Julius Sombra

Chapters

Chapter 1: "In the Beginning"
Chapter 2: "I Have Done the Deed"
Chapter 3: "My Two Mortal Enemies"
Chapter 4: "Horrors of My Father, the King"
Chapter 5: "On the Rack"
Chapter 6: "Confrontation"
Chapter 7: "Julius Meets Tirek"
Chapter 8: "Escaping from Tartarus"
Chapter 9: "Starting the Hunt"

Chapter 1: "In the Beginning"

PRESENT DAY: TARTARUS PRISON

It had only been merely 3 days since I was recaptured by my enemies, my father's enemies and brought back here to the cold prison of Equestria's most vile and dangerous prisoners. I was a pony who had a dream, an ambition to one day become supreme ruler of Equestria. But, now all those dreams were dashed and more than likely will never come to fruition again.

"You might as well not even try to escape again, Sombra," said the Prison Warden, his guards pointing their flashlights right at me. "I have orders to tell you that for your recent escapes, you shall be put to death."

"Tirek escaped from prison and all he got was a flogging and a branding," I said to the warden. "Why do you keep him alive and only kill me?"

"Because Tirek didn't kill anypony," answered the warden, firmly. "All he did was steal magic and place our princesses in here against their will. You have been serving a 1,000 year sentence for murdering Princess Amore and the terms of sentences for murderers is that if they escape from here, then they are to be put to death."

All I could do was scowl at the warden, growl at the way he was looking at me with a smug smile on his face.

"Your father was a murderous pony," he remarked, lightly tapping the bars of the cage I was in. "It seems only fitting that he be blown up to smithereens by the Crystal Ponies. It was a slow and painful death to say the least, you know. Yours will be similar, but you will be hanged for your crimes and only your neck will break."

"Then, you may do what you want with me," I whispered. "But, hear this: that what I did was try to honor the wishes of my murdered father by doing what I had set out to one day accomplish…"

"Which was nothing," interrupted the warden, chuckling slightly. "Thanks to our princesses and our former enemy turned ally, your plans were destroyed and now you are going to pay the penalty for your crimes against Equestria. If I were you, Julius Sombra, I'd think about your life up until this moment, how you ended up like this and why you are standing in the shattered dreams you once found yourself in."

With those words, I saw the warden walk away, flanked by his guards. It could be any moment, it could be any day now, but I was going to die and that there wouldn't be anything I could do to stop it from happening.

"It seems like that everything that I have done is all for nothing," I said to myself, sitting down on the cold floor of my cage. "Father, if you can hear me, then listen to what I have to say. I tried to do everything you trained me to do and I have failed. If I have regrets, it would be for not fulfilling your wishes and desires. Where did I stumble? Where did I go wrong? Should I not have escaped from this prison? Please, I ask you father, please do not let me die…bewildered."

For a moment, I could hear nothing. Then, I heard a voice, a growling voice that was just like my father's.

"Think, Julius," the voice growled. "You must think back to the beginning."

Hearing this made me confused. What did my father mean by the beginning? Could he be wanting me to think back to that beginning when I was born over 1,000 years earlier? To the moment

"The beginning?" I asked. "What do you mean?"

"You know what I am saying of you, my son," the voice replied. "The moment you came into the world and I groomed you into becoming like me."

For a moment, I thought it was just my mind playing tricks on me, but it wasn't. Then, before my eyes, I saw the ghost of a pony that looked very much like my father. The only difference was that the red horn that once adorned at the top of his head was gone.

"Look at me, my son," the ghost said, putting his hoof on my chin. "I know that you tried your best in doing what I had taught you to do. I know you wanted to fulfill my dreams and goals for Equestria in an effort to please me and your mother. Yet, that was not meant to be and thanks to our enemies, I'm afraid everything that our family has worked for will be for nothing."

Hearing this, I sighed heavily as I began to think back…

…

1,008 YEARS EARLIER: THE CRYSTAL EMPIRE

A wise pony once said that everyone is born, but not everyone is born the same. Some grow up to be butchers, bakers or candlestick makers. Some even grow up to be good at making Jell-O salad. But, you know, everypony is unique for better or for worse.

…

That's how I was brought up to be from the moment I came into the world of Equestria, to one day succeed a king who ruled over a kingdom with an iron hoof. He had a plan, a plan to conquer this kingdom and rule it as his own. That was the dreams of my father, King Sombra.

…

On the day of my birth, my father was in the rank of a highly respected member of the Crystal Empire's court. But, unbeknownst to his fellow members of the court, he harbored a dark side, a dark side that would more than likely one day come out in devious fashion.

"Life's not fair, is it?" he asked as he grabbed a mouse in his magic aura. "You see I, well, I shall never be king."

He twirled the mouse around and then brought it to his mouth, chuckling slightly. "And you shall never see the light of another day. Adieu."

But before my father could finish off the mouse, an older voice, almost like a grandfather's voice was heard from behind him.

"Sombra," said the voice that came from a blue unicorn pony with a curly gray mane and tail. "Didn't your mother ever tell you not to torture innocent creatures?"

"What do you want?" he grunted, releasing the mouse from his magical grip.

"I'm here to announce that your beloved wife has given birth to your foal," he announced and all my father could do was grin, not because of the fact that I came into the world of Equestria. But of something else. "It is a colt and I must say that he very much looks like you."

"Show him to me," my father said quietly and the old unicorn pony led my father into my mother's chambers. Upon entering the Chambers, my father looked my mother, who was holding me in her magic aura. Even though I was too young to remember everything, I do remember my father gasping loudly at my entrance into the world. "Pewter, my wife. You gave me a son!"

"It seems that our lords and masters have been good to us," my mother said, handing me over to my father. "You've always said you wanted a son and here he is."

Now, my father couldn't have been more happier at the fact that he had me in the first place. As I looked up at him, I could remember him feeling like the happiest stallion in Equestria… maybe a little bit too happy.

"What shall we name him?" asked my mother.

"We shall name him after me, Pewter," my father answered. "Our son shall be called Julius, Julius Sombra II, son of Julius Sombra I, me."

Just then, her royal highness, Princess Amore, walked into the room and towards my father. As she did, the smile that my father had quickly disappeared and turned into a scowl, for he had a hatred towards Amore and it wasn't because of the fact that she had done anything personally towards us.

"Congratulations on the birth of your son, Sombra," she said. "He's going to one day be like his father: a valued member of my court."

"Indeed he will, your highness," remarked my father, trying to keep his forced smile on Amore. "Indeed he will. There is no question that my son will be a valued member of your court, your highness. I have no doubt about that."

Then, of course, my father had plans for the Crystal Empire and Princess Amore was not to be included.

…

8 YEARS LATER ON THE OUTSKIRTS OF THE CRYSTAL EMPIRE…

…

The day of my exposure to my father's ambitions was on a day of great victory for my father. For he had been locked in growing conflict with Princess Amore, the ruler of the Crystal Empire. And so, the great might and ponyhood of the Crystal Empire had met in bloody civil war. My father's legions had destroyed Amore's legions and now he was relishing in the victory that he had obtained.

"The smell of Crystal death is just as black," he said to himself. "And the stink no less. It was Amore, not I who wanted so. She wouldn't give up her crown and thus brought this conflict on our land. Julius, come here at once!"

I had been in a tent, having come to witness my father's triumphant victory over the Crystal Empire's beloved Princess.

"Yes, father?" I asked, approaching him. "What do you ask of me?"

"What do you see before you?" he remarked, ordering me to look at his forces clearing the bodies of the dead off of the battlefield.

"I see dead bodies being taken away," I said. "Bodies of our own forces and those of Princess Amore."

