Chapters Ch 1: The Bearers of the Elements
As exciting as it was to attend a high-class event, nothing could be more boring. Just a bunch of high society ponies gathered together to talk about how great they all were. Sombra couldn't understand how any pony would ever find that sort of activity "fun". At least his friends were also here. Of course, that was the only reason he was even here. The party that would be happening soon was to celebrate the six of them. It had only been three years since Sombra and his friends discovered the Elements of Harmony and harnessed their power to defeat Discord, the Spirit of Chaos, who had enslaved all of pony kind throughout all of Equestria and beyond. Ever since then, an annual celebration was held to honor the Elements and their Bearers. One of the ways in which the Bearers were honored was by presenting each of them one by one to the city of Canterlot before the celebrations began and that was just about to happen.
Sombra and his friends stood in empty room next to an exit that would lead them to the outside balcony of Canterlot Castle. They all listened as the announcer pony began to speak.
"It has been three years since our tyrant ruler, Discord, was defeated by the Elements of Harmony! Long had we been enslaved by his ways of chaos and disharmony, but now we are free!"
Sombra could hear the crowd cheer at that last word.
"We have and will always continue to celebrate that glorious day! And now without further delay we present the Bearers of the Elements of Harmony!"
The six ponies all did quick checks of themselves to make sure they looked presentable.
"Bearing the Element of Laughter, Diona!"
Diona was the only earth pony of the group. She was, however, the most energetic out of all of them. She had purple fur with a short green mane and tail. Not the traditional way for a mare to style her hair, but very practical. Diona's mane could grow so long that she would have to wrap it around her body just to keep it out of the way. She cut it short to make her mane and tail more manageable. Her cutie mark was what look like a long green mane swirling around her flank.
Diona exited the room to the balcony where she was greeted by very loud cheering. It was no surprise to have such a loud crowd at this event. The six ponies had become used to expecting it anywhere they went.
"Bearing the Element of Honesty, Cloudfire!"
Cloudfire was a pegasus, one of two in the group. His fur was completely white all over and his mane was bright red. It naturally grew in a way that made it look like he had just been racing. Cloudfire had an interesting talent of being able to fly in such a way that he could light himself on fire, but it somehow didn't harm him in anyway. Sombra had thought once that Cloudfire might be part Phoenix. His cutie mark was a ball of fire with a tail coming off the end.
Cloudfire trotted out to the balcony with his wings spread out wide for his 'adoring fans'.
"Bearing the Element of Kindness, Buzz Daring!"
Buzz Daring was the other pegasus. Unlike Cloudfire, Buzz didn't fly around much. In fact, Buzz couldn't fly at all. He was born with a deformed right wing and had to grow up like an earth pony, but that didn't stop him from being the chief weather pegasus of Canterlot. He also made a habit of climbing mountains to make up for his wing. The color of his fur was teal with his mane and tail being dark blue. His cutie mark was a white cloud with rain and snow coming out of it.
Buzz went out to the balcony with his wings tucked in a way to hide his right wing.
"Bearing the Element of Loyalty, Sombra!"
Finally it was Sombra's turn. When he made it to the edge of the balcony to look over the crowd he could see and hear the cheering, but if he looked hard enough he could usually find at least one pony with a stunned look. Sombra was very used to it by now. He understand very well that seeing a pony with little to no color could be very shocking. Sombra's fur was a dark grey with his mane and tail being jet black. The only color that would be noticeable was the color of his eyes, blue, and his cutie mark which was what looked like a heart-shaped gem stone with a crack going down the middle.
After bowing to the crowd, Sombra joined the others on the side of the balcony to make way for the other two ponies.
Sombra was the only unicorn in the group, but that hadn't always been the case. Before Discord was defeated, the next two ponies, that were to be announced, used to be unicorns, making their groups unicorns three. Defeating Discord had caused them to change. It's not that they had lost their horns or anything, they just weren't exactly unicorns anymore.
"Bearing the Element of Generosity, Princess Luna!"
If the crowd was loud for Cloudfire, they were deafening for Luna. The dark blue figure of an alicorn came onto the balcony. Looking out into crowd, Luna surveyed her people. Sombra could tell how happy it made Luna to see the smiling faces of her subjects. She was, after all, his best friend. After giving her bow she joined the other four.
"And finally, bearing the Element of Magic, Princess Celestia!"
Nopony thought it was possible, but the crowd cheered even louder as Luna's elder sister stepped out to be seen. She was also an alicorn with white fur and a flowing pink mane and tail. She also surveyed her subjects like Luna had with a smile on her face.
Celestia turned her head to the others and motioned them to join her. The others came to the front of the balcony forming a line with Diona and Buzz on Celestia's left and Luna, Sombra, and Cloudfire on her right.
