Chapter 22: Through The Looking Glass
"Sister, how are you feeling?" Luna asked as the royal physician finished bandaging Celestia's wounds.
Meanwhile, Twilight was fretting over the injured princess. All thoughts of Dark Magic and secrets forgotten, she once more felt like a young student, concerned only for her teacher's well-being. "Princess Celestia, can I get you anything? Tea? A cold compress?"
"Cake?" Pinkie Pie suggested, wheeling out a cart laden with a pink cake, the words 'Glad you aren't mangled or anything...' written on it in icing.
"Where does she get these?" Applejack wondered aloud.
"I've stopped asking," Rainbow Dash replied.
"I'm fine, thank you, everypony," Celestia replied.
Luna, however, was having none of that. "FINE!?" She shouted, her horn a hairsbreadth from her sister's, furious now that she knew Celestia was not in danger. "You tumble out of a magical mirror into a seemingly lifeless heap and you're fine? Where have you been? What happened?"
"I was... in another world," Celestia admitted. "I was attacked." For the first time that Twilight could remember, the wise and confident ruler of Equestria sounded... ashamed.
"We saw King Sombra in the mirror," Fluttershy said. "Fortunately, Black Knight kept him from coming through. Was he the one who attacked you?"
"What? NO! Of course he didn't!" Celestia protested, to the surprise of everypony in the room. "He'd never... I mean..."
'I beg to differ,' Sombra thought, enjoying the sight of Celestia injured, from where he observed the proceedings at the back of the room. 'I am actually disappointed that I did not get to do that to you myself.'
"Uh, Princess?" Applejack asked in confusion. "He'd never what?"
"Of course he would," Rainbow Dash spoke up, "he's a villain!"
"No, he's not," Celestia said. "Not where I was."
"What?" Twilight asked in surprise. "Princess, what's going on?"
"I'd like to know that myself," Luna added, still visibly annoyed at her sister.
"The mirror I poured out of earlier was one of several crafted by Starswirl the Bearded," Celestia explained. "Each leads to a different, fixed world. This one was a prototype, able to travel to any other world but only with the right spell. I was... visiting... one of those worlds. A world so like our own, but so different. Sombra is the king of that Equestria, and there he is a kind and wonderful ruler of his ponies. Something has happened that is too closely binding our worlds together. His fight against Evil is beginning to encroach on our world, as well."
"Then I shall go into this other world and smite the enemy!" Luna declared, her horseshoes giving off a metallic clink as she smacked her front hooves together. "I've been anxious for a good scuffle for months!"
Is that you talking, Princess, or does the Nightmare want to come out and play? I know I do...
Twilight could not suppress a slight wince as she glanced towards Sombra. However, she relaxed as she remembered that he no longer had a connection to her mind.
What's the matter, Twilight? Worried that he might prefer me over a goody-goody like you?
"Twilight Sparkle."
Twilight's head jerked up at the sound of her name.
"I need you and your friends to take the Elements of Harmony through the mirror," Celestia explained, unaware of her student's distraction. "They may be the only hope for saving his world."
"Are the Elements even necessary?" Twilight asked. "If King Sombra is good and rules there, can't he defeat the threat? After all, he almost beat the two of you in this world."
Luna shot her a reproachful look, but Celestia's expression just turned sad. "The Sombra of that world does not use Dark Magic, nor is he the ruthless tyrant that we fought. The evil that is threatening his subjects, they are villains of unimaginable power, but they are not infallible. I have faith that the power of the Elements will allow you to prevail."
"What's an infallible?" Pinkie asked of nopony in particular.
"And just why can you and I not do this ourselves?" Luna demanded of her sister, her irritation only growing. "I know a thing or two about powerful yet flawed malefactors."
"Hey! Another word I don't know!" Pinkie Pie said as she paged through a dictionary. "This is fun!"
"Where-" Applejack began, pointing a hoof at the book that Pinkie had pulled from... somewhere.
"Shh." Rainbow Dash just calmly pushed her friend's hoof down. "Just ignore it."
"Luna, we cannot go because we are the evil that is encroaching upon that land," Celestia explained. "We... we're the villains."
Rainbow Dash scoffed, "Pfft, Princess Luna's been there, done that. What's the big deal?"
"Ahem," Luna said with a glare at the pegasus, prompting Applejack and Spike to slap hoof and claw over their friend's mouth. Turning back to her sister, the younger princess went on. "Not to quote the rainbow-haired one, but yes, I have 'been there, done that'. I will gladly take up the mantle and fight this battle... against evil me... and evil you..." Luna paused for a moment in thought, before adding, "Actually, the thought of an evil you makes me quite giddy. I'd rather like to see it."
