Tomb of Magic

by Ice Star

Epilogue: The Game of Life

Celestia:

I stared at the ebony and ivory pieces positioned before me, the board that was their world a perfect balance of black and white spaces. In times of stress, I often found myself pulling out the game and setting it up on the floor of my study. I had done a multitude of things here in the past years, namely reading the scrolls that had been sent to me by Twilight Sparkle up until recent times.

To me chess was always more then just a pastime, it was a metaphor for life: the many squares of black and white, as well as its various roles moving through a perplexing yet rewarding series of movements, while still being part of a larger balance: good and evil.

I just wonder where I might have went wrong.

I was the king piece. Luna was the queen, I think, while Twilight and Cadance were the mages. Shining Armor and the Royal Guard the rooks. It continued on with the Elements of Harmony being the knights, and the citizens of Equestria as the pawns, despite their diversity united by the sense of loyalty and magic they all had within them.

I moved one of my lucky ebony knights and captured a white pawn.

Just what had happened to create such a wild string of events? I had selected Onyx - or as he was called now, 'Sombra' - to accompany Twilight Sparkle because I knew that Onyx, despite his brutal nature, was not a serious threat, and would be kept in check by Twilight easily. She was a capable young mare, and would help guide Onyx to me, and he would unknowingly be one step closer to his death at my hooves. His crimes against Twilight, Cadance, and the crystal ponies will not go unpunished.

I knew his behaviour inside and out from the moment we met in the Magicspire so long ago. So how could something with such coordinated, neat movements, surprise me? Such a cruel surprise that had led to Twilight getting hurt.

Onyx was a literal pawn: dependent on something other than himself to accomplish things and could be easily controlled and ordered around by those above him, thus he was a prime candidate to go on this quest, especially since he knew the Magicspire.

So what had gone wrong? I mused as one of the imaginary opponents created by mere enchantment moved a mage a little too close to my rook.

This 'player' didn't move like Onyx at all. They didn't play by any conventional rules and had my believing that I wasn't even playing the game I loved anymore.

Whoever this was, they were directly challenging me, I can feel it.

Even Discord fit somewhere into this pattern.

Black and white.

Harmony and Chaos.

Good and Evil.

Yet here I was facing off against somepony I didn't know, with moves I couldn't foresee, who was neither a shade of black nor a shade of white, but rather somepony who thought that a single shade of gray could survive in a world that is, has been, and will always be nothing but proper absolutes.

...

Sombra:

This is over. That's what she thought. The look on Purple Eyesore's face clearly read 'I may be an unintelligent excuse of ponyflesh who has a higher chance of asphyxiating in a closet compared to most of the utterly worthless, expendable, and anonymous faces clogging Sombra's world, but at least this whole ordeal is over.'

Heck, I even stole the 'Harmony Theory' papers from her and she hasn't seemed to notice. After all, who hires a mercenary and doesn't pay them? Somepony who wants to die. I just had to secure payment for myself this time, and what better payment than something I enjoyed: knowledge. Material things hold little interest or me, but there's so much in knowledge that I find so very rewarding and enjoyable.

I suppose it doesn't matter, since I take whatever payment I want and Twilight Sparkle will most likely be dead before I finish this spell. Well, it said something like that, I was in her head and knew that 'ordeal' was too complicated a word for the God-Queen of Idiocy, Mother of all Simpletons, to even begin to comprehend.

In reality, all this madness never had much to do with her at all, it was all about me of course. After all, who else has been particularly worthy of words in my life? No pony, really. In fact I bet somepony could write an entire odyssey about everything I do. I'm worth it.

I digress in regards to the books though, the madness that I bring is only beginning and since I naturally have a say in everything, it will never end. I'll make sure of it.

My motivations may be as shady as a good bar, but what can anypony expect?

If life were a game, it'd be cards: strategy-filled, luck based, and everypony for themselves, with very few exceptions. Oh, and of course about as black-and-white as a good thundercloud.

And it seems I already have two 'aces', although as nice as that is, it isn't too impressive. The pink ace and the purple ace aren't that noteworthy, it's the other two that are harder and the last one that wins the game, and I've been waiting so long to work towards that one: the one that mattered, the one that I cared for.

