Sombra's Bonus Chapter
The day had been going perfectly normally for Twilight Sparkle, which wasn't actually saying much, as she had slept until one in the afternoon, and it was only two. She had gotten up, and decided to skip out on combing her mane, choosing instead to arrive thirty-one minutes early to her daily-weekly-biweekly-monthly-whenever-the-heck meeting with Discord.
Ever since the mess with the changeling... 'Immigration,' Discord had insisted on filling some gaps in her magical education, teaching her the 'wonders and joy of chaos magic.' Apparently, she had a natural aptitude towards chaos magic, just like she did for every other form of magic she had found. The only problem she was having with with Discord's peculiar methods of teaching: She wasn't allowed to be on time, except when it was no longer expected for her to be. Some lessons didn't even touch on magic, and instead involved going off and doing something random. Even so, Twilight had found the prospect of learning a new form of magic rather enjoyable, which contributed greatly to just how annoyed she found herself when a guard came by in the middle of her meeting, interrupting Luna and Discord going over some humorous tales from the ancient past.
Apparently, Celestia had something terribly important to discuss with Twilight, and it simply would not wait. Twilight teleported herself back to her room, combed her hair, and stomped over to see if Celestia needed some extra paperwork filled out right that moment. Instead, she was greeted by an unusually somber and serious Princess Celestia, who began telling her about an ancient empire and its thousand year (that number seemed entirely too common for Twilight's taste) plight.
Twilight listened intently to her old mentor's story and explanations, and found herself recalling just why she had always looked up to Celestia in the past. A few parts of the explanation were... unexpectedly flashy, what with an elaborate three-dimensional model of the city, and an very unexpected example of dark magic, but Twilight soaked up everything that Celestia said.
Finally, Celestia finished her tale. "...And so you must find a way to protect the crystal empire from him. This is your task, and your test, Twilight."
Twilight all but jumped to her hooves, more than ready to do right by Equestria, and to make everypony proud of her. "All right,” she declared, “just let me go dig out the Elements of Harmony from my toy-box, I'll get the girls, and we can finally put those puppies through their paces!" Oh, it would be so exciting, finally getting to use the Elements. Twilight had quite a few theories about how they would work, and-
"-Er... no, Twilight Sparkle,” Celestia interrupted her thoughts. “You must solve this problem without the Elements of Harmony, and though your friends will be there to help you, in the end, it must be you who helps Princess Cadance and Shining armor."
"...Are you feeling all right, Princess?” Twilight asked, a hint of concern creeping into her voice. “I know I've stopped three separate disasters to Equestria with simple planning and logic, but in case you haven't noticed, this guy doesn't look like he'll work with my standard modus operandi. He's an unrepentant tyrant, who enslaved ponies and killed his opposition. I can't just show him how nasty being in charge really is or anything, because for him, it isn't."
Celestia smiled serenely at her. "I have faith in your abilities for this test, my faithful student. Things will become clear in time."
Twilight looked puzzled for a moment before her face split into a relieved grin. "Ah! I've got it, very funny Princess,” she said, shaking her head. “I had almost forgotten that you actually have a good sense of humor sometimes. Now what's the punchline?"
Celestia stood firm and regal, her tone hardening slightly. "This isn't a joke or prank, Twilight. Go." She waved a hoof at the large double doors.
Twilight still wasn't having any of it. "You told me to bring my friends, but you aren't letting me take the Elements of Harmony. You know, the one thing that makes taking them along a good idea? You can't possibly be serious about this,” she reasoned. “Besides, our country is run by two goddesses, is home to the god of chaos, and is now the home of a very protective hive of Changelings. Chrysalis has gotten enough love that she stopped counting how many times more powerful than you she's become! Couldn't we use any of those resources here?"
Annoyance was definitely creeping into Celestia's voice as Twilight continued to argue. Celestia could remember when Twilight would have jumped to do everything in her power to please her! A hint of iron crept into her commanding voice, if only for a moment. "No, Twilight. You must succeed on this task on your own. The changelings, Luna, Discord, and myself must all stay here. With the Elements."
Twilight's voice rose as she felt indignation spur her on. "I brought Luna back from the dark side. I found the Elements of Harmony, the most powerful artifacts in the world, and made friends with all of the other bearers. I convinced Discord to join my side and make the world a better place. I even convinced an invading army to apply for citizenship and become our willing first line of defense. Yet, you're saying that I can't use any of these things, things that now make Equestria the single most powerful nation to ever exist, even in defense of thousands of ponies. Pull my other leg, why don't you."
