Chapter One: Mirror, Mirror  “Okay, explain it to me again.” 
  Twilight Sparkle laughed as she gestured upwards with a hoof, her wings drawn tight against her sides. “Tonight’s lunar phase is called a ‘waxing crescent’. Sometime next week, it’ll be a half-moon, and then it’ll phase into a ‘waxing gibbous’, and then a full moon.” She smiled and noted, “One down, twenty-nine to go.” 
  It was a crisp spring evening in Canterlot proper, the moon hanging overhead in the night’s sky and only the odd cloud dotting the nightscape. Twilight smiled, knowing full well that Princess Luna was no doubt proud of the work she’d put into the evening sky and glad that she could enjoy them. They’d been nice prior to her return, of course, but now that she was back, they’d been spectacular. 
  “I still don’t get it.” While the beauty of the night wasn’t lost on her companion, Spike was nonetheless focused on other things, clipboard and quill in hand as he scribbled down notes. “I mean, I get that we’re one moon closer to Sunset coming back, that I understood perfectly. It’s this lunar phase thing. I kinda get why they’d call it a ‘crescent’, but ‘waxing’? And what the hay does ‘gibbous’ mean anyway?”
  The alicorn shook her head as the two continued on their way through the castle gardens at Canterlot, back in town for a brief stopover following Twilight’s goodwill tour of Equestria before their return to Ponyville in the morning. It would be good to get home and get back to running her library, but for now, she had to deal with a stubborn learner. “Alright, one more time. It’s called ‘gibbous’ because…”
  “Twilight Sparkle.” Her attention snapped in front of her to a grey earth pony, dressed in a nondescript jacket and fedora hat, his dark grey eyes fixed upon her and Spike. “There is more than one of everything.” 
  “Huh?” Mare and dragon looked to one another for a brief second before turning back to the stallion, Spike asking, “What do you mean…? Whoa!” The stallion had vanished, with seemingly no trace left behind to even mark his presence, and the dragon felt a chill as he noted, “Okay, that was weird.” 
-
  “What do you think, Tibbles? Is this not a glorious evening?” Princess Luna turned her gaze upon her animal companion, who responded with an enthusiastic nod and a thumbs-up. She laughed and turned back to the night sky, basking in her work from one of the many high windows of Canterlot Castle. “Agreed. The moon is a lovely waxing crescent…” She brought a hoof to her chin and wondered aloud, “I still wonder how that terminology came about.” She dismissed the thought and continued, “Regardless, ‘tis a beautiful evening to observe the moon, and any evening is a good one to not be banished to it.” She sighed, glad that ordeal was long over, and collected her pet before continuing on her way, Tiberius riding upon her back. “Now then, to the official transition to the night shift and…” 
  She paused as she looked into the throne room, catching sight of her sister as her magic went to work upon a large artifact, one that looked strangely familiar in light of recent events in the Crystal Empire. “Sister?” She slowly approached, Celestia seemingly not having heard her as the artifact, now clearly some sort of mirror with a horseshoe design, took on a bright blue glow. As Luna watched in surprise, Celestia dashed into the mirror, vanishing from sight with a flash. “Celie!” Luna dashed forward as the glow faded from the mirror, gently prodding it with a hoof before lifting it over her head with her magic and letting loose with the Royal Canterlot Voice, “SISTER! GET THINE HINDQUARTERS BACK HERE THIS INSTANT!” Horror sunk in, and she gently lowered the mirror as hurried hoofsteps approached. “Oh dear.” 
  “Princess Luna!” Accompanied by a pair of ponies from the Night Guard came a familiar unicorn stallion, pince-nez perched on his snout as he asked, “Whatever has happened?! Where is Princess Celestia?!”
  Luna took a breath to calm herself before addressing her subordinates. “I do not know for certain, but I will not stand idle. Kibitz, all scheduled events for the evening are to be postponed or cancelled by my authority until further notice. Guards?” The two guardsponies stood at attention as she ordered, “Princess Twilight is still in Canterlot; I ask that she and Spike be brought to me immediately, and that the other bearers of the Elements of Harmony be summoned forth-with from Ponyville. Dispatch my personal chariot, and see to it that the Elements themselves are fetched from the Golden Oak Library.” 
  The guards snapped off quick salutes and rushed to fulfill their orders, Kibitz remaining and giving his diarch an uneasy expression. “Highness, while I appreciate your concern and quick action, I must ask, why the Elements of Harmony? What good…?”
  “Past experience has encouraged me to take precautions, Kibitz.” Luna turned her attention back to the mirror and explained, “I know very little of what’s going on, but what little I’ve seen discourages my optimism. And calling forth Princess Twilight and her friends appears to be the standard procedure of late; why not make certain they are properly equipped?” 
  “Very well, but I still do not understand. Where is Princess Celestia?” 
  The Princess of the Night kept her gaze upon the mirror as her pet caught up with her, long having been thrown off her back in her haste. “Beyond our reach.” 
-
  “Forgive me for my complaint, Princess Luna, but could this not have waited until the morning?” Rarity pawed at her styled mane as she examined herself in a small mirror. “A proper lady needs her beauty sleep…” She paused and turned sharply, all but screeching, “PINKIE PIE! LEAVE THAT BE! YOU’VE NO IDEA WHERE IT CAME FROM!”
  Applejack, slightly less concerned for her looks but equally miffed as Rarity at having been summoned in the dead of night, glared at her fellow earth pony and newfound kin, who sheepishly stopped prodding at whatever she’d been examining under the table. “Seriously, Pinkie, we got us a crisis here.” 
  “I know, but I focus better when I’m chewing on something, and that gum…”
  “Is disgustin’.” 
  Pinkie pouted, the rest of the gathered ponies (and dragon) having varied looks as they turned to business at hoof, Fluttershy summarizing, “So, Princess Celestia vanished through a magic mirror earlier tonight?” 
  “Indeed.” Luna gestured with one wing towards the mirror in question. It was less ornate than the Crystal Mirror or its counterpart, the so-called ‘bridge mirror’, without the decorative bit on the top with a stylized pony or bridge illustration, and its coloring and gems were different, but they were clearly of the same line of development. “I attempted to follow, but it was solid to the touch after my sister passed through it. I suspect that it operates differently from the other mirrors.” 
  “You suspect?” Twilight regarded her fellow princess anxiously and asked, “Luna, we all know that Star Swirl the Bearded created the Crystal Mirror and the bridge mirrors. Assuming he made this one too, why would it work differently? You were there when he made them, weren’t you?”
  Luna sadly shook her head. “Alas, no. While I considered Star Swirl a friend, I was not as close to him as my sister was, and not privy to his study of parallel worlds. By the time his efforts began in earnest…” She lowered her head in shame and admitted, “I was taking those first few steps down the slippery slope that led to Nightmare Moon. T’was not a happy time for me.” 
  Her vanity forgotten in her sympathy, Rarity quietly approached. “Princess, you need not elaborate.” The two shared a smile before the fashionista prodded, “But if you know nothing of this mirror or how to open a portal with it, then how can we be of help?”
  “I know nothing for certain, but I’ve my suspicions. Please, follow.” She led them out of the quiet meeting room and along a well-lit hallway, continuing her elaboration on the way. “Shortly after I found out about the Crystal Mirror and its ilk, I combed what I could of the castle libraries for information upon it and its development. Alas, I found little beyond what Sunset Shimmer no doubt did prior to her departure from our world, and nothing about how it was made.” 
  “But some record has to exist somewhere!” Twilight quickened her pace to walk beside Luna as she explained, “The Crystal Mirror is a unique magical achievement! You don’t just forget how you made a portal to another world!”
  “Indeed, no, but I suspect Star Swirl opted to hide the information away somewhere secure. Most likely, one of his original libraries.”
  “Hold on there, Princess!” Applejack closed in and noted, “Ah ain’t questionin’ yer logic, but if’n Star Swirl had a library somewhere in the castle, wouldn’t Twilight know ‘bout it?”
  “Maybe it got turned into a craft room or a home gym?” Pinkie ventured. “Not like you couldn’t use one around here.” 
  Twilight shook her head. “No, I’ve memorized every renovation this castle’s had since it was built. None of the libraries were turned into anything else, on Celestia’s orders.”
  “And his personal libraries were not in the castle proper, but deep within the mountain upon which Canterlot was built, protected by a complex cave system and no doubt other security devices. Star Swirl did not believe in allowing any random plebian access to his works.”
  “So, do you know where it is?”
  “Alas, no.” Luna frowned and admitted, “Apparently, I am one of the plebians.” 
  “Oooh, me too!” Pinkie perked up and declared, “Rarity calls me a plebian all the time, whatever that means!”
  “I assure you dear, it’s purely meant as a term of endearment.” Her nervous smile faded, and Rarity quietly noted, “One of these little adventures of ours, I’d like to go somewhere pleasant. A tropical island paradise perhaps, rather than the innards of a mountain.” 
  “Yeah, just remember the last time we went to the tropics.” Rainbow Dash grinned as she recalled their adventures beneath and upon the high seas, but quickly got back to their current adventure as she countered, “Seriously Rarity, where’s your sense of fun?”
  The unicorn held her head up high as she answered, “In the comfort of Aloe and Lotus with a hooficure, thank you very much.”  
  Luna opened a massive wooden door before them, leading into a cavernous room containing various artifacts of bygone times, crates and barrels surrounding them as they approached an impressively-sized set of doors. “In any case, if anypony can navigate these caverns, it is you, Twilight. My sister speaks often of your intellect; rare is the time where she doesn’t compare you favorably to Star Swirl himself. Perhaps you can channel that parallel on this quest.”  
  Twilight looked aghast as she turned to Luna once more. “She really compares me to Star Swirl?”
  “Yes.” Luna grinned and noted, “Personally, however, I see more similarities betwixt you and my sister in her youth than I do you and Star Swirl.” She gestured to Pinkie Pie as the party pony inspected one of the barrels and added, “Star Swirl always came across more like her.” She allowed herself a quick laugh, then turned back to business. “Whatever you think you require for this excursion, I suggest that you gather it quickly. I would join you, but I must see to my royal duties before Kibitz has an aneurysm.”
  “Of course, Princess, we understand.” Twilight turned to her loyal assistant and called, “Spike, my note-taking supplies!”
  “Got ‘em right here!” The dragon lifted up her saddlebags, which she quickly took up in her magic and levitated onto her back. “Quills, ink, and lots of notebooks!”
  “What do you need all that for?” Rainbow Dash approached and asked, “I mean, can’t we just track down a book or something and bring it back?”
  “And risk damaging or destroying a magical relic? Assuming preservation spells are in place, Star Swirl’s journals and writings are at least a thousand years old! It’s better to copy what we find rather than disturb it.” Her supplies at the ready, Twilight turned to Spike and quietly added, “Spike, I think it’d be a good idea if you sat this one out.” 
  The little dragon looked up at her in surprise. “Really? But what if–?”
  “Celestia might try to send a message back using your fire mail, and Luna would want to be the first to receive word or send word back in return.”
  “A worthy point, and besides, I’ve already called for refreshments to begin my evening duties with.” Luna leaned down and prompted, “Would you truly like to miss out on hot cocoa?”
  Spike perked up and asked, “With marshmallows?”
  “Of course!” Spike gleefully hopped up onto Luna’s back as the princess called, “Best of luck to thee, my friends!”
  “Bring me back something awesome!”
  “We won’t let you down, either of you!” Twilight waved them off as she opened the doors, an ominous creak reverberating through the air around them. “Come on girls, we have us a library to find!”
  “A library deep inside a mountain, protected by who knows what?” Dash gleefully spun about in the air and cackled, “This is so Daring Do! Think we’ll run into a monster?”
