"Twilight!" cried Spike as he rushed forward only to be stopped by Shining Armor. Pushing Spike behind him Shining Armor took a step forward.

"Ah ah." said Sombra with an evil grin. "You wouldn't want your dear sister to suffer on your account." His horn flared with magic as dark green energy coiled around Twilight's neck. She let out a small squeak as the coils slowly tightened.

Shining Armor took another step forward, his horn began to pulse slowly with magic. Sombra's smile never waved. "Really? You'd risk your sisters life so needlessly?" Twilight let out another squeak as the coils tightened.

Another step forward then another as Shining Armor's horn glowed brightly with a readied spell.

Sombra's smile changed to a deep scowl. "Very well, I'll enjoy seeing your reaction when I..."

He was cut short as a magenta beam hit him directly in the chest, blowing him out of the throne room. Twilight, released from the coils slumped to the ground, coughing violently. Spike immediately rushed to her side as Shining Armor followed warily, watching the door for Sombra's return. Spike grabbed Twilight in a vice like hug, eliciting more coughs from her. Realizing this he released her and took a step back.

"Twilight! We were so worried, are you alright?!"

She simply nodded her head as her coughing fit subsided. Shining Armor came to a stop next to her, never taking his eyes off the door. "Glad to see that your save Twily, but we need to get out of here. That beam was all I could do with these crystals on my horn. Are you strong enough to teleport all of us out of the city?"

Twilight didn't answer. She simply sat there with her head down.

"Twilight! Can you do that?!" said Shining Armor as he looked down at his sister.

"Please. Forgive me."

Twilight raised her head, her horn and eyes flashed with dark green energy as black tendril erupted from her horn and latched onto Shining Armor. He tried to pull back but was held fast by the tendril, he began to scream and writhe in pain as the tendrils burrowed into his skin.

Tears streamed down Twilight's face as she realized what the spell was doing. Desperately trying to cut off the spell it only increased in power. "NO!!" she screamed as she lost control, the tendril found their way to Shining Armors face and began to burrow into his eyes. Twilight watched in horror as her older brother stopped moving, the light from his horn flickered then died leaving them in total darkness save for the sickly green glow from the tendrils, seconds after, those to were extinguished as the spell finished its work. Shining Armor fell to the floor with a soft thump and lay still.

The room was silent save for quiet sobs from Twilight.

"Well done, my dear." Sombra's voice said, materializing from the darkness to stand next to her. Torches along the walls erupted with green flames, illuminating the entirety of the throne room.

Twilight stood over her brother's still form as tears fell unto his hollow eyes, frozen in horror. Spike lay several feet away curled up in a ball, sobbing quietly.

Letting the tears fall freely, Twilight turned and stared directly into Sombra's eyes. "I killed him." she stated sullenly. "I killed my brother." Sombra said nothing as he returned her stare. "It was meant to drain his magic...but instead it killed him....I killed him." She looked down at her brothers still face then back at Sombra. All the sorrow was gone, replaced by pure rage. Her horn flared with dark magic as two massive claws formed and gripped Sombra in a deadly embrace. "YOU LIED TO ME!!!" Dark green energy filled her eyes as a deep purple aura leaked from them. "The spell YOU taught me killed my brother! I didn't want him to be hurt but he died SCREAMING!!"

The floor around her began to crack and small pieces started to float and swirl violently around her, whipping her mane and tail into a frenzy. The small whirlwind began to pick up and Twilight's eyes were fully flooded with green energy. Forcing the claws tighter around Sombra's body she started to crush him when three words stopped her cold.

"He's not dead."

The claws holding Sombra were drawn down so that they were face to face.

"What did you say?!"

"He's not dead." Sombra said again.

"Liar! I saw him die! I killed him!"

"Twilight." Sombra said softly. "By my soul and kingdom I will never lie to you. The spell I taught you was modified by myself to drain the essence of magic from a ponies body while making it seem to drain the life essence instead. Despite appearances it's entirely painless, your brother will remain comatose for several days but will be none the worse for wear upon awakening."

