The Tragedy of Prince Sombra

by LayTheBlackToRest

Rating: everyone
Tags: My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Princess Cadance, Dark, King Sombra, Tragedy, Princess Celestia, Twilight Sparkle, Sad, Princess Luna
Length: 2968

Princess Cadence sends a letter to her fellow princesses regarding the history of the Crystal Heart and Sombra's tragedy.

Princess Cadence decides to research some questions about the history of the Crystal Empire, but is troubled by her findings. How did King Sombra come to be? What are the origins of the Crystal Heart?

Due to health issues, on hiatus until I am a functioning human being again.

Published 2014-03-03 21:20:06 UTC
Last updated 2014-11-19 00:53:48 UTC

Almost like Shakespeare

Author's Note

The following is an alternative account of the how King Sombra came to be. I hope this history adds depth to what little is known of or heard from Sombra in the show. This account lends itself to elements of the “Fall of the Empire” storyline being developed by Silly Filly Studios (http://www.youtube.com/user/SillyFillyStudios), but is in no way tied to their production. It has simply been a source of inspiration.
At this time, I do not intend to use this alternative historical account to develop a fanfic. Anypony may use this story for the purposes of their own writing. Just toss a note in the summary for credit for any inspiration :)
No, I have not read any Sombra fics yet, so I have no idea if the main idea behind this story has already been done. This idea simply stuck me while heavily dosed on klonopin. Criticism is good!

By all means, if it turns out I have simply rehashed someone else's idea, let me know either I will give credit or simply delete this.

Enjoy these anti-depressant ramblings!

Almost like Shakespeare

Dear Princesses Celestia, Luna, and Twilight Sparkle,

Life in the Crystal Empire continues to be a joyful experience and my visit to Ponyville with Princess Twilight gave me new energy to take on a new project. It is on this matter that I have decided to write to you all. The crystal ponies know little of their own history and I believed it would be worthwhile to begin preliminary work for them to rediscover the wealth of their past. I will, of course, soon help the crystal ponies publish professional volumes of my research. Early editions will be forwarded to the Ponyville library ;)

Yet I must concede I wish to hear your input before announcing my work to the rest of the Crystal Empire. Even Shining Armor, as directly honest as he is, considers it best for the well-being of Equestria.

I have yet to begin arranging my work into appropriate volumes, so I have included copies of an entry to my journal summarizing the tale I realized during my studies. I apologize in advance for the prose in my entry; I was thinking of it as something of a rough draft and I hope this does not harshly bring back bad memories. I imagine it must be strange to read about oneself in such a setting.

I look forward to hearing your thoughts.
With much love,

Princess Cadence

Enclosure:

From the journal of Princess Cadence of the Crystal Empire,

One must wonder how Princess Celestia, millennia old, could know so little of the Crystal Empire, save for being weary of its return. Even the Princess of the Night knew the rise of the Empire to its former glory could not be permitted. As a source of love and prosperity, the Crystal Empire could only be an asset to all of Equestria, yet both Princesses knew of some associated element to dread: The unicorn whose heart was a black as night.

I, Princess Cadence, now of the Crystal Empire, have researched all I can to explore the history of the Crystal Empire to help bring it a cultural identity. During King Sombra’s resurgence, Twilight discovered hidden regions within the Crystal palace. After careful exploration, I found endless rooms of tomes which contain records and accounts from the far past, beyond anything available in the Crystal Empire’s libraries. What I have found is that the rise of the Crystal Empire is inseparable from the arrival of the unicorn whose name is now said with distain.

Who, however, was King Sombra? Princess Celestia could admit to Shining Armor and myself, and later to Twilight that there was little she knew of the Empire itself, so how much could she have known about the origins of King Sombra? What I have inferred from my readings has woven a tale that rivals the tragedy of Nightmare Moon.

King Sombra was not always the dreadful tyrant that legends foretold. The Crystal Empire did not always have the Crystal Heart as its beacon of hope, love, and prosperity. Before the grand city of the Crystal Empire was built, the crystal ponies struggled to develop the sustainability of their community. The windigos, after all, naturally inhabit the North. One day, a unicorn arrived to their town, downtrodden and weakened by a harsh life. Sombra’s contributions to the community lead to his popular appointment to the title of Prince of the Crystal Ponies. Driven by new enthusiasm, everypony began to restructure their town to an organized and beautiful city, serving as a symbol of the power of good will towards all. It was Prince Sombra’s fair rule that brought the Crystal Empire to greatness.

However powerful a unicorn he came to be, however, Prince Sombra remained nonetheless a mortal unicorn. With the consultation of his advisors, it was decided that a solution was to be sought for the long-term betterment of the Empire. Prince Sombra’s good heart would inevitably perish if it remained tied to his mortal form, but if it could be made into an external force, then the Empire might permanently keep its loving nature.

