Destined To Flame

He was taller than any stallion I have ever seen, and probably taller than every stallion I haven't seen. He had a jet black mane and tail, much like Captain Hurricane's, but a dark grey coat. His eyes were blood red, seemingly fueled with hatred and anger. His cutie mark was two axes crossed over a dark red crystal. His horn looks normal, before it became mangled. No green sclera, either. Other than that, he's exactly how I remember him. As he stepped forward, I almost swore I heard the bleachers shake beneath me.

Sombra glared at Commander Hurricane as the Pegasi began pulling out something else from the cage. It was a sack, and in it was something that I immediately recognized. It was a binder, something used to put over a unicorn horn that would bind it's magic. It was made to fit over the horn and had barbs lined along the inside. It wouldn't hurt unless Sombra tried to use magic; when that happened, the barbs reacted to the horn and drove into it, preventing the bonded from casting any spells. Sombra did not seem to care when they fastened it on him, as he was still intently staring at the stallion across from him.

Historians and geeks alike have imagined this battle for ages. Commander Hurricane was said to be the fastest pony that ever lived (even Rainbow Dash once acknowledged that statement, which surprised me), and that wasn't just in terms of Flight. Legend goes that he challenged the Gryphon King to a one on one duel instead of opting for war; The Gryphon King gladly accepted, and was reportedly killed within the first five seconds of the duel.

Sombra, however, was the true definition of a titan. He stood almost as tall as Princess Celestia and was a little bit taller than Luna, and was bigger in terms of size than the both of them. Sombra was the ultimate combination of strength and cruelty, and used both to ensure there was no limit or restriction to the punishments he could deliver in battle. Magic is usually involved in these talks, but I didn't seem to think it mattered once I looked at him. He was huge.

But there was something else I saw in those eyes before the fight that made the difference. Something that Commander Hurricane would never have going for him, and something that Sombra was going to unleash to it's full capacity when the fight began.

Sombra had hate and anger and sorrow in his eyes like I have never seen. He hated the society he lived in for turning against not only him, but most likely others. His parents, maybe, or his siblings. His friends. From the moment he was born, he was destined to flame, and he hated it. And then, in that moment, I finally understood.

The conquest of the Crystal Empire was revenge. All those he enslaved was revenge, treating others as they treated him. Those who looked down upon him were fuel to his fire, the one burning in his heart that would soon spiral out of control and lead him to the cold embrace of madness. He was treated like dirt, and he made it his personal mission to take all those who hated him to be shoved into it.

And he almost did, as well. The only thing that stopped him was me, and, for some reason, I felt bad about it. It had to be done, as the crystal ponies would very much be oppressed, but I had denied him the revenge that he had been seeking for years on end. To be so close, and then...

There was not a way in hell that Sombra would lose this encounter, but I knew something else; both these ponies would go on to live further, so something had to happen where they both ended up alive. Twilight knew enough about this place already to guess that this was a fight to the death, so what could happen that would allow both ponies to scrape out alive?

The Pegasi hurried away, and then the two combatants were the only ones standing on the field. Ear-shattering chants of "HURRICANE! HURRICANE! HURRICANE!" filled the arena, until King Vega silenced them. The King turned to Sombra, with a little bit of disgust showing on his face.

"Challenger! What would you have in terms of weaponry and armor to fight our Champion!" Vega said, motioning over to the feeble squires waiting in the shadows. Slowly, Sombra turned his deadly gaze to the King. He did not say anything for what seemed minutes before he slowly shook his head, all the while holding his gaze to the monarch.

"I will not need anything to kill this stallion, Your Grace." he replied, in the same deep tone that she remembered when fighting him at the Crystal Empire.

At that remark, everyone in the bleachers laughed, and Captain Hurricane laughed with them. Vega and Luan, however, did not chuckle at the comment. Vega stood up from his chair and used what Twilight knew as the "Royal Canterlot Voice" to formally begin the duel.

"THEN I PROCLAIM THIS BATTLE TO BE STARTED! COMBATANTS, YOU MAY PROCEED!" The crowd roared.

Under the merciless, scorching midday sun, The combatants began circling around the arena. I had no idea how Sombra was supposed to combat the Commander when he had, well, nothing. Commander Hurricane's gold helmet was blinding when reflecting the sun's rays, and his sword gleamed in the daylight. They paced around for about a minute before Sombra finally spoke to the Commander.

