Chapters Let The Crystals Break: The Rise of Sombra
"C'mon!" Sombra yelled as he ran across the fallen tree, looking back behind him at his younger brother, who was scampering along slowly.
"Wait up!" Hunter cried, trying his hardest to reach his older brother.
The young colt attempted to climb up the fallen tree trunk, but quickly lost his grip and fell.
"Use your magic!" Sombra told him, smiling.
"It's not strong enough!" Hunter complained. "Don't leave me!"
Sombra rolled his eyes and jumped back down from the log.
"Let me boost you up," he said, already picking up the colt.
He lifted him up with his magic to the top of the wooden cylinder, where he stood, wobbling uncertainly as he balanced on its top.
"What if I fall, brother?" he asked Sombra fearfully.
"Then I'll catch you!" the black colt responded, following Hunter over the trunk.
Sombra was a young unicorn who had just earned his cutie mark: a red star. It was the sign of a fire mage, which Sombra had learned fairly quickly when he read into it. He had a jet black coat, and a mane that resembled shadow, flowing gracefully down his neck in a dark mass. His eyes had purple irises, and at night they would sometimes glow. His horn was rather unique; it was a dark grey, with a spot of blood red at the tip, another symbol of a fire mage.
His brother, Hunter, was not so special looking, instead having a plain brown coat and a plain black mane, which stuck up in spikes. His horn was just the same brown as his fur; nothing was different about it. His eyes were light blue, and reminded most ponies of a clear sky in summer.
Sombra led Hunter over to a ridge, where he sat, staring off into the view.
"What's so special about this?" Hunter asked, confused. "It's just a hill."
"But look at the view."
And so Hunter did, and very soon he was sitting as well, staring at the beautiful landscape. Across a river that had formed the gorge they were now sitting on the edge of, there was quite a sight to behold.
Crystal trees of every color of the spectrum sparkled in shimmering radiance as the sun's rays bounced through them, sending out rainbows in all directions. In the distance, the Old Crystal Tower could be seen, its red exterior slowly turning to black as it was left to collapse. However, it was not an ugly black, but a glossy, shining darkness that felt like a large omnipresent shadow containing invisible jewels reflecting light.
"It's so cool!" Hunter marveled, his eyes fixated on the glowing wonders.
"Well, we have until dinner to look at it," Sombra replied.
"Is this why you were late to dinner all those times, brother?" Hunter asked.
"Yeah."
The colt nodded and continued staring, entranced by the beauty of the sculptures.
Burn with the empire.
Sombra looked around, the voice echoing throughout his hearing. He turned back to his brother and saw him to be frozen in place, not moving or breathing.
The ruins of the empire will go with you. Unless you protect it. Unless you can fight against those who wish to destroy it.
"No!" he yelled, covering his ears with his hooves in a desperate attempt to block out the noise.
Do not let it fall. You are the empire's only hope...
The world around him began to run like wet paint mixed with water on a wall. The colors melted away until all that there was left was darkness.
~
"Brother!"
Sombra woke up with hooves shaking him, and his brother's voice calling to him.
"What?" he said blearily, trying to fight the weariness in his body.
"You were shuddering again," Hunter said fearfully. "It scares me."
"I know," Sombra replied. "It's just a nightmare."
"But you have it every night! You've got to tell Mom!"
"No, I don't. I'm not a scared little colt anymore, and I never get help from anypony! I can do it all myself!"
"How prideful of you!"
Sombra jumped as his mother spoke, and he turned to find her standing over her.
"But I don't think you can do everything by yourself just yet," she said, smirking. "I don't think there's a single pony in the world who can do everything on their lonesome. Now, it's time for you two to get ready for school."
Sombra and Hunter followed their mother to the kitchen, where a bowl of hay awaited them.
"Eat up!" she told the duo.
Sombra's mother, Evangel, was the pinnacle of nice. She was always helpful to anypony who needed her, and never seemed to get mad at anypony. She had a brown coat just like Hunter, but her mane was more like Sombra's, appearing as almost a shadow, but extending father down her back than Sombra's. Her eyes were an emerald green, and they sparkled whenever she smiled or laughed. Her cutie mark was a pair of knitting needles, and knitting was something she did frequently. She ran a small crotchet shop outside of the house, where she sold the various items she made to passerby or ponies in town.
Sombra dug into his hay, eating it happily with a smile. When he was finished, he levitated the remnants to the trash pile outside and went back to his and Hunter's bedroom to get his schoolbooks.
He grabbed them and hopped back out to the living room, where his mother was waiting, along with Hunter, who kept his books hidden somewhere; he would never tell where, not even to his own mother.
"Let's go!" Sombra said, and they walked down the stone path from where their house sat near the Crystalline Ridge to the schoolhouse, which was located right in the center of the small town bordering the Empire's main village.
Outside, the school's principal, Stirile, was standing, greeting everypony who came in.
"Hello, Sombra and Hunter!' she said when they approached. "I hope you're ready to learn!"
"I'm always ready, Mrs. Stirile!" Sombra replied.
The middle aged mare chuckled at his enthusiasm.
"I envy your strength," she told Evangel with a smile.
"Sometimes, I wonder how I manage," Evangel replied.
With a kiss on her sons' cheeks, she left. She waved to them when she was a good distance away. Sombra and Hunter waved back.
They went inside of the building and departed from each other to go to their different classrooms. Sombra sat down at his desk when he reached his and sat anxiously, waiting for class to begin.
Sombra loved to learn. He always had a thirst to know something new or understand a thing that he did not before. Once, he spent a whole week of the summer break sitting in his room reading, only stopping to eat, sleep, or go to the bathroom.
His wait was soon over as more colts and fillies filled the space and the teacher, Ms. Redline, walked in. She took her seat and waited as the students followed suit.
