The rediscovery and liberation of the Crystal Empire was brought about by many factors. The decaying of a powerful magic over the centuries, a wise ruler prepared for such an eventuality, an alicorn princess of love, the wit and daring of the ponies sent to combat Sombra, and the courage of a young dragon. More important than all of that however were the heroic ponies who made sure everyone got to the Crystal Empire in the first place.

The Canterlot Express is where heroes reside. Daring individuals who sacrifice hoof and limb to open the doors, close the doors, collect tickets, and occasionally, deal with stray sheep that wander onto the tracks. They are the unsung heroes of Equestria, or at least, that’s what they claim.

Naturally there are the Elements of Harmony, the princesses, the Royal Guard, Wonderbolts, and other lesser figures, but so what? If it weren’t for the train conductors, they’d never be able to get to all the places they need to be to do the heroic things they do.

This argument is often put forth by the train conductors who conveniently forget that a third of Equestria has wings and the rest have hooves. Their job is essential, and they take it seriously.

The conductors of these trains see many strange things during their jobs. Drunk ponies, sad ponies, unicorns, earth ponies, pegasi, even the occasional minotaur or griffin. The conductors have seen villains and saints, the most strangely unique beings, and even a few ordinary ponies pass through their doors.

But none perhaps were so strange as the duo waiting at the train station in Ponyville. Well, one of the two was normal. She was a young pegasus, tan fur and pink mane matching the three butterflies that was her cutie mark. That was fairly normal. Her companion on the other hand…

“I still don’t see why we have to go visit the Crystal Empire today of all days.” Discord huffed as he and Fluttershy waited for the Canterlot Express. “And why are we waiting for a train for pony’s sake? I could snap my fingers and have us there in an instant!”

“It’s not about the end result, it’s about the journey.” Fluttershy gently chided Discord. “Besides, I quite enjoy riding the train. It’s relaxing, and we can chat.”

“Oh very well.” Discord rolled his eyes. “Fine. But I’d better not be bored when we’re there. I trust you’ve got a plan for out little excursion?”

Fluttershy smiled widely. “Oh yes and I just know you’ll love it! It will be such a nice little trip, and I’ll be able to show you all the interesting places we visited. There’s the Crystal Palace, and the library we did research in, the Crystal Heart of course, and—”

“Yes, yes.” Discord quickly cut off Fluttershy. “I get the picture. Very scenic. So let’s not waste time talking about it; let’s go already!”

The brightly colored train had just pulled into the station and a flood of ponies exited the double doors. They stared at Discord and hurried away as the draconequus and pegasus entered the train.

The train conductors stared too, and so completely forgot to ask for the pair’s tickets. Which was just as well, because neither had bought any.

The Canterlot Express slowly jolted into motion and the train conductor closed the doors. He was so preoccupied with staring at Discord that he completely failed to hear the faint thumps and rustling as a swarm of animals leapt, hopped, and flew onto the train’s roof. They clung to the accelerating locomotive in grim silence and held long wrapped bundles which they took care not to drop.

This was all unseen by the ponies on board. They were used to travelling the Express, and paid little heed to faint noises amidst the clattering of the train as it travelled across the tracks. They were far more interested in Discord naturally.

Reformed villain he might be, but Discord’s way of dealing with boredom involved idly transforming various objects into different shapes while he chatted to Fluttershy. The pegasus did not seem inclined to stop him, and so the spectacle continued.

Yes, every eye was on Discord and Fluttershy. That was, except for fourteen ponies sitting very quietly in the back of the car. They sat still, staring at the ground and making no conversation. It was unnerving how identically each one acted, and it might have disturbed the other passengers. But once again, they noticed nothing.

----

Fluttershy sat in the freezing snow as it poured down over the Canterlot Express and tried not to die. The exposure on top of a moving train in the middle of a permanently frozen wasteland was not inconsiderable and she feared frostbite might be setting in already.

Around her, or rather, so close that they were practically fused to her the other animals shivered and held onto the train’s roof while they huddled for warmth. It was just as well the train was moving; Fluttershy was sure that if it stopped the animal’s chattering teeth would be quite audible for miles around.

But even so, the frozen infiltration group on top of the train car wasn’t about to quit just because of a little cold. Despite the chill, Fluttershy did have a warm fur coat, and each animal she had chosen had some kind of furry insulation on its body. They might not be born for extreme cold, but it wouldn’t kill them right away.

That didn’t mean it wasn’t still mind-numbingly cold, though.

Fluttershy had five knives strapped onto her body in various places, a cloth-wrapped bundle at her hooves she was trying not to jostle, and a hundred animals huddled together for warmth with her. Missing from this was a blanket, or even a coat.

Blankets were warm, soft, and bulky. They’d slow down anyone carrying it, and make the group more noticeable. That had been Fluttershy’s reasoning and it had been a good idea except for reality. Right now Fluttershy would have killed for even a muffler, but there was nothing to kill, just the endless snow and gusting winds.

It was an hour’s ride to the Crystal Empire.

Fluttershy’s face went numb first, then her hooves. The deadened freezing went up her body, removing feeling as she grew colder and colder.

She didn’t know why, but she…hated the cold. Already parts of her body felt like they were shutting down. Though her animal friends were shivering, Fluttershy didn’t see the same weakness in them. It was just as well the changelings were below in the train; their ability to handle cold was about as great as their ability to handle heat. They’d be useful in the coming battle, but Fluttershy would only be able to use them for about an hour even with all the clothing they were wearing.

Pain. After the numbness, pain started. Intense, biting pain as frostbite truly did begin to set in. Fluttershy gritted her teeth and ignored it.

Her animal friends were faring far better than she. They could huddle together, and since they were small, they could trade places so those facing the winds were only exposed for a few minutes at a time. Fluttershy was simply too big; she was the largest animal on the train. Matilda had of course been too big to hide, and the next largest animal under Fluttershy’s command were the beavers who barely reached up to her chest.

Pain. Fluttershy breathed out slowly. The train was nearing its destination. The cold was so intense – yet she ignored the pain. A warrior didn’t bow to pain any more than a leader did. And Fluttershy was a leader. She could not show weakness. Because…weakness meant someone would…usurp…

Fluttershy’s thoughts were shutting down. She felt comforting warmth around her. Was she lying down on the train? Yes. Yes she was. And the animals were around her, hugging her tightly. Why? To share their warmth. Oh, of course.

They looked very concerned. Fluttershy valued their trust in her. To her, their loyalty meant everything. And the way they looked at her was…she had never felt such…

…

..

.

Kindness?

Warmth. Suddenly, Fluttershy was warm again. Her broken thoughts reformed, her heart started to beat faster. The icy chill holding her began to retreat. There was warmth.

And light.

She looked up. The frozen wasteland and grey skies had disappeared. All around her way blue sky and lush green grass. The world here was different, captured in the blossoming time of spring where life was at its fullest. The temperature was pleasantly cool, but still warm enough so that no pony needed a coat.

They were in the Crystal Empire. As the train moved along the last length of its trip Fluttershy looked out towards the Crystal Palace dominating the center of the city. And shining like a beacon, the Crystal Heart flashed and shone down upon all who saw it.

