Chapters BOOM! An explosion ripped me from by peaceful slumber, "what in tatararus!" I growled as I leaped out of bed and ran to the window. My eyes widened in shock, my peaceful boring town was aflame. Ponies were running in all direction's some turning to stone, others transformed into different creature and some .... were killed.
I raced out of my room to find my sister standing in the living room staring fearfully at the carnage, she turned to face me after I had gotten to the bottom of the stairs. " W-what's going on S-Sombra?" she asked me, clearly scared and confused, I was silent, I knew what was happening, The Crystal empire was under attack.
BOOM. Another explosion shakes the house, my sister whimpers as debris falls on us, she scooted close to me and tried to avoid being seen. I put my hoof around her shoulders, suddenly the door up stairs burst open and my brother burst out of it glaring at us from the top of the stairs. "what in Tartars' are you doing!" he roared glaring at me as if this was my stupid cocky jerk! I thought angrily.
I pursed my lips and crossed my right hoof across my chest and bowed mockingly, " what are we doing? We are sitting here trying to find out why half of the crystal empire is on fire, but please go back to your books that much more important than our safety and the safety of the crystal empire." I said coldly my voice dripping with sarcasm. My sister, despite being afraid, managed to crack a smile.
My brother glared at me, obviously not amused. " Of course I care about our kingdom!" he shouted outraged, " how dare you-" I cut him off,
"Of course you do, now shut-up and-" I trailed off staring at the window in shock, Starswirll opened his mouth clearly about to interject. Fortunately that didn't happen. " Get down!" I screamed pushing my sister towards the corner, there was a flash of dark purple and I was sent flying alongside the debris.
Luckily I didn't pass out, I shook pieces of burnt paper and concrete off me, I got to my hooves and collapsed back onto the floor. My left front leg buckling under pressure. Damn it! I thought desperately, this leg could be my undoing. I looked around and saw the blasted remains of my home, but I didn't care about that for the moment, I was looking around frantically for my sister. somewhere on my left I hear some pony calling out to me, " Sombra! help me!" Without thinking I ran toward her, or tried to at least.
As soon as my leg hit the ground it buckled and sent me crashing into the dirt, " Crap!" I cursed as I struggled to my feet, " Celestia damn it! Celestia b-" I saw my brother sobbing about five meters from me or something.
"Starswirl! get over here!" I cried to my younger brother cowering in the ruins of what was once my home. Chaos was everywhere a strange creature was causing it. It had a goat's head, a horn from a deer, his right hand was a scaly claw like a bird's foot, it's right-wing was feathered, his left was a bat's wing, his right foot was bird-like and green tipped with large claws, it's left was donkey-like hoofed leg. It had an insane glint in its eyes.
"STARSWIRL GET LILY AND GET OUT YOU STUPID COWARD!!" I roared at my brother going mad with rage and frustration. But Starswirl remained inside the remains of the ruined house with a small filly whimpering in the corner, he was shivering and shrinking away trying to hide in the corner. Pathetic, yes that's the great and mighty Starswirl hiding in the shadows like a two year old filly. You probably want to put this down and walk away right? You probably don't believe a word of this but , this, as unbelievable as it is, is true.
The creature took no notice,"oh, this is so much fun!" It cackled insanely, moving its head around it saw me trying to get my brother and sister out, "I don't think so!" it sneered and pointed it's clawed scaly hand, a beam of dark purple energy erupted from it blasting the place to smithereens. But before the blast there was a flash of blue, and Starswirl collapsed away from the house, Lily was nowhere to be seen. I stood their my mouth agape in shock, No I thought That couldn't have happened she has to be here somewhere I ran toward the ruins of my house and dug through the debris. Where are you? Where are you? I thought desperately as threw away pieces of wood and concrete to uncover my sister, then I found her. a light pink colt with a bright blue mane lying on the ground with blood pooled around her muzzle. I pulled her close and put my head on her chest to find a heartbeat, but there was only silence and coldness as the warmth of her life faded into the coldness and despair of death...
"NOOOOO!" I screamed I turned to face the draqoness who, was still laughing. Hate and rage burnt through be like a wildfire. He killed her... "I'LL KILL YOU!!!" I screamed and my vision turned red. I shot a beam of blood red energy that simply bounced off the force field he produced. Seething with rage I leaped up at him and somehow flew, I did care that I was flying without wing's I just wanted him to suffer. I blasted him with another beam straight for his head, he was smirking and he split his head into as if it was made of clay. But I concentrated more, my eye's burned and my head ached, the beam turned in mid air zigzagging to strike him on his back. The blast caught him off guard and blasted him from the sky he smashed beyond my field of view, behind several houses so that all I could see was the bit's of debris blasted into the air by the impact as I blacked out.
