Arthurian—The Black King

Chapters

Sir Sombra de Onyx: i-vi
Sir Sombra de Onyx: vii, viii and x
Sir Sombra de Onyx: Afterwords

Sir Sombra de Onyx: i-vi

Sir Sombra de Onyx

by Whisperwind

On The Northern Continent

To the northern continent of Equestria lay the ice deserts of the yetis, in to which nopony were able to survive through the tundra’s living conditions. The continent was the last unguarded border for two reasons: the first of which was that the uninhabitable land was of no interest neither to the foreign invaders nor to the ponies; the second of which was that the yetis were more than capable of fending for themselves. But her majesty, Princess Helionis[1] of Launcelot[2], would not leave a border vulnerable, for the continent could still be traversed by the race of the nomadic satyr heathens to infiltrate Equestria. The yetis, mighty and proud creatures as they be, were, by nature, neutral to all political affairs to which they are commonly excluded and will, by no means, desist, or aid, the encroachers of the country. It was here that Princess Helionis, renowned for her diplomatic solutions to those who sought, or was willing to seek, a reasonable outcome to all disputes, political or otherwise, decided to enlist the yetis in her favor.

The emissary her majesty sent was her political advisor named Bonehoof of Percival[3], colt of Sir Longhoof of Percival, whom the princess tasked to return after having lived with the yetis in order to disclose what compromise could be arranged for Equestria’s safety. Bonehoof describes the creatures as “Gracefully brutish, passionately isolated, and hedonistic.”

The tribe leader of the yetis, named Irch Morjak, whom Bonehoof had befriended during his stay, was still indifferent to the whole affair and was quoted saying: “that the ponies may well garrison the north if they may so survive it; and that the yeti race are not to be incriminated for their bowelless lifestyle.”

Irch Morjak further stated that a contract is neither needed nor possible. Princess Helionis stated that such an agreement was more akin to savages than rational creatures. To this, the tribe ruler was said to have smiled and add that, for the yeti race, the word savage was a compliment.

The enigmatic message of Irch Morjak did not make sense until the fortnight of the day the first few bricks of the garrison were laid. Two of the yetis attacked the workers leaving three dead and seven incapacitated. Three weeks later, as new workers placed more bricks, the same two yetis attacked. The ponies, more prepared, were able to fend them off, leaving only three injured.

It is important to note here that neither unicorns nor pegasi were resistant to the cold that only the recalcitrant earth ponies were chosen, and handsomely rewarded, for the taxing labor. If such unicorn or pegasi could withstand the icy cold weather as an earth pony could, then the yeti attacks could have been easily withstood.

It just so happened that a unicorn by the name Fire Ruby of Lamerok, filly of Earthshire of Lamerok, had heard of the handsome reward for the earth ponies willing to work the garrison. Fire Ruby, in the edge of starvation, covered her horn with a stolen helm and volunteered. When the same yetis attacked two weeks later, Fire Ruby was able to conjure a shield that protected her fellow workers from the yetis and the cold weather.

Meanwhile, Princess Helionis summoned Irch Morjak to answer for the recent attack.

“Laws we hast none but that of might,” said Irch Morjak. “The yetis are ungoverned except for one rule: that harm our own kind; we do not.”

Two days later Princess Helionis visited the garrison in an event that an assault may be made where she hopes she could dissuade the attackers. The day did not disappoint as, not an hour later, not two, but fifteen of the yetis attacked the garrison. It was then that a unicorn mare stepped forward and invoked a spell that summoned a warm sphere that shielded them from the plunderers. After the yetis ran away at the sight of Princess Helionis, her majesty called upon the unicorn mare later that night for questioning.

“What is thy name?” asked the princess.

“Thy Grace, I am called Fire Ruby, filly of Earthshire of Lamerok.”

“How fare’s the garrison?”

“Aye, the construction hath hastened. But it is to the ramrod to whom that question is better addressed.”

“I refer to thy spell.”

“Pardon, thy Grace,” said she. “My father’s, rest his ghost. ‘Tis called the Scabbard, the only spell I have known.”

“Of what work wert of thy begetter?”

“Reinforcing crystals, and other seeds of the earth.”

“Pray tell how you can work in this frozen barren.”

“Aye, mare as I am my coat is tempered with days in the quarry and nights in the blacksmith,” explained Fire Ruby. “I am well practiced in the arts of crafts and masonry through my father. I work for the bits thou payest me. I beg thee not to be dismissed.”

“I oughtn’t to say such a thing.”

The next day, Fire Ruby has been promoted as the chief guardsmare. Though the yeti attack has become more frequent with each passing week, the defense provided by Fire Ruby was more than adequate against them. With the spell, the deaths of the workers had been eradicated and the garrison completed ahead of schedule. What followed from the garrison was Princess Diana’s[4] attempt to seize the opportunity for territorial expansion. The watch towers were to follow, then the forts. More ponies, those whom have learned of the protection provided by Fire Ruby, hastened to aid in the work.

Still, it was only earth ponies who volunteered for the labor, for neither pegasi nor other unicorn would dare venture in the frozen wasteland and risk death if ever Fire Ruby herself was to succumb. Other unicorns attempted to imitate the Scabbard, but they could not conjure a shield that covered farther than themselves that the spell was practically ineffectual.

In Which The Crystal Empire Is Founded

To those familiar of the medieval romances, one can imagine that a mare of such stature and repute as Fire Ruby would not be left unsolicited. Several hundred stallions of all respect, from the earth pony laborers to the unicorn elitist, all made their attempts to woo a unicorn of such peculiar talent and fame. But it was several years later, after the fortification of the northern borders have long been completed, that a stallion has caught the heart of Fire Ruby. He was a unicorn knight by the name of Sir Crystal Heart, colt of Sir Cold Heart of Gaheris. Fire Ruby, now a fiancé to a noble named Lord Silverring, colt of Duke Goldenring of Pellinore, immediately fell in love with the knight, and he with she. The two needed only a glance to say what they mean, and a whisper to a place by which they would meet. That night, and all other nights after, Fire Ruby and Sir Crystal Heart would rendezvous in Diana’s Garden[5] to exchange whispers as lovers would.

Lord Silverring had grown suspicious of his fiancé’s frequent disappearances that, one night, after a celebratory gathering, he sent a squire to spy on his would-be wife. The spy returned to him reporting that he saw the pair of lovers in the garden. Lord Silverring, more maddened of the ill repute that would arise from the scandal than her fiancé’s disloyalty, sought the counsel of his advisers to exact his retaliation. The consensus was that Fire Ruby’s stature and popularity with the working class would do more harm to rebuke her openly and that the most favorable course of action, for those skilled in treachery and deceit, was to have her assassinated.

Fortunately, the assassin contracted to commit the deed was one of the many lives saved by Fire Ruby during the days of the construction of the garrison. The assassin confided with Fire Ruby and Sir Crystal Heart in Diana’s Garden the night the assassination was to take place. The two lovers thanked their would-be slayer and made their escape.

The next day, Lord Silverring was outraged after finding out that his assassin had betrayed him. In his haste, he spread word for a bounty for both Fire Ruby and Crystal Heart. It was unsuccessful. Most of the assassins for hire were earth ponies who knew what Fire Ruby had done for their race. The others, who were not so grateful, could not find the pair of lovers otherwise. But by the end of the year it no longer mattered, there was nopony to pay the ransom. Lord Silverring was found assassinated and the reason of which is unknown. However, it is within this author’s responsibility to assume the romantic sentiment that it was the same assassin hired for Fire Ruby and Sir Crystal Heart who took the life of his employer to secure the safety of the lovers.

The death of Lord Silverring resounded all across Equestria and with it his plan to assassinate the lovers. Only those of his immediate family mourn in contest for the will he left behind.

The working class, in contrast, rejoiced in the hope that Fire Ruby, with her lover, would come out of hiding. But to everypony’s surprise, there were no signs of them unveiling themselves. The only conclusion was that the two had somehow met a tragic end, never to be seen again.

It was true that Fire Ruby and Sir Crystal Heart were not be seen again in any of the known city-states of Equestria, but tragedy were farthest from their conditions. The two had taken refuge within the very heart of the northern content amidst the snowstorm and the frozen tundras, planting the first seeds of what is to be known, several generations from them, as the Crystal Empire. With the protection of Fire Ruby’s Scabbard, which grows more powerful since she met Sir Crystal Heart, the two made their warm home in the frozen wasteland. They had discovered the power of the land when Sir Crystal Heart learned how to crystallize earth with pressure and heat, providing them with a warm material sturdier than metal and cheaper than wood. Their first home is a spire made of cobalt and topaz in which Fire Ruby begot the twin sisters: Flame Heart and Crystal Kindle. Several earth ponies, the great majority of which were workers who were once under the protection of Fire Ruby, decided to traverse the wasteland to find refuge from the abusive aristocrats of pegasi and unicorns prevalent in Equestria at that time. Their intention was to create their own city-state, governed by earth pony nobles.

It was Fire Ruby and Sir Crystal Heart that passed on the knowledge of the Scabbard and crystal forming, but it was their daughters that mastered the art. Crystal Kindle, the younger of the twin, has taught the earth ponies the creation of crystals through tempering with the earth. Flame Heart, the elder and scholar by profession, had inherited her mother’s divine gift for the mastery and creation of the shield that protected their village; she discovered, several years later, that, like love, the warmth comes from the affection of the subjects[6]. Crystal Kindle later begets Diamond Anvil and Iron Forge to a blacksmith. Flame Heart begets the filly Fire Shield to the assassin, whose name we now learn to be Quicksilver.

As the town grew to a village, the village to a city, so did the municipality’s territory. At this, the yetis, who originally inhabited the continent, felt threatened of the expansion that the tribe leader knocked on the doors of the newborn empire.

“I am Risch Jetch, son of Irch Morjak,” said he, “and our race demands that you forfeit your expansion, lest we be threatened. If not, then we will be forced to wage war.”

“Still, Risch Jetch,” answered Flame Heart. “We, too, wish to live in peace. But we art not to relinquish that which we have rightfully conquered by sheer exertion of our sweat and blood. Truly, thou dost not wishest to wage war on our young state. My mother, rest her ghost, hadst told stories of how thy race attacked our ponies–and how fresh these wounds be!–but never have we struck back in vengeance. The continent of the north is too big for one race alone, and I believe it to be possible that we could live in harmony. But if thou art to engage in this folly, heed my warning that an attack on our Scabbard is an attack to our mothers that have similarly cradled our city, and that there art no shortage of soldiers willing to give their lives in defense of that which they so honorably serve.”

Risch Jetch returned to his tribe enraged. Throughout their history, the yetis had been the most dominant hunters and champion of the tundra. Believing the equine race to be ignorant of the art of war, the yetis marched at dawn.

In the year two-hundred and twenty-three of Helionis’s Ascension[7], the Crystal Empire engaged in its first war. The yetis amounted to a total of twenty-four hundred whereas the cavalry of the Crystal Empire composed of one hundred and fifteen knights and seven hundred seventy-six soldiers. The yetis attacked on one side, focusing all their strength trying to break the Scabbard. It was then that the soldiers and knights lay down their swords and spears and brought up their bows and arrows, tipped with cobalt and topaz. Whereas the yetis struggled to break the wall, the arrows passed through the Scabbard as though it was thin air. Hence, many of the yetis were felled before the shield broke. But Flame Heart could not maintain the wall for long and it collapsed under the pressure of the gargantuan brutes. The knights and soldiers were quick to take up arms and fought the beasts by hoof. The advantage was theirs for the yetis are tired and injured, but it was difficult for they were thrice their size and twice their number. Then as the Crystal Empire was slowly overrun, the laborers, too, took up arms, then the mares and even the colts and fillies, using the knives, rakes and tools as their weapon. The earth ponies fought with such ferocity on the righteousness of their battle that the yetis are forced to retreat, never to return again.

When the crystal ponies, to which they are later known, were assured of their victory, there is much merrymaking. It has been known that, having withstand the might of the yeti race, the Scabbard was rumored to be impenetrable to invaders insofar as those of Fire Ruby’s lineage were in power to cast the spell. Those who wish to invade the Crystal Empire would first have to traverse miles of the blizzard field and try to break the shield under such conditions before finally meeting the crystal pony knights and soldiers.

The growth of the Crystal Empire followed from the victory against the yetis. It has been known throughout Equestria as the capital of gemstones and ore. Every colt and filly did not grow up without mastering the art of crystal making that the finest jewels in Equestria could only be found in the Crystal Empire. After three generations since Flame Heart, the aristocracy is made apparent. The ability to make the shield that protected them from the icy tundra and invaders could only be passed on the first-born filly of Flame Heart’s lineage, who will become the queen of the empire to be then given the title of "the Crystal Heart" to which all subjects pour their love to.

Following the exponential progress, in the year four hundred and five of Helionis’s Ascension, the Crystal Empire has reached its apex. King Ivanhorse and Queen Troy the Crystal Heart, rulers at that time, declared their independence, and allegiance, from, and to, Launcelot, to which Princess Helionis was proud to grant. The northern border of Equestria was now secured.

III

In Which Sombra is Born and Raised

It was in the year seven hundred and eleven of Helionis’s Ascension, during the reign of King Romolus and Queen Remus of the Crystal Heart that knight-errantry and the code of chivalry[8] was put aside for the practice of craftsmanship. After five centuries of peace, the soldiers lessened and knighthood became a beloved sport of jousting. But King Romolus, who was a knight himself, desired to reinstate the valor knightly principles as in the medieval romances. He proclaimed the hunt for Ouroboros, the She-Serpent[9], whose length circles the circumference of the globe and swallows its own tail. The reward for the prize was immortality in the hearts of the crystal ponies. After years of practicing the art of combat, and no enemies to which they may use them, the knights of the Crystal Empire reveled and verily grew excited of the hunt that the enlistment were filled the day of the announcement.

The one-hundred and sixteen knights that sought Ouroboros, the She-Serpent, circled the continent of the north until it was only Sir Fenrir the Grey[10] that found the tail of the creature beneath the snow. Sir Fenrir circled the globe for three years following the snake’s body in search for its head, only to discover it back to where he had started. Here he saw Ouroboros’s head and, taking up his spear, prepared to strike it down.

“Still thy spear,” said the She-Serpent, “For only thou who traversed the dirt, sand and snow on foot can see me, and he who see sees that it is I who holds the world together in my coil. That to strike me down is to strike down the daughter of this earth and call its vengeance. For if I stir, the mountains shall rage and the sea shall sweep, the heavens shall cry and the maw of the earth shall open and swallow the land. But I acknowledge thy tenacity and would not wish thee downcast. Therefore, I shall grant thee whatever wishes thou desire to take it back to thy city as trophy of thy victory. Take my fang; forge from it a sword that cut mountains. Take my scale; forge from it a shield that devours even Helionis’s sun. Take my eye, and use it as a mirror to bear witness to the secrets world.”

“No sword shall be made of thy fang,” said Sir Fenrir, “Nor shield of thy scale, nor mirror of thy eyes. For I have traversed the world already and have seen enough, for I have fought all the while and is all but retired. But my adventure ha left me lonesome, and here standing back in my tundra I feel cold. So I wish, mighty serpent, if thou could grant it, the warmth of a companion.”

Hearing this, Ouroboros, the She-Serpent, turned herself to a mare which Sir Fenrir the Grey describes to be the fairest of the fair. The knight took the mare in her hooves and made love to her. The next day, Sir Fenrir the Grey left the Crystal Empire and resumes his knight-errantry all over Equestria.

It is not until the year eight hundred and thirty nine of Helionis’s Ascension that King Caliburn heard news of Ouroborus, the She-Serpent. Another knight, by the name of Sir Phalanx the Impenetrable, returned with a story and a trophy.

“Aye, my liege,” so tells Sir Phalanx. “I have searched for Ouroboros, the She-Serpent, as my father and forefathers before me. I have found her tail resting here by the north of our own continent, buried under the snow, and I have followed it through the circle of the globe, from Percivale to Galahad, from Launcelot to Gawain, to find myself back where I began and only to see her head chewing on her tail. Here she offered her fang, to be forged as a sword that can split mountains; or her scale, to be forged as a shield that devours even Helionis’s sun; or her eye, to be use as a mirror to bear witness to the secret of the world.”

“And what trophy did thou return?” asked the king.

“This, her egg, which I have stolen in her sleep. For I cannot, as knight, take that which was so easily offered.”

Several weeks later, the egg hatched and from it came a raven black unicorn. Sir Phalanx returned to the king and showed him the foal.

“Dear King, thou hast known that this foal is my prize and trophy from Ouroboros, the She-Serpent. That this foal is now my slave and I name him Sombra, which means shadow, from the color of his coat.”

Queen Llamrei the Crystal Heart was horrified to hear that such a foal should be enslaved by birth that she spoke: “Brave Sir Phalanx, I cannot forbear that thou would takest into custody our own kind.”

“But it is not our kind,” replied Sir Phalanx. “For this is the son of Ouroboros, the She-Serpent.”

“Does it slither on the ground as a serpent would? Is it limbless as a serpent is?”

“No.”

“Therefore, it is not a serpent. Does it neigh as a pony would? Does it crawl on all limbs as a foal would?”

“Yes.”

“Therefore, it is equine.”

Sir Phalanx is outraged that his rightful claim was discredited. King Caliburn, on the other hoof, would not wish to see his knight disheartened that he sought a compromise. Sombra, as the foal was named, was to be the servant and future squire of Sir Phalanx.

For several years, Sombra grew in the Crystal Empire but his childhood could not be said to be the healthiest among his generation. The contempt that Sir Phalanx harbored to him, for being servant rather than slave, warranted him little attention that he became no different than an orphan. The parents of colts and fillies all warned their children against him, for he had a peculiar quality unnatural to the other denizens; that is, he does not shine and glimmer whenever inside the Scabbard, that he preserves his raven black coat amidst the crystal ponies. Thus, avoided by colts and fillies, even the mares and stallions, from his childhood to his younger years, Sombra did not learn to speak until he was in his eleventh winter. Until then, the whole Crystal Empire believed him to be mute. Once, for hunting down and eating a hare in the tundra, for he was half-serpent as he was half-steed, he was beaten by a knight who found him[11]. The reputation of Sir Phalanx as a haughty knight did not help as well, for those ponies who could not place their grudge against the knight turned their aggress to Sombra instead; oftentimes the punishment which ought to be penalized to Sir Phalanx would be reserved for him. Sombra, having known no other way of life, and intelligently aware of his difference to the crystal ponies, have never uttered word of complaint and had, instead, learned only to tolerate and welcome the pain of isolation. In his twelfth year, as with every colt of the Crystal Empire, he was educated in the art of crystal making. Being a unicorn, he was able to employ his magic to his craft. He produced a clear melanized onyx in a space of time so short he was able to match his speed with the greatest crystal craftsmen in the Crystal Empire’s history. Where he expected, for the first time in his life, to be praised, he was welcomed in envy and hatred. His teacher condemned him for the use of magic and expelled him from class. In his thirteenth year, his contemporaries have earned their emblem[12], to which he alone was exempt. In his fourteenth year, Sombra fell in love with a mare whose name was Flask Water. Knowing his stature as the social pariah, Sombra had not approached the maiden until his fifteenth year.

