Chapter 1: The Fallen King
Twilight paced the halls of Canterlot Castle nervously. Her day had been non-stop panic and now that she had a moment of calm, it was all really starting to sink in.
Starlight Glimmer's first Friendship lesson.
Her niece being born an alicorn.
Said niece accidentally destroying the Crystal Heart.
Scrambling to find a means of restoring the Heart before the entire Crystal Empire was buried under an unending barrage of ice and snow.
And, oh yes, checking King Sombra's study for any information on the Heart, only to find the tyrant hidden down there, somehow still alive within his dismembered horn and quickly regenerating his body in the Heart's absence.
While her niece's power fluctuation had been dealt with and the Crystal Heart had been restored, arguably the greatest threat remained. Fortunately, the other Princesses were in the Empire as well, meaning there was plenty of magical energy to transport Sombra to the Canterlot dungeons without causing a panic or risking him getting free.
Which lead her to her current location. Celestia said she had a plan, they were just waiting for another pony to arrive. As she passed Celestia's office yet again, Twilight saw a familiar face approaching. "Fluttershy? Are you the one Princess Celestia sent for?"
"Oh! Hello, Twilight," the pegasus greeted her. "Um, yes, the princess asked me to come but she didn't really say why. I suppose it had something to do with you and the other princesses sneaking out of the Empire but I don't want to pry."
"It's King Sombra," Twilight explained. "He's returned... again." Seeing her friend freeze like a rabbit surrounded by timberwolves, Twilight quickly reassured her, "Right now he's helpless, little more than a glowing horn, and under guard in the dungeons, so he's no threat to anyone at the moment. He's healing remarkably fast, however, but luckily Princess Celestia has a plan to deal with him." Gesturing with her hoof for Fluttershy to go first, Twilight used her magic to open the door to the princess' study.
"W-Well, I don't know what I can do, but I'll help any way I can to protect everypony," Fluttershy promised as she took Twilight's invitation.
"...know ponies call Alicorns immortal, but this is ridiculous," Luna was saying to her sister as the pair entered the room. "We could not fell him in battle, he did not age while imprisoned, and now he comes back from having his entire body explode?"
"I know some desire nothing short of execution for him, but that is clearly not an option," Celestia replied. Noticing the younger pair, she went on with a smile, "Fortunately, we have another option. Thank you for coming so quickly, Fluttershy. You and Twilight may be our best hope for dealing with our current situation. Has Twilight told you what has occurred?"
"Yes, your majesty," the pegasus said with a bow, "but I don't know what I could possibly do to help."
"Nothing you haven't before," Celestia said. Seeing the young pair exchange a confused glance, she explained, "Simply put, I want the two of you to reform Sombra."
"WHAT!?" The pair shouted in unison, Twilight's voice louder but Fluttershy's several octaves higher.
Smiling indulgently, Celestia explained further. "Fluttershy, your kind nature and experience with Discord make you the most likely pony to be able to do this successfully. And you, Twilight, were the one who outwitted him to recover the Crystal Heart and one of the two to find and read his journal. I don't think it would be an exaggeration to say that you know him better than any other pony still alive."
"Just don't let him turn that kindness or familiarity against you," Luna cautioned. "Even without his magic, he is a master manipulator. Hopefully, with the two of you working together, you will be able to help each other see through any deceit on his part."
Twilight glanced at Fluttershy, who was once more petrified with terror, before asking, "Are you sure this is the best idea? King Sombra is hardly the same situation as Discord. He was just a lonely prankster with way too much power. Sombra actively enslaved an empire."
"It may sound hard to believe," Celestia replied, "but I have seen what Sombra is capable of without Darkness in his heart. If there is even a chance of turning his power towards protecting Equestrian, it is worth an attempt."
"Just make sure you don't forget that the two are not the same," Luna chided her sister.
"That is not something that will happen," Celestia said firmly.
Twilight glanced between the two, feeling there was something she was not being told, perhaps even a full four-chapter story arc, but Celestia's tone made it clear that the subject was closed. "Very well, your highness. We won't let you down!" Twilight promised. "Right, Fluttershy?"