The crowd continued to cheer for what seemed like a good 10 minutes. Then the six ponies all turned around and went back into the castle. They waited for the crowd outside to settle down before saying anything. Then they all faced each other.
Diona was the first to speak. "Well, that was way exciting!"
"More like way loud!" Buzz said with a little laugh. "I think my ears are still ringing."
"It'll pass quickly. Besides you're just not used to fans cheering all the time." Cloudfire said
Sombra was quick to comment, "Because we all want ponies screaming at us all the time."
Everypony but Cloudfire laughed at that.
"I was just happy to see all those smiling ponies," Luna said with a smile and faced Sombra.
Sombra returned the gesture.
"So was I, sister. Now, enough chat. We all have a party to attend." Celestia said.
"So exciting," Sombra said sarcastically.
Luna gave a little chuckle.
All six left the room they were in and headed to the castle's Grande Ballroom.
When the six ponies had made it to the Grande Ballroom, they found it completely empty except for the musicians who were on the stage tuning their instruments. When they noticed the six ponies who had arrived they stopped what they were doing and quickly got out their music and started playing. Soon other ponies dressed in fancy clothes starting entering the ballroom.
Cloudfire turned to the other five ponies. "Get ready for a long night," he said under his breath.
Sombra most definitely agreed with that statement.
Sombra had been dreading this part of the day ever since he woke up this morning. The party that followed the presentation was so dull. It was easily more boring than the Grand Galloping Gala. At least at that event you could find some middle-class ponies. Not here. Here it was all of the upper crust. And all they ever did was stand around and talk. Not that talking was terrible because it was possible to have a very lively and interesting conversation. All these ponies were only interested in talking about themselves. Whether it was about their success or their fashion choices or anything else, it was sure to be boring.
Sombra went through his usual routine for these kinds of events. He would wait for some pony to find an interest in him and make light conversation. Of course he never paid any attention to them and as soon as they were done would head over to the refreshment table and hang out their the rest of the night. The only exception to this would be if one of his friends invited him to join a conversation.
Sombra was looking through the options of food to see if their was anything he wanted. That's when Luna joined him.
"It seems one can never get used to these events." Luna said.
"No kidding," Sombra said. "I am so ready for this to be over."
"Me too."
"We could just leave."
"I wish, but as a Princess I have to stay."
"Right. That whole 'Princess of Equestria' thing."
"I do it for my subjects."
"And your sister."
Luna looked down at that. "Yes."
"Why?"
Luna gave Sombra a stern look. "We are not having this conversation."
Just then two ponies, a mare and a stallion, came up and greeted Luna.
"Well, hello Princess Luna. You are quite a sight to see," the stallion said.
The mare gave him a nudge.
"Oops!" the stallion said, "I didn't mean for it to come out like that."
"Oh, that's quite alright. I'm sure it was just a mistake." Luna responded.
The mare positioned herself between Luna and the stallion and said, "I think he was meaning to say what a privilege it is to be in the presence of an alicorn."
Luna blushed at that. "Oh, thank you."
At that, Sombra went back to looking at food.
The stallion moved the mare out of the way. "Even though it's been three years, I still am amazed that we have two alicorn princesses in Equestria!"
"Um... I don't believe I got your names." Luna said.
"Oh, I am so sorry. You must excuse my poor manners." the mare said. "I am Mrs. Orange and-"
"And I'm Mr. Orange." said the stallion interrupting.
"Pleasure to meet you." said Luna
"Well, sadly, we have more socializing to do so we'll have to leave you."
"That's too bad."
"Yes it is." Mrs. Orange said. "I'm sure you have other guests to entertain. Goodbye, princess."
And with that the Oranges left to socialize with some other ponies.
Luna turned back to Sombra. "I'm sorry," she said.
Sombra didn't look up from the table. "Don't be. It's not your fault."
"Sombra, if I understood what had happened, then I would do everything in my power to fix this."
"What is there to fix. Obviously, you and Celestia were meant to be alicorns and I wasn't."
"But it still bothers you."
Sombra didn't answer. The truth was it did bother him. How was it that out of the six ponies that had harnessed the Elements of Harmony, only two of them became alicorns? And even if it was just a unicorn thing, why did Sombra not change? He just couldn't get over it.
"Let's just try to enjoy ourselves, ok?" Luna said
Sombra looked at Luna. "I'll try." He then turned and made is way to the doors that would lead him to the Canterlot Gardens. Luna knew it would be useless to try and keep him here so she went to join her sister.
Sombra enjoyed walking through the gardens. It was always the best thing to do when he needed to calm down. He also loved looking at all the gardens statues and would make his way to that statue area of the gardens.
When he came to the statues, the first one he saw was a depiction of three fillies playing. Each one represented one of the pony tribes. It was supposed to represent when the three tribes came together and founded Equestria. The next statue was of a pony holding up a flag. Sombra wasn't sure what that one meant.