"Luna, I said 'no'," Celestia stated firmly.
Translation; I may have been the one to screw up, but remember your place or I'll send you back to the moon for a few centuries. Such a benevolent ruler we have.
Twilight focused on Celestia's words as the princess went on. "There's been a shift in both worlds that has linked us too closely. I dare not return so soon after this past visit and deepen that bond. And I think it best to keep you here, as well."
"Hmph, very well," Luna conceded, though her expression made it clear she was unhappy about it.
"What difference are we going to make?" Rarity asked. "Are we not bound to both worlds as well?"
"After much thought, I don't think so," Celestia said. "The Elements of Harmony do not exist in that universe. You should all be able to go and help without adding to the rift."
"Princess..." Twilight said hesitantly. "You're asking us to fight you. I... I don't know if I could-"
"Ah, but is that not what you have a knight for, my lady?" Sombra spoke up for the first time. "Such an unpleasant task should not fall on you. Please, allow me to take care of this for you."
You just want an opportunity to see Evil Celestia, too.
'You just want an opportunity to fight Celestia without getting in trouble,' Twilight thought at the same time, only to wince at how similar her thought was to that of voice that sounded so much like her own.
"Actually, I would like you to stay here, Black Knight," Celestia said, her tone unusually cold when compared to how she had spoken to the stallion before. "Sending these six through is risk enough."
"I am afraid I must insist on at least accompanying Lady Twilight," Sombra insisted. "I will not risk a repeat of the last time she faced danger without me at her side."
What a shame, a repeat is just what I was hoping for.
'Shut up!' Twilight thought in frustration, rubbing a hoof against her head. However, Sombra's comment had prompted others to glance in her direction, so the reaction was not missed this time.
"Are you alright, Twilight?" Celestia asked.
"Oh! Um, I'm fine," Twilight said quickly.
"Are you now?" Luna muttered, a knowing look in her eyes.
Sombra placed a comforting hoof on her shoulder, before looking back pointedly at Celestia. The alicorn's expression softened as she said, "Very well, then. The seven of you-"
"Eight!" Spike insisted.
"-Eight shall go through the mirror," Celestia allowed. "Now, I'm afraid the time for talking is over. We must hurry."
"Of course," Twilight replied. "Spike, go retrieve the Elements and bring them here as soon as possible."
"Right away!" Spike said as he dashed from the room.
Once Spike had returned, the group gathered around the mirror. While Spike had been gone, Celestia had taught Twilight the necessary spell to travel to the relevant alternate dimension.
"Send me a message through Spike if you run into any trouble," Celestia said to Twilight as the others began passing through the mirror, 'Black Knight' in the lead. "King Sombra will be waiting for you in the castle on the other side of the portal."
"Don't worry, Princess. We won't fail you," Twilight said, as she leapt through the portal, as well. The last thing she heard before passing through was Luna's voice.
"And now, dear sister, you and I are going to have a little chat about all this."
And then Twilight was through the mirror and a vortex of color enveloped her.
After a moment, her eyes adjusted and she could see her friends falling through the tunnel between dimensions alongside her, their coats and manes seeing to shift colors before her eyes.
Despite the visual maelstrom, it was eerily silent. Perhaps to break that, Rainbow Dash wondered aloud, "What if our mirror selves are all mixed up? Like... here I'm a unicorn? That would be awesome!"
"What if you're an earth pony?" Spike asked.
"Yawn, boring!" The pegasus replied with a roll of her eyes, drawing an indignant "HEY!" from Applejack.
And then, in a rush of sound and vertigo, they were through, all tumbled in a pile. All except Sombra, who had managed to avoid the others through a quick shift into Shadowform and back. As they others stood up and got their bearings, they were shocked by the sight that greeted them.
"Oh my..." Fluttershy gasped.
"Is that... Canterlot?" Twilight asked. As far as the eye could see was nothing but dead trees, dry and cracked ground, damaged grey walls, and rundown buildings. "It's so... bleak. Things must be really bad here."
"Is this what our Equestria will look like if we fail?" Rarity asked worriedly.
"Ah sure hope not," Applejack said.
"What are you lot doing here?"
The group turned towards the front gate to see a pair of guards in sleek, black armor approaching. Twilight stepped forward and said, "We're here to help-"
"Hold it!" One of the guards shouted as he got a better look at the group. "It's those hooligans from Ponyville! Arrest them!"
Before they could take another step, Sombra was in front of them. "Stand down, both of you," he said in a commanding tone.
