1: Sombra's Reign
The day was so clear. I remember it clearly, every detail, every step. I trotted out of my home and made my way to the Crystal Train, holding my ticket for my ride, standing in the line. Suddenly, the sky turned a dark and smoky black, and our precious crystals turned into dark, blackened crystals, which held a similarity to Sombratic Crystals, as which they had come to be known.
I felt magic surround my hooves, as did other ponies. We were dragged by our hooves, tails, and hair back into the Empire. Many tried to run, but it was too late for that. The station became one giant Sombratic Crystal, and we could only watch on as we were dragged to our doom.
I stood by the Crystal Castle, the Crystal Heart gone. The castle turned black and red, many of the other ponies turning dim in waves. As I realized there was no hope, I felt the light drain out of me as well. He laughed from his perch so high up. He laughed and laughed, his horn now curved and red at the tip, fading.
His eyes were red with green, and purple flowing from them in wisps. His horn was surrounded with green and purple, and every pony was in shackles and harnesses. We were all linked to one another, and we were told what to do. No pony had hope, no pony could. The Crystal King was killed, I'd heard it from a guard. The Crystal Queen and Princess fled long before.
Sombra was such a kind pony before. He cared about every pony. But he was now replaced with a demon. In a different, low tone, he yelled over his kingdom.
"I am King Sombra, I am your Ruler, your Master! The Crystal King is dead, and his wife and foal are fleeing, leaving you to be in my hooves!" He announced.
"No, the Queen would never do that!" A pony spoke up.
I shook my head and looked up at him, defiant. "No, Sombra."
He was astonished, and was immediately in front of me. "What did you say?!"
"They had to flee because even our King could not defeat you. I understand that and I know they'll come back." I said, nodding.
"I can taste the fear in your voice, I can see it in your eyes, they tell me everything. You know they left, you've no hope to spare. Just look at yourself, you're no longer full of light, you know this is your demise and my rise in power and fame." Sombra smiled, licking his lips.
"I may be lying, but at least you'll go down in history as infamous!" I yelled, stepping forward.
Suddenly, everything was black, every pony was gone, it was just me and Sombra. Blocks formed underneath us, and they fell gradually, making me hop my hooves in worry.
I was brought back to the real world, and I felt my eyebrows drooping. I looked at my friends, my family, they all gazed at me. I put my head down, and the words formed themselves, my lips moving on their own.
"There is no hope. This is our downfall. King Sombra is our leader now." I tried to shut my mouth, but it kept going.
I started walking, the chains jingling as I walked towards the crystals. The others put their heads down, becoming dimmer and dimmer. I picked an ax up and started mining the crystals and putting them in carts.
"King Sombra is our savior, King Sombra we do your labor. King Sombra is our better, stop and you'll be dead or deader." Was what King Sombra made us say every hour, on the dot.
We mined and mined for a long time, no pony kept track of how long it had been. And then our new saviors arrived. Princess Celestia and Princess Luna sealed King Sombra into the form of gas, and we only looked on. His magic still resided in the Kingdom, and we seemed to make a huge jump in time. Every outside pony said we'd been gone a thousand years, but to us, it was one moment, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna were saving us, closed our eyes, and strange ponies were in our Kingdom.
One stallion was called Shining Armor, and our Princess, Princess Cadance was back. I was elated to see her, but the Crystal Heart wasn't there. There was Twilight Sparkle, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Fluttershy. There was a dragon, Spike, and he was very small.
I walked out of the center, where the Crystal Heart should be, and looked around. Ponies, very slowly, were becoming more and more bright. I walked up to the white Unicorn with purple hair and she made a hat in a quick movement. It was straw and twine, but it was nice. She put it on my head, looking at me with a smile.
"Dear, what is wrong? Don't you like it?" She asked.
I made a soft smile and nodded, walking over to my family. I put the hat on my little sister, Stars Light, and she smiled, her crystal coat returning. My mother, Flower Basket, and my father, Ramp Rump, watched the Pegasi joust. They became crystallized again, and I was one of the only ponies left without hope.
