The streets of the city were quiet in the months following the attack. Ponies conversed in hushed voices, huddled in tight circles. Festivals were put off, party banners put away. Rumor spread, and gossip too. Though there was no official period of mourning handed down from the palace, all ponies soon knew of the tragedy that had befallen their rulers. The hope that had grown was crushed. The renaissance of the Crystal City was over. Without the Princess it seemed as though there was no light emanating from the Crystal Palace, nor laughter to brighten the ponies spirits.
Of course, word had been passed, quiet whispers about the state of the Princess. Servants in the castle had seen her after the attack, as she was rushed to the infirmary. Most believed it was true that she had survived whatever had been done to her. Yet no one suggested recovery was possible. Perhaps it was that the residents of the Crystal City, each one of them, had experienced the wrath, or at least the will of King Sombra before. Somehow they knew that what he wrought could not be undone, for the same servants had reported that her body was limp, lifeless. One could open her eyelids and stare into dull eyes bereft of sight.
As the weeks ground on in bleak and silent drudgery, the differentiation between true mourning and whatever this was became less and less clear. Her coma might as well be true death, for everypony knew her soul had been stolen away by the dark King. It was just as it had been before, during Sombra’s first rule, only worse.
The fear on the streets, the fear that made mothers hold tight their little colts and fillies at night, was that Sombra would soon return, and with him, the sadness, the darkness, the dull and unbearable life that they had once had to endure.
There was a second rumor from the castle, carried by the same ponies who had seen the Princess in the hours after the attack. They said that Shining Armor had been taken to the infirmary too, but whereas the Princesses’ injury seemed beyond what one could see, and beyond that which any normal doctor could heal, the harm done to the Prince was much more everyday: a cracked bone in leg, broken ribs, minor magic burns—and yet he too was changed.
Anguish. Pain. For a time they had been his reality, waking and sleeping one and the same. The doctors told him he had been brought in writhing on the gurney, calling out meaningless, indistinguishable words.
But time had passed since that day. For Shining Armor, fear had come and gone—there was nothing more it could take from him. He healed, regaining his strength by measures. Yet scars remained. A hollowness inside. An idea formed in his head. He knew one pony held the answer, far, far away, in the land of Tartarus. And he swore he would find him.
The sword in his mouth was an old one, its feel as familiar to him as the walls of his hooves. With a twist of Shining’s neck the blade flashed through the air, almost faster than the eye could trace. At the middle of the arc a puff of dust rose from the target dummy, a fresh slash appearing across it’s burlap covered neck.
With a grunt Shining swung again, channeling the momentum of the sword into an downward slice that neatly removed a burlap ear. Muscles on his neck and shoulders stood out from the effort, but they were clearly used to such exercise.
Shining pivoted to the right, throwing his head back and to the side, planting his rear hooves to the ground, and with a jerk of his head drove the blade home into the chest of the dummy. There was a solid ‘thwomp!’ and as he withdrew the sword a bit of straw spilled forlornly out of the burlap.
“Shining” said a familiar voice.
He spun, twisting his right foreleg in the process, and quickly winced. His eyes widened.
“Twrlr…” He spat out the sword hilt, his magic holding it above the ground. “Twily!” He took a moment to rest the sword against the dummy. He could deal with it later.
“Hi Shining.” The princess was standing ten paces away. Twilight Sparkle… Princess Twilight Sparkle, his little sister. She was not so tall as the other princesses— not yet anyways — though it seemed she was beginning to learn the same royal grace. Perhaps she was taking lessons from Celestia and Luna. But what others saw as a pony on a pedestal was still an awkward little sister to Shining Armor.
He wasted no time in chit chat, and instead wrapped her up in a tight hug. If she was bothered by his sweaty coat she didn’t show it, squeezing her brother just as tightly in turn.
“It’s good to see you.” He said, wrapping a foreleg over her neck and drawing her in.
Twilight held the embrace a little longer before she withdrew, though her touch lingered on his shoulder for a moment. “I’m glad to see you too, Shining.” She paused a moment, biting her lip just slightly, perhaps not even realizing she did it. “I mean, I know it hasn’t been that long, but still… it’s good to see you.”
In truth it had not been that long since she had last visited— a mere two months ago— but seeing her brought back memories, both of time with her, and of Cadance.
