Equilibrium, Book 2: The Second Nexus.

4/20/1002.
Equestria, 6:27 P.M.

Rainbow Dash and Discord both marveled at the stunning beauty of the crystal empire as they were lead through the streets by Fluttershy who having been here many times, took the most direct route to the throne room that she could. Discord looked around and gagged.

"Fluttershy my sweet, can you please remind me again why we're here of all places?" He asked as they trotted right up to the obsidian steps of the castle itself. Fluttershy just glared at the guards who parted to permit them entrance into the castle proper. She then gave her husband a soft smile as she trotted at a slower pace to catch up with him. Giving him little warning she lept into the air and gave him a hug and a smooch on his cheek.

"Well, honey we are here to see if my dear sweet brother can help us find my son." She said as she hopped off her now stunned husband.

"Brother!?" He stammered as he ran to catch up to the mares. Dash was just as speechless but then thought more of it.

"So let me get this straight, your bother owns all of this?" she asked panning to the great city outside the castle windows. She gave a whistle at Fluttershy's not of confirmation.

"This is technically only one of his many lodging's but this is the one he most frequents." She said as the group had finally made it their destination. The thrones rooms ruby double doors swung open upon there arrival in the hallway leading to said throne room. As they got near they saw the ruler of this fare kingdom. A stallion, his coat as black as coal, his only adornments being a cape with white fur-trimmed sides and a crown made of gold and adorned with obsidian gems. All in all, he looked the spitting image of what a king should be only as he sat there upon his throne his previously closed eye's opened to reveal a look of utter boredom inside of them.

"Hello, dear sister of mine." His gravelly voice rang throughout the grand hall. Looking upon his sister's guest's with some small measure of amusement, he grinned as his eyes met the sight of Discord who had changed his shape into that of a pony to better hide behind his wife. Fluttershy gave her husband a soft kiss before she trotted up to her brother. Rainbow meanwhile took all of this in stride.

"Of course Flutter's is related to someone who rule's an entire kingdom." She looked around as she studied the building's layout committing each and every crevice to memory.

"Still though he has nice taste." Sombra chuckled at that.

"Thank you, my dear." He said as he rose from his throne to meet his sister and her guests.

"I'm afraid I haven t had the pleasure of hearing your name." He said as he held out a hoof. Dash smiled as she gave his hoof a shake.

"Name's Rainbow Dash." She said as Sombra's own crimson eyes went wide.

"Well, well, dear sister to what do I owe this great audience from one of Equestria's saviors?" He asked as Fluttershy gave her brother a forlorn look. Knowing all too well what this entailed Sombra's expression darkened as his eye's narrowed.

"So someone made the stupid mistake of messing with my little sister eh?" He asked as all of the guards in the room stiffened. Fluttershy just gave him a nod. Looking over to Discord he just sighed.

"So who do I have to kill to sort this out?" He asked as he cracked his neck.

7:04 P.M.

"And that's all we've been able to gather right now." Dash finished retelling Sombra their tale. He mulled the information over and shook his head. Looking over to Fluttershy he had only one question to ask.

"Why are these filthy creation's who killed my nephew not detained and on the receiving end of a very prolonged torture session?" Rainbow Dash smirked but it soon faltered as Fluttershy let out a deep breath.

"Unfortunately because of these time anomalies it would appear that the ones responsible for this incident are not only alive and well again but they have gone into hiding." She stated as yet another time ripple passed overhead.

"And because of these anomalies, our very history is constantly being re-written so they're almost impossible to track down via normal magical methods." After the fluctuation of mana settled down Sombra snorted as he motioned for them to follow him. They did so and went back to the throne room. This left Dash and Discord perplexed while Fluttershy for the first time in a long time looked hopeful.

"Wait here," Sombra ordered as he raised a hoof. At once several guards came forward, materializing from the very stone of the castle walls.

"You two." Sombra's voice boomed. At once the stone sentinels stood at attention.

"Take these three to our archives. Help them find anything and everything we have on temporal magics, advanced scrying techniques and anything to do with crossing dimensional barriers." Fluttershy gave her brother a tear-filled hug as the two sentinels began to guide them to the archives. Sombra gave his sister a nuzzle.

"Don't worry sis." His gaze hardened as he thought of the ones responsible for robbing him of his nephew.

"Those fools have robbed me of a family member and I intend on making them pay for it." He said as he turned on the spot and headed to his chamber's. Fluttershy was curious.

"Um, what will you be doing in the meantime?" She asked receiving a chuckle from her brother. He smirked at the group as he stopped mid-step.

"I'm going to have a little chat with our dear princesses." He smiled as his eyes clouded over with dark magic.

"And then i'm going to pay a visit to an old friend." An instant later he was gone in a puff of purple smoke leaving the group to there own devices.

7:07 P.M.
Canterlot.

Princess Luna was bored. Beyond bored in fact for she had now taken it upon herself to bring a book with her to most night courts. Looking out over the empty hall she sighed as she went back to reading her trashy romance book.

"Please dear Faust can some pony come by tonight. I'M BORED!" As if materialized by her very thoughts the castles double doors were thrust open with such force that the reverberations from the large oaken panels hitting solid stone shook the whole castle. Luna meanwhile has discarded her paper bindings and was now fully alert at her station.

