The Shadow of My Father

by Sketch-Pad

Rating: teen
Tags: My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Other, Original Character, King Sombra, Tragedy, Slice of Life
Length: 3629

Many people know my father, Sombra, for all that he did to the Crystal Empire when he was king. But what people don't know what he was like before he ruled, or how he reached the rank in the first place.

Many people know my father, Sombra, for all that he did to the Crystal Empire when he was king. But what others don't know what he was like before he ruled, or how he reached the rank in the first place. It's a lot different than people might think.
However, they all know that he was defeated by Princess Luna and Celestia - or so they think.

Teen rating just in case.
Cover photo created by JacobDobson on Deviantart.
P.S. I have a weird tendency to capitalize the first letters of some words.
P.P.S. Also written as if it was told orally.

Published 2014-07-20 06:00:04 UTC
Last updated 2014-09-01 04:22:26 UTC

Prologue/Introduction

My name is Gemstone, though most of my friends call me Gem. I'm sixteen years old, if that has to do with anything. I don't think it completely matters how old I am. I'm not a full grown mare yet, but I'm not at all still a foal.

I was born one stormy night, to my mother, Starstream. She's a very beautiful young mare, or at least by my standards. Her pelt is a soft, delicate lavender color, and her mane was a deep purple that was streaked with a warm shade blue. She has beautiful, pink eyes, and I've actually only ever seen one other pony with pink eyes like that. I think It's cool. She is a crystal pony, as am I and my father. There aren't a lot of ponies like her around - both personality wise and appearance wise.

Her cutie mark is of a large, five-pointed star with a spiraling, pink tail behind it. She works in the library - probably one of the biggest libraries around. She knows a lot about folklore - how we crystal ponies came to be, as well our kingdom and our rulers. There are a lot of different stories, though my favorite is probably the one where an alicorn prince carved himself a love out of pure crystals - and gradually just populated. It's a very cute story.

My father's name is Sombra. He's a very tall, bluish-gray colored fellow with a dark blue mane. His eyes are this eerie emerald green, but it's a very cool and pretty looking green as well. He's a big strong stallion - especially since he works in the mines. When my friends met him for the first time, it was quite a good reaction. They were surprised by how big and muscular he was. My dad has told me that he's thinking of growing side-burns, but I said that it wouldn't work on him. Still, he didn't listen to me, and he has little ones that extend to just the very tip of his jawline.

His cutie mark is of a red crystal - why it's red, I'm not quite sure. It honestly reminds me of a ruby, though the shape is not like a ruby at all. He works in the mines, as I mentioned earlier. It might not seem like a great job, but my dad works in probably the best mine in the Crystal Empire. It has so much safety equipment, its ridiculous. It's also surprisingly a very well paid job. There are a lot of things that are found in his mine almost every day that there is enough to go around for him and the other thirty-four workers in his mine.

Another thing you should know about my father is that he is a unicorn. His father was a unicorn from land south of here called Equestria, but his mother was a crystal pony just like us. It's weird to be the daughter of one of the few crystal unicorns in the empire who wasn't a guard, but it makes me proud, too.

You might be wondering how my parents met, actually, since my mother was a librarian and my father a miner. Typically, neither of them would meet each other, except maybe at a crystal fair. They met one day when my father was on lunch break. He had forgotten his lunch that day so he went to go to the cafe just in front of the Library. While he was eating his lunch, the library doors burst open, and a thief ran through them, carrying a book. My mother ran out after him, yelling "Thief! Thief!" My father swept into action, chasing after the criminal and retrieving the book. He returned it just before the guard came and arrested the thief. My father returned the book, then invited the mare to lunch,

Both of my parents tell me that's what happened, so of course, I believe them. It does make a lot of sense. After a while, they had more lunches together and started doing things on their own time. They fell in love, and got married, then had me.

