//------------------------------// // Chapter 5: Reflections part 2 // Story: Champion of Equestria: Dark Desires // by Buddy Hooves //------------------------------// Princess Luna sat on her bed as began to get comfortable. Now that her sister's sun had set and her glorious moon was out, it was time to perpare for her nighty duties. But tonight, she had a special case, as she would use her dreamscaping powers on one pony specifically. Twilight had sent a letter to Celestia earlier today, explaining how Mark said he was remembering parts of Sombra's past over his own. What was more disturbing, was that he could hear Sombra inside his head. Celestia and Luna had thought they had rid Mark of Sombra's curse, so upon hearing hearing this news it was decided that Luna would learn what she could through his dreams. Closing her eyes, Luna began channelling her powers through her horn. A familiar thread of magic exited her horn and began travelling into the night sky. It was her link into the dream realm, and allowed her to connect to any pony dreams she wished to. She could even spread the thread into many, allowing her to even connect many ponies into the same dream. But she didn't have to do that little number since all of Ponyville helped her conquer her own demons not that long ago. Scanning the dreamscape, she soon found the pony she was looking for, and entered into his dreams with the ease of simply opening a door and entering. The world around her warped around her as it began to take shape, matching with whatever was in Mark's mind. As everything began to clear, she found herself inside what looked like the middle of Sweet Apple Acres. Large apple trees were all around her, as well as a clear stretch of field off to the side. Nothing was in the plain field except for what looked like a lone sunflower sticking out in the middle. It was almost as tall as a young filly, as it's petals appeared bright with it's steam strong and healthy. With Mark nowhere around and nothing else was in view except the apple trees, Luna decided to make her way to it. As Luna walked onto the field, the flower in the middle began to stir, moving it's steam side to side and. Luna watched in complete amazement as black little eyes popped open at it's base, as it began to look around it's surroundings. It stopped as it spotted Luna standing not far from it, and froze it's gaze on her. She couldn't help but feel a little creeped out as a strange grin spread across it's now face. "Greetings Princess Luna. I bid you welcome." It spoke. Lune stood perplexed for a moment, unsure how to proceed with these strange encounter. "Yes... Well, thank you. Might I ask who you are?" "Me? I'm Flowey." The flower happily answered. "I live here in this part of Mark's dreams." "Tell me, little one, do you know where Mark is?" Luna asked. "Uh huh, he's just inside that door." Flowey nodded. "Door? What door? There's nothing...." Luna paused as she looked up only to see a door just behind the flower. "Oh." "I have to warn you, not everything is as it appears in there." Flowey said as Luna walked up to the door. "What does that mean?" She turned to give the flower a curious look. "You'll see soon enough." Flowey smiled a big toothy grin. She stood there for a moment, wondering what to make of all this. Normally when she entered somepony's dream, she would find them almost imeddiately and began to help them work out their problems. But the fact that see hadn't seen Mark yet, and was greeted by this strange plant did not sit well with her. Something was indeed wrong here, and she had no choice now but to push forward. Taking hold of the door handle with her magic, she quickly flung the door opened. Just as she about to walk through the door, she turned to give one last look at the flower. It was still watching her as it continued to give her an almost sinister grim. "Good luck. You'll need it." It said to her. Luna just ignored it as she step through the door frame, the door closing behind her seconds later. The princess of the night was stunned by where she was next. It was a long straight hallway with nothing but mirrors. Big circled frame mirrors littered the hallway on both sides of the hall, with the largest on at the end of the hallway. Each mirror was well spread apart, with every mirror switching sides from left to right as they went down the hall. As Luna peeked into one, she saw that inside was the moment Mark was a newborn foal. These are his past memories! Luna realized she was deep inside Mark's dream core, where memories and dreams are stored and keeped. She had hardly ever been this deep inside a pony's mind before, as the only time she did was to help a poor little filly who was lost inside a coma. She started to wonder why the flower lead her here, but then remembered that her mission was to look deep inside Mark's mind to see if something was wrong. So she decided that the best step was to move on and study the mirrors. So she began to slowly walk the hallway, taking the time to look at each mirror on both sides. The first few mirrors were a little foggy, as they contained memories of his time growing up from a foal to a young colt. That didn't surprised her, as the deeper you look back on the past, the harder it was to remember it. But what surprised her was that he wasn't a human in these memories, but a blue earth pony, which showed signs that maybe his mind was effected from his time in Equestria after all. As she went further down, she began to notice differences between the events in each mirror. From him as a colt to him growing up as a young stallion, some mirrors showed him as a blue earth pony going to a school in an unknown city, while others showed him as a gray unicorn being raised in the Crystal Empire. These