Time Bubbles

by Janicethelight

Chapter 28:Changing the Rules

They made their way back to the dining area, ordering muffins for Derpy. One of the other workers scampered in half way through Derpy’s breakfast(or brunch at this point), urgently whispering something to Sombra. Bewilderment covered Sombra’s face. “Um...well, if you will pardon me, I have an...extremely unexpected arrival.” There was no telling what Sombra was feeling after the initial shock wore off. He seemed to be fighting with a myriad of thoughts. He went off.

“Well, that’s rather unfortunate.” Starswirl sighed, “I was only moments from leaving myself. Well, can’t be helped. You two be certain to tell Sombra I departed, and Derpy, any time you wish to experiment more, come find me!”

With that, the two were alone. Derpy found she couldn’t finish her last muffin. The same uneasiness she had been feeling before seemed to triple the moment Sombra left. “Doctor...I want to go see if Sombra is alright.”

“I’m certain he’s fine, Derpy. Kings have unexpected company all the time.”

“I know, I just...I have a bad feeling.”

“I will admit, his face did perplex me...hmmm. Alright, let’s go check. If he’s fine, we’ll come back before he sees us.”

They looked around until they found an anxious Top Stitch watching from a door. She motioned for them to come to her. They snuck over, looking into the same room.

“I don’t understand….” Sombra paced about, “we were so happy. You were elated. We love each other! What happened?!”

“I was talking with Celestia…”

“Ohhhhh, here we go. I should have known this was too simple! What right does she have to interfere with our plans?!”

“Sombra, please, calm down!”

“I will not calm down. Where is the Princess Celestia?”

“She’s on the way home, she sent me back to tell you.”

“Cowardly, she didn’t have it in her to face me herself?!”

“No, no, Sombra--”

“What standard does she have that I am not living up to, and why do we even need her blessing?! What is it? Did I do something wrong?”

“No, nothing. You have been amazing! Nopony has ever been there for me like you have!” Tears streaked down Luna’s face.

“Then why?! Why would you come back and change your mind on our proposal?! What caused this?”

“Sombra. Celestia has me realize...we would long outlive you…”

“What, does miss sunshine not want an aging pony to be seen with her sister?!”

“I couldn’t take… I would have to watch you die.” Luna fell, sobbing.

Sombra raced over, patting her while trying to deal with his own broken heart. He wiped the tears out of his own eyes.

“Luna, my beautiful moonbeam, do you love me?”

“Of course I love you,” she said, nuzzling his cheek.

“Love... is... immortal.” Sombra took a deep breath. “It’s going to be okay. I’m going to fix this.”

“But, Sombra, How?” Luna asked, tears still flowing.

“I-- just, please… don’t leave yet.”

“O...K…” Luna said, looking drained from all the emotions.

“You’ve been awake for over a full day and night now since you’ve arrived. Please, retreat to my chambers and rest there. I need some time to think.”

“O-okay.” Luna managed as Sombra quietly walked away. Upon reaching the three eavesdroppers, he paused.

“Top Stitch, please tell all the servants to let Princess Luna into my chambers if she wishes.”

“Of course, your majesty,” she said trying to keep from crying herself.

“Thank you,” Sombra replied before silently walking away with a look of determination in his tearful eyes.

Top Stitch dried her eyes and spoke to the Doctor and Derpy in an almost pleading voice. “I hope you weren’t planning on leaving today. He holds both of you in very high esteem. He’s going to need his friends.”

“We’re not going anywhere,” the Doctor said. “Keep the hope alive,” he told Top Stitch before heading away with Derpy following.

“Oh, Derpy. This is bad. This is very very bad,” the Doctor said.

“I know. Poor Sombra!”

“It’s not just that. This could cause complete political upheaval, all because your Princess Celestia is a racist!”

“I don’t think that’s what she meant.”

“How would you explain it then?”

“Well, Doctor, since she’s lived a lot longer than other ponies, she’s probably seen a lot of friends die…I couldn’t imagine watching everyone I knew and loved grow older and pass away.” The Doctor’s expression changed from anger to sadness; thousands of years were visible in his now-glassy eyes as Derpy continued, “Maybe she didn’t want her sister to go through that with the stallion she loved… it’s overbearing, yes, but she might be trying to protect Luna.”

