Chapter 21: ...Will The Truth Be Revealed To One and All?
"Starswirl's magical study wasn't in the castle itself. It was deep inside the mountain that Canterlot is built upon," Luna explained, as she guided the ponies she had enlisted to help her sister down beneath the castle. "The cave system to get to it is complicated to navigate. It was built by Starswirl himself and he didn't believe in plebeians being able to find their way."
"So you've explored the caverns?" Twilight asked as they passed a sign declaring 'RESTRICTED ACCESS WING - No Admittance'. "What's the library like?"
The princess frowned as she admitted, "I haven't found it yet. I'm apparently one of those 'plebeians'."
Twilight had to raise a hoof to her mouth to cover her smile at that, while Sombra burst into a suspiciously timed coughing fit.
Fortunately, Pinkie Pie provided a distraction by saying with an innocent smile, "Me too! Rarity calls me that all the time!"
"...As a term of endearment, Pinkie," Rarity said, before quickly changing the subject. "One of these adventures, I'd love to go to a tropical island paradise instead of into a mountain."
"Oh, come on, Rarity. Where's your sense of adventure?" Applejack asked.
"In the comfort of a day spa and hooficure, thank you very much," Rarity replied.
As they approached an enormous set of doors decorated with stars, Luna turned to Twilight and said, “If anypony can understand and navigate these corridors, it’s you, Twilight Sparkle. Celestia speaks highly of your intellect. She often compares you to Starswirl himself. Perhaps you can channel that parallel on this quest.”
“Celestia compares me to… Starswirl?” Twilight said breathlessly, caught off guard by the revelation. “That’s… that’s unbelievable.”
“Hardly. Your own accomplishments are due no less respect, Lady Twilight,” ‘Black Knight’ interjected.
“Indeed, although your outlook is a bit different from his,” Luna said. Pointing towards Pinkie Pie, she added, “Starswirl was more like that one.” Turning back the way they had come, Luna went on, “Now be off. Find what you can. We need to locate my sister. I feel an unknown darkness already pressing upon the kingdom without her presence.” Glancing towards ‘Black Knight’, she added silently, ‘And that’s in addition to the darkness already amongst us.’
“Princess, aren’t you coming with us?” Fluttershy asked.
“I cannot. I must stay here to see to both our royal duties, although I fear I cannot keep her disappearance a secret for much longer,” the princess replied grimly.
Turning to her assistant, Twilight said, "Spike, I want you to stay behind with Luna. If something happens that I need to know about, you can send word to us, okay?"
"Would not your knight's telepathic link make for faster communication?" Luna asked, casting a glance towards the stallion as she did.
"Unfortunately, that is no longer an option," Twilight replied. Suddenly, her face twisted in surprise and confusion as she asked, "Wait, how do you even know about that?"
"I may have mentioned it during the Incident, in order to spur Princess Celestia into action, Lady Twilight," 'Black Knight' explained. Turning to Luna, he went on, "However, Lady Twilight's outpouring of magic during that time overloaded the link, leaving us unable to communicate further in such a manner."
"How unfortunate," the alicorn replied. Seeing Spike's downtrodden expression at missing out on another adventure, her expression softened. Scooping him up onto her back with her magic, Luna said, "Cheer up, dragon youngling! You may be my adoring companion as we await their return! Come, you may start by fetching me a refreshment of hot cocoa with marshmallow bit." As she started back toward the castle, she called back, "Best of luck! I have faith you will triumph!"
"We won't let you down!" Twilight replied.
Pinkie Pie pushed open the door, saying, "I hope there aren't any monsters in here."
"Why would ya say that?" Applejack said in exasperation. "That is inviting that kind of stuff to happen!"
As the Princess of the Night moved beyond earshot she thought to herself, 'I had been hoping for a chance to question 'Black Knight' in private.' Glancing back at her draconic passenger, she grinned. 'But perhaps this will work out better.' Out loud, she said, "I'm a tad worried about Twilight. Say, young one, you have not noticed her acting any different of late, have you?"
Tapping a claw on his chin in thought, Spike replied, "Now that you mention it..."
"I don't understand why Luna thought finding things down here was complicated," Twilight said, looking at a sign that gave directions to everything from a 'Lucre Cellar' to the 'Athenaeum'. "Everything is so well labeled! It's like..."
"Like you built it?" Fluttershy offered.
"Well, yes!" Twilight replied.
"Well, if she's anything like me," Rainbow Dash spoke up, "after she reads the first three words and there's no sign of a plot, she gets bored and phases out."
"Rainbow Dash is right!" Pinkie Pie cried out. "There are a lot of big words on these signs! 'Broom'? 'Closet'? Who knows what that even means!?"
