Chapter 7: Their Return

"Your majesty, it is almost here" a guard said quickly as he charged into the throne room, darting through the crowd of ponies that had come to see Celestia that day. A few of the ponies that were waiting in the crowd poked their heads up, eager to hear what the guard pony was about to say.

"What is almost here?" Celestia asked, her mind being focused elsewhere.

"The train" the guard said in a serious tone before he turned to run back out of the room, surrounded by curious whispers from the crowd. As they all whispered among themselves about the train a few ponies walked towards Celestia, knowing what the train was for. Celestia watched silently as the Wonderbolts, Big McIntosh, Velvet and Nightlight. They all shared a worried look with one another before Spitfire stepped forwards to speak for them all.

"Is it really coming back already?" Spitfire asked carefully, knowing that this was a touchy subject for Celestia. Nearly two months ago, after the news of Sombra's return to power reached Canterlot, Celestia sent out a spare train for the sole purpose of helping the ponies she sent to the Empire return. While Celestia and the ponies who had stepped up thought about the ones that were sent to the Empire Luna entered the room, carefully running to her sister's side.

"Is what your guards say true, has it really come back?" Luna asked worriedly, looking at Celestia sadly. Silence pervaded the room as Celestia thought about the ponies that she sent to the Empire. The only reason they were there in the first place was because she had told them to go. If she hadn't told them to go try and save the Empire then they wouldn't be in that situat-

"Princess, the train has arrived, they are on their way up here now!" a guard yelled from outside the room, having been watching the train station. Just as he finished his sentence the group came storming up the stairs, nearly throwing him to side to get into the throne room.

"Celestia, we've come back to tell you-" Shining Armor said loudly as he tried to explain what had happened, only to be silenced as Celestia rose her hoof.

"I know all about what has happened Shining Armor, now please-" Celestia said in a flat tone, attempting to be professional until she noticed Twilight's absence, "Where's Twilight?"

"She isn't with us, she was..." Shining said, looking down sadly, now noticing that his parents were in the room as well, "Turned by dark magic" There was an odd silence in the room as the news finally clicked in Celestia and his parents minds. His parents looked at each other before embracing, Velvet breaking down into tears while Nightlight tried to hold himself together. The entire group looked down sadly, Big Mac running over to hug Applejack while this went on.

"We have to go back for her" Luna said quickly, putting a hoof on her sister's shoulder. Celestia shook her head in an attempt to break her mind away from the bad news.

"Yes, we need to head back, not only for Twilight, but to save the entire Empire" Celestia said strongly before standing up, "All of you, come with me" Celestia immediately walked out of the room, the everypony following after her as she led them towards an old door. She motioned for Luna to step forwards moments before sticking her horn into a hole in the wall next to the door, Luna doing the same on the other side. When they pulled their horns out the door opened, revealing a large room with a large table in the center.

"Tell me everything you know about the Empire and Sombra" Celestia said as she pulled a large scroll out of a nearby wall, opening it up on the table to revealing a map of the Empire. Shining Armor and Applejack quickly moved forwards to examine the map, both of them attempting to discover which part of the map had become part of the mines, and which part was part of the rebellion.

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Sombra trotted angrily through his castle, being escorted by a group of five guards. His day started off with a fluctuation in his magical power, which had angered him slightly, but the sound of vomiting that was now echoing throughout the castle had pushed him over the edge. As he reached the source of the sound he slammed open the door, nearly knocking them off their hinges.

"TWILIGHT SPARKLE!" Sombra shouted, looking around the room for signs of the purple pony.

"I'm in h-" Twilight attempted to say before she began vomiting again, making Sombra's eye twitch. He stormed towards her bathroom, finding her bent over the toilet. She was continuously vomiting, having been at it so long that she was just throwing up water, which made Sombra feel like vomiting himself.

"What is wrong with you?!" Sombra shouted angrily, covering his nose with his hoof as the smell coming out of the toilet was making him want to throw Twilight out of the castle from her balcony. He cautiously looked into the toilet, the yellow brown mixture finally pushing him over the edge. Pushing Twilight out of the way he started to vomit into the toilet, ridding himself of his breakfast completely before he came back up.

"You are going to see the doctor, I do not want this to happen again" Sombra said quietly, looking straight into Twilight's eyes.

"Why, I already know why this is happening..." Twilight said sadly, looking into the toilet as if it was a reminder of a mistake she had made.

"Then what in my wonderful Empire, is making you do this so much?!" Sombra asked, barely resisting the urge to put Twilight against the wall.

"I'm pregnant..." Twilight said quietly, looking at Sombra with wide eyes, making him pick her up by the throat.

"What do you mean you're pregnant" Sombra asked slowly, nearly crushing her throat with his magic as he became even angrier.

"I got pregnant from you, when we..." Twilight said slowly, looking down at the ground as she thought about what had happened. Sombra angrily dropped her, turning around quickly, hitting her with his tail as he left the room, leaving her to wallow in her own filth and sadness. He left her room in a complete rage, thinking about killing a few citizens just to entertain himself after this disappointment. As he entered the main room of the castle he picked up one of the ponies that was working to polish it, throwing him into the pillar, then throwing him out of the castle entirely.

"CLEAN THAT UP!" Sombra shouted at the other pony that was polishing the room before he left the room again, looking for somepony else to torment to make himself happy.