“Well, I can understand that better than most. But still--”

The two suddenly felt a tremor happen under their feet. A magical energy swept through. Derpy shuddered from the feeling. “What was that?!” Derpy inquired.

“I’m not sure…” The Doctor felt an impassion. Sombra didn’t pay the tremor any heed and continued to walk away.

“Doctor, is it just me, or does it feel colder?”

“Hmm… the barrier against the elements. Something is wrong. Come, we’re going outside.”

They galloped as fast as they could out of the castle. Looking up, he noticed a tiny flurry coming through the field. Not enough to be of worry yet, though the Crystal Ponies seemed to think otherwise. There was a huge commotion and panic in the streets. The Doctor went to one nearby, “What’s wrong? Why has everyb-everypony gone haywire?”

“There’s something wrong with the heart!” The crystal pony worried.

With one shared look, Doctor and Derpy were off to the heart. They shoved their way past a hoard of ponies, murmuring. Derpy noticed the ponies closest to the heart seemed to have a fullness to their coats. She looked over. “Oh my goodness. The heart isn’t shining.”

Doctor looked over to the heart. It was floating, shuddering, and the shine was gone. It was still dazzling in beauty, but it was like- the Doctor gasped, pulling Derpy back through the crowd. “I know what’s wrong with the heart! This kingdom is protected by love and good feelings, correct?! Well, the king of the land had his heart shattered! He has the worst feelings coursing through him. The crystal heart is being affected.”

“But, Doctor, he’s one pony.”

“He’s their King, Derpy. He may have more pull on the heart.”

“So...what does that mean for the crystal kingdom?”

“It means that if we don’t fix this, then things may well get much worse.”

“Then we need to find where Sombra is, and help him!”

Doctor nodded, keeping an eye on the group around the heart until it was out of sight, “Alright, back to the castle.” He took her hoof without a thought, running back as fast as they could in to find Sombra, “He couldn’t have gotten too far.”

They ran inside, asking any pony who could be asked. No pony seemed to know where Sombra had gone off to. Even Topstitch, who’s once crystalline coat had turned dull, was unsure which way their beloved king went. Doctor and Derpy had no choice but to look randomly in any room they could find with the exception of Sombra’s room where the guards knew only that Sombra wasn’t in there. “Doctor, we could be looking forever!”

“That’s the hard thing about castles. There are more rooms than we can look through efficiently together. The best thing we can do is-“

Doctor stopped. Derpy just finished going through hours of being alone, worried. He couldn’t make her go by herself after that. “-We need to split up...don’t we…?”. Derpy murmured, one eye on the ground while the other looked at a far wall.

“It would be the best way of finding him, but if you aren’t comfortable.”

“Let’s do it.”

“Are you sure?”

“No. I’m not sure, Doctor. I’m scared, but Sombra needs help. The crystal kingdom needs help.”

“Oh, Derpy Hooves, you keep finding ways to impress me.” He kissed her forehead, “we won’t have a way to communicate. Let’s meet up here by sundown. If one of us is here and the other isn’t, we find them. I don’t want to leave you alone. I know that you’re more likely to see a window to a rift when you're alone….”

“ I won’t touch it, Doctor.”

