A long hallway stretches out before me, the walls covered with bulletin boards, posters, or science-themed decorative art. I plod ever forward towards the door at the far end, the blinding light of the sun piercing through the windows. I pass classroom after classroom, each room willed with faceless students listening to the murmured lectures of faceless professors.
My legs feel heavy; moving each one requires an excessive amount of effort. My thoughts are hazy, leaving me unable to think about anything other than reaching the other end of the hallway. It’s funny; I don’t remember the hall being this long.
The fluorescent lights on the ceiling start to flicker, periodically plunging the entire hall into a deep darkness. With every step I take, the hall rapidly deteriorates; the art grows faded and torn, bulletin boards fall off the walls, and the posters dissolve into nothing. The lights flicker faster and more irregularly; each time they go out, the air becomes filled with choking dust.
I can see the nebulous forms of people at the other end of the hallway. I squint as bright muzzle flashes erupt from their hands, the cracking of gunfire filling the air. I can hear the indistinct shouting of men and the bestial howls emanating from the throats of those long dead.
I have to keep going. I have to reach the other end of the hall. As I stumble past the splintering barricade, a few of the voices become distinct enough to hear..
“That spell was not meant for thee!”
“Shit, hang on. I’m coming!”
“No... not me too...”
“My sister and I will be arriving in Ponyville tomorrow at dawn…”
I shudder and clap my hands to my ears and press forward, until at long last I near the door on the far end of the hallway. Yet something is wrong. The closer I get to it, the more the light of the sun dims. When I at last reach the door, nothing awaits me outside except a solid wall of rock and earth.
As I watch, the door and what lay beyond warps and dissolves, eventually forming into rusted metal bars, through which I can see an ancient stone hallway beyond. I turn around to see a dimly lit jail cell made of drab gray stone. When I look back forward and grasp the bars, I see two nebulous figures in the shape of ponies, staring at me from beyond the bars with nothing but white pinpricks of light for eyes.
“The issue has been addressed.”
I open my eyes with a start, my heart beating rapidly. The sheets stick to my skin oddly, causing me to realize a moment later that I’m sweating. Groaning softly, I shift into a sitting position and rest my head in my hands.
I have to face it; I can’t sleep. I keep tossing and turning because I can never get comfortable, and if I’m lucky enough to get a few moments of sleep, I’m woken up an hour or so later by vivid and disturbing dreams. I don’t have to be a psychologist to understand what’s going through my head.
The past few days have taken their toll on me. It’s easy enough to focus on putting one foot in front of the other during the day, but I can’t escape the reality of my situation when I’m alone at night. It’s worse than normal, due to the impending visit of the two rulers of the entire country.
A quick glance at the clock on the wall reveals that it’s a little past six in the morning. Giving up on getting any more sleep, I get out of bed, grab my clothes, and head towards the shower. It’s not quite dawn yet, but there’s no harm in taking some extra time to get ready.
The shower helps to wake me up, but it does little to calm my nerves. Knowing who I’ll be meeting, I go to the extra effort and do my best to clean every inch of my body. I’m already at a disadvantage due to the lack of any decent clothes, but I need to do everything I can to make a good first impression. It’s no exaggeration to say that my life could drastically change based on the outcome of this meeting.
Once I’m dressed, I step out into the hall to see a very disheveled Vinyl, who looks as though she’d just crawled out of bed. Her eyes are barely open, so she nearly runs right into me. It takes her a few moments for her to recognize at what she’s looking.
“Oh, you’re already awake…” Vinyl murmurs, rubbing one eye with a hoof. “Why’d I get up again…?”
“I wasn’t really sleeping anyway,” I reply, shaking my head at her half-asleep self. “Go back to sleep. I’ll just make breakfast myself.”
“You sure? I can do the...make the…” Vinyl breaks off in order to release a wide yawn, which she doesn’t even bother to cover. “...the food thing.”
“You really aren’t a morning person,” I note with some amusement after listening to her try to string two words together. She only grunts in response. “Seriously, go back to sleep.”
“Don’t mind if I do…” With that, Vinyl turns around and slowly plods back to her room, her tail trailing listlessly across the floor. Once she’s out of sight, I return to my room just long enough to grab my rifle, and then I descend the stairs.
After eating a quick sandwich, I step outside into the chilly air. Due to it being dawn, there’s no ponies in the street, and I can make my way from place to place easily. Because I’ve been to Twilight’s library multiple times now, I’ve got a good idea of where it is, so it only takes me a few minutes to reach it.
The lights are on, so Twilight must already be awake. Without wasting even a single moment, I rush up to the front door and knock, my body shivering from the cold. It doesn’t take long for Twilight to open the door. It appears that she’s been awake for a while; her appearance looks very well tended to, her mane gleaming in the light from inside.
“Good morning, Seth! I knew I could count on you to be…” Twilight greets me, but I rush inside and past her into the warmth of the library before she can finish. Her head turns to follow me as I do so, her expression perplexed. “...early. Are you alright?”
“Yeah, I’m fine. Just cold,” I answer, rubbing my skin vigorously to warm myself up. Twilight nods understandingly, and then she shuts the door and moves to join me. “It has no business being this cold.”
“The snows are coming soon, so it makes sense. Have you thought about getting some warm clothes to compensate for your lack of fur?” Twilight suggests sensibly. “This isn’t the first time I’ve seen you come in here shivering.”
