Road Trip

by fore shadow

Starswirl The Bearded

Sombra stared out the window at the ponies they had met in Hope Hollow. The pegasii twins were doing loops in the air and waving their forelegs like crazy. The Mayor held Petunia in a one-legged embrace while she cuddled their new foal against her muzzle.

It was odd. Not only their behavior but the way he was feeling about it. It made no sense. He barely knew any of them. Yet, his eyes kept going between each, always settling longest on Petunia and her foal.

The train lurched and began to roll from the station. Looking up and spotting Sombra’s face pressed to the window staring at her, Petunia's smile grew exponentially, and she held her little foal aloft as if to show him to Sombra one last time.

Sombra swallowed the lump that formed in his throat. Unable to look away, he turned to continue to watch them as the train pulled away from the station. Even after they were no longer in view, his eyes still strained for another glimpse.

Until Starswirl cleared his throat.

The unicorn had been uncharacteristically quiet during the whole time since they’d entered their cabin. He had watched with interest the reactions of his young charge. Deeming enough time had passed, he decided to break the silence.

Sombra finally pulled his eyes from the window and turned to look at the mage.

“I think I will go get us some snacks and drinks for the ride.” Rising from his seat across from the young Sombra, he paused at the door. Looking back over his shoulder, the unicorn continued, “Perhaps, when I return, we can talk a bit more about the journey ahead?”

Something in the little earth pony recognized the fact that the old mage was granting him some space to parse through these strange new emotions, and that he had not commented on any of Sombra’s recent strange behavior. Overcome, he didn’t speak. Instead he simply nodded.

Nodding in return the unicorn slipped out the door. It was only then that Sombra realized, he had left without a threat or warning as to Sombra’s behavior.

The small earth pony sat back in his seat and felt his stomach turn over. As his mind replayed the events of that morning, he kept wondering: what were these weird feelings and why did they make things so confusing?

---

Early that morning, Starswirl had woken Sombra up with the news that the twins were there and that they would all head over to see Petunia and meet the newborn foal.

Rising, Sombra rubbed the sleep from his eyes. After a very quick shower, they headed out. Munching on an apple that Starswirl explained was breakfast on the go, Sombra wondered what the foal would be like.

Arriving at the hospital, they checked in at the front desk. The ponies there smiled broadly at Sombra, making him nervous.

A hospital aide arrived to bring them back to see Petunia and the Mayor. He winked and smiled at Sombra as they walked down the hallway. Looking away from the pony, Sombra glanced around realizing that most of the ponies were smiling at him.

Moving toward Starswirl involuntarily, the unicorn looked at him with concern. “What is it?” The mage whispered?

“Why are they all staring at me and smiling?” Sombra whispered back.

“Oh,” the unicorn chuckled, “most of them were here last night and witnessed your generous act of bringing Petunia hope with that rainbow of yours. The rest probably heard the story today.”

Looking around Sombra felt something strange in his stomach. It felt different having ponies look at him this way. He didn’t have to think on it long; they had arrived at Petunia’s room.

The twins of course barreled right in after the aide. Starswirl however waited at the door for Sombra, who was suddenly overcome by a strange desire to observe the floor of the hospital. He slowly made his way toward the door and peeked in around the edge. Inside he saw the twins hovering over the bed staring down at something bundled up in Petunia's arms. The Mayor was engaging with the Aide about something. Petunia was sitting up in bed, a smile on her face even though she looked very tired.

Perunia was saying something to the twins when she trailed of spotting Sombra. For some reason, her smile got even bigger. “Well if it isn’t my little hope bringer! Aren’t you going to come in and meet our new little one? You did help him into this world, you know.”

Sombra somehow made it through the door and, when Petunia patted the bed next to her, he managed to climb up onto the bed. Gazing at her with wonder, she lowed her face to his and nuzzled him. “Thank you.”

It was a simple action and just two words, but to Sombra it meant so much. He couldn’t remember ever being nuzzled nor the warmth that accompanied it. He smiled up at Petunia.

“There’s somepony I want you to meet.” Lifting the bundle up and away from her chest, a tiny face appeared in the blanket.