Derpy closed her eyes a moment, gathering composure before going a different route. Once the Doctor was gone from sight, she began shaking. It had gotten colder still, but she felt like the shivering was from more than that. There was something eating at the back of her mind but she wasn’t sure what. Everything was dead silent. No pony was in the room after room as she searched her potion of the castle, trying to push down her anxiousness. She opened a door and saw a wasteland covered in thousands of fighters, all wielding giant weapons that Derpy thought looked like keys, a heart-shaped moon overlooking them from a twilight sky. Worried about being noticed, Derpy closed the door. She felt sick to her stomach. She had heard the rage in the fighters. She felt the heat, and she had her first glimpse of war. It was the worst thing she could possibly imagine. It had taken all of her will to close the door on it. She felt more drawn to go towards them than in Raskah’ Quri, or Ponyville. These windows felt stronger somehow, and yet more fragile. Should she tell the Doctor that the last one with the dragon felt thin before her hoof connected with the glass? She hadn’t thought much of it with the one, but now two, in the same castle, so close together. The war was too close too. She wanted to open the door to the room again, and not see the window, but her whole body shook when she looked at it. Her head pounded. “I have to keep going...for Sombra…” she murmured, standing on tremoring hooves, “it will close. Just like the door, it will close.” Panic took her, and she opened the door. The room was normal, and she let out a breath she was holding. She shut the door again, moving on to the next and the next. The sun started to set, the pink light casting shadows. She kept trying. “One more door.” She kept saying. “One more door, and then I’ll go back to the Doctor.” As she continued, she found three other doors where she saw windows. Three other places that she couldn’t possibly understand, though she heard and smelled and felt so much. In one, a horrid smell wafted through the mirror as four turtle-like creatures in masks stood on two legs fighting with an armored creature. Another, a bunch of oddly colored bears were dealing with tiny odd creatures who were not acting well, vandalizing some sort of fair. The third held odd machines that went from having wheels to standing on legs with a strange sound, fighting each other. Derpy’s head pounded. Each and every step was a trial. “One...more...door….have to find...Sombra.” Derpy’s eyes unfocused, slipping over her hooves onto the crystal floor. “Why...am I so tired…”. She asked, fighting against the pain and exhaustion. Every single world all seemed so different, and yet, they all seemed familiar somehow. And at her core, she wanted to close all of them. She kept getting drawn to them. It was only the Doctor’s words that helped her close her eyes or the doors to the rooms that held them, and each time she willed her eyes or the door closed, she felt more and more exhausted. Her headache became worse and worse, but she had persevered through it until she could barely move. And even as she tried and failed to stand, she couldn’t shake the horror in the depths of her heart. Every fiber of her being knew that this many windows weren’t a good sign. What could she do?! She drifted off, the nightmare consuming her mind within moments of falling asleep.

Shadowy creatures swarmed inside a cavern, pouring out of a window, forming an ocean of darkness around her. The waves of creatures pulled her down into the vast sea of darkness. No light could be seen inside their massive numbers. She struggled for air, desperately trying to free herself from the grasp of the creatures, only to find them gone as well, nothing but wasteland as far as her eyes could see. She dashed off, calling, “Doctor! Doctor!!!”. Nopony answered. Nopony was around. She looked up. There wasn't so much as a star in the pitch black sky. Silence shook her to the core. “Where is everyone?!”. She yelled into the wasteland. The land around her began to dissolve. As she noticed less and less land on every side, she thought she heard malicious laughter on the wind. The last of the ground gave way and she fell into the abyss, gasping as she fell, before going through a window, seeing a swirling vortex around her, and hearing a faint rhythmic four-beat pattern. “Is somepony there?!”. She fell out, and landed on nothing, only seeing one light shimmering among the darkness. She ran to it, the shadow creatures returning from an unknown location. She was a filly now, flying faster than she had ever known, but not moving an inch from where she was. She stretched out her hoof to the light, before watching it slowly extinguish.

On the other side, the doctor went the opposite direction, wishing there was a way to keep in touch. He sighed, walking for a bit until he noticed something on the floor. Doctor stopped, noting a price of parchment on the ground. “What’s this?” Doctor wondered. Thinking it might be a note from Sombra, Doctor read it, “Odd creature’s fighting with strange weapons, giant ants, Stars gone from the sky, by some creature the windows, and purple smoke. terrifying. Oh, Derpy...what is this? You should have told me about this. What was it? A dream? I only know why you’ve been so easily frightened today.” He looked back the way she left, temptation growing to rush after her. “No. Doctor. She’s a brave mare. If she’s willing to go despite this she saw...despite her terror.” His eyes closed, ‘keep going for her bravery, Doctor. Turning back would disrespect her courage, and possibly lose a chance to save a new friend.’ He paused and felt frustration though as he started speaking out loud to himself. “But this is getting me nowhere! Sweeping an entire castle like this putting all our trust in luck? Far too many passages and doors… and stairs. What is with all the stairs?! If only I had scanned him I might be able to lock on to-- oh, I am such a fool!” He took out the screwdriver and held it up, examining the most recent readings. “Why did I not think of this sooner? Radiation exposure. There was radiation coming from the rift! Pushing the borderline on safety, but it was there.” He scanned himself. “Ah-a! I can pick it up on myself, so any other in the room, Starswirl, Derpy, and King Sombra! Alright!”

He started randomly pointing around the castle, waiting for a slight fluctuation in sound. “Alright, Derpy, there you are… now Sombra, where’d you go…” He continued scanning for what seemed like an unusually long time. “Oh, come-on!” Then the noise wavered again, as he was pointing straight at the wall next to him. “You have got to be kidding.”

