//------------------------------// // A New Life // Story: A Bright Little Shadow // by Princess OtakuGeek //------------------------------// Twilight shifted to try and find a more comfortable spot on her bed, only to find her movements somewhat restricted as she felt something jab into her chest. Cracking her eyes open slightly, she found a small lump in the covers in front of her. Shoving her blankets off, she found the curled up body of a small grey and black colt pressing himself against her chest, his horn poking into her. Twilight pushed away from the colt, letting him tumble down onto the bed and waking him with a start. The colt blinked his ruby eyes at Twilight and moved closer, letting her feel his long, silky, onyx black mane against her body. "Mornin' Twilight." He mumbled before letting out a yawn that gave her a full view of his fangs. "What's going on, Sombra?" Twilight asked. Sombra rubbed the sleep from his eyes. "Had a dream." He let out a shiver and pushed himself closer. "Safe here." Reluctantly, Twilight placed a comforting hoof on his back. "Um, there-there. You'll be alright." Sombra's only response was to push himself closer. ✴✴✴✴✴✴ Pinkie Pie put the finishing touches on her cake and nodded a little proudly. She then slipped the cake into a box and carefully placed it on her back before trotting out where all the rest of her friends, sans Twilight, were. "Alrighty then, we're ready to go!" She declared before bouncing out the door while still keeping the box safely balanced. Rule number one in Ponyville. Never question Pinkie Pie. Even if she drags you out of bed at ungodly hours of the day or night for no apparent reason. "So Pinkie, you haven't told us where we're going." Applejack yawned. The last thing she'd remembered was that she was having a wonderful dream till she was woken up by Pinkie Pie shouting in her ear before dragging her out of bed and before she knew what was going on, she found herself in Sugarcube Corner like she'd been teleported, with all of her other friends blinking sleep from their eyes as Pinkie worked on a cake in the kitchen. It took a full five minutes for Applejack to figure out they were missing one friend. "We're going over to Twilight's." She said cheerfully as she skipped in front of the sluggish group. The box on her back bounced but did not spill. "Uh huh." Applejack said, her brain still half asleep. "And what's in the box?" "It's my newest New Mom cake!" "And who's it for?" "Twilight of course!" That snapped Applejack and the other's awake faster than any cup of coffee any of them ever had. "Twilight's a mom?" Applejack asked real intelligently. "Uh huh!" Pinkie Pie added a little extra spring in her step, something nopony ever thought possible. "Pinkie darling." Rarity spoke. "Where pray tell, are you getting your information? I know none of us have noticed anything odd about Twilight. Those kinds of things are hard to hide you know." "Weeellll." Pinkie drawled out. "Earlier I woke up to a leg twitch and ear flop so I thought that today was a bad day for cake and I was about to get sad. But then I felt a back tingle and an ear twitch and that's when I knew Twilight was going to be a new mom. Then I thought, 'oh my gosh we so have to celebrate!' So I brought every pony to Sugarcube Corner and got Twilight's new cake ready so we could start as early as possible." Applejack glanced up at the still dark sky, though there was a rosy glow beginning to creep across the horizon. 'Early is right.' She groused lightly. "Sounds legit," Rainbow concluded after Pinkie's explanation. "She's probably adopting, or maybe she's not a mom just yet." Such was life in Ponyville. Nopony questioned Pinkie's Pinkie Sense because even if it didn't make much sense, it still made sense in its own strange way. The last pony to question Pinkie Sense ended up under a flowerpot, an anvil, a wagon, and a piano. All at the same time and in that order. "Well, whomever this foal is, I hope I get the chance to design an outfit for them." Rarity mused. "And I wouldn't mind babysitting if Twilight needed," Fluttershy added. "Me neither!" Pinkie suddenly appeared next to the shy pegasus making her shriek in surprise. "Oh look, we're here!" Pinkie Pie then promptly began knocking 'Shave and a Haircut' on the castle doors. ✴✴✴✴✴✴ Once Twilight opened her door, she was suddenly assaulted with confetti and Pinkie shouting out, "Congratulations!" After being woken up by Sombra, Twilight had basically given up on going back to sleep but hadn't expected this. "Uh...thank you?" She managed even though she didn't know what she was being congratulated for. The next instant, a blue cakebox had been shoved into her hooves and