//------------------------------// // The Promise // Story: Shattered Glass // by Eric Michael Kline //------------------------------// CHAPTER 8 THE PROMISE ==Mirror Equestria== The last thing Discord remembered was Equestria falling to pieces all around him while he stood powerless to stop it, trapped in a stone prison by a mare he had been foolish enough to think an ally. I caused this, he thought. This is all my fault. And then, the world vanished in a flash of dark magic. "Discord!" a voice called. "Discord wake up!" That voice, he thought. The darkness began to fade and a familiar silhoute manifested through the fog. "Chrysalis?" "Oh thank goodness," the Changeling Queen sighed. "I was.." but Chrysalis could barely finish her sentence before Discord threw his arms around her neck. "You're alright," he whimpered. "You're okay!" "Of...of course I am," she said. "Discord what happened? Was it Sombra? Did he do all this?" Discord looked around him and saw that Equestria was still in one piece as well. And if Chrysalis was alright that meant everypony else had to be as well. But how could Sombra have conjured such a realistic glamour? "I'm not sure. I thought it was Sombra...but he wasn't anything like the pony we once knew. And his magic...ow my head!" Discord's paw went to his forehead and felt something that shouldn't be there. "Chrysalis? What's wrong with my horns?" Chrysalis extended a hoof and helped him stand. "I think maybe you should see for yourself." Leaning on her back for balance, Discord staggered to a nearby glass pit where two Changelings searched the ground for any clues as to what had happened. He stared at his reflection and saw that both of his horns were now covered in shards of black crystal. "Discord, why did he do that to you?" "I think I can guess." He snapped his fingers but nothing happened. "I thought so. Those crystals are blocking my magic. I'm powerless." Something buzzed overhead and Discord looked up to see two more of Chrysalis's guards flying over them. "We searched the surrounding area but found nothing your highness," one reported. "Whatever attacked Sir Discord it looks like it escaped before we could arrive." "I see. You two stay here and keep searching to the south. If it really was Sombra then that's where he was heading. I doubt he's gotten very far. " The two Changelings flew off and Chrysalis turned back to Discord. "Let's head back to Canterlot. I'm sure Trixie and the others will be able to undo whatever those crystals are." "By others," Discord asked, "do you mean Celestia and Luna?" "Of course why wouldn't I?" Discord looked around him one last time and shook the last remnants of the vision from of his mind. "Nothing. Forget it. Any chance you can give me a ride?" "Of course," she smiled and gestured to the two remaining soldiers who siezed Discord by his arms before lifting him into the air. As Chrysalis led the way back to Canterlot, Discord cast a final glance at the blighted riverbank that was quickly receding from view. Is this really who you are now Sombra? he wondered. Is this really how our journey is going to end? ==Equestria Prime== "Wait a minute," Twilight said. "What do you mean you can't use your magic?" "I mean it's not working!" Discord cried. "Look!" Discord repeatedly snapped his claw but nothing happened. "You see? The floor should have turned into ranch dressing. The books into tap dancing tarantulas. And that table behind you should have turned into a dragon eating watermelon!" "Hey!" Spike yelled as he jumped away. Twilight put a comforting hoof around him and shot an angry glare at Discord. "But nothing!" Discord wailed as he sank bawling to the floor. "I'm...UNCHAOTIC!" "Uh huh," Applejack said. "And what is that supposed to mean?" Discord demanded. "Just how dumb to you think we are?" Rainbow asked. "You really expect us to believe that somepony beat you up and then stole your magic? Only the Elements of Harmony have the power to do that." "First of all," Discord corrected, "I didn't say that my magic was stolen, just that I can't get it to work. Second, do you really want me to answer that?" In a rainbow blur, the blue Pegasus flew up to Discord and tapped him on the chest. "You'd better watch it buddy," she warned. "Because without your powers you're pretty much helpless." "Quite true," Rarity agreed. "If you really expect us to help you then you'd better mind your manners if you don't want to be tossed out to fend for yourself." Discord scowled and crossed his arms in indignation. "Nice to know I can count on my friends." "Aw don't feel bad Discord," Pinkie said. "It could be worse." "Worse? How could it possibly be any worse?" "Well you could have a headache as well," Pinkie explained as her tail began to twitch and a flower pot dropped onto Discord's head from above. "See? Just like that." "Please stop trying to cheer me up." "It'll be alright," Fluttershy assured him as she applied a bandage onto the bump that sprouted up between his horns. "If you can't get home you can always stay with me until your powers are working again." "Thank you Fluttershy!" Discord sniffled as he cast an indignant look at the rest of them. "At least SOMEPONY here is sympathetic to my plight!" "Alright everyone settle down," Twilight said. "Mr. Dustmop, thank you for the food but we need a moment alone with Discord." "I got you," the old janitor nodded as he walked off. "Just holler if you need anything." Once they were certain Dustmop was out of earshot, Twilight and the others clustered around Discord. "Okay Discord," Twilight instructed, "tell us everything that happened. Don't leave anything out." "Well, I sensed a spike of dark magic down in the badlands. I went to investigate. And then I