Tomb of Magic

Unfortunately, he was right.

I did need him. We had been walking through the impressive stonework that was Trottingham asking if anypony knew where the Trottish museum was, only for my search to be fruitless.

After asking the fifth pony I was ready to break down, and it must have showed, because behind me I heard Sombra-possibly-Starswirl trying to muffle one of his snarky chuckles.

Fuming, I stopped abruptly and turned around, strands of my mane and tail beginning to curl away in disarray.

"What do you find so-o-o funny?!"

His suppressed demeanor cracked and he burst into a bout of laughter in a manner that made me immediately think of Rainbow Dash. But that still didn't mean he sounded exactly like her; you could still hear shreds of what could easily go from jeering delight to maniacal at the drop of a pin.

"Purple Eyesore, you really are dense," he began, quickly gathering what may have been left of his wits and going back to his usual irritated look.

"Everypony here is speaking Trottish, and not Equestrian. Since I rule you incompetent until further notice, you should just follow me."

He turned and trotted away leaving behind one very irritated 'Purple Eyesore'. I made another mental note in my Sombra-swirl theory: Sombra's behaviors, as annoying to me as they were, did not seem consistent with some of Starswirl's traits. He not only displayed a lack of sternness but was also not completely humorless, as some of the only records with Starswirl make him out to be. Sombra was far from austere. Not to mention that he didn't show any signs of ever having the signature beard. Cadance's letter to me puts him around Shining Armor's age, which may even be too young, but if he wasn't Starswirl the Bearded - he has to be - who was he, and what was he doing on my quest?

He was Starswirl. I had a perfectly valid theory.

'Sombra' was Starswirl the-

"Purple Eyesore! Are you going to come over here or do I have to drag your lazy flank over? I assure you that if you make me choose the latter. I will make it extra painful! Won't that be nice?"

I blew my ruffled bangs out of my face with a sharp aggravated breath and quickly cantered over to where Sombra had waved over a pony.

It was an average sized earth pony with a wild looking fluffy, curly orange mane and tail. She had a pastel pink coat and pale yellow eyes with swirly blue paint underneath that seemed to schematically point to her earrings: two silver studs in one ear, one green hoop in another.

Her cutie mark was the image of two white ballet shoes. One of her hooves was twirling the fringes of a plaid scarf while purple bangle bracelets slid up and down her hoof.

Suddenly a wave of reddish-gray aura enveloped all of us and flashed briefly, which tore my eyes away from those silly neon bracelets. Neon had never been a favorite theme of mine.

"Wha-?"

Sombra rolled his eyes and grumbled.

"I have just cast a spell that will allow all of us to communicate without language restrictions. To the pony next to you it will sound like you are speaking their birth language and dialect. This will last for about five minutes before I would need to attempt to recast the spell," he said looking from me to the Trottish mare.

"Unfortunately, I don't think our names will translate. Purple Eyesore and I just want to ask you some questions," he concluded obviously directing the last part at this stranger.

The pink mare nodded. "My name is Eala, how can I help you?"

Sombra briefly turned to the mid-morning sky with a snarky look of gratitude on his face as if to say 'finally somepony is listening to me'.

"Well, Purple Eyesore and I are looking for a large museum around here but I haven't seen any. You wouldn't happen to have any of those-"

Okay if this spell works like he said then this would be my best chance to breach his spell and change it.

I dragged my hoof in a seemingly absentminded manner in a patch of dirt, trying to disguise the fact that I was drawing runes that would allow me to hear what Sombra-swirl heard based on the workings of his spell.

If I could hear what it sounded like for an average who pony spoke Sombra's native dialect using more distinct formal words I might be able to better place the era he originally existed in.

As the runes were completed I heard a small crackling noise.

Did it work...?

A swift wave of nausea overcame me and I stumbled, gasping.

The mare, Eala, stopped talking saw me and ran off, looking frightened. Sombra immediately turned over to where I was, a look of horror spread across his face.

The vision in my left eye started to grow dark, slowly turning into a void.

Sombra, or at least what part of him I could see with one eye, encircled me in aura when I stumbled again, and my skull threatened to hit the cobbles of the pavilion.

He turned to me with this baffled expression on his face, as I began to feel woozier. It looked like a mix between uncertainty and anger.

"What hast thou done?" he said.

Huh? Was Luna here?

I tried to grasp what was happening around me once more, but my last bit of consciousness slipped away...

I guess the spell did work.

...Sombra:

Why was this one so nosy?

I sat down on the steps of the museum, which I had finally reached, despite the inconvenience that was Purple Eyesore.

Can I just have the pink one back? At least I could work with her.

Though at least ponies didn't look at me funny here, even if they knew who I was. I wouldn't have been able to get directions otherwise.

No doubt that Purple Eyesore had large amounts of magical ability if she was able to control a magic surge so big that it enabled her to view two time periods at the same time.

Pretty impressive, for a novice like herself.

I looked down on the steps at the purple shape next to me and cast a quick rousing spell. If she wasn't dead she would wake up in few minutes.

I don't think I'll have to kill her.

At least my counter spell was able to block anything she shouldn't have seen.

Anything I didn't want her to see.

I've spent too long avoiding that valley and I'm not about to go back quite so willingly as Purple Eyesore wants me to.

He'll find me, there is no doubt about that.

I will just have to deal with him like I did the last time we met.

The fool never saw it coming.

There can only be one Starswirl the Bearded and he ceased to exist long ago.

I was lucky once if 'luck' is what it can be called.

But I don't need luck this time.

I may be nothing but a monster to some, all the blood won't wash away.

Because I have some blood to spill, another shot at revenge, and no purple princess is going to get in the way of that.

A coughing noise over to my left startled me.

"Oh...you're awake now."

"Yeah," Purple Eyesore said hoarsely, "thou art awakened, or something of that sort."

I hate her excuse for a sense of humor.