The train slowed, and stopped. The train conductors opened the doors and ponies flooded out, desperately seeking escape from Discord. They didn’t pay any attention to what was above them; only pegasi looked up that often and the only one on this train was walking with Discord.

Several shapes slipped off the top of the train and disappeared into the city. They moved stealthily in small groups. Any ponies who saw them might wonder how a beaver or a falcon or a few squirrels had made it to the Crystal Empire, but they thought nothing of it outside of mere curiosity.

And one pegasus walked slowly through the Crystal Empire. She looked remarkably similar – almost identical to another one, but this pegasus was different. She wasn’t smiling. Her wings and hooves were covered with frost and she moved slowly. As if each step was painful. But she walked on, until she found a place where an army of animals and fourteen suspiciously identical ponies waited.

And then she sat and waited.

----

The effect Discord had on normal ponies was similar to the seven stages of grief proposed by Couch Talk.

The first stage usually involved shock and denial. Ponies ran from Discord screaming or occasionally just stared in disbelief. After that of course, they transitioned onto the next stage which was pain, usually without guilt when Discord transformed them into something or turned the ground into silly putty.

Following this of course, anger and bargaining came next as ponies alternately shouted angrily or pleaded for mercy as they hung upside down, floated in midair or occasionally fought for their lives against animated statues made out of marshmallows. But inevitably, their attempts failed and they moved onto the fourth stage, depression and loneliness as each pony was left to face their separate hell (or occasionally, heaven).

After these initial stages of grief and despondency however came hope. As Discord capered in glee and the ponies waited for their inevitable sugary doom, a voice would call out. The upward turn began as a pegasus arrived, shouting angrily at Discord. Therein began the sixth stage where reconstruction began; Discord changed everything back to normal and ponies began working through the mental trauma of what just happened.

The last and final stage usually ended with Fluttershy and Discord walking away, as ponies accepted what had happened to them, repressed the memories, and hoped for a future where they never saw Discord again.

In short, the effect Discord was having on the Crystal Empire was akin to a marching band moving through a monastery. He attracted attention, caused havoc, and generally made a nuisance of himself. Fluttershy or rather, Fake Fluttershy was there to stop the worst of the chaos as it occurred, but she seemed to be a bit too slow at her job. Discord managed to cause plenty of discord before she arrived to sort things out, and as a result, everypony’s attention was totally focused on him rather than anywhere else.

At last, after a fifteenth lecture and heartfelt plea from Princess Cadence and Shining Armor themselves, Discord agreed to stop causing trouble and wandered down the market stalls with Fluttershy.

“All I’m saying is, the Crystal Palace looked a lot better with all those statues of me,” Discord was complaining to Fluttershy. “Honestly, some ponies have no taste. And what was up with all the screaming? You’d think they’d never seen a draconequus before!”

“Um, I don’t think they have,” Fluttershy said. She glanced at a clock in a clockmaker’s display as she walked by with Discord.

“Well, I think this little vacation isn’t very relaxing.” Discord huffed for a few seconds and then grinned. “Extremely entertaining, but not very relaxing. For other ponies that is.”

“Quite.” Fluttershy looked around and spotted the mouse standing in the shadow of one of the stalls. She nodded to it and it dashed away.

“But this is fun too. All these cultural fashions and oddities! Did you see that pony with the hat made out of drinking straws?”

“Yes, it was lovely.” Fluttershy eyed the street and calculated how much damage Discord could do. “Um, I think I need to go and—”

“Ooh, is that a flugelhorn?” Discord drifted over to a stand of the weirdly shaped horns as the shopkeeper cowered in fear. “I’m sorry Fluttershy. What were you saying?”

“Why don’t you and I separate for a little while?” Fluttershy suggested with a smile. “You can look around, and I’ll say hi to Princess Cadence and Shining Armor. And uh, apologize again.”

“Good idea.” Discord was already distracted by the wide variety of oddly shaped musical instruments. “You go and do friendship things. I’ll come and find you in a bit.”

“Sounds good!” Fluttershy cheerfully smiled and walked away from Discord. She walked slowly towards the palace until she was out of sight and then changed direction.

----

The actual boundaries of the Crystal Empire extended much farther than Princess Cadence had been able to shield with her magic. Outside of the main city, there were several miles of grassland used for farming and ponies wishing to live in a rural setting. Fluttershy traversed the entire distance at a quick trot, keeping out of sight of most ponies.

She reached her destination at last – the border of the Crystal Empire. The Crystal Heart’s magic created a wall of light that held back the cold. At the spot where it ended, Fluttershy could clearly see the whirling snows outside of the barrier.

And standing just inside of the Crystal Empire was a completely different kind of oddity than Discord.

Fluttershy – Fake Fluttershy stopped in front of the ranks of armed animals. Fluttershy was standing in front of her army, conferring with the changelings as she watched Fake Fluttershy approach.

“Discord is at the market,” Fake Fluttershy said. “He’s busy with the flugelhorns, so he’ll probably be distracted for an hour or two.”

“Good.” Fluttershy glanced at Fake Fluttershy and then away. “Return to Ponyville.”

Fake Fluttershy waited for Fluttershy to say something else. “Um, okay,” she said at last. “It’s quiet there, so everything should be fine…when I was talking with Princess Cadence and Shining Armor they mentioned Celestia was sending something to Twilight today. A new spell and—”

Fluttershy looked at Fake Fluttershy and the other pegasus shut up.

“Go.”

Fake Fluttershy left. Fluttershy waited until she could no longer see the other pegasus and then turned to her army.

“We’ve got work to do.” That was all Fluttershy needed to say. Her changelings and animals stood straight and picked up their weapons.

Fluttershy walked to the head of her army and looked over them. “Fake Fluttershy is returning to Ponyville. Matilda and the rest of the animals are still in Ponyville. If we fail here, Longfoot will remain in charge.”

That was important. It needed to be said. In case we fail…Fluttershy looked at her warriors. Her friends. They stared back uncertainly. But there was trust there. Faith in her. Fluttershy stood a little straighter and they followed her. They wouldn’t fail.

“All forces assembled.” Fluttershy looked over her gathered warriors. Each animal and changeling was holding a weapon; they stood to perfect attention in line formation. She was proud of them, and knew they had faith in her.

“Changeling 32443, you have leadership of Beta Group.” Fluttershy nodded at one of the changeling warriors who saluted. “I’ll lead Alpha Group myself; follow at a distance and stick to the plan.”

Changeling 32433 nodded. He and his companions moved away from the army of animals and flew off into the snowstorm. They were gone from sight in an instant.

Fluttershy turned back to her animals. This was it. She took a deep, calming breath, then spoke.

“You know our objective. Sombra lurks somewhere in the blizzard. Our scouts located signs of his presence several days ago, and it is likely that he is attempting to find his way into the Crystal Empire. If he does, the Crystal Heart will fall and with it, the entire Crystal Empire. This cannot be allowed to happen.”