was attacked." "Attacked by what?" Applejack asked. "I don't know!" Discord groaned. "First I was blasted with an icy wind, except there was no wind. Then something slammed into me and I bounced off of something that wasn't there. Then the ground started exploding around me and there was an invisible sandstorm before it felt like I was being imprisoned in stone again, except I wasn't, and then whatever it was knocked me out and I woke up here." "And this thing that attacked you," Rarity interrupted, "you didn't see what it was?" "No I didn't because there was nothing there!" Discord repeated. "No magic, no nothing! Nothing attacked me and I was still getting hurt!" Twilight rubbed her chin as she thought over what Discord had described. "Hey Twilight," Spike whispered. "This sounds kind of familiar." "It's another paradox," she agreed. "Whoever crossed over must have done something to the Discord of the other world. That's why our Discord was being affected." "Excuse me," Cadance interruped. "I admit I don't have the experience with this sort of thing that you all do, but isn't a paradox supposed to only affect the one who caused it? From what Luna told me that was why none of you could directly attack the princesses in the other world since the one in ours would be harmed as well." "See!" Rainbow cried as she pointed at Discord. "I knew he had something to do with this!" "Ah yes brilliant deduction Rainbow Dash," he sneered. "Yes I was behind everything. All this was part of my evil plan to get my flank kicked by somepony who isn't even in the same universe as me just so I could lose my powers and be reduced to a COMPLETE INVALID!" "Easy!" Fluttershy said as she held him back. "I hate to admit it," Applejack said, "but Ah think Discord is telling the truth. What do you think Twilight?" "First things first," she answered, "Spike take a message. Write to Princess Luna and tell her what happened." "No, don't do that!" Discord wailed. "You think I want to everypony in Canterlot to know about this? I'll become the laughing stock of the whole kingdom!" Twilight sighed and rolled her eyes. "Tell her that maintaining the secret of Discord's condition is a matter of great importance," she relented. "Then ask her to keep a lookout for unusual weather or any other anomalies." "I'm on it!" Spike said as he ran off to find a quill and scroll. "Everypony else, until anything else happens, let's proceed as originally planned. Eat your fill, and then back to Star Swirl's journals. If another paradox really has formed, then we need to fix it before it gets out of hand." "Ahem!" Discord interrupted. "What about me?" "Well since you're here," Rarity answered. "You might as well make yourself useful and help us search Star Swirl's journals." "Are you serious?" Discord asked. "This whole thing is Celestia's mess so why should I get any further involved than I already am?" "Look Discord," Twilight explained, "whoever's behind all this is the same one responsible for your magic being sealed. So if you want to get your powers back then you're going to have to help us save her. Understand?" Discord snorted and snatched a hayburger from one of the bags on the table. "Fine," he grumbled as he took a bite. "But I'm not putting them back alphabetically!" ==Mirror Equestria== With Flash guiding them from overhead, Fleur followed the path Bulk bulldozed for her through the underbrush of Everfree Forest. Supposedly Flash had tracked Sombra or whoever it was they had seen in the Badlands back into Equestria Proper. It wasn't an easy trail to follow. As their quarry traveled through the ground the only sign of his passing was a discoloration in the soil that faded shortly afterwards. They had almost lost it while crossing the Macintosh Hills when they were forced to take cover from Queen Chrysalis and four of her Changelings, no doubt on their way to rescue Discord. They had just barely caught it in time to lead them to Everfree where the shadows concealed the trail entirely from them. Luckily, there was only one place in the entire forest their quarry could possibly have gone though finding their way through the chaotic wilderness presented its own challenges. While it was barely dusk, the thick growth cut off all light, drenching them in shadows through which the bizarre denizens of the forest roamed and screetched. Something squelched beneath her and Fleur looked down in disgust as her slender white hoof sank into a patch of mud. "Are you sure this is the way?" she grimmaced as she shook off the grime. To avoid any further risk of detection, Flash had led them off the path and deep into the scrub where for all Fleur knew they could be going in circles. "For the hundredth time yes!" he snapped. "So quit griping and move your flank!" Bulk growled up at him but Fleur lay a restraining hoof on his back. "There there," she whispered. "Once we're in with our new ally, we won't have to put up with Flash and his disrespect any longer." Bulk relaxed and happily purred beneath her touch. Fleur had always been good at getting stallions to do whatever she wanted. It was why Celestia had recruited her to be her eyes and ears in Canterlot where Fleur's beauty and charm had allowed her to work her way into the grace of Canterlot's wealthiest and most influential stallions. But even as she used her connections to provide Celestia with a wealth of information, her ultimate goal was to obtain the favor of the king himself and become queen of all Equestria. To her chagrin, Sombra rejected her advances for a mare who was the spitting image of her master, something which Celestia seemed most interested in when Fleur reported it. Suddenly, Flash halted in mid-air and dropped to the ground. "See!" he