And A Crystaller's Downfall
Despite how late it may have been in the evening, the shimmering city of the Crystal Empire was still shining brightly against the vast darkness of the tundras surrounding it. Since the Crystal Heart was essential when it came to protecting the Empire from the harsh elements outside, as well as maintaining unity and peace amongst the citizens themselves, the city was known by many outsiders as being just as illuminated in the nighttime as Manehatten or even Las Pegasus. Fortunately for the Crystal Empire’s sake, the newly-revived community was surprisingly tranquil after the sun set, with many of the crystal ponies enjoying the peaceful solitude of their homes as opposed to staying out for too long. And across many of the crystallized streets, the mood was peaceful enough to allow somepony to hear a pin drop from several houses away.
And on one peculiar corner in an empty street, a lone green house stood out rather prominently due to its unique architectural design. Unlike many of the other homes in that neighborhood, the abode that was owned by the Royal Crystaller had an unusual roof design that looked like a large wizard’s hat made of orange crystal. Before the property was purchased by Sunburst, it was reported to have been owned by an elderly apothecary who had passed during Sombra’s reign. But despite how unique the house may have been for the home’s previous owner, it also proved to be a fitting home for the Crystaller due to his similar sense of style, as well as his scientific curiosity.
Unfortunately, even with how accommodating the home may have been for Sunburst’s needs, as well as how lucky he was to have purchased it right after the Crystal Empire was saved by Spike, it seemed that a lot of ponies have been moving from one place to another as of recently. Just like Twilight Sparkle & Spike’s move back to Canterlot, and Starlight Glimmer’s new ownership of the Princess’ previous castle and the School of Friendship, the Royal Crystaller had his own moving plans set in place. Since his Royal duties in the Crystal Empire weren’t nearly as prevalent nowadays, and he was offered a prestigious job opening as the Vice Headmare of Starlight’s school, Sunburst only had the slightest feelings of trepidation about putting his home up for sale. And after less than a month of talking with realtors and dealing with paperwork, the ‘For Sale’ sign that was posted in front of Sunburst’s home had a large red sticker over the front with the word ‘SOLD’ in bold red letters.
Meanwhile inside the cozy cottage, Sunburst’s soon-to-be former home was still crammed to the roof with dozens, if not hundreds of packed boxes. Luckily for the stallion himself, he made sure to pack and organize all of his belongings with the same diligence as Twilight Sparkle herself. And since the movers were scheduled to collect everything the following morning for express shipment to Ponyville, Sunburst wasn’t too worried about the place’s currently cramped state. Instead, the unicorn was sitting in the middle of his living room atop of a futon mattress, and was reading through some old books with a lantern placed beside him.
Since most of his furniture was already moved to his newly purchased house, all that Sunburst had were the thousands of books he had boxed-up all around him. His cape and Wizard’s hat were hung up on the coat-rack by the door, which was the only furniture he had which wasn’t already shipped off to his new home. Even though he could’ve easily left his old place now, he wasn’t too keen on leaving his collection of vintage literature and ancient scrolls behind. Not to mention, considering how valuable some of his rarest books were, the idea of leaving them unattended felt downright irresponsible for the unicorn. He had spent years compiling as much information as he could from the Crystal Empire’s Royal Archives, and he understood more than most civilian ponies how important it was to keep the past intact.
“Hmmmm…” As he sat by himself among the stacks of boxes around him, Sunburst seemed fairly content while reading through an especially old book and drinking from his coffee mug. When he originally requested to be relieved from his Crystaller duties a month ago, Sunburst was happy about Shining and Cadance being so understanding. Not only did they help him with his moving process -- including finding him his new house with the help of Twilight Sparkle -- but he also received a lovely farewell party the other day at the Crystal Castle. Despite how introverted the stallion may have been, Sunburst was touched by how supportive and loving the Crystal Ponies were prior to his leave. He even received a large trunk full of old books from the Crystal Empire library, which served as a thank-you gift from the librarians who grew to befriend him over the years.