But who says I play fair or even legally? Forget the four aces, I've never played by any rules but my own, because if I had I would have ended up dead, or worse off then, a living weapon. I'm throwing in the fifth ace, hard and almost impossible to even get close to, but the only thing I'm playing for, because I am the fifth ace.

After all, life is like a card game: I win.

Author's Note:

Link to the direct sequel.
Celestia and Luna defeat Tirek as teenagers here - and Starswirl also shows up a lot.
Want more of Onyx and Sombra's past? His expanded backstory is right here!
A tale of Clover the Clever is at the end of yonder link.
If you like poetry, Sombra, and Onyx there's some of that right here.
More of the journals and Starswirl with Celestia and Luna can be found here, and so can the Magicspire.
Teenage Luna at the Magicspire in poetry form can be found here.
Post-Starswirl Sisters can be read here.
Some short form Onyx and Sombra is right here.

---

12/22/15: Thanks to everyone who stayed with Sombra, Purple Eyesore Twilight Sparkle, and me on yet another crazy adventure in the life of The Right-Honourable Lord Sombra and all the others of the IceStarPonyUniverse despite all my delays and the fact that I posted Chapter 18 before Chapter 17.

So stay with me as I post crazy stuff about crazy horses in a crazy universe,

Ice Star

Comments

[Xzrea]

I think that the defining trait of this Sombra is that he is a "lone wolf". He will sooner die then depend on anybody other. Everyone else is either to be used and then thrown back, or is too clever for that and is most likely an enemy.
So he has likely no weaknesses linked to external people(maybe he has a liiiiittle spot for Cadance, through still minding her as one of the his cards) but on reverse he will not work in team.
Reminds me of Raistlin Majere from Dragonlance, but while he had a certain charm and a code of conduct, Sombra looks to have none of it and looks repulsing.

[Ice Star]

7558744 Thanks for this wonderfully descriptive comment! I hope that you progress with the series and continue to enjoy my stories. And on Sombra's defining trait? Well, his sass isn't something to be ignored...

[Ice Star]

7886059 Don't.

[Ice Star]

7886208 Sammy don't.

[nebulaegalaxy]

7886216 But I wanna

[Ice Star]

7886262 Sombra does use a quote somewhere in that chapter. As soon as I saw it, I knew it was him. But yes, that's Sombra for you. Probably.

[Ice Star]

7886264 Sheesh fine.

[nebulaegalaxy]

7886269 The many comments I make sometimes shall fill your feed when I am done

[Stormy787]

Just got done reading this one. I have to say it is very good but Sombra here might be a bit too much of a hard case for my liking, but I assume there is a method to the madness. Anyway On to the next part in the series. Yay!

[Ice Star]

7934401 Thanks for reading! And indeed there is a method to his madness other than finding Twilight annoying (at least in his opinion).

[NicLove]

Before I read this, what is the Gore and Dark tag for ?
And how bad does it get ?

[Ice Star]

8128515 The dark tag is there because dark themes are explored and the gore is for descriptive injuries.

[Ice Star]

8736654
I like historical mysteries! They're like porn to me. Also, extensive landscape detail! Fun enchanted objects make combat and trinkets all the more exciting too.
8736788
I am the most slippery of all fucks. Fear my plot twists!
8736818
>Sombra is Kaw
*evil author cackles*
8736837
SHE IS THE FIGHTMASTER
8736953
She calls Sombra 'Sombra-swirl', so yes, that is the best she could come up with
As for the Rune beast, this might interest you
8736912
Onyx is Kaw's real name
8737025
Oh yah, she's a cutie
Everyone seems to like her~
Celestia and Luna are also godponers
8737041 I like title drops too much maybe
Also mumbles the word 'sequel'

[CoffeeBean]

I genuinely don't know what I should say. Other than the fact I liked the prequel just a sliver more than this, but only because its atmosphere and story felt so new and original. Obviously, as a sequel, this story draws heavily from its predecessor, and in doing so I kinda feel like it did too much? It's structured near identically to the prequel, and I think I would have liked it even more than I already adore it if there had been a different structure. Even saying that, I love how two stories with seemingly no connection intermingle into one at the end. Just as it was done in the prequel story, it was done masterfully and without flaw. At no point did I have any confusion about what was happening, or who was who... Other than the part where I thought Onyx was Star Swirl when they were looking at the painting, but nevermind that. The way you've portrayed the past, as well as how you've portrayed the Princesses... I absolutely love it. Also, I forgot to mention this, but how you very subtly linked this story with the former by making mention of how Sombra dislikes water, and thusly, never drank it when Cadance offered him any, was absolutely beautiful. George Lucas levels of "it's poetry, it rhymes" going on here.