Fluttershy walked down the ranks of her animals, looking into their eyes. She saw nothing but confidence and obedience; not a hint of fear. They stood straight, staring ahead without a flicker in their expression. No frowns, no sweat, no hesitation.

No smiles.

Fluttershy faltered. Where had that thought come from? But her hooves kept moving and her mouth kept speaking. A leader never shows weakness.

“This is a golden opportunity. Sombra is vulnerable at this moment, weakened from his defeat by Princess Cadence’s magic. We must utilize this advantage but remember; even at a fraction of his power Sombra is still exceptionally dangerous. Stick together and report at the first sign of movement. Now, advance!”

Fluttershy raised her hoof and lowered it in one swift movement. As one, her army stepped forward out of the Crystal Empire’s protective magic and into the blizzard. Ranks of animals marched forward, weapons held high. They were no army to strike fear into the hearts of those who saw them, but they were the greatest force she had ever commanded.

Fluttershy walked into the blizzard last. The instant she left the Crystal Empire she felt the cold sweep over her, a numbing pain that threatened to overwhelm her in the first second. Fluttershy gritted her teeth and kept moving. Ahead of her, the vanguard of her army moved at a slow walk. They quickly disappeared from sight in the flurries of snow, but that was fine. Fluttershy had accounted for that in her tactics.

Following the first rank of animals came another squad of eight animals, moving some distance between the next group of animals. They were spotters, placed to be able to see both the animals in front and behind them in case vision was obscured. For each large marching line of animals, two spotter squads were deployed behind it, sweeping to the left and right to increase visual range and also to relay orders from the rear.

Any creature flying through the snowy landscape would have seen the marching army of animals not as a straight line of troops but a kind of odd flower. The animals spread out, groups swinging wide left and right of the front line while other groups followed at a set distance behind. Runners kept communications flowing between the groups, and the entire movement of the army centered around a single pony walking behind the main body of warriors.

Fluttershy listened as squirrels and small birds flitted back and forth, chattering briefly before returning to their posts. No sign of any movement. Well, she had expected as much.

“Adjust our course,” Fluttershy instructed the animals. “Don’t get more than a mile or two away from the Crystal Empire; start making a circle around the perimeter. Stay away from the train tracks of course, but Sombra won’t be too far from the Empire.”

One of the squirrels looked up at Fluttershy in confusion.

“He lost the Empire, but to him, it’s still his,” she explained. “Sombra won’t leave it behind. His pride won’t allow it.”

She didn’t know why she could predict Sombra’s actions with such certainty. She just…knew that was how Sombra would act. Was it instinct? It was easy to think like he would.

A robin flew out of the darkness and hovered before Fluttershy chirping urgently. She held up a hoof and the animals around her halted.

Contact.

“Where?” Fluttershy listened to the bird as it circled around her head. She gestured to the other animals.

“Stop the advance. Pull the outer units back. What does the squad nearest the contact point report?”

Another bird flew out of the darkness. It was even more panicked than the first. It alighted on Fluttershy’s shoulder and screamed at her.

Fluttershy frowned. “What do you mean they’ve disappeared?”

More rapid squawking. No animals present. All had vanished.

“Take me there. Bring the other army units around that location but maintain a perimeter.”

The bird took off from Fluttershy’s shoulder and flew off into the darkness. Fluttershy and the group of animals set off after it at a quick trot. As they moved, other squads of animals appeared out of the snowstorm and joined their formation.

Fluttershy came to a halt where the bird had flown. It circled in the air, chirping urgently.

This was where the squad of animals should have been. Fluttershy looked around and saw in her peripherals the army spreading out around her. There was nothing in sight. Just the snow and darkness.

“Where—”

The snow exploded upwards and a group of animals simply vanished as green blasts of magic shot into the sky.

“Scatter!” Fluttershy dove away as Sombra appeared from the vaporized section of the landscape, hurling bolts of green death at anything that moved.

A cloud of birds swooped down from the heavens and engulfed Sombra, pecking and clawing furiously. From the whirlwind of feathers Fluttershy heard the unicorn king laugh. Once.

A swirling vortex of green light engulfed Sombra and the birds. It formed into a sphere of energy which contracted briefly around Sombra and then expanded.

Charred skeletons of the birds fell to the ground as the deadly wave of energy expanded. It caught a few animals that had remained too close to Sombra, vaporizing any body parts left within the field.

“Get back!” Fluttershy and the other animals retreated until they were far out of range and the magic dissipated.

“Charge in and engage!” Fluttershy took to the sky and climbed quickly, avoiding Sombra’s deadly spells as he sought to strike her down.

The animals on the ground reformed their formation in seconds. Beavers, squirrels, mice, foxes, badgers, the denizens of the woodland charged Sombra from every direction. Each animal was armed with a sharp blade and they had been trained to fight creatures far larger then themselves.

Sombra laughed. He waited until the charging animals were only a few feet away and then his horn glowed once more.

A spire of dark crystal shot out of the ground, impaling the front ranks of animals and shooting into the sky. Sombra stood on top of his new perch and laughed as the animal army milled about in confusion. Even as a few animals began trying to scale the crystal, Sombra unleashed his magic again.

Magical fire rained down onto the animals, massive bolts of energy that ripped apart anything they touched. The animals fell back, their ranks broken. They still held formation though, still reformed themselves into scattered waves that moved in every direction to avoid taking more fire.

But the heavens were filled with death. The falling snow was replaced by the lurid glow of magic as deathly flashes fell from the sky like hail.

Sombra razed the ground, targeting any cluster of animals and blowing away stragglers even as they ran. He was so focused on the carnage, the unicorn king forgot to look up.

A pegasus shot down from the heavens, a knife in her hoof. Only the flash of light reflected off of her knife gave her away. Sombra looked up as Fluttershy shouted one word.

“Die.”

Fluttershy smashed into the wall of magical energy inches away from Sombra. Contemptuously the unicorn flicked his head and an invisible force slammed Fluttershy out of the sky. Sombra’s horn flashed and he prepared to blast the impudent pegasus out existence.

Five changelings tackled Sombra from behind as one. The unicorn king’s face twisted with shock and rage as the changeling warriors knocked him off the edge of the crystal spire and towards the ground.

The changelings held on grimly as they plummeted. Sombra snarled, his expression twisting into rage and his horn flashed. The changelings’s hold on Sombra loosened, and they flew apart in confusion as his body turned to black mist.

The mist circled and flew back towards its pedestal of crystal. It stopped as nine more changelings appeared from every direction and flew at the mist. They didn’t strike out but rather beat their wings quickly as they flew, trying to dissipate the blackness. Together the changelings now fourteen in all herded the mist to the ground.

The black fog that was Sombra touched the snowy landscape and changed. The shape of a unicorn emerged from the darkness, and then a crimson glow lit up the world. Two malevolent green eyes leaking purple magic opened.

Fluttershy alighted on the ground as the changelings remained in the sky. Behind her the remnants of her army, little over half of them formed up, spreading out around Sombra in a wide semi-circle.

Sombra glanced once at the army surrounding them and then away dismissively. His eyes focused on Fluttershy and he grinned once, white teeth flashing in the darkness. And then he spoke.