"Alright class," she spoke when all of the ponies in the room had sat down. "Let me take role, and then we will begin with today's-"
The door burst open and a red colt came in, a lot larger than anypony else in the class. His name was Dregs, and he was an earth pony with a bad attitude and strong muscles.
"Do not interrupt my class!" Ms. Redline yelled angrily, nearly tossing her desk in rage. Dregs did this everyday, just to annoy the teacher. "You do this everyday!"
"Yeah, whatever," he replied.
"Don't 'Yeah, whatever' me, mister!" she yelled. "Get your flank in your chair while I mark you tardy and make a note to remind your stupid self that you don't get any recess!"
The class gasped. Ms. Redline had never said flank before, especially not to a student, and had never insulted one either.
"'K'," he replied, dragging his hooves slowly to his desk.
He passed by Sombra on the way over.
"I hope you did my homework for me, nerd," he whispered.
Sombra nodded and gulped. He had done Dregs' homework, but only because there was a large threat hanging over his head.
"I'll get take it after lunch," Dregs said. "Which I believe you're getting for me?"
Sombra just nodded again, his heart rising up in his throat.
"Yeah," Sombra said hoarsely, his voice weak and helpless.
"Yeah," Dregs replied, continuing to his seat.
He sat, and class began.
~
Sombra felt much better after learning some new things about the world outside of the Empire's borders, and when the lunch bell rang, he had almost forgotten about Dregs' indications earlier. This forgetfulness was soon left behind as he got his lunch and went outside to the playground.
"Hey, nerd," Dregs said as he walked up to Sombra. "Is that my lunch?"
Sombra stopped dead. And then he nodded.
"Thanks," was the reply as Dregs ripped the tray from Sombra's magic field and pushed him over. He laughed.
Sombra's horn lit up as he began to charge a spell, furious at the mistreatment.
"Uh, uh," the earth pony said, raising his hoof up.
The light around the black colt's horn vanished, leaving him laying in the dirt, defenseless.
"And just we're clear," Dregs said, leaning in on Sombra. "Tell your mom, or anypony else, and you'll get the crap beaten out of you, understand?"
Sombra just nodded, a silent gesture of submissive agreement.
"Good."
Dregs walked off, leaving Sombra to pick himself up and find a place to sit. After finding comfort under a nearby tree, he heard hoofsteps approaching him. He peeked out through his eyes, fearing it to be Dregs returning. However, it was Ms. Redline, who placed a hoof around his shoulder.
"What's the matter?" she asked. "Why don't you have a lunch?"
"It's nothing," Sombra said. "I wasn't hungry, so I gave it to Dregs."
Ms. Redline nodded, still knowing that something was up. She decided to leave Sombra alone, because he obviously did not want to speak to anypony, and went away.
Sombra curled up into a ball and hid his face, so nopony could see him crying.
Author's Note
This is the very first chapter of the very first story of the "Let the Crystals Break" series. Each one will document a different section in Sombra's life, this one being his rise to power in the Crystal Empire.
Let The Crystals Break: The Rise of Sombra
When school was over, Sombra's incident at lunch had being pushed from his mind by more learning. They had learned a few more things in arithmetic, and went over a few things in Equestrian. When the end bell rang, Sombra groaned internally.
I wish school was never over. he thought gloomily to himself.
He went to the front of the building and waited for Hunter to come out. When he did the two began to walk back home.
"How was it today?" Sombra asked.
"It was the same," Hunter replied. "We just learned math and science and Equestrian and all that. I just don't like it that much."
Sombra smiled and laughed. Hunter disliked school; he found it boring, much like many other ponies.
"Well," the older colt began. "It'll help you later in life to get a job and make money. Nopony is just going to give it to you."
"How do you know?" Hunter replied, eyes trained on Sombra.
"I've read books and asked Mom about it. If she didn't run that shop, we'd have no money."
Hunter thought about this for moment.
"What about Dad?" he asked. "He should be giving us money."
Sombra winced. Their father was always a touchy subject to him or their mother, but Hunter was not around when it happened, nor was he old enough to fully understand what had happened yet.
"Hunter," he said. "Dad won't give us any money because he doesn't care about us."
"But why not?" the young colt asked. "He's our dad!"
Sombra winced again, feeling every moment of the day their dad left like it was happening then.
"Why not?" Hunter asked again.
"Hunter, our dad left us," Sombra began. "He said some bad things to Mom and he was mean and just plain terrible. He wouldn't give us money because he doesn't want us or like us."
"What happened?"
~
"Mom?" Sombra asked, stumbling out into the living room. "Why is Dad yelling?"
"Get that child out of here!"
The pony that yelled was the father, Catch.
"He's my child!" Evangel yelled. "Don't just demand him to leave! Sombra, come here."
So he did, clambering to his mother, stopping by her side.
"That name! Do you even know what it means!"
"I know what you told me it means!" his mom yelled. "And you're just a lying bastard!"
"Would I lie about that?!" Catch asked. "Would I lie about the meaning behind a name you found in a Darklight-damned storybook!"
"Yes, you would! You're just a monster without a soul!"
Sombra had begun to cry, holding his face against his mother's foreleg, matting the fur down with his tears.
"Mom?" he asked, looking up at her. "What's going on?"
"Don't worry about it, honey," she replied, taking a long look into Sombra's eyes. "It will all be fine."
She returned her gaze back to her husband, who was slowly walking forward threateningly.
"Take another step and I will hurt you!" she yelled.
And Catch lost it, sending a flying hoof at his wife. It hit her and sent her body back in recoil. Sombra fell back in shock, tears flying off of his face. Catch kicked him off to the side, leaving him sobbing on the floor.
"What are you doing?!" Evangel cried, shielding her face. "Why are you attacking me?!"
"Because I've spent too damn long waiting for you to stop mistrusting me!" Catch screamed in pure hate and rage. "You never found it in yourself to put a little trust in anypony! I see you staring when nopony's looking, the way your eyes look when you think of all the ways they could betray you!
