Road Trip

Chapters

Sombra
Road Trip
Starswirl The Bearded
The Dragonlands
Horseless Carriage

Sombra

The darkness was cold, uninviting, bitter. It churned and swirled as if constantly pressing in on itself. The weight of it was immense.

There was no sound. No voice, no echo, no roar. Yet the stillness was not quiet. Instead it created a painful buzzing sensation, akin to what one might experience while suffering a double ear infection in a descending flight path.

There were no smells. No reminders of what was, is, or what could be.

There was nothing to see, nor anything to be seen. No hues, no grays, not even a shadow. The light did not touch this place.

Without the light to shine nothing grew, nothing lived, nothing spoke. There was absolutely nothing there. Or almost nothing.

In that immense void, of pressure and pain and darkness, particles of shadow pressed in on themselves. And within their cellular memory, a few threads remained. Fear, anger, hatred. Those hummed the loudest in protest of this fate.

But a few quieter emotions remained hiding in the tiniest pieces of those faded and whispered memories. They clung to thoughts of love, of joy, and in the tiniest of all to hope.

But they were drowned out by the shadows with their anger and outrage and their unifying thought of revenge.

That unifying thought kept the particles from dispersing forever into the ether. Kept them continuously pressing back in on themselves to remain contained.

They remembered their anger. They remembered their hatred. They clung to those feelings, knowing that one day they would seek revenge.

Had they been able, they would have laughed and hissed their approval at this idea. But they had no mouth in the darkness.

Had they eyes to see, those eyes would have glowed a brilliant green in contemplation of a plan. But they had no eyes to see in the darkness.

Had they their horn back, it would have pulsed red and sent out purple and black smoke to do its bidding. But there was no horn in the darkness.

So they waited, biding their time in the darkness. Unable to reform and unwilling to disperse. Holding onto that rage in anticipation of unleashing it when the next fool chose to summon them.

There in the darkness where nothing was heard, and nothing was seen, they waited.

They would not wait long.

——

The air swirled violently, blasting snow and ice around the peaks of the crystal mountains. In the midst of the storm, a lone figure strode up the mountainside. Though the wind hammered around it, the cloaked form never swayed from its path. Up, higher and higher, it moved. Heading towards its destination: a mustard yellow flag flapping angrily under the power of the cyclone.

Arriving solemnly at the goal, a soft glow emanated around the flag. Suddenly the flapping stopped. The flag hardened into a solid triangle and turned as if pointing towards something.

The figure turned in that direction. The glow surrounding the flag flowed outward, melting down into the snow and lighting a path through the storm. Stepping forward the being followed the light. With each step the light faded from behind the four hooves. Only each step of the path forward remained illuminated. Undeterred, the hooded being followed the light along the icy ridge.

Onward they crept, moving forward one weary step at a time, until arriving at what appeared to be a small dark spot on the snowy mountain side. The light stopped, revealing an entrance into the mountain. Bypassing the last of the lingering light the figure stepped into the blackness. As it did so, the glow behind it extinguished.

After taking a few steadying breaths in the darkness, a glow emitted from the unicorn’s horn bathing the inside of the cavern in light. A single path led deeper into the darkness. Moving steadily onward, only the sounds of labored breathing could be heard in the quiet of the mountain. The hoof-falls continued until they stopped at the place the path widened into a circular outcrop jutting out above a massive abyss.

Slowly breathing in, the unicorn began to chant. The light from its horn changed color and several objects flew out of the pack it had tethered to its back. The objects placed themselves at various points along the circles edge.

The first, a bright green jade stone, still glowing in an aura of magic, buried itself by a point into the ground directly in front of the unicorn. Sixty degrees in an arc to the left, the next shimmering object, a sea foam green piece of fabric in the shape of a flower petal, floated to the ground. The third enchanted item, a heavy piece of chain metal slammed into the dirt in another sixty-degree arc farther to the left. Directly across from the first object, a shiny gold bell tinkled as it dropped to the earth. Rounding to the right in a sixty-degree arc heading back toward the unicorn, the fifth item, a bronze and copper bracelet, rolled around on its edge until coming to a glowing stop. Another sixty degrees back toward the unicorn the final object, a grayish tan mane-band coiled onto the ground completing the circle.

The unicorn assessed the position of each, before beginning to chant softly in ancient Equestrian. As the words drew forth from the pony, a bright light shot forth from its horn lighting up the green stone. Upon passing through the stone, the color of the magic shifted to a bright green as it traveled toward the fabric petal. The petal burst forth in a vibrant glow changing the magic to a sky-blue color as it made a path toward the chain metal. Lit up with the enchantment, once again the color changed to a deep purple until coming into contact and illuminating the gold bell. There it shifted to a fiery red as it continued to arc toward the bracelet. The copper and bronze blazed under the spell transforming the red to a brilliant orange. The orange light raced toward the coiled band, illuminating it and changing one last time to a sunshine yellow that completed the circle, coming to a stop at the stone.

Surveying the rainbow circle now aflame before him, the unicorn’s horn surged again. Out of the bag a simple wooden sphere appeared. It bore no intrusions, or imperfections at all in appearance. Carefully he floated the sphere toward the center of the circle. Beginning a series of chants, the circle began to glow and move, the sounds of gears turning, and locks opening evidenced the true nature of the object as a protective device. As protection spell after protection spell fell to the power of this wise unicorn, the sphere itself began to shake as if under duress and smoke began to hiss forth from cracks that had begun to materialize. With a puff of dark smoke, the item shattered.

Dropping to the ground with a soft thump, a piece of black crystal glinted wickedly.

With a sigh, the unicorn’s horn lit once again pulling forth a slim tapered piece of wood. Floating it into the center of the circle, the tip traced an arc in the dirt around the inside of the circle. Ancient Equestrian ruins flared alongside the glowing line of blue magic. Once the inner circle was complete, the wood slashed a line across the center and then swiftly drew the shape of an M across the line. The black crystal shuddered and melted into the dirt, only to shoot up into a large outcropping of black crystal shards. From their depths emerged a black and purple smoke that coalesced into a swirling shape. A bellowing laugh echoed in the cavern as two glowing green eyes opened.

Those eyes narrowed as the smoke around them solidified into one of the most feared enemies Equestria had ever known. King Sombra threw back his mane haughtily and glared at the unicorn in front of him. “You!” he spit out in shock. “Why have you summoned me?”

“I have a … proposition for you.” The unicorn replied quietly.

“Ha! Another who thinks they can bring me back from the ether to do their bidding. I work for no pony! Why should I listen to you?”

“Well, I could send you back.” The unicorn gestured towards the rainbow circle surrounding the armored Sombra.

“Hmph,” he snorted in response, gazing at the items surrounding him. Lashing out with his magic he tested their hold, getting more and more annoyed as they failed to break under his power. Raging he reared back on his hind legs and threw everything into a magic attack. The ring of rainbow light sputtered and stretched… but held. Sombra screamed his frustration, pawing at the ground.

Panting, Sombra eventually calmed down. Realizing his choices were limited, as he had no way of escaping the binding, he raised his head and eyed his opponent with newfound understanding. “You have my attention,” he hissed.

The unicorn smirked, “I thought that might change your mind.”

“Don’t toy with me,” Sombra sneered. “Why did you bring me back? What do you want with me?”

“Why, I want to ask you to join me…”

Interrupting, Sombra snorted, “You wish to form an alliance with me? You should know, I don’t work with others.”

“No, I would never forge an unholy alliance with you.” The unicorn shook his head in disgust. “Rather I offer you a choice. I could return you to the ether…” As if to prove this point, the rainbow binding flared pressing in on Sombra who grimaced but stood his ground. Not breaking eye contact the unicorn pushed the bonds further inward until Sombra had to pull back from the pressure. Satisfied, the pressure released along with the bindings returning to the original circle. “Or you can accompany me on an important trip.”

Scoffing at the request, Sombra read his opponents eyes. “You can’t be serious.”

Silence was the only response.

“You simply wish for me to … accompany you on some quest?” Sombra eyed the unicorn suspiciously.

A jingled nod in confirmation.

“And you would let me out of here, release me from these bindings to accompany you?” Sombra stepped forward as if to test the theory.

“I am not a simpleton. No, I would not release you from the bindings. If I did that you would no sooner leave me here and seek your revenge on Equestria.” The unicorn stepped forward in answer to the challenge.
Sombra’s eyes narrowed. “If you won’t release me, then how would I accompany you? If you are no simpleton, you must see we are at an impasse.”

“There is an alternative way for you …” the unicorn paused, “to accompany me. It is an ancient spell, one fraught with difficulty but I am one of only a few unicorns capable of such magic.”

“Why should I trust in your ability?” Sombra questioned, “Why not let me perform the magic. I am most skilled”

“Dark magic has no place here. You are skilled in lies and deceit and terror.” The unicorn raged, his eyes and horn glowed menacingly. “I, Starswirl the Bearded, will perform the spell. This is your choice: accompany me now or I send you back to the ether.” The words bellowed out of the gray unicorn. Rainbow light shone brilliantly from the binding spell blinding Sombra and he hissed as if in pain.

“Alright. Alright. I will accompany you… your way.” The king blinked and rubbed at his watering eyes. He would not miss this chance. Revenge would not come in the ether. He needed to be free, whatever this idiot mage thought of himself, Sombra knew he was far more cunning. If patience was necessary than he would bide his time.

In response to the words, the light faded to a dull glow. Sighing the unicorn eyed Sombra warily. “Know this, I do not trust you King Sombra. I have seen your likeness before and I know the tricks you play. You have hurt many ponies. I will not be fooled. You believe there will be a time when I will let my guard down allowing you to hurt my ponies again. I will never let that happen. If, for even a second, I believe you to be a risk, I will send you back to the ether and no pony will ever be able to bring you back.” The unicorn paused for emphasis. “Do you understand.”

Sombra eyed the older unicorn up and down, taking stock of his opponent. “I do.”

“Then let us begin.” The unicorn’s eyes and horn lit up again and Sombra had to shield his eyes. A tingling feeling ran along his body. From the earth in front of the circle a small form began to take shape. It was hard to make out in the light, but it almost looked like the clay earth was being transformed into a tiny animal of some kind. Winds began to whip in a circular formation around Sombra inside the circle as if a small tornado was forming around him. His hair blew into his face and he reared back on his hind legs. Before he could even howl in rage, the wind blew something up and out of his body, leaving the stallion frozen in a standing position within the barricade.

The wind carried the pulsating neon green and dark purple orb upwards in an arc outside of the barrier and into the clay golem Starswirl had formed from the earth. As it flew past the elderly mage, he swore he saw something in that orb. It could have been a trick, but deep in his heart, Starswirl knew better. It was hope. It was the hope that had brought him here this very night to do the unthinkable. It had been so small but there, he was certain of it. In that green and purple goo, a speck of the deepest gentlest indigo had glowed for but a brief second, reminding Starswirl of the other Sombra he had met once in another universe at another time. It steadied his resolve.

Pointing his horn at the now glowing golem, he uttered the final word of the spell, sealing what was left of this King Sombra’s soul inside the clay body of a tiny earth pony foal.