As Sombra was approaching the next statue, something caught the corner of his eye. He turned and saw the last of a critter darting into the tall plants. Sombra waited to see if it would make another appearance. It didn't. Using his magic, he sifted through the plants to see if he could find whatever that critter was. After a while of no success, he decided to give up. That's when someone spoke to him from behind.
"It has been a while since the last time we saw one another, Sombra."
Sombra stiffened. He knew that voice. A voice that you could never forget no matter how hard you tried. A voice that to this day still haunted Sombra's dreams. He turned around to face the one who had addressed him, though he already knew who it was.
Discord.
It took Sombra a moment to realize that he was looking at the statue of Discord. He relaxed a bit and gave a sigh of relief. "I must be hearing things." He started walking away from the statue.
"You are not hearing things. You are hearing a voice and it is mine."
Sombra spun back around to face the statue. "That's not possible."
"It is possible, actually."
"But you're supposed to be imprisoned in there. How are you doing this?"
"Just because I've been imprisoned doesn't mean I can't speak to you. I am the Spirit of Chaos. That should be enough explanation for you!"
Sombra was freaking out on the inside. There was no way Discord could be talking to him. It had to be a trick. "Who are you really?"
"You really have to ask that? I'm Discord, the Spirit of Chaos."
"Why should I believe you're not some trick?" Sombra was hoping he was right.
"Because, Sombra, we had a deal."
Sombra's heart sank. No pony knew of his dealings with Discord. That was a part of his past he had been trying to leave behind. If this really was Discord, he would know what the deal was. "What deal are you talking about?"
"Apparently, we need to refresh your memory."
Suddenly, images of Sombra's past began appearing before his eyes.
Discord continued to speak, "Before I was imprisoned in this statue, we had made a deal concerning your new found power. You had recently discovered that you were to be the bearer of the Element of Loyalty. I knew you wanted your chance as the hero so I allowed you your fame on one condition. When you got the chance, you would take the Elements of Harmony and use them to set me free. The Elements would then be given to me to be destroyed."
Sombra didn't respond.
"Well...?" Discord said.
"Well, what?" Sambra asked.
"Why have you not yet set me free?"
Sombra didn't know how to answer that. He couldn't just tell Discord that he had changed his mind. It was not until after his experience with harmony that he realized how wrong Discord had been.
"There have been some difficulties," Sombra knew that wouldn't be enough.
"Difficulties? Like what?" Discord asked.
"Well, it's not like I know exactly where they are."
"You don't know where they are? How can you not know where they are? You harnessed their power!"
"That's just it, Discord. We harnessed the Elements, but we never 'found' them."
"You're lying."
"I'm telling you the truth. I don't know where they are." That was only partially true. Sombra and his friends had never found the Elements of Harmony, but he did have an idea of where they might be.
"If you say so," Discord said. "I assume you will begin your search soon."
"My search?" Sombra didn't like the sound of that.
"For the Elements of Harmony, of course." Discord said.
"Oh." Sombra had to think fast. "I would have thought it was a lost cause."
"Now I know your lying."
Sombra gave no reply.
"I would think as the Bearer of the Element of Loyalty you would value loyalty above all else." Discord said.
"I do value loyalty!"
"Than honor your loyalty to me!" The ground seemed to shake at Discord's words.
Sombra took a moment to consider his answer. "No."
"What?"
"I said, no!"
"How dare you defy me! After all that I gave you during my reign!"
"But your were wrong Discord!" Sombra had become very frustrated with Discord. "Chaos is not right! We all need harmony to live happy. I refuse to help you return to power!"
Sombra turned away from the statue.
Discord was not done. "How is it that a traitor like you could harness the Element of Loyalty? You are not worthy of such a title as 'Bearer'."
Sombra quickly turned back to the statue and pointed his horn at it. He concentrated his energy into his horn ready to let out a burst that would destroy Discord. He held it there letting the energy build up. Then, just as his magic was about to burst, he pointed his horn towards the sky and let his magic burst into the air. He watched as the sky burst with all kinds of colors.
He couldn't destroy Discord. That would go against everything the Bearers stood for. That's why they had spared his life and imprisoned him instead.
"When you've calmed down, one of my other servants will meet with you to help you on your search." Discord said.
"Other servant?" Sombra asked.
Discord gave no reply.
"Discord!"
Again, no reply.
Sombra gave a sigh and began his walk back to the party.
The Grande Ballroom had mostly emptied out by the time Sombra had come back to join the party. He was surprised to see that he had been gone so long. His conversation with Discord didn't seem to last very long.
Sombra looked around the room for Luna, but couldn't see her. He did notice, however, Diona and Buzz near the stage on the far side of the room and proceeded in their direction.
"Hey, Diona. Hey, Buzz." Sombra said.
