(8-4) The Lie I Wish It Was
This was it.
Cadance paced back and forth in the throne room of the Crystal Empire. This was it. The next few moments would determine what her future was, as well as the future of all of Equestria. It was exciting, as well as a little bit scary. She was fairly certain that things would work out the way she expected, but this could all go unbelievably, horribly wrong. If Sombra didn’t do what she wanted, she’d fail. If Celestia didn’t turn into Daybreaker, she’d fail. If Luna thought she was suspicious and read her mind, she’d fail. And failing wouldn’t end well. She was certain Celestia wouldn’t have forgiveness on her should she fail. She wasn’t the forgiving type, unless, of course, it served herself. This was the same princess who saw fit to send a little filly to Tartarus. Celestia likely didn’t know what the word “forgiveness” meant.
But she had faith in herself and what she would be able to do. She helped bring down Sombra once before, and reintegrated the Crystal Empire into a world that was a thousand years ahead of it, among other things. Sure, the Crystal Empire was more like a city-state, but it certainly wasn’t nothing. And yet Celestia wouldn’t even give her a chance. She wouldn’t be ruler because Celestia found it better to give Equestria to somepony who didn’t even want it! She wouldn’t even give her a chance…
Cadance found herself thinking of that more often lately. It was apparent that the minute Twilight became an alicorn, Celestia gave her the spotlight the way she didn’t do for Cadance. And it wasn’t silent about it. She made sure Celestia knew it. She let Celestia know how she felt like she was being forgotten about, how she wasn’t being given the opportunities that Twilight was given. Of course, she’d always be told, “Focus on running the Crystal Empire. It may seem unimportant now and may seem to you like you’re being forgotten, but you’ll find that in the end, it was worth it.” As frustrated as it made her, she let those words soothe her frustrations.
And then Celestia slapped her in the face, and it pushed her over the edge. ‘I’m giving it to Twilight’ she said. ‘She’s more than proven herself capable of running Equestria’ she said. Even after the mare made it clear she wasn’t ready and didn’t want it. And even if both of those things were true, Cadance herself brought it to her aunt's attention that she wasn’t being given the same chance to help as her purple counterpart.
But no matter anymore. She was giving herself the opportunity. She didn’t know what game her aunt was playing with her, but she was done playing it. She was going to take matters into her own hooves. There would be other ponies who faced consequences as a result even though they weren’t at fault, Twilight Sparkle especially, but she would try her best to prevent that as much as she could. She simply needed Celestia and Luna out of the way, as well as Shining Armor. After that, she would get what she deserved.
Quickly, Princess Cadance cast the spell she knew and marched down into Sombra’s study, where only she knew the stallion was hiding.
“Come on out, Sombra,” she announced as loud as she dared. “I know you’re here. I’ve no interest in hurting you.”
Silence is what she got. Not a peep. She rolled her eyes and sighed, continuing, “As crazy as it seems, I have a proposition for you.” She waited a second for an answer, and when she received none, pressed on. “I know you want to rule the Crystal Empire, and I’m offering you the chance to do that.”
Slowly, a purple and black smoke that was Sombra arose, seemingly out of nowhere. “The Crystal Empire?” the smoke growled. “And how am I supposed to do that? It’ll be months before I recover enough strength to simply leave this room! And even still, there are those wretched Element Bearers as well as Celestia and Luna and Discord… it’s almost futile to even try, even if I weren’t in my current state.”
“It might seem that way, but I’ve come up with a plan that will ensure you’re the ruler of the Crystal Empire.”
“It’s impossible,” he scoffed. “The second those six see me, they’ll blast me on site. Nothing you or I do will be able to stop that blast from destroying me again.”
“Then we just need to create a situation where they don’t want to hit you.”
The cloud that was the shadow pony squinted his eyes. “And how exactly would we do that?” he asked suspiciously.
“Here’s what’s going to happen,” she explained. “Twilight will be here in a few minutes after I send a message for her to come. I’m going to cast a spell to restore you, and then, when you see her, you’re going to cast a spell on yourself to create an alternate personality. I’m sure you're powerful enough to do something like that fairly easily. It’ll need to be complex enough to have a detailed backstory, that way, when Luna tries to read your mind, she won’t be suspicious and won't think that you're lying.”
“It might work on those fools,” Sombra countered, “but I’m certain that witch of a princess named Celestia will see right through it.”
“That’s just what we want to happen. We want there to be a situation where it’s you versus her and you’re on the innocent side. I’m going to play the part of pushing her as close to the edge as possible by fueling her anger until she turns into her nightmare form. With how badly her hate for you flows, it shouldn’t be that difficult to do.”
“And then once she’s changed, the Element Bearers will banish her,” he finished, with a tiny smile. “Very clever. It’s almost guaranteed to work. However, that trick won’t work with the others.”
“That’s where that other personality comes in,” Cadance told him. “You’re going to need to make it claim to be another pony. Actually, no. Make it claim to be from another world entirely. Another pony can be found and questioned, and that’s what we don’t want. If you make your personality say it’s a creature from another world, they’ll be forced to try and find a way to send it back to where it came from. And since it won’t exist, they’ll simply destroy the personality, and you’ll be in the perfect position to attack.”
“Hmmmm… it should be easy enough, especially since they’ll be unprepared. How will we deal with Discord though?”
“That’s for you to figure out,” she answered. “I don’t plan on fighting at all. I’m giving you enough of a head start to succeed. I’m fairly certain you can come up with something.”
The shadow pony frowned, and responded, “Very well. Although you know I must ask what you’re seeking out of this. What are you expecting to receive in the end?”
“I plan on becoming the ruler of Equestria,” the alicorn responded quickly.
“And what exactly is stopping me from declining your offer and conquering Equestria myself?” he responded without missing a beat. “After all, I expect Radiant Hope to be here soon to fight with me like you said you won’t do.”
“And as you said,” she told him with a frown, “the Elements of Harmony will tear you down just as quickly as they did before. This is the best way to give us both what we want and secure both of our futures.”
“There seems to be a lot more risk in this for me than you,” he told her skeptically. “If things go wrong for you, you can simply claim ignorance and be believed unlike I.” Before she could respond to that though, he continued, “But I’ll accept this partnership. Restore me so I can cast the spell.”
Cadance’s horn lit up, the mare speaking as it did so. “If you try to attack me when I do this, Twilight and her friends will know.”
He gave a sly smile. “It seems you don’t trust me, even as I place my faith in you. Perhaps you fear me, even as you propose this deal?”
She growled at him silently as she closed her eyes to concentrate on what she was doing. It only took a few moments to cast her spell, and she reopened her eyes when she finished, jumping back in surprise at her proximity to the now ponified umbrum.
“Ah, so you do fear me. That’s certainly interesting, although unsurprising. I should be feared.”
“I’m not afraid of you. If I were, I wouldn’t even consider doing this. You startled me is all.”
There were several moments of silence that passed as the two stood facing each other. “Well? What are you waiting for?” he asked. “Call Twilight Sparkle so I can do what needs to be done.”
She continued to scowl at him as she said, “Remember to wait until she sees you to do it. This won’t work otherwise.”
“I understand that. Now go,” he commanded. With another scowl and a roll of her eyes, she left. As she did so, he thought to himself, “You’re very lucky I’m not interested in conquering Equestria. I only wish to see those who’ve wronged me crushed beneath my hooves.” He let out a small sigh, and silently whispered, “I’ll make sure you become the princess you were destined to be, Hope, and make sure those who’ve hurt us suffer. You’ll be the one to free me, of that I’m sure, and then we’ll crush our enemies… Although I wonder, will just an alternate personality be enough to fool them? Especially Discord… Hmmmmmm...”
“Luna lied to you?” Fluttershy asked me, the confusion evident on her face. “What did she lie about?”
I had to take a breath and clench my jaw to keep from snapping at her as I spoke. “Celestia told me,” I growled, “that my story wasn’t the first time she’s heard it. She very strongly suggested that other humans had appeared in Equestria before me, and that more would appear after me. When I confronted Luna about it, she told me that Celestia was lying to psyche me out as a tactic to get the truth out of me. I want to see if Luna was covering up for her.”