“Thou who would disturb my rest. Your death will be painful and swift.”

His voice was a deep, echoing rumble which sent shivers through Fluttershy’s bones. It didn’t sound like a voice anything living could make.

Fluttershy’s heart was racing. Her mind was calm. She raised one hoof into the air and waited. Sombra’s eyes bored into her. Her eyes locked with his, and time slowed to a crawl.

Fourteen changelings. Fifty seven animals. One pegasus. They waited.

Sombra, King of the Crystal Empire, dark tyrant and undead monster waited with a smile on his face.

Fluttershy lowered her hoof.

They charged as one. Sombra’s magic cut down ranks of animals, blasted holes in the earth, but the animals charged on. The pegasus rammed into Sombra, knocking him off balance. The changelings descended on him from above. The animals leapt of him, but the unicorn threw them all off. His horn flashed with red light, and red blood answered.

----

Sombra stood in the center of death. The snow fell heavily, but melted as it touched the ground. The red blood was still warm to the touch, and in the chilling cold it steamed as the gore of fifty animals ran and pooled around Sombra’s hooves.

The unicorn king glanced around dismissively. Only a few creatures were moving, and they were too wounded to live much longer. A pegasus was struggling to move a ways away from him. Her side was scorched with a stray spell, but she was miraculously unharmed. Or perhaps not miraculously. Many animals had fallen to spells meant for her.

The animals lay around Sombra, blown to bits by his spells. They had died in large numbers just to get close with him, let alone touch him. But touch him they had. Sombra was not uninjured.

A knife was in his chest. Three more cuts had gouged out flesh from his side and legs. A changeling had gored him in his flank. Yet despite these wounds not a single drop of blood fell from his body. The deep gashes and cuts revealed no inner organs, no bright red.

Sombra stood and pulled the knife out of his chest. There was no blood on the blade. Sombra tossed the weapon into the snow and laughed again.

“Foolish.” Sombra walked through the corpses of fallen animals and kicked aside the head of a fox. “You have not the strength to challenge me.”

“So…it seems.” Fluttershy lay in the blood of her friends and stared up at Sombra with hatred. She was having trouble breathing. Her side was one mass of fire. “You…aren’t really alive, are you?”

“I am Sombra. I am immortal. Your weapons are as grass before my strength.”

“Yes. Yes, I suppose they are.” Fluttershy’s face betrayed no deep emotion besides pain. “A pity. I thought we could settle this with might, but it seems only magic can defeat you.”

“Yes.” Sombra reached down and casually lifted Fluttershy off the ground. She hung in his hooves, staring into his eyes with grim determination. And that was something odd Sombra noticed.

Despite the death, despite her situation, Fluttershy didn’t appear frightened. In fact, she even looked…confident. And that gave Sombra pause.

“Do you not despair?” Sombra asked curiously. “Your death is upon you.”

“Maybe.” Fluttershy coughed up a trickle of blood and winced. But her eyes still spat defiance at Sombra. “You never know.”

Sombra growled. He lifted Fluttershy higher and then threw her bodily through the air.

Fluttershy flew thirty feet, slammed into a pile of snow and lay gasping there. Sombra approached once more and lifted her up.

“Your army is crushed,” he snarled at her. “Your plans are shattered. You cannot defeat me and you will die in agony.”

“So it appears.”

“Why then are you not afraid?” Sombra’s grip tightened on Fluttershy’s throat. In another second he would crush it completely.

Fluttershy gave Sombra a blood-red grin. The cuts in her mouth had opened, making her normally white teeth dark and crimson. And something flashed in her eyes, a dark green malevolence that made even the undead king hesitate. In the silence she rasped,

“Well Sombra, it’s because I brought a friend.”

Sombra hesitated. He looked around, saw nothing, and began to crush Fluttershy’s windpipe.

But then he heard it. A faint fluttering of wings.

Sombra looked up and saw a robin descend out of the sky. It landed on his face and clawed at his eyes. Instinctively Sombra let go of Fluttershy and she dropped to the ground.

Just as quickly as it had come, the robin flew away into the darkness. Sombra snarled in irritation and his horn glowed. Oddly, Fluttershy hadn’t moved from where she had fallen. Not that it would have made any difference in any case. Sombra prepared to wipe her from existence.

That was the precise moment when Discord appeared out of thin air. The god of chaos was idly playing with a flugelhorn in his mismatched hands, casually sporting a Hawaiian t-shirt as he glanced around. His eyes fell on Fluttershy, and then Sombra. The flugelhorn dropped out of his hands and landed in the snow.

What Discord saw was Sombra, standing over a fallen pegasus. In his shock he completely failed to notice the dismembered animal corpses already half-buried by the snow, or see the expression of surprise on Sombra’s face. All he had eyes for was Fluttershy

Discord snapped one claw. Fluttershy disappeared from the snowy ground. Sombra snarled and shot a bolt of magic at Discord, but the draconequus simply leaned aside and let the magic blast a snowdrift apart. Then with another snap he vanished.

King Sombra looked around. Left, right…Sombra looked up and ducked just in time. A snowball the size of the Crystal Palace hurtled through the air and exploded in a whumph of impact that made the ground shake.

Discord dropped out the sky and landed right in front of Sombra. He was no longer dressed in his Hawaiian t-shirt but armed up in full riot gear complete with a big plastic shield and heavy baton. He swung at Sombra and his baton sent the unicorn sprawling.

Sombra pushed himself off the ground with a roar of fury. He shot a bolt of magic at Discord who blocked with the riot shield. The magical spell vaporized half the shield and Discord tossed it away.

Another snap of the claws. Discord was no longer dressed up in riot gear. Now he wore a pair of red shorts, a heavy golden belt and two boxing gloves.

Sombra snarled and charged at Discord, horn blazing with magic. Discord jumped forwards as well, punching and swaying to avoid Sombra’s hooves and horn. With another snap of his fingers, Discord was a lumberjack, pressing Sombra with a gigantic axe.

His transformations were humorous, his motions exaggerated as he dueled Sombra in the raging blizzard. But there was one difference between the god of chaos now from any other time. One difference that made even Sombra wary in the heat of battle.

Discord wasn’t smiling.

----

Several miles away from the magical battle taking place, a pegasus was lying on the grass just inside the borders of the Crystal Empire. Her side was scorched with magic and she looked battered. She had trouble breathing, but as soon as she realized Discord was nowhere near by Fluttershy was on her hooves.

Three birds dove out of the sky, one holding a basket in its talons. Fluttershy flew up to meet them and grabbed the basket from the falcon’s talons. She quickly reached inside of it and pulled out a glowing green potion. Without hesitation Fluttershy quickly unstoppered the flask and drank down the entire potion.

In an instant the burned marks on Fluttershy’s side began to fade, and then disappear. She sighed with relief and handed the bottle back to the falcon who took it and then flew away.

Fluttershy landed on the ground and looked up at the other two birds. “They’re still fighting?” She asked.

The birds nodded.

“Take me there.”

----

Fluttershy raced through the snow, crashing through snowdrifts as she followed the two birds into the blizzard. Only when she began to hear the muffled whumph of explosions did she slow her pace.