"Y-Yeah..." her friend replied weakly, obviously still considering all the horrible things that could go wrong and cause them to let Celestia down.
The first thing Sombra became aware of was the sound of a heavy door being dragged open. Then, the quiet yet echoing sound of hoofsteps came to a halt directly in front of him.
“Um... H-hi, Sombra.” It was a quiet, breathy voice which presumably belonged to a mare, and it was dripping with fear. “I don't know i-if you can hear m-me right now, but my name is Fluttershy.”
"I doubt he's conscious yet. He was nothing but a horn this morning." A different voice, firmer and more confident than the other, sounding likely that it too belonged to a mare. Where the other was filled with fear, this one held curiosity as it went on. "Then again, I didn't expect him to heal even this much, yet."
"Oh, r-right. W-well, if he can, um, hear us, an introduction couldn't h-hurt, right?" The voice named 'Fluttershy' suggested.
"I guess not," the other voice conceded. "I still doubt you can hear me, but if you can, my name is Twilight Sparkle."
'So, I was correct on my assumption of unconsciousness,' Sombra thought. 'What is left to be answered is where in Tartarus I am. I assume a dungeon of some sort, given the deathly quiet ambiance looming around me. After all, it is all too familiar to how my own were kept.' Deciding to see if the pair would give away any more information, the fallen tyrant continued his ploy of feigned unconsciousness.
After a few more moments of silence, the voice that identified itself as 'Sparkle' spoke up once more. "See? Still asleep. Even as fast as he's healing, I doubt he'll wake up before tomorrow. Come on, let's get out of this dungeon so I can contact Cadance. I'll have her send over Sombra's journal so that you can read it, too. Getting to know his past better is sure to help."
"Th-that sounds good," the other voice replied in relief, growing fainter as the sound of hoofsteps began to carry them away.
The voices grew indistinct, before Sombra was plunged into silence once more. "It would seem that they discovered the journal I left..." Sombra pondered aloud. "If so, then why would the Two Sisters even bother to send interrogators? Perhaps they doubt its authenticity. I could hardly fault them for that. If not... then what else could they be planning for me?"
Shifting to a more comfortable position, Sombra settled in to wait. "No matter," he mumbled. "I shall no doubt discover what they have planned on the morrow. For now, I must regain my strength and consider how I can best turn this to my advantage."
In the darkness of a castle at night, a young mare woke from her sleep with a start. "What... what was that?" She asked herself as she pressed a hoof to her head. "Such a strange dream. And yet... I cannot shake the feeling that this is something more..."
Sliding from her bed, her mind was racing as she moved to a nearby desk. "They looked so young... If I use that spell... It's a risk, but I can't shake the feeling that something has already gone wrong..."
She hesitated for a moment, before firming her resolve. "If I'm wrong, I'll just come back before anything changes. But if I'm right... I can't afford not to intervene. After all, Auntie Fluttershy was never supposed to be there."
Author's Note
Here we go again! Before anyone calls me out on starting a new story, this has actually been something I've been working on between chapters of other stories for a couple months now. This story is an homage to the exceptional Evehly, author of 'Shy Can See' and artist of the cover art and many more amazing pictures.
Anywho, look forward to some time travel shenanigans and interdimensional sibling rivalries!
...If you don't get it, don't worry, it will all be explained as the story goes along, so... probably a year or two, knowing me.
Chapter 2: The Throne of Chains
Silence reigned in the castle, broken only by the hoofsteps of patrolling guards. In a room adjacent to the royal bedroom lay a crib with a young alicorn foal asleep within.
Suddenly, a light breeze began to circulate through the room as a soft light appeared hovering in midair. As the wind and light grew, the foal stirred awake and began watching the phenomenon with wondering eyes.
As the disturbance reached its peak, a sharp cracking sound echoed throughout the room. In an instant, the light vanished and the wind died down, leaving in its wake a cloaked pony holding something small before it with magic.
The loud noise made the foal immediately begin crying. Hurrying over to the crib, the cloaked figure reached out one hoof and began stroking the child’s head. In a soothing voice, they said, “Sorry about that, cousin. I needed an anchor for the spell, and knew you would not let me down. I just hope I can fix all this before-”
“Who’s there!?” Shining Armor shouted as he burst into his daughter’s room.