Rainbow Dash glared at the pink pony. "You're making fun of me, aren't you?" Pinkie Pie just smiled glibly in reply.
After a bit of searching, Twilight pointed ahead and called out in triumph, "We found it!"
Looking at the sign she was pointing to, Rainbow Dash asked, "Athenaeum? I thought we were looking for a library?"
"An athenaeum is a library," Twilight replied. "It was in the thesaurus I gave you for your birthday. Haven't you read it yet?"
"Of course I haven't read it! Who reads a thesaurus for fun!?" The pegasus protested.
"I do!" Twilight said indignantly. "It makes the vernacular abound with convivial pleasantry!"
"And lends eloquence oft lost to the comprehension of the peasantry," Sombra added with a smirk.
Seeing Twilight laugh at a joke she had obviously missed, Rainbow Dash turned to the other unicorn in the group and said, "Rarity, remind me later and I'll get you those five bits I owe you."
"No rush, dear," Rarity replied, looking after Twilight and 'Black Knight' with a smile.
Hearing Twilight let out a gasp of shock as she opened the door of the athenaeum, the others hurried after.
"Oh my gosh! Look over there! It's an original tome of Starswirl's studies of heavenly spheres!" Twilight called out in excitement "And over there! His original diagrams for the uses of practical magic! And look over there! It's his original hat, complete with bells!"
"Hey! Look!" Applejack said. "...cobwebs."
Twilight was distracted from the sights around her by a flicker of Dark Magic nearby. Moving further into the library, she saw Sombra staring at a portrait hung on the wall, his jaw set in a grim line and eyes flickering with Dark Magic barely held in check. Even without the telepathic link, his fury was obvious. And in the portrait that stirred such feelings...
"Wow... Celestia looks so young in this," Twilight said in awe.
"Yes... just as she did that day, a thousand years ago," Sombra murmured to her before her friends joined them.
Twilight frowned at that. She could only imagine what it might be like to have a reminder of such a defeat placed before you. As her friends examined the various artifacts around the room, she whispered, "I know the telepathic link broke, and we don't really need it anymore, but it would be a lot easier to talk about this kind of stuff if you cast that spell again."
"That spell is one I swear I will never cast on you again," Sombra replied in a reassuring tone.
"What do you mean?" Twilight asked in confusion.
Glancing at her friends, who were still exploring, Sombra led her further away from them. Sombra pondered for a moment as they walked, considering if he really wanted to tell her this. 'I gain nothing from telling her the truth and I risk much,' he thought. 'And yet... she deserves to know, if only because of the trust I almost betrayed.' Clearing his throat, he said aloud, "When you first recovered my horn, I knew you not, beyond the fact that you had foiled one of my plans. As such, I saw you as nothing but a means to recover my power."
"...I suspected as much," Twilight said.
"Truly?" Sombra replied. "And yet you still trusted me to teach you?"
"Part of me knew it was stupid, but I convinced myself the magic you would teach me would be worth the risk," she explained. "But what does that have to do with the telepathic link?"
"Everything," Sombra said. "The spell gave me access to your mind... but also to your magic." Seeing her look of confusion, he went on. "The spell had a secondary function, which would have allowed me to drain your magic through the link when I activated it. I had planned to cultivate your power, so that I might harvest it as the final boost I needed to overcome the Two Sisters."
Silence reigned over the pair in the wake of his confession. After a few moments, Twilight asked, "Why?"
"As I said," Sombra explained, "at the time, I saw you as nothing but a tool to aid me-"
"No," Twilight cut him off. "Why would you pass up the opportunity to cast it again? Why would you tell all that?"
"I am not entirely sure, myself," Sombra replied. "It really is foolish of me. If it were not for the fact that I would have sensed you attempting it, I would wonder if you had cast some spell on me, in turn." Casting a smile in her direction, he went on, "Consider it a gesture of goodwill. My way of giving thanks for the opportunity you have given me by not turning me over to the princesses."
Twilight nodded slowly, but before she could reply, Applejack called out. "Hey, Twilight! Ah think Ah found what we came down here for!"
Glancing at Sombra, she said, "We can talk more about this later."
As she started away, she stumbled in surprise at the sound of a familiar voice in her head, 'Remind me later, and I'll teach you how to send individual messages, without the need for such a link.'
Glaring after him as he passed her with a smirk, Twilight followed him to where the others had gathered.
Luna absently rolled a pair of dice as she considered what she had learned from the young dragon sitting across a game board from her. One line in particular echoed in her mind.
"Twilight used to talk to me about everything. I'm her number one assistant, after all. But now, especially since we dealt with Discord and Black Knight showed up, it feels like she's keeping a secret, even from me."