Its eyes opened, flashing an eerie neon green. The child’s mouth opened to roar angrily, but all that came out was a feeble high-pitched growl, more like a kitten’s mew than anything frightening. Frustrated, it reached out to use its magic and punish this old grey puny excuse for a … but nothing happened. The child strained again. Still nothing. Pounding its hooves into the ground it wailed, not realizing tears had begun to run down its plump little cheeks. “What have you done to me?”

Starswirl’s first instinct was to comfort the child but remembering that it was not really a foal at all, he pulled himself back. “Come now, you didn’t really think I’d give you a body that would channel magic, did you? That would have been most unwise given your history.”

“You’ve made me into a …” The formerly intimidating stallion circled himself trying to elucidate his current state, “… a … a child! A foal! This was not part of our deal!”

“Actually, yes, yes it was. You said, we would do things ‘my way,’ and this, is in fact, my way.” Starswirl nodded at this sage response.

“But, but, but…” The small foal pounded the ground, tears still streaming from his eyes before he stopped dead still. In the circle remained his adult body. “NO! This is unfair! Put me back in there.” Hurling himself at the barrier he ignored Starswirl’s warning.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were…”

“Oomph!” The foal bounced back to the ground as if repelled by some unforeseen force. His eyes narrowed before he launched himself again, to meet the same fate. Again, and again he ran into the barricade only to be hurled to the ground over and over. Until finally, unable to physically get up, his lower lip pouted, and he began to sob, repeatedly wailing “It’s unfair.”

Starswirl allowed the child to cry himself to sleep. Shaking his head, he used magic to remove a blanket from the sack he had brought with him. Wrapping it around the boy, he secured both him and the sack to his back. Turning one last time, he took in the mighty figure of the Evil King Sombra. Magic surging in him once again, he secured the area with magic to ensure no one else would discover this place once they had left. At the entrance to the cave he performed even more enchantments to ensure none would enter. As he took his first step onto the snow the path before him lit up again. Glancing over his shoulder, he sighed with relief when the entrance to the cave was missing. Not a hint of its existence lingered.

Turning toward his journey he headed back the way he had come. This time, however, he carried the weight of his responsibility literally on his back.

Road Trip

“Are we there yet?” The child complained, for the umpteenth time, causing Starswirl to grit his teeth.

‘No, not yet.” He responded, wondering yet again why he even bothered replying. It would just come again.

“How about now?” Whined the foal. “I’m tired. We’ve been walking for daaayyyysss.”

Starswirl rolled his eyes. The grievances, which at first had been sporadic, had been gradually been building over the last half hour.

At least it was better than the murder attempts. Those had lasted the better part of the morning after the foal had awoken in a blind rage. Still angry at the “pitiful vessel” he’d been saddled with, the ‘young’ Sombra had given his all at trying to kill, maim, or at the very least harm the older unicorn. Granted the lack of magic made the attempts pitiful at best, but the efforts had been both an annoyance and a time consumer.

Eventually, the mage had decided to address the issue directly, by carrying the kicking and screaming foal in his magic. After about an hour of further protesting, the message finally sunk in. An uneasy accord had followed for a few hours.

As they progressed without protest or incident, the initial enjoyment of the calm was marred as Starswirl began wondering what the sinister mind was plotting. It wasn’t long after that the little king began to torture the unicorn, with his constant whining and questioning as to their arrival.

Turning, Starswirl took in the slumped form, the bent knees, and the pallor in the foal’s cheeks. Sighing, he realized that there might be something more to the complaints than just a chance to annoy him. Perhaps there was one small foible in his intricate plan. He had not allowed for the slower gait and lesser strength of a child. For the briefest of moments, he actually felt sorry for the smaller pony, until his better judgment caught up with him, reminding him of who was actually in front of him.

Coughing to clear his throat, Starswirl gazed around taking in the surroundings. Technically, they were not too far from the town of Hope Hollow. If they re-adjusted their trajectory, they would be there … Eyeing the foal, who was now lolling on the ground moaning melodramatically, Starswirl calculated the time in his mind.

“If you are quite finished with the melodrama, we are actually not too far off from a town. We could stop there and rest…”

The foal turned his head to eye the older unicorn. “A town?” he asked. His eyes flashed a bright green for a moment as his mouth twisted up on the side in a calculated half smile. Hopping up, far more nimbly than his prior visage would have suggested possible, he trotted past the older unicorn. “What are we waiting for?”

Eyebrow raised, Starswirl was reminded of the true nature of the manipulative pony inside the body of the foal. “Ahem,” he coughed.

The foal stopped and turned looking back questioningly.

“Not that way.”

The youngster looked behind in the direction the mage was pointing.

“That way.” Starswirl couldn’t hide the joviality in his tone, but he managed to keep the snicker inside at the little earth ponies snarling expression. The direction he was pointing was uphill, through trees and brush, and decidedly not clear territory.

“Up… there?!?!” The foal asked incredulously. “Ridiculous!”

“Well, if you want a rest and something to eat, that’s the direction we need to head.” Was the only response the youngster received as the older pony stepped off the track and began to carefully step through the brush. Pausing when he didn’t hear steps following him, Starswirl turned and looked back over his shoulder. “Well, come on then.”

“AUGH!” the ‘young’ Sombra roared, but then he began to pick his way through the trees. He made slow progress, slipping backwards a few times, before he caught up to the old unicorn. “At least we’ll get to eat soon.” The youngster shot the mage a reproachful look as he passed him up and kept climbing.

“Soon enough.” Following behind Sombra, he began to ascend the mountainous terrain. Unable to resist, Starswirl continued with a grin on his face, “Shouldn’t take us more than an hour or so.”

The older unicorn broke into a laugh at the scream he received in response.

“It’s not amusing.” Sombra glared at the still chuckling Starswirl. The mage had laughed on and off over the past hour of walking, as he recalled the young King’s earlier reaction.

“Oh, but it is.” The old unicorn chuckled in response.

“No, it isn’t!” Sombra argued.

Starswirl just laughed again. “Actually, it is very amusing.”

“It is not!!” Sombra stomped his hooves, glaring at the mage.

“Not everyone appreciates humor.” Starswirl smirked. “Perhaps you will understand one day why something is funny.”

Still throwing daggers at the unicorn with his eyes, Sombra walked headfirst into something. “Oof.” Stepping backwards he shook his head and rubbed the tender spot. Gazing upwards, he realized he had walked into a giant billboard of a rainbow. Glancing around he spotted a sign that read, “Welcome to Hope Hollow.”

“Hope Hollow?” The little Sombra rolled his eyes at the town’s name. Looking around at the colorful visage, he snorted. “More like hollow hope.”

“Hope isn’t hollow!” A young voice responded.

“No, It’s full! Full of color!” Another followed.

Turning to see who had spoken, the young Sombra took a step back as two young pegasi, sporting red aviator goggles, invaded his space.

“Really, it’s the perfect name for our town!” The female of the pair emphasized by rising up on her back legs and waving her forelegs dramatically through the air. “In fact, hope brought back all this color.”

“How can hope bring back color?” Sombra scoffed.

“Our town was hopeless,” the male of the two explained. “And without hope, the whole town lost its color. Princess Twilight figured that out!” He tossed his seafoam green mane back in pride, not noticing the older unicorn beaming in response nor the grimace on the young Sombra’s muzzle. “We all thought it was the generator ‘splosion but, turns out, it happened before that.”

“An explosion?” the little Sombra’s eyebrows raised in interest. “Do tell?”

Starswirl eyed his charge with suspicion but did not interrupt the pair.

“Well, the mayor thought he could help bring the town back together by making the rainbow bigger! So, he tinkered with the Rainbow Generator. Then…” The filly paused dramatically before looking at her cohort.

“BOOM!” They shouted jumping into the air at the same time.

“All the color was gone! Woosh. Just like that.” The foal dragged his foreleg through the air for emphasis. “But then Rainbow Dash came here! HERE! And she taught US these awesome moves…”

“Seriously, she made everything like 100 times cooler!” The filly interrupted. “Rainbow Dash even had us perform with her! It was so awesome!”

“She brought back our hope! And then the color came too!” The foal nodded.

“Rainbow Dash brought back the color?” Starswirl asked, raising an eyebrow with incredulity.

The two exchanged looks, before the filly qualified the story “well, the princess and her friends helped too.”

“Mmmhhmm,” the older unicorn murmured.

“They did more than just help! Rainbow Dash, Princess Twilight, and all their friends brought back our town’s hope. That’s why Hope Hollow is the perfect name for this place. Once again, we are a valley filled with friendship and with Hope!” a new voice responded. It came from the blue unicorn sporting a top hat and bow tie approaching them. He was trailed by a pink earth pony with an abundance of purple curls and an ample belly evidencing her condition.

Offering a hoof to Starswirl, the unicorn continued, “Welcome friends! I’m mayor Sunny Skies and this is my lovely wife, Petunia Petals. Those two chatterboxes are Pickle and Barley Barrel. What brings you to our little town?”

“Nice to meet you both. I’m Starswirl and this is…,” the mage trailed off staring intensely at Sombra, recognizing the power in this moment and taking it seriously.

The foal stared back unblinking, tilting his head, curious as to what the older unicorn would finally say. He certainly didn’t expect the truth. Not that they would believe it was truly him. To be honest, he didn’t really want anyone knowing it was him, not in this body. It was frankly embarrassing.

Watching the younger’s eyes for something, Starswirl finally concluded his statement, “…Kibou Shade.”

“Uh, er, right then. Welcome Starswirl, and uh … Key-boo shade, is it.” The mayor managed.

“You dears must be famished!” Petunia broke in. “Why I’ll reckon you’ve been walking for miles to make it here on hoof. Just this morning Mr. and Mrs. Hoofington brought over some of their delicious apricot jam, some of those apricot scones and fritters, and their famous apricot pie. How ‘bout I wrangle up something tasty to fill those bellies?”

Belly growling the young Sombra momentarily got lost in the images of the delectable treats. Without even realizing it, he replied “Oh, yes please!”

None of the other ponies blinked an eye, as they all trailed after Petunia when she called over her shoulder, “Right this way!”

Starswirl however paused a moment in surprise. Never in a million years would he have thought this Sombra capable of manners. Was this some kind of trick, a lapse in judgment brought on by hunger, or could it be something more…? ‘Perhaps,’ Starswirl thought, ‘my plan might work after all.’

Shaking himself from his musings, he trotted to catch up to the group. It was far too early to tell. He’d just have to continue to keep a close eye on the young Sombra.

“He’s a … different sort of foal, isn’t he?”

“Oh, er,” Awoken from his quiet contemplation, Starswirl coughed to grant himself a moment to formulate an answer. From another pony, the words might have come across as mean or rude, but not from Petunia Petals. Her kindness and concern were evident in her tone. “Er, yes, he is… different.”

“Seems far more advanced than his years might convey.” The mayor added, smiling gratefully at his wife as she poured more hot cider into his cup. The three older ponies were seated on the porch of a charming old house enjoying the mulled beverage. Having recently finished their meal, Petunia had sent the three youngsters off into the yard to play, though the two pegasi were doing most of the frolicking. The youngest simply stared at them stoically.

“That he is.” Starswirl sighed. “In some ways, anyway.”

