Chapter 1
- When Twilight was told that she had to find the crystal heart, she had thought it would be a simple task. Find it, use it against the vile darkness, and return to Canterlot to bring her mentor joy.
She didn't think that she would spend her time running through the empire to save the entire land of Equestria.
She dashed through the city, the city that wouldn't be here tomorrow if she failed. "Ugh, where could this artifact be? Maybe it's hidden back in the library, wait, no, one of my friends would have noticed it." She halted, realizing the one place it could be.
Twilight skid to a halt in front of the crystal palace, her faithful assistant Spike followed, panting for breath.
"Twilight. How. Can. You. Run that fast? I thought you the slow one, well, putting teleportation aside"
Twilight turned to face Spike "Spike, I think I've found the location of the Crystal Heart!" She pointed a hoof to the palace. "It's right here in the palace! Now, let's hurry before Sombra breaks through the barrier, we don't have much time left!
Twilight bucked the door open and began running to the throne room, certain that the crystal heart would be somewhere in that vicinity. Where else could it possibly be if not there? She searched every crack and pushed the walls to see it there would be any doors that revolved to show some hidden lair of. Finding nothing, she turned around and looked directly at the throne, she didn't know why, but something about it looked awfully familiar.
Then it hit her, this was a replica of the crystal Celestia was using while showing her how to use dark magic. If the structure was the same, it would probably function the same, too. "Spike!" Twilight shouted, "This isn't the throne room!"
Spike scratched his head in confusion. "What? But if this isn't the throne room, then where else could it be?"
Twilight moved toward the throne, "Sombra did live here, Spike. But as you'll soon see, the answer is right in front of us. Literally."
Twilight concentrated, going deep within her mind to find all the negative emotions she carried: worry, self-doubt, anger, fear... all of these emotions concentrated into a dark black and green color on her horn. Twilight struggled to keep it in control, this was Dark magic, after all. But Twilight was confident enough in her abilities as well as the advice of her glorious mentor.
She went deeper, reliving every moment where she was angry. In a flair of purple and green magic, Twilight released the anger in a beam aimed at the crystal atop the throne. The crystal absorbed the energy and turned to a dark black, revealing through its shadow a spiral staircase in the floor.
Swaying slightly from exhaustion, Twilight walked to the top of the staircase. She could only see two levels down before the blackness swallowed them up.
Twilight turned her head, "Spike, please stay here and keep watch. I need to know how close Sombra gets to the empire. If he happens to break through Cadance's barrier, shout it to me."
Spike, though shivering with fear for her, agreed. "Yes, Twilight. But, promise me you'll be careful?"
Twilight gave him a smile, "I promise, Spike. I've dealt with worse than stairs." She began walking down them slowly, knowing what would happen if she lost her footing. After what seemed like forever, she came to the landing, only to be greeted by a single door.
Using her magic, she tried to grab the handle, but before she could turn it the door moved. "A self-moving door? It must be a security measure Sombra installed so other ponies couldn't get through. Maybe it works the same as the throne-crystal." Once more channeling her negative emotions, she unleashed a beam of dark magic. This time, the door unlatched.
"It is just me, or did that seem easier than before? Never mind, I'll research it when an empire isn't depending on me." She pushed open the door and a bright light poured out.
"Yes! This must be the way to the real throne room! The Crystal Heart must be here!" She galloped toward the light, but was greeted by a void once she passed the door frame. There were no stairs, no evidence of a door, simply darkness.
Twilight began to lose her composure and started shivering "Ugg, fine. So I fell into another trap. No matter, I'll just teleport myself out."
"I wouldn't do that if I were you," said a voice.
Twilight's body went as cold as ice. She turned her head, and behind her was a stallion. His fur black, his green eyes leaking purple plasma, and his horn... his horn."No! No, no, no, no, no! This can't be happening!" she shrieked. "You can't be here, you're nothing more than a shadow with eyes! How are you here?
Sombra remained unaffected by Twilight screams. "Really?" he asked. "A shadow with eyes? So that's what I've been reduced to." His mouth curled to show a set of fangs. "Curse those royal sisters, they must have done a bigger number on me than I thought." Sombra looked into her eyes. "I am not the King Sombra you saw in the waking world, I am only a remnant of his consciousness banished into this door. And I've been waiting for you."
Sombra took a step toward Twilight, who let forth a burst of energy. A beam that fazed through him.
