This story is listed as Sombra x OC because Radiant Hope is not listed as a character in the character choice. This story is Sombra x Radiant Hope.

Days had passed since the princesses had saved sombra from the magic of the crystal heart for good. Sombra was back and alive and void of the evil that plagued his heart in the past. Hope was at his side and could never be happier. She had succeeded in saving her friend, a friend she had lost thhrough her own mistake; or so she blamed herself.

Sombra and hope had set out to find the scattered pieces of Princess Amore. Even when Sombra was evil, he couldn't find it in himself to kill her, so he turned her to stone and scattered the bits so small and far no one would ever find them. Going completely against all odds Sombra and Hope set out to do just that;find every piece of Princess Amore's stone body and piece it back together.

"Hope?" Sombra asked, getting his friends attention, "How are we supposed to find all the pieces of Pincess Amore?" Hope stopped walking; thinking carefully about his question. She shuffled through her thoughts for an idea that might help them. She came up with something.

"Is Amore's room in the crystal castle still intact?" Hope asked finally.

"Unless Princess Cadence and Shining Armour uncovered it, then it should be. I sealed the room away so that I wouldn't have to see it. I think I remember where it is." Everything went quieter and the mood of the conversation became sadder.

"Well then what are we standing aroung for? Let's go look!" Hope giggled, lightening the mood a bit. She took off trotting at a light pace towards the castle. Sombra took off after her. Hope saw him closing in and broke into a full gallop. Sombra ran faster trying to keep up with his friend, but she was getting too far ahead. Was she actually faster than him? He stopped for a moment to catch his breath. Hope was getting to far ahead and he couldn't keep up. Hope stopped hearing Sombra's heavy panting. She looked back to see where he was, but couldn't see him anywhere. ZAP! Sombra appeared right in front of her causing her to yelp in surprise.

"Sombra! Don't do that! You startled me!" Hope yelled at him, laughing a little.

Returning a hearty laugh, sombra replied innocently, "But you were too fast and I couldn't keep up!"

"Yeah okay," Hope replied rolling her eyes jokingly. SHe smiled up at her friend towering over her. He was so much taller than her. His lean, muscular legs were much longer than hers, how could someone this tall and physically fit have trouble keeping up with her? As she looked her friend in the eyes she began to blush lightly. Hope turned her head quickly back towards the castle, "Alright, Sombra, if I'm so much faster than you, how about a proper race to the castle?"

Sombra smiled, "Sounds good, but you know you'll beat me!" He said truthfully.

"Not if you are trying, especially not with those long muscular legs!" Hope blurted out. The words leaving her tongue with a different tone then she had expected. What was wrong with her? She couldn't speak right and she kept getting a strange feeling next to him.

Sombra looked down, taking a moment to really take in how much taller than Hope he was. She was right, with as tall as he was, he should have had no problem keeping up with her. "Alright, ready? Set? Go!" Sombra shouted as they both took off running as fast and hard as they could towards the castle. Sombra was keeping up much better this time. He looked to his side and Hope was still there. It began to be harder to stay side by side with her, but she didn't seem to show any struggle keeping up with him. Sombra began panting as he exerted every bit of energy he could to keep up with her.

Hope was galloping as fast as she could, pushing faster than she had ever galloped before. She had much more stamina than Sombra, but was not used to running as fast as she was. She began to pant heavily after a while too. The castle was just ahead and she was still neck and neck with Sombra. _I can't push any harder, if he can muscle through this, he will actually win!_ Hope's thoughts nagged, but hearing Sombra's panting made her realise maybe he hadn't been joking about having trouble keeping up with her. She began to slow down a little bit as her thoughts distracted her.

Sombra looked to his side again with a goofy grin hoping to see his friend still neck and neck with him. She had fallen back a bit. She had a somewhat glazed look on her face, as if she was lost in thought. Sombra slowed a bit to be beside her, "Are you feeling okay?" He asked as they came to a complete stop right underneath the archway of the crystal castle.

"Huh? Yeah sorry I got a bit distracted." Those simple words lifted a plague of worry off of Sombra's chest that he did not know was there until it passed.

The two ran upstairs to the main throne room. Sombra ran behind the throne; hope following close behind. There was a door, nearly impossible to see to the untrained edging of the door magically fused with its frame. Sombra began working to unseal the door, but undoing dark magic without using dark magic is no easy task. The frame of the door shuddered and spat black energy. Hope ducked as one of the dark magic lightning bolts shot straight over her head

"EEP!" Hope shouted.

"Hope! Are you okay?"Sombra pulled away from his task to check on her.

"I'm fine, keep trying the door! Is there someway I can help with the door?" Hope asked, knowing that if he could tell her the spell, she could cast it with light magic. Hope was not well trained it light magic, but healing and life magic were not so different from light magic. Love magic is almost indifferent, and a bit more powerful, but most love magic spells require two to be cast.

Hearing the commotion, Princess Cadence went into the throne room to investigate. She saw Hope and Sombra behind the throne repeatedly casting various spells at the wall. For a brief moment Cadence thought they were either loony or causing mischief, but then she saw the outline of a door form in dark magic and blast the two backwards. Cadence rushed to help them up.

"Are you two okay? What are you doing?" Cadence asked before firing a volley of questions, "Why are you two back? Why are you in my castle? Why are you messing with dark magic? Whats with the sealed door? Why don't you use your dark magic to open it?"

"This door used to lead to Princess Amore's room, I sealed it away when I was king. Hope and I were trying to find all of the pieces of Princess Amore's shattered form."

"What? Princess Amore is still alive?" Cadence asked in disbelief.

"Yes she is!" Hope replied excitedly.

"I couldn't bring myself to kill her, so I simply turned her to stone. I shattered the statue and scattered the pieces and..."

"And you want into her room for one of her possessions for a location spell?" Cadence finished Sombra's sentence. "Its far-fetched, but it should work... when you have enough of her essence localized. That is to say, if she is spread as thinly as you say, the spell would be unable to locate her. Any item you use will spin violently as it tries to go in every direction at once, until it tears itself to shreds."

"Oh well that idea is out the window. What are we supposed to do now Princess?" Hope asked disappointedly.

"I have an idea, but first lets get this door open." Cadence replied.

Cadence charge up a spell on her horn. Vibrant pink, violet, and sky blue light beaming in every direction. Love magic. It figures that the Princess of love could cast a low power love spell without a partner caster. Cadence shot the beam of magic at the center of the door. The light enveloped the door. A deep purple and black aura outlined the frame of the door. Hope joined in and cast a weak life magic spell at the door. The light green aura added to the pink, violet, and pale blue display that Cadence was making. The door began to be more visible. the dark aura around the door faded to nothingness. An audible click told them that the door was unlocked. An unexpected, but enjoyable consequence of unsealing the door. Cadence pushed the door opened and they went inside.