“He seems… sad.” Petunia contemplated, watching the trio of foals.

“Very.” The gray mage admitted but didn’t elaborate. “We actually need to be heading out of town soon.”

“Where did you say you were headed?” Sunny Skies asked.

“Griffenstone initially.” The eldest pony replied, nodding in appreciation was Petunia refilled his mug.

“Oh, you should definitely take the train then, otherwise you’d have to charter a boat.” Sitting herself down at the table she filled her own cup. “But it won’t pass through these parts for another day or so.”

“That long, huh?” Starswirl frowned. The detour through the town would cost them the wiggle room he has factored into his calculations of the journey. But they would still make it in time, he was sure. Still, He hadn’t exactly planned on keeping Sombra around other ponies for such a long time frame. It was still hard to trust that even in such a small shell, the evil king wouldn’t return to his old ways. He’d just have to keep a closer eye on him.

“Just don’t get many folks who want to head out that direction. Wasn’t worth keeping the train running that often.” The Mayor explained. “But don’t you worry, you’re both welcome here in Hope Hollow for as long as you need.”

“Well, that’s very kind of you. We will have to find lodging though. I’m not sure how well… Shade,” the name around Starswirl’s mouth a bit before he was able to finish his thought “would do camping outside. The journey here took a bit longer than I had anticipated.”

“Why, I can have rooms made up for you here at Hope Hollow Hotel faster than the Barrel twins can eat a slice of that apricot pie.” Hopping up, the earth pony downed the rest of her cider. “I’ll be back in two shakes of my own tail.”

Giggling at her own joke, she trotted down the steps of the porch into the yard. Passing by Sombra, she affectionately ran a hoof through his mane causing the foal to jerk back in response. Smiling kindly at him, she gave him a wink. “I’m heading inside to make up your rooms for the night. You’re welcome to join me, if you’d like.”

Eyeing her suspiciously, the young Sombra felt a weird sensation in his stomach. It felt almost like a tug deep down in his gut. Trying to pierce through his feelings, he realized that part of him wanted to go with the odd earth pony, though he didn’t know why.

He thought about her behavior towards him. It had been quite… kind. At lunch she had sat next to him and tried to engage him in conversation, then kept checking on him and asking him questions. What did he enjoy doing? How was he feeling? Would he like something more to eat? She even gave him the last piece of pie even though the twins had been arguing over which of them would eat it. For some reason, she was going out of her way to be nice to him.

Looking back toward the porch, Sombra took in Starswirl’s guarded expression. The old pony was unreadable. Glancing quickly back at Petunia, he shook his head. There was no reason to feel this way. She was an earth pony. No one of import. Shaking his head, he looked away. “I better not,” he mumbled.

“Well, maybe next time.” Attempting another smile, she gazed with compassion at the youngster before turning and heading back toward the gate that led to the front of the house. While it would have been easier for her to simply reenter the house from the porch, she had wanted to reach out to the little foal. Something about him was just so darn sad.

Perhaps her maternal hormones were kicking in early? Patting her belly gently, she smiled. Wouldn’t be long now.

“Where’s Petunia going?” the female said coming to a stop on his right side.

“Is she bringing more pie?” the male followed, landing on his left.

Sombra couldn’t be bothered learning their names. Eyeing them both he wondered if they might come in handy. A plan had begun to grow in his mind after he had eaten his fill at lunch. “She said she’s going to make up rooms for us. Guess we’re staying the night.”

“Whoa! Woo hoo!” The two exclaimed simultaneously, further emphasizing their excitement by flying up into the air to perform loops.

Sombra raised an eyebrow at their behavior. Why on earth would they be so happy about his staying? It made no sense. Had they known who he really was, they’d have trembled with fear. But to get so excited about a strange foal they had no knowledge of staying in their town, well, it made little sense to him. Landing again, the twins were all smiles. Plus their word choice made no sense.

“What do they mean by ‘whoa?’ How does slowing down factor into my staying the evening?” He wondered, not realizing he had said it aloud.

“You don’t know what ‘whoa’ means?” The female asked, landing on the ground with a curious expression on her face.

“Whoa.” The male landed next to his sister, “really?”

Sombra shook his head in the negative. The siblings exchanged looks like this was a real travesty.

“It’s like, you think of the biggest, most amazing thing ever,” one started.

“And you can’t even find the words to explain what you’re seeing,” the second continued.

“It’s like bigger than anything else you’ve ever been part of, right?” The first added.

“You’re filled with so much love and… and amazement.”

“You could cry or holler or jump into the sky and flip over and over!”

“But instead of acting on all of that you try to find something to explain it.”

“It’s for those moments: when all you can do, all you can think, and all you can say is,” they exchanged a glance before finishing the thought in sync with each other.

“Whoa.”

Sombra furrowed his brow. He couldn’t really imagine any scenario that would fit what they were explaining to him. Except maybe his own shows of power. But racking his memories, he never remembered any pony speaking this word, and none with the reverence these two imparted it with.

The female interrupted his silent musings. “Hey, maybe you’ll still be here when Petunia has her baby! That would be a ‘whoa’ moment for sure!’”.

“Yeah, she’s due like any day now.” The male followed.

Dawning realization registered on the young Sombra’s face. ‘This information might come in handy,’ he thought. Before he could fully integrate it into his plan, he turned at the voice of the mayor.

“Pickle and Barley,” the mayor approached them with a smile, “why don’t you two take Shade into town and show him around?”

“Er, that won’t be necessary,” Starswirl responded instead, but was countered by the mayor.

“Nonsense, I’m sure the twins don’t mind. Do you two?”

“Course we don’t!” Barley replied.

“We’d be happy to show Shade around!” Pickle added.

“I’m not sure he would…” But before the gray unicorn could finish, Shade jumped into the discussion.

“I’d love a tour of the town.” Sombra’s smile was sickeningly sweet.

“Well, that’s settled then. Off you youngsters go. Starswirl, we can see what Petunia’s up to inside.” Turning the mayor trotted off. The two pegasii floated up into the air and started for town.

Before Sombra could get two steps toward following them, he felt the grip of the mage’s magic cease his movement.

“I have no idea what you think you’re planning,” the older unicorn whispered, “but know this, I am always watching,” to emphasize this, the mage flared his horn casting some kind of spell on the sneering foal. The young Sombra felt the tickle of magic on his fur. “No harm will befall anypony, least of all those two.”

Releasing the earth pony, before any of the others noticed, he called out loudly, “Be back before night fall.” Starswirl then turned and trotted off behind the mayor, ignoring the evil look being shot at his back.

“Shade are you coming??!!” one of the twins called out to him. Swallowing down his hatred at being controlled by the stupid unicorn’s magic, he swore he would find a way to get his revenge on the old nag. Schooling his features, he turned and trotted off to catch up with the other two.

They were play fighting, as siblings often did, and completely missed Sombra sizing them up. Perhaps they would be the key to finding a way to get revenge on that stupid old unicorn.

The museum, if you could call it that, was just a room filled mostly with old pictures. Sombra contemplated an image of one of the Mayor’s ancestors. Apparently, it was the pony who invented the Rainbow Generator, at least according to the placard beside the photo. He didn’t look smart enough, but perhaps looks are deceiving. Catching his own reflection in the photograph he smirked at the confirmation. His current appearance was evident that this was true.

“Here it is!” One of the twins called from high above them. She was hovering in front of an odd looking device on a shelf set fae up the wall.

“Yup! That’s the rainbow generator!” The male confirmed.

From down below, Sombra wondered how on earth he would be able to get it. Again, the use of the twins seemed like a distinct possibility. But how to get in after hours once they locked the doors.

The twins, once again, delivered an answer. They were currently arguing and sparring up in the air. Tumbling around they bumped into a window set high up on the wall. The frame was old and the latch shook partly open from the impact.

Noting this, Sombra formulated a plan of entry. Glancing around he spotted a container filled with brightly colored plastic orbs. Picking one up, he called out to the twins, figuring one would respond. “Heads up!” Throwing the ball at the window, the male dove toward it. Catching it, he stopped just shy of reaching the frame.

Sombra grimaced at his bad luck, until the female twin barreled into her brother, propelling them into the window. The latch was completely knocked open.

Sombra smiled at his success then chuckled at the female. She had been yelling something at her brother about not playing inside, which Sombra frankly could care less about. But when she scolded her twin for being a bad influence on Sombra, well he couldn’t help but enjoy the irony.

Strutting around the room, enjoying his newfound victory, he spotted what looked like a journal in a glass case. Slowing down in front of it, he recognized the drawing on the pages as a model of the generator. The twins noticing his interest landed on either side of him.

“What does that say?” One asked. “Is it in old Ponish?”

“Looks like hieroglyphics to me.” The other replied. Losing interest they wandered off to look at the items for sale.

Sombra, however, knew better. It wasn’t hieroglyphics or old Ponish. It was math: very complex calculations. Ones that Sombra understood would help him to activate the generator. An evil grin broke out on his face.

The final piece of the puzzle was in place. He had a way in through the unlocked window and now he knew how to activate the generator. When the twins suggested they head back, he nodded. Following them out the door, he grabbed one of the glow sticks from the sales counter and tucked it slyly into his tail. Securing it by knotting a strand of hair around the end. Ensuring it was hidden, he followed the twins outside.

He didn’t even mind the repeat of the twins tour as they meandered their way back to the hotel. Nodding along he numbly acknowledged when they pointed out the restaurant, hospital, and post office. He even pretended to listen when they passed the twins’ mustard yellow cottage and they retold the story of how their mom had planted the large oak tree in front of the twins’ room so they could look out the window and imagine they lived in a tree house.

Upon arriving at the hotel, the twins took off for home. The adults suggested they enjoy a light dinner. At the table, Petunia asked to sit next to Sombra and served him extra cookies afterwards.

After dinner, they all decided to turn in early, which was fine with Sombra. He still needed to think of a distraction to allow him the chance to steal the generator. Then he would need to find the perfect place to activate it and once distracted he could slip away and figure out how to return and get his true form back.

Lost in thought, he realized they had stopped in front of a room. Starswirl has just said something to Petunia, who replied. “No trouble at all. Have a lovely night.”

Starswirl grumbled, “Er, yes, thank you.” Shooting a warning glance at Sombra he then entered the room. Moving to follow, sombra was surprised when, for some reason, the mage shut the door behind him before Sombra could enter.

“This way,” Petunia called. “I made this room up just for you.”

“I’m surprised I’m not sharing with that old…” catching himself, he swallowed the insult and instead rephrased his statement, “I mean with Starswirl.”

“Well, yes, he did suggest that arrangement, but never you fear he is right across the hall. I kind of figured you’d like a little time to yourself.”

When she winked at him conspiratorially, he couldn’t help but smile back at her as they entered the room across the hall.

“Plus it has the best view of the garden in the whole hotel.”

Sombra walked over and looked out the window. The view was pretty amazing, but something else was on his mind. Before he crould second guess himself, he decided to ask her point blank the question that had been on his mind all day. “Why are you being so nice to me?” Dropping her gaze he turned away and added, “You don’t even know me.”

“Well, that’s a misconception. You don’t actually have to know somepony to be nice to them.” Turning back to her, he realized she was smiling kindly at him. “And anyway I’d like to think I know a little something about you.”