When I awoke I was in a hospital, for a moment I sat staring blankly at the trying to remember what happened. Then it all hit me at once, the memory. She's dead.. I thought my eye's stinging with tear's gone... forever.... Forever. The hospital door's creaked open a pony with a white coat and a red plus sign on her flank. She smiled at me, " good, your awake!" she said in a cheerful tone. I said nothing and looked down at the bed sheet where my hoof lay over them. " I'm sorry about your family" she said in a understanding voice that angered me, what in Tartars' does she know? I thought angrily, She's a nurse, she hasn't fought in battle or ever experienced death like I have! I looked at her coldly a emptiness was all that was left of my heart. I felt ... angry? I'm not sure, it felt stronger and more terrible... but I knew that it was destroying all happy thoughts from my mind leaving me with anger, pain, and despair.
"You don't know anything," I said to her in a tone of calm, coldness and indifference. "So shut up, and stop pretending you do." The nurse stared at me looking like she had been slapped hard and fast in the face, she stuttered something stupidly and walked out of the room, pushing the door's open with her hoof. I sat there in silence, the world seemed to be shaking, no vibrating. I seemed to be watching someone else say and do these things as opposed to doing them myself. I didn't feel ashamed that I said that, nor was I remotely pleased. I felt a kind of cold numbness in place of despair and sadness. My head was unnaturally warm, did I have a fever? I decided to turn off the fan, I laid down, pulling over the cover's and drifting into an almost dreamless sleep. Wondering how my life could have gone from perfect to a living Tartarus in one night. life sure is unpredictable. I thought bitterly.
For most of my sleep I didn't dream anything, or rather, I don't remember what I dreamed . But for the last few hour's I dreamed of my parent's and my sister we were having a picnic in a plain grass land, they were on top of a small hill, and my uncle, who had died earlier in Canterlot because of an attack by a strange demon, was there too. It seemed so real I almost believed it was, but as I ran toward then nothing happened. The distance seemed the same if anything it was greater! I called out to them but they did not hear, or perhaps they didn't care. Soon I got to that hill but instead of finding my family having a jovial picnic I found their body's laying on the floor, cold and life-less. The draconaquess was afloat high in the blood red sky laughing his head off. I tried to charge but couldn't move, black crystals were covering my hooves, the cold black stone seemed to be sucking all the happiness and warmth of light from my body, leaving me with despair. Voices whispered to me,give up they told me, just give up, what's the point in living? Your family is dead, you are left with only your idiot brother .... do you want to see your sister again? Give up and we will show you her ... you failed her, so now join her. Join her and set right your wrongdoings! Growing and moving up my leg's until they reached my face, I failed ... that was my last thought as the crystals completely covered my face and I blacked out.
I awoke in cold sweat, breathing heavily. I glanced out the window only to see that it was the middle of the night, I got down from by bed, moving awkwardly With my stiff leg's and wincing in pain when I out weight on my injured limb, as I stumbled to the bathroom. My horn was burning and sore, my head ached and my leg stung, but I sucked it up. Once I reached their my leg's had returned to normal (except for my left forelimb of course.), I opened the tap's for the sink and splashed water on my face and horn to cool down. I then dried my face and mane with the light pink towel they had placed in a shelf right next to the right side of the sink., I returned to my hospital room and went to sleep. But before I did I sat on the bed by back resting on my pillow, I stared at the clock for a while then turned too a Metallic table littered with presents and letters of comfort from people I did not know. I opened a box of chocolates and slowly began to consume them. I gazed at the wall suddenly thinking of the underworld and Elysium, will my sister be there? She'd better be! What about the rest of my family? And what about me? I thought worried suddenly, I thought worried suddenly, as far as I knew I hadn't done anything so wrong that I would be sent to Tartarus or the fields of punishment , or anything so good that I would be sent to Elysium. I would probably be sent to the fields of Asphodel, Because I don't think I've done enough good to be sent to Elysium I shook my head. Best not to think of things like that. Once I was finished I wiped my muzzle, laid back down and drifted to sleep, this time it was completely dreamless, nothing but an empty void of numbness and shock. I shook my head. Best not to think of things like that. Once I was finished I wiped my muzzle, laid back down and drifted to sleep, this time it was completely dreamless, nothing but an empty void of numbness and shock.
