Chapter 19: Conflicting Priorities
Princess Luna was no stranger to being deep in thought. Some might even claim that she thought too much. Given that long nights of having little to do but think had contributed to the creation of Nightmare Moon, she really could not say such claims were inaccurate. Sometimes, however, Luna felt that she was not overthinking things but, rather, that nopony else was thinking enough.
Like when her sister decided to bring Twilight back into Canterlot before finding out if the Dark Magic user was at risk of having another homicidal episode.
Luna knew that as a princess, she should have been above spying on others but followed Twilight and Black Knight, nonetheless, expertly remaining out of the pair’s sight as she silently tailed them from the rooftops.
Having calmed down some, Twilight walked with Sombra through the city, taking a meandering route to the castle to buy more time to collect herself. She kept her head down, trying to avoid showing her eyes to passersby, knowing even without a mirror that they still glowed with Dark Magic, as they had since she lost control the previous night.
“Should we ask the Princess if she would like to join us?” Sombra asked, trying to distract his student from her depression.
“No, from what you’ve told me of the attack, the last few days have been as stressful for her as anypony else. I have no idea what Luna’s up to but let her have her fun for now,” Twilight replied, the pair having Sensed the powerful princess the moment she started following them.
“Woah, there, folks. I’m gonna need ya to stay back. This area ain’t safe yet,” A stallion in a hardhat and orange vest said as he stepped in front of them. He tossed a worried glance at Twilight’s glowing eyes but stood his ground.
Looking ahead, the pair saw ponies in similar outfits working on a building that had been heavily damaged in the battle against the cockatrices.
Gaining a thoughtful expression, Sombra asked, “Are you the one in charge here?”
“Yeah, why do ya ask?” The stallion said in confusion.
“I would like you to have your workers take a short break,” Sombra said in the tone of one used to being obeyed. “I have a spell that should speed things along but you don’t want any of them to be caught in it.”
The foreman frowned at what sounded suspiciously like an order from the strange stallion but shrugged it off after a moment. “Eh, whatever. We get paid as long as the job gets done, so knock yourself out,” he replied before moving towards the damaged building and shouting,
“Alright, everypony, take five!”
As the workers began to disperse, Twilight turned to Sombra and asked in a curious tone, “What are you doing?”
Moving a bit closer to the building, Sombra grinned as he answered. “Just giving you a little reminder, Twilight, since you seem to have forgotten the goal you set out to accomplish.”
Without further explanation, Sombra’s eyes began to glow with Dark Magic before he fired a beam of it from his horn that enveloped the building, drawing cries of shock from the nearest workers. However, the onlookers fell into awed silence as the effects of his spell became apparent. Cracks closed up and holes filled in. Boards and nails simply appeared in place. Glass filled the windows and shingles seemed to grow from the roof. Even a fresh coat of paint bled out of the wood to cover the walls.
In a matter of moments, the building went from unstable to looking better than it did before the attack.
Letting his magic fade, Sombra turned to Twilight, only to see her wearing the same expression of shock and awe that the other onlookers did. “Have you forgotten what you set out to do, Twilight?” Sombra asked. “To overcome the reputation of Dark Magic and prove that it could be used to aid others. Are you going to simply give up on achieving your goal after just one slip of control? I had thought you better than that.”
“How… How did you do all of that?” Twilight asked.
Raising an eyebrow in confusion, Sombra said, “With the Manifestation spell, of course. I thought you had already learned the basics of-”
“No, I mean, how did you do all of that?” Twilight cut him off. “I can make crystals just fine, but making any one other material takes all my concentration. Wood, metal, glass, shingles, paint… how did you make five different materials at the same time? You’ve got to tell me!”
Sombra blinked in surprise, before grinning once more. Surprised and eager to learn was a significant step up from Twilight being immersed in despair and self-loathing. Even if it was only a temporary distraction. “I said I had mastered the art of multitasking, did I not? It’s simply a matter of dividing your attention, something that will come with time and practice,” he said. “Speaking of, I’m sure this was not the only building that needs to be repaired.”