“Begone, whoreson of the Serpent,” so said Flask Water to him. “Thou whose raven black coat mirrors the darkness of thy heart, thou who possessest no emblem, thou who could not be purified even by the Crystal Heart, art the symbol of evil to which my father, Sir Watcheye, hath pledged dispossession. Thou art to be the reminder of the knight’s cause. And thou purpose to profess thy love for me, foul creature?”

And Sombra left the mare and wept.

In Sombra’s sixteenth winter, King Caliburn died from a fall from his balcony after a drunken celebration of Helionis’s Vernal Equinox. By tradition, Queen Llamrei selected one of the nobles to marry her daughter, the young Princess Avalon. The queen has chosen the viscount Stonehoof, who became the new king two months later. King Stonehoof then announced the open hunt for Ouroboros, the She-Serpent, as celebration for the crown. Upon hearing this, Sombra ran to his master and said:

“Sire, forgive my intrusion, but the King has opened the game for Ouroboros, the She-Serpent, to whom I now know to be my mother. I ask thee permission to engage in this hunt.”

“Dost thou takest me for a fool?” said Sir Phalanx angrily. “For the day I give thee permission is the day of thy escape! Or, if not, to beg thy mother of vengeance upon empire! Take thy place amongst the other squires, for I liked thee better when thou art mute. Aye, if not for Queen Llamrei I would have thou whipped for treachery.”

“But sire, I beg understanding–”

“Another word and I would have thee take supper amongst swines. Be happy that I allow thee to eat the scraps off my table.”

Two weeks later, Sir Phalanx the Impenetrable sought a plan to get rid of Sombra, who has done nothing for him but brought upon the contempt of his contemporaries, and garner treasure besides. He would take the son of Ouroboros, the She-Serpent, as surety for all the treasures she could offer.

Sir Phalanx and Sombra left at dawn to the north of the tundra where Sir Phalanx struggled to find the serpentine tail. Along their way, they encountered another knight of the Crystal Empire and Sir Phalanx challenged him to a jousting battle. The knights agreed and the two jousted. Sir Phalanx is felled twice against the knight’s lance that he challenged him to a fight with the sword. The knight, whose name we now learn to be Sir Emerald IV of the Green Lance, accepted the challenge and defeated Sir Phalanx in four strokes.

“Thy name is ill-deserved,” said Sir Emerald IV. “For Sir Phalanx the Impenetrable hath surely lacked his defense.”

“Nay!” replied Sir Phalanx, “For the curse is he–my squire!–whose air alone curses my skill, that I am left to neglect my training.”

“I am ashamed to be called knight of the Crystal Empire beside one who blames his weakness in the innocence of another.”

Sir Emerald IV raised his sword to strike down Sir Phalanx when Sombra stood in between them.

“Who darest stand between a knight and his victory?” said Sir Emerald IV.

“It is I," said Sombra, "to whom my sire blames his defeat. I beseech thee to spare him, for he does not lie. For I am that object of hatred to which crystal ponies direct their anger, and, in so doing, my master also fells victim and thus be the cause of the injury to his skill.”

“Would thou givest thy life to him?”

“Non to him, but that code of chivalry he, and every honorable knight of the Crystal Empire, gives pledge. For no knight shall be victor over the other when one battles wounded by sword or by scorn, and that it was I who brought this upon to my master. For if one's weakness is to be removed then it is I who should be on the other end of the sword, and after which the battle can restart fairly.”

“A squire who follows the knight’s code of chivalry? What makes thee think that thou art worthy of the honor?”

“Nay, I do not. Only I believe that it is worth following.”

Sir Emerald IV sheathed his weapon and galloped away. At once, Sir Phalanx rose and struck Sombra, cursing him for his insolence. He went on to state that no such embarrassment has ever occurred to a knight than to be protected by his squire.

The two resumed their journey; Sombra in silence and Sir Phalanx mumbling profanities. They arrive at the tail-end of Ouroboros, the She-Serpent, and Sir Phalanx knew that they have to travel for a year and half across the globe if they are to meet her head. So they traveled westward to the setting sun[13] all across Equestria and farther.

In the fourth month of their travel, they arrive in the southern border of the city-state of Quixote where they encounter a knight fending off three others.

“Sire,” says Sombra, “I urge thee to fight in his aid. For is it not proper that knights are to fight on equal footing, one against one, with Helionis’s Eye between their shoulders[14].”

“Then I give thee permission to aid the helpless fool,” said he.

“I!” exclaimed Sombra. “But I have no experience in combat, that the nearest I have been to weapons is when I carry thy sacred spears and swords.”

“I order you, then! Here, learn that those with no power cannot protect. Alas, go! Fight alongside the weak with nothing but rocks and sticks.”

Sombra charged in the midst of battle, surprising the first of the three knights and knocking him down. With his magic he levitates the fallen’s red spear and, with it, fought the second whilst the assisted knight fought the third. Sir Phalanx watched in awe as his squire handled himself naturally in the battlefield. With increased fervor, Sombra and the knight by his side forced the three enemies to the defense and eventually in retreat. Afterwards, Sir Phalanx joined the two wearied combatant.

“To whom do I owe my gratitude?” asked the knight, whose name we learn to be Don Rozinante de la Quixote.

“My sire, Sir Phalanx,” said Sombra, “to which I am but a squire.”

Don Rozinante explained that he was attacked by those belonging of Diana’s Church, who forced him to swear that Princess Diana is the fairest of the princesses.

“Of course, Princess Diana is the fairest,” said Sir Phalanx.

Don Rozinante ignored the knight, whom he condemned already for sending his squire to battle in his stead. He joined Sombra in their journey westward.

In their fifth month, Sir Phalanx, Don Rozinante and Sombra stopped by an abbey. Sir Phalanx barged on the door and demanded homage and the bests of wine and breads for himself. Don Rozinante and Sombra settled themselves with the humblest of meals. In the middle of the night, a mare, who bore the name Pine Leaves, knocked on the abbey and begs for the help of any knight whose chivalry and arms she may avail. She tells the story of how several goatherds have attacked her village. Don Rozinante and Sombra, albeit squire as he was, were quick to rise. Don Rozinante carried Lady Pine Leaves on his back and galloped to the village’s direction. Sombra beckoned his master awake and urged him to do the same.

“Fool, squire! Thou art a knave!” yelled Sir Phalanx. “Not only have you waken me from my dream, but to urge me as though commanding me–and for what?–to save a village. Listen well, a knight does not save. A knight covets and taketh for the glory of his liege. With a knight’s strength he owns and steals what should be rightfully his, and with the same strength he protects it. Remember that which strength is for. The village is not mine, nor of the Crystal Empire, thus there is no reason to protect it. And I am sure that there are no worthy spoils from the village to seize.”

Sir Phalanx ordered Sombra to return to their journey westward, away from the village under attack. Sombra could only send aid the only way he knew; for every passer-by he whispers of how valiant Don Rozinante de la Quixote seeks assistance of arms in protecting the village to the east.

In the thirteenth month of their journey, Sir Phalanx and Sombra have returned to the northern continent to find Ouroboros, the She-Serpent, chewing on her tail end.

“To the beast who circles the world in her bosom,” said Sir Phalanx. “I have returned with thy foal. Take thy seed back to the earth and give me my due, for I have reared him, cradled for him, and taken care of him as a father would. I demand of thee my just compensation: thy fangs, to forge from which a sword that can split mountains, thy scale, to forge from which a shield that can devour even Helionis’s sun, and thy eye, to be made mirror to bear witness to the secrets of the world."

“None thou shalt possess any of my flesh!” said Ouroboros, the She-Serpent, “For my son is neither thy slave to bargain nor mine to bound, for he is to his father, Sir Fenrir the Grey, rest his ghost, who hath long perish in battle. I give him his right of freedom and the rightful treasure of the four spears of his begetter; and to thee, thief, I give nothing.”

From the corner of the lips of Ouroboros, the She-Serpent, four crimson spears, shining like rubies, fell to Sombra’s feet. Sir Phalanx, insulted for the last time, drew his sword against his squire to take the spears for himself. Sombra, for his part as a mere armiger, has pledged it in his life not to harm his sire and was immedietly struck down. Ouroboros, the She-Serpent, enraged by the injury taken by her son, rears her head and swallows Sir Phalanx whole. She then cradled her young and licked his wounds clean.

It was at this time that another knight, by the name Sir Joyous Gard of the Crystal Empire, who has similarly pursued Ouroboros, the She-Serpent, but has yet traversed the globe, saw the fallen Sombra. The knight took the squire on his back and returned him to the Crystal Empire.

In Which the Satyrs Invade and Sombra Is Knighted

The news of the death of Sir Phalanx the Impenetrable was mourned all over the Crystal Empire, for though he was the least pleasant of the knights he had done his service. Sombra was brought to court to answer for the knight's death. Here he told the story of Ouroboros, the She-Serpent, his mother; and Fenrir the Grey, his father, as well as Sir Phallanx attack to him. King Stonehoof did not believe him until a knight, by the name Don Rozinante de la Quixote and his wife Lady Pine Leaves, visited the Crystal Empire in time to testify for Sombra’s innocence, valiancy and chivalry. King Stonehoof, torn between honoring a knight’s word and appeasing the citizen’s desire for vengeance, turned the responsibility to his wife, Queen Avalon.

Queen Avalon was spared from the trial and heard nothing but news from her handmaidens. When she asked who Sombra was, aside from being the bastard son of Ouroboros, the She-Seprent, and Fenrir the Grey, as he was so famously known, it was Sir Emerald IV of the Green Lance who answered:

“Squire to Sir Phalanx,” said he, “squire who follows the code of chivalry, who stood between Sir Phalanx and my blade to save his sire from death.”

Upon hearing this, Queen Avalon passed her judgment to King Stonehoof who, in turn, passed it on to the court. Sombra, who has saved Sir Phalanx from battle, has earned his freedom as a squire and has become the rightful heir to Sir Phalanx's property.

Sombra retired to his new home where he spent several years in isolation. Much of this time was spent training with the four crimson spears his father left him and practicing the crafts of crystal forging–where he discovered that he cannot forged anything but onyx. He hunted his meal alone in the tundra for nopony would share or trade with him. The Crystal Empire still knew and marred his repute as the son of Ouroboros, the She-Serpent, who has swallowed the beloved Sir Phalanx the Impenetrable. Sombra never once took to heart his social excommunication, for he understood the difference of the darkness of his coat in contrast to the brightness luster of the crystal ponies. He understood why mares would tell tales of him to their children to keep them from the streets at night. He understood the sudden silence when he is within their hearing. He understood as to why the streets is clear of ponies when he passed by. But not once has he cursed the denizens of the Crystal Empire. Quite the contrary, he felt love as oftentimes as those stallions his age; and each time he was rebuked openly, and even proudly, by the mares.

“Slither yonder,” once said a mare to him. “Coil thyself away from the innocence of the Crystal Ponies, envenom not our children. Bury thyself beneath the rocks, meat eater, from which thou and thy mother crawled through this earth.”

During this time of excommunication, Queen Avalon begot the Princess Camelot to King Stonehoof, and a celebratory tournament is held. The price of which are a thousand bits and a place as the princess’s godfather. Sombra participates in the tournament, but was then disqualified for not being a knight and was then publicly rebuked by the audience. Queen Avalon, who was still resting after giving birth, have not heard of the commotion. The first day of the tournament is won by Sir Emerald IV. The second day of the tournament is won by Sir Longtooth. The third day is won again by Sir Emerald IV. The fourth day is won by Don Scabbard the Holy[15]. The fifth and final day is won by Sir Quake, twin to Sir Tremor.

It was two days later, while the knights of the tournament tended their wounds, that the satyrs marched through the northern ice.

The heretical satyr race were unlike any other sentient race; for though they do have the blessing of reason, seldom do they employ it beyond the art of war. They had no concept of property or rights, of honor or chivalry. They praised a false idol that challenged Princess Helionis and Princess Diana. Not once had they stopped to practice or discover agriculture or science; their steps, and their hearts if they so have one, forever matched to the beating of the war drums. They multiplied, invaded and seized the spoils, moving thereafter to the next place of consumption.

King Stonehoof trembled at the number of satyrs marching to his empire. Though the ice storms beyond the Scabbard have taken with it a thousand of the heretics, thousands more remained. His knights, wounded from the tournament, were incapable. His citizens, having known no war for six centuries were equally ineffective in the matter. King Stonehoof had thought of abandoning the Empire to save himself when Sombra sought an audience in front of the King.

“My liege, the Empire is distraught. Your knights wounded. Your citizens ignorant. I bring thee aid: task all craftsmen a hundred arrows for each and every mare, filly and colt to rain upon our enemies while our stallion guard the front lines with all the tools they could use. For I have known, from my reading and adventures with Sir Phalanx, rest his ghost, that the stratagem had once been employed to combat the yetis.”

“What payment dost thou seek?”

“Aye, for who in this room knows not of what I am, bastard of Ouroboros, the She-Serpent. I am the symbol of that which thy knights have sworn to defend the city from. I am the outcast of the Empire, its black mark but still its son, for it has cradled me so. The payment that I ask is that no stallion, soldier or knight, craftsman or commoner, should raise their arms against the heretic invaders until I fall. For I volunteer myself to charge against the horde and take down as many as I can before any other of the Crystal Empire is brought to harm.”

“So thou, having given thy knowledge in the arts of war, seekest payment not to be exempt in battle, but to charge headfirst into it.”

“Aye.”

“Pray tell why, when the Crystal Empire have treated you cruelly so.”

“The Crystal Empire have right to treat me cruelly, for I am the seed of evil. And if there is one noble act evil can do it is to vanquish itself. And in no greater way it is to give up the ghost, if I have one, than over the ruined bodies of those that have slain me.”

King Stonehoof delightfully agreed to Sombra’s plan for, he will have both defend the Empire and send Sombra, to whom his citizens held in contempt, to his death. At noon, when the satyrs, numbering by the thousands, have taken their place before the shield of the Crystal Empire, it was Sombra, with his four spears, who welcomed them.

“Heathens!” said he. “Turn thy wretched hides back to thy false idol, for the knights of her Grace, and this devil before thee, serve as the scythe of justice.”

The satyrs, fearing nothing from a single pony, flashed their scimitars and charged violently. Sombra activated his his immense magic and brought forth his traps. His eyes glowed green and tendrils slithered from his shadows. From beneath the snow, hundreds of onyx crystals sprouted from the earth, impaling the heretics and reforming the battlefield to a convex cliff where he stands atop the cone's apex. The satires were to climb the pyramid in four directions if they were to pass through him, and in these four directions Sombra spun and slashed his four spears with what’s left of his magic. The crystal ponies, protected from within Scabbard, watched from only several yards away how the ruined bodies of the satire heathens fell from Sombra’s spears and collect beneath the snow. Eventually, Sombra exhausted his magic and he is left to fend with a spear between his teeth. His strength dwindled and he suffered multiples injures and blows as he was slowly overrun. When a satyr raised its scimitar to strike him down, Sombra was saved by Sir Emerald IV of the Green Lance, who strayed from the safety of the shield to join him in battle. With Sir Emerald IV fighting by his beside Sombra, the other knights took their arms and joined the fray. First was Sir Joyous Gard, followed by Don Rozinante, then by Sir Longtooth, until all the knights have formed a defensive array to hold back the satire horde. The stallions and mares from behind the Scabbard took up their bows and showered a volley of arrows, tipped with rhinestones, down the heathens. The battle lasted until dusk. Their numbers thinning to a few thousands, the satyr finally employed their reason and blew the horn to retreat.

As the knights reveled in their victory and return to their homes, most searched for Sombra who was found by Sir Cuirass leaning against his spear and weeping atop the heap of satyr dead[16].

Sombra returned to his home after the battle where he licks the thousand injuries he bore. It was two days later when an emissary of the king invited him in to the castle. He went to the main hall as ordered and here he was received by the good cheer and merry making of the denizens, for a banquet was prepared in his name and victory. Sombra was appalled and repulsed for this treatment was, to him, altogether foreign. The king then commanded him still and kneel in front of the assembly where he is then knighted.

“For the recognition of thy valor, strength and fortitude, I now dub thee: Sir Sombra de Onyx; forever son of our beloved mother, the Crystal Empire.”

The king’s sword was placed against Sombra’s shoulders and on his head.

All the while, Queen Avalon, who remained seated on her throne throughout the entire ceremony, has only ever heard of Sir Sombra until this serendipitous encounter. And, watching the stallion, she felt as though her heart captured.

In Which Sir Sombra de Onyx encounters Queen Avalon

At the night of Sir Sombra’s knighting, a banquet was held in his honor. Within the great mess hall of the caste, the soldiers feasted on mead and ale; and the knights feasted on morat and pigment[17]. Lady Pine Leaves, wife of Don Rozinante de la Quixote, told tales of Sir Sombra’s young adventures in artful rhetoric. The castle fools were invited and there performed a drama of the victory two days agone. The festivities wassailed into the night, and there was much merrymaking. Sir Sombra alone reserved himself, for he found the entire ceremony alien to his usual custom. He retired to the castle garden where he seated beside the pond and there admired the fauna.

He was then discovered by Queen Avalon.

“My lord,” said she, “why retire thee? Why dost thou sit alone, forth from the celebration held in thy honor?”