“I have. This mare named Rarity is making some for me. She wouldn’t let me pay her for them, either,” I mutter with some annoyance. Twilight’s eyes widen with surprise. “What?”
“Nothing, I’m just surprised. Rarity is very generous; knowing how you are, I never thought you’d indulge her,” Twilight replies with a smile… which falters somewhat when she sees the pointed stare I give her.
“Twilight, I’ve known you for two days. You don’t ‘know how I am.’ You don’t even have the slightest clue,” I point out for her firmly, causing her to flinch. “All Rarity did was present to me a logical argument that I could accept. That’s all.”
“I’m sorry; I didn’t mean to offend you,” Twilight apologizes, taking me somewhat by surprise. “You’re right, I don’t know you anywhere near as well as I would like, but it’s not as though you’re making it easy for me, either.”
“Of course I’m not,” I respond. “I thought I made it clear that I’m not interested in friends. But you know that, remember? After all, I’m only here so you can share the results of your personal investigation.”
“I...that’s…” Twilight stammers, and then she wilts, her head lowering sadly. “Seth, I can’t do this. I’m tired of having to lie and jump through hoops just to be even a little friendly with you. Why are you like this? Why won’t you let anypony get close?”
I’ve noticed a trend ever since I arrived in Equestria. In my experience, people I snap at, for whatever reason, typically leap to the defense immediately. In some cases, that leads to name calling, the lowest form of argument. I’m told I’m guilty of this as well. But these ponies, although they can react defensively, it’s for a different reason. It’s hard to describe; most of the arguments I’ve been in have resulted in the ponies trying to figure out why I snapped. That’s the difference; they ask why. I don’t understand; if someone were to snap at me, I’d be irritated. I wouldn’t ask why. Neither has anyone that I’ve ever dealt with. That being said, what makes ponies so different?
I stare back at her, those thoughts making me unsure what to make of her. She just admitted her lie to me, albeit not specifically, but she’s not getting angry either - only depressed. I just don’t understand.
“That’s as personal as it gets,” I say with a sigh. “If you get it, please stop asking.”
“Seth, please! I just want to help you get better, but I can’t do anything if you won’t let me!” Twilight pleads, huffing somewhat with frustration.
“‘Get better?’ You say that as though I have a disease that needs to be cured,” I growl, her particular choice of words striking a nerve. It wouldn’t be the first time I’ve heard someone say something similar to me. “You and everyone else seems to think that there’s something wrong with me for thinking the way that I do. If I were to walk around blindly trusting everyone I meet, how would that be any better?”
“That’s not what I’m saying! All I mean is that…” Twilight begins, but then she cuts off, her head turning towards the door. Before I can ask why she stopped, a strange feeling comes over me.
Music: FFXV - Cosmogeny
It’s subtle, but something about the atmosphere seems to have changed. A subtle pressure descends around me like a blanket, pressing down on my skin and causing my hairs to stand on end. The feeling is soft, but the air seems to hum. It feels almost like it did in the Everfree Forest and when Sombra was standing close to me, but it doesn’t feel anywhere near as oppressive.
“What the hell…?” I emit in a low whisper, my hand moving to my rifle. From my experience, a feeling like this never precedes anything good. “Twilight, do you feel that?”
“I do. It means the princesses are here,” Twilight reveals, a smile returning to her face. My eyes widen upon hearing that, and I gulp nervously. The princesses have this kind of presence!? “Come on, let’s go to meet them. We’ll continue this conversation later.”
“No, we won’t. But I suppose we shouldn’t keep them waiting. Lead the way,” I reply, gesturing for her to go ahead. Twilight gives me a look, but chooses not to argue further. She heads towards the door, opening with her magic and stepping through with me close behind her. “How will they be arriving?”
“Whenever the princesses visit, they typically arrive in their chariots. Take a look!” Twilight answers, pointing a hoof at the skyline opposite the front door of her library. I follow her hoof, and sure enough, something is approaching high above the town from the direction of the mountain in the distance. “Oh, I can’t wait!”
As it gets closer, I’m able to to make out at what precisely I’m looking. Two large chariots fly towards us, each one pulled by a team of armored pegasi about eight strong. The two chariots differ from one another in both style and colors, as do the ones pulling them. One chariot is little more than a golden platform with a raised violet tail board to prevent its occupant from flying out. The tail board is tipped by a similarly colored flag decorated with the Equestrian royal seal. To top it all off, the pegasi pulling the chariot are armored in gold and wearing plumed helmets that look almost romanesque in design.
The second, dark violet chariot appears vastly different than the other, consisting of a long and sleeker body design with a backwards curving tail board and metallic bat wings extending back from the side rails. The pegasi pulling the chariot, unlike the others, are dark coated and almost blend into the night sky. They wear armor similar in color to the chariot itself, with helmets plumed by a metal fin resembling a bat’s wing and a single blue eye emblazoned on their chest plates.
The chariots wheel around and dip lower, likely intending to use the road in front of the library as a landing strip. I watch as they descend, landing on the ground with barely a sound - a testament to the skill of the fliers. They continue to run, gradually slowing their pace as they do so. As they get closer, I can better see the occupants of the chariots… and they take my breath away.
I’ve seen plenty of ponies since I came to ponyville. I’ve seen various shapes, sizes, and colors from them, so one wouldn’t blame me for thinking I’ve seen them all. However, I would be very wrong. The two princesses are gigantic compared to the average pony, appearing to be closer in size to actual horses rather than ponies. However, that’s not all that’s unique about them.