The crystal here was far too opaque to see what was beyond it. The Doctor walked up to the wall and placed his forehooves on it, feeling around the surface. He placed his ear to the wall and tapped it. Definitely hollow. But where was the switch? He began randomly pressing on different areas. No, that didn’t make sense. The wall was a solid crystal. Something was being overlooked. This section of the castle was surprisingly undecorated. There was nothing but a couple of torches held in sconces on a pair of pillars. On the floor was classic red velvet carpeting running along the center. The Doctor looked down both directions of the corridor. Nobody coming. He bent down and grabbed the carpet with his teeth and yanked it to one side. “There you are!” In the floor were a bunch of indentations, just the right size for a hoof, which seemed to be numbered in a specific order. “Clever, but not that clever.” He quickly noticed that the pattern seemed to require a pony stand on their hind hooves, and required a bit of fancy footwork. He leaped onto his rear legs, landing on the first two pieces, struggling to maintain his balance. He glanced at the next pair of numbers and stepped to them. And then the next, and the next. The steps almost felt familiar to him and he immediately realized that they were the steps for a waltz. The Doctor smiled slightly, following the steps around with ease, having no difficulty imagining it being done with a partner. His hind hoof reached the last symbol and the wall made a loud pop. But instead of sliding out of place in segments or one large piece as he expected, it simply faded from existence, revealing a narrow, dark passageway. Using the sonic as a flashlight, the Doctor ventured in. Glancing behind him, the wall rematerialized. He was trapped in here now, wherever here was. The passage went on for a few hundred meters before the Doctor became aware of a purple light up ahead. Once it was bright enough, the Doctor switched off the sonic and the passageway opened into an intricately designed chamber in the shape of a cylinder. Where the passage met the room, there was an outer circular ‘catwalk’ made of crystal. So clear it was, that the only way he could tell it was there was by the reflections of light across it. The light was coming from random glowing crystals in the room. The Doctor looked up. From the catwalk, six bridges extended to the center of the room and converged into a circular platform. The Doctor looked up. The cylindrical room shot upward with no sign of a ceiling and vanished into the darkness. Looking below, he saw the same thing. The Doctor likened the pattern of the floor work to a snowflake, but the knowledge of what a single misstep would cause was more than a little unnerving. All around the outer catwalk were ancient magical items that looked to have gone unused for centuries. A couple of items looked to have been removed from their secure places though. The Doctor looked towards the center of the room again, at what looked to him like some kind of sacrificial altar. Half-laying on it, supported on his hind legs, with his eyes clenched shut, was King Sombra, breathing slowly but steadily.

The Doctor hesitated to go any closer. He wanted to scan but didn’t know if the sound would startle the king, but he also wanted to be sure if he was still alive. “Your Majesty?”

Sombra leaped up, staring at the entrance to the chamber. “Who dares to--” he stopped and took a deep breath. “Forgive me.” He placed a hoof to his forehead.

“It is I who should forgive the intrusion,” the Doctor said. “But I have done so under the best of intentions. I know what happened. So do Derpy and Top Stitch. We’re worried about you. And I’m sure all of your subjects would be too if they knew.”

Sombra took a deep breath and staggered, almost as if he didn’t have the strength to stand. “I’m glad that you came. I don’t know how you did it, but I’m glad.”

“You don’t have to face this alone. You have friends who care about you. An entire kingdom, I imagine.”

“I don’t know if I can possibly describe to you what I’m feeling. And it isn’t just me. It’s the Princess, Luna. She’s alone. In pain. Has been for so, so long. She has no right…”

“Luna?”

“Celestia. I’ve heard everything from her sister. She’s told me a lot, far more than anypony else. She can’t do this to us! She just can’t!”

“Elope then. It may not be the cleanest solution, but you’ll both be happy.”

“No. Their relationship may be an insult, but I have no interest in breaking up a family. I couldn’t possibly. If I take Luna, it will only cause more harm. It would be against Luna’s wishes, and that’s why I’m here.”

“There are other ways, Sombra. It doesn’t have to end like this. Killing yourself won’t change any--”

“What? Kill myself? That’s not what I’m doing. I’m simply changing the rules! If Celestia doesn’t approve of what I am, then I’ll change it.”

“You’ll what?”

“Celestia will not allow Luna to be with me, on account of my not being… as immortal as they are.”