There was something odd nearby. Fluttershy looked to one side as she ran and halted abruptly. She walked over to a patch of snow on the ground that seemed off-white compared to the rest of the landscape.

“Report,” Fluttershy said crisply to the odd patch of snow.

The snow, or rather, perfectly white hare opened its eyes, revealing two black spots among the whiteness. Fluttershy listened intently, and nodded a few times.

“Good. Keep the ponies out of sight and out of earshot if possible. But this battle’s going to move about; if Discord or Sombra gets within three hundred meters of any pony, lead them away or knock them out.”

The hare nodded and disappeared in a flurry of snow. Fluttershy turned her attention back to the sky.

The snowstorm was getting worse. Large flakes of snow poured out of the overburdened clouds overhead, obscuring vision and promising freezing death. But amidst the flurrying sky were flashes of color.

Purple and green bolts spiraled downwards, striking snow and leaving craters which hissed and bubbled with steam. More interesting objects fell as well; balloons, rocks, hammers, mannequins, buckets of paint, and even the odd anvil. Discord’s magic, but Fluttershy noted a distinct pattern of violence among the debris.

More looping bursts of energy blew apart something overhead and Fluttershy ducked. Bits of superheated metal fell to earth, boiling snow and making the twisted metal scream as it cooled.

It was dangerous to be this close. Fluttershy and the other animals fell back even further, melting into the deep snow as Sombra and Discord fought on.

More spells exploded as they met a rain of cupcakes in the air. These cupcakes were made out of rocks though, and exploded like grenades, raining gravel down on the landscape.

As if on cue both immortals ceased firing for the moment. They had been floating in midair but now they slowly descended to the ravaged ground.

Both Sombra and Discord were breathing heavily, yet their breath didn’t appear even in the icy temperatures. Instead, Sombra was exhaling some kind of greenish-black mist and his form appeared slightly insubstantial.

“Well.” Discord gasped. His face was strained and taut with exertion rather than his normal gloating smile. “Well. It looks like you’re not so shabby with the spells there Sombra old boy.”

“Discord.” Sombra’s dark voice was still sinister and resonant but it too had a weary quality about it. “I desire no quarrel with you. Leave me, and I will spare your life.”

Discord chuckled weakly with mirth. From midair he conjured a sock and half-brick and began spinning the makeshift weapon around in the air. “Spare? Me? Oh Sombra, the years really haven’t been kind to you.”

“And you are as insufferable as ever.” Sombra’s eyes flashed as he shifted position. Discord tracked him calmly, a grin on his mismatched face. But the smile never quite reached his eyes. “Why do you attack? I have no interest in Equestria at the moment. A battle here will only waste our strength when we should fight Celestia and her kingdom. You have no reason to be here.”

“Yes, well, I think we have differing opinions on that point.” Discord bared his teeth at Sombra. “You see, I don’t like having anypony play with my toys. And in this case, you didn’t just touch my playthings. You tried to hurt one of my friends.”

“Friends?” For the first time Sombra’s voice contained shock. He stared at the god of chaos in incredulity and then blinked in realization. “That pegasus is your friend?”

“Righto Sombra old buddy.” Discord flowed around the unicorn, forcing Sombra to turn his head quickly to keep up. “And please remember, I’m using ‘buddy’ here ironically; that pegasus is my friend. My best friend, in fact. Her name is Fluttershy.” His eyes glittered. “And you. Hurt her.”

“And you would risk death challenging me over that pathetic creature?” Sombra asked incredulously. “Have you gone mad?”

“That sounds about right.” Discord nodded. “Of course, that’s only assuming I don’t kill you first. That’s sort of my plan.”

“We are immortals,” Sombra snapped, “we do not battle over the petty lives of mortals. Discord! Would you sacrifice eternity for a mere pegasus?”

“Interesting question.” Discord casually tossed the sock filled with the half-brick at Sombra who blew the object out of the air. Immediately Discord created two anvils and spun them around on each claw.

“You know, I wasn’t too keen on the friendship thing myself,” Discord said, twirling the anvils on his fingers as he spoke. “A bit mushy and foalish I thought to myself. But then I made a friend, and you know what? It’s not as cheesy as it sounds.”

Discord stopped the anvils mid-twirl and thought for a second. “Well, actually, it is that cheesy sometimes. But there’s something there Sombra old pal, something special.”

The two anvils flew at Sombra, one low, one high. The unicorn destroyed each with a blast of magic, but two more flew at him. Two, then four, then eight. Sombra shielded himself with a magical barrier just in time as sixteen anvils flew unerringly towards his head.

The anvils smashed into the magical energy and disintegrated. Warily Sombra kept the barrier raised, but Discord didn’t seem inclined to attack. He floated in midair and reclined on an invisible seat.

“You know, in all my years there’s never been any pony willing to call me ‘friend’,” Discord said. “Nopony ever smiled at me. No one ever gave me their trust. But Fluttershy, a pony afraid of everything was still willing to trust the lord of chaos.”

The sky was beginning to change. Sombra looked up. The clouds, the snow, everything was beginning to move. “Despite everything I did, even when I annoyed her or destroyed her house, she was kind to me.” Discord spread his arms wide. “She trusted me Sombra, me!”

The winds were shifting. They blew around Sombra and Discord, and even the storm had become a whirlwind, a massive maelstrom of ice that centered around Discord and Sombra.

“And so I would fight for her Sombra. Even if it means my own demise. Because she is my friend, and I only have one.” Discord’s mismatched eyes were calm. “That’s what friendship is.”

Sombra snarled. His horn began to glow with crimson magic. The air around him crackled with power, and his eyes glowed with purple energy.

“To death then, Discord?”

The skies rumbled. The stormclouds already dark were now black against the sky. They were even bigger than before and the snow—

The snow stopped. All was silent. Sombra and Discord faced each other in a quiet moment of eternity.

Discord grinned. “To death Sombra old chap.” His eyes flashed. “To friendship. And death.”

Ten thousand bolts of lightning cascaded down from the heavens. Their targets were two. One was a unicorn, his black mane and purple glowing eyes wide with shock and rage as he desperately cast a spell. The other being caught in the radius of attack was a draconequus. The lightning briefly illuminated his face before the world was filled with destruction.

He was smiling.

----

Fluttershy held her breath as the aftershocks of the lightning storm stopped shaking the earth. She could see nothing but roiling black smoke flying into the sky. Of Discord and Sombra there was no sign.

Behind Fluttershy her changelings limped around, dragging those animals still alive back towards the rescue team of birds. They were carefully trying to force Zecora’s potions into the mouths of the living animals as the changelings kept one eye on the scene of the battle.

The black smoke began to lessen and Fluttershy stared without blinking as a gigantic crater appeared before her. The snow all around it had been vaporized and the blackened hole in the earth was three hundred feet wide. And above it…

A lone draconequus floated in the sky, shoulders slumped, head bowed. He seemed completely exhausted and began falling out of the sky like a broken feather. And across from him…

Fluttershy cursed as she saw a cloud of black mist hovering in midair. Like Discord, Sombra seemed to be damaged; forced into his insubstantial state. But even as Discord fell, the mist began flying away, into the distance.

