Three months ago, living in Canterlot with his brother Jet, a warm place to sleep and three decent meals a day had seemed hopeless; something as likely as a camel fitting through a needle eye.

Being a magic student on a scholarship was even more unlikely.

Not to mention weekly meetings with Princess Luna in her personal library.

Yet here he was, living all three of those things.

How sweet and satisfying was life now! He had everything he could ever want.

And so did Jet. Being surprisingly popular with the ladies, Jet did some odd jobs here and there, until he had finally settled down as a bartender at another upscale club. It wasn't the Starry Nightclub, but it would do.

Every night, Jet would bring home a different girl. It was a relief that he and his brother had different rooms. He didn't want to be up all night listening to the moaning. It reminded him too much of his mother.

One black evening, the girl who stumbled in, arm around Jet, was Chrissy. Blue green hair, chocolate skin, she looked exactly the same. But the makeup caked on her face looked unnatural, and her slim frame resembled a beanpole.

Sombra thought it would be over after that. Jet would come home with someone else. He really was a playboy. A practically penniless bartender chasing all the pretty girls.

That was, until, he heard her shrill voice from behind the door.

"We have to do that again! It was so fun!" Chrissy squealed, laughing as Jet nuzzled her. She threw off her high heels, massaging her feet. "How did you get the Argentine tango footwork so quickly? I always mess it up."

Jet was back with the same girl. After 3 months, he had found a girl he wanted to see again.

Though Sombra disapproved of his brother's lifestyle, he kept his mouth shut. Jet certainly wasn't pleased with Sombra diving so deep into the political world.

And Jet seemed to have settled down.

They both had everything they had ever wanted.

But how long would it last?

Five days prior, a group of citizens in the Crystal Empire had been actually stupid enough to try and rebel against the Dusk family.

Through Luna, he had found out that the princesses had been sent a letter from Specter Dusk, demanding a rather large sum of money.

For each day they refused, a new body part of Amore was sent to them. A bit of an ear. Her right pinkie. Her left pinkie. Rumour had it, they had sent Celestia and Luna her appendix. A warning, perhaps. Or a reminder that the same thing could happen to them.

The Moon Room, as Luna and Sombra now referred to it, was their one safe place from all the political chaos. That was, until Luna invited it in. Along with Celestia.

"It all comes down to a logical vs moral debate," Luna would say, rubbing her temples. "You see, giving the Dusks that much money would severely cut into our savings, and our economy is already crumbling. But if we don't, we end up getting Amore's body parts, the citizens get tortured, and we might be next. Does she really deserve this?"

"Yes," Sombra growled, his mood darkening at the thought of her. "She had it coming. Karma's a bitch but so is she."

There was silence for 5 minutes before they continued discussing.

"We either sacrifice our economy, or we sacrifice Amore and the well-being of the Crystal Empire citizens. They're halving rati0ns and carrying out brutal punishments!" Luna worried.

"What does the council have to say about it?" Sombra asked, leaning against a book shelf.

"Nothing! That's the problem! They're doing nothing! All they do is gamble and smoke," Celestia fretted. "For Lulu and I to carry out anything, we need a majority vote from the council. Which we're not getting anytime soon."

"Then you need to act without their permission," Sombra reasoned.

Luna paused for a moment, thinking over all her options. "You're right. What are they gonna do about it anyway?"

"Nothing," they both said at the same time.

"I can't just sit back while the citizens are being tortured! As the princess, I need to do something about it. Maybe I should give the payment," Celestia jumped back into the debate.

"But then you sacrifice the economy! That could result in rebellion against you for failing to rule. Also, why save a few lives when you could save thousands? And what's so great about Amore anyways?" Sombra retorted. The sisters needed to look at the bigger picture. It wasn't about every little life. In wars, people would die. There were the expendables, and not everyone made it.

Luna ground her teeth. She scored her mind for ideas. "Who said we need to do either of those options?" She asked both of them. "It's a lose lose situation. Specter's toying with us."

"What's your idea, then?" Celestia demanded.

"War," Luna blurted out.

"WAR?!" Celestia spat. "Are you out of your mind?"

"Are you not?" Luna replied. "It sounds crazy but-"

"I can count 34 things wrong with that plan," Celestia spat. "Why didn't we go to war 3 months ago, then?"

"Because our military was in no shape whatsoever to charge into battle. They were barely a rag-tag group of impulsive young adults with a terrible sense of humor. Now, we're much better equipped to take on the Dusks. They're practically trained killers."