  “Rainbow Dash, don’t you dare say somethin’ like that!” Applejack groaned and rolled her eyes. “That’s just invitin’ trouble!” 
  One by one, the six mares entered the chamber, Fluttershy lagging behind with a slight quiver to her hoofsteps. Once she entered, however, the chamber seemed to light up, lanterns high above their heads brightening and providing illumination. As she took in what she saw, she closed in with the rest and realized, “Well, this isn’t so bad.” 
  All around them were more artifacts of a bygone era, surprisingly well-preserved even considering where they’d been stored. Twilight’s eyes darted among the bits of furniture to the portraits to the assorted artifacts, all of them no doubt having a history to them simply by virtue of being possessed by Star Swirl himself. Being in his personal chambers, on a quest from a princess? Had Celestia not gone missing, this would be the best night ever!
  “Twilight?” She paused as Applejack came up beside her. “Sorry darlin’, but yer startin’ to fade out on us, and we kinda need ya to get around here.”
  A sheepish grin crossed the alicorn’s face. “Sorry, got caught up in the moment.” Her gaze found a directory, and she examined it. “Huh. I’m surprised Luna had so much trouble down here. Everything’s so well-labeled. It’s almost like I did it.” 
  “Well, if she’s anything like me, she probably gets bored and phases out once she sees enough big words.” Rainbow flew up and examined one of the signs high above them and explained, “See what I mean? Big words! I mean, I know what a cellar is, but what the hay is a ‘lucre’?”
  “That’s a fancy word for ‘money’, sugarcube.” 
  “Okay, what about a ‘larder’?”
  “Food stores, darling.” 
  “‘Besom repository’?”
  “Ooh! That’s a broom closet!”
  “Augh!” The pegasus’ eyes went to the weirdest word in the directory and asked, “Okay, so what’s an ‘athenaeum’?”
  “That’s what we’re looking for! The library!”
  “Then why didn’t he just label it ‘library’?!” Rainbow came down for a landing and stomped a hoof on the stone floor. “Seriously, I get this Star Swirl guy’s an important egghead and everything, but did he have to rub it in everypony’s face?”
  “Star Swirl wasn’t that bad, and besides, think of the history!” Enamored with her surroundings as she led them on, Twilight recounted, “He used to walk these very halls! We’re stepping in the same dirt that he stepped on!”
  Rarity gave the floor a distainful look and shuddered. “Couldn’t he have put in some proper flooring? Hard wood at least? Maybe marble?”
  “A thousand years ago was a very different time, Rarity.” Twilight closed her eyes, imaging it in her head as she led them on. “I can almost see it now.”
  -A Thousand Years or So Previous-
  “It’s an exciting day to be magical, Celestia!” Star Swirl had a look of manic glee in his eyes as he led his diarch and old friend through his chambers, the bells on his hat jingling with every hoofstep. “I’ve made a breakthrough that even I didn’t think possible, and that’s saying something! This mirror will be the greatest achievement of my career!” 
  Celestia was used to such pronouncements, but he had a tendency towards not exaggerating his claims too much. “Star Swirl, forgive me sounding incredulous, but a portal to another world? It just seems impossible.”
  “Oh, I assure you, it’s quite possible.” A dreamy look on his face, the old unicorn mage lifted a hoof for emphasis as he continued, “In time we may even be able to jump from one dimension to another! Can you imagine the possibilities, Celestia?”
  “Yes, but…” The princess turned thoughtful as she looked to the ground. “I doubt I can be of much help. Luna’s become so distant of late, and with my court moving from our castle to Canterlot, I’ve only had more to do.”
  “Ah, that.” With a dismissive wave of one hoof, he noted, “I know you’ve been concerned since your sister started to act a bit darker than normal, but I’m sure we’ll get her turned around before anything serious happens.” 
  A smile formed on the royal’s face. “Thank you, Star Swirl. I’ve needed some reassurance, given all the doubts I’ve felt lately.”
  “Never doubt yourself.” Pride was clear in his eyes as he recounted, “I knew from the moment I met you that you would do great things for your subjects. I have never gotten reason to think otherwise.” A wicked grin formed on his face, and he offered, “If nothing else, the two of you can go and trounce a dragon together. Thumping those brutes never gets old.” 
  A smirk. “You know, there’s a reason they’ve kept their distance from Equestria lately.” 
  “Hmm. Perhaps they can learn.” He shook his head and got back to the subject at hoof. “Anyway, onto more pressing matters; if the secrets of cross-dimensional travel are to be kept down here, do you think I should put up some protections? Perhaps a trained supernatural beast?” 
  Celestia smiled and jokingly suggested, “Maybe a hydra?”
  The old wizard clapped his forehooves together. “Oooh! I like that idea!” He then stroked his beard thoughtfully and wondered aloud, “Now where can I find some hydra kibble?”
  -The Present Day-
  “Now y’see Dash! If’n we’d been here when that thing was alive, we’d be in a heap’a trouble!”
  “But Applejack, we’re not in trouble!” Pinkie knocked her hoof against the massive skull before them. “It’s pining for the fjords! See?”
  “Oh dear, the poor thing!” Fluttershy hovered up and examined the immense skeleton, its multiple heads suggesting that they were seeing a long-dead hydra. “When we get done with this, I’m going to give it a proper burial.”
  “Really? I’d leave it here; it adds to the rustic, spooky charm!” Pinkie darted over to a coffin and asked, “Can’t you see stuff like this show up in a Haymer Horror movie?”
  The yellow pegasus landed and trembled. “Yes, but I don’t like those movies to begin with.” She picked up her pace and asked, “Twilight, how soon until we get to the library?”
  “Not long…aha!” Twilight pointed a hoof ahead towards an impressive stone structure, carved into the very cave and guarded by sculptures of manticores that seemed to be made of the very dirt beneath their feet. With perhaps a little too much enthusiasm, she trotted forward and pulled on one of the door handles. The door opened with a shuddering creak, stale air rushing out after untold decades of confinement. “Careful, girls. No telling what we’ll find in here.”
  What they found was an impressive interior, the front foyer alone packed with artifacts and relics, a bookshelf waiting on one side packed with objects from long ago. In the distance, they could see even more, as well as huge shelves packed with books that hadn’t seen the light of day in centuries. Light shone from above as they entered, and as Twilight looked about, she squealed with joy and darted from one object to another. “Omigoshomigoshomigosh! Look at it all! An original tome of Star Swirl’s Studies of Heavenly Spheres! His original diagrams for the uses of practical magic!” A gasp worthy of Pinkie Pie catching sight of a particularly tasty treat, and she darted over to a coatrack bearing a decorated, starry cloak and… “IT’S HIS ORIGINAL HAT! COMPLETE WITH BELLS!” She turned back to her friends and declared, “Nopony knows how he got it! There are so many conflicting stories about it!”
  “Fascinatin’.” Unimpressed, Applejack gestured towards one corner and dryly mentioned another feature of Star Swirl’s athenaeum. “Hey look, cobwebs.” 
  Rarity shuddered, but her attention was swiftly drawn to an impressive, greyscale depiction of the missing Celestia. “Oh my word!” She approached with an awestruck look on her face. “Have a look at this, dears! I’ve never seen Celestia look so young!”
  “Really?” Rainbow flew up to get a closer look at the portrait and noted, “She looks pretty much the same to me.” 
  “It’s the eyes.” Twilight looked up at the portrait and explained, “Even when I was just starting as her student, I could tell that there was something weighing her down inside. In hindsight, it makes sense, given everything that’s happened since this was made. Over a thousand years of living would be enough to make anypony look aged and weary.” 
  “Twilight?” Fluttershy approached, concern clear on her face at the unease of her friend. “Is something the matter?”
  “A lot of things, I guess.” The young alicorn sighed and turned to her friends. “When all of you were little fillies, what did you want to do when you grew up?”
  “Why, go into fashion, darling! What else?”
  “Ah’d’a been happy workin’ on Sweet Apple Acres with mah family!”
  “Flying with the Wonderbolts!”
  “I didn’t really know what I wanted to do – I just wanted to have fun! And maybe eat a lot of cupcakes!” Pinkie drew Fluttershy in close and added, “And I bet you wanted to spend lots of time with animals, didn’t’cha?”
  A smile formed on the pegasus’ face as she explained, “Actually, for a while, I wanted to be a dentist.” 
  Everypony else gave her surprised looks as Applejack asked, “Don’t tell me, that old Hearth’s Warmin’ story ‘bout the misfit reindeer?”
  “No, I just really liked flossing.” 
  Twilight shrugged and continued, “Well, ever since I saw Celestia raise the sun one year at the Summer Sun Celebration, I knew I wanted to study magic. I never saw myself becoming a princess like her.” She gestured with a hoof towards a large statue of Star Swirl himself, situated next to Celestia’s portrait. “I always thought I’d end up like him. I’d learn about magic and use that knowledge for the benefit of all Equestria. He did that, and look at all he accomplished!” She turned back to the portrait and continued, “Now it’s looking more like I’ll be following in her hoofsteps instead.”
  “Is that such a bad thing, darling? You’re a princess, after all! It’s every little filly’s dream!”
  Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes at Rarity’s remark. “Not mine.”
  “Maybe the crown and the castle, sometimes the power, but not the responsibilities that go with it.” Twilight turned away from the portrait and explained, “Ever since she took on the crown, Celestia’s had the weight of an entire nation on her back! She’s done so much for the good of Equestria, had to face so many hardships, from losing the Crystal Empire to banishing Luna! Who in their right mind wants that kind of pressure?!”
  The other mares looked among one another, and Pinkie admitted, “Yeah, that does sound kinda scary.” 
  “Like lookin’ after the farm cranked up so far the dial done broke off.” Applejack gave a reassuring smile and noted, “But you’ve done some mighty impressive things yerself sugarcube, and you’ve got somethin’ Celestia didn’t have. Us.” 
  “And who says you can’t be a magic wonder of the world and a princess with awesome responsibilities?” The speedy blue pegasus noted, “And that sounded way more reassuring in my head.” 
  “Regardless dear, we’re all confident that you’ll do well.” 
  General murmurs of affirmation went out with Rarity’s reassurance, and Twilight smiled. “Thanks girls. Come on, let’s see if he has a directory.” She led them towards the bookshelves in the distance and noted, “Of course, this predates the Dewhoof Decimal System by several centuries, so here’s hoping there’s some similar labeling system in place.” 
  “Only less eggheady than the one that led us here.” Rainbow quickly spied a set of signs and flew over. “Hey, I think I found it! This says ‘Research on Mirrors’! If that’s not a good place to start, I’ll eat my mane!”
  Twilight gleefully retrieved several books and scrolls from the shelves with her magic and levitated them over to a nearby table. “Okay everypony, be gentle. Star Swirl’s put some strong preservation spells on these, but even those run out with time, and we can’t afford to lose a single page.” 
  “Got it, handle with care.” Rainbow carefully unfurled a scroll and examined it. “Whoa. We’re definitely on the right track.” The other mares gathered around her find to see an illustration of the Crystal Mirror and complex equations on its workings. “Why does this say ‘Mark vee-eye-eye-dash-ay’?”
  “Roamin numerals.” Twilight checked the dates and added, “This was drawn up shortly before Princess Luna became Nightmare Moon. The Crystal Mirror and the bridge mirrors may have been the last ones he made. But why did he stop? And how much earlier was the model that Celestia used?” She went back to her book and opened it carefully, her eyes widening as she exclaimed, “Girls, Star Swirl made an index book! Right here!”
  “Would somethin’ like that really be necessary?”