“I know, Twilight.”
She seemed to struggle at this, opening her mouth then quickly closing it again. Shining didn’t mean to sound crass, but what else was there to say? For all that he loved his sister, he knew she would not travel so far just to say hello. She was always goal-driven, ever striving for more, even when she was just a little filly.
Shining smiled inwardly. She was more like him than she would ever admit. There was no room for half-measures with either of them. They both wanted to be the best, even if it was the best in totally different fields. With Twilight it was knowledge. For Shining it was the service of the crown, being the protector, the vigilant watcher, and if need be, defender.
“So… this is the training yard?” Twilight asked in a ‘how’s the weather’ tone. Shining’s gentle smile faded. It had taken less than a minute and she already sounded as though she was holding back. Shining knew all too well the question she wanted to ask.
“Yes” Shining answered. In fact it was an annex of the barracks complex, itself a part of the palace area, located just to the northwest of the grounds.
“You practice here often?” Twilight followed on, pressing forward.
“Of course.” Shining said. Twilight nodded as though that had some particular meaning to her.
“I see your leg has healed nicely.”
Shining tapped his hoof on the turf. “It’s getting better.”
Twilight bit her lip again. “Shining… when your leg is fully healed…” Twilight began, her tone hesitant.
“Yes?” Shining responded flatly and reluctantly.
Twilight gave a slightly exasperated sigh. “Are you planning on something? Is that what this training is for?” She gestured at the straw dummy, the sword, not a wooden training sword but a real one.
Ah, the heart of the matter. He had wondered when he could expect intervention from Canterlot. It had been the second thought that came into his head when he first saw her.
Shining fixed her with a steady gaze. “You’ve known all along what I’ve planned. I haven’t tried to keep it a secret.” Twilight stepped back, turning away from him and huffing out a drawn out breath. She looked down at her hooves for a moment, as though collecting her thoughts.
Twilight turned back to him, her eyes seeking his, questioning. “Surely you don’t mean to actually do it do you? You can’t go to Tartarus.” Her newly-minted royal facade had gone away, and now she wore a disbelieving and pained look, gaze hunting back and forth over his face, for a hint of his intentions.
“Why not?” Shining said, shifting his weight on his hooves. He had not wished for a confrontation so quickly, and he could see the disbelief in her eyes. If only she would give me a minute to explain.
“Why not!?” She snorted incredulously. “Why not? Because it’s just…. silly! It’s forbidden!” Twilight did not shout, but her tone was agitated, obviously disapproving. Her words were clipped, tumbling out unplanned.
“But not impossible, is it? I used to think of it as some kind of fairytale. Maybe that’s what we were taught, but I know better now.” He had practiced that phrase, and still it left a sour taste in his mouth.
Twilight was taken aback, a deeper frown spreading across her face. “Shining, please.”
Shining sighed, turning towards the palace. This was his only chance to avoid confrontation. “Look, I can show you. I can prove it. Follow me… unless you want to stand out here in the dark.” The light had started fading. Shining’s practice routine was in the afternoon hours, and he had been almost finished anyway. Now the shadows had grown quite long, a consequence of the late autumn days in the higher latitudes.
Twilight hesitated, but eventually moved to follow him, hoofbeats sounding almost as though she was stomping the turf. His walking pace was quick, but she kept up right behind and to his side.
“Listen, Shining, even if it was possible, there are so many reasons not to go.” she tried to catch his eye, but if he saw her he did not acknowledge it. Instead he pretended to be interested looking off towards the granary buildings. “There are so many ways it could end badly.” Twilight pleaded.
Shining bowed his head slightly. “I know, Twilight, but if it’s possible… I’ll show you it is.” Twilight said nothing in return.
They walked on in silence for a while, passing under the flying arches of the palace walls, a patchwork of shadows alternatively taking and releasing them. Shining noticed Twilight shiver once or twice in the longer stretches without the sun. He frowned, thinking about how far Twilight had come to get here, just to meet him. A journey of many hours, perhaps days, even for a Princess. Yet, what could he offer? A warm place to stay, of course, but there really was otherwise little joy he could offer her here. It was a desolate place without Cadance.
