Chapters The curtain came down and every pony in the audience applauded. Up in their royal balcony seats, two royal sisters were cheering on as the curtain calls were made. Then, it was all over.
The sisters made their way out of the theatre as their royal escorts were right behind them.
"Thank you for joining me, Sister." said Luna.
"You're quite welcome." Celestia smiled.
"I know how hard it must be to see theatrical productions involving that of which you know first-hoof."
"As painful a reminder as it was, I am not upset…" Celestia said, but Luna could have sworn she had heard a hint of sadness in her sister's voice.
"Still, seeing a play on Shakespony's famous play, 'Romeo and Juliet', must be hard…"
"It would be hard for any pony due to its tragic ending."
But Luna wasn't fooled. She knew the heartache her sister had to endure when repairing another universe. That universe had a unicorn king with whom her sister fell deeply in love with, only to lose him when their worlds were colliding and some pony needed to restore balance. The Good King Sombra bravely sacrificed himself just to save his dear sweet Celestia from being turned to crystal.
Luna was quite grateful for the stallion because she needed her sister. They had been separated for over a thousand years due to her one and only horrible mistake. She vowed then that she would never again be separated from her beloved sister ever again. Still, she wanted her sister to have happiness and it was then she had thought of a strange but wonderful idea…
She turned back to Celestia, "I must go now, my sister, for the night calls to me!"
Celestia yawned, "Yes, little sister. And I must retire and be well-rested to raise the sun tomorrow."
Luna nodded her head as she took off, "Good night."
"Good night." Celestia replied as they took their separate ways.
When Celestia got to her chambers, she saw her pet phoenix, Philomena, asleep on her perch. She then went across the room to a small plant that held a mirror shard and a piece of paper with the inscription 'Always' on it. She used her aura to lift the shard to her face, seeing part of her reflection. She could remember a time that the shard was part of a gateway to another world where she could meet with the stallion that deeply cared for her.
She let go of the shard as she moved slowly towards her bed while still glimpsing at the plant carrying what little she had left to remember the one she had loved. She set herself in the bed and closed her eyes as memories came back to her.
It was just a few months after Star Swirl's and her journey through the mirror and found a world much like their own Equestria, but with quite a few differences…
The young Princess was growing weary of her duties during the day and needed a break. Star Swirl noticed this and suggested, "How would you like to go through the mirror and meet King Sombra again? Now would be a good time to learn more about his world and how different or similar it is to ours."
Her heart jumped at the idea, but she contained her excitement by simply nodding and saying, "That is a wonderful idea."
"Excellent! Race you down to the library!" he made like an earth pony and ran as fast he could.
Celestia smirked and all thoughts went to the unicorn king who was kind and beloved by his ponies.
Star Swirl performed the spell and a terrible thought went across Celestia's head, But what if he's forgotten all about me…? She would soon find out.
King Sombra listened as Luna was giving the daily reports across Equestria. Everything had been peaceful and no threats had come from Celestia so far. Celestia… How he wished the Celestia of his world didn't share the same beautiful name as the Celestia he met from another world a few months ago. It was strange at first to be around a good Celestia, but the more he got to know her, the more he started liking this sweet Celestia. It made him think if the Celestia he had known to be a villain was good, then perhaps they would have been… But he knew that different worlds must remain what they were and if the Celestia he had met was a kind and wise ruler to her ponies, then he was perfectly happy with that.
"Your Highness!" one of his guards rushed in, "Celestia was spotted in gardens!"
Sombra rose from his seat with a serious expression on his face, "Thank you, Captain." He and Luna ran out.
"I should have known my sister wouldn't have been able to stay away for long…" Luna said guiltily.
"What matters is stopping what evil plan she has now…" They kept running until they made it out to the gardens. They braced themselves for battle, but stopped when they realized who it was… "Celestia…?"
The Princess smiled, "You remember me…"
"Of course I remembered you. How could I forget such a sweet and beautiful face…?"
Celestia was blushing.
Star Swirl came up, "Sorry if we caught you at a bad time."
"Nonsense, your timing couldn't have been more perfect…" he was staring at Celestia when he said that.
She stared back at him with a loving glance.
She was sitting in his parlor as he was serving her tea, but she couldn't drink. She was still haunted by the face of the evil king who had cursed an entire empire to vanish.
"Are you alright…?"
His voice… so soft and gentle… not like the distorted voice she heard that sounded so evil… She couldn't hide it anymore and said, "No…"
"What's wrong?" worry filled his voice.
"I… I met your other half in my world…"
"What…?"
She nodded.
Sombra was almost afraid to ask, but he had to know what he was like in Celestia's world… "How bad?"