"I hate to say this, but, the odds of you winning are extremely slim. If you don't, you and your soldiers get taken as prisoners of war. Then they inflict pain and misery on the citizens of all the city-states in Equestria. If you do, the same thing happens when Elvira Dusk attacks," Sombra countered. "It's hopeless."

"But currently, only Specter Dusk is guarding the Empire. Elvira, Napoleon and Ebony are who-knows-where, probably hiding in their lair dissing Amore. Tia, if you and I go, we stand a chance against him. There's one of him and two of us. And if we bring our best magicians and military, we can really put up a fight."

"But their military is-"

"Stronger? We're not as weak as we appear to be. I've been training them non stop. And, like I said, once we take down Specter, it's basically all over. We're goddesses," Luna continued.

"No matter what we do, we'll end up facing their wrath and we'll be done for," Sombra added. "It's best if we don't fight at all and just, I don't know, give the payment or don't. Are you trying to get yourselves killed? Do you know what their prisoners of war undergo?"

"But what other options do we have left?" Luna exclaimed.

Celestia nodded. "People are enslaved, and now's our chance to do something to help them, before it really is too late."

"We could cripple their military and possibly take Specter as a hostage," Luna added.

Celestia pursed her lips. "Do we have to-"

"We can kill him," Luna suggested.

Celestia winced as if she was the one they were contemplating murdering.

"We can cast a forgetting spell on him, knock him out and drop him off in a village in the middle of nowhere and hope he lives a decent life," Sombra proposed.

Celestia scowled at him, while Luna struggled to stifle a snort.

"Was that a bad option?" he asked.

"Anyways, we'll keep this confidential. If the news gets out, it could possible spread," Luna finished. "I'll tell the military about the idea, and we'll decide when to strike."

"Sombra, do you know any really good magicians who would be willing to fight?" Celestia asked.

He nodded, thinking of a few.

"Good. Let's get to work then." Wrapping it up, the sisters bid him a quick goodbye, then exited the room in a flourish of pink and blue satin.

Over the next few weeks, they worked with great gusto and determination.

Luna taught the magicians war magic: spells specifically designed to use in battle. She trained the militia in hand to hand combat and weapons.

Sombra drilled them in Duskan history, and potential military tactics and strategy. He educated them on the slums of the Crystal Empire, and which spots were most convenient.

Celestia, being the most friendly, went around the kingdom raising money to provide funding for armor and weapons. She encouraged young men and women to join the army or help out in whatever way they could. She taught shield spells and defense tactics.

The citizens weren't idle either. Children traded toys for rations and sorted armor. Elderly ladies knit sweaters, hats and mittens alike to protect the soldiers against the austere Northern winds. Teenagers and adults helped finish the weapons and sew clothes.

All too soon came the parting night. Soldiers kissed their families goodbye. Children handed out cards and sang songs.

Sombra's heart melted when he saw a boy his age hug his balding father. The boy was a terrae, no doubt. He couldn't fly, wasn't blessed with magical abilities, yet was still fighting.

A girl nearby was sniffing as she wrapped her arms around another girl with a stump of a leg. A man wiped away tears as he and a woman embraced, then walked to join separate legions.

"Good luck, Jet! You're gonna be so great out there," Chrissy, whose cheeks were stained grey with mascara patted him on the back. "I really wish we got to spend more time together."

"Me too, Chrissy." Jet pecked her lightly on the head.

"Best of luck, soldier." A girl about Chrissy's age added. Her skin was pale with a bluish undertone. Her hair was a raven curtain that blended into ice blue. Her eyes were intriguing amber.

"Thanks, Evie," Jet replied to the girl.

Spotting Sombra's bewildered expression, he explained. "This is Evie, our new friend. We met about 2 weeks ago, when you started getting busy with all the war developments."

A pang of regret hit him. He barely got to spend time with his brother, and now he might never see him again. If he lost his brother...

"Sombra!" Luna called.

If she looked like a queen in her ball gown that night they first met, she looked like a goddess now. Gleaming midnight blue armor and a cape lined with midnight black fur. Hair tied up and rippling behind her. And the clear diamond sword, custom made just for her topped it off.

"You look beautiful," Sombra blurted out, blushing as he did so.

"Thank you," Luna gushed, smiling.

"I'll miss you."

"You too. You'll do great, don't worry," Luna reassured him.

Though he still felt jittery about the whole situation. Luna had assigned him to rule in her place while she and Tia were gone.

"You're my most trusted adviser and friend. And a powerful magician. What could go wrong?"

"What if I lose you and Jet? I can't have another friend ripped away from me," Sombra's voice cracked at that, demanding an answer from Luna with his eyes.

"Do you fear death?" She whispered. 

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