I walked around, looking for Princess Cadance. I tapped an orange pony with a blonde mane, and she turned around and smiled.
"Howdy, partner, what'cha need?" She asked kindly.
"Princess Cadance?" I asked, tilting my head.
"She's up on the balcony, but she needs to concentrate." Applejack started to walk away, but I bit her tail and pulled her back.
I pointed up at the balcony. "Princess Cadance."
Applejack sighed and let me through, and I galloped up the steps. Shining Armor's horn was filled with Sombratic Crystals, and Princess Cadance was tired, but her magic was blasting. I walked over to her and looked at her with sad eyes.
"Princess Cadance?" I asked.
"W-Why aren't you c-crystallized?" She asked wearily.
I started to cry and hugged her tightly, surprising her. "I knew you'd come back, I knew it."
I let go of her, a smile on her face. "Do you know where the Crystal Heart is?" Shining Armor asked.
I nodded. "It's dangerous to try and get it."
"We need to get it to stop Sombra." Twilight Sparkle said, rushing up to me.
I nodded. "There is a spiral staircase in the center of the throne room, I saw King Sombra use Sombratic Magic to open it. But every pony who went down there saw horrible things and ran up, King Sombra laughing."
Princess Cadance held my hoof. "You d-don't need to call him King anymore."
I nodded. "There's a door down there that should take you to a big staircase and the Crystal Heart is at the top, but it's hard to get to. No Crystal Pony has ever made it past the fifth set of stairs."
Twilight and Spike ran to the Throne Room, and I trotted back down the stairs. I walked around, looking at more festivities, trying to have hope. After a while, I stood by the Crystal Heart Holder and wanted to look at it, maybe they just wanted more happiness. After a lot of fear and misconceptions, King Sombra was back. Ponies ran into each other, we all lost our happiness.
But then...
Princess Cadance flew and held Spike and the Crystal Heart! She put it in the Holder and we all rejoiced, bowing down, becoming crystalline again. The blue lines glowed and the heart blew Sombra back into the wilderness, where we all rejoiced. It was over.
For now.
The day was so clear, like fake diamonds, almost... invisible. I remember it clearly, every detail, every step. I trotted out of my home and made my way to the Crystal Train, holding my ticket for my ride, standing in the line. I was going to Canterlot to look at the properties there, wondering if I could find new places to give others peace.
Suddenly, the sky turned a dark and smoky black, and our precious crystals turned into dark, blackened crystals, which held a similarity to Sombratic Crystals, as which they had come to be known. Every pony was filled with fear. We were immobilized by it. The darkness... it was so cold, so horrifying, so... so disgusting. I couldn't move. I could barely breathe.
I felt magic surround my hooves, as did the other ponies. We were dragged by our hooves, tails, and mane back into the Empire. Many tried to run, get away, do something but let this happen, but it was too late for that. The station became one giant Sombratic Crystal, and we could only watch on as we were dragged to our doom.
I stood by the Crystal Castle, the Crystal Heart gone. The castle turned black and red, many of the other ponies turning dim in waves. As I realized there was no hope, I felt some of the light drain out of me as well. He laughed from his perch so high up. He laughed and laughed, his horn now curved and red at the tip, but it was fading.
I recognized the laughter. It was him. Sombra. He was standing at the top of the castle, perching like he owned it. He smiled, licking his lips, yelling at us, even swearing. We all stared up at him, at what he had become, and tried to back away, tried to leave, but his magic. His magic was too strong.
His eyes were red with green, and purple flowing from them in wisps. His horn was surrounded with green and purple, and every pony was in shackles and harnesses. We were all linked to one another, and we were told what to do. No pony had hope, no pony could. The Crystal King was killed, I'd heard it from a guard. The Crystal Queen and Princess fled long before.