As with everytime i finish reading something, I'm left with a feeling of longing and... Almost dread. I know there's a sequel to this, but I almost don't want to read it simply because I like this story as it is now.

I have totally fallen in love with your portrayal of Sombra, by the way. He's not an idiot as a lot of stories make him out to be, nor is he a conventional 'antagonist' either. In fact, he isn't an antagonist... but he isn't a protagonist, either. Or is he? This series is hardly about Cadance or Twilight, its about Sombra, and more importantly, about his past and how that past is intertwined with Luna's and Celestia's. He's gray, in character and in concept.
Fucking wonderful, truly.

I never knew you had such skill as a writer until now. I wish I had read this earlier. You know of my aversion to reading, though. I get too caught up with long epics as these, and once I get dug in, they consume my life until I have read the last word. Luckily, I've been in a car for eight hours on end, so there's no life to consume, lol.

That's how you know this is a good work, Ice. It drew me in. Hard. I haven't been this enthralled with something since I read Past Sins or The Death Of Princess Luna. That is something to be proud of. I almost hate the feeling these stories have given me, because they harken me back to times I dearly wish I could re-live, and on top of that, stories i'll never get to experience in the same way as I did all those years ago.

Thanks for this, Ice. I did dearly love this story and its prequel.

[Ice Star]

8737102

I have totally fallen in love with your portrayal of Sombra, by the way. He's not an idiot as a lot of stories make him out to be, nor is he a conventional 'antagonist' either. In fact, he isn't an antagonist... but he isn't a protagonist, either. Or is he? This series is hardly about Cadance or Twilight, its about Sombra, and more importantly, about his past and how that past is intertwined with Luna's and Celestia's. He's gray, in character and in concept.
Fucking wonderful, truly.

he swings both ways

[Ice Star]

8909911
I mean, it is Pinkie.

[Ice Star]

8977876
Oh yeah

[Odd_Sarge]

I had a lot of fun with this story.

Building upon the previous story, your portrayal of Sombra was as unique as ever. Honestly though, the real fun of this story was piecing together history and context from Twilight's perspective; the journals and the flashbacks were uncomfortable at first, but I quickly became accustomed to it. This was definitely a heavier read for sure though, but I can safely say that was the right decision to make for this portion of Sombra's Odyssey. I did have a great bit of fun with the mysteries of 'Sombra-swirl', but what really sealed the deal for me on this particular book was the lack of loyalty towards Twilight Sparkle as presented by Sombra's words and especially his actions; I spent a good chunk of the story on my toes, and the denoument really appealed to me as a reader. From a writer's perspective, though, I am quite excited to see where you wrote towards next, as you left Sombra as quite the wild card indeed.

Great read! Hopefully I get around to reading the next tale of Sombra in the near future.

[Ice Star]

9137068

Building upon the previous story, your portrayal of Sombra was as unique as ever.

Thank you! He's been one of my favorite aspects of writing, and I've loved how far he's come in my writing. He's also the focal character, so I would hope he's done uniquely.

This was definitely a heavier read for sure though, but I can safely say that was the right decision to make for this portion of Sombra's Odyssey.

Of the five stories, I would have to say that this and Favorable Alignment are the heaviest and weightiest of the wordbois overall. Twilight's sanity slippage has little comedy to lighten it, and a lot of historical abuse and cover-ups are uncovered. Thankfully, this still isn't the heaviestboi that has been typed by my word fingers. Enemy of Mine probably wins that award. Anyway, I'm glad the darker elements didn't bug you enough to quit. This story was partly made to introduce many darker elements of the world and characters, as well as whittle down what readers would want to continue from here on. Based on that dislike total, some readers clearly weren't willing to.

but what really sealed the deal for me on this particular book was the lack of loyalty towards Twilight Sparkle as presented by Sombra's words and especially his actions; I spent a good chunk of the story on my toes, and the denoument really appealed to me as a reader. From a writer's perspective, though, I am quite excited to see where you wrote towards next, as you left Sombra as quite the wild card indeed.