smirked. "Told you I could find it." Bulk stepped aside as Fleur moved forward for a closer look. Through a gap in the trees, the former castle of Celestia stood on the edge of a cliff. And in the window of the throne room, something was moving. ==Equestria Prime== Luna frowned as she read the update that Twilight had just sent regarding what Discord had experienced and the utmost necessity of keeping his disempowerment a secret. No doubt put in at Discord's insistence, she realized. The news was troubling to say the least. That another paradox had possibly formed was serious enough but the fact that whoever had crossed over had actually defeated Discord, or rather "a" Discord, meant that they were dealing with a very dangerous opponent indeed. In the middle of her thoughts, Luna's ears pricked up at the sound of approaching hoofsteps and quickly thrust the note behind a nearby potted plant just before Celestia and Kibitz appeared from behind a bend in the hall. As soon as she saw her younger sister, Celestia glared at her in a way that stung Luna in a way that she had never experienced before. "Sister..." she tried to say but Celestia turned away from her. "If you'll excuse me Luna, I have important matters to attend to. Kibitz, come." Luna stood aside and Celestia and Kibitz passed her by without another word. Is this how she felt when my bitterness and jealousy caused me to shut her out? she wondered as she watched Celestia walk away. So helpless and alone? If so it was no wonder why Celestia sought comfort with the Sombra and Luna of the other world. Especially when the only other pony Celestia was close to in those days was Star Swirl, who for all his knowledge was never the most insightful when it came to the feelings of others. Whatever hurt feelings Luna felt upon learning the truth, she couldn't deny the role she had played in creating the situation. Something pressed against her leg and Luna looked down to see Tiberius pawing at her hoof. "Did you deliver the message?" Tiberius pointed back down the hall and Luna looked up to see Celestia's assistant Raven give a quick nod before retreating back around the bend. "Good job Tibbles." Because of his small size and natural dexterity, Luna had sent him to deliver a note to Kibitz and Raven, knowing that Celestia wouldn't notice him so long as he kept out of the open. The note had explained that Celestia's behavior was the result of some form of enchantment and that Twilight and the others were working on a way to undo it. Until then, Raven was to send word to the various committees meeting with Celestia that her ill temperament the result of an ailment while Kibitz was to make sure that all appointments went quickly and smoothly. Hopefully, so long as they kept any aggravation to a minimum, the spell's hold on Celestia wouldn't get any stronger. Levitating Tibbles up onto her back, Luna whistled out the window and Philomena flew in to perch on the windowsill. "Keep an eye on her Philomena. But make sure she doesn't see you. If anything happens, come and get me immediately." The Phoenix chirped an affirmative and flew off in pursuit. It's nothing at all like back then, Luna thought. Unlike Celestia, I'm not facing this alone. I have Tibbles and Philomena, Raven and Kibitz, and most importantly, Twilight and all of her friends. I won't allow the past to repeat itself. We will save Celestia. And when this is over, there will be changes around here. "To the Archives Tibbles," she announced. "We'll need to be prepared should the worst happen." Discord scowled as he gingerly turned the pages of the journal he had just pulled off of the shelf. Twice, Twilight had gotten on his case about how slow he was going. However, Discord wasn't taking any chances. Bad enough that he had lost his magic and been reduced to manual labor in a single day. He wasn't about to get a paper cut as well. "Really," he grumbled. "If I had my magic I could dive into these books and find what we were looking for in less than a minute." "Yeah well yah don't," Applejack reminded him. "So quit your gripin' and keep readin'!" "Applejack please try to be a little more understanding," Fluttershy asked. "Yes of course," Rarity smirked. "After all, it must be very frustrating for the poor dear. I imagine he feels like a unicorn who's lost her horn." "You know," Discord said, "spitefullness is not a ladylike trait. It also causes wrinkles." "What? No it doesn't. Right? He's joking isn't he Twilight? Of course he is. Somthing like that can't be true. Oh my. What's that I feel on my face? Could someone get me a mirror? I need a mirror right now please!" "Rarity he's just messing with you!" Rainbow told her as Discord smirked in triumph. Don't try to engage me in a battle of sass, he thought. You are sorely outmatched. "Ms. Twilight," a voice called. "Is everything safe?" "Oh yes it's fine Mr Dustmop," Twilight answered. "Come on over." From the corner of his eye, Discord watched the old janitor emerge from behind a bookcase pushing a cart on which two cylindrical kettles had been placed. And then there's this guy, he grumbled as he buried his snout in the journal. "I made some coffee as well as some hot cocoa for Ms. Pinkie and Spike. Thought it might help you all focus." "Oh sure thanks," Twilight said. "Just roll it up to the desk." Discored silently fumed as he realized the worst part of the whole situation was how the answer was staring them right in the snout and he couldn't say a thing about it. Sensing a presence, Discord looked up from the book and saw Dustmop standing before him. "Can I help you?" he asked "Just wanted to say it's good to see your making yourself useful. Why don't you look at this as a learning experience. Who