//------------------------------//
// Where There's Light, There's Darkness 
// Story: Shattered Glass 
// by Eric Michael Kline 
//------------------------------//


CHAPTER 1

WHERE THERE'S LIGHT, THERE'S DARKNESS

=Equestria Prime=


3 AM in Canterlot was always quiet. In all the streets, the only ponies to be seen were the watch and the occasional street sweeper. Even in Canterlot Castle, home to the Royal Pony Sisters and the very heart of Equestria, only guards and the nocturnal denizens of the royal gardens were out and about at this hour. That was why he chose this particular time to make his move.

Moving from one shadow to the other, never venturing into the open for more than a moment at a time, a dark form made its way across the Castle's outer grounds towards the main gate. He moved without sound or presence, simply bending his form around any obstacles in his way be it a rock, bush, or even a tuft of grass. Upon reaching the moat, he slipped under the drawbridge, clinging to its underside as he slunk his way across and into the shadows of the courtyard. While his diminished form was greatly lacking in the magnificent power he once wielded, it was most useful in situations where stealth was required. And with his strength greatly reduced, it would enable him to do something even Celestia herself was unable to do.

It had been six weeks since the disturbance. Six long weeks since the shattering of the sky had called to him from his exile in the Frozen North. What had caused such a thing? And why had he sensed a power not to dissimilar from his own within it? He left in search of answers and while no physical clue remained after the rift had healed; Celestia's little apprentice and her five friends had been most generous with their information. In the first few weeks it was all they could talk about with each other. Spying on them however was not without its risks. He had almost been discovered twice. First by that runt of a dragon. Then again by those three brats while stalking the farmmare. Luckily his biggest concern, Celestia's apprentice, remained oblivious to his presence; completely overwhelmed by what had occurred and her upcoming role in Equestria's much vaulted Summer Sun Celebration. Thanks to their gossiping with each other, he now had everything he needed to obtain his goal.

And he had to do so tonight. In the midst of preparing for the festival, the castle was in a state of complete disarray. He would never get another opportunity like this again and he had to move fast. Though the castle grounds were brightly lit, making covert movement difficult, there were still shadows to provide him with enough hiding places to avoid the guards. Wherever there was light, darkness of some form was inevitable. It was the great truth of the universe which Celestia, in her arrogance, had either forgotten or ignored. But she would learn soon enough. Oh yes, she most definitely would.

At last, after what seemed like an eternity of moving at a pace that tried even his patience, he arrived at the castle keep. But before he could climb it there was one last obstacle to be cleared. Peering around the keep's edge, he focussed on a tower at the far edge of the castle. At that tower's top was a balcony upon which stood Luna, Princess of the Night and younger sister of Celestia. As he had hoped, Luna was monitoring the edges of Equestria through a telescope, so intent on watching for oncoming threats in the distance that she failed to notice the real danger moving right under her snout. Nor would she until it was too late.

Now that he knew the way was clear, he retreated to the dark side of the keep and began to ascend its wall until he finally reached the top. Peering in through a window; he saw a sumptuous bedroom with lush purple carpets, silken tapestries adorning the walls, mahogany furniture, and a porcelain pond in the floor's center. And on the pond's far side was a great rounded bed upon which lay Celestia, Princess of the Sun and sovereign of Equestria, who seemed to be having anything but pleasant dreams at the moment. She shifted and whimpered on the mattress, occasionally letting a whispered sob break free of her lips. Beside her bed was placed a bird stand upon which perched a sleeping phoenix and the shadow cursed to himself. He hadn't anticipated this. He'd have to find someway to lure it away before he could make his move. He considered his options and decided that a glamor was the only choice. It was a dangerous risk for sure. He knew that if Celestia sensed his magic and awakened that he would be no match for her in his current state. But the prize he sought was more than worth it. With a hissing breath, a purple trail of smoke blew out of his mouth and seeped through an opening in the window, gliding across the room to attach itself to the bird's closed eyes, waking it instantly. The enchantment he had placed upon it was one that made its victim see the one thing it desired most in the world. And whatever that was for a phoenix, it quickly spread its wings and flew out the balcony door into the distance, leaving him alone with its master. Flowing like oily water through the same gap in the window that he had sent his spell through, he took a quick look around and finally saw what he had come for. Before that however, there was something about Celestia that had caught his interest and he moved forward for a closer look.

Indeed, few could say that they were able to get this close to Celestia, the beautiful and elegant ruler of Equestria, in such a vulnerable state. But it wasn't her appearance that had drawn him in, but the aura of her magic. No longer was it bright, blazing, and glorious like the sun. Instead it was cracked and dim. No wonder she was unable to sense him even when he was this close. He was impressed that she could even still use her magic in such a state. And lying just beneath the surface, something had begun to take shape. It was small, still developing, but very potent. A mixture of shame, guilt, regret, self-resentment, a small measure of envy, and overwhelming despair. And not just any despair, but that born of losing something infinitely precious. Something that even if she could recover it, she wouldn't dare for the consequences it would bring to so many. Celestia was in pain, and knowing that brought him great joy.