The one in the golden chariot possesses a pure white coat, and unlike the typical pony, she possesses both a long sharp horn and a pair of sizable wings. I’ve seen normal ponies, pegasi, and unicorns, but never a combination of the three like this. According to mythology, that makes her an alicorn.
Her mane and tail are long and flowing, each colored four different shades: pale blue, magenta, pale green, and pale violet. As I watch, her mane undulates and flows as if it were flying in an unseen breeze. To top off her already regal appearance, she’s wearing a golden neckpiece and a similarly colored crown, each one set with a diamond-shaped violet gemstone. In addition, she’s wearing a golden shoe on each of her hooves; unlike the standard horseshoe, these flow up around her fetlocks in an ornate design as though they were designed for her specifically.
The second princess, who is also an alicorn, is significantly darker than the other, her coat a shade of midnight blue. I can best describe her mane and tail as being slices of pure night, complete with points of light resembling stars twinkling from within. Like the other princess, it too flows through the air in a non-existent breeze.
Given their appearances as well as the themes of their chariots, I can only guess that the white alicorn is Princess Celestia, and the blue alicorn is Princess Luna. Both of them have been watching me carefully ever since they caught sight of me.
Well, this is them. The two princesses that hold the power to decide my fate. Counting them as well as their guards, that makes eighteen in total. If they want to arrest me, I won’t be able to stop them - plain and simple. I try to gauge their expressions; I can’t tell what Celestia is thinking due to her guarded expression, but Luna is much easier to read; she’s staring at me with evident suspicion.
“Princess Celestia!” Unable to contain her excitement any longer, Twilight rushes past me with a happy cry, heading directly towards the white alicorn. A warm smile breaks through Celestia’s neutral expression as she steps down from the chariot and walks forward to meet with her student. “It’s so good to see you!”
“I agree, my dearest student. It has been too long since I have had an excuse to visit Ponyville,” Celestia responds in a mature, motherly voice. She cranes her head down to nuzzle Twilight with clear affection. She winks, a twinkle of good humor entering her voice. “It is nice to visit every once in a while without the shadow of a threat hanging over our heads.”
“That remains to be seen, sister,” Luna interjects, her voice sounding much sterner than Celestia. I don’t miss the glare she sends my way after saying that. Despite the cold, I can feel myself sweat beneath her gaze. With just that one line, Luna made it very clear that she views me as a possible threat. This is further cemented by her next order. “Guards, establish a perimeter around the library.”
“That will not be necessary, Luna. It is best we refrain from such hasty actions,” Celestia countermands her sister’s order immediately, much to Luna’s annoyance. The lunar guards wisely choose not to move in response to either order.
At long last, Celestia turns towards me. I tense up as her magenta eyes meet my own. She appears calm and her expression is neutral, but it’s difficult for me to bear the weight of her gaze. It feels almost as if she can see right through me to the deepest reaches of my soul. In the end, I can’t take it and avert my eyes.
I’m beginning to feel like a cornered animal. I can tell that just from the pressure in the air that I’m dealing with someone special. I can’t help but feel that even if I were to try to resist, she would overpower me in an instant. Between the princesses and the guards, I’m ultimately at their mercy, and I hate it.
“You must be the one I have heard so much about. Seth Rogers, was it?” Celestia finally speaks to me directly, the alicorn stepping delicately towards me. I have to resist the urge to step back, even as she comes right up to me. She stands just as tall as I do, her eyes directly level with mine. She dips her head politely. “I must say, it is quite the honor to meet one of our precursors. I am Princess Celestia, sovereign ruler of Equestria alongside my sister.”
“And we are Princess Luna,” Luna adds, joining Celestia in standing in front of me. She’s shorter than Celestia, but she’s still tall enough to stand nearly head to head with me. I also note that she referred to herself in the plural tense in true sovereign fashion. “Do not make any sudden moves, human.”
“What the hell do you expect me to do?” I can’t hold myself back anymore. A combination of the fear and unease that I’ve been feeling along with Luna’s confrontational attitude caused me to snap before I can stop myself. “It’s not like I’m stupid enough to attack you; you brought nearly a score of soldiers with you!”
“Seth!” Twilight hisses at me warningly, but it’s too late. Luna’s eyes narrow, clearly incensed by my words. However, Celestia doesn’t give things a chance to escalate.
“Peace, both of you. This is not meant to be a confrontational visit,” Celestia interjects, placing a hoof on her sister’s breastplate. “I know how you feel, sister, Seth is a visitor to our land. I for one, intend to treat him with all the courtesy befitting that of a guest.”
“At least one of you does,” I mutter, trembling somewhat at how close I’d come to pissing off one of the two princesses. Despite my nervousness, however, I have no doubt that they’ll walk all over me if I let them. “That sounds good and all, but why did you come here to see me personally? Forgive me if the sight of all these soldiers does little to assure me of your ‘peaceful intentions.’”
“Of course, I apologize if we have made you anxious in any way,” Celestia replies with an understanding nod. Her words are polite and reasonable and she appears to be more level-headed than her sister, but my worries aren’t lessened in the slightest. “Before we get to the purpose of this meeting, shall we relocate to someplace more comfortable? Twilight?”