"You never trusted me! Your damn husband! You only made sure that all of your insane fantasies didn't come true! You hid all the pots and pans, kept candles and matches out of the house, always locked the doors with five different locks, and kept a book of deadly spells with you at all times! I let it slide, but now I've had it with him! With Sombra! You've named a child something he will eventually come to learn and regret! You know what his name means, and you'd better tell it to him!
"So now I've finally scraped up enough money to leave you! I don't want to see you again, you or your damn son!"
"Catch," Evangel whispered, stepping forward.
"No!" was the reply, followed by a violent hoof against her face, sending her sprawled out on the floor.
"But... I'm going to have another child," she said after a moment.
Catch grit his teeth, anger flaring through him.
"Well, good luck with that! I'm glad I won't have to be around to see the little bastard!"
The door slammed as he left, and his sputtering curses were heard for a few seconds as he descended the hill to the town. That was the last time Sombra saw his father.
~
"You're not ready for it," Sombra told Hunter.
"You always say that!" the colt replied, pouty.
They had finally reached home, and the two walked in to find their mother waiting expectantly for them.
"Mom, Sombra won't tell me about Dad!" Hunter complained to her.
"And he was right in doing so," she replied, messing up her son's hair with a casual hoof. "So, how was school?"
"It was fantastic!" Sombra said happily. "We didn't learn as many things as yesterday, but we still learned stuff!"
"Hunter?"
"It was boring," the young foal said. "I don't like it."
Their mom sighed, but a smile still remained on her face.
"It won't be bad in a few years," she told him.
They shared a laugh together and went to the kitchen, where hay sat for them. They ate together as a family, as they did every night, enjoying each other's company. However, the time came for two colts to go to bed.
"Bedtime, you two!" Evangel said as they finished chuckling to a silly joke by Hunter.
"Aw!" the two brother said in unison, both in word and in emotion.
"Well, you'll have a hard time getting up in the morning if you don't. Come on."
And so they followed her to their bedroom, where their two beds awaited. Sombra and Hunter jumped on their respective beds and allowed their mom to tuck them in. She kissed them both on the cheek and went out, making sure to blow out the candle on the nightstand in between their beds.
"Good night," she told them.
"Good night," the brothers responded, putting their heads on their pillows.
Sombra soon fell asleep, falling into another nightmare.
~
Sombra kicked the rock, feeling defeated. He looked around and felt lost in the vast expanse of crystal trees.
Why does the first time I get a teleportation spell right get me stuck on the other side of the Crystalline Gorge? he thought sadly. Mom's going to be so worried. I guess if I could find the ridge, I could wait for her to show up.
But he could not find the ridge, as he had been trying to do for the past twenty minutes, and judging by the position in the sky, he had missed dinner.
"Gah!" he yelled in frustration.
He kicked the rock again, chipping off a bit.
That rock is like the Empire. Easy to break unless somepony protects it.
"What?' Sombra said in surprise.
Why don't I show you the castle of the Empire? Why don't I show you the corruption and the stains of greed?
Even though it was posed as a question with a choice, Sombra had none, feeling the ground shift and swirl beneath his hooves as he was moved to the castle. The colors around him began to splice into another, becoming one, and then separated, revealing a stunning marvel of blue crystal.
"Wow," Sombra whispered in awe, his eyes reflecting the glimmer of the crystals. "It's amazing."
That is just the outside of it. The insides hold dirt and grime, evil in the hearts of so many. Even your leader has committed crimes of corruption and greed.
The world shifted again, taking him to a small room, which he was now standing in the corner of. Two ponies were huddled in the middle, muttering to each other. Sombra saw the glint of bits and it was gone, passed from hoof to hoof and shoved into a pocket on one of the ponies jackets.
You see? The Empire has many like this, many who exchange lives and prison sentences for coin or sex. It is easy to manipulate their minds with such things, and one day will lead to the Empire's downfall.
Sombra's vision buckled, and he was moved to a house out in the village surrounding the castle. A large group of ponies were standing in the house; there was no space to move.
"We will not stand for it!" the pony at the very front of the crowd, facing them, said. "We will not stand for the bribery that kills innocent ponies because a politician or an important pony wants it! We will not stand for sex being used as exchange for murder or sending somepony to prison! WE WILL NOT STAND IT!"
There was a cry of agreement from the rest of the ponies, who raised a their front right hooves in a display of energy.
Only you can fix this, Sombra. Only you...
Sombra shot up in bed, a cold sweat covering his body. He breathed heavily for a few moments, then rolled onto his side and closed his eyes.
Let The Crystals Break: The Rise of Sombra
Fire. Burn. Fall. Destroy. Crush. Conquer. Greed. Corruption. Ambition. Fire. Burn. Fall. Destroy. Crush. Conquer. Greed. Corruption. Ambition.
The select choice of words echoed through Sombra's head as he grit his teeth and covered his ears with his hooves as the verbal onslaught continued. It slowly speed up, any breaks between each word becoming invisible, until it was a single stream of noise that sounded like this:
FibufadecrcongrcamFibufadecrcongrcamFibufadecrcongrcamFffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffff...
It eventually reached the point where it was going so fast it zipped out of hearing, and Sombra uncovered himself, eyes full of rage.
Every night. he told himself. Every night I hear this voice, always taunting me and telling me to do what I cannot. I cannot take over the Empire, powerful fire mage or not.
If you do not save the Empire, than you will burn with it.
"And so what?!" he yelled to the voice. "So what if I die doing what is right?!"
Because you do not want to die. You do not want to suffer.
Sombra opened his mouth, but he could not think of any words to counteract what had just been said.
Unable to deny the truth now, are we? I know that even though you are the perfect child for your mother, you still fear pain and death.
"Why does it matter?" Sombra asked.