“Yes, I gathered that much, and it’s very very wrong.”

“It doesn’t matter.”

“Doesn’t matter? Give me a chance to talk to her!”

“You don’t know Celestia. She’s as blind as mortals are when they look directly into her sunlight. She doesn’t take well at all to new ideas.”

The Doctor glanced around the room once more.

“Alright, so what… are you doing, exactly?”

“I intend to become like them.”

“Like them?”

“Alicorn.”

The Doctor smirked at the absurdity of it. “Sombra, prosthetics, surgeries, any kind of physical alterations might change your appearance, maybe even extend your life to some degree, but you don’t actually believe you can change from one thing into another, do you?”

“It has never been done by will before, to my knowledge. But I will tell you this. Neither Celestia nor Luna were Alicorns by birth. It was something they became, one way or another.”

“And you intend to become one the same way they did? It could be some kind of passive gene that only activates at a certain point in age. We don’t know nearly enough--”

“What are you talking about? Whatever they did, isn’t what I’m doing. I’m doing this with Magic.”

The Doctor wanted to slap his face with his hoof, but he also didn’t want to offend the king who already had such a bruised ego. “I-- I have to admit, that is one thing that is outside of my knowledge. But whatever it is you’re doing, my greatest concern is your safety. Can you tell me how you intend to do this?”

“Very well. Come to the inner circle.”

The Doctor carefully stepped across the bridge adjacent to the end of the corridor and approached the altar. Upon closer inspection, there were two items. One was an odd medallion. The other was a book.

Sombra explained. “This medallion has rested here for countless moons. It belonged to an ancient enemy who once ruled this kingdom.”

“Is this the same entity Starswirl spoke of?”

“Yes, it is. The True Dark. Everything known about that time, the entity, the medallion, is contained in this book. Many think some of it is the writings of the True Dark itself. Charms and spells it created during its reign here.”

“And there’s something in that book that you can use to transform?”

“In a manner-of-speaking. But it requires the talisman. It has the ability to grant immortality.”

“Sombra, the search for such has been tried countless times, but I’ve yet to meet anyone who has att--”

“The sisters of Equestria have attained it. And they are not the first. Why are you opposed to trying?”

“I’m not opposed to it, aside from concerns for your personal safety. But you have already been hurt so much, and I can see the hope in your eyes, that rests upon this… ritual… or whatever it is, being successful. I don’t want to see you disappointed again.”

“You don’t believe in its power, do you.”

“Let’s just say I’m very… skeptical… of such power. And I’d very much prefer that this matter be solved diplomatically.”

“The time for diplomacy has passed, as far as that is concerned. With matters of State? Yes, she can be negotiated with. With matters of the heart? It’s like trying to reason with a frozen stone. So many times I’ve tried to help break her out of her shell, but with no success. Sombra took another breath. “You have already seen what happened today, and I sense, somehow, that I can trust you to understand. But I cannot show such weakness to my subjects. My heart is linked to the crystal heart, and almost everything I do for my subjects is connected to keeping that heart alive, to protect the kingdom.”

“Yes, one of the Crystal Ponies explained to me as much.”

“But... I’m tired, Doctor. I’m so very, very tired. Yes, I have earned the adoration of many, and I’m grateful for that; just as I am for all the happiness I’ve created by bringing Ponies together. I’ve been “Best Stallion” at more weddings than I can count. But the closest I have ever come to feeling true love is witnessing its light in the eyes of others.” His eyes began to water as he continued, “I have never experienced it, save for Princess Luna. And this is something I cannot endure. It’s eating away at me inside, I can bear it no more.”

“I appreciate your position, but--”

“But.. what?” Sombra asked, looking caught between wanting to have an outburst and wanting to cry. “I have brought so much love to my kingdom. So much love! The countless souls I’ve touched, they have all found their happily-ever-after. Why, after all of this time, am I still denied mine; left to wander alone?”

The Doctor hung his head. After all that he had done in his very long life, and all of the advice he had given, all the races he’d given a gentle (sometimes not so gentle) nudge in the right direction to, he didn’t know what to say to this, except, “I am so sorry.”

Sombra turned a page in the book, studying it carefully. “I’m done with leaving it up to fate.”

“Have you ever done magic before?” the Doctor asked.