The foal was a pale purplish gray, with a dark gray mane. A single streak of purple shot through the straight hair of the small earth pony. Yawning, it opened its eyes revealing the brilliant turquoise color, just like his mom. Staring stoically at Sombra the little foal reached a foreleg toward him.

Acting on impulse, Sombra reached down and met the little hoof with his own. “He’s… so small.”

Laughing, Petunia agreed.

The mayor moved to the side of the bed and placed a hoof gently on his wife’s shoulder. “That he is. A solemn little fellow too. Hasn’t cracked a single smile.”

“Mmm,” Petunia responded, smiling down at her new little one. “That’s why we decided to name him ‘Somber Joy.’ Seemed fitting, as he is so stoic, but has brought us so much happiness!”

“Somber?” Sombra repeated, stunned by the pronouncement.

While the rest of the room, erupted into chatter, Petunia leaned over to Sombra and whispered, “We named him in honor of the hero who saved us both.” Smiling conspiratorially, she mussed his mane with her hoof. “Blue looks good on you, little king.”

---

Starswirl waited patiently for his order. His mind was filled with reflections and images from the past few days. A single question dominating those thoughts: ‘how much do I tell him?’

The rationale part of his brain thought he was crazy for even considering telling Sombra any more than what was absolutely necessary. Given the King’s track record, minimizing the information shared was the most logical course.

But Starswirl hadn’t undertaken this adventure based on logic. In fact, this whole endeavor was against rationale judgment.

“Why stop now?” He muttered to himself.

“What?” The teenager earth pony working the counter asked him as he laid the trays of food and beverage in front of the gray unicorn.

“Oh, nothing of concern.” The mage smiled and laid a tip on the counter before elevating the trays with his magic.

Heading back toward their cabin, he made a decision. This Sombra, the one who was his charge deserved the benefit of his doubt. The colt had already surprised him greatly. If Starswirl were to trust the purpose of this adventure then he would also have to trust the foal.

Opening the cabin door, with his magic, the mage took in his young charge while setting the trays on the table between them. The streaks of brilliant blue in Sombra’s mane and tail reminded Starswirl of just how different this King was and solidified the unicorn’s decision.

“So,” he began as he sat down across from the colt. “Are you ready to learn where we are going and why?”

The young Sombra sat forward eager to hear what the old unicorn had to say.

—-

“So we are headed to the Dragonlands?” The young Sombra’s voice held awe, amazement, and perhaps a trace of trepidation.

“Yes,” Starswirl conformed. “The train will take us to Griffonstone. From there we will attempt to hire a ride to take us to the Dragonlands. We don’t have much time before the occurrence of the hypernovae…”

“That’s the extended gamma ray that will fuel the portal between worlds?” The colt interrupted.

“Er… yes, that is in essence correct.” The unicorn nodded, impressed by Sombra’s ability to grasp all of the scientific explanation he had rattled off over the past half hour and condense it so well. “The gamma ray burst won’t last long though so we have a very small window by which to open the portal. Plus we have quite a distance to traverse between now me then. Not even factoring in the time needed to collect our supplies once we reach the Dragonlands, transport them to the precise location where the gamma ray will enter our atmosphere, set them up and then activate the portal.”

“And once activated, an entry will open to an alternate dimension. One where Ki… where I rule as an… evil… King.” The colt felt the badness inside him fill with glee at the prospect. He swallowed back the bile rising in his throat.

The unicorn’s eyebrow lifted but he didn’t comment. He nodded.

“And I will, what then? Walk through this door?”

“I’m … actually not entirely sure.” Starswirl admitted reluctantly holding up his hooves as if anticipating Sombra’s challenge to that pronouncement, “the mathematics of how the portal will manifest suggest an opening of some kind that will prevent physical matter but allow energy, whether it be spiritual or etheric, to pass through. My studies strongly predict that whatever opening forms, what it will look like will depend on both you and your counterpart in the other dimension. Together, you will figure out how to pass through it to the other dimension.”

“And you’re hoping that the good parts of Sombra in the other dimension will trade places with me…er, with my bad energy. The bad here will pass from this dimension to that one, and the good there will come back through the portal to this Dimension.” ‘Cause that wasn’t confusing!’

