The throne room was dead quiet, only the sound of breathing and weapons scraping against armor could be heard. Sevilin appeared as a giant mass of formidability that no one felt like going toe-to-toe with. The violet orbs stayed glued on Celestia, before swiveling to Luna, and then back to Celestia.

The tension in the room was so thick you could cut it with a knife and serve it on two slices wheat toast for a Stress-wich. Noble Force and Silk curled like pill millipedes, still too frightened to speak while the human was in the room.

Jacobs finally looked down on the two guards that were currently sweating bullets and spoke, the two plates on his jaw moving like mandibles as he spoke.

"Princess Celestia, Luna; I'm disappointed. I expected more from the trained Royal Guard of Canterlot. These two are, to place my term lightly: absolutely pathetic."

The two curled up even further, now resembling little white balls with gold plates.

"But I am willing to forgive and forget if I am to receive what was taken from me," Sevilin continued, "after all, we have more important events to attend to. As I understand, Sombra grows in power as we linger here and discuss trivialities with each other. The rest can wait for later, after we have dealt with this threat. For now, however, let us formulate a plan to wipe this shadowy menace from the face of Equestria. Permanently."

Celestia and Luna stared at the hulking suit with carefully controlled, devoid expressions. Luna was impressed by his speech, and more so with the fact that he wanted to purge the dark lord almost as much as they did.

"The threat is very real to Equestria, but first we must ask: Why is it that you are creating such powerful weapons in the first place? This can be seen as a threat to national security considering that you are developing them inside of Equestria's borders without our knowledge."

Luna could have sworn that the suit smiled briefly.

"Creating weapons? Your Highness, I apologize if it seemed that we were creating them recently. In fact, they are remnants of my-" Sevilin paused, going over his sentence carefully. While he did trust these ponies, weapons from an alien race were always to be carefully kept and taken stock. If they knew of Sevilin's origins, they would perceive him in a different light.

"Remnants of my home. Simple weaponry to fend off predatory creatures that threatened my people."

Celestia observed the weapon on the table in front of her. She then faced where it had blown open the wall. "That was a large hole."

"They were large beasts."

Celestia narrowed her eyes. This 'simple weaponry' rivaled any standard combat spell she had ever witnessed in her lifetime. His suit alone suggested more advanced weapons capability, but as he had said, they were remnants of his home. Most likely a memento of where he used to belong.

She nodded and set the Titus on the table. Luna spoke in her situ.

"We have heard reports of you initiating an attack upon entry to our city. What grounds have thee for for becoming an aggressor?"

Sevilin grunted once again, and spoke in his refined accent.

"Your trained guards assaulted an unarmed messenger upon his landing. Not once did he harass or threaten them, and he was mercilessly beaten for absolutely nothing at all. I demand to know why such actions were taken against an innocent griffin. An innocent citizen of Sanctuary."

"While we apologize for the rather brash behavior of our guard," Celestia began, "we do not take your own punishment of them lightly." Sevilin, upon hearing this, crossed his metalloid arms.

"It was swift and just, and they suffered no outstanding physical injuries," he rebuked skillfully.

Luna's gaze grew concerned. "Reports from our physicians say that one Private End Sight wouldn't stop babbling about his younger brother." She leaned forward. "Sight was under the impression that the screams he was hearing were those of his brother crying out for help. His comrades reported the same, stressing that their best friends and marefriends were in grave danger. We were forced to sedate them, as they kept struggling."

Luna opened her eyes, and she saw that even Sevilin's own soldiers were giving him sidelong glances. The armored man sighed, his eyes dimming slightly.

"What I am wearing is the Mantis Rank Nine armor. This suit enhances all brainwave patterns and allows me to project sights, sounds, and feelings upon multiple enemies at once. If used correctly, I can cripple whole squadrons, letting them tear into each other, thinking that their friends are their enemies. Among those abilities, I can make my enemies believe me to be friendly, and I can bend light around the plates of the suit. This allows me to refract the light particles around me and appear invisible, or rather… not appear at all."

An uncomfortable shift came from many of those who were set to stand against the human in the face of an attack. His own troops were perturbed, but felt much more confident knowing that this powerhouse was on their side.

Celestia closed her eyes and bowed her head in thought, while Luna looked towards the ceiling and tapped her chin in thought. Both looking back at Sevilin, they spoke as one.