"Take a look around you, son," he replied attempting to show me what was happening. "Do you see what I have spent my entire life preparing you for? This is what happens to those who defy the order that I seek to bring to the Crystal Empire. They pay dearly with their lives."

However, at the time, I wasn't sure of what or why my father would do such a thing. I was only a young foal of eight, at an age when most ponies my age would be going through the process of education. But, my father was giving me my own education and it was an education that was of his own vision.

"Now, I put the next part of my plan in motion," he said, pulling a sword out of his holster. "But this time, it's up to you to carry out this part of my plan. "And the pony who will help me carry out that plan…is you."

"Me?" I wondered, begrudgingly accepting the sword. "What do you want me to do?"

For a moment, there was nothing but silence between my father and me. Then, he uttered words that would make a pony like me turn tail and run.

"Eliminate Princess Amore," he ordered in a cold voice. "Now that she has retreated from her kingdom, we need to make sure she doesn't return to the Crystal Empire…ever."

My eyes widened in shock, completely unaware of the consequences that were about to be uncovered…

Chapter 2: "I Have Done the Deed"

With her forces severely weakened, my father had no doubt in his mind that Princess Amore had retreated from the Crystal Empire. News of her disappearance was spreading like wildfire among her subjects, who were praying for her safety. However, my father had a plan, a plan to seize the throne only if Princess Amore was dead as a doornail.

"Find her, Julius," ordered my father as he and his forces prepared to return to the Crystal Empire and wait for Amore's death. "Find her and kill her with the sword I have given you. Do not return until I see that her blood is on the blade."

"Father," I asked, part of me not wanting to kill the Crystal Empire's most beloved leader. "Wouldn't it be better if I just capture her and you kill her yourself?"

I could remember my father raise an eyebrow in disgust, almost as if to say that he thought I was being stupid and disobident.

"You dare disobey me now?" he asked, pulling me in his magical aura. "You dare?"

"No, father," I said, nervously. "It's just that….that…"

"Yes? Yes?" he demanded. "Get on with it!"

"Well, I know that it is my destiny to succeed you," I answered. "But have you ever thought of any…I don't know…consequences?"

The word "consequences" seemed to ring in my father's head. For as far he was concerned, his only consequences to me, were that he shouldn't have done this now. By now, the sun was beginning to set and my father knew that time was of the essence.

"If Princess Luna has anything to do about it," he remarked, looking up at the sky. "She will use the night to help Princess Amore take shelter. You must go at once, Julius. I will send some of my best warriors to accompany you."

Just as I was about to leave, however, my father had one more piece of advice.

"I have to warn you, however," he cautioned in a stern sounding voice. "If you fail this mission, I will make perfectly sure that you will wish that you never have come out of your mother's womb. Understand?"

Nervously saluting him, I departed the battlefield and with five of his best warriors, I went on my mission to do away with the ruler of the Crystal Empire.

…

THE ROADS NEAR THE CRYSTAL EMPIRE

...

Frightened and worried for her subjects, a dirtied and bruised Princess Amore and what's left of her army retreated as far as they could go from the Crystal Empire. The good-natured Princess that my father was jealous of for being a goody two shoes, was frightened and scared.

"We should be far enough from the empire to regroup, your highness," said Amore's captain of the guard.

"Good," she answered, taking a look among the 100 remaining soldiers of her army. "Then, Sombra's forces will not be able to reach us in time. You will all take up positions along the road. I want any of his forces to be neutralized if they cross this road. Is that clear?"

"Yes, your highness," said the soldiers, splitting up along the sides of the road.

Once they were gone, Amore tossed off her helmet and threw it onto the ground with her magic, while also letting out a cry of frustration.

"Why must he do this to me?" she cried to herself. "What have I done to him and to his family that he would want to take my empire from me? I've been deceived, Captain, deceived to the point where blood must flow and that their must be widows and orphans."

Amore's captain attempted to care for his leader and tried to get her mind to focus on a positive outlook.

"We didn't ask for this, Princess," he remarked. "Sombra is jealous of you and we didn't see it. But, I can assure that if he decides to face us again, he will pay for all of this with his life."

"You're right, Captain," replied Amore, looking up at him, her most trusted officer. "Sombra will pay for all of this! He made a mistake rebelling against me and he will pay for it as will his family and anypony loyal to him!"

…

The sounds of Amore's anger echoed through the mountains and we heard the anger, which meant our target was getting more and more closer to being killed for the glory of my father and our family in general.

"Amore is furious," cautioned one of my father's warriors. "We cannot let our soon to be leader suffer her wrath. How do wish to carry out this plan, my prince?"

"We must eliminate any possible resistance from any soldiers accompanying her," I suggested, drawing the sword I would use to kill Amore. "Do all of you have your killing spells ready?"

"Yes, Julius," said another warrior, charging up his horn which glowed a sickly green color and the other warriors followed suit.

"Then, we will wait until they are all asleep," I whispered. "Until then, we wait. Is that understood?"

…

Heeding my order, we all took shelter in ditches along the road waiting until the silence fell upon Amore and her soldiers. The hours ticked by and finally, it was quiet enough for us to make our move.

"All right," I whispered, climbing out of the ditch I was taking shelter in. "Clear a path for me and keep me covered. Clear?"

Nodding in reply, my father's warriors set about using their killing spell on Amore's soldiers. The whispered killing spells pierced the otherwise quiet roads and with each one of her guards falling over dead, I came towards the spot where Amore was sleeping. Her captain of the guard was standing in front of her and to be honest, part of me wanted to turn tail and run away.

But, I couldn't. My father's target for assassination was right there in front of me and I couldn't turn back now. In fact, I could hear my father's voice in my head reminding me:

"If you fail this mission, I will make perfectly sure that you will wish that you never have come out of your mother's womb. Understand?"

Drawing the sword, I made my way towards the sleeping princess, but I had to dispose of her Captain of the Royal Guard. Activating my horn, I closed my eyes and fired a killing spell at the captain. But, his screams awakened Amore and she turned to face me, almost immediately recognizing me.

"Where is your father, Julius?" she cried, as I took the sword in my aura, ready to strike at Amore. "Why couldn't he come himself if he wishes to kill me?"

However, as I held the sword at Amore, I felt my emotions bottling up deep down inside of me. Here I was, about to kill a pony who looked to my family with camaraderie and respect just as we looked up to her.

"Princess Amore, please," I pleaded. "My father, he has been jealous of you for some time and there was no alternative. I don't want to this, but my father demands of it!"

"Then, if you wish to carry out your father's wishes," Amore replied, accepting her fate. "Do so at once. But be warned, Julius, that killing me will destroy every single bit of respect that I have built between me and you. The Royal Sisters will hear what you have done and they will not rest until you and your father are captured and punished for this heinous act."

Shutting my eyes, I let out a loud yell and the sounds of the blade entering Amore's body were heard. For a moment, I could feel my life stopping around me. Opening my eyes, I saw Amore's dead body, with the sword in her chest. Her eyes were closed which was probably a good thing. But, I couldn't believe what I had done…I had done the deed and Amore was dead not by my father's hooves…but my hooves.

"I didn't want to do this Amore," I said to the dead body of the Crystal Empire's beloved princess. "But, my father commanded it."

Not wanting to look at the body anymore, I motioned for my father's warriors to come forward.

"I have done the deed," I said quietly, throwing the sword onto the ground. "Now, we must return and allow my father to begin his rule. Is anypony alive?"

"None, Julius," one of the warriors said. "They are all dead."

"Then leave their bodies to the Timberwolves," I ordered, knowing that Princess Amore would need to be given a proper burial. "But, the body of Princess Amore will be given a proper burial before my father takes his rightful place. Help me bring the Princess back to the empire."