The guards at the gate simply parted with a nod when Shining approached. Inside, the entry foyer was dim and unwelcoming, with nopony in sight. Without a word, Shining started for a door on the far side of the hall, and Twilight moved to follow close behind.
In the Crystal Palace, there were two main libraries. One was that in which Cadance had been attacked. The other was deep in the basement of the crystal tower, archives that held many ancient scrolls and heavily bound books, their pages and parchment yellowed and old. It was here, amidst the smell of ink and mildew, that Shining had taken to spending his evenings, pouring over page after page of faded hoofwritten script.
Going there now was essentially on time with routine. On a normal day he might clean his armor, sharpen his sword, and perhaps after that a quick shower. Then it would be down the spiral steps to the archives. Searching them had been time consuming, and often frustrating, but it had turned up results.
Twilight followed him down the stone stairs. There was no room to turn and see what her expression was as she followed him down. He imagined she was not happy, but if so she held her silence down the steps.
Entering the room, Twilight paused at the chamber door. This far down, the palace was not crystal. The crystal of the palace seemed to be melded to the ground, but it sat on top of deeper, quite possibly older foundations. Here the stone was not cut and placed, but rather chiseled into shape, most likely by ponies long forgotten, even if their craft remained. The place was cold, and drafty. Water seeped down the walls in places where a natural fault ran through the rock. The whole place smelled of damp and decay.
“Shining, what’s that smell?” Twilight wrinkled her nose.
Shining half turned while working the key in the decidedly old fashioned looking lock. “Mold maybe.” he said.
“Yuck.” Twilight spat out. “How can you get any work done down here?”
“You get used to it.” Shining said.
The key turned in the lock with a thunk, and Shining swung the door open. Twilight followed a few paces behind. Inside, the room was a rat’s nest of scrolls and old books— perhaps literally judging by the smell and general state of the place. In the center of the room though, there was some order to the chaos. There was an old wooden desk piled with papers in various states of yellowing and decay. Some looked old enough to date back hundreds of years.
Twilight looked at the covers of some of the books, and the headings on the scrolls. ‘Treatise in Alchemical Salts’, ‘Grand Master’s guide to Telomancy’, ‘Observations on the Great Eastern Sea’. All seemed to be very old, and obscure, at best.
“Shining, have you read all of these books?” Twilight’s voice carried a note of incredulity with it.
Shining smiled slightly. “No. I figure that would be a tough task even for you. Most of it has just been narrowing down what I’m looking for. At first I knew nothing, not even where or what to search for. I spent the first week piling this stuff into separate categories just so I could understand what I was looking at.” Shining noticed that Twilight smiled gently at this.
“Yes, I took a page from your book, so to speak.” Shining walked over to his makeshift desk. “After that, it still took a long time figuring out what I should read more carefully, and what was useless.” Shining indicated a pile of discarded books rather forlornly spread across the floor as though they had been thrown there in anger. Twilight cringed slightly.
“So.” Twilight said, looking back to Shining from the pile of badly abused books. “What is it you think you’ve found?”
“Look here,” Shining pointed with a hoof to a book lying on his desk. It was a heavy tome with a brown cover, and looked as though it had been buried in dirt for some time. There was nothing remarkable on the cover, but Shining flipped it open to its first intact page, and pointed to a bit of loopy script. Twilight inched in to read what was written there.
“The Account of Archmagus Synnion…” Twilight trailed off and paused for a moment before looking up to Shining Armor, her eyes wide. “Is this right?”
“Certainly seems so.” Shining said, his tone and manner idle for the moment.
“But Synnion was expelled from Equestria! His name is not far below the likes of Nightmare Moon, Discord, and… Sombra.” She bit her lip after she said the last name, carefully observing Shining’s reaction. Whatever she expected, it did not happen. He remained quiet, passively looking back at her. Shining wondered if she had really expected him to go mad at the mention of his name.
“I thought…” Twilight continued on. “I thought all of his works were destroyed.” She looked unsure whether she should even be in the same room as the book in front of her.
“Not this one.” said Shining. “And it seems he had a different viewpoint on the ‘expelled from Equestria’ affair.”
“Well I’m sure he did.” Twilight said pointedly, as though defending her argument. “I’m sure if you asked a lion why they wanted to eat you they would have a different viewpoint too.”