knows? You might just find that not being magical isn't so bad after all." "Isn't there some latrine you need to be scrubbing out?" Dustmop shrugged and walked away without another word. "Discord!" Fluttershy cried. "Why are you so mean to Mr. Dustmop?" Discord snorted as he closed the journal and reached for another. "Let's just say he reminds me of someone I know..." ...From his hiding place beneath the grassbed, Discord spied on his target via a daffodil periscope. He couldn't believe the old coot was still around. If it wasn't for his ability to sense unusual magic Discord wouldn't even have recognized him. Rather than a frail old unicorn, he had somehow assumed the form of a robustly built earth pony elder with a cleanly shaven muzzle and bald crown. But what really surprised Discord was the vocation he had taken up. Rather than a court wizard or even a travelling magician, instead he was selling fruit from a roadside stand. "Oh how the mighty have fallen," Discord chuckled to himself as the old stallion filled an order for a mother and daughter. He had a feeling that the old stallion and Celestia had experienced a falling out from the last time he overheard them interact, but he never imagined that she would exhile him from Canterlot. As he watched, the old stallion placed the mare's order into her cart before slipping a hooffull of sesame treats to her daughter with a mischevous wink. Once they left, he wrapped a hoof around a nearby coffee cup and took a long sip before peering over his shoulder. "You going to hide there all day," he suddenly said, "or are you going to buy something?" Discord was taken aback. Well no sense hiding if he had already been found. Unzipping the grass, Discord popped his head out of the turf. "Not bad old horse," Discord said as he climbed out. "1000 years ago, you wouldn't have been able to sense me even if I was perched atop your head. Still, you don't seem the least bit surprised to see me up and about." The old stallion sighed and poured another cup of coffee. "I had a feeling you'd show up sooner or later. Besides, after a thousand years not much can surprise me anymore." "Well that makes one of us," Discord remarked as he picked a banana off the cart and began to peel it. "I must say, you really must have gotten on Celestia's bad side if you'd go to such lengths to conceal yourself from her. And I thought she was mad after my bit with the Guinea Pigs. So, tell me. What exactly happened between you two?" Removing the rind, Discord ate it and tossed the fruit into the air where a passing Pegasus brushed against it and was sent spiraling in a loop. "I have my reasons for keeping a low profile," he replied. "But I have a feeling you won't leave me be until you find out why." "It's your choice," Discord shrugged. "But sooner or later Celestia is going to wonder why I keep hanging around this particular corner of Equestria." The old stallion sighed in resignation. "It's a long story." Discord snapped his fingers and plopped into the reclining chair that had materialized behind him. "Well like you, time is something I have plenty of. So spill." And the old stallion told him everything. It was such a fantastic tale that even Discord, a being that lived for the impossible, found incredible. Not to mention hilarious. "Priceless!" Discord cackled as he fell out of his chair and rolled about the ground. "She knew what would happen and and still she went ahead with it! Oh I can just imagine how the pink Alicorn would react if she knew her aunt was dating her empire's worst enemy!" A ring of magic energy looped around Discord's lips, sealing them shut as he looked up and saw that the old pony's eyes were glowing with a prismatic light. "You will do nothing of the sort," he warned. "My senses aren't the only things that have improved in the last thousand years. Do not give me cause to demonstrate for you." Discord summoned a napkin into his claw and casually wiped the magic from his mouth. "Oh relax," Discord assured him. "In case you haven't heard, I've turned over a new leaf and would never dare bring shame onto Celestia's name. Especially since she's done a fine enough job of that on her own. Besides, now that her sister's back and with Twilight and her friends always hanging around, it's only a matter of time before the truth comes out. And it'll be much more fun watching her try to explain herself. I have to admit though. It does explain quite a bit." The light faded from the old stallion's eyes and his eyebrow rose in interest. "What do you mean?" "Well for one there was all those disturbances I sensed in the flow of Equestria's magic occuring deep beneath the castle. And there there's the distortion in the fabric of Equestria's reality. Almost as if it's being stretched and twisted with something else. It started around the same time Luna came back from her extended vacation and it's only gotten stronger since. " "I see," the old stallion nodded. "Then the time is almost upon us." "Beg your pardon." But the old stallion ignored Discord as he walked across the road to gaze out over the rolling hills of western Equestria and the lone spire of Canterlot Mountain that rose up in the distance. "I have walked the hidden highways, have seen entire universes in a blade of grass, and witnessed the light of creation in a single rose. And now, at journey's end, I find myself back at the beginning." "You lost me there," Discord said as the old stallion shook his head. "Nothing, just the ramblings of an old pony." "Really? Because it sounds to me as if something quite interesting is about to happen. Care to elaborate." "You'll know it when you see it. Everypony in Equestria will. Since you now know I'm here I suppose you might as