  “Of course! Any magical researcher or inventor worth anything knows the value of documentation and recording their work! And with this much recorded, having a quick index guide is crucial!” Her eyes scanned the index as she read, “Right here at the bottom, all of the journal entries for the creation and uses of the Mark Seven-A and Mark Seven-B mirror portals!” She went back up to the top, quickly checked over the numbers and figures, then pulled a few more books and a scroll from the shelves and gently opened them. “Here we are, everything on the mirror portal Celestia left through, his Mark One.”
  “The very first one?”
  “And the prototype for all the portals that came afterwards, and it’s all right here; every detail on how they work, every failure in making them…” Twilight’s eyes widened as she looked at one such entry and exclaimed, “And every world that he and Celestia visited?!”
  -
  “There it is! Every bit of magical knowledge all wrapped up in one reflective package!” Star Swirl beamed as he noted, “Should we ever find those inquisitive counterparts of yourself and Luna, I’ll have to thank them for the inspiration.” 
  Celestia eyed the mirror carefully, her mind already considering the implications of its aesthetics. “It looks like a jeweled upside-down horseshoe.” 
  The old wizard gave her a disbelieving look. “Don’t tell me you believe in such silly superstitions?”
  “No, but…never mind. How does it work?”
  “Ah, there’s the rub!” Star Swirl grew more animated as he explained, “Some worlds can be accessed through the right combination of spells, others through the precise alignment of the moon and stars. As of right now, however, I’ve only formed the spells for one such world. Can you think of it, Celestia? The new magic to discover, the knowledge we can attain!”
  “We?!” The princess approached him uneasily and countered, “I can’t just drop everything and go off to another dimension! I have a kingdom to run and protect, one that you appointed me to lead!”
  “Oh pish-posh! You say that as if the pursuit of knowledge isn’t a worthy goal.” His horn glowed, and the mirror came alive in a swirl of blue energy. “Besides, this will just be a quick test run. Just a simple look-see, and we’ll be back before you know it.” He gestured for her to follow and beckoned, “Come my friend. Adventure awaits!” 
  Without another word, the old wizard stepped through the portal, Celestia following uneasily. She emerged on the other side and shook herself, all four hooves landing on the ground as she asked, “And what has adventure…?”
  She and Star Swirl looked up, and up, and up, to find themselves gazing upon a large, scaly beast. It almost reminded them of a dragon, though it was without wings and far smaller than a full-grown drake. Nonetheless, their every instinct screamed the same thing as it turned its gaze upon them and its mouth opened to reveal several large, sharp teeth. 
  RUN.
  The creature let out a terrible roar just as they turned and went back the way they’d come, emerging back in Equestria none the worse for wear. Celestia looked to her old friend and asked, “Have you gone mad?! That thing could have eaten us!”
  “But it didn’t!” Star Swirl looked to his notes and reasoned, “Science is all about making little mistakes, after all. I’d best adjust the variables a bit, make certain the spells are pronounced correctly.” He turned back to her and noted, “I’d understand, of course, if you didn’t want to continue on.”
  The princess’ expression was fixed and neutral, but quickly turned to a mischievous smile that would one day have made Discord proud. “And miss out on the fun?”
  -
  “It looks like they visited a number of different worlds over the course of several decades.” By now, Twilight had a number of books gathered around her, each one filled with details about the various worlds Star Swirl and Celestia had visited. “That’s how Star Swirl was so magically advanced! He learned new things from other wizards as they explored, and recorded everything!”
  “Sounds kinda like cheatin’ on a test ta me, sugarcube.”
  “I admit, that does put it in a negative light, but a free exchange of ideas is necessary for scientific advancement. Besides, he did give credit where it was due, and that’s the important thing.” 
  “But Celestia never mentioned this to anyone? Not even Luna?”
  “There has to be a reason.” Her blank notebooks at the ready, she started using her magic to copy details and notations concerning the mirror’s construction and workings, as well as the assorted spells used to for travel between worlds. “Regardless, it looks like there was one world that they visited more often than the others, even until long after Luna’s banishment. Chances are that world is the one Celestia went to.” Her work on the original mirror concluded, she copied additional details on each of the intervening mirrors and continued, “But the research ends abruptly. There aren’t a lot of details about it beyond several incidents starting around the banishment and lasting several years. He started locking away the portals, the later ones first, and finished by sealing this one.” She groaned and added, “And there are pages missing! That just makes it worse!” 
  “Did someone come here and tear them out before we arrived?”
  “Or Star Swirl did it himself, for whatever reason.” Twilight groaned as she packed away the last of her materials and returned the books to their proper places. “In any case, we need to get to Princess Luna and let her know what we’ve learned.” 
  -
  A smile was clear on her face as Celestia emerged from the portal, one that soon faded as Star Swirl greeted her with a stern expression, the parchment with one particular coordinate spell etched upon it floating beside him. “Celestia. I would have words with you.” 
  “Ah. Well…”
  “How many times…” He gestured with one hoof to the parchment for emphasis. “…have you been here?”
  Like a frightened filly after having done something naughty and being found out, the princess shifted uneasily on her hooves and answered, “Not often…”
  “How often?!” The old wizard shouted, anger in his voice the likes of which she’d never heard before. 
  Celestia could barely look at him as she turned away and closed her eyes. “On and off, for a while.” 
  Star Swirl let out an enraged groan. “You know what kind of consequences there are to visiting this world too often! We’ve talked about this! You promised me…!” He took a quick breath to control himself before he continued. “We can’t risk it. You’re putting everypony in danger. What could possibly be worth something like that?”
  Tears were now flowing from her eyes as she looked up and asked, “What do you think is worth it?”
  Disappointment was clear upon his face as Star Swirl turned away and bowed his head. “No, Celestia. No.”
  “I’m sorry. But I can’t just…”
  “I’m ending this.” 
  Celestia’s gaze shot onto him as she asked, “What do you mean, ‘ending this’?! You can’t just…!”
  “I will not let you put your kingdom and his at risk. This is over. Now.” His horn glowed as he turned his gaze to the mirror and began chanting a spell. “Kingdom come and kingdom go…”
  As he chanted, Celestia cried out in protest, “No! Star Swirl, please! At least let me say goodbye!”
  “…Doth from this point, we close the door.” His spell was cast, and the journal at his side was closed and dropped to the ground with a thud. “I never want to talk about this again. I’m very disappointed in you, Princess.” He heard Celestia’s sobs as she turned and ran, the door to his study slamming shut behind her. He sighed and admitted, “I’m too old for this.”
  -
  “Night patrols are in, ma’am. Nothing to report.”
  “Very well, Sergeant. And our songbird?”
  The thestral looked uneasy as he admitted, “Looking up at the moon again, but no singing.” 
  Luna nodded. “Very well. You are dismissed.” The sergeant snapped off a salute, then turned and departed, leaving the princess and her companions be as she turned to Spike and explained, “A member of the regular forces has been spotted some nights looking up at the moon and singing softly. Sometimes one song, sometimes another.”
  “Anything special about the songs?”
  “Songs of love, of loss, of regret.” She waved a hoof and noted, “Should I ever see her, I will need to talk with her properly.” Her attention turned back to the door of the throne room as Twilight and the others arrived. “Princess Twilight, your timing is most fortuitous! What are the results of your labor?”
  “Very good! Let me explain!” She paused as she reached the throne, then amended, “Actually, it’s a lot to explain, so I’ll sum up instead. The mirror Celestia used was a prototype for the Crystal Mirror.”
  “This does not surprise me. Do continue.” 
  “But instead of being tied to just one world, it can go to a number of them, depending on the spell cast on the mirror!”
  “And this knowledge will allow us to locate my sister?”
  Twilight’s enthusiasm dipped as she explained, “The exact spell is missing, but with time…” A bright blue glow interrupted her as everyone present turned their gaze upon the mirror, a familiar form beginning to emerge. “Princess!”
  “Sister! Thank the maker!” Luna approached the mirror and continued, “Where have you been? I had no idea where you were or whether or not you would return! I do not appreciate…!” Luna’s complaints were interrupted as Celestia groaned in pain and collapsed before them, hardly looking like her usual, composed self. Her feathers were ruffled and crumbled, her peytral dented, one of her hoof-shoes missing, her crown damaged, and bruises present all over her body. In alarm, Luna rushed to her elder sibling and held her close. “Celie! What happened?!”
  Barely aware of her surroundings, the Princess of the Sun groaned two words before fading into unconsciousness. “Sombra…help…”
  Twilight and her gathered friends looked among one another in terror, then upon the mirror as the young alicorn asked, “Sombra? King Sombra?!”
to be continued... 

Chapter Two: Through the Looking Glass  Soft moans escaped her lips as Celestia regained consciousness, her vision blurry and obscured by a bandage across her right eye. She heard some relieved sighs, her sister’s the most familiar, and gently assured them, “I’m alright, everypony, thank you.” She then turned to her left to find the one who was tending her wounds, her finery laid beside assorted medical supplies. “Thank you, Kibitz.”
  “You’re quite welcome, your Highness.” The old unicorn looked to her with a weary expression and asked, “But please, whatever you’ve gotten yourself into, try not to do it again? I’m far too old for this. Now, if you’ve no further need for my services?”
  “No, thank you, you’re dismissed.” She waited for her aide to depart, then turned to her fellow royals and remaining subjects and continued, “Luna, Twilight, I…”
  The Princess of the Night all but shoved herself into her elder sister’s face, anger born of worry clear upon her own. “Have you taken leave of thine senses?! Venturing forth on thine own into a parallel world, locking horns with King Sombra, getting thineself so wounded?! In what way is this a sane course of…?!”
  “Sister, I…”
  “Luna, please!” Her sister paused, and Twilight approached and asked, “Celestia, we know about the portal, and about that other world you visited. Did you stop visiting it because of Sombra? Did he conquer that world’s Equestria?”
  “Twilight!” Her former student paused, and Celestia took a breath as she got back onto her hooves, a chill going through her due to the cold floor. “Please, if I could have a moment to explain myself?” 
  “Doesn’t look like there’s much to explain to me; you went back to fight that tyrant and…”
  “Rainbow Dash, the King Sombra of that world is not responsible for my injuries. It’s thanks to him that I was able to get back here.” The various ponies (and lone dragon) shared surprised looks as Celestia explained, “I assume you all know by now that the portal I used was the first one created by Star Swirl, a prototype for the Crystal Mirror?” At their general murmurs of agreement, she explained, “The world I visited is not like the one Sunset, Twilight and Spike traveled to. It has an Equestria proper, inhabited by ponies rather than by humans.” 
  “So if I went through, I’d stay a dragon instead of…?”
  “Instead of turning into a cute little doggy?” Fluttershy gently teased. 
  A blush was clear upon Spike’s face as he continued, “Yeah, why’d that happen anyway?”
  Celestia managed an embarrassed expression as she explained, “Star Swirl, for all of his brilliance, was not perfect. He carried a very negative view of dragons, and rather enjoyed seeing them suffer. I imagine the thought of one of them turning into something equivalent to a pony disagreed with him. I’m very sorry about that, Spike.”
  The young drake crossed his arms and frowned. “Well, that’s my question answered.”
  “But if I could get back on topic?” Satisfied that she’d regained their attention, Celestia approached the mirror and continued, “This other world’s Equestria is very much like ours, but very different. You all recall what I told you of Sombra’s rise to power in our world?”
  Twilight and her friends nodded in agreement as Applejack summarized, “He usurped the Crystal Throne from Princess Amore, might’ve killed her by turnin’ her into crystal and shatterin’ her, and you ‘n Luna trounced him ‘fore he could get much further’n he did. He cursed the Crystal Empire ta vanish ‘fer over a thousand years an’ got sealed away in the ice.”