Jerking in surprise, the cloaked pony dashed towards the window, leaping through into the night. Forgotten in their haste, the object they had been carrying fell to the ground, striking the stone floor with a metallic sound.
“Guards!” Shining Armor shouted, as he rushed over to the window. Seeing no sign of the strange figure, he turned to see his wife already checking on their daughter. As the first guards appeared at the door, he bellowed, “We have an intruder! Don’t let them escape! Also, keep an eye out for others, we don’t know if they were alone or if Flurry Heart was even their intended target.”
“Yes sir!” The guards replied, before leave to follow his command and spread the word.
Turning to his wife, Shining Armor asked, “Cadance, is she alright?”
“She’s fine, just a little scared, I think,” Cadance replied, as she comforted her daughter.
Looking around, Shining Armor noticed the object the intruder dropped. “What’s this?” He wondered as he picked it up. Holding it up to the light pouring in from the hall, he saw that it was a locket in the shape of a heart with a black, six-pointed star on the front. Seeing a hinge on the side, Shining Armor opened it up… and gasped at what he saw.
“Good morning, Fluttershy!” Twilight greeted her friend. "Did you finish reading the journal last night?"
"Well... not exactly," Fluttershy admitted. "I was kind of tired after everything that had happened, and the thought of reading about what he had done in the dark... alone... right before I went to sleep..."
"Don't worry, there's no rush," Twilight reassured her. "Besides, King Sombra probably hasn't even woken up yet, so how about we go check on him, and then come back up to read it together?"
"That sounds like a wonderful idea," the nervous pegasus agreed in relief, as they began to descend to the dungeons.
As they approached Sombra's cell, one of the two guards outside the door hailed them. "Good morning, Princess Twilight, Miss Fluttershy."
"Any changes?" Twilight asked.
"None that we've seen, but nopony has entered the cell since you left last night," that guard replied.
"Good, that means we can go back upstairs, right?" Fluttershy asked hopefully.
Shaking her head, Twilight said, "We should at least go inside and double check."
The pair slipped inside, and the guards closed the door behind them. As their eyes adjusted to the gloom of the cell, the made out the silhouette on the fallen tyrant sprawled against the back wall... just in time to see his glowing eyes snap open. Fluttershy let out an 'Eep!' of surprise and ducked behind her friend, while Twilight tensed in preparation for whatever he might attempt.
Rather than trying to attack or escape, however, Sombra grinned, the light from the hall reflecting off his fangs as he spoke, "I was beginning to think you two had given up before you even began." His eyes flicked to Twilight's horn and wings as he continued with a sneer, "Although, I surprised a princess would deign to interrogate me herself."
"I didn't come here to interrogate you," Twilight said.
"I see..." Sombra narrowed his eyes at her for a moment, his lips pursed, as if he was considering something. "If you aren't here to interrogate me and I'm still alive, then the Two Sisters must not be aware of my survival." His grin widened as he continued, "It would seem the princesses of Equestria are not as united as I thought. Let me guess, you want to overthrow them and rule Equestria yourself, but you need my power to do it, is that it?"
"What!? No!" Twilight immediately protested.
"Princess Celestia was the one who sent us down here," Fluttershy Spoke up, only to duck back behind her friend when Sombra's red eyes locked on her.
"Hmm, so it is merely to be a public execution, then. I had not thought them to be to Celestia's taste. Probably her sister's idea," the stallion said with a more somber expression. The chains that bound him to the wall rattled as he shifted to a more comfortable position. "However, I have no desire to indulge their whims. Just finish me now, or else leave me be."
Twilight frowned in uncertainty. 'This certainly hasn't gone the way I thought it would,' she thought. She was mildly surprised when Fluttershy spoke up, before Twilight could come up with a reply.
“Wh-what are you talking about?” The pegasus asked asked, peeking around her friend.
"Servants should speak only when spoken to," The fallen king said with a sneer, "and not interrupt the conversations of royalty."
However, Twilight was quick to come to the pegasus' defense. "Hey, Fluttershy's my friend, not a servant! If you're willing to talk to me, then you can talk to her the same way!"