“My liege, I wish not the melancholy of my brethrens, for I desire to mourn in peace for the lost of the empire: for Sir Fang, Sir Halberd, Sir Stormcloud the Tempest, Sir Enuma Elish, Sir Quake who died protecting his twin, Sir Argonaut, Don Balmung, Sir Echelon and Sir Saracen. All brave knights of the Crystal Empire, to anyone of whom I could have saved with my death. With no remorse, I could give my ghost to preserve that of theirs.”

“Hast thou not given enough? Bear witness to the fresh wounds thou bore, for each is equaled to the hundred of lives thou saved in battle. Why cast such precious life away? Come, and let me wash thy injuries.”

On hearing this, Sir Sombra drew back in horror and hid himself in the shadows of the trees where he is invisible and only his voice betrays his presence.

“Nay! Nay, my liege!” said he, “For I am Sombra, bastard of Ouroboros, the She-Serpent, he whose flesh is soiled. Cast thy blue eyes away lest they bear more sight of me. Touch neither my scale nor coat, which is raven black, and has not once been purified by the crystal heart, lest thy golden locks or snow-white coat be marred. I beg thee, my queen, to leave me to my mourning within the shadows where I am rightfully bound.”

On the thirtieth day since Sir Sombra’s knighting, Queen Avalon invited his company to visit the orphans of the knights who died during the Battle of Onyx[18]. In this orphanage, the queen played music on her golden flugelhorn to ease the sorrow[19] of those who listened. Sir Sombra stood by her beside, his guard ready with his four spears raised.

One of the orphans approached and offered him flowers as a gift; at this, Sir Sombra hissed at the foal who then ran away. Another foal approached and offered a glass of water as a gift; at this, Sir Sombra gnarled at the foal who then cried and ran away. A third foal approached and offered him a piece of bread; at this, Sir Sombra flared his spears and growled at the foal who then cried and retreated in fright.

When asked by Lady Pine Leaves, who taught rhetoric in the orphanage, the reason for this cruelty, Sir Sombra answered:

“Fools these orphans are. They know suffering, but know not to stray from it. Do they not know fear, or what is to be feared? For I could so easily devour them.”

“But devour them, thou did not. Pray tell, why should thee be the object of their fear?”

“For I am Sombra, bastard of Ouroboros, the She-Serpent, he who is to be rebuked. Mares tell stories of me to their children, to stray them from the streets at night, to compel them confess their sins, to make them follow the path of virtue and honor. For if they do not heed their parents, they are told that I would swallow them and keep them in my belly. These foals know that I am to be feared, I make honest ponies of their parents.”

When the day had gone, Lady Pine Leaves reported back to Queen Avalon, as she was instructed, to disclose Sir Sombra’s reason for his cruelty towards foals.

In the sixtieth day since Sir Sombra’s knighting, a milkmaid searched for him all over the Crystal Empire. She found Sir Sombra feasting on a crow beyond the outskirts of the city. Upon being discovered, he immediately swallowed his prey and searched for a place to hide himself, but nowhere within the white snow could he render himself invisible. He quickly took his cloak and covered himself as though he believed himself to be a leper.

“Pray tell,” said the milkmaid, “Why dost thou hide as though thou wert a leper?”

“Worse than a leper, for I am Sombra, bastard son of Ouroboros, the She-Serpent. I who commit the sin of murder to each hares and fowls I devour. Turn away, lest thou see the blood still fresh on my fangs. Dost thou not fear me, young maiden? For my hunger may be unsatiated and to thee, of flesh and blood, I may turn my coils.”

“Nay,” replied she.

“Dost thou not fear the winter cold, where the unforgiving tundra freezes those who stand in its path?”

“Nay.”

“Dost thou not fear death?”

“Aye,” said the milkmaid. “But death is not thee.”

Here the milkmaid removed her guise and revealed herself to be Queen Avalon.

“Thou hast dejected thyself before a queen, a lady and, now, a milkmaid. Thou art a fool for thinking that thou is evil; for one who dejects thyself for the safety of others is aught but good.”

But before more words were spoken the cold had taken its toll on the queen. Unicorn as she was, she was not tolerant of the unforgiving weather. Sir Sombra took the queen on his back and returned her to his shelter. When the queen awakened hours later, Sir Sombra bowed his head to her.

“I extend my apologies for a lodging not worthy of thy majesty,” said he. “Command this knight to enter the castle grounds and he shall ready thy escorts.”

“My lord, I gave no such command. I ask thy permission to stay.”

“My liege, permission is not mine to give, for my humble is estate belongs to that of the Crystal Empire, and thus to thee, before it belongs to me.”

Sir Sombra retired to the corner of the room where he blended with the shadows, the fours spears by his side as he stood guard of the Queen.

“Why doth the hero of the Battle of Onyx exiles himself?” asked the Queen. “Thrice now I have heard thou call thyself the bastard of Ouroboros, the She-Serpent, and declares to be unloved. Be proven wrong then, for I request thee, Sir Sombra de Onyx, to participate in the tourney to be held in the bimester.

“Aye, my liege.”

As the days that followed ready for the tournament, Sir Sombra often stood on guard below the queen’s tower, carefully hidden within the shadows; for there he expects to see the queen at least once. At that same time during those same days, Queen Avalon left her tower in search for Sir Sombra either in his home or in the castle garden where they first met; for there she expects to see him at least once. Thus, the two never crossed paths and both believed that one was being avoided by the other. Each night they return dejected and disappointed.

So when the day of the tournament came, Sir Sombra, believing that the queen had retracted her request, refused participation. Many in the crowds were disappointed, for they wish to see and cheer for Sir Sombra’s excellent display of his skills. The tournament proceeded nevertheless and the queen was forced to watch without interest due to Sir Sombra’s absence.

The winner of the first day of the tournament was Sir Emerald IV. The winner of the second day was Don Scabbard the Holy. The winner of the third day was Sir Cristabolite. The winner of the fourth and fifth day was Sir Emerald IV. The awards were given to the victors and Sir Emerald IV receives the highest honor of the queen’s golden handkerchief[20], which her majesty had arranged as the prize the bimester before the tournament.

In Which Sir Sombra de Onyx Fights The Sphinx

Five weeks after the tournament, a creature known as the Sphinx appeared and terrorized the Crystal Empire. It was a creature with the head of a primate, the body of a lion and the wings of an eagle. It spans thirty meters in length and twenty meters in height[21].From its green eyes a black mist as thick as smoke seeped out. With its powerful magic, it phased through the Crystal Empire’s shield and preyed upon the crystal ponies. Its skin was of sands that neither steel nor flame could bear injury upon it.

The knights who first fought the Sphinx found their weapon unable to harm the beast, and all died except for Don Rozinante de la Quixote, who became insane and attacked the windmills claiming it was the dreaded monster. He spent the rest of his days in the abbey where he is taken care of by his wife, Lady Pine Leaves.

When the Sphinx attacked again, Sir Sombra faced the creature and was able to draw it back without more injuries than his own. The battle restarted the next day and it lasted from sunrise to sunset, the clash of the four spears against the pair of claws could be heard by everypony in the Crystal Empire. In the third day of their battle, the Sphinx spoke to Sir Sombra in a voiced that that seemed to come from the very ground from which it stood.

“Thou is not a mere stallion of this earth, but a son of the she-serpent. For none else could match my speed nor my strength. I seek to swallow the Crystal Heart and take its power for my own. Surrender to me, be spared, and when I become the god of these new subjects worthy of me, I shall ascend thee to the greater half of thy blood.”

“Foul creature, thou art the false idol of the satyr heathens. I welcome more the scythe of the reaper than thy bosom. For the greater half of I is not the cold blood of my serpentine mother, but that which I shed on the snow to protect the Crystal Heart.”

The battles continued for several days, with each day harder than the last, for the constant fighting wearied Sir Sombra and with every blow his wounds reopens. None of the crystal ponies could escape for the Sphinx summons a mighty snowstorm outside the Crystal Empire that blew away the citizens who oppose it.

King Stonehoof knew that if this attack continued it was only to be a matter of time before Sir Sombra is felled and the Sphinx to attack the village. He considered, in the privacy of his room, whether he should surrender the Queen and his power to save himself. Nevertheless, the king sought his adviser for a way to defeat the beast and maintain his sovereignty.

“No weapon made of this earth could harm the Sphinx,” said Bluebeard, the adviser. “But only one. And none knows it other than St. Stigmata the Wounded[22], who hath perished years agone, but whose grave is the forge of the weapon.”

Sir Emerald IV of the Green Lance, ordered by King Stonehoof, formed The Knights of the Crystal Circle to lead the expedition to find the tomb of the saint. The knights who were to join him in the quest are Sir Tremor, Sir Joyous Gard and Sir Longtooth.

The night before the knights’ departure, Queen Avalon snuck to Sir Sombra’s shelter.

“My lord, accompany them and save thyself the torture,” said the Queen. “Hurry to the the tomb of St. Stigmata, and find from it the weapon that will be the monster's undoing.”

“Nay. For if I were to go astray, none would hold back the Sphinx,and thou will be the first to be taken by the dreaded beast.”

“Worry not of me, but of the Crystal Empire.”

“Nay. For I shall not abandon thee, thou who hath kept the empire safe in her bosom. Even if I hold not thy golden napkin, my pledge is with thy life.”

“I order, then, to take me as thy squire. So that thou shall embark on the quest and protect his liege all the same.”

By the next day, Sir Emerald IV and the Knights of the Crystal Circle began their journey. Before their immediate leave, they are accompanied by Sir Sombra and Queen Avalon, who was cleverly disguised as a milkmaid-squire lest she be discovered by Sir Emerald IV. But before the two could join the company of the Knights of the Crystal Circle, they are confronted by Sir Longtooth.

“Traitor!” said he to Sir Sombra. “Why dost thou abandon the kingdom. For without thee, what stops the dreaded Sphinx from devouring the queen?”

“The queen is well hidden,” said Sir Sombra. “Even if the Sphinx were to turn the Crystal Empire to its core, our liege shall not be found.”

“Traitor still! Would thou hast the Sphinx turn every rock and crystal of our city?”

“We should have returned by then, and this quarrel would not aid hastening our departure...”

But Sir Longtooth was unpersuaded and challenges Sir Sombra to a duel. The two jousted and Sir Longtooth is felled to the ground. He picked up his sword and challenges the serpent-steed in combat. Sir Sombra flared his spears and battles his challenger. Though Sir Sombra was winning with every blow, Sir Emerald IV intervenes before a victor is decided.

“Halt and cease this needless fight,” said Sir Emerald IV. “Save thy energy against a foe, for to turn our steels against one another is to help only the beast. There is no compelling one knight to do against what he believes to be right, and the same is true for Sir Sombra, which King Stonehoof himself knighted. Make haste then, and I myself shall stay and test my sword against the Sphinx claws. Pray to return early and swear, by thy love for the Crystal Heart, that thou shall return successful in this venture.”

“I swear it,” said Sir Sombra.

“And you, Sir Longtooth?”

“I swear,” answered Sir Longtooth.

The Knights of the Crystal Circle, now with the absence of Sir Emerald, headed southwards to Gaheris where St. Stigmata the Wounded was buried. There they hoped to find the weapon that may defeat the Sphinx. Meanwhile, as they traversed the icy tundra of the north, Sir Sombra had carried all his weapons on his back and had kept his squire in close company.

“Dost thou not know what a squire is for?” remarked Sir Longtooth. “And why dost thou select a mere milkmaid for a squire? Command thy servant to carry thy weapons and to walk not three paces from us.”

“I know how squires are treated, for I myself was born and raised a squire to Sir Phalanx, rest his ghost.”

When night came, the knights made camp in one of the tundra’s mountain. Sir Sombra gave his cot and blankets for the milkmaid to sleep in while he stood awake and on guard.

Sir Longtooth laughed and remarked to him: “Squire thou art still. A squire and a guard to a squire.”

“Still thy villainous tongue, Sir Longtooth," said Sir Joyous Gard. "It is unbecoming of a knight of thy rank. Let Sir Sombra do as he wish and let us hold our silence, as he hath held on to his.”

When the other knights have fallen asleep, Queen Avalon approached Sir Sombra.

“My lord, take thy cot and blanket and rest. I shall stand guard for the rest of the night.”

“Needless, my liege. Pay no heed to the insults of Sir Longtooth.”

“I am no queen outside my castle. Not when I run as my city is under siege by the dreaded Sphinx. Here I am just a milkmaid working as thy squire.”

“Then I pledge my loyalty to my squire for the rest of the journey.”

They journeyed to Gaheris for two weeks in search for the grave of St. Stigmata the Wounded. Upon arrival they are met by a knight in white armor who stood in their path by the draw bridge, for it is tradition in Gaheris that no knight may pass without being challenged. The first who took the invitation was Sir Joyous Gard, who fought against the white knight but is felled after the thirteenth blow. Sir Longtooth followed and has fought the knight in equal footing. The two fought till sunset and the strength of both wanes as the moon rised. When exhaustion had taken its toll on both the white knight and Sir Longtooth, the match was declared to be a draw.

“Smite him down now, Sir Sombra,” said Sir Longtooth. “Now whilst his injury is fresh and his blood still trickle. Victory, no doubt, is ascertained.”

Sir Sombra observed the injures of the white knight before responding: “Nay, for a knight may battle only in single combat and no knight may take victory from an injured foe. If it is tradition to fight before entrance then let come another knight, or I shall wait till his wounds are sealed.”

“There are no other knights,” said the knight in white armor. “For all else have left for Launcelot in preparation for the Grand Tournament. It is only by my code of chivalry that I have stayed and preserve the tradition of ancient Gaheris.”

“Fool! Fools the both of you!” roared Sir Longtooth. “The Crystal Empire is damned by your code of chivalry. Go, Sir Tremor!”

Sir Tremor, in fear of being rebuked by Sir Longtooth, challenged the white knight who felled him in five blows.

“Alas! Shall we wait thirty sunrise till this knight’s wounds heal!? Before Sir Sombra takes up his spears?”

The milkmaid approaches Sir Sombra and beseeched him. “Command me, my lord, to tend to this knight’s wounds. For I could not ask of thee to break thy code.”

“As thou wishest, my liege.”

The milkmaid approached the white knight, bandaged his wound and cleansed it with holy water.

“Alas!” cried Sir Longtooth. “For the squire to use our remedies on the enemy!”

Sir Sombra waited until the knight was well rested. When the white knight has recovered his strength, Sir Sombra takes his four spears and gravely wounds himself on his sides and legs to match the injuries of the white knight.

“Fools!” cried Sir Longtooth again, “I am surrounded with fools!”

Having loss enough blood and believing himself to be on equal footing with the white knight, Sir Sombra took the challenge of arms. The two battled and Sir Sombra’s fresh wounds tolled in his performance. With each strike his blood flowed profusely, each blow grew weaker than the last. Knowing this, the white knight knew he only needed to defend and wait till Sir Sombra’s strength waned. Sir Sombra knew this as well, and before his magic expires he consumed it all to summon a jagged onyx as his platform to which he could hold the higher ground to the white knight's disadvantage. In the next two blows, Sir Sombra felled his combatant.

“Yield,” said Sir Sombra.

“I yield, to both thy strength and honor.”

The white knight introduced himself as Sir Ironheart the White, son of Sir Lionheart[23], and pledged his allegiance to Sir Sombra.

“Not to me,” said Sir Sombra. “But to the Crystal Empire and to my liege, King Stonehoof and Queen Avalon the Crystal Heart.”

And Sir Ironheart did so.

With Sir Ironheart as their guide, the Knights of the Crystal Circle quickly found the tomb of St. Stigmata the Wounded which was located beneath the chapel of Helionis. Inscribed within the tomb are the following:

The Sword of Tears is found

in the She-Sepent’s bastard son

That coils the sky

as its mother coils the earth.

A cup of its blade

Could tear entire countries

For its steel

is forged from the ever burning hearth

Upon reading this, Sir Longtooth drew his sword against Sir Sombra and accused him of possessing the only weapon capable of defeating the Sphinx. Sir Ironheart and the milkmaid immediately stood between the two knights. Sir Tremor, too, not wanting quarrel, suggested that they seek the advice from the elderly ponies of Gaheris. The idea is agreed upon, and the knights ventured within the outskirts of the city state to find prophets where they could seek counsel.

They traveled eastward for two days to where the elderly told them they could find their answers. In the middle of the desert they found a tower made of tourmaline. Inside was a little filly by the name Marelin who claims to know the secret of this world. At first the knights doubted the credibility of the filly until she spoke of their secrets one by one.

“Thou, Sir Tremor,” said Marelin, “hast abandoned thy brother to the enemy at the hands of the satyr heathens during the Battle of Onyx. Thou, Sir Joyous Gard, feels love for Lady Ambrosia, but hast yet to confess in fear of being rebuked. Thou, Sir Ironheart, wishest to escape the shadow of thy father. Thou, Sir Longtooth, greatly envies Sir Sombra’s glory.”

There was much commotion after Marelin spoke, mostly of accusation towards the filly’s claimed truths. Sir Longtooth, for his part, threatened to cut down the filly when Sir Sombra stood on his path. After the knights have calmed, they asked Marelin to disclose the cryptic message of St. Stigmata’s tomb. Marelin promised to give the answer only if there would be a knight to work in her service for six years, six months and six days. There was much conversation among the knights until, finally, it was Sir Ironheart who volunteered to the strange tiding. Marelin kept her word and talked of the other bastard of Ouroboros, the feathered snake named Quetzalcoatl, whom the She-Serpent begot from a pegasus and is found stirring waves and brewing storms in the middle of the fifth ocean. Hanging by the roof of its mouth is a magical goblet that, when filled, is the means to annihilate the Sphinx.

Before the knights left Marelin, the filly approached Sir Sombra and exposed his secret for Queen Avalon's hearing. “Thou, Sir Sombra de Onyx, wishest to live.”

They journeyed for two weeks south to the port-city of Gareth. There they inquired for a boat to take them in the middle of the fifth ocean. Sir Longtooth made outrageous promises claiming that whomever will aid their quest will receive a large bounty from the Crystal Empire. But no sailor dared to pass through the fifth ocean where the storms sent ships to the sea floor. When bribery failed, Sir Longtooth took out his sword and threatened to cut down those who would deny him their service. Sir Tremor and Sir Joyous Gard calmed him down, for such a behavior is unbecoming of a knight. It was then that a pirate by the name of Captain Backwater, famed for his ill-repute among mares, offered his service in exchange for the milkmaid that worked as Sir Sombra’s squire. Upon hearing this, it was Sir Sombra who flared all his spears and would have cut down the buccaneer if he was not stopped by his squire.