Grinning eagerly, Twilight turned to the construction worker. “Is there anything you need?” Twilight asked. “I might not be able to fix an entire house but I can help with supplies if you need.”
“Uuh,” the foreman replied dumbly, staring at the strange but obviously powerful pair of ponies in surprise. After a moment he gained a thoughtful expression as he said, “Actually, I just had a delivery pony drop a shipment o’ windows before ya showed up. Ya said ya can make crystal, right? I know more than a few ponies that’d love to have crystal windows.”
Instantly, Twilight’s magic lashed out at an empty spot on the ground, a smooth rectangle of clear crystal appearing there, followed by another atop it, the process continuing until the stack was as tall as she was. “Is that enough?” Twilight asked.
A smattering of applause broke out from the watching ponies as they got over their shock of Sombra’s initial display. “That’s more than enough,” the stallion in charge said with a smile of his own. Turning, he called out. “Looks like it’s your lucky day, Ms. Hooves. You’re in the clear, thanks to this pair.”
Before Twilight could react, a grey pegasus suddenly landed in front of her shaking one of her hooves vigorously and saying, “Oh, thank you, Twilight! I didn’t know what I was going to do! I didn’t mean to drop the crate, it just slipped out of my hooves.”
“Wait a minute, you’re… Derpy, right?” Twilight asked, recognizing the pegasus mare. “What are you doing in Canterlot?”
“I was delivering some mail from Ponyville after the Changelings attacked but got stuck here because of the cockatrices,” she replied.
“I take it ya know these two, Ms. Hooves?” The foreman asked.
“Oh, yes!” Derpy Hooves said with a happy smile. “This is Twilight Sparkle, the smartest pony in all of Ponyville! She’s Princess Celestia’s personal student, after all. And Black Knight is the bravest and strongest stallion I’ve ever met. He saved me from the cockatrices when I got here.”
Twilight could not help a slight blush, as the pegasus’ words caused whispers to spread through the onlookers. Before she could say anything, Sombra spoke up in a serious tone, “Thank Lady Twilight, Ms. Hooves. As her knight, it was her wish that I come here.”
“I recognize ya now. You were the one fightin’ alongside the Princesses, weren’t ya?” The foreman said to ‘Black Knight’ before turning to Twilight. “Ya have our thanks, Lady Sparkle. A lot o’ ponies owe their lives to Black Knight for showin’ up when he did.”
"I-It was nothing," Twilight said quickly, a little embarrassed by all the attention. "Besides, I grew up here and my parents still live here. It's only natural that I do whatever I can to... protect... them..." A realization dawned on her, and she turned towards Sombra. "That's why you brought me over here, isn't it? To remind me why I started learning this to begin with; to protect the ponies I care for."
Grinning, Sombra replied, "The fact of the matter is, I would never have come to Canterlot during the attack if not for you. Any lives I saved are due to your choice. And considering these ponies were innocents, and not parasites, would you not say that balances the cost of me not accompanying you to face the Changelings?" Seeing his student nod slowly, he went on, "Now, come. I'm sure there are more repairs to be done that we can provide aid with."
"Amazing how quickly he calmed her down. Twilight was either panicking or depressed all the way back."
Luna jumped in surprise at the voice that suddenly came from beside her. She had been so focused on the pair of Dark Magic users that she never noticed that Celestia had landed next to her. "Sister, I did not notice you arrive," The younger princess said. "I thought you were debriefing the others up at the castle."
"I did," Celestia explained. "From what they told me, it seems Twilight entered some sort of Dark Magic induced berserker state when her life was threatened. Fortunately, that would mean that it should not be an issue as long as her life is not endangered again. What worries me is that they said her eyes changed, as well. I have no idea what that might mean and that in itself is concerning. Do you have any idea what such a change might mean?"