Shining suppressed the urge to roll his eyes. Did Twilight believe that? Did she believe so blindly that she wouldn’t listen to him? Maybe it was a mistake bringing her down here… no, she will listen, even if she doesn’t believe me right away.
“It isn’t that I like what he says. There’s no doubt that he was trying to overthrow the Princess,” Well, that wasn’t quite true, but it was the simple answer. “But the point is that what we’ve been taught might not be the whole truth.”
Twilight did not look convinced. “What do you mean?”
“It’s true that Synnion left Equestria, we know that for a fact. But do you recall what he was known for?”
“Of course.” Twilight replied. “He was a very powerful unicorn, some say almost as powerful as the Princesses…” Twilight paused, perhaps reminded that that term now included herself.
“Yes, yes, but what magic was his specialty?” Shining pressed.
“Oh, that would be life magic. Or at least, the ability to animate. I’ve heard a lot of arguments whether what he made was really alive. You know some ponies say he created the Ursas?” Shining nodded. “I don’t know whether that’s true or not… he doesn’t happen to say in the book does he?” Twilight looked up to Shining.
Shining shook his head. “No. But it got me thinking. He was clearly a very powerful wizard, surely he had followers.”
Twilight frowned. “Maybe, but I can’t recall ever hearing about any of them.”
“Yes, that’s because when he left Equestria, so did they. All these books,” Shining indicated with a sweep of his hoof, “were written by ponies that were familiar with his name. They reference his work. And not like a Canterlot unicorn would. Just mention his name at a Canterlot school and ponies would look at you funny. Not here.”
“Hmm.” Twilight sat down and touched a hoof to her chin. For a moment Shining was reminded so much of the old Twilight, so easily sidetracked by an interesting line of thought. Maybe she would listen after all.
“And, so many of these books were written by unicorns. That was the second thing I noticed. Sure, a lot of books are written by unicorns in Canterlot, but these all read like they were written by Canterlot unicorns. Except just slightly different, like they developed their own dialect over time.”
Twilight stuck out a hoof, bottom up. “Okay. So you think Synnion came here?”
“No, but I think some of his followers did. There aren’t any more books by him, just the one, the account written before he left.”
“Then where did he go?”
Shining took a deep breath. The scent of mildew was definitely strong. “Well, there are really only two places to go, if one doesn’t like taking a boat.” Twilight nodded at this. Unicorns had never been known for their love of seafaring. “One is here, in the Far North.” Shining could see the pieces beginning to click together for Twilight. “The other is in the south. Tartarus.”
For a moment, Shining thought Twilight could see his reasoning. Her eyes briefly lit up with the insight, but the flash was gone as soon as she looked at Shining again.
“Shining…” Twilight started.
“But don’t you see? There’s the proof right there that Tartarus was inhabited. It’s just that nopony’s been brave enough to find out since Princess Celestia forbade it. And why do you think it’s forbidden? Because that’s where Synnion went! Please, you have to see…” Shining trailed off as he looked at his sister.
Twilight had her head in her hooves. She drew her hooves back through her mane, which had the side effect of dishevelling it, though Twilight did not seem to care. She did not look at Shining.
Shining realized further argument would not work. He stepped around his desk and hooked a leg of his chair with a hoof. Pulling it out, he settled into it’s familiar confines with a sigh. I should have known. He told himself, and took a turn at hoof-rubbing his own temple. Was I not convincing enough? Or was she just not ready to believe? Either way, it seemed he had lost her.
They sat there for a time, seconds stretching into minutes. It was time Shining spent contemplating how he might reach her, to make her see why what he wanted to do made sense. If Tartarus was a place that could be reached, as he was sure it was, then he had to go. He had to try to find Sombra. He had to try to find a way to save Cadance.
He glanced sideways at Twilight from under his leg. When he looked at her now, he still didn’t really see a Princess. Of course, she had the wings, though she was definitely not a pegasus. And he supposed she had…vitality... whatever it is that earth ponies have, but he could not see that in her either. To him she was still just his little sister, a long legged awkward little filly.
“You don’t believe me, do you?” He asked, quietly.
He heard a long drawn out sigh from her. “Shining, would it matter if I believed you? I mean, would it make a difference?” She shook her head. “Maybe you’re right about Synnion and maybe you’re even right about Tartarus, but you can’t ask me to take it on faith just to make what you want to do right.”