Among that bundle of vintage books, there was a specific one which caught Sunburst’s interests greatly. The aged leather bindings that covered the outside had been worn-down and greyed from centuries of storage, and the thick spine was riddled with countless cracks due to the severe wear it endured throughout that time. But across the front and back covers of the book, large metal emblems shaped like pentagrams were tightly engraved into the leather, and were still shining as brightly as they had when the book was brand new. But amongst the thick stack of pages between those pentagrams, Sunburst couldn’t find a single piece of paper that hadn’t been frayed and yellowed with age; fortunately, even with how frail and faded the book’s contents may have been, the hoof-written text and pictures inside were still legible enough for Sunburst to read through without his magnifying bifocals.
And considering how captivating the content inside actually was, Sunburst couldn’t have felt happier about that fact.
“Man,” he muttered under his breath while narrowing his eyes studiously on the Olde Ponish calligraphy, which was engraved with such dedicated precision for something so old. “How did something this valuable end up in my hooves instead of a museum? I should really send this to Canterlot for Twilight to examine…”
Even with how faded the brownish-red ink had gotten over the centuries it was left untouched, Sunburst was able to read each ancient line of text with surprising ease. And with each curled and brittle page he carefully flipped through with his magic, he became more captivated by the stories and spells written with so much detail. He may have known how controversial it was for an aspiring alchemist like himself to gloss through a book containing so many references to Dark Magic, but it was hard to pull himself away when there was so much to learn about the days before the Crystal Empire’s banishment. Not to mention, the book seemed to have a lot of intriguing details about the Empire’s former Ruler as well.
Across many of the book’s morbidly detailed illustrations, which varied from showing the effects of failed spell conjurings to the aftermath of public executions, the lecherous King Sombra was etched in nearly every scene with a piercing gaze in his blood-red eyes. His smile was always alarmingly wide as well, with the artist emphasizing the size of those obscenely long fangs that hung past his chin. Due to Sombra’s recently attempted invasion of the Crystal Empire, which turned out to be some sort of sick “test” by Discord for the Elements of Harmony, Sunburst’s muzzle couldn’t help skewing uncomfortably upon seeing that gleaming grin every other page. Fortunately though, Sunburst was lucky enough to have been visiting his Mom in Sire’s Hollow during that invasion, so he wasn’t as traumatized from seeing Sombra’s face as other citizens of the Crystal Empire may have been.
Because of that, Sunburst kept an inquisitive smile as he read through the countless pages with interest, learning quite a lot about the expansive properties of Dark Magic. More specifically, he was able to discover some interesting reasons as to why Sombra embraced the less reformed methods of alchemy and spellmaging during his rule. According to many of the passages and notes written by hoof, it seemed that Sombra’s descent to evil wasn’t due to a quest for power, but more as a means to keep himself in control as the Crystal Empire’s sole ruler. Sunburst was also surprised to learn that a lot of the city’s more impressive feats, including its sophisticated crystallized architecture and aqueducts, had all been crafted through Sombra’s darker arts before he became a Tyrant.
“Hmmm… It’s almost like a drug,” he said to himself, before he paused his thoughts to take a sip from his mug. From how he was interpreting the book’s recollection of Sombra’s rule, it really seemed that Sombra had the best intentions when it came to experimenting with Dark Magic. But with each controversial spell he conjured for the Crystal Empire’s well-being, the price had been a little piece of Sombra’s sanity every single time. So by the time his magic grew immense enough to show profound power, Sombra had grown too mad with power to use them with a sound conscience. Sunburst sighed with pity as he put down his coffee, but tried not to feel too sympathetic for the sadistic Ex-King as he said, “Well, at least the Elements got to him before he could kill anypony…”
Sunburst winced to himself after saying that last part, absolutely hating how it sounded out-loud. When he received word of everything that occurred prior to Sombra’s defeat by the Elements, Sunburst was appalled that so many ponies had been entranced under his magic without warning. And when he heard how the Crystal Empire’s rulers suffered under Sombra’s thrall, Sunburst stayed with Flurry Heart for over a week straight to help ease her worries. However, due to how graphically the former King had been when implementing punishments to anypony who opposed him, Sunburst was mostly grateful that none of his friends had taken the place of those decrepit illustrations throughout the book’s pages.
