“Whoa-ha-ha-ha!”

Twilight was sliding “down” the underside of the staircase, having reversed her and Spike’s gravity. So now they were on their way up the stairs and making great time, Spike holding on for dear life.
“I actually studied gravity spells thinking it might be on my test! Turns out I was prepared for this! Woo-hoo!”

Finally they came to the bottom, the top, whichever, their gravity returning to normal, and they found themselves at the very top of the citadel, the wind blowing through archways because of the height.

But as they got up, the real elephant in the middle of the room… was the Crystal Heart! Floating pristine in the center over an encircled star. They smiled and looked at each other, Spike gesturing her to go forward.

But right before she stepped onto the circle in the center, she gasped and backed away.

“Twilight what’s wrong?” Spike asked. “It’s right there, let’s grab it and get back to your brother and Cadance!”

“No, Spike,” Twilight shook her head. “When I fell for the door that leads to your worst fears, I came out of it because Midnight was able to contact me telepathically!”

“Really?” Spike was impressed. “But… he’s outside the barrier, and look how far it is! To contact you from that distance without something in the middle to connect you…”

“That doesn’t matter,” Twilight scrutinized the situation. “Midnight warned me about getting too close to the Heart, he said there was another trap to watch out for.”

“But… if you can’t get too close to the heart, how will you get it?” Spike was asking the million bit question.

“Hmm…” Twilight concentrated, her horn glowing as she reached out with her telekinetic aura… only to feel some kind of rebound and a sharp pain in her horn.
“Ow!”

Rubbing the base of her horn, she squinted at the Heart, saying, “That won’t work…”

“What won’t?” Spike asked, helping her stand up.

“The Crystal Heart is warded from telekinesis,” Twilight explained. “I can’t get too close, I can’t reach it from afar…! How do I get it?!”

“Take a deep breath, Twilight, and just think!” Spike suggested with an encouraging smile.

Twilight looked at him and did as he suggested. With a deep breath calming her a little, she considered the problem before her.

She couldn’t retrieve the heart by going up to get it neither could she acquire it from afar.

Wait… going up to it… she thought as it began to dawn on her. An idea formed but there was the nagging reminder that she had to do this herself!

But this problem here and now seemed like one where she had to have help! If that was the case, and with the safety of the crystal ponies on the line…

“Spike, I’m gonna need your help.”

“But Twilight, I thought you said-”

“Forget the test! What matters is the here and now. I can’t approach the crystal heart to get it without tripping whatever trap Sombra placed here, and I can’t use my telekinesis to retrieve the heart because of the ward on it… So Spike, I’m going to levitate you!”

“Me?!”

“Yes, I need you to grab the heart once I levitate you close enough to it, and then I’ll bring you back to me. Once we have it, we’ll get out of here.”

“Are-are you sure, Twilight?” asked Spike hesitantly.

“My future next to the future of this empire is inconsequential, Spike,” Twilight declared without hesitation as she looked out one of the archways.
“They’ve lived the same singular moment for a thousand years, unable to move forward or back, because of the hatred of a mad king. Now, after so long, they have found themselves again in Equestria and still their freedom is threatened by that monster. They deserve to live, to have a future, to be happy, and share what they have to offer to all of Equestria! Even if I fail this test, my friends will be there for me, and I’ll take whatever comes my way, be it good or bad. Because love and hope will always prevail over hate and despair, and that is the very purpose the Crystal Empire was created for.”

Spike couldn’t help but smile at Twilight, feeling like a proud little brother. So he puffed out his chest and saluted, “Ready when you are, Twilight!”

Twilight looked at Spike proudly when he gasped, seeing something behind her. She looked and felt her spirits waver as the barrier fell again! Revealing the ice-cold landscape outside.

“Come on, Spike! We’ve got a heart to deliver!”

She concentrated, enveloping Spike in her aura and slowly lifting him up. Spike focused on the Crystal Heart as he rose a few hooves into the air and gently levitated towards it.

“Careful, careful…!” Spike whispered, starting to sweat a little, as was Twilight.

He slowly reached out… and wrapped his claws around the heart, and he was entranced by this treasure of the earth!

It was almost as big as his head, it must’ve been at least fifty karats! So flawlessly cut, exactly what you’d expect a Crystal Heart to look like!
I wonder how good it would taste...?

“Spike, focus! Do you have it?!”

Spike shook it off and hugged the heart to his chest, “I got it, bring me over!”

Twilight was careful but a little quicker in bring Spike back, and held him close as she cheered, “We did it! We got the heart!”