Oh yeah, what do I look like? Well, I have the same lavender coat color as my mother, though mine is a little bit duller and paler than hers. My mane is two shades of blue - A dark color that I got from my father and a light purple-blue that I got from my mother. Every now and then I'll wear my mane up in a ponytail, but for the most part I just sweep my bangs to the left side of my face and leave my mane down. I also have the same, bright green eyes as my father does. Oh, and I'm a unicorn too.

What's my cutie mark? Well, it's of a light blue crystal, actually. It's shaped like a diamond - not the typical stone you see but the long thin kind with four sides. There are little white stars around it like it's meant to be shiny or something. I got it after finding a diamond while I was playing around outside when I was little. I shared it with my friends who wanted it, breaking it into four pieces.

Speaking of my friends, would you like to know their names?

The first is a mare named Spritz. Nice name, for a crystal pony, I know. She's the oldest in my group of friends at 18. She has an orange coat and a pale pink mane that she cut short. She loves to race and joust and do things that you would usually see only the stallions doing. She's been runner up in the jousting competition for the past 2 years, and this year, I think she intends to beat her rival for good. Her cutie mark is of three fireworks.

My second friend is a stallion named Bangle. He's a gold-colored pony, with a two-shaded red mane. He's really good with music, and he's one of the few ponies I know that can successfully play the flugelhorn. He's also really good with drums and harps as well, though his cutiemark is a bell. I'm not really sure why it's a bell, but it is. He's 17 years old.

My third and final friend you should know about is another stallion named Moon Glow. Spritz always teases me that I like him and have a crush on him or whatever, but I don't. I won't deny that he's attractive though. He has a white coat and a blue mane, that is also two-hued. His orange eyes are captivating - ahem. His cutie mark is of - what else - the moon! He said that he wants to do what my mom does, or something similar to it. She's offered to mentor him and teach him, though he usually does things by himself. I'm kind of thankful for that. I can't imagine him having lessons from my mom.

Well, I guess that's all you really need to know about me, I guess, or at least until I tell my story. If I forgot to explain something, then I'm sure I can just explain it in the middle of my story, though I don't know if it makes for good storytelling. I promise you that I will try to do my best, no matter what happens!

Author's Note

So you can see how this story is being told. It's written more like it was told orally, not so much as if it was written in a book.
Because of that, the character might get side-tracked, like any story teller might. I'm trying this to see how it will go, and if it gets confusing then I might have to go and change it all. Let me know if you think it's a good idea or not ~

The Day 'it' was Found

Like any proper story, I should begin at the beginning. However, I myself am not quite sure where the beginning is. I can make a good guess, however, so I shall start with the day my father found it.

I will tell you what 'it' is soon enough, but for now, it isn't really important.

It was a nice, sunny day, the fourth of June, I believe. My friends and I had been out of school for about a week now and we were planning on going to Crystal Fair that weekend. It opens on the first weekend of June and is open for exactly 30 days.

We always enjoyed the fair - not only were there so many things to buy and see, but there were also many contests at the fair - from painting to eating to owning the best-looking cat. Spritz always had to go to the opening day - not only was she second place in jousting for the past 2 years, but the first few matches are that weekend as well. They're only practice ones, but she still likes to show her face and mingle with her competitors. Bangle also likes going to show off his music skills.

The four of us were waiting in line about an hour or so before the gates opened. We had gotten there early so that we could be sure that we bought tickets to all of the contests and shows that we wanted to see. We were tired, especially since we had arrived at the gates at seven thirty and the fair didn't open until ten a.m..

Anyways, it was about 9 or so when a certain white unicorn walked past us. His Shiny black crown and long red cape informed us that he was our King. Spritz made an annoyed face as he walked past, scrunching up her nose and winking one eye, acting like she had just gotten a whiff of something with a terrible smell. A few other ponies around us gave whispers to their friends while keeping an eye on the King as he continued to stroll by with a devious smirk on his face.