In an effort to clear his head of any unsettling thoughts or hypotheticals, Sunburst used his magic to open up a different section of the book. After meticulously floating a thick section of pages from one end to the other (while also leaving a small bookmark where he had left off), the stallion’s brows raised up with intrigue upon finding a completely different page from the others. Unlike the previous parts that showed their age through faded ink and fragile pages, this specific section still had its paper as crisp and white as the day they were bound to the spine; and the expertly-written calligraphy across the pages looked like they had just been written in, with the black ink nearly glistening like it hadn’t been dried yet. Sunburst had to lean in and inspect the authenticity of the pages, just to make sure they weren’t slipped in by the librarians as some sort of prank. But much to his surprise, the papers looked to have been exactly the same as all the others, but with a disturbingly untouched condition that left him feeling wary.
“What the…” Sunburst’s eyes narrowed behind his thick glasses, which he readjusted atop his muzzle with his magic while reading through the pages. This section of the book seemed to be another spell technique, but the name of the procedure itself proved to challenge Sunburst’s limited knowledge of Olde Ponish:
Æt edcwician sum sáwol feorweg sigeleás ond belæðed
“A… A soul… long forgotten and… what?” Sunburst tilted his head confusedly, and blinked a couple times while struggling to translate the ancient text. While the words itself were clear as day atop the page, the stallion had no idea what the spell was actually meant to do. Not to mention, the only large words in that title he could recognize were “Soul” and “long forgotten,” which only left him more baffled than before. Considering how unusually clean that section of the book looked, as well as the ominous wordplay being presented for that specific spell, Sunburst should’ve seen those points as very good signs to stop reading. But as his eyes veered down towards the body of the Ponish text, he couldn’t stop himself while scrolling through slowly. His lips parted and closed silently, with only the faintest voice escaping his muzzle while reading the text to himself.
“... ge… gebann… benann gebeterung brego… gebeterung balocræft?”
Unbenounced to Sunburst, who was too busy struggling to pronounce the written words correctly in his head, the front and back covers of the book began to glow a ghastly shade of red around the metal pentagrams. Even when he sat upright on his mattress, and held the book upright atop his lap, the book’s eerie glow went completely unnoticed to the stallion while his eyes were glued to the page. His eyes darted back and forth with every line he read, whispering the text to himself without realizing what he was doing. His ancient Ponish may have been novice at best, but the words he uttered seemed to be taking effect nonetheless…
“... gebeterung brego… wynlust brego… gemedemian handgang… gemedemian blod…”
Sunburst was starting to recognize more of the written words, particularly the ones that translated to terms more ominous like “surrender” and “blood.” But alas, his eyes remained glued to the page while continuing to scroll down, not even realizing that his eyelids have refrained from blinking. Even when his eyes began to dry up, which caused a couple small trickles of tears to stream down his cheeks, Sunburst kept reading as the words became clearer, and the book’s eerie glow started to illuminate the dark room.
“... brego for abrecan… brego for cwaltt… brego for frèot…”
For some reason, that last word made Sunburst’s eyes widen immensely, as if something suddenly clicked within him that he didn’t know was being hidden before. The word itself sounded familiar, but he wasn’t able to discern what the term actually meant. If Starlight Glimmer or Twilight Sparkle were present, they likely would’ve tried to make him stop reading in that instant. But as more tears streamed down from Sunburst’s unblinking eyes, and his pupils shrunk to an alarmingly sharp degree, it seemed that the book’s magnetic pull was already taking place. Sunburst’s voice started to grow louder, and the red glow that enveloped the room didn’t faze him at all while reciting the spell.