well join me when it occurs." Discord smirked as he plucked a pineapple from the cart and popped the top off like a soda lid. "I might just take you up on that offer..." ...He knew, Discord fumed. I don't know how, but he knew this was going to happen. ==Mirror Equestria== In all his life, Sombra never imagined that someday, the castle of his worst enemy would become his sanctuary. But he supposed the voice had good reason for bringing him here. Even without Celestia, nopony would enter the Everfree forest unless absolutely necessary. Furthermore, her castle was protected by powerful enchantments that were able to block even Discord's magic, though after what had happened in the badlands Sombra knew that Discord couldn't track him here even if he wanted to. Hopefully, the others would continue following Sombra's original trail to the south. With luck, it would keep them busy until he gained the answers he sought. Before Sombra, the hallway ended in a pair of heavy double doors which he pushed open to reveal the throne room. It's so quiet, he thought, his hoofsteps echoing off the stone walls. Neither was the silence limited to his surroundings. Ever since the badlands, when the voice had taken over, the darkness's hold on him seemed different. Sombra could still feel the cold rage and hunger within him, but instead of burning it now merely smoldered. Even the voice had fallen silent, having surrendered control to Sombra immediately upon their arrival. Apparently, not only did it require his consent to take over, but doing so for too long left it exhausted. Well, at least he wouldn't have to worry about it causing any trouble. As he stood before Celestia's now vacant throne, Sombra looked up at the massive portrait of her that gazed down on him from behind it. There were many of them just like it in her castle, at least one in every room, and all of them with the same conceited smirk on her face. It was strange. How could she have turned out so different from her counterpart in the other world, the kind and beautiful mare who had stolen his heart. My dear sweet Celestia, he thought as he touched the crown in his cloak. I want to see you again...to hold you in my hooves...just like that first night... ...Beneath the light of a full moon, Sombra made his way through the royal gardens of Canterlot Castle. Not more than five minutes ago, a plume of smoke had whisped into his study where it materialized into a scroll. And when he had seen who it was from, he had dropped everything and hurried down to the castle grounds. He had slowed only briefly so as to not arouse suspicion by the guards, informing them that he was going for a nighttime walk and asking them to close off access to the gardens so he could have some privacy. "Hello!" he called. "Celestia? Star Swirl? Where are you?" "Sombra?" Sombra turned at the voice and smiled as a tall shapely figure appeared from behind a tree. "Celestia! I wasn't expecting you to visit again so soon." He looked around him but didn't see anypony else. "Where's Star Swirl? I'm eager to see if his beard has grown back yet." He moved towards her but to his surpise she backed away from him. "Celestia?" he asked as he continued to approach her. "Stay back!" she suddenly cried. "Please...just stay in the light. Don't come into the shadows." Though confused by her behavior, Sombra did as he requested and retreated to the side of a nearby lampost. "Is this better?' Slowly, Celestia stepped into the open and Sombra realized something was very wrong. She trembled as she approached him and her eyes were wide with apprehension. It was almost as if she was afraid of him. "Celestia?" She reached for him with a shaking hoof and timidly caressed his face and the length of his horn. "Celestia what's wrong?" he asked as tears began to stream down her lovely face. "Sombra!!" Before he could say anything else, Celestia had hurled herself against him, her hooves wrapping around him as she frantically sobbed into his shoulder. "Celestia what's going on? Tell me what happened." She didn't answer so Sombra wrapped his cloak over her shoulders and held her. Eventually, Celestia calmed down enough to tell him about the encounter with the Sombra of her world, the torture he had tried to inflict upon her, and the banishment of the entire Crystal Empire. "I'm sorry," he whispered, his heart sick with horror. "I'm so sorry. I swear I would never do that to you." If he could he would go to her world and completely obliterate the other Sombra. But he knew that wasn't what Celestia needed right now. "Is there no hope to restore the Crystal Empire? Can't your Elements do something?" "Not without releasing Sombra as well. Star Swirl...he says that the risk is too great. With all records of the Empire gone as well, there's no way of knowing the kind of magic he uses or how to defeat it." Celestia sniffled as she clung to him like a child. "The Crystal Ponies...they're lost and forgotten. But all I can think about is how I don't have to face the other Sombra again. I'm a terrible pony." "No no you're not!" Sombra told her. "You are the kindest most selfless pony I've ever met. Anypony would feel the same if they experienced what you had. There's no shame in it." "But I'm not anypony! I'm the princess. I promised the Crystal Ponies that I'd save them and I failed. They trusted me...just like my own subjects trust me. How can I rule if I can't even guarantee their safety? What will I do if I ever fail again?" Sombra hummed in thought and stroked her mane. "Come with me," he told her. "There's somepony I want you to meet." Taking her hoof in his, Sombra led her through the garden until he stopped before the statue of a rearing pegasus in full armor. "Do you