"You think you are suffering now?" he whispered as he lowered his face to within a hairs breadth of hers. "You have no idea." From his lips, another enchantment came forth and was quickly inhaled by the sleeping princess, making her whimper in dismay. "Enjoy your gift," he added as he went for his real target. "I'm sure your subjects will." In a nearby corner stood a small tree from whose branches dangled two objects. The first item, a paper tag with the word "Always" written on it, had little value to him. Just a piece of sentimental rubbish. But the other item, a piece of reflective shattered glass...THAT held great importance. To think that such an item existed. A portal to another world where the power he sought was waiting to be claimed. And one that only he could pass through. Extending a shadowy tendril from his body, he grasped the shard and tilted it to meet his gaze.

"Open," he commanded. Almost instantly, the mirror's surface ignited with an otherworldly light and he plunged laughing through the door into the world on the other side.


"Sombra! Sombra where are you!"

The darkness around Celestia was so thick that she almost choked on it. And no matter how hard or fast she ran, it went on without end. But she shad to keep going. He was here somewhere. She could feel it. She couldn't lose him again.

"Sombra please don't go!" she begged. "It doesn't have to be like this. I can save you. Sombra please answer me!"

Suddenly, there was a light in the darkness. And in that light stood a stallion, tall and grey coated, with rich blue-black hair and a purple cloak draped over his muscular frame.

"Sombra?" she asked. He turned to face her and to her amazement, the corruption was gone. No longer was his handsome face tarnished by the dark magic he had taken onto himself to save her, the foolish princess who had betrayed her closest friend and endangered both their worlds just to be near him. "Sombra...is it really you?"

He opened his eyes and Celestia's breath froze in her throat. Instead of the warm emerald-green she had fallen in love with so long ago they were now a cold crimson that radiated with dark magic. His lips parted, bearing a fanged grin as his horn curved and flattened from a spiral into a crimson blade.

"Sombra! Sombra please no!" But her beloved only laughed as his body exploded into a cloud of shadow that loomed over her before it plunged downward, its gaping mouth closing around her...

"NOOOOOOOO!"

Hurling herself upright, Celestia's breath heaved in terror as her body shook in a cold sweat despite the warmth of Spring's end. A dream, she told herself. That's all it was. But it was more than that. It was a reminder of what she had done, of all she had endangered, and how her selfishness had hurt so many she claimed to care about. Luna, Star Swirl, Twilight, and worst of all him. Sombra why? she asked as the tears once again stung her eyes and threatened to spill over. Why did you do that? I was the one who caused the paradox. Why did you have to be punished for my mistake? Suddenly, the sound of flapping wings alerted her to the approach of Luna landing on the bedroom balcony. Taking a deep breath to steady herself, Celestia swallowed the lump in her throat and wiped her eyes with her hoof just before her younger sister rushed into the royal bedchambers.

"Sister!" Luna cried out as she ran to her side. "Sister what's wrong?" On her back rode the possum Luna had recently adopted as a pet which leaped down to the floor so she could sit next to her sister. Behind her, Philomena flew in as well and alighted on the perch next to the bed.

"It's alright Luna," Celestia said. "I just had a bad dream that's all."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. Don't worry it was most likely something I ate." Meanwhile, Luna's possum began snuffling around the floor. The scent of whatever had caught his attention took him away from the bed and across the room to the tree in the corner where he began to bristle and growl.

"Tiberius stop that!" Luna scolded. "Are you sure that you're alright Sister?" Celestia looked away, knowing that if she looked at Luna in her current state then her resolve would crack and everything would come spilling out.

"I told you it's nothing."

"Celestia..."

"Luna please! I'm tired and I just want to go back to sleep!" The younger Alicorn jolted back in alarm. "I'm sorry Luna. I didn't mean to snap. It's late and I'm very tired." Luna nodded in acceptance and rose to her hooves.

"It's alright. I'll let you get back to bed." Levitating her possum off the floor, Luna returned to balcony so she could resume her observation duties. "Tibbles, don't be naughty!" As Luna flew off the balcony and vanished off into the night, Celestia lowered herself back onto her bed but already knew that sleep wouldn't bring any real rest for her.

I have to be strong, she told herself. My subjects need me to be strong. I have to accept there's nothing I can do. The doorway is gone and so is the Sombra I knew. I don't even deserve to grieve after all I caused to happen. But none of that changed how she felt as though one single misplaced step or word would cause everything to come crashing down around her.