“... handgang swá frèot… handgang swá frèot… Handgang Swá Frèot. Handgang Swá Frèot! Handgang Swá Frèot! Handgang Swá Frèot!~”
As Sunburst’s voice became louder, and his mind became too clouded to realize what he was even doing by that point, the aged pages started to illuminate with a yellow glow that made his eyes widen even more. Due to the home’s crystallized architecture, no ponies outside could hear him while the doors and windows were all closed shut. But inside of the glowing cottage, Sunburst was starting to scream out the chant with more vigor each time it came out of his mouth. His horn lit up brightly as he continued, although it didn’t seem like Sunburst did that by his own will. Instead of the pale golden hue that encompassed his magic aura, the magic that illuminated his horn carried the same shade of red as the book that was pulling him in. And as the aura of red magic grew larger, and the room itself started to rumble with dark energy, Sunburst’s will to stop was completely ignored as continued to scream out the words direly.
“HANDGANG SWÁ FRÉOT! HANDGANG SWÁ FRÉOT! HANDGANG SWÁ FRÉOOOOOOOT!~”
Sunburst’s muzzle was hanging wide-open as he bellowed out that final chant, with the tears from his face dripping down to hit the page he was reading from. As soon as the first tear of Sunburst’s struck the enchanted paper, a violent surge of yellow light bellowed out from the book to shoot upward like a beam from a spotlight. Sunburst finally broke from his possession as he winced with his eyes tightly clenched shut, and his face tried to pull away from the uproar of magic that erupted from his unthinking words. But before he could compose himself quickly enough to run away, or even try slamming the book shut to contain its power, a heavy stream of magic thrusted out from between the covers, and struck Sunburst with enough power to send him shooting back from the mattress. The pony was thrown back with enough force to hit the back wall of the living room. The surge also caused his columns of stacked boxes to all be thrown back as well, which caused an orchestra of crashing thuds as hundreds of books fell out and littered the floor around the near-unconscious stallion.
“... Aaahhhh… Mnnnghhhhh… W-What the…” Sunburst’s eyes were squinted when he finally came to, and he was forced to blink a few times when he realized his glasses were gone. He could barely see a thing as he tried to scan the room, but it had become pitch-black due to the lantern breaking from that magical blast. He tried to use his magic to serve as an impromptu flashlight, but he yelped out in pain the moment he felt a blinding hot surge of pain traveling up the length of his horn. He winced with his eyes clenched shut while gripping the base of his horn with a hoof, not having felt magic strain that intense since his days of stressful practice during Wizardry Exams.
“Rise…”
Even with how intensely his horn was stinging atop his forehead, Sunburst froze with his blood turning cold from the sound of that unfamiliar voice. He had no idea who it may have been, but he had a horrifying feeling that it wasn’t some lowly burglar or intruder. Sunburst’s eyes were wide-open in fear as he tried to look up in his darkened room, but he wouldn’t have been able to see a thing without his glasses anyway. All that he could make out were various shades of dark-grey, as well as a heavy veil of black right at the foot of his mattress.
That was, until an unfamiliar aura of a deep, regal shade of purple magic lit up just a few feet away, and illuminated Sunburst’s glasses resting on the floor.
The thick, circular bifocals slowly lifted up from the ground, and floated towards Sunburst without him doing a thing. The unicorn tried to reel back with a fearful look on his face, but his back was already pinned against the wall. His breaths became shakier the closer those glasses got to his face, until they rested back atop his muzzle with a surprisingly careful fashion. Sunburst blinked a couple times with his vision renewed, and he tried his hardest to ascertain what was going on while still trapped in darkness. But amongst the feelings of confusion and wariness that were coursing through his thoughts, the unrelenting feeling of dread instantly shot to precedence when that purple magic lit up the room.