The energy whirling around Twilight began to dissipate but the anger remained. "Why?!"

Sombra shifted slightly in the claws embrace but Twilight did not let him go. "Why did I teach you a modified version that appears to kill? If we are to succeed against the Alicorns you must achieve your full potential, by harnessing your rage you can become greater than them."

The whirlwind fully dissipated as Twilight released the spell holding Sombra. He landed softly on the ground and approached Twilight. He reached out his right hoof and gently caressed her cheek. "It pained me terribly to see you so distraught, for that I am truly sorry but know that everything I do, I do for you."

She angrily smacked his hoof away as her face became flush with anger or was it something else, before she could figure that out a loud sob drew her attention to the base of the throne where Spike lay. Having momentarily forgotten him in her rage, it broke her heart to see him like this.

She slowly approached him, he lay with his back to her with his arms tightly wrapped around his legs.

"Spike?" she said softly.

He continued to sob.

"Spike everything's going to be OK." She said as she reached out to caress his head.

"NO!!!" he screamed, recoiling from her touch. "NO!No!no...!" His voice broke off into more sobbing.

Not wanting him to suffer anymore and not knowing what else to do, Twilight cast a sleep spell on Spike. His sobbing quickly gave way to quiet whimpers and finally soft snoring.

Seeing him in a peaceful sleep brought a small smile back to her face but it was short lived as Sombra placed a hoof on her shoulder.

"We must deal with the Alicorn."

Twilight closed her eyes before replying. "You'll have to cast the spell...I can't go through that again, not with me casting the spell."
"I understand, though in time you will become accustomed to such things."

"That's what I'm afraid of."

He gently turned her head so she would look at him. "Fear makes us who we are, embrace it, control it, but do not let it rule you."

"Now...." Sombra said with a slight hunger in his voice. He left Twilight's side and approached the still sleeping form of Cadence. Standing mere inches away his eyes and horn flared violently with dark magic.

As she watched, the same black tendrils erupted form Sombra's horn and found there way into Cadence's skin. Unlike with Shining Armor, Cadence did not writhe nor scream, though it was taking longer to drain her magic.

Suddenly there was a bright blue flash form Cadence and a cry of pain from Sombra.

"Twilight...I need you!" he called through clenched teeth. "She's resisting!"

"How is she resisting?! She's unconscious!" she said, rushing to his side.

Sombra's face became twisted in agony. "No time..the connection...must be severed....reversed...draining my life." Even as he said that, he fell to his knees and his breathing became shallow.

"What spell do I use?!"Twilight yelled frantically. "Tell me!"

"Irreversible. You must...choose." Sombra turned his head and looked her directly in the eyes. "Her or me."

His head dropped as the life continued to be sucked from his body. With only seconds to decide, Twilight found herself faced with the most painful choice in her life.

With fresh tears in her eyes and a loud cry, Twilight drove her horn into Cadences chest. Her body heaved once as blood spurted around Twilight's horn then grew still again. The black tendrils twisted and coiled like a dying snake before breaking off and dissipating into nothingness.

After several empty moments, Twilight pulled her horn from the body of her sister-in-law with a sickening squelching sound. Fresh blood poured form the open wound and unable to support herself, Twilight's legs gave out as she slumped into the growing pool of blood.

Empty. She wanted to cry, to feel sadness or pain but instead there was nothing. Blood from her horn dripped down unto her face but she didn't care, she imagined that they were tears, slowly rolling down her face. Reaching a shaking hoof to her face, she tried to catch one but succeeded only in smearing more blood onto her face.

Sombra got to his hooves as his energy returned, he looked from Twilight to the body of Cadence and back to Twilight. Walking over he sat next to Twilight and draping his right hoof over her shoulder pulled her close.

"I'm so sorry it came to this." he said softly as he looked down to her blank, blood smeared face.

She said nothing but settled deeper into his embrace, mentally and emotionally drained she fell into a dreamless sleep.

Laying there with Twilight in the blood of an Alicorn, Sombra couldn't help but to smile.