For the sake of his subjects whom had turned his entire life around, Prince Sombra urged his advisors to research any form of magic they could to make the Empire’s stance as a beacon of hope last, eventually drifting to the realm of darker magics.
A solution was indeed found, appropriately reflective of the Prince’s precise objective. The Prince’s heart would be made externally tangible and permanent. In repayment for the new life the crystal ponies gave him and the fostering of his loving heart, Prince Sombra would sacrifice the power his grown heart had attained. In honor of his ponies, this new artifact would become the Crystal Heart. The cooperation of his advisors demonstrated further led him to believe that his rule over the Crystal Empire was no longer necessary. After the creation of the Crystal Heart, Prince Sombra intended leave his position as Prince behind and help manage the formation of a democratic republic. After the new government was established, Sombra would be free to live a complete and happy life in a generously offered estate.

With the course set, Prince Sombra and the most powerful of the crystal ponies gathered to use their combined magic to synthesize the Crystal Heart from the beloved Prince. As fate would soon have it, dark magic should never be underestimated…
The creation of the Crystal Heart was the only good that came from the magical genesis, and as it would later prove, a costly good. What occurred had two notable effects. The best of the crystal ponies were extremely weakened by the event and most shut themselves off to extensive magic, fearing being near-impossibly drained ever again. The effect on Prince Sombra was far more significant and tragic.

It seems to have been thought that only the sheer power of Prince Sombra’s heart would go into the Crystal Heart. Instead, the dark magic involved took all. What remained in the now-broken Prince was a void of good, ripe for dark magic to twist into cruelty and malice. Prince Sombra was left with a drive to achieve, but no direction for anything other than darkness, the only thing he now knew. With any strong opposition disposed from shaping the Crystal Heart, it did not take long for the corrupted Prince to ensnare and consolidate the Crystal Empire. The Crystal Heart he kept, lest he face the possibility of being usurped, and Sombra redefined himself as King of the Crystal Empire. Steering the King’s mind was to ensure control of what was his. HE built this Empire and none should pose a threat to taking what was his. The King enchanted his ~~subjects~~ slaves; should any thought of rebellion begin to percolate, their minds would be wiped.

It took the intervention of Princess Celestia and Princess Luna to overcome King Sombra, who banished his dissociated self to the barren ice of the artic north. Unlike their overthrow of the God of Chaos, it appears that was a new form of combat for them; they faced not free chaos, but malicious and powerful evil. Chaos merely serves as the antithesis of the order necessary to sustain a good world beneficial to joyful life. Evil, however, demonstrates spite and absolute control over all within its grasp. Discord’s power was always undefined. It roams freely, tending towards destruction but not purposefully (unless Discord himself acts it). King Sombra’s power was purposeful and gave him the will to dominate all life.

Both the Solar and Lunar Princesses indeed knew little of the Crystal Empire; I believe they had merely responded to outlying news that sometime was amiss in the North. I imagine neither forgot the battle with Sombra after they returned to their kingdom. Some lore professes that King Sombra somehow corrupted Princess Luna and catalyzed her later transformation to Nightmare Moon. If such were true, why could Princess Celestia not have been corrupted instead, or as well? As the elder sister, if the evil within Sombra sought power, the Solar Princess would be most promising.

As the years since the defeat of King Sombra past, most forgot the Crystal Empire even existed, save for the Princesses of Equestria. The lack of love for her devotion to creating beautiful nights for her subjects nurtured bitterness within Princess Luna. As perceived rejection grew to cloud Princess Luna’s mind, the Lunar Princess perhaps could not help but recall the battle with King Sombra. The purpose behind which he commanded his power surely meant that mastering one’s own darkness could bring the Princess focus and strength worthy of the love of her subjects.

History, from there, is already known… I must admit I am troubled and saddened by the culmination of my endeavors to know the history of the Crystal Empire. The tale of Nightmare Moon has always been a tragic one in Equestria history, but who knew that King Sombra’s could, perhaps, be even more heart wrenching. I do not think I will ever be able to look at the Crystal Heart the same way again. I am unsure what I am to do with my historical thesis now.

A Single Word

From the Journal of Princess Cadence of the Crystal Empire,

It has been some time since I have written an entry regarding my research into the history of the Crystal Empire. While I have yet to publish any professional works, I have shared my thoughts with many of my crystal pony advisers. Thus far they have been apprehensive about recalling any particular memories of their time under the reign of King Sombra. While I passionately respect the states of my subjects, I cannot help but think that this reveals some further history behind the Lord of Shadows.

We have found some rather interesting documents hidden deep within the Crystal Palace’s Archives, areas wrought with evidence of attempted destruction and Hellfire. From what we could recover at his point, they appear to be random (?) journal entries and accounts of magic. With comparison to prior writings from Sombra, I believe these untitled manuscripts are also from the King. I imagine their scattering and wreckage being from the chaos that must have occurred when Sombra’s curse took the Crystal Empire from existence.

