Moonshadow

Shining Armor advanced through the icy slopes, his breath visible in the freezing air, like a sigh of despair. The snow crunched under his hooves, and the wind, sharp as a dagger, seemed to whisper warnings. The darkness of the landscape stretched endlessly, like an ocean of ice, and he, alone in his mission, felt the weight of time pressing heavily on his shoulders.

One of the most promising soldiers had vanished: a young prodigy whose determination shone as brightly as his inexperience. He had heard tales of the dangers Equestria had faced, of the heroines who had defended it valiantly, and, driven by a childish longing for glory, he had joined the guard, dreaming of becoming a hero.

Shining had tried to guide him toward being more grounded, but the young stallion stubbornly clung to his arrogance. The prince had thought it wise to send him on a dangerous mission to help him understand his limits; he hadn't imagined it might be his last.

Desperately, he scraped the snow, hoping to find a sign, only for it to be swept away by a swift breeze. The tracks had been erased by the storm.

"Are you sure there was a wolf here? Not even they can endure this environment," he said, his severe gaze lost in the icy horizon.

"Absolutely sure, my lord. I would never mistake those fangs," the general replied, his voice steady, though his demeanor betrayed a mix of respect and unease.

The silence that followed was heavy, as though the very air resisted moving.

"It's so strange..." Shining murmured, narrowing his eyes in search of answers among the frost and the dancing shadows of the blizzard.

"Though..." the general added, hesitating for a moment before continuing, "I've never seen a wolf with crystal embedded in its fur."

The weight of his words lingered in the frozen air, as if the world itself held its breath at such a revelation.

Shining kept walking, his hooves crunching against the ice, until he stumbled upon a sight that froze him in place. Crystal pillars, completely shattered. The ice prisons were beginning to open.

"General, my feather and parchment! This is critical!" Shining commanded, his voice tight with urgency as he turned sharply toward his subordinate.

Without hesitation, the general handed him the items, sensing the gravity in every movement of his commander. Shining grasped the quill with his magic, and with a speed that reflected both precision and desperation, he scrawled an urgent plea onto the parchment:

"Princess Twilight, danger is imminent. The pillars are shattered, and the ice prisons are opening. We must act before it's too late. We need your help, now more than ever."

Cold sweat beaded on his brow as he rolled up the letter, sealing it swiftly with a spell. He closed his eyes briefly, focusing his magic, and sent the message flying through the air toward his sister.

"Quickly, Twily, we need you," he murmured, almost a prayer, before turning and sprinting back toward the castle.

Once they were gone, the wolf emerged near the prisons. Its size matched the hollow at the entrance perfectly, and it scratched at a pillar, sharpening its claws. For a moment, it simply stared into the horizon, watching the ponies as they ran. Even it seemed to understand the dangers that lay ahead.

It was a quiet morning in the palace of Canterlot. Sunlight filtered softly through the tall windows, bathing the dining room in a warm, golden glow. At the table, an unusual trio shared breakfast"a scene that, despite its apparent normality, never ceased to feel strange to them.

Starlight Glimmer, her shoulders slumped and her gaze lost in the steam rising from her teacup, felt trapped in a tangle of doubts. She had tried everything with her patient: kind words, carefully thought-out strategies, even painfully direct conversations. Yet nothing seemed to work.

In fact, she was certain things had only gotten worse. He, seated across the table, seemed quieter than ever. His gaze remained fixed on some indefinite point, and Starlight's few attempts at conversation had fallen into an abyss of silence.

Twilight kept her eyes fixed on her coffee cup, feigning indifference. But inside, every sip carried the bitter weight of resignation. The hope she had once held for him was slowly fading, dissipating like the steam rising from her drink. She tried to ignore it, to avoid thinking about the cracks forming in her plans, but it was impossible not to feel the heavy burden of failure.

From the corner of her eye, she observed Sombra. His plate remained untouched, the vegetables still arranged with the precision of someone who hadn't so much as nudged his food. Twilight raised an eyebrow and, in an attempt to ease the tension, adopted a mocking, almost maternal tone.

"Not going to eat your vegetables?" Twilight asked, a hint of irony in her voice, as she took another sip of her coffee.

"I don't know why, but every time I eat, I feel weaker," Sombra replied, his tone unusually subdued. "It's as if the food is draining my strength."