"Will you distribute this technology?"

The Mantis armor's eyes seemed to grow more vivid, and a slight screech came from inside the suit. Suddenly, two new voices began speaking along with Sevilin.

"The Mantis armor does not belong to child-like civilizations such as yours. Request denied," came a gruff male voice that boomed with every word.

"The Mantis armor is property of the human race and the Grand Roman Imperial Troopers, it shall not fall into the young hands of early civilizations. Request denied," a soft feminine voice seconded.

Sevilin nodded as well. "My mind was made up about the technology that I possess. While weapons such as the Titus Plasma Accelerator are being researched and may possibly be sold to Equestria, this armor will remain out of your grasp. Any and all personal weapons of mine remain in my possession."

The two Princesses looked disappointed, to say the least, but they had to respect his wishes. What was his belonged to him, and they did not press the matter further.

"Very well. Full medical costs will be covered for the griffin injured by our guards, and the perpetrators will be punished for the attack." Celestia stood, her wings extended to her sides. "But now we must plan for the coming threat. As of now, Captain Shining Armor and Princess Mi Amore de Cadenza are holding King Sombra at bay with a powerful shield. If you are so eager to prove your city's worth, show us."

Sevilin nodded and turned to Trixie and Chrysalis. "You two are with me. Chrysalis, take the Spec Ops and Trixie, take the Praetorians." He faced his pilot. "Get back to Sanctuary and prepare the troops, outfit them with Set 12."

The dog saluted and sprinted out of the throne room. Jacobs turned once again to the Princesses and bowed deeply.

"You have our full support. Now let us discuss this matter privately."

Sevilin, Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, Chrysalis, Trixie, and the Elements remained seated around a rectangular conference table. The Equestrian thoroughbreds stayed on one side, and Sanctuary on the other.

Twilight and her friends stared at Chrysalis and Trixie in turn, none of them particularly enjoying the fact that the two villainous wretches were in their lives again.

Trixie and Chrysalis seemed to wilt slightly under the combined glare of their past enemies. Chrysalis looked away while Trixie kept her nervous gaze situated on the mahogany table in front of her. She rubbed her hooves together in slow, unsteady circles.

Sevilin spoke first. "Princesses, what do you own in terms of raw firepower?"

"The unicorn platoons know a variety of offensive spells. This includes fire and wind based attacks, as well as some pure magical energy blasts. They can deal a good amount of damage, and six shots can knock a manticore out of the sky," Luna proclaimed.

Sevilin nodded. "Good. Sanctuary has a mix of species who's talents will be especially useful, namely the Changelings and Timberwolves. Our Changeling Special Operatives are practiced in reconnaissance and stealth operations. On the other front, we can have the Timberwolves in a head-on rush, taking into account the fact that they can reform themselves. The Alloy Dogs should be able to handle most of the brunt of the attack with the Timberwolves, while the Spec Ops loop around back and obtain the Crystal Heart."

Princess Celestia quirked an eyebrow. "How do you know of the Heart? Such things have been lost to history."

"Nothing is lost forever, Princess," Sevilin replied. "Now, we have to find a way to escort the Crystal Empire's civilians while we keep Sombra distracted. We still don't know if he has anything in terms of a military or separate destructive force." Sevilin placed a hand on his armored chin.

Rainbow Dash jumped onto the table, startling Chrysalis and Trixie. "We should just bust on through and bust 'em up! It'll be easy!"

Sevilin, Chrysalis, and the Princesses deadpanned. "Are you afraid of the dark, Rainbow Dash?" Chrysalis asked venomously.

"Pfff, of course not!" the speedster replied in her usual cocky tone. Chrysalis gave a sad, fanged smile.

"That's good. Because that's exactly what Sombra is: shadow. He is the dark itself, and as you know, shadow is intangible, untouchable, and persistent. When you truly battle him, you will understand." She rested her chin on the table, her frown increasing.

Now all eyes were on her. "You've fought King Sombra?" Twilight's question seemed to shake Chrysalis to the core. She then only nodded once, her wings twitching a bit.

Sevilin's suit began reading her muscle spasms and sorting through her mind's various spikes and dips. He sighed. "What did he do to you, Chrysalis?"

