I stared at the cave ceiling from my sleeping roll, tracing patterns in the rock. Turns out, that despite my calm earlier when planning and making decisions, I was now as wired and restless as a foal on Hearthswarming Eve. It was if my entire body knew what was coming and eager for it.

My heart on the other hoof, was sorting through a few things. How would Celestia take the news? Or even worse, Breeze? I held no illusions of being able to keep what would happen here quiet. News of Sombra suddenly pushing up daisies would spread. Only with Antumbra heading out tomorrow, I wouldn’t be surprised to find the entire guard waiting for us, ready to take us into custody the second we arrived.

Of course with Celestia, one could never be sure. Behind that mask of kindness and serenity, was a pony that had led more than her fair share of battles, and watered the fields of battle with the blood of her foes. She was, truly, a fearsome warrior when the time called for it. So there was a chance she might understand and extend her renowned mercy to us.

But that wouldn’t change the hurt in her eyes. That scared me the most. I was afraid of losing my…

Friend? No…

Confidant? I snorted. Not even close.

My eyes narrowed as my head churned to find an accurate word. None proved forthcoming.

All that I knew for certain, was that Celestia was...special to me. She’d been my rock in the early years of rebuilding. Sure, Iron Oak was there for me too, but my recently gifted longevity was a secret that undercut the trust of the relationship. With Celestia, there was none of that. I trusted her and she trusted me.

And here I was, getting ready to breach that.

Not many things could hurt the solar goddess. But dammit, that was one.

And then Breeze. My darling little Morning Breeze. How could I even begin to explain? Saying ‘Sombra was a really, really, really bad and evil pony and needed to be punished’ didn’t stand up against ‘Your father assassinated a foreign dignitary’ very well. But I sure as hell didn’t want to begin explaining Sombra crimes and why they were so bad, especially to her at this age.

In the end, my worries boiled down to the same three questions that ran through my head all night.

Would she even look at me the same?

Would she still love me as before?

Did I even have a right to expect her to?

I rolled over, trying to shake them off. Instead I ended up facing another source of worry for me--Orchid. Who had apparently been staring at me. I noted that her tremors all but stopped and the spark of life was beginning to return to her eyes, which was a welcome improvement to the haunted emptiness that had lived their before. For all my troubles, it did me a little good to see her spirit not entirely crushed.

She gave me hope.

I reached out and laid one of my hooves over hers, and clenched it firmly. She wasn’t alone, and I wanted her to know it. She was there for those mares, and I was here for her.

She smiled. It was a soft, fragile thing. A cracking dam on the urge of breaking.

Still holding her hoof, I pulled her close to me, wrapping my wings around her and stroked her mane.

And the dam broke. The pent up stress and horror and hurt, it all poured forward wordlessly, as she cried into my shoulder.

“It’ll be okay. I promise. Let it all out.” I whispered in her ear and her sobs racked a little harder. The words felt a little hollow coming out of my mouth right now, but I said them anyway. And repeated them, over and over.

Things weren’t okay right now. One day though, maybe they would be. We just had to believe it long enough for it to be true.

My eyes shot open for the second time since I had laid down to rest. It felt like a lightning bolt had shot through my soul, filling me with energy and purpose. I was still the foal from Hearthswarming Eve, but now the morning had come…

...and I was ready to open some gifts.

I shifted to get up, but Orchid held me back, pulling me to her barrel.

“Waxing?”

I glanced over my shoulder at her frown and furrowed eyes.

She gave a small sniff and stared over my head, as if the words she wanted to say were written on the ceiling. With a quick inhale, her eyes locked back to mine. “Good luck.”

It sounded like there might have been more to that, but I let it slide. I nodded once and smiled before putting on my armor. The sounds of cloth and metal sliding into position as I tightened them slowly woke the others, provoking them to do the same. Before too long, we all stood before each other, checking over the others’ gear, adjusting a piece here or there.

I had to admit, we looked fearsome. Sledge’s namesake slung along his right side. Its head engraved in stylish patterns, and marred only by the ragged tally marks etched into the shaft. By tomorrow’s daybreak, it will have no doubt earned a number more. I glanced as Fang shifted his hooves with nervous energy, ever mindful to not trigger the enchantments of his horseshoes. Lastly, I studied Penumbra and her twin dagger belts, slung across her chest and barrel. I could count at least six of the blades, gleaming softly in their straps. While they, which I considered an over-glorified knife, wouldn’t be my weapon of choice, for her they were perfect. I shivered at the thought of being pulled into the shadow realm, and left there; bleeding, breathless, and cold.