She faced him with tears in her eyes, "Evil… Pure evil…"
He was taken aback at first, but knowing that if the Celestia of his world was capable of evil, his counterpart had to be just as evil in his sweet Celestia's world…
"How do you handle it…?"
"Handle…?"
"My evil self… Surely, when you see her, that you see me… but acting so cruel and harsh… How do you keep reminding yourself to look the other way, seeing the good instead…?"
He gave a small smile, and wrapped his hoof around her, "This is how… Whenever I see you again, I can feel the good and light radiating off of you that I can come close to touch you… When she's near, I feel the coldness and keep my distance. You may share the same looks and eyes, but it is your good heart that I love more… If the Celestia I had known as my enemy was as good as you, then there would have been a chance for us… I'm sure the same can be said of the Sombra of your world… If he was anything like me in your world, then you, too, would have a chance to be together…"
"But it wasn't to be, was it…?" she said sadly.
"I'm afraid so. It's just how our worlds were set… I am to rule this Equestria as you must rule your Equestria. But we were brought together for a reason, Celestia… to have this moment of happiness… I am not the monster you saw recently. I am a much better version of that Sombra, just as you are a much better version of Celestia. We are the best of each other…"
She smiled as they touched horns and then shared a kiss…
She made it through the mirror and when she would open her eyes, it would be the same beautiful Equestria she always saw. But, no… When she opened them, she was shocked to see how the once-lush Equestria she visited was now in disarray and gloomy-looking. She started to fear the worst when she thought that something had happened to her Sombra. She rushed towards the castle, flew onto one of the balconies, and went to go find the throne room. As she got closer, she heard muffled yelling, so she took a peek through the door and saw Sombra at the table looking troubled. She heard him saying:
"Calm down, everyone! I know Luna's betrayal is serious and that she joined forces with her sister, but we cannot let that get us down! We will find some way to stop them before all of Equestria is lost! Discord, I need you go the northern lands. Chrysalis, to the south. Trixie, Manehattan and other remaining cities will need your special talents."
"But what about you? I can't just leave you here to defend Canterlot all by yourself!"
"I'll be fine, and I wish the rest of you good luck…"
They all started standing and were about to leave. Celestia knew she had to hide from the others. The doors opened and Sombra said goodbye to his trusted council and friends.
"Stay safe, Your Majesty."
"I will, Derpy…"
Derpy adjusted her glasses and nodded her head before leaving.
"Be careful, old boy." said Discord while putting on his Captain Goodguy mask.
"You too, old friend…"
"Don't give them the pleasure of getting to you…" said Chrysalis.
"I won't. It takes a lot to get under my skin…"
"Please… Isn't there any other way…? I could stay in Ponyville and keep an eye on them…" Trixie was pleading with her former mentor.
"And let them have an advantage of seizing control? No, it's far too dangerous… I need you far away from them, Trixie."
Trixie shed a tear as Sombra lifted her chin and smiled at her, "I am so proud of you, my faithful student. You have come so far. Ever since I had taken you in as my apprentice, you have grown into the princess you were meant to be…"
"Just… don't let anything bad happen to you…"
"I can't control what will happen, but I know I can count on you no matter what… Whatever happens, you can handle anything your mind is set to. You'll be fine, Princess Trixie…"
Celestia beamed at Sombra's words. It was exactly how she felt about Twilight handling things on her own.
Trixie was still upset and gave an unsure look to her longtime mentor. He, in turn, gave a reassuring smile, making her smile a little. Once she was gone with the others, Sombra gave a deep sigh, turned to sit on his throne, and looked out to see that the sky wasn't the same as before.
"That was a wonderful thing to say…"
He froze in his spot as he thought, That voice… I haven't heard that lovely voice in such a long time… He slowly turned around and there she was, with her long gorgeous flowing mane, her sweet violet eyes, her snowy white coat, and she was radiating as if she really was the sun. "Celestia…" he said in a near-whisper and gradually went to her. "Is it you…?" He had near tears in his eyes.
"Yes…" she also had near tears in her eyes. They embraced each other for a long time until they faced each other. She gave a concerned look, "Tell me everything's that happened…"
For the rest of the day, they told each other about what had been happening in both worlds. Like Sombra, Celestia also had a student she took under her wing and she became a princess, too. Discord's counterpart has been released from stone and was serving for good, but only in his best interests. The biggest change was that Luna of Celestia's world returned from being Nightmare Moon and the Luna of his world had gone to the dark side to join her sister.
"Oh, Sombra… I should have known that once Luna returned to me, the Luna here would have also joined her sister…"
"No, Celestia, it's great that you have your sister back. Our Luna at first was different from her sister, but she was still loyal to her. It wasn't until the time that your Luna was starting to act resentful that our Luna turn to our side and served to help go against her sister."