By the end of her tirade, Twilight was shouting loudly enough to leave her own ears ringing. Celestia stood unmoved. "Twilight Sparkle, this is a royal order. Go save the Crystal ponies. Everything you need, you'll have. Just trust in me." The last four words came out almost as a plea, urging Twilight to just listen to her old mentor.
Twilight glared daggers at Celestia, before snorting, and turning towards the doors in a huff. "...Fine, I'm going. I'll see you when I get back."
---Discord's House of Chaos---
Twilight opened a door, only to find herself on the ceiling of a richly decorated living room. She looked up to see Discord and Princess Luna sitting on a pair of chairs above her. Was she actually the one who was upside down though, or was the room just built upside down... Twilight caught her mind trying to make sense of something related to Discord, and stomped on the impulse. With a flash of magic, she reversed her own gravitational orientation, and teleported herself to a couch across from the other residents of the room.
"Hey, Discord, Luna. How are things going?" she asked with relative aplomb.
Luna was the first to look up from their conversation. "Ah, Twilight Sparkle, how nice of you to join us once more. What did my sister need from you? I should hope it was something important, for her to drag you in off of your normal hours of work."
Discord interrupted, handing a glass of something vaguely nauseating looking to Twilight. "Here you go, one chocolate-pinapple-grape milk shake. On the house, of course."
Twilight accepted the glass with a wry grin. "Thanks, Discord,” she said, before turning back to Luna. “Well, apparently, I won't be able to stop in to visit for a while; I'm being sent off on a suicide mission in the middle of nowhere up in the frozen north."
Both Luna and Discord had unfortunately been taking a sip from their own drinks. The drinks suddenly found themselves violently expelled into the air, and the two managed a perfect harmony in their shouts of "Excuse me?"
Recovering quickly, Discord vanished the spill with a snap of his claws, and looked at Twilight with a raised eyebrow. "Explain, please."
"Well,” she started, “I'm supposed to stop some ancient evil from a thousand years or so ago that Celestia and Luna here sealed away. He's a tyrant who enjoys slavery and forced labor, dark magic, and murdering or enslaving anypony who stands against him. I'm supposed to stop him, without the Elements of Harmony. You know, because rules."
Discord's perfectly calm façade was briefly interrupted by a twitch under his left eye
Luna, having managed to recover from her initial shock, looked thoughtful. "I do recall him, as well as the Empire. The Empire housed many lives, and its magic is powerful. If the empire holds love and happiness, those spread throughout the land. However, the opposite is true as well."
Discord looked up at the ceiling with an incredulous expression. "And she expects you to talk him down?” he asked. “You might be good - heck, you must be a miracle worker if my experiences are anything to go by - but this guy might as well have been designed to be impossible for you to deal with in your usual method.” In a flash, Discord was by Twilight's side, arm over her back, concerned face pressed uncomfortably close. “Is she going with you, or something? Because otherwise, it sounds like she's setting you up for a failure."
Twilight kept an overly wide smile in full force. "Nope. She specifically said that I had to do this alone, and without the Elements. She's currently got Cadence and my Brother holding Sombra off while they wait for me."
Luna looked mildly ill. "I do not think that Cadance and a normal unicorn, skilled or not, will be enough for this. I think the empire had some sort of artifact or relic of their own though. It's just that Sombra hid it away and it was never found."
"Yeah,” Twilight said, dragging the word out for effect. “She's essentially gambling the lives of thousands of ponies, and a magic city, on a test? A test for the unicorn who's already saved Equestria three times, might I add. Did I forget to mention she used black magic to illustrate a point in the throne room?"
The room was quiet for a full minute, Luna trying to reconcile the information with her own knowledge of her sister, and Discord eating a light bulb in contemplation. As he swallowed the glass, and smacked his lips for good measure, Discord adopted a thoughtful look. It was an orphaned look, and he took great pity on it, for he felt that even he could give it a better home than where it had come from. "Wow. If I didn't know any better, I would say that she'd gone evil on us.” Discord promptly disowned his thoughtful look in favor of a wicked grin. He did so love wicked grins, and was thinking about buying his a cone of ice cream later on. “Speaking of which, how long has it been since she was on the receiving end of the Elements? Oh, that's right, she hasn't gotten to taste the rainbow yet. I'm thinking she might need to."