So, we did just that, bring Princess Amore's body back to the Crystal Empire. Leaving the bodies of her soldiers behind, we entered the Empire and there at the balcony overlooking the empire and smiling evilly was my father…the newly crowned, King Julius Sombra I.

…

Meanwhile, word of Amore's assassination would soon reach the Castle of the Two Sisters and set in motion a chain of events that would end my freedom and begin my imprisonment…

Chapter 3: "My Two Mortal Enemies"

When I killed Princess Amore, I thought that my actions would go unnoticed. However, when you kill a high ranking figure, your actions DO NOT go unnoticed. At the time, Celestia and Luna had been living in the Castle of the Two Sisters, before Luna went mad and Celestia had to banish her to the moon. While Luna did her duties of guarding the night, Celestia was fast asleep in her quarters only to be awakened by the sounds of loud knocking at her door.

"I'm coming, I'm coming," she muttered, getting out of bed and slowly making her way towards the doors of her bedroom. "What is the meaning of this?"

Opening the door, Celestia was greeted by one of her younger sisters' night guards.

"I apologize for disturbing you, your highness," he replied, handing Celestia a piece of paper with a report on it. "But, there has been a terrible murder."

Hearing the word "murder" had always made Celestia feel very much furious as I recall. I can't imagine what her actions were when she heard this. However, I had very good reason that was out of rage

"What happened?" she demanded, stamping her left front hoof on the floor.

"It's Princess Amore," answered the guard. "She has been killed by an assassin using a sword."

"Did you identify the assassin and what is the situation in the Crystal Empire?" asked Celestia, furiously. "Tell me now, damn it!"

"Your highness, we don't know who or what was responsible," stammered the guard, nervously. "All we know is that the assassin was last seen with several ponies clad in black armor."

"Then, it must be the work of Sombra," Celestia remarked in a hushed and angry voice. "I knew that it was only a matter of time before he would pull something like this."

Now, if you were probably wondering why Celestia would guess my father so easily, here is the answer: a couple of months earlier, Celestia and Luna paid a visit to the Crystal Empire and it was during this visit that they noticed the behavior and ambitions that my father was trying to impose. Both royal sisters had their feelings of suspicion against my father and even against me.

"I want Princess Luna notified of this as well," she ordered to the guard. "When I find who is responsible, they will suffer the full law of Equestria upon them. Go and do not let anyone who is suspecting of what happened to escape! Is that clear?"

"At once, your highness," the guard answered and in a fit of rage, Celestia donned her royal accessories and made her way down to the throne room, flashing lights of magic from her horn to summon any of her soldiers who were already awake as she walked.

"There has been murder!" she shouted, trying to let anypony hear what she was calling out. "Princess Amore of the Crystal Empire has been assassinated by Sombra and his forces!"

Almost immediately, about 15 of Celestia's soldiers entered the throne room, some still attempting to don their armor while others struggled to wake up.

"What do you mean that Princess Amore's been murdered, your highness?" muttered one of the guards. "It could be somepony ordered by Sombra or this is a rumor!"

"It is no rumor, Captain Spearhead," replied Celestia, holding out the note for them all to see. "The leader of the Crystal Empire has been murdered and I want whoever is responsible brought to this castle in chains! You will all leave at once, is that understood?"

Although they would rather not do what they did, the soldiers nevertheless agreed to heed their princesses' call. It didn't matter if they worked the day shift, this was an attack on Equestria and nopony was going take anything in a relaxed manner.

…

Meanwhile, myself and the rest of my father's warriors had just made our way back to the Crystal Empire with Amore's dead body in tow. My father was already sitting on the throne, having been donned with a flowing red robe and a crown made entirely of black steel.

"Well done, my son," he laughed, getting down from the throne to have a look at the dead Crystal Princess. "I've always known that you would one day carry out the will of our family. Now, did you leave anypony alive along the roads?"

"No, father," I replied. "Not one of her guards is alive. The civil war is over and you are the victor."

All my father could do was let out a small chuckle of amusement upon hearing this and stroked my chin.

"This is your victory as much as mine," he remarked as he looked down at the dead body before turning back towards me and the warriors. "And the body of this empire's former leader is living proof of that victory you have earned, Julius. Now is the time to relish that victory by stripping the Crystal Ponies of the love they had for Amore. They will now have a new ruler to look up to…me. Go now and find whoever will pledge their loyalty to me in exchange for their lives. Those who refuse will be put to death. Now, carry out my orders!"

…

Heeding my father's call, we left the throne room and in a matter of minutes, we were already on the move, going into houses and dragging anypony not giving their loyalty to my father out into the streets to be killed. I didn't know it at the time, but seeing the screams and cries of families being torn apart was all but satisfying to me.

"Put them in the wagon," I said to a pair of soldiers hauling an older couple loyal to Amore into a wagon. Giving the old couple a sneer, I went over to see a young stallion being pulled out of his home. "Is the house secured of any Amore loyalists?"

"Yes, Julius," answered the warrior.

"Where is Amore, our leader?" snarled the stallion. "Tell me or…"

But, his attempt to plea for answers was quickly silenced when I struck him across the face with my hoof.

"Princess Amore is dead, just as you soon will be," I hissed, icily. "Get him out of here!"

…

For the rest of the night, I could only watch as my father's reign over the Crystal Empire began. Those who weren't loyal to my father were put to death and those were forced to declare their loyalty to my father were chained up and in addition, forced to become slaves.

At that moment, before the sun would rise along with the crowing of the rooster, we saw the flag of the Crystal Empire, the only reminder of the dead Princess Amore.

"Corporal!" I called to a Corporal pony, overseeing the forming of a new chain gang. "Take down that flag and burn it. My father will not allow it to fly now that Amore is dead! Is that clear?"

"Yes, your highness," said the Corporal and doing as he was told, he took down the flagpole and like a tall tree, the flagpole fell on its side. I could only watch as the flag was ripped and torn to shreds. Then, I looked back up to my father, laughing loudly and who felt on top of the world now that the Crystal Empire was his to rule.

…

Little did I know however that not far from the borders, a young female pony had escaped the persecutions and was making her way along the road out of the Crystal Empire.

"Over there!" shouted one of Celestia's ground soldiers upon seeing the wounded mare fall to the ground. "She's hurt! Help her out! Get the medic over here."

The medic came over and bent down next to the mare, examining for any possible injuries that were considered serious or worse.

"She's hurt really badly," said the medic. "I want her brought back to the Castle of the Two Sisters for immediate medical treatment!"

"Sombra, he's done it, he's done it," whispered the mare, tears forming in the corner's of her eyes. "He made the threat and now…"

This caused the guards to stop what they were doing.

"What did you say?" asked a guard. "What did you say, young filly?"

"Sombra, he's done it, he's done it," the mare whispered again, before falling unconscious. "He's killed our leader, our beloved Princess Amore."

"What do we do?" asked another guard. "Do we return to…?"

"I want ten of you to start looking for the assassins," said the doctor. "You five will assist me in bringing this wounded pony back now!"

Just then, a dark blue alicorn pony flanked by several of the night guards saw what was happening and landed before the guards.

"Sombra and his forces have overthrown Princess Amore, Princess Luna," the doctor said to the dark blue alicorn. "This mare says that she…"

"Let me take her," interrupted Luna, bending down for the soldiers to place the injured pony on her back. "My sister and I will want to speak with her once she regains consciousness. The rest of you find any other ponies who might still be alive."

With the injured mare on her back, Luna took to the air and made her way back to the Castle of the Two Sisters. Soon, the mare would open her eyes and reveal the horrors of what me and my father had done…

Chapter 4: "Horrors of My Father, the King"

The pony that Luna and Celestia's forces had rescued from the wrath of me and my father found herself lying face up on her back, looking up at the ceilings that hung over the room she was in. She then turned to find Luna standing on the right side of her bed and I could only imagine that her emotions at that moment were of both relief that she was free from our wrath and fear of what would happen if we came looking for her.

