Author's Note

A villain one! Hooray!

Please tell me what you think in the comments. I've been working on a bunch of different stories to stretch myself out. This one has been in the works for a while now. I hope you enjoy it! It is a bit different from what I usually do.

Hearts of Fear

Facing fear is a natural part of life, too bad that for him, he started it too late. Sombra, no last name, no family. Declaring himself king of the Crystal Empire, this pony shattered Princess Amore and caused a war to erupt. Though it was short-lived, his empire caused fears to rise in the hearts of many; it cursed those who lived in it to a thousand years in oblivion.

According to a diary found in the depths of the castle after his defeat, he lived his entire life under the fear of death. Why? Because of how every year near his every birthday, he would be at his deathbed. And that happened because of the crystal heart's rejection of Sombra's heart. The poor colt was born from a dark crystal. He was made as a weapon to fight the crystal heart.

It is a sad existence if you think about it.

Living to fight, and fighting to live until the end of your days. How can that be a satisfying life?

The answer is it can't.

Now, as said before, Sombra didn't experience life because of his fears. Meaning his heart was weak, underdeveloped, and had no chance against the dark crystal. To be more precise, Sombra wasn't anything without it. If he lost the crystal, it was over. If he was exposed to another surge of love from the crystal heart, it was over.

And when they added a new heart to his own, he was gone. Another heart, filled with fear faced Sombra's heart. It had come from a different pony, a commoner whose story was insignificant as it can be. He wouldn't be mourned or missed. However, he was brave enough to face the fear around him, to grow. His name, forgotten.

From that day forward he would be known as King Sombra.

"MY LIEGE!?" The screams caused him to open his eyes. "MY lIEGE, ARE YOU OK?!"

Grunting at the headache, he raised his hand to press his temples.

Why is my hand gray?

Looking at his surroundings, he took a peek at his surroundings. Gray crystals decorated the room with big red banners above his head. At his hooves, an expensive-looking crimson carpet. Standing, or better yet, floating before him, a shadowy presence with blue eyes. The creature didn't have a solid body, its existence seemed to rely upon the shadow that came from his hooves.

Getting off the throne, he walked to the side of the throne and looked at the reflection on the crystal's surface. That wasn't his face, the face before him belonged to a dead myth.

K-king Sombra?! Why do I look like Sombra?!

"My liege? Are you unwell?" The shadow asked once more.

That thing looks like it can rip me to shreds if it wanted to do so. I better act like Sombra. How exactly do I do that?

The memories of issuing orders flooded his mind. The mannerisms, the tone fo voice, the expressions on his face showed him how Sombra should react. If he was in Sombra's body, it would make sense for it to retain memories, however, if he had his memories, how much of himself remained now that he was in that body? Would Sombra try to regain his body? Or was he gone for good?

In any case, he had to answer the shadow thing as soon as possible. And until he was back home, he had to be Sombra.

"Stop being so noisy. I had a headache, that is all," Sombra said with a low growl. "Give me your report before I shove you into the light."

"Y-yes, sir!" The shadow said while protecting its eyes. "An Equestrian battalion is on its way. The two sisters are leading the army. They are also bearing the Elements of Harmony. They should arrive within two days. One and a half if they don't take the night to rest."

I am so fucked. If the princesses appear here as the story goes, I'll be locked up in the darkness and emerge to my destruction. I cannot afford that! I want to live, damn it! How can I get out of this mess? I need to win. If I can go beyond the event that locks me up, the timeline should change and I can survive. Then I can figure out a way to flung myself back to where I came from. Ok, how to go about this?

Searching his memories, Sombra found how many ponies were under his control. Three hundred crystal ponies devoid of will and fed solely by fear. As sickening as that was, he had to use that to prevent his demise. Sombra also found that he had the pony Radiant Hope locked up in the dungeons. Being a life-long friend of his, she was spared from death. He also discovered that Queen Amore had already been destroyed by Sombra. Or at least her body was gone.

The things he had done made him want to vomit. However, he had more pressing matters to concern himself with. Looking through his memories, he found out how to control his army.

SOLDIERS OF THE CRYSTAL EMPIRE! WE SHALL BE UNDER SIEGE WITHIN THE NEXT DAY AND A HALF! ALL OF YOU! STAGE A SCENE OF COMBAT IMMEDIATELY!

(Two days later)

"Your Highnesses, our scouts have just delivered a report!" An eager soldier said as he knelled before Celestia and her sister Luna. "According to the report, all of the empire's forces have been sealed within crystals."

Frowning at the report, Celestia looked at her sister, who was staring at the guard with concern as well. King Sombra had been a formidable and unknown foe for them. He took over an empire single-handled before enslaving the crystal ponies. How? There was no mention of such a powerful pony within the empire, right? Amore did mention something about a powerful healer with the potential to become an alicorn. But nothing about a fighter that could take over a country on his own. There had to be more to this story.