The carefully concealed anger finally broke free of Twilight's control, and she slammed a hoof onto the ground. "I have half a mind to throw Celestia out at this point!” she shouted. “I've done more for the country in the last few years than she typically does in a century, and I'm fairly sure that I could do just as good a job in charge at this point."
A look of terrible dread slipped onto Discord's visage, as he hung upside down from a chandelier he had recently imported from the far away realm of Blueblood's foyer. "Wait!” he cried. “That's exactly what she wants you to do!"
Luna looked up at him. "All right, you lost me. Why would my sister want to be blasted with the elements, probably weakened to the state of a filly, and forcibly removed from power?"
“Think of it this way,” he responded, looking each of the two mares in the eyes – at the same time, of course. “She's been ruling for over a thousand years on her own without a break. Then, suddenly, she gets her work load reduced slightly, and then gets the first real vacation she's had since ever. She's gotten a taste of freedom, and now she wants to foist the reins of power onto Twilight." Seeing the expression on Luna's face, he scowled. “What? It's what I'd do in her hooves.”
Twilight nodded to herself. Discord's idea was completely ludicrous, but she couldn't come up with any sane reasons for Celestia's orders. It was one of the reasons she had come to consult with the ponies who knew Celestia best. If Luna couldn't see some obvious reason why this wasn't all a perfectly reasonable plan for her sister... "That's ridiculous. However, you might be right,” she admitted.
Discord coiled himself around the room, and tapped Twilight on the nose with a claw. "Tell you what. How about I go with you to this Crystal Empire?" he suggested.
Twilight smiled slyly. "I was expressly forbidden from getting help from you,” she mentioned.
"And I should care... why?" Discord asked.
"I was hoping you'd say that,” she replied. With a sudden flash of purple and white lights, the room was left empty, Luna finding herself magically dragged along for the ride.
---Five minutes later---
The doors to Celestia's throne room swung open of their own accord, and the dark king Sombra entered the sacred halls of Canterlot Castle. He seemed oddly grayer than Celestia remembered, and had giant pink hearts instead of eyes, and was merrily swinging a basket of flowers in his mouth, throwing the petals around him as he skipped into the room. He was followed by Twilight Sparkle, who looked entirely too smug. "I'm back, Celestia. Crisis averted. He followed us home, can we keep him?"
Celestia struggled to regain control over her face. What was she even seeing? "What? Alread- What did you do to him?" she demanded.
"Me?” Twilight asked, holding a hoof to her chest with an innocent expression. “Nothing. This was all Discord."
Of course. Celestia hardened her expression, and looked down at her student in disappointment. "Didn't I expressly forbid you from using him for this?" she asked.
Discord popped into existence no more than an inch in front of Celestia's muzzle, forcing her to reel back in reaction. With the largest shit-eating-grin she had ever seen on anypony, Discord waved his hands on either side of him as 'jazz hands'. His infuriating voice seemed to slither out of his mouth and into her ears in the most vile way he could manage, as he shouted "Chaoooooooos!"
His breath also stank something fierce.
Twilight's voice drifted around Discord, chipper and light. "Oh, I told him that I wasn't supposed to get help, but that just encouraged him. It isn't like I could have stopped him or anything; no Elements, after all," she said in mock seriousness.
Discord vanished in a flash of light, reappearing in the center of the room, posed and preening. "Oh yes, and I'd like my stained glass window to show off my good side, as I save an entire empire from their most hated foe."
It was all just too much. The best Celestia could manage for a moment was a collection of garbled words that came out as "But... And... Bwah?" as she found herself struck speechless for the first time in... well since Twilight redeemed Nightmare Moon without the elements, and then argued for Discord to be given a chance on the throne... huh. Twilight was rather good at catching Celestia off guard, it seemed.
Twilight broke her out of her thoughts. "Well, nice talking to you, but Luna's waiting for us to get back to her. I do work for more than one Princess, after all.”
Finally, Celestia managed to find her voice, and called out. "Wait, you're leaving him here? What am I supposed to do with this?" she demanded, pointing a hoof to Sombra, who was now rolling on the floor with his tongue lolling out.