"That doesn't make any sense," Starlight said, frowning as she cast a skeptical glance at Sombra.

But Twilight didn't respond right away. Something about Sombra's words unsettled her, like an off-key note in a melody she couldn't ignore.

"Wait a moment," she said finally, her voice firm. Without hesitation, she reached for a spoon from the plate in front of Sombra. She scooped up some of the untouched vegetables and brought them to her mouth.

Starlight and Sombra exchanged looks, both taken aback by Twilight's sudden action. The dining room fell into an uncomfortable silence as the princess chewed slowly, her expression unreadable.

Then, Twilight froze. Her face twisted in a grimace of pain, and her eyes widened with alarm. She barely managed to swallow before erupting into a fit of violent coughing.

"Twilight!" Starlight shouted, leaping to her hooves.

The princess fell from her chair, clutching her chest as her body convulsed uncontrollably. Her coughing was harsh and desperate, as if something invisible was suffocating her from within.

Within seconds, several servants burst into the room, alerted by the commotion. Two of them hurried to support Twilight while others ran to summon the castle's medics.

Starlight stood frozen, her mind racing for answers, while Sombra watched the scene unfold with a mixture of concern and suspicion. The tension in the air was unbearable, each second dragging on as though time itself resisted moving forward.

They both followed closely as Twilight was rushed through the palace corridors, the sound of their hooves echoing against the cold marble floors. The atmosphere was thick with unease, but as they reached the infirmary, a wave of relief washed over them.

Twilight was already seated, recovering under the care of the royal healer, her breathing still uneven but no longer labored.

Thanks to an advanced spell, Twilight's discomfort had disappeared. But the healer, her expression serious, held a glass goblet with the remaining food. Her eyes, narrowed in concentration, flickered with concern as she turned toward them.

"Someone has been poisoning Sombra's food for weeks," she announced gravely, placing the goblet onto a tray. The sound of the glass striking the metal rang through the room like a sentence.

Starlight clenched her jaw, indignant.

"That explains a lot. Poison in the food... how cowardly."

The healer nodded, wiping her hooves with a cloth before speaking again.

"I suppose your friend must have a natural resistance to poison. If the princess weren't an alicorn, it probably would've killed her," she stated, her tone clinical and direct.

Twilight furrowed her brow, visibly shaken by the implication, while Starlight muttered something inaudible. But it was Sombra who broke the tense silence, his deep, calm voice filling the room.

"Healing magic... I haven't seen it in years," he said, his gaze distant, as if the spell evoked memories from a time long past, one buried under centuries of darkness.

"Yes, it's not widely known," the healer replied with a slight shrug as she stowed her magical tools in a worn leather bag. "It was discovered centuries ago in nearly illegible writings. Most mages have forgotten about it by now."

She paused, glancing at those present, then shook her head dismissively, as if recalling something trivial.

"Well, I suppose you wouldn't be interested."

Starlight arched an eyebrow, her curiosity piqued despite the indifference in Luna's tone.

"I'm interested now,"she said, her voice steady but insistent, stepping a little closer."

As she spoke, she couldn't help but notice Sombra quietly turning and leaving the room. His steps were slow but deliberate, the sound of his hooves echoing softly as he crossed the threshold. His elongated shadow disappeared down the corridor.

Twilight, now looking much better after the healing spell, watched him go with a mixture of curiosity and compassion.

"I guess the thought of being poisoned hit him hard," she commented, leaning back slightly in her seat, her eyes narrowing in thought. "It must be difficult living knowing the whole world wants you dead."

Starlight nodded, though her attention remained divided between Twilight's words and the promise of learning more about the ancient healing magic. Outside, the echo of Sombra's hooves faded, leaving them enveloped in a tense silence.

Hours later, Twilight had managed to recover from the poison incident. Sitting on her throne, her thoughts tangled in a web of doubts. The first thing she did was dismiss the cook. In another time, his fate would have been exile at best, but the situation was more complicated now.

Her relationship with Sombra, since his return, had become worse than she could have imagined. There was something in his presence that disrupted the peace she had once known. The weight of uncertainty pressed on her chest, and before she could delve deeper into her concerns, a letter arrived from her brother.