'It seems things are just as I feared,' she thought. 'Once Celestia has returned, I shall call her and Cadance and explain my suspicions. I do not wish to think ill of Twilight, and I pray I am wrong, but-'
The princess was broken from her thoughts as the unicorn she was thinking of burst into the room, shortly followed by the rest of the group. "We found something!" Twilight cried out.
"Twilight Sparkle! Do tell all," Luna said, as she swept the game board out of sight.
"The mirror leads to a parallel universe!" Twilight explained excitedly. "Apparently, Celestia and Starswirl explored it for years! That's how Starswirl was so magically advanced! He learned new things from other wizards as they explored and he recorded it all. Isn't that neat!?"
"...So, how do we go through the mirror to find my sister?" Luna asked.
"Well, it doesn't actually say anywhere," Twilight admitted. "All the research ends pretty abruptly. It just says that there was an incident and Starswirl sealed the portal. No record of the spell needed to open it back up..."
Luna frowned in thought, when a blue light lit the room, emanating from the mirror. A moment later, a familiar alicorn stepped out.
"Sister!" Luna said in relief. Closing her eyes, Luna took on her best lecturing tone, something she had always wanted to do towards her 'perfect' older sister. "Celestia! Where have you been? I had no idea where you were. I had no idea if you were coming back. I am a delicate flower. Do you know what this kind of stress does to me?"
A gasp from the other ponies gathered and the thump of flesh on stone made her open her eyes... only to see Celestia slumped limply on the ground, wounds covering her body from hooves to wingtips.
Immediately, Luna was at her sister's side, holding Celestia close as tears came to her eyes. "Sister! I didn't mean it! I love stress! Wake up!"
Hearing the sound of hooves on glass, Twilight looked away from the distraught princess to see Sombra braced against the mirror. For a moment, she thought it had returned to normal until she realized the figure in the glass was not a reflection but merely a silhouette.
A silhouette that matched Sombra exactly, except for the addition of the cape draped over its shoulders and the crown on its brow.
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Yay update, boo Celestia's hurt. This story always makes my day. Great chapter, eagerly looking forward to more.
7562072 Thanks, glad you like it!
As for that part, Celestia getting hurt is actually comic canon. It is one of the few times we actually see a pony get injured enough to need medical attention. Sadly, Celestia only has herself to blame... You'll see what I mean next chapter.
Look's like Celestia just got dumped.
Not every day you see the best or worst of yourself in another person, but then again that is the joy of AU's.
7562142 Not quite. If you haven't read the comics, you'll just have to wait and see!
GAAAAAAHHHHHHH! I WANT MORE! MORE!
MORE!
With that out of the way, I am really enjoying this story as it is exceptionally well crafted. I never would have thought of Sombra and Twilight as a proper ship... Until I read this story. Now, I am 100% behind the Sombra x Twilight ship. Keep up the amazing work, and have a fave and a like.
7562670 Heh, converting people to a ship is the main reason I write for such an unlikely ship to begin with. To make it believable, despite the initial reactions one may have to it.
Glad you're enjoying it! Welcome aboard!
Are you going to do all the comic arcs?
Awesomazintasticular
Light!Sombra - ...And that's how i fell in love with Celestia!
Dark!Sombra - Are you mad? What could you possibly find in this old mare? Twilight obviously much better!
Thanks for new chapter! Of 14 stories i'm tracking only you're still updating! Keep it up!
7562760
Thanks. And I feel your explanation of Sombra's past is pretty good and helps understand many things that weren't explained in the show, like why Sombra had an obsession with crystal, and by extension the Crystal Ponies.
Too bad the greatest villain of the show might never come back to life.
Sombra is gonna hate himself, if you know the comic's context you'll understand
Guessing they won't believe Luna, starting the fracture leading to the civil war that was teased on deviantart
7562993 Not all of them. Mostly just those involving Sombra or one of the other major villains. In addition to that, expect to see Nightmare Rarity and Ponies of Dark Water, although events will certainly play out differently than canon.
7563433 Lol, nice!
Glad to hear it! Hopefully I can keep that up.
7564304 Well, most of that backstory is comic canon. I plan to expand on it a little, though, so look forward to the next interlude!
Well, I wouldn't hold my breath, but the season 6 finale title has been revealed to be 'To Where and Back Again', and will involve them having to 'defend Equestria from the return of one of its greatest threats.' Now, this is purely speculation, but 'There and Back Again' was the alternate title for 'The Hobbit', and his creators have openly stated that Sombra was based off of Sauron, so...
7564559 Lol, indeed!
Well, yes and no. If Luna had figured everything out, then that might well be the case. However, she is slightly off the mark, which will complicate things a bit.
7564304
Can't argue that in this particular story Sombra IS great. But in show? Not so much. At least for me. Even with all comics I never gave him much thought. It is in fanfiction where his character truly blooms, so to speak.
