“I have been thinking of how I should punish you.”
“Didn't know about Dark Magic's little weakness?"
“I think it's time to end this.”
“Goodbye, Twilight Sparkle."
I won’t die.
Twilight sat up with a cry, the words of the voice that was hers, yet not hers, echoing through her mind alongside the Changeling Queen’s taunts. It took her a moment to recognize where she was; her childhood room at her parents’ house. The same room she had slept in for a week, now. The same room she had awoken from terrifying dreams in for seven nights straight.
‘It was just a nightmare,’ Twilight thought to herself. ‘I slipped up, made a mistake, but I won’t let it happen again.’
I’m sure Princess Luna tells herself the same thing about her own Nightmare.
Twilight tensed, only to jump at the sudden sound of a hoof knocking against her bedroom door. Stirred from her thoughts, she sensed powerful Dark Magic just beyond the door. Smiling she called out, “Come in!”
Pushing the door open, Sombra stepped inside as he asked, “Are you alright, Twilight? I heard you cry out.”
“I’m fine. Just a nigh-” Twilight caught herself. “Just a bad dream.” Glancing out the window, she frowned. “It’s still dark out. I’m sorry that I woke you up so early.”
“Fret not, my dear Twilight. I can sleep when I am dead,” Sombra replied with his usual grin, “or when I am trapped in ice for another thousand years.”
The young mare gave a snort of laughter. “Well, if you get tired then I suppose all you’ll have to do is properly introduce yourself to Celestia. I’m sure she’ll be happy to oblige.”
“Yes, her solution for most problems does seem to be ‘put it off for a thousand years and get a student to deal with it’,” Sombra replied, his grin widening.
“You really shouldn’t talk about Celestia like that,” Twilight scolded him but it fell flat, as she was unable to keep an amused smile off her own face.
As they spoke, the sun began to rise. Gaining a puzzled expression, Twilight said, “Speaking of, I wonder if Celestia’s feeling sick or something. The sun doesn’t usually… wobble when it’s rising.”
“That is a bit peculiar,” the stallion agreed. Tapping a hoof against his chin in thought, he asked, “Can Alicorns get sick? I know they don’t age but I never got the opportunity to test biological warfare.”
“Now that you mention it, I never remember Celestia having so much as a cough but that doesn’t mean it’s impossible,” she said. “Perhaps we should go talk to her about it later.”
“Perhaps,” Sombra agreed, before suggesting, “but first I suggest we get some breakfast. I’ll get started, so join me in the kitchen when you’re ready.”
Twilight stretched as the former tyrant left the room. Leisurely getting up and making her way down to the ground floor, she saw Sombra already busy preparing a meal. Sitting down at the table, she commented, “You never did explain how you got so good at cooking. With an empire of slaves, I can’t imagine you were wanting for chefs, or is this one of those ‘there is no such thing as useless knowledge’ things?”
“Having a slave that hates you prepare your meal is a good way to end up poisoned or with a throat full of jagged crystal shards,” Sombra replied evenly. “Rather than wasting time, food, and potentially slaves’ lives as food testers, it was more efficient to simply prepare my own meals.” Glancing back at her with an amused expression, he added, “That said, I never expected to be using those skills to prepare meals for others.”
“Well, I for one am glad that you are. My mom’s not a bad cook, but yours are meals fit for a king," Twilight joked.
Sombra rolled his eyes as he said dryly, “I wonder why ever that could be.”
Just as they were about to eat, there was a knock on the front door. With her parents still asleep, Twilight went to the door. When she answered it, the young mare was surprised to see a pegasus in the distinctive bat-like armor of the Night Watch.
“Miss Twilight Sparkle?” The guard asked. Seeing her nod, he continued. “Princess Luna has requested an audience with you and the other bearers of the Elements of Harmony tonight, after sunset.”
“What’s this about?” Twilight asked.
“I was not informed,” The guard replied. “Now, having delivered the message, I shall bid you good day.”
As the guard flew off, Twilight returned to her breakfast and told Sombra what happened. “What do you think it’s about?” She asked.