“Giveth her to him," said Sir Longtooth. “I am sure, no doubt, that the Crystal Empire would give thee a substitute more capable and less of a burden in our journeys. For this once, thy squire hath proven herself useful.”

Sir Sombra would have struck down Sir Longtooth as well for his words if not for his better judgement, for he knew that Sir Longtooth would not have said those words if he was not ignorant of the milkmaid's true name.

The milkmaid approached Sir Sombra and whispered to him:

“My lord, I beg of thee to grant me this permission for the sake of the Crystal Empire.”

“My queen, that permission is not for me to grant. For if it were mine, I would not surrender thee to greatest ships of the world.”

“So be it,” said the queen. And she surrenders himself to Captain Backwater until they return from their voyage.

The knights sailed the waters with Captain Backwater, all the while Sir Sombra was found standing on the edge of the ship and wept. The trip lasted for four days and four nights before they reached the fifth ocean, the heart of which stormed savagely. From afar they could already see Quetzalcoatl, the feathered serpent, slithering in the air, as it brewed a hundred thunders and a thousand lightning in its wake. From where its tail ended, a whirlpool followed on the surface of the sea.

At the first sign of Quetzalcoatl, Sir Longtooth took the wheel in his hoof and propelled the ship towards the flying monster. Quetzalcoatl noticed his pursuers and brew a powerful tempest: the wind blew from every direction, waves crashed and tossed the ship, lightning and thunder crackled above. In fright, Sir Tremor jumped to the lifeboat and made his escape. Captain Backwater fired his cannons but to no avail, for the flying serpent found it easy to dodge.

Sir Joyous Gard devised a plan and advised Sir Longtooth to make it as though they were escaping. They did and immediately Quetzalcoatl followed them. As the sea serpent closed in, Sir Joyous Gard had the ship turn and, from the cannons, fired the anchor. The grapnel hook latched on to the feathered serpent’s mouth and the ship was dragged where Quetzalcoatl flew. Without hesitation, Sir Sombra used his strength and dexterity and climbed up the chains to Quetzalcoatl’s mouth. The feathered serpent noticed Sir Sombra and slithered further upwards to the sky, dragging the ship with him to the clouds. Sir Sombra made the climb into Quetzalcoatl’s mouth and there he took his spears and lacerated the serpent’s tongue, snout and eyes. Sir Sombra made his way into his the feathered serpent's forehead and finally staked the final spear between the monster's eyes.

Both Quetzalcoatl and the ship fell back in the ocean, and the massive carcass created a wave that sunk the ship. There they lay on top of Quetzalcoatl's floating body where they found the golden goblet as was described by Marelin and two of Sir Sombra’s four spears. It was dusk when they were rescued by Sir Tremor, who returned with the lifeboat. But a conflict has arisen when it was discovered that only four out of the five of them may enter the lifeboat. It was then that the consensus was formed that Captain Backwater was to be left behind.

“I implore thee,” cried Captain Backwater, “not to leave me here to my doom. For I have lived my life stealing from the oceans, and no doubt it will collect its due as soon as thou honorable knights leave.”

“Pay thy dues, pirate," said Sir Longtooth.

Again, before Sir Longtooth could toss the stallion to the waters, Sir Sombra intervened: “Still, Sir Longtooth, is it not within the knight’s code that we live to serve and protect our kind? No quarrel shall be made further, for I myself will volunteer to stay to save this pirate's life. On the condition that, upon his return, he will free my squire, the milkmaid.”

“My lord, I swear it,” said Captain Backwater hastily.

“Swear it on the salvation of your soul.”

“I swear it on the salvation of my soul.”

Before the lifeboat left, Sir Sombra gave the goblet to Sir Joyous Gard. And Sir Longtooth calls to Sir Sombra in parting to rebuke him: “Fool, bastard son of the She-Serpent. For I have known that this code of chivalry thou follow will be thy undoing.”

Thus, Sir Sombra was left alone on top of the rotting carcass of his stepbrother where he lamented the murder of his blood and his separation from his queen.

When the Knights of the Crystal Circle returned to the harbor, Queen Avalon was struck with grief to see that Sir Sombra was not among them. Sir Joyous Gard told her of the tale of how Sir Sombra volunteered to stay and may have now ultimately met his end. Sir Longtooth abandoned the sulking milkmaid and traveled with the remaining knights back to the spire of Marelin.

Meanwhile, Captain Backwater betrayed his word and, finding herself alone with the milkmaid, kidnapped her. Sir Sombra discovered this and follows in pursuit of the pirate[24].

Sir Sombra followed him through the woods and in to the fort where Captain Backwater and his buccaneers stored their loot. Armed with only two of his spears, Sir Sombra charged. First he summoned a giant pillar of onyx that punctured through the drawbridge before he jumped inside and there savagely fought his way through thirty-three of the despoilers. Seeing the formidability of their opponent, the remaining pirates fled. Sir Sombra cornered Captain Backwater in his room where the pirate used the milkmaid as hostage. Sir Sombra’s horned glowed and a gray onyx pierced Captain Backwater’s side and propelled him away from his surety. The captain cried and crawled to Sir Sombra’s feet.

“Forgive me, my lord, forgive me. Have my fort and my treasures and my mares, but I beg thee to spare my life.”

The milkmaid forgave the captain, but Sir Sombra would have none of it. He tore the pirate to pieces and impaled his parts on top of onyx spires. Queen Avalon wept for witnessing the cruelty.

“Why espouse such cruelty?” asked the queen..

“My liege, condemn me and rebuke me,” said Sir Sombra as he knelt. “but I shall be damned if I were not to save thee from the wicked.”

The queen wept still, but is equally glad to have been saved by Sir Sombra. As the two exited the fort, they heard several cries from the dungeon. They investigated and from the keep they saved fifty-one mares that Captain Backwater has held captive. All fifty-one mares cried their gratitude to their savior and swore to sing in praise all over Equestria that it was Sir Sombra de Onyx of the Crystal Empire that saved them.

One of the saved mare was Flask Water of the Crystal Empire, the same mare to whom Sir Sombra first confessed his love. Flask Water had long heard of Sir Sombra’s exploits since the Battle of Onyx; and, upon being rescued firsthoof, she immediately fell in love with him.

“Brave knight, dost thou remember me? I am Lady Flask Water, to whom thou have once confessed thy love.”

“Aye,” said he, “from very long ago in my youth.”

“I am here to tell you now that I respond to thy love and would gladly take thee as my knight and servant.”

Hearing this, the queen, still cloaked as a milkmaid, intervened. “We have no time for confessions, for my lord is in the middle of the quest and could no longer offer delay lest he incurs the displeasure of his liege.”

Lady Flask Water laughed foully and responded. “Who art thou to think thee capable to speak among ladies and knights, for thou is but a squire not fit to feast on the breadcrumbs that falls from my table. Silence wretched, lest I strike thee down. For now I answer to no other but to my lord, Sir Sombra de Onyx, and no lesser.”

Sir Sombra merely bowed his head in gesture of parting and galloped out of Captain Backwater’s fort, carrying with him his squire. The two hurriedly traveled back to the Crystal Empire for a week, resting for only a few hours of sleep.

Upon reaching the north they were welcomed by the powerful snowstorm that ravaged the land. The queen was greatly weakened and Sir Sombra covered her with all his blankets and cots and carried her on his back.

“Abandon me, my lord,” said Queen Avalon, “save the Crystal Empire and cast away this burden.”

“I would do no such thing, my queen.”

“Tell me, will thou return the love sought by Lady Flask Water?”

“Nay,” said he. “For I have no love to give. For my blood is as cold as the tundra of this land. I only have my spears, and I give all to the Crystal Empire.”

A hundred yards before they reach the Scabbard of the Crystal Empire they saw the ruined and torn body of Sir Tremor. Farther, they encountered Sir Longtooth and Sir Joyous Gard desperately fighting against the dreaded Sphinx. Sir Sombra placed the queen hidden behind a rock and charged to join his comrades in battle. As the Sphinx was to strike down Sir Joyous Gard with his claw, a wall of onyx erupted from the ground and shielded the knight.

“Ah, the shadow returns,” said the Sphinx. “My proposal still stands. Aid me in the hunt for the Crystal Heart, and I shall raise thee to the greater half of thy blood: the blood you share with Ouroboros, the She-Serpent. Resist, and thou will perish among the ruins of the Crystal Empire.”

“Resist I shall, but fall I shall not.”

“Very well. Have at you.”

The battle restarted and Sir Sombra’s onyx wall proved to be a valuable defensive shield against the Sphinx. But the knights could do no more than defend against the beast’s claws, for their own swords and spears proved futile. Every thrust and slash they made against the sands forming Sphinx body only made the material refresh itself as though no damage was done.

“Sir Joyous Gard, what of the goblet?” asked Sir Sombra in the midst of the battle.

“To the snow with it,” said Sir Longtooth, “powerless is the gimcrackery. I have filled it with earth, fire, water and ether but the damned ornament could barely injure a squirrel.”

“We need to find it. For her Grace knows that we have lesser chance with our weapons of steel.”

“Thou hast proven thyself a fool time and time again. Thou ought to have stayed in the fifth ocean with thy half-sib. For how can a measly drinking cup defeat a monster?”

The battle continued in an exercise of absolute futility for the part of the knights. The Sphinx bid its time, showing no sign of retreat. For now it, too, wished not only survival, but victory over its enemy. Thus, it was Queen Avalon, stricken by the cold, who found it her duty to find the goblet before all his lost. Her horn flared and a shield surrounded them. It did nothing to the Sphinx nor protected the knights, but the snow had gone and there she found the goblet beside the body of the fallen Sir Tremor. She took it in her hoof and ran to Sir Sombra. The Sphinx noticed this and, knowing that one mare alone could conjure the Scabbard, turns his attention to the milkmaid. The Sphinx flew in to attack but Sir Sombra’s reckless advance toppled down the beasts. The claw missed by a manesbreadth and tore the robe of the milkmaid. Queen Avalon was exposed to the surprise of Sir Longtooth and Sir Joyous Gard. Sir Sombra paid the price of his own recklessness and was gravely injured by the Sphinx’s fangs and would have died if not for the interference of Sir Joyous Gard. Sir Sombra stumbled on the snow and Queen Avalon rushed to his aid. Sir Joyous Gard was tossed away by the Sphinx and the beast raised its claws to strike down the queen. But Sir Longtooth stood between them and took the blow with his body, fatally wounding him. At this, the Sphinx roared with laughter.

“Observe thy futility,” said the beasts. “Worship me, and I may still grant thee power to protect that which is most sacred: the glory of being above the worshiper.”

It was the dying knight who answered. “Fool thou art, monster; more of a fool than Sir Sombra. For if to be a god is to sell the ideal for one’s conceit, then thou art greater a fool than the fools who worship thee; for us knights, there is no greater glory than to live, and die, defending the sacred banner of that which is holy–never to be forgotten or loss or betrayed–that which the princesses had fought for and preserve, that which Crystal Empire hath cradled and reared, that which the Crystal Heart embodies: the knight’s code of chivalry!”

Thus, Sir Longtooth died and Queen Avalon wept for him. The blood that dripped from his body was collected within the goblet and the most peculiar enchantment happened: once filled, Sir Longtooth’s blood formed a crimson sword; for the cup was not a goblet but a hilt!

Queen Avalon took the sword in her hooves, raised it in the air and, with it, cleaved the Sphinx in half. The blow was so powerful that a mountain was flattened, the earth quaked and the sky was parted.

The Sphinx was no more.

Annotations and Endnotes

[1]Previous name held by Princess Celestia prior the Lunar Rebellion.

[2]Founding city-state of Canterlot.

[3]There is, in fact, a stallion whose name is Bonehoof of Percival (112-165L.B.) who was an archaeologist by profession. Whisperwind’s description of the yetis that follows is an exaggeration of Bonehoof’s own reports. (For further reading, see An Outline of Equestria’s Genealogy by Bonehoof, Royal Canterlot Archives, [144L.B.] pg. 414-415).

[4]Now bears the name Princess Luna.

[5]Now called Luna’s Star Garden. Prior to the Lunar Rebellion, the Star Garden was open to all recognized mare and stallions knighted by the princesses.

[6]It is interesting to note here that Whisperwind shares the magic theory of Fountainhead’s thesis: i.e. that love is the source of the strength for unicorn magic and that dark magic is empowered by hatred. (For further reading, see The Analects of Fountainhead by Starswirl the Bearded, Royal Canterlot Archives [127L.B].)

[7]A devout follower of Princess Celestia, Whisperwind uses the ancient pre-Lunarian calendar unknown today made by the ancient philosopher Temporal of Launcelot. The calendar starts in the year -877L.B. known as 0H.A. that begins with Princess Helionis’s Ascension after the defeat of Discord. On the year 877H.A. just after the Lunar Rebellion, the calendar is replaced by the philosopher Fountainhead, corrected by his prodigy Starswirl the Bearded, after Princess Helionis’s renaming to Princess Celestia and the banishment of Princess Luna.

[8]The code of chivalry used by Whisperwind is not exclusive to the fictional Crystal Empire, but to all of Equestria.

[9]Even before the publication of Sir Sombra de Onyx, the class Reptilia, most especially the dragons and snakes, were the symbols of the Discordians whom have, unsuccessfully, poisoned Princess Helionis. Since the 2nd Century H.A. the serpent has been associated with the devil.

[10]Sir Fenrir the Grey is the hero in the epic The Hounds of Diana by Candle Light [88L.B.-167LB.], who dies slaying the dragon Siegfried in his attempt to save the Lunarian princess, Evelyn Lulamoon.

[11]In 2 H.A. Princess Helionis declared the consumption of meat to be a mortal sin. A year later, Princess Diana issued a law where equines hunting and eating meat were punished by several years in prison.

[12]Cutie Mark

[13]In the 4th Century of the Helionis’s Ascension Calendar, it has been tradition that, given the choice of two polar directions, those who follow the rising sun where disciples of the Church of Helionis; and those who follow the setting sun were disciples of the Church of Diana.

[14]The phrase “Helionis’s Eye between the shoulders” is particular between two knights engaged in combat. The sun ought to be on the side of both knights that neither is blinded at the start of battle.

[15]The title “the Holy” were exclusive to knights who participated in the crusade against the griffons (331 H.A.) As to how such knight has lived up to Whisperwind’s setting of 9th Century H.A. is unanswered.

[16]This image is perhaps the most famous in Sir Sombra de Onyx. Partly because of its significance and partly because of its ambiguity. Much interpretation was given as to why Sombra was crying, for Whisperwind left us no answer, and reason for which is subject to much debate. The most famous portrayal of this scene is written by the poet Telltale of Lenore (145-204L.B.);

O’er the heathen’s mountain

where blood sprouts like fountain

where the shadow of war overlooks the fiery shore,

all dumb, dead , dying,

–moan none forgiving

all beg forgiveness, forgiveness, they implore

all redeems to the She-Serpent’s bastard they abhor.

Sorely they remember

with each burning ember

with each steel and fire thrust to their beating core,

the serpent’s tongue hissing

–his hooves thrashing, trotting,

the serpent-steed chasing since times of yore

the cursed race that sings the heathen’s ancient lore

O’er the fiery hills,

where ruined body stills,

where red blood spills as never did before,

whose dusk cast his shadow

–on the Reaper’s meadow

whose coat the thousand blood and bane he wore

whose corpse with thousand swords and spears he bore

where life flows thinner

–prays to go thither

where but through Princess Diana’s pearly door

where his tears chase him not; and nevermore.

[17]As we are informed in Whisperwind’s another story, Queen Remus the Fair, morat was made of honey flavoured with the juice of crystal berries; pigment was a sweet and rich liquor, composed of wine highly spiced, and sweetened also with honey. Morat is a favourite of knights and pigment is only used during times of great festivities.

[18]The Crystal Empire’s war against the satyrs is then known to be the Battle of Onyx, which is later referred to several times in Whisperwind’s other works.

[19]The peculiar use of the instrument is to be noted here, for until 99 L.B. the flugelhorn has only been used as a war horn to signal retreat.

[20]In times of knight-errantry, a lady gives permission to be escorted by a knight by giving him her handkerchief. The knight shows acceptance to this by either tying the handkerchief beneath the pole of his banner or keeping it secluded in his armor.

[21]Though Whisperwind’s description of the Sphinx is accurate, insofar as Equestrian mythology is concerned, the dimensions outlined here are exaggerated.

[22]St. Stigmata the Wounded is an actual colt who lived from 333H.A. to 347H.A. His body is claimed to bear any wound Princess Helionis would incur. It was due to him and his curse that Princess Helionis called a momentary truce during the griffon war and maintained a peace long enough to sign a treaty. He died at the young age of fourteen when Princess Helionis was attacked by a changeling, wounding her gravely and killing the colt. He was the youngest saint canonized.

[23]Sir Lionheart is the hero of the epic The Second of Macedonia by Alexandria (2H.A.-102H.A.), who is reared by a manticore and discovers the mythical land of Pendragon.

[24]The inconsistency here is highly noticeable, for a paragraph before Whisperwind left Sir Sombra in the middle of the fifth ocean; in the next, he is back on the mainland. Succeeding authors have attempted to resolve this by incorporating Sir Sombra’s rescue in their own epics. The most famous of which are The Chariot of Heaven (by Pallas Bust, 158L.B.) where Sir Sombra is rescued by a pegasus lady-knight named Valkyrie; and “Sir Sombra de Onyx and the Water Nymph” in Tales of Love from Times of Knight-Errantry (by Sir Heartkey of Charlemagne) where Sir Sombra resisted the seductions of a malicious water fairy and outwits her for her tortoise.

Sir Sombra de Onyx: vii, viii and x

VII

In Which Sir Sombra Twice Saves the Queen

The defeat of the Sphinx did not entail celebration, for it had taken to its grave a total of seventy-eight knights, two hundred and twenty-two soldiers, one-hundred and seventeen mares, eighteen colts and seventeen fillies. At once that peace had returned, there was much mourning for the losses.

The news that it was the queen that had slain the Sphinx did little to appease the resentment of the crystal ponies. Rumors began that Queen Avalon had fled the Crystal Empire to save herself, and it was King Stonehoof who had stayed to fend for his subjects. Sir Sapphire Shield, nephew to Sir Emerald IV, was furious to discover that the queen had ventured while the knight who held her handkerchief defended the empire believing she was there.