Because if you don't stop the Empire from falling, you will die and you will suffer.
Sombra found himself looking at a mirror image of himself. There was only one difference. The whites of his eyes glowed an unhealthy green, and his irises were a hellish red.
"What is this?" he said, stepping back cautiously.
It is you.
"But... what's wrong with my eyes?"
I'll give you a hint. It's either you when the Empire falls, or you when you save the Empire.
Sombra stared at the face, considering which of the two choices was right.
My eyes look terrible, he thought. This has to be me if the Empire falls.
Sombra knew well to trust the voice, for it had spoken to him for many years, goading him onward to the same goal every night, and slowly turned from nightmares to just a normal dream.
"It has to be me if the Empire falls," Sombra said. "It's me after suffering from the pain."
Oh, so right you are. This is you when you do nothing to save a failing capital.
Sombra closed his eyes. He breathed deeply.
"How am I supposed to save the Empire? You've never told me that!"
Sombra's vision began to turn a white-gray as fog filled it. The voice spoke again, right into his ear.
By taking it from its rulers.
~
"What's up, nerd?" Dregs asked as he approached Sombra, a look of mischief on his face.
"Not much," Sombra replied.
"That wasn't the right response, flank-kisser," the earth pony responded, putting a hoof on Sombra's shoulder. "You're scared of me, remember? I like to see my prey scream and holler."
Sombra shrugged back his shoulders and slid Dreg's hoof off.
"What was that?" he asked, staring Sombra straight in the eyes.
"That was me shrugging your hoof off. Get used to it. I'm not going to be your homework "buddy" anymore. You can stay in the same grade for the rest of your life for all I care, but I'm not taking anymore of your crap."
The red hoof flew forward, intent on hitting Sombra in the muzzle. It was stopped midflight; Sombra's horn glowed a dark red as he froze the incoming attack. He stood to look Dregs in the eyes.
"I don't want to deal with you anymore, got that?" he asked.
Dregs was not phased by the magic, and used his other hoof. It was also caught by Sombra.
"I've gotten you in a very dangerous predicament, Dregs," he told him.
There was a crackling, and Dregs looked down to see fire licking at where he would fall if Sombra let his magic go.
"No, no, no," he told the unicorn hastily. "Don't do that!"
Ponies from across the schoolyard were gathering around as the fight continued, watching in horrified awe as it progressed.
"Why not?" Sombra asked, his eyes flickering red. "All the things you did to me hurt like the fire I'm about to dump you in. You didn't hesitate to injure me, why should I hesitate to do the same to you?"
Sombra smiled as Dregs closed his eyes, obviously thinking.
"Thinking for yourself," Sombra said aloud. "Oh, how far you've come. You no longer need me to think!"
"Sombra!"
A yell came from behind him, and he started and dropped Dregs. The earth screeched in terror all the way down, and was surprised to find that when he reached the dirt that there was no fire, just hard rocks.
"Mom?" Sombra asked, turning to face the speaker. He was hit across the face by a hoof.
"What was that?!"
Sombra finally saw who spoke, and as he thought, it was his mother.
"Uh-" he began, unsure of what to say.
"Well?!" she demanded. "Why were you assaulting him?!"
"He- he was bullying me," Sombra said, fully aware of how weak his response was.
"Wha- that's not an excuse!"
"He's- he's been bullying me for years. I've never had the courage to fight back."
"Fight back?! That wasn't fighting back, it was complete assault!"
Sombra hung his head as he thought about it.
"He's been hurting me for years! I decided that I was tired of it and he deserved it back!"
"And who are you to decide what justice should bring?! You aren't the law, Sombra! Now, we're going home so we can discuss this in greater detail!"
There was no argument, just his mother grabbing his foreleg and dragging him home.
~
Sombra had been sitting at the table at home for nearly twenty minutes now, and all he had heard for this time was complaints. Complaints about the child he used to be, about how calm and civilized he had been.
"- you used to never do anything bad or-"
"Mom!" Sombra yelled. "He kept bullying me. That's why I became so different."
"Then why did you tell nopony?!" she yelled.
"Because he threatened to hurt me worse if I told anypony and he found out about it."
"What?! That little monkey!"
Sombra smiled a bit. "That little monkey" was her favorite phrase to describe something intensely evil or abnormally atrocious.
"It's okay, Mom," Sombra told her. "I think I put him in his place."
And she chuckled.
"I bet you did," she said.
And they laughed. Sombra was surprised; his mom never let go of stuff just like that.
"Mom, are you still angry?" he asked.
"By Darklight, yes I'm still angry! What you did back there was terrible!"
Sombra laughed again, and so did she.
~
Sombra was punished by having to stay in his room the rest of the week, without books or learning material, and was unable to leave unless he was going to eat, drink, go to the bathroom, or go to school. It would not have been so bad, but he had to see Hunter's bed everyday.
It brought back memories he would rather leave alone.
~ Six months earlier...
The streets were full of ponies, bustling around in every direction, each trying to catch a glimpse of one thing: the king of the Crystal Empire, Darklight.
Sombra grabbed Hunter as he began to run forward.
"No, Hunter!" he yelled. "You can't just leave!"
Hunter tried to shake free of Sombra's telekinetic grip, but it was pointless; Sombra had improved greatly in his skills.
"But I want to see him!" the little colt cried.
"You will," their mother said, approaching and messing up his hair with a hoof.
"When?" Hunter asked.
"Whenever we do," she replied.
Hunter sighed and pouted as they pushed their way through the ever growing crowd. Mom said hi to a few friends, but most of the walk was done with the sound of ponies bickering.
And then they saw him through a small hole in the crowd. They ran into it and got a good view of the king.
