Twilight gasped awake, sweat dripping down her forehead as she looked around frantically. It took her several seconds to realize she was back in Fluttershy's room, not inside the Crystal Court as a corpse sprawled across the floor.

Besides her was Zecora, patiently waiting for her to catch her breath. Breathing heavily, Twilight groaned as she rose to her hooves, nearly stumbling. "That- that was-," the purple alicorn attempted to say, having to stop to keep her head from spinning.

When she finally managed to get her body under control, Twilight spoke again. "I don't know what that was. I never suspected Sombra...he was never in control of himself, was he? It wasn't him who really killed Fluttershy, that wasn't Gem, it was the thing his brother's dark magic twisted him into. Sombra is nothing but a puppet, a body for that magic to use."

Zecora stayed silent as the princess mulled over everything she had just learned, realizing all she thought she knew about the ex-tyrant was false. Then her purple eyes narrowed. "I have to find him. I need to capture him and figure out the rest. Zecora, do you know any way to locate a specific pony?"

The zebra tapped a hoof against her chin, thinking. Then she nodded. "Indeed I do, but first, a feather will I need," she said, pointing at one of Twilight's wings.

The princess looked down at it in confusion as the alchemist pulled more ingredients from the dresser. "One of my feathers? Why?" The zebra did not answer at first, her mouth holding a bottle of some mysterious plant, but when she placed it down next to the cauldron, which Twilight realized the zebra had somehow had time to empty and refill while she was out, Zecora told her, "To find the one you seek, must the cauldron know who it be."

Still confused, but not wanting to argue, Twilight unfolded her wing and carefully took a feather in her mouth, yanking it off. Twilight gasped at the sudden sting of pain, but it quickly faded to a dull throb as she handed over the violet feather.

Zecora set it down next to the plant, then began to throw in powders, what Twilight suspected to be animal parts, and unknown plants. She saved the feather and the most mysterious plant next to it for last. Picking up the feather gently, the zebra slowly dropped it in, the brew let out a puff of purple smoke as it sunk into the orange mixture. Next, she extracted the plant, a bright white flower with pointed, stiff petals, and began to crush it between her hooves, nearly cutting herself in the process. She let the crushed flower drop into the cauldron.

At first, nothing happened. Then, the brew began to bubble rapidly. It spewed over the sides, making the pair back away as violet mist started filling the room. Twilight gasped as the mist tickled her skin and began to darken, becoming an indigo color as the space above the cauldron began to clear, and an image formed.

Twilight stared in shock. "The Crystal Empire? How could he be in the Crystal Empire? Wouldn't I have received a letter from Cadence by now if he's there?"

Zecora shook her head, a slightly puzzled look on her face. "This I do not understand, it will not show us his hiding spot. Unusual this is indeed, something amiss there be."

Twilight considered the matter for a moment. "Maybe the magic possessing him has put up a ward of sorts. Oh, wait, the image is changing."

It was now shifting to Diamond Square, where all the crystal ponies were gathering, Cadence and Shining above them on a balcony. Twilight gasped. "That's right! It's the time of the Crystal Fair! Oh, I hope he isn't planni-"

Just then, the image flashed yellow repeatedly, and the mist became a very dark pink. Zecora blinked and took a step forward, squinting into the image. Now the zebra gasped. "Hurry, make haste, many secrets do await! The Empire holds things most dark, and you must stop it before it starts!"

Before Twilight's and Zecora's horrified eyes, something dark orange, like extremely burnt copper, slammed down onto the palace. The Crystal Heart began to spin in reaction, sputtering blue sparks.

Not waiting a moment longer, Twilight whipped around and crashed through the nearest window, going towards the Empire at speeds everypony thought only Rainbow could pull off.

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Panic erupted through the streets of the Crystal Empire as a dark figure emerged from the wreckage the was once the top floor of the Crystal Palace. Down below, the Crystal Heart was giving off a blue glow as it began to spin faster and faster. Lily and Opal exchanged a glance, knowing full well how things would go if the Crystal Heart went off this early, before they joined in with powering it.

Not even giving it a second thought, they ran from the Palace, joining the stampede of ponies heading to their homes to hide.

"Stop!"

It was like somepony had cast a spell, for everything froze in place, all except the Heart, which was beginning to pulse and fill the kingdom with light.

The pony on top of the Palace ignored this, floating down to stand between Cadence and Shining, both of whom had been knocked unconscious by flying debris.

As the pony's hooves touched down on the balcony, a streak of dark copper colored crystal shot over the side of the Palace balcony, down its side, and under it, making its way up one of the spikes that held the Heart, then into the Heart, and to the other spike.

Gasps of horror echoed throughout the Kingdom as the Crystal Heart stopped moving.

Down below, in the middle of a street, Opal whispered softly, "It's him, Lily. It's him."

Lily had already known, and her heart was gripped with grief and terror, knowing exactly what this pony would do if they were caught.

Clearing his throat, the pony spoke. "I am Red Harvest, a pony from a very long time ago. I too was once a citizen here, but then I was supposedly destroyed by the pony you all call Sombra."

Whispers began to shoot through the streets like wildfire, but everypony went silent again as Harvest began to speak again. "It has come to my attention in my banishment that Sombra has become weaker, hence me being able to come back, and...that he is here among you."

Yelling now took the streets as everypony began to eye those around them suspiciously. Harvest let it continue for a few minutes before stomping his hoof, making dark copper crystals grow around him. That shut them up.

"I know it is shocking, but I am telling the truth. Anypony around you could indeed be him. Do not despair though. It will not take long to identify him. All I need is a little information. Think, ponies, about those around you. Has anypony acted suspicious lately? Doing odd things without reason, avoiding certain things, or perhaps not even powering the Crystal Heart?"

Harvest saw everypony go into deep thought, save a few who were still in shock.

"Come now, let's not have this end in violence, shall we, Sombra? Show yourself!"

"No, don't!"

Exclamations of shock were heard as Princess Twilight Sparkle landed in front of Harvest. "Red Harvest. I didn't think you'd escape so quickly."

Confusion was now running in place of shock. A stray voice called up to Twilight, "What do you mean, escape?"

Glancing back, the princess addressed the crowd. "Red Harvest is a dangerous criminal who came just before Sombra's time. We must not allow him to get his hooves on Sombra, or things will only get worse!"

Growling furiously, Harvest took his chance and charged Twilight, preparing to strike her down. Many voices yelled out in warning, but even as Twilight turned to stop him, it was too late, for he slammed into her, sending her over the side of the balcony. A sickening crunch was heard as Twilight screamed in pain, trying but failing to flap her wings, for one of them was broken.

Lily turned to her husband, panic in her eyes. "We've got to do something!" she yelled at him. Opal was stuck frozen in shock, and was unable to respond as he watched the princess fall towards her doom.

Unable to take it, Lily Bloom did the one thing she swore she would never do again. Opening her wings and shattering the crystal on her back, Lily flew up to catch Twilight.

As she flew towards the princess, the ponies below watched in shock as her crystal body began to crack, black light seeping from it. Harvest stepped forward, his eyes full of glee as he waited for his brother to reveal himself, only to gape in shock along with everypony else as a different pegasus caught the alicorn just before she hit the ground.

As Twilight felt hooves wrap around her, she opened her eyes, but then went stiff in shock, unable to believe what she was seeing.

"Fluttershy?!!"