“Let’s get back to the others!” Spike suggested with a determined smile.

“Right! And Spike?”

“Yeah?” Spike noticed and blushed a bit at the smile Twilight gave him.

“I couldn’t have done it without you.”

*Flash*

*Flash*

“AAAUUGGH!!”
“It’s him!”
“King Sombra!”

With the heart in his arms and Spike on her back, Twilight had teleported back to the balcony where she found Shining Armor holding a passed out Cadance, and heard pandemonium in the streets below.
“Twily!”

She turned and saw Shining Armor looking relieved to see her.
“Is that it? Is that…?”

“It is!” Twilight confirmed. “Shining Armor, what’s everypony screaming about?”

“Look!” Shining Armor pointed down and right below, Twilight was blown.

Standing in the courtyard below was Sombra, bound by tendrils of energy, held by Midnight, Big Macintosh, and Thunderlane, each of them clad in armor. Their friends stood protectively around them, some of the Crystal Ponies looking on in worry and fear.

“They brought Sombra into the empire?!” Twilight was shocked and a little angry at them for doing something like this.

*Flash*

“That… is… mine!!!”

Twilight reared away as Sombra snarled and pulled at his restraints, but it was a feeble attempt. Then she got a better look at the Guardians and was horrified to see them bruised and battered, and other kinds of injuries. Applejack and Fluttershy were dabbing a cut on Big Macintosh’s cheek, Thunderlane was getting chewed out by Rainbow Dash and making that disrespectful gesture of one yammering on and on with his wing, and Midnight focused entirely on Sombra, yanking him back like a dog.

“It’s the Crystal Heart!”
“She’s found it!”
“We’re saved!”

Twilight and Spike looked around saw the Crystal Ponies smiling at them and watched as they brightened, their hopes returning, and they all awed as they looked up to see Cadance and Shining Armor float down to Twilight.
“The Crystal Heart has returned,” Shining Armor declared, Cadance beseeching to them all, “Use the light and love within you to insure King Sombra is stopped forever!”

She took the heart from Twilight and levitated it to the center of the courtyard, a crystal stalactite and stalagmite protruding to hold the Heart in place, and the light spread.

“No…!” Midnight whispered as the magic spread, lighting up the streets and taking in the love and light every Crystal Pony had to offer… and rebounded it all back into the Crystal Heart! It span to spread its own magic, enchanting all the ponies, even the ones who were not crystal ponies, with their own crystally glow!

But out of nowhere, Midnight stepped protectively in front of Sombra, much to everypony’s shock.

“Midnight! What are you doing?!” Cadance demanded, “Sombra must be destroyed!”

“No!” Midnight took in the magic, and everypony gasped as the spread was sucked away, Midnight groaning as his horn absorbed it all. “I was entrusted a mission, and I will not fail it!”

Midnight gasped and levitated in place, feeling the magic of the Crystal Empire inside. It was warm, comforting, and reminded him of the magic in his Helm of Faith. But this was on a grand-scale. The Helm of Faith turned his own into his power, but this was the collective hope of everypony throughout the Crystal Empire!

Next to it, Midnight’s own Helm of Faith, his Element of Harmony, was like a glowing ember next to a roaring fire. It threatened to overwhelm him, consume his mind!

Unless…

Midnight reached into the Helm of Faith and pulled at its magic, intermingling it with the magic of the Crystal Heart he had absorbed.

Everypony watched as Midnight then turned around to face Sombra, who growled in fear and vexation.
“Get away from me! Stop!”

Midnight’s eyes glowed pure white as he unleashed a crystalline beam of energy from his horn and struck Sombra in the chest. The dark king felt that infernal love and light spreading through him, extinguishing his hate and cruelty! They watched as the cold armor, cape, and crown fell, and Sombra to his knees, his coat becoming crystalline and his eyes scrunched in pain as he panted… but then, his eyes opened and they were shocked!

Gone were the burning red eyes of a tyrant, replaced by the gentle green of a confused unicorn, even his horn had returned to normal. But his mane and tail were now streaked with blue as he looked up, looking ashamed and lost.

“Crystal Ponies, behold!” Midnight declared as wisps of the Crystal Heart's residual energy flowed from his eyes and his Helm of Faith set by his hooves while his own coat refracted and glimmered and golden laurels rested behind his ears.
“The Sombra you once knew, no longer a tyrant maddened by darkness or hate. Now, he is again another pony, who needs guidance.”