are Sombra's memories. Luna thought, realizing the full horror of what this meant. His mind IS merging with that damn tyrant! She continued walking, hoping to find the core of the problem and help Mark. Continuing down the hall, the events in the mirrors played out as she thought they would. While some showed a young Mark as a blue earth pony growing up in a peaceful, if not dull life, others showed Sombra as he began his magic studies. Then, the ones with Mark stopped as Sombra's continued to play out, showing how he fell to the dark side and became the evil king that Luna hated so much. She stopped, watching the event where one night, he while studing dark magic, he tried to cast a powerful spell to summon something from another reality plane. She watched in horror as a creature she had only heard about in legends appeared. "An umbrum!" Luna gasped. The mist like creature was an evil being, sealed in another realm to keep Equestria safe from it's kind. She watched as it attacked Sombra, possessing his body and changing him into a creature of darkness as well. His horn became red and curved, his pupals turned red and eyes glowed green. He even grew fangs in his mouth, which showed his transformation from a pony into a creature of evil. This was the Sombra that Princess Luna knew, and she had a feeling of what the other mirrors would show. She was not looking forward to it, though. Events played out in the mirrors just like she thought they would. Mirrors showed how he turned the queen of the Crystal Empire into stone and smashed her into pieces, killing her to take the throne for himself. It showed how he took over the kingdom and turned all the crystal ponies into his slaves. It showed how she and her sister showed up to put a stop to his plans, but at the cost of the Crystal Empire disappearing for a thosand years. It showed Sombra trapped in the snow, as he wait and plotted until he and the kingdom could return. And when it did, the mirrors showed how Twilight Sparkle and friends put a stop to him. The mirrors then showed something that made Luna stop and look on in amazment, a human male. She had never seen one before, but read about them in ancient texts, and this one matched all the details she rid. She quickly realized it was Mark when he saw him find a crystal in what looked like a small park, and watched as he picked it up and was teleported into Equestria. From there, the mirrors played out the events of Mark since he arrived in Equestria, leading to the night at the gala. The last mirror, the one that showed what happened at the Grand Galloping Gala, had a crack in it, as this was the night where eveything changed for Mark. As well as almost died. Luna had at last come to the end of the hallway, and was beginning to understand what might be happening to Mark. Even if Sombra was ejected from his mind, the damage that was caused during that small time, as well as Mark slowly adjusting to life as a pony was effecting his mind. Looking inside the last mirror and was surprised to see Mark within. He looked to be inside the Canterlot prison, sitting in the corner of the cell in a slump, his ears pulled back and a horribly sad expession on his face. No doubt he was having some sort of nightmare. "Why would he dream of..." Suddenly, a hoof grabbed Mark from behind, forcing him to turn around quickly. As he did, his eyes widen in horror at what he saw. It was Sombra. But he wasn't in his royal armor that he was always seen wearing. No, he was standing in front of Mark looking almost like a normal unicorn, except with glowing eyes and a red curved horn. If one was to look at the two stallions, they would almost mistake them as twins. "Sombra..." Mark whispered, horrified at what he was seeing. "Hello me, meet the real me." Sombra grinned evily. "And my misfit way of life." "No, no. That's not true. I'm not you. That's impossible!" Sombra just continued to stare at him with a wicked smile. "A dark black past is my most valued possession. Hindsight is always 20/20, but looking back it's still a bit fuzzy. Speaking of mutually assured destruction? Nice story.... Tell it to the tabloids." Mark paused. He was sure he heard those words before, but he couldn't remember where. Then, he realized that he heard them as lyrics in a song, and quickly spoke the name as the words hit his brain. "Megadeth." "Nice little gingle." Sombra chuckled. "Guess you humans have good taste in music after all." "Why are you here?" Mark cautiously ask. "Why do you think? I'm a part of you now." He answered surprisingly calm. "You're NOT part of me!" Mark snapped. "Ahh, but that's where you are wrong. You see, I'm not really the real Sombra. Not fully. I'm a fragment of his soul that stayed inside you after our little... Encounter. To keep from fading into nothingness, I had no choice but to merge myself with you." "So you're trying to possess me!" Mark exclaimed, taking a defensive stance. "You're wrong. It is you that has possessed me." "What?" "Allow me to explain. Because I'm just a fragment of Sombra, I lack the power to take over your mind. During my time here, the evil of the umbrum has left me, and has left me here with nothing to do but look back at my past." He closed his eyes to sigh, a slight frown on his face. "I wasn't always the king of shadows, you know, I was once a normal pony like everypony else. It was only when I became obsessed with dark magic that I changed, as the umbrum took control of my very core." "Wait. Why are you telling me all this?" "I'm not. I'm explaining it to our guest there." Sombra smiled, pointing over to the side. Princess Luna froze for a second, surprised that he knew she was even there. Once she recovered, she decided it was time to get to the bottom of all this. Channelling her