“Really?” The little king asked incredulously.

“You strike me as somepony who isn’t necessarily understood by the other ponies.”

“That’s …” Sombra instinctually tried to think of an argument. In the past that statement would have been tantamount to ridicule. But from Petunia, it didn’t feel that way. Sighing he acquiesced. “... true.”

“It’s not easy being different.” She sat on the edge of the bed and patted the spot next to her.

Surprising himself, Sombra walked over and sat down next to her. “Sometimes, it is hard being,” a king, so powerful, full of so much anger, “different.”

She nodded and ran a hoof gently through his mane. “Not always easy to find someone to listen either, is it?”

“No it isn’t easy. Ponies never listen to me. I know I’m right, and I tell them that but still...” they just run away screaming.

“Well I’m happy to listen if you want to talk.” Petunia smiles at him hopefully.

Blushing, Sombra opened his mouth to speak but the words died in his throat. What could he tell her? That he was one of the most feared of all ponies currently trapped in a tiny shell that resembled a young foal? That when he broke free he intended to unleash all manner of evil upon Equestria and especially on that ridiculously smug unicorn who had brought him back in this manner? That the way she was looking at him now was breaking something inside of him?

Shaking his head no, he managed to mumble “I’m kind of tired…”

Letting out a little sigh, she shook her own head and patted his foreleg gently. “Well you know where to find me if you change your mind.”

Walking to the door, she turned one last time with a smile before shutting the door behind her. “Goodnight Kibou.”

Sombra sat on his bed staring at the door for a long time that night before finally falling into a restless sleep.

A wail of agony woke him abruptly. His sleep addled brain barely registering that it sounded like a pony in pain. Another yell, and he was fully awake.

Racing to the door he threw it open and saw Starswirl emerge from his room with a face full of fear. Sombra knew his reflected the same expression. They had both recognized the vocal tone behind the screams. It was Petunia.

“What’s happened to Perunia!!? Is she hurt!!? What’s going on!!?” Sombra demanded, even though, from Starswirl’s expression, he knew that the old unicorn had no idea.

“I thought maybe…” Starswirl looked away but Sombra caught the flash of guilt in his eyes.

‘Why does he feel guilty?’ The little king thought before realization turned his gut.

“I would never hurt Petunia.” The sheer animosity in that statement surprised both of them.

“No, No I suppose you wouldn’t.” Starswirl admitted, eyeing the smaller pony with surprise. “I’m … I’m sorry.”

Again they were both surprised. Sombra even more so as he felt a warmth in his chest at hearing the sentiment. Coughing to try and cover the awkwardness he felt, he pushed the subject back to Petunia. “We should go check on her.”

Nodding in response, Starswirl led the way in the direction of the awful sounds.

Surprisingly, they discovered the source of the yells outside the front of the hotel. Petunia was doubled over, a pool of blood on the ground around her.

The Mayor was trying desperately to lift her with both his forelegs and his magic.

Seeing the two of them emerge for the hotel, he called out, “Something’s wrong with Petunia! We were trying to get to the hospital and then she collapsed and I … I can’t get … I’m trying to… I mean…” the poor pony was shaking with fear.

Starswirl stepped over and gently placed a foreleg on the shivering mayor. “I’ll help you. Together we can get her to the hospital. Which way do we head.”

The unicorn’s voice was so calm even Sombra, who had been staring wide eyed and unmoving at the scene before him, felt himself come out of his stupor.

“Right, right, the hospital... is that way.” The mayor gestured with his head.

“Ok, together now, on three. One… two… three.” The two unicorn’s lifted Petunia up with their forelegs part way. Lighting their horns, their magic lifted her completely off the ground. Slowly, they started toward the hospital Petunia between them.

Sombra trailed behind them, lost in his concern for Petunia until he heard Starswirl say something. Realizing it was meant to be his name he snapped out of the fog.

“Run ahead of us and tell the hospital we are on our way. See if they can send somepony to meet us on the road.”

Nodding in the affirmative, Sombra took off as fast as his little legs could take him. Luckily, the twins had pointed the hospital out to him earlier on their way through town. Racing towards it, he plowed through the doors.

Not stopping to catch his breath he ran up to the counter and huffed out the situation to the pony seated there. “Help…(huff)...it’s an…(puff)...emergency… (huff)...it’s Petunia…(gasp)...she needs…(huff)...help!”

“Petunia Petals? The Mayor’s wife?”

“Yes! The Mayor … (gasp) … is bringing her here… (huff) … but they need help!”

“Oh dear. Can we get a stretcher up here stat?” The pony pressed a button and spoke the question into an intercom. A moment later two clydesdales emerged wheeling a stretcher between them.

Not waiting for direction, Sombra took charge. “This way! Follow me!” Racing back out the doors he didn’t pause to see if they’d followed him. The noise of the wheels was confirmation enough.

It didn’t take long before they met up with the trio. The Clydesdales took over, loading poor Petunia onto the stretcher and racing back towards the hospital with the Mayor, Starswirl, and Sombra in tow.

Once inside the Mayor followed the stretcher back through the double doors into the hospital proper. Starswirl had to block Sombra with a foreleg or the colt would have followed them too. Glancing questioningly and more than a bit angrily at the unicorn, Starswirl explained. “I’m sorry. They only let family back there to help ensure the cleanest environment. It’s for her safety.”

Sombra choked on that a bit but finally nodded his understanding. He may understand their rules, but he wasn’t happy about it. Glaring at the doors, he allowed Starswirl to usher him towards some open seats in the lobby.

It felt like an eternity that they sat there in silence staring at the doors, hoping for some news. But when the mayor stumbled back through them with a lost expression on his face, Sombra wasn’t sure he was ready to hear what was happening with Petunia.

“They… they sent me out, said she needs quiet and time to focus… shhhee’s not doing well… it’s not good… she has pushed so much… and she is still trying… but… her hope… it’s … it’s fading.” Dropping onto the seat next to Starswirl, the mayor began to sob.

In some part of Sombra’s mind it registered that Starswirl was attempting to comfort the poor pony, but the king was too busy being angry at the situation. There was no way Petunia, of all ponies, would be allowed to lose hope. She was kind to him! To king Sombra! That meant she had to be filled with ridiculous amounts of hope. Somepony just needed to remind her…

‘No! Not somepony, me!’ Sombra realized. And he knew just how to do it!

“Mayor!” They all jumped in response to the volume of his voice. He hadn’t meant to yell, but there was no time to lose over a minor breach in propriety. “Where’s her room?”

“Wh-What?”

“Her room. Petunia’s room. Where is it facing?” The young pony demanded.

Both older ponies were surprised by the outburst.

Starswirl didn’t even admonish Sombra.

The Mayor thought about the question, his eyes looking off to the side evidencing the process and final realization. “It’s actually across from the museum. I saw it through the window. But what....” Before he could get the question out, Sombra had raced out the door.

Somewhere in the back of his mind, Sombra hoped that Starswirl wouldn’t stop him.

The mage has actually pondered doing so momentarily, but was stopped by the reminder of Sombra’s earlier emphatic declaration that he wouldn’t hurt Petunia. The unicorn decided to let this one play out. Plus the Mayor really needed comforting.

Sombra, meanwhile, raced away from the museum. For the first time in a very long time, Sombra admitted to himself that he could not do something on his own; he needed help. If there was any hope in helping Petunia with what he was planning, Sombra would need the Pegasii twins.

“So, we’re doing what now?” The sleepy eyed Pickle asked.

Luckily on their tour, the Barrel twins also pointed out not only their home but also their room. So it hadn’t been too difficult for Sombra to find and wake them. When they’d heard that Petunia needed their help, they’d basically tumbled together out their window in their rush to get outside as fast as possible.

“I need you to help me get the Rainbow Generator and then set it off in front of Petunia’s room. They said she’s running out of hope, so we need to give her some!” Sombra explained, wondering if it sounded as crazy out loud as it did in his head.

“Thought you didn’t believe in hope?” Barley teased.

“I’ll believe in anything if it saves Petunia.”

The solemnity of the response quieted the trio.

“We’ll help.” “Course we will.”

Taking a deep breath, sombra realized that he would have to reveal the elements of his carefully laid plan. There would be no chance he could do this again, not with the twins likely to disclose all of these details. Plus the generator would need tome to re-charge and they were meant to leave the next day . There’d be no time to try and escape.

But it was either that or lose Petunia.

Sombra didn’t hesitate.

“Ok, fly up to that window, it should be unlocked. One of you will need to hold the window open while the other one goes in and gets the generator.”

“How will we see?” Barley asked.

Reaching back into his tail, Sombra pulled out the glow stick he had tied there earlier, snapped it to activate the glow, and then handed it to Barley.

“Whoa.” Pickle responded. “You’re like MacGayoe.”

Sombra blinked perplexed.

“He’s a pony that can make anything from… well anything! Like he could combine a mane clip, a match, and a wad of gum and figure out how to blow open a door.” Barley explained.

“I must meet this MacGayoe one day.” Sombra mused unsure why that made the twins giggle. “There’s no time for that now. We have to get moving.”

“Ok!” Saluting, they both took off at once and headed toward the window. Lifting it up together, Pickle placed himself between the ledge and the open pane to ensure it would stay open.

Slipping past her brother, Barley entered the darkness with the glow stick clasped in her teeth. Several tense moments passed before she re-emerged carrying the generator.

Sombra’s heart leapt at the site. “Brilliant! Now we need to get this over to the hospital. Petunia’s room is facing the museum.”

Looking over at the large building, they realized there were many rows of windows on several floors that were currently facing them.

“Oh,” the small sound exited Sombra before he realized it.

“It will be alright. We can fly by all of them and find the right one!” Barley nudged him gently.

“Yeah, no sweat!” Pickle added.

Placing the generator on Sombra’s back, they flew off toward the windows. Weighed down as he was, Sombra still managed a brisk trot and he made it over to the hospital fairly quickly.

Looking up toward the various floors he waited for a sign. The twins were flying at record speed. He wondered how they could see anything at the rates they were hitting. But suddenly one stopped and the other raced over. Gazing inside they turned smiling and began madly waving at Sombra. That was his clue.

Setting the generator down below the window where they were now hovering, he made a silent wish that this would help the kindest pony in his memory. Hitting the switch he was bowled over by the giant rainbow shooting up into the sky.

The twins didn’t fare much better. Both were blown backwards and ended up careening mane over tail several times before regaining their ability to hover and drop to the ground.

Sombra sat up shaking his head. His mane and his tail itches like crazy. It felt almost like they were heating up. He scratched at them wondering how he’d managed to hit both at the same time.

A commotion began to grow, as ponies emerged from the hospital to see what was happening, the Mayor and Starswirl among them. At first they were both obviously confused by what they saw, but upon realizing a giant rainbow was now projected in front of his wife’s room, the Mayor’s concerned face was taken over by a huge smile.

“You!” He pointed at Sombra who immediately thought he was in trouble, until the Mayor giggling like a school pony lifted him up into the air and twirled him around. “You brilliant, amazing, wonderful colt! What an idea! You’ll bring her hope for sure.”

