Sombra smiled at Luna and Celestia, giggling as they play-fought. Today, they weren’t just kids with bedtimes and Mummies. Today, they were the bravest of warriors! They didn’t need parents! They were unstoppable. However, as they needed a bad guy, Sombra was forced to pretend to be the evil one, betraying them.
“Sombra! But w-e trusted you!” Celestia stutters slightly, faking shock and hurt. Luna beside her only scrunched her face up in pretend anger. Sombra laughed, raising his head to look to the sky above them, just outside the Crystal Palace. The grass beneath them was brushed past by wind on it’s way to flee his pure evil.
“Sombra, darling, can we talk?” Interrupted, the three turned as their parents arrived. Sombra shrugged, giving a warm smile as he said goodbye to his friends. As Celestia and Luna left with their parents, Sombra’s mother lent down, giving a sad smile.
“Dear, you should really stop playing with their children, it is a bad influence on you.” Picking Sombra up by the scruff, the mother began to head back inside, heading into a room Sombra had been forbidden from entering. Looking around in curious excitement, he almost forgot to answer.
“But maa, they’re fun.” Ears flicking down, Sombra hated the fact his mother laughed at him. He was serious, why did grownups always do that? As he was put down, his mother pointed to a stone wall, different from the crystal around them. It decrypted a shadow, a darkness descending upon a crying pony. Sombra tilted his head, wondering what it was.
“You’re old enough that you can know why we don’t want you hanging around them. You see, my son, one of them is cursed.” The mother paused, pointing to the shadow.
“Inside your friend Luna, lies a great evil that is waiting for the right time to be free. As your friend grows older, this evil grows stronger. Eventually, it will consume her.” Lowering her head in sadness, she brought her son into a hug. Sombra looked at the wall for a moment longer, before pushing his mother away, taking a step back and turning to glare at her.
“I’ll show you! Luna’s my friend! If she has this evil inside of her I will get rid of it and free her!” Eyes full of fire, mane of black rimming his red eyes, Sombra almost seemed to grow in size. His mother could see the signs of a great leader inside of him. The signs that meant nothing with his brother being the oldest.
“Just watch me Ma. Watch me.”
Ka-Zap!
Sombra opened his eyes, raising his head to look out the window to the thunderous forest in front of him. Standing up, he cracked his neck, approaching the glass to look outside. The forest howled with displeasure, fierce winds beating down on the ruined walls. Recent work on the castle had rebuilt most of it, but the wind still threatened the parts not yet rebuilt.
Turning, Sombra pulled a blanket over his body, and walked out of the Library, heading for the kitchen to make a drink. Giving a soft grumble, his stomach rejoiced over the milkshake it was about to receive. Sombra allowed his normally displeased expression to fall into a more calm disposition, and began to prepare his drink.
On one wall, a letter from Twilight explained the various events that had occurred since his move. The Castle being further remodeled, and finally beginning to feel more like a home, a picture of a hairdo she had tried out, and a lesson she had learned. Looking to it, Sombra sipped his drink, thoughts going north, to where his old Empire was likely growing and thriving strong. Even now, he could feel the pulse of the magic that quietly swept across the land, helping keep the land at a peace that they had known all their life.
ZZZZap!
Turning, Sombra glanced out the window in the kitchen to the not-yet repaired section of the castle, where the Elements had been housed. Looking over, he narrowed his eyes through the rain, wondering what the strange light was. Finishing his drink, he placed it down, and removed the blanket from his body. Turning, he began to follow the path that would lead outside, and to the ruins. Magic weaved through his horn, and he used a shield spell to keep the rain off him, similar to an umbrella.
Hiss
Approaching cautiously, Sombra narrowed his eyes, preparing a spell to defend him against an attack. Whatever it was, it sounded dangerous. Looking inside, he saw nothing, until he looked right. The light had moved to a different room, one he had managed to rebuild. Moving slowly, Sombra entered the stage room.
‘This is where Luna’s evil was cleansed.’ Looking toward the platform at the very end of the room, Sombra had found the source of the light. It appeared to be a ball of rainbow, circling something. As he approached, Sombra could see the rainbow starting to darken in color, until all of it was pitch black.
“Oh,” he spoke, running toward the exit. Obviously the curse was escaping. If he hurried, he could get the Element bearers before it broke free. When that happened, it would attach to a pony. And Sombra did not want to risk it returning directly to Luna. Behind him, the black orb began to crack, and shattered to millions of pieces.
Glancing back, Sombra had time to widen his eyes, seeing the dark shadow blossoming out, probing for a new host. After a moment, it collapsed into a small orb of darkness, similar to Sombra’s own shadow form. Sombra managed another whole step before the orb leaned back, and sprung forward toward him at mach speed.
Pulling up his shield, Sombra tried to block the darkness. However, all his magic could not protect against something that was ethereal. It passed through his defenses without any resistance, and dived into his horn. Sombra collapsed to the ground, shuddering as the invasive force sought to overtake his body.
Slamming down his mental defenses, Sombra forced the darkness to the very recesses of his mind, building walls between it and him, hoping to keep it contained. The mental blocks worked, but barely, and Sombra blinked his eyes, slowly coming back to reality. Laying on the ground, he was unable to muster the energy to do anything for a very long time.
‘I need to get to Twilight, and fast.’ Gritting his teeth, Sombra forced himself to stand, turn, and head for the path to Ponyville. The curse had resolved to bide its time, and was no longer pelting at his mind for control. But Sombra had no doubts that if he did not seek the only tool capable of banishing this darkness, he would become its tool.
And be consumed.