The dark matte gray plates of our armor seemed to absorb the ambient light, rather than reflect it. Considering the mass amount of soldiers we could potentially face, I wished we had the heavier stuff, but with the extra protection came other concerns such as weight and noise. My ears flicked as I discarded that whole train of thought. What we had, we had, and there was little use wishing.

The only thing that really stood out from our armor, were our golden eyes. Slitted windows of our souls, divulging the deadly nature beneath our equine exterior. We were predators.

“Sir.” Fang interrupted my thoughts and nodded at something behind me.

I turned, to find Antumbra standing behind me. His gear packed and saddled on his back.

“I hoped to find the words to dissuade you from doing this.” His wings flicked with nervous energy. “But if I’m honest sir, I’m not sure they exist.”

I allowed myself a wry smile. “No more than the ones to convince you to join us.”

He let out a pained sigh. “You do know that I’m growing to go straight to the Princess with this, right?”

I nodded.

“I guess this is it then.” His shoulders slumped, resigned. We were set upon our path, and he his. “Could I, um, have a few minutes to say goodbye to my sister?” His eyes flicked over to her.

“That’s her choice, but I won’t stop you.” I turned back to Penumbra. “The rest of us will be outside when you’re ready.”

And with that we stepped into the twilight outside the cave, leaving the two twins to themselves.

I admired the last, purpling rays of sunlight glowing above the mountains, as the sun itself sunk beneath the horizon. In my mind’s eye, I could see Celestia sitting on her balcony, horn glowing and eyes closed performing her art. Whether through experience or divine intuition, I always found it impressive that she never needed to see the sunrise, or sunset, in order to see it. She just knew. And it just was.

Must be a perk of being a goddess. I smiled.

I could also imagine Breeze, sitting beside her. Her wide eyes enthralled with watching the princess work. Her mouth agape with youthful wonder. No doubt the next day she would be practically singing about how she got to watch to princess lower the sun and to stay in the castle.

Of course Breeze would be too young to fully grasp the mentorship that Celestia was likely sneaking into every moment with her. Truly, Celestia was a mother and teacher and Equestria was her classroom and household. No, Breeze would likely be so focused on the pampering and gilding of the castle, to immediately appreciate what the true wealth of her time with the princess contained. But that was okay. Even though she could be quite precocious for a filly, but she didn’t need to grow up so fast.

“You’re thinking about them, aren’t you?” Orchid sidled up to me, pressing her side against mine.

I didn’t know whether because of her station as my reaper, or just an innate gift of hers that she had carried all her life and beyond, but her intuition into my thoughts and heart was spot on.

But that also meant I didn’t need to say anything.

She leaned against me. ‘You’ll see them again soon.’

I leaned back. ‘I know.’

And so went our unspoken conversation as the twins finally stepped out of the cave. Antumbra took off, without a word to the rest of us, back to Canterlot. Penumbra came to join us wiping her eyes a little.

“You good?” Sledge asked, his ordinarily thunderous voice surprisingly tender and soft, as he laid a wing over her, giving her a gentle squeeze.

“Yeah.” Penumbra sniffed, and quickly composed herself. “I’m good. Thanks.”

“Alright.” I flicked my wings out; the steel of the attached wingblades whispered as they moved with them, locking into position against their braces. “Let’s fly.”

We kicked off from the ground and sped up into the sky in a vertical climb. Sombra’s guard would likely be watching the expanse of ice for threats in all directions. But, like most creatures, they forget to check one direction.

Straight up.

We hovered above the Crystal Empire, the large spire of Sombra’s domain appearing like the point of a needle, aimed straight at us.

“I’m starting to have second thoughts about this part.” Fang chuckled mirthlessly.

He wasn’t the only one. Below us, I could faintly make out the small balcony at its peak that would be our landing zone. Just beneath the needle.

Due to the shape of the crystal awning that covered them, we would have to come out of a vertical dive, and cut sharply to land just inside the railing. To complicate matters, come in too slow, or from too flat an angle, we might be spotted before we could eliminate any of the sentries posted.

It wasn’t impossible, but we weren’t exactly a flying acrobatics team uninhibited by armor and weapons either.

“Too late for that. Penumbra-” I gave her slight nod. “-on your go.”

“Yes sir.”

She took a deep breath. And dove.

We followed right on her tail, cold wind roaring in my ears and pushing through whatever chinks in my armor its icy fingers could find. Orchid clung to my back screaming in my ears all the way down. I grinned as I narrowed my eyes, and streamlined my profile as much as possible, cleanly slicing through the air.

The needle fast approached and I braced myself for the next part.

I spread my legs out to slow my dive and popped my wings open wide. I bit down on the groan in my throat as they caught the air with a jarring pop.