Sombra didn’t know what to do or say. He was a bit dizzy from being thrown around, but more than that he felt… happy. And light. And there was a weird sensation in his stomach that made him think that somehow everything would work out well in the end. There was no basis for this feeling, but Sombra decided to enjoy it anyway.

Pausing in his revelry, the Mayor stared closer at Sombra, “Well, I’ll be!”

“What?” The confused colt asked.

“You’re mane! It-it’s got blue in it!” Barley exclaimed pointing at Sombra’s head.

“Whoa! So does your tail!” Pickle pointed at Sombra’s other end.

Pulling the hair down in front of his face, sombra spotted it too. A streak of blue shot through the dark hairs. ‘What could this mean?’ He wondered.

In celebration, the Mayor began swinging the twins around, all of them laughing gaily. Starswirl coughed behind him and Sombra looked up uncertain about the unicorn’s response.

“I should be asking how you knew where the generator was, how you convinced two foals to (ahem) borrow it in the middle of the night, or how you knew how to activate it.” The piercing eyes focused on Sombra, who swallowed guiltily. The unicorn held his gaze for an intense moment, before suddenly smiling. “But the fact that you did this for a pony you barely know, makes me feel like those questions aren’t really necessary.”

Sombra was surprised. He hadn’t expected that response at all. But he was completely unprepared for what followed.

“I’m proud of you.”

They both stared in surprise at each other unsure what to do after that proclamation. Fortunately, they were spared further confusion and embarrassment when a nurse raced out of the hospital doors calling for the Mayor.

“Mayor Sunny Skies, I've been looking everywhere for you. It’s a miracle.”

“What’s a miracle?” The Mayor asked, confused by the nurse’s words.

“Petunia, she’s fine and so is the baby.”

“The baby?”

“Yes, sir. You’re a father!”

“A …a dad? I’m a dad!” The Mayor’s renewed excitement was contagious.

“Would you like to meet him?”

“Would I! I… him? Hi… I have a son?”

Nodding the nurse gently put a foreleg on the mayor's shoulder and prodded him towards the hospital entrance. The whole time he was mumbling about being a dad and having a son.

“Oh, can we go too? I want to meet the foal!” Barley made an attempt to fly after the departing ponies but Starswirl caught her in his magic.

“Not tonight I’m afraid. You can meet him in the morning. The family needs a little time to themselves, especially after all they’ve been through. But for now we need to get you all home.”

The twins moaned at Starswirl’s proclamation, but Sombra didn’t fight it. He took one last glance at the window up above and smiled. He couldn’t be angry, not when Petunia was alright. Plus, he was exhausted. All that running around on adrenaline had finally caught up with his small frame. It was all he could do to keep his eyes open and trudge along behind Starswirl and the twins.

They’d only taken a few steps when Starswirl suddenly stopped. “Oops, almost forgot.” Turning, his horn lit with magic. The generator, still active, rose into the air. The various gauges clicked and whirled until the generator’s doors closed and the rainbow vanished. The now sealed device floated over to hover over Starswirl’s back.

“Whoa.” The wide-eyed twins exclaimed simultaneously.

Sombra, on the other hand, glances suspiciously at the unicorn. True, the mage had shown him time and again how clever he truly was, but the device’s equations were no laughing matter. ‘How did he know how to close the generator?’

The question played on Sombra’s mind, though he remained silent as they walked to the twins home, and after ensuring they were safely inside, proceeded to the museum. Sombra watched as Starswirl sent the generator through the unlocked window and as he secured the latch with his magic.

Silently, they headed back to the hotel. Inside Starswirl followed the young Sombra into his room and helped him into the bed. Tucking him under the covers, the king far too tired to protest, instead he mustered what little energy he had left to finally ask, “How?”

Starswirl’s eyebrows raised briefly, but then he smiled. He was impressed by the colt’s fortitude. He didn’t need to ask what Sombra meant.

Clearing his throat, he offered a response. “I’m far older than you know. And many moons ago, I knew the mayor of a tiny town.” He paused to let that sink in. “I may have helped him with some fairly difficult calculations.” Smirking, Starswirl ruffled Sombra’s mane and then rose and headed for his own room.

Sombra contemplated the revelation for a moment, before his eyes closed, heavy with sleep. His last thought, before drifting off, was, ‘He knew how the generator worked. My plan was doomed to fail anyway.’ For some reason that made him smile as he slipped into slumber.

Starswirl The Bearded

Sombra stared out the window at the ponies they had met in Hope Hollow. The pegasii twins were doing loops in the air and waving their forelegs like crazy. The Mayor held Petunia in a one-legged embrace while she cuddled their new foal against her muzzle.

It was odd. Not only their behavior but the way he was feeling about it. It made no sense. He barely knew any of them. Yet, his eyes kept going between each, always settling longest on Petunia and her foal.

The train lurched and began to roll from the station. Looking up and spotting Sombra’s face pressed to the window staring at her, Petunia's smile grew exponentially, and she held her little foal aloft as if to show him to Sombra one last time.

Sombra swallowed the lump that formed in his throat. Unable to look away, he turned to continue to watch them as the train pulled away from the station. Even after they were no longer in view, his eyes still strained for another glimpse.

Until Starswirl cleared his throat.

The unicorn had been uncharacteristically quiet during the whole time since they’d entered their cabin. He had watched with interest the reactions of his young charge. Deeming enough time had passed, he decided to break the silence.

Sombra finally pulled his eyes from the window and turned to look at the mage.

“I think I will go get us some snacks and drinks for the ride.” Rising from his seat across from the young Sombra, he paused at the door. Looking back over his shoulder, the unicorn continued, “Perhaps, when I return, we can talk a bit more about the journey ahead?”

Something in the little earth pony recognized the fact that the old mage was granting him some space to parse through these strange new emotions, and that he had not commented on any of Sombra’s recent strange behavior. Overcome, he didn’t speak. Instead he simply nodded.

Nodding in return the unicorn slipped out the door. It was only then that Sombra realized, he had left without a threat or warning as to Sombra’s behavior.

The small earth pony sat back in his seat and felt his stomach turn over. As his mind replayed the events of that morning, he kept wondering: what were these weird feelings and why did they make things so confusing?

Early that morning, Starswirl had woken Sombra up with the news that the twins were there and that they would all head over to see Petunia and meet the newborn foal.

Rising, Sombra rubbed the sleep from his eyes. After a very quick shower, they headed out. Munching on an apple that Starswirl explained was breakfast on the go, Sombra wondered what the foal would be like.

Arriving at the hospital, they checked in at the front desk. The ponies there smiled broadly at Sombra, making him nervous.

A hospital aide arrived to bring them back to see Petunia and the Mayor. He winked and smiled at Sombra as they walked down the hallway. Looking away from the pony, Sombra glanced around realizing that most of the ponies were smiling at him.

Moving toward Starswirl involuntarily, the unicorn looked at him with concern. “What is it?” The mage whispered?

“Why are they all staring at me and smiling?” Sombra whispered back.

“Oh,” the unicorn chuckled, “most of them were here last night and witnessed your generous act of bringing Petunia hope with that rainbow of yours. The rest probably heard the story today.”

Looking around Sombra felt something strange in his stomach. It felt different having ponies look at him this way. He didn’t have to think on it long; they had arrived at Petunia’s room.

The twins of course barreled right in after the aide. Starswirl however waited at the door for Sombra, who was suddenly overcome by a strange desire to observe the floor of the hospital. He slowly made his way toward the door and peeked in around the edge. Inside he saw the twins hovering over the bed staring down at something bundled up in Petunia's arms. The Mayor was engaging with the Aide about something. Petunia was sitting up in bed, a smile on her face even though she looked very tired.

Perunia was saying something to the twins when she trailed of spotting Sombra. For some reason, her smile got even bigger. “Well if it isn’t my little hope bringer! Aren’t you going to come in and meet our new little one? You did help him into this world, you know.”

Sombra somehow made it through the door and, when Petunia patted the bed next to her, he managed to climb up onto the bed. Gazing at her with wonder, she lowed her face to his and nuzzled him. “Thank you.”

It was a simple action and just two words, but to Sombra it meant so much. He couldn’t remember ever being nuzzled nor the warmth that accompanied it. He smiled up at Petunia.

“There’s somepony I want you to meet.” Lifting the bundle up and away from her chest, a tiny face appeared in the blanket.

The foal was a pale purplish gray, with a dark gray mane. A single streak of purple shot through the straight hair of the small earth pony. Yawning, it opened its eyes revealing the brilliant turquoise color, just like his mom. Staring stoically at Sombra the little foal reached a foreleg toward him.

Acting on impulse, Sombra reached down and met the little hoof with his own. “He’s… so small.”

Laughing, Petunia agreed.

The mayor moved to the side of the bed and placed a hoof gently on his wife’s shoulder. “That he is. A solemn little fellow too. Hasn’t cracked a single smile.”

“Mmm,” Petunia responded, smiling down at her new little one. “That’s why we decided to name him ‘Somber Joy.’ Seemed fitting, as he is so stoic, but has brought us so much happiness!”

“Somber?” Sombra repeated, stunned by the pronouncement.

While the rest of the room, erupted into chatter, Petunia leaned over to Sombra and whispered, “We named him in honor of the hero who saved us both.” Smiling conspiratorially, she mussed his mane with her hoof. “Blue looks good on you, little king.”

Starswirl waited patiently for his order. His mind was filled with reflections and images from the past few days. A single question dominating those thoughts: ‘how much do I tell him?’

The rationale part of his brain thought he was crazy for even considering telling Sombra any more than what was absolutely necessary. Given the King’s track record, minimizing the information shared was the most logical course.

But Starswirl hadn’t undertaken this adventure based on logic. In fact, this whole endeavor was against rationale judgment.

“Why stop now?” He muttered to himself.

“What?” The teenager earth pony working the counter asked him as he laid the trays of food and beverage in front of the gray unicorn.

“Oh, nothing of concern.” The mage smiled and laid a tip on the counter before elevating the trays with his magic.

Heading back toward their cabin, he made a decision. This Sombra, the one who was his charge deserved the benefit of his doubt. The colt had already surprised him greatly. If Starswirl were to trust the purpose of this adventure then he would also have to trust the foal.

Opening the cabin door, with his magic, the mage took in his young charge while setting the trays on the table between them. The streaks of brilliant blue in Sombra’s mane and tail reminded Starswirl of just how different this King was and solidified the unicorn’s decision.

“So,” he began as he sat down across from the colt. “Are you ready to learn where we are going and why?”

The young Sombra sat forward eager to hear what the old unicorn had to say.

—-

“So we are headed to the Dragonlands?” The young Sombra’s voice held awe, amazement, and perhaps a trace of trepidation.

“Yes,” Starswirl conformed. “The train will take us to Griffonstone. From there we will attempt to hire a ride to take us to the Dragonlands. We don’t have much time before the occurrence of the hypernovae…”

“That’s the extended gamma ray that will fuel the portal between worlds?” The colt interrupted.

“Er… yes, that is in essence correct.” The unicorn nodded, impressed by Sombra’s ability to grasp all of the scientific explanation he had rattled off over the past half hour and condense it so well. “The gamma ray burst won’t last long though so we have a very small window by which to open the portal. Plus we have quite a distance to traverse between now me then. Not even factoring in the time needed to collect our supplies once we reach the Dragonlands, transport them to the precise location where the gamma ray will enter our atmosphere, set them up and then activate the portal.”