  “And dear Spike was instrumental in defeating him after both he and the Crystal Empire returned.” Rarity gave the dragon a proud grin before turning back to the princess. “Did things go differently in this other world?”
  “Very. For one thing, King Sombra is no tyrant, but a kind and legitimate ruler of all Equestria, beloved by all the ponies under his rule.” Celestia smiled fondly as she explained, “My first meeting with him all those centuries ago is not something I’ll soon forget.” The smile faded as a regretful expression took its place. “However, just because he is good there rather than evil does not mean that evil does not exist.”
  “And this evil is what harmed you?” Luna’s expression turned to rage as Celestia nodded. “Well then, I shall go to this other world and smite this evil! It’s been far too long since I have caused a miscreant to make a very satisfying ‘thump’ as they struck the ground! I need only fetch my war hammer and…!”
  “Luna, no! We are the evil Sombra is facing!” Celestia regretfully amended, “In more ways than one.”
  Horror upon her face, Rarity approached and asked, “Please, your Highness, do not tell me that the Nightmare claimed both of you?” She shuddered, remembering her own experience under its thrall. “Oh dear, your poor counterparts!”
  “Thankfully, it is not the Nightmare which we face, but something else just as dangerous.”
  Luna huffed. “Given current circumstances, you’ll have to forgive me for briefly enjoying the image of trouncing an evil version of you. If nothing else, karma would be satisfied. But why can we not face them?”
  “Because I attempted to face mine, and these injuries were the result.” Celestia extended a bandaged wing and explained, “When I fought my counterpart directly, any injury I inflicted upon her injured both of us. However, the dark magic that has bonded with her also healed her very rapidly. Far too rapidly for my blows to have any effect.” 
  “But how is that even…?” Comprehension dawned on Twilight’s face, and she quickly looked to the copy she’d made of Star Swirl’s findings. “Of course! He mentioned anomalies in his notes! That’s why he made additional portals, to try and isolate the factor causing them and either eliminate them or minimize them!”
  “I suspect that by the time he created the Crystal Mirror and the bridge mirrors, he worked out most if not all of the kinks, but shortly afterwards, he abandoned the research outright.” Celestia bowed her head. “And far too late to undo the damage already done.” 
  Rainbow Dash looked to Twilight and asked, “You want to explain what’s going on, Twilight? In small words, maybe?”
  “Rainbow, Star Swirl bridged the gaps between parallel worlds, alternate universes. Doing something like that tied them together. If it’s not done right, it could cause the worlds to start binding together, running more parallel than they did originally.” She gestured to Celestia’s wounds and explained, “And obviously, that’s a bad thing.”
  “And it seems once again, I find myself tasking the seven of you with fixing my past mistakes.” At Spike’s surprise, she amended, “Yes, seven. Twilight, I need you and your friends to take the Elements of Harmony to this parallel world and provide what aid you can to King Sombra. They may be the only chance for saving his world and ours.”
  “Wait, hold on!” Applejack approached and asked, “Ah ain’t sayin’ we can’t do it, but use th’ elements on th’ other versions ‘a you ‘n Luna?! Ain’t that risky?”
  “Yeah!” Dash approached and asked, “Doesn’t this world have its own Elements of Harmony?”
  Pinkie gasped and realized, “Maybe our counterparts are evil too!” She gasped again and prodded at Spike’s snout. “Maybe the other Spike has a goatee! Or a scar and an eyepatch! Or…!”
  “My understanding of the history of Sombra’s world is that, unlike here, the Elements of Harmony were never rendered necessary. Consequently, they never existed in the same form that they have here. Also, theirs’ is a stabilizing magic, and there is a very good chance that their influence will prevent any further damage caused by your crossing.” 
  “But Celestia, you’re asking us to fight you.” Unease was clear on Twilight’s face as she looked between her two fellow princesses. “Fighting Luna was bad enough when she was Nightmare Moon, but I don’t think I could fight you, good or bad.” 
  Celestia smiled and gently amended, “Twilight, I don’t expect you to harm the other me. It is my hope that you will help her and the other Luna, just as you did Luna in this world.” 
  “And you are certain I cannot go with?” Celestia nodded, and Luna relented. “Very well, but whilst they are gone, I expect a full accounting of all of this.” She shot her sister a frustrated glare and repeated, “A very full accounting.” She then turned away and brought forth the chest containing the Elements, opening it and sending each off to their respective bearers. 
  “Wait, so this time, we all actually get to go to the crazy alternate world? Sweet!” Dash cackled gleefully. “Can’t wait to see how awesome I am there!”
  “Please, darling, meeting our counterparts sounds like a terrible cliché.” Rarity prodded at her mane and noted, “Though if the me in this new world is anything like myself in this proper world or the human world, it could be quite interesting.” 
  “Well, I don’t mind either way, but if you need my help, I’ll come.” Applejack and Pinkie Pie called out in agreement, and Fluttershy wondered aloud, “But how do we get there? The page with the spell to access that world was missing from the books we found.” 
  “I was able to recreate it some time ago.” The tip of Celestia’s horn took on a brilliant glow, and she pressed it to the tip of Twilight’s, magically transferring the needed information to her former student. “Simply cast the spell again at any time, and you’ll be able to return to our world.”
  Twilight shook her head. “Oooh… I’m glad I prefer learning with books than magic.” Her crown settled upon her head, and she declared, “We won’t let you down.” 
  “Of course not.” As Twilight cast the spell to activate the mirror, Celestia continued, “Sombra is awaiting you in his castle on the other side. Send me a message through Spike if you encounter any difficulty, and be careful, all of you.” 
  Twilight nodded, and with her friends at her back, they dashed into the portal, leaving the two royal sisters alone. Its magic died down, and Luna turned back to Celestia and, somewhat calmer than before but through gritted teeth, asked, “Now then, sister, about that accounting.” 
  Celestia bowed her head. “Very well. I’ll start at the beginning. Star Swirl and I first traveled through the portal together some time before the loss of the Crystal Empire, before we even knew of Sombra…”
  -
  Twilight had vivid memories of the kaleidoscopic feeling of transit through the portal generated by the Crystal Mirror, and the feeling of being stretched and warped as if going down a drain in a sink, only less painful and far more dizzying. Her transit through the bridge portals, by contrast, had been more pleasant – a slight stretching feeling, but not nearly so damaging to her senses. This was somewhere between the two, but with a greater jumbling of colors and the certainty that she would emerge from this safe and…
  “WAAAAAAHHHHH!” She screamed as she was flung through the other side, skidding to a halt on ground. “Note to self in the future – walk, don’t run, through the magic portal.” She recovered her senses and got clear as her friends emerged and skidded to the ground before her. “Is everypony alright?”
  “Yes, save for my dignity.” Rarity groaned as she looked herself over. 
  The others all had dizzy expressions on their faces, though Spike looked to be the first to recover. Pinkie followed with a dazed look on her face and exclaimed, “Again!” before shaking her head and regaining her senses. She then looked up at the other end of the portal and gasped, “Is that Discord?!”
  Spike recoiled, the other ponies looking up at the statue they’d emerged from to see a form that was clearly the Spirit of Chaos, albeit very different, with him done up in a costume not unlike a comic book superhero. At the base of the statue were two words, “Our Hero”, which prompted Fluttershy to ask, “A monument?”
  “Or a tribute.” Twilight eyed the statue warily. “Weird.” 
  “That’s not all, dear. Look.” Rarity’s aghast expression was quickly shared among the others as she realized, “Could this be Canterlot?”
  Indeed, it looked very much like the palace gardens of Canterlot, save for how desolate and morose the area looked. All around them were damaged statues and dead and decaying foliage, bushes and shrubs struggling to hold onto life. High above their heads rested a stark, reddened sky, lacking both sun and moon. 
  “Oh my goodness!” Fluttershy’s gaze darted about, and she quickly caught sight of some local animals, prompting her to quickly gather them up in a hug and bawl, “I’m so sorry! We never meant for this to happen!”
  “Well we’d best get to work fixin’ things ‘fore they get worse!”
  Twilight nodded at Applejack’s call to action, and began leading them towards what she assumed was the entrance to the palace, only to stop as a voice called out from above. “Halt! All of you!”
  Pinkie looked up and waved cheerfully as a sextet of pegasi and thestrals descended. “Ooh, local guards!”
  Twilight looked up as they landed, her mind going back to what she’d been told about the forces that remained loyal to King Sombra. Few illustrations existed of the armor worn by those pegasi, known as the Somber Elite for their cruelty, but she suspected it was something like this, dark grey metal body armor with boots and helmets, chests decorated with bright blue gemstones. At their head was a mare with an amber coat, her cyan eyes locking upon each of them in turn. “What are you six… sorry, seven doing here?”
  Rarity held up a hoof and stepped forward. “Do forgive us, sirs and madam, we have…” She paused, then stepped back in shock. “Good heavens!” The guards gave her a strange look, and she explained, “Have you no idea what you’re wearing?! Don’t get me wrong, those colors work decently enough together, but those helmets! So horribly tacky!”
  The guards looked amongst themselves, one looking to the amber-coated mare with a sheepish expression. “She has a point, Commander.”
  “I’m not arguing that, Corporal, but…”
  She was interrupted by the thestral to her right, who leaned over and asked, “Ma’am, forgive me, but don’t these intruders look familiar?”
  The mare reached into a pocket of her armor with one wing and produced a scroll, unfurling it and examining it. “They do, Sergeant.” She eyed Twilight and her friends and ordered, “Arrest them!”
  -
  “We’re here for five seconds, and you insult one of the palace guards.”
  “He had on a funny hat!”
  Celestia rolled her eyes and turned away from her friend, but kept her position leaning against the bars to their cell. “You’re one to talk.” 
  Star Swirl haughtily sat up on his bench. “You’ve no idea what I went through to find this spectacular a chapeau.” 
  The princess opted to steer things elsewhere. “Why are we even staying here? They can’t hold us, we have magic.”
  “Celestia, we are still visitors in this world. Remarking upon a silly helmet is one thing, but breaking out of a cell will cause a ruckus! And I’d rather not cause a ruckus if we can avoid it. We’re better off waiting for whoever rules in this Canterlot to arrive, and then straighten things out from there.” The door to their cell opened and the old mage noted, “Ah, perfect timing.” 
  “Good morrow, newcomers.” Celestia turned to their host, his deep baritone intriguing her, and her eyes widened at the sight of him. “Welcome to Canterlot.” 
  -
  The guards maintained their positions around Twilight and her friends, wings spread to look menacing. Combined with the armor, the effect was actually rather impressive. “Wait, please! There’s been a…!”
  “Stop!” The guards halted, their commander looking up as their addressor arrived, two mares landing nearby with soft flaps of their wings. “Commander, report!”
  The guard commander turned and saluted. “Your Highness, we saw a flash of light, came to investigate and found these intruders. They bear a close match to the descriptions of…” At the neutral expression on the royal’s face, the mare sank and realized, “These are the guests we were told to expect, aren’t they?”
  The royal mare nodded her azure head while her bespectacled companion offered a sympathetic smile. “Can’t blame you for getting confused, though. We did rush those notifications out.”
  The pegasus guard hung her head in shame. “Stand down, guards!” Her subordinates instantly relaxed their aggressive stances and stood at attention, and she turned to Twilight and her friends and bowed her head. “Please forgive me. I’m afraid this was a case of mistaken identity.” She looked up to find the ‘intruders’ looking agape at the royal and her associate. “Miss?”
  Twilight was shaken from her shock, and turned back to the commander. “Oh, sorry, yes, I understand. All’s forgiven.” 