know who that is?" Celestia looked up and her eyes widened in surprise. "It's Silverbolt. In my world he was a ruthless criminal." "Well in my world, he was the first captain of my guard." Sombra rested his hoof around Celestia's shoulders and pulled her close. "Many years ago, before we met, Equestria was attacked by a great evil. I had just recently ascended to the throne and my accomplishments up to that point had made me proud. I imagined it would be foal's play to defeat the invaders and so I rode out with Silverbolt and my guard to drive them back." "What happened?" Sombra sighed and hung his head. "Though my forces were superior in number, the enemy possessed a terrible power that allowed them to overwhelm us. We suffered huge losses and were ultimately forced to retreat. Much like you're feeling now, I was overcome with shame and despair. I questioned how I could be fit to rule if I couldn't even repel an invading force." "How did you overcome it?" Sombra smiled and rubbed his snout. "In the middle of my lamentations, Silverbolt trotted up and socked me right in the muzzle." "He did what?" "I didn't believe it at first either. But as I lay stunned on the ground, Silverbolt stood over me and gave me a royal earful. He asked me if I really thought being King would be easy or that I was above failure. He told me that there was more at stake than my pride and that I had better rid myself of it if I really expected to protect my kingdom since my subjects were still counting on me to protect them." Sombra chuckled softly and rubbed the back of his head. "It takes a true friend to knock some sense into you. And back then, I desperately needed it." "I see. So what did you do?" "Well, rather than raising another host, I decided to assemble a party of my strongest warriors and launched a surprise raid on their castle. Silverbolt was included of course, along with Celestia and Luna." "You actually sought help from her?" "Celestia back then had yet to fully master her magic so she was no threat. Still, she realized that if Equestria fell to the invaders then she wouldn't be able to conquer it so she and Luna agreed to join forces with me. Together, we travelled to the castle of the invaders, penetrated their defenses, and fought our way into the center of their stronghold where we seized the source of their power. With their advantage gone, the invaders had no choice but to admit defeat. Our victory however, was not without cost." Celestia looked up to Silverbolt's statue and bowed her head in respect. "Afterwards," he continued. "despite my offer of peace, Celestia dissolved our alliance and returned to Everfree. Luna however, decided to remain with me where she has been my closest comrade ever since." With his tale finished, Sombra took a moment for Celestia to absorb everything. "The invaders," she finally asked, "who were they?" Sombra frowned and shook his head. "Just a nightmare that's best left forgotten. My point is, despite being king, despite all my strength, I realized that at my core I was still a pony. No more perfect or above failure than anyone else. And I realized that I could never protect Equestria by myself because there was only so much I could do by myself. So In the years since I've seen to it that I don't have to. I sought out as many allies as I could and established the School for Heroic Ponies. I wish I could tell you that you'll never fail again. I wish I could even tell you it hursts a little less each time. But I can tell you that you don't have to face it alone." "But who can I turn to?" she asked. "Luna, every day she pushes me further and further away. And Star Swirl won't bother with anything he doesn't consider intellectually stimulating." "That's not true," he said. "Your Luna, I know your relationship with her has been strained ever since you two came to power in your world, but she obviously cares for you enough to come to your aide. And Star Swirl is devoted to you. Why else do you think he's stood by you for so long? Then there's your subjects who I'm sure love you just as much as you love them. Also...you have me." Celestia looked up to him in surprise. "I can't journey to your world so I can't protect you the same way I do for my comrades and subjects. I can do this however. Lend me your horn." Celestia raised an eyebrow but she did as he instructed and lowered her head. Sombra did the same, and his horn glowed with magic as he touched its tip to hers, eliciting a startled gasp from Celestia as his magic flowed into her. "It's a portion of my power," he explained. "Use it to protect yourself and those you care about." Caressing her cheek with his hoof, Sombra gently turned her gaze back up to his. "And if you ever need a release from your burdens or a shoulder to cry on, don't hesitate to come see me. I promise, as long as I'm with you, I won't let anything hurt you." "Sombra..."Celestia sighed as she leaned into his hoof "...I." Around them, tree frogs and insects serenaded the two ponies and the moon gazed down upon them as Sombra leaned forward and met her lips with his... ...In the years since then, Sombra's love for Celestia had only grown. When he was with her, it was the most wonderful feeling in the world. But it was also the most painful as he knew that they could only be allowed a few moments together before they were once again seperated for who knew how long. And now, if the voice was right, the mare he loved was in danger of being lost forever to her own pain. Pain that he had caused her. I can't let that happen, he vowed. I can't hurt her like the Sombra of her world. I have to find a way to get back to her no matter what it takes. "Hello?" he called. "Can you hear me?" Nothing answered and Sombra