Great read! Hopefully I get around to reading the next tale of Sombra in the near future.

Sombra's dubious loyalty and more are given more spotlight in the sequels, of course! I'll be glad to have your comments, and thanks for reading.

[Eris Dis Harmonia]

Hard...

[Ice Star]

9293356
So, is there any reason why there's like five one word comments across some of my early works, and this one has such a comment but not the prequel?

[MayhemMoth]

In fact I bet somepony could write an entire odyssey about everything I do. I'm worth it.

Heh

I'm not quite sure if I like this story more or less than the first one, though whatever the case I certainly don't hate either of them, even if this one gave me a few moments of discomfort. It certainly had me interested with the series as a whole, and I'm hoping I don't take as long to make it to the next one because dang it I want more.

I really want to say more but I'm awful at putting my thoughts into things like this, but! Your writing is so good and even if your Sombra's a complicated fool that I'm personally still a bit confused about, he's a fascinating and complicated fool that I'm dedicated to figuring out as I go.

I'm probably just confused cause I'm tired.

[Ice Star]

10166957
They're very much intended to be that way.
10167015
I mean, he was planning it for multiple chapters...
10167043

I'm not quite sure if I like this story more or less than the first one, though whatever the case I certainly don't hate either of them, even if this one gave me a few moments of discomfort. It certainly had me interested with the series as a whole, and I'm hoping I don't take as long to make it to the next one because dang it I want more.

I really want to say more but I'm awful at putting my thoughts into things like this, but! Your writing is so good and even if your Sombra's a complicated fool that I'm personally still a bit confused about, he's a fascinating and complicated fool that I'm dedicated to figuring out as I go.

My technical writing/grammar could always use a bit more polish. This series is certainly going to be in need of that when I finally get around to editing them (again) for print versions. Tomb of Magic and The Company We Keep are the most overtly dark, though Favorable Alignment has its share of dark content too, but not enough that it colors the whole story to fit it into the genre and give it the tag. The third and fourth story are also really intertwined to the point that if you read 'em together it'll be like pulling off the bandaid in preparation for the final thicc wordiness of the last story.

I'm thrilled you continue to enjoy Sombra, though. He's the bestest boy, even if he's a moody fuck.

[MayhemMoth]

10170746

They're very much intended to be that way.

Oh I know it's supposed to come off as uncomfortable, it just comes off as way different when what happened hits too close to home.

I mean, he was planning it for multiple chapters...

Foolishly I thought he was trying to hold back, and I guess in a way, he was. Just not out of basic decency.

For the most part, dark themes don't usually get me so unnerved, and even with the occasional sick feeling in the pit of my stomach I'll be continuing on in the series. I certainly look forward to more!

[Ice Star]

10170857
If things hit too close to home, know that I usually put trigger warnings at the top of certain chapters. If you need any specific ones that might not be there, just message me and I’ll give them out.

[Ice Star]

10266525

Someone still sore about losing a certain empire hmmm?

I wouldn't be so sure of that.
10266933

These two have zero social skills.

To the point where they still need a foalsitter too.
10266951
[mystery intensifies]
10267974
FINALLY SOMEONE GETS IT
10267993
Guess you'll have to read and find out!
10268033
Yeppers
10268293
They don't technically have power to that level. They would risk being trapped alone in that valley via magic because of Starswirl's power. There's also the fact that they're children of no social standing who were all but given to him by a society that endorses what he does. They're in the same boat for why most children in Ye Olden Days didn't kill their parents/guardians, no matter how awful. Luna and Celestia both have a lot of raw magic, but power is cerebral too. Starswirl is no god but he has proper training, so it would end up being an even fight.

[RoyalBardofCanterlot]

10269908
I actually meant when they got older and were running the place, but I get the feeling Starswirl didn't live to see that.

[Ice Star]

10274747
In hindsight, I'll 100% be tweaking the wording there to something more along the lines of "records outside of these journals" when I get around to the revised version.
10274004
You would be correct there.

[RoyalBardofCanterlot]

10274799
I actually like it as it is.

[Ice Star]

10274806
I want to clean up any grammar icky bits and get these fellas ready for a print version eventually. So it's sorta inevitable.

[RoyalBardofCanterlot]

OMG, I just realized something. No wonder Luna was impressed by Twi's Nightmare Night costume-after all, it's supposed to be something scary.