"But things have gotten so bad here… I have the Elements of Harmony to help me through difficult times, but you have no such protection and defense… What can you do to stop this?"
"I don't know, Celestia… but I will fight to my last breath to protect my subjects from evil Celestia's tyranny… Just as you had to stop the evil Sombra in your world…"
"I shouldn't have come…"
"Don't say that…"
"But if someone sees me, they'll think of me as the one hurting them…"
"Never…" he took her hoof. "You're good, pure, and true… You are the light that guides ponies out the dark… and if you're here now, then you are the key to how we can get out of this…"
"Oh, Sombra…"
"You being here is a miracle, so surely you must have some idea of defeating our foes."
"Alas, I have nothing I can give…"
"Take your time. We'll think of something… Now, tell me more of your student…"
That was the last time she saw of him until their worlds were merging and that they were willingly to sacrifice themselves to save both worlds. Celestia released a small tear before she completely fell asleep.
Luna then appeared in front of her sister as she performed her spell to enter Celestia's dreams.
"Rest easy, my sister, for tonight, you shall have a dream that will bring much joy to you…" she smiled as she connected to her sister's thoughts and dreams.
It was a bright morning on the streets of Canterlot. All was quiet and peaceful until there was a commotion. Three Diamond Dogs were making a mess in the marketplace. Ponies around them were running away from the ruckus as a five other ponies with a baby dragon were going over to the dogs causing the riot.
"Hey, you!" shouted a pony wearing a Stetson hat.
"Who, me?" the smaller of the Diamond Dogs pointed to himself.
"Yeah, you! Stop that right now!"
"Or what?!" The dog mocked, and then he laughed as he picked up a ripe tomato and threw it at the pony.
"I'm warning-" But she couldn't finish as the tomato got all over her face.
"Food fight!" the pink, hyper pony shouted out as she grabbed for a cream pie and threw at the big dog. It landed on his face.
Pretty soon, a food fight commenced and in the midst of it, a white unicorn was ducking to avoid the flying food.
"I refuse for my hair to get dirty!"
"I'll protect you, Rarity!" said the dragon as he shielded her with an umbrella.
"Oh, thank you, Spikey-Wikey."
The dragon's eyes filled with hearts.
Meanwhile, the pegasi ponies created a barricade.
The blue one with rainbow hair was throwing all sorts of vegetables, "Broccoli? Yuck! Cauliflower? Double yuck!" She looked down at the whimpering Pegasus, "This is a lot of fun, ain't it, Fluttershy?"
"Oh, yes…" she gulped. "Fun…" She ducked as a piece of cake zoomed past her.
"Wrong way, Pinkie!"
"Oops! Sorry, Dashie!" She turned herself around and aimed at the dogs with her party cannon.
Suddenly, a voice shouted out, "What is going on here?!" Shining Armor, wearing his armor, rushed in with a squad of royal guards.
"Drats, it's the coppers!" the small Diamond Dog yelped.
"Let's get out of here!" said the medium size dog and they made a break for it.
"And don't come back!" Applejack yelled after them.
"This is the third time this month those ruffians have caused a mess in our fair city." huffed Rarity.
"Is every pony and… dragon all right?" Shining Armor asked.
"We're fine, but it's getting to be tiresome to clean up after those canine gem stealers." AJ sighed.
Rainbow clomped her hooves together, "Sure wish there was some way we can keep them out for good."
By then, a griffin swooped in after she had given out a mighty hawk call. She said, "Do you want me to track them down, Dash?"
"That'd be great, Gilda. Make sure you report back if you spot them."
"Duh." Gilda flew up and made it to the edge of the city, where she landed and ended up bumping into some pony.
"Hey!" the blue unicorn with a silvery mane who wore a purple hat and cape complained.
"Watch where you're going!" Gilda huffed.
"Excuse me?! Do even know who I am? I am the Great and Powerful Trixie!"
"Like I care. Now get out of the way. I'm trying find a bunch of dumb Diamond Dogs that invaded Canterlot, so it would be best if you just stay out of my way!" she out a lion's roar and then took off for the air.
Trixie humphed, "How rude of her to be like that to Trixie." She stuck her nose up into the air and trotted off.
On the borders of Equestria was a dark and gloomy-looking castle. Inside of it was a throne room, where a large and muscular centaur sat on a throne. He gave no expression towards the three sirens that were singing on the sidelines.
Suddenly, a voice shouted out, "Tirek!" The changeling queen came to him, "You said that we would take over Equestria!"
Tirek waved his hand in command and the sirens went silent as they watched the two forces argue it out.
"You promised we would overthrow the princesses and rule all of Equestria!"
"And we shall, when the moment is right." the centaur declared.
"But when is that moment?!" the queen demanded.
