Author's Notes:

The amazing title to this chapter courtesty of Ladrian

Fantastic runnerup suggestion by The Book

Chapter 35

The black fog which emanated from the black fortress spread out in all directions, blanketing the land and draining the life out of anything it touched leaving barren wastes in its wake. The rhythmic thunder of hooves from the Maletha army resounded across the land, jarring the still air with every hooffall and sounding doom for all who heard it.

High above Twilight stood on one of the balconies looking out towards the horizon where just at the edge of her sight she could see the mountain where Canterlot resided. The morning sun shone down upon the city, illuminating its towers that reflected back into the sky casting it in an ethereal glow.

Contempt and longing filled Twilight as she gazed upon the city of her birth. While it had only been a few short weeks since she had left Canterlot bound for the Crystal Empire, the events that had transpired had changed her. So much that the mare who now looked upon the City of Canterlot was no longer the same mare who set out from the city.

"I was so naive." She thought to herself as she raised her right forehoof and channeled dark magic into her hoof, creating a swirling black mass. "Naive and weak." With a flick of her arm she sent the black mass soaring into the sky where it began to writhe. She watched in anticipation as the mass grew in size until the it covered most of the sky in its writhing mass.

A dark smile graced her lips when a bright flash of lightning erupted from the black mass followed by a steady downpour of cold rain.

"Setting the mood?" She heard Sombra say as he materialized to stand beside her. "Or hiding our approach?"

Twilight glanced up at him, her smile still in place. "Setting the mood of course."

He chuckled lightly. "Yes I thought so." Sombra draped a fore hoof over Twilights shoulders and pulled her close. They watched in silence as the rain fell around them in torrents, leaving them untouched but drowning out all sound and obscuring them from sight.

"Its almost surreal." Twilight said in her mind.

"Yes." Replied Sombra, his voice sounding in her head. "There were many times I dreamed of a moment like this whilst I drifted through the void. Moments of near triumphs, of approaching victories, but they were all just dreams." He turned in place so that he was facing Twilight and pulled her closer. "There were times I also feared this too was only a dream save for one thing that told me it wasn't."

Twilight gazed into his eyes as she felt her heart rate quicken. "What was it?"

He smiled as he kissed her deeply. Twilight closed her eyes as she lost herself in Sombra's embrace, all her feelings being overwhelmed with a sense of peace and belonging as he spoke a single word in the confines of her mind.

"You."

The kiss lasted a few moments longer until a loud cough drew them back to the dark balcony. Opening their eyes both Twilight and Sombra glanced towards the door where a stoic Arctic Meadows and smug Rainbow Dash stood.

"Do you two need a moment or are you done?" Asked Rainbow.

Twilight looked back to Sombra. "No we're good." She said, stepping a respectable distance away from him. "For now." She added with a quick wink in his direction.

"Yeah I thought so." Replied Rainbow as she walked over to the balcony railing and gazed out into the falling rain. "Ok Im sure its obvious but why is it raining?"

"The rain will hide us as we near the city as well as cut down the sight range of our enemies along with demoralizing them, Captain." Said Arctic Meadows.

"Sure or Twilight just wants a dramatic fight in the rain." Rainbow Dash replied sarcastically.

"Hows the neck, Rainbow?" Twilight asked suddenly.

"Hm?" She said, glancing back. "Oh that. Im fine now though it really hurt at the time." She turned away from the balcony. "Im still surprised Rarity almost cut my head off." A thought seemed to strike her. "Speaking of, what would have happened if she did cut my head off?"

"I'm not entirely sure." Responded Sombra. "There's every possibility that you would have stayed alive and been able to reattach your severed head." He shrugged nonchalantly. "Or you would have simply died."

"What about you and Twilight?" Rainbow asked, glancing back and forth between them.

"Despite the three of us having similar powers we are all three unique in our circumstances." He indicated himself. "I for example spent a thousand years in the void where my very being became attuned to that realm, in a sense I am a being of the void given shape." He motioned to Rainbow Dash. "You on the other hoof were fused with a void spirit. While part of your essence now resides in the void the other part is still firmly embedded in this plane which allows you to pass into the void momentarily." Lastly he motioned to Twilight.

"Out of the three of us, she is the most unique in her circumstance. When she absorbed the Crystal Heart, not only did she receive the power of centuries of love and happiness stored within the heart but also the untold amounts of energy expended during my final battle with the Alicorns."

He ginned malevolently in Twilights direction. "She is perfection."

"Careful Twi." Rainbow said, walking over to Twilight and patting her lightly on the head. "If you keep letting him talk like that its soon to go straight to your head."

Twilight blushed slightly and swatted Rainbow's hoof away. "Oh shut up."

"Anyways." Continued Rainbow with a look to Sombra. "Arctic asked me but I didn't know so I'm asking you. Whats the battle plan?"

"Currently." Began Sombra. "Our forces dwarf those of the Equestrian military. I suspect they know we mean to attack Canterlot and will likely concentrate their defense there, leaving the rest of the country relatively undefended."

"Theres no point in capturing any other city or town." Added Twilight. "When we take Canterlot, we take Equestria."

"So basically you two are saying it's a guaranteed win for us?"

Sombra shook his head. "Not exactly. The Alicorns are still a threat as we don't know what they may have in store for us, plus the Equestrian Military has a spell that poses a threat to all of us."

"The Magical Disruption Pulse." stated Twilight.

"Yes. It temporarily disrupted my physical form as it is maintained by magic."

"What would it do to us?" Asked Rainbow.

"I'm not entirely sure about you, Shadowbolt. You are a being of the void at least in part and not magical."

"So i would be ok?" said Rainbow.

Sombra nodded. "Possibly."

"But if Arctic is caught in the pulse, my spell of domination will be lifted." said Twilight.

"And the Maletha would turn to dust." Finished Sombra.

"Ok so they have an instant win spell." Rainbow said. "Cant one of you just cast a spell to stop it from working?"

"It doesn't work like that Rainbow." Replied Twilight. "It disrupts all things magical without exception."

"Well." Sombra said slowly, a dark grin beginning to form. "Not everything."

"Ah hah!" Exclaimed Rainbow excitedly. "So I get to be the lone ninja assassin?!"

Twilight looked to Sombra. "We are not sending Rainbow in their alone." Declared Twilight.

"That was not my plan." Reassured Sombra much to Rainbow Dashes disappointment. "The magic used by all is native to this plane of existence, even the dark magic you and I wield." His grin grew even darker. "But void magic is foreign."

Twilight's face lit up with understanding. "So the Magical Disruption Pulse may not affect it."

"Hold on!" Cried Rainbow feeling slightly confused by the turn of events. "Didnt you just finish saying that it would disrupt your powers to?"

"Yes because I use dark magic from this plane." Informed Sombra. "To date I have only used the powers of the void once and that was when I fused the spirit with you."

Rainbow Dash scratched her head, still clearly confused. "What about when you pulled the fortress from the sky?"

"That was a dark ritual of this world I used to reach into the void and retrieve Fortress Umbra." He shook his head. "Not even close to void magic."

"Then what is it you propose?" asked Twilight, face full of curiosity.

Sombra smiled darkly. "Something new." He looked towards Twilight and Rainbow Dash. "Something our enemy has never dreamed about in their worst nightmares."

"What is it?"

Sombra turned away from the pair as his dark smile grew even more twisted.

"We need to take a short trip to Ponyville."