"You have no reason to fear, fair one," whispered Luna, gently stroking the mare's hair with her silver horseshoe. "Whatever has befallen the Crystal Empire will not come to you as long as you are here."

"Oh, bless you," gasped the mare, her eyes widened with fright and her voice filled with panic. "Sombra, he was going to kill me…"

"Calm down, calm down," interjected Luna, laying the injured mare back on to the bed. "You've been injured and I must not let you risk yourself anymore harm."

But, the mare that had escaped was without a doubt was worried and didn't care at all of staying in bed.

"I don't care!" the mare cried, feeling the pain in her body. "It was only a matter of time before he took over. Him and his demon of a son. They took my family when they refused to swear their allegiance to Sombra. I've got to get back and…"

However, the mare became emotional with grief and worry and began sobbing uncontrollably. Almost immediately, Luna was feeling anger build up inside of her. Anger for the chaos that my father and I had orchestrated.

"Who knows what that monster will do to my family?" she sobbed as Luna bent down to comfort the mare. "He killed Amore! He killed the Crystal Princess for his own gain and now he will kill my family!"

Luna felt her stomach sink upon hearing that Amore was killed. Up until that moment, she had no idea that we had killed Amore, only Celestia. But, that all changed with this confession and any raw emotion that would be displayed would all have to be restrained as long as she remained with the injured mare.

"The bloody bastard," Luna muttered under her breath. "He's overthrown Amore and now rules the Empire by force. No wonder this fair child is wrought with fright."

At that moment, several doctors came into the room and applied several bandages and gave several intravenous medications into her system.

"If you can answer me," said Luna. "What is Sombra and his son doing now?"

"They are forcing ponies to either pledge their loyalty to them," cried the mare in a panicked and pained voice due to the needles being placed into her. "Or die as traitors. My family refused and…"

"Where did they take your family?" asked Luna.

"I don't know," answered the mare. "They said to a ravine along the roads leading to the Crystal Empire. There, they would be killed in what way, I don't know."

…

At that moment, two of Celestia's guards came into the room, holding what appeared to be a spy that worked for my father. The mare turned to the captured spy and screamed in a loud voice.

"WHERE IS MY FAMILY, YOU DOG?! WHAT DID YOU DO TO THEM?!"

"Calm yourself, young mare," cried Luna. "Let me talk to this dog myself."

"We caught him trying to escape into the Everfree Forest," said the guard. "We were following your sister's orders to capture any pony with suspicion of Amore's supposed death. He was walking along the road, supposedly towards Canterlot with news that Sombra was planning to acquire Canterlot as his own."

Luna looked at the spy and using her magic, violently tore off the helmet from the spy's head and threw it to the ground.

"Who killed Princess Amore?" she hissed and when Luna didn't get a respond, she took her front right hoof and struck the spy across the face. "Speak or else!"

"I know who killed Princess Amore," the spy laughed. "But, you will never capture him for he is in the safety of his father, our beloved King Julius Sombra I."

"His son did this?" remarked Luna, scowling at the captured spy. "Then he will pay dearly for all that has happened, both Sombra and young Julius."

Luna then noticed something hanging from the spy's saddlebag and snatched it away from the spy. Opening it, she dumped out several essentials and then saw what caught her attention: a scroll bearing instructions from me on ordering some of my father's warriors to launch an attack on Canterlot.

"What is he planning to do?" asked Luna, icily. "Tell me right now!"

"His highness, King Sombra," answered the spy. "Well, he has 200 of his bravest warriors hiding in a secluded area and from there, one of his highness' bravest generals will lead a charge that will make Canterlot become a part of our leader's conquest…"

"ENOUGH!" barked Luna, hitting the spy across the face with her horseshoe. "You've said quite enough! Sergeant?"

"Yes, Princess Luna," answered the sergeant.

"Throw this spy into the dungeons at once and then notify General Sandstar to lead 100 forces to the Canterlot roads and neutralize any threat against the Capitol. Is that understood? And let my sister know of this development at once."

Saluting Luna, the guards took the spy away leaving Luna alone with the mare.

"You didn't ask him if he knew where my family is," cried the mare. "Are they still alive or dead? I want an answer, Princess Luna!"

"I don't have an answer and even if I did ask him," she sighed, walking back towards the mare. "He probably wouldn't have an answer for us. But, you must remember that there are plenty of families in the Crystal Empire that have been broken because of Sombra's actions."

"And we all want to know if they are alive or dead, including my own! You must do something to try and save everypony, Princess! You and your sister have powers that are greater than…"

"We are just as fallible as anypony," interrupted Luna. "And we can't solve every problem in Equestria. This will take time, young mare and I know its hard to hear, but that's how it is going to be."

The mare reluctantly had no other choice but to abide what Luna had just told her and all she could do, like all those who had avoided death was wait, wait for answers, wait for news of ponies being dead or alive, the list was endless.

…

Sighing heavily, the mare fell asleep and Luna left the room along with the doctors who had been tending to her. Once she got downstairs to the throne room, Celestia was already waiting for Luna to arrive.

"Murderous monster," she seethed, angrily as Luna walked in. "How dare he kill Amore?"

"You heard what was happening, sister?" asked Luna.

"Yes, Luna," answered Celestia, furiously pacing back and forth in fury. "I heard what Sombra was planning to do, make Canterlot a part of his vile and twisted empire. Well, I won't have it, Luna! 200 of our respective forces are going to the roads leading to Canterlot and any threat will be thwarted! I swear on my life that no more blood will be shed for his ambitions! I swear it, no more!"

I could assure you that Luna had seen Celestia angry before, but nothing like this. In fact, both my father and Celestia probably had the same level of anger between them.

"I'm going to raise the sun now," she remarked.

"But, it's not even time yet," protested Luna.

"As long as I raise the sun," retorted Celestia, giving her younger sister a cold glare as she walked out of the throne room. "I decide what time the sun will rise and if it means destroying a plan to kill more innocent ponies, then so be it!"

…

Going up to the top of the castle, Celestia activated her magic and raised the sun over Canterlot castle and down below, our warriors were along the roads waiting for the moment to move, which by then, had already past.

"Something is wrong," said a warrior. "We were told to attack at dawn, but the sun is already rising."

"But not now," replied the commander. "The sun isn't due to come up for another two hours! Something is wrong!"

Just then, the commander heard a loud scream and saw one of our warriors fall dead. But before he or any of his forces could respond with an attack, Celestia and Luna's combined forces overpowered our warriors and in 18 exact minutes, the ambush was over. Almost all of our forces were wiped out completely. Of course, my father was not happy.

"What do you mean that they were wiped out?" my father yelled to his messenger.

"Not one is found alive," replied the messenger. "And those were alive were captured and brought to the Royal Sisters' castle to be put to death."

"Unless they are trying to copy what we did to the Crystal Ponies," he growled, ferociously kicking down a water jug in frustration. "The fools! Well, we will kill them too!"

"Kill them?" I asked.

"With the Royal sisters out of the way," my father explained to me. "All of Equestria will bow down to me, Julius! I need to find a way to lure them here without their protection of guards. Let us tell them that we will come to terms using our prisoners as leverage, those we haven't killed yet."

"But father, are you sure?" I wondered, thinking of why my father would do such a thing as to lure Equestria's monarchs to his newly conquered kingdom. He didn't say anything but gave me a cold stare as if to say that I needed to go along with him.