“Nothing such as this. I only have the same gifts of the Earth Ponies, though some have said that my ability to bring ponies together in love, is something unique. I have no input on that one way or another though.”

“What is involved in the ritual? Just the medallion? Magic words?”

“And some candles, charms, herbs, and the power crystals affixed to this room.”

The Doctor held up his sonic screwdriver. “Do you mind if I...”

“Be my guest.”

He scanned the; the altar; the book; crystals; the herbs in the mortar. All readings turned up nothing of interest. No energy signatures. He put extra attention on the talisman, which seemed to be an integral part of this whole ritual. All the screwdriver could detect was an impressively crafted fusion of rock and metal.

“So there’s no… potions to drink, daggers, anything like that which could cause harm.”

“Nothing in the practical physical sense. Nothing need be consumed, no drawing of blood, I can assure you. But… I really don’t know what is going to happen. I’d prefer you not be here when I do this. I don’t want to put any pony at risk.”

The Doctor was at the point of wondering if this device could do anything at all. He knew enough that the ponies both in Derpy’s time, and here, were firm believers in magic, but this was starting to feel more and more like Earthly medieval superstition. Regardless, he felt like there were risks, if not from the device itself, then Sombra finding a way to hurt himself. The floor suspended above a ‘pit of doom’ was enough of an accident waiting to happen. Just one thought of giving up and it would only be two steps in any direction to oblivion.

“Does any other per-- Pony know that you’re in here?”

“Not a soul.”

“Then, your Majesty, with your permission, I’d like to stay. If anything went wrong, no pony would be able to find you. You could die in here long before help would arrive. I’d just wait outside, but I wouldn’t know how long to wait before I should--”

“Are you sure you want to take the risk?”

“Absolutely.”

“Very well then, I thank you and applaud you for your loyalty. You are a true friend, Doctor; highly astute, and a wise philosopher. If only you were from my own time, I would invite you to be one of my personal advisors.” Sombra took a deep breath. “I will begin in a few moments. But for your safety, please stay in the corridor leading out. If something happens, you won’t have to worry about being knocked into the abyss.”

“And what about you?”

“If being with the Princess of the night means I must undergo this trial, I welcome any and all danger. I will tear down this petty barrier between Luna and I at any cost.”

“Just, be careful. Please. No matter what happens.”

“The heart will triumph. Trust in that, Doctor.”

The Doctor bowed his head and stepped away from the center of the chamber until he was back in the passageway. He turned around, sat down, and awaited for whatever was to unfold if anything at all.

Sombra went to the outer walkway and grabbed a small torch. He slowly moved around the entire perimeter, lighting candle after candle; around 50 total, before returning to the altar and placing the torch upon it.

Sombra glanced at the book, then at the amulet. He focused on the amulet, murmuring while reading the book. “Birthstone of Eternal Night, my power now be bound to thee. Let me to ascend to my full potential, let me be completely free. Gift me with a life eternal, and preeminence over the bright infernal.” As he chanted, a black and dark purple mist began seeping out of the amulet, touching the glowing crystals one at a time. Each one it touched had its color slowly fade before turning jet black. The blackness seeped down to the floor around Sombra from all the walls, closing in around him. The mist from the amulet surrounded his feet as he closed his eyes, willing crystals to rise beneath his hooves, raising him above the altar. They weren't the vivid colors of the houses in the kingdom. They appeared to reflect no light whatsoever.

The Doctor then noticed the strange glow of the candles. They were growing dimmer, redder, and yet strangely; in spite of this, the flames were slightly larger. The sight gave him chills. It was familiar to him in an odd way. Then one of them flashed brightly with a resounding pop, just before going out. And then another, and then another. The reason for the familiarity sunk in. He had seen it countless times; the life cycle of a star, changing from the well-known yellow primary, to the cooling red supergiant, and then finally the all-destroying supernova. The flames weren’t extinguishing; it was more like they were dying. The Doctor looked back towards the altar. The crystal in the amulet was glowing green. A purple vapor emanated from it, tapering and dissipating rapidly as it rose above the altar. Everytime another candle popped, the crystal responded by pulsating and glowing more brightly. The purple vapor started to look more like a flame that only emitted color at the edge of ultraviolet.