He had a body made fully out of green crystal, which twinkled brightly in the sun. His mane was a flowing mass of ocean green energy, crackling with electricity and sparks. His horn stuck out through this mass and was the same color as his coat, but with a tip of snow white. His eyes were lightning yellow, with tinges of black near the irises. His cutie mark was a storm cloud of a dark gray, a lightning bolt shooting from it.
He wore a cloak of velvet black fabric that blew behind him in a dramatic fashion as he rode in the street.
"Wow!" Hunter said in awe as he came closer.
There was a push from behind, and the next few seconds unfolded in slow motion. The push was so powerful that it sent Sombra flying forward into the railing put up to keep ponies off the street. However, he lost his grip on Hunter in shock, and the fence was not tall enough to fully keep the colt from going under.
Sombra watched in horror as the carriage of the king drew up to his stumbling brother. It seemed to last an eternity as it hit him, pulling him under the wheels, killing him. Tears filled his eyes as the world spun.
"Hunter!" he heard somepony cry.
There was no more sound. The world froze.
See the king's killing?
The voice echoed through nothing, and Sombra looked up.
"It wasn't his fault!" Sombra yelled. "It was the ponies who pushed us!"
But he had plenty of time to stop his carriage before he hit Hunter.
The memory rewound, and Sombra watched again as the carriage came to his brother, and he saw it. The king had had ten feet to bring his vehicle to a stop, but he did not.
The king killed your brother.
Author's Note
Nonsense words!
Let The Crystals Break: The Rise of Sombra
The days passed by in a wild haste as Sombra planned. He looked upon his papers, his mind racing to think of a foolproof plan. One to fulfill the destiny his dreams had brought upon him, and save the Empire from a failing monarchy.
The first sketches were inklings of ideas and thoughts he at first only teased, slowly bringing them out from the shadowy recesses of his mind and into the light. He drew a single solitary line on the paper and stared at it for a moment, thinking of how many wonderful things could come from that one line, how many contraptions or weapons could be formed from the one black stripe.
"We will see," he said, his eyes starting to acquire a look of insanity, his pupils contracting in a menacing fashion.
However, instead of sketching, he began to write from that one ink marking, building a plan that revolved around his own strengths and protected his weaknesses, and left him with something he felt was absolutely unstoppable. A smile slowly crept onto his lips, spreading until it was fit to burst.
"Burn," he said, hardly noticing how close his voice sounded to the one that spoke in his dreams. "I will stop the burning. I will stop the fire. I will end the corruption and the greed. I will get rid of it by claiming the Empire for myself. I will fix the Empire, and it will shine."
~
Fire engulfed the piece of crystal that Sombra had brought from across the Crystalline Gorge, and it turned black as the flames licked at it.
Experiment 13
Hypothesis: Fire can break apart the molecular structure of crystals with its heat and shatter it completely.
Conclusion:
This paper sat on Sombra's desk, which had replaced Hunter's bed only a week earlier. He smiled as the orange beast flickered brightly, and the crystal silently exploded, sending sharp shards out from the epicenter.
Before they could become deadly projectiles, Sombra stopped them with his magic, freezing them in the air. He chuckled as he levitated a quill over to his paper and added the words:
Yes, it does.
He dropped the collected spikes of crystal into a bin sitting on his desk where dozens of other sparkling shards sat.
"This is good," Sombra whispered. "This is very good."
"Sombra!" he heard his mom call from outside of his room. "It's dinnertime!"
He quickly swept his work under his bed and left his room, heading to kitchen.
He was still grounded, so the time he spent in his room daily was not suspicious to his mom at all; to her it was normal and expected. He was fearing the day when his punishment ended, however, and he was expected to go outside and talk to other ponies.
"Hey, Mom!" he said, sitting down at the table.
"Hey, Sombra!" she replied, setting hay in front of him. "How have you been doing?"
Sombra took a bite of the hay and chewed for a second.
"I've been fine," he said. "It's boring, but I've survived."
He swallowed and took another mouthful of his food. His mother sat down across the table from him and ate her hay as well.
"That's good to hear," she said between bites. "What have you been doing?"
"Uh..." Sombra began, at a total loss for words, his mind stammering to come up with a proper excuse. "I- I've been thinking about some science stuff. I've been drawing some ideas and such."
"That's sounds fine. What sort of things?"
"Oh, just hypotheses for how my fire magic would affect crystals. I've always wanted to know what it would do."
His mom nodded and the rest of the meal was finished in silence. Sombra fidgeted uncomfortably as he ate, his eyes constantly flicking up to his mom, watching her to see if anything happened. When he finished, he excused himself and went back up to his room, where he took all of his things out from under his bed and began to continue his research.
Experiment 14
Hypothesis: Are the crystal shards deadly weapons?
Conclusion:
He picked up one of the red spikes and began to examine it, slowly falling from his intended destination to a world of his own, in which the reflection of himself was all he could think about, sparkling and glowing in the crystal facets.
"My eyes," he said, fear rising through him.
His eyes were starting to glow green, his irises tinted red.
"The day of the Empire's collapse must be approaching," he though aloud. "I must be changing because it is a warning that the end is drawing near. I have to ramp up my efforts and finish my preparations soon."
He quickly finished inspecting the crystal and came to an ending.
They are.
Sombra twitched slightly, a bout of excitement washing over him. His plan was going to succeed, and he knew it. Nopony would expect him to lead a rebellion to take over the Empire, let alone be ready to win.
~ Approximately 3 AM
Evangel heard a soft collision from inside the house. She rubbed her eyes wearily as she climbed from bed and lit her bedside candle. She levitated it in front of her and walked down the hall. The noise sounded again, and she saw a light from underneath Sombra's door.
She went over and threw it open.
"Sombra, wha-"
And suddenly there was only red, and she heard Sombra scream in horror.
~ Fifteen minutes earlier
Sombra balanced the ten shards of crystal in his magic, weighing them to determine the correct amount of force to put on them. He stuck his tongue out in concentration as he focused solely on the small picks in his levitation field. He took calming breaths and threw them at his door, where they collided with a soft thud, impaling themselves in the wood.