Sombra was such a kind pony before. He cared about every pony. But he was now replaced with a demon. In a different, low tone, he yelled over his kingdom. The kingdom he stole. The kingdom that would suffer a horrible fate.
"I am King Sombra, I am your Ruler, your Master! The Crystal King is dead, and his wife and foal are fleeing, leaving you to be in my hooves!" He announced.
"No, the Queen would never do that!" A pony spoke up, hopeful in the eyes.
I shook my head and looked up at him, defiant. "No, Sombra." I glared at him, grinding my teeth.
He was astonished, and was immediately in front of me. "What did you say?!"
"They had to flee because even our King could not defeat you. I understand that and I know they'll come back." I said, nodding. "They will return. They will get stronger. You will not be the King for long! You bring shame to all Crystal Ponies of the Crystal Empire!"
"I can taste the fear in your voice, I can see it in your eyes, they tell me everything. You know they left, you've no hope to spare. Just look at yourself; you're no longer full of light, you know this is your demise and my rise in power and fame." Sombra smiled, licking his lips.
"I may be lying, but at least you'll go down in history as infamous!" I yelled, stepping forward. "They will return. She was our Princess. She will return. I will never lose that hope. You can try, Sombra, try all you want, but I will not let you do this!" I growled, pushing my muzzle in front of his.
Suddenly, everything was black, every pony was gone, it was just me and Sombra. Blocks formed underneath us, and they fell gradually, making me hop my hooves in worry. My jaw quivered as my eyes twitched from fear, tears gathering, forming a lump in my throat that wouldn't be swallowed, that wouldn't go away. I was brought back to the real world, and I felt my eyebrows drooping. I looked at my friends, my family, they all gazed at me. I put my head down, and the words wouldn't come out. I knew they would come back, but my voice was lost.
I started walking, trying my best to resist his magic, the chains jingling as I walked towards the crystals. The others put their heads down, becoming dimmer and dimmer. I picked an ax up and started mining the crystals and putting them in carts. Ponies who didn't work hard enough were sent to the outskirts of the Empire.
No pony knows what happened out there, but skulls and blood and bones littered the fields. The grass died. Flowers wilted, crying over the deceased ponies. I often stopped by there to mourn the loss of a friend, not even slightly repulsed by the scent of decaying flesh, not even the sight of it scared me.
I felt hollow inside. Almost... dead. I often went there to mourn the passing of some pony who didn't make it. Every time King Sombra found me there, he only gave me nightmares. They got worse and worse each time, but I didn't stop. I wish I did. The nightmares made me relive every single instant of pain I'd ever felt or experienced; it hurt very badly.
We mined and mined for a long time, no pony kept track of how long it had been. And then our new saviors arrived. Princess Celestia and Princess Luna sealed King Sombra into the form of gas, and we only looked on. His magic still resided in the Kingdom, and we seemed to make a huge jump in time. Every outside pony said we'd been gone a thousand years, but to us, it was one moment, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna were saving us, closed our eyes, and strange ponies were in our Kingdom.
One stallion was called Shining Armor, and our Princess, Princess Cadance was back. I was elated to hear of her return, but the Crystal Heart wasn't there. There was Twilight Sparkle, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Fluttershy. There was a dragon, Spike, and he was very small.
I walked out of the center, where the Crystal Heart should've been, and looked around. Ponies, very slowly, were becoming more and more bright. I walked up to the white Unicorn with a purple mane, and she made a hat in a quick movement. It was straw and twine, but it was nice. She put it on my head, looking at me with a smile.
"Dear, what is wrong? Don't you like it?" She asked, worry in her voice and smile.
I made a soft smile and nodded, walking over to my family. I put the hat on my little sister, Stars Light, and she smiled, her crystal coat returning. My mother, Flower Basket, and my father, Ramp Rump, watched the Pegasi joust. They became crystallized again, and I was one of the only ponies left without hope.
I walked around, looking for Princess Cadance. I tapped an orange pony with a blonde mane, and she turned around and smiled. She seemed nice enough, but I still didn't want to talk to any pony or even trust any pony. No pony besides Princess Cadance would make me feel safe.