“And once activated, an entry will open to an alternate dimension. One where Ki… where I rule as an… evil… King.” The colt felt the badness inside him fill with glee at the prospect. He swallowed back the bile rising in his throat.

The unicorn’s eyebrow lifted but he didn’t comment. He nodded.

“And I will, what then? Walk through this door?”

“I’m … actually not entirely sure.” Starswirl admitted reluctantly holding up his hooves as if anticipating Sombra’s challenge to that pronouncement, “the mathematics of how the portal will manifest suggest an opening of some kind that will prevent physical matter but allow energy, whether it be spiritual or etheric, to pass through. My studies strongly predict that whatever opening forms, what it will look like will depend on both you and your counterpart in the other dimension. Together, you will figure out how to pass through it to the other dimension.”

“And you’re hoping that the good parts of Sombra in the other dimension will trade places with me…er, with my bad energy. The bad here will pass from this dimension to that one, and the good there will come back through the portal to this Dimension.” ‘Cause that wasn’t confusing!’

Nodding again, Starswirl pauses to take a drink before responding verbally. “That is the hope. The earlier transfers destabilized both dimensions and therefore had to be closed forever. My belief, after tremendous study and calculation, is that this particular cosmic anomaly will allow an equal trade of bad for good. There already is an evil Sombra on that plane and no Sombra here. Well, I mean there wasn’t a Sombra before I brought you back for this purpose. But that allows us to have a good Sombra without triggering the destabilization again nor requiring us to have an evil…”

Stopping himself, the unicorn realized that there was absolutely no need to risk revealing the possibility of the need for an ‘evil’ Celestia. That was far more risk at no benefit. Instead he finished his thought with an alternative word choice, “... counterbalance.”

“How will you know it’s worked?” The colt mused, eyebrows furrowed.

Starswirl breathed an internal sigh of relief at not having triggered Sombra’s curiosity by his near slip. “I suppose I will have to figure that out.” He answered truthfully.

“But there’s a risk?” The colt caught the mage’s eyes.

“Yes, I suppose there is.”

“Then why do it at all? Why did you risk bringing me back? Why are you sharing all of this with me now?” Sombra was genuinely confused. None of this made sense. If Starswirl feared him, which he was right to do, why would he be so open about his plans. Why would he share these details and the create a greater evil, even if it was in an alternate dimension.

The unicorn looked … ashamed almost. This further surprised the young king.

“A… a long time ago, I misjudged a pony… badly. I hurt a friend and in so doing turned a friend into an enemy. I was so blinded by what I thought I knew that I failed to be a good friend and listen. After learning that there are better ways to help our friends when they are hurting, I started thinking about other mistakes I made. I hurt a pony who meant the world to me before I vanished and in so doing I also harmed another friend, one whom I met through the prior portal.” Starswirl shook his head as if to remove these visions from his past.

“After dealing with the shame of my past actions, I decided to atone. So I began my research. Leaning all I could about the portal I had created before and what happened to it. I’d hidden it but while I was … away, it was found and reactivated. Yet another reminder that my unilateral decision had been wrong.” The mage shook his head sadly. “Then I discovered that the Sombra in that dimension had turned to evil. I also learned about your fate here in Equestria. That’s when I began to recalculate the portals and realized the kind of power necessary to reopen the pathway between the dimensions. This time I did not act alone, but sought the counsel of my friends. Only with each of their support would I proceed with the plan to bring you back and offer you a choice.”

“And they helped you?”

“Yes. They all agreed. Perhaps, they had their own atoning to do. I gathered not only their advice and blessing, but also a token from each…”

“The binding circle.” Sombra realized aloud.

“Exactly. They made it all possible. I calculated and recalculated, knowing I had to get it right. There was only one shot at this, at a time when bough energy would be created by a cosmic anomaly in just the perfect location.”

Starswirl pauses to take another sip of his drink before continuing. “I travelled all over Equestria, to find the perfect location to summon you and bind you, to determine the time needed to travel to the precise spot in the Dragon lands where the gamma ray will appear. I chartered boats and hiked mountains. I planned it down to the day.”

“And here we are.” The colt sat back in his seat.

“Yes, here we are.” Starswirl echoed, unsure if he’d done the right thing in sharing so much, but feeling that it was in fate’s hooves now.

“Why have you told me all of this?” The little pony asked after a brief pause as if reading the mage’s thoughts.

“I suppose it’s because of you.”

“What do you mean?”

“When I set out to undertake all of this, I hoped that there would be at least a spec of good left in you. But I had no real assurance of that. This has truly been an exercise of trust.” The unicorn reached over with his hoof and lifted the streak of blue mane and held it in front of Sombra’s eyes. “You make me believe there is more than a spec of good left in you. You chose to help Petunia. Your actions brought about this change in you. You’ve given me faith in you.”

The colt felt a warmth on his cheeks and another in his chest at the mage’s words. The feeling was foreign but also welcome.

“So even though I know there is still badness inside of you, and that it hears my words, I am trusting in your goodness to use this information and to make the right decision when the time comes.”

Rising from the table, the unicorn walked over to one of the beds and climbed in. Before rolling over to take a well earned rest, Starswirl looked back over his shoulder at the colt. “I trust you.”

—-

The Dragonlands

Soaring above an open expanse of water in the sharp claws of a reticent griffon was not at all what Sombra expected when Starswirl told him they’d be traveling to the Dragonlands.

‘It could be worse,’ Sombra tried to convince himself, as he swallowed back the bile rising up from his stomach from watching the blur of water speeding past below them. ‘At least my griffon isn’t trying to talk to me.’

Up in front of them, Starswirl and the female Griffon named Gabby we’re chatting amiably, seemingly oblivious to the noise of the wind rushing past. How Starswirl could be calm enough to hold a conversation while dangling precariously from the razor-like talons of a strange creature who could at a moment’s whim drop him into the middle of the Celestial Sea was completely beyond Sombra.

They had met the two Griffons the prior evening at their hotel. The train has brought them into Griffonstone Station pretty late in the day and the walk to their place of lodging had left them both tired and hungry. Luckily, there was a place that served vegetarian fodder nearby. After checking in, they had made their way to grab a quick dinner before retiring.

The place had been pretty empty and the few griffons they encountered seemed surly at best. Sitting quietly at their table they had just begun to eat when Gilda and her compatriot appeared. She was unlike any other Griffin they’d met. Spotting the two ponies, she had hurried over to their table, plopped herself down and introduced herself as some kind of pony crusader.

Sombra still was unclear about that part. She spoke so fast though it was kind of hard to follow. Despite her attempts, when Sombra didn’t provide much in the way of conversation, she had quickly turned her efforts directly on Starswirl, who despite his fatigue seemed all too happy to oblige.

Eventually the conversation made its way to their intended destination. That’s when Gilda got the brilliant idea that they would carry the ponies across the sea and save them some time. Starswirl was more than pleased to accept and Sombra had been too tired to care one way or another.

Now he greatly wished he had interceded and suggested a different approach. Shutting his eyes against the wind, he instantly re-opened them. That had been a very bad idea. His stomach contents almost made themselves known.

Sombra gritted his teeth. He really hoped they would get there already.

—-

It felt like an eternity later, before they set their hooves down on the earth. Sombra had never been more grateful in his life to be on the ground. The thought lasted all of a moment though, before he promptly found himself a bush to regurgitate into. If there was a good point at all to his retching, it was that he missed most of the goodbyes with the griffons.

It took awhile before Sombra’s stomach settled enough for him to move. He slowly ambled along behind Starswirl as the unicorn began to climb up a steep slope. Watching his two hooves move in front of him, it wasn’t until they reached the top of their climb that Sombra had the chance to look around.

It did not look promising. The terrain was mountainous. Puffs of smoke and sprays of black and reddish liquid shot up into the air, while pools of the liquid lava flowed through gouged crevices in the valleys. Dark gray clouds hung heavy in the sky. A smell of ash, sulfur, and tar permeated everything. But worst of all, there was an oppressive heat weighing down on them.

“Do you see that green mountain over there?” Starswirl asked pointing with his hoof.

Sombra followed the direction the mage was pointing but all he saw were erupting volcanoes spewing molten lava and billowing plumes of smoke. Squinting he caught a glimpse of something greenish that resembled a distant mountain peak.

“That’s where we need to go.” Starswirl added.

“How do we get there?” Sombra wondered. ‘Hopefully not by griffon,’ he thought.

“We walk of course.”

“Walk!!!” Sombra asked incredulously. “Are you insane??!! There’s no way we can walk there. Look at all that lava! We’re not fireproof, unless there is something you forgot to mention.”

“Who would have thought,” Starswirl chuckled, “and here I thought the mighty King Sombra feared nothing.”

Sombra blushed, a bit cowed by the remark. Starswirl struck a nerve with the remark. But Sombra was … concerned. There was a big difference between tackling something like this in his normal body with all its powers than facing it in his current form. “It’s not fear if it’s rational. Ponies aren’t dragons. We will burn if we touch the lava.”

“Then we don’t touch the lava.” The unicorn replied smugly.

“Prey tell, how do we accomplish that task?”

“With trust, my dear Sombra.” Starswirl smirked at the flowering colt. After a moment, he decided to throw the colt a bone. Pointing again with his hoof, he identified their path through the uninviting terrain. “Do you see the ridge right through there?”

Sombra nodded.

“There is a path that breaks off and heads along the coast. The winds coming off the water keep it relatively cool. While it meanders some, it is fairly flat and has only the occasional lava pit.”

“None would be preferable.” Sombra muttered under his breath. Taking a deep breath intending to steady himself, instead he had a coughing fit from the ash and the smell. When he finally stopped, he wiped the tears from his eyes. “Let’s go; anywhere is better than here.”

Starswirl nodded, and led the way forward. A few minutes into the journey, the old unicorn just couldn’t resist baiting the king. “I didn’t mention the best part of the path.”

Groaning, the colt almost didn’t respond. “I bet I can’t wait to hear this.”

“There are hardly any dragons on the coast.”

—-

“They EAT ponies!!” Sombra declared emphatically as he jumped from the rock he’d been perched on to the ledge across from him, which protruded above a thin stream of lava.

“No, not anymore.” Starswirl shook his head in response, offering a hoof to Sombra, in order to help pull the colt up onto the ridge that would take them further along the path. “They are our allies now. They help ponies.”

“Help us into their stomachs you mean.” The colt quipped, rolling his eyes as he marched alongside the unicorn.

The argument had been going on for the better part of the journey. If nothing else it had been a distraction from the perilous walk down the mountain onto the crevice and across the ‘occasional lava pits.’ Their constant banter had them making good time.

“So,” Sombra changed his tactic, “you’re telling me that if a dragon were to land in front of us right now, you wouldn’t run?”

“That’s exactly what I’m saying.” The unicorn nodded as he paused briefly to navigate along a particularly narrow ledge. “There is a treaty in place and excellent relations between the leader of the dragons and our own Princess Twilight Sparkle.” Ignoring the gagging noise from Sombra, he continued his explanation. “I have it on good authority that the princess’ right hand drake is good friends with the queen of the dragons.”