“Alas! I could not see it as anything other than betrayal,” said Sir Sapphire Shield as he dined with his company. “For my uncle is now incapable after battling the Sphinx for thirty days and thirty nights, in defense of a queen who was not even within the castle. Do we not agree that Sir Emerald IV is one of the greatest knights of the empire, and now what of him? He could no longer fight, nor win, the Grand Tourney in Launcelot that he hath yearned for decades.”

“Aye, I agree!” said Lady Flask Water, who had returned to the Crystal Empire. She had later, by virtue of Sir Joyous Gard's disclosure, discovered to her shock that Queen Avalon was the milkmaid that she rebuked in Captain Backwater's keep. “She is a coward undeserving of his husband, King Stonehoof. She ought to be burnt at the stake for treason.”

“Dost thou doubt the account of Sir Joyous Gard,” said Sir Metal Ore, “one of our most honorable and honest knights, that it was the queen herself, with the aid of Sir Sombra and Sir Longtooth the Crimson, rest his ghost, who vanquished the Sphinx?”

“Nay,” replied Sir Sapphire Shield. “For his renown for truth is well earned. Still, hear the whispers of our maidens: if we were to have offered the queen to the Sphinx then we may not have suffered an unfortunate and irreplaceable loss.”

It was due to these conversations that Sir Sombra de Onyx approached Sir Emerald IV in his bedside, as was gravely wounded and thenceforth unable to do more than to lift his lance.

"I beg thy forgiveness, brave knight,” said Sir Sombra, “for it is her majesty’s wishes that I accompany the Knights of the Crystal Circle and she comes with me to give her the protection of my spears. If I were to have disclosed the truth sooner then thou would need not suffer.”

“I could not lie and state that I harbor no ill feelings for thee,” replied he, “but I am eternally glad the queen is safe, for that is all I ask. I am a knight still in service of our liege and I hold here with me the golden handkerchief of her majesty. I know no other knight to pass this honor than to thee, but not without recompense: go to Launcelot and win the Grand Tourney of the Princesses in my stead. Return to me and I shall give this handkerchief to thee that thou may rightfully serve the queen by her beside.”

“As you wish, great knight.”

The night before the day of his departure to Launceolt, Sir Sombra awaited below the tower of Queen Avalon and the two met in the garden where they have first spoken.

“My liege,” said he, “I am to depart to Launcelot for the Grand Tourney held by Princess Diana and Princess Helionis. I shall not return till I have won thee a prize, for the champion of the tournament may ask a gift from the princesses. Pray tell, what doth my queen wishes? For it is to thy honor that I endeavor this upcoming.”

“I want thee,” said she, “to return unharmed. I cannot forbear the thought of thou wounded for my sake. Thy safe return alone will plenty my heart.”

“I swear then, that I shall return unharmed and with a treasure most becoming of thee.”

At dawn, Queen Avalon returned to her castle and Sir Sombra ventured to Launcelot.

He arrived several weeks later and enlisted his name for the tournament, and there was much delight in the crowd as he was known for the songs attributed to him by the fifty-two mares he saved. Apart from the few inquiries to his origins, the ponies of Launcelot did not fear him as he would have thought.

The Grand Tourney of the Princesses was held only once every quarter of a century, and thus became the most sought tournament by knights and spectators alike. A total of three thousand one hundred and thirty-three knights participated and the audience reached to fifty-eight thousand and forty in number. The overall crowned victor was to be given a private audience with the princesses to ask for a gift their Grace may bestow upon the champion.

The tournament began after two days of Sir Sombra’s arrival. In a series of jousting battles, he had his first five victories as he felled three knights from Gawain, a knight from Pellinore and a knight from Launcelot. For the second day of the tournament he won five victories on sword sparring against two knights from Gawain, a knight from Gaheris, a knight from Lamerok and a knight from Launcelot. For the third day he won all five jousting battles against a knight from Percival and four knights from Launcelot. As Sir Sombra de Onyx advanced to the next stage of the tournament he has earned the cheer of the crowd for his outstanding performance.

Let us return in the meantime to the Crystal Empire where Queen Avalon was received with the least favorable repute among her subjects. But no creatures harbor more ill-hatred than the satyr heathens, a hatred matched only by the envy of Lady Flask Water, who heard of the fall of their god-Sphinx at the hooves of the queen. It was during the eventful day of the Grand Tournament that the heathens have plotted against the queen. Barbarians as they were, they made no attempt at an assassination, but instead have all charged headfirst into the Scabbard, trying to penetrate through the Crystal Empire. King Stonehoof was one against dismayed for the heavy loss his army took from the Sphinx could not match against the sheer numbers of the satyrs. Again he consulted his adviser Bluebeard.

“Perhaps, now, we have no choice,” said Bluebeard, “but to surrender the Queen to the satyrs and hope that the heathens will be satisfied. And of the Scabbard? I trust thy daughter, Princess Camelot, to be of age to bear the title of the Crystal Heart and protect the empire.”

Sir Joyous Gard, who was present during this council, immediately refuted thus: “Inconceivable! I speak for those knights who share the code of chivalry, that we cannot simply submit the queen as though she is a sacrificial lamb. Hast the queen not slayeth the Sphinx for her subjects?”

“Aye,” said Bluebeard. “And in so slaying the Sphinx she has incurred the wrath of a race of its worshipers. As we speak, the heathens knock on our wall with their scimitars and horns; from all over the globe they come to avenge their fallen idol. The shield will not hold, and it is only a matter of time before the empire is overrun.”

“Then we only need to hold longer,” replied he. “I shall ask Sir Windtrot the Wingedhoof to go to Launcelot and return with Sir Sombra de Onyx, for if he were here he would slay the heathens by the thousands as he did before.”

“Thou art hast ten days to return with Sir Sombra,” said King Stonehoof.

At once, Sir Joyous Gard approached Sir Windtrot and the knight galloped to Launcelot. Upon witnessing this turn of events, Lady Flask Water followed to the capital.

In the second round of the Grand Tournament the number of knights lessened to those few whose strength outmatches the majority. This was the chapter of the tourney in which the crowd cheers for individual knights rather than the city-state they represented. Sir Sombra was among the few who possessed the impressive score of being unbeaten, and many knights stroke his shield with the reverse edge of their lance[25] in the next few battles. The second chapter of the Grand Tourney lasted four days and, throughout this time, Sir Sombra felled all sixty-seven of his competitors and has once again invoked the good wishes of the crowd.

In the third round of the tournament, only a hundred and twenty-eight knights were left from the three thousand one hundred and thirty-three participants. Two combatants will spar with another until one of them yields or is incapacitated, the victor advances to the next battle and the defeated is eliminated. A knight will have to win seven battles to be crowned champion.

Sir Sombra’s first battle was against Sir Bulwark, a young knight who has proven himself capable in defense by the sheer size of his shield. Sir Sombra only need to tip the balance of the pavise with his blows to fell the young knight, who was then forced to yield.

The next battle was against a knight named Don Cadalbolg , who immediately yields to him, for the knight’s lady was one of the fifty-four mare whom Sir Sombra saved from the fort of Captain Backwater and wishes to repay kindness by the submission. However, Sir Sombra urged to combat Don Cadalbolg than win by default, which he regarded as discourteous. Don Cadalbolg gladly agreed and the two battled valiantly to the delight of the crowd and the princesses. When the dusk came, Don Cadalbolg submits to his injuries and finally yields to Sir Sombra.

The next day started and Sir Sombra’s third battle was against a knight of the Crystal Empire, Sir Scabbard the Holy, who possessed the strength of seven stallions. The two greeted each other before battle, and both pledged their victory in honor of the Crystal Heart they both served. The battle began, and the audience applauded for the display of power on both sides. Sir Sombra knew he could not match Sir Scabbard by sheer force and so waited until the knight is wearied before using his speed to topple him down and kick his sword away from his reach to force his surrender. Sir Sombra kept his word and credited his victory to the Crystal Empire. The two knights then rejoiced before Sir Sombra’s next fight.

The fourth battle astounded Sir Sombra’s serendipity. For he stood against a stallion in white armor he knows to be Sir Ironheart the White, still within the service of the filly Marelin. Before combat, the two knights greeted one another, glad that they are able to fight in their fullest strength. Sir Ironheart disclosed that he fights for the credit of his lady, Marelin.

“I wish my knight's victory,” said Marelin as she greeted Sir Sombra, “for I wish as a gift from the princess of sun a mirror from which I can bear witness the secrets world, both past and present, so that I may see the secrets of the future. And may I impart, Sir Sombra de Onyx, that thy deepest secret has not yet change for thou still wish for life in this world.”

Thus, Sir Ironheart and Sir Sombra battled one another, and after long combat Sir Sombra once again emerged as victor.

The three of them later left for the pavilion and was later accompanied by Sir Scabbard. Here Sir Sombra spoke of his mother, Ouroborors, the She-Serpent, and the means of how Marelin may obtain the mirror she sought.

The next day, Sir Sombra fought against an opponent he has never encountered before. For his enemy was indeed a knight but not a stallion. Sir Humbaba the Earthshaker was a mammoth with large tusks and in full armor, Princess Diana’s personal champion[26]. Sir Sombra battled ferociously, but his spears could do little against the bulk of his competitor. Sir Humbaba’s speed was not to be underestimated, for with a swing of his great axe he sent to the earth the ground shakes. Out of options, Sir Sombra used his magic and summoned large spikes of onyx that pierced the armor and flesh of his foe. The audience marveled in awe and in horror as the onyx shards circled and encased Sir Humbaba in a prison of mineral, forcing his surrender.

Before Sir Sombra retired from his victory, Princess Helionis flew down from her balcony and questioned the knight of his identity.

“Thy Grace, my name is Sir Sombra de Onyx of the Crystal Empire. I am the son of Ouroboros, the She-Serpent, and Sir Fenrir the Grey, rest his ghost. I fight in honor of the Crystal Heart.”

“And what gift would ask thee if thou emerges as champion?”

“That, I confess, I do not know. For I wield my spears only to obtain the handkerchief of one whom I wish to serve with utmost fortitude. And from thy Grace, perhaps, I may ask thee of a comb or mirror that she may enjoy.”

Satisfied, Princess Helionis returned to her balcony to watch the match of the following contestants.

It was later in the dead of the night, while Sir Sombra rested, that Sir Windtrot the Wingedhoof visited and brought the news of the terrible state of the Crystal Empire.

“Alas, that we have two days before the queen is offered!” cried Sir Sombra. “And how can one reach the Crystal Empire without the speed of one like thou, Sir Windtrot? I beg thee, return to the empire and save the queen in my stead till my return. For the dawn of the third day, there shall I be to rescue the queen. But till then, I can rely only on the virtue of chivalry of my fellow knights. Tell the queen that I have not abandoned my liege.”

With that, Sir Windtrot made haste back to the Crystal Empire. Sir Sombra remained in his place of retirement where he sat down and wept.

The semifinal of the tournament began at midday, and though Sir Sombra fought with all his strength, the opponent was the hardest he has faced so far: A pegasus lady-knight with golden coat and silver armor, wielding a bow and arrow in her hooves and a blade on each her wings. The most peculiar of her vestiture was the visor that covered her eyes makes her no more capable of sight than that of a blind[27]. The mare moved swiftly and fired arrows from afar. When Sir Sombra neared, the mare more than outmatched the knight with her wing blades. Sir Sombra used his onyx, but they were ineffective as the mare only need to fly higher than the crystal's reach. When dusk arrived, Sir Sombra is gravely injured and his opponent stood unscathed.

“Withdraw, Sir Sombra,” said the lady-knight, “there is no shame in this defeat. I honor thy resiliency. For a lesser knight would have yielded at such a disadvantage.”

“Nay,” replied he, “for I have cause to win this Grand Tourney, for in my victory rests the fate of my lady. Thus, I will not yield. Not even at the cost of my own life.”

The mare fired two arrows and both broke through each of Sir Sombra’s knees.

“Yield,” said she, “or succumb to thy wounds.”

Sir Sombra did not answer and the mare fired another two arrows that pierced Sir Sombra’s side. The crowd all cried in despair to urge the knight of onyx for his surrender.

“Yield,” said she, “or this last arrow shall strike thee between the eyes, and cleave the holy ghost from thy body.”

Sir Sombra again did not answer and the mare fired the arrow. This time, the arrow only slipped through Sir Sombra’s mane, to the surprise of everyone in the tournament.

The mare replaced her bow on to her back and said: “I acknowledge thy courage. Blind as I am, I see within thee that thou wield thy spears for a cause greater than I stretch my bow. Very well then, I yield to thy strength of character.”

Thus, Sir Sombra won his sixth battle and the crowd applauded both competitors for their display of chivalry. It was the lady-knight who assisted Sir Sombra back to his recluse, where Sir Ironheart, Sir Scabbard the Holy and Marelin all waited and congratulated him. Then she said: “Sir Sombra de Onyx, I hope I may once again fight thee in the field where neither of us is to be held aback by the worry of anything else but the sword of one’s opponent.”

“I hope for it as well,” replied Sir Sombra.

The lady-knight flew off and returned to her place of retirement.

It was in the middle of the night, while Sir Sombra was resting, that his tent opened to the entry of Lady Flask Water. There the maiden roused him awake and she tended to his wounds with herbs and holy water.

“My lord,” said she, “I offer myself to thee to-night. For thou knows of my love, and I ask thee to take it.”

“My lady, I cannot return or take thy love. I am in the service of a higher power to which I have given my life to.”

Lady Flask Water was enraged to hear this, for she knows that it was Queen Avalon that Sir Sombra so dearly fought for. She knew as well that if he were to win the Grand Tourney, he would ask the princesses a gift to save the life of the queen and win him her love. With such thoughts clouding her malevolent mind, Lady Flask Water poisoned Sir Sombra’s water to weaken him in the final fight.

The championship started the next day, where Sir Sombra was to fight a knight that carried in his banner Princess Helionis’s own handkerchief, Sir Excalibur the King[28], champion of the previous Grand Tourney. On his shield was the carved heraldry of Princess Helionis’s emblem.

“Sir Sombra de Onyx,” called Sir Excalibur, “I applaud thee for all we have witnessed. Know that my strength and skill may not equal thy previous combatant, but thou will not find me an easy opponent. As Princess Helionis is my witness, not once in my life have I yield, and that the first shall not happen to-day.”

“Sir Excalibur,” called Sir Sombra, “I am most honored to meet thee in the field of battle. And knowing that I, too, will not yield, this battle shall end with the death of either of us. I wish to say that if I were to fall, I am honored to be defeated by the blade of a knight as chivalrous as thee.”

The crowds cheered the good wishes of the two knights who have earned their place in the final match. Just before the battle starts, Sir Sombra drinks from his water and was greatly weakened. He was felled instantly in the first jousts and was felled again after two blows in sparring by the sword.

It was at this time in the Crystal Empire that what’s left of the knights were divided between those who want the queen surrendered to the satyr heathens, led by Sir Saphire Shield, and those who wished to protect her, led by Sir Joyous Gard. With King Stonehoof afraid to take sides, lest he incites the their displeasure, it was Queen Avalon who spoke:

“It breaks my heart,” said she, “to see the knights of the Crystal Empire quarrel. Let no more words sting each other, for each is thy brother in arms. I shall surrender myself to the mercy of the heathens, before the Scabbard crumbles and their number overtakes us.”

“My liege, I implore thee,” cried Sir Joyous Gard, “to wait until the return of Sir Sombra, who promises to return on the dawn of to-morrow where he will vanquish the satyrs by the thousands.”

Sir Sapphire Shield responded: “For how can he return from Launcelot to the empire within a day; and suppose he succeeds, he would be too wearied by the tourney and the travel to fight in his full strength.”

“That I do not know,” said Sir Joyous Gard. “Only I trust him to keep his word. This is why I refuse to submit her majesty to the heathens.” Then, turning to the king and queen, he said: “My liege, I beg thee not to answer to the heretics. I shall firsthoof charge and do battle against satyrs. For having pledge my loyalty to the Crystal Heart, I will not allow her highness to die before me.”

And so Sir Joyous Gard took up arms and charged against the satyrs. Among the twelve knights who battled by his side were Sir Cuirass, Sir Metal Ore and Sir Windtrot.

Thus, Sir Sapphire Shield exclaims: “Alas! Should we lose the ghost of thirteen good knights in place of the queen who once fled the empire under siege?”

Returning again to Launcelot where the Grand Tournament was held, Sir Sombra was felled time and time again with each strike of Sir Excalibur’s blade. The crowd, the knight and the princesses all took notice of Sir Sombra’s performance and the match was then called to a temporary halt. The physicians discovered poison in Sir Sombra’s blood and there they deemed him incapable of further battle. The victor was then announced to be Sir Excalibur.

“Alas!” the king announced, “there is no honor to be had, for it was not I who defeated Sir Sombra, but the treachery of a coward. I do not, therefore, claim myself to be the victor, nor him the vanquished. For her Grace knows that no knight may take credit in an unfair battle, it is my suggestion, thus, that the battle be continued to-morrow where we could fight in our full strength.”

But Sir Sombra declined and opted to continue. He explained that if he cannot win today, then there is no victory in any of the days thereafter. Sir Excalibur and the princesses were left with no choice, and the fighting continued.

Again and again, Sir Sombra was felled by Sir Excalibur and each time he refused to yield. Sir Excalibur, on the other hoof, by his good nature, refused to kill Sir Sombra as he esteemed that no honorable knight should perish under such circumstances. However, Sir Sombra’s fortitude surpasses his endurance and Sir Excalibur resolved to kill Sir Sombra by the blade rather than let him succumb to the slow death of his loss of blood. Thrusting his sword, the king pierced through the beating heart of Sir Sombra de Onyx.

Then all gasped at the most peculiar of enchantments. Sir Sombra’s eyes flared with green fire and a black smoke seeped from them. His body broke apart and melded with the shadows, as a snake would shed its skin; and from those shadows sprang a giant serpent made of umbrageous mists.

The crowds shook in terror, and many left. Sir Excalibur continued to battle against the snake, but found it futile for his attacks could not touch the shade. The serpent struck with its fang, then it swallowed Sir Excalibur in the mists of its body before spewing him out with shards of onyx erupting from his horn. Sir Excalibur succumbed to his injuries and fell unconscious. A few seconds later, the mist-snake condensed and formed the body of Sir Sombra, who similarly collapsed but remained conscious.