  “Thank you ma’am.” A quick gesture to her compatriots, and the mare flew off and departed, the other guards following. 
  The azure mare sighed and shook her wings. “I’m sorry about that. We’ve all been on edge since the last Summer Sun Celebration, and it’s only gotten worse of late.” She turned to face Twilight and gave a polite, friendly bow. “You are Princess Twilight Sparkle, yes? Please accept my humble apologies for your reception. I am Princess…”
  “TRIXIE?!” Applejack’s eyes threatened to pop right out of her head, she appeared so thoroughly shocked.
  Despite her bearing and being an alicorn, there was no mistaking the blue mare for anypony else. Whereas their familiar Trixie wore a starry cloak and magician’s hat, this one was garbed in silvery hoof-shoes, a peytral and a sterling silver tiara adorned by small sapphires. A small hint of the familiar was clear as she took on a proud smile and declared, “Yes. Princess Trixie Lulamoon, at your service.” She nodded her head towards her associate and added, “And this is my dear friend, Professor…”
  “DERPY?!” This time it was Rainbow Dash’s turn to call out in shock. 
  Indeed, take away the glasses and alter her mane style and position of her eyes, and she would be a dead ringer for Ponyville’s clumsy grey mailmare. Somewhat nervously, the pegasus adjusted her glasses and corrected, “Ditzy Doo. I’m sorry, ‘Derpy’? Where did that come from?”
  “Oh, that’s easy! Take off your glasses.” She shrugged and did as asked, and Pinkie explained, “Thought so! You never had that nickname; your eyes aren’t crossed!”
  “Huh, you’re right.” Spike rubbed his chin thoughtfully with a claw and remarked as he looked over the both of them, “Weird.” 
  Twilight turned apologetic as she looked to Trixie and Prof. Doo. “Sorry, this is just a little unexpected for us. Your counterparts in our world are a bit different.”
  The grey mare dryly regarded them. “I gathered that.”
  Trixie cleared her throat and noted, “Forgive me, but we’ve very little time to waste. King Sombra is waiting for us in the throne room.” She led them into the palace, Twilight following close behind, and asked, “I take it I have a counterpart in your world?”
  “Yes, but she isn’t an alicorn.” A thoughtful expression came over Twilight’s face as she reasoned, “She has mentioned having ancestral roots in Canterlot going back a thousand years, but…” She shook her head. “Nevermind. It’s just as likely I’m not an alicorn here either. I probably should’ve expected more differences than the ones I knew about.” She giggled gleefully. “Oh, I have so many questions!” 
  “Us too. Sombra called us back to Canterlot as soon as your Celestia arrived, but she returned to your world before we could meet her.” The azure alicorn smiled hopefully and offered, “Maybe later we can compare notes?”
  “I certainly wouldn’t mind.” The party of nine found themselves in a hall filled with stained glass windows, two bearing the images of Trixie and Prof. Doo, as the grey pegasus continued, “The thought of all these alternate worlds is amazing. Kinda scary, yeah, but amazing. I could spend a lifetime studying the possibilities. Among all those alternate worlds with all our alternate selves, who’s really the real one?” 
  “Forgive me for interrupting you dear, but I’m operating on far too little beauty sleep for all of this existentialist talk.”  Rarity glanced up at the windows and added, “I’ll say this right now, however, your world has had just an interesting time as ours. No wonder our Celestia visited so often.” 
  -
  Star Swirl kept a merry trot as he made his way into his chambers, his saddlebags heavier with additional research. He’d been anxious at the thought of outside consultation, but he was glad he’d put aside his preconceptions. A shame he had to be so horribly vague; strange as they were, First Door and that Drax fellow had been marvelously helpful in regards to his work on the portals. Perhaps he’d even have the Mark Seven mirror finished before the competition in the Coltesseum started. 
  He was drawn out of his reverie as he entered his study, only to find he wasn’t alone. “Celestia?”
  “Oh, Star Swirl!” The princess looked at him with surprise. “Forgive me, I was just here looking for a book on hydras. There’s one causing trouble in the Everfree Forest, and Luna’s been spending more time in our old castle of late.”
  The mage grinned. “Ah, off to bond over some monster-bashing! Most excellent! Do get me some scales if you can, they’re most useful for potion making.” He trotted over to his workspace and laid out his notes from his saddlebags. “I’m actually quite glad to see you. I’ve done some consulting regarding those anomalies we’ve discovered with the mirror, and I think it might be wise if we limit our travels until we can get a handle on them. No telling what could result, but I doubt it’s anything good.”
  “Of course, I’ll remember that, pleaseexusemeneedtoseeLunaaboutthathydrafarewell!”
  As Celestia dashed off with a panicked expression on her face, Star Swirl took no notice and called back, “Have fun! And let me know if you need help – I’m still quite spry, you know!” 
  -
  “Y’know, it’s actually kinda comfortin’ to know the castle’s laid out the same way in this world as it is in ours.” Applejack looked about and amended, “Ah just wish everythin’ weren’t so dreary. No offense meant.”
  “None taken.” Trixie took on a saddened expression as she explained, “It actually used to be very beautiful here. Then last Summer Sun Celebration came and things deteriorated from there.” They reached the doors that led into the throne room, and the azure alicorn opened them slowly and called, “Sombra? Our guests have arrived!”
  A deep, comforting baritone answered her back. “Excellent! Please, bring them in so I can greet them properly, Trixie!”  
  The doors opened, and Twilight and her friends looked upon their host. Most were impressed by what they saw, Rarity letting in a small gasp at the sight whilst Fluttershy’s knees started knocking. Spike quickly looked from them to the royal before them and asked in a low voice, “Seriously?”
  On the opposite side of the throne room stood the familiar, and yet unfamiliar, form of King Sombra. Each of them, Spike especially, remembered how the unicorn tyrant had appeared in their world, his black mane free-flying and wild and his eyes glowing with dark magic, clad in armor and a red fur-lined cape, sharp fangs and a wicked, curved horn. This stallion had all the bearing and presence of a monarch, but none of the malice of his counterpart. His black mane was well-groomed, streaks of blue giving it a glittering quality. His horn was normal, his eyes a brilliant green in color, his smile pleasant and perfect. He still wore a cape, but this was a royal purple rather than red, hoof-shoes adorning his hooves and a frilled collar and ascot about his neck. A smartly-dressed tan earth pony at his side, he approached and warmly called out, “Welcome everypony! Celestia told me she would be sending you. I hope your arrival in our world was pleasant.” 
  “Not as pleasant as hoped, sir.” Trixie sheepishly reported, “They were almost arrested by the guard commander.” She looked to the stallion at her monarch’s side and smirked. “You’re encouraging her to be just a bit too paranoid, Sir Quill.”
  The stallion gently smiled and answered back, “It’s not really paranoia when they’re actually out to get you, Princess.” 
  “And it was understandable, given your circumstances.” Hoping that side-stepped the issues with their arrival, Twilight bowed. “King Sombra. We are honored to be in your presence and hope that we can provide assistance in your hour of need.” 
  “Or however long you need us, sir, whatever works best for you.” Rarity leaned in close to Fluttershy and whispered, “I never expected him to be so dashing! Wouldn’t you agree?”
  The butter yellow pegasus nodded, star-struck at the stallion before her. 
  Sombra managed a polite and embarrassed chuckle as he bowed in turn. “Thank you. And please, just ‘Sombra’. I’ve never felt comfortable being called a king.” He gestured to the stallion at his side in introduction. “This is Sir Quill, one of my younger advisors, and the one who had the least difficulty believing all of this.”
  “It helped that I was the one who first saw your Celestia upon her arrival earlier.” The stallion bowed his head respectfully and shyly remarked. “Madams, sir.” 
  “Now that our introductions are done, please come with me.” He motioned for the gathered mares and dragon to follow as he explained, “As you can plainly tell, this world has fallen on dark times. I thought it a miracle when Celestia returned after a thousand years and said that you could help. She had no trouble telling me how proud she was of all of you.” He smiled upon the lavender alicorn among them. “Especially you, Twilight Sparkle. I only hope I spoke half as well of Trixie.”
  The azure alicorn modestly blushed as Pinkie hugged both mares. “Aww! We’re all proud of both of them! Even if we’ve only technically known one for less than an hour!”
  “You must be Pinkie Pie. She’s spoken of your exuberance as well.” He led the gathered ponies outside onto a balcony and asked, “What do you know of our plight? I assume Celestia has at least made you aware of the paradoxes which have occurred due to her travels here.”
  Twilight produced her copy of the relevant information from Star Swirl’s journals and explained, “And the causes, not to mention her counterparts. Where…?”
  Heavy wingflaps interrupted her, and Sir Quill looked up and scowled, “Speak of the devil.” 
  The ponies followed his gaze as a laugh both familiar and strange sounded through the air, one that instantly brought to mind an evil aristocrat from many a melodrama. With wicked expressions on their faces as they approached from above, the counterparts to Celestia and Luna flew overhead, the latter dressed in tacky red and black garments that evoked bats and vampirism. “Sombra! It seems you’ve made some new friends, and failed to rein in your dog!”
  “Now sister, let’s not bore ourselves with the old!” The evil Celestia landed and regarded the bearers, Twilight especially, with a proud, condescending glare. Atop her head was a golden, horned crown, her purple and golden hoof-boots going to her knees and a high collar about her neck. “Though I am saddened to see that pretty lady friend of yours hasn’t returned. We had such fun together earlier, and I wasn’t quite done playing with her before she left.”
  Both Sir Quill and Twilight scowled at the corrupted princesses, albeit for different reasons, while Sombra approached them and called, “If you’re here for another round of vicious taunting, Celestia, don’t bother. I’ve heard enough of your cackling to last me a lifetime. And I’ve a very long lifetime.”
  “Oh yes, it’s all but impossible to get rid of a shadow, isn’t it?” The evil white alicorn approached with a smirk. “I’m simply here to see if you’ve reconsidered my offer.”
  The king glared upon her and answered, “I’ve no need. You know where you can take your offer, so kindly do so.” 
  She laughed. “Ah well. It’s still on the table.” She then sauntered over to Twilight and looked upon her with mocking awe. “My word, it’s another little alicorn! Complete with her own cute little crown! Luna, isn’t she darling?”
  “And hopefully less boring than the old one.” The evil dark blue alicorn stepped past Trixie, amused at her frown, and prodded at Twilight’s horn. “Tell me, what sort of magic can you do with this? Card tricks? Disappearing coins? Perhaps you can actually saw a mare in…?”
  Twilight’s answer was to materialize a muzzle about the alternate Luna’s mouth, prompting the alternate Celestia to step back. “How’s that for a trick?”
  Sir Quill stomped a hoof on the balcony floor in applause as Trixie remarked, “Not bad.” 
  The false Celestia regained her composure as her sibling angrily shook off the restraint. “Well, this just became far more interesting.”
  The gathered element bearers readied themselves for a fight, but Sombra stepped forward, his horn flaring to life as a shield formed around himself and his allies. “No! You know the stakes! We must not harm them!”
  “Can we at least critique their fashion statements?!” Rarity looked to Luna and declared, “Honestly, red and black?! What are you, a comic book super-villainess?!”
  The elder evil princess laughed and activated her own magic. Rather than attacking, however, she changed her wardrobe, her outfit changing to a long-sleeved suit with a furred collar about her neck. “You always did have atrocious fashion taste, Little Lulu.”
Her sibling glared, but offered, “It seems they’re not interested in continuing with our fun. Perhaps we can find entertainment elsewhere?”
  “Very well.” The two took to the skies, and Celestia called as her outfit shifted again to an elaborate purple gown, “See you again soon, Sombra!” 