the pink mare had vanished in a cloud of pink, revealing her other friends. "Um....come in girls." She invited her friends in. "What are you doing here so early?" "Pinkie literally dragged from our beds cause her Pinkie Sense told her you were a mom." Applejack summed up as she walked in. Twilight frowned. "Now you know Ah ain't one to doubt Pinkie's sense so, Y'all wouldn't happen ta have a kid around here would ya? If not yer probably gonna get a kid in the near future." Twilight paused a moment before starting to answer. "Well, I don't know about a mother, but I did recently receive a guest and was planning on telling you all once I had the chance, but since there's no point now, I-" She was immediately cut off by Pinkie's shriek of a delight a moment before she suddenly appeared in the room holding a little colt above her head. "I found him! I found him!" She said joyfully as she showed every pony the increasingly confused and scared colt. "Isn't he just adorable!!??" The colt in question looked no older than three or four. His coat was an ash grey while his long flowing mane was onyx black. His ruby red eyes were beginning to water and to Pinkie's surprise, he burst into tears. Even though his horn looked like any normal unicorn's horn, he was still unmistakable as King Sombra, Tyrant of the Crystal Empire. "Adopted." Rainbow finally said as Pinkie began comforting the crying tyke. "Most definitely adopted." ✴✴✴✴✴✴ "I imagine you all want an explanation," Twilight spoke once everything calmed down. Everypony but Pinkie nodded. No matter what the pink pony did, Sombra only calmed down once Twilight had reached out to him. Now he was sleeping soundly pressed against her side with her wing draped over him. "He didn't like me." Pinkie moped in a corner. "Why didn't he like me? Was I too crazy? Was I too scary?" "It's nothing you did, exactly, Pinkie," Twilight said to cheer her up and the party planner's ears perked up a little. "From what I can tell, Sombra is a little shy and reacts badly to surprises. But I'm sure he'll get used to you." In an instant Pinkie Pie was out of her corner on the far side of the room and right in front of Twilight who blinked at how fast that was. "Okie Doki Loki!" She said, her chipper mood instantly returning. "It seems as though he likes you, Twilight." Fluttershy pointed out. Twilight sighed. "Yeah. Seems that way." She said I exasperation. "Do you know that I woke up to him in my bed because he had a bad dream." "T'aint unusual." Applejack said. "Ah remember when Applebloom was just a little filly. Whenever she had a nightmare, she'd often come into my room and ask to sleep with me." "Ahem. I do believe we're getting a little off topic here." Rarity pointed out. "How is Sombra here? And why is he a colt?" "Yeah well, do you remember when I got that letter from Celestia?" All but two of her friends nodded. "Wait, you got a letter from Celestia?" Pinkie asked. "Yes, she got a letter Pinkie." Rarity answered. "Celestia wrote to ask for Twilight's immediate presence in the Crystal Empire. Unfortunately, those of us who knew were too busy to come with. Applejack had extra chores since cider season is nearing. Fluttershy was taking care of a very sick bear. And yours truly was behind in getting an order to Manehatten by the deadline last night." "Oh yeah, that reminds me, how'd that go?" Applejack asked. Rarity shot the earth pony a satisfied smiled. "Just barely made it with but a minute to spare." She said with a sigh. "In any case darling, the only reason why you and Rainbow Dash didn't know is that Rainbow was in Cloudsdale with her parents for a Wonderbolts show and nopony could find you since you were rushing to put together Rose's birthday party." "Oh yeah." Pinkie smiled and in an instant pulled out invitations and threw them in the air. "By the way, your all invited to Rose's birthday party today!" She declared in a voice loud enough to make Sombra stir, but not wake up. Applejack quickly shoved her hoof into Pinkie's mouth and they watched as Sombra adjusted himself, pushing closer to Twilight while tugging her wing closer before settling. "So yeah, I got a letter from Princess Celestia." Twilight continued after a minute of watching the colt and making sure he wasn't going to wake up. "Given the urgency of the letter, you can probably imagine how my train ride was." Her friends smiled at the mental image that came to their minds. Twilight fidgeting in her seat, reading and rereading her letter several times while running through several scenarios that would warrant such a letter. There were a shared chuckle and Twilight blushed. "So, yeah." She said a little embarrassed. "Fortunately, when I got to the