Several feet above Sunburst’s laid position, that ghastly purple aura was ruminating brightly around a long, smooth horn that was curved upward like a hook, and carried a deep shade of crimson at the needle-like tip. Just beneath that horn were a pair of brooding, piercingly red eyes that were glaring down at Sunburst with an intensity the Crystaller couldn’t look away from. As the room grew brighter with the being’s Dark Magic, so did the two rows of razor-sharp fangs that were protruding from his intimidating smile. Sunburst’s pupils shrank immensely as he stared up at the stallion standing before him, and his muzzle began to quiver from the realization of what he had done.
Meanwhile, King Sombra narrowed his eyes on the stallion laying at his hooves, with his grin growing wider with each passing second the two were within his magical glow. Underneath his tall and brooding form, the book Sunburst had used to summon him was now a burnt husk on the hardwood floor, with small plumes of red smoke billowing from the now charred and destroyed pages. The only pieces of the book that survived were those pentagrams from the covers, which had grown hot enough to burn into the floor and leave two identical black engravings in the wood. If Sunburst were to take notice of that book being destroyed from his conjuring, he likely would’ve been terrified by the fact that his spell couldn’t be undone. But with the newly-resurrected Tyrant standing over him with such an imposing grin on his face, Sunburst’s mind was merely a blank while he sat with a feeling of merciless doom.
“I told you to rise!” shouted Sombra with the threateningly intense tone of voice, even though it didn’t match the domineering smile that was plastered across his muzzle. Nevertheless, Sunburst jolted with a panicked whimper as he tried to scurry up from his seated stance. Of course, even when he got back onto his hooves, Sunburst still looked terrified as he braced up against the wall on his hind-legs, and tried to remain as far away from Sombra as he possibly could. But alas, Sombra only needed to take a couple steps forward before getting right up into the stallion’s face, with their muzzles less than an inch from touching.
“Aaaahhhhh… So you’re the one who wished to submit, hmmm?~” As he spoke with such a deep and confidently smooth voice, Sombra’s peering gaze caused the Crystaller to tremble with a shaky breath. Sunburst had no idea how he could’ve committed an atrocity as horrible as reviving a fallen villain, but he was too terrified before the King’s presence to think of doing anything in that moment. Since that compromising blast from the book impeded on his magical abilities, he wasn’t able to send out a distress signal to the Crystal Castle. And even if his horn wasn’t left useless, it was doubtful Sunburst could do much while struggling not to piss himself.
Due to his rapid breaths, Sunburst wasn’t able to make any reply through his quivering lips. Although, given how venomously Sombra was staring him down, perhaps the unicorn’s silence was a blessing while his King continued to speak. “Hmmmm… So you’re the Crystal Empire’s official Royal Crystaller?” he asked Sunburst with a deep and curiously chipper tone; however, instead of waiting for an answer, Sombra looked up at the unicorn’s horn before giving it a light tap with his hoof. Sunburst winced with his eyes tightly clenched shut, and his body shivered while feeling Sombra’s breath brushing against his fur. “I must say,” Sombra said with a tilt of his head as he looked Sunburst up and down studiously, “I would’ve figured those so-called ‘Rulers’ would give such a role to a pony with more experience in their magic…”
Despite how petrified he felt before Sombra’s presence, Sunburst had to keep himself from feeling hurt by that honest assessment. Even though he managed to do a lot for the Princesses and Equestria as a whole, the unicorn was more aware of his inadequacies than most other ponies did. Whether it was the years he spent struggling in Magic Training Schools, the humiliation he felt when he was forced to drop out, or the countless arguments he had with his mother over the plans he never placed much investment in, Sunburst’s internal bouts of doubt have always left him feeling like a second-hoof pony in comparison to others. And while he knew deep-down that he shouldn’t see himself in such a way, hearing Sombra say something like that made it feel like those freshly-healed wounds were opening right back up.