Nodding again, Starswirl pauses to take a drink before responding verbally. “That is the hope. The earlier transfers destabilized both dimensions and therefore had to be closed forever. My belief, after tremendous study and calculation, is that this particular cosmic anomaly will allow an equal trade of bad for good. There already is an evil Sombra on that plane and no Sombra here. Well, I mean there wasn’t a Sombra before I brought you back for this purpose. But that allows us to have a good Sombra without triggering the destabilization again nor requiring us to have an evil…”

Stopping himself, the unicorn realized that there was absolutely no need to risk revealing the possibility of the need for an ‘evil’ Celestia. That was far more risk at no benefit. Instead he finished his thought with an alternative word choice, “... counterbalance.”

“How will you know it’s worked?” The colt mused, eyebrows furrowed.

Starswirl breathed an internal sigh of relief at not having triggered Sombra’s curiosity by his near slip. “I suppose I will have to figure that out.” He answered truthfully.

“But there’s a risk?” The colt caught the mage’s eyes.

“Yes, I suppose there is.”

“Then why do it at all? Why did you risk bringing me back? Why are you sharing all of this with me now?” Sombra was genuinely confused. None of this made sense. If Starswirl feared him, which he was right to do, why would he be so open about his plans. Why would he share these details and the create a greater evil, even if it was in an alternate dimension.

The unicorn looked … ashamed almost. This further surprised the young king.

“A… a long time ago, I misjudged a pony… badly. I hurt a friend and in so doing turned a friend into an enemy. I was so blinded by what I thought I knew that I failed to be a good friend and listen. After learning that there are better ways to help our friends when they are hurting, I started thinking about other mistakes I made. I hurt a pony who meant the world to me before I vanished and in so doing I also harmed another friend, one whom I met through the prior portal.” Starswirl shook his head as if to remove these visions from his past.

“After dealing with the shame of my past actions, I decided to atone. So I began my research. Leaning all I could about the portal I had created before and what happened to it. I’d hidden it but while I was … away, it was found and reactivated. Yet another reminder that my unilateral decision had been wrong.” The mage shook his head sadly. “Then I discovered that the Sombra in that dimension had turned to evil. I also learned about your fate here in Equestria. That’s when I began to recalculate the portals and realized the kind of power necessary to reopen the pathway between the dimensions. This time I did not act alone, but sought the counsel of my friends. Only with each of their support would I proceed with the plan to bring you back and offer you a choice.”

“And they helped you?”

“Yes. They all agreed. Perhaps, they had their own atoning to do. I gathered not only their advice and blessing, but also a token from each…”

“The binding circle.” Sombra realized aloud.

“Exactly. They made it all possible. I calculated and recalculated, knowing I had to get it right. There was only one shot at this, at a time when bough energy would be created by a cosmic anomaly in just the perfect location.”

Starswirl pauses to take another sip of his drink before continuing. “I travelled all over Equestria, to find the perfect location to summon you and bind you, to determine the time needed to travel to the precise spot in the Dragon lands where the gamma ray will appear. I chartered boats and hiked mountains. I planned it down to the day.”

“And here we are.” The colt sat back in his seat.

“Yes, here we are.” Starswirl echoed, unsure if he’d done the right thing in sharing so much, but feeling that it was in fate’s hooves now.

“Why have you told me all of this?” The little pony asked after a brief pause as if reading the mage’s thoughts.

“I suppose it’s because of you.”

“What do you mean?”

“When I set out to undertake all of this, I hoped that there would be at least a spec of good left in you. But I had no real assurance of that. This has truly been an exercise of trust.” The unicorn reached over with his hoof and lifted the streak of blue mane and held it in front of Sombra’s eyes. “You make me believe there is more than a spec of good left in you. You chose to help Petunia. Your actions brought about this change in you. You’ve given me faith in you.”

The colt felt a warmth on his cheeks and another in his chest at the mage’s words. The feeling was foreign but also welcome.

“So even though I know there is still badness inside of you, and that it hears my words, I am trusting in your goodness to use this information and to make the right decision when the time comes.”

Rising from the table, the unicorn walked over to one of the beds and climbed in. Before rolling over to take a well earned rest, Starswirl looked back over his shoulder at the colt. “I trust you.”

—-