I swooped beneath the edge of the roof, landing on top of the poor guard who had the misfortunate of being there.

Carrying my momentum forward, I drove a hoof forward into his helm and watched as the metal crumpled in on itself and his head snapped! back. His body collapsed underneath me as I used it as a crash mat as I slid across the floor to an abrupt and painful stop against the balcony railing on the opposite side.

I kicked away from his body and to my hooves, ready to take on the others, but found my each of team members dusting themselves off from their own takedowns.

Morbid curiosity made me peer a little harder at the odd shape of Sledge’s target and suddenly I wished I hadn’t. The poor bastard’s entire spine had compressed on impact, leaving his middle disturbingly engorged and bloated as everything shifted to accommodate his shoulders new placement next to his hips.

I winced, and took solace in that the pony likely never even knew what happened and died before feeling a thing. Hopefully.

“Scout ahead.” I whispered, moving on.

Penumbra melted away. What the others didn’t see was Orchid also slipping beneath the floor.

“Let’s avoid killing the guards as much as possible. They are victims, not targets.” I rolled my wings, trying to work the soreness out of them. “We find Sombra, kill him, and these guys should be free of whatever influence they’re under.”

Fang and Sledge nodded as Orchid popped her head through the floor. “Next level is clear.”

I led the two stallions through the floor hatch and down the stairs, creeping past the torch sconces which cast off a strange light as they reflected off the crystal walls. It was long and nerve wracking as I expected to be caught by some charm or sentry at any second. We pressed forward until Penumbra popped out of existence next to me at a landing.

“Report?”

“We had six through that door.” She pointed behind her.

“Had?” Fang cocked his head.

She grinned and I noticed the red tinge to a few of her blades.

Moving on. “What about beyond it?”

“Another hallway, few doors on both sides. Didn’t get to see beyond it. Looks like it opens up to a larger area though.”

I thought about it for a second. “Which floor do you remember his chamber being on?”

She grimaced. “Eh...above us now? Maybe? Kind of hard to say.”

Shit.

I looked back to Fang. “Do you recall passing any other doors before this one?”

“No boss.”

“Okay. That means there has to be a way up further in then.” I turned back to Penumbra. “Let’s go.”

We pushed through the door, and spread out in the wide hallway. Penumbra took the lead, and Fang followed behind me, ever ready to spring forward. Sledge fell in behind him, his heavy hammer still sheathed.

Down the long hall, just as Penumbra said, was what appeared to be a large, brightly lit room. It would have to wait while we cleared the siderooms though. Last thing we needed was to get surrounded.

We stopped and separated at the first set of doors in the hallway. Penumbra and myself stacked up on the left one, Fang and Sledge on the right. They gave us a hooves up, indicating that they were watching our backs. We slowly eked the door open…

...to a broom closet.

I rolled my eyes and shut the door. Sledge and repeated the process on their door only to find a small study. From the smell of stale must that wafted from the room and the unlit torches, it was a safe guess that it hadn’t been used for anything for quite some time.

And so the process went the entire way down. Each room was empty and disused. No guards jumped at us from dark corners. No traps went off. Nothing. The suspense was palpable, and grated against my nerve.

I raised a hoof signalling a halt. Despite how smooth everything had been going, my gut was all knotted up. I motioned for everypony to bring it in.

“Does anypony notice a distinct lack of guards?” I asked.

Penumbra and Sledge nodded, but Fang shrugged. “Could be an unused area?” he offered.

“But you place six guards in the other hallway and more four atop the spire?” Penumbra asked incredulous. “That doesn’t add up.”

I glanced at the stone archway that led to the large room. “She’s right. Not to mention I’d have expected a relief detail or at least a roamer to have come through here by now.”

My left ear flicked and perked up, as did a few others as the sound of something small, light and wooden rattle and bounce on the floor from the next room. My eyes snapped to the archway in time to see darkness wash over it as torch were extinguished, one by one.

In the light of the archway, a bolt of a crossbow finished its skittering roll across the floor.

Without a further word, I took the lead, Fang and Sledge taking my flanks as Penumbra guarded the rear. They knew we were here and were trying to set an ambush. I pointed at the torches on either side of the hallway. Catching my meaning, Penumbra disappeared and one by one, the sconces were emptied.

Our eyes adjusted quickly to the dark. Ordinarily, us thestrals would find this to our advantage, but we had no idea what all those helms could do. For all I knew Sombra’s soldiers could see just as well as us in the dark. At this point the only thing for certain was at least this way our shadows would give away our approach.

A calm hoof on my back was my only indication that Orchid had returned.