Luna hesitated as she considered the implications. "I'm not sure but it would be even further reason to keep an eye on those two. I think that perhaps..." Luna trailed off as she noticed Celestia staring wistfully towards the duo in question. "Sister, are you listening to me?"
"Hmm? I'm sorry, Luna. The last few days have been stressful and I find myself distracted," Celestia answered. "Let us discuss this more tomorrow. I have something I need to take care of." Without waiting for her sister to reply, Celestia flew off towards the castle, a determined expression on her face.
Luna ground her teeth in frustration. ‘What am I supposed to do now?’ She thought to herself. ‘On the one hoof, we have the possible return of one of the most dangerous stallions in history without anypony knowing about it, except possibly Twilight but if she does know then she isn’t telling anypony. On another hoof, we have Twilight herself, whose unstable mental condition and Dark Magic make her a bomb just waiting to go off. On the third hoof, we have my sister, who has been acting strangely ever since that stallion showed up. And on the other hoof, we have the fact that nopony but myself seems to have realized all of this!’ Luna glared enviously at the ponies passing by, going about their carefree lives unaware of such threats. As her Jealousy spiked, her pupils shifted into slits as her eyes took on a teal hue.
Closing her eyes, Luna took a deep breath to calm herself. When she opened them, her eyes had returned to normal. Casting one last look at Twilight and ‘Black Knight’, the princess turned to follow Celestia. ‘My sister comes first,’ Luna decided. ‘Besides, if I can resolve whatever is going on with her, then perhaps she can aid me in dealing with the other two.’
Trailing her sister, Luna frowned as she was led down below the castle. Eventually, she saw her sister pass through a pair of ornate doors. 'This is-!' Luna thought in surprise, before cutting herself off, 'What can my sister be doing down here? If there was something that could help Twilight, surely she would have just told me.'
As Celestia pushed through the doors, Luna followed her once more, passing bookshelves laden with scrolls and strange artifacts. Finally, she saw Celestia pull the cover off of a strange looking mirror and cast a spell.
And then Celestia stepped through the mirror.
Luna simply stared in shock, for a moment. "Sister?" She asked as she approached the mirror hesitantly. "...Celestia?" Jerking the mirror into the air with her magic, Luna shook it as she shouted in panic, "Sister! Get thine royal hindquarters back here this instant!"
When this failed to produce results, Luna gently set the mirror back down, all thoughts of Dark Magic washed away by concern for her sister. As worry flooded her mind, the princess could think of only one thing to say.
"Oh dear."
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Damn it celestia, we don't visit alternate dimensions just because we arexpect lonely.
7344067 Well, you might not but being royalty has its privileges.
7344097 ' sigh '. Alpha, get me my hammer. I have an alicorn to retrieve, and a mirror to smash.
IT'S ALIVE!!!!!!!!!
7344152 ...It's been less than a month since the last update.
I'm late! I need to make a joke to make up for it... My life.
7344168
I mean, they're not wrong though.
7344745 Yes, but it implies an expectation of me to update faster. This is a hobby for me. I'll update when I update.
Sombra shows Twilight there is always Light to be found in the dark, Luna's Mission has her spinning in circles; Caught in a struggle between her Love for her Sister and the Threat of a Rampant Twilight, and Present times have awoken forgotten feelings In Celestia...
What is the Mysterious Mirror beneath Canterlot Castle?
Where has Celestia gone?
Will Luna's nightmares become reality?
FIND OUT NEXT TIME!
ON A SOMBER TALE: FIENDSHIP IS MAGIC!
Great update! Once again Celestia threatens the safety of the world because she can't deal with it.
7344168 I know I just love this story....
Wait! Btw, spoiler about the comic. In the comic, good Sombra became bad Sombra to even out the princesses. But I always thought 'If this Universe Sombra is bad again, instead of good, wouldn't that make this Sombra good then? Instead of bad? Idk, universes make my head hurt, but if I'm right, then I might know how this story ends... Damn I need to sit down, all of this hurts my little brain!