"Thank you for the report," Celestia said with caution. "We shall enter the city first thing in the morning. What do you think, sister?"

"I agree, however," Luna replied with a serious tone. "I suggest having my nightguards maintain a watch on the streets and search for traps and survivors. The darkness should provide plenty of covers for them to operate."

That makes sense. With those tactics, we might be able to avoid collateral damage as well as prevent a hostage situation. Well thought, Luna.

"That should be the best course of action. Very well, Luna, send in your soldiers," Celestia replied with confidence. "Tomorrow, first thing in the morning, we strike."

The following morning came without issues. Waking up at the usual hour, Celestia was greeted by her sister, who seemed to be receiving a report from her troops.

"Good morning, sister" Celestia greeted while raising the sun. "What news do your soldiers bring?"

"They are disconcerting news, dear sister," Luna replied while biting her lip. "There are no traces of survivors."

"The fiend! He has executed all of the crystal ponies?!" Celestia shot back in disbelief. "How could he-"

"No! Sister, that's not it." Luna intervened while scratching her chin. "The reports of brainwashed soldiers are true. However, there were ones that weren't turned into soldiers. They were also encased in crystals. Something else has entered the city and locked them all. Even Sombra has been imprisoned."

"Sombra is trapped?"Celestia asked to reassure her ears weren't playing tricks on her. "The scouts entered the castle?"

"Yes, he was locked inside a gem. And according to them, he too was locked in mid-battle," Luna completed while turning back to the city. "The entire town seems to have been the stage of a battle."

This is troublesome. We can't afford to be surprised. Or risk our troops in case this is an unknown enemy attacker. How to proceed with this? Maybe it would be best to dispatch a unit to warn about a possible invasion; then while our troops handle the ground, I and Luna break through the walls straight into the throne room. That should give us the element of surprise.

"Luna, pick two of your fastest soldiers. I'll pick two as well. It would be best to send them back to deliver a warning of a possible unknown hostile," Celestia said with a concerned tone. Luna nodded positively before making a gesture to her guards. Turning around, Celestia looked at the rest of her soldiers. "Lighting Blitz, Thunder Feathers! Send word to the castle that there might be a hostile force in the empire. Tell them to prepare the troops for a possible invasion."

Stepping forward from her troops, two pegasuses flew up before being greeted by two bat ponies. They saluted the princess before flying away.

Now, we better get ready.

Looking from above, Luna could see the troops running through the streets. Checking every nook and cranny on their path, the soldiers were sure to keep formation and were watching for the well being of their companions. That was an exemplary display of their training, a fine show of the power Luna and her sister held.

This will be over soon. Now, time to end this madness! Luna thought while looking at her sister. Celestia nodded positively before both her and Luna dove towards the castle walls. Charging their magic, Luna and Celestia destroyed the wall and entered the throne room with weapons in hand.

Sitting in a crystal prison, Sombra was away from his stolen throne. Sword in hand, he seemed to be battling a soldier wearing a strange helmet before being turned into a crystal. There were other soldiers like that outside. The unusual armor and uniform seemed to indicate a militia of sorts. Maybe they were fighting to defend the empire? Standing in front of Sombra with a bright blue gem in hand, which was the only part of the soldier not stuck in a crystal, the soldier positioned himself as to use whatever the crystal was.

"Sister, could this be a fight to restore the empire?" Luna inquired while looking at the statue of the soldier.

"That, I do not know," Celestia replied while analyzing the gem in the soldier's hand. "This gem, however, seems to be the key to the crystal coffins everywhere. Perhaps we can-?!"

As soon as Celestia touched the gem, there was a burst of black energy and Luna blacked out.

Craking the glass cages, Sombra emerged as soon as the black energy dispersed.

This worked better than I expected. I didn't expect Celestia to go and touch the catalyst willingly. Very well, SOLDIERS! GATHER THE PONIES BEARING THE EQUESTRIAN COLORS TO THE BASE OF THE PALACE. NOW, CITIZENS OF THE EMPIRE GATHER AT THE TOWN SQUARE. ONCE THERE, TIE ALL OF YOURSELVES UP.

"SHADOWS!" Sombra called before his shadow split into seven smaller ones and emerged from the ground. "Once the citizens are restrained, I need you to put the magic inhibitors in place. Contact me once all of this is done."

Running into different directions, the shadows dispersed as the sound of howling winds echoed across the halls. Sombra was alone with two unconscious alicorns now. And moving on from this point was the hard part, what to do? Celestia and Luna were far more powerful than him. When they eventually awaken, he would be in major trouble. The magic inhibitors would reduce their strength. However, they would still be able to overpower him.