Crystal Empire I found nothing out of the ordinary. Shining met me at the train station and we walked and talked towards the castle. Nothing big, just catching up. At the castle Cadence and I greeted in the usual way then after we all exchanged pleasantries, Celestia told me why I was there." ✴✴✴ Day before Yesterday ✴✴✴ "You want WHAT!?!?" Twilight exclaimed before remembering who she was shouting at. But to her credit, the idea was so ludicrous it deserved nothing short of an outright shock. Fortunately, before Twilight could start freaking out for screaming in Celestia's face, the celestial diarch gave her a reassuring smile. "I understand that Sombra has made some very bad choices, but given you and your friend's success with Discord, I have full confidence that you'll be able to help him make better choices." ✴✴✴ Present ✴✴✴ Rainbow Dash quirked an eyebrow. "Based on our 'success' with Discord?!" "I said roughly the same thing," Twilight said. "I even pointed out the recent Tirek incident." "Discord said he was sorry." Fluttershy defended. "He's been doing much better since. I think the whole thing helped him understand friendship a lot more than before." "Also wasn't your key to the box that pendant he gave you?" Pinkie pointed. "All valid points that Celestia brought up," Twilight said. "However, Discord isn't Sombra. Plus Sombra was much worse than Discord. Discord may have done horrible things, but when you get down to it he's just a prankster with the powers of a god. Sombra on the other hoof was an outright tyrant. But when I told Celestia as much, she just gave me a sad look and wouldn't be moved." "Ya know, Ah think there's one little detail we're over lookin'." Applejack said. "When the' Crystal Heart returned, wasn't big, dark and scary blasted apart?" "Your right Applejack." Rarity agreed. "We all saw the Crystal Heart destroy Sombra. So how did Princess Celestia plan on us reforming him?" "I pointed that out in my argument against this plan," Twilight said. "At first I thought I'd won, but then Princess Celestia smiled at me and asked us to follow her and Luna." ✴✴✴ Day before Yesterday ✴✴✴ Celestia had led them to a part of the castle somewhere between the Throne room and the Royal bedchambers. Judging by where they were, Twilight guessed that they were near an outer wall, but something didn't seem right. Celestia walked up to one of the crystal pillars and ran a hoof up and down the niche where the pillar met the wall. Judging by the looks on the others faces, only Luna was unsurprised by this action. Suddenly her hoof sank deeper when it shouldn't have been able to and she gave a smile of delight. A small click was heard and Celestia pulled her hoof from behind the pillar and ran it down the side of the wall and pulled it aside. No, wait. Not a wall. A door. A very cleverly hidden door. It wasn't very wide and was angled at the top. Celestia stepped through first, making sure to duck her head so as not to bang her horn on the top of the frame. Luna didn't have to duck down as she trotted in behind her sister. Cadence, Twilight, and Shining Armor were unsure. Neither of them had ever seen this room before and didn't know what to expect. Emboldened by her aunts, however, Cadence stomped forward and stepped in the door. At the sound of a gasp, Shining Armor instantly pushed aside his reservations and dashed in the door, only to let out a gasp of his own. Twilight sat there, unsure when Shining poked his head out, his eyes glimmering in wonder. "You've got to see this Twily." He breathed before retreating back into the room. Twilight swallowed her fear, stepped into the room.....and was instantly floored. ✴✴✴ Present ✴✴✴ "What was behind the secret door?" Pinkie asked in suspense. The others were also on the edge of their own seats. "Please say an endless supply of cake." Twilight giggled a little at her friend. "Sorry Pinkie, but it wasn't anything like that." The pink mare deflated a little. "But it was still the most amazing room I'd ever seen." ✴✴✴ Day before Yesterday ✴✴✴ The first thought that came to Twilight's mind was how big the room was. Much too big to fit behind that wall, though the hum of powerful magic gave her a clue. However, that was only secondary to the rest of the room. It was round, curving upwards and tapered like a tent. Draping from the ceiling and on most of the available wall space were dozens of strips of cloth and tapestries that shone in a rainbow of colors, the ones on the ceiling had been attached on both ends rather than leaving them loose, reinforcing the idea of a tent. Jutting from some parts of the wall and the floor were crystals enchanted to function as lights in the dark. But the one