[Ice Star]

10274812
That, and she did get the bells right.

[Ice Star]

10275488
All proper horse stories are!

[RoyalBardofCanterlot]

Holy horseshoes, Celestia was plotting to have Sombra killed at Starswirl's hooves? What a (good) twist!

[Ice Star]

10276514
'Good' is a murky word here, but yes she was hoping something like that would happen, or that Twilight would defeat Sombra when/if he showed bad behavior.

[PaulAsaran]

You can has review!

[Ice Star]

10635704

Twilight is really judgemental. Like.... damn. *Really* judgemental.

I mean, it's what's expected when your god-leader constantly throws you into positions where you're assured in making moral judgments about others on her behalf with the help of virtue powered trinkets. Just imagine what would happen if she got used to it! I'm sure she wouldn't come to misinformed conclusions because of a lack of experience with certain personalities, sheltered upbringing, and manufactured success rate (among other things) won't color her view of the world!

Nope nope nope! /sarcasm

10635707

Ah, haha, I called it.

Gottem!
10635744

She's so clearly not the better pony. She's been mean, judgemental, and nosy the entire time they've been traveling. Even if I considered someone to be evil, I would actively try to avoid pissing them off- especially if I were forced to work with them.

But she has the morality rocks on her side, and Princess Celestia wants her to not trust Mr. Mean Shadow Horse so that must mean he's a big meanie that isn't as good as her (sadface)
/also sarcasm

Maybe I'm just really good at dealing with shitheads, but Twilight is not seeming very much like a princess of *friendship* right now. Especially since her friendliness is so conditional; she practically ridicules him when he doesn't do well with the horn writing and fails to conform to her expectations, she promises (in her head) to be nice to him *only* if he smiles and does what she wants of him, and refuses to think of him as anything other than stupid and weak.

It's okay if he's evil though! Princess Celestia Approved (tm)! Plus, the princess told her so, which makes it completely okay, as you know.

(To be fair, the best friendship is conditional, just within reason. If your friend decides to do something truly evil and immoral then you should not be their friend any longer and so on)

[Ice Star]

10743284
I'm honestly fucking astonished that anyone wants to read the unrevised and not-fit-for-print versions of Arc One that are currently up. Every time I look at these lately, I know that there is just so much work to do. But it still means a ton that you're enjoying this version, especially these chapters. They were some of my favorite to write.

[Ice Star]

10743408
This is music to my ears!
10743306
He's a sneaky little shit, so always expect him where he shouldn't be expected.

[Bicyclette]

Just what had happened to create such a wild string of events? I had selected Onyx - or as he was called now, 'Sombra' - to accompany Twilight Sparkle because I knew that Onyx, despite his brutal nature, was not a serious threat, and would be kept in check by Twilight easily.

i gotta say, this is so the opposite of reality as depicted in the story that it is making me very doubtful of Celestia’s chessmaster abilities just by itself!

Yet here I was facing off against somepony I didn't know, with moves I couldn't foresee, who was neither a shade of black nor a shade of white, but rather somepony who thought that a single shade of gray could survive in a world that is, has been, and will always be nothing but proper absolutes.

ah dang, Sombra really did read the situation! Celestia was expecting him to basically be Kawblance, who she grew up knowing, but he really is something else. mysterious!

This is over. That's what she thought. The look on Purple Eyesore's face clearly read 'I may be an unintelligent excuse of ponyflesh who has a higher chance of asphyxiating in a closet compared to most of the utterly worthless, expendable, and anonymous faces clogging Sombra's world, but at least this whole ordeal is over.'

oh Sombra, never change!

Heck, I even stole the 'Harmony Theory' papers from her and she hasn't seemed to notice. After all, who hires a mercenary and doesn't pay them? Somepony who wants to die. I just had to secure payment for myself this time, and what better payment than something I enjoyed: knowledge. Material things hold little interest or me, but there's so much in knowledge that I find so very rewarding and enjoyable.

i do love just how much Sombra and Twilight have in common despite mutually considering each other their antithesis

In fact I bet somepony could write an entire odyssey about everything I do. I'm worth it.

hehe, meta

And it seems I already have two 'aces', although as nice as that is, it isn't too impressive. The pink ace and the purple ace aren't that noteworthy, it's the other two that are harder and the last one that wins the game, and I've been waiting so long to work towards that one: the one that mattered, the one that I cared for.

well, i wonder who these are supposed to be!