As the final candle flame died, the amulet levitated off of the altar. Impressive beams of green light randomly shot out from it, and Sombra beckoning it to come to him. The chain slipped itself over his head until the amulet was dangling from his neck. Then the black crystals he was standing on began to grow again, but this time around him, slowly, until they encased him into a crystal prison. The only light in the room now came from the amulet, distorted immensely by the dark crystal. The Doctor couldn’t see more than a couple of inches in front of him. Even though the corridor behind him was lit, the light seemed to be unable to penetrate into the chamber.

Everything went deathly silent for a while. Doctor Whooves began to worry. The cell could easily be air tight, and there was no way of knowing how long Sombra could breathe in there. The Doctor’s night vision was adjusting to the low light, and he could see the room clearly again. Slowly, he stepped up to the exterior floor of the chamber. Cautiously, he placed a forehoof on it before immediately yanking it away as if he’d touched a hot stove. Alarm bells in his head rang as he looked to his hoof, which had become as black as the floor. He shrunk back, the light of the crystal floor behind him seeming to chase the darkness away from his hoof bit by bit. He checked his sonic. There was no sign of poison. The darkness was expanding in all directions until it filled all the walkways of the chamber. This time, it ignored the light of the passageway and began to cover it. The Doctor stepped further back. “Sombra!” he shouted, “This needs to stop! This energy is harmful to ponies!” His back hit the secret wall. The doctor had nowhere else to run. Just as the dark substance met his forehooves, it stopped and retreated back towards Sombra. The Doctor slowly followed it as it recoiled. As he reached the chamber again, he could see all of the dark matter being pulled into the crystal, which was beginning to crack. The doctor took a step forward, but the crystal exploded with a dark shimmering cloud blowing outward. The doctor turned, covering his head with his hooves, and laid as low as he could. The cloud slowly disappeared, the Doctor holding his breath for worry of what the air might do to his lungs. When the cloud was gone, he looked up, seeing Sombra with his back turned to the Doctor, “Sombra? Are you alright?” he asked.

Shock quickly hit him as the Doctor saw impossible dark wings slowly unfold from beneath Sombra’s cape. The wings had no definite shape and almost appeared to be made of something that behaved like both liquid and smoke. Sombra turned around and stared at the Doctor with glowing green eyes, the same color as the crystal in the amulet. Also, like the amulet, purple flame poured from his eyes. On his head was now a curved horn that glowed a bioluminescent red. The green and purple energies emanating from his eyes subsided. “Never better… Doctor.”

The crystals beneath Sombra’s hooves shrunk and brought him back to the floor.

The Doctor was shocked. “No pain? Confusion? Unexpected emotions?”

He looked down at himself. “Did it work? Am I… am I... really... an Alicorn?”

“I’m not exactly an expert on this sort of thing, but you have the horn. And you have,” he paused, trying to determine if it counted, “wings.”

“It worked.” Sombra laughed haughtily. “I told you, Doctor!”

“Any transformation as extreme as this is bound to have side-effects.”

“Such side-effects are my burden to bear, and a small price to pay. I am now as powerful as Princess Celestia. No longer can she try to claim any Divine authority over me.”

“Before we go any further, please let me examine--”

Sombra’s eyes turned green and the purple jets shot out to the side. “I said I’m fine!” he barked with a powerful tone that sent the Doctor recoiling. Sombra took a deep breath and his eyes returned to normal yet again. “I’m sorry, I don’t know what just came over me. I suppose I’m a little excited.” Sombra’s head snapped around rapidly almost like an owl. “Luna! She’s waiting for me. I need… I need to tell her… to show her! She will be so happy! I can’t wait to see the look on her face!” Sombra raced off of the platform right past the Doctor. He paused at the magic wall and looked back. “Thank you, thank you for your concern, but everything will be fine now.” He placed a hoof on the wall and it disappeared. Then he galloped from sight.

The Doctor quivered momentarily, thinking back on that other voice he heard. “I said I’m fine!” It didn’t sit well with the Doctor at all. He hoped he was overreacting, but, “Derpy. I need to get to Derpy.” The Doctor trotted out of the chamber and scanned the castle again for radiation with his sonic. “There she is. Same place she was before-- why hasn’t she-- oh no…” He galloped down the corridor as fast as he could.

Comments

[Fetch]

So, in this timeline, Celestia is the root cause of both the disappearance of the Crystal Empire and of Nightmare Moon. When The Doctor & Derpy get back to Derpy's present... which I just recalled is the day Twilight arrives in Ponyville. Oh, this is giving me a temporal headache.