"Why not?" he asked and began drafting up a message for the messenger to bring the Princesses to us. "Take this to the Princesses and then, we make our move upon their arrival."

Little did I know that this ploy would backfire greatly…

Chapter 5: "On the Rack"

Hearing that my father was attempting to carry out an assassination attempt against the Royal Sisters was both satisfying and risky at the same time. My father was somewhat of an absent minded genius in carrying out anything related to the death of a princess. Apparently, killing off Princess Amore had given him such horrendous ambitions that there was no other option to get what he wanted other than killing off important ponies. No sooner did the messenger leave did I start to get the feeling that there was enough bloodshed to last us a lifetime.

"Father," I said as I looked down at the chained up ponies forced to march through the streets. "I can't help but wonder if maybe that…?"

"What do you wonder, Julius?" asked my father. "I have given us everything that will sustain us for a bright future. Why do you question my actions?"

I had to choose my words carefully so as to not anger my father.

"Because," I answered, turning away from the window. "That hasn't it occurred to you that the Royal Sisters might discover your plan to kill them? They are god like figures, after all."

"Impossible," chuckled my father. "For you must understand, Julius, that I have powers that surpass even the princesses themselves. Everything that I have learned from being a foal has brought up to this moment, my son and soon, you will learn that everypony will bow to our will and that there will be nothing they can do to stop us."

It seemed like my father didn't care to consider the options carefully. He had always been one to be caught up in the moment and this was certainly one of them.

"Father, I…I know you want to fully achieve your goal," I cautioned as I walked up to the throne. "But, don't you think that killing Princess Amore was enough? I just think that it is important that we…"

"…Become the rulers of Equestria," he finished. "I have a vision for Equestria: my vision, that everypony from every town and city will look up to you and I as their true saviors. The Crystal Empire is only the first step of the vision I so desperately want Equestria to have. Soon, we will have everypony in Ponyville, Canterlot, Rainbow Falls and everywhere else bowing to us."

…

Chuckling evilly, he sat back on the throne and sighed heavenly, almost as if he had already fulfilled his conquest. Just then, the doors to the throne room opened and a pony covered in soot came walking in.

"Sire," he said, bowing to my father. "The body of Princess Amore has been burned and disposed of."

Hearing this was shocking to me, for I was not expecting Princess Amore's remains to be treated in this way. Even if she was an enemy of my father, part of me felt that Amore at least deserved to be treated with respect.

"Good," remarked my father. "How has the removal of Princess Amore's monuments coming along?"

"Excellent," he replied. "From what I hear, about 90% of them have been torn down and removed. We should have everything done by the end of the day. Then, monuments to yourself will be built."

Satisfied, my father dismissed the pony much to my somewhat shock and disbelief. I knew Princess Amore was our enemy, but at least I tried to treat her with respect. At that moment, another loud scream was heard and I ran over to the window and looked down to see what was going on.

"What have you done with my daughter?" demanded an older pony who was being beaten around by several guards like a soccer ball.

"Your daughter refused to obey us and she is dead along with the others," sneered the warriors as they kicked him and broke several of his ribs, causing the old pony to scream in pain. "Unless you want to join her, you will get back on your hooves and finish your new leader's monument."

"You lie, you all lie!" cried the pony in a painful voice. "She is not dead and you know it!"

Hearing this made me think back for a moment and I began to realize that the pony was saying that the mare who had escaped the persecutions was in fact, the daughter of the pony who was being kicked around.

"Pay no attention to that pony who is being disciplined," my father said. "He is just being punished for being defiant to our warriors. Right now, the message that will bring the princesses here for their deaths should be arriving at their castle in a matter of moments."

…

Sure enough, it was almost sunset by the time that the messenger arrived at the castle of the two sisters. However, instead of a warm welcome, Celestia and Luna's guards were already waiting for him and upon arrival at the castle gates, he was captured and placed on a rack. That same night, Luna went down into the chamber to question the messenger.

"Do you know why you are on the rack?" Luna asked, a look of fury in her eyes as she stared at the messenger, who nodded that he didn't know. "You are on the rack because according to the message that you have given my sister and me, Sombra wanted to lure my sister and me to the Crystal Empire where he would kill us."

"No, no, our beloved king wouldn't do that," stammered the messenger and knowing that he was lying, Luna motioned for the ponies operating the rack to pull the messenger by his arms and legs, stretching him out slightly.

"Every time you lie to me, they will pull you out," warned Luna, sternly. "What are Sombra's true intentions? What did he do with Amore?"

"He wanted to throw her off the throne," answered the messenger, groaning in pain. "He wanted to send her into exile."

Luna didn't believe this and motioned for the rack to be pulled up further, stretching the messenger's back even more to the point where he felt bones breaking.

"I don't believe you," snapped Luna, slamming her front left hoof down on the floor hard. "You know that Sombra is planning to kill us the same way as he killed Princess Amore! We know that Amore is dead and if you want to stop being tortured in this way, then you will talk to me and tell me everything!"

"Never," groaned the messenger and the more he refused to talk, the more the rack was pulled. "Long Live King Sombra I!"

For the next ten minutes, the rack continued to pull and more bones were being crack in a loud shrieking noise and blood began to creep out of the messenger's legs, all four of them.

"I can guess already what is in your mind," said Luna, who felt at that moment to go inside the messenger's mind with her magic.

With her eyes flashing white, she saw the horrors of Sombra's actions in the Crystal Empire. Luna saw ponies being chained up, their manes being shaved off and dead bodies being thrown into a mass grave, among other things. Seeing all this horror made Luna both sad and angry at the same time. Having seen enough, she deactivated the spell and looked back up at the messenger.

"King Sombra has a vision, not just for Crystal Empire, but for all of Equestria," she said to the messenger. "And it will be a vision that will never come to pass as long as my sister and me remain the true leaders of Equestria. Release him!"

Heeding their princesses' order, the ponies operating the rack took the messenger down from the rack, causing him to fall down on the floor in mortal pain.

"Long…live…" the messenger tried to say, but couldn't because of the pain.

"Take him away," Luna ordered and the messenger was dragged away while Luna left the torture chamber and rejoined Celestia in her quarters.

...

Upon arriving at her sister's quarters, Luna saw that Celestia was being donned with golden armor by several servant ponies. This made Luna realize that the time for action was now and not later.

"He wouldn't talk, so I had to go into his mind," Luna said as she conferred with her older sister. "Sombra must be removed from power and I know from looking at the horror that young Julius is responsible for Amore's death."

"The time has come for Sombra's brief and violent reign to come to an end, dear sister," Celestia said firmly. "We must not allow another one of Amore's subjects to be killed for his own ambition."

"I completely agree," remarked Luna, who then beckoned for several of her own servants to don her with her own armor. "And anypony who defends Sombra from us will just be as equally punished."

"Which is why our actions must be swift and just," answered Celestia, taking a spear in her aura, making sure that the point was sharp and the rest of the blade was equally sharp. "The sooner that both Sombra and his son are removed from power, the sooner that the Crystal Ponies can be saved."

Nodding in reply, Luna was soon in her own armor and prepared to follow her sister into battle. Soon, my father and me would be confronted by the Royal Sisters and our glorious reign over the Crystal Empire would be coming to an end before it even began…

Chapter 6: "Confrontation"

It had only been nearly three days since my father and I had overthrown and murdered Princess Amore, seizing control of the Crystal Empire. Little did I know that the actions that we had caused would bring about severe consequences, although my father didn't seem to care. In fact, part of me was still wondering whether I should just follow along with my father or to simply back away from everything that I had ever done with him.

"It shouldn't be long now, Julius," laughed my father, as he readied his sword. "Once the Royal Sisters are disposed of, then Equestria is ours for the taking."