After all, life is like a card game: I win.

ah, perfect! so when Sombra said Celestia’s playing the wrong game, he did have a specific right one in mind, love it

---

just fantastic stuff, Ice! you really have a rich expanded universe here, giving so much more depth to the canon world while still being true to everything we see there. the contrast between Twilight and Sombra was just delicious here, augh! it’s quite a thing, her naïveté feels like slander at times but is actually just what her canon depiction would be in a world where what we see in the show is a modern, softened, Celestia-curated layer over a history that is much bloodier and closer to the inhumanity and indifference of Bronze Age mythology. and i can’t think of a better pair to represent these two worlds. also, for real, this depiction of Sombra actually makes me like other ones i’ve read less. they don’t all have to have this depth, but an analogy would be reading a depiction of Rarity that treats her as frivolous and one-note, if that makes sense? 

anyway, wow! really looking to reading more stories in this extended universe, and wish i’d been more fastidious with my reading so that Crystalline: Her Destiny was fresher in my mind going into this (i sadly forgot a lot of it in the nearly year-long gap :()

[Ice Star]

Every time I get a notification for these stories, I inwardly beat myself up for not having gotten around to the revamps. These longer stories are my darlings, but they also haven't seen significant TLC since I was seventeen.
11659158
In order to avoid creating a big chain of replies I'm just replying to this last comment.

really loving this cultural worldbuilding

People have said this about a lot of my stories, and some say that not realizing that there is actually a more elaborate version of whatever is being nodded to present in my main stories. This series was where I really got to go all-out with worldbuilding, and it continues to be where the bulk of my world-building is.

ehe love how much this possibly says without Twilight even knowing

It's 100% intentional.

that is an… interesting reason

And it ties in with the above.

that is… quite a lot of preparation for this on the Princess’s part! there are already so many elements to be revealed later

That would be a very Ice Star thing to do, wouldn't it?

aww because selling the latter is fine in Twilight’s implicit worldview! do love the way Twilight’s shelteredness and Equestria-centric thinking really shines through in her narration

I eat this high praise with a spoon.

aww they have so much in common!

Clearly, they're so wholesome.

all the funnier how much she thinks Sombra is the one to not know how to act socially

They both have The Autism™ (this isn't a joke; in multiple other stories I write Twilight as being autistic and confirm that Sombra is).

well, that’s somehow even more traumatizing than the first traumatizing thing! plus she got drugged in between, dang, Twilight is not having a good time in this story at all

I love getting to actually make the ruthlessness feel real instead of as all bark and no bite; it not only makes for better writing (and treatment of the audience) but it really allows me to flesh out emotion better.

aww Sombra has to be told to not threaten to end the lives of whoever he is talking to!

He has ✨anger issues✨!

oof, definitely something an oblivious Twilight would say and still not connect the dots

Autism is her superpower.

whoa, what a weird name for a pony!

That translates to 'Swan' in English.

aww yeah, Twilight would be the very image of the stereotypical sheltered Equestrian to those outside its borders

Which I adore getting to write. In-universe culture clashes are so fun.

though i do love the idea of Trottish just being Scottish-accented English (in the way Ponish is English), and this is somehow incomprehensible enough to the Equestrians to be thought of as a different language

Considering some people can't even understand Scottish Twitter? Yeah.

oh i get it, Mary Stuart!

YOU ARE THE FIRST PERSON TO GET THIS

ah yet another classic Sombra line

*slaps roof of Sombra*
This bad boy can fit so many one-liners in him

Weird Snarky Guy-coded

literally him

hoowee. and there is definitely this offputtingness throughout these journals that you do so well.

THEY WERE SOME OF MY FAVORITE PARTS TO WRITE

damn, uh, this does explain a lot about these characters

Trauma Time™ has only just begun!

oh so that’s where “teenaged” comes from!

