Crown Princess Sorla, Heiress Apparent of the Crystal Empire walked softly and quietly down the corridor in the castle her father ruled the Empire from, nodding and giving absent smiles to servants who greeted her as she passed. Where she knew them, she murmured a name in the greeting, which made the recognized pony smile all the brighter. It amazed her sometimes how such a small thing on her part could have such a large impact on other ponies. Then again, didn't she just live for an approving smile from her father, King Sombra? Or a spot of praise for a lesson well learned from one of her tutors?
A little further along and she found herself outside the King's personal office, where she knew, at this time of day, he was tending to that day's paperwork. She always found it amusing that, even with a literal herd of clerks and scribes, being a ruler still meant at least 2 hours a day of paperwork for her father. Of course, without that herd of office workers, she was sure she'd never see her father. Nor would their subjects.
Which was another thing she was getting used to. Her father having willing, happy subjects. She'd never really thought about it before. Someone had to rule and that was her father. If some ponies didn't like the way he ran the kingdom, well, that was their problem. All the crystal ponies were there for was to serve her family, so they should be glad to have a purpose.
At least, that was the way she used to think. Having her flank kicked so thoroughly, then how she was treated during her incarceration afterwards started her on the path to learning a better way. Being captured by Chrysalis, then used as a living mana battery, being treated, to be honest, as her father used to treat the crystal ponies, like she was disposable? Like she was just there to be used and had no worth otherwise? She'd seen her former life in a whole new light and finally understood what Cadance and the others had tried to tell her. It had pretty much completed her journey toward reformation. She'd thought with Chrysalis' defeat, she was going to die, and she was fine with that. She saw it as a way to finally even the scales for the evil she herself had done in the other Crystal Kingdom. And that was how she now saw it - both that she was so incredibly wrong and that she was now in another world. A better world, to be honest with herself. Since she'd gotten this second chance, she'd vowed to always be as honest as possible with herself and others. So far, so good.
After a great deal of thought and very careful research, the being she called Amara (or Teleute, she still wasn't sure which), had apparently merged her with a version of herself living in this world. It was seemingly a willing merger, since she hadn't had so much as an ill thought that wasn't her own, but, in some ways, she had been waiting for the other shoe to drop. Her new attitude seemed like it was more in line with the Sorla of this world, so she(the other) was alright with herself being in charge. Or something like that. Sorla had to admit, it had caused her more than one headache trying to work through all the implications and "what-ifs". She shook her head and pushed all that back to think about later. Much later, she hoped. For now, all the . . . "native" Sorla, for lack of a better description, did was give her little prompts for things she should know, if she'd grown up here along. Names, mostly, but there had been those strong feelings of distrust for that one noble. Blushing, she remembered the feelings she'd gotten when Baron Rock Shelf's son Stone Blade had passed through the court three days ago. That had been . . . interesting. In a mortifying kind of way, considering how her father had chuckled at her reactions. And his question at dinner! She blushed even harder. Should he approach Rock Shelf about a marriage indeed!
Realizing she'd stopped walking, Sorla shook her head hard enough to resettle her mane, and breathed deeply, releasing it is a quiet sigh. She'd tried everything she could to get answers to the images her other had been playing for her, but nopony she asked, no matter how subtle or even simply outright, seem to know anything at all. The other thing anypony had said was had she asked her father?
She was out of other options, so, taking another fortifying breath, she walked over and looked into the slightly open door of her father's private office. Finding what she knew she would, the King doing the day's paperwork, she gently pushed the door open enough to step inside, then quietly approached her father's desk. Softly, she cleared her throat, waiting patiently until Sombra glanced up before saying, "Daddy, can I talk to you for a few minutes?"
Sombra looked up for a slightly longer moment before answering absently, "Just a moment, love." Then he returned to the report he was reviewing. A couple minutes later, he signed the bottom and laid it aside, then turned his full attention to the fidgeting mare in front of him. Smiling, he asked, "Now, what can I do for you, my daughter?"
Sorla started to speak, then stopped and made a small nod toward the chairs in front of Sombra’s desk. Receiving an equally small nod, she sat with a sigh and seemed to collect her thoughts. "I've been having some kind of dreams or something," she began softly. "At least, I think they're dreams. Maybe they're memories?" Sorla sounded really uncertain, then shook her head. "Anyway, I'm really young, just a foal, really, and there is someone there playing with me and taking care of me. It's a mare and I don't think she's one of the servants, because sometimes she's a unicorn and sometimes she's a pegasus, but it's always the same pony," she added, her brows draw down in confusion.
"And she doesn't look like the pictures of Mother you've shown me," she hastened to add. "She's also only in a few of these . . . dreams? Visions? Memories? Whatever." She shook her head again, mane flying a little. "It feels like I should know her, but I don't. At least, I don't think I do."
Sorla looked down, her expression one of a pony lost in thought. Unseen by her, though, Sombra's expression was one of longing mixed with regret. "Can you describe this mare, Sorla?" he asked, almost absently.
Sorla's eyes snapped to her father's face, then she nodded slowly. "A little bit, yes." She thought for a moment. "She's tall, although that could just be that I'm so small in these dreams. She's also snow white in color with the longest mane and tail I've ever seen." She stopped for a second, then added, "And I'm not sure what color they were because it always seemed to change, just like whether she's a unicorn or pegasus."
Sombra took a deep breath and released it slowly, then stood and walked over to the nearest window and stared out it sightlessly. "Do you remember anything else, Daughter?"