“I’m not- I don’t think that’s very likely, Sombra,” Hope told me. I turned to face her quickly, my jaw still clenched, and she continued, “You said earlier that it was your plan for this to happen… Well, not this specifically, but for everything up to… umm…”
She didn’t finish, but she didn’t have to. I knew where she was going, and I hated it. I dreamed earlier about it being Sombra’s plan for me to appear and for Celestia to lose control because of me, and it almost certainly wasn’t a coincidence. Effectively, she was suggesting that I was a personality that he created. Or, more accurately, a personality that I created.
“I’m not ready to accept that,” I said with finality. “I want proof that she didn’t lie to me, and the only place we can get proof of that is in the Canterlot Sculpture Garden.”
“Why… what?” Radiant Hope got out, completely confused. She hadn’t heard of a sculpture garden since she was last in Canterlot a thousand years ago.
“What are you going to do there?” Fluttershy asked.
“I’m going to see if those are really sculptures, or if they’re ponies that Celestia turned to stone for claiming to be humans, too.” I got confused expressions from both of them, so I explained, “Discord was turned into stone and placed in that sculpture garden, so it’s highly likely that the rest of those “sculptures” are real ponies, too.”
There were a few seconds of silence before Fluttershy spoke. “Do you really think Celestia would do something like that?” she asked timidly.
“Of course she would,” I answered. “She went completely crazy and attacked me just from seeing me, probably because she thinks she’s a god. I wouldn’t put it past her.”
“Well, uh, like I said,” Hope started, “I don’t think that’s very likely… I’m pretty sure she was just trying to trick you into saying you were Sombra…”
“I guess we’ll find out when we reach Canterlot.”
“Can you teleport us there?” the stallion asked Hope.
“No, not all the way to Canterlot,” the mare answered. “I can do short hops, but I’ll run out of energy before we get even halfway there. Can’t you do it?”
“No,” he answered as though it was the most obvious thing in Equestria. “I don’t know how to do magic.”
Radiant Hope had a very hard time believing that. She watched him turn Discord into stone after she tied back the string, not to mention teaching him to break it to begin with. He certainly could do it. However, she decided not to bring this up, opting instead to humor him. As well, she wanted to take the opportunity to give him a small test.
“Okay, I’ll write down the characters you’ll need to read to cast it,” she said, already using her magic to scratch them out in a patch of dirt next to them. “Just focus on the things or ponies you want to teleport being in the place you want them to teleport to, and then cast the spell. It should be as easy as that for you.”
“Okay…” Alex trailed off in response before going silent to examine what she’d written. They looked like random symbols with no meaning to him, but somehow he found his horn lighting up and the spell being cast as he read them. The next thing he knew, the three of them were standing at the edge of the entrance to the sculpture garden, which was exactly where he wanted them to be.
“That was much easier than I expected it to be,” Alex admitted. “I thought that would take forever to learn.”
“Well, you’ve always had a knack for magic,” she said, then gave him a bright smile. He couldn’t help but return it with one of his own, but quickly frowned again a second later once he realized what he was doing.
“I know what you’re thinking,” he told her, “and you’re wrong. I’m not Sombra. I know I’m not Sombra. I know that.”
“I’m not trying to make you upset,” she responded, taking a step closer to him, “it’s just that I’m almost certain that you’re… you. It doesn’t make sense to say you’re a creature from another world.”
“Why? Everyone else believes me now except for you and Celestia, and maybe Cadance.”
“I’m not saying that you’re lying. I know that you believe it. It’s just that… well… How can you even know who they are if you’re from another world?”
“Because in my universe, this is a fictional television show,” he explained. Even as he said it though, he knew just how unbelievable it sounded to her.
“None of this is supposed to be real,” he continued. “This is a children’s... story, written and produced by people almost solely to sell toys. I know who everyone is because I’ve seen this happen on TV where I’m from.”
“I’m not trying to be mean, but do you know how unbelievably convenient that would be if you were from another world?” she asked. “I mean, honestly, that seems almost impossible.” She watched him growl at her words, the stallion huffing and turning away from her, and took another step towards him so that their coats were brushing against each other.
“I’m sorry,” she told him. “I’m just worried about you. You know I love you, right Sombra?”
Alex sighed. “I know, Hope and I love you, too. It’s just that I know that I-” He stopped suddenly mid-sentence and clenched his jaw in frustration as he realized what was just spoken.
"What?" the mare asked innocently.
“I didn’t mean to say that,” he growled out. “Don’t…”
“Um, I’m sorry to interrupt,” Fluttershy suddenly said. “I really don't mean to, but I think we’re scaring the other ponies by standing here.”
Both of them turned to look around, and sure enough, several ponies were standing frozen in fear, with a couple of others whispering to each other, seemingly debating whether or not to run. It caused the stallion to frown and sigh again.
“Alright,” Alex announced. “Let’s get this over with.”
I was not a personality. I knew that. I knew that. I lived my whole life as a human being, and couldn’t remember anything else. Sure, I knew about My Little Pony, but that wasn’t a coincidence. I watched the show. It made sense. Besides, I had experiences that shaped who I was, like sneaking out of school and hospital stays and awful breakups and growing up with amazing parents. I was not a personality. If I was, then I was the most detailed personality ever created.
Of course, it didn’t explain why I told Radiant Hope I loved her when I didn’t, or why I was only able to go home for a few weeks before being sent back here, but at that moment I chose to ignore those things. The evidence proving my claims true was in this garden.
As the three of us walked through the entrance, one pony had the courage to stutter out a question to me.
“A-a-are y-you K-k-king S-sombra?”
I closed my eyes and let out a deep breath, answering, “No, I’m not. A lot of ponies seem to think so, but I’m not him.”
“I- I- I heard th-that he was g-going to t-try and t-t-take over Canterlot…” another pony stammered out. “And n-n-n-now you’re-”
“No, I’m not!” I snapped. “I don’t care about taking over Canterlot because I’m not Sombra!”
I watched them tense up fearfully, and it took Fluttershy putting her hoof on my shoulder to realize I had my teeth bared at them in a snarl.
“Maybe we should keep going, Alex.”
Once again, I closed my eyes and let out a deep breath. “Yes,” I told her. “Let’s keep going.”
We continued into the garden, more frightened ponies moving out of our way as we did so, and stopped at the first statue we came across. It was a stallion, a bit larger than most, wearing a neutral expression. The statue didn’t seem to have an expression of fear, none of the statues I could immediately see did, but it didn’t change how suspicious it was that these statues existed in the first place.
“You don’t really think Celestia and Luna turned ponies into statues do you, Alex?”
I didn’t know what to think. As much as I hated Celestia, I almost wanted her to be telling the truth when she told me other humans came here before me. If I had to choose between me being just a personality of Sombra and me being a human in his body, I would choose the latter, even if it meant that I was lied to by Luna. While it wouldn't make me any less angry that she lied, it would at least give me a sliver of a chance to get back home.
“If they did, I’m never ever bringing Luna back, or Twilight for that matter. There’s no way Luna wouldn’t have known about this, and Twilight would almost certainly side with her, or say that Celestia had a good reason to do so.”
Fluttershy didn’t say anything else and she and Radiant Hope waited in anticipation for me to cast the spell that should free whatever pony was encased in the stone. I knew I knew how to do it, although I wasn’t sure how. But I put that thought out of my head as I took a deep breath and closed my eyes.
“Please let this work,” I thought silently as I cast the spell.
I waited a few more seconds before cautiously opening my eyes again, once again taking in the statue we stopped in front of. It looked exactly the same as it did a few seconds before, remaining unchanged even in spite of my spell.
“Um… did you… not do it right?” Fluttershy asked me quietly.
I stayed silent, but we all knew the answer. I did the spell correctly, that I knew, even if I didn’t exactly know how I was able to cast it. The problem was that there was nothing for the spell to do, as we were looking at a normal statue, not a pony turned into one. Luna didn't lie when she said Celestia was bluffing about there being other humans.
I was Sombra.
"Are you okay, Alex?" the yellow mare behind me asked in a whisper.
“I guess,” I answered listlessly after a few seconds, sinking to the ground and closing my eyes again. “I only learned that I don’t actually exist and that I’m a personality of Sombra, so I could be doing better.”