"Uh, uh, yes father," I replied brandishing my sword reluctantly. "I'm delighted that I will be the heir to the Equestrian throne when all is said and done."

"And you should be delighted," he remarked. "Because in nearly three days, we have made the Crystal Empire into the model kingdom for what we expect all of Equestria to follow. For you see, after the sisters are disposed of, their hides will don these halls as a reminder of the poison that once covered our land."

My father then turned over to several of his highest ranking warriors for some last minute instructions.

"Are you all aware of what needs to be done?" he asked and the soldiers replied in unison that they did through the masks that they were wearing. "Excellent, my warriors. For today will be the final piece of the ultimate plan to conquer Equestria. Some of you may die, but it is a sacrifice that I am willing to make. Half of you back me up and the other half will back up Prince Julius."

Doing as they were told, the group split up and my warriors joined me on the other side of the throne room.

"Julius, I want you to take on Luna and I will deal with Celestia," he ordered.

"As you say, father," I replied, with my eyes now focused on the doors to the throne room, nervously taking a gulp in my throat as I drew out my sword.

…

Outside the castle, Celestia and Luna clad in their respective armors, stood outside the now black crystalled Crystal Empire. Unbeknownst to my father and me, they were alone and not flanked by any soldiers. But, my father was somewhat wise to act accordingly placing a force field around the empire to prevent non-Crystal Unicorns, Earth ponies and Pegasus ponies from entering, but not Alicorns.

"Coward," sneered Luna as she and Celestia looked at the castle. "Rolled up in his fortress like a tomb along with his son, who murdered Amore."

"Our ground forces can't advance beyond his Crystal Field," said Celestia, her eyes glancing over to Luna. "And you know what he can do with his magic. Princess Amore was not able to escape it, nor fend off the pony who murdered her, Prince Julius. We only need a small window of attack and the Elements of Harmony should give us enough strength to overpower the Sombra's and their respective forces."

Luna was not convinced by this and let out a small huff.

"What's wrong?" Celestia asked. "Don't you agree with the plan?"

"Hypothetically speaking," answered Luna, looking back at Celestia. "Should the elements fail to stop him…"

"…Hypothetically speaking," interrupted Celestia, holding out her spear and pointing it towards the castle. "We are prepared just in case the elements fail us."

"Indeed," chuckled Luna, a smile coming onto her face. "They both not know of what forces they are tampering with. Let us not stay their end further."

…

Taking to the air, the royal sisters flew towards the castle as we watched from the throne room windows. For a moment, I saw my father licking his lips, the actions of a cold blooded murderer pony who had a lust for both blood and flesh.

"This is it, Julius," he cried. "Prepare to attack!"

So, we prepared for battle, thinking that they would be coming through the throne room doors. Then suddenly, we heard the windows smashing and before we could act, the princesses activated a spell that sent our warriors flying back against the wall, the force of the hits knocking many of them out.

But, my father wasn't frightened in any way. In fact, he was not showing any fear to the princesses.

"If that's the way you want it," he chuckled and directed all of his attention to Celestia, using a spell to raise the floor he was standing on up towards Celestia. "Finish them, Julius!"

"Stop right where you are, Julius!" barked Luna, her sword pointed right at my throat. "You are under arrest for the murder of Princess Amore!"

But, I wasn't going to back down that easily as I charged right at Luna and the Princess of Night put up a worthy fight against me. Meanwhile, Celestia had managed to dodge my father's attack on her and began her assault on him. The battle was on: me and my father versus Celestia and Luna.

While I had an advantage against Luna, managing to push her against a wall, Celestia had a slight advantage on my father who also managed to push her against the other wall, but Celestia was not going to go down that easily and pushed the rock formation away towards my father. When he did see that his own attack was being reflected at him, my father activated a spell that made him disappear in a cloud of smoke.

"Show yourself, coward!" Celestia yelled, only for my father to chuckle evilly through the clouds. He advanced towards her and Celestia retorted by using her spear as a defense, at one point sticking her spear into my father. "It's no use, Sombra. Yield!"

But, my father wasn't taking Celestia seriously.

"So…much…hatred," he laughed, picking up the axe he was using and advancing towards Celestia. "You speak of cowardice and yet, you have forgotten whose domain you are in."

Celestia didn't care and she retorted by swinging her spear at my father, attempting to strike him.

…

At the same time, I was beginning to gain the edge against Luna, using my hooves more than my weapons.

"Why did you have to do it?" panted Luna, feeling slightly pained from our fight. "Why did you kill Princess Amore?"

"Because it's my destiny," I replied, not wanting to go into detail and attempting to strike my sword at Luna. "I am the son of a king who will make Equestria a much better land to live in. I've learned this much, take what you can when you can."

"Then you've learned nothing!" snapped Luna and she used her sword to strike at my chest, causing me to screech in pain. "You will never rule in Equestria, Julius! Nor you nor your father! For if you want to live, then you will surrender to me!"

Part of me wanted to surrender, but surrendering would mean disappointing my father. So I didn't and instead kept right on fighting.

"Do you fear me?" laughed Sombra as he toyed around with Celestia's emotions. "I can see your fear of me right in your eyes. Bow to me and I can end your nightmares right now."

"Silence, you cur!" shouted Celestia, firing a blast of magic from her horn right at my father, sending him flying against the throne room. But, even after being flown against the wall, my father was showing no fear. "You will surrender to me!"

Growling with a small grin on his face, my father charged at Celestia who activated a shield to protect herself and the force of the shield sent my father backwards onto the floor. At that moment, I saw that my father was in danger and ran over to help him, only for Celestia to notice me and push me back onto the floor, further causing me more pain in my chest. I tried to get up, but Luna had me subdued with a magic force field of hers that kept me pinned down to the floor.

"You have left us with no choice, Sombra!" said Celestia as six diamonds came out of the blue and surrounded both Celestia and Luna who activated their horns. "By our command, you are hereby banished from the Crystal Empire forever!"

All I could do at that moment was watched helplessly as my father's body was turned to shadow, leaving only his eyes, nose and mouth. With one final growl he disappeared, but not before chanting a spell that not even I could understand.

"It's all over, Prince Julius," said Celestia, sternly and pointing her spear at my throat. "You are hereby under arrest for the murder of Princess Amore and for being an accomplice to your father in the murder of hundreds of Crystal Ponies!"

I merely said nothing at this as Luna lifted the force field containing me off of the floor and the bruised and beaten royal sisters took me away from my home, thus ending the rule of my father. However, once they took me across the borders, there was a rumbling sound and both sisters turned to see the Crystal Empire disappear before their eyes.

"What have you done?!" demanded Celestia.

"It's not what I have done, Celestia," I answered meekly. "It's what my father has done. For if he can't have the Crystal Empire, then neither can Equestria!"

Snarling, the princesses merely turned away from the now disappeared empire and made their way back to their castle.

…

Three days later, I was brought before the courts and all the evidence was condemning in my actions of both me and my father.

"Prince Julius Sombra I," said the presiding judge as Celestia and Luna watched on their thrones. "You are hereby found guilty of nearly 500 counts of murder, including that of the Crystal Empire's previous leader, Princess Amore. We, the presiding judges of this court, hereby sentence you to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole in Tartarus prison."

With the sound of the gavel banging, I was led from the courts and immediately transported to Tartarus prison to begin my life imprisonment.

…

But, if you were wondering if this was the end of my story, then you are dead wrong. For this is only the beginning of what is to come…

Chapter 7: "Julius Meets Tirek"

"Welcome to Tartarus."

…

Those were the words that were spoken to me by the warden at the time of my arrest when I was placed in my 4x4 cell at Tartarus. At one moment, I was standing next to my father as he ruled over the Crystal Empire; the next, I am in this cell serving my life sentence.