“Make it right?” Shining looked up sharply. “What Sombra did…”
“I know, Shining! I know.” She let out a breath. “I’m not saying it wasn’t wrong, and that it hasn’t hurt…” she paused a moment, hesitating, taking a breath, “but you’re asking something else. You want me to tell you that it’s okay to put everything aside to go after him. You want me to sanction this quest for revenge!” Twilight looked up to Shining. “I can’t. I can’t watch you… you... kill yourself for this.”
“I’m only asking for a little help.” Shining’s voice was nearly toneless, his stare, flat. “To help right a wrong.”
“I’m not going to give you rope to hang yourself with. I know there are stories about knights who fall on their swords, but you don’t have to!” She pleaded.
“It’s not…” Shining began to say, but Twilight cut him off.
“Yes it is! We all know it!” Her tail swished angrily. “Are you totally blind? You can’t just walk into Tartarus and challenge Sombra to a duel!”
“That’s not my plan.” Shining rejoined pointedly, shaking his head.
“It doesn’t matter!” Twilight insisted. “Even if you don’t care about yourself, don’t you care how much it will hurt everypony? No pony is alone in Equestria, least of all you. Everypony in this city looks up to you. Are you going to just abandon them?”
“Enough!” Shining snapped. His ears were pinned back as he snarled. “How can you tell me to just let it go?”
“That’s not what I said!” Twilight protested.
“But it’s what you mean! You think I should stay here, do nothing. I can’t! Cadance means more to me than that. Doesn’t she mean more to you!”
“Shining! She’s my friend too! She’s like a sister.” Her eyes glistened wet with tears beginning to soak onto her cheeks. She sniffed. “Please, there are so many ponies who love you, so many who depend on you.”
“They’ll get along without me. So can you.” Shining said.
“If Cadance could, she’d tell you not to go.”
“Don’t tell me what my wife would say!” Shining snapped.
Twilight cringed away. “Please, Shining. Don’t give up hope! We’re still looking through the archives at Canterlot, we’re finding the best doctors in all of Equestria to help Cadance. There’s still a chance she could get better.”
“There’s only one way she’ll ever recover, Twilight, and that’s if I go to Tartarus—and face Sombra.”
“You can’t know that! What if he lied to you?”
“Then he’ll answer for that, and all the rest.”
“Shining please…” Twilight pleaded.
“I swear to you, this will end with his death, or mine. There is no other way.”
His words hung in the air. Twilight looked at him, her eyes searching his. I’m sorry, sister. The room felt small; he felt the tension in the room as though it was bearing down on his chest.
“I have to go.” he said, finally, and turned for the door. He brushed past Twilight on the way out, stepping between books and scrolls cluttering the floor. He did not look at her, but as soon as he opened the door he heard a rustle from behind him. Perhaps she wanted to talk some more He stepped through anyway. What good had they done? Arguing like children. He knew what had to be done, and he would do it, even if she thought otherwise.
As he started up the stairs he heard her calling behind him. He kept going.
“Shining!”
He took the stairs two at a time. Behind him Twilight struggled to keep up.
“Shining, wait!”
He heard her stumble, her hooves scuffing the stone. He didn’t stop.
“Shining,” Twilight called, “It’s not your fault!”
Shining said nothing.
“Sombra is evil, you’re right! But you can’t give in to evil!”
“You think I would?” Shining called back, over his shoulder. He slowed to a steadier pace.
“No! Not intentionally.” She was close enough that Shining could see the lavender glow from her horn lighting the sides of the stairway behind him. He decided to let her catch up. They were almost at the top of the stair anyway, and the door opened into the back of the main hall. Better that ponies didn’t get the wrong idea. He waited at the door for Twilight to catch up before he stepped out.
The hall was mostly empty. Shining knew there would be guards outside the main door, and probably a few ponies here and there, but with Cadance gone there was even less need for cleaning ponies and laundry ponies.
Shining took two paces, then turned to Twilight. He looked in her eyes, and she looked into his.
“Shining, if you go to Tartarus seeking revenge, even if you come back, you won’t be the same. I’m afraid that you’ll lose who you are on the inside—where it really counts.” She stepped forward as though she was about to embrace Shining.