“Well, you’ve had a week to recover from the last crisis to face this kingdom so who knows how many more emergencies have cropped up in that time. It must have been at least a few dozen,” Sombra replied. “We’ll just have to see the princess tonight and find out.”
As the day began to wane, Twilight met her friends at the Canterlot train station. Spike was the first to rush up to her, giving her a hug. “I’ve missed you so much, Twilight! I cleaned the whole library while you were gone and even double checked that all the books are in their proper places!”
“Thanks, Spike,” Twilight said with a smile. “I know I can always rely on you.”
“And… how are you doing, Twilight?” Rarity asked as the others approached.
Twilight grew nervous, remembering how her friends had reacted the last time she saw them. “I’m sorry I scared you girls before,” Twilight said sadly. “I promise that I’ll do everything I can to make sure something like that never happens again.”
Yet you can’t promise that it won’t happen, can you?
Twilight winced but fortunately none of her friends seemed to notice.
Fluttershy was the first to speak up. “You don’t have anything to apologize for, Twilight. You were just doing what you had to in order to save those fillies.”
“Yeah! If anypony is to blame, it’s Queen Chrysalis!” Rainbow Dash added. “It was her fault for attacking us. Those Changelings have no one to blame but themselves!”
“And not even themselves, anymore, since you ripped them apa-MMF!” Pinkie Pie started, before Applejack shoved a hoof over her mouth.
“The point is, it wasn’t your fault, Twi,” Applejack said. “We all got our own issues, but ya saved my sister and you’re our friend. Just let us know if ya need any help sortin’ stuff out, okay?”
“You girls…” Twilight said with a happy smile.
“As touching as this is, I believe we have a royal summons to respond to, my lady,” ‘Black Knight’ cut in.
“Right, we should get going,” Twilight responded. To her friends, she said, “It’s good to see you girls again. Now, let’s go see what Luna needs us for.”
“You mean Princess Luna, right?” Spike prompted.
“Oh. Right. Of course,” Twilight quickly agreed, thinking, ‘I guess I’ve been talking to Sombra too much.’
The group continued to chat as they headed to the castle. Twilight was grateful for the return to normality, glad that she had not lost any of her friends. Grinning to herself as they drew close to the castle, Twilight said, “I guess I have a new lesson to share, next time I talk to Celestia.”
“What d’ya mean, Twilight?” Applejack asked, the others looking just as curious.
“Everypony slips up from time to time. They make mistakes or try to handle more than they can,” Twilight explained. “Real friends will forgive you when you do and be there to help you afterward. Even if it takes them a bit to accept what you did.”
This drew sheepish smiles but nods of agreement from the group. However, somepony else spoke up.
“A valuable lesson, but I’m afraid it may be some time before you can share it with my sister,” Princess Luna said from where she was waiting at the castle door.
“What do you mean?” Twilight asked. “Did something happen?”
“Follow me,” Luna said as she went inside. “This is not a discussion to be had in public.”
Exchanging nervous glances, the six young mares followed her in, Spike and ‘Black Knight’ trailing behind. Before long, she brought them to a room dominated by a long table with an ornate mirror sitting in front of one of the walls.
“Please, take a seat,” the princess said. As soon as they had done so, she went on. “I had hoped to resolve this situation myself but find myself at an impasse. I called the six of you here tonight because-”
“Seven!” Spike cut in. “Don’t forget me!”
“…Seven,” Luna allowed, glancing toward the sole stallion in the room to see if he would insist on being counted as well. Seeing him simply gesture to continue, she did so. “Because my sister tends to call upon you when she is in need. I was hoping this would not be necessary, given… recent events,” Luna glanced meaningfully at Twilight, “but I find myself with few options remaining.”
“Princess Luna, what’s going on?” Twilight asked, feeling another twinge of guilt but unable to fault the princess for her caution.
“What I am about to tell you must not leave this room,” Luna began, gesturing to the mirror with a worried expression as she continued. “A week ago, Celestia went through this mirror and she has yet to return.”
“Through the mirror?” Twilight repeated in confusion, before the rest of what the alicorn had said hit her. “Wait, a week ago!? And you’re just telling us now? How have you kept this quiet!?”
Immediately, Luna’s expression shifted to one of extreme irritation. “…’Tis been difficult.”