  As they flitted off into the distance, Rainbow Dash rounded upon the king and cried, “We could’ve taken ‘em! Why’d you stop us?!”
  “Did you not see the condition that my dear Celestia was in after fighting the monster her counterpart’s become?” His shields went down, and Sombra bowed his head sadly. “It was painful enough seeing one whom I love be hurt once. I’d rather not have it happen again.” 
  Twilight looked upon him in disbelief, brief glances at her friends telling her that they shared her sentiment, but quickly put the thought aside. There was obviously a lot more to this than just endangered worlds. “Please, tell us everything. Now.” 
to be continued... 

Chapter Three: The Path Not Taken  “We’re better off waiting for whoever rules in this Canterlot to arrive, and then straighten things out from there.” The door to their cell opened and the old mage noted, “Ah, perfect timing.” 
  “Good morrow, newcomers.” Celestia turned to their host, his deep baritone intriguing her, and her eyes widened at the sight of him. “Welcome to Canterlot. I am King Sombra.” The handsome grey stallion before them bore a surprised look upon his face as he examined them. “Please, forgive me if I seem surprised, but the two of you bear remarkable resemblances to other ponies I know. But you cannot be them.”
  “Oh, can we not?” The elderly unicorn bowed slightly in introduction. “I am Star Swirl the Bearded, and my traveling companion is Princess Celestia. We are travelers from another world.” As Celestia looked upon him in surprise, he asked, “What? Do you expect me to lie to a king?”
  “I’d be shocked if he believed us!” The princess turned to her fellow royal and quickly amended, “I realize our claims seem outrageous, but…”
  Sombra lifted a hoof. “Please, don’t elaborate further.” He then gently smiled and added, “I believe you. And frankly, I prefer this to the alternatives.” He gestured for them to follow. “Would you care to join me for refreshments? I’ve never spoken with ponies from another world before.” 
  Surprised, and still taken aback by the handsome stallion before her, Celestia nodded. “Of course.”
  “Certainly! I’m actually quite famished! Please tell me this world has tiny tea cakes!”
  The king chuckled. “I’ll leave that for you to decide.” 
  -
  “I’m sorry for the meager refreshments.” A serving table covered with an array of bread and dried fruit was wheeled out to the king, his colleagues and his guests as Sombra explained, “I’d much rather what harvested crops we have go to my subjects rather than myself.”
  “The way the soil looks ‘round these parts, you’d have a hard time growin’ weeds, let alone apple trees.” Applejack sampled the odd raisin as her host poured her a glass of water from a carafe. “How long’s it been like this?”
  “Since the last Summer Sun Celebration, when our Princess Celestia escaped her confinement and pulled our Luna into her madness.” Trixie bitterly regarded a slice of bread as she noted, “They still maintain their control over the sun and moon, and they’ve used it and their magic to all but destroy our ability to grow food. Our pegasus cities are in ruins, and between that and this perpetual twilight…” She huffed. “The day when we don’t have to buy apples from the mob will be a good one.” 
  The farm-mare grimaced at the implications of that statement while Twilight turned conversation back to the main topic. “Hopefully, that won’t last very long.” She turned to Sombra and asked, “Sombra, like I said, we need to know everything about what’s going on here. How did your Celestia turn evil? We were told she wasn't possessed by the Nightmare, so I guess it was something else.”
  Trixie, Prof. Doo and Sir Quill looked among themselves in confusion, then turned to their monarch as he noted, “Explanations in time, my friends.” He cleared his throat and took in his visitors. “Before I begin, I must ask, what all do you know about my origins?”
  “How do we know your origins are the same in our world that they are here?” Spike popped a dried orange slice into his mouth and asked, “I mean, our Sombra enslaved the Crystal Empire!”
  “Spike, just because they traveled down different roads doesn’t mean they don’t have the same origin point.” Twilight took a second to collect her thoughts, then began, “In our world at least, you were an orphan, found in the frozen wastelands north of the Crystal Empire. They called you ‘Sombra’ because that was the only word you said for a very long time, until you had proper schooling. Years later, something happened, you gained access to powerful dark magic, and you usurped Princess Amore as the ruler of the Crystal Empire.”
  Shocked expressions were clear on the faces of their hosts as Rarity continued, “What followed afterwards was a terrible chapter in Equestrian history. Nearly every unicorn in the Empire, as well as most pegasi, were slain. Only one unicorn we know of escaped the Empire, a few pegasi going with her. The few other pegasi who survived were either imprisoned or joined our Sombra as his personal army of thugs, his ‘Somber Elite’ as they called themselves.” 
  “Usurped…?” Sir Quill looked to his monarch in shock. “My king wouldn’t strike out at his own mother!”
  His remark earned him a spit-take to the face from Pinkie Pie. “His mother?!”
  As the aide wiped his face clean, Sombra nodded in understanding. “It seems we’ve found our first point of divergence. At least, the first major one.” He looked to Twilight and explained, “My story mirrors that of your world’s Sombra, up to a point. I was also found in the wastes to the north of the Empire, and raised in an orphanage. It was not an easy life for me. Being without a parent is one thing, but not being a crystal pony did me few favors with the other children.”
  “Oh dear.” Fluttershy and Rarity both shot the king sympathetic glances as the pegasus continued, “You must have felt terribly lonely.” 
  Sombra smiled reassuringly. “I was, but by a small miracle, I found myself with a friend.” He glanced to his earth pony aide and the two shared a grin. “That sort of thing tends to repeat, thankfully.”  He turned back to his discussion and explained, “Her name was Radiant Hope. The two of us were in school together, and grew very close indeed. She was the one who told me of the Crystal Heart and its role in protecting the Empire from the conditions of the frozen north and from evil.”
  “Oh yeah, I remember her!” Rainbow Dash swallowed the dried fruit into her mouth and explained, “Our Celestia mentioned her a couple weeks back, when we were getting the low-down on a bunch of stuff! She was the unicorn who escaped!” Her friends looked at her in amazement. “What? I pay attention.” 
  “In any case, the very day that she told me about the Heart was also the very day that I saw it for the first time.” A mixed expression appeared on Sombra’s face as he continued, “It was an eye-opening experience, to be certain…”
  -
  “Is that it?” Their hoofsteps seemed to grow more silent as Sombra and Hope approached the Heart, the glittering gemstone idly spinning in its place on the grounds of the palace. The tiny colt looked up at the gem, awestruck. “It’s amazing.” 
  The mare beside him giggled at her friend’s amazement. “I know!” 
  A smile, and Sombra suggested, “Let’s get closer.”  
  The two approached the Heart, and Sombra looked up at it, surprised that it wasn’t much bigger than he was. Bright light, reflected from the crystalline surfaces all around them, shone upon it and was mirrored back on them. The colt’s smile only grew wider as the light seemed to shine back upon him, and he almost thought he saw his own reflection in its faceted surface…
  “Wow!”
  “NO!”
  Sombra staggered back in shock. He didn’t know what his friend had seen, but what he’d seen had done him no good. So shocked was he by what he’d seen, he didn’t notice that he’d backed into another pony until he’d done so. He turned back to apologize, only to look up in shock and exclaim, “Princess Amore!” 
  Rather than be angry at the colt, the Crystal Princess looked down upon him with a pleasant, reassuring smile. “Yes, that’s me. And you must be Sombra.” The colt nodded nervously, and she laughed. “Don’t be so nervous, my little pony. I’m not hurt, and I don’t mind visitors to see the Crystal Heart.”
  Seemingly unaware of her friend’s fright, Hope strode up and exclaimed, “Princess, I saw something in my reflection!” 
  “Really?” Amore smiled and gently nuzzled both foals, each in turn, and explained, “That’s a very wonderful thing, my dear. The Crystal Heart’s reflection has very special properties; it reflects what’s in your heart.”
  “So what we can see in it can actually happen?”
  “Perhaps. I like to think that everypony has the power to control their future. What you saw reflected in it could very well happen. What did you see?”
  The filly beamed. “I saw me, only I was a princess!”
  “Very interesting.” She looked to the colt. “And you, Sombra?”
  The colt nervously turned away. “Nothing.” He looked up and explained, “Well, it looked like a shadow.”
  The princess said nothing, but the smile was gone from her face. “Whatever you saw, it very clearly frightened you.” It returned as she placidly offered, “Would you like me to escort you and your friend home? I never enjoy seeing my subjects frightened, especially the children.”
  Hope looked as if she would burst from excitement. “Please say yes, Sombra! Please?!”
  The colt remained nervous, but looked up at his monarch and said, “If you want to, I shouldn’t say no.” 
  Amore laughed softly. “I would have understood if you had. I value choices. We choose our destinies, my little ponies, and if something about it frightens us, then we can choose to fight it.” She followed behind as they led the way, her eyes remaining on Sombra as they continued onwards. 
  -
  “So, what did you see in the heart?”
  “As I said, a shadow.” Sombra nodded his head solemnly as he elaborated, “A terrible, expansive shadow, with a terrifying face right in the middle of it. Everything about it radiated evil and darkness, from its fangs to its curved horn to its eyes.” He looked upon Spike and added, “It was a nightmare. I suspect in your world, it was me.” 
  The dragon nodded. “Yeah. I saw him up close and personal not too long ago.” 
  “I’ve no doubt he had a similar experience, and he probably felt the same way I did; shame at having not told the princess the complete truth. But given your reactions, what happened the next day was probably very different for the two of us.”
  -
  “Come in, Sombra.” Chestnut Falls smiled gently as the colt entered. “There’s somepony here who’d like to speak with you.” 
  Sombra turned to her guest, and immediately felt as though he needed to go to the bathroom. “Princess?”
  Amore smiled. “Hello again, Sombra. Come closer, I won’t hurt you.” The colt obeyed, and the princess turned to the orphanage’s head and asked, “Miss Falls, could we have a moment?”
  “Of course. I’ll be right outside.” The glittering amber mare stepped out, leaving the two alone. 
  The smile never left her face as Amore turned to the nervous colt beside her. “Sombra, before I begin, I want to tell you something important. You are not in trouble. Do you understand that?”
  A nod. 
  “Good.” She gently stroked the colt’s neck with one hoof. “Sombra, do you know the story of how the Crystal Empire was founded?”
  He looked up and said, “You and a bunch’a other ponies were trying to find a new place to call home, but the cold made you all hide in the caves of the Crystalline Mountains. You found a dragon hoard there.”
  “And in that hoard, I found the Crystal Heart. It’s not just some random diamond. It’s an empathic gemstone. Do you know what that is?” The colt shook his head, and she explained, “It’s a very special kind of stone, rarer and more valuable than anything shy of life itself. They’re called such because they react to emotions, like anger and fear, and sadness and joy, and to love.” 
  “And you used your magic to link your love, and the love of the ponies with you, to the Heart, and make the Crystal Empire.” 
  A nod. “That bond has continued with each generation, and as I was directly linked to that bond, it is strongest with me. In many ways, it and I are one.”
  The colt bowed his head. “You know I lied to you.”
  “Yes, but I’m not mad about that. You were scared of what the heart showed you, and there’s no shame in being scared.” She gently nuzzled him and explained, “I had a very scary time once, long before you came along. That dragon hoard belonged to a very angry dragon, and he hadn’t abandoned it. He was only sleeping, and when he woke up, he came to the Empire and stole back the Heart.” 
  “But you got it back from him, didn’t you? I saw it.”