Shining stepped back, and shook his head. “Twilight, I’ve already changed.”
“Don’t say that. Please, you always have a choice.” She said plaintively.
“Not with this.” Shining said flatly.
Twilight wasn’t giving up, she stood right up to him, stuck her hoof in his face. “If Cadance could see you now…”
“Don’t talk about my wife!” Shining snapped. The anger was back. Why couldn’t she understand? “You have no right to talk about what she wanted!”
“Yes I do! I knew her, and she wouldn’t want you to get yourself killed on her account! No pony does!”
“You know what?” Shining focused on Twilight, his expression a mix of frustration and pain. He pointed a hoof towards the exit. “You can leave. Just go. I have things to do.”
“That’s it? You’re telling me to leave?”
“Yes, Twilight I’m telling you to leave. Or stay. Either way, I’m going to Tartarus. You can’t stop me. Just leave me alone.”
There was a regretful look in her eyes. “You’re wrong Shining. You’re wrong. I’m sorry…” Her horn lit up with violet light, levelled straight at him.
“What…” he started. But his cry was cut short by a tremendous crash thundering through the hall. The great doors of the hall burst open and blinding light poured in, white as sunlight on snow.
“TWILIGHT SPARKLE!” a royal voice boomed out.
“Princess Celestia!” Twilight turned, and the light in her horn dissipating into nothingness.
“Princess Twilight Sparkle, you know better than to cast a spell on your own brother.” Celestia’s voice was reproachful, though as Shining had always heard it, gentle and controlled.
“But…”
“I know, Twilight. But you are a Princess now. You must know when to interfere, and when to stand aside. I know it is difficult when the pony is someone so dear to you as your brother, but it is a line we should not cross.”
“I…I’m sorry. I didn’t think it would be this hard.” Twilight said, her ears dropping. She rubbed a leg over her eyes, over tears that had not dried.
“We can always hope for the best, Twilight, but we may only guide, not control.” Princess Celestia looked to Shining. “This does not mean I give you my blessing, but if you insist on going then you may go. I cannot take your fate in hoof, it rests with you, and you alone.” The Princess stepped back, looking up towards a skylight that opened up to the rapidly dimming sky. “I sense that a dark end may await you. Yet, it is not your only destiny. As Twilight said, you have a choice before you, and you must choose your own path.”
Shining bowed his head. “Forgive me, Princess, but I have chosen my path.”
Celestia’s eyes met with Shining’s for a moment. She inclined her head slightly, but said nothing right away. Try as he might, Shining could not read her. Her inner thoughts were an enigma, as they always had been to him.
The Princess turned her gaze to Twilight. “Twilight, would you give your brother and I a moment alone?” She gently asked.
Twilight blinked. “Yes, Princess Celestia.”
“Thank you, Twilight.”
Twilight shot a glance towards Shining, then walked to the other end of the hall, and out the tall double doors. As they swung shut once again, Princess Celestia turned to Shining.
“There are things you must know, Shining Armor, if you plan to go to Tartarus.” Her voice was quite serious, but not accusatory. Shining was a little taken aback.
“Forgive me, your highness, I had expected you to argue with me to stay.”
Celestia showed him a small and mirthless smile. “I would but for the look I see in your eyes, the set of your ears, and the feeling I have in my heart.” Celestia sighed, closing her eyes for a brief moment before continuing on. “You know that we should seek harmony, to be at peace with our fellow equines, and the world around us. Harmony is balance, purity, truth. Yet harmony cannot always be maintained.” She looked down. ”When I banished my sister Luna to the moon, harmony was broken, yet in comparison to what would have happened had I not sent her away, the outcome was better. Balance was restored.” Her gaze on Shining was intense. A lump formed in his throat, he wanted to look away, but he forced himself to keep his eyes on her. “You too have a choice, Shining.”
He swallowed. “I have to go. Cadance means the world to me. She was my balance, and she was taken from me— from us all— by terrible evil! If there is any way to save her…”
“And take revenge on Sombra?” Celestia asked evenly.
Shining hesitated.
“You do not want to say it, but I fear it is true. Vengeance accomplishes nothing. It can only lead you astray.” Celestia said gravely.
Shining remained silent a moment before answering. “What am I to do then?”