"Do you value your pretty little face?" he said, giving an evil grin. Captain Hurricane grinned back.

"I do, in fact. The mares seem do enjoy it as well no?" He did a three sixty spin to see the entire arena, and the mares roared with glee as he gave winks to them all. He reverted his attention back to Sombra, who had now stopped pacing. He stood perfectly still, leaned back in a combat position.

"Well, let us see how many mares you can bed when I take that pretty little face and paint it crimson." The crowd went silent at that remark, but Commander Hurricane laughed. He made sure to direct the glare from the beating sun of of his sword and into the titan's eyes. Sombra didn't even blink, but that didn't seem to concern the Commander.

"Ah, but every painter needs a brush, something which you are clearly lacking." Commander Hurricane looked to the squires, as they were chuckling at his joke. And that is the precise moment when Sombra was upon him.

As soon as The Commander had turned, Sombra was off. He ran as fast as he could, his heavy hooves kicking up dust as he went, and the Commander only had time to look back at him wide eyed before Sombra launched his right hoof like a cannon right into his face.

You could hear the crack from anywhere in the arena, and probably anywhere outside. The sheer mass of the punch must have been like a wrecking ball slamming into your face, and I cringed at it's horrible sound. The sword flew out of the Commander's mouth, and the golden helmet was launched off his head; he had to have been launched into the air at least five feet back. That's it, he's done. There's at the least a broken jaw in the mix, and a large loss of teeth, but concussion is the main factor here. There's no way he gets up from this.

True to my perdiction, Commander Hurricane did not get up from the punch; he never hit the ground.

When it seemed as if he was about to collide with the compact sand of the arena, his wings flared outward. In a move I only thought possible in stories told to fillies and colts by the fire, Hurricane flapped his wings towards his back as opposed to his legs. His body propelled itself up in the air before Hurricane flipped back, getting himself in the correct position before landing on the ground. He staggered as he hit the sand, and looked up to see an impressed Sombra.

The crowd gave a concerned gasp as he looked up, as his cheek was bleeding rather profusely. When he gritted his teeth, he revealed that he only had about two visible ones left. Sombra cackled at the sight of it.

"You see, Commander, I fancy myself more of a hoof painter. I find that it creates a much better picture." Sombra sneered, before advancing towards the damaged commander. Savagely, the commander gave a loud yell before speeding towards him at a breakneck speed.

Sombra was very much caught off guard as the Commander slammed into him. That knocked the beast to the ground, and Commander Hurricane did not waste a second. He motioned for the squires to throw him a blade, as you are allowed as many weapons as you have, and it came flying through the air. The Commander caught it by the handle in his mouth, but there lied his slip up; he barely had any teeth. By the time the Commander adjusted it and brought it down upon Sombra's face, he was mostly out of the way; he got out of the encounter with a gash along his side. He did not howl, or yelp in pain; he only got back up and prepared for the next strike.

Commander Hurricane growled and glared at the titan. "Do you feel any pain?" he asked, before diving into the fray once more, this time unarmed.

The Commander's strategy was simple, but crucial; if he can't hit you, he can't hurt you. With blinding speed, the commander began to dodge and weave, hitting Sombra with punches in between. The legends were spot on once again, as I my eye could barely keep up with the flurry of hooves that were landing on Sombra. It was working, too; the beast was slowly loosing his fatigue as Commander Hurricane's savage assault pressed on...or so it seemed. I took a close look at Sombra as my eyes widened.

He's waiting. He's taking all that damage, letting Hurricane use all his fury...and he's waiting.

And so it was; Hurricane's punches got slower, and slower, and slower, until Sombra finally grabbed a hoof as it flew towards him. The Commander's eyes went wide as Sombra cocked his head back and prepared to deliver what had to be a skull crushing headbutt. However, there was something out of place; the Commander's smile.

As the titan's head was coming down, the Commander dodged out of the way. However, he brought his whole body with him this time as he pulled the hoof downward with him. Obviously unprepared, Sombra began his heavy descent to the ground. The Commander held himself up with his hoof and slipped backward when Sombra fell, leaving the titan to hit the ground with a thud as Commander Hurricane stood above him.

Quickly, the Commander once again ushered the squire to toss him a dagger; once again, it came soaring through the air towards his mouth. The Commander seemed ready to catch it this time, preparing himself to adjust to his lack of teeth. However, the Commander once again misjudged, as the dagger came in at an odd angle. As a result he nearly swallowed it before fumbling with it in his mouth and spitting it out.