“Well, um, if it makes you feel better,” Hope got out, “technically you are Sombra, so, uh, it would be a personality that you created…”
I knew what she was trying to say, but I sighed at her words anyway. “Why do I even try?” I mumbled, turning my head and letting my cheek touch the crystal on the ground that was the road. Of course, I was Sombra. It made the most sense. I mean, really, how likely was it that I was not only transported to another universe, but to one that I already knew everything about? That would have to be one heck of a coincidence.
I kept my eyes closed as the three of us stayed silent for a while. I couldn’t remember ever being Sombra before… this happened, but it almost felt subconscious, like when I automatically told Hope I loved her. I didn’t actually feel any love for her, or at least, I didn’t think I did, but who knew? I’d just found out that everything I knew was wrong, so I could’ve been wrong about that, too.
After several minutes, I opened my eyes again and spoke. “So what now?” I asked sarcastically. “Do I try and take over the Crystal Empire or something?”
“Well, um… what do you want to do?” Hope responded.
“I want to not be here, but that’s not an option, is it?”
“Alex…” I heard Fluttershy whisper sadly.
“Maybe I should try and bring Celestia back and beg her for forgiveness like that therapist said,” I continued. “Or better yet, maybe I should bring her back and let her kill me.”
“Please don't say things like that, Sombra,” Hope told me. “I really don’t like it when you say things like that.”
“I really don’t care at this point. I know you care about me, but I wish I would’ve just been killed by Celestia and Cadance when I first came here. My whole life is a lie, and I’m never going to see my friends and family again because apparently they didn’t exist in the first place.”
Radiant Hope went silent, the sad look like she was about to cry staying on her face, and I hit my head against the ground. “God. Damn. It. All. Why did you have to tie that string back together, Hope? I’d rather be in pain than have to deal with this… thing.”
“I’m sorry, Sombra,” she apologized and moved to lay down next to me. I knew it wasn’t her fault. It was my own stupid fault for thinking this was a good idea to begin with. Why did I have to do this to myself?
“God, I hate myself,” I mumbled as I started to close my eyes again. However, before I could, Fluttershy interrupted me.
“I know you might not want to hear this, Alex, but, um, there’s not really anything saying you’re not a human.” I moved to protest, but she put her hoof up to continue.
“I know I’m not as good as Twilight when it comes to these things… and I know I can’t know what you’re going through and what I say will sound cliche, but… um, well… I think you are who you say you are. I mean, even if it didn’t actually happen, uh… well, if you had those experiences, and remember them, then whether or not you’re actually Sombra shouldn’t matter. I mean, if you say you’re a human, then you’re a human to me, Alex.”
As cheesy as it sounded, it actually did make me feel a little bit better. However, in this case, feeling better only meant giving me the energy to be angry and scream.
“Why is this happening to me?” I yelled suddenly, causing Hope to jump. “Why would I do this to myself? What was the point of this?”
“Well, um, you told me earlier that you wanted to-”
“I know I wanted to take over the Crystal Empire!” I yelled, interrupting Hope. “I know this was my plan and I know this is what I wanted, but why did I do it this way? I’m sure there were plenty of ways for me to conquer the Crystal Empire, and yet I chose this way?”
The two mares stayed silent while I closed my eyes and breathed deeply. “Let me think,” I said out loud, mostly to myself. “I know the point was to be in this position, with everyone who was against me defeated, but how did I come to the conclusion that this was the way to do it? It doesn’t seem like the kind of thing I would’ve thought of on my own, let alone even attempted.”
“Well, um, do you remember anything, Alex?” Fluttershy asked. “About, um, being… umm…”
“No, not really. I can remember my life, but everything about… Sombra if from the perspective of an outsider. As in, I know what happened to me, but only because I watched the show or read about it online. I don’t remember ever physically being myself… err, Sombra.”
“Well, if it’s any help,” Hope jumped in, “I do remember you saying something about we might not have to worry about Cadance… Maybe it was her?”
“Well I certainly doubt that,” I answered. “She hated me almost as much as Celestia did, and was the one fueling…”
I trailed off into silence as I thought, and what I thought was not good. Everything that happened, everything that led up to this moment, was starting to click for me. I was realizing exactly what was going on and how it got me to this point, and I didn’t like it.
“Where is Cadance right now?” I suddenly asked.
A couple of minutes later, the three of them were back in the Crystal Empire, where it was still deathly quiet. Alex was breathing heavily as they stood in front of six stone statues.
“Teleporting… takes… a lot of… energy…” he said in between breaths. “How do the princesses… do it so easily?”
“Well, they’re alicorns,” Radiant Hope responded, “and also, they don’t usually teleport from the Crystal Empire to Canterlot and back, so…”
“Whatever. Let’s just… find Cadance and try and talk to her… see if she can fix this.” He paused, silently adding, “Or maybe take my anger out on her.”
“Wait, Alex,” Fluttershy interrupted timidly. “Maybe we should talk to Twilight and, um… see what she has to say? I mean, if that’s okay with you.”
He rolled his eyes at that. “I already know what she’ll say. Probably something like, ‘Oh, my sister-in-law would never do something like that.’ Even though that’s how all these princesses acted so far.”
“How they acted? What?”
“They all act in their own self-interest,” he explained bitterly. “Amore cared more about herself than about how I was being burned and killed by the Crystal Heart, Celestia cared about herself more than about believing in me when I tried to tell her that I wasn’t Sombra, and Cadance cares more about herself than about letting me say a human. Or maybe not existing. Or whatever. You get the point.”
“Twilight’s-”
“Not like that,” the stallion interrupted. “I’m sure she’s not, which is why she let Starlight Glimmer go completely unpunished but sent a filly to Tartarus. She’s probably no older than ten, and she didn’t even try and reform her! And what about what Celestia and Luna did to me?”
“What Celestia and Luna- are you talking about when they banished you?” Fluttershy asked.
“Yes, they banished me after I got rightfully upset that Amore was intentionally hurting me and didn’t even care! They banished somepony who’s practically still a foal!”
“A foal?”
“Yes, a foal! I might be a thousand years old now, but from my perspective, Radiant Hope only got her cutie mark a few months ago, and we’re just about the same age. They intentionally tried to kill someone who’s practically still a foal, who didn’t remember being Sombra, who didn’t even know they were Sombra, and they were going to do it without a second thought!”
“Well, um- maybe, um- maybe you could try and apologize?” Fluttershy offered, not really knowing what to say. “I know it’s not that good of an idea to you, but, um, since you both-”
“NO! I will never, never, never ever apologize! I don’t care if I am Sombra! I will not apologize after everything they’ve done to me when I’ve done nothing! Now where is Cadance?”
“Stop right there, Sombra!” a stallion suddenly called out. The group turned to see an angry looking Shining Armor carrying the Crystal Heart in his magic. However, his angry look quickly dropped when he saw Hope and Fluttershy standing on either side of the stallion, who wore an absolutely intense expression.
“What. Do you. Want,” he spat as his stare pierced through the prince like glass.
Shining Armor stood in stunned silence for a second before finally responding, “I- by order of the Crystal Empire, I hereby demand that you stand down and surrender.”
“Fine. I surrender. Again. Where is Cadance?”
“Then lay down so I can restrain you,” the prince continued, trying to speak with authority.
“No. Where is Cadance?” Alex asked again.
“If you’re truly surrendering,” Shining Armor started again, ignoring him, “then I have to ask that you-”
“Look. I’m trying to stay calm since you didn’t have anything to do with this, but you’re testing my already very thin patience. I need to know where Cadance is.”
“I- why do you need to know?” he asked, trying to keep the confusion out of his voice.
Alex growled, and said, “I just want to talk to her. I’m sure she has the answers to some questions I have. Now where is she?”
“Well, I can’t-”
“TELL ME WHERE SHE IS RIGHT NOW!” the stallion screamed, causing everypony around him to jump as he took a threatening step forward. Before he could do anything else though, Fluttershy put a hoof on his shoulder.
“I know you’re upset, Alex,” she whispered, “but I don’t think yelling is the best way to go. I’m sure if you explain the situation calmly, he’ll tell us where she is.”