Twilight prayed, a fleeting sigh of hope crossing her lips, wishing it would be nothing more than a trivial message. But as she opened it, reality unfolded like a shadow even longer than the one she had already faced. Cadence had significantly weakened her magic while trying to block Sombra's return. And worse yet, Shining Armor's magic was useless this time.

What lay ahead was far more terrifying than a wolf. They needed deep and precise knowledge, the kind of wisdom that only the oldest beings possessed, to seal the crystal prisons once again before something even darker and more dangerous escaped.

"What are we going to do with him?" Starlight asked, her voice tinged with anxiety as she stepped toward Twilight.

The alicorn didn't respond immediately. She paced in circles around the room, her wings slightly extended and her gaze lost on the floor. Finally, she let out a frustrated sigh.

"I honestly don't know anymore," she admitted, stopping for a moment before resuming her frantic pacing. "I can't think of anything else. And to top it off, now I have to deal with this problem in the Crystal Empire. I can't abandon either of them."

Starlight watched her with concern, trying to find some semblance of calm amidst the chaos.

"But we can't leave him here either," Starlight added urgently, her tone rising. "Not after the poison incident."

"Exactly!" Twilight exclaimed, stopping suddenly. "And on top of that, I had to fire my best cook. I never thought he'd try something like that."

"Well... his justification was that Sombra forced him to make a completely black pizza, with green peppers and purple sauce," Starlight replied, biting her lip to hold back laughter.

Twilight shot her a stern look, but couldn't stop an exasperated sigh from escaping her lips.

"That doesn't change anything. The worst part is that it wasn't even his fault. Damn it, what did Discord do to that Umbrun?"

Starlight made a face, but chose not to press the topic further. Instead, Twilight straightened up, her face reflecting a mixture of determination and exhaustion.

"Back to the important matters," Twilight declared firmly. "I'll head to the Crystal Empire to help my brother. In the meantime, you and Spike will handle the castle."

Starlight tilted her head, uncertain.

"Are you sure that's the best option?"

Twilight gave her a calm, but confident look.

"Don't worry, I won't be long. It's probably just another one of those mischievous creatures."

Starlight seemed to relax for a moment, but then, as if a shadow crossed her mind, she murmured:

"What if the ice breaks?"

The question seemed to freeze the air. Twilight stood still, her gaze fixed on the empty space, before walking slowly toward the window. Her eyes lost themselves in the horizon, where the snow-covered mountains seemed to hold secrets she wished she didn't have to face.

"Then..." she whispered, barely audible, as a spark of determination ignited in her gaze. "I'll have to face it."

The silence that followed was heavy, laden with uncertainty. Starlight didn't know what to respond, but she knew that whatever "it" was, Twilight was ready to face it, no matter the cost.

Twilight spread her majestic wings, the setting sun reflecting off each feather as she soared into the sky. With a powerful beat of her wings, she sliced through the cold air and began her flight toward the Crystal Empire. As she ascended, her silhouette slowly faded into the distance, lost among the clouds that covered the horizon.

From the balcony, Starlight watched in silence, her gaze fixed on the spot where her friend and leader had disappeared. A pang in her heart pierced her, a bitter feeling that reminded her of the growing burden she had to carry.

Days passed since Twilight left for the Crystal Empire. The castle was immersed in a heavy silence. Starlight wandered the empty halls, accompanied only by her thoughts. Spike, who had taken charge of the royal duties with surprising efficiency due to his experience, didn't seem as affected by the princess's absence. But Starlight couldn't escape the unease that gripped her chest.

Sombra, on the other hand, showed no apparent change. His demeanor remained the same"reserved, even distant. However, the poisoning incident had transformed him into someone colder, more inaccessible. An invisible wall stood between them, separating them further, and Starlight felt as though every word they exchanged was a vain effort.

Burdened by the tension and the confusion, Starlight could no longer bear it. Without thinking, she sought his attention in the most abrupt way she could, her sharp voice breaking the silence.

"So... "Starlight took a step toward him, her voice trembling, hesitant, as if each word cost her more than the last". Could you teach me about dark magic?

A slight tremor ran through one of Sombra's ears, a flicker of curiosity that quickly vanished beneath his cold expression. His eyes, fixed on her, betrayed not the slightest emotion, but his sarcastic tone spoke for him.