Discord sank to the ground, too weary it seemed even to create a seat for himself. The shadow that was Sombra seemed little better off; it fled northwards even as Fluttershy watched.

Fluttershy glanced at Discord, wondering if he would give chase. But no, the god of chaos simply stared at the ground, dead to the world. He was still alive Fluttershy was certain, but he was clearly out of energy.

Behind her the changelings abandoned their task of tending to the wounded and straightened. Their eyes were on the spot where Sombra had fled. Fluttershy turned, and they looked to her.

They were all wounded, all tired from battle. But the changelings waited for her orders calmly.

Expectant.

“Gather the second team,” Fluttershy told the changelings. “We’re going after him.”

----

The being which called itself Sombra rested in the snow. Although his breath strained with exhaustion and the cold winds swirled around him he felt no cold.

The falling snow covered his form. He was exhausted, yet not a single flake of snow melted when it fell on him. Only his horn seemed to radiate heat, melting every flake of snow before it came into contact.

Sombra panted, his chest heaving with exertion for the first time in millennia. He was tired. So tired. Shielding himself from Discord’s attack had taken nearly all of his magic. Yet he was alive. Alive, and able to retreat. For now. He’d make plans to deal with the god of chaos and return another time. Sombra would have his vengeance yet—

Sombra’s head snapped up as something moved in the snowstorm. His horn began to glow, but he grimaced and the weak magical aura faded. Instead, Sombra simply waited as a shape emerged from the darkness. As it moved into his vision, Sombra felt his heart twist with hatred. And a bit of fear.

Sombra’s eyes narrowed. His teeth drew back in a snarl and his horn pulsed darkly red.

“You.”

“Me,” Fluttershy agreed. “Nice to see you again, Sombra. A shame Discord couldn’t kill you, but he did quite well I thought. Ready for round two?”

“You cannot hurt me,” Sombra said. “Flee now, and you may prolong your miserable existence a while longer.”

“Nice threat,” Fluttershy commented. “But I doubt you’ve the strength for any more fighting. I on the other hand feel quite rested, so I think I’ll give killing you another shot.”

Sombra growled. His horn pulsed, but weakly.

“I’m sure you don’t want to waste more energy, so I think stabbing you would be pretty easy at the moment,” Fluttershy said. “Too bad it wouldn’t take. But since you’re weak, this is the best chance I’ve got, and I’m not out of ideas yet.”

Fluttershy began circling Sombra and the unicorn turned his head to watch her. Fluttershy appeared completely composed and chatted away to Sombra in a calm, friendly tone.

“How would you kill an immortal?” Fluttershy moved and more animals appeared, dragging something slowly through the snow. “You know, I had the same problem with Discord. I still don’t have a solution with him, but it seems to me that you’re quite different, Sombra.”

Fluttershy gestured to his form. Already parts of Sombra’s body seemed insubstantial, dissipating into the black mist that was his other form.

“When the Crystal Heart banished you, it sent out a burst of blinding light. All very magical, but I have to wonder – was it just the magic that hurt you?”

Sombra was silent, but his eyes flashed with fury. Fluttershy nodded and smiled.

“Thought so. And I wondered: well then, if light might be able to harm a being made of darkness, well then, what makes light?”

Fluttershy held up one wing and began ticking off items. “Well there’s lighting, but bringing clouds out into a blizzard is tricky, and only pegasi can use them. There’s also liquid rainbows, but that too is hard to acquire unless you’re in Cloudsdale. The same goes for magic unfortunately; I’m no unicorn and there aren’t any I know who have the magic and will to fight like I need them to. But there’s something else that’s very bright and is quite easy to use.”

Fluttershy held up her other wing. Secured between her feathers was a long cardboard tube, painted bright orange with a long wick at once end.

“Fireworks,” she said cheerfully. “They’re bright, colorful, dangerous, and best of all, quite easy to transport.”

Sombra said nothing. If looks could kill…but Fluttershy continued with that smile and friendly tone of voice.

“Actually, fireworks can be very hard to buy or manufacture. Fortunately for me I have access to a very corporative unicorn that happens to make fireworks,” Fluttershy said. “And guess what I brought with me?”

Sombra heard a scraping noise as a ring of animals stepped into view. Each animal, squirrels, beavers and larger creatures that stood on two legs was holding something. A…tube made of wood. And fitted to each tube was a firework, wick on the other end ready to be lit.

“You are a dangerous being with more magic that any being save perhaps Celestia or Luna,” Fluttershy said. “I do believe that if left alone you could one day reconquer the Crystal Empire. That’s why you’re doing to die right now, Sombra.”

She motioned. As one the animals pulled matches out and lit them. The long wooden stick began burning as they waited for Fluttershy’s signal.

“Well, this is it Sombra.” Fluttershy gestured, and the changelings descended out of the air, wings beating as they covered Sombra’s escape route. “But I feel I should give you some dignity on the way out. Any last words?”

“I will—”

“Fire,” Fluttershy said.

As one the animals lit their fireworks and aimed their launch tubes at Sombra. He roared in fury once and charged Fluttershy. Too slow, and too late.

Sombra took three steps before forty fireworks caught him mid-stride and exploded. The icy plains were lit up like day for a moment as the fireworks exploded in a roar of heat, sound, and light.

Fluttershy had thrown herself to the ground when the fireworks launched. Carefully she removed her hooves from her ears and got to her feet.

Where Sombra had stood there was another crater, this one blackened by soot and ash. As the smoke cleared once more Fluttershy held her breath and…

Cursed when she saw the glow of magic. The animals around her scrambled to load another firework but Fluttershy waved them off as the smoke cleared some more.

The crater was indeed not entirely empty, but neither was it full of Sombra. Where the unicorn had once stood, much less of him was left. Only a horn remained, hovering in the air and emitting a faint glow. It was untouched; a magical barrier made out of purple and green fire surrounded it.

“Destroy it.” Fluttershy motioned to her changelings. They surrounded the horn warily, tensed for action.

The magical barrier surrounding the horn flickered, and then faded. Cauciously, the changelings advanced. One changeling had a hammer in its mouth. It stepped forwards, braced for any attack. Nothing happened.

The changeling warrior looked back at Fluttershy for confirmation. She nodded, muscles ready as well for anything.

The changeling hesitated, and then swung the hammer at Sombra’s horn. Fluttershy watched it connect in slow motion, saw the horn flash red, and then—

Fluttershy woke up fifteen feet away from where she had been standing, ringing in her ears. She struggled to sit up or even move, but her breath had been completely knocked out of her. All she could do was flop around like a fish until she saw Sombra.

The unicorn stood in the center of a large crater, pinning a changeling to the ground as he surveyed the area. He was unharmed. The changelings lay scattered around him, breathing painfully and struggling just as Fluttershy was to move.

Sombra glanced over at Fluttershy as she tried to regain her breath. He seemed weary, but his voice had lost none of its malevolent hatred.