"A valiant effort, my dear, but it's all for naught. You are currently within my mind and cannot hurt me, just as I cannot hurt you. Well, physically.
Twilight took a few steps back, turning her head just enough to look for an exit. "You won't be able to stop me from finding the Crystal Heart, Sombra. No matter how hard you try!
Sombra stopped walking and was silent for a minute. He then burst into a fit laughter that would make Pinkie Pie seem second-rate. "Stop you? I don't want to stop you. Quite the contrary, Twilight Sparkle, I want to rescue you."
Putting aside the fact that this monster knew her name, Twilight asked, "Rescue me? From what, yourself?"
"No," Sombra replied, "I want to rescue you from the tyranny of Celestia, the true evil one among us."
"What?" Twilight cried in disbelief, "What are you talking about? She trusts me and has time and again guided me through the most difficult of tasks! I'm not falling for any more of your tricks."
Sombra smiled. "Okay, if that's true then tell me, what do you truly know about me? Only what your perfect little princess has told you?"
Twilight thought for a moment, what did she know? "I know that roughly 1,000 years ago there was an evil king who took over the Crystal Empire. Celestia and Luna were able to banish him, but not before he cast a curse to take the Empire with him."
Sombra sighed. "I thought as much. So, you're the scholar, can you really trust the word of only two ponies?" Sombra shrugged. "Perhaps you will believe my side, perhaps not. But at least do me the honor of listening. Now, I was a king and greatly loved by my subjects. I brought prosperity to the Empire as a master of trade and negotiations, and, if need be, a master battle strategist. All of Equestria flourished while I ruled, but the royal sisters didn't think the same. They didn't understand what I was doing, so they staged a coup. We were all supposed to rule together, but I was betrayed."
The darkness around them was replaced with the Crystal Empire, but it was engulfed in flames. Ponies were screaming and running for their lives. Twilight looked up and saw pegasi using clouds to shoot lighting at buildings, setting them ablaze. She looked down to see a filly on the ground, her body gruesomely cut by pegasi wing-blades.
Sombra and Twilight looked at each other. "That friend of yours, Rainbow Dash. I wonder how she would act if she found out this is what the Wonderbolts truly are? They just hide it behind fancy aerial shows, trying to forget the lives their predecessors ruined."
Not all those running by were ponies. Twilight noticed a Minotaur and a Diamond Dog, both of which were consumed by a jet of flame before they could reach the city wall. The pony who made the flame, was the very same Twilight had studied under for years. Her eyes were cold and empty
Twilight had seen enough. "Stop it, please. Let it end."
Sombra made eye contact and the vision slowly faded.
"I can't believe you," Twilight managed amidst tears, "Celestia would never do something so cruel. Equestria's a land of harmony, not this... this horror."
Sombra shook his head. "And who's to say Equestria is the perfect land of harmony you think it is? Have you ever looked at the balance of power? Ponies reign supreme while other races go looking for scraps. Remember that Diamond Dog you saw? They used to have a large empire. They mined minerals and gems in trade for food. Then Celestia and Luna took it all. Why else are they living in caves? And the Griffons, look at their once glorious city of Griffonstone.
The shadowy realm dissipated once again and Twilight lifted her face out of her hooves to look at the changed landscape. Where she expected to see a city similar to that of Canterlot she saw nothing of value, the houses, run down and looked like they would fall under the gentlest of breezes, the citizens, constantly shouting at each other it was the complete opposite of harmony.
"Does Celestia not have the means to do this to an entire race? Does she not possess the resources?"
Twilight remained silent.
"I take that silence as a yes. Instead of giving them away, all the resources go to those petty nobles in Canerlot who waste money simply to flaunt their social status. Greed, lust, cruelty, dishonesty, the very types of behavior that Equestria should stand against and yet nothing ever changes because those with power stay in power."
Silence lasted once again before Twilight finally posed a question. "Why should I believe you? All the citizens remember your tyranny, and the sisters as saviors." Twilight started to regain her confidence believing this final shred of evidence would be enough to prove the monster wrong.
"Their memories have been replaced. Before banishing me, the sisters cast a spell to make it look like I was the evil one."
"B-But that's impossible! Only the darkest level unicorns could cast a spell like that, there's no way that-"
Sombra cut Twilight off and literally moved through her. "But remember, Twilight," he said, his voice growing more powerful, "who's the one that taught you dark magic in the first place?"