“Fine! I’m calm!” he yelled, before taking a breath. He closed his eyes and breathed deeply, starting again in a lower voice, “I’m calm.” He then turned to look at Shining Armor and asked, “Can you please tell me where Cadance is? I need to know because I’m almost certain that she’s the one who turned me into Sombra.”
The prince squinted at him in skepticism. “My wife turned you into- wait, are you saying you’re that creature again now?”
He growled again as he answered, “I have a name, and it’s Alex.”
“How do I know you’re not lying again?” Shining questioned. “You were tricking Celestia to make her mad, and then turned Luna into stone once you had the chance!”
“I wasn’t lying the first time, which should be fairly obvious by this point seeing as I put up with you all wanting to kill me for days! The fact that I’m even talking to you now should be proof enough that I’m not him!”
“You could still be trying to trick me,” he insisted. “You could be forcing Fluttershy to go with you as part of the plan to trick me.”
“What would the trick even be? You are so- no, I’m not dealing with this.” He turned to his companions and said, “You win, Fluttershy. We’ll get Twilight and ask her where she is.”
“No you won’t!” Shining Armor yelled, quickly teleporting in front of them. “I won’t let you hurt my sister or her friends!”
“Why would I-”
“Alex, please calm down,” Fluttershy told him before directing her attention to the prince. “I promise Alex would never do anything to hurt Twilight or my friends. We just really need to know where Princess Cadance is so we can see if she can help him.”
“Well… I don't know...,” he said, sounding extremely annoyed by the idea as he stared at the stallion. He thought about it for a second, staring at both Alex's angry expression and Fluttershy's innocent pleading one, before answering, “Fine. But you have to stay with me at all times. And if you even think about trying to hurt her, I’ll pummel you into the ground!”
“Whatever,” Alex responded, rolling his eyes. “Just take us to her already.”
I’m sure the last thing Princess Cadance expected to see was her husband teleporting into the castle in Canterlot with me standing right next to him. I saw a look of shock on her face for a second as she immediately tensed up, seeming like her heart was about to jump out of her chest. It almost certainly confirmed what I suspected
“I swear if you hurt her-” Shining Armor started, “it will not end well for you.”
I managed to ignore him, my gaze completely fixed on the pink alicorn. I was certain my current condition was a result of her interference, and wanted to call her out for it right then and there. However, I found myself avoiding that and clenched my teeth as I growled low and spoke slowly.
“Cadance, I need to speak with you in private.”
“No, you don’t,” Shining spoke. “You can talk to her right here where I can make sure you won’t try anything. You’re lucky you haven’t been thrown in jail yet.”
“Yes, I’m so lucky,” I retorted bitterly. “I’m so lucky that everypony except for one, maybe two, wanted to kill me, and that all the rulers of Equestria are only out for themselves!” By the time I finished, I was yelling, and Shining Armor looked like he wanted to fight. However, Cadance held up a hoof to stop him.
“Shining, it’s fine.” she started with a sigh. “Him talking to talk is better than him wanting to fight.” She then turned to me and said, “Tell me, will I be speaking to Sombra, or will I be speaking to that other creature?”
“Fine,” I thought. “If she wants to be that way, we can do this in public.”
“I have a name,” I growled, “and it’s Alex. Now let me ask, who am I speaking to: the Princess of Love, or the Ruler of Equestria?”
“What?” she asked. “What are you going on about?” As she spoke, I saw in her eyes… something. A reaction. It might have been a flicker of fear, but it could have just as easily been confusion. Still, though, it was something to go on, and I started speaking again.
“You know exactly what I’m going on about!” I continued. “It was you that made me this way, because all of you alicorns only care about yourselves!”
“What are you talking about?”
“I’m talking about how you were the one fueling Celestia’s rage against me!” I yelled as I started to step towards her. “You were the one that gave me an opening to turn Luna into stone, and then scurried off to Canterlot so there wouldn’t be anypony standing against me! You were the one who made me this way! You took me away from my life!”
Despite her pretending to be confused, Cadance was inwardly frustrated, as well as a bit afraid. She had everything planned out so perfectly, and yet here was Sombra, or Alex as he claimed to be, openly spilling the details of what they planned together. It was absolutely not what she expected, and certainly wasn’t ideal, and it made her insanely irritated and frustrated. All the stallion had to do was create a personality, and that was it. And yet, somehow he managed to screw that up, because she was in this position.
She debated how she should respond to this. There were really only two options. Well, three, but confessing was absolutely out of the question. Of the two left, the first was denial, but that had its own risks, mainly being that she didn’t know how much Fluttershy had been convinced by him, and if she had, how much Twilight would believe the yellow mare over her. Not only that, but she’d have Luna to contend with, as well as potentially Discord. The second was simply acknowledging what she’d done and trying to convince Alex to see her way, which would ultimately involve her taking care of her husband, and was a very risky gamble in her opinion. She didn’t know how much he knew about magic, and knew that if he knew even a little bit, with how powerful Sombra was, he could take her down in an instant. Or, if he wanted to, he could just grab Twilight Sparkle, and then it would be all over for her. This was just about the very worst position she could be in.
“I hate you so much right now, Sombra,” she thought. “You had one job and you absolutely failed. This is all your fault…”
She opted to start with the slightly safer option, mustering up anger and concern into her voice. “Anypony standing against- what did you do to Twilight? Tell me where she is right now!”
“Admit you did this to me! I know you did this! This didn’t just happen out of the blue!”
“Alex, please calm down,” Radiant Hope whispered, touching his side with her hoof as the prince and princess took aggressive stances.
“No! I won’t calm down! If you didn’t, then why would you be in Canterlot hiding instead of in the Crystal Empire protecting your precious sister-in-law and your husband?”
Shining Armor’s ear flicked at that, and Cadance caught it. She knew he was starting to doubt her, and before long was going to piece together what she had done. She had to do something, and without thinking, sent out an attack. It was the very last thing he expected, and just a second later, he was sprawled unconscious across the floor, Fluttershy quickly rushing over to his aid. Cadance ignored this however and marched over to Alex, sticking her nose in his face and causing him to wince in pain as she seethed.
“Why are you doing this to me?” she demanded. “Why are you telling everypony about what we planned?”
“So you admit it! You did do this to me!”
“You did this to yourself, idiot!” she spat back. “You were the one who created that personality, and yet somehow couldn’t find a way to keep it suppressed! I could’ve cast it better had I done it myself!”
“I am not a personality, and this was your plan! I could’ve waited for Hope to come revive me, but no! You went and tore me away from my life and made my existence here absolutely miserable! This is your fault because you’re just like every other ruler I’ve ever seen! I! HATE! EQUESTRIA!”
Cadance was going to yell a response back at him, but stopped herself when she noticed how he looked. He was angry to the point of tears, and she watched a few drip onto the castle floor as he held his head down and closed his eyes.
“I’m cursed with this awful existence, once that pits everything against me,” he said more quietly, the anger in his voice morphing into despair. “There will never be any justice, because I get punished for retaliating against those who hurt me. And then the one time my life wasn’t completely miserable after everything I’ve suffered, it was ripped away from me. I’ll never ever win.”
By that point, Radiant Hope was nuzzling his cheek as he kept his eyes closed and sighed, disheartened. Cadance watched the two of them, figuring out how best to get him back on her side. She had an idea that Fluttershy would be the only pony really standing in her way, and knew that if she hurt her, his fury would be unleashed. That wasn’t something she wanted to contend with, especially since both personalities seemed to be mixed together, so she still couldn’t be sure exactly what he was capable of.
“Well, you’ve won now,” she started, trying to appeal to him. “You have the Crystal Empire at your hooves, and those who’ve wronged you are now all out of the way, no longer an issue.”
“And yet, somehow, I’m still in Equestria, negotiating with you of all ponies for some reason.”
Her expression hardened again as she started, “I only came up with the plan. This was something you did to yourself. The fact that you’re like this is because you did this to yourself.”
“You. Did. This. To. Me,” he asserted. “You were the one who came to me with this nonsense. I should be at my desk working, or at home talking online, or eating out with friends, or literally anything else, but I’m stuck here in Equestria. Because. Of. You.”