Chrysalis shut her eyes tight, taking a deep breath. "I don't want to talk about it…"

"Thou must tell us!" Luna's eyes glowed and her hoof slammed on the table.

Chrysalis whimpered, which surprised all those at the table. Immediately, several changelings appeared behind her, fangs bared and eyes glowing a deep turquoise. Terrace and Cane led the group, with Cane turned to Sevilin.

"What happened? Why is our queen distressed. We sensed fear and apprehension in her, and so we arrived as fast as we could." Sevilin groaned, which sounded like a rusty grating from inside the suit.

"Luna provoked some rather unsavory memories of King Sombra."

At the name, the changeling tensed up and harbored an even more deadly look about them. Their stances lowered further, their horns glowing and wings buzzing.

Cane growled, "Sombra…" under his breath, taking a second to close his eyes and gather his thoughts. "I remember. I remember what he did to our brothers and sisters."

Chrysalis hid her face with her bangs, her head bowed in sadness. Terrace sidled next to Cane, his expression grim. The changelings behind him, not sensing Sombra, began to relax from their heightened state.

"About a thousand years ago, before we stumbled across Equestria, we crossed the frozen north. We were in search of a new hive, since the last had been burned out by the griffins. Just traveling that frozen death zone killed more than half of us, and Queen Chrysalis was feeling every single one. In the distance, we saw a city that glowed in the snow. Scouts came back to report of the city and showed us their form."

Cane spoke in turn. "It was difficult to achieve such a state, but the hive adopted their forms and took to the Crystal Empire. Once inside, we mingled with the occupants, who seemed more than happy to accommodate us. In spring, King Sombra arrived. He seized the Empire with unimaginable power, especially for a unicorn. He placed us all in captivity and slavery, and we mined the gems beneath the ice for years."

"That doesn't sound something worthy of that reaction," Luna whispered. Terrace shot her a nasty look then.

"The real horror started when we stood against him, revealing our forms. The Crystal Ponies, galvanized by our actions, joined us in our rebellion. It was a futile attack, and even our Queen was weakened prior to the battle. Love tends to die in such conditions. After he wiped us out, he decided to make an example of a drove of Changelings. He called us 'disgusting insects' and 'unworthy of life'."

Cane continued. "He used his Shadow Magic to place hundreds of Changelings in a stasis, keeping them shrouded in darkness for eternity. This shadow kept them in constant agony, and worse, it traveled through the Hive's mental connections. Day and night, for weeks we heard screams and pleading. Queen Chrysalis believed she could save them, that she could pull them from this permanent limbo. But the changelings left alive begged her to do the unthinkable."

Everyone in the room leaned forward, save for the Changelings.

"She cut those changelings trapped in shadow limbo from the Hive permanently."

Every single changeling in the room seemed to become physically and spiritually drained. Their wings drooped, their eyes dulled, and their bodies shivered. Chrysalis took a deep, unsteady breath.

"I never wish for my hive to experience such a thing again. You did not inform me that we were going head to head with King Sombra, Sevilin." She almost growled the last part, though it would be impressive to intimidate the solid human.

Sevilin sighed in return. "I apologize. If the hive wishes to remain detached from the conflict, I would have no qualms."

Chrysalis drew another shaky breath. "I believe that is for the best…"

Nodding, Sevilin faced the Equestrians once more. "Count the extraction of the Heart out. This is going to be a full-fledged frontal assault upon Sombra. The objective now is to subdue him before he brings harm to the Crystal Empire's citizens. This will be more difficult since we don't rightly know what he is capable of at this moment in time. Do we have a method of contacting either Princess Cadence or Prince Shining Armor?"

Celestia shook her head. "Communications are quite impossible. The field that they have erected is keeping Sombra out, but at the same time confining the magical energies within. To send a message is to endanger the Crystal Ponies."

Sevilin grunted, his digits holding his chin in thought. Suddenly he looked up and snapped them, producing a clinking sound.

"Princess Celestia, Princess Luna. I ask that you accompany us to provide defense against King Sombra. As I understand, you have both defeated him in the past. Surely you know of ways to subdue him?"

The two nodded.

"Good. Very good." He leaned forward, eyes glowing all the more. "I have a plan." Next Chapter: Chapter 9- Assault Estimated time remaining: 2 Hours, 4 Minutes