A Tyrant Uplifted

Princess Lumaria got to her hooves, gasping from the sudden drain she'd felt. Her gold coat shone in the sunset as the shadow of her throne extended to the door. The young princess's blue eyes scanned the kingdom from her window, as she brushed a few strands of her silver and red mane out of her eyes. "What happened..?"

"It's very simple, princess," a deepened hiss of a voice said to her from the shadows. "Every unicorn Equestria felt it as well when I took their power. Of course, they'll get it back with rest, but you?"

Sombra's shadow chuckled. All he really wanted was to show the ponies of the Empire what they'd created. Something was nagging at the back of his mind, but his anger and hatred towards them overpowered any of his previous logic. "You won't have the chance. I'm taking your throne, and I can't have a rogue alicorn wandering off to tell her superiors what caused the drain."

Lumaria turned to face the intruder, but saw nothing out of place, "Who are you?" She demanded, faking a brave face, "How did you get past the guards?"

Another laugh through the throne room, "What fool reveals his tactic to the enemy? You'll learn after you're rendered helpless."

Red crystals started growing from the floor, prompting a scream from the alicorn, who turned to flee out the window. Too late. The crystals sprouted in her way, intersecting into a woven wall. Lumaria started firing blast after blast of what little magic she had left in her attempt to fight back. Finally, she hit the floor, "Please, stop!" She begged.

Sombra materialized in front of her, "Bow."

"Wh-what?"

"I said bow. Bow to ME!" He shouted, and she quickly complied, trembling at his hooves.

Sombra pushed the guilt of attacking a princess who hadn't actually wronged him herself to the back of his mind, and laughed, his eyes turning reptilian as he looked down on her, and the tendrils of darkness became prominent. His horn glowed and the crystals faded, only to be replaced with a field showing the entire empire the scene that was unfolding, "Everypony look at the Crystal Princess, and her pathetic failure to protect you!" Another bolt of magic went straight into the sky, forming a dome of red aura around the Empire,  "And watch what will happen to anypony who even tries to rise against me."

Lumaria screamed as she was tossed at the throne, her terrified face shown above the tower. Sombra smiled as his horn lit up once more. Just as the guard opened the door, there was a crimson flash and the sadness and fear was cemented throughout the empire. Lumaria's crown shattered as it hit the floor where its owner used to be.

Sombra sighed as he stood next to the throne, "Twenty years now, I've been in charge. Shouldn't this be good enough? They know not to mess with me now... No! I can't release them now! They'd kill me!... But they'd be afraid to try, wouldn't they? No! I can't take a chance! I can't just release them!"

Just then, he sensed a powerful force enter the Empire. He opened a chest and put the Amulet around his neck, underneath his cape, and put his act back on, "What's happening he--augh!"

Celestia didn't even allow him to finish his first exclamation before firing a bolt of light straight at him.

"I should have known you'd show up eventually!" Sombra shouted to them, "You and your sister, Princess!"

Celestia and Luna glided down towards this so-called king, and Luna was the one to respond, "We shall not permit this tyranny any longer, even with the isolation the Crystal Empire has always had."

Sombra decided to try hitting Luna's ego, "I don't believe anypony asked you anything. Let the rulers do the talking."

Luna started to retort, but Celestia shook her head, "Luna, stand back. I will take care of him myself."

Sombra smirked, "Don't think you can take me on your own. Every ounce of magic power that you can fire, I can double. How do you think I hid the situation from you?" He desperately hoped they wouldn't call his bluff. They did. Luna and Celestia both fired simultaneous magic blasts at their enemy, sending him falling from the tower. He called crystals to keep him from falling far and started his battle against the princesses.

Bursts of magic sailed through the sky, repeatedly hitting or missing their targets, until finally, Sombra got a powerful shot against Luna. It tore across her chest and her wing, sending her falling to the ground below. Celestia gasped as her sister hit the stone with a loud crack.

"You've made your last mistake, Sombra!" Celestia shouted, firing a single bolt of Sombra's dark magic at him. She then descended to her sister and opened the bag they'd brought, taking the time to check Luna for signs of life. She was relieved by the pulse and breathing she felt, but still needed to finish it.

Sombra struggled for a bit against the crystals that Celestia had conjured, before breaking free, "After only one time seeing the spell...?" He turned his attention to Celestia herself, "Did I succeed in finishing her off?" He sneered, "Or do I need to--"

He couldn't finish the sentence as bolts of light all across the spectrum hit him directly in the chest. He cried out in surprise, pain, and fear all at once as he was sent through the air. He stood slowly from where he landed, a little ways outside of the Empire.

The first thing he noticed was that his armour and cape were on the ground beside him, and the Amulet had fallen further away. He went straight to the amulet, only to find that he couldn't even touch it.

"What?!" He turned to look at the Empire, "Fine, then... The whole place will go out with me!"

Celestia gasped as she saw the tower at the center of the Empire vanishing. Gathering her unconscious sister, she immediately took flight and went to the border. Crystal ponies were trying to leave as well, but only Celestia and Luna could get through the barrier Sombra had set. "P-princess Celestia!" A young filly cried out, tears falling from her eyes, "Please help us!"

Immediately, Celestia started focusing to dispel the barrier, but it was too late. The filly, along with the rest of the empire, vanished right in front of her, practically erased from existence.

Sombra's memory was a haze of anger, fear, and hate. So much hate. After a thousand years, all he could really think of was his hatred for and domination of the Crystal Empire.