"Alex," she said, being careful to use the name he preferred, "right now you're in a perfect position to take over the Crystal Empire and do with it what you wish. By going down this route, you'll be throwing it all away, and then your being in Equestria will have been entirely pointless."
The stallion opened his mouth to respond, but stopped, considering what she told him. What the alicorn said seemed true enough, and having there be a point for everything being ripped away from him seemed like it was a tiny bit better than having no reason for this having happened to him. However, these thoughts were interrupted when he looked at Fluttershy.
She didn’t say anything as she still knelt by Shining Armor’s side, but she didn’t need to. The look she gave him told him everything, although that everything could be adequately summed up in just one question: what about her? What about her friends and what she wanted? Silently, she told him that even though nopony else believed in him, she believed in him, and that he should put his faith in her that it would all be okay, even if it didn’t seem that way now. Although unpleasant, it could be thought of as a friendship lesson, one that said that, despite what was done to him, he needed to have the ability to forgive, if only for those who’d done no wrong to him.
“Alex, please,” Fluttershy said quietly. “Don’t do this. Please?”
As badly as he wanted to crush these ponies beneath his hooves, the yellow mare who had the faith to believe in him was the only thing stopping him. It effectively left one option, which was, despite his hate, to free Twilight and her friends, because that’s what Fluttershy would want.
Alex sighed as he turned to Hope and asked, “What do you think?”
“Whatever you want is fine with me,” she answered quickly. “I’ll be happy with whatever you choose.”
“I’ll be happy with whatever you choose,” he repeated in his head. “That’s not true, and I know that. Your destiny was to be a princess, and now you never will be because I was brought here by that witch Cadance, because all these alicorns are only out for themselves… You’d certainly be better than everypony who ruled before you...”
Every single one of the rulers of Equestria only cared about themselves. Amore showed it personally to him for years, Celestia showed it by changing into Daybreaker at the idea that he was telling the truth and, from what Luna said, using her influence to try and get Twilight to hate him too. Luna showed it by turning into Nightmare Moon years ago over the simple fact that ponies slept through the night and not the day, and Cadance was showing it now by subverting her family to rule over Equestria. The only one who hadn’t done so thus far was Twilight, but just based on past history, he was almost certain that if she got the chance, she would follow the same path. It made him extremely angry, and he decided right then that something had to change.
“You were supposed to be a princess, Hope,” he thought as he stared into Cadance’s eyes and told her, “I want to rule over Equestria.”
Cadance was in stunned silence at his request for a second, before managing to simply answer, “No.”
“I won’t be arguing with you,” he continued, “and you’re lucky I haven’t turned you into stone yet for what you’ve done to me.”
“I won’t-” she started threateningly, taking a step forward before being interrupted.
“If you won’t let me, then fight me. If you’re not willing, then just shut up and give in.” He then called out to Fluttershy, saying, “I need you to come with me. I don’t think Twilight will trust me alone.” To Hope, he said, “Can you stay here and make sure that she doesn’t try anything? I’ll be back in about a minute.”
Much less than one minute had passed when I returned. It took all of fifteen seconds to grab the statues that were Twilight and her friends, teleport to the hospital and grab Luna as well, and bring them all back to the castle in Canterlot. The whole thing had me feeling exhausted, and by the time me, Fluttershy, and the statues got back, Cadance had already disappeared.
“She left about a half-second after you left,” Radiant Hope explained. “I’m almost certain she’s in the Crystal Empire trying to find you to convince you to change your mind… or maybe to fight you. She seems really mad.”
“Well I certainly don’t care how she feels,” I responded tiredly. “She can be mad. It’s what she deserves for cursing me with this existence. Celestia got what she deserved, Amore got what she deserved, and now I’ll make sure that Cadance gets what she deserves, too.”
“What are you going to do, Alex?” Fluttershy asked cautiously. “You won’t hurt her, will you?”
“Nope. I won’t attack her unless she attacks me, and I don’t plan on sending her to Tartarus, either. I have something in mind.”
“Oh, I can’t believe Cadance would do something like this…”
“Well, believe it,” I told her as I faced the statues. “That’s what all those princesses do.”
With that thought, I closed my eyes and cast the spell to release Twilight from her stone prison. She gasped loudly and looked into my eyes, seeming confused as she tried to register who I was. After a second though she figured it out.
“...Alex?” she trailed off. Then she looked behind me and saw her brother, gasping again as she rushed up to him.
“Shining Armor!” she yelled as she knelt down next to him. “What happened to him, Fluttershy?” Then she turned to me and demanded, “What did you do to him?”
“Alex didn’t do anything!” Fluttershy got out, quickly getting in front of her as if to protect me. “That was Princess Cadance!”
“What? Cadance wouldn’t do something like this!”
I rolled my eyes, thinking about how I told her that Twilight would say exactly that before saying, “Shining Armor will tell you himself. Hope, can you help him out?”
She trotted over to him wordlessly and began to work, taking just a minute to bring him back to consciousness. With a groan he opened his eyes, instantly making eye contact with me, then turning his gaze to his sister.
“Hey, Twily,” he got out weakly. “Funny seeing you here.”
“Who did this to you, Shining?” she asked quietly as she continued to kneel beside him.
“I…” he trailed off, looking up towards the ceiling as if trying to remember. “I think I might be misremembering, because for some reason, I remember Sombra saying something about how Cadance turned him into Sombra, and then her shooting at me…”
Twilight went completely wide-eyed at that. “There- there must be some mistake,” she got out. “That must be Chrysalis impersonating her, or Discord playing a prank, or something! Cadance would never do that!”
“Yeah, it’s probably Chrysalis,” the prince agreed, before remembering, “No, wait, she’s imprisoned in the Crystal Empire, so it can’t be her…”
“And Discord is encased in stone right now, Twilight,” Fluttershy added, “so it isn’t him either. That leaves only Princess Cadance.”
“That can’t be possible! There must be something else going on, because I’m sure that-”
“Twilight! Look out!” Cadance suddenly yelled as we heard the pop of her teleporting back into the room. In her magic, I saw that she had the Crystal Heart, and immediately gasped in fear and flinched as she threw it at me. I shut my eyes as my muscles tensed up, ready to experience that awful burning that I’d come to know. However, to my extreme surprise, I heard a thud as it hit the ground in front of me, and opened my eyes to see it laying harmlessly on the floor.
The entire room was silent, everypony’s eyes trained on the piece of rock that was the Crystal Heart, watching it intently as though it would do something. However, it continued to lay motionlessly on the ground, unmoving. It should’ve done something. They all knew that, especially Alex, who felt its burns for years in the Crystal Empire. However, the burns didn’t come, much to his shock and curiosity. He carefully reached out a hoof to touch it as the room stayed watching him, and still felt nothing. Cautiously, he picked it up and looked at the reflection in it, being told once before that it showed a pony’s destiny in its reflection. What he saw though was simply his own reflection staring back at him. He couldn’t make out whether what he was seeing was a human or a pony, but he was sure it was himself he was looking at. Apparently, the Crystal Heart thought this was his destiny. It thought it was his destiny to be forced away from everything he ever knew, his destiny to suffer under the cruelty of these rulers of Equestria, his destiny to be wanted dead by all of the ponies around him…
“You tried to kill me…” the stallion growled lowly, his grip on the Heart tightening as he continued to stare into it. It took all the self-control he could muster to keep from throwing it to the ground and letting it shatter to pieces right there.
“How could you?” Fluttershy protested angrily. “How could you do that to him? How could you hurt Shining Armor like that, Twilight’s brother and your husband? How could you do those things?”
“What are you talking about, Fluttershy?” Cadance started, feigning innocence. “You watched Sombra do this! We should be attacking him right now! What’s gotten into you?” Then she turned to her sister-in-law and asked, “You believe me, right Twilight?”
“What?” she got out, taken by surprise. “I- of course I do! I believe you!”
“I told you she would say that,” Alex commented darkly. “I told you she would say exactly that. Her precious mentors couldn’t possibly be capable of doing such things. Even after everything that's happened up to this point, she still doesn’t believe me.”
“Maybe- maybe somepony should explain exactly what we’re-” Twilight got out before being interrupted by Cadance.
“We don’t have time for that!” she claimed. “The Crystal Heart clearly didn’t work on him! We need to plan out a strategy to defeat him!”