thing that caught Twilight's eyes were the books. Carved into some parts of the walls and formed from crystals jutting from the floor were bookshelves. And filling each shelf were tomes of all shapes and sizes. Most of these tomes Twilight guessed were ancient back in their time, but now? It took all of Twilight's willpower not to squeal in joy. The room had also been furnished with chairs, couches, and pillows big enough to be used as very comfortable seats. There were also small tables, cushions, and blankets just perfect for late night reading. And directly across from the door, an entire side of the room was a giant window overlooking the Crystal Empire and flooding the room with enough daylight to keep the light crystals almost dark. Luna was roaming about the shelves, glancing over the tomes. Cadence and Shining were taking in the panoramic view of the empire. Reluctantly, Twilight tore herself from the tomes and joined them. The window overlooked the marketplace where dozens of crystal ponies wandered about stalls making purchases. As she stood there, a question came to mind. "How is it they can't see us?" Twilight asked. "This window is so huge it would be hard to miss. Not to mention I've looked at the castle from this particular angle before and I've never seen any window." Shining frowned. "You're right Twily. How come they don't see us?" "This a very special window," Luna said as she joined them at the window and ran a hoof along the surface. "A combination of careful craftsmanship and heavy enchantments. On this side, it is a window. But from the outside, it looks no different than the castle walls. A one-way window, I believe it was called." Twilight was amazed. For anypony to be able to craft such a window, much less this entire room, well they must be either an incredible craftspony or a very powerful unicorn. "Who built this place?" Twilight asked Celestia who now stood next to her. The Princess smiled at her former student and Twilight saw a spark of sadness in her eyes. "A close and dear friend." ✴✴✴ Present ✴✴✴ "What'd she mean by that?" Applejack asked. Twilight shrugged. "She didn't say." She answered. "She did tell me that that room was a personal collection. The pony who built that room was a magic student and very powerful. They had an interest in all kinds of magic and had built up an impressive collection of books on the subject. Books on all kinds of magic from all kinds of cultures. There were even books on myths, legends, and folklore." Twilight paused when she noticed she was salivating. "A-anyways, Celestia didn't tell who built it or explain why in the castle." "Whoever built it, they must've had exquisite taste." Rarity sighed. "I'm getting all fluttery at the mere mention of all those ancient tapestries. Next time we're in the empire, you simply must show us." "I don't see why not," Twilight said. "Celestia explained to us that she picked this place because she didn't want to spread unnecessary panic amongst the crystal ponies. Apparently, a soldier had found Sombra's horn in the northern mountains. Celestia and Luna intended to use that horn as a focus to bring Sombra back. While they were preparing the spell, I took the chance to talk with my brother and Cadence." ✴✴✴ Day before Yesterday ✴✴✴ Twilight turned away from where Celestia and Luna preparing the spell and faced her brother and his wife. "What do you think about this BBBFF?" She asked. Shining Armor frowned a bit. "Quite frankly I think this whole thing is a mistake." He said. "We all know what Sombra did. Personally, I wouldn't hold my breath for any redemptive qualities in him. But the Princess insisted and who am I to argue. Doesn't mean I'm not going to be keeping an eye out." Twilight turned to Cadence. "What about you?" "I can't deny that I'm a little apprehensive about all this either. Sombra came a little too close to recapturing the empire. But one thing that I can always count on is auntie Celestia. If she thinks there's a chance of redemption for Sombra, I'm inclined to believe her. Even auntie Luna is backing her up. My own instincts are also telling that there's something else going on here so I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. But that doesn't mean that I'm going to drop my guard." "We are ready," Luna announced and Twilight tensed. 