"Hi, Sombra!" Buzz said. "I was wondering if you'd ever come back."
"I think I came back at the right time," Sombra said while motioning to the empty ballroom.
Buzz gave a small laugh. "I agree with that."
Diona gasped. "I almost forgot! Sombra, Luna told us that if we saw you to tell you that she wants to talk to you about whatever happened earlier."
"I should have seen that one coming." Sombra said. "Did she say where to meet her?"
"Hmm, I don't think so."
"Oh, well. I think I'll be able to find her. Thanks for the message."
"No problem. See you tomorrow, maybe?"
"Yes. I hope to see both of you tomorrow."
"Have a good night, Sombra." Buzz said.
With that Sombra gave them a nod and exited the ballroom.
Ch 4: A Very Unhelpful Talk
Sombra made his way down the hall towards the observation tower. It was in the top room of the observation tower that Luna and Sombra always had their talks. Ever since harmony had been restored to Equestria the two friends would spend most of their free time there. It was a quiet secluded place where they could talk about anything and not have to worry about anypony interrupting them. They liked the idea of being able to keep their personal lives separate from theirs lives as a Princess and an Element Bearer. Only in this tower did that seem possible.
Sombra arrived at the tower and started up the spiral staircase. It followed the outside wall up to the top passing several doors leading to different rooms. He finally made it to the top where the door to the observation room was. The door was closed so Sombra pushed it open and walked in. He found Luna looking into one of the telescopes, getting ready for the sun to set.
Luna looked up at Sombra. "I know I wanted to talk, but if you could just wait for a minute?"
"You're fine," Sombra said. "It is your duty, after all, as Princess of the Night to bring the night."
"Thank you." Luna went back to her telescope.
Sombra went over to the work bench where there were scattered several star charts. "Anything specific planned for tonight?"
Luna didn't look up from telescope. "Mostly general star patterns with a full moon. However, we will be seeing the Harmony Hexagon tonight."
Sombra made his way to the window to get a better view. He watched as the last sliver of the sun left the sky. Luna stepped back from the telescope and her horn began to glow. Sombra watched as the full moon rose into the sky. Then the stars started to appear slowly, one by one, then all of a sudden the sky was full of stars. He looked for the hexagon and found it at the highest part of the sky.
The glow from Luna's horn faded. She turned her attention to Sambra. "Now that I'm done with that, we can talk."
Sombra continued to look at the sky. There was a smile on his face. "This is always my favorite part of the day. Getting to see the night sky coming to life."
Luna blushed and smiled. "Oh, it's nothing."
"I just wish more ponies could appreciate your night."
Luna's smile went away. "Well, at least I don't have to try to please everypony. I can do whatever I want with the moon and the stars. Besides, if my best friend likes it, that's enough for me." There was I pause. "I wanted to talk about earlier. Are you feeling okay?"
Sombra's smile was replaced with a blank look. "I'm fine."
"I can tell you're lying."
Sombra gave a sigh. "There is nothing to talk about."
"Yes, there is."
"I don't see why we need to talk about it again."
"Because you're obviously still upset about it!"
Sombra turned to Luna. "Well wouldn't you be!?" he snapped back.
Luna took a step back.
Sombra looked down at the floor. He took in a deep breath then exhaled. "I'm so sorry. That came out of nowhere."
Luna stepped closer to Sombra. "No. It's my fault you snapped. I just thought it would be good to get it off your chest."
"It would be good, but I don't have anything to say that I didn't already."
"Why don't you tell me what you've already said before? That might help." Luna went over to the work bench and sat down then motioned for Sombra to join her.
Sombra reluctantly went over and sat down next to her.
"Before we defeated Discord, we were all just regular ponies. Right after we won, you and Celestia suddenly disappeared into a flash of light. I don't know about the other three, but I thought you were dead. I was so scared. Then the two of you reappeared as alicorns. The only thing I've been able to figure out is that your change had some connection to defeating Discord. If I'm right, why didn't the rest of us change?"
Luna interjected, "Do you mean why you didn't change?"
Sombra didn't answer. "Where did you go when you disappeared?"
Luna sighed. "I honestly have no idea. If I knew, I would tell you."
"Would you?"
Luna gave a surprised look. "Of course I would!"
"Then what do you know?"
"I know that I don't know what I am except that my power has increased greatly and that everypony sees me as some kind of god. Celestia and I have been trying to research this ourselves. Until now, alicorns were just a myth. Any records of other alicorns are long gone. We have discovered that in a time long ago, before the three pony tribes came to be, there may have been an alicorn race. A very ancient race that we believe to have been the start of civilization. Sadly, we do not yet have any proof that this is fact."
Luna finished, but Sombra didn't respond.
"That's it." Luna said.
"Really?"
Luna paused then said, "That's all I'm allowed to tell."
"What is Celestia hiding?"