“Of course, Princess! My library is always open to you. Let’s go inside where it’s warm,” Twilight offers, telekinetically opening the door to her library. She steps inside first and beckons to us with her head. That sounds like the best idea I’ve heard all morning.
“Guards; remain on standby until our return,” Luna orders as the three of us follow Twilight inside the library. Once we’re inside, Twilight shuts the door behind us and then leads us to a group of four cushions arranged in a circle in the middle of the room. We each pick one of the cushions and take a seat.
“Now then, shall we begin?” Celestia begins, returning her gaze to me. Much to my surprise, a smile forms on her face. “Welcome to Equestria, Seth. Do you mind if I call you Seth?”
“I prefer it,” I reply awkwardly, unsure how to respond to her friendly and informal welcome.
“Thank you. Now, I am sure you must have many questions. Feel free to ask us anything that you would like to know,” Celestia continues.
“Wait, what? You’re going to let me start? I thought you were coming here for something serious; not for me to play twenty questions with you,” I query, utterly perplexed.
“There are other issues that we must discuss, it is true. However, I am not blinded to your situation either. To my understanding, you are the first human to appear in Equestria for over three millennia, and it was not by choice or with prior knowledge. I can only imagine how disoriented and confused you must feel,” Celestia reveals, accurately describing my current situation. “I would be more than happy to help alleviate any of your concerns.”
“That’s…” I spent most of last night thinking about how this meeting could potentially turn out. I processed scores of different scenarios, but none of them were even close to what is occurring now. I don’t know how to respond to this. “...not what I expected from you at all.”
“And just what did you expect?” Luna enters the conversation at last, the princess gazing at me with an accusatory glint in her eyes.
“At best, to be arrested and carted off to your dungeons for your scientists and such to poke and prod at. At worst...well...I wasn’t sure if I could expect to walk out of here.” I decide to be honest and blunt to see how the two of them would react.
“Absolutely not,” Celestia rejects, appearing appalled. “I can only assume you draw these conclusions from experience with or hearsay on leadership in your own era. Putting that aside, you are a newcomer to Equestria, and as its sovereigns, we only wish to help you feel welcome. I did my best to express that in the letter I sent yesterday evening.”
“You did, but I didn’t believe you. I’m still not sure I do,” I admit, crossing my arms.
“How dare you insinuate that our sister would lie?!” Luna snaps, her voice rising to an unnatural level. I’m taken aback by how much power is behind her voice. Even Twilight ducks down and covers her ears.
“See what I mean? You talk a good game, but your sister looks ready to take my head off at any given moment.” As unsettling as that was, I do my best to ignore Luna and focus on Celestia.
“Please, you must forgive her. She does not entirely trust your species,” Celestia explains apologetically. She gives Luna a telling glance afterwards, resulting in the shorter princess huffing.
“How can we? We have studied your literature and archaeology; your species has shown nothing but a propensity for war, death, and other such atrocities! We trust you no more than we would trust Discord!” Luna points out defensively.
“I can’t blame you,” I reply with a sigh, my agreement taking both princesses by surprise. If they’ve read our literature, there’s no hiding our violent nature. “Humanity has been invading and killing each other since the dawn of time. I certainly wouldn’t trust another human.”
“You admit your untrustworthiness freely?” Luna asks, her brow wrinkling with suspicion.
“No, I’m merely acknowledging what you’ve studied. The fact is, you know nothing about me, and I know nothing about you. Honestly, if you didn’t show some level of suspicion, you would have to be desperately naive,” I counter her with a shrug. Celestia’s ears twitch, her smile fading away. “Therefore, I trust you about as much as you trust me.”
“It appears Twilight was right about your cynicism, Seth,” Celestia observes, rejoining the conversation. “To one such as you, my approach may indeed seem naive. However, if there’s anything I’ve learned from my long years of life, it’s that one cannot judge another by their species, or even by the actions of their ancestors. Everyone deserves a chance, no matter who they are.”
“Long years of life? What are you talking about? You don’t look old in the slightest,” I retort. I don’t know how to judge a pony’s age by looking at them, but I can tell if a pony is old. I’ve seen Granny Smith, and that was a line I’d expect to hear from one of her age.
“Oh! Well, I appreciate that,” Celestia chuckles in response. “However, my sister and I are rather unique, compared to the average pony. We have been in power ever since Discord’s initial defeat over a millennia ago.”
It takes a moment for that number to sink in.
“What?” is all I can say at first. My eyes widen when I start to grasp the implications. I can hardly fathom the fact that I as a human could potentially live to a hundred years; the idea of someone living for over a thousand years is… I can’t even comprehend that. “You’re kidding. You’re telling me you’re immortal?”
“In a manner of speaking, yes. At the very least, the passing of time has had no effect on us ever since we reached maturity,” Celestia answers.
“You’ve been ruling Equestria for over a thousand years?” I ask incredulously. I receive a solemn nod from Celestia in response.
This is very hard to believe. Not only is Equestria a land of magical ponies, but it’s a land ruled by two immortal princesses. As ridiculous as that sounds, the pieces start to fall into place. If the princesses were alive this long, it would make sense how their names have been adopted into everyday expressions. It also explains how Celestia’s visage is present on the country’s currency, as well as the fact that they seem to be almost worshipped.
“That’s certainly...something.” That is an understatement. That admission threw me for a loop. This world gets stranger and stranger with every passing moment. “Alright, I’ll acknowledge your experience. But in the end this really changes nothing. Whether or not you’re willing to trust me, I don’t trust so easily, and neither does your sister, it seems.”