“Wait! You’re saying that a princess has a dragon for an assistant?” Sombra shook his head in disbelief as he trotted alongside the mage.

“Yes, they’re good friends in fact. She hatched him from an egg and raised him herself, if I’m not mistaken.”

“What has happened to Equestria?” Sombra wondered aloud, still shaking his head.

“Friendship.” Starswirl responded. “The power of friendship has truly changed our world for the better. Turning former adversaries into comrades. Changing Dragons from beings to be feared to friends we haven’t met yet.”

“You really believe, that out here in the heart of the Dragonlands, their natural hunting territory, with no other ponies around, that they would treat our presence as, what? A diplomatic mission?” Sombra scoffed. It was ridiculous.

“In a way, I suppose they might.” The unicorn lit his horn to teleport them over a particularly wide stretch of bubbling lava. “I do believe that they would honor the treaty and great us fairly. Need I remind you that we have already passed through much of their lands unaccosted?”

“We’ve been lucky, I suppose.” Sombra begrudgingly acknowledged. “We are at the edge of their lands, perhaps they don’t come out here much. As you suggested.”

“Er, well, yes I suppose I did say that.” Starswirl admitted. “But it’s not guaranteed we won’t see one at all, it’s just less likely. They enjoy the heat from the lava pits and there are just less of those out here.”

“Well, I certainly hope we never run into a dragon!” Sombra proclaimed as he stepped around a giant boulder that had been blocking the view ahead and immediately froze.

There on the path in front of them was an enormous sleeping dragon, puffs of smoke billowed from its nostrils as it snored loudly. It’s sharp claws and massive jaws were blocking their path forward.

Starswirl padded up beside the colt and assessed the situation. “Well, I suppose we will have to wake the fellow up and ask him to move.”

“Are you crazy???” Sombra whispered back. “We can’t wake him up, he’ll eat us!”

“I already told you, dragons don’t eat ponies…”

“Alright, whatever! It-it … it would be rude to wake him up.” Sombra gestured about while trying to come up with a plausible argument against upsetting the creature. “And we don’t want to cause a diplomatic incident, do we?”

“Mmmm.” Starswirl raises an eyebrow, not buying it.

“I certainly don’t want to anger the...poor fellow.” The final words were conveyed with far too little sincerity.

“Well, what would you suggest we do instead?” Starswirl eyed the colt.

“You could teleport us.” Sombra offered with hope.

“I can’t see what’s beyond him.” Starswirl dismissed the idea waving vaguely in the direction of the dragon.

Sombra gritted his teeth and looked back at the dragon blocking their way. The creature was so large there was no chance of going around it’s tail end as it was pressed firmly against the cliff side from whence they had just come. As they had no wings, there wasn’t any way to go over the beast without climbing on top of it and risking waking it up. They couldn’t go underneath it as it was sprawled flat out on the ground. Not that Sombra would have necessarily risked going under it if there had been an opening.

The only way forward appeared to be the small amount of walking space around the front of its massive maw. The opening was far too narrow for anything but a small set of legs.

Sombra swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat. It was either sneak past the sleeping beast mere inches from those razor sharp teeth, or wake the dragon and face its wrath.

“I-I,” coughing to cover up the stammer, he began again. “I’ll have to inch around it there and once I’m on the other side I can signal to you somehow a safe spot to teleport.”

“Are you sure you don’t just want to ask him nicely to let us pass? I’m sure he’s a reasonable drake…”

“No! No. No, I can do this. We should really leave him be.” Sombra sounded far more sure than he felt.

“Well, alright. If you insist.” Lighting his horn, Starswirl drew something from his pack. It was a rectangular shaped device, with a glass front that lit up. “When you get to the other side, just tap the glass and I’ll be able to see what you do.”

“Oh-oh ok.” Sombra took the item gently in his teeth. He felt like his legs were shaking as he stood there and contemplated what he was about to do.

“Sombra, you can do it! I believe in you!” The mage said as he nudged the colt forward.

But Sombra wasn’t sure he agreed. Without his powers, without his true form, he couldn’t do this. There was no way.

Glancing back at the unicorn, he saw Starswirl was smiling at him encouragingly and nodding. On trembling hooves he started forward. Slowly he drew closer to the monstrosity until at last he found himself alongside it.

The heat emanating from the creature was intense and the smell was something awful, akin to charred hide, scorched earth, and copper. Sombra would have gagged had he not had the odd device in his mouth.

Gingerly he took the first step in front of the dragon’s mouth. A billow of smoke blew back his mane and made his eyes water. Not wanting to get accidentally roasted, his hooves moved of their own accord, picking their way delicately past the giant maw.

Only when he was a good two feet from the razor sharp teeth, did Sombra realize he had actually made it past the sleeping dragon. He had to shake himself a few times as he kept getting transfixed both by what he’d accomplished in this little body and also by how much smoke the dragon produced by snoring.

Spotting a large crevasse up ahead on the path, he slipped through it. The dragon no longer in sight, he collapsed to the ground and spit the rectangular object out of his mouth.

Shaking himself to dispel the residual nervous energy from the encounter, Sombra accidentally nudged the glass part of the object. It instantly began to glow and a beam of light arced out from the center of the glass and proceeded to scan the area. A second later, Starswirl appeared.

Tilting his head to the side, the unicorn smiled. “Well done.”

Sombra couldn’t help but smile back.

—-

They made it to the cave at the top of the green mountain just before sunset. Falling to the ground, Sombra could barely feel his legs, he was so tired.

Starswirl used his magic to pull food and water from his pack and to start a fire to keep them warm through the night. As they ate, they watched the sun set in silence.

It was surprisingly still and quiet in the Dragonlands at night. In the distance they could see the path they would take in the morning down from the mountain.

“So, that’s where we’re headed?” Sombra asked, less for confirmation and more for something the say.

“Yes,” Starswirl responded. “At the base of the mountain, we will gather our supplies. I’ve stored them there in anticipation of our arrival.”

“You’ve made this journey before.”

Though it wasn’t a question Starswirl still answered as though it were. “Yes, a lot of planning went into this journey of ours. I needed to be sure we could make it in time. My initial run involved boating down some rapids though. That was a complete failure.” The unicorn laughed.

“Why are you laughing? Do you find your failures funny?” Sombra asked confused.

“Sometimes. It was more the shared enjoyment of finding a way out of a scary situation. I was on the boat with a friend and I miscalculated both our abilities and the power of the current. At the last moment, I teleported us to land. We were fine, though we lost the boat.” Starswirl reminisced.

“I don’t know if I’ll ever understand how you think.” Sombra shook his head.

“It’s ok, you know.” Starswirl chuckled. “Not everyone appreciates humor. Perhaps you will understand one day why something is funny.”

“Not that again.” The colt groaned.

Silence settled between them again; long enough that he wondered if the unicorn had fallen asleep. Sombra was surprised at how at ease he felt, even with the darkness and the quiet. Perhaps that was what gave him the confidence to reopen the conversation.

“Starswirl?” He asked softly to check if the mage was in fact still awake.

“Yes, Sombra?”

“You mentioned a friend in your boat story and on the train you talked about your friends helping you decide to do this, to bring me back.” Sombra struggled to find the words to express himself despite his confusing feelings. “They seem to … matter a lot to you.”

“They do.” The mage confirmed, curious as to where the conversation was going.

“You rely on them?”

“I do.”

“And they depend on you?”

“Of course.”

Sombra breathed deeply, letting it out slowly. “Even though you’ve made mistakes?”

There was a long pause as understanding took hold. “Friends, true friends will stand by you even when you don’t believe you deserve it. They will forgive you even when you can’t seem to forgive yourself. And they will help bring you back to the light and find the good inside.”

Sombra thought about those words. Rolling over with his back to the unicorn as if to go to sleep, he wiped at his eyes. He took a few steadying breaths to keep from sobbing aloud. It was a few minutes before he could say anything.

“Thank you Starswirl.”

Three simple words. But the power behind them held a presence all its own.

Starswirl coughed to cover up the sob in his throat. He didn’t know how to respond to that declaration. Instead he used magic to pull a blanket from his pack and drape it over the prone colt.

“Goodnight Starswirl.” Sombra whispered.

“Goodnight Sombra.”

Horseless Carriage

“What is this contraption?” The young colt walked around the device taking in its wheels and lack of harness or pulley system.

“I’ve been told it’s called a pony-less carriage.” The old mage responded with no lack of pride in his voice. “It operates completely by machine power.”

The younger one eyed him warily, but Starswirl ignored the look completely and continued to explain.

“We get inside through here,” opening the hatch he demonstrated by climbing the now-visible stairs and seated himself at the helm. “From this position we can see what’s coming in front of us. We operate the machinery through the use of these levers and this turning device.”

Climbing up tentatively, the young Sombra gazed around at the insides of the contraption. “Is it safe?”

“Of course,” Starswirl pushes the starter and the horseless carriage leapt forward alarmingly causing both ponies to grab at anything around them in panic. The unicorn quickly realized his error though and slammed his hoof down onto the brake. “Just takes a little practice is all. I’m sure to get the hang of it. First time’s the charm.”

“You mean you’ve never operated one before?!!??” The colt’s panicked grip tightened considerably on the console.

“I hadn’t the need before. A friend delivered it here for me. But there’s a first time for everything, my boy. Besides, there’s not much to do. It is a pony-less carriage after all.” Smiling to himself he removed his hoof from the braking device, slowly easing the carriage back into motion. Soon they were smoothly rolling along the path heading toward their destination.

After a few minutes of tense silence, Sombra began to relax… a little. The fact that they had not crashed eased his mind. He still held onto the console, just not in a death grip.

After a few more minutes, he thought of something. “You know...” he paused for dramatics, easily capturing the older unicorn’s attention. “It actually isn’t.”

“Isn’t what?”

“A pony-less carriage.”

“Yes, it is.”

“No, it isn’t.”

“It is. I have been informed that it is by one of the most trustworthy ponies in the kingdom.” The unicorn huffed in irritation.

The young imp was undeterred and smiled cheekily. “Then how do you explain us?”

“Us... what are you on about?”

The boy let out a hearty laugh. “It’s pretty elementary. I mean how can you call it pony-less when there are two ponies inside?” Continuing to laugh merrily at the joke, Sombra sat back and gazed out the window. All concern having left his small frame.

Starswirl grumbled in response. Under his breath, he spoke to himself, “really? Of all things funny, that’s what you come out with?”

“It’s ok, Starswirl.” Sombra chuckled. “Not everyone appreciates humor. Perhaps you will understand one day why something is funny.”

The unicorn groaned. After a few minutes though his grumbles turned to chuckles, which eventually led to a full belly laugh. Joining in, the two ponies laughed until they had tears running down their faces.

Gradually the laughter faded into a companionable silence. Noting how their congeniality continued despite the quiet, Starswirl once again was amazed by the transformation in his counterpart.

Perhaps this would work after all...

—-

The trip itself took far less time than either anticipated, not that Sombra really had any basis for estimation. But it was approaching dark when they rolled to a stop in the center of a flat wide-open canyon.