Luna gasped. "I am shocked that you would accuse my sister of hiding things! Besides, I agree with her! We don't actually know anything about our new forms. We can't go around claiming fact about things that are only a guess. And-"
"Sorry! Again, I am so sorry. I'm just frustrated that's all."
They were both silent for while. Both were staring at the star charts.
"There is one thing we know for sure. There is a castle, here in Equestria, that was not made by unicorns. Its architecture is way different from how the unicorns would have designed their castles. There is depictions of alicorns all over the place. When we first found it, we had no idea what it might be since we weren't alicorns yet." Luna paused. "It's where we found the Elements of Harmony."
Sombra tensed. He had to be careful what he said next. Maybe if he knew where the Elements were, he could keep them from being given to Discord by the 'other servant'.
"Where is this castle?"
"In... the Everfree Forest."
Sombra could feel his heart pounding. "Are they still there?"
"Why do you ask?"
Uh oh. "For... uh... curiosities sake."
Luna gave Sombra a quizzical look. "Yes, they are still there. Sombra, you're acting very strange. Did something happen to when you left the party?"
"No!" Sombra answered a little to quickly. "I mean, no. Nothing happened when I left."
Luna gave Sombra a long stare. "I know you're lying."
Sombra gave no response.
Luna gave a little smile. "It's alright. I won't ask you to tell me. I just want you to know I am always willing to talk about whatever you want. However, I think we might want to be done for now. We need to rest before the celebrations tomorrow."
Luna gave Sombra a hug then went to the door. "Good night." Then she left, leaving him alone in the observation tower.
Sombra relaxed and gave sigh. Then he turned to see the night sky one more time, but something else caught his eye. Laying on the telescope was what looked like the shadow of a fox, but with dark red eyes looking straight at Sombra.
Sombra had seen this creature before. The last time he met with Discord before his reign ended, this fox had been lying on the ground next to the throne. This was the 'other servant'. Had he been there the whole time?
Meet me in your bed chambers.
Then the fox vanished.
Sombra couldn't move. The shock of seeing that creature was overwhelming. All he could do was stare out into the night and hope that he could figure what to do.
Discord had another servant. Sombra knew that already. Most of them had abandoned Discord in that final battle. Was there really still servants loyal to him? Or was he just seeing things? He hoped for the latter. If there were other servants still serving Discord, then it might be a smart idea to join them. Only because Sombra would rather survive Discord's return than have to deal with betraying him.
Sombra suddenly felt himself feeling exhausted. He couldn't even remember what that fox had told. That is, if the fox had been real. He shrugged it off and made his way out the door and down the stairs. His body was still feeling the shock so he decided to retire to his bed chambers where he could sleep.
Sombra's bed chambers were located within Canterlot castle. He was the only non-royal pony that lived there. It was because of Celestia and Luna that he had received such a privilege. Back in the time of Discord's reign, many families had been separated, including Sombra's. Sombra had been too young to remember anything about his family when he was separated from them. It was a miracle he survived at all. As a little colt he had befriended Luna. Luna and Celestia had also been separated from their families, but they still had each other. Celestia, being the eldest and almost a full grown mare, took on the responsibility of raising Luna. She also took in Sombra to be a friend to Luna. When both Sombra and Luna grew up they had to part ways. Sombra wanted him and Luna to join forces with Discord, but Celestia knew that her and her sister's place were with the newly formed rebellion. Even though they were on different sides, Luna and Sombra remained friends. It was through this continued contact that Sombra was told by Luna that he was destined to harness the Element of Loyalty.
After the defeat of Discord, many families were able to reunite. That was not the case for Sombra. He searched all over Equestria and never found a family who had lost a young, grey furred colt. For all he knew, he was an orphan. He ended his search in Canterlot after discovering that Luna and Celestia were in the same situation. He asked for a place to stay while he made a home for himself, but Celestia instead offered him a permanent residence in the castle. While there were many things that Sombra didn't like about that idea, he knew that he would get to see Luna everyday so he accepted the offer.
Sombra made his way through the labyrinth of halls that led to his bed chambers. He finally made it and didn't hesitate to go inside. The room was dark except for the floor where the rays of the moon shone in. He intended to keep it that way since he wasn't planning to stay up any longer. That's when he noticed the pair of red eyes in the corner of the room where his bed was.
Sombra aimed his horn in the air and sent sparks flying to all the candles in the room. He looked back at his bed and saw the same shadow fox from earlier. What he had seen was real.
"Who are you and what do you want?" Sombra asked.
Don't pretend like you don't know who we are and why we are here.
"We?"
You must excuse our... my speech. I am not used to speaking for myself alone.
Sombra noticed that the fox had no mouth. "How are you talking?"
The same way Discord spoke to you. He did that through me.