“I can only imagine,” Sombra piped up. “It would explain why the sunrise was unsteady this morning. You are hardy suited to the task.”
“Are you calling me weak?” Princess Luna demanded with a glare.
“Hardly,” the stallion replied smoothly. “Even if one of us was, hypothetically, as strong as or stronger than you magically, we could hardly do better. Only Celestia’s magic is attuned to the sun, just as only yours is attuned to the moon.”
“And yet my sister raised and lowered the moon for a thousand years without any difficulty,” Luna said, unable to keep the bitterness out of her voice.
Sombra waved it off. “She hardly mastered it in a week. Given a thousand years of practice, you could no doubt move the sun with equal ease.”
‘You say that like you saw her doing it,’ Luna thought suspiciously.
Before she could say anything, however, Twilight piped up, “No offense, your highness, but can we get back to the part where the ruler of Equestria has been missing for a week!?”
“Co-ruler,” Luna said shortly.
“Er, right. Of course,” Twilight quickly conceded. “But how could she go through a mirror anyway? I’ve never even heard of a spell like that.”
“Starswirl the Bearded began research regarding the magical potential of mirrors shortly before my… ‘exile’,” the princess explained. “Unfortunately, I know far less about his work regarding such than my sister, for obvious reasons. However, given that this mirror was in his personal library, I have little doubt that it related to his work.”
“Starswirl the Bearded’s personal library!?” Twilight squealed as she jumped to her hooves in excitement. Realizing that everypony was staring at her, she quickly cleared her throat and sat down. “Sorry, please continue.”
“Yes, I believe the secret to this mirror and finding my sister lies somewhere in his library,” Luna continued, “but I fear I have had little success navigating it myself. Given your own interest in his works, Twilight, I thought that you and your friends might fare better.”
“Well, if that’s what you need, you’ve got nothing to worry about, Princess,” Rainbow Dash piped up. “Digging through musty old libraries is what Twilight does best!”
This was met by various sounds of agreement from the other mares present.
“Don’t worry, Princess Luna,” Twilight said. “We’ll get Celestia back safe and sound before you know it!”
I can't wait for Sombra to meet Sombra. That will certainly be interesting, and his reaction to Celestia's relationship with him. I imagine he is going to hate his alternate.
Though it would be kinda funny if he becomes a little enamoured with evil Celestia, and Twilight acting all jealous.
7440441 agreed
AND I LOVE THIS COMIC! Its my favourite!
Amazing
7440441
7440467
Glad you're looking forward to it! Sorry we didn't get to the arc proper this chapter, but I promise next chapter will see the Sombra meeting, or at least the beginning of it.
7440573 no worries- the chapter was great regardless
Once again Celestia threatens the safety of her country. This will be awkward, dealing with doubles and alternate realities, WOD was upsetting enough, but maybe your iteration of this arc will be better.
7440608 WOD?
So evil Sombra meets good Sombra, will evil Celestia like evil Sombra and try to steal him from Twilight?
7440618
Warlords of Draenor Warcraft. Anyway, the meeting between Black Knight and Good King Sombra is bound to earn a few stares. Looking forward to seeing what happens.
7440625 Heh, well, let's just say next chapter's title will rhyme with this one. You'll see what I mean when it comes.
How was I late to this?? I was on here 10 hours ago!!
This never ceases to excite me.
Yay, another great chapter. This has to be one of my favorite story arcs can't wait to see how you present it.
Good chapter! This one was a little long in coming, so I had to re-read a couple of previous chapters to remind myself of what was going on. (Write at your own pace and when you can. I'll be waiting, with bated breath, for the next chapter of 'A Somber Tale'!!!)
i caught up on the whole story in a day and i will say I LOVE This story keep it up the good work and i cant wait for the next chapter btw does she still have the wisps around here and that from earlier? B
7441445 Always glad to see a new reader! You feel conflicted now, just wait until he and Twilight actually talk about it!
7441750 That's because he sees Spike as Twilight's pet, more than anything else.
7441849 Well said, but if you think it is reminiscent of Star Wars now, just you wait. It gets worse (better?).
7443424 Lol, thanks. No promises, but I'll try t get the next chapter out quick. Lots of people seem to be looking forward to this one.