magic, she turned the mirror frame into a door frame, allowing her to enter the cell with them. "Ah, Princess Luna. How nice to see you again. We've been waiting for you." Sombra greeted her. "Silence you cur! I will not allow you to corrupt Mark's mind any further." She scolded. Her wings spread open and her horn readying a magic spell. "You've got it all wrong, you highness. I'm not trying to do such a thing." "Luna? How did you get here? What's going on?" Mark asked, confused at eveything going on. "Shhhh.... The grown ups are talking." Sombra stated, putting a hoof to his lips. Charging his horn, he opened a portal in what Luna knew was another dream, before grabbing him with his magic. "Why don't you go have fun someplace else." And before Luna could react, Sombra threw Mark into the portal before using his magic close it shut. "Now, where were we?" "You fiend. Where have you sent him?" Luna demanded. Still ready to engage her foe. "Relax. I just sent him into a different dream so we could speak privately." Sombra said as he took a seat on the cell bed. "We knew you were coming, so that's why I arranged a meeting." "But why in a prison cell? This doesn't seem fitting for a stallion such as you." Luna commented, giving her surroundings a disgusted look. "Correction. It's a fitting place for my predicament." He chuckled. "But to answer your question, Mark was the one dreaming of being in here." "Why would he dream of such a thing?" "Because he had an argument with Twilight Sparkle, and with the knowledge that you and your sister knew of his problems, he thought that you'd see him as a villain. So he dreamt he was put in jail." "Why would Mark think such a thing? We only wish to help him." Luna said, slightly hurt that Mark would even think such a thing. "Because he fears what he might become. Because of his mixed memories and me in his head." Sombra answered. "Then the best solution is to finish you off once and for all." Luna declared, once again readying herself for combat. "Go ahead. Finish me off." He calmly said as he got up and stood infront of her. "I'm already dead. I'm nothing but a fragment of the real Sombra, so I welcome the void." "Then we are agreed then. You must go." "But know this, princess of the night, getting rid of me won't solve everything. Mark's too far gone." "What do you mean?" Luna asked. "Even without me, Mark's memories will still be warped by the failed possession. He will still be plagued by emotions and desires not fully his own, and still question weather or not he truely is still himself. And even still, he will still be left to face the darkness within himself. He was once a human, after all." Sombra replied. "What does that have to do with anything?" "Everything! Human's by their very nature are nothing more then monsters. Since their creation, humans have fought and killed for many reasons. From religion, to justice, to simple pleasure. They're not like the ponies of Equestria, who long for peace and harmony. They long for conflict. Even now on his home world, battles are being fought while those in power plot how to get rich off of such conflict. They even have a weapon that can kill thousands in seconds." "Your wrong, Mark's not like that." Luna stated. "True. Not every one of them are blood thirsty savages, but he still is not the same as pony kind. He will always fight against the darkness inside his very heart. Just like you still do, Luna." Luna had heard enough. She fired a blast of magic that sent him slamming into the wall with hard smack. He staggered for a moment to get up on his hooves, seeing her eyes glow white as she focused her power. "Seems I touched a nerve." "Silence foul creature. I will not allow this go on for another second. Mark will be free from your grasp, and he will find peace in his life. He's a strong pony, and has more heart then you'll ever know." Wasting no time, she released her magic before he could get a chance to react. Luna watched in grim satisfaction as the last of Sombra was destroyed. Silently screaming as he was burned to nothing. It was over. Luna sighed as she took a moment to collect herself. Sombra's words had touched her more then she cared to admit. It was true that she still struggled with the darkness in inside herself. Not too long ago, Twilight's friends and most of Ponyville had to help her come to terms with her past. But she was slowly moving on, and making the most of her life. She knew that Mark would be able to do the same. Using her dream magic, she warped to were Mark was at so she could give him the good news. As reality formed around her, she found herself in what looked like Twilight's castle. She noticed she was in one of the guest rooms, as she saw the occupied bed not far from where she stood. Two figures moved under the covers, giggling and moaning as they wrestled under their silk shield. Luna's face turned crimson. It was at that time, did the occupants come out of the covers for some air. It was Mark and Applejack. When Mark turned his head and saw Luna, his face also blushed as he froze in place. "L-Luna? Is that you?" He struggled to ask. Luna simply nodded. "I'm dreaming, ain't I?" Another nod. He quickly got out of the bed, making his way over to the night princess. When he glanced a look back to the bed, he saw that Applejack was frozen in place. "Sorry about this. I uhhh... Well, that is to say...." "You have nothing to apologize for." She said, warmly. "After everything that's happened, you deserve to be happy." "Thanks. I... Wait a minute, didn't I see you before?" He asked. "Yes. When you dreamed you where in a prison cell." "Yeah... I had a dream you and Celestia put me in a cell because I was becoming too much like Sombra. Then he appeared and told me we were the same. That's