight.

“Ahhhh!!” The mare screamed, sitting up on her cot, clutching the blanket to her chest.

“Shh, its alright. I’m not going to hurt you.” Twilight said, reassuringly.

“Who...where am I?!” The mare asked, fear evident in her voice. She moved as far back as she could from Twilight, never taking her eyes from her.

“You're in my fortress. My friends rescued you. Whats your name?”

“Ar...Arctic….Arctic Meadow.” The mare answered, appearing to calm down. “Who...who are you?”

“My name is Twilight Sparkle.”

Arctic Meadows breathing slowed as she lowered her blanket. “What happened? I remember a festival then running and...” She brought a hoof to her face as she trailed off. “I can't remember after that.”

A shadow passed over Arctic Meadows face, drawing her eyes upwards. She stopped breathing altogether as her pupils shrank to the size of pinpricks. “No….”

Twilight sighed loudly. “You're not helping you know.” She said, just before Arctic Meadow let out a blood curdling scream and attempted to jump from the cot. Twilight was faster however, catching the mare in her magic and slamming her back to the cot where she conjured green tendrils to bind her.

Arctic continued to scream until Twilight bound her mouth as well. She then turned and glared at Sombra who merely smiled in return. “Whoops.” He said casually, walking back to his desk and sitting down. Twilight turned back to Arctic who was staring at her in pure terror.

“Listen to me.” Twilight said forcefully, eyes glowing brightly with dark magic. “Sombra is your rightful King and I am his Queen.” Her horn crackled with magic as her voice became laced with power. “We demand your obedience!”

Arctic Meadows eyes temporarily flashed green before returning to normal. Twilight's horn sparked with magic, severing the tendrils wrapped around Arctic Meadows body and mouth. Twilight stepped back from the cot, allowing Arctic to calmly stand up.

“Whom do you serve?”

Arctic Meadow dropped to her knees before Twilight and bowed her head.

“Queen Twilight.”