“He’s in there on top of the stairs.” She warned. “In the gallery, there are roughly twenty guards armed with crossbows waiting for you to step through.”

I turned my head to find Penumbra back in formation. “Trap.” I mouthed and pointed upwards. “Sneak in. Create distraction.”

She frowned, but still disappeared.

I felt bad that most of the fighting had been left up to her, but she held the greatest advantage of any of us.

Seconds later, the sound of somepony in heavy plate armor thumping to the floor filled the air. Followed by another.

Then came the thwacks of crossbows being fired as the soldiers tried to find who was picking their numbers off one by one.

“That’s our cue. Go, go, go!” I hissed harshly and took to the air. Only the whisper of steel on steel could be heard as my wings beat.

I tucked my wings to my sides as I passed through the doorway, swooping up with a strong beat into the expansive throne room. A quick sweep of my vision showed Penumbra popping in and out behind the guards on the second floor, and either tipping them over the edge or simply going for a quick jab to a vital organ with a dagger. She never stayed corporeal long enough for the bolts to find her.

One whizzed over my head though, shocking me back into action.

My eyes locked onto the pony responsible, now rushing to reload his weapon. I dove towards him and with a pump of my wings I was on him. My left wingtip whipped against the side of his neck where his helm and armor did not meet.

What normally would have been hardly a glancing blow, the wingblades made devastating, the razor-sharp blades cutting deeply.

I continued my sweep, sowing death among their ranks; each flap of my wings flicking the blades clean once more.

My peripherals barely saw the stallion flying at me from below. For the second time that night, I winced as I jolted to a stop and the soldier flew in front of me and crumpled against the wall. I touched down on the balcony, my wings protesting to keep me aloft.

I looked down to see Fang smack another stallion down, bouncing him off the floor. His limp body flopped a few feet away. In the seconds’ reprieve, Fang shot a careless grin at me and shrugged before throwing himself back into the fray with a splash of crystal ponies flying backwards as his horseshoes flashed with each hit.

I rolled my eyes and checked up on Sledge.

Unsurprisingly, he was holding his own pretty well. His hammer was an impossible blur as he swung it effortlessly. The floor between him and the head of his hammer was no-ponies’-land, and nopony that dared cross it made it alive.

I nodded with some satisfaction that we were winning the fight against the puppets, but I hadn’t forgotten who I’d really come to visit. My eyes snapped right where Orchid said he’d be--standing on top of the stairs, his horn lit as he poured his influence through his guards.

I growled and took to the air one more, fast and high flitting along the vaulted ceiling between the small growths of crystal that hung there. I thanked Celestia that in, at least one regard, Sombra was just like everypony else.

He never looked up.

I dove, directly above him. My eyes narrowed on the spot where his cape met his unprotected neck. A clean cut to the carotid and we’d all be on our way home.

I swept my left wing back as the distance closed and grinned. “Nocte vu-”

The words died on my tongue as I slammed into his unseen shield, the whole thing flashed, blinding me, and crumbled under the force of my impact. Fearing losing my chance, I swung my wing forward wildly.

I felt the blade hit sink into something hard, and suddenly my wing was pain. I screamed as it felt like somepony was pouring molten metal over my limb and shooting lightning into it at the same time.

I could hear Sombra screaming too. It was strange. Unequine. I’d only ever heard similar howls from manticores and hydras, but never a pony. Whatever I’d done, I was satisfied that it hurt him. I carried that thought with me as the shock became too great and unconsciousness threatened drag me under.

“Oh shit!”

I fought against its pull for a second.

That sounded like Penumbra.

Somepony was pulling on me.

The pain in my wing stopped, as did Sombra’s screaming. The sound of hooves scrambling across the crystal clattered next to my ears.

I blinked, trying to force my eyes to work through sheer will. The world was blurry and indistinguishable. I blinked the afterimages away catching what looked like Sombra’s red cape disappearing through the door.

The sounds of battle still came, but different. Falling, crumpling armor resounded in the air, but there were no sounds of pain, or fighting accompanying them.

I propped myself up on one hoof and looked around. Next to me was Penumbra, coughing and spitting on the floor. Out on the main floor of the throne room, were Sombra’s guards, Fang, and Sledge.

I rubbed my eyes with my other hoof, unsure that I was seeing things correctly. Sure enough, they weren’t...fighting.

Instead, the guard were pulling off their helms and looking around. Their expressions varied from dazed and confused, to horrified and disgusted by the carnage around them. Fang and Sledge made their way through the throng of crystal ponies, clearly as unsure as I was that it was really happening, and bounded up the steps.