'Moment of truth.' She took a deep calming breath and let it out. "Alright. Let's go." Luna nodded and as she turned back to her sister she swore she saw a glint of sadness. The horn now sat in the middle of a very complex circle with glyphs that Twilight didn't recognize. The Celestial sister's horns began to glow as the spell began. At first, they glowed blue or gold but that quickly changed into a blinding white light as their eyes and the circle began glowing with the same light. Then they began chanting in a language none of them had heard before and the circle began to spin as the glyphs peeled themselves from the ground. The horn then began to spin as well. At first, it all started slow. But then the horn, the circle, and the chanting grew faster and faster, reaching a fever pitch. With a soft hiss, the horn dissolved into a smoke-like substance that was surrounded by the glyphs. Automatically, Shining Armor stepped forward so he was between his sister and wife and the smoke. But the smoke stayed in the whirling ring of glyphs and with one final shout, the glyphs halted and shone white. Instantly knowing what was coming, Twilight shielded her eyes from the coming flash. There was a pulse and Twilight could feel a rush of force push past her like a strong wind, pushing her back an inch or two. At the edge of her hearing, she barely registered a slight snapping sound. Then silence. Slowly Twilight opened her eyes to examine the room. Celestia and Luna were on opposite ends of the room and were slowly pulling themselves to their hooves. Cadence and Shining Armor now stood a few feet behind Twilight, surrounded by a glowing pink shield Shining had thrown up at the last minute. Draped across the center of the room was a long strip of silken red fabric that had detached from the ceiling, the other end still attached to the wall. And right in front of Twilight was a bulge in the red fabric. Right where they'd performed the spell. When the bulge shifted slightly, the tension in the air could've been cut with a knife. Shining Armor crouched low as he approached, a spell charging on his horn as he prepared for an attack. Luna and Celestia also approached slowly, though their stances held none of the aggression that Shining's did. Rather, more like a combination of hope and regret. Twilight, however, was directly in front of it and as the bulge moved more, she swallowed her fear, gripped the cloth with her magic and in a swift motion, threw it aside, revealing........a colt? ✴✴✴ Present ✴✴✴ At this point in the story, all their gazes turned to the colt under Twilight's wing. "So, why is he a colt?" Rainbow finally asked the question in every pony's mind. "Not even Celestia knows," Twilight said with a shrug. "At best she guesses that there wasn't enough of him to give him an adult form." "Y'all were working with his horn." Applejack pointed out. "How is that not enough? Using his horn must've counted for something." "One would think that," Twilight admitted. "Unfortunately I know nothing about the magic Celestia and Luna used. But I didn't dwell on that for too long." ✴✴✴ Day before Yesterday ✴✴✴ Once Twilight yanked back his cover, the colt flinched away from the sudden bright light. Twilight gaped at the small form that was so obviously King Sombra. Shining Armor was so caught off guard that his spell fizzled out and died. Even Celestia and Luna wore twin looks of shock. For a time they stood there as Sombra's eyes adjusted to the bright light. When he noticed the attention he was receiving from the tall individuals, he pulled himself closer to a ball like he wanted to shrink away. Shining was the first to recover and approach the colt. Noticing his approach, Sombra let out a small squeak and backed away. Noticing this, Cadence placed a hoof on her husband's shoulder to stop his approach. Shining didn't like it, but he backed away anyways. Seeing him back up, Sombra relaxed slightly. Luna was the next to try as she crouched down to look into his eyes, her motion catching his attention. "Sombra, do you know us?" She asked him. Sombra stared at her and began to back away from her while shaking his head. He continued to retreat till he found himself pressed up against Twilight's leg. Looking up as she looked down, ruby eyes met violet and they sat there for several seconds. Contact was finally broken when the colt pressed himself closer to Twilight. Surprised by the show of affection, Twilight stood stock still. "Looks like some pony likes you." Cadence's sudden teasing comment was so close, Twilight jumped. Sombra reacted to the alicorn's sudden appearance by shifting around so as to put Twilight's leg between himself and the stranger. Cadence only smiled, her years as a foalsitter making her familiar with similarly shy foals. 