Sombra saw the chance. On his back, he cocked back his back legs, ready to deliver a vicious kick to the distracted Hurricane. I covered my mouth in horror and suspense as he launched the powerful legs towards the Commanders face. That's going to kill him for sure!

Once again, the Commander broke death's sickly grasp as he dodged out of the way at the last second, stumbling backwards all the while. Sombra was up now, and advancing towards the staggering Hurricane; I knew then that he had an easy victory from this point on.

"Oh, I feel pain!" Sombra said, slapping hurricane across the face. He fell with a yelp before hopping back up again. They were nearing the front row of the bleachers now, going longways. The Commander was still disoriented when he got up, so Sombra grabbed him and tossed him in the opposite direction. The Commander flew through the air, but he made no attempt to try and fly it off; he hit the ground once more with a horrid thump as sand flew in all directions. He did not get up this time, something Sombra was not satisfied with.

"I felt pain when I saw my family burned alive!" he proclaimed, slightly louder this time. He made his way over to the prone Commander and hoisted him up to his hooves. The Commander tried to resist, but his attempts were futile, and Sombra sent a hoof right into his stomach, curling him up and sending him tumbling away from Sombra. Sombra followed him. The crowd was eerily silent as the titan continued his tirade, getting louder and louder with each word.

"I felt pain when I had to flee the town I grew up in! I felt pain when I had to hid from society, as they wanted nothing more than to burn me to a crisp! I FELT PAIN WHEN I WAS FOUND AND SHIPPED HERE LIKE MERE CARGO!" He addressed the crowd at that last statement. No one moved in sheer fear of the massive force that stood before them. He turned to the prone and whimpering Hurricane.

"So tell me, Commander." said the titan as he hoisted up the bruised and battered Hurricane. Sombra pressed his face to Commander Hurricane's, who was meekly trembling at this point. Loud enough for all to hear, Sombra spoke.

"What pain could you possibly feel?"

With that, Sombra cocked his hoof back and launched it into the Commander's skull. I was surprised he didn't go unconscious the first time around, but he had something left in him then; there was no spirit left in the young Commander Hurricane as the hoof connected. Hurricane's eyes rolled to the back of his head and he gracefully fell to the sand in one fluid motion. The crowd gasped, making the first noise since Sombra got up the second time.

The only reason I knew the Commander wasn't dead was because I knew he survived to live on; if I had not, I surely would have believed him to have perished. He lay sprawled across the sand, still as rock. It churned my stomach to see it; back in my Ponyville, violence was almost non existent, and seeing here in this savage world was frightening. I had failed to notice that Sombra was staring down the Monarchs in the booth, and the Monarchs were staring back. Vega was the first to speak.

"Well? You must kill the opponent to defeat them. He is not dead, so you have not won." Much to the surprise of the spectators, Sombra laughed. He laughed for minutes on end until he finally spoke, grinning at the most powerful beings in the universe.

"Oh, I don't think so. Did you think I defeated you, Commander?" he said, turning to the sprawled, unconscious form of Commander Hurricane.

As expected, the Commander didn't reply. Sombra turned back to the Kings; King Vega was snarling at the titan while Luan watched on in amusement.

"I will not kill this stallion, as much as I wish I could. He is not only an integral part of your army, but killing him would abide by your rules, which I will not give you the satisfaction of following. I was told that if I defeated him, I was free to go. Does the stallion next to me look defeated? I believe so, yet I have not taken the life he has yet to live. If you aim to take the life I have yet to live, please do so now, and with haste; I had somewhere to be before your dogs threw me in a crate,"

Many armed Pegasi and Earth Ponies came to the scene, and surrounded Sombra. The crowd refused to speak, as they were now all afraid of the shadow that stood before them, and the storm he extinguished lying prone on the sand. King Vega was about to speak his verdict when his younger brother suddenly stood up from his seat.

"You may go, Unicorn, but I shall not see you in this town again, or any town in the kingdom of Equestria. This is not a pardon, only a release. Guards, see him out." The elder monarch turned and glared at his brother, and his brother glared back. The Guards butted Sombra with their spears to urge him along; a glare at them stopped that and he was silently escorted from the arena grounds. Commander Hurricane was lifted by who appeared to be medical officials and was carried out behind him.

The crowd fanned out in the same fashion; silently.