Discord snapped his claws, causing a jester hat to appear on Sombra. "A little something to liven the place up,” he chuckled. “Have fun."
Twilight and Discord started leaving. Celestia slumped into her throne, causing a whoopee-cushion to deflate violently. She grimaced and looked down at Sombra, once the most feared and hated pony in all the land, now chasing his tail as his jester's hat jingled. "...Is he at least house broken still?" she asked.
In unison, as though they had practiced it, Twilight and Discord called back. "Almost!" they shouted joyfully. The doors slammed behind them, leaving Celestia sitting alone in her throne room, save of course for Sombra, who was now sniffing at one of the stone columns and making unintelligible growling noises.
"Well, that didn't go as planned," Celestia muttered, before tossing a 'Vacation Hot Spots' pamphlet to the ground.
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2752047: Just done. Such a mess I have had with home repair type stuff and many storms and leaking roofs to help repair in real life. However, I hope the shear size of the update shall mollify everyone. Time to sleep.
2752819
You have done more to help my exam marks than two weeks of preparation.
These two hilarious chapters, at a perfect time too...
Thanks a lot,
i.imgur.com/4irdpmr.png
EDIT: Fixed your TwiLuna group rank
O MAI GOODNESS IT'S BACK!!
Oh geeze, I laughed so hard at that last bit. Especially when Twilight almost went evil and took power!
More! Though we seem to have run out of villains...
2753177
Twilicorn. The last "villain".
2753207
OF COURSE!
2753177
Does it count as evil if it seems likely that she really would do a better job than the person she overthrows?
Well, in the whole 17k word update, I noticed exactly one error (see my comment last chapter), so...
2753177
Well thanks to Equestria Girls we have a new villain in Sunset Shimmer. Of course, it took Twilight's coronation for her to snap and snatch the Element of Magic. So she currently has no motive. But in this continuity Twilight being the de facto ruler of Equestria is an open secret maybe that would be close enough.
All in all, this has been an excellent story.
As for predictions... Oddly, I see the last villain needing to be talked down being Celestia herself. Maybe it's just me, but I get the feeling that Celestia's growing increasingly frustrated as Twilight defies her overall plans and does things in an arguably more efficient manner. After ruling for so long, being the strongest for so long, that's got to be frustrating.
Or maybe the last villain will be Twilicorn, and we'll get a little heartwarming moment where Celestia has to use Twilight's own tactics against her, leading to some bonding between the two of them to make up for the possible trust-breach in this chapter.
...Well, whatever the case, it should be quite interesting to see. You've created something quite good here, and I enjoy it.
Oh my god, this was hilarious!
But...does this mean they never recovered the Crystal Heart? Or did Smaug- I mean Sombra just tell them where he hid it and how o get it out after Discord grayscaled him?
Oh, Tia, Tia, Tia. When will you learn that you can't plan around your faithful student any more than anyone else?
Also, I'm a bit disappointed that Twilight never pointed out that Sombra was sealed away a few years after Nightmare Moon... and yet was defeated by both sisters. That always bugged me.
Also, IPUBFF = Infuriating purple unicorn best friend forever, right?
Sombra is best pet!
Hah! Hilarious!
HI!
LARE!
E!
US!
Such wondrous humour and style as always.
2753515 Did they ever say it had been EXACTLY a thousand years since Sombra was sealed? I had always just assumed they left out a couple years because no one says "He's been gone one thousand and two years." over "He's been gone one thousand years." when they mean essentially the same exact damn thing.
2753669
Yeah, but when you hang a lampshade on how much seems to have happened a millennium ago...
Well, you can see why I was expecting it.
Honestly I couldn't really get behind this chapter for a few reasons; the first problem I felt I noticed was that Celestia gave Twilight the same plan/instruction she did in canon despite the circumstances being entirely different from canon, so it seems rather OOC and silly of her. Additionally, Twilight befriending the others and intending to use the Harmony cannon seems a bit off considering she didn't bother to try it with Discord or any other villain and she doesn't even have evidence that they can use them.
But also her reason for wanting to blast Sombra really doesn't feel like it stands up. She say's he's an unapologetic tyrant. The problem with this is that so was Discord; she had no reason to believe Discord could be talked out of it and she had more knowledge of his evil than she does of Sombra's so why is she responding differently?