The guard's eyes widened and they were quick to kneel. "Our apologies, your majesty. We were not aware that you already had the situation in hand."
Rarity leaned over and whispered to Twilight, "Who would have thought Black Knight's resemblance to King Sombra would actually come in handy."
"Hehe, yeah," Twilight replied, suddenly worried about how well that excuse would work once her friends saw the two Sombras side-by-side.
"You will escort us to the throne room immediately," Sombra ordered one of the guards, easily falling back into the role of king. To the other, he said, "You will return to your post in the meantime."
"Yes, your majesty," the guards replied in unison.
Within minutes they had reached the castle, Sombra and the guard leading the way. Trailing behind, the mares began to talk among themselves.
"The route to the throne room seems to be the same as the other Canterlot," Applejack commented.
"Could there be more alternate universes out there?" Twilight wondered as she looked up at the stained glass windows they were passing. One showed the Flim Flam brothers wearing judges robes, with the word 'Fairness' underneath. Another showed Trixie as an alicorn princess, with 'Humility' below it. There was even one of Chrysalis labeled 'Love'.
"OH! OH!" Pinkie Pie piped up. "What if, in another dimension, we all walk around on two legs and have opposable thumbs like Spike!?"
"Pinkie, isn't that a bit silly even for you?" Rarity asked. "Next you're going to say there's no magic there. Blegh."
"What is the meaning of this!?"
Hearing the shout of the guard, the mares rushed into the throne room, only to pull up short at the sight that greeted them.
Standing before 'Black Knight' was the King Sombra of that world, the guard looking between the two in confusion. While both had the same grey coat and emerald green eyes, their clothes and mane-styles could not be more different. Where 'Black Knight' wore only a plain cloak with his mane a wild mess, the king before him wore a royal cape and crown, with his mane cut short and swept back neatly.
After getting over his shock at seeing 'Black Knight', King Sombra smiled politely and said, "I must admit that when Celestia said she would send help, I certainly didn't expect this."
And there we go! Took long enough, but we're FINALLY in the Reflections universe! I honestly thought this would take longer, but you can thank the new Equestria Girls movie for fixing that. 
Will 'Black Knight's' true identity be revealed to Twilight's friends? Will Twilight and her friends be able to prevent further damage to both dimensions? Find out in future chapters of 'A Somber Tale'!
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7564559
Where can I find that?
7610491 Right here: http://maltrazz.deviantart.com/art/Fall-of-Harmony-626568806
Taking quite a bit from the comic, eh? :3
7610564 Don't worry, just the build-up. The resolution will be much different.
7610575 ok, I was hoping this wasn't going to be the 'comics plus Sombra', cause this was kinda looking like it...
7610584 I'm only doing certain arcs, which will end much differently than canon and are building up to more original material.
I really wonder what Sombra - that is, regular-flavour Sombra - is even hoping to achieve with this. That can't possibly work out well for him in any way. He might be able to bullshit everyone else, but there is no way he'd be able to bullshit his mirror alternate.
7610670 If someone had doomed you to 1,000 years of solitary confinement and you had the opportunity to kill someone who looked just like them and not only not get in trouble but actually be called a hero for it, would you be able to pass up that opportunity?
7610622 I can't wait to how different the outcome will be then
7610696
I might not, but considering how systematic and calculated Sombra has been about everything else he does in this story so far, this is remarkably impulsive and badly-thought-out of him. It's basically actively counterproductive to everything else he has been doing so far - he cannot reasonably have expected to get out of that confrontation without having his real identity revealed to Twilight's friends. That means as soon as he gets back, if they even allow him to return, he will likely find himself on the run and Twilight losing any standing she has on account of knowingly harboring him for as long as she did. It seems uncharacteristic for how you have written him so far.
7610709 No more impulsive than him trying to retake the Crystal Empire before he had even regained his body, let alone had a solid plan to deal with the Crystal Heart, if it was found. Revenge tends to make one a bit reckless.
7612546
Maybe not, but it's a lot more outright stupid, if you'll forgive the phrasing. As mentioned, the problem is that this will actively ruin all the other machinations that he has been working on for... months now? Half a year? I'm not entirely clear on how much time has actually passed in-story, come to think of it. I get that this is a storyline you really want to do and there's nothing wrong with that, but you haven't given him a whole lot of good reason or any way he stands to actually profit from that situation, rather than massively shoot himself in the foot. Before, he had nothing to lose. Now, has quite a lot to lose and should, by all rights, be a lot more thoughtful than this. For whatever it's worth, the Sombra you have written so far is someone who genuinely comes across as believably clever and conniving. This just doesn't look like something that character would do.