The nurse brought a bowl of hay and oat's for my breakfast, she did it quietly with out trying to 'console' me as she tried to do the other day. I ate it in silence simply staring at it, when I was finished I sat and stared at the door blankly. Peace, I thought I need peace, for now. Because I had decided already that I would avenge my sister and parent's, I was going to make it pay, was I going to hurt it wound it? No, I was going to kill that monster! Hate rushed through me like a raging river of fire I'm going to damn it to tartaruas to make it pay for what it had done I was going to make that son of a- My thought's were interrupted as the door's were kicked open and a reporter and photographer barged in.
"Hello! my name is Ink Script and I'm here to interview you on the tragic death of your parent's!" The photographer said smiling, as if peopled loved to talk about their recently deceased relatives. "So how do you feel? Anger? Sadness? Happiness? were dying to know here!" He said purposely using the word dying for the situation.
Rage erupted in me, I leaped from my bed and walked out. one of the reporter tried to stop me and ask a stupid question, "Go to Tartaruas! You piece of scum!" I snarled at him knocking him aside and racing out of the hospital. I race past the hospital ponies who were trying to stop me as well, I Need to get to the library! I thought I have to find out what the hell that thing is so I can kill it! And with that thought i busted into the canterlot library, almost all the guards were on patrol outside the city so I didn't come across one.
Luckily their was no one there, I started taking book's of shelves and reading them. Spell books of course, they were fascinating, but unfortunately there weren't many. I opened a book and read, it said all kind's of crap about magic of love, magic of kindness magic of friendship and all kinds of bull crap.
I checked the entire Celestia damned book and none of it made no sense! I wasn't feeling loyal when I made the bolt turn in mid-air and I sure as hell wasn't feeling generous! " Stupid Celestia damned book!" I roared losing my temper,I chucking the useless piece of crap across the room. I raced to the exit and pulled. The door didn't open, I tried to push but that didn't work either, I pounded the door bucking it repeatedly, but to no avail. I yelled as loudly as I could, yet nothing happened. probably because the walls were sound proof so ponies in the library wouldn't get disturbed by poines making a racket out side I suppose it makes sense, it explain's why no one got angry at me for screaming in the library. I thought after calming down, ( which took about two hours.) well, since I'm trapped in here I guess I could try to identify the magic myself. And so walked over to the 'study area', sat on a chair and got to work.
"Alright," I muttered to myself, " what was I feeling at that moment?" I put my head on the desk and concentrated on it but I couldn't figure it out! back then i didn't even know what hate was. I glanced out the window and saw it was midnight, "Shit! It's almost time for my sister funeral!" and I shoved the scroll into the saddle bag I had brought into existence with my magic.Well at at least i found out one thing, I thought as I raced to the grave-yard, that thing that killed my sister was a draconequus. And knowing what it is is one step closer to killing it. I ran toward the giant mirrors and smashed through the glass, why didn't I just teleport? Because the library was teleport proof, duh!
My sister's funeral was a quiet one with not many ponies, my parents didn't come because they had died too, but we couldn't go to their burial, because their was nothing left to bury. Because my parents died to save thousands of innocents in the Crystal empires hospital, I had been given a medal of valor, but that thing was for something else as well. It was also becuse I had stood up to the draqoness and blasted him to the ground. That is pretty is pretty inspiring. A couple people came up to give speech, I didn't pay attention to any until my brother started his crap. "My sister was most dear to my hear, I cared very much about her-"
I cut him off, " no you didn't." Everyone was quiet for a little bit, then they started whispering among each other. " And if your going keep on saying shit like this, well theirs no point in staying in this place."
Starswirl opened his mouth, " brother I know that our sister death has grieved you-" I didn't let him finish his sentence, I punching him in the muzzle. Their was a collective gasp, my brother lay on the floor staring at me in shock, blood was flowing from his nose. I was breathing heavily, tear's running down my face.
"LIAR!" I screamed, " YOUR A WORTHLESS LIAR! I SAW YOU COULD HAVE SAVED HER BUT YOU DIDN'T! YOU COWARD, YOU SAVED YOURSELF AND LET MY SISTER DIE YOU SPINELESS COWARD!" The crowd was staring intently clearly shocked, I didn't even care that a reporter was taking notes on her notepad and taking pictures. "YOU CARED MORE ABOUT YOUR CELESTIA DAMNED BOOK'S THAN YOUR FAMILY! YOU WANT FAME? THIS IS WHAT I THINK OF YOU!" I spat on his face and walked away.