They need to believe they are unable to escape. Putting a mind spell will destroy any chance of making them believe I mean no harm. Using hypnosis or trances will tick Luna off. Lying? If a lie is a believable lie, then it might just be the truth. Using magic, I can put marks on them to suggest the presence of enslavement crests. That should be enough to divert their attention from suggestion spells, as long as I'm convincing they should believe what I say. Three inhibitor rings should be enough to bring them to half power. That should level things in my favor if they stay separated.

Using polymorph, I might be able to add some details to make them believe I defiled their forms and corrupted them. Then, a bit of makeup, some accessories, different clothes, and a touch of negative emotions when they wake up. Red and black for Luna should be good enough in terms of clothing. Celestia, on the other hand, probably a purple and golden set of clothes. That should be enough to trick them, right? If I play things right, they will notice my intent and won't try to kill me by the time they see the lie. But, I better lock them up in chains to make it look like I've been experimenting on them.

Why am I thinking like that? Is that related to Sombra's body? Never mind. How does he turn into shadows again? Ok, got it. Simply relaxing makes it work. That is a stupid way to trigger an ability. In any case, can I carry them with it? Not as shadows. I can drag them through the floor as if they were on the water. That makes things easier. I better hurry, though. The spell is meant to work for several days, but no guarantees that it will work for long on alicorns.

Merging with the floor, Sombra surrounded the princesses' shadows before dragging them across the halls. It was a much faster method of travel. Reaching the holding cells, Sombra emerged from the floor before opening the designated cells for the princesses. They had to be kept on separate no matter what. If those two worked together, everything could go south in a matter of seconds.

"You're worst than I thought," Another voice called out in the dark of the dungeon. "It wasn't enough to fight and destroy Queen Amore. You had to take down the sisters of harmony. What will you do now?!" The familiar voice inquired while the sound of chains echoed in the room.

Radiant Hope. He caught her too. Sombra cares for her deeply. I think he didn't want her to be hurt while taking on the Empire.

"And you're as lively as ever," Sombra replied while charging up the required spells. "I'll tend to you once things are done. I need to attend to my subjects. Just know that all I've done, I did it for the sake of surviving."

"Why should I believe you?!" Radiant screamed from the back. "You killed Amore! You imprisoned me!"

"Believe what you must," Sombra replied with venom as he remembered about the events regarding Amore's passive behavior towards his condition. "But know that Queen Amore stood idly by while one of her subjects suffered for all of his life. She was aware of it and did nothing. NOTHING!" Sombra screamed while placing the marks on Celestia and Luna.

Now they will believe me. Just play your part. Everything will be fine as long as I do what I have to. Even if it makes me feel like a monster. Judge me all you want Karma, but I want to live.

"My liege. The citizens have been restrained. And we took the liberty of doing the same to the soldiers." An echoing voice announced in the back of Sombra's mind as he added details to the sigils.

Understood. I shall see to them in a moment. In the meantime, I need you to collect two enslavement collars as well as the blueprints for them. Also, send another shadow to collect a magic inhibitor ring for Radiant Hope. I can't have her lifting the sigils from our guests.

"Understood, my liege."

"How can you believe you will get away with this?" Radiant hope asked while Sombra locked the cell doors. "You have their princesses! They will come in waves to take them back!"

Starting with a faint chuckle, Sombra quickly leaped to a burst of heinous laughter as he approached Radiant's cell.

"You do have a point, my dear. I have their princesses, their strongest military and political assets. I have their elements, the strongest magic known in Equos. And once the kingdom notices their absence, all other nations shall see it as well. They will know that Equestria has lost its rulers to the Crystal Empire. And they will know not to cross paths with Sombra, Usurper of the Crystal Empire! In their desperation, they will make mistakes and when they do, I shall take their kingdom."

As soon as he finished those words, Sombra saw the horror in Radiant's face. I might have pushed too far. I will need to fix this later on. But for now, I should get the benefit of the doubt from my subjects. If that isn't possible, they will have to fear me. He mused before merging into the floor and leaving for the pillar underneath the castle. The shadows were kind enough to separate the citizens and members of the guard from the Equestrian soldiers.

All of the citizens of the crystal empire were terrified at the shadows guarding them. Sombra could feel the negative emotions oozing from the ponies. The negativity flowed from them into his body, empowering his heart and body. However, the feeling wasn't pleasant. The sensation of something cold slithering its way from his hooves up his chest and then carving its way towards his heart made him feel impatient, angry and made him grit his teeth.

"Isn't that Sombra?!" One of the ponies exclaimed while Sombra emerged from the floor.