“Yes, work out a plan to defeat me,” he started sarcastically, angrily. “I’ve proved that I’m such a threat by freeing Twilight from being a statue.”
“You were the one that turned her into a statue to begin with!” she pressed. “Even if you’re not Sombra now, you could turn back into him again, just like what happened before!”
“So you’re acknowledging that you know I’m not him but you want to kill me anyway, is that correct?”
“I- no! You’re twisting what I’m saying!” She then turned to Twilight and said, “We have to do something right now! We can’t wait!”
“I- I can’t just attack somepony who might be telling-”
“You were the one who said that you needed to defeat me, just after throwing the Crystal Heart at me, knowing it would burn me,” Alex interrupted. “You’re saying that you don’t care with your actions, because you’re just like the rest of them.”
“Well, what do you expect when you tell us that you plan on ruling Equestria?” she accused. “Any other reaction from me would be ridiculous!”
“Then why did you hurt Shining Armor?” Fluttershy asked. “What did he have to do with-”
“EVERYPONY, STOP!” the Princess of Friendship suddenly yelled, causing all in the room to jump back in surprise. She waited a second, then said, “I don’t know what’s going on right now, but I do know that my brother is hurt. Now, before we do anything, we need to figure out who’s telling the truth and who’s lying.”
“We already know who’s telling the truth, Twilight!” Fluttershy told her exasperated. “I watched Cadance hit him! Don’t you trust me?”
“I… of course I do, Fluttershy. But I also trust Cadance, too, which is why we need to be extra sure that-”
“Why don’t we just have Princess Luna decide?” Radiant Hope suddenly suggested after being quiet the whole time. “I mean, all she’d have to do is look into Cadance’s mind, and then she would know she’s lying.”
The pink alicorn tensed up at that idea. Freeing Luna would prove that she was lying. Even if she cast a spell to alter her memories, all she would have to do is read another pony’s mind and that would be it. All of her hard work was crumbling right in front of her. She’d come so close, and yet it hadn’t mattered. She needed to do something, anything, before she lost control completely…
“Sombra! Look out!” Radiant Hope yelled just as Cadance shot another attack, this one aimed directly at Alex as he was facing away from her to free Luna. He turned around to see it coming, but he didn’t have time to move out of the way or stop her attack. He felt it hit him, but was surprised when it didn’t hurt him. It felt to him like nothing more than being lightly pushed. He looked up at the princess who sent the attack his way, and couldn’t help but genuinely laugh at her shocked and scared expression, that laughter turning into anger before long.
“Twice!” he yelled at her. “You tried to kill me twice! And yet you’re still trying to claim that you’re innocent! How long are you going to believe this witch, Twilight?” With that, the pony quickly turned around and freed Luna, yelling at her as he did so, “She did this to me!”
“So I’ve heard, Alex,” the Princess of the Night responded without missing a beat, listening to the conversation while she was encased in stone. “And so it would seem judging by her actions as well,” she added.
“I- no!” she stuttered out. “I’m not- this isn’t- what is happening here? You’re really going to believe him over me?
“I do not need to believe anypony. I can already see four minds here incriminating you, your own having a spell cast on it to avoid my eyes. How rather curious, is it not?” Cadance realized what was about to happen, but before she could stop it, Luna had her magic tied around her, keeping her in place.
“I might be able to look past you trying to take the crown,” she said, suddenly angry, “but what you’ve done to this creature and what you’ve turned my dear sister into is unforgivable!”
“I- I didn’t- he was in on it, too! Sombra was just as much a part of this as I was!”
“So it’s true?” Twilight asked softly. “You really did hurt Shining Armor? But why?”
“Because of you!” she spat. “Because Celestia thought it was okay to give away a kingdom to somepony who didn’t have any experience and didn’t even want to be ruler of it! But I didn’t do this alone! He helped me!”
“Yes, I suppose you could say that Sombra did indeed help in your cause,” she said as she strode towards her. “However, as far as I can tell, the pony who freed me is named Alex, and had nothing to do with this scheme you plotted against us.” She paused for a second, adding, “I’m awfully disappointed in you.”
“But he-”
“Silence!” she commanded. “You will stand before Equestria and explain yourself formally when you are charged with your crimes! Until then, you will remain in custody in this very castle! Be glad I’ve shown mercy to you and not sent you straight to Tartarus.”
With that, she lit up her horn and teleported both herself and Cadance to… somewhere. Nopony knew where, but they didn’t have time to think about it as she reappeared before them just a second later.
“Now Alex,” she started once again, “please explain to me what you meant when you said earlier that you wished to rule Equestria.”
It had been ten months since I was forced out of my life and sent to Equestria, and yet it only just started to feel like these ponies I now ruled over were starting to accept that I wasn’t the monster I appeared to be. The Day Court hardly had any visitors, although a few were starting to trickle in shakily after realizing that I was indeed the Ruler of Equestria. Still, though, most opted to appear in the Night Court in front of Radiant Hope and, occasionally, Luna. While it was frustrating to see, I kept myself calm by reminding myself that they’d eventually get used to me and come in to see me. But not right now. Right now, to them, I was at best an interim ruler while they waited for their precious Princesses to return.
“Princesses, hmmmm….” I thought as I sat in the empty room, having only had one or two ponies appear to see me up to that point in the day. “I wonder what Princess Cadance will think of tomorrow’s hearing against her…”
I imagined her head hanging low in shame throughout the trial, unable to look at her former husband and sister-in-law, having not seen her daughter in months. I already knew exactly what would happen. She’d tear up when she was found guilty, and then be surprised when I told her that I was pardoning her. Not that she wasn’t going to be punished for cursing me this way. This was her punishment. Being free, yet knowing that the relationships she broke would never be repaired, especially the ones with the people who used to love her, especially considering the reason. It was what she deserved, in my opinion, and I would give it to her. I was going to make her suffer like I was suffering.
The other princess I thought about was that witch who used to raise the sun every morning. She was the one who didn’t believe in me, who let her anger over my sight cloud her judgment, who caused this whole situation by not picking the pony she presumably was preparing for the role of Princess of Equestria and instead handing it over to somepony who didn’t want it. The one who watched me burn for years, and then punished me for lashing out against it.
She was still banished, that I knew, but I considered bringing her back. I thought about what the therapist said, and remembered him mentioning something about apologizing and how it should be done. Although I believed him to be wrong about who should do the apologizing. If I ever brought her back from where she was, which was a big if, it would be so that she could apologize for everything she did to me, rather than whatever she claimed I’d done to her. Between her and her niece, the two of them had gifted me with the most awful existence imaginable. Both of them brought their fates on themselves by their own actions against me. They were getting what they deserved.
I wondered what Amore was thinking right then as her pieces lay scattered across Equestria. I wondered if she was thinking about the influence her actions had over Equestria still, even a thousand years later. Did she think this is how it would end up, with her friend banished partially at my hoof and me taking the throne? I didn’t think so, but it was how it played out.
“Why am I cursed this way?” I asked myself. “I wonder what my friends and family are thinking, seeing as I just dropped out of existence almost a year ago… I wonder if they even still exist, or if their existence ended when I was forced away from my life and into this cursed world... I wonder what my parents would say about me ruling Equestria...”
"Alex?" Radiant Hope called out, making her way over to me, seeing my brooding expression. "Are you all right?"
"Yes, I'm fine," I answered politely, silently adding, "I'm as great as I'll ever be."
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s'ok.
This was definitely an experience. I hope that you make a sequel for this because that ending felt a bit rushed for me as it didn't tie that many loose ends such as, how Equestria reacted to when Alex took the throne, or what happened to the Mane Six.
Well, I am sure no one was expecting these events when they read the first chapter of this story. A good ending leaving the reader wanting more, as the destabilizing of 2 princesses would rock equestria. But this story isn’t about those two, it’s about accepting your existence in a world that you are not happy with, but still must reside in. Good job, and a nice finish.
The ending left me wishing for an epilogue with the trial and everything else, just as a little icing on the cake.
Well, that’s as dramatic.
I like it!!!
So why is Alex and Hope ruling Equestria, and not Luna?
I don't see why Luna stepped down.