“Although,” purred Sombra as his eyes narrowed on the Crystaller’s, and his muzzle grew a more enticed-looking smirk with his fangs peeking out. “I suppose I shouldn’t be too dismissive of your abilities. After all, you were enamored enough with my powers to successfully summon me~”
Sumburst’s muzzle clenched up as he winced from Sombra’s words, and he had to use all of his mental strength to break from his stoic state and blurt out, “I-I-I wasn’t! It… I-It was a… I-I was just--”
“Sssssshhhhhhhhh~” Before Sunburst could stammer out any words to attempt making a full sentence, Sombra pressed his hoof up against the pony’s lips to silence him. “It’s alright, little Sunburst~” cooed Sombra with a more lustrous growl, not seeming to care about how high the stallion’s brows rose up after he said his name. “You don’t need to explain why you wished to seek me. It’s clear as day in your expression what you were pursuing~”
When Sombra pulled his hoof away, he leaned in a little closer like he was about to kiss the terrified pony. However, when their lips were only inches away, Sunburst let out a shuddering exhale and asked, “H-How… How do you know my name?”
Even with how clearly Sunburst tried to ask that question, Sombra could tell that he was still scared beyond belief. But alas, the King merely scoffed with a teasing chuckle before he pulled back and replied, “Oh, you sweet, sweet little unicorn. Did you really think that my powers aren’t vast enough to learn such things in an instant?~”
Sombra’s horn lit up brighter, and nearly blinded Sunburst when that threatening aura of purple was so close to his glasses. But while the pony winced and tried to turn his head away from the light, Sombra gripped Sunburst by his mane to make him cry out painfully. “WITNESS my power, Sunburst!” he bellowed out with a maniacally wide smile, and an intense glare on the stallion as he trembled in Sombra’s grip. “Don’t you DARE try to veer away from such an untapped source of potential! After all the years you spent feeling second-best, are you really going to deny yourself the abilities worthy of praise?~”
Even with how badly he wanted to pull himself away from this sadistic King, Sunburst felt utterly trapped while pinned against the wall with his hair being held in Sombra’s hoof. Not to mention, his hind-legs could only tremble underneath his weight, unable to lift up in an attempt to break himself free. Sunburst tried to keep his eyes closed, but his muzzle was quivering as he struggled not to let Sombra’s words sink into his conscience. But alas, his ears could be seen twitching before Sombra’s muzzle got in close to one of them, and he spoke with a sultry whisper.
“With magic as vast and unfiltered as my own, I was able to learn everything about you in less than a second, Sunburst. I know that you failed in your final magic exams in Canterlot, which lead you to pursue a less strenuous career in magic preservation and curating. I also know that you always carried a deep, unrelenting feeling of regret in your failures, which caused you to isolate yourself in your work. But at the same time, you know that deep-down you’ve been craving a purer sense of power, and wished to witness magic at its greatest. Isn’t that correct?~”
Sunburst’s eyes were wide-open in shock during Sombra’s little speech, his expression showing a heavy veil of unease from how accurately the villain was able to point out all those personal details. Even if he tried to deny those hurtful claims, the Crystaller’s stunned look and deafening silence said far more than any lies that could have stemmed from his muzzle. When Sombra pulled back from Sunburst’s ear, his pompous smirk was accompanied with a gloating stare that beamed right through Sunburst’s glasses and into his unblinking gaze. During that heavy bout of silence that lingered between the two stallions, Sunburst felt like he was frozen for an eternity before he managed to open his muzzle shakily. “... H… H-How… How did you…”
Sombra’s grin widened even more, and he pressed his hoof back up against Sunburst’s muzzle before he could finish his question. “Oh, I don’t think you need to ask how I know, do you?~” he asked with a confident smirk that matched his looming stare into Sunburst’s very soul. “After all, you knew just enough Olde Ponish to read the transcripts I had written down centuries ago. You knew exactly what was written when you chanted those lines with such vigor! Over and over and over… you screamed out the words ‘handgang swá frèot’ while summoning my return~”
Sunburst’s pupils shrank with fear, much to Sombra’s delight as he grinned to such a reaction. He could tell that the Crystaller had just realized the gravity of his inquisitive mistake. Even if his Olde Ponish was rusty, the stallion couldn’t deny the words he had spoken while caught in the spell’s magnetic pull. And more terrifying than that, Sunburst knew that Sombra was fully aware of words’ meanings as well:
During the climax of his summoning spell, Sunburst inadvertently asked to submit as Sombra’s slave.