Sombra couldn't believe it! The fear, the anger, the hate- It was all gone! Leaving him overcome with remorse and horror and disgust with himself as tears were beginning to well up in his eyes... only to hear a hoofstep, and he looked to see it was Midnight. The Guardian of Harmony stood there, holding his hoof out to Sombra, smiling at the redeemed unicorn. There was no judgement, no disgust, only sincerity as he offered Sombra the Hoof of Friendship.

Though he felt he did not deserve it, something inside spurred Sombra, albeit hesitantly, to accept Midnight's hoof and Midnight helped Sombra up onto all fours. Then, Midnight looked up and fired a colorful fireball that burst in the sky, spreading an aurora borealis of love and light throughout Equestria.

Soon everypony in the empire was resuming their normal lives, looking after their ewes, picking their crystal berries, and even practicing for their first jousting tournament in a very long time.

And the visitors, Sombra included, were headed back to the train station.

“I do so wish it had been permanent,” Rarity pouted, “Did you see the way my mane absolutely sparkled?”

“But are not things better when they’re a… rarity?” Blueblood gave her a nuzzled, Rarity smiling lovingly at him as she swooned.

“Everything’s gonna be okay,” Shining Armor said to his sister.

Ahead, Midnight was escorting a shy and confused Sombra, both to keep him calm and to keep an eye on him.

“You and Midnight have gotta stop saving my rump like this,” Shining Armor teased Twilight, “It’s starting to get a little embarrassing.”

“But look at what Midnight did,” Twilight sighed. “He did what nopony else was willing to do. He gave Sombra another chance and even wielded the power of the heart to purge him of the evil inside. But what did he mean by… a mission?”

“Twilight… There’s something you weren’t told,” Shining Armor admitted, Twilight looking up to him.

Everypony stood outside Canterlot Tower, expecting Twilight to come out and… tell them how she did on her test.

Inside, Celestia admired the aurora spreading, “It’s beautiful.”

“I wish it had ultimately been me who made it so,” Twilight muttered sadly. “Princess, why didn’t you tell me that you’d entrusted Midnight the task of capturing Sombra?”

“You had enough to worry about in finding a way to safeguard the empire,” Celestia reasoned, “and because I did not give you the whole story, Twilight.”

“Midnight already told me everything on the train ride over,” Twilight nodded before giving her an incredulous look. “…You and Sombra?”

“Yes,” Celestia confirmed with an awkward smile that quickly turned joyful, “and I cannot tell you how happy I am to have him back. He has a long road ahead of him, in recovery and in redemption. Even though he was controlled by a darkness that had corrupted him, Sombra has been pushed almost to the breaking point with guilt and remorse. He’s going to need a lot of help and support.”

“And so did I,” Twilight confessed, “you told me I was to pass this test by myself, but I needed Spike to help me get the heart and circumvent one of the dark Sombra’s traps.”

“Twilight, as I understand it, you accepted help from Spike in order to acquire the heart so Princess Cadance could wield it to help the Crystal Ponies! You were willing to put the safety of the Crystal Empire before your own self-interests, even if it felt like cheating your test! I am so proud to have a student who knows when to accept help in a task she's not sure she can handle on her own, especially when failure would be at the expense of others.”

“Does this mean…?!” Twilight looked up hopefully at her teacher, who gave her a proud smile.

Outside, Spike was pacing in front of the door, “She’s totally gonna lose it!!”

“Spike, keep it together, buddy,” Midnight gently shook him. “Just have a little faith in Twi-”

*SLAM*

“Ouch…” Midnight keeled over but all eyes were on Twilight, standing in the shadow of the threshold. But then she stepped into the light with a happy announcement!

“I passed!”

Everypony cheered, sighed in relief, or smiled proudly, while Spike ran up and hugged Twilight, Midnight smiling sheepishly at her as he rubbed his sore muzzle...

Princesses Celestia and Luna watched the train leave for Ponyville, feeling so proud of their little ponies as Luna conjured a mysterious spellbook for her sister.

Within Canterlot Tower, the Hooded Pony stood before the new addition to the collection of historical stained-glass windows.

"Heh, heh, heh..." the figure chuckled deviously, "All the pieces are coming together..."

And just like a bad dream he was gone.

The Illustration is yet another wonderful commission courtesy of Hoodwinked McShelster!

The way Sombra (restored to good) looks was influenced and inspired by several sources, such as the Alternate King Sombra as well as a fanimation featuring Sombra before he turned evil

I considered adding a scene of Celestia and Sombra reuniting but felt it wouldn't fit well, so we'll just assume they had their happy reunion