She can't already know that Sombra has been reduced to a beast. Also in canon Celestia never actually tells Twilight she can't use the Element, Twilight simply doesn't bring them along; possibly because Celestia said she had to do ti alone, but it still wasn't instructed. Plus I can't really get behind Celestia having a "selfish" motivation for her actions or every other character seemingly bagging on her, which has sort of happened more and more as the story has gone on.
I'm sorry if this seemed rude or aggressive that was not my intent, I won't be thumbing this story down or anything, as I still very much enjoy the first chapter, but I felt the need to offer this. Again i'm sorry if I offended.
2753470: I have the following train of events in my head after reading this:
1) They did not bother with finding the Crystal Heart while dealing with Sombra, or with a Crystal Faire.
2) Even without the Faire, Sombra getting totally brain-bucked did a lot to cheer up the Crystal Ponies.
3) With some good cheer restoring their memories, the Crystal Ponies set about rebuilding their society, including telling their history.
4) Knowledge of the Crystal Heart spreads and comes to the attention of Chrysalis.
5) A magical artifact to spread love over all of Equestra... Chrysie makes a trip north with her best squads to find that thing and get it up and running.
2753669 they said 'OVER' a thousand years. means more than lads
XD TASTE THE RAINBOW, MOTHER FUCKER~!
NOPE. XD
2753711 XD Especially Step 5. DEFINITELY Step 5. XD God I just love this alternate universe. They need to do a spin-off series of this. They could call it 'My Little Pony - The Other Hoof' XD
thebubble.com.ar/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/clap.gif
Twilight should have two cutie marks. One her magic sparkle thing, the other a troll face.
Dear lord this was brilliant. it doesn't even break any of the characterization. i fucking LOVE these. you mad evil genius you.
I eagerly await the next installment, although I assume that only canon villains will be made to
sparkle 
"Modes-operandi" is traditionally spelled "modus-operandi", as detailed here.
"Reigns of power" should be "reins of power", since you're referring to the implements one would use to direct a country.
"Twilight Sparkle" should be capitalized.
I can totally see Celestia "rewarding" twilight with alicorn powers for her services to the land of equestria. The fact it just so happens to cut down on her work load is just coincedence.
That...that actually explains the season 3 ending really, really well....
Also, JAZZ HANDS!
2753247
Nope, she would be rude, as kicking someone out without going through the proper channels is usually considered, but not evil.
There is very simple explanation for why everything happened 1000 years ago; Celestia and Luna were the stars of their own tv show based 1000 years ago in equestria thus they faced a new problem (adventure or slice of life) every week.
I can't help feeling slightly sorry for Celestia, she has been in charge of the nation for centuries without a vacation (or even a staycation) and just as things are to a point where she could take a decade or two to connect with her ponies, she is the one with the short end of the stick. Twilight currently likes her end of the stick but she could leave it all if she really wanted to but Celestia can't, she seems to be trapped (slight exaggeration).
2753696
The other three "villains" did not really want political power for itself, they wanted the benefits they could get from that power - they wanted respect, entertainment with a slice of revenge, and/or the safety of their entire species. Twilight showed each of them that they could get these things without being evil, and that ruling is a headache and a half.
Sombra's goal is being evil, more or less. (Terribly shallow and one-dimensional I admit, but we work with the tools we are given.) He wants total power over everypony in his kingdom, possibly everypony (and dragon, griffin, etc.) in the world, to feed his massive ego. To hold their lives in the palm of his ha... uh, the frog of his hoof? Well, you get the idea. He has clearly crossed the moral event horizon, what with all the murder and slavery. In a way that the others clearly did not.
This is not Twilight the Compassionate, this is Twilight the Pragmatic. She wants the answer that gets the best result for the greatest number of people with the least amount of panic, terror, bloodshed, and general unpleasantness. And also with the least amount of risk. Her preferred methods for dealing with major threats are a) logic and reason, and b) immediate, overwhelming force. Since a is completely out of the question here, she defaults to b.
As for how she knows these things, even if Celestia's presentation is exactly the same as in canon (something that is not entirely clear), this Twilight is clearly more adept at reading between the lines, and more inclined to ask pointed questions in search of more detail.
Very nice. The image of a discordified-Sombra shall give me many a laugh.