There were no cheering in the crowd, for most stared in horror and in awe. Sir Sombra was then announced to be the victor and crowned champion[29].

Hours later, Sir Sombra, still wounded, was granted audience with Princess Helionis and Princess Diana. Here he asked his gift with immediate haste.

“Thy Grace, I ask of thee to bring me and two thousand of what's left of thy finest knights to the north continent posthaste! There I shall lead them to a crusade against the satyrs; we shall not rest till we have cleansed thy holy land with the blood the heathens.”

“Sir Sombra de Onyx,” said the elder princess, “Two days agone, thou hast wished for a mirror or a comb for thy lady. Thou hast asked for something humble and beautiful, and I would have given thee regardless of the outcome of thy battles. But now, thou asks from me an army to spread bloodshed and commit genocide. Is this truly thy wish?”

“Nay,” replied he, “but this is what need to be done.”

“Very well,” said the younger princess, “but know that this campaign is fought in thy name, and not in our honor.”

“Aye, your Grace, all the blood shall be on my hooves.”

With their powerful enchantment, Princess Helionis and Princess Diana transported Sir Sombra de Onyx and an army of two thousand to the north. The knight of onyx then led the army to the Crystal Empire.

Sir Joyous Gard and five others fought against the endless horde until the sun had risen. And from the east they saw the silhouette of Sir Sombra de Onyx galloping from the distance, who led an army of two thousand knights. Sir Sombra charged and he and his army laid waste to the satyrs. The war broke out in full and the numbers of the heathens fell short against the skill and disciplines of the knights. When dusk came, the ground had run red with blood of knights and heathens, and the remaining satyrs had fled to every direction. Sir Sombra led his army in constant pursuit.

Sir Joyous Gard returned to the Crystal Empire with three of the twelve knights. These three knights are Sir Metal Ore, Sir Cuirass and Sir Halberd II. They went to assembly where King Stonehoof, Queen Avalon, Bluebeard, and the other knights waited, here they told in great detail the exploits of Sir Sombra. The king and his knights were overjoyed of the news, some more than others, but it was Queen Avalon who was still in distress.

“My lord,” asked she to Sir Joyous Gard in private, “what of Sir Sombra? When shall he return?”

“My liege, as we are told by another knight, Sir Sombra has won the Grand Tourney of her Grace and has wished for a crusade as his meed to rid the north of the heathens. He is to lead the army until he has retired or every last of the satyrs had fallen.”

The queen sat down and wept. “Alas, why would my lord promote such bloodshed?”

“Sir Sombra cannot forgive the satyrs for wishing harm upon thee.”

For days Queen Avalon stood on her balcony, looking afar to the tundra. On occasion she would see a small light of fire where the bodies of the enemies were burned, and upon seeing this she wept and wished for the return of Sir Sombra and the ceasing of his cruelty to the enemy.

In the twenty-first day since the crusade and since Sir Sombra victory at the Grand Tourney, the slander against the queen had lessened. Queen Avalon then hosted a celebration and a meal for his knights to win their confidence once more. Every knight who was invited attended the party and there was much merrymaking; the queen laid out a bountiful feast of bread, fruits and wine, she played her famed music from her golden flugelhorn, and Sir Joyous Gard spoke tales of Sir Sombra in artful rhetoric. Only Sir Sapphire Shield was ill-at-ease of the queen’s generosity, as it was he who was the loudest knight in denouncing her; and though he wished for their proper reconciliation, his timidity restrained him.

At this time, Lady Flask Water, who had returned from Launcelot a week ago, snuck inside the great hall where the knights feasted. Still unable to contain her envy and anger towards the queen, she initiated her plan. As with any subject in the castle, Lady Flask Water knew of Sir Sapphire Shield’s fondness for malti[30] and, before the wine was served, she began to poison it. However, in the middle of the fruit course, Sir Metal Ore, choking on an apple, grabbed the malti, drank it and died.

At once, all the knights rose in horror. But none of them were able to accuse to queen, except Sir Sapphire Shield.

“My liege, I cannot but held thee culpable of the murder of Sir Metal Ore, who had fought beside Sir Joyous Gard in trying to defend thee, and who so haply died. None in this room could deny that I am the object of thy assassination, for my partiality for malti is as known as my own condemnation of her majesty. No doubt that thou seeketh vengeance for my denouncement. I would have had sought thy apology if not for my timidity, but her Grace has proven me right. I now accuse her highness of high treason!”

And Sir Granite spoke up. “My liege, it is to my dismay but I am in agreement of the inculpation. Cousin as I am to Sir Metal Ore, I am bound by chivalry to avenge him. I held her majesty answerable to this murder.”

There was a growing hubbub in the hall. The queen was utterly shock and at loss for words that she fainted. It was Sir Joyous Gard who returned Queen Avalon to her room.

Meanwhile, Sir Sapphire Shield and Sir Granite were quick to inform King Stonehoof, who then retreated to the counsel of his adviser, Bluebeard.

“My friend,” said the king, “this turn of events is fortunate, for now we can have the queen removed and return the power to the rex. Shall I have her burnt at the stake?”

“Nay, my liege. To condemn her outright would arouse suspicion from the knights. To maintain the illusion of righteousness, I advise thee to hold the queen in high-esteem and ask a knight to champion her innocence.”

“And what if this champion wins?”

“Nay. For he who holds the queen’s golden handkerchief is Sir Emerald IV who, mighty a knight as he was, is now handicapped since his battles with the Sphinx and no doubt can be defeated by any knight.”

And so the king acted on Bluebeard’s advice and addressed the knights of the great hall. The date is set in two days and to be held in the public square where the decisive battle for the queen’s innocence was to be judged. If Sir Emerald IV lost then the Queen Avalon would be burned at once. When asked among the knights who would champion the queen’s guilt, it was Granite, bound by his chivalry and torn by his loyalty to the queen, who rose and raised his sword.

When the news was brought to Sir Emerald IV he responded by saying: “Alas! I believe that none of my brethren wisheth to accuse the queen of treason, for hath she not cradled us with her Scabbard and have we not fought for her? I feel that the knights are compelled to condemn her by lack of evidence. And only perhaps by means of evidence could the queen be proven innocent, for I cannot champion the queen in my handicapped state. But, pray tell, where is Sir Sombra, for no doubt he would champion the queen in my place?”

“Sir Sombra de Onyx leads a crusade against the satyr heathens. It was his request for winning the Grand Tournament” said Sir Cuirass.

“Then we must not waste time. Here, take the golden handkerchief of thy majesty and giveth this to him.”

Sir Cuirass grabbed the handkerchief and, without returning to his home to rest, traversed the north. He galloped for a day until he found Sir Sombra burning a refuge camp of the satyrs. There he spoke of what happened during the banquet; and Sir Sombra hastily galloped back to the Crystal Empire, thus ending his crusade.

It was dawn when the queen was escorted in the public square where she was tied to a pyre in the middle of the plaza. Those who stood beside her was King Stonehoof, Bluebeard and Sir Granite. The other knights remained on the sides, unwilling to participate in the burning of the queen. Lady Flask Water had melded herself among the growing crowd that similarly grows her with malicious anticipation.

When Sir Emerald IV was called upon, he appeared in the public square still in bandages. Sir Granite bowed before him. King Stonehoof noticed Sir Emerald’s lack of weapon and he is addressed.

“My knight,” said the king, “where is the green lance thou art famed for? Shall I ask a squire to fetch thee a weapon?”

“Nay, my liege. For I am not here to defend the queen’s innocence, for her Grace knows that I cannot be a judge to that which I am no witness. The honor of defending the queen belongs to another knight.”

“Trumpery!” cried the king. “Forsooth that thou refused to defend the queen proves her guilt. My knight, cast in the fire.”

The crowd of crystal ponies all cried in horror, but none of the knights, neither even Sir Sapphire Shield nor Sir Granite, instigated to the command. It was Bluebeard who grabbed the torch and proceeded to toss it into the fire–but as he did, a serpentine shadow-steed jumped from the crowd, cut off the foreleg of Bluebeard and rescued the queen from the pyre. To no surprise of anypony present, it was Sir Sombra de Onyx.

Bluebeard ran to the castle screaming. King Stonehoof fell back in horror, his mouth agape. Twenty-four knights of the Crystal Empire, including Sir Joyous Gard, all drew their swords as Sir Sombra flared both his spears.

“Alas! Sir Sombra,” said Sir Sapphire Shield, “will thou turn thy arms against the Crystal Empire as well? Will thou defend the traitor that no doubt has made an attempt to my life?”

“Aye. Though I am no witness to events, I cannot believe that the queen, she who hath given her life for the empire, would assassinate her own protectors.”

“And where is the token of thy majesty that thou ought to bear if thou wishest to champion her?”

Sir Sombra hesitated, for in his haste he was unable to obtain the golden handkerchief from Sir Cuirass. “I need no token to prove the queen’s innocence.”

“It is in the belief of these knights that the queen has betrayed us, and even by force of arms I shall prove it.”

“Beware, knave, for your challenge may be accepted.”

“Aye! And mighty a knight as thou art, Sir Sombra, I do not fear even thee. For I know that her Grace will have a strike in the righteousness and justice of my battle.”

“I, too, believe in the justice of my defense. Let her Grace then guide the blade of the victor and the right!”

And so Sir Sombra battled with Sir Sapphire Shield and the whole of the Crystal Empire bore witness. Both knights were steadfast and both held their ground. Sir Sombra lunged but his spears did little against Sir Sapphire Shield who is renowned for using his buckler for defense and control of the field. Thus, Sir Sombra redoubled his blows, each thrust empowered by hatred and shaking the posture of his enemy. Then with his other spear, he lunged and struck a blow against Sir Sapphire Shield’s helmet, felling him to the ground.

Then Sir Sombra addressed the knights and crowd. “Thou who wishest to prove the queen guilty step forward and test thy truth against mine with his blade.”

No other knights stepped forward and most sheathed their swords. But Sir Sapphire Shield has not yet been unconscious. He jumped and charged towards Sir Sombra with his sword. Sir Sombra deflected the blow with his spear and tossed the knight off balance. Pinned on the ground, Sir Sombra raised his spear against Sir Sapphire Shield’s heart.

“Mercy!” cried Queen Avalon.

But Sir Sombra feigned deafness and struck Sir Sapphire Shield dead.

The queen was then proven innocent and Sir Sapphire Shield was buried in the catacombs without further ado. All went home, and not even the queen celebrated the victory of her life.

It was eleven days later when Lady Pine Leaves, under orders of the queen, went to the home of Sir Sombra. There she asked him to go the garden where he and the queen first met. Sir Sombra agreed without hesitation

Beneath the moonlight, Sir Sombra and Queen Avalon found each other, and after an hour of silence it was the queen who first spoke.

“My lord, pray tell why did thou disobey me. I asked thee to spare Sir Sapphire Shield, who is but mistaken in his suspicions; and would have no doubt corrected himself when the truth of the tragedy is revealed.”

“My liege, that I cannot risk. Her Grace knows that I serve thee even against thy wishes, for I am thy knight. So condemn me and rebuke me, but until thou dispatch me of service I am thine to serve. Doth thou dispatch of me?”

“I said no such thing.” And Queen Avalon gave her golden handkerchief to Sir Sombra.

“My liege, I accept.”

“My lord, pray tell, would thou love me if I were not the queen.”

“My liege, I love thee with all the force of the heavens; as the earth loves the stars, and as the moon loves the sun. But this love is for me to keep and not to give, for all the queen’s love I would not have thee corrupted by all that is me–for all I am is my love for thee.”

“And I love thee as well, Sir Sombra de Onyx. I say this for thy knowing, for I know as well that even with all the force of the crystal heart in my chest, thou will never accept my love.”

And so Queen Avalon laid herself in Sir Sombra’s embrace where on his chest she wept.

It was at this time, however, that Bluebeard, secluded in the privacy of his chambers, discovered by means of enchantment that it was Lady Flask Water who was the cause of the tragedy of the banquet. But, instead of disclosing the secret, Bluebeard had formulated the lady into his plan.

VIII

In Which Sir Sombra is Tried and Judged

The following days were uneventful, Sir Sombra has followed Queen Avalon as her personal escort. Together the two circled the empire. The queen played music for her beloved subjects and Sir Sombra stood guard in constant and unyielding vigilance. Whenever a tourney was held by the king, no matter how grand its scale or profound its prize, Sir Sombra would win them all, and he would always credit his victory to the queen. But not once had Sir Sombra had the queen, nor done as much as enter her chambers. It was only at night, when the eye of Princess Diana was its highness, that both Queen Avalon and Sir Sombra snuck from their beds and meet in the moonlight of the castle garden, where on each other’s arm they lay still and silent until dawn.

Many in the Crystal Empire suspected them to be lovers, but none has grounds to hold them against such a claim. Even the king, as sovereign second only to the queen, feared to accuse her majesty and the mightiest knight in the kingdom of infidelity. Thus, he kept his anger and his suspicions to himself, disclosing it to none, even to his trusted adviser.

When Bluebeard reconciled with Lady Flask Water it was in the utmost privacy that not even King Stonehoof knew of it. Here, Bluebeard gave the lady a beautiful enchanted robe, and instructed her to give it to Queen Avalon as the king’s gift. For her price, Bluebeard would give her a potion that would make Sir Sombra fall in love in her.

Lady Flask Water grew excited and hurriedly made for the chamber of Queen Avalon. On her way she encountered Sir Sombra by the queen’s door, standing guard.

“Halt! What business dost thou have with her majesty?” said he.

“My love,” said Lady Flask Water, “I brought her majesty a gift that comes from the king himself: a beautiful robe. A means of their reconciliation after accusing her of the assassination from long ago.”

“The queen slumbers peacefully. Place it atop the table where she will later receive it.”

Lady Flask Water did so and once again turned to Sir Sombra. “My love, know that soon I will win thy heart, and never again will thou hold that golden handkerchief against thy chest.

Lady Flask Water left and Sir Sombra returned to his guarding duties.

Several hours later the queen and her daughter, Princess Camelot, both came out of their chamber and greeted Sir Sombra. The mare and filly saw the robe and were both enchanted by its beauty.

“My lord, pray tell where comes from this beautiful ensemble?” asked the Queen.

“Brought by Lady Flask Water, it is a gift from King Stonehoof,” answered the knight.

Though Sir Sombra scorns at the gift, Queen Avalon welcomed it with open hooves as with any present, great and small.

But it was the queen’s young daughter, with all the playful innocence of a child, who fancied the gift the most. She wore the robe and no sooner had she done so that she was caught in bright dragon flame, the filly burned in bright fire until nothing was left of her but ashes.

Queen Avalon fell to her knees and uttered a long wailing cry of despair that shook the heart of Sir Sombra.

With blind fury and the queen's cries clouding his better judgment, the stallion-serpent grabbed his spears and galloped to the throne room. Finding the king absent, he rushed to the king’s private chamber. There he found him asleep and there he killed him with a thrust of the spear to his heart.

When Sir Sombra returned to the queen he found her sick of grief from the loss of her daughter. With haste, he carried her to the court physicians to be treated.

The rest of the day was in an uproar when the chamberlain found the king assassinated in bed. Little search was necessary for, as soon as the well-being of the queen was established, Sir Sombra confessed to the assassination after disclosing the whole story.

With the queen unconscious, Bluebeard took power for the time being. His first issue of command was to have Sir Sombra detained to the dungeons. The knight recognized the authority of the adviser in light of the circumstances. He surrendered his weapons and was escorted to the dungeons where he awaited trial.

When night came, a lady attendant had delivered Sir Sombra his supper.

“My lady,” said he, “I cannot accept this meal. Half-serpent that I am, my stomach could not endure the sweet relief of fruits. Only the blood of birds or small mammals could satiate me. But I would not ask thee to deliver an animal to its doom, so, in lieu of this bounty, pray bring me water.”

And the lady did so.

“My lady, what news of the Crystal Empire?’

“My lord, the queen is all and well in health, but grief-stricken is she. When told of the death of his husband her sorrow grew, and even more so when she is told of thy imprisonment. She fainted and is now resting soaked in her tears. But of the empire–my lord!–the empire, with the queen’s sadness engulfing her heart, the Scabbard dwindles.”

Sir Sombra thanked the lady and returned to the corner of the dungeon where he struggled and prayed for sleep.

As soon as the light of dawn filled the small opening of the dungeon, the lady once again brought Sir Sombra his meal. But Sir Sombra consumed only water, and no more.

“What news of the Crystal Empire?” asked he.

“My lord, I have just been told, the assassin, Lady Flask Water, has made an attempt at Bluebeard’s life, and would have succeeded if not for the valiancy of the knights.”

What happened, in fact, was that the news of Lady Flask Water’s attempt at the queen’s life had quickly spread throughout the Crystal Empire. The lady, feeling cornered, sought refuge in his accomplice, Bluebeard. However, the court adviser had expected this and, as soon as Lady Flask Water entered his tower, his guards leapt from their ambush to quickly execute her.

“And what of the queen?” asked Sir Sombra.

“The queen still rests.”

Sir Sombra once again retired in the corner of the dungeon where he struggled to sleep.

The next morning, it was not the lady that visited him but Sir Granite and Sir Cuirass. They are, under orders, to lead Sir Sombra in chains to the courtroom. There stood Bluebeard with several other judges looking down upon him from an elevated pedestal. When the proceedings were over, it was Bluebeard who first spoke:

“Sir Sombra de Onyx, as thou hast been informed, Lady Flask Water, the failed assassin of Queen Avalon and the assassin of Princess Camelot, has been executed before more information could be pried from her. In our investigation, however, we found no trace of her involvement in the assassination of King Stonehoof, rest his ghost, as claimed thee. Lady Flask Water was, no doubt, found guilty but his liege remains unavenged. This council feels that thou fabricated the conspiracy to rid the queen of her husband. Therefore, we charge thee, Sir Sombra de Onyx, of high treason against the Crystal Empire! What doth thou say in thy defense?”

Sir Sombra said nothing.

“Very well, her majesty shall be the judge of thy punishment when she wakes. Until then, return to the dungeon.”

Sir Sombra was escorted to the dungeon.

The next day, the lady once again returned to Sir Sombra to deliver him his water.