I'm not actually sure if that's where it does. I just came up with a convincing archaic form.

i mean sure, just add pony racism to all the horrible things Starswirl does

gladly
don't read the Clover side stories

honestly this is such a great backstory for the Sisters, the world they grew up in being so very, very different from the Equestria of the modern day. nothing about this is mundane and that just strikes me

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

oof, yeah. no idea if this predates and thus predicts the play shown in the canon, but the implications of what happened before the current system of things of Celestia personally raising the sun are very grimdark

Yes, it does predate the play. The three tribes are described as segregated.

hehe, love how this connects with Sombra’s disdain for Equestrian stories earlier

though this does sound a bit closer to that official story

soon™

oh hey isn’t that one of the signs of growing up to be a serial killer?

WHY YES IT IS

aww he is a scrimbly

A what now?

oof, now that is a Sombra L

hmmmmm

aww, Luna has way too much conscience to be surrounded by the ponies she is!

*slaps roof of Luna*
this good girl can fit so many feelings in her

very normal and sane

the sanest

not the typical orphan-child-looks-for-unknown-parents plot, but certainly fitting for the character

I strive to be different!

hehe, the pony equivalent of “brownnose”

I will ponify whatever I please

i am as lost as Twilight here, i must admit

foreshadowing™

aww, just want to give Twilight a hug! she is in a genre she is not used to in this adventure

Part of why I love writing.

oof, Twilight has a loooooot of worldview-shattering realizations to do!

Perhaps 👀

dangit Twilight, how have you not learned by now that this isn’t like the other adventures?

It's that Equestrian spirit™

quite a shift from literally trying to kill her (for real this time!) just seconds earlier

He is a moody motherfucker

i love how you use the literary technique of “show, not tell” to communicate to the reader how utterly dogshit Twilight is at coming up with nicknames

It's a specialty.

ooh love this speech! Twilight really is the ultimate product of Celestia, and there could not be a pony Sombra would see as more undeserving of power.

I FUCKING LOVE IT WHEN PEOPLE GET EXACTLY WHAT I'M DOING

uwu

How dare

aww, that’s what Luna said!

(Do you mean Sombra? Because that's Sombra.)

aww! such a circuitous way to admit that he doesn’t want Twilight to die

He's a grumpy boy and he knows how to show it.

aww, love how all these are so very in-character for what they would have been up to during the timespan of this story!

Stories that just shelve characters that are out of sight (especially main characters) always irk me, so I always give them something to do.

love how Sombra can’t just do a thing like a normal person and has to surround it in a bunch of very credible and imminent death threats

He's a real charmer.

ooh! yeah this explains a lot about the distinctions i see between Sombra and Kawblance, as well as Sombra’s whole deal generally. very cool!

Bold of you to think that I've spilled everything.

ah dang, Sombra really did read the situation! Celestia was expecting him to basically be Kawblance, who she grew up knowing, but he really is something else. mysterious!

dun dun DUN

i do love just how much Sombra and Twilight have in common despite mutually considering each other their antithesis

BOUND BY MUTUAL HATRED AND AUTISM

ah, perfect! so when Sombra said Celestia’s playing the wrong game, he did have a specific right one in mind, love it

I love figures of speech I love cramming stories full of elaborate references I love continuity I love foreshadowing I love writing

just fantastic stuff, Ice! you really have a rich expanded universe here, giving so much more depth to the canon world while still being true to everything we see there.

I'm broke irl but rich in lore. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR READING! As I said above, I wish I had the proper versions ready, but I'm glad that people still read and enjoy these as much as they do.

the contrast between Twilight and Sombra was just delicious here, augh! it’s quite a thing, her naïveté feels like slander at times but is actually just what her canon depiction would be in a world where what we see in the show is a modern, softened, Celestia-curated layer over a history that is much bloodier and closer to the inhumanity and indifference of Bronze Age mythology.

Ugh, I feel so UNDERSTOOD! This was 100% my point and another element I love about writing, and seeing how many people got to see Twilight be so utterly herself in a story that showed that as flawed and unideal. Dystopian and utopian themes have always had a huge draw for me.

this depiction of Sombra actually makes me like other ones i’ve read less. they don’t all have to have this depth, but an analogy would be reading a depiction of Rarity that treats her as frivolous and one-note, if that makes sense?

This is the highest praise I could possibly have.

anyway, wow! really looking to reading more stories in this extended universe, and wish i’d been more fastidious with my reading so that Crystalline: Her Destiny was fresher in my mind going into this (i sadly forgot a lot of it in the nearly year-long gap :()

Well, there are still three stories left in arc one. Arc two is admittedly progressing slowly as fuck, but there are lots of side stories.