“Hey boss,” Fang threw out a hoof to help me up, with I accepted. “What’d you do?”

I shook my head. “Don’t know.”

“I *cough* can answer that.” Penumbra moaned as Sledge pulled her to her hooves. “You hit his horn pretty hard. It did a number on you though.” She pointed down at my side. I tried to bring my wing up to examine it, but it wouldn’t respond and instead hung limply at my side. A small pit of fear grew in my stomach. I extended my neck a bit to peer at it.

The whole blade was nothing more than a charred, blackened strip of metal fused to my skin. Mana burns extended from the point of impact and spread throughout the limb.

“You sunk the blade deep enough for it to get stuck. Also gave his magic a new place to flow too. *cough* Had to separate you two, and got blasted in the process.” She worked her mouth and spat again.

I didn’t blame her as the taste of magic in my mouth was pretty foul too. I stared at my now useless wing and blade. I didn’t know much about unicorn horns, but I knew that if they got damaged it could cause some serious issues with their magic. And if my blade had sunk deep enough that it required another pony to pry it out, then there was a good chance I had damaged the core of it...

...and if the crystal ponies taking off their armor and wandering about were any indication...

Despite my injury, I grinned as a new thought occurred to me.

I turned and started to walk to the door I saw Sombra pass through.

“Uh, where are you going?” Penumbra asked, nursing her left foreleg.

“Did you know that a unicorn without the use of their horn is basically an incredibly weak earth pony?” I called back over my shoulder.

Catching my hint, they fell in behind me. I trotted quickly down the the halls, following the blood spots on the floor with my wing dragging with every step of the way. I didn’t care. I had a despot to overthrow.

We didn’t have to go far, as we stopped before a set of imposing black doors. If that didn’t cement this as Sombra’s bedchambers, Orchid’s shivering legs did.

“Fang.” I said, and his ears perked up. “Knock it down.”

He smiled and sauntered up to the door. Positioning himself, he coiled up, his rear legs tucked against him in the air. Just as he bucked out, he winked at Penumbra.

His rear hooves connected and flashed; the door flew off its hinges tumbling into the room. Fang stepped aside as the rest of us walked in.

I scanned the room as I entered, taking in the surroundings of the pony I had come to despise, despite so little interaction. It disappointed me to find it shockingly normal. I mean, sure, the decor had a dark-colored theme to it, but nothing screamed ‘evil ass sleeps here’.

In fact, the only thing of interest amongst his belongings was the painting that hung over the fireplace. Two regal crystal unicorns, dressed in the fine trappings of an emperor and empress, sat with benevolent and kind smiles. Their eyes shined with pride, reflecting great vision and prosperous hopes for their nation. Based on those two alone, it wasn’t hard to believe that the Crystal Empire had once been a good ally and neighbor to Equestria.

Between the two however, was a small ashen colt; his red eyes lidded and bored. A toothed scowl upon his face. The colt couldn’t have appeared more opposite to that of his sire and dam.

Pity struck my heart and I couldn’t help but wonder, but for a second, that if those two had any inkling of what sort of hellspawn they had produced before it was too late to smother him in his sleep. And how such two decent ponies could have made the indecent waste of space that currently sat in the center of the room.

We spread out around Sombra, carefully eyeing his horn, now only sparking wildly as it flickered impotently. I noted with a little pride that my blade had sunk almost halfway through his horn.

He held onto a crystal-shaped heart with one hoof, and held a yellow mare by a short leash in the other. Sweat and blood poured down his face, matting his fur. His eyes shifted from one of us to another as we formed a circle and stopped. The message was clear. He had a hostage, and we weren’t going anywhere. The only thing left to do in a standoff like this was talk. I always felt it a meaningless step between the start and conclusion of a fight, but for whatever reason, it seemed to remain an important checkbox to tick off.

I cleared my throat, putting my politest air. “I hope you’ll forgive our unexpected arrival. You see, you left Canterlot so abruptly that I never had a chance to truly demonstrate how I dealt with the things that went bump in the night. You seemed so curious about it, that I couldn’t help but come make a housecall.”

His throat emitted a soft growl. “You should’ve saved yourself the trip. I found your explanation at the breakfast table quite adequate.”

“Oh, but I must insist.” I chanced a care-free grin.

His eyes glared daggers at me. “So be it.”

I continued to smile as his horn sparked to life. In the corner of my eye I watched Fang tense up, but did nothing else. Sombra closed his eyes as a new bead of bloody sweat trailed down between them. An aura, ever so faint started to build around the base of his horn, but went only as so far as the gash midway along its length. Magic evaporated into the air from the gouge, floating away harmlessly with no direction or purpose.