"These cells are reserved for those who committed level two crimes," he explained. "You will have interaction with fellow prisoners at designated times. Any attempt to escape is futile, so don't even try it."

With those words, the warden departed flanked by two of his guards. All I could do was just sit in here, day after day, thinking of what could have been had Celestia and Luna not interfered. But, at the same time, I had to remember that I was hurting other ponies in addition to killing a princess. I didn't choose to kill or hurt anypony, but I had no other choice because I was the son of a king, a king that was now banished from the empire. I needed to escape, I needed to free my father's spirit and return him to his rightful place.

The only question, was how to escape?

…

I would eventually get my answer when another prisoner was led into the cell next to mine. He was a creature that was half-pony and possessed a beard that was mid-length down from his chin. After he had been given the usual speech from the warden, I went over to the wall separating our cells and decided to talk to him.

"Psst, excuse me?" I whispered, trying to attract the creature's attention. "Do you know how to escape from here?"

The creature was somewhat bewildered to hear this and came over to the other side of the wall.

"If only that were not impossible," he replied in a growling, nasty voice. "If I had all the magic in Equestria and had it not been for that traitorous brother of mine, then I would find a way."

"Your brother betrayed you?" I asked. "How?"

"He ratted me out to the princess ponies and that wizard pony who used his magic to defeat me," answered the creature. "Among others."

Almost immediately, I couldn't help but feel nothing but sympathy for my fellow prisoner. He had an ambition, just like my father and since I failed to help my father, I needed to help him in every way possible.

"What is your name?" I asked.

"I am Tirek," replied the creature. "Lord Tirek and one day, I will take all that should have been mine. What is yours?"

"Sombra," I said. "Julius Sombra II, son of his majesty, King Julius Sombra I of the Crystal Empire."

"So you are Julius' son?" he remarked, much to my impending confusion. "I happened to be a very good friend of your family. Your grandfather was friends with my pathetic excuse for a father who forbade me from seeking out my goals. I would tell you more, but it just too painful to talk about right now."

"I know how you are feeling and I am sorry that you are in this situation," I sighed. "It's very clear to me that we need to get out of here and restore our ways of life. You need to absorb all the magic and I need to restore my father to his rightful throne."

…

Just then, I heard voices coming from down the hall and went to the bars to take a listen to what was being said.

"We cannot find any trace of the empire," said a guardspony to the warden. "Nothing and not even the Crystal Heart is to be found."

"Impossible," cried the warden. "There is no way that the Crystal Empire could disappear like that. Unless…"

I knew at that moment that they were going to interrogate me. But, at the same time, how I was I supposed to know that the empire would just disappear? Unless the strange chanting that my father made before he disappeared had something to do with it.

"Sombra!" barked the warden as he came walking towards my cell. "We just learned that the Crystal Empire has simply disappeared and we think that your father has something to do with it. Where is the empire?"

"How should I know?" I remarked in a panicked voice. "My father was probably…"

Before I could finish my sentence however, the warden drew out a small dagger with his magic and placed it at my throat.

"I warn you, colt," he snarled, "If you lie to me, I will kill you right here and right now and I won't care if the Princesses punish me for it."

I will admit though that hearing this made me feel very amused and I couldn't help but chuckle slightly to myself.

"Is that so?" I laughed.

"It is so!" snapped the warden. "Your father, King Sombra I, had something to do with this and if you are trying to save his hide…"

"He has no hide," I interrupted. "I saw the Princesses banish his spirit with my own two eyes, so if you are trying to talk to my father face to face, then it's probably going to be more than a little impossible."

However, the warden was not convinced at all and he roughly pulled his dagger off of my throat.

"Why should I waste my energy talking to you, Sombra?" sighed the warden, backing away from my cell. "You've only been in here for a few days and as far as I am concerned, you are serving a life sentence. I can question you at any time I wish and like I said, escape is almost impossible here, so don't even try to weasel out of your way out off it. Cerberus is trained to kill any prisoner who tries to get away."

To prove his point, the warden produced a spell that showed the three headed guard dog standing right at the gates.

"See what I mean?" laughed the warden and he walked away.

…

Almost immediately, I knew that the warden was more than likely bluffing at the fact that there had to be a weakness. There had to be a flaw in the system and I had to find it.

"Don't believe everything he says," said Tirek, who had overheard everything that was said. "I know for a fact that there is a way to escape. If we join forces, then we can find our freedom. Shall we join forces?"

I had no hesitation to this offer and I saw Tirek's claw extend through the bars of his cell reaching around to mine. Extending my hoof, we mutually joined forces and together, for the next 1,000 years, we waited for the right moment to escape from the hellhole we were in and extend our revenge on those who destroyed our freedom…

Chapter 8: "Escaping from Tartarus"

Ever since I had met Tirek 1,000 years ago, it seemed the day I would leave this prison cell was going to come eventually. When the day came for us to make our escape, it was by all means, nothing but sheer luck. But, everything had to go according to plan and to make the plan work, Cerberus needed to be off his post.

"Psst! Psst!" whispered Tirek, causing me to wake up from my sleep. "Cerberus is gone, Julius! We need to make our move now!"

Waking up, I looked to see that Cerberus was nowhere in sight and the guards were probably going out of their way to find him. Chuckling evilly, I activated my horn and fired several small blasts at the lock on my cell door. After about five small blasts, the lock was destroyed and for the first time in a while, I was free.

"Stand clear," I said to Tirek hastily and fired five small blasts at his cell door. Soon, he was free and together, we began to make our escape trying to be careful not to make a sound. However, we couldn't keep everyone quiet as we made our way past a satyr like prisoner.

"Are you escaping?" he asked. "Take me with you."

"Sorry," I answered much to his displeasure. "You aren't welcome."

"Is that so?" he remarked and then raised his voice. "ESCAPE! PRISONERS ESCAPING! ESCAPE!"

The sounds of the prisoner's voice caused the alarm to sound throughout the prison and we needed to get out now. We couldn't stay quiet for long and one encounter with a prison guard would put an end to our escape.

"There's the exit, Tirek!" I called. "Let's go!"

Together, we ran towards the exit, but all of a sudden, we saw two guardsponies blocking the exit and aiming their horns at us.

"FREEZE! STOP!" they shouted, firing blasts of magic at us. It was at this moment that for the first time since I killed Princess Amore, I fired several killing spells at the guards, killing the guards instantly. Several more guards tried to stop us from leaving and they too, would meet the same fate as their comrades and soon, we came through the cave entrance.

"Where do we go now?" Tirek cried and I noticed a possible low place to run.

"This way! Come on!" I replied, ordering Tirek to follow me into a ditch. Jumping into the ditch, we waited until the activity settled down. "Now, stay low!"

…

Wading our way through the ditch, Tirek and I remained as quiet as possible while the guards continued to search for us. This continued for several hours and after a few hours, we climbed out of our low hiding and found ourselves in the Everfree Forest.

"All right, they shouldn't be following us anymore," I said, brushing the mud from the ditch off my body. "But, I am afraid that as long as we are together, we are at great risk for being caught again."

"I suppose you are right, Julius," replied Tirek, also brushing the mud off of his body. "My strength needs to be rejuvenated and I am afraid that unless I find a pony's magic to consume, my strength will never return to its full strength. But, I do have one request for you."

"Yes?"

"When you return to the Crystal Empire," answered Tirek. "The first thing I want you to do is to find my brother, Scorpan, and put him before me in chains. I want to see my brother pay for the damages he did to my conquests."

Just then, we saw what appeared to be two unicorn ponies clad in hunting clothes walking through the forest.

"If you are going to restore your strength," I said. "Then, you need to do it now, Tirek. Don't worry about me, I will be fine."