So Alex is really not an alien soul spirited away into Equestria by whatever causes, but rather a personality created by Sombra. Does that mean he might be what Sombra should be prior the corruption?
Still, my biggest question still is, how can Sombra invent all those details in the 'fake' memory of Alex? They were too details and cover almost all Alex's life.
Wait, that's it? I mean, I'm glad that certain things got resolved, but this whole story, and this ending in particular, just left a bad taste in my mouth. It's nothing that you did wrong as a writer. I'm just angry at certain characters and unsatisfied at the lack of proper closure. Nevertheless, I am glad that I at least saw it through to the end, and I do hope you keep on writing. Cheers.
Thats all???
:'v
*Clapping* ...Ladies and gentlemen, we got here a masterpiece!
It's not often I see a pony story stop on a 'bad end'. I got the feeling of the picture darkening as the camera drew back to show a city quietly waiting to see what the uncertain future holds. Well done.
Not bad. Worth the read.
neat
Phew. And its over. I got mixed feelings. On one hand, it sucks that 'Alex' doesn't exist anymore. Especially for all that entails. No home and family to go back to and all that. On the other hand, in order for the story to keep from getting WAY darker than it could have gone, this is probably the best possible outcome. On the other hand, I'm glad to see that this story not only has an ending (unlike so many others) AND there's a real sense of closure! Justice was served well, fairly and generously. The survivors get a good chance to move on with their lives as best they can.
When Sombra/Alex entered the garden and wandered up to the statues, I really held my breath. I was praying they were just mere statutes. I'm a little relieved you didn't go that route. That would have been interesting maybe but would have made this story way more darker that I would have liked.
Overall, not bad! I liked it. Thanks for the story! Stay safe out there. The year is almost over but the madness has yet to subside.
This was a good read.
Not... at all what I was expecting. Bravo.
I know something that will fit sorten situation, "when in doubt, bring in Applejack".
I love story’s about humans in equestria
And it’s even better if they New about mlp or watched
P.S
I love this story so much and I hope that eventually you can make a sequel
10511486
Probably a spell to create an alternate personality that, like an equation with variables, had 'blanks' that could be filled in or left blank to customize the result. Cadence said Sombra needed an origin and backstory to make an otherworldly persona believable, and it being the result of a spell explains both that Alex was unshakable in his belief that he was his own person until evidence of the contrary was presented, and also the thread within Sombra that keeps the whole thing working properly. That therapy thing was probably some kind of pseudo-dream created by the details of Alex's backstory when that personality was essentially pushed to the back of Sombra's mind.
Pretty sure this story doesn't contain a world dominated by Homo Sapiens Sapiens for one to be displaced into this world dominated by Equus Sapiens Arcana.
Ever plan for a sequel? This story was great.
That was, it's safe to say, one hell of a wild ride! Well done. Looking forward to what you come up with next.
Spoiler Warning: This entire comment.
I am genuinely happy with this ending. King Sombra taking the reigns of the country was a bit rushed, but everything that happened was actually fair. Hear me out.
It sucks that King Sombra created a personality that he got stuck with that mourns a family and life that didn't exist. That's probably the saddest part of this ending, honestly. But there technically was no Alex for that world to mourn, and Sombra has a new set of morals forged in that world that can help him be a much better ruler. Consider it like Sombra accidentally reforming himself, with a built-in penance. All of the bad stuff he did was in retaliation to him being wronged first, but he did do a lot of bad. Amore might have deserved it, but the general populace didn't. And even though Sombra is sad right now, he achieved what he set out to do, and has the potential to find happiness down the road with his best friend (love interest?) Hope.
Radiant Hope got to be the princess that she was always destined to be, and also got to keep her Best Buddy Sombra by her side, whom she cared about enough to forsake her destiny.
Luna was canonically going to step down from the throne pretty quickly anyway. Luna never really had a real opportunity to become as beloved as her sister after she returned from being Nightmare Moon. If anything, she was actually worse off after returning because Celestia had a 1000 year head start on her and seemingly eliminated her from the history books on purpose. Do you know how long Celestia would have had to forget to mention that she had a sister for NO ONE to remember her? Way too long to be an accident. Probably not too much love lost from Luna, who got one over on her sister at the end, and probably wouldn't care about ruling her sister's nation in her stead after all the bullshit she has been through.
Twilight decided not to rule the nation, which I personally prefer because she gets to spend the rest of her friend's life with them, now. She's still immortal and can rule Equestria later if she chooses, but right now she can take the time to just live the life she would have wanted.
Cadence being pardoned and facing only the scorn of her loved ones is also pretty cool, compared to how things could have gone. A lot of my sympathy for her evaporated from just how poor of a loser, and how willing to bring harm to Sombra she ended up being. This will hang over her head for a long time, but despite how awful what she set out to do was, she didn't actually do too much wrong. Pretty similar to Luna, honestly. I could see her bonding with Auntie Luna over their mutual "shame" of trying to take over the country, and eventually reconciling with her daughter Flurry, who probably won't remember this happening very well because she's so young.
I don't actually know what will happen to Shining Armor, but he'll be fine. If Cadence is no longer Princess of the Crystal Empire, then he will no longer be prince-consort either. And there's a good chance that he and Cadence end up "legally separated" even if she does stay on the throne, but Sombra has nothing against him. He still has his daughter and an impressive military career to fall back on.
Celestia got a well-deserved early retirement.
Over all, the only thing that would have made it a happier ending for me would be if Alex was real after all and got the ability to travel back to Earth to meet his friends and family occasionally. Maybe he and Sombra could have actually gotten fused somehow, because it would have actually been a bad ending for Sombra if Alex had just consumed his spirit completely.
Over all, I'm very satisfied with the ending and the story in general. This story did a lot that I have rarely seen, and it had a believable premise and execution.
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If Alex's background was a result of some spell, then that spell is the ultimate ghost writer. Able to generate the world-building story with minute details in a short time.
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Actually there probably is a Real Life Planet Earth of Humanity, I hope. It's just the Author for some reason fool us good with the ending. ESPECIALLY me, since I learn Alex is NOT a Human, or even "Real" the whole damn time!!!!! So my Comments in the past defending Alex as a Human trapped by Sombra were all for NOTHING!!!!!!!! 😞 Nevertheless, it kinda Piss Me Off that I was fooled. Along with everybody here too.
Still, Alex FINALLY did get payback from the worthless and pathetic Pony " Princesses ". Although it was "Bittersweet " I can tell on that much.
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While Alex's life might not have been... the way he thought it was, it's in my opinion that Alex himself is very much real, hence the fact that even ten months later, Radiant Hope is still referring to him as Alex rather than Sombra. He might not have been physically a human, but he's still a real person.
10511786
Okay. Still, this story shows a eerily pattern that Pony Princesses like Celestia, Cadence, Amore, even some cases like Luna and Twilight are being just Selfish and Corrupt Terrible Rulers in the case of Sombra/Alex. They should be ASHAMED of themselves! 😡
I do hope that the Canon Show Princess are NOT like that. And these "Princesses" Jerks in your Story here is just your Fan Version.
Anyway, I glad Alex finally Won. But, I DON'T like on how Equestria and fate itself just keep screwing him over and over many times before he finally won in the end. I am very mixed in the ending. Heck, I think Cadence and even Celestia got off too easy in the Punishment. My version of a Good Punishment/Revenge is having Celestia and Cadence get the BEATING them near tk Death by Alex for trying to kill him. And rip their stupid Horns and Wings and let them rot in Tartarus/Hell.
But, your "Ending" is kind Okay to me. 😒 Although, a Lot of Readers/Commenters do want a Sequel. It's your choice. But, I do like to see Celestia, Cadence, maybe Amore ( If she come back) to SUFFER MORE by Alex/Sombra and Hope. Plus, I like to see how Luna, Shining Armor will feel with Celestia's and Cadence's being Harsh Heartless Jerks.
And does Twilight FINALLY STOP "Idolizing" Celestia and Cadence, and learn their NOT "Goddess" and are being Bad Rulers. Plus, I hope She REGRET on Not trying to "Reform" Cozy Glow. "Princess of Friendship" = 💩 👎!