“Stay true to the spirit of harmony. Never give in to the emotion of hate. I urge you, Shining, if you must go, then you must, but always remember: balance. And love. Do not abandon love.”
Shining nodded solemnly, the moment seeming to stretch out in time.
“Now.” Celestia took a deep breath. “As I said, there are things you must know, things which I have endeavored to keep secret, in order to protect Equestria. The realm you know as Tartarus is one of them. It was once known by another name, a long time ago. Then it was renamed again, when a band of unicorn separatists broke away from Equestria.” Celestia paused for a moment. “This, I believe you already know,“ she said with a small smile. “They sought to create a utopia, a place where magic was interwoven with the fabric of life itself, and not just here,” Celestia indicated her pointed horn. “or here,” she raised her white-feathered wings. “... but everywhere, throughout the land, to the very rock on which we stand. Their leader, a great wizard in his time, crafted new spells, with the power to give life to artificial constructs.”
Celestia paused. She had begun to pace, but she stopped, and sighed. “It was for this reason that I was forced to expel them from Equestria. Their spells of unnatural life had the potential to upset the balance of magic and nature in Equestria.”
“That was many centuries ago. I had hoped that one day Equestria’s wayward unicorns would return, and harmony could be restored. In time, the Crystal Empire, founded by a scion of the wizard’s followers, rejoined Equestria. Their magic had turned to crystals, and I thought it less dangerous than the first spells.” Celestia seemed strangely earnest, as though talking about what had happened was a relief to her. But her expression soured. “Then, a great evil emerged.”
“King Sombra.” Shining said quietly.
“Yes. Where exactly he came from even I do not know, but his magic manipulated the artificial life of the crystals, corrupting them, and enslaving all ponies to his will. It took nearly all my power to send the Crystal City away, to serve as a prison for the evil King. At the same time, the realm to the south, beyond the great badlands, became known as Tartarus, for none who ventured there ever returned.”
“Sombra was not from Equestria, nor was he from the Crystal City.” Celestia paused, looking Shining in the eye. “Combined with the silence from the far south, and the fact that he knew how to use the life magic so effectively, we realized he must have come from the realm of Tartarus. We assumed whatever pony civilization that existed there had fallen under his sway. And so Tartarus was sealed. Forbidden.”
Celestia looked away, and resumed pacing. “Few ever remembered what had been before Tartarus. Memory faded to legend, and legend to myth. Now Tartarus remains guarded, but nopony remembers why. I was content to keep it that way, but now…” Celestia paused for a moment. The air seemed thick with revelation. “Now Sombra has returned. I had hoped you and Cadance had defeated him forever, with the power of your love. But… he survived. His power in Tartarus may still be strong— you have seen how long his creations can endure here.”
“If he regains his old power, he could threaten all of Equestria.” Celestia looked directly at Shining, her gaze commanding, rooting him to the spot. “This is what I ask of you: If you choose to go to Tartarus, whether you face Sombra or not, you must return and tell us of what you find. Do you understand?”
Shining nodded stiffly.
Celestia’s eyes lingered on him. Her expression softened. “Shining, I know you do not expect to return, but have faith. Even if you do not feel strong, have faith.” Celestia stepped towards Shining, and raised a hoof to point at his chest. He had rarely been quite this close to Princess Celestia before. “Let your armor protect your heart, not seal it away.”
Shining nodded, though his ears were flagging down, and Celestia stepped back and turned for the entranceway.
“Wait!” Shining called out.
Celestia turned. “Yes?” She asked gently.
Shining cleared his throat. “Your highness, why didn’t you say all this in front of Twilight? It will be harder not to tell her now that I know.”
Celestia gave a rueful smile. “I feel the same way sometimes, keeping secrets, but If I told her, she would insist on rallying her friends and going to Tartarus on her own.” She shook her head. “I fear that a direct confrontation would bring great harm to all Equestria. If there is a way to avoid it I will try. You are intent on going to Tartarus anyway, you have the skills… and most importantly you need a reason to find your way back to Equestria.”
Shining blinked. “Are you saying you want me to choose between fighting Sombra and warning Equestria?”
“If the two are mutually exclusive.” Celestia smiled. “I told you you have a choice. To you the choice is not to stay or go, it is to live or die— and I want you to choose life.”
She turned, and left Shining alone in the lantern-lit hall.