  “It was gotten back for us, and until it returned, I was very scared, for every pony in the Empire. I had put them in danger, whether I knew it or not, and I still thank the heavens above that we all made it through that terrible time, and the dragon was convinced to part with it.” She pulled back and continued, “We hold the Crystal Faire every year in celebration of the Heart’s return, and every year, I hope that its magic will be enough to protect us against the darkness, and I pray that I never make a mistake that will harm my ponies again.”
  Sombra looked at her curiously, but came to realize what she meant. “But you needed the Heart to save the ponies with you!”
  “Yes, but what dragon abandons their hoards? Not considering that was foolish and short-sighted, and showed me that I simply cannot leave things be.”
  The tiny colt suddenly felt afraid again. “But what I saw…”
  “Was frightening, yes, as are many things in life. Including being a mother.” The colt’s fear turned to surprise as she explained, “But I’ve raised colts before. I can do it again.” She smiled and asked, “Of course, that assumes you’re fine with becoming my son.” 
  “But the shadow…”
  “Sombra, there is good and evil inside of everypony. One or the other only become strong when they are nurtured. And it is a mother’s duty to nurture and protect their child. And I want it to be my duty to nurture the good in you, just as Chestnut Falls and Radiant Hope have done, and to protect you from the evil, at least until you can protect yourself.” 
  The colt looked upon her and asked, “You really want to be my mommy?” She nodded, and the colt smiled, then rushed forward and wrapped his forelegs about one of hers. “I’ve always wanted a mommy…”
  -
  “Awww.” Fluttershy smiled. “That was so sweet of her, taking you in!”
  “And by virtue of being her son, adopted or not, he was declared a prince.” Sir Quill turned to his ruler and explained, “One who would never sit upon her throne, however. The rites of succession for the crown of the Crystal Empire go to the eldest born child, and adopted foals are not even part of the running. It doesn’t matter, given that Princess Amore is still alive, but…”
  “Whoa there, partner! Amore’s still kickin’ in this world?”
  “My mother’s magic bonded her to the Crystal Heart. Each year, when the Heart was charged by the Empire’s citizens at the Faire, the magic would flow into her and rejuvenate her just as it spread out across all Equestria. So long as the Heart’s magic holds, she is immortal.” Sombra smiled. “I try to visit when I can, though I stay away during the time of the Faire.” 
  “Because the Heart’s magic harms you.” 
  The king nodded at Twilight’s summation. “A fact I was due to discover for myself three days later, when the next Crystal Faire took place. I’d hoped to spend it with Hope, a treat before my formal coronation as prince, but I was told to not attend. Mother allowed me to view the Faire from afar, however, and for me to have company.” 
-
  “I’m sorry you couldn’t be part of the Faire, your Highness.” Hope held up an ear of crystal corn and grinned. “But I’m still gonna eat more than you!”
  The newly-adopted royal laughed. “You’re on!” It was still early in the day, the Crystal Faire having barely begun, and as they looked out upon the Empire from the roof of one building at the very edge of the city, the two friends were ecstatic. Sure, they weren’t taking part in the Faire, but they were together, and thanks to a telescope, they had a very good view of the festivities. The two gleefully went at their food, munching away at the sparkling food until their ears were clean of kernels. Before he could start on his next one, though, Sombra smiled sadly. “You don’t havta call me ‘your Highness’ though. I’m still me.”
  “Yeah, but you’re a prince now! That’s so amazing!” 
  The colt managed an embarrassed blush. “Well, you’re gonna be a princess someday, right? Do princes and princesses call each other ‘your Highness’ and stuff?”
  “Guess not.” She picked up another ear and asked, “Do you think your mom can get us flugelhorns? I missed out on getting one last year. I’m the only crystal pony left in our class who doesn’t have a cutie mark, and I don’t want to be the only one left without a flugelhorn again.” 
  “Mom…” The word felt strange in his mouth, but it was a good, happy kind of strange, and Sombra continued as the instruments sounded from below, “Mommy will get us flugelhorns, Hope. She promised… she…” A strange feeling crept into him, a strong, tingling feeling in his legs. “Hope…!”
  The filly looked to her friend, her exuberance from earlier fading into concern. “Sombra? What’s wrong?”
  Sombra looked down at his hooves in fear. “I can’t move my legs…” 
  Her eyes grew wide with worry, and she turned and called to the guards, “Get help!” Two left to do just that, one remaining at his post while the other approached with her parents in tow. “What are you doing?!”
  “Two guards minimum need to be with a royal, ma’am, and I have some medical training.” The sparkling pegasus looked to the young colt and asked, “Do you have any other symptoms? Any pain? Do you feel lightheaded?”
  “No, I just can’t… I…” Terrible pains went through him, from deep in his stomach all the way to the tip of his horn, and he closed his eyes tight as if to hold it off. “It hurts…!” 
  The guard acted on instinct and pulled Hope back, but the filly struggled as her friend thrashed in place. “Sombra!”
  “Stay back! The prince’s illness may be contagious!”
  “I don’t care!” Hope wriggled out of his grasp and pulled Sombra up as best she could. “We gotta get him to a bed!”
  -
  “Hope never left my side after that, but I spent the rest of that day in her family’s guest bed, wracked with pain. The guard couldn’t determine what was wrong, but stayed with us until the next morning.” Sombra sadly continued, “The pain was gone, but I was not cured.”
  - 
  Sombra slowly stirred in his bed, the discomfort from the previous day gone. His eyes opened wide as he looked up to find two smiling faces beaming down upon him. “Hope? Mommy?”
  The filly embraced her friend with relief, while the grown mare laughed happily. “You had us frightened, Sombra. Hope has hardly left your side.” 
  “Sombra, I’m so sorry! Are you okay now?”
  “Yes, I’m okay!” The colt’s laughing assurance faded as he looked to his mother. “Am I okay, Mommy?”
  Amore bowed her head sadly. “For now, yes.” She wrapped her forelegs about the two and hugged them close. “Oh Sombra, I’m so sorry. I thought you’d be safe if you kept far from the palace, but I was wrong. You still weren’t safe, even this far away.”
  “Princess, what happened?”
  “The Heart happened.” Amore loosened her hold and moved back. “It protects the Empire from danger, and it believes Sombra to be a danger.” 
  “No!” Hope snuggled as close to her friend as she could and pleaded, “Sombra’s my best friend! He’s not bad!” 
  “And I agree.” Regret clear in her words and on her face, Amore explained, “But the Heart’s magic cannot see that.”
  “But this never happened before!”
  “That’s because the Heart wasn’t interacting with the love of the other Crystal ponies, Hope. The light and love from the Heart protects us from all sorts of dangers, including ones we’ve forgotten.” She cradled Sombra and explained, “The Heart warned of potential evil inside of Sombra, and I hoped that it could be held at bay. But this will happen again, every time there is a Crystal Faire.”
  “Then don’t have another Faire!” Hope looked to Sombra and pleaded, “A flugelhorn isn’t worth losing him!”
  A sigh. “If only it was that simple.”
  A tense silence followed, and Sombra asked fearfully, “Are you gonna get rid of me?”
  Amore held him tighter. “No. You are my son, and I will not abandon my son.”
  “Am I gonna die?”
  “Not if I can help it.” Amore loosened her grip and noted, “But something must be done. I will send a message to Canterlot; perhaps a solution can be found there.” She smiled and declared, “But for now, you have better things to think of, and a coronation to attend. Perhaps this will be a quiet celebration, hmm?” 
  -
  Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes and did her best not to gag. “So the Heart hurts you, fine. We knew that already, but why? It doesn’t hurt the rest of us ponies.”
  “Rainbow Dash, let him finish!” Twilight turned from her impatient friend to the king and gave him an apologetic look. “Sorry, but…”
  “No apologies needed, it is a rather long story.” Sombra collected himself, then continued, “We did not have rail service then, and a message could get out between cities only as quickly as the pegasi flew. But once word reached Canterlot, word came back swiftly enough, and six months to the day following my incident, Hope, I and my mother received our visitors; the alicorn princesses. It was a day that changed my life forever.” 
  -
  A number of guards stood at the ready, arrayed in their armor and flanked in two columns at the edge of the city. Standing between them was Princess Amore in all of her royal finery, her son and Radiant Hope at either side of her. “This is going to be an important day for the two of you. It’s been a very long time since they visited the Empire.” 
  “Can they help me, Mommy?” Sombra looked to his mother uneasily. “Will they fix things, so I won’t get hurt by the Heart?”
  Amore smiled sadly. “I do not know, Sombra, but there is always a chance.” Her gaze turned back towards the skies as a distant shape closed in from the south. “Ah. Alright everypony, smiles.” 
  Sombra put on his best smile, but it quickly faded as his expression turned awestruck upon the sight of their guests. He hadn’t lived very long, his memories only spanning a little over a year, and he’d had them described to him, seen pictures, but they were nothing compared to the real thing. It was a sight he would never forget.
  Flying majestically towards them were a pair of ponies, their wings larger than any pegasus he’d seen. They were built much like his mother, with slender builds and long legs, their long manes stretching out behind them. One was larger than the other, her multi-hued mane seeming to move of its own accord heedless of the weather and adorned in a headdress and hoofshoes like those he’d seen in history books of the regions near Saddle Arabia. The other had a solid mane of light blue, and was dressed in Greco-Roamin attire. What struck him most was that in addition to their wings, they also had horns, far longer than any other unicorn he’d seen beyond Amore. Perhaps they were related? 
  The guards sounded a fanfare from their trumpets, and the two newcomers landed softly before them. Amore stepped forward and bowed her head in respect. “The Crystal Empire extends its welcome to the alicorn princesses of Equestria.”
  The newcomers bowed in return, and the larger of the two ponies answered. “And we humbly accept the hospitality of the Empire and its residents.” The cordialities ended, and she broke into a gleeful smile. “Amore, it has been far too long!” 
  The three princesses laughed and embraced, the alicorns wrapping their wings about the unicorn in warm hugs. Amore’s spirits seemed lighter as she answered, “Forgive me, Celestia, but I can’t simply fly out whenever I please.” The embrace ended, and she remarked, “A new look?”
  “My sister can never maintain an appearance for too long. You know that, dearest Amore.” The smaller alicorn looked to the foals and asked, “And these two are the ones whom we may thank for this urgent visit?”
  The colt turned uneasy as Amore nodded. “Indeed. Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, allow me to introduce young Radiant Hope and my dear new son, Prince Sombra.” 
  The two bowed, and Celestia approached and gently rested a wingtip underneath the colt’s chin. “Your mother has told us of your plight, little pony. Rest assured, we shall do all that we can to help.” 
  Sombra smiled. “Thank you. I…”
  “My dear Sombra does not need the help of your kind.” The voice that spoke was cold and unnatural, and everypony present stood up and took notice. “He only needs the help of his mother.”
  “Highnesses!” One of the guards pointed towards the northwest, a mass of black cloud and shadow swirling towards them at high speed. 
  But Sombra knew this was no cloud. There was no wind, and a face started to emerge from it, not unlike the one he’d seen reflected in the Crystal Heart. But this one wasn’t inside of him, and it was rapidly approaching, evil eyes upon him as it called, “We were patient, but patience is a luxury we can no longer afford. Your age is over. Ours begins anew.” 
  Amore stepped forward as the cloud advanced and declared, “Whatever you are, you are no mother to Sombra. He was found abandoned in the snow, rescued by…!”
  “Abandoned?” The shadow laughed as she continued towards them. Sombra was almost too afraid to notice that she was avoiding the city. “He was not abandoned. He was left at your doorstep, and you took him in. Just as we knew you would. And now, I come to reclaim my son.” 
  Amore’s eyes narrowed dangerously. “You do not deserve to call yourself a mother. No mother leaves their son alone in the snow. Regardless of the reasons why, he is my child now, and you will not take him from me.”