I very much prefer Chrysalis. Cunning and deceptive ancient warlord who doesn't actually have a reason for being evil besides being evil. She doesn't have some heartbreaking backstory. Sadly on the contrary her depiction in fanfiction, though more numerous, leaves much to be desired. She seems like a villian for cruel mind games which is always interesting.
"It makes the vernacular abound with convivial pleasantry!"
Might you mean only to see Celestia slumped limply on the ground, wounds covering her body from hooves to wingtips.
Heh. I love what Luna says at the end of this. Mostly because it's idiotic to think that Celestia will wake up without proper medical treatment. And, before anyone gets uppity at that, yes, yes I have seen family members wounded before. I used to see that kind of thing a lot when I was younger, (around 6-9 years old), as it is one of the risks of living with a person that has transient epileptic amnesia. And yes, I did handle it better than Luna does here.
7564741 Thanks for catching those mistakes, fixed them.
7564638
I didn't know that. I hope it'll be the case.
7564726
I agree. Both Sombra and Chrysalis have huge potential as characters, if given the proper attention, which Chrysalis doesn't seem to get. Although I do plan something in a story of mine with her involved.
Besides, Chrysalis is my second favourite villain in the show. And my least favourite is Tirek the OP villain.
Gah you evil basted cliffhangers why the cliffhangers
7565570 Because it keeps you coming back for more!
7565589 curse's, it was a trap.
7565623 The best traps are the ones you walk into even when you know they are there!
7565627 Drat Foiled again.
Just binge-read all of this... I gotta stop doing that. Cool story, though.
7565803 Well, obviously I'm doing something write if it held your attention all the way through!
7564638
I was hoping that this video would actually influence something in the series by now...
Like maybe Screwball wreaks havoc on Equestria because of what she thinks that the ponies have done to her father, leading up to a battle between Discord and Screwball (possibly?) and Screwball coming to terms with the way that her father is now.
7566411 It's unlikely for the fandom to ever influence canon in a manner greater than 'Slice of Life', and likely never a season premier or finale.
7566581
Yeah I know...
7567533 The truth is seldom pleasant. Just ask Twilight after this latest chapter.
Yay update!
I am very glad that Sombra has started to come clean with Twilight. 
I hope that things with him and Luna don't end up into to much drama. 
I love how you are integrating into the reflection ark. Reflections is my favorite ark from the comic series so far. 
7567972 Glad you liked the chapter! As for Reflections, expect it to play out a bit different than you may remember.
Oh lord... The plot thickens even further! I like how you portraited Luna in the last bit. Wanting to lecture like she was the older sister.
Aww, Sombra's getting attached to Twilight.
7570491 Actually, those lines came straight from the comics. I can't take credit for them, unfortunately.
7572653 Indeed. Looks like everything is going to work out fine for them and nothing will ever interfere with their relationship whatsoever.
...That was sarcasm, by the way. If things were that simple, it would be boring!
7575137 Well, obviously.
I just hope you avoid the cheesy sitcom-style "misunderstandings" that can be solved in half a second if only the two parties actually talked instead of jumping to conclusions and are full of melodrama and whinging, cringe-inducing angst.
7575163 No worries. Their problems will involve more Dark Magic and meddling alicorns. Any misunderstandings will be on the part of others, not Twilight and Sombra themselves.
7575128 Then I give you credit for including them! You could've easily changed them to your liking.
7575278 MMhh... if you say so mate.
7562174 Indeed it is. Sorry for the late reply.
7578271
No problem. You can hardly be expected to respond to every single comment.
7578355 I do try, but sometimes a couple slip through the cracks. Of course, that's why I go back and read through them again, later.
...Jesus. Now that's a personality that's not usually attributed to the guy. It certainly explains a lot, but geez, talk about a vision of horror.
7587830 If you like those parts, you should read the comics. Both parts came straight from the Reflections arc. (And yes, we do get to see some of Starswirl in the comics, and he does act like sort of a cross between Twilight and Pinkie Pie.)
7589083
I might. From what snippets I've seen, they're pretty self-ironic in a way the show really isn't, even when it's doing character-centric humor.
7589135 Indeed. Another reason I like them is because they go farther with the villains that show up, like Chrysalis actually threatening to kill the CMC. The show would never go that far.
7589160
I treat them basically as fanfic with a pedigree, in terms of the stuff I see referenced here. Not quite grimdark style "darker and grittier," but enough of a departure from the tone of the show that it's more of a "PG-16 movie adaptation" kind of deal.
7589260 Well, considering I don't think either Tirek or Starlight have appeared in the core comic series, I think of them as another AU, like Equestria Girls.