Sombra smiled, a wicked look filling his eyes. He levitated a few more up and focused. He heard a hoofstep in the hallway, but ignored it. He threw the next batch and felt hearty approval fill him. He pulled up another group.
One more throw, he thought to himself.
He threw them. The door flew open.
"Sombra, wha-"
And the crystals collided with his mother, and he screamed as he watched the blood fly from her body as the crystals cut into her.
He was next to her as soon as she reached the floor. He grabbed her hoof and quickly checked her pulse. She was still breathing.
"Stay here," he told her, even though it made no difference. "I'm going to get the hospital ponies."
He ran panicked from the home, heading straight to the doctor's office, which sat situated in the on the side of the town farthest away from his house.
Fire.
Sombra stopped moving, some kind of fit coming over him.
Burn.
He began to shudder, thoughts rising to his head.
If you let her die, she cannot ever discover your plan and prevent it. If she awakens, she will tell other ponies of what she saw, and your cleansing will be ended.
It took a moment for him to realize that he had said those words aloud, and that he agreed with them. He wanted her to die, and he knew how. He continued to the doctor's office, arriving moments later.
He ran in and with an expression of pure horror said, "HELP! MY MOM HAS BEEN HURT AND SHE MIGHT DIE!"
All of the nurses and doctors inside turned and saw him.
"What's happened?" one of them asked.
"There's no time to explain, just come with me!" Sombra said. "My house is on the outside of the town near the gorge!"
Sombra teleported off, leaving the ponies inside to run to the house; they knew where it was because it was the only house near the cliff.
~
Sombra arrived in his room, landing next to his mom, who had her eyes open and was wheezing heavily. He kneeled next to her.
"Sombra," she said, her voice hoarse. "What were you doing?"
Sombra smiled lightly as his horn lit up.
"Something you will never get to learn," he said.
He threw a dozen crystals at her dying body, his mind approving his actions.
~
The doctors arrived minutes later and found Sombra crying over his mother, sobbing loudly.
"She died!" he yelled. "She died while I tried to keep her alive!"
They went over to her and checked over her body.
"What happened?" one of them asked, seeing all of the holes across her body, from which Sombra had removed the crystals.
"I don't know," Sombra said, tears choking him. "I woke up and she was here. She was hurt before, and she was trying to get my attention."
"This is- this is very bizarre," one of the nurses said. "These holes are empty. It was like somepony removed whatever had been used to attack her."
Sombra chuckled internally. They would never find the evidence; he had teleported the crystal shards and his notes across the Crystalline Gorge, where nopony would find them.
The plan is almost complete.
Sombra slowly stopped his fake crying, and he fell back on his haunches, looking blankly at where the doctors and nurses examined his mother's body.
You will soon gain your true place in this world, and everypony will bow down to you.
Author's Note
Some Sombra insanity for you followers out there!
Have a blast as we get closer to Sombra's eventual rebellion!
Nexosaur
Let The Crystals Break: The Rise of Sombra
Sombra's hooves clacked loudly against the stone grounds as he walked into the alley, a saddlebag slung over his back. The cloth container was bulging with objects of varying sizes, and would have looked suspicious to anypony, had anypony been around to see it.
"It will start tonight," he whispered as he set down the pack. He opened it and removed a small cylinder made of curved steel.
He placed the canister on the ground and shot a bolt of magic at it. It began to glow a deep red, and slowly began to pulse lightly.
You are starting something new. Doing something that nopony has ever thought to do.
Sombra did not reply to the voice as he left the alley and crossed the street, going straight into another, where he placed a second cylinder and did the same spell to it. He walked out and suddenly found himself facing a scenario he felt he never would.
"What are you doing?" the crystal guard asked, staring him suspiciously in the eyes.
"Oh, uh-" Sombra began. "I was just, uh... looking for some rodents."
"And why would you need to see rodents?" the guard asked.
"I'm interested in them," the unicorn replied, rubbing his hoof behind his head nervously.
"Yeah."
"It's true! I was looking for them so I could place my little scanning canisters that will pick up information on them! You can go see if you want."
Sombra nearly bit his tongue during the middle of that sentence.
Oh, stallion, he thought to himself. I just lied to a royal guard. If anypony finds out about that...
Lying to figures of authority while under question was considered one of the most lowly crimes in the Empire, and Sombra had just stooped to that height.
"Alright," the guard responded, taking a step into the alley.
Sombra almost tried to stop him, but he fought the urge to do so and followed him in. The guard was standing by the metal cylinder, eyeing it with an odd look.
"This is a weird scanner," he said.
"It's a piece of steel I cast a sentry enchantment on," Sombra said, the lie flowing easily through his lips. "It took a while to learn the spell; it's very difficult, but I managed."
"Very different," the guard said before standing. "Never in my life have I seen such an odd device. Reminds me of a few weapons back in the First Rebellion. But, this one doesn't have the same aura about it. It feels perfectly safe to me."
Sombra practically jumped with joy, but he kept it to a small hop when the guard's back was turned.
"You continue on your way," the crystal pony told him. "Have a good night."
The black unicorn started to rejoice silently when the guard left, amazed at his stroke of luck.
I can't believe that guard was so stupid! he thought. He didn't even bother to scan the device or anything! He must be new or just is of lower class, I guess.
Place the rest.
The voice boomed out, a Sombra complied quickly, placing the canisters in several more alleys, casting his spell on them.
"Soon," he said quietly. "Soon I will be ready to begin."
~ Three days later: The Funeral
Sombra watched with fake tears as the casket was lowered into the grave, internally smiling at such a stroke of good luck.
She can no longer get in my way!