“Your army is strong.” Sombra crushed the changeling under his hoof. It struggled weakly and tried to snap at Sombra’s leg. The unicorn king looked down in annoyance. The changeling’s chitin cracked as it was pressed further into the ground.

“Your soldiers are well trained. Your tactics are sound.” Sombra grinned, and his eyes flashed with green magic. “But your plan was flawed. You may be an adequate general, but you have not the spirit to challenge gods.”

Fluttershy levered herself off the ground with one hoof. She rose unsteadily to her hooves and then charged Sombra in a flash of movement.

He caught her effortlessly, her hoof an inch away from his chest. Fluttershy writhed and then choked as Sombra’s magic lifted her into the air. She couldn’t breathe. It was crushing her windpipe. She couldn’t breathe.

Sombra laughed cruelly and kicked the changeling under his hooves aside. Her stepped forwards and looked Fluttershy in the eye.

“The weak will always fail,” he told her. “And you are weak. Die, knowing this.”

His horn glowed—

And then exploded as a firework hit it straight on. Fluttershy fell to the ground and lay there, gasping for air. Above her Sombra’s form flickered and then vanished.

As the smoke cleared Fluttershy saw his horn still floating in midair but cracked. Pieces of it were reforming, gathering out of the snow and merging back together. But slowly. The dark mist flowed around the horn in a vague shape of a unicorn. But that too was insubstantial.

The mists shifted as another firework blasted through it. Sombra’s horn jerked sideways and the flying explosive missed and burst in a flash of orange light off in the distance. Immediately, the horn shot a beam of corrosive green light in the direction the firework had come from.

The squirrel holding the launch tube fell to the ground, its upper body completely vaporized.

“You cannot destroy darkness with mere stage magic.” Sombra’s voice was weaker, a whisper compared to its former menace.

“I guess not.” Fluttershy stood up. She couldn’t feel her legs anymore, but she made them move. “But I can still kill you.”

She charged again. The nebulous darkness around Sombra’s horn shifted. A flash of green light shot out at Fluttershy. She didn’t stop.

The magic washed over Fluttershy and she felt it enter her body, a needle made of pain. It wasn’t blasting magic; it was weaker, a mark of Sombra’s exhaustion. But the spell reached into Fluttershy’s body, travelling through her blood, searching for her heart.

The pegasus stumbled, but kept moving forward. The black mist was right in front of her. She stepped into it even as the magic touched her heart.

Darkness swirled around her. It tore at her skin, struck her with tendrils made of cold darkness. Yet it was weak.

At the center of the mist was a horn. Fluttershy stumbled towards it. Her heart was—it—

Stopped. Fluttershy choked and tried to move. Her heart—

Started. Another step. The darkness raged. It tried to push her away from the horn. Fluttershy fought forwards. Her heart was beating too fast and it—

Stopped. Yet her body kept moving. The darkness was closing in, and not just around her. Her vision was going dark. But the horn glowed red in front of her, Sombra’s own heart. So she grabbed it with her mouth.

Heartbeat. The magic released Fluttershy and she gasped. She almost let go of the horn, but bit down just in time. It was…wriggling. Trying to get free.

“What…are you doing?” Sombra’s voice was a whisper, coming out of his horn. To Fluttershy carrying it, it sounded as though he were speaking directly into her mind.

“Stop. I will—”

Fluttershy bit down hard. She was rewarded with a burst of searing agony and a tiny cracking sound. The voice stopped.

Where? Fluttershy looked. All around her was darkness. Snow and darkness. But her memory told her roughly where she was. Only one chance. She had to go.

She turned, and began to walk.

----

Biting cold. Burning pain. The horn’s magic seared her flesh and scarred her soul. It was worse than holding a burning ember in her mouth. And it fought to get out.

Fluttershy staggered forwards. The cold was in her hooves. Moving was harder with each minute. But she had to keep moving.

Darkness. Where was she? Fluttershy couldn’t see anything.

Snow. The horn burned her. The ice froze her. Fluttershy kept walking.

There. A flash of color amidst the swirling emptiness. Fluttershy staggered forwards and saw a city appear out of the blizzard.

The Crystal Empire stood in the center of the icy wasteland, a paradise in bleak desolation where nothing lived. The sphere of magic that kept it protected from the elements ended suddenly, and so there were drifts of snow that suddenly ended and gave way to vibrant green grass.

Fluttershy moved towards it. Around her the darkness swirled, cutting her, freezing her.

“What are you doing?” Sombra’s voice was a faint whisper in Fluttershy’s mind.

She said nothing. The light of the Crystal Empire was in front of her. It was beautiful. A jewel that shone all the brighter for the darkness. How far away? A mile? Less? She walked faster.

“You are a fool. Your army is broken. Your friends are dead.”

The Crystal Empire. Forgotten by time. Once a place of terror; now thanks to Cadence…

“You cannot kill me.”

Fluttershy staggered as the horn pulsed in her mouth. Pain. But she had been hurt before. Keep walking.

“You are no hero.”

Ignore it. Fluttershy walked in pain. The Crystal Empire.

“I see your heart. It is twisted from your sins.”

The Crystal Heart protected it. The magic of Cadence’s love and the crystal ponies powered it.

“There is darkness in you,” the shadow hissed.

A barrier to defend from evil.

“Just like me.”

A shield to protect from enemies.

“You cannot escape it.”

A sword to destroy the impure.

“It will consume you.”

It was before her. The grass grew lush and green. Fluttershy put one hoof inside the barrier and jerked.

The light…hurt her. It was like stepping into fire.

Into fire.

“You see? The Crystal Heart knows your sin. You, who would sacrifice your friends for victory.”

Fire. Fluttershy forced herself to step into the light. It caught at her, burned her, made her very soul sear.

“Stop. I will give you what you desire if you release me.”

Fluttershy took another step. The burning pain spread up her legs, into her chest. Just one more.

“We are alike, you and I. Why fight it?”

One. More. Step. Fluttershy was engulfed by an inferno of light. In her mouth the horn smoked and now there was a terrible crackling coming from it.

“You…” Sombra’s voice was full of hatred. It faded even as he spoke. “Why are you doing this? Why do you want?”

Fluttershy spat the horn onto the green grass. It withered even as the horn touched it, and the horn smoked and began to crack. Bits of it flaked away and began to disappear. Yet still it seemed to be looking at her. It wanted an answer.

The pegasus called Fluttershy knelt down on the grass. The light burned her. A fire tormented her, immolated her skin and burned away her flesh. She spoke to Sombra.

One word.

“Burn.”

And they did. Pegasus and unicorn.

A small red horn cracked and dissolved slowly into the air. Without so much as a whisper.

And the pegasus lay in the green grass that smelled of spring, under the blue sky on a beautiful sunlit day and wished for death. But it never came.

So she burned and wished she had died that day.

----

Discord awoke the moment his magic returned. Like all chaos magic it was sudden and arbitrary; one moment he was completely exhausted the next, he was ready to fight again.

The god of chaos surged into the sky, scanning in every direction for Sombra. Two giant inflatable ducks appeared in his hands like massive clubs as he readied himself for an attack.

But no one came.