As Celestia closed her eyes, the final vision of her lost love continued to haunt her, a noble king turned into a being of darkness, and a single tear slipped past her control. Sombra. I didn't even get a chance to tell you goodbye.


Far from the light and warmth of Canterlot, in the Crystal Mountains to the North that divided Equestria Proper from the Frozen North, snow and ice dominated all but one valley. Here, seasons changed on the minute rather than the time of year; randomly shifting from one to the other, sometimes coexisting all at once, or mixing together to create snow in searing summer heat. And in the center of this valley stood a house that had no shape, or at least not one anypony could agree upon. Seen from one side it looked like a cube, from another side a sphere, and if viewed from above it resembled a pyramid. If that wasn't strange enough; the front door was in the back, the back door was on the roof, and the delivery door was on the ground in the yard. But it was the interior that really boggled the visitor's mind, or at least it would if anyone came to visit. For inside this house, the fact that the cellar was on the top floor was the least of the oddities. Twisted hallways, upside down stairs, moving furniture, shifting rooms, and of course indoor weather created a housemare's worst nightmare but to a Draconequuss was home sweet home.

And so it was that Discord lounged about the rolling checkerboard hills that was his living room, reclining on a couch that spun around in midair, sipping a hot cup of tea, and being bored out of his mind. As part of his release from being a lawn ornament, Celestia had granted Discord residence on the very edge of Equestria. Here, in this valley, he was free to make as much chaos as he wanted provided he kept it from spilling out into the rest of the world. Though he begrudgingly accepted her terms, he soon fond that the exact wording of the deal was a lot less confining than it actually appeared. A stretch of the fabric of space here, a pocket dimension there, and the interior of his house was now nearly as large as Ponyville; with all the twists, turns, gravitational fluxes, and pie storms a Draconequus could want. It was a fun distraction at first. But after settling in and getting everything out of its proper place, he soon began to feel that he had simply traded one prison for another. The worst part was that he knew that if really wanted to he could run wild and start spreading glorious chaos once again. But of course that would make Fluttershy miserable and that was one thing he did not want to do. Who could have guessed that the great Discord would be reigned in by one little Pegasus who still slept with a nightlight?

With a dejected sigh, Discord clicked his fingers and the mail materialized into his lion paw. Bill. Bill. Bill. If your name is Discord you may have won a million bits. Bill. Bill. A letter from Fluttershy? Well speak of Grogar, he thought as he opened the envelope.

Dear Discord;

I hope I'm not disturbing you. But the Summer Sun Celebration is coming up soon and I was wondering if it would be all right if I invited you to join me and the others in attending it. Of course if you don't want to that's okay too. I really hope you do though (if you don't mind me saying so).

Your Friend;

Fluttershy

Summer Sun Celebration eh? Well it wasn't something he especially had any interest in. But then how could he turn down an invitation from such an adorable pegasus. Especially since he was bound to get some amusement out of how annoyed her friends would get once he showed up. Still, that was at least a few weeks away. And in the meantime, nothing else fun was going on. No monsters, no disasters, no villains, not even anything like that rift business a while back. Just boring everyday life. Why can't something like that happen more often? he wondered, just before his entire body began to tingle and shake.

"Ooooohoooo! Well, ask and you shall receive." As the spirit of Chaos, Discord had a knack for sensing disruptions in the natural rhythm of Equestria's magic, which he affectionately referred to as his "Something Interesting Is Happening Sense." That in itself was the main reason Celestia had set him free, intending to use him as an early warning detection system. In this case, it almost felt as if the flow of magic had been twisted into a whirlpool, followed by something passing through that vortex and vanishing from the world entirely. He had felt two similar incidents before. The first was when Twilight chased Celestia's old pupil into that other world full of those weird bipeds. The second was that incident a few weeks back involving Celestia's ex-coltfriend and the dimensional rift. But this time was different. Unlike Twilight and her friends, whatever had just passed out of their world felt dark. Not exactly powerful, but very dark and very nasty indeed. Teleporting to his front porch (which was mounted on the chimney) Discord looked to the south and confirmed his suspicion. Just like the last time, the disturbance had come straight from Canterlot.

"You sly old horse," Discord chuckled. "Have you arranged another show for me? I almost feel bad for not getting you anything!" But just who or what was it that his old friend had allowed to pass through? And what exactly was going to happen as a result. Finishing his tea, Discord scrunched up the porcelain cup and tossed it into a nearby recycling bin. "Oh well. Guess there's only one way to find out. And this time, I'm getting a front row seat!"

(The design for Celestia's bedroom was inspired by Nimaru's art piece "Princess's Bedroom" which can be viewed on Deviantart.com)