“That is quite alright; I appreciate your honesty,” Celestia acknowledges with a dip of her head. “All I ask for is the opportunity to earn your trust.”
I stare back at her, finding it difficult to get a read on her. Her words seem sincere, but there could be any number of reasons that she’d want me on her good side. She is royalty, after all, so this meeting could mean a lot for her. My gut instinct is to err on the side of caution and assume she has some other motive behind this supposed kindness, but there’s something about her and the way she conducts herself that leaves me guessing.
“Well then, if you want to help me so much; you said you’d answer any of my questions?” If she is telling the truth and she won’t hinder my quest, then there’s only one question that I need to ask. When Celestia nods, I continue. “Where can I find King Sombra?”
“So it is true,” Luna responds, her expression darkening. She and Celestia exchange glances. “He does have some knowledge about our old enemy.”
“Indeed. Perhaps it is best if we cut to the heart of the matter,” Celestia concurs. For the first time, I start to feel as though I’m finally back on track. Judging from Luna’s response alone, they possess the knowledge I’ve been seeking for days. “I will honor my word and answer your question, but first, would you mind telling us more about your experience with him? It is to my understanding that he is the reason you are here.”
“‘Old enemy?’ So this is the reason you’re here, then,” I observe.
“In part. It was the reason for the expedience,” Celestia admits. “Rest assured, I was intending to meet you regardless.”
“If you’re willing to tell me what I want to know, I guess I’m grateful for said expedience,” I reply. Sighing, I allow myself to recall what happened on that day three thousand years ago. “To answer your question, it happened back in my time. It was just a normal day until I met Sombra in the stairwell of the school I studied at. He seemed to be preparing some kind of spell, and by accident, I interrupted it and became its target. He seemed angry, but after deciding that I was apparently what he was looking for, he left. Not long after that, I passed out and woke up in this timeline with literally everything trying to kill me.”
“I actually have a theory about that spell,” Twilight enters the conversation for the first time, gaining our attention. “Time travel is an exceedingly difficult spell. Not only does it require an extremely delicate control of one’s own mana, but also a thorough understanding of theoretical and quantum physics. As far as we know, only one pony has ever succeeded in creating such a spell.”
“Starswirl the Bearded,” Celestia affirms, nodding in agreement. “Do you mean to imply that King Sombra somehow gained knowledge of his work?”
“That would be impossible. The only known copy of that spell is locked away in our royal archives,” Luna rejects with a shake of her head. “We tended to those wards ourselves.”
“The only known copy,” Celestia corrects her. “We cannot rule out the possibility.”
“I don’t know anything about King Sombra, but it would take generations to create a spell so refined from scratch,” Twilight conjectures. “It’s the only way I can think of. However, I don’t understand how he circumvented the mana expenditure and upkeep. He would need an exorbitant amount of mana just to travel that far back in time, much less remain.”
“Yet, I am inclined to agree with you. If I remember correctly, there is a noticeable disconnect between time spent in the past and time absent from the present,” Celestia recalls. Despite the fact that none of this is relevant to my ultimate question, I can’t help but listen with interest. “During its experimentation phase, it was first assumed that only a moment would pass in the present, no matter how long the user spent in the past. However, this is not the case. While it is true that less time passes in the present than is spent in the past, this gap widens the longer the user spends in the past. Sister, do you see where I am going with this?”
“I do. The evidence fits the theory,” Luna admits. She turns her gaze back to me. “I suppose I will believe your story. There was a time where King Sombra and several of his soldiers and generals inexplicably went missing for a full week before our final confrontation with him. If what you are saying is true, then his absence is because of his presence in your era.”
“Did you say ‘confrontation?’ Just who is this King Sombra?” Twilight asks the two princesses curiously. I lean forward, anxious to hear the answer as well. Celestia looks to Luna, and then back to us, a grim expression crossing her face.
“To explain fully, it would be best if I started from the very beginning,” Celestia decides. Her horn lights up with a golden aura, and a small pink crystal emerges from her mane. She sets it down on the floor in the middle of our circle. “Over a millenia ago, there once existed a kingdom in the Frozen North known as the Crystal Empire.”
“I knew it!” Twilight suddenly exclaims. When the princesses look at her, she quails and chuckles sheepishly. “I mean...um...please continue.”
Celestia’s horn lights up once again, a thin beam of golden light emerging from the tip and striking the crystal. The crystal lights up, and as I watch in awe, it emits rays of cyan light that form into a scaled holographic image of an enormous city consisting of various buildings built in a circular pattern around one gigantic central tower. The buildings and tower all seem to be constructed of some kind of crystalline material, adhering to the theme of the empire. Pony civilization or not, the city is a wonder to behold.
“The magic of the Crystal Empire was great indeed; not only did it stave away the frigid temperatures and vicious wintry storms of the north, but it also resulted in crystals growing from the ground as easily as crops. Even the resident ponies themselves adopted a crystalline appearance,” Celestia describes the empire with a wistful tone. Her tale seems completely fantastic and difficult to believe right off of the bat, but Twilight is eating it right up, scribbling down as much as she can into a notepad. “Not only that, but the magic of the Crystal Heart, the embodiment of the hope and love of the citizens, was strong enough to blanket all of Equestria with an aura of positivity, enriching the land and lifting spirits for miles around.”