7612599 I suppose I should take that as a compliment, in a way, for how I've written him thusfar. Still, hopefully what I have planned for the next few chapters will make up for/explain his reckless behavior to your satisfaction.
7612680
It was supposed to be. I've really come to like the way you managed to make him feel like a person (rather than a caricature) who is still recognizably an evil king, instead of completely going off the rails with his personality. It's what made this stick out to me so much.
7612719 Well, thank you again. His personality is one of the aspects of this story I am most proud of.
Honestly I have no idea how I forgot to thumbs up this.
Well that is a plot twist if I ever saw one... This is going to be good.
7614261 Lol, no worries, at least you remembered.
7615019 Glad you liked it!
So, if the sombra in main universe is starting to turn a little more good, does that mean the other sombra is starting to turn a little more evil, also when the other sombra takes all the dark magic and becomes evil, does that mean that the main sombra will turn good?
7615074 Indeed, you got it in one... That is, if the Reflections Sombra is the one to take the Dark Magic in this...
This was great! Now I totally wanna see 'Black Night'-Sombra's reaction tolearning his alternate self loves Celestia
Well I'm not the type that leave reviews but I'm really enjoying this I'm looking forward on how you take the Reflection arc from the comic and molde it your way and since I have read the comic I think I may know where your heading with 'black knight' involved in all of this.
7617127 Heh, don't worry, it's coming.
7617673 Well, I thank you for taking the time to leave one here. Hopefully what I have planned is to your liking!
Looking in the comments, I see something that hints at the possibility of civil war? I hope not, because I couldn't keep reading if it goes that way.
Ah, Sombra+ versus Sombra-. I just hope they won't mutually annihilate each other on contact. The release of THAT much energy would rival the Theia Impact.
From the comics huh... well this might be interesting.
7618549 Don't worry, it's just something I have planned for a sequel, so it will be entirely up to you whether to read it or not.
Lol, indeed!
7620781 Exactly! Shame Sombra doesn't have Kamina's sunglasses...
7622477 Yeah, but just doing one would be boring!
'I am actually disappointed that I did not get to do that to you myself.'
"Such an unpleasant task should not fall on you. Please, allow me to take care of this for you."
"What if, in another dimension, we all walk around on two legs and have opposable thumbs like Spike!?"
7615314
Wait...you mean that Twilight might be the one to take it?
7632005 Thanks for catching those mistakes. Fixed them!
That's certainly one possibility. Also, notice that I specified which Sombra. So, there are a few different routes I could take.
7707783 She was just more focused on stopping Chrysalis. She didn't mean to be cruel to Scootaloo, but an 'awesome' fight would draw her attention more.
just out of curiosity how much time does it take you to make a chapter
7719177 It varies, based on how much inspiration I can find vs how many distractions find me. So, anywhere from 1 day to 5 years (and no, that's not an exaggeration, one of my stories on another site went 5 years between updates).
7719186 wow I probably wouldn't be able to do what you do you that's why I appreciate your work and your stories especially this
7719323 Thanks for the support. If I only had one story, I could probably promise faster updates, but I write for other series, as well, so the stories I have on this site are only a fraction of what I've come up with.
7615019 If only one could thumbs it (the story) up more than once.
7721735 I second this!
7719842 its ok
7744102 Yes, well, this IS Rainbow Dash. Unlike other characters, her fan club is canon.
7744104 Lol, indeed!
I'm trying to patiently waiting for chapter 23, but almost 2 months of no updates have me worried.
7755855 Just busy with life and distracted by other ideas. My next post will probably not be for this, but I should have it done soon and then maybe I can get back to this.
7755893
Good to know!
I just get too excited over this at times.
7757069 Lol, I'll take that as a compliment.
Me: I'm so ashamed of myself because I promised I would keep reading and reviewing these as long as you did them and I just bloody didn't. I'm such a prick.
Jason: You're doing it now aren't you?
Me: Well yeah but.
Jason: Then stick to it. You did an awful thing, that doesn't make you an awful person.
Me: Thanks man.
If you get the reference then congratulations you saw an amazing movie recently. But seriously, it is relevant as I do feel like an ass for not reading these in so long. Especially since reading back through all your stories has reminded me just how good your stories are man. You have my solemn oath that it will not happen again.
Only a few more chapters and I'll be up to date on the misadventures of our favorite dark magic duo.
(Good) King Sombra: What is THIS!
Me:
well your magiesty, Black Knight is... He's a.... Your.....
Shit, can't BS out of this one.
To quote Joshscorcher, (a.k.a Commander Firebrand) "It's Pinkie Pie, don't question it."