"No," she replied, shaking her head a little. "That's pretty much it." Her eyes narrowed as she took in her father's stance and mood. The way he looked out the window, but seemed to be looking inward more. "She's real and you know who it is, don't you Father?"
Sombra appeared to not hear her for a long moment, then, with a deep sigh, he said, "Yes, Sorla. She's real." He turned and looked his daughter in the eyes. "And yes, I do know who you are seeing in these memories, for that is what you are seeing." He turned and walked over to the nearby hearth, a fire crackling merrily inside it and sat in one of the chairs is front of it. Using his magic, he moved the one beside so they would be facing each other and indicated for Sorla to join him.
He waited until she was sitting and comfortable, then began with, "When I lost your mother, even with my new daughter, I was completely devastated. For months, nothing gave me any joy, save fleeting moments with you. Our ponies forgave me a lot during that time, as I was as close to being a tyrant as I ever want to come." Sombra stared into the fire for several minutes, then sighed.
"Six months or so after you were born, I began to accept your mother's death, though I was still a long way from being able to really remember anything but how I missed her. At first, only you could get me to smile, if only for a moment." Chuckling, he said, "You know how Grimsby thinks he's funny?" He turned and smiled at her as Sorla smiled and nodded quickly. "He actually told a few funny jokes and got me to at least smile, sometimes even chuckle!"
Sombra smiled and laughed softly, shaking his head a little in remembrance. "Anyway, it was about this time that the strangest thing happened! One of the mirrors in the throne room began to glow, as if someone had cast a spell on it. As it turns out, someone did, but nopony from this world."
Sorla suddenly felt a tingle of dread. It couldn't be!
"The mirror," Sombra continued, "was linked to another in another world. A very similar world to this one, with some startling, sometimes painful differences." He slowed his speaking to a halt, staring into the fire once more. Just as Sorla was about to speak up, Sombra gave himself a little shake and refocused on her. "Those changes are, mostly, unimportant right now. What is important is, I met one of the rulers of this other world. We could talk through the mirror, even visit each other for brief periods of time, though not for too long, lest the magic linking our world become unstable and strand whichever of us was visiting." He smiled at his daughter. "And yes, I did go there a few times, though she came here a great many more."
Sombra turned to face Sorla squarely, his expression one of total honesty and openness. "Sorla, the mare you remember was neither unicorn, nor pegasus. She was an alicorn and she was the ruler of her version of Equestria. Her name was Celestia and yes, I did begin to develop feelings for her, and she for me, when we discovered the magic in the mirrors had been taxed nearly to their limits. After one last visit so she could say goodbye to both of us, for she looked on and treated you as her own daughter, even while respecting your mother's memory, she returned to her own kingdom and sealed her mirror, even as I did the same here."
The unicorn king sighed and looked down, partially breaking the spell he'd cast with his words. "You would've been about 2 when she had to leave, so it's no surprise you don't remember much about her. Although," he smiled faintly. "At the time, you were heartbroken when 'Celly' didn't come back. Nearly inconsolable, really. Eventually, one of the nannies, Soft Heart, I believe, helped you get over her leaving. I, of course, now had somepony new to mourn, but Tia had made me promise I wouldn't fall into the same kind of depressive state I had when your mother passed and I've always done my best to honor that promise. I hope I have, at any rate."
Sombra smiled fondly as he thought about his second love. Shaking himself a little, he said, "So, I hope you understand a bit more about your dreams, now. Cherish them, my daughter, for Celestia loved you nearly as much as I do. She . . ." He noticed the lost look on the young mare's face, like she was trying hard to reconcile two completely opposite ideas, and frowned. "Sorla? Daughter, are you okay?"
Sorla barely heard him as thoughts flashed through her mind. Why didn't she say something? There was time before and certainly after my trial! Is that why she let Cadance and Twilight handle everything, because she didn't want to deal with me herself? Did she think, since I wasn't really the same pony, she had no real connection with me? Did she just not care anymore, or . . .
"Sorla!"
Sorla's eyes snapped up and focused on her father's now worried face. "Yes, Father?"
Sombra stepped up to her and gently traced a hoof down the side of her face and muzzle. "Are you alright, my daughter? You seemed to be lost in thought and those thought weren't pleasant ones." He sighed. "Please don't think, just because love found me again that I loved your mother any less! I just . . ."
"No!" Sorla explained, leaning forward and hugging her father tightly. "No, it's nothing like that. I just . . ." She stopped for a moment, then tried again. "You just told me I had basically a second mother that I barely remember, along with my birth mother I only know through stories and pictures and I just . . ." Sorla sighed heavily and shook her head. "Is it alright if I go lay down for a little while? I'd like to be alone while I sort all this out in my head." She gave him a small, hopeful smile. "Maybe later you can tell me more about Celestia's time here? Once I've gotten my head straight, I mean?"
Sombra smiled indulgently and pressed a soft kiss to Sorla's forehead. "I think I'd like that. Yes, by all means, go and rest. I'll send Willow around to let you know when dinner is ready."
Sorla smiled more fully and hugged the stallion once more, whispering, "Thank you, Daddy." in his ear before turning and walking from the room.
Sombra watched her go, staying where he was for several moments. Slowly he turned and walked over to one of the fabric drapes placed around the room and used his magic to draw it back, revealing an ornate mirror. A tendril of magic had his image blurring, then being replaced with a similar, but far differently decorated office. One with a tall, white alicorn seated at a desk, obviously doing paperwork. Seeming to realize she was under scrutiny, she looked up, directly into his eyes.
And she smiled.