briefly feared that the voice was just another hallucination of the darkness within him. "Yes," it finally responded. "I am here." "Celestia...how do you know about her?" "Well," the voice laughed, "I think that should be obvious." Sombra thought it over and his eyes widened in realization. "You're from her world," he said. "Then, does that mean the doorway is still open?" "Indeed it is but unfortunately it would be impossible for you to pas through it now. Therefore, we must make another one." "Another?" Sombra asked. "But how?" "Through the research of the Star Swirl of your world. We both know that what happens in one world is reflected in the other. Therefore, it's highly possible that he was experimenting with trans-dimensional travel as well." "Except we can't decipher any of his notes." "Yes I'm aware of that," the voice remarked. "And I have a theory as to why. As soon as we find the right one, I'll be able to create a doorway through which you can travel to the other world." "But his journals were sealed in the archives of Canterlot Castle. How are you even going to get them, much less even find the right journal?" "No need to concern yourself," the voice assured him. "Just return control to me and I will handle everything." Sombra wasn't so sure about that. He could feel that the voice wasn't telling him everything. There was something else it was after and he needed to know what. "Before I do," he said, "you said you could remove the darkness from within me? How? And what do you intend to do with it afterwards." "Why I'll take it into myself of course." So that was it. Sombra scowled as he realized that he was just being used by somepony with aspirations to take over the vacancy left by his world's Celestia. "I won't allow that." "Are you sure?" the voice continued. "You know as well as I that in time, it will take you over. Isn't that why you fled your throne? To protect your precious kingdom from yourself? You've already suffered so much. Pass it on to me and in exchange, I will reunite you with your beloved Celestia." "You really expect me to trust you?" Sombra demanded "After what you tried to do to Discord?" "You mean what WE did to Discord," the voice corrected. "I was only able to do so because you gave consent. If I hadn't, you would have been dragged back to Canterlot where you would have spent the rest of your existence in suffering and isolation. And then who would ease Celestia's pain? Besides, have I not already earned your trust? After all, you would have perished by now if not for me." "Then...does that mean you were the one who brought me food in the Macintosh Hills?" "And guided you through the desert. Would I really have gone to all that trouble if my intentions were not sincere?" Sombra didn't believe a word. It was all just a little too convenient. "Who are you?" He finally demanded. "Even if you seek to benefit, why would you go to all this trouble just to offer me aide?" ==Equestria Prime== Twilight sighed as she laid the final journal back on the shelf. Around the study, the others lay scattered in various states of fugue amidst piles of Star Swirl's notes. Time had slipped away from her but she imagined it had to be close to sunset up above. "Well that's it," Spike said as he lay on top of a pile of books. "We've been though every journal in the study and we still couldn't find anything." "I feel like my head's about to explode," Fluttershy said as she rubbed her temples. "I don't think I'll read anything ever again," Cadence groaned. "Girls we can't give up," Twilight said. "So let's put our heads together and think. There's got to be something we're not seeing here." "We've been through all of them with a fine tooth comb," Rainbow remarked. "I don't think there's anything else we could do." "Well we could always ask Star Swirl," Discord mumbled. "Will you can it with the smart remarks!" Applejack snapped. "We got enough problems without havin' to deal with your attitude as well!" "Hold on a second!" Twilight said. "Maybe Discord is on to something." "He is?" Spike asked. "I am?" "Twilight dear you're not considering using a time travel spell are you?" Rarity asked. "Remember what happened last time." "Not quite," Twilight answered. "We can't ask Star Swirl for help but maybe we can ask somepony just like him. Pinkie, come here a moment." "Okey dokey!" Pinkie beamed as she leapt to her hooves and bounded towards Twilight. "What's up?" "I need you to play a little game with me?" "What kind of game?" Twilight's horn lit up and a fluffy pink beard sprouted from Pinkie's chin. "Oooh! Sagey!" "Now Pinkie," Twilight explained, "pretend that you're Star Swirl the Bearded. You want to leave a message for us. But you're afraid that the wrong pony might use it for some evil plan so you need to write it in code to keep it safe. Now, what sort of code would you write the message in?" Setting the journal on Star Swirl's desk, Twilight moved aside so Pinkie could examine it more closely. "Hmmm," Pinkie hummed as she stroked her beard. "This is a toughie." "Are you really sure this is going to work?" Cadance asked. "If there's one thing I've learned from living in Ponyville," Twilight answered. "It's to never underestimate Pinkie Pie." "Especially when it comes to the impossible," Rainbow added. "Or things falling from the sky," Spike added. "I don't believe it," Discord said. "If she actually manages to pull this off, I'll parade through Equstria in a frilly pink dress." Meanwhile, oblivious to the other's comments, Pinkie continued to flip through the pages of Star Swirl's mystery journal. Suddenly, her eyes lit up and she slammed the book closed. "I've figured it out Twilight." " 'Atta girl Pinkie!" Applejack cheered. "So what's