And Celestia is totally going to snap. When she does, can you make her horribly indecisive about her name? There are so many of them. Daymare Sun, Nightmare Flare, Corona, Noonday Sun, Solar Flare, ect. It would be hilarious if she kept changing one every time she did a monologue.
This entire fic is nothing but hilarious genius. I salute you! have a mustache.
Ah yes, it's so nice to see this story again. Still, no matter how good a story is, I can't overlook poor grammar. In addition to a great number of punctuation errors, you also have quite a few misspelled or misused words.
"committee"
"paid". It's not technically wrong, but it's too old for most people to recognize. By "old", I mean it goes along with words like "thee" and "thou".
"boogeyman" or "bogeyman"
"modus operandi". Note the italics in addition to the spelling fix. This is because it's in a different language.
In the time since your last update, a guide has been added to the site that explains pretty much all you need to know to improve your writing, especially regarding grammar. You could really benefit from it, especially regarding punctuation.
pfft
Sombra went from being the most intelligent and cautious of the villains to a beast?
I'd have thought that a redeemed Sombra would have been something like Vetinari.
2754328
In regards to NMM and Chrysalis you make a good point, they had motives besides self serving power. But in regards to Sombra's goal being pure evil, so were Discord's, within canon, he never really showed an interest in ruling, his motive was gaining amusement from the suffering of others (his laughter of Twilight breaking and the screaming ponies when Celestia described him)
Discord and Sombra seemed to cause similar levels of damage and we don't really know anything about Sombra's motive, he could have been like NMM or he could have been like Discord, but both received the option of joining the good guys along with Chrysalis.
Sombra and his motives are... well as you said lacking. But overall I still can't see why this pragmatic Twilight felt the need to work with Discord, but completely lacked the desire with Sombra when they are essentially the same in terms of damage and she seems to have more or less the same amount of knowledge and context of them when given her misison.
In regards to your point about pragmatism, Twilight has no reason to believe Sombra is a mindless beast who can't be reasoned with; without Twilight asking questions or having Sombra's current mental state demonstrated it feels a bit contrived. Additionally, in canon did Celestia even know Sombra was coming back? The way SH spoke about it seemed like he and Cadence hadn't known, but that is open to interpretation.
Sorry if this response seemed rude, that was not my intent.
I...............fucking.............adore you
Celestia might have more than just her own vacation in mind; mortal ponies competent enough to run Equestria for any length of time are rare enough so that Celestia might look out for them specifically to use as sources of improvement in an otherwise unchanging rule, during the time she couldn't bounce ideas off Luna. Bringing in someone with fresh ideas every century or so , even just for a few months or years, might allow Equestrian law, ethics, and government to be tweaked to keep it on track with cultural and technological changes. Having them act as a power behind the throne or royal advisor, too, means that officially Celestia's rule is unbroken - useful from a perception-of-stability viewpoint.
She might be so used to doing this that she's automatically swept Twilight into that career track semi-automatically, without remembering that, oh yes, it may not be as necessary now Luna's back, and if she is going to keep doing it anyway, it might be an idea to keep her sister in the loop.
2754378
daydream sun, also
2754898
Canon Discord played mind games and seemed pretty sadistic, yes, but this Discord never really got the chance. Sure, he did a bit of reality warping and caused a bit of panic, but nothing that Pinkie Pie wouldn't have done given the opportunity. He played a few pranks that didn't really go over well, tried to avoid being turned to stone, and took perhaps a little too much pleasure in annoying Celestia.
I'll grant that the show leaves a lot of room for interpretation as far as Discord is concerned - I still have trouble reconciling Return of Harmony with Keep Calm and Flutter On. But the author here is clearly conjuring him in his aspect as a trickster and mischief maker, rather than as a sadist. And this Twilight certainly never saw any evidence of deliberate cruelty. Just impulsiveness and thoughtlessness. The worst charge Celestia (who clearly dislikes him) levels at him regarding his past is "making ponies unhappy".
That does not even begin to compare to conquering a nation with dark magic, killing the opposition, and enslaving the populace. I know that there's a tendency to shrug off that kind of thing - it's so terribly cliche that it hardly even registers. But it really is pretty terrible. (Worse than stealing forty cakes!)
I say that Twilight can't reason with Sombra not because he is mindless, but because there is no acceptable middle ground. His goals are actually antithetical to everything Equestria stands for. (How does she know that? All she has to do is imagine any of the nobles she works with on a regular basis suddenly gaining a great deal of dark magical power.) Mischief she can work with. Bloody-hooved tyranny, not so much.