"Soon, but for now, we wait and watch our opponents' every move. We keep them distracted with other things until we attack!"
"If we keep sending those idiot Diamond Dogs out, they're liable to spill the beans!"
"If they ever do, they shall be severely punished…" he moved a vase with his magic and threw it across the room until it smashed into pieces against the wall.
"Aww! I liked that vase!" said the blue siren named Sonata Dusk.
The purple siren named Aria Blaze glared at her associate, "Just keep it zipped, Sonata."
"You zip it!" Sonata retorted.
"Shut it, you two!" the yellow siren, Adagio Dazzle, exclaimed.
Chrysalis shouted out, "If you three don't stop that, I'm going to-"
"Can't we once stop yelling at each other?!" A grey unicorn stallion with emerald eyes walked in. He wore only armor around his body and legs. "We'll never get anything done if this racket keeps up!"
Chrysalis eyed the stallion, "I am well aware of our business! I don't need some Umbrum to tell me otherwise!"
Sombra's eyes briefly changed to red and green before he reminded himself that he was in control of his emotions and that anger would not get the best of him. All his life, he was treated different because he did not have a cutie mark. When he learned the truth as to why that was, he went against his Umbrum heritage and learned to deal with the darkness inside him. But because he was afraid ponies would never accept him for who he was, he remained a misfit until he came across other beings that were like him. They had all been together since then. Sombra wasn't entirely sure he wanted to conquer all of Equestria, but it was what the others wanted and they were the closest thing he had to a family, or so to speak.
"Better to have an Umbrum than a cowardly draconequus!" Tirek spat.
Chrysalis gave a chuckle, "That creature has his own interests at heart. The reason he doesn't join us is because he's afraid the princesses will turn him to stone again."
Sonata wore a blank expression as she asked, "Um, who are we talking about here?"
Adagio and Aria groaned as they smacked their faces.
Aria grunted, "Try to keep up, Sonata! They're talking about Discord, the Spirit of Chaos and Disharmony!"
"O-oh! Why didn't they say so?!"
The other sirens, plus the changeling queen, rolled their eyes.
"And that is one of the reasons we've haven't been able to take control yet!" Tirek gestured, "If he's taken sides with the ponies, then we can't take over! This is why we must wait until the right moment." He glared down at the queen, "Is that understood…?"
"Perfectly…" she hissed.
By then, a bad smell fill the room and they turned around to see the Diamond Dogs covered in food stuffs.
"Pee-ew!" Sonata held her nose, "That smells awful!"
"I agree." Adagio held her nose, too.
Aria exclaimed in disgust, "No kidding."
Chrysalis told the Diamond Dogs outright, "What is that Tartarus-forsaken smell?!"
"It's not our fault!" Spot cried out.
"Yeah, those ponies were the ones who started it!" Fido proclaimed.
"Yeah, right!" shouted another voice. Trixie came in behind the dogs as her nose scrunched up, "Trixie saw how you threw that tomato at the one with the bad hat."
"But they threw a pie!"
"Enough!" Tirek shouted, creating an eerie silence. "I don't care if they threw a piano on you! Did you at least make sure you got away without being seen?!"
The dogs whimpered as they nodded their heads repeatedly.
"Good!" He took a seat on his throne as he told them, "Now leave me, except you three," he looked at the sirens, "you shall resume your singing."
Adagio bowed, "Of course, Lord Tirek." She and the other two sirens started to sing.
Sombra knew then it was best to steer clear of the sirens' vocal range. He went to Trixie and said, "Want to take a walk with me?"
She nodded her head as they made their way outside.
She said to him, "Trixie is getting tired of having to cover for the Diamond Dogs. They are so clueless as to hide their trail. I wish that Trixie would stop being treated as a lackey!"
"So you're saying there would have been a chance that they would have been tracked down and exposed where we were?"
"Yes! And after I covered their tracks, a rude griffin bumped into me! Trixie has never been so insulted in her life!"
"There's no need to get aggravated. Griffins aren't known for their politeness after all."
"I know… but still! She was the most unpleasant griffin I have ever met!"
"Have you met other griffins before?"
"Well… no. No, I have not."
Sombra shook his head.
"So what have you been doing? Moping around the castle?"
"I do not like hearing Tirek and Chrysalis talking about their plans to take over Equestria. I wish for things to remain the way they are. I'm happy where we are: away from the prying eyes of the pony race who view us differently."
"Now who wants that?!"
They turned around to see Discord floating above them.
Sombra pointed, "Discord, it might be wise that you stayed away as much as possible. If Tirek finds you here, I can assure you it won't be congenial."
"Well then, why aren't you turning me in if you're so worried about the big bad Tirek finding out?"