7344823 Ha! Great as always, my friend!
7345266 We'll see. Although, I do hope that at least a little of what I have will catch you off guard.
7344903 Honestly, she's more of a hazard to Equestria than Discord because she has shown time and again to be a complete idiot. But then again being stupid is what Celestia does best.
7345677
Unsurprising. She couldn't tell her sister was going through a rough patch, ignored her student's warnings when something was clearly awry, using her and her friends as child soldiers to fight her battles, and endangered the existence of two worlds because she wanted to see her boyfriend. Great job there chief.
Well Celestia, it seems that your efforts (or lack of them) will come back to bite you big time because Tirek's is well on his way as well as other dangers that seek to endanger Equestria. But hey, THAT'S the VERY reason WHY you TRAINED Twilight to become the Element of Magic, is it not?
7345778 It really amazes me that Celestia's less-than-stellar decisions hasn't lead her to being usurped in her thousand year reign before Nightmare Moon came back.
7345820
She's a Princess. Do you think that they have a choice? And what is the alternative?
7345849 True, but I can't help but be bitter about it.
7345861
True that. Hey, is that an Unversed as your avatar?
7345884
7345861
Funny you guys should be talking about that...
Warning: Slight spoiler for the sequel.
http://maltrazz.deviantart.com/art/Fall-of-Harmony-sketch-615779423
7345884 Yes, yes it is.
7345906
Cool. I was always more of a Heartless fan than the Unversed. The Pureblood ones though.
7345905
Good. Good....
Twilight goes Alicorn comes next ok?
7345927 I don't hate the Heartless but they have worn out their welcome but yeah Pureblood Heartless are cool. I can't wait for the end of the Xehanort saga.
7345984
You know that you have a great villain when you have a series of games named after him R.I.P. Leonard Nimoy
7345993 Understatement, but it would have been better had the story of BbS let Xehanort win without the whole Idiot Ball and Plot tropes. Nimoy's not dead, he merely traded his old, brittle vessel for a younger, stronger new one!
7345905 I'M SO BUCKING READY!
Mirror, mirror, in the hall... This should be fun. That is all.
7345598 Probably! I'm very jumpy! I'm sure this story is gonna catch me off guard in no time! Really good chapter btw!
Reflections! Can't wait for Sombra to meet Sombra!
Awesome update!
I love how you combined the comics with Fall of the Crystal Empire. I would love to see Sombra redeem kinda like Discord. Keep the main personality but for good and how he works though that.
I also kinda want Twilight to figure out a more effective way of using dark magic. 
I am very interested to see how Celestia deals with all this. 
Plus we have the wild card Luna. I wonder how she going to play out her roll in all this. 
7351117 Thanks! It's always nice to hear somebody enjoying one of my stories. As for what will happen with the characters, you'll just have to wait and see!
7344768
Mind if I quote you for when people ask for an update to my story?
7372844 Feel free. Letting people stress you out will only drive you away from the story, and lead to even slower updates. Draw the line, or you'll just end up not even wanting to write it.
7372855
Thanks. I'm currently looking for a co writer. It'll be a while.
Just got caught up in this story and I can not wait for more!! Looking forward to more ingenious Updates!!!!
7390666 'Tis fitting. no?
Yas! Luna's part with envy was great!
7396278 Glad you liked it! Expect more to come...
This has got to be one of the best, great fic.
We end a comics-based arc I haven't read but was familiar with and move into one I've only heard a little about so this should be very interesting indeed. Hoping we get some family dinner shenanigans before diving right into all that dimension hopping. Still it will be interesting to see our heroes meet their alternate versions.
Damn it though Celestia, why you gotta be a dumber version of Dumbledore and constantly make shit complicated?
7452541 Sorry, no actual dinner scene, at least not yet. Hope you like it all the same, though.
Because it keeps things interesting!
Don't be silly, Luna, nobody is above spying.
Riiiiight I forgot about Celestia's special rendevous' with 'that' stallion. Wonder if your gonna include 'them' as well...
8310110
Yep!