when you showed up and...." He paused. "He's really is still inside my head, isn't he?" "No. I just took care of him." She calmly replied. "Then I'm cured?" "I'm afraid it doesn't work that way." Luna shook her head slowly, a small frown on her lips. "I may have gotten rid of the last part of Sombra's spirit from your body, but the effects will still be the same." Mark slumped as he heard this. He couldn't believe he went through all that trouble and had made no progress in the end. He would be forced to have memories of a dictator inside his head, never being about to tell where his past end and Sombra's began. How would he be able to handle the sins of Sombra's past? Could he convince himself that it wasn't his doing, or would he have to live with regret over the past for the rest of his life. Suddenly, he felt a hoof resting on his withers, and looked up to see Luna standing next to him. Giving him a warm smile. "It's okay, Mark. Just because some of Sombra's memories are mixed in with yours, doesn't make you him." "But... All those things he's done. The Crystal Empire..." "Are not your fault. Remember, in the short time you've been here you've done nothing but good things." Luna pointed out. "you're a good pony, Mark. You have friends who love you and will be there for you even when you begin to question yourself. Trust me, I know." Mark looked up at Luna for a moment, pondering what she just said. Then his face lit up as everything click inside his mind, as if he solved a puzzle that had recently stumped him. "You're right, princess. I don't have to let the memories of the past haunt my present, not when I can make new better ones in there place. I'll learn from my experiences and push forward, becoming the pony Sombra could never be." Mark declared. Luna gave an approving nod. "Then my work here is done." She said. "Before I go and you wake, I have one last thing to discuss. I heard that you argued with Twilight about something." "Huh? Oh yeah. I got angry because I learned that you guys were hiding a mirror that could possibly send me back home." Luna blinked for a second. "Ah, that mirror. I'm afraid it's not what you think. You see, while it's true that it does lead to a reality with humans, it's still not your world. From Twilight's reports, it's a pocket world were everypony in Equestria is human and go to highschool. Undrstand Mark, even if you would have went to that world, it still would not be your own. There are many different worlds and realities similar but different then our own. The multiverse theory, if I remember correctly. Finding your home in your reality is like finding a needle in a haystack." "I... I see." Mark thought for a moment. So if that's true, then if I did go through that mirror than I'd be in highschool again. No thank you. My past school life was hell enough, I don't need to relive it. "Promise me that you'll try talking things over with Twilight." Luna spoke, snapping him out of his thoughts. "I will. I only got angry cause I thought it might be a way home. But I see now that home is where you make it." He smiled. "Good. Then it's time for us to leave." "Wait!" "What is it?" Luna asked, curious as to why he stopped her. "Cou- could I have a few more minutes with this dream?" Mark blushed, pointing a hoof to the bed. Luna fought back a small giggle. "Very well. You deserve it." And so she left Mark and his dreams as she finished the rest of her nighty duties for the evening. After waking up to quite a series of strange dreams, Mark decided to hop in the shower real quick. After a soothing wash, he felt alot better, and not just physically. It felt like a weight in his mind was lefted, an for the first time in what felt like months he wasn't on autopilot. He knew he had Luna to think, as well as Applejack and Twilight for getting her to visit his dreams. He then remembered how he got angry at Twilight last night and felt bad about what happened. He started to make his way to the kitchen, hoping they would run into each other there like they always did for breakfast. But as he turned the hallway, he noticed that the door to the library was cracked open. Curious, he walked over to the door to sneak a peak inside, to see if anypony was inside. Sure enough, he found Twilight sitting next to a table with tons of books stacked on top of it. It looked like Twilight was up all night trying to study something. "Twilight?" Mark softly asked. Getting her to turn to face him. The small bags under her eyes said it all. "Have you been here the whole night?" "Mostly." She answered with a small yawn. "I've looked through every book on different worlds and dimensions, but it's too much to make sense of. Apparently there are to many possibilities in the multiverse to know if we could even send you back to your right planet, or even time." "Yeah, I watched way too many episodes of Rick and Morty to know that." Mark chuckled. "What?" "Nevermind." He said as he walked closer to her. "Look Twilight, I know why you stayed up to look through all that," he pointed to the books on the table "and you don't have to do all of this. I don't deserve that much kindness." "But Mark, what about finding a way ho..." "I don't care anymore. Look, I'm sorry I got angry at you. But I had sometime to think things over and I realized there's no place I'd rather be then right here with my friends." He smiled. "You mean that?" "Of course. After all, the devil you know is better then the one you don't know." "What?" "It's a saying on my world. Like the grass is always greener on the other side." Mark explained. "Oh, I get it now." Twilight said, giving out a big yawn. "What do you say we go get some breakfast and some coffee?" "Sure." Twilight giggled. "But with how I'm feeling I could the whole pot."