"Because, as I have told Trixie, I want things to stay the way they are. Since Tirek considers you a threat, it would be a shame he got hold of you and gained control of Equestria much sooner than he expected."
"Well, thanks for the heads-up, old boy! I'll have to make a memo to deal with that big, horned dope when I get the chance. And as appreciation for telling me this," he waved his hand and conjured up two golden tickets, "I have two tickets for the Grand Galloping Gala!"
Trixie's eyes lit up, "The Grand Galloping Gala?!"
"The Grand Galloping Gala?" Sombra questioned.
"The Grand Galloping Gala!" Discord repeated. "What are you? Deaf?"
"Well, we thank you for your generous offer, but I'm not sure if it's a good idea to attend."
"Oh, come on! Haven't you wondered what the biggest night in Equestria is like? That it is as grand and spectacular that ponies have claimed it to be?"
Trixie, looking star-struck, was nodding her head. Sombra gave an unsure look, "I… don't know…"
Trixie turned to him and started pleading, "Aw, can we go, Sombra? Pretty please? I've always wanted to attend the Gala so they can see how magifancant the Great and Powerful Trixie is!" She went on her knees, begging, "Please say you'll come with me? I don't want to go alone!"
Sombra cringed as both Trixie and Discord were showing big puppy-dog eyes. He gave a sigh and said, "All right, we'll go."
"Yes!" Trixie cheered and then realized, "Oh, but what is Trixie going to wear?!" She rushed back into the castle.
Sombra faced Discord, "Thank you again. But now you better get out of here."
"I don't need to be told twice. See you at the party!" He snapped his fingers and was gone in a flash.
At Canterlot Castle, the five ponies, plus their baby dragon, were escorted by Shining Armor as they entered the Canterlot throne room.
A purple alicorn, who had been talking to an elderly white-bearded unicorn with a blue hat and cape with bells, saw them coming in and addressed her friends.
"How did it go?"
"Not too good," said Applejack. "They escaped before we could capture them."
The unicorn said a cheerful tone as he shrugged, "Well, can't win them all!"
Twilight gapped at him, "But, Star Swirl, this could be serious! The Diamond Dogs have been causing trouble in Canterlot for about a month now! We have to get them so we can understand why they've been disturbing the peace!"
"Perhaps, but we should be patient. Eventually, we won't have to go to them, but they'll come to us."
"But who knows long that would be?!" Twilight started heading for the doors. "I'm going to go see Princess Celestia. Maybe she'll have an idea about how to deal with the Dogs." and left.
Twilight made it to the Princess's chambers and knocked. Instead of Celestia answering, it was Luna.
"Luna? Shouldn't you be resting for your duties tonight?"
"Fear not, I shall be back to bed after I help my sister finish a couple more reports."
"Oh, if she's too busy, I can come back later," Twilight started to turn around.
A voice from the room carried out, "You can come in, Twilight."
Luna moved aside so Twilight could walk in.
Celestia was by a desk as she saw her one-time pupil coming in, "I always make time to see my faithful student."
Twilight blushed, "Well, thank you, Princess, but I hope I'm not disrupting you."
"Not at all. Now what do you want to tell me?"
Twilight frowned, "The Diamond Dogs were at it again, and they escaped before we could get an answer out of them. The girls tried to go after them, but it was too late. Star Swirl thinks it's best we wait them out, but who knows how much more damage they'll cause before then? What do you think?"
Celestia pondered on this, "Well… you and Star Swirl have excellent points. It's a good idea we wait to see what happens, but at the same time, the safety of our citizens is important…" She reflected on this, "Give me about a week. I'm sure to have come up with something by then."
"Thank you, Princess." Twilight smiled. "I better get back downstairs. With the Grand Galloping Gala being in a few days, there'll be a lot to do."
"I have every confidence that you'll make this one of the best Galas we've had," Celestia smiled at her former student.
Twilight returned it as she bowed her head at Luna before going out.
The next few days flew by and every pony was excited for the Gala. Coaches and carriages lined up for miles as they tried to reach their destination. In one of the carriages that was shaped like a pumpkin, two unicorns and one draconequus sat as they waited for the carriage to move again.
"Are we there yet?" Trixie whined.
Discord, wearing an orange tuxedo with a matching top hat, poked his head out the carriage window and noticed the enormous traffic jam. "There is a holdup between here and Canterlot."
Trixie groaned as she wore a dark purple gown.
Sombra was wearing a purple cape - courtesy of Discord - with dark blue shoes and a small headpiece that resembled a crown. He had been silent throughout the entire carriage ride and kept looking out the window to see the night sky. He couldn't explain it, but he felt like something was going to happen to him tonight but didn't know what.
"You're being awfully quiet," pointed Discord. "What's up?"