Sombra remembered the critter that caught his eye right before his conversation with Discord. "Were you that critter I saw in the garden?"
Yes, that was me.
"But you're a fox. What I saw was much smaller. You wouldn't have disappeared into those shrubs so easily."
I am a creature of shadow. I can go where ever I please. The fox faded and reappeared on the window sill. It then faded again and appeared right in front of Sombra. I can also take on any form. The fox melted into a small shadow rabbit. Then it grew to Sombra's size and took the form of a pony. Do not underestimate me. The shadow pony faded and was replaced by the fox back on the bed.
"Ok, then. Now that I'm here, what do you want me to do?"
Pack up any provisions you might need. We start our journey to the Everfree Forest tonight.
"What!? Why?"
Because the longer we take to retrieve the Elements, the longer we delay Discord's return.
"But there are celebrations I'm supposed to attend tomorrow!"
We can't wait any longer! We need you to get the Elements as soon as possible!
"Why can't we wait?"
There are other forces at work which grow stronger the longer we wait. Forces that oppose this quest.
Sombra narrowed his eyes at the fox. "I'm pretty sure these 'forces' are just something you made up."
A creature of shadow would not joke about the light of the sun, our one true enemy.
Sombra became confused. "The opposing force is the sun? That doesn't seem so bad."
You do not understand what you say. Light is shadows weakness. Shadow can only exist where there is no light. During the day I lose my power and become invisible. Every day we draw closer to a most dreadful day for us. The longest day. You call it the Summer Sun Celebration, but it is not so. On that day, the sun is so strong that I and my brothers lose all our power for any entire cycle of the moon. We cannot wait until then.
"Sunlight makes you invisible?" Sombra paused to think about that. "How was it that I saw you earlier in the garden?"
The fox just stared at Sombra. That is a very good question. Why could you see me?
"I don't know. That's why I asked you." Sombra was becoming frustrated again.
We'll have to look into that later. You need to pack so we can leave before daylight.
For no known reason, Sombra had a strong feeling that he should do what this fox was telling him to do. "Fine."
As unwilling as he was, Sombra began to pack. He only took the smallest of necessities since he could use his magic for anything else he would need. He put on his saddlebag and started to leave, then stopped. "Wait. I need to do something first."
Sombra used his magic to bring a piece of parchment and a quill to him. He wrote a quick note on the parchment and floated it to his unused pillow. Then he used his magic to extinguish all the candles in the room. Now veiled in darkness, he left the room with the fox following close behind.
Sombra made his way quietly through the halls making sure to avoid any guards. He made it to the enormous doors that would lead him outside to the front gate. Without making a sound he opened the door, slipped out, and closed it back up.
Next would be the front gates which were closed and locked every night. Sombra walked to the gate looking around for any guards. There weren't any. He stopped at the gate and tried to think of a way through.
Allow me to help.
Sombra suddenly felt weightless.
Just walk forward.
Sombra did as he was told. To his surprise, he walked through the gate as if he were a cloud. Then the feeling of weightlessness left him.
"How did you do that?" Sombra asked in a whisper to the fox.
It's a shadow trick. Are there any more obstacles?
"I don't think so."
Then we must make haste.
The fox suddenly started running ahead. Sombra had no choice but to follow him.
By the time Luna woke up the next morning, the sun had already risen. Although she usually preferred the night, Luna had to sleep at night so she could stay awake during the celebrations. Besides, if there was any trouble, the night guards could always wake her if need be.
Luna got out of bed and went over to her dresser. She looked in the mirror and saw her mane disheveled. Using her magic, she raised the comb that was sitting on top of the dresser and combed her mane until it was presentable. She then went to her window to look out onto the waking world.
There was a knock at the door.
Luna spoke. "You may enter."
The door opened and one of the castle guards came into the room.
"Princess Celestia requests an audience with you in the throne room."
"Tell her that I will be with her as soon as I'm ready."
The guard gave a nod and left the room.
Luna continued to look out her window for a little longer. She wondered if Sombra was up yet. He would always sleep until Luna would send a guard to wake him up. Since his only duties were to the Elements of Harmony, there was no reason for him to be up early. However, sometimes he would be up early during the Harmony celebrations.
Luna left her room and made her way through the many hallways to the throne room. The throne room was empty except for her sister who was on the throne looking at a piece of parchment floating in front of her.
Celestia looked up from the parchment when Luna had finished crossing the room.
"Please tell me you know something about this."
The parchment floated to Luna who grabbed it with her magic. On the parchment was a note to her which said:
Dear Luna,
I'm sorry I won't be able to stay for the celebrations. Something has come up. I'll make it up to you.
Sombra
Luna looked up from the note. "What?"
"This was found in Sombra's bed chambers. He is no where to be found. The Royal Guard has already searched all of Canterlot. Do you know where he went?"
Luna gave her sister a confused look. "No."