I didn't know where I was going or why I raced past the orphanage that was now my home, before I knew it I was at the gates of the crystal palace. I ran toward's it but, two guards stopped me. "State your business," one of them said glaring at me suspiciously, I felt a surge of ... something, at the time I wasn't sure what it was but, it felt like anger but ... more terrible.
I glared at him coldly," I'm going to the library, or is that against the law as well?" I said sarcastically, in a barley concealed mocking tone. The guard was silent, he awkwardly apologized and opens the door and let me in without a word. I raced into the library and began to write note's so fast I actually ripped the paper. "Shit!" I growled as I used my horn to mend the page I was writing on, I rolled up the scroll and raced out with it hovering after me. I was doing something that had never been done before, something radical , something bold, something that lead to my ultimate demise.
I was standing in the open crystal plain's not far from the empire, my chest heaving, I felt like somepony had placed a block of cement on my chest, making it harder and harder for me to breath my ribs felt like they were about to snap at any time. I let out a roar of rage, "DAMN YOU STARSWIRL!" My scream echoed for miles.My vision turned green ( yes green, what? you were expecting red? ) my horn felt like it was one fire, as if somepony had wrapped a white-hot wire around my horn. I closed my eyes and, I focused my magic into a beam that I used to blast the bronze crystal's growing out of the ground, except the beam wasn't my usual red, but purple and black,. Once the beam hit the floor it caused the ground to shake. Then, the ground where my beam had hit cracked and three giant meter long crystal's erupted from the ground, I stared in shock of what I had done. Then, a sudden burst of rage overcame me, I couldn't explain it but, I felt angry. Not at Starswirl or anypony, I just ..... felt angry for no reason. "DAMN IT!!" I roared blasting more and more places with the strange magic, soon a good ten meters was covered with these crystal's.
It still wasn't enough, "DAMN DRACONEQUUS!" I roared at the top of my lungs, sending a beam of that 'dark magic' into the heaven's, but it wasn't like the aura that erupted from my horn earlier, it was dark purple, and it was more like smoke than the regular magical aura, the clear sunny blue skies of the Crystal Empire turned black by the clouds that had suddenly appeared to block the sunlight, they spun to make a twenty-meter cyclone above me. Lightning bolt shot out from the sides blasting the bronze crystals to ashes's If I can destroy that draconequus, no KILL it. I can bring back everyone my family ... my friends ... ( I'll admit it, I went a little crazy there, but only a little! Now, shut up and read the damned story. ) my horn felt like it was on fire, burning with hate ... I stumbled way feeling weak and some what drowsy, resting on a large bronze crystal protruding from the ground. It was about five meter tall and four meter's wide, jagged at the edges it looked like a giant spear head. I leaned on the base of it,breathing heavily, my lungs felt like they were on fire! I drew a ragged, hoarse breath, and glanced at the base of it. I gazed at my reflection in numb shock, My horn lost it's circular pattern and turned into a smooth grey foot-long spear tipped with what appeared to be blood. It had curved slightly and only at the tip, the dark smoke-like aura was still trailing from it like steam or dry ice, ( how do I know about dry ice? Long story, shut up and and pay attention!)
Power seemed to be flowing from my horn, the power pumped alongside my blood filling every organ with magic, except unlike the friendship magic it filled me with anger, hate, and a strange desire to laugh. I felt like killing everypony in the crystal empire, just for fun! The magic was filling me, driving out all positive thoughts and emotions leaving me with only hate, greed envy, and ... well, you get the point. I turned away shocked and confused, but then my confusion gave way to senseless rage. It seemed to pump from my heart, the world was spinning my head felt like it was on fire. Memories raced in front of me I had never felt so enraged. Without thinking I smashed my hoof into the hundred pound's bolder,( well actually it was a ten-meter-tall bronze crystal that was protruding from a rift in the ground.) crack a crack appeared on the side facing me. Unsatisfied I turned and kicked it with my back-leg's using all my power, the bolder tilted and fell over.
I glanced around and saw, to my surprise, that the bronze crystals around me had also turned inky-black. A circle of black crystals surrounded me, still spreading as if some one had spilled black ink on it, spreading like the ink would on a page. An evil smirk appeared on my usually angry face, I had no idea I had just pushed my deeper into an abyss in which I could never return from....
Listen to me reliving my childhood, pft, at this rate I'll turn out like my sentimental brother! I really don't see the point in continuing, most of you ponies with just end the story here saying, "well that's it, we all know how it ends he goes loony, then Celestia and Luna kick his tail and banish him to the frozen north!" Well, believe me when I say, that's not true at all ... * (No it isn't Tierk, shut up and let me finish!)***