The hologram zooms in into the city streets, giving me a level of detail and field of view that makes me feel as though I’m actually there, flying through the city. We fly beneath the base of the tower, where a glowing crystalline heart rotates slowly in a complicated crystal apparatus.
“Under the leadership of Princess Amore, the Crystal Empire enjoyed a long period of peace and prosperity, trading their home-grown crystals with other kingdoms for resources they did not possess. Their culture was rich and their history was long, allowing them to bring in a healthy flow of tourism from the surrounding kingdoms. Even Equestria itself was on good terms with the Crystal Empire; Princess Amore always was a good friend of ours.”
“Unfortunately, this all came to an end when Sombra appeared,” Celestia continues sadly. The hologram pans up and away from the city, flying several miles through the frozen wasteland until it settled upon an icy clifftop. Atop the cliff stood a dark figure at the head of a colossal army. As the hologram flies us in closer, I recognize the figure immediately, despite how different he looks.
“That’s him. There’s no doubt about it,” I confirm. Sombra appears just as I remember him complete with his armor, flowing cape, and crown… albeit with one difference. In this hologram he appears as a unicorn with a vicious crimson horn sharpened to a lethal point. Just seeing him again causes a familiar rage to surface in me.
I recoil when I take a second look at the army behind him. Although there are some live ponies behind him, most of his army appear to be long dead members of various species. I see ponies with their skin rotting and sagging, others with their bones showing through, and some appearing completely skeletal. There are also what look like wild animals such as bears, tigers, and birds of prey. Nothing with that degree of decomposition could be alive, yet I see them clearly moving as if they were. There’s only one word to describe them: undead. Even Twilight gasps at their horrifying visages.
Additionally, two ponies stood on the clifftop a few feet behind Sombra. They consisted of a tannish orange pegasus with a dark mane, and a bespectacled dark-furred unicorn. From their stature, it was clear that they possessed some authority.
“There’s no clear records of Sombra’s origin; some claim him to be the progeny of an ancient race long since sealed away, while others believe him to be a former citizen of the empire. All we know is that one day, he appeared at the head of a massive army, possessing an enormous magical strength and ruthlessness to match. His lust for power and his desire for retribution against Princess Amore led him to invade the empire with everything he had.”
The hologram shifts yet again, panning back over to the Crystal Empire once more. However, the city looks vastly different than it first appeared. Unlike the glittering and graceful structures from before, in their place stood a city that was black and twisted. The crystal structures were now blackened and decorated with jagged spikes, and the tower itself appears as a spire of darkness, corrupted by Sombra’s foul magic.
“It was over in a single day. Sombra’s power was unreal, and not even Princess Amore could halt his advance. In the end, she and her army were defeated, and Sombra usurped her position and declared himself King of the Crystal Empire. Those that did not pledge themselves to his service were enslaved or killed, and the once proud empire became a shriveled husk of what it used to be, occupied only by evil,” Celestia finishes. The light from her horn dims, and the hologram dissipates. “That is King Sombra. That is the one you encountered.”
I sit there quietly for several moments, committing what I’d just heard to memory. It seems as though pursuing Sombra will be much more difficult than I initially expected. I knew he was strong, but he’ll be incredibly difficult to touch if he rules an empire of that size. Nevertheless, I know everything there is to know about him now, as well as where to find him. I’ve accomplished everything I’ve set out to do in Ponyville. My time here will soon come to an end.
“That’s...that’s horrible! Seth told me that he was a monster, but to kill and enslave all of those poor ponies...he belongs in Tartarus!” Twilight expresses fervently, her notepad laying forgotten in the wake of her newfound devastation. “Princess, why did you keep his existence a secret? If he’s still out there, he has to be stopped!”
“There is more to it than that. Before I answer, however, there is something I must ask Seth,” Celestia turns her attention to me, her expression grave and her gaze piercing. “What is it you intend to do if you find him?”
“I’m going to put him through every inch of the pain and suffering he inflicted upon me,” I answer with a growl, my hand tightening around my rifle. Twilight looks at me in horror, Luna looks at me with a guarded expression, while Celestia just releases a soft sigh. “Then I’m going to bring an end to his reign… permanently.”
“Seth! I know you said you had grievances, but don’t you think that’s taking it too far?” Twilight immediately protests. “I agree he has to be stopped, but…”
“Twilight, do you know what happened to the human race?” I interrupt her in a dangerously calm voice. Twilight blinks at the sudden change in topic. “Do any of you know?”
“Unfortunately we do not. Although there are plenty of theories as to why our precursors vanished, there was not much left in the way of records left behind,” Celestia replies with uncertainty.
“The most popular theory is overpopulation or exhaustion of resources,” Twilight adds, producing a separate notepad containing what’s most likely her notes on the subject. “This theory is supported by the several underground bunkers we’ve discovered in which a great deal of humans appear to have once taken residence.”
“Tis far more likely they simply self-destructed. Considering their history, this would not surprise me,” Luna snorts, shaking her head at Twilight’s theory. Honestly, if I didn’t know better, both of those theories I wouldn’t have trouble believing. In my era, I would hear of shortages of resources here and there, and there were always articles over how our population was growing too fast. Additionally, considering the political climate at the time, it wouldn’t be much of a stretch to consider self-destruction either.
“Seth, do you know something?” Celestia presses in a soft voice. Judging by the way she’s looking at me, I think she knows what I’m about to reveal.