Sombra was silent for a moment. Slowly, oh so slowly, he rose to a sitting position, his shackles clinking and clattering the entire time. It was only once he had risen to his full height that Twilight realized just how tall he was, easily matching Princess Celestia in height. He seemed to tower over them as he asked mockingly, "And what if I choose not to, princess?" The title seemed to drip disdain as it left his lips.
Twilight could see Fluttershy quivering in the corner of her vision and, as she looked into his sinisterly glowing eyes, the young princess could not help her gaze flicking to the chains that kept the former tyrant physically bound and the ring on his horn that kept his magic in check, reassuring herself that there was no way he could harm either of them. And yet, despite the reassurance, a trickle of fear remained.
'He's the prisoner here,' Twilight thought, 'so why does it feel like he's the one in charge? Like he's looking down on us from upon a throne?'
And then, like a spell was broken, the moment was shattered by a hungry growl echoing through the cell.
With as much dignity as he could muster, Sombra laid down once more, muffling the sound coming from his stomach. "As I said, just finish me off now, or else leave me be."
Twilight hesitated for a moment, when she felt a tug on her tail. Looking behind her, she saw Fluttershy gesture to the door. With a last look towards the imprisoned stallion, she followed the pegasus out of the cell.
Once they were out, Fluttershy turned towards one of the guards and asked, "Has anypony brought him any food since he was brought here?"
The guards exchanged a surprised glance. "Not that I know of," one said.
"Wasn't he trapped in ice for a thousand years?" The other asked rhetorically. "Does a monster like that even need to eat?"
Twilight blinked in surprise as Fluttershy stomped away, a look of indignation on her face. As Twilight followed her up the stairs towards the castle proper, Fluttershy said, "I can't believe nopony thought to feed him."
"I agree, although I can't say I feel much sympathy for him after the way he treated you," Twilight said.
"Don't be too hard on him. Wouldn't you be a bit grouchy if you hadn't had anything to eat for a thousand years?" The kindhearted pegasus replied.
"I suppose I hadn't thought about it that way," Twilight said, before adding mentally, 'Although I doubt a meal will change his attitude that much. Still, I guess this is why Princess Celestia picked you.'
As the sun rose over Ponyville, a strange flash occurred near a cottage on the edge of the Everfree Forest. The light quickly faded, leaving behind a trio of young ponies laying in a heap. The youngest, a filly with a dark grey coat, light blue eyes with slit pupils, and a curved horn, hopped off the top and looked around. "Where are we?" She asked.
The eldest was the next to get to his hooves. He was a stallion with large webbed wings, like one might see on a dragon or bat. His coat was the same dark grey as the filly, with a single lock of pink hair in his otherwise dark mane. While he shared her slit pupils, his eyes were a bright red. "No idea, sis. Magic ain't really my thing."
"Well, if you two had minded your own business, you could have stayed home," the last pony said, as he slowly stood as well. Having ended up on the bottom of the pile, he was slightly more sore than the others. Although a stallion like the eldest, he had a curved horn like the filly, rather than wings. His coat was a light grey, making his dark red eyes stand out, his own slit pupils flicking around as he got his bearings.
Spotting the nearby cottage, the younger stallion picked up a scroll that had fallen nearby and gave a fanged grin. "Fortunately, it seems the spell worked just like Aunt Starlight said it would. Now, I just need to find and fix the anomaly before-"
"Hey, is that Ponyville?" The older stallion spoke up. "C'mon, Penny! Let's go say 'hi' to Auntie Pinkie Pie while we're here."
"I better get a cookie," the filly replied, "or I'll be mad."
"Wait! You two have no idea what's going on!" The younger stallion shouted as he chased after them, thinking, 'Why did they have to interrupt and get caught in my spell? Neither of them knows anything about time travel!'
Author's Note
Well, this got updated sooner than expected. You can blame some awesome art for that. Check Evehly's DA account if you want to see it!
Who is the strange pony that appeared in the Crystal Empire? What about the trio in Ponyville? Find out in future chapters of Conflicting Futures!
(As if you don't already know. 
)