7443596 Yeah, it always struck me as odd that something so 'evil' would have been made by somepony always praised and looked up to. So, I took a bit of creative liberty to make things fit a bit better.
7443655 "What? Somepony gave themselves a title higher than Princess? Execute them!"
Funny you should mention dreams, though... Well, you'll see.
Don't worry, Sombra's knowledge of the world gets explained.
7446029 You mean her eyes? Yes, they're still changed. Guess I forgot to address that this chapter, but I'll fix that in the next one.
7446414
7446492
Well, ponies, like people, tend to believe what they want to unless something directly contradicts them. Wishful thinking can be a powerful thing to take advantage of.
As for Discord, he certainly plays an important role, as you'll soon see.
7446562 Let's just say, there is a reason I kept Sombra from knowing too much about the Changelings.
As for Discord, You hit the nail on the head. He knows who/what Sombra is, but mostly just saw him as an opportunity for entertainment without getting blamed for it.
7446938 Sombra knew his lack of Dark Magic would fool Celestia, and she fell for it hook, line, and sinker. Let's just say, a princess more familiar with Dark Magic won't be so easily fooled. Of course, 'Black Knight's' lack of Dark Magic corruption also made him look like a certain stallion from the comics, leading Celestia to be a bit distracted.
As for MMC, I have something very different planned, but it is still a ways off.
7447915 Indeed, when Sombra goes to unleash the Umbrum in the comics, Chrysalis doesn't try to ally with them. Even she denounces then as monsters, gathers her swarm, and runs for the hill.
7449522 Glad you liked it, it was fun to write!
Oh, Sombra knows exactly what awaits them, but telling Twilight would spoil the fun, now wouldn't it?
Astounding chapter!!! This story deserve 10 mustaches, you deserve a follow, and this story deserves its 381st like!!!
7450762 Lol, thank you very much for the praise! And, to a lesser extent, the mustaches.
7451743 Well, you'll just have to wait and see on that account.
Indeed, lots of forces at work. Which means that things can only stay in equilibrium for so long, and then... That's when things get interesting.
7452045 just to be clear, by sunlight I mean Sunset and Twilight (either version), not Starlight.
7452068 I got that. Sorry, should have specified better in my reply.
There, all caught up. Honestly I'm a little worried about Luna, the Tantabus is keeping her self-doubt way too low to be healthy and needs to be dealt with. Hopefully she'll dream about Twilight so she can destroy that abomination.
But yeah, it shouldn't surprise you that I liked, favorited and am now tracking this story. I intend to stick with this as long as you do so as long as you keep cranking out good chapters, you can count on me to read and review them all.
Well until next update, can't wait for the Sombra mirror match.
7452691 Eh, it'd be no fun if things got resolved too quickly, now wouldn't it?
Glad you've enjoyed it so far!
Stay smooth Sombra!
...you've watched GoT, haven't you? "Nights Watch".
7459939 GoT?
7463776 Game of Thrones. A series that is quite popular. The "Nights Watch" is something that is also present in it. That's why I mentioned it.
7463898 Nope, haven't seen it. I try to avoid series that get overhyped, preferring instead to try and finds 'diamonds in the rough'. Night Watch is just a common term in medieval/fantasy works.
7463908 Aye, true. I found stories lately with references to GoT, that's why I mentioned it and thought about it.
7467279 I prefer to write divergence stories, essentially one or more events changing, causing a timeline split. Thus, until the cascade of effects from the initial change(s) alter the course of events, this will still play out the same. However, as events progress, the changes will become more and more pronounced.
Is this another comic insert?
7468497 Yup, as I said, divergence.
7504650 Well, yes. He is the King of All Monsters.
7505920 more the Lannisters demand it please uses Fluttershy puppy eyes
...correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought she was a changeling. Could you please change it to something like anyone?
I GUESS I'LL SLEEP WHEN I AM DEAD!
7505920
A certain giant fire breathing nuclear radiation eating lizard would disagree with you rather *ahem* STRONGLY.
I like that you are adding comic issue's in along with episodes etc.