“My lady,” asked he, “what news of the Crystal Empire?”

“My lord, the queen wakens and is eager to meet thee. However, she is yet to be in the condition for the encounter as the court’s doctors prevents her from leaving her bed.”

The next day, the lady returned once again to deliver Sir Sombra his water. This time, she brings with her a cage wrapped in fabric.

“My lady,” asked he, “what news of the Crystal Empire?”

“My lord, the queen is close to gaining her health but the grief takes a heavy toll in her heart. And when it became news that she would be thy judge, her majesty fainted of grief once more. But before she lost consciousness, I have had the pleasure of talking to her and I am inquired about thy condition. I told her so, and she commanded Sir Joyous Gard to hunt a raven for thou to feast on.”

The lady removed the cover of the cage, and there indeed was a raven as black as night.

“My lady,” said he, “I could never, for my life, ask the queen, Sir Joyous Gard, or thee to bear it in thy good conscience of delivering an innocent fowl to its doom. Perched by hunger as I am, I refuse this bounty.”

“My lord, forgive me but I shall not take it back.”

Once the lady left, Sir Sombra took the cage. He grabbed the raven and freed it out the window.

The next morning, Sir Joyous Gard accompanied the lady to the dungeon.

“My lord,” said Sir Joyous Gard, “I come bearing ill news. Bluebeard has rallied the crystal ponies, that they now all condemn thee of high treason. And rumors spread, undoubtedly by his instigation, that if the queen were to spare thee of execution then her majesty herself betrayed the Crystal Empire for thy love. I am here in lieu of the other knights to ask thee, art thou the queen’s lover?”

“Aye and nay. For I love the queen, and she loves me. But our love is for ours to keep, and not be given to the other.”

“Alas! I cannot help thee, for such an allegation would only fuel the slander against the queen. The crystal ponies hungers for justice for the death of King Stonehoof, and all finds thee answerable. Perhaps, even myself.”

So saying, Sir Joyous Gard and the lady both left.

Sir Sombra reposed exhausted and famished in the dungeon. The darkness had adapted itself to his eyes that even the moonlight was too bright for him. It was at this time of night, when Diana’s eye was at its highest, that the doors opened and in came Queen Avalon dressed as a milkmaid.

Sir Sombra leapt to his feet and arranged a posture proper to her highness. Queen Avalon opened the door of the prison and there she entered.

“My lord–oh, my lord!–what have they done unto thee?”

“Aught that is right. In their power and knowledge they have all ground to charge of me treason. It is true, all that was said and done, that it was I, clouded by thy heartbreaking sobs, that murdered thy husband in his sleep.”

“Damn the charges and damn the king!” cried Queen Avalon, “and what of thou, my lord? What would become of thee? The Crystal Empire hungers for justice, and it is with thy punishment they would see it satiated. They ask me–oh, they ask me–to send thee to the gallows. My lord, that I cannot do! I cannot have thy blood on my hooves, not for all the treasures of Equestria.”

“My queen, show the resolve as thou have shown ere. Do not look at me as Sir Sombra de Onyx, the knight who loves thee, but as an assassin and traitor to the empire. It is my purpose, since the day I came into being, that the blood coursing through my veins belongs to the snow of this land. If I were to give up the ghost to revive confidence to her majesty and protect the justice of the code of chivalry, I would regard it as an honor I could not have deserved. That is why, my queen, condemn me. Condemn me to the gallows.”

“My lord, I cannot.”

“For the Crystal Empire, for her majesty, for the Crystal Heart, for the code of chivalry... My queen, for our love, condemn me.”

At morningtide the queen has left and gone from the dungeon. As soon as noon has arrived, Sir Sombra was escorted by Sir Cuirass and Sir Granite to the public square where the trial was to be heard. Sir Sombra was put in chains, standing beside the queen who rested atop a raised pedestal. In front of them, hundreds of crystal ponies hissed at Sir Sombra’s name. Sir Sombra looked up, and found Queen Avalon impartial as she hammered the gavel.

“Silence!” said the queen, “to-day we shall determine the punishment of Sir Sombra de Onyx for the crime of treason against his majesty, King Stonehoof. The punishment shall be carried out on the morrow.”

There was a growing hubbub from the crowd: “Death for treason against our king!”, “Hang him!”, “To the gallows!”, “Burn the serpent’s bastard on the stake!”

Sir Sombra said nothing. His eyes remained fixed on the queen, who by now struggled to maintain her trembling and tears. The queen spoke again, more solemn this time.

“Hearken, my subjects, and pray consider whom we condemn. Though he is the bastard of Ouroboros, the She-Seprent, hath he not served and protected the Crystal Empire. Hath he not, many years agone, been the first to charge against the satyr to defend us? Hath he not ventured throughout Equestria to vanquish the dreaded Sphinx? Hath he not won the Grand Tourney of her Grace to bring glory to us? To, once again, save us from those invading heathens? Hath he not spilled more blood on this earth than all of us together? To protect us after we have rebuked him so, time and time again? Was not only by his clouded judgment that he hath slain the king? I ask all of thee, pray consider.”

There was a silence in the crowd for a moment, but the hubbub grew again and the cries returned: “Kill the serpent’s bastard!”, “He is an omen!”, “Save the empire from his coils!”

And upon hearing these proclamations from her subjects, the queen wept. She raised her hoof and the crowd was silenced.

“Very well,” said she, “I, Queen Avalon...”

There is a moment of pause and the crowd waits in total stillness–

“...sentence Sir Sombra de Onyx...”

–and silence.

“...to death.”

Sir Sombra was then escorted to the dungeon where he would await his execution to-morrow. There were no cheers or merrymaking that could be heard from anywhere of the empire. Neither even the birds chirped nor the wind whispered. The only sound heard was that of the queen sobbing inconsolably in her room, and it was a sound that lasted well in to the evenfall.

In the dead of night, when none was awake, Queen Avalon ran to the dungeons and there she wept to Sir Sombra's embrace, the two of them separated by the prison bars.

“My lord, forgive me!” cried she, “Forgive me for damning thee. My lord, my love, forgive me. For I could not forgive myself.”

“My queen,” said Sir Sombra, “dost be strong. Gather thy strength. Thou hast pronounced what is right.

“My lord, what is to become of me now? As the eye of Helionis rises, the scythe of the reaper descends. Our time is running short, I fear–oh, how I fear–the seconds and minutes passing by like the march of death nearing! Why should I lose thee, as I have lost my daughter? There is nothing for me left.”

“My love, thou must. Thou art the Crystal Heart. Protect and cradle in thy bosom the empire and its denizens. Be that which the crystal ponies pour and obtain their strength. My role is finish, but thou still hast much to fulfill. Death is here to take my ghost. Pray believe that the hours we have left is a blessing, that this moment is ours and ours alone.”

The two talked as lovers would, sharing each other’s love and consoling each other’s pain. At last, when dawn came, Queen Avalon bid Sir Sombra her final farewell, for she knew that they will never meet again.

Sir Sombra lay in his prison, waiting for his sentence to be delivered; but when the noon of the day of his sentence arrived, there was none who came in the dungeon. The day had turned into night, and still none came to lead him to the gallows.

The next day Sir Sombra waited again but none arrived. A day more and the lady came in the dungeon, bringing Sir Sombra his water.

“My lady,” asked Sir Sombra, “what news of the Crystal Empire? Why am I still imprisoned?”

But the lady did not answer.

A week has passed since the day of his supposed sentence, and none came but the lady. Each time Sir Sombra inquired of the news but the lady never answered except in the tears she shed.

On the tenth day, the lady came with Bluebeard beside him.

“What news of the Crystal Empire?” asked Sir Sombra to Bluebeard, “What of my sentence?”

“My lord,” said he, “thou art now free and proven innocent.”

“I demand explanation.”

“Aye,” answered Bluebeard. “It seems the lady hath yet to inform thee. Thou art now proven innocent, for the true culprit hath been revealed. Queen Avalon confessed to the assassination of the king, and she hath been executed ten days agone!”

In Which King Sombra is Felled[31]

From King Sombra’s eyes a mist has forever leaked.

He ruled the Crystal Empire for years, but not once had he addressed himself as king nor the crystal ponies as subjects. He spent his days alone in the castle tower where he feasted on ravens and rats. He owned nothing but the throne where he oversaw the empire. His first issue of command was to build the spire where he towers over all else. The next, and last, was the utmost fortification of the Crystal Empire.

The following were put to death: those who question his rule, those who do not labor and those who tried to escape. It is not known to us what became of the knights, the soldiers, the council or the aristocrats of the Crystal Empire. My records show no indication or mention of them thereafter.

But the tyranny did not go unnoticed. As the Crystal Empire was isolated from the rest of Equestria, the two princesses sent their emissaries for news from the northern border. When neither messengers nor soldiers returned, Princess Helionis saw to it to investigate the matter of the Crystal Empire herself. There she saw the enslaved ponies trembling in fear which no doubt gripped the princess’s heart with sympathy. In haste, Princess Helionis flew to the throne room and to her surprise, and eventual disappointment, found the knight she remember to be Sir Sombra de Onyx.

“King Sombra,” said Her Grace, “I beseech thee. End this tyranny and free the crystal ponies from oppression. We do not know what ill fate has befallen thy person, but no good would come of this pursuit. I once knew thee to be the great Sir Sombra de Onyx, whom maidens sing in praise and knights lower their lances[32], what hath become of thee that thou succumb to the dark arts. Have thou not given everything for the empire in the days of thy youth, then why this hate? King Sombra, if there is anything left of the knight, of the code of chivalry, of the blessing of the Crystal Heart inside thee, thou will abandon this rule. I pray thee, return to the crystal ponies their once joyous lives.”

We do not know whether at this time King Sombra was still capable of speech. We only know that Princess Helionis returned the day after with her sister, Princess Diana, both pleading to reason with the tyrant.

“King Sombra,” said Princess Diana, “To-day both princesses graces thy castle, but grace is not given where grace is not due. When I crossed thy streets, the equines thou enslaves all threw themselves to my hooves and begged me to save them from oppression. To their freedom, I gave my word. And a word of the princesses is not so easily broken.”

“Calm, sister,” said Princess Helionis. Then she addressed King Sombra, “I beg thee to use the light of reason. Without a Crystal Heart”–To this his attention was caught–“the cold of the north shall engulf the empire, and it is only a matter of time before the crystal ponies perish. And what of thy empire then?”

King Sombra said nothing.

“I am prepared to grant thy wishes,” said the elder princess. “If it is glory thou wishest then I shall write praises and songs of thee in the Dialogues. If it is gold then I shall open the royal vault and offer thee all treasures. If it is power then I will to give thee a portion of my soul.”

“My sister!” ejaculated Princess Diana, “Thou cannot possibly–”

“Silence, Selena![33]” interrupted Her Grace. “Not any empire in the world is worth the life of a single pony, and I know that King Sombra knows this as well.”

King Sombra still said nothing.

“I am appealing to thy good nature, to thy reason. I speak not to King Sombra but to Sir Sombra de Onyx, he who broke through death and fought to save this empire.” Princess Helionis bowed her head low. “I beg thee.”

“Sister, lift thyself from the ground,” said Princess Diana. “There is no compromise to be sought here. The king has lost his hearing but to the voices of clashing blades. King Sombra, we shall free the crystal ponies from thy tyranny. Be it by thy surrender or thy blood.”

“I beseech thee,” begged the elder princess, “do not force us into a position where we shall take up arms. Pray not that death be the final argument.”

In response, King Sombra threw his spear an inch from where the princess stood. Her Grace was unmoved.

“Very well.” Princess Helionis wept. “Prepare thyself, for to-morrow thou shall defend the empire from us.”

When the princesses left, they once again crossed the streets where the crystal ponies labored. There the ponies cried in unison: “saves us! save us!” and, to their cries, Princess Diana answered:

“Citizens of the Crystal Empire, I ask thee to endure a day more. For on the morrow we shall vanquish King Sombra, and his reign of tyranny.”

A quiet smile was seen from the faces of those who heard this address.

The next day the sun watched over the Crystal Empire. Princess Helionis made good of her word and appeared on the battlefield in her golden armor.She then flew to the throne room where she found him waiting.

“King Sombra,” said Princess Helionis, “I bring no force of arms but my own. Knowing that thou hast no army, I brought none. We shall settle the combat as knights have, in a duel where none intervenes. But I pray thee, surrender while thou still can. For the sake of the Crystal Heart and the Crystal Empire–”

The next words of her Grace were not uttered. King Sombra leapt from his throne, flaring his two spears, and charged towards Princess Helionis. Her Grace was quick to summon Solari[34] with her magic and, with it, deflected King Sombra’s attack in time.

The savagery of King Sombra’s attacks matched the discipline by which her Grace established her defense. He furiously lunged with his spears in blinding haste that Princess Helionis found no opportunity to return a blow. The sound of their steels echoed throughout the halls and antechambers. Her Grace slowly weakens with every strike she deflected and neither could she withdraw for the castle throne room did little space for her wings. Backed in to a corner, Princess Helionis resorted to her only option: locking swords and spear, she wrestled King Sombra, carefully manipulating his balance, and defenestrated herself and the king through the stained glass. Together they plummeted from the castle spire.

Princess Helionis broke the lock of her weapons and took to the air before the fall. King Sombra used his magic and summoned shards and slabs of onyx from the earth he used to skillfully make his landing. The crystal ponies that saw the commotion all ran in fear, cheering in their hearts for the victory of Princess Helionis. King Sombra paid them no mind; he returned his attention to the princess. Her Grace grew confident, feeling the air in her wings and thus the advantage of battling in the open air. She charged, slashing Solari about, forcing King Sombra on the defensive. Princess Helionis fought with her hooves a meter from the earth that her attack is empowered by both range and position. The advantage did little against King Sombra’s skill with his spears, which he used with such impunity. The blood of both has been spilt on the ground when King Sombra, growing impatient, once again used his magic to summon shards of onyx against the princess. Her Grace took to the air and dodged the gray crystals. King Sombra’s infuriation only made him cast his magic even more that onyx after onyx of gargantuan proportions erupted from the earth. The crystal ponies in the vicinity of the attack were not exempt from the jagged rocks, and many were injured. Seeing the damaged being done of King Sombra’s magic, Princess Helionis returned to the ground.

“Cease this attack!” she commanded, “this battle is between us. Let us fight where the innocents will be unharmed.”

But King Sombra only took advantage of the princess’s lower position, and once again used his onyx to pursue her. Princess Helionis lunged forward and thrust her sword to King Sombra’s side. In return, King Sombra thrust both his spears on the princess’s thigh. With their weapons locked on the other’s body, Princess Helinois drew her wings and propelled herself and King Sombra hastily forward, past the streets and houses of the empire, until they both broke through the the dwindling Scabbard and still farther they went. They tumbled out the snow, both gravely wounded.

In the midst of a fierce snow storm they resumed their battle, sword and spears met each other if not flesh. The fighting continued for a time impossible to measure, for Princess Helionis, in the flurry of combat, is unable to rest the sun. There it remained still as witness to their battle until the moon closed in on its path, rendering the land to the color of ember. Spent but still persevering, the two warriors took a moment to breath and it was at this time that Princess Helionis spoke:

“King Sombra,” said she, “I ask thee the cause by which thou bear arms. Surely it is not for wealth or power one would place himself to such reckless abandon. In what service dost thou wield thy spears? Tell me, I wish to know, for none hast fought so enduringly as thee, and none would fight as such without the righteousness and justice of one’s conviction. Pray tell what dost thou fight for!”

“Crystal... Heart...” muttered the king, “Must... protect... Crystal...”

“Alas! From whoso?”

But King Sombra did not answer. The green fire in his eyes burned even more as spiked and jagged onyx ruptured their battlefield. He charged again with more ferocity than he ever before displayed. Princess Helionis was forced on the extreme defensive, fighting for her life, unable even to spread her wings to lift herself from the assault. King Sombra redoubled his blows and, when her Grace’s defense was broken, thrust both spears to her chest. Princess Helionis fell on the pool of her blood. When King Sombra lifted his spears again to deliver the decisive blow a silver arrow struck his chest. He fell back as another arrow struck his leg.

From above and afar, Princess Diana took the rays of moonlight and fired it from her bow to King Sombra.

“My sister!” said the elder princess, “What hast thou done? Hast thou no sense of chivalry?”

“Nay,” said the younger princess, “I would lose such honor before I lose my sib. Let us both combat him, and together we shall win.”

“There is no such victory in this battle.”

Removing the arrows from his body, King Sombra spoke. “Accursed...Thou, too, wishest to covet the... Crystal Heart.”

Princess Diana paid him no mind and continued to fire the rays of the moon. King Sombra deflected many, but much still pierced his body.

“Sister,” cried Princess Helionis, “I beg thee, halt!”

King Sombra fell, his body littered with arrows. He picked himself up from the ground and yelled to the earth: “Mother, Ouroboros, the She-Serpent, I ask of thee! Swallow the Crystal Empire in thy belly, protect the Crystal Heart in my place, for here I shall fall before the twin of heaven.”

At once, the earth shook and the great Ouroboros reared her head from the earth and, with her maw, swallowed the Crystal Empire whole.

“By all that is holy!” exclaimed the elder princess, “Sombra, what hast thou done?”

“I shall... protect the... Crystal Heart... at... the cost of all...” so saying, King Sombra shed his mortal body and turned to the serpent-shadow.

He slithered not in one place but in several, as how a mist would engulf the air. Princess Diana fired a volley of her arrows but it did nothing against the miasma. The phantom snake reared his head and drew his fangs. He struck against both princesses who can do nothing against his form.

Princess Diana and Princess Helionis both took to the air but, to their surprise, King Sombra’s form easily followed them and there he struck them back on the ground. Both sisters were gravely injured by the attack.

“C-Crys... tals...” muttered the king.

Seeing their endangered state, Princess Helionis knew she had to cast her ultimatum even if it means risking her life. She casted her spell, taking energy from her own soul, and, from her horn, gave birth to a new young sun. It was no bigger than the size of a ball and it burned so bright that it lifted the shadows. With it, she pushed back King Sombra, whose dark being could not touch the illumination, down the icy chasms of the opened earth. There she threw the young sun with him and there she invoked a spell that moved the entire continent and sealed the opening. In so doing, Princess Helionis collapsed in exhaustion.

“Hast we won?” asked the younger princess.

“Aye.”