Bewildered, Discord glanced around. There was no sudden blast of magic or dark laughter. Why not? He had just been fighting, and taken a nap. Had his enemy gone somewhere else? How long had—

The time. Discord looked up. It was…day. But earlier in the day. And unless Celestia was messing about with the sun again, that meant he had been asleep for…

Over a day.

Adrenaline, or rather, the equivalent for the god of chaos surged through Discord. Without conscious thought he moved from his current position, shifting through space with the speed of thought.

The snowstorm had ended and the sun had ventured out briefly to illuminate the snowy landscape. Discord appeared high in the air and gazed around the open landscape.

Nothing. For hundreds of miles in every direction there was only ice and snow. Only the mountains next to the Crystal Empire and the Empire itself broke the flat, white landscape. There were certainly no signs of any dark unicorn kings anywhere nearby.

Discord exhaled in relief. But his breath caught again as he had another thought. In another flash of light he was gone.

This time Discord reappeared in the borders of the Crystal Empire, along the barrier where snow met grass. He looked around desperately and saw lying twenty feet away a familiar shape.

A pegasus was lying on the grass, her face masked by her mane. Discord teleported to her side in an instant.

Fluttershy was lying on the ground, her limbs sprawled limply on the grass. Anxiously Discord turned her over, waiting in dread to see—

Nothing. Fluttershy’s body was unharmed, her soft fur completely intact. There wasn’t a scratch on her body. And as if in response to Discord’s movement Fluttershy’s eyes opened slowly and she sat up suddenly, looking around in confusion.

“Oh. Oh my.” Fluttershy staggered upwards, feigning panic. “Was I asleep? I think – I think I must have fainted just now.”

“Fainted?” Discord stared around. There were no telltale wisps of black mist anywhere, no sign of Sombra. He looked back at Fluttershy and scrambled for a response. “Well, um, yes. Fainted. Completely passed out. Lucky I happened to be here.”

“Discord?” Fluttershy blinked and then smiled. “Oh, of course. Thank you so much. I must have—” She broke off, frowning.

“You know, I could have sworn I saw…” Fluttershy’s voice trailed off. She looked around, distressed and touched the side of her head, wincing. “I um, I think I hallucinated. I was walking around, and then there was something dark, and I—I must have—”

“I’m sure it was nothing.” Discord said hastily. He flicked one claw dismissively. “A, uh, stray snowball must have hit you. Perhaps an invisible snow koala. Something like that.”

Fluttershy glanced around again, pausing to stare at a patch of discolored grass. “Are you sure?”

“Absolutely! There’s absolutely nothing the matter!” Discord puffed out his chest. “It must have been your imagination.”

“Oh of course,” Fluttershy smiled up at Discord. “I suppose I’m just a bit tired and was seeing things, is all. I’m lucky to have such a wonderful friend to look after me like you, Discord.”

The god of chaos blushed. “Well, what are friends for?”

“What are friends for.” Fluttershy closed her eyes. “Well, it seems we’ve had a quite an eventful outing, don’t you think? Let’s go back to Ponyville.”

----

Fluttershy bade farewell to Discord after they had arrived back in the train station of Ponyville. The draconequus had been remarkably silent and watchful during the trip, only changing the train conductor into a duck once. He had also said goodbye quite quickly and Fluttershy was sure he had immediately teleported to the Crystal Empire to hunt for Sombra some more.

Well, he could search as long as he wanted. And if by some miracle Sombra had survived, Discord would finish him. But he was dead. Fluttershy was sure of it.

As Fluttershy walked back to her cottage she noticed a few things about Ponyville. It looked like a parade had gone through the town recently. Also, the ground showed evidence of rapid weather changes. There were still some puddles left and the grass looked sunburnt. Had Rainbow Dash been messing around with the weather?

It didn’t matter. These were just automatic observations Fluttershy was making; unimportant in the grand scheme of things. She made her way to her cottage and entered quietly.

Fake Fluttershy was sitting in her cottage, chatting to Matilda. She had been smiling slightly, but when she turned and saw Fluttershy her smile vanished altogether. Instantly she and the other animals in the cottage got to their feet.

Fluttershy ignored them. She to Fake Fluttershy and stopped for a moment.

“Report.”

“Um.” Fake Fluttershy was staring at Fluttershy with big, worried eyes. “Um. Something very important happened while you were gone?”

“What?”

“Uh, Twilight turned into a princess.”

“…What?”

“A princess,” Fake Fluttershy repeated. “She has wings and everything.”

“Alicorn?” Fluttershy stared at Fake Fluttershy for a moment. “Explain.”

“There was an…incident. Celestia sent Twilight a spell,” Fake Fluttershy said quickly. “Nothing too important happened, but Twilight passed a test and, well, she was turned into an alicorn. She’s the Princess of Friendship now. There’s going to be a big coronation ceremony in Canterlot tomorrow.”

For a while Fluttershy just stared at Fake Fluttershy. The other pegasus shifted uncomfortably. Then Fluttershy nodded.

“Fine.”

Fake Fluttershy blinked.

“Um, what?”

“Fine. Leave me.”

Fake Fluttershy hesitated, but Matilda and the other animals were already leaving the cottage. The copy of Fluttershy took one look at Fluttershy and flinched for a second when Fluttershy met her eyes. Then she quickly left the cottage and closed the door.

Fluttershy exhaled softly when Fake Fluttershy was gone. The cottage was very silent now, and dark without the other animals.

Slowly, Fluttershy climbed the stairs and went to her bedroom. It was just as she had left it, which was mainly untouched. A mirror covered one wall, a scratched and battered wardrobe adorned one wall and a new bed occupied most of the space. That was all.

Fluttershy walked over to the mirror. She stared blankly into it, her mind racing and yet still at the same time.

Twilight, a princess? Inconceivable. What did it mean? Everything. Nothing important. She still had a job to do.

Fluttershy knew she should be estatic at the news. She would normally have so many questions, want to know every detail. But now…

Sombra was dead. The Crystal Heart had destroyed him utterly. And it had nearly killed Fluttershy too.

The Fluttershy in the mirror twitched a bit, and she put her hooves up to her face. Everything looked normal. Everything even felt normal. But nothing was the same.

Something had broken in her. Something important was missing. The Crystal Heart had burned her, hurt her, destroyed her until she was broken beyond repair.

Fluttershy stared into the mirror. A pegasus looked back. A weak creature, made of soft flesh and weak bones. A being not meant for war. A failure that let her friends die.

In the darkness of her room Fluttershy spoke. They weren’t words she consciously thought of. They came from her heart, and that broken, torn piece of her that she still called her soul.

“No more kindness.”

Fluttershy stared back at herself. An unsmiling face dirty with war and murder.

“No more mercy.”

Her hoof smashed the mirror to fragments. Broken Fluttershys cascaded to the floor.

“Just war.”

Her blood ran down her hoof and dripped to the floor. The glass fragments stained red.

“And war everlasting.”

Fluttershy picked up a piece of mirror. A bloodstained Fluttershy looked back.

“Until the day I die.”

And her blood fell as tears upon the ground.