"Didn't think you'd ask so... shamelessly "he murmured, releasing a harsh, almost cruel laugh. His voice was low, and the laughter reverberated in the air like the echo of something ancient and sinister". Though, of course, with your... record, I'm not surprised.

Starlight quickly shook her head, not wanting to sound too eager.

"Don't misunderstand me. "Her voice sounded firmer, though the tension in the air remained palpable". I'm just looking to expand my knowledge, to understand all kinds of magic.

Sombra watched her for a moment, his gaze cold and calculating, before releasing a heavy sigh, as if Starlight's request were something trivial.

"Sure." He replied with disdain, his voice soft but laced with sarcasm.

Starlight challenged him with her gaze, and without missing the opportunity, she let out a smile full of cynicism.

"What else could you do, other than wander around and lie down like a depressed dog all day?"

"As much as I'd like to tell you, I'm afraid I can't give you what you're looking for." Sombra spoke slowly, his voice resonating with a darkness that seemed to emanate from his very being. "Dark magic has been part of me since my conception. It simply... flows through me."

"That's what Twilight told me." Starlight frowned, recalling her friend's words. "Umbruns are beings of dangerous darkness."

Sombra averted his gaze, his dull eyes filled with an unsettling calm.

"All magical beings have the potential to possess that power... if they choose to." His tone was low, as if speaking of something too ancient and dark to truly understand. "You just need a truly strong emotion... and let it fill your entire being. Focus that negative energy on what you want to achieve."

Starlight bit her lip, thoughtful. Sombra's words echoed in her mind, and a shadow of unease gripped her. It wasn't so different from the times she had let her own emotions overflow, those times when her desires and fears had pulled her to dangerous limits.

"It must be quite dangerous," she said, reflecting in silence. Maybe she wasn't ready to investigate something so risky.

"And you can lose control of your own mind." Sombra took a long pause, his gaze distant. His voice became softer, as if speaking from a place of bitter experience. "When you learn to control your own suffering and fear... you'll succeed in drowning others with them."

"I think that's why Luna became Nightmare Moon." Starlight's connection was immediate, as if the idea had been forming in her mind for some time.

Sombra watched her intently, a flash of surprise in his eyes before responding with a low laugh, tinged with something indescribable.

"She did that?" His tone was almost incredulous, as if the truth seemed strange to him, though he probably knew it well.

"Didn't you ever hear about Nightmare Moon?" Starlight was taken aback, but quickly masked it with a grimace that didn't quite hide her concern.

"I was locked away for a thousand years." Sombra's response was as cold as the distance in his gaze. A corner of his past seemed to have stripped him of any trace of emotion. "Before that, she was just a normal princess."

"She was consumed by darkness and jealousy." Starlight lowered her gaze, the echo of her words ringing with a pain she barely understood. "Because the ponies didn't appreciate her night."

"You ponies are very fragile." Sombra allowed himself a bitter smile, as if the observation was a contemptuous judgment. "You'll find any foolish reason to turn evil."

Starlight stared at him for a long moment, as if his words had struck her harder than she expected.

"You also fit in with us." Her response was quick, biting, like a reflection of something she had been waiting to say.

"You had a choice. I was born this way." Sombra's voice was deep, heavy with resentment, as if each word were soaked in a bitter history.

Starlight didn't respond immediately. Instead, she stood up and walked toward the edge of the garden, her steps softly echoing on the earth. The cool air gently tousled her curls, and the sound of leaves swaying in the trees accompanied her silence. Without turning, her words floated in the air, thoughtful.

"It must be cruel, having so much power... and still not having the freedom to use it. A king who can't even decide the course of his own life." The observation was not a mockery, but a sincere reflection, an empathy trying to reach something she still didn't fully understand.

Sombra, who had maintained a stoic expression up until that point, flashed a moment of fury. His face twisted into a grimace full of hatred, and with a violent movement, he stood, ripping plants and bushes from his path as if his rage could find relief in destruction.

Starlight watched in silence, feeling the atmosphere around them grow heavier. Had she gone too far? Her words, though well-intentioned, seemed to have struck a deep wound.

"I ruined it... didn't I?" she whispered to herself, an expression of uncertainty and regret crossing her face.

Flying through the opaque night sky, Luna stretched her wings against the cold air currents on her way to Canterlot. Her mind spun in circles, and she knew she had to speak about it soon.