“Sombra murdered every single damn one of them, down to the last man, woman, and child,” I answer simply. Twilight gasps, distraught, while Luna lifts a hoof to her mouth in shock. Only Celestia doesn’t appear surprised, the princess lowering her head with a look of deep sadness on her face. “There’s nobody left. It’s just me.”
“We are… sorry that you had to endure such tragedy,” Luna chokes out, despite her earlier distrust of me.
“I...I don’t know what to say,” Twilight says weakly, looking at me with liquid eyes. Understanding suddenly dawns in her eyes, and she looks at me in a new light. “I think I understand. Is that why you won’t let anypony close?”
“Are you serious?” I snap at her, suddenly irritated. “What does it matter? Nobody asked you to draw conclusions about the way I act, and I certainly don’t need your understanding.”
“That’s not what I...I’m just...I’m sorry,” Twilight murmurs after a short pause. She hangs her head, sniffling somewhat. She takes a moment to wipe her eyes with a hoof.
“Seth.” Celestia once again calls for my attention, the princess watching me solemnly with veiled worry in her eyes. “Is vengeance truly your goal?”
“It is,” I confirm, equally as seriously. “I will be leaving Ponyville and headed north as soon as I’ve gathered the supplies I need. You promised you would not hinder me, remember?”
“I did, and I intend to keep my word. However, there is something you must know first,” Celestia asserts. Rather than clarifying further, she turns to address Twilight and Luna. “I would like to speak with Seth privately. I hope you don’t mind. What comes next I believe he would not want others to witness.”
“What are you talking about?” I demand, a feeling of dread seeping into my body. Twilight and Luna both look at one another, perplexed, but in the end they both rise from their cushions and make their way towards the stairs in the back.
“Very well, we trust your judgment. We shall wait upstairs for you to finish your discourse,” Luna says obligingly. She gives me one last look, and then she ushers Twilight towards the stairs. “We trust you won’t mind if we answer Twilight’s questions?”
“Not at all. Thank you for understanding,” Celestia replies gratefully. She remains still until Luna and Twilight are both out of the room, and then she taps her horn briefly against the horse head statue on the table. For a brief moment, the ambient sound of the room is distorted. Noticing my confusion, she explains. “I have just cast a spell to dampen any sound waves that attempt to pass beyond a certain radius around this statue.”
“Why is that necessary?” I ask hesitantly. “What is it that you don’t want Luna or Twilight hearing?”
“Nothing, if I’m being entirely honest. The privacy is more for your sake rather than theirs,” Celestia answers enigmatically. “Seth, I would like you to listen very carefully to what I have to say.”
“Go ahead then,” I supply, the feeling of dread only intensifying.
“I will be blunt. I would like you to abandon your plans for vengeance,” Celestia tells me seriously.
“That’s not going to happen,” I respond instantly, a surge of anger coloring my tone. “I can’t believe you’d even say that. Didn’t you promise me that you wouldn’t hinder me?”
“I did promise, and I intend to honor that. Please, just hear me out,” Celestia responds. “I am sorry to say this, but your quest will not provide you with the satisfaction you seek. Only pain waits for you at the end of that road.”
“If you think that’s going to be enough to stop me, you’re wrong,” I return, my voice slowly starting to rise. “Unless you plan to arrest me, you may as well save your breath. There isn’t a damn thing that’ll keep me from going after him.”
“As I said, I do not intend to arrest you. I only wish to give you advice from the perspective of one who understands how you feel,” Celestia corrects me gently. Despite the reassuring tone in her voice, her words have the opposite effect on me.
“How dare you!? You think you know how I feel!?” I snap back with incredulity, sitting up straight and glaring back at her. “Last I checked, you aren’t the last of your race! Last I checked, your race wasn’t wiped out by a tyrannical madman! How could you possibly understand how I feel!?”
Celestia only gazes at me sadly, not even flinching in the wake of my vehement outburst. When I finish, she looks at me dead in the eye.
“Forgive me for my boldness, but I don’t believe this is about your race,” Celestia deduces softly. My counterargument freezes in my throat, my mouth opening wordlessly. I want to protest, but I can’t escape the piercing magenta of her eyes. She gives a small nod, knowing without me having to say anything that she’s right.
“How...how could you know that?” I ask in a hollow voice. “I never said...I...”
“I can learn a lot about someone, simply from a normal conversation. First, you agreed with Luna about the violent nature of your species without even trying to defend yourself. That was the greatest indicator. Your cynicism was my next clue; one’s outlook on life is influenced by their surroundings. You assumed I would arrest or harm you despite my assurances to the contrary, and then accused me of being naive for my kindness. Thus, I deduced that you distrust and think poorly of your race,” Celestia explains, every word causing my shock and disbelief to grow. “Why then, would someone like you be so intent on vengeance for those whom you disliked? I can only assume that someone you knew was harmed...someone very close to you.”
I remain silent, unable to dispute any of her claims. I don’t understand how she can summarize my feelings and my motivation so easily just from one simple conversation. I can’t help but feel vulnerable; everything I’ve tried to hide from these ponies has been laid bare before me.
“Seth. Believe me when I say that killing Sombra will not bring you solace. It will not bring you closure, nor will it bring back those whom you lost,” Celestia continues, never taking her eyes off of mine for an instant. “In the end, the only one hurt will be you.