"I'm not sure, but I have this strange feeling that something's going to happen this very night…"
"Of course something's going to happen! It's a party!" he wiggled his body as if doing a jig. "Ponies lose control and have a blast! Sheesh, you need to loosen up."
"Trixie shall have a marvelous time at the Gala." she grinned.
Suddenly, their carriage moved. Discord poked his head out, "Hey, look! We're moving!"
Sombra returned to his thoughts, What could happen tonight that makes me feel uneasy?
At the castle, ponies dressed in their finest came in as they headed for the stairs where Princess Celestia was looking lovely in a red-orange gown. She stood at the top and greeted guests one-by-one.
In the ballroom, Princess Twilight and her friends were conversing with guests they brought with them. Gilda was next to Rainbow Dash as she was wearing a red and black dress, but she looked extremely uncomfortable.
"Ugh! Did I have to wear this thing?!"
"Unfortunately, yeah…" Rainbow mumbled.
"I wouldn't be here if you didn't insist on me coming…"
"I own you one," Dash smirked and Gilda returned it.
The griffin then grunted, "I'm going to get some punch." She went to the punch bowl.
"Bring back some for me!" RD called out.
Twilight went out of the ballroom and flew up the stairway, past the ponies that were waiting for a royal greeting. She told Celestia, "I can take over while you go have some fun."
"Thank you, Twilight. I appreciate that." She switched places with the young alicorn and headed for the ballroom.
Celestia looked at the scene before her. As boring the Gala could be, she was pleased to see that her subjects were having a good time.
Just outside the castle, three party guests had finally arrived.
"We made it!" Trixie exclaimed as she started heading inside, but felt a tug on her tail being pulled back.
"Hold your horses!" Discord snickered, "Get it? Horses?!" He laughed, but he also could see from the expressions on Sombra and Trixie's faces that they were not amused. He cleared his throat, "First, let me lock the carriage." He summoned a car lock and pointed at the carriage, turning it into a pumpkin following a beep.
The three then walked into the castle where the guards were taking tickets. They showed theirs and were permitted inside. Trixie was gawking at the sight before her. Everything looked so grand!
Sombra looked around and felt uneasy again, but his companions didn't take notice as they were getting too excited.
"Ah, I see Princess Twilight Sparkle is greeting the guests," Discord pointed with his cane. "I think I'll go over there and say hello…" He grinned mischievously and popped out.
Sombra shook his head and turned towards Trixie, only to see that she was already gone, no doubt being taken by the festivities.
Looks like it's just me… he thought as he made his way to the ballroom.
Celestia could see ponies around her having fun, including her former prodigy's good friends. She found them to be quite amusing as they were talking and laughing among themselves. Her back was turned to the stallion that walked into the room.
Sombra looked straight ahead as he spotted a tall pony with radiant flowing mane that closely matched the colors of a rainbow. He was fascinated with this and tried to get a closer look. As he did, the pony slowly turned around and Sombra gaped when she was completely facing him. It was as if sparkles were framing her beautiful face.
Celestia caught sight of the stallion looking straight at her. She, too, gapped, seeing sparkles around his handsome face. They stood there as both of their eyes gleamed at the sight before them. It felt as if an invisible force was pulling them together as they took small steps toward the other, not once taking eyes off of each other.
When they had reached the other, they stood silent and kept staring at each other until Sombra finally spoke.
"Um… Good evening…"
Celestia found herself repeating the same words, "Good evening…"
"My name is Sombra." He gave a bow.
She slightly blushed, "I'm… Celestia."
He looked up as he smiled. He took her hoof, to which the both of them felt a warm fuzzy feeling, and kissed it.
Celestia's cheeks reddened further.
On the stage, the band was getting ready to perform a waltz number. Sombra heard this and looked at Celestia. He gave another bow while asking, "May I have this dance?"
She smiled widely as she replied, "Yes." She extended her hoof and he took it as he escorted her on to the dance floor.
The girls were still chatting away until Rarity looked at the dance floor and gasped, "Look!" She pointed and her friends turned around to see what Rarity saw. They gasped as well.
"Princess Celestia…" Fluttershy gapped.
"…is dancing…" Applejack uttered.
"…with a really good-looking guy!" Pinkie grinned.
Rarity giggled, "He is rather dashing, isn't he?" She batted her eyelashes.
"Who is that guy?" Rainbow raised her brow.
Meanwhile, Trixie had walked into the ballroom with a handsome unicorn stallion that was talking about himself. Trixie was looking rather bored since she couldn't get a word in edgewise about herself. She looked across the room and was surprised to discover Sombra on the dance floor with a tall mare with flowing hair.
The stallion noticed this as well and Trixie heard him say, "Hmm, I wonder who Auntie Celestia is dancing with. He's a sharp dresser."