Here's the thing about our King - we have this rule in our country that whoever defeats the leader takes their place. The transition battles are usually long and devastating, though they don't always end in death. Our current leader, Apollo, was one of the few ponies that had killed the previous leader. Sometimes a ruler can refuse to give up their rule, but in this case, the former King was more than willing to give it up after he was defeated, and he surrendered. But Apollo kept fighting, very persistent on killing him. Most of our nation was very reluctant to let him lead after he had done such a cruel act, but we had to follow the rules that were made by our ancestors.

Ever since he had become King, or from at least what I've heard, is that he changed a lot of things. He increased the number of miners and mines in the area and even started stretching the mines past our borders. He tells us that he is merely 'looking for something' yet he doesn't tell anypony what it is he is looking for or even what it looks like. All he has said was that anything out of the ordinary needed to be sent to Him immediately. The oddest thing that my father even remembers them hearing about finding was just a skeleton that was a few centuries old.

Another thing about our king is that he is incredibly selfish. He not only raised the taxes on our wages to 40% of what we make, but he keeps a lot of the gems that the ponies find in the mine or objects that the ponies make. Most of those are supposed to go towards building houses or furniture, as well as business buildings and things to help the needy. But instead, he uses them to build on the size of the castle. Indeed it looks grand, but he's building a new room at the very top just to get a good view. It's utterly pointless. He thinks he can do whatever the buck he wants.

He passed us with a smirk on his face and then muttered something to the guards standing in front of the gates. They looked wary at first, especially since only the booth-tenders could enter the park early. The white stallion let him pass, keeping an eye on him and his two bodyguards as they passed. Several angry moans rose from the crowd, as well as shouts and several very rude remarks.

Spritz made a joke about him searching for his lost item, and while I didn't verbally agree with her, there was a possibility that it was true.

To the crowd's relief, he walked out of the exit a few minutes before the gates opened, though his facial expression told everypony that he was not happy. The crowd was silent as he walked past, staring at him with a blank expression before he hopped into his carriage and retreated to the castle. A guard was chasing after him carrying a muffin.

After those few moments passed after the king left, we were let into the park to enjoy our day. The first few days are always the busiest, and we always seem to forget just how busy they actually are until we get there.

Well, You probably don't need to hear about our entire day, though you might be interested in a short summary or something. Well, in any case, we shared many laughs that day. Spritz won all of her practice matches and ended up having some kind of a staring contest with her rival. We also convinced Moon Glow to enter an ice cream eating contest, and while he got third place, he got probably one of the funniest brain freezes I've ever seen. He was literally rolling around on the ground, clutching his head and moaning. We were able to get him some warm cider and it eventually went away. Bangle wrote his name down for the Flugelhorn playing contest, but that isn't for another few days. We watched our favorite shows and watched the evening fireworks.

We eventually went our separate ways, the boys walking themselves home and Spritz walking me home. She left me on my doorstep, teasing me about Moon Glow like she always does. With a smile on my face, I walked into my house.

We weren't the wealthiest family in the town, but we weren't at all the poorest. Our house was of decent size - perfect for a family of 3. If you haven't seen a crystal house, then I guess it's sort of hard to explain what it looks like. Everything isn't all shiny and sparkly, but it's not dull in color either. Everything is smooth but the corners are rather sharp unless they have been filed down to be rounded. It's very pretty.

My mother was in the kitchen, cooking something that smelled an awful lot like a cake. I didn't go and check on her, because My father was sitting on the couch, his satchel in his lap. He had his hooves placed over it protectively, but he wasn't looking at it. He was looking straight ahead at the fireplace and a blank expression on his face. He honestly looked like he had seen a ghost.

I didn't move from my spot, but I looked at him as he sat there. I could have sworn he was rocking back and forth a little bit, but if he was then it wasn't very much.

"Um, Dad? Are you alright?" I asked him. If you saw your father like that you would be concerned as well.

He suddenly snapped out of his trance and looked up at me, his eyes blinking. "Hmm? Oh yes, yes, I'm alright." He stood up, though he swung his satchel back over his neck and around his shoulder. "Was the fair fun?"