Smiling at this reassurance, Tirek opening his mouth and activating his magic draining right at the ponies, I watched as their cutie marks disappeared and they collapsed to the ground. Once Tirek had consumed their magic, I saw him grow slightly and chuckle evilly as he felt his strength grow.

"Thank you, Tirek," I said as we both looked at each other for the last time. "Good luck on your conquests and yes, I will find Scorpan and make him pay for betraying you."

With those words, we went our separate ways and I now had to focus on my goal, to restore myself to the throne of the Crystal Empire.

…

Meanwhile, the news of our escape soon reached the Royal Sisters in Canterlot and I can assure you that they were not very happy.

"ESCAPED?!" shouted Celestia at the warden from her throne, her voice filled with anger. "First Cerberus disappears and then you had both Tirek and Julius Sombra, two of our greatest enemies, escape under your watch?! I should have you stripped from your position for this, Lock Up!"

"I can assure you that Cerberus leaving his post is the main reason," protested the Warden, trying to defend his actions. "They must have found a weakness in our system."

"What?" Celestia asked, icily.

"I've always said that Cerberus leaving his post was our greatest weakness, your highnesses," explained the Warden. "But, I swear on my life that I will use all of the resources necessary to find them."

But, both royal sisters were not convinced by this at all.

"No, your request to find the prisoners is denied," said Celestia, firmly. "I can't trust you for nothing, Lock Up and you know it. I am afraid that I must find another way to find Tirek and Julius."

"What are you planning to do?" asked Luna. "We both know that both Tirek and Julius are considered extremely dangerous."

As her sister spoke, Celestia knew that even though he was more dangerous than me, Tirek needed to be captured first. Something in her mind made her believe that the only way I could be recaptured was if Tirek was forced to confess everything.

"Order for Twilight and Princess Cadence to join us immediately," she said to Luna. "The sooner we recapture Tirek, the sooner we can find Julius Sombra."

Much to her confusion, Luna did as she was told and Celestia gave one more cold stare at the Warden before dismissing him with a wave of her front right leg.

"Tirek may be dangerous," Celestia thought to herself. "But you are just as dangerous, Julius and we will find you if it is the last thing we will ever do!"

…

And Celestia kept to her word and within a few weeks, Tirek was recaptured thanks to Princess Twilight Sparkle and her friends. Soon, all of the princesses would be personally on the move throughout every corner of Equestria searching for me with the intention of putting an end to my plans to conquer the Crystal Empire once and for all…

Chapter 9: "Starting the Hunt"

If there was one thing about the Princesses of Equestria that made criminals like me quiver, was that they were extremely tactful when it came to these kinds of situations. The important thing was to stay low and cover my tracks, covering any trace or any hoofprints. But, I had always underestimated the fact that they had magic…magic far greater than my own and far more greater than my father's. Little did I know however that a former evildoer like my father and I was about to be given a second chance.

…

At that moment in Canterlot castle, the 4 Princesses sat in the throne room while a creature made up of several body parts from other creatures appeared before them in a white flash. He had a look of fear on face, but nothing compared to the fear that I had on my face.

"Do you know why you are here, Discord?" asked Celestia, firmly looking down at him with crossed eyes.

"Yes," he answered meekly, snapping his fingers to transform into a prisoner with a prison uniform. "I'm here to be arrested because I betrayed you and joined forces with Tirek. So, if you wish to arrest me for my actions, then do so now."

And he put his eagle talon and lion paw out thinking that the cuffs would be put on him. To his amazement, they didn't.

"Put your claw and paw down," ordered Celestia and Discord did as he was told. "You have already apologized for your actions in the form of aiding Princess Twilight in obtaining her castle and title of being the Princess of Friendship. There is something else that we need you to help us on that requires your abilities."

As she spoke, Discord noticed Twilight winking her eye down at him, almost as if to say that he shouldn't have to worry about any form of punishment. Losing the prison garb, Discord eagerly and excited awaited to hear what the princesses needed him to do.

"We have another prisoner that had escaped with Tirek," said Luna, walking down to Discord's level. "In fact, like Tirek, he is just as dangerous and capable of harm. He has the dubious distinction of being the only creature to murder a princess."

Discord's face literally turned white upon hearing this and I could only imagine why.

"Murder as in, kill without provocation, without mercy?" he asked, nervously, briefly turning into a tombstone. "Look Celestia, I'm a creature of chaos, I don't kill in any way, not even if I ever wanted to do so."

"I know that you don't want to kill," said Celestia, stepping down from her throne. "And I know that you have a good side Discord. In fact, your betrayal was perhaps a good thing in the end as it allowed what had transpired to happen."

"That is true," replied Discord, realizing what she said was indeed true and teleporting himself to Celestia's throne and sitting on it. "With what you said about everything leading to Tirek's defeat. By the way, I've got a good guess that what you are asking me to do is find another escapee and bring him to justice."

"Not by yourself, Discord," cautioned Twilight. "While you have since atoned for your actions, not everypony can trust you fully. Besides, this is something that both Celestia and Luna feel that must be a group effort."

"A group effort?" asked Discord, teleporting himself off the throne. "As in we five work together to catch an escapee?"

The response was swift and immediate from Celestia, who looked at Discord right in the face.

"Yes."

…

"Well then," said Discord, snapping his lion paw, teleporting himself and the princesses out of the throne room and placing them right outside the Crystal Empire. "Where do we start?"

"The first thing we need to do is to lock down any particular areas," said Cadence, looking out towards the empire she governed with Shining Armor. "Especially the Crystal Empire. That is exactly where Prince Julius will go."

Activating her horn, Cadence fired a spell that enveloped the entire kingdom, making it seemingly invisible. This caused the rest of the group to drop their eyes in shock.

"It may seem like it is invisible, but it's really not," explained Cadence. "Only creatures who are pure of evil cannot see the Crystal Empire. For you, its only temporary."

Within a few moments, the spell wore off and the Crystal Empire was visible to the Princesses again.

"Very well," said Celestia. "Then there is the distinction that there needs to be some kind of a trail. We need to start at the first place that Julius is likely to go to after escaping from Tartarus."

"Well, there is always the Everfree Forest," suggested Twilight. "I am pretty sure escapees would hide out in there. There they could hide and recharge themselves before moving on to Celestia knows where."

"Perhaps we will start at the forest and work our way forward," said Celestia. "If there is a trail, then we need to follow it and see where it leads."

"No sooner said than done," chuckled Discord and with those words, he snapped his lion paw and they all found themselves in the Everfree Forest. No sooner did they arrive did they see what appeared to be one of the chains I had freed myself from after escaping.

"It's a chain," Twilight remarked examining the chain. "It appears to have been smashed off, supposedly by a rock or something."

"Spread out and see if you find anything else," ordered Celestia and they all splat up to find any trace of any evidence of our escape.

…

A little while later, they reconvened at the same spot.

"I found nothing," sighed Cadence. "Not a piece of clothing, a hair, nothing."

"This is a forest that is wide and open," said Luna, holding what appeared to be a cuff in her aura. "There is bound to be something to be found. I did manage to find a cuff that supposedly belonged to one of the escapees. I am not sure if its Tirek's or Julius', but its looks like an ankle cuff, which does belong to Julius."

"All right, it seems to me that all we found were the broken chains," said Celestia, contemplating the next step of options that they had . "However, we need to get a perspective on the situation and we have an entire patrol of guards who was a witness to the escaping."

…

Meanwhile, while the Princesses made their way to Tartarus prison, I had reached the edge of the Everfree Forest and was now back on the road to the Crystal Empire. Little did I know that Cadence's little spell to protect her home would put a monkey wrench in my plans…