"I'm told he was with you last night."
"Yes. But that doesn't mean I know where he is."
"I was hoping he had told you something."
Luna shook her head.
Celestia continued, "Did he say anything out of the ordinary?"
"No, but..."
"But, what?"
"We did have one of our talks last night."
"What did you talk about?"
"Just the usual. Except we did talk about the Elements."
Celestia's eyes narrowed.
Luna continued, "I told him about the castle we found in the Everfree Forest."
"Luna!"
"It's not a big deal!"
"We agreed to tell nobody where the Elements are located!"
"It was a small slip up. No big deal."
"It is a big deal, Luna. We don't know what Sombra could do."
"There's nothing Sombra would do."
"Are you sure about that?"
"Yes." Then Luna realized what Celestia was saying. "You don't trust Sombra?"
"It wouldn't be the first time he made a bad decision."
Luna glared at Celestia. "Sombra has changed, Celestia. Why is it so hard for you to accept that?"
"I'm just trying to look at the different possibilities so we can be prepared."
"Well, you're wrong." Luna turned the leave the room.
"Wait!" Celestia said.
Luna stopped, but didn't turn around or respond.
"Do not think of me badly because of my duty to Equestria. I must be cautious where others are not."
"I understand." Luna turned back to Celestia. "Now if you'll excuse, I need to go prepare my self for today's celebrations."
"And so must I," Celestia said.
Together they left the throne room.
Sombra woke up to the bright light of the morning sun. It took him a moment to realize where he was. He and that fox had made it to the bottom of the mountain that Canterlot had been built on. Looking around, he found himself surrounded by forest.
You must sleep.
Sombra jumped. "What the!?" Then he remembered the fox. He looked around and couldn't find it. "Where are you?"
I am not visible while the sun is in the sky
"Oh, right."
Our journey is long. You must sleep now so we can travel at night.
"Fine." Sombra laid his head back down and went to sleep.
Back in her bed chambers, Luna was preparing for the celebrations when there was a knock at the door. She hoped this wasn't another guard telling her to go do something. "Come in!"
It wasn't a guard. Luna saw the pony through her mirror. "Diona!"
"Good morning, Luna! Sleep well?"
"Very well." Luna couldn't hide her uneasiness.
"What's wrong?"
Luna thought there was no reason to keep any secrets. "Sombra is missing."
"What? Why? When?"
"It was some time during the night. We don't know why."
"Oh my stars! What are we going to do? I was supposed to have a starring contest with him today!"
That made Luna laugh. "You'll have to postpone that."
Diona gave a sigh. "Oh, well. Maybe I'll challenge Buzz to a starring contest."
"But he'll let you win."
"I know. But it's better than getting competitive with Cloudfire."
They both laughed at that.
Diona continued. "Welp, I have others that I need to check up on. See you later, Luna!"
"See ya, Diona."
Diona left the room leaving Luna alone.
Luna turned back to her mirror. She checked to make sure she didn't miss anything then left her room to join the celebrations.
Wake up, Sombra.
Sombra opened his eyes. There was a pair of red eyes starring back at him. It took a moment for his eyes to adjust to the dark before he recognized the dark outline of the shadow fox. The sun had already set. It was time for them to continue on. Sombra felt a bit of a pain in his back while standing up.
"Remind me never to sleep on the ground again."
That shouldn't be necessary. If you are fast enough, we could make it to the Everfree Forest by sunrise. Then we'll be able to travel through the day as well. The forest is dark enough to allow us to walk freely at all times.
Sombra groaned. "So, basically, I won't be getting any rest between now and when we get to the castle."
You won't need it. Then the fox ran in the direction away from the mountain.
"What?" Sombra stammered. "Wait for me!"
Sombra ran after the fox. He was able to catch up to the fox before it sped up again. The whole night was like this. The fox would dart ahead, slow down a bit for Sombra, then dart ahead again as soon as Sombra caught up. Many times Sombra would want to stop and rest but the fox would keep going no matter how much he begged.
Keeping up with the fox would have been easy except for the terrain made it impossible. In the forest at the bottom of the mountain, the fox would swerve between trees making it hard for Sombra to see where they were going. They left the forest rather quickly finding a large area full of tall grass and large hills which had no path running through it. Sombra found it very difficult to continuously run up and down what seemed like every hill. The hills and grass eventually transitioned into a rocky plane with random boulders scattered all over. This was especially hard on Sombra's tired hooves which needed a rest. Lucky for Sombra, it wasn't long before they came to the edge of a dark forest. A faint light was beginning to illuminate the land as the sun began to rise.
The fox stopped at the very edge. Sombra stopped as well and wanted very much to collapse onto the ground. He looked over to see the fox starting to fade.
"Are we finally here?" Sombra asked between gasps of breath.