"All of you, return to me," Sombra ordered with the calmest tone he could muster. In the blink of an eye, all of the shadows returned to Sombra. "My apologies for the rude awakening. You are correct, I am Sombra. The colt all of you called an outsider. Left in the corner to fend for himself. Out of sight, out of mind."

"Where is Queen Amore?!" Another pony cried from the crowd.

"The wretched witch is no more," Sombra replied with venom. "I saw to that personally."

"LIAR!" A guard cried.

"NO PONY CAN DEFEAT AN ALICORN!" A mare agreed.

"SHE IS RIGHT! L-?!"

"SILENCE!" Sombra shouted. His voice cracked the earth beneath them while the castle trembled above their heads. "I will say this once more. And this shall be the last time I repeat myself! Queen Amore, the witch that left me to die a slow and painful death for over twenty years is GONE. Shattered. Spread to the four winds! I killed her when she tried to prevent my attempts to save my life! I was born from the dark crystal. The polar opposite of the crystal heart. Your fear and despise towards me made me stronger, while the crystal heart restoration chipped away at my heart. Torturing me and forcing me into illness at every Restoration Festival."

"A few days ago, I was called by my mother. She warned me of my imminent death by the hands of the crystal heart. She also offered me a way to escape this inevitable death. By corrupting the crystal heart, I would have been freed from the pain it caused me, however, I came to realize that corrupting the crystal heart, it would mean the end of the empire. It is the warmth generated by your love for this nation that protects us from the harsh cold generated by the spirits that once threatened our very existence in this land. Therefore, the crystal heart must remain pure and untouched, for now."

"T-then why oppose to the Festival?!" A pony called from the crowd.

"Because unlike what Amore made all of you believe, the crystal heart does not need to be recharged every year. Each festival has channeled enough three years' worth of protection. The crystal heart has existed for four hundred years. The festivals have been occurring every year on the dot for two hundred years. That makes for about four hundred years of protection. These calculations were extracted from the Queen's journal on the subject. I will gladly release all of her notes to prove my point. However, there is a more pressing matter at this moment."

"I was aware that my take over would draw attention. But I did not foresee an all-out assault from the Equestrian army. The princesses of Harmony, as well as the Elements of Harmony, led an attack on us. Their assault came to all of us, regardless of your position as soldiers or citizens. So, your lives, as well as mine, were placed in terrible danger because of their reckless assault. However, thanks to a mass sleep spell and temporarily freezing all of you in crystal prisons, I incapacitated the soldiers and the Princesses. The Princesses have been stripped of the elements of harmony and I intend to use them as leverage against the kingdom of Equestria," Sombra said before making an image of the princesses in chains appear above them. The sigils and the additions he made were visible to all of them.

"However, this still leaves the lives of the soldiers that tried to destroy our kingdom. I leave their lives in your hands. Tell me what should be done and I shall see that these attackers receive the appropriate punishment," Sombra said while towering over the terrified subjects and pointing at the unconscious soldiers of the defeated army.

Silence, not a single word was spoken by the ponies. Trading glances amongst themselves, the ponies tried to search the words to answer. However, nothing came.

"No answer? Having a hard time believing me? Very well then," Sombra said while approaching the captain. Using his horn, Sombra ended the spell in the captain while placing a little twist of his own. "Soldier! State your name and rank!"

"Captain Fort Wall. Servant of the Sun Guard."

"Tell me, what was your mission?"

"To take down the enemy forces within the crystal empire."

"What is classified as enemy forces, captain?"

"All inhabitants of the crystal empire. Until Sombra and the ponies of the crystal empire are defeated, Equos won't know peace."

Lighting up his horn once more, Sombra placed the soldier back in a deep sleep.

The silence was replaced with murmurs and whispers as the ponies now seemed more convinced of the information Sombra had supplied them with.

"I have a suggestion for all of you. We are in dire need of military might. I suggest that we hire them as our soldiers. They will still be treated as outsiders and dealt with at arm's length. I intend to expand our kingdom until no one can threaten us, therefore, mercenaries are a viable option. However, if you can convince them of joining us they will not be seen as threats anymore. And as long as these soldiers' loyalties remain with us. They shall be treated fairly as one of our own and I shall see to their protection, like all of you, myself. However, this is a big decision. I will remove the bidings on all of you, so you can ponder the options. But," Closing his eyes, Sombra made sure his fangs appeared as his mane grew agitated. He opened his eyes to reveal the eerie glow that marked his contact with dark magic. "Free them of their bidings, and you shall be considered traitors. All traitors and threats to this kingdom from this moment on shall be plunged into an endless nightmare and stripped of all free will. And just so we are clear: This IS a threat."

And thus, a tale of the heart of fear began.