Twilight completely lost her composure, shooting blast after blast through Sombra.
"Yes, that's it, Twilight," he said. "Unleash all your anger upon the world. You've been lied to by your teacher countless times. Join me, and we can make Equestria a better place! All you have to do it help de-throne Celestia." He held out a hoof for her to take.
In reply, Twilight spit through his face "Burn in Tartarus!"
Sombra sighed, "So be it." Sombra's horn started glowing and before Twilight knew it she was flat on the ground, around her hooves was a black tendril crushing her.
"AHH, Twilight screamed. I thought you said you couldn't hurt me in here."
Sombra's smile sent shivers down Twilight spine, this pony knew exactly what he was doing, and there was no regret. He could kill her with one simple command and yet he didn't. "Fine then. Just remember, when your friends call out your name to find you, nopony will ever come. They'll all suffer all because of your close mindedness because...... Friendship. Is. Tragic.
Author's Note
What? Jonah Smith uploaded a story that's more than just a one shot? Yeah expect this to be a frequently updated story. I've had this idea ever since I started fimfiction.
Twilight had heard ponies say that their lives have flashed before their eyes in bleak situations. She was happy to know that they were wrong, instead there were just flashes of darkness, possibly a little red too.
Twilight was caught up in the tentacles grip. It was slowly crushing her. She could feel the air escaping her lungs, flashes of red overtaking her sight as they gripped even tighter. "Please stop," she screamed, "I can't take this anymore!"
Sombra laughed the vilest of laughs, "Oh, I'm sorry, have we met? I'm King Sombra, ruler of darkness, ruiner of lives, the enemy of your mentor, Princess Celestia. I don't even have a heart, but if I did, for me to let you go would be... how to put it... out of character." Sombra's eyes glowed a little brighter and the tentacles got tighter and tighter.
Sombra walked over to Twilight until their muzzles nearly touched. "You know maybe after I'm done with you I can go after all of your friends too. I haven't had an ice earth pony servant for about a century and a strong mare like her would do wonders. Then there's that shy friend of yours. So caring, so nice, so fragile."
The tentacles grip got tighter and Twilight spit something out of her mouth, looking down at it it looked to be blood and it faded quickly into the darkness.
"That fashionista has good taste, she'd make good banners for me for when I take back Equestria. And thinking of it, how am I the heartless one when you have dragon as your own personal pet." Sombra smirked 'Oh don't worry about him, he'll do fine work being a soldier in my army, well, assuming he survives the growth process."
With that, time around Twilight just... stopped, multiple memories, multiple images came flashing back.
The day she and her friends defeated Nightmare Moon.
Laughing together at the disaster that was the Grand Galloping gala.
Celestia allowing her to stay in Ponyville.
Being praised as a hero for defeating Discord.
This pony, no, this monster, wanted to ruin the bonds she made after so long he wanted to ruin the lives of so many innocent ponies all because he couldn't simply compromise with the princesses. He didn't deserve to live, he was the complete enemy of harmony. And enemies of harmony must be eradicated!
Twilight clutched her head and with a mighty cry of anguish let loose a scream, and with that scream emitted a powerful shockwave that expelled from her body. The tentacle around her dissolved and Sombra was sent flying backwards. He used a blast from his horn to slow down his descent, making the fall less painful.
Sombra looked up and no longer stood the pony he'd been breaking, there stood a confident mare her eyes glowing a crimson red, the look in her eyes said it clearly. "I'm no longer afraid, you wanted to break me, but now it is I who shall be breaking you."
Twilight's horn glowed a dark purple her normal magical lavender aura was still there, but less so, it looked as if its essence was being compressed, or worse, eliminated. " This new power feels amazing! I feel as if I could accomplish half of the feats of a normal unicorn" Twilight smirked, "One of those feats being eliminating you!"
A black, tentacle grew up out of the darkness and slithered right next to Twilight, Sombra shook his head, "Really? This is just the same spell I just used on you, come on, aren't you the apprentice of the all powerful Celestia? I'd believe you'd know a little something called varie-"
Sombra's sentence cut off as a force behind him propelled him backwards. Unlike the first time he couldn't recover his body rolling through the background he himself created. Sombra steadily got up to his knees and placed a hoof to his muzzle, there was blood.