The fox slowly walked into the forest. As soon as it fully crossed the border between the rocks and the forest, its entire figure went from slowly fading to fully visible. The fox turned back to face Sombra.
Yes. This is the Everfree Forest
"Are you sure we can't rest here for a bit?"
I already told, you won't need to rest.
"Ugh. Well you'll just have to deal with me-" Sombra took one step into the forest and felt a surge of energy flow through him. Suddenly he wasn't tired anymore and his hooves weren't aching. "What was that!?"
That was the forest. It knows you are welcome here and is giving you strength to keep going.
"That was incredible! How did it do that?"
The Everfree Forest has many mysteries. Enough questions. We must get to the castle as soon as possible.
"Well, then. Let's get going!"
The fox quickly darted ahead, but this time Sombra was able to keep up. With the amount of strength the forest had given him, he felt like he could run forever. It was the most amazing feeling. He felt as if he could win a race against Cloudfire. Too bad Cloudfire wasn't here to see Sombra's speed.
Then, in what seemed like no time at all, they came upon a beautiful sight. Before them were the remains of an ancient castle. It was almost completely intact from what Sombra could tell. There were some holes in the walls where a missing stone might have been. The structure was also covered in all kinds of overgrowth. But there was something else about it that Sombra couldn't quite figure out. The place seemed so dark, darker than the rest of the forest. It made Sombra have a sick feeling.
What you're feeling is the weight of all the years of hatred that have tainted this place.
"How did you know that I was feeling anything?" Sombra asked.
It will soon pass. Now we must journey through this castle to the location of the Elements of Harmony.
"Can you answer my question first? How did you know I was feeling anything?"
Now is not the time for questions. The fox quickly ran inside the castle.
"Hey! Wait up!"
Sombra ran after the fox. By the time he made it into the castle, the fox had disappeared. "Where'd you go? I can't follow you if you disappear!"
There was no reply. Then there was a soft hissing noise. It continued to grow until it sounded like whispering. It sounded like it was coming from everywhere. It continued to get louder and louder causing Sombra's ears to ring. Then, suddenly it stopped. Sombra felt a sort of pull on him. He started to walk. Not knowing where he was going, he allowed himself to be guided through hallways, up and down some stairs, and into a giant room. Once in the room, the pull stopped. Across from him was a sort of shrine with six orbs placed on it each with a different symbol.
"The Elements." Sombra said to himself.
This was it. All Sombra had to do was take the Elements and bring them to Discord. Then he could be rid of his oath to Discord.
Sombra started to make his way towards the Elements when the fox suddenly appeared in front of him and blocked his path.
Wait.
Before Sombra could say anything, pairs of red eyes started to appear all around him. The room grew darker as many dark forms began to take shape. Sombra looked around wildly feeling very scared. All around him were the forms of bears, wolves, deer, squirrels, birds, and all sorts of other creatures. The darkness was so intense that Sombra couldn't help it but to fall to the ground and curl up hoping that this pain would go away.
Then everything was still and the pain was gone. Sombra stood back up and saw that the creatures were still there.
Sombra had to force himself to speak. "What's going on?"
We did not bring you here to take the Elements of Harmony. You are here so that we may present you with a choice. Sombra, you are no ordinary pony. You bear the Element of Loyalty which puts you above many others. But there is more that you do not yet know of. For you are descended from royalty. You are destined to do great things.
"Descended from royalty? You may not know this, but most unicorns have some royalty in their bloodlines." Sombra said with an annoyed tone.
You misunderstand. We do not speak of any of the royal bloodlines which come from the unicorn tribe nor any in all of Equestria. We speak of a near extinct line of which you are the sole survivor.
Sombra's ears perked up. "Are you talking about my family? Do you know where they are?"
There was no reply. Then Sombra realized the meaning of 'sole survivor'.
It is a shame that you had to find out this way, but now is not the time to mourn.
"What happened to them, to my family?"
All in good time.
"But-"
We have little time to spare.
"Fine."
You are descended from a line of kings which come from a place outside of Equestria known as the Crystal Empire. It is there you will find a power far greater than anything Discord could give you.
Sombra became confused. Who were these creatures? "Are you not servants to Discord?"
We were never his servants. As much as we allowed him to think so, it was us who were the true masters. Now listen carefully. You can either take the Elements and give them to Discord to do as he pleases or we could take you to the Crystal Empire to fulfill your destiny and become king.
"Um.. let me think about that." The choice was obvious, but would it be worth it. Somewhere an entire empire was without a king and he alone could fill that spot. But what of Luna and his other friends. Could him becoming a king possibly ruin those friendships? Would Celestia take this move as some sort of threat? There was only one way to find out.
"You will take me to the Crystal Empire."
Perfect.
All the creatures suddenly vanished. The room became brighter and Sombra was alone. Not knowing what to do he found a place to lay down and rest.