Back in their home, her sister had told her that an old pony, centuries ago, had found a small leather suitcase with a golden symbol of two intertwined serpents. Inside were a few scrolls and medicines"notes she had taken from her time with them. There was no doubt they were from Radiant Hope.

She asked her sister if she would come with her to the castle, but Celestia refused without further explanation. Luna understood that Celestia wanted to be as far from Sombra as possible. Luna knew why, but it was better not to bring it up.

Likewise, Celestia questioned her sister about why she was so involved in this situation. It wasn't just about fulfilling a favor for Twilight. There was something more to it. Maybe, in the end, Luna had grown fond of Sombra. Maybe it was selfish desires, a way to forgive herself, or simply her duty to heal the nightmares.

Luna didn't answer. She didn't even know herself.

Luna arrived at Canterlot, breathless, with an old suitcase between her hooves. Upon reaching the palace, she was surprised to find the throne room empty. Before she could react, Starlight came running to meet her.

"Luna, I saw you arrive," Starlight said, catching up to her, out of breath after a short sprint. "Twilight had to leave. It seems something serious is happening in the North Arctic."

Starlight's gaze shifted to the bag hanging at Luna's side, its frayed edges speaking of long travels and heavy secrets.

"And what's that?" she asked, tilting her head with curiosity.

Luna held the suitcase firmly, as if fearing that the words to come would be heavier than the object itself.

"It's something I was going to discuss with Twilight," she replied, her tone laced with a seriousness that silenced any trace of lightness. A pause stretched, and then she gave the bag a slight shake, as if to emphasize that its contents were far from ordinary. "I've discovered some things about that pony..."

"I don't think I'm ready to hear about it," Starlight murmured, diverting her gaze as if fearing the weight of the words to come.

"Has he told you anything?" Luna asked, scrutinizing Starlight with a mix of curiosity and urgency.

"Yes... but not in a pleasant way," Starlight admitted, her voice tinged with discomfort. "She says she betrayed him."

Luna frowned, a flash of indignation crossing her face.

"That's not true!" she exclaimed firmly, her tone louder than she intended.

"Maybe not, but he's not in the mood to hear it," Starlight replied with a sigh. Her shoulders slumped slightly. "He's barely reacted to anything for weeks."

Luna took a moment to calm herself, her expression softening as she nodded resolutely.

"Leave it to me. I know what I have to do."

Without waiting for a response, she turned and walked toward the gardens.

The air in the gardens was cold, filled with a silence broken only by the dry leaves crunching beneath her hooves. Under an ancient tree, whose bare branches stretched out like pleading hands toward the sky, stood he. A broken stallion, his gaze lost in a nonexistent horizon.

Luna did not call out to him. Instead, she moved directly toward him, each step heavy with determination.

"Hello," Luna greeted him with an unexpected calm, her voice carrying an empathy she rarely allowed to show. "I know we didn't start off well, but I think it's absurd to keep up this hostility."

Sombra snorted, shaking himself as if to rid himself of the weight of his words. Without bothering to look at her, he replied tiredly:

"Whatever."

Luna did not flinch. Instead, she allowed the silence to fill the space as she lay down on the grass, her eyes fixed on the bare branches of the tree.

"It's quite a nice place," she remarked softly, as if speaking more to herself than to him.

Sombra, intrigued despite himself, barely turned his head to look at her. Luna's carefree expression contrasted sharply with the burden he felt on his shoulders.

"You're doing this all the time, aren't you?" Sombra finally said, his voice laden with irony. "Discord, Starlight, and the others... they've certainly changed their way of dealing with villains. Aren't there any prisons left in Tartarus?"

Sombra's biting remark seemed to seek a reaction, but Luna didn't let the provocation affect her.

"Times have changed," she responded in a soft voice, her words trembling like leaves in the wind. "We have evolved."

Sombra let out a bitter laugh, a shadow of mockery creeping into his tone.

"Or maybe it was Celestia who changed?" he asked, his eyes now fixed on her, dark and accusing. "When her precious little sister turned out to be just like the monsters she used to imprison."

The silence that followed was heavy, as if the world itself held its breath in the face of those words.

Luna tensed, her posture stiffening, and her eyes sparkled with a mix of surprise and fury.