We watched him dump his energy into the futile effort. It was kind of pitiful to watch. Here was the King of the Crystal Empire, his magical might once powerful and terrifying, reduced to the ineptitude of a yearling unicorn just learning magic.

He gasped and slumped to the floor, his horn extinguishing. I jerked my head, motioning Sledge to remove the mare from Sombra’s grasp while he recovered. The big stallion rushed forward and picked her up with a hoof and carried her out of the room. Sombra only offered a token resistance, raising his shaking hoof to grab at the leash as it snaked across the floor.

I stepped forward as Orchid trailed behind me to my left. Taking my cue, Fang and Penumbra closed in with me, until we had formed a tight ring around him. He clung to the hunk of crystal, resting his head on it and muttering. I didn’t know what function it served, but I had no intentions of letting him keep it, in case it proved dangerous. With a well aimed kick, I sent it spinning from his grasp and skidding across the floor.

His headrest suddenly gone, his head smacked to the ground. He bellowed incoherently at the polished walls, his sides shaking. I let him scream, doing nothing but wait patiently until his voice cracked. He looked up at me. This time, behind the anger and the daggers, there was vulnerability and fear reflected in those orbs of red.

“Damn you.” He said in hardly more than a hoarse whisper.

My eyes bored right back into his. “I’m already damned.”

Penumbra and Fang both looked at me curiously for that one.

“You can’t beat me. I will rise again.” He snarled. “The Crystal Empire is mine and its ponies belong to me!”

I snorted. “As far as last word go, I’ve heard better, but yours will do.” I took a deep breath in and let it out slowly, all my emotions going with it until I was left with nothing but the sense of justice that had brought me here.

“Stand him up,” I ordered. Penumbra and Fang dragged Sombra to his hooves. He offered no resistance, aside from staring me down. I extended my right wing; resting the blade along his throat. For some reason, an uncomfortable tickle along my flanks began to flare up. “For those you have wronged, I only hope your death grants them peace.” The tickle grew to an itch. “And in death, I hope you find no comfort, no peace, and no mercy.” The itch now burned like fire.

I pulled back my blade, readying the strike. “Nocte vult.”

“Nocte vult.” Fang and Penumbra intoned after me.

There was squelch of steel hitting flesh followed by a wet gurgle as his body slumped to the floor for the last time. I flicked my wing, the blade once again clean.

We watched as his legs twitched every so often. I tried to discretely scratch at the now burning sensation on my flanks, my administrations seeming to work as it subsided.

“Is that it?” Penumbra broke the silence. “After everything, that’s it?”

Fang shot her a confused look. “What do you mean?”

“I...don’t know. I guess I expected more than this. I mean, a single strike to his horn was all it basically took?”

He shrugged. “A unicorn is a unicorn it seems. No matter how-”

The entire palace shook beneath our hooves.

“What was that!?” Penumbra cried out and flapped into the air.

I watched in horror as Sombra’s blood started shifting from bright red, to black, before turning into a black vapor swept away by an unseen wind. His body began to decompose rapidly before us.

The palace shook again, this time seeming to fade from existence before our eyes before snapping back again.

“I don’t know, but let’s go!” I yelled and galloped out of the room.

I heard the wing beats of the others behind me as I ran back to the throne room. Each hoofstep sent a painful tremor through my left wing, it still dangling and dragging on the ground. I burst through the doors, and almost bowled into Sledge, comforting the frightened mare.

“Sledge, we’re leaving!” I yelled as I passed by him. “Come on! Let’s go!”

To his credit, without hesitation, he picked up the mare and took to the air behind the others.

The palace shuddered again and disappeared for longer this time. For a second there, I felt like I went with it, to wherever that may be. I galloped harder, panic threatening to set in. My vision scanned the room, before resting on the open balcony doors, the idea already forming.

I hate myself sometimes.

I took off for the doors and jumped. The open expanse of air spread beneath me as I sailed over the balcony edge. The ground was much further down than I hoped.

For the first time since learning to fly, I was very afraid of heights.

I threw my right wing open, trying to catch as much air as possible to slow my descent. All it did was throw my into a rapid spiral. If I had slowed down any, it certainly didn’t feel like enough.

I gasped when two sets of hooves caught me under each foreleg, Fang’s and Penumbra’s wing pumping hard to correct my fall.

“We gotcha sir.” She grunted out between clenched teeth as they straightened out and we flew for the tundra.

Any embarrassment I might have normally felt at being carried this way was washed away by relief of not hitting the street. Below us the rooftops passed quickly, the screams of their frightened occupants rising from the streets as the buildings faded once again. Behind me I could hear Sledge breathing hard, and with each wingbeat, getting further and further behind.