But it is not yet so, for an infinitesimal piece of King Sombra’s shadow was not sealed and it reformed to King Sombra’s corporeal equine body.

“Sister, look yonder! The bastard lives!” cried Princess Diana.

Though not to their knowledge, what they were seeing was not King Sombra himself but a small fragment of his existence that has come into being. A thousandth of its power but still carrying its will.

“Must... protect... Crystal... Heart...” it said. It lifted its bruised and bloody body from the ground, enduring its thousand wounds, shambling with savage perseverance, carrying in its mouth the jagged tip of a broken red spear.

Princess Diana could take out the apparition with a single arrow, but her injuries render her unable even to lift her bow.

“Protect... Crystal Heart...” it said again. Collapsing once more, dragging its body from the earth, it's blood dripping to leave a red trail on the snow, eager to spend the last of its breath for the cause it was sworn. “Crystal...”

At last, when it was near both the trembling princesses, it lifted its spear; but before it could deliver the fatal blow, the apparition collapsed, reduced to shadow, never to rise again.

Thus was the end of King Sombra and thus was the end of the Crystal Empire. What happened thereafter was what one would expect to follow in history’s natural course of events: Princess Helionis and Princess Diana both returned to Launcelot where they treated their wounds and rested. Several days then, they sent a party to search for the Crystal Empire but no results were returned. Thereafter, the history of the empire is lost and never mentioned again.

And though we have come to the end of our tale, I could not help but tendering the reader a serendipity which I have experienced. In my youth I have had the pleasure of encountering Sir Ironheart the White[35], whom I did not know in my innocence. He spoke to me that in his adventure with his wife, Lady Marelin, pursuing Ouroboros, the She-Serpent, they stood to the site where Princess Helionis and Princess Diana banished King Sombra and there they inscribed the following:

Li Restilis Sombra Furlium; Xros, Restin, Et Muertu[36]

Further, Sir Ironheart mentioned to me of a prophecy made by Lady Marelin. She spoke that in a thousand years, when the young sun dies out, King Sombra shall return; and Ouroboros, the She-Serpent, shall spue the Crystal Empire from her belly.

But for myself, I do not believe this prophecy. I would have King Sombra eternally buried peacefully and unstirred from his rest, where we could solemnly remember the memory, and legend, of what was once a great knight.

Annotations and Endnotes

[25]Any knight proposing combat in a tourney might, if he pleased, select a special antagonist among those of superior record to him by touching his shield. If they did so by the reverse of his lance, the two would joust in the manner called “arms of courtesy” in which the sharp end of their lance is fixed with a sharp board that no danger would arise from the competitors aside from the shock of impact. But if the shield was touched with the sharp end of their weapon then the jousting would be an “outrance” in which they would use sharpened lances as in actual combat.

[26]In Dialogues Vol. XXXIV, we are told that the princesses never had any knight champion for them in tourneys. Although in fiction, specifically in epics, this is never the case.

[27]The unnamed lady-knight that Sir Sombra fought in the sixth battle greatly resembles the heroine in the epic Ruritania by Sir Babel (856H.A.-120L.B.) Ruritania the Godslayer is a virgin pegasus mare who sold her sight to Discord in exchange for power in order to fight against what she believes to be the tyrannical rule of the princesses.

[28]In Equestrian mythology, Sir Excalibur, the King of the Round, is a unicorn stallion and the personal knight of Princess Helionis. He is often depicted as silver-coated and in blue-gold armor, wielding a flaming sword, and commanding a thousand and forty-four knights.

[29]It is an interesting coincidence that in Canterlot records, the 32nd champion of the Grand Tournament has been left blank. The reason for this is that the tournament at this time never occurred due to the Lunar Rebellion.

[30]Very spicy wine made of red pepper, dusk berries and dried tangerine leaves.

[31]The “missing” ninth chapter of Sir Sombra de Onyx was never written by Whisperwind. In Modern Hermeneutics (163L.B.) by Clover the Clever, in which he writes his encounters with various authors, Whisperwind is quoted saying to him: “I have not written the ninth chapter, for I have lost the material passed to me by Fountainhead. Furthermore, your teacher [Starswirl the Bearded] disclosed to me that there were none who bore witness, and thus recorded the events of this time.” (pg. 780)

[32]The gesture of knights lowering their lances was a sign of acknowledging chivalry; it does not necessarily entail respect, fear or recognition of strength.

[33]In Dialogues Vol. XV, we are told the Princess Diana’s previous name is Princess Selena.

[34]Solari is the previous name of Princess Helionis. In pre-L.B. usage, Solari is also the name of the sword of Princess Helionis. In Dialogues Vol. XIII, it is described as “glass aether that encases the fire that gave birth to the universe.” In Dialogues Vol. XXI, it is described as having “a handle of adamantum, the sheath of sunlight and a golden blade that incinerates all it wounds.”

[35]It is unlikely that Whisperwind refers to the literal Sir Ironheart the White whom she imagined in fiction. The closest possible explanation is that she could have invented such an encounter.

[36]Written in the ancient Morganlefeyan, trans: “Here Rests The Shadow Sombra; Squire, Knight and King.”

Sir Sombra de Onyx: Afterwords

Afterword on the 1st Edition

If we are to look at the map of Equestria, we can see that the northern continent is a skeletal-like hand stretching its snow-bleached fingers toward the Draconian mainland to the west. Closer east, just below the floating islands of Griffenia, to which these islands seem to direct their imperceptible motion, the country of Cockaigne, blooming in industry and luxury, is, by contrast, leaning away from the icy dessert. These two interesting observations are made relevant when we take into account their cultural homogeneity in comparison to the continent from which the mythical Crystal Empire–and, consequently, Sir Sombra de Onyx–begins and ends its story. The Draconian mainland, to which the most august tales of fantasy place their story, is fertile of myths of a world where pony knights forever jousted, garnered treasure, slew dragons and succored damsels; it was to such romanticism that Whisperwind drew the influence, at most emotionally, to the work that gave birth to the Crystal Empire . Cockaigne, though rich in commerce, shies away from the open liberal arts and, in its stead, settles for the naturalism of real life. In addition, Sir Sombra de Onyx was left untitled until its second publication in the year 152L.B; the reason being that Whisperwind of Pellinore believes that no title is necessary for factual events and that a name, rather, would be more apt. Until then it has been only a part of one of the many series of the synopsized mythologies that Whisperwind wrote during her travels from Gaheris to Lamerok.

During our fateful encounter in Launcelot, I have asked Whisperwind of the code of chivalry that King Sombra have so dutifully followed; she listed the following:

Thou shall serve Princess Helionis as one’s sovereign.
Thou shall serve Princess Diana as one’s sovereign.
Thou shall not betray the best within thyself, and within others.
Thou shall inspire love and tolerance.
Thou shall inspire honesty.
Thou shall inspire loyalty.
Thou shall inspire benevolence.
Thou shall inspire kindness.
Thou shall inspire generosity.
Thou shall hold in high-esteem the knights who follow this code.

At first glance, one may consider this code of chivalry to be too vague and arbitrary to be the guiding principle of life of the medieval knights. At the second, one may ponder the absurdity of what discipline it demands to consistently follow these rules as a way of life. Though in the novelette, we never see a dramatization of the practical application of this principles in action, beside the usual gesture of good will Sir Sombra gives to his enemies, we never see how this is challenged. We only know Sir Sombra sees Queen Avalon as the embodiment of this principles and how he sacrificied his own practice to preserve its dignity.

Such was the context and eventual controversy in which Whisperwind wrote the story. She claimed that the myth she had heard from Fountainhead was, in itself, a "faithful recording of Equestrian history." And from this claim followed the criticism to her works and attacks to her person.

Between the Great Depression and the naturalists, who were the prevalent literary voice of the time, Sir Sombra de Onyx was ill-received during its first publication. But if we are to look closer at these "criticisms", such as that of Pencil Sketch–who said that "the major flaw [of Sir Sombra de Onyx] is that the characters found heroic poses and held unto them till death,"–or Dross Dry–who said that "the incredibility of Sir Sombra de Onyx did not lie on the absurd claim of the author to its historical actuality, but the absurd claim of the author to its chivalrous actuality,"–we can see that the disapproval was expressed, not in any of the novelette's faults, inconsistencies or shortcomings but, to its implicit philosophical leitmotif: chivalry.

In response to these criticism, she responded to me, in private, of the following verbatim:

"Do not look for familiar landmarks–you won't find them; you are not entering the backyard of 'the folks next door,' but a universe you did not know existed.

"Do not look for the 'folks next door'–you are about to meet a race of knights, who might and ought to have been your neighbor.

"Do not say that these knights are 'unreal' because you have never seen them before–check your eyesight, not mine; it is not my purpose to show you what you have already seen a thousand times.

"Do not say that the actions of these knights are 'impossible' because they are beautiful, heroic, noble and intelligent–remember that the cowardly, the depraved, the mindless and the ugly are not all that is possible to us.

"Do not say that this universe is an 'escape'–you will witness harder, more demanding, and more tragic battles than any of them have fought.

"Do not say that 'life is not like that'–ask yourself: whose life?"

Of course, one can imagine hearing a voice, from the Draconian mainland to Cockgaine and throughout all of Equestria, that challenges Whisperwind's question. "Was your life like that."

Whisperwind already had her answer: "I trust that nopony will tell me that the characters I write about do not exist.The fact that Sir Sombra de Onyx was written–and published–is the proof that they do."

Clover the Clever
158L.B.

Afterword on the 2nd Edition

Whisperwind of Pellinore (123-155 L.B.) lived and died during the first great depression at the young age of thirty-two. The cause of her death was Horn Rot (scientifically known as monoceros taphonomus) that plagued the unicorn mares of Pellinore and Lamerok during the 2nd century of Luna’s Banishment. Her father is named Leaflet, a councilman of Pellinore who, not once, left the city-state. Her mother is not known.

Whisperwind was a mare who sought a life of adventure outside the day-to-day bustle of the city-state. Unfortunately, she could not find quests as exhilarating as the ones that filled the bright vibrant world of her imagination. At the young age of nine, she ran away from home to escape what she regarded as the mundane life of politics, as what her father intended of her. She landed on the city-state of Modred where she worked as a horseshoe cleaner. She obtained her cutie mark at the age of ten after she heard the story of Sir Excalibur the King from a customer and began to write it down. At the age of thirteen, Whisperwind spent much of her savings to buy quills and parchments before traversing the world in search for stories. She travelled from city to city asking about stories of knight-errantry. Several times she sought a companion to accompany her but none took the invitation of a life on the road. She tried to have her works published but the first great depression made literature unavailable for ponies all over Equestria. At the age of fifteen, Whisperwind was arrested for stealing four pieces of bread and a pound of butter. She spent seven months in prison and two years more for trying to escape twice. During her incarceration, she wrote several unpublished works: Sir Excalibur the King, The Rise and Fall of Ruritania, Lulamoons, Lionheart Unbound and Sir Ember and Lady Snowflake.

After being released from imprisonment in 144 L.B., Whisperwind sought a job in the newly named capital of Canterlot, but her criminal record made it impossible for her to find work in any trade, much more to have any of her work published. Out of savings, Whisperwind stole again, this time unwittingly from Fountainhead, mentor of Stawswirl the Bearded. Whisperwind sold the books she stole, except for Fountainhead’s lecture notes on pre-Lunarian history which she held for her own reference and safekeeping. Whisperwind was caught shortly after but her sentence was suspended by Fountainhead who took interest in her special talent of collecting stories. Fountainhead quickly took Whisperwind as his student, telling her the stories of the past (It is believed that it is at this time that Fountainhead passed on the myth of the Crystal Empire). A year later, Fountainhead financed Whisperwind’s expedition throughout Equestria to collect epics and myths of knight-errantry. Whisperwind spent the rest of her life in this travel; here she wrote her published works: Queen Remus the Fair, Sarti ris Mlitus (Drakes of the Sea), Sir Sombra de Onyx, Sir Ironheart the White and Lady Marelin, Songs of Diana, The Princess of Night and Sir Sangreal and the Wyrm. At the age of thirty-one, she was infected with Horn Rot, but decided to continue her travels of collecting stories instead of seeking medical treatment. She was found dead in the outskirts of Bors six months later. Her body was recovered and buried in her home city of Pellinore.

In her short life, Whisperwind did not see the rise of her works that began several months just after her death. The end of the Great Depression returned ponies to the romanticism of medieval romance and historical literature, and the clarity and creative grandeur by which most of the latter were written easily mingled itself with the accuracy of Equestrian history. (For a detailed analysis of this phenomenon, see my book Attraction to Escapism.)

Modern psychologist Brainstorm (166L.B.–) wrote in his book, Romanticism and Self-Esteem, the effects of reading too much of these romances, which ranges from superficial delusions, absentmindedness to downright insanity. He goes further to use Whisperwind as the archetype stating that:

“She [Whisperwind] may too have suffered from these symptoms, fancying the Crystal Empire she fabricated to be true. This is an example of the distortions caused by historical fiction in a pony’s mind... Furthermore, a review of her works may instigate the same mental turmoil unto others.” (pp. 54)

Thus it becomes this annotator’s responsibility to stress the fact that Sir Sombra de Onyx, it’s names, its knights, its events, should be seen as nothing more than a work of fiction; and, under any circumstances, should not be taken as an anecdote, in whole or in part, of Equestrian history.

Words Worth
205L.B.

Afterword on the 3rd Edition

The reemergence of the Crystal Empire initiated the republication of Whisperwind’s classic, which had long been buried in the Canterlot Royal Archives since 441 L.B.

When King Sombra was in power he burned all possible history books he could find. In the fourteen books that survived only four are deemed credible by, relatively, modern standards.

In a careful examination of these four books in relation to the novel, the following inconsistencies, both in history and fiction, can be deduced:

1.) There is, in fact, a pair of lovers by the name of Fire Ruby and Crystal Heart who were alive during the early years of the Crystal Empire; though it is Fire Ruby who was the sir knight, and Crystal Heart the maiden who protected the workers of the garrison. This makes more sense as the title of “the Crystal Heart” in Sir Sombra de Onyx is attributed to the queens of the empire. However, the real Crystal Heart is an artifact to which the queen directs the love of the crystal ponies to generate the Scabbard (it is also to be noted here that not once in the history books, or in the language of the crystal ponies, was the word “Scabbard” used to name the shield.)

2.) Ouroboros, the She-Serpent, did not appear in any historical records other than in mythology where, even there, she is defined only as an animistic symbol for the equator. Although, interestingly enough, there is a creature called the Questing Beast that the knights of the Crystal Empire similarly pursued in good sport. It is described as follows: “[the Questing Beast] has the head of a snake, the body of a leopard, the buttocks of a lion and the feet of a hart. From its belly issues the sound of thirty pairs of yapping hounds.”

3.) King Sombra was indeed a knight in his youth, though his name is registed as Sir Shadow Onyx.

4.) There is a record of a stallion whose name is Rozinante who, two of the history books say, have grown mad after reading romances. A target of satirical literature, Rozinante has several portrayal in which, dressed in ragged cloth and skillets, he fancied himself a knight and charged towards windmills claiming that it was a “sand lion”. He died several years prior to the Battle of Onyx due to an illness of the lungs.

5.) To the west side of Gareth is an abandoned fort once used by pirates. Traces of gray onyx could still be found in the garrison today.

6.) In 1003 L.B. Princess Celestia discloses her battling and banishing of King Sombra to the ice of the north, but she could not comment further regarding the Crystal Empire’s history.

7.) Queen Llamrei, the supposed mother of Queen Avalon, was the last female regnant remembered by the crystal ponies. Though most have recovered from the collective amnesia, there are several gaps of memories that are yet to be remembered but are described, faintly, as follows: there was an attack of a sand-bodied creature, the Battle of Onyx was won, the crusade against the satyrs occured, and the trial of a certain black-coated stallion. Most of the missing memories that is yet to be recalled specifically pertains to King Sombra and the events that led to his rise to power.

8.) Among what was unearthed of King Sombra's private treaure was a golden handkerchief and a golden flugelhorn. The owner of these items is unconfirmed.

Though interesting these inconsistencies may be, they are, at best, remarkable. When half of history is revealed by fiction, nopony can help but ascribed and derive a sense of reality to, and from, the literature. But as the annotator Words Worth mentioned, the strict historian must make a clear distinction between history and art.

But, in this case, we may be judging Whisperwind, and Sir Sombra de Onyx, unfairly. We may agree with Words Worth annotation and degree of criticism regarding the credibility of Sir Sombra de Onyx as historical literature, but not its value. Perhaps, we are not reading about the events of the past but the lives of ponies who lived it. We are not reading about Queen Avalon, but a mare ready to surrender her own life, and love, for her country. We are not reading about Sir Sombra, but a stallion rebuked by the empire he fought to protect–and succeeded–and loved by a mare he struggled to dismiss–and failed.

It is my opinion, that at the time this third edition is published, we are at the point where the blank pages of history are supplied by a novelette. It is for us to judge the relevance of the art in its role in history. We judge by our reason, our knowledge and, perhaps, our sense of life.

I hold my own belief in the matter because I was among the first to welcome the return of the Crystal Empire. When I ventured into the castle spire, I descended to the lowest possible underground to a door that forced me to witness my most terrible nightmare. And even farther was a spiral of stairs that brought me past the clouds. Though some may argue that this was King Sombra’s attempt of safekeeping the Crystal Heart, I cannot help but feel that these were a prelude, a trial, before seeking audience with the holy artifact; that one cannot just stand before it without testing one’s worth, that one must appear before the Crystal Heart naked and without blemish, that one would have to first descend to the deepest part of one’s soul, face one’s fears, and endure the long painful ascent to the heavens towards all that is beautiful and pure. It felt that King Sombra was not protecting himself from the Crystal Heart, but, rather, he was protecting the Crystal Heart from everything else.

Again, I stress that this is my own personal evaluation that should not affect, in any way, the readers own judgment.

Finally, the reality of Sir Sombra de Onyx will last only until new evidences are unearthed from the chronicles of the Crystal Empire. It is also not impossible to believe that we may never be able to attain any of the evidence, forever shrouding the truth of past. The discovery of which will either deem Sir Sombra de Onyx as a historical fact, or a mere product of Whisperwind’s imagination. But until such a time were to come–and, perhaps, even then–I, for one, believe it.

Twilight Sparkle
1019L.B.