The place was just as Starswirl had described: a large flat expanse, surrounded on all sides by ragged mountains jutting up miles into the sky. It was barren save for a few tumbleweeds and a scattering of pebbles.

Stepping down from the horseless carriage, the small earth pony scanned the area around him, his eyes drawn up to the heavens. While the sun had not yet set, glimpses of the stars shone behind the twilit sky. All the colors of the rainbow spread out across the sky and reflected off of the clay hued rocks surrounding them.

“Whoa,” the foal managed, finally understanding the meaning of the strange expression.

“Whoa, indeed,” the unicorn agreed in a huff as he dropped down from the horseless carriage and stretched his aching joints. “Now there won’t be much light soon, so we best get these items unloaded.” Using his magic, he lowered the back hatch revealing several large rectangular shapes that were covered by tarps and tied in place to the sides of the interior of the back of the vehicle.

Sombra tilted his head to the side and stared at the contents wracking his brain to figure out why they felt so familiar. It was almost like they were calling to him. Unbeknownst to him, his eyes began to glow an ominous vibrant green color.

“Are you going to help or not?” Starswirl gruffed, with a bit more force than intended, but the glowing eyes frightened him.

The glow faded as the small pony nodded quietly. He was uncertain as to how he was meant to help, until he walked up the ramp the unicorn had just lowered from the back of the interior. At the base of the covered shapes, Sombra glimpsed rollers, and deduced that he was meant to wheel these down the ramp.

Getting right to work, he and the older unicorn untied each item. Sombra would wheel it down out of the carriage and onto the flat ground below while Starswirl kept it steady with his magic. While there was not much wind, the shapes themselves were quite wobbly and the older mage was not taking any chances.

Once they had been unloaded, Starswirl directed Sombra in the placement of the large rectangular shaped items. There were six of them. They towered over the small pony at thrice his withers and spread out on either side of him at double his chest span. He arranged them in a circle as the older unicorn directed, not stopping or complaining until the mage was satisfied entirely.

Dropping spent to the ground in a heap, he sat panting and sweating to the side of his creation. Starswirl was running calculations under his breath in between examining the heavens. The stars were now out in full force and with no lights from any cities to dim them they exploded in the sky above.

Sombra sat watching them in utter awe while his heart slowed and his breathing calmed. He had no knowledge of how much time passed, lost as he was in his gazing, so he was surprised when the older unicorn spoke.

“It’s almost time.”

The worlds fell solemnly around them in the quiet of the crater. The young pony took a deep steadying breath and spoke. “What would you have me do?”

The words came out much calmer than he anticipated. There was a lot of inner struggle accompanying them, but his voice was steady.

“Enter the circle and sit at its center.” Starswirl directed.

The earth pony rose and walked to the edge of the objects. Right before entering, however, he paused. Flashes of the cavern in the mountain and his former body lifted in frozen repose reminded him of the last time he had been in a circle of magic. Turning to look at the unicorn, he questioned him one last time. “What will happen?”

The mage tilted his head and gazed at his young charge, “That will depend on you, Sombra.” The name was spoken with the same gentleness with which he had been addressing the colt. “Like all things in life there is a choice to be made. The evil that lurks inside of you will be given the chance to depart this world.”

The small pony flinched at the reminder of his true self. So, he must leave, there was no other choice.

“But the good left in you, that good can choose to remain here.”

“The good in me? But…” the earth pony trailed off staring and pawing at the ground, hesitating to finish the thought.

“Yes?” the unicorn urged gently.

“What if there is no good left.”

The question barely registered over a whisper, but the old mage still heard and answered.

“I think the answer to that might surprise both of us.”

Sombra looked up into the kind eyes and felt something clench in his chest. A feeling that he had long thought dead within himself.

Hope.

Taking another deep breath, he immediately turned, before he could lose his courage, and entered the circle. Making it to the center, his knees gave way and he sat on the earth facing away from the gray unicorn and the hope he represented.

Starswirl for his part, dried his eyes quietly. Lighting his horn, the remaining ties and the tarps were lifted and sent flying, likely back to the carriage.

But Sombra wasn’t paying attention to them. His mind now registered what had been surrounding him.

“Mirrors!” he spoke into the quiet.

Examining them, he noticed strange runes carved around the edges of each one. In the center at the base of the frames there was a larger carving. Looking at the mirrors, Sombra realized that one had the carving of a flower, another a hammer, a third a shield. He would have examined the rest, but his eyes were drawn toward the mirrors. They had begun to glow.

In fact, Starswirl had begun chanting and sending magic through the mirror frames, connecting them with a multicolored beam of magic while monitoring the heavens. The planets were aligning above them just as the old unicorn had predicted. Their convergence was opening the bridge between the worlds.

But Sombra was oblivious to all of this. Instead his focus was on the mirrors around him, which had begun to spin, forming one large mirror vortex.

And it called to him.

The wind whipped through his mane and he squinted against it as a presence began to solidify in front of him. An ominous laugh echoed from somewhere beyond the mirror sending goose bumps up the small pony’s back. Two glowing green orbs appeared opening to reveal red elliptical pupils. Sharp fangs formed underneath.

It was surreal seeing his form through the mirrors.

King Sombra in the mirror laughed. “What is this magic?” Lifting a hoof, he tapped on the mirrored surface in front of him. It was solid and seemingly impenetrable. Activating his magic, he tried to push through that way, but to no avail.

“It’s a portal, between worlds.” The colt Sombra explained.

The mirror King glared at the tiny pony as if noticing it for the first time. He sneered, but then sensed something, a darkness with which he was already quite familiar.

“I am you,” the former childlike voice of the small earth pony had vanished and in its place was the voice of the true Sombra, “from another dimension.”

“A colt?” the mirror king scoffed.

“This shape allowed me to bridge this gap. I can join you, make you stronger, enhance your power.” The colt’s eyes had once again begun to glow. Sensing the evil through the mirror, the darkness inside rose to the surface and overwhelmed the innocence that had begun to flourish in the young pony. The evil wanted nothing more than to leave this weak vessel behind and it sensed the power in this mirror Sombra.

And it knew how to negotiate with itself.

“Grow my power, interesting, and what do you require in return for this exchange?” the King laughed haughtily.

“I come through the mirror and join you,” the colt explained, “and any good left in you, well you release that weakness and let it come through the mirror to enter this vessel.”

“Good?! Ha! There is no good in me!” King Sombra in the mirror laughed.

“Then there is nothing to lose in this trade.” The colt replied stoically. “But if there was, any lingering goodness, suppressed in some dark corner, taking up space that I could instead fill with more power, wouldn’t it be worth giving that up?”

The lack of humor in the response gave the King pause. There was no way that he would admit to anyone, even this small colt, that there might be some residual goodness left somewhere inside of him, but the thought of being able to absolve himself of any such possibility was not something he would deny. Especially, if it allowed him to consumer more power. “And after I consume your power. What is to stop me from coming through the mirror and taking over this dimension of yours.”

The young Sombra knew that he himself would never admit a potential goodness inside him, that would be tantamount to weakness. So, it did not faze him that the mirror King ignored his questions. He also knew he had peaked the King’s interest. Tilting his head as if considering the King’s question, and knowing his answer would solidify this exchange, the colt smiled sinisterly, “Nothing.”

“This deal is getting better and better,” The mirror King laughed, “Alright, I accept your offer. How do we manage this exchange?” Lifting his hoof to elucidate the point, he tapped the hardened surface.

“While can’t make the exchange in our physical forms, we can leave these vessels and make the exchange that way.” With that statement, the darkness and evil that were King Sombra rose like a dark cloud up above the earth pony vessel and hovered there. Within the black smoke a smaller concentrated area shone out in a brilliant dark blue.

The King Sombra in the mirror sneered at the sight of the blue in the smoke, but he refused to be outdone by the bravery of a mere colt. Casting a spell with his horn, a similar cloud rose up above his body. It contained far less of the brilliant blue hue.

As if on some unspoken cue, the two vapor clouds hurled themselves at the mirror. When they hit, a brilliant explosion shot out from the center of the circle and radiated miles into the sky, blinding everything in the surroundings. The frames crashed to the ground and the mirrors shattered, bursting into dust. Across the mountains, in a deep cave, the prior form of Sombra evaporated into smoke and the circle that had been cast lost the need for its magic and dissipated.

A deep silence descended in the crater.

Starswirl blinked repeatedly, slowly regaining his vision.

His first realization was that he was covered in dust particles from the exploded mirrors. His second realization was that a small earth pony form was laying still on the ground in the center of that explosion.

Heart leaping into his throat, the unicorn ran to the tiny pony. Using his magic, he cleaned the foal off. Leaning his head down, he nudged the form. Nothing happened.

Swallowing dryly, he leant down and nudged again.

Nothing.

Weakness in his back legs caused the older pony to flow down. He felt tears form in his eyes. How had he been so foolish?

The old unicorn began to cry in earnest. Sobs shook his shoulders. He felt so lost. When he felt the embrace of two small legs circling his neck, he wrapped his own forelegs around the other pony grateful for the comfort.

It took him a few moments before it dawned on him that only one other pony would be there to do that.

Pulling back in shock, his eyes widened.

The small earth pony pulled back at the same time and eyed Starswirl gently. His hair was now a brilliant blue color and his eyes a flat sage green. “It worked.”

Starswirl gaped like a fish, mouth opening and closing. “Sombra?”

The colt’s smile broadened into a huge grin. “Yes, yes, I … I feel like me again. But not just me. Some of the Sombra from that world came through too. I have his memories. I remember you.”

The unicorn jumped up throwing the small foal into the air with his forelegs and catching him. The two began to laugh and dance and chase each other about, until they fell in a heap on top of each other to catch their breaths.

“I can’t believe it worked. I mean I can, but I can’t.” The unicorn shook his head as if to emphasize how hard of a time he was having with this.

“You brought me back.” The little pony replied. “I don’t know how to repay you. I could never thank you enough.”

“Thanks are not needed, nor is repayment. This is what you do for friends.” The mage replied.

“You did it with the mirrors… that’s how you visited my world before… through the mirrors.” With a gasp, the small pony’s eyes widened in fright. “The instability of the worlds! What have we done?! We could…”

Starswirl interrupted, placing a hoof on the colt’s face. “No need to fear young foal. I’ve done my research. By transferring all the bad there and what good was left inside of you here, we have balanced the two planes of existence. I fixed the magic so no bad could come back through and no good could go back there. Then the magic sealed the passage between forever.”

“Isn’t it wrong to send more evil into that dimension?” the colt questioned, still feeling residual guilt.

“Perhaps.” The mage nodded, “But I did send a few impairments of my own.” With a smug smile, he thought he felt a scream of rage somewhere in a dimension far, far away. “Let’s just say you don’t need to worry about that dimension anymore.”

Taking a deep breath, the little pony rolled onto his back and stared up at the stars. “So, now what?”

“Well, I suppose, we clean ourselves up, head back to Equestria, and maybe go see your old friend.”

“My … old … friend…” the little pony sat upright. A visual of white elegance capped with a rainbow main blurred his thoughts. “Celestia.”

It wasn’t a question, but a statement.

“What on earth will I tell her?”