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im choosing to belive that "crafting" a mind like they say they did for alex might not be what is going on here as all the info had to come from somewhere so maby the spell serched sombra's criteria to find another creature and copy their mind.
even still since the multiverse is preety much anything goes then there is a universe where alex existid
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I'm a little upset that my Comments in the past with Defending Alex as a Human Trapped in Equestria was Pure FALSE! And you kinda fooled all of us by the Ending. Still, at least Alex/Sombra is a "Real Person" in his own way and Won with Hope.
There is one question and maybe a Plothole. If Sombra and maybe Amore and Cadence Know and Create Alex. Why/How did they KNOW about Humanity in Real Life, and having learn MLP: FIM Canon T.V?????? It's like they Know the Fourth Wall, BUT DIDN'T Know at the same time????!!!! 😵😵😵
Sequel?
I feel bad for discord too because the reason for the possibility that Alex is real to trick discord with the real, for he could see true illusion and fakes? and didn't alex/sombra pestrify him to? They forgot him? Sniff sniff... fluttershy you forgot your friend?!
Hope for a sequel or other stories from this author. :3
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Would it funny that a What IF Idea in your Sequel or someone made a Alternative Story with your permission. ( It's not me possibly, since I'm a Novice in Writing. Not yet probably.)
With having the Mutiverse Theory. It should show the Ponies that Humanity is Real all along!!!!! And by that, we somehow visit Equestrian by a Experimental Portal or Spaceships like some of the other "Humans Visit Equestria" Stories. The Ponies, EVEN Celestia, Cadence, Luna, Twilight, Main 5, Shining Armor, Spike, maybe the Young Six, The Pillars, and Hope will be SHOCKED to the Core. And Alex/Sombra will be like:
Alex ( M. Bison Impression) : "YES!!!!! YES!!!!!!!!!!! In your faces, you dumb idiots! Humanity and the Show are RRRRRREEEEEAAAAAALLLLLLL!!!!!!!!! I may not be Human in the first place. But, at least my "Fake" origin isn't MADE UP! Oh, and Celestia, Cadence, Twilight, and you Four ( Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Exclude Fluttershy), just WAIT until I tell the Human Government about my "Sad and Depressing" Story on how you mistreated a "Fellow Human" trapped in a Pony/Umbrum Body.
Considering the fact that we have a LOT of Movies, Shows, Video Games, Comics, and Fan Stories show having Aliens Most of the Time being Evil and Hostile to Humanity. And hearing a Poor "Human" Trapped, Tortured, and Attempted Murder from Heartless, Xenophobic Pony Assholes and Bitches. And that your "Sunshines, Rainbows, and the Magic Of Friendship" BS being a Lie and that you all "Don't Like Humans" would put a lot of People ( Humanity) and "Fans" be Very Pissed, Betrayed, and Disappointed in all of You.
Didn't I forget to mention that Humanity got Guns, Tanks, Ships, Jets/Planes so Highly Technological Advance than your "Medieval" stuff. And have Bombs that could WIPE OUT CITIES and leave Poisonous Gas for a Hundred Years!!!!!" 😈 😈
Celestia, Luna, Cadence, Shining Armor, Twilight, Applejack, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Discord ( Still in Stone), and Amore ( As a Spirit): 😱 😱 😱 😰 😰 😰 Narrator/Me: It was at this moment that these Ponies knew, THEY F****** UP!
Spike, and maybe the Young Six: Damn! 😲
Hope and Fluttershy: 😧 "Um, we are happy that Humanity is Real, despite you not being a Human in a first place. But, THREATENING them with Potential Human-Pony War sounds a little too far??!!"
Alex ( And Me Personally) : "Heck No!!! They Tortured me, and TRIED to Kill Me!!!! They should learn that Actions have Consequences, and that "Karma can be a Bitch to Very Bad People/Ponies. And as it turns out. I'm a "WH40K" Fan in my "Fake" Origins Story. And I will give Pony kind a warning. IF Celestia, Cadence, Twilight, even Amore, or any Pony TRIED to screws with me or KILL me. I will help Humanity give "Exterminatus" on everyone/everypony I hate. And will show you all the meaning "That there is NO Peace. ONLY WWWWWWWWWWWWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
( Soundtrack: Trarii - We Are One)
Sorry about that if I upset you in some way Boopy Doopy. I just made this to Vent some of my Frustration by NOT liking on having Celestia, Cadence, and to some extent Twilight getting a "Lighter" Punishment.
...hmmm. Can't really say for certain whether I like or hate this ending. It seems too... accepting I guess. For one, what does he mean when he said he woukd ruke equestria, and why did he not just kick Luna's shit in? They have proof she was lying to him all along, so even SHE isn't trustworthy. It doesn't seem very fair that she gets let off the hook.
Twilight was kinda a bitch, but that's more resulting of her having an unhealthy relationship with Celestia. Alex and Fluttershy seem to be on rocky ground, but at least they have a basis for an actual friendship. What happens to the Elements of Harmony, or Discord? But really, Alex tolerating Rafiant Hope at all after what happened is a major stretch given she never does anything to make up for her part in fucking over Alex. Plus her being there with him at the end makes it feel not unfinished but.... unresolved? Something like that.
I really dislike that ending.
It's not therapist but representation of fear in your mind ,wanting you to be a little bitch
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I'm sowwy : (
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This made me laugh
Why would Celestia give you a chance? You are just a candy colored princess. It's not like Celestia worked with you since childhood.
This was a pretty weird ride, but i like it.
Fair Ending
A bittersweet ending... The hero won, good triumphed, and yet... It’s still nothing but empty achievements for them.
I honestly half expected Alex to have been thrown into a coma by Cadence, and that was all a dream sequence after she hit him with that spell. Who knows, maybe that’s in the sequel.
Anyway, the story was a fun experience to read. I hope to see more.
Sincerely, I Am Not Frazzle.
The story itself was intriguing and well done, but the ending felt...rushed. As in the kind of rushed you feel when a story is doing fairly well but the pressure and anxiety to make it really good builds up until the pressure feels unmanageable so you slap to together an ending that functions well enough so you can just be over and done with it and you don't have to deal with the pressure anymore,
I hate that I speak from experience.
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Well, Hell to the No on that. Alex is NO FRICKIN Doormat or Pushover. Besides, Forgiveness is undeserving to a psychotic rage fueled bitch like Celestia. Let her rot for a 1,000 to even 10,000 Years. That way, she know what's it like with Luna being trapped on the Moon once before. Karma does punish the wicked. 😈
This feels like it could use a sequel. Or I guess this is the end.
I think he should ask Luna to help him fake his death then create a new body for him.
3:23
I think I would like to see another chapter of Cadence’s trial.
Sequel needed.
amazing story dude kudos on you for pull throught it like a champ!!!
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The soul is poorly understood and magic in the show is similarly not explained. To me, it feels like Sombra accidentally crafted a soul in his attempt to fake a personality. Or, grafted enough personality onto his own soul to alter it permanently(?). Either way, I kinda see Alex as Sombra's son.
Oh and I should also say I loved the story! I know you were thinking between several endings and I think this one is probably the coolest and is a unique twist on the hie tropes.
Not quite sure how I feel about the ending. I mean, it wasn't bad, but it feels like there were things that needed to be touched upon that weren't. Then again, I'm the type who likes a bit extra after the end to see how things played out after the end. Sort of a "slice of life" at the end of a long adventure.
But despite this nitpick, have a thumbs up.
Unreliable
Sequel or no, I'll be happy with whatever outcome, as this story was one hell of a banger. Keep up the good work, word smith.
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What is with the dislike? Come on! Do we "really" give Celestia a chance that has crazy anger problems, and TRIED to Kill Us!!!!! I think she finally deserves that imprison punishment by Karma for a LONG, LONG, Time. 😼
I come into these stories expecting a 'human transported to Equestria, found out, promptly sent back' kinda thing, but this story blew me outta the fucking water. Like, you sunk my battleship kinda vibes. I'm also normally good at detecting upcoming twists, but the villian being Cadence the entire time? Holy shit, did that blindside me.
I fucken enjoyed this fanfiction so good I'm contemplating referencing this in my own story, although that likely won't happen, along with the already incredibly low chance of me writing another chapter anytime soon.
100/10 would 100% read and enjoy a sequel. ❤