I nodded in response. "Yes, it was." I proceeded to briefly tell him about my day, reassuring him that I had a good time. After I finished I then proceeded to tell him about the king walking by us before the gates opened.

"Yes, the king..." He started, then cleared his throat. "Sorry, I need to talk to your mother." He walked around me and towards the kitchen. He shot me a quick glance, then closed the kitchen door behind him.

Of course, being a teen and wanting to know what they were talking about, I walked up to the wooden door and placed my ear against it.

"What is it?" I heard my mother ask.

"I...I found something in the mines..." He answered. He sounded nervous.

"Found something in the mines . . . You mean like other than gems?"

"Well, yes."

"Oh Sombra, you know that you have to turn it into the king! If you are caught with it and didn't turn it in, you could get in big trouble!" My mother was trying not to shout too loud.

"That's just the thing though, this thing I found is too weird, and I don't think that it should go to the king until we figure out what it is."

There was a pause, then my mother spoke again.

"Well, are you going to show me this thing then?"

"Of course."

There was another pause and I figured that he was taking the object out of his bag. However, there was a very loud gasp that followed and the sound of scrambling hooves on the tiles. My mother then proceeded to shout.

"No! Sombra, No!" She calmed down and wasn't shouting anymore, but her voice sounded very serious. "That thing is evil and you need to get rid of it! Now!"

"Why? What is it?"

"That thing has way too much power, and in the wrong hooves, it can destroy everything we know and love."

"What in the name of hay has that much power other than one of those legendary alicorns? And how do you know about it?"

"Really? I work at the library. I read about it in a book. And if you don't get rid of it, it will only bring trouble to you and our family."

"Wait, if this thing has enough power to destroy everything, what else can it do? Surely it can create as well?"

"Sombra, listen to me. That. . .that thing will eventually corrupt the mind of anypony who uses it for too long. It can give you great power, yes, but it's also a curse. That power comes with a price. Please, just get rid of it."

"And do what, give it to the King? He's surely going to lose his mind even more if he knows what this can do!"

"But we can't keep it either!" She paused. "Hold on, I need to check the cake."

There was the sound of the oven opening and closing, and then my father asked her yet another question.

"So what do you suggest I do then, huh? I can't burn it 'cause it probably won't melt. If put it back someone else will find it and be in the same situation, and they might actually give it to the King. If I bury it, it leaves it as something that Gem or her friends or even just another random neighborhood foal could dig up and find."

"You really want to keep it, don't you?"

I guessed that my dad nodded or something because my mom just proceeded to give an annoyed sigh.

"How did something that nice end up in mine anyways?"

"I don't know. Someone probably had it and wanted to get rid of it or something. or they misplaced it."

"Yes, because ponies always misplace things like that in the mines."

"Hey, I don't know! When I found it it was in a box."

"And you had the idea to open it?"

"The lock was all rusted over! I figured it had been there for a long time!"

"Usually if you find something buried underground in a box it means that whoever put it there wanted to get rid of it with hopes that nopony else will find it."

"But isn't this something that was worth finding?"

"Not really!"

"Look, I'll think of something to do with it, and when I think of something, I'll let you know."

"Okay...should we tell Gem about it?" My mom asked, most of the anger in her voice now gone.

"Well, she might very well be listening to us through the door, you know."

That was my cue to leave because I figured that they were going to open the door. As quickly as I could I darted for my room and plopped myself onto my bed, grabbing the first book I saw. I opened it up to a random spot and acted like I had been reading the thing for a while. My parents wouldn't notice, right?

I waited for them to come and talk to me, though they didn't until later and they only just bid me goodnight. I wanted to know what the thing was that my father found in the mines. I tried to think about anything I knew of that could have as much power as my mom said it had. All I could think of was an alicorn or something like that. Maybe that old wizard I had heard of from Equestria, Starswirll or whatever his name was. Did he have items like that?

But what on earth could it be?

Author's Note

What do you think that Sombra found in the mines?
It might be pretty obvious though.