the code?" "None whatsoever!" For several seconds, the only sound was the chirp of cave crickets. "Told you," Discord smirked. "Wait a minute," Twilight gasped. "Could it be?" Snatching the journal back from Pinkie, Twilight stared at it with widening eyes. "Of course!" she laughed. "It's so obvious! Pinkie you're a genius!" "Is that what I'm role playing as next?" Pinkie asked as she peeled off the beard. "Twilight are you okay?" Spike asked "I'm better than okay! Don't you get it? There is no code. All these drawings and ramblings, they're just a distraction." "Um, I don't understand," Fluttershy said. "What are they a distraction for?" "Yeah," Rainbow added. "If all this is meaningless than what the hay is this thing for anyway?" "Just watch." Twilight dipped her horn towards the book and activated her magic. The light flowed into the paper and as the others watched in amazement, the pages lit up with glowing text. "Uh, Sugarcube," Applejack asked. "What's going on here?" "Phantom ink," Cadance gasped. "It's a type of invisible ink. It remains blank until you channel magic into it and then it lights up." "Not only that," Twilight added, "the recipe is so simple you don't even need to be a unicorn to make it. And because it remains inert until charged with magic, it can't be detected." "Ah get it," Applejack said. "Because it's a foal's trick, Star Swirl knew it'd be the last thing anypony'd expect him to do." "So," Rarity asked, "shall I schedule your fitting for next tuesay?" "Can this day get any worse?" Discord wondered as Twilight scanned the journal's contents. "Everyone listen to this," Twiligh said as she began to read aloud. "If you're reading this then you've unlocked the secret of the journal. I apologize for the inconvenience, but I had to ensure that the information in these notes remained hidden until the time was right. I'm well aware that despite the mirror being shattered, somepony managed to cross over into the other Equestria." "Okay," Applejack said, "this is gettin' spooky." "But before you can face your opponent," Twilight continued, "there are a few things you must do. Now as you're probably aware, the mirror works by twisting space and time into a whirlpool which forms a tunnel through which one can safely travel through the todash, the empty space between worlds. In the years since I first created it, my experiments with the mirror revealed that through it's basic workings, it has the ability to manipulate time within it's structure, allowing one to actually 'see' past reflections. Written below are the spells I've created that allows one to utilize this ability. Use it to study your enemy. Spike, bring me the mirror." "On it," Spike said as he rushed to the desk. "Here you go." "Okay then," she announced as Spike laid it on the gound before her. "Let's see who we're dealing with." Twilight's horn lit up as she leaned forward and cast Star Swirl's spell onto the shard. The others moved in for a closer look and to their amazement, images of themselves from earlier in the day played in reverse across the surface. "It's working Twilight," Fluttershy said as the images began to run faster. "But how long do you plan to go back?" "Well, according to Luna," Twilight answered, "Celestia's nightmare occured about four nights ago. She usually goes to bed around 10 PM if no urgent business requires her attention so we'll start from there and work our way forward in fifteen minute increments." After around five minutes, the images started to slow and finally stopped to reveal the darkened bedroom of Celestia. From the angle of the reflection, they could just barely make out the edge of the Princess's bed along the shard's left edge. "Allright, let's move forward." Twilight cast the fast forward spell again and the images in the glass sped ahead until it reached 10:15. Nothing appeared out of the ordinary so Twilight moved on to 10:30 and then on to 10:45. Bit by bit they advanced through the night but saw nothing that could explain who their opponent was or what they had done to Celestia. "Okay then," Twilight sighed, "let's move on to 3:45." "Wait a minute," Discord suddenly said. "What was that?" "What was what?" Rainbow asked. "Something was moving by Celestia's bed. Go back a little bit." Twilight cast the rewind spell and the reflection moved back a few seconds. "There. Right there." Twilight bent down to where Discord was pointing and saw a dark mass floating up from the floor onto the foot of Celestia's bed. "Yeah I see it," Applejack said. "What is that a shadow?" "No," Rarity said. "It's too thick. It looks more like smoke to me." "No!" Twilight heard Cadance whimper as she backed away. "No it can't be!" Twilight looked to Cadance and saw that the pink Alicorn's face had grown an expression of complete terror. "Cadance what's wrong?" "Um Twilight," Spike stammered, "I really think you should take a look at this!" Twilight turned around and saw that her friends were sporting the same look of shock and and fear that Cadance had. "Spike? Girls? What's the matter?" Rainbow Dash pointed back towards the shard and Twilight saw that the angle of the mirror's reflection had shifted. She watched as whatever had siezed the shard maneuvered it to catch the image of a dark form that reered up from the floor. And in the shadow's center, a pair of crimson eyes overflowing with dark magic stared back at her. "Oh....no!" ==Mirror Equestria== "Why?" the voiced asked "Well why wouldn't I?" All around Sombra, the throne room began to shimmer and fade as a wall of darkness enveloped him. Hoofsteps echoed behind him and Sombra turned around as a Unicorn that was his mirror image stepped out of the shadows. "After all...we're practically brothers."