"Me and my big brain." Her eyes scanned the chamber as the newest arrival sauntered into the throne room.

"Well, well, well. What have we here?" The voice said betraying only its owner but not his intentions. Luna sat rigidly upon her throne as she took in the stallion before her.

"Oh my." She gasped as her face began to heat up, as did the rest of her soon after the male has stopped his approach just at foot of her throne. He bowed his head in respect but immediately brought his crimson eyes up to her own cerulean ones. The two starred, until she was no longer able to gaze into those blood-red irises, Luna looked away as her muzzle began to once more turn red. Sombra for all his anger and fury right now couldn't help but smirk at the effect he was having on one of Equestria's most prized princesses. He cleared his throat however grabbing Luna's undivided attention.

"Good night lovely mistress." He bowed once more as Luna for herself under control. She tilted her head to in reverence and baid him to continue.

"Go on dear subject, what pray tell troubles thee at this fine hour?" Sombra was a bit thrown off by the old tongue but he smiled as he looked Luna dead in the eyes.

"I have been informed of a most troubling fate that has befallen my dearest nephew, your majesty." He now sat down as he told Luna of his sister's plight. She simply let out a huff of frustration as she recalled the incident.

"King Sombra while I do understand your pain I feel that I must tell you what I and my sister had to tell Lady Fluttershy, we simply cannot help someone with what we have no knowledge of." She finished just as another temporal wave passed by. Neither of them was affected by it but Sombra looked ready to kill. He took several deep breaths before he continued his plea as well as cloaked his horn in a thin veil of shadows.

"This I understand Princess but as it would seem that time itself is unraveling and reshaping itself on a whim is it not correct to assume that your and your sister's memories are also being tampered with?" Luna just sat there.

"Sadly Fluttershy to brought this up and offered to even see if she could use a memory spell to reconstitute our own false memories but alas she was too exhausted and in pain after losing a loved one to perform such a spell." Sombra simply smirked as his horn lit up.

"Well luckily for my sister I'm one of the best Umbriamancer's on Faust's planet." Luna was blinded as shadows passed over her sight and invaded her mind.

"As the princess of the night and dreams Luna you should know that we all have dark recesses of the mind that hide our deepest secrets and desires. The same is true for all of our experiences no matter how small."

7:10 P.M.

"Sister!" Celestia was rudely awakened from her rest by not only her sister's shouting but also the force of having her doors ripped open.

"This had better be good." She stifled a yawn as she gave her sister a smile and a wave.

"So what has you in such a state tonight dear Luna?" Luna just simply ran to her sister's bed and enveloped her in a soft hug as she balled her eyes out. Celestia was taken aback by her sister's sudden affections but her shock only deepened when Sombra entered her room.

"Sombra. It's been a long time." She stated as the king gave Celestia a bow.

"Yes your majesty it has been far to long since you and your sister have graced my kingdoms hall's." He smirked as Luna got her emotions under control once more that night.

"Sister we have grave news!" Celestia looked from her sister's solemn expression to Sombra's serious one.

"Ok what's the bad news?" She asked propping herself up in her bed. Sombra gave Celestia a bow before he cleared his throat.

"Allow me princess." Celestia's vision soon clouded over as her mind was to engulfed in darkness. When her vision cleared once more she wore an expression of pure sadness upon her muzzle.

"Dear Faust what have we done?" She asked herself as she looked to her sister for answers. Luna shook her head.

"Tis not our fault this travesty hath accord." Sombra nodded in agreement.

"Yes this is temporal anomaly sweeping throughout the world is powerful magic indeed." He fixed Celestia with a steely glare.

"You are not to blame, but I do have a lead as to who the guilty parties are." He said putting the sister's mind's at ease. Luna the matter some thought.

"Sister if these memories are indeed true as I fear they are then we must act with all available haste." Celestia didn't need anymore convincing on the matter. Several of her dear subjects were in immense pain. She knew all to well the pain they were in. Looking to Sombra she smiled.

"Thank you for giving us our memories back." She pulled the king into a swift hug to which he tolerated and gave Celestia a firm pat on the back.

"Your welcome princess's but I'm afraid I must be off." Luna gave him a salute that he reciprocated.

"If I may your majesties I would find some pony well versed in temporal magics. I know you have Inquisitors searching the land trying to stop these anomalies but it may do more good to find there source and I possible destroy it." With his final advice given Sombra gave the sister's one final bow and left them in a flash of black light. Celestia didn't take to long to remember just the ponies qualified for the task at hand. Quickly she produced a quill, ink bottle, and several pieces of parchment.

Dear Mr Hoove's, i require your immediate assistance at the earliest possible opportunity.

Celestia then wrote two more letters, one addressed to her old mentor and another to an old student that had followed in his wake. With a flourish of her magic the letters were sent. Celestia took a deep breath and let out a soft sigh.

"Now we wait and hope that these three are unaffected by these temporal discrepancies." Luna gave her sister a soft nuzzle.

"I'm vearly sure that we shall overcome this great transgression."