When the grave had been covered with dirt, he stayed with a mortified expression for hours, seeming to be mourning his loss, instead thinking of his plans which he was getting ready to enact. He hoped that his canisters had been picked up by somepony, for if they still remained in the alleys, his treachery would fall and he would have to find another way.
"He must be devastated."
This voice came from somepony behind him; a mare.
"I know."
The next voice was from another; a stallion.
Sombra turned and pretended that he was leaving, head down, and shoulders slumped. In reality, he was checking the two ponies, who were the only ones left other than himself.
Probably family friends of Mom's, he thought to himself. I don't know them.
Right before he reached the gate, he paused. An insane thought filled his brain, and he felt it racing past his common decency and common sense.
Nopony would know if I killed them here.
He turned around to face them, his eyes turning green, his irises becoming red.
"What are your names?" he asked, putting on a pleasant smile.
"I am Reddust," the mare said.
"And I am Fields," the stallion finished.
"Did you know my Mom?" Sombra asked them.
"Ah, yes," Reddust replied. "We were very good friends. We met in university, and it just so happened that we both moved to the same town when we graduated."
Sombra's smile lost a bit of its pleasantry, becoming crooked and bent, something the two ponies failed to notice.
"You must be very distraught," Fields said.
"Yes, very," Sombra said, his voice completely swept away in psychotic throes.
They looked at him and saw his eyes. glowing brightly in the light. His pupils had become small pinpricks on his whites, drawing all the more reaction from the couple.
"Ar- Are you alright?" Reddust asked.
"Oh, I'm fine," Sombra whispered in a menacing hiss. "But you won't be."
There was no sound as death was quickly delivered to the two, save for Sombra's heavy breathing, which cut through the silence like a knife.
Fire. Burn. Fall.
~ The next morning
COUPLE MURDERED AT FUNERAL FOR LOCAL SHOPKEEPER
Sombra had a satanic smile across his face as he read this, feeling lucky that nopony else was up yet.
Since his mother had died, Sombra had been sent to live in an orphanage in the capital, where he had quickly assumed control over the weaker ponies. He used his skills as a fire mage to threaten the younger unicorns and other races, and used his magical strength to win over his chronological superiors.
He threw the paper down, hyperventilating. He laid back on his bed and looked up at the ceiling, relishing in the pleasure it had given him to read the headline and recall the event itself. He had slit their throats with fragments of crystal that he carried around in his jacket, and it had given him a rush he wished to feel again.
I don't have to stay here for much longer, he thought. Soon it will be time and I can strike upon this Empire and send it crumbling down.
He heard a shuffling next to him and saw the pony on the bed next to him get up. The pony stole a quick glance over at him, fearful of what Sombra would do if he was awake. Sombra decided to let the pony do what it wanted and did nothing to stop it.
Sombra closed his eyes and relaxed. He was soon asleep, still recalling the headline from that morning's newspaper.
~ The day of initiation
Sombra's eyes snapped open in wide eyed wonder. Today was the day the plan would begin, and the Empire would be saved.
Oh, how I have waited for this moment!
He got out of bed and went to the showers. He took a cold one to wake himself up and stepped out ready to complete his task. He waited in the room until everypony got up and went to take a shower or go to the bathroom, and then he did it. He cast the activation spell.
His heart soared with glee. Everypony would be distracted by the events he had just caused that he would be able to sneak into the castle easily.
~ Five minutes before the Activation Spell: Fresco, Greens, and Stone
"But, I mean, what do you think it does?" Stone asked as he stared at the metal container with interest.
"It doesn't matter," Fresco said, kissing him on the cheek. "What does matter is that you do what you said you were and come to bed with me."
Greens had been standing beside Stone this whole time, and looked at Fresco, the only mare of the three.
"Ah, what about me?" he asked in fake despair.
"You're not my boyfriend," she said, rolling her eyes. "You're supposed to be going home, though. Your parents will start to worry."
"Like Stone's won't?" he replied.
"He already told them he was staying over here," she said. "Besides, we need our alone time."
Green sighed and went over to the door.
"'Bye," he said.
The other two just waved in response. He left and continued home.
"Now," Fresco said, walking seductively up to Stone.
"Yes?" Stone said, ready for what he was hoping for.
"How about that night?" she said, waving her plot in front of him.
It was then that the canister exploded, sending thousands of crystal shards everywhere, impaling them and killing them instantly. Across the Empire, every other canister did the same, killing dozens of ponies where they stood, and injuring many more.
Hundreds of royal guards showed up thirty minutes later to help the victims that were still alive, along with medics from the nearby hospital and the castle itself. This left only half of the guard at the castle protecting the king.
That was just what Sombra needed.
Author's Note
The plan has been set into action! The day of reckoning is upon us! Yes.
Finally, the plan has been revealed!
Prepare to suffer at the hands of Overlord Sombra!
Nexosaur
Let The Crystals Break: The Rise of Sombra
There was a screech as Sombra knocked down the guard, pinning him to the floor of the castle.
"Where is the king's room?!" Sombra demanded, spit flying from his muzzle.
"I can't tell- AH!"
Sombra twisted the pony's shoulder, dislocating it and causing the guard to scream in agony.
"Where?!" he yelled.
"It's- it's down the hallway t- to left- t," the injured stallion managed. "It's got b- big double d- doors. C- can't miss it."
Sombra let go of the pony.
"If you're lying, pray that I don't make you suffer a fate worse than death."
The guard nodded and began to cry hysterically as Sombra left.
Getting inside the castle had been easier than Sombra expected. Even more guards had left the king than he had thought, and the reserves being used to patrol the outer perimeter had been easy to dispatch with a crystal blade.
Soon, he stumbled upon the double doors that the guard had been speaking of. He shoved them open with magic and walked in, casting a spell that created a small ball of glowing light; it hovered in place in the center of the room.