Thus far, I’ve been unable to make sense of the order of which these papers were written. Sombra, to no surprise, was a devoted scholar to almost all forms of magic (at least those typical of his time). There is one tome, however, that has captivated my interest… I doubt even the most powerful of preservation spells could extend this ancient relic for much longer. For however long this tome has existed, immense quantities of dark magic radiate from its distorted and burned pages. Of all that we have found, this tome has sustained the greatest damage. I fear it will simply disintegrate unless carefully treated with alicorn magic; I doubt unicorn magic could suffice to even move this tome without destroying it.

But this alone does not justify my interest in this tome. There are segments of the tome’s pages that look fresh, the ink flourishing as though they had just been written. And each segment contains a single word, the scorched and blackened marks failing to encompass the word.

Love.

Perhaps my view has become biased with my (quite unexpected) empathy for the former Prince, but I’m beginning to believe that Sombra did not take over the Crystal Empire from its former Queen.

He liberated it.

It is unquestionable that the former Queen was benevolent. I can only imagine that someone or something overthrew the Queen, only to be repulsed by Sombra. As impossible as it seems, this appears to be the most straightforward explanation. As apprehensive as my husband has been, Shining Armor has agreed that my prior writings could very well be based on blind assumptions (and, of course, incomplete records). While I am the Princess of Love, my dear Shining has lent me another piece to this puzzle. The words bear reminiscent signatures of Guardian magic. We have both agreed that this raises one of our greatest questions about the former Prince.

Why would he so strongly protect this single word? Were the incredibly complex spells cast before, during, or after the word was written?

I’ve already transcribed a number of these manuscripts for the Archives of Canterlot; my advisers, for all their assistance, cannot bear to bring themselves to even touch the darkened tome. My fellow Princesses have shown great interest, to say the least, in knowing who and what their prior enemy was. I suppose that superficially this could simply be to learn from the past in order to prepare for other significant threats in the future, but I cannot help but feel as though the Princesses feel some sort of other motive to see the originals. I suspect it is simply curiosity to know the pony they had a rather ‘dramatic’ encounter with. I myself am starting to see that dreadful King Sombra more and more as a… curious enigma.

I suppose I’ll have to see where my further research and contemplations go, as my correspondences with my Fellows makes particular interest in the former King Sombra a priority for my day-to-day routines. With the mystery of the former Prince growing to plague my mind, the comfort of my own Prince makes my days of inquires bearable. I would consider leaving this project, but a Princess of Love does not abandon her love for the well-being of her subjects.
And thus must come an end to my entry for the night, as my longing for my Prince in Shining Armor beckons me to his warming presence. Our love, of all forms, keeps me more than happy with my new life.

______________________________________________________________________________

POV of Erudyntes, Advisor to the Crowns of the Crystal Empire

Erudyntes shuddered as a bone-chilling breeze ran over his coat. How there could even be such a wretched breeze deep under the Crystal Palace, with its newly and carefully constructed ventilation shafts was far beyond him. As with nearly everything to do with this fearful place, he chalked it up to lingering dark magic. “The day is nearly over and my round of searching will be over”, Erudyntes whispered to himself in a futile attempt to boost his confidence. Within the hour he would be home again, hearing stories of his foal’s day at school, warmed by a calming fireplace. A small snifter of crystal berry brandy wouldn’t hurt either. It had always been his wife’s favorite, before that bastard’s toils had taken her dignity and life. How he longed to share it with her, warmed by that very same fireplace…

Erudyntes spied a shred of fading parchment peeking out of the ash covering the floor, bringing his nostalgia to an end. Approaching carefully, he gently dusted off the ash, following the Princess’s orders not to use his magic to lift the parchment. As with most objects of interest uncovered in the Archives, it was blackened, torn, and nearly indistinguishable from the ash surrounding it.

The Queen hath announced that the decline of our agriculture is simply due to improper crop rotations for our life-giving earth, yet I can feel the strain in her eyes. Some force is seeping into our borders. The world is changing. I feel it in the water. I feel it in the earth. I smell it in the air.

Something approaches, and I know not if even the Queen can stop it. I have known much fear and pain in my life, but to this I will not yield. I shall protect my Love with all I have. Should this threat take my life, I will give it without hesitation. Never could I leave my Love.

The fragment ended there. As did the existence of Erudyntes.

Author's Note

I wrote this in an hour. At my favorite bar. With two Imperial Russian Stouts already down my gullet.

I need an editor.

What the buck does this tome's word mean?

Well, y'all will find out when I feel like writing again. I'll be starting another course of physical chemistry soon... and even the physical chemists hate physical chemistry. BML.

I was going to write the fragment in Svenska, but I'm a bit too rusty.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m7pIL2OELaE

Is this related or is it not? Either way, it makes me giggle and cackle in the most silly manner when I've had a little too much klonny.

You might say it takes me to a silly place... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lfGpVcdqeS0

ALSO, check out http://www.fimfiction.net/story/208988/redemption. Totally blew me away and I bet it will for y'all too!