"How did you know that?" she spat, her voice sharp.

Sombra let out a cruel laugh, his twisted smile reflecting a dark satisfaction.

"Starlight told me," he replied, enjoying the moment. "She thought she'd make me sympathize with you."

His smile widened as he added with venom:

"Even with everything"power, status, a sister who loved you"you fell into darkness. You sure were a brat, princess."

Luna gritted her teeth, but she didn't let her expression betray the pain those words caused her. Instead, her tone sharpened with malice.

"I think we have something in common, don't we?"

Sombra narrowed his eyes, but his mocking demeanor faltered for a moment.

"No one in the Crystal Empire cared," he spat bitterly.

"Of course they did," Luna retorted, her calm confidence disarming his sarcasm.

With slow, deliberate movements, she took the valise and turned it so Sombra could clearly see the symbol etched on it.

A chill ran through Sombra as he recognized the shape: the staff with the two intertwined serpents, an emblem he knew all too well. His heart began to race, and for a moment, he couldn't tell if it was from fear or something else. He straightened up, instinctively becoming more defensive.

"She loved you," Luna said, her voice soft but charged with an intensity that pierced through any barrier.

"She sent you to kill me," he replied, his tone bitter, though with an almost imperceptible tremor.

Luna took a step forward, her gaze locked with his, as if she were trying to pierce the armor that protected him.

"She loved you so much that abandoning you killed her!" she exclaimed, her voice breaking slightly at the end.

The silence that followed was deafening, heavy with the words neither of them dared to speak.

Sombra breathed heavily, as though the very air itself refused to enter his lungs. He didn't want to hear what he knew was true. It was easier, less painful, to cling to the idea that she had chosen to destroy him, than to face the weight of knowing he was the one who condemned her to suffering.

Luna watched him in silence for a moment, her gaze filled with something more than simple compassion"it was a mix of sadness and resolve, as though she understood that the words to follow wouldn't be easy to say, nor easy to hear.

"When we sent you to the Arctic wasteland, she stayed with us," she said finally, her tone grave, each word laden with memory. "As much as my sister tried to cheer her up, to motivate her to continue her studies, she couldn't. She couldn't stop thinking about you."

She paused, her gaze drifting toward the bag she carried.

"The only thing we know is that one day, she disappeared. She went to where the Crystal Empire once was. No one knew what happened to her... until a mountaineer found this." She raised the bag carefully, as though it contained something more than just an object. Her voice softened. "I think she was looking for you."

Sombra remained silent for a moment, his eyes fixed on the bag as though it were a ghost that haunted him. Finally, he spoke, but his voice was hollow, devoid of any emotion

"She Is death, anyway"

Luna frowned, her frustration palpable.

"Does it not matter to you? "she snapped, her tone sharp like a knife". You don't even respect her death.

Sombra gritted his teeth, looking away.

"You wouldn't understand."

Luna took a step toward him, her voice rising with an intensity that forced him to look at her.

"Of course I understand! "she shouted, her tone cracking slightly at the end". I've lived for years with the constant fear of hurting those I love.

Sombra stared at her, his expression hardening.

"But you haven't lived with the fear of those you love destroying you "he replied, his voice low but filled with a deep pain he couldn't hide.

The silence that followed was as heavy as the air in the wasteland. Both knew that, deep down, they shared more than they were willing to admit.

"It doesn't have to be that way "Luna said, her voice barely a whisper, full of sincerity". You can have friends again.

Sombra let out a long, heavy sigh, as if releasing a burden he had been carrying for centuries. Then, without saying another word, he let himself fall onto the grass. He remained still, his body tense as he tried to calm the storm raging inside him.

"I think it's too late for me "he murmured finally, his voice broken, barely audible.

Without hesitation, Luna extended her wing and gently wrapped it around him. There was no fear in her gesture, only a sincere warmth that spoke of understanding and acceptance.

Sombra didn't pull away. For the first time, he allowed someone to cross the barrier he had always kept firmly in place. He stayed there, under the old tree, feeling the weight of the leaves whispering above them as the breeze played with his mane.

He said nothing more. Perhaps words were unnecessary. Luna remained by his side, offering him comfort in a silence that, for the first time, didn't feel empty.

Even if only for that moment, he allowed the breeze to carry away his worries.