Sombra felt quite in awe about the bedroom itself. Tapestries hung from vaulted ceilings, and small alcoves and niches lined the walls, carved into the crystal. The crystal itself was blue, pulsing lightly in the day; Sombra imagined that it glowed at night.
"I can't imagine how you sleep in here," he said casually.
"It takes practice."
Sombra turned and found himself facing the king, who was surrounded by an aura of electricity. He was levitating a sword made of green crystal in front of him, ready to attack.
"I see," Sombra said, a smile crossing his face.
"I am stronger than you, unicorn, and I will defeat you," the king responded.
"Oh, how careless of me not to introduce myself!" Sombra yelled, stepping up to the king. "I am Sombra! And I know who you are, Darklight."
"I think such formalities are behind us," Darklight replied, taking a step forward to meet Sombra.
"Agreed," the black unicorn said. "I just felt it appropriate for you to know who killed you. Always make sure you aren't embarrassed by somepony you've never met!"
Darklight scowled, raising his sword higher.
"When shall the fight begin?" Sombra asked.
The sword was swung down, cutting Sombra in half.
"Ha!" the king yelled. "I knew you could not best me! It only took me mere seconds to prevail!"
I don't think so.
There was a flicker, and Sombra was standing in the room once more. His eyes glowed green in the whites, and his irises shone blood red. Darklight looked at his hooves to see that the dead Sombra was slowly flickering away into nothing.
"What?!" he exclaimed, stepping away from the fading corpse.
"A simple illusion," Sombra said, coming forward. "A way to speak to you without threat to my being. Now, the real battle may begin. No, wait... the real war."
Darklight charged him, sword sparking as he pushed magic into it.
Sombra shot a bolt of fire at the blade. It struck and ignited.
"Fool!" Darklight cried. "Do not attempt to use fire! I can block it with my sword!"
"But your sword can't stand the heat."
The crystal exploded, sending fragments across the room. Sombra stopped any coming his way with skilled magic. When the explosion settled and the chaos was over, the king stood proudly, glowing periwinkle blood staining his green crystal body.
"What?" Sombra said in panic.
"I am made from crystal!" Darklight yelled. "You cannot expect it to kill me! However, this has caused the need for magical combat. I will still defeat you."
"You will try. I am more skilled than you would imagine, and I will defeat you and rule this kingdom the way it was meant to be ruled.
The king shot a bolt of lightning out of his horn. Sombra intercepted the blast with a ball of fire, which engulfed the static and continued moving towards the king, who stopped it with a another bolt of lightning.
"Weak!" Sombra yelled.
The next shot of electricity was a lightning storm that ricocheted off of Sombra's shield of flames to the walls of the castle. The room exploded, sending the two flying into open air. Sombra teleported to a space nearly three thousand feet above the ground so he would have time to formulate a good plan to defeat Darklight.
However, this was interrupted by Darklight himself, who teleported after Sombra; they began to wrestle with each other as they fell.
Sombra was shooting fire against Darklight's blasts of thunder and electricity, teeth bared and eyes full of rage. He flipped them upside down so that Darklight's back was facing the ground as they plummeted.
"You cannot win!" he spat into the king's face.
"Yes, I can!"
Sombra charged up a spell.
"You can try.
For a moment there was nothing but the sound of burning and screams, coupled with the sight of orange flames licking the sky. It suddenly faded, and Sombra watched with pleasure as he let go of the burning king and let his weight deliver him to the ground faster.
Right before Darklight made contact with the dirt, he exploded into millions of tiny fragments, his dying scream echoing throughout the Empire. Sombra teleported his way to the ground and stood where the king had been. Everypony in the town, injured, dead, or otherwise, stood around him, eyes and bodies registering fear.
"Bow to me!" Sombra screamed. "Bow to me!"
"I don't think so!"
Sombra saw dozens of royal guards approaching him, weapons and horns raised.
"What a petty attempt to defy me!"
There was another explosion, much like the one Sombra had set off in his fight against Darklight, and the guards were burned alive, exploding into pieces, sending their bodies into the crowds, killing more.
"Does anypony else wish to defy me?!"
There were no responses, only sobs and strangled breaths as they all shied away from him.
"Then you are my slaves! And you are mine!"
He stomped forward and found the crown that Darklight had been wearing during their fight, which had fallen off when he died. Sombra placed it on his head a laughed.
"I am your king! You will bow to me!"
And so they did. All of the ponies bowed their heads and knees, lowering themselves to the ground. Sombra laughed manically, his head spinning with glee and insanity. He started to walk through the crowd, looking for something. He soon found it: a long pole that was lying down from some project.
He levitated it up and looked at it. He turned back to the multitude and scanned the crowd. He then saw him. He saw the red earth pony who had haunted him for all his life. He went up to Dregs, walking casually as he did so.
"Hello, Dregs," he said, smiling into his face. "Who's the nerd now?"
"Me," Dregs whispered.
"What's that? Louder please, so everypony can hear you."
"Me."
Sombra laughed. Then he chopped off Dregs' head. There was a gasp from the crowd, who had turned to watch the scene unfold.
"I DID NOT SAY TO STOP BOWING!"
They all returned to their prostrate positions and waited.
"Do not move your body; only your head. Look at what you get if you have hurt me in the past.
Heads looked up and saw that Sombra had impaled Dregs' head onto the pole, where it dripped blood to the ground.
If you have hurt me in my childhood, I will come for you. Pray that I will make your suffering quick.
Nopony said anything as Sombra kicked the pole into the masses, and he began to walk towards the castle, ready to inaugurate himself as the new king of the Crystal Empire.
THE END OF LET THE CRYSTALS BREAK: THE RISE OF SOMBRA
Author's Note
The End of Part 1 in this trilogy! When I complete work on the first chapter of the second story, I will post a link to it here on this story!
Nexosaur
Let The Crystals Break: The Rise of Sombra
Part Two
Last sequel, I hit a wall. So I tried again. Here it is.