'They always come around later.' Once Cadence's comment registered, Twilight's jaw dropped and she started stuttering as she nudged the little bundle away from her. "W-ha.....he...ME?!?!" A whimper made her look down at the colt who looked up at her, his eyes beginning to water. With some prodding from Cadence, Twilight gingerly lifted him up in her magic and pulled him as close to her as she dared. Sombra's tears instantly dried as he pushed himself against her neck fur. Cadence tittered at Twilight's stiff form. "Never thought I'd get a nephew so soon." ✴✴✴ Present ✴✴✴ "Considering the change in the situation, Celestia teleported us to her study in Canterlot so we could discuss our next move. In particular, where he would be staying. The Crystal Empire was out of the running since the crystal ponies would panic once they caught wind of Sombra's presence. Worse still, as Cadence pointed out, some of the bolder crystal ponies might take advantage of his new form and enact revenge for his reign. Cadence was firm on that not being an option. Canterlot wasn't much better. Eventually the nobility or worse, the press would figure out that he was there and things would snowball in the worst way. Celestia and Luna weren't willing to expose such a young colt to all that. Ponyville was the only option since the ponies here are the most accepting in Equestria. But the most important reason was that Sombra wouldn't budge from my side. When we arrived in Canterlot Celestia wanted Sombra checked out, so she called for a nurse. However, it took two hours of coaxing and reassurance from me and the nurse before he went for his checkup while we talked." Applejack grinned. "Sounds like some pony's a bit of a momma's colt." She teased. Twilight growled in annoyance. "I am not a mother." She grumbled at the farmer. "I'm only looking after him for a while." Applejack's grin only widened. "Sure ya are." Twilight let out a huff before deciding to ignore her. "As you can probably imagine, I was a little against this idea. When I think of King Sombra, I can't but remember back in the Crystal Empire when he came so close to winning and some part of me wanted to outright reject the colt. But then I think about that little colt pressing up against me for protection and some other part of me can't stand the idea of rejecting him. Needless to say, I was confused and it was getting late. So I told Celestia I should sleep on it. That night Luna came to speak with me in my dreams." ✴✴✴ Dreamscape ✴✴✴ "Your thoughts are in turmoil," Luna observed flatly as she stared up at the swirling howling tornado that surrounded the two ponies. Twilight shot her an irritated look. "Can you BLAME ME!?!" She burst out as the storm grew a little. "You're basically asking me to take a tyrant into my house!!!!" With her outburst done, Twilight suddenly jammed her hoof in her mouth at the realization that she was once again shouting at royalty and the storm shrank a little. Luna only gave her an unreadable but gentle expression, though Twilight could see a flicker of heart-wrenching sadness in her eyes. "There is no need to fear a rebuke here. Your concerns are understandable. Were we to walk in your horseshoes, We might hold similar reservations." In her gentle reply, Twilight removed her hoof and the winds began to quiet down. "I-I just don't understand how you and Celestia can even suggest redemption to Sombra in the first place." She said quietly. Once more Twilight could see the same sadness as before. "There are many things that we must learn for ourselves, Twilight Sparkle. For now, suffice it to say Celestia and I have reasons to believe that Sombra is not the monster history paints him as." The winds died down even more as the storm started to disperse. "Are you telling me that there is more to all of this than what I and my friends have seen?" Luna nodded silently. "And you aren't going to tell me?" There was a twitch in Luna's eye that could be translated as a flinch. "Regrettably, no." She answered. "These are answers that you must discover yourselves. Till then, we are confident that you can repair the damage wrought by mine and Celestia's mistake." Before Twilight could ask what the Lunar Princess meant by 'mistake', she felt the ground drop away from under her hooves and suddenly she was awake in her bed in Canterlot castle. And she wasn't alone. As she stirred, she could feel something else stir next to her. She turned and found herself staring into Sombra's ruby eyes blinking sleep from them. She didn't remember going to sleep with him. In fact, she was certain he'd been with the doctor in the royal infirmary so he could make absolutely sure that he was perfectly healthy. When did he get here? "Sombra?" She muttered quietly. "Why are you here?" Sombra stared at her with eyes squinted in concentration. "T-Twuh-Twilight s-ss-safe." He finally stuttered hesitantly before pressing close to her. "S-safe here." ✴✴✴ Present ✴✴✴ "Awwww." Pinkie Pie cooed. "His first word was your name!"