"Howdy, partner, what'cha need?" She asked kindly, tilting her head with a warm smile.
"Princess Cadance?" I asked, tilting my head, looking around for the Crystal Heart.
"She's up on the balcony, but she needs to concentrate." Applejack started to walk away, but I bit her tail and pulled her back with force, a stronger frown on my face.
I pointed up at the balcony. "Princess Cadance." I stared for a while before meeting her gaze again, but my eyes seemed to be hollow and dead, making her shudder.
Applejack sighed and let me through, and I trudged up the steps. Shining Armor's horn was filled with Sombratic Crystals, and Princess Cadance was tired, but her magic was blasting. I walked over to her and looked at her with sad eyes. She was still here. She was alive. She was safe. She came back.
"Princess Cadance?" I asked, blinking a few times.
"W-Why aren't you c-crystallized?" She asked wearily, her eyes heavy with bags of tiredness.
I started to cry and hugged her tightly, surprising her. "I knew you'd come back, I knew it." I murmured, the lump in my throat still present. I was right. She came back. She came home.
I let go of her, a smile on her face. "Do you know where the Crystal Heart is?" Shining Armor asked, looking, searching desperately in my eyes for a shred of hope or wonder.
I nodded, but shivered. "But it is dangerous." I frowned at the thought of him finding me in his castle again, in that stairwell, by that door.
"We need to get it to stop Sombra." Twilight Sparkle said, rushing up to me, pleading me silently.
"Danger." I murmured, looking down. "Hurt." I couldn't force out any more words.
Princess Cadance laid a hoof on my shoulder, pleading me, begging. "Please... where is the Heart? Please."
I licked my lips, looking down at my hooves, shuffling them for a moment before quietly squeaking. "There is a spiral staircase in the center of the throne room, I saw King Sombra use Sombratic Magic to open it. But every pony who went down there saw horrible, horrible things and ran up, King Sombra laughed every time." I wouldn't, no- couldn't tell them that I'd been down there.
Princess Cadance held my hoof. "You d-don't need to call him King anymore." Her smile was warm and gentle, like a loving peck on the cheek.
I frowned, looking downwards, scratching my foreleg with a hoof silently. They looked at me. What was I to do? "There's a door down there that should take you to a big staircase and the Crystal Heart is at the top, but it's hard to get to. No Crystal Pony has ever made it past the fifth set of stairs." I wanted to say besides me, but couldn't force it out.
Twilight Sparkle and Spike ran to the Throne Room, and I trotted back down the stairs. I walked around, looking at more festivities, trying to have hope. After a while, I stood by the Crystal Heart Holder and wanted to look at it, maybe they just wanted more happiness. After a lot of fear and misconceptions, King Sombra was back. Ponies ran into each other, we all lost our happiness. It was hopeless.
Princess Cadance touched my shoulder, giving me a sad look. "What happened?"
"I tried... I tried so hard. I wanted the Crystal Heart back so bad.... I wanted you to come back. To make him go away. B-But every time I tried, he... he gave me nightmares, showing me that you were... you, they, you," I choked, whimpering. "You weren't... eyes... hollow." She seemed to get what I meant. "But I tried... I wanted you to come back and save us.... He told me that... alone... cold... scary. N-No hope... no hope...."
"There is always hope!" Cadance forced, touching my shoulder again. "I came back! I'm here now! I won't leave you anymore. None of you!"
But then... she went by Shining Armor. They sat together for a while. I was alone. It was like when he was here. I curled up, trying to warm myself, closing my eyes, but opening them when I heard a loud grunt.
Princess Cadance flew and held Spike and the Crystal Heart! She put it in the Holder and we all rejoiced, bowing down, becoming crystalline again. The blue lines glowed and the heart blew Sombra back into the wilderness, where we all rejoiced. It was over. I was so happy. So happy I cried. I smiled, and I cried.
For now.