"Auntie Celestia?!"
"I thought you knew." He looked smug, "I am the nephew of Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, not to mention I am Princess Mi Amore Cadenza's cousin."
But Trixie wasn't paying attention as she kept watching Sombra dancing with the princess. She thought, Does he know she's the princess? I don't see him dancing with her if he knew, considering we are trying to overthrow her from her throne…
She needed to get a closer look and noticed how the punch bowl was closer to where the dance floor was. She told her boring date, "Trixie is going to get some punch. Want some?"
Blueblood grimaced, "No, thank you."
She shrugged, "Suit yourself." She walked over to the punch bowl while watching Sombra dancing happily with Princess Celestia, who looked just as happy. As she was distracted, she didn't realize she was going to bump into someone. When she did, she said, "Trixie is sorry-"
"You!" Gilda pointed.
"You?!" Trixie gasped.
"What are you doing here?" Gilda's eyes slit.
"For your information, Trixie received a ticket to the Grand Galloping Gala! What are you doing here?!" she scowled.
"A friend invited me. Got a problem with that?!"
Trixie humphed, "Well, I was getting some punch, but seeing how it's already infected with rudeness, I changed my mind." She huffed and turned back.
Gilda grunted as she headed towards Rainbow, who was still watching Celestia's dance with the stranger. She handed her friend the glass of punch, "Here. Sorry it took so long, but I bumped into that pony who caused me to lose the trail of those Diamond Dogs."
"What pony?" Dash questioned.
"That one." Gilda pointed to the unicorn who was going over to Prince Blueblood.
Rainbow pondered, "Hmm, you say she made you lose track of the Dogs?"
"I know she made me lose it, because I was on the right path until I bumped into her and then I lost it." She gave a fierce look.
This made Rainbow Dash very suspicious.
Back on the dance floor, Sombra never felt so happy in his life. Celestia was also feeling giddy. When the waltz came to a stop, ponies applauded around them. They moved to a table and started to talk.
"You danced divinely." Celestia complimented.
"I was going to say the same thing about you…" He glanced lovingly at her.
She blushed and asked, "Has this been your first time at the Gala? I don't recall seeing you before."
He nodded, "It is my first time at the Grand Galloping Gala. You?"
She gave a slight giggle, "I've been hosting these Galas for so long that I've lost count."
"Hosting?"
"You didn't know? I'm Princess Celestia." She saw the shock written on his face, "Judging from your astonished expression, I guess you didn't…"
The Princess?! She's the princess?! Oh, no… He thought with horror, All this time… Okay, just keep calm… you'll get through this…
"I didn't mean to deceive you. I just thought you knew." Celestia was telling him.
"Well… that's my fault. It should have been obvious from the start with your name and how you seemed to have an air of authority about you."
"I do not like to use my power on ponies, for they have their own choices to make and I do not wish to stand in their way."
He found himself smiling at this, "You are a very kind ruler."
"That's very kind of you to say." she said playfully.
They both laughed.
He said, "Celestia, I mean Princess-"
"Just Celestia, please."
He beamed, "Celestia… I know we've only known each other for a short time, but I feel as if I already know so much about you…"
She smiled, "I feel the same way…"
They gazed into each other's eyes until a great shout happen.
"DISCORD!"
Twilight had run into the ballroom all soaking wet and her friends rushed over to her.
Celestia saw her faithful student and quickly told Sombra, "Please excuse me, Sombra, but Twilight needs me."
He nodded his head, "It's alright. I can wait."
She smiled back at him and then rushed over, where she asked, "What happened?" She conjured up a towel and helped wipe Twlight's head.
"Discord was pestering me while I was trying to greet the guests. When I told him to go, I thought that was the last I saw of him. Suddenly, a bucket of water landed on me and this is what happened!" She gestured to her wet gown.
"You poor thing!" Fluttershy gasped and then frowned. "I'm going to give him a good talking-to!"
"Chances are he's already fled the scene of the crime…" Twilight muttered.
"I doubt it." Rainbow crossed her arms.
Celestia then said, "Girls, why don't you go upstairs and help Twilight dry off? I'll be there shortly." She looked back to where Sombra was.
Twilight saw that and was confused, "Wha…?"
Rarity whispered, "We'll tell you on the way, darling…" She smirked along with the other girls except Rainbow.
Twilight was still looking confused when they left the room.
Celestia got back to the table and said, "I'm so sorry, Sombra. I love to spend more time, but I am needed at the moment."
"It's fine," But he had a look of sadness and took her hoof to kiss it once more, "I enjoyed our time together, my lady."
She blushed once more before saying, "Thank you for the dance. To me, this was the best Grand Galloping Gala I've had in a long time." She went off.