As for what canon Celestia knows, from the initial warning in S3E1 (first 30 seconds or so), Celestia was expecting, or at least anticipating the possibility of Sombra's return, but may not have known when to expect it. The guard's message was "IT has returned." That alone was enough to send her scrambling immediately into action, summoning Cadence, Shiny, and Twilight.
Also, you don't need to apologize for expressing honest disagreement.
2755152
In regards to Discord, you do make a fair point and I completely tend to feel his portrayal in Return of Harmony VS Keep Calm and Flutter On are completely incompatible with one another, at least if one takes the last two or so minutes into consideration. So while this is a comedic fic and alternate character interpretation makes sense, i'm still not entirely sure it works, when comparing these two scenarios.
Twilight still has almost no information regarding Sombra, or his motives and NMMs plan would have destroyed the entire worlds and Celestia's dialogue seemed to hold more or less the same implication in regards to Discord that they did for Sombra. That is to say, enslaving and ruling with an iron... hoof claw thing? Between them it's really only the execution in their villainy that differs; to me at least.
In regards to the nobles example, both Chrysalis and NMM could be considered fairly similar and even then Discords mischief involved mind rape and torture. Discord himself not even really having an explanation for his behavior the way NMM and Chrysalis do. So i'm not sure Sombra is that far separated from them.
In regards to the message, you make a fair point, but 'it" does imply an object like the crystal empire, though Sombra may have become an "it" himself. But considering she didn't mention his return, or even the possibility of it in her monologue that does seem to imply she was unprepared for it.
Which could actually explain why she said Twilight needed to face it alone; if she didn't think the empire/Equestria hinged on the heart being found quickly and that Twilight would have a safety net in the form of Cadence, SH and her friends framing it as a test of her mettle would make a lot of sense.
I do feel that the Empires return in itself would likely be enough to make her scramble both to offer aid, and to hopefully stop the chance of dark magic or misery corruption, or what ever else might happen should the crystal ponies find the heart but still be miserable. But this is admittedly guess work on my part.
Thanks for saying that, I really appreciate it.
2753437 Somehow I don't think Twilight will be at all phased by running the country personally. After all, she's... kind of already doing that.
Anyway, this chapter was great. I still don't understand why they didn't take the Elements of Harmony to the Crystal Empire in the Canon Universe. Fortunately, here Twilight's use of logic and chaos triumphs once again.
2755041 Oooh! Not heard that one before! Thanks for the new one.
*snerk*
I might have wished for a more... in depth? Sombra chapter, but to be fair, we really only got an idea of what he was like from implications and extapolation. So not as much to work with. (I personally think that he was likely the most competant of the villains - he didn't win because he particularly did anything wrong (indeed his plans seemed to be pretty well-thought out and his precautions sensible), but he juts got pipped at he post at the last minute.) I do concur that, unlike the other three, he very likely would not have been negotiable. (The fact the show itself blew him up - possibly permenantly killing him - suggests he was probably the most evil of the bunch as well. (And I still subscribe to Evil Discord, come to that.))
2754481: Thanks for the corrections, I didn't have my proofreader this time around, so I figured it would be better to wait for someone like you to correct me after posting, than to wait until I could find someone to do the proofreading for me. I'll fix everything up right quick.
Also, I'm glad so many people enjoyed these. I know Sombra's chapter was short and, not very in depth, but it was just a bonus chapter. I wanted these done and posted so that I could focus on looking for a job for a bit, and to take care of other RL things, but I'm working on my next story now, and will be watching the movie on Saturday. Hopefully, I'll be able to get a job, stabilize my schedule, and start writing loads of pony in my spare time.
Sorry Celestia look's like it's back to the drawing board.
*Grins and applauds* Nice, Very nice. I kinda hope Sombra's gonna show up more as the adorable fluffy puppy. It just fits him so perfectly.
2756725: Interesting, obviously. This is Discord we're talking about after all, and nothing else would be as complementary in his book. Unless it was Incredibly-pointy unicorn... Or Insane purple unicorn... or something else. Again, this is Discord you're trying to figure out.
denver.mylittlefacewhen.com/media/f/img/mlfw9358-dancingdiscord.gif