"I'm amazed, how did you manage to hit me? The distance between us is obviously different, I-" Then Sombra noticed, there was a second tentacle. "That's it, you didn't just summon one, you made one in plain sight to lower my guard while another one blended into the-"
Sombra was blasted by a dark beam of magic and flew backwards while Twilight watched, "You'd think villains would learn by now to stop speaking to their opponents, it makes them wide open for attack." Sombra blinked at the response.
"Well, I guess it's time to stop holding back," The two ponies fueled by dark magic charged at each other, one fueled by anger, the other with the thrill of battle.
Applejack knew she didn't have time to mess around. She was getting tired of having to shoo away all of these ponies who wanted to get a look at what they thought was their precious crystal heart
"These pesky varmits are as annoying as the ticks Ah have to clean off Winona, Where's Twilight with that crystal heart? We're runnin out of time!"
"Applejack!"
Turning towards the voice Applejack saw it was Pinkie Pie bouncing towards her, calling her name
" Celestia dang it Pinkie! I've got my hooves tied up already enough as it is here with these ponies! I thought you were helping keeping them busy,"
Pinkie smiled, "Oh, don't worry, silly filly. They simply got a little bored. But I was just wondering if you noticed how strange the sky is, one moment it's dark, the next it's light."
"What?!" Applejack yelled, looking at the sky. Just like Pinkie said the sky was flickering, and each time it flickered it looked like the dark smoke surrounding the empire was trying to get in, Applejack slammed her hat on the ground "Gosh darn it! Cadence's magic must be weakening and that Sombra bloke is trying to get inside! If Twilight doesn't manage to find the Crystal Heart in time, we're as good as dead!"
Applejack felt a hoof on her shoulder she turned around and it was Pinkie
Applejack felt a hoof on her shoulder, Pinkie's hoof. "Don't worry," she said, "it's Twilight we're talking about here. She's beaten a literal god before, she won't lose against a pile of smoke. We'll succeed." Pinkie then jabbed herself in the eye "And that's a Pinkie Promise! There's no possible way our Twilight would fail."
"You've failed, Twilight Sparkle."
Sombra stood victorious, his foe encased in a black crystal. Sombra fell to one hoof, "She's probably unconscious" he said to himself, "but she actually managed to put up a good fight." Sombra put a hoof to his right eye, which had a scar over it. "If I hadn't had left my guard down again I probably would have lost this eye entirely. I was thinking of just killing her off, but she's more powerful then I was with magic in my prime. I could use that, she would make a valuable pawn to this never ending game between Celestia and me. And speaking of her royal highness..."
Sombra's horn glowed, erasing the realm he had encased himself and Twilight in.
"A little voice changing spell and this should go perfectly." Sombra released a blast from his horn upwards, it landed back on Sombra, "Ugh, that spell, always leaves my throat feeling weird," Sombras voice was noticeably a higher pitch, "It may be a bit deeper than normal but it'll probably be enough to fool that dragon. Time is over the essence."
Sombra cleared his throat and yelled, "Spike! It's safe, come down now! I need your help with something!" Sombra waited until he could hear the tiniest of footsteps heading down the stairs, "Perfect," he thought to himself innerly, "Now to hide."
Sombra backed against the wall and began to fuse with it, becoming one with the shadows he so controlled. He waited, until he heard the voice again.
"Twilight?! Twilight?! Where are you?!"
Sombra laughed mentally, "Oh, I'm almost sorry that I have to do this" Sombra's horn glowed allowing him to walk out of the shadow, right to face the purple dragon in front of him.
The dragon began to back away his eyes a twitching mess, Sombra could almost feel the fear radiating out of his body, and it felt glorious.
"Y-y- you're..." the dragon the dragon began to stammer.
Sombra walked up to the dragon until they were face to face, he tried to run but found himself pinned against a wall. Sombra then pointed a hoof to his chest
"I am King Sombra, the rightful ruler of the Crystal Empire." His eyes began to glow. "Now Spike, I do believe your name is, I believe you can do me, a little favor.
Author's Note
Sorry for the long hiatus, I forgot how much fun writing this story is, hopefully there won't be as long as a delay with the next chapter.
Once again, credit goes to https://www.fimfiction.net/user/284900/Matthewl419 for helping me with the editing. If there's any mistakes you notice feel free to point them out, I heavily support feedback.