  “He is not your…”
  The retort was quickly shut down as a beam of magic lanced forth from the Crystal Heart, striking out at the aggressor and causing it to shriek in pain and rage. The shadow sped up, and every instinct Sombra had told him to run, but his legs failed to do so. 
  “Sister, quickly!” Magic lit up the alicorns’ horns, and a shimmering dome of energy flashed over the gathered ponies, guards and royals alike. Celestia’s gaze was locked upon it as she reasoned, “Whatever this foul monster is, the Crystal Heart wounds it!”
  “You have a firm grasp of the obvious.” The shadow surrounded the dome and engulfed it. “But you do not have a firm grasp of what you face. It is time you were educated.”
  The shadow seemed to pull back, as if gathering strength for a great strike against the barrier before it. The alicorns strengthened their shield, but it did little good as the shadow struck swiftly, a projection sharp as a scalpel piercing the barrier and making its way to Celestia, striking directly at her horn and engulfing her in darkness. 
  “Sister!” 
  “Celestia!”  
  Luna and Amore’s cries fell on deaf ears as the elder alicorn rose up, eldritch energies crackling around her. She seemed to struggle with it, a pained expression clear on her face as she fought the enemy within. After what seemed like an eternity, it turned neutral, only for her eyes to open and a terrible flash of light to burst from her body, knocking back all around her. 
  Sombra and Hope were knocked off their hooves, but stayed close to Amore, Luna going in the opposite direction and the guards scattering around them. As they attempted to stand, a wicked cackle reached their ears. “Oooh, this is delicious!” The foals ducked in shock as Amore was knocked away by a burst of magic, Hope crying out as Sombra was lifted from the ground and held aloft. “Now then, it’s time I helped you, wasn’t it?”
  “Sister!”
  Celestia laughed wildly as her garments shifted, the headdress turning into a horned crown and her garb changing into furred clothes. “Do forgive me, Luna, but mine eyes have been opened!” The telltale wisps of dark magic flowed from her eyes as she regarded the foal. “It seemed fate had something in store for this colt! I intend to help him achieve it!” 
  “No!” Sombra screamed and writhed in her magical grasp. “Let me go! PLEASE!”
  “Sorry, Sombra.” Eldritch magic cracked from her horn, and Celestia declared, “You can’t fight fate.” The magic erupted from her horn like lightning, coursing its way into the colt’s own. “Don’t feel too bad, however; you won’t have to do what your mother intended. I’ll do it for you!”
  Sombra’s screams turned wordless as the dark magic coursed into him, his eyes wide with terror as he convulsed and transformed in midair. The whites of his eyes were gone, the green of his irises now filling them, his pupils shrunken and red, wisps of dark magic flowing about from the ends. His teeth were shifting, fangs growing in, his horn warping as his coat and skin cracked and broke away, black tendrils emerging and whipping in every direction. “Mommy! Hope! Help! Please, help me!” 
  Before they could act, a bolt of magic lanced forth and struck Celestia, breaking the connection between her and Sombra. The colt flew, but the dark magic continued its work as the possessed princess turned to face her sister. “Amore! Tend to your son!
  A dark chuckle, and Celestia turned her attention to her sibling. “It’s too late for him, Luna. And too late for you!” 
  “No.” Magic lit from her horn, and Amore declared, “Only for you. Luna, together!”
  The Princess of the Night worked quickly, her magic ensnaring and distracting Celestia. The possessed princess snarled and struggled as Amore readied her own attack, and from far away, the Crystal Heart glowed a brilliant blue, its light focusing upon Celestia and narrowing into a beam until a powerful pulse of magic shot forth. It struck its target, and a sphere of crystal formed around the alicorn, rapidly confining and trapping her. 
  “You think this will hold me forever?! I will be free! But until then, you’ll have just as great an evil to face! You allowed a monster into your lands, Amore!” A wicked grin was clear as the crystal concealed her face. “You’ve doomed them again!”
  The sphere remained aloft, held by Luna’s magic, as Amore turned her attention to her son. “Sombra!” 
  The transformation had continued unabated, and the colt was rising from the ground, writhing and twisting in pain as he changed. “HELP ME!”
  Hope watched in horror, tears building on her face as she watched. “I don’t know how!”
  “PLEASE! I DON’T WANT TO DIE!”
  Shock and fear can do many things to a pony. A thousand years or so later, it would cause a young unicorn filly to unleash amazing magic, enough to hatch a dragon’s egg, earn her cutie mark, and take definitive steps along the path to her destiny. Such events were rare, but not unheard of. 
  “NO! I WON’T LOSE YOU!”
  This was one of those events, as Radiant Hope’s horn glowed a brilliant blue. She scrunched her eyes tightly shut and focused her fledgling magic upon her friend. Energy erupted and crackled from it, enveloping Sombra in a glowing ball of light as his screams intensified, only to halt. The magic was not abating the symptoms of his illness, however, but fighting the disease itself, as it held and maintained its power.
  The guards and princesses watched in awe as Sombra slowly resumed his normal appearance, his coat reforming and his eyes going back to their natural state while they closed. He slowly drifted to the ground as the magic faded, seemingly safe and sound as Amore and the doctor charged forward. 
  “Sombra!” Terror clear in her eyes and the imprisoned Celestia seemingly forgotten, Amore charged towards the colt close and cradled him in her hooves. “SOMBRA!”
  “…Mommy?” His eyes opened, and he weakly answered, “I’m here, Mommy.” 
  The princess sighed in relief, tears flowing down her face as Luna approached and examined her son. “I don’t understand what happened. Whatever affliction he had, it’s gone.” She looked to the filly and said, “You’ve…” She stopped, then smiled, the previous terror all but forgotten. “Well, perhaps this explains it.” 
  “What? What’s…?” The little filly quickly checked herself over, only to notice something that hadn’t been there before upon her flank. “My cutie mark! It’s…” She turned back to the princess and asked, “What is it?”
  “A caduceus, child. It is the symbol of a healer. You’ve saved your friend’s life.” She turned back to the prince and asked, “But how did this happen? What was that shadow?” 
  “It made me.” Sombra trembled as he looked up at Luna. “It made me to be a monster, and it took away your sister. I’m so sorry.” 
  Luna smiled gently and assured him, “This was not your doing, Sombra. We are safe for now.” 
  Sombra remained uneasy, but that unease ended as he was quickly hugged by his dear friend. “I’m glad you’re okay.” 
  The colt smiled and hugged her back. “I’m okay because of you.”
  -
  “That day brought onto me a revelation, and finally explained why I was so different, and why the Heart did not hurt normal ponies but still hurt me.” He rose to his hooves and magically removed his garb, revealing what he hid beneath. “It’s as plain as my flank.” 
  Trixie, Prof. Doo and Sir Quill bowed their heads sadly while Twilight and her companions gasped in shock, Pinkie Pie exclaiming, “You don’t have a cutie mark!” 
  Indeed, the stallion’s flank was blank, and as he replaced his cape, Rarity exclaimed, “But this doesn’t make sense! The only ponies who never earn their cutie marks either die before they do so, or are severely mentally deficient! You’re not dead, and you clearly have full command of your faculties!” 
  “And you never had a cutie mitzvah!” 
  “Please, everypony.” The mares calmed down, and Sombra explained, “The reason I do not have a cutie mark is because I am not a pony. At least, not a true pony.” He turned to his stallion aide and asked, “Sir Quill?”
  The tan earth pony nodded and turned to their guests. “Have any of you heard stories of the Umbrum?” He noticed Twilight’s eyes widen in shock. “Ah, good. Princess, if you please?”
  “There are tales of beings of living shadow, able to assume the form of a pony at will and wield the most terrible of dark magic. They’re little more than myth, but…” Realization dawned upon her, and she looked to Sombra in shock. “But the myths are true, aren’t they?”
  The king nodded. “The proof stands before you. I am an Umbrum, and I have done everything to reject that status since my youth, as doing so would mean turning against everything I had come to hold dear and those who love me. It is why I am immortal. I cannot die, just go from one state to another like water freezing or melting from ice.” He sighed and explained, “The force that attacked me and took possession of my world’s Celestia was another Umbrum, my creator. I learned this as it attempted to transform me and activate my dormant magic, as well as repeat a dark chapter in pony history that had long been forgotten. Ages ago, the Umbrum terrorized the lands that would one day become Equestria. They were finally stopped when a powerful magical artifact, one that we now call the Crystal Heart, was used by unicorn mages to hold them at bay until they were defeated by a powerful spell. But they couldn’t be destroyed, so instead, they were sealed away in crystal, and the crystal itself buried deep underground beneath the frozen wastes of the north.”
  “Beneath the Crystal Empire.” Horrified, Twilight looked to her friends and exclaimed, “That’s why our Sombra enslaved the crystal ponies and set them to work in mines! They weren’t digging for gems or treasure, they were digging for the Umbrum!” A thought came to her, and she asked, “But how did you get free in the first place? And why did you forget?”
  “I wasn’t freed, Princess Twilight. I was created.” Sombra grimaced as he explained, “One Umbrum had enough power, enough will, to work its way to the surface, and used its magic to create me. I’ve no doubt that was the same origin for your Sombra, but circumstances led to different things for him.”
  “But how’d it get free from the crystal?” Applejack anxiously looked to the king and asked, “Ah mean, if’n they could just break out of the crystal on their own, they woundn’t’ve made you.” 
  “A search was made of the area near where I was found. The guards located a shallow hole the snow, and near it, the corpse of a Yakyakistani trader. I suspect that my progenitor sensed that things were not going according to plan, forced its way out of the snow, and goaded the yak into striking it.” 
  “Break the crystal, free the Umbrum.” Rarity shivered. “But obviously you never became the monster our Sombra did, and never cursed the Crystal Empire.”
  “No. Unlike your world, it remained standing through the last millennium and its citizens never knew tyranny, from my hooves or any others.” He smiled and admitted, “I visit it and my mother as often as I can, though I make a point of staying away whenever the Crystal Faire takes place, as I said. Hope can’t always be with me, after all.” 
  Twilight looked to him in surprise. “Wait, was that present tense?”
  The king chuckled. “Yes. Hope’s magical talents allow her to heal any ailment in another pony. That magic works through her as well, and has prevented her from falling to the one disease we’ve yet to conquer; old age. Like myself and my mother, she ceased to age once she reached maturity.” 
  The lavender alicorn turned awestruck. “That’s amazing! No wonder she was destined to be a princess!”
  “And she was declared one once she came of age and completed her schooling, just as I was declared king.” He poured himself more water and explained, “Luna took over her sister’s duties of raising and lowering the sun, of course, but over time, I found myself with equal authority to her. I still maintained my title even after parliament was created.” 
  “But you said that you loved Celestia.”
  “And she returned that love, yes. My relationship with Hope remained a close friendship, but never progressed beyond that; there were things I could never give her that she wanted, and we both knew it.” A wistful look formed upon his face as he remembered, “Meeting the Celestia of your world was a surprise. It came very shortly after I was declared king.”
  “Could I have an exact date for that?” Twilight produced her copy of Star Swirl’s journal as Trixie passed over a history book, and quickly checked the dates. “If I’m reading this right, that meeting took place a little bit before our Celestia and Luna received word of our Sombra usurping the throne and seizing the Crystal Empire. She didn’t even know about you.”
  Sombra nodded. “And it was no doubt quite the eye-opener.” His story told, Sombra looked to Twilight and asked, “Now, I know a little of what happened in your world differently, Luna’s becoming the entity called Nightmare Moon. I’m curious, what else was different? Aside from me, of course.”
  Twilight took a breath. “That’s a long story.” 
to be continued... 

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