Sombra sighed as he watched her go. Suddenly, a jester of a draconequus popped up beside him.
"Did you see the look on Twilight's face?! Priceless!" he guffawed.
"You do realize you're in big trouble now, right?"
"Oh," he waved his paw non-chalantly, "they'll forget all about it by tomorrow. I've done lots of things they don't remember. I let them remember some things to prove my point, but other than that, all it takes is one little memory wipe…"
Sombra could only shake his head.
"So…" Discord smirked and leaned over Sombra. "What's the deal about you and Princess Celestia…?"
Sombra found himself at a loss for words, "Oh… we… um… we just danced and that was it."
"Really? Because I could have sworn I saw some hoof-kissing a minute ago." He made kissy faces.
"I was just trying to be a gentlecolt!"
"Sure, you were… Don't worry, pal. Your secret is safe with me." He made a zipper on his lips and zipped it up.
Sombra glared at him before putting his hoof to his chin, "I just wish… I could see her one last time before I have to go…"
"No problem. Just head out into the gardens and find her balcony. It's the second one on the left." Discord gestured and grinned.
Sombra considered this until he finally got up and muttered, "I must be crazy doing this…" He went out to the gardens.
Trixie then rushed over and panted, "Discord! Where is Sombra? He has to know-"
"Relax, he already figured it out."
"What?! Then where is he?"
"Sorry, I'm not supposed to say." He made the zipper appear again and then took a good look at Trixie. She was quite a mess, "So, what happened to you?"
She scowled, "Don't. Ask."
Sombra looked up to the balcony and was trying to figure out how he was going to get Celestia to come out.
Back inside, Celestia was helping Twilight by giving her some nice warm tea.
"You girls get comfortable. I'll just get some things that I need." She headed to her chambers and started looking until she heard pebbles landing on the balcony platform. She opened the window doors and went out to see a stallion below her.
"Sombra?" He smiled up at her and she returned it. She then asked, "What are you doing?"
"I don't know… I just feel that I needed to see you again before I have to leave…"
"How sweet." she touched her heart.
"It is you who is sweet, dear sweet Celestia…"
She sighed lovingly, "And you are the most charming stallion I've ever met…"
Just outside the chamber room, Luna was walking past when she heard her sister talking to someone. She leaned her ear closer to the door so she could hear better.
"…not only that, you're thoughtful, clever, and a gifted dancer." Sombra told Celestia.
She giggled at that last bit, causing him to laugh, too.
"My sister has a stallion in her room!" Luna whispered under her breath, "The indignity, the scandal, the juiciest!" she squeed.
Celestia heard something and quickly said, "I think I hear some pony coming!"
Sombra sighed, "Parting is such sweet sorrow… especially since I am to depart from someone as sweet as you…"
Celestia beamed, "Good night… handsome Sombra. May you have pleasant dreams…"
"As do you… Good night…"
"Until next time." she said.
"Until next time…" he looked back to see a rose bush. Using his magic, he plucked one off and levitated it up toward the balcony, where Celestia took it with her aura. He made another bow before running off.
Celestia turned back inside and placed the rose in a vase just as her sister burst into the room.
"Where is he?!"
"Where's who?"
"That stallion that was in your room!"
"What?! There was no stallion in my room!"
"But I heard him and you!"
"You were eavesdropping?!"
"Yes! But that's beside the point. There was a stallion on your balcony! Admit it!"
"There was no stallion on the balcony, but below it."
"Aha! So you do admit it!"
"No. You said the stallion was on the balcony. I told you that there wasn't."
"I… Arrgh! Do not confuse me with technicalities! There was a stallion and you saw him!"
Celestia rolled her eyes, "Yes, I did see a stallion."
"Ha! I knew it! I knew it!"
"Are you quite done?"
"One second." There was a pause until she said, "Yes, I am."
"And I take it you'll want the whole story?"
Luna started making herself comfortable, "And don't leave out a single detail."
Celestia sighed as she began to recount the whole encounter.
On the carriage ride home, Sombra looked out the window once more as Discord mentioned he had a blast while Trixie complained she had the worst night ever. But Sombra wasn't listening to either of them as he looked up to the night sky to see his sweet Celestia's face in it.
Two associations, both alike in dignity, in fair Equestria where we lay we our scene. From ancient grudge break to new mutiny, where civil fights makes civil hooves unclean. From forth the fatal loins of these two enemies, a pair of star-cross lovers hide their relationship. Whose misadventured piteous overthrows. Doth with their shame-marked love, and the continuance of their groups' rage, which but their own defeat, naught could remove. Is now the two hours' traffic of our stage. The which if you with patient eyes attend, what here shall miss, our toil shall strive to mend…