I glanced back. For all his strength, carrying another pony in addition to his weapon and armor was taxing him beyond his limits. Sweat that poured down his face and his eyes grew more distant and unfocused by the second.

“Sledge!”

His eyes targeted themselves on me for a brief second.

“Drop something. It’s too much.”

He chanced a look down at the earth pony in his arms as if appraising her value and then did the same with the hammer at his side and let out a pitiful whine. He looked back at the mare.

She stared up at him, her eyes growing wide and terrified. “Don’t you dAAAAA-”

That was as far as she got before Sledge, threw her into the air with a wild yell, her limbs flailing; lungs screaming. As she reached the peak of her ascent, Sledge ripped his hammer free from its tethers, and held it in his hooves, cradling it like a mother would her foal. With one last mournful look, he let it plunge to the ground, and caught the mare on her downward fall.

The hammer made a frightful boom as it smashed into the crystal road below, causing some of the fleeing ponies to split around the crater like a stream would a rock. The mare clung to Sledge’s neck with all the strength she could, cursing and thanking him in equal measure for his actions.

Up ahead of us stood a few pylons of jagged black crystal, standing like sentinels on the boundary of the city. The pulsed with a dark light and the buildings flashed in and out of reality again. And then again. And again, the bursts picking up speed.

My bearers needed no urging to fly faster as we sped towards the crystal structures. None of understood what was going on, but the hackles on our backs told us everything we needed to know. And that was to get away.

The rapid pulsing became faster as a gossamer web of spellcraft started to grow between the pylons. The wisps grew into the sky slowly, the beginnings of a dome that would stretch over the empire. Near the base of the webbing, it seemed shimmer and freeze, growing unevenly towards the sky in spurts.

The crystal ponies that hadn’t made it across before it became solid beat against it, but made no dent. More unfortunate were those that had been crossing at the moment it hardened. It looked like a giant knife had sheared right through them. Some having escaped with cut tails. Others clutched at freshly amputated hooves or legs. I averted my eyes from the bisected dead who had been caught somewhere in the middle.

I chanced a second look back at Sledge. While he wasn’t falling behind anymore, he wasn’t gaining either. My vision flicked back and forth between him and the dome. The world around us blinking and shifting like a mirage. Fang’s, Penumbra’s and my chances of getting across before the barrier sealed us in looked slim.

With a final burst of energy, Fang and Penumbra sped forward having come to the same conclusion I had.

Sledge on the other hoof…

I looked back at Sledge. He looked at me. I’ll never forget his eyes. Sledge may have been slow, but he was never stupid. And in that moment, he knew as well I did that there was no way he could make it across.

He smiled. One last defiant grin. He lunged forward with everything he was worth, and lifted that poor mare over his head and threw her one last time into the air at us.

I felt a tingle wash over me as we hit the barrier and reflexively curled up.

“Aghhh!” Penumbra screamed and her grip let go of me as she plunged down towards the snow, a bloody stump where her back left hoof should’ve been. I glanced down between my legs, seeing that the wall had claimed my tail, just shy of my dock. Ever the lucky one, Fang escaped passed through unscathed.

A pop resounded through the area.

A quick glance back confirmed two things. One, the Crystal Empire was gone. Nothing but a dark ring of soil remained where there was once a great city. Just...poof.

The second was, the yellow mare that Sledge had rescued had made it through, but was now facing a new peril. That being a wingless pony suddenly much higher in the air than she should rightfully be, and no way to land.

Dammit.

I sighed and resigned myself to the fact that for some reason, life really wanted me to take up one-winged diving today.

“Catch her.” I said to Fang quickly and kicked loose of his grasp. He cursed but did as I commanded and took off for the hapless mare.

And once again I was falling. My right wing popped open, sending me spiralling; my left one twitched sporadically. I could barely feel it, much less control it. My muscles and nerves were still fried from mana shock. It flopped and fluttered in the wind uselessly and without it, what should’ve have been a gradual bank, was turning into a violent corkscrew to the earth. Tighter and tighter I spun, fervently hoping that I was slowing down enough. The white blanket of dust beneath me rushed forward.

This is going to suck.

I wasn’t proven wrong. The impact was jarring. I screamed through my teeth at the sensation of feeling my front left leg snap and my ribs crack.

I lay there. Waiting. Unwilling to move. Unwilling to get up. Getting up meant having to bind my injuries. Tend to the living. Scrounge together supplies. Plan a way home. Survive.

It was too much. I was battered and broken. My strength was flagging. Right now, I wanted nothing more than to rest.