Celestia falls silent then, giving me time to sort out the mess of thoughts in my head. It’s not as though I’ve never heard a lesson like this before. Everyone is familiar with Confucius’s words: Before you embark on a journey of revenge, dig two graves. Yet, I’ve never really paid much attention to it, as it has never really applied to me. It’s surreal to hear a similar saying from the pony princess before me.
She’s right, of course. It doesn’t matter if I kill Sombra; it won’t change the fact that my family and Amaryllis are dead. It won’t change anything for the mutilated corpse that was the niece I’ve never met. I’m not even certain I’ll be able to kill Sombra when I find him. There is every indication that my quest will end with my death. Should I succeed, all I’ll have for my troubles is a pair of bloodstained hands and the weight of a life upon my shoulders.
...I’m prepared to deal with that.
“You may be right. But you didn’t see the bodies of those who fell in the fight against Sombra. You didn’t see his undead ripping them to shreds, or reconstructing them into his own image. You didn’t see the animated corpse of one that I might have one day called ‘family,’” I finally answer, firmly set into the decision I’ve just made. “No matter the hardships I must face or the suffering I must endure; I will take him down, or I will die trying.”
“I understand. I see now that I can’t dissuade you.” Celestia replies after a long pause. She heaves a sad sigh, shaking her head. “I had hoped you would decide to give up on your own.”
“What are you talking about?” I say sharply, not liking the implications behind that statement. “What do you plan to do if I don’t give up?”
“It seems I must tell you the truth about King Sombra’s ultimate fate,” Celestia begins. The implications behind that cause my blood to run cold. That can’t mean what I think it means...
“No…” I emit, my hands clenching into fists. “Don’t tell me…”
“Luna and I eventually learned of his cruelty and led an invasion on the kingdom ourselves. Together, we crushed his army and confronted him at the top of the tower, where we ultimately defeated him. King Sombra is no more,” Celestia reveals solemnly, her words confirming my worst fears.
“No...no...no no no no no! This isn’t fair!” Unable to restrain myself, I rise from the cushion and lash out at the nearest solid object, which happens to be the horse head statue on the table. The statue hits the ground with a thud, even as I feel the skin splitting on my knuckles painfully. “Then what have I been doing all this time!? Was I just wasting my time!? Was it all just pointless!?”
“Seth…” Celestia tries to say, but I don’t let her.
“Shut up! I don’t want to hear your fucking platitudes!” I shout at her, my voice straining from the amount of force I put behind it. To her credit, Celestia doesn’t flinch. My rage grows and grows, all of it directed at Celestia. “Sombra was mine to kill! How dare you and your bitch of a sister take that from me!?”
Celestia remains completely silent, despite my insulting words. I know that what I’m saying is going too far, but I can’t take it back. I don’t want to take it back. The strange pressure resurfaces in the middle of my chest with a vengeance, feeling almost as if it were pulsating and pressing against my chest.
“Was it fun to watch the human struggle!? Were you both just sitting there, laughing at me!? Everyone loves and worships you, but you’re sadistic! Do you even know what I went through to get this far!?” My rage continues to build, my throat burning with exertion. As I continue to yell, I get closer and closer to the princess. “I nearly died! I nearly went the same way as the rest of my race! And now you tell me that I can’t even avenge my family!? That was...all I had left!”
When I reach Celestia, my arm winds back, my hand clenched into a fist. Just as I swing forward, I recognize what I’m about to do and halt myself before I can get any further. Blood drips to the floor from my fist where my nails dig into my palm. I remain still, panting heavily. Celestia clearly sees what I was about to do, but she doesn’t appear to be making any attempts to defend herself. All she does is look at me with that same mournful expression.
“What...What am I supposed to do now?” When I next speak, my voice sounds hoarse and defeated. Everything I’ve done up to this point has all been for this one singular goal; a goal I can no longer accomplish.
“If I were your family, I would want nothing more than for you to be alive and happy. You’re more than welcome to continue living in Ponyville; Take some time to think and heal, and try to make some friends,” Celestia suggests with a small smile. “Twilight can be overbearing, but she and her friends are genuinely good ponies. I believe that you could…”
“You’ve got to be joking,” I snap immediately, cutting her off. “You steal my revenge from me, and all you can say is ‘make some friends?’ Don’t make me laugh!”
“Give them a chance. I understand how you feel, but having friends may help to ease the pain of loss,” Celestia insists. Her horn lights up once again, lifting the horse head statue back into place atop the table. Next, she turns towards me, a stream of golden light dancing across my injured hand before I can stop her. As I watch, the wounds slowly close up and disappear, leaving my hand unmarked and healthy. “Like I said, take some time for yourself. I’m sure that as strong as you are, you’ll be able to push beyond it.”
I scoff at that, my earlier rage steadily fading away to be replaced by a feeling of emptiness and hopelessness. There are so many thoughts and emotions rushing through me, but all I can say is, “Whatever. Are we done here?”
“I believe we are. I am sorry to bear such news, Seth,” Celestia answers apologetically. She frowns when I don’t respond, or even look at her, my gaze falling listlessly to the floor. “If you are ready, I shall call the others in so we can wrap up this meeting.”
I don’t say a word as Celestia cancels the muffling spell and heads to let the others know of the end of our conversation. I press a hand to my chest, feeling as though there were a massive hole there whose presence I’d been covering up with my need for revenge. It pains me more than I can bear; all I want to do is curl up and cry.
My one goal, my reason to go on...is gone.