“Waxing?”

I’d know Orchid’s voice anywhere and I lifted an ear towards the source to indicate I was listening, but nothing else.

She settled down next to me, nuzzling me right behind the ear. It felt really good. “Are you okay?” She whispered.

I cracked an eye and narrowed it at her. ‘What do you think?’

She gave me a stink eye right back. ‘Don’t be like that! You know what I mean!’

“I’ll live.” I muttered through my pout.

She snorted and rolled her eyes. “Smart-ass.”

All around us, the sounds of ponies cries for help filled the air. Hoof-falls crunched the snow was those who were able rushed to the aid of those around them.

“I saw something strange today. Something I can’t quite explain.”

I raised an eyebrow. “Really? Because I was hoping for some theories on how a whole city can simply vanish.”

She sighed. “Can you stop with the sarcasm? Please? I’m trying to be serious here.”

I gave her a sullen look, but conceded with a curt, “Fine.”

“Thank you.” Her gaze softened. “And while yes, seeing a whole place disappear is strange, I’m talking about you.”

I bit my tongue to avoid another remark. Instead I stared at her to continue.

“When you...finished off Sombra...your cutie mark changed.”

I twisted to look at my flank. There upon the dark gray of my coat however, was the same crescent moon that had always been there.

She quickly pulled me back down, careful not to jostle my broken leg. “It didn’t stay that way! But for a brief moment it changed.”

I stared at her for hard, long time, trying to detect any lie in her expression. I couldn’t find a thing.

And I did recall that strange sensation on my flanks when I swung my blade. It wasn’t proof by any stretch, but did lend some credence to the possibility.

“What did it look like? This new mark?” I asked.

She reached out to draw in the snow, only for her hoof to pass through without a trace. She facehoofed before turning back to address me. “I wished I could. Best I can describe, it looked like a scale.”

I let my mind pour over this new mystery and what I knew.

First, it was impossible to have two cutie marks. At least without falling ill to cutie pox, which I didn’t suspect I had.

Second, I had entered the world of the impossible a long time ago.

Accepting that and Orchid’s story as true, that meant that I had either done something, or had something done to me in the bedchambers that caused a second one to appear and then disappear.

And, I didn’t know how I got my first one.

I felt a memory tickle in the back of mind. Something important related to cutie marks. I fished for it even as it remained elusive. I stayed focused on it even as Penumbra and Fang came to find me, after Fang had flown back to the cave to gather whatever supplies he could use to treat the wounded and bandage up Penumbra’s leg.

I didn’t respond much, only complying with their instructions as they set and splint my leg. My wing was much more difficult to deal with, and after much pulling and teeth clenching, the blackened hunk of metal that had fused itself to me was removed. It had been torture, but was necessary. They bandaged it up and wrapped it to my side. Finished, they pinned my cloak around my neck.

And then it hit me. It was the look Celestia gave me when I told her about my cutie mark. How it had showed up in the middle of the night and I how I had no memory of getting it. She looked at me like she’d seen a ghost. Like she was scared of something.

I wanted to know what.

I hobbled up to my hooves, getting a feel for my balance now that only had one working limb on the left side of my body. While I stood there, I assessed our situation.

Fang and Penumbra had retrieved all our gear, and cannibalized it for strips to act as clothing or wound dressing amongst the survivors. Occasionally, I caught the odd look from a crystal pony. I didn’t blame them; they’d never seen a thestral before. At least none of them seemed overtly scared of us.

Then again, we had all the supplies. We had armor and weapons--beat up as they were. That afforded us some goodwill and respect and as such we were made the de facto leaders, pegged as their best chance of surviving.

And while they looked to us thestral for guidance, Fang and Penumbra looked to me for orders.

So all in all, our group of three had grown to a herd of eighteen. Of those, ten, including myself, were injured.

The mountains we had flown over loomed at the end of the arctic plain and Equestria beyond that. It’d be a long walk back, and I doubted all of the crystal ponies would make it.

But we were going to try. We’d freeze to death on the frozen plains if we didn’t. As far as I was concerned, I had different motivation. I needed to see my family. I needed to see Celestia. I needed answers for what I’d seen and the questions that weighed heavily in my mind.

Orchid sidled up next to me, and gave me a reassuring smile and I returned it. Behind hers, I could still see some of the pain she’d gathered here. No doubt, many long conversations lay in wait for us before we could move on from here completely. We were both wounded by our time spent in the Crystal Empire and perhaps there might be scars we’d carry for a while afterwards.

But for now…

I glanced at the thestrals gathered behind me. “Let’s go home.”

And we stepped off.