“... No… N-No, no, no…” Sunburst’s face began to pale as he tried to shake his head in dismissal. But alas, there was nothing he could do or say to change that lustrous grin Sombra had on him. Nor was he able to divert from the King’s determined stare, even when tried to shake his head even harder in response to Sombra’s words. “No… no no no no no no no…”
SLAM!!!
Sombra silenced the unicorn the moment his other hoof barreled in without warning, and stomped against the wall right beside Sunburst’s head. While the stallion stood with a petrified shiver, Sombra’s eyes narrowed on him as he spoke more firmly than before. “You can keep saying that all you want, Slave~” Sombra grinned wide after referring to him with that highly inflected term, and then added, “but that doesn’t change the fact that you said it. You read through that spell, and you brought me back to display my powers as the true ruler of the Crystal Empire~”
Sunburst felt like he was about to faint, as his heart was thundering at dangerously fast levels. His body felt utterly numb while trapped before the sadistic King, with the only sensation he felt being the intense stinging from Sombra’s hoof pulling at his hair. Despite all the dangers he had to face alongside Twilight and the Elements of Harmony, Sunburst never felt so weak or intimidated by a single pony in his entire life. And given how sensually the villain was grinning back at him, he could only imagine that Sombra sensed that with him too.
Unfortunately, Sunburst had no idea how intimidated he appeared by Sombra’s presence before he saw the stallion’s eyes peering downward. His own eyes eventually glanced down to where Sombra was looking, which caused him to gasp in terror when he saw the physical response he carried to those menacing words. His legs may have been weak and shaking profusely, but Sunburst’s stallionhood was fully unsheathed and standing rigid. The stallion had no idea how long he had been like that, and his face paled even more with a sense of dread he had never felt before. “Oh god… Oh god, no… Th-This can’t be--HUUUUUHHHH!!!~”
Sunburst clenched his eyes shut with a sharp gasp, and was left pinned against the wall helplessly while Sombra took charge once again. While one of his hooves kept a vice-like grip on Sunburst’s mane, his other hoof went down to start stroking Sunburst’s cock. The hard, sensual tugs of the King’s fetlocked hoof caused the stallion’s expression to wrinkle up immensely from the strain, not wanting to show any enjoyment from those titillating motions. Unfortunately, that task was easier said than done when those tantalizing strokes were accompanied with Sombra’s hot breath brushing against his fur, and each breath he took gave him a heavy dose of the King’s manly musk that caused his nostrils to flare out wildly. “Nnnnghhhh… Mmmmnnnnnnghhhhh…”
“Ssssssshhhhhh… It’s alright, Sunburst…” Sombra kept a deceptively warm smile on his fanged muzzle while keeping the Crystaller braced against the wall. His hoof continued to slide up and down the length of Sunburst’s shaft, and his tight grip helped him to feel every distinct throb and twitch that member made from his efforts. Meanwhile, the unicorn helplessly shuddered while trapped in Sombra’s grasp, and struggled not to moan from those surprisingly nice strokes. But alas, Sombra was nothing short of determined as he leaned his muzzle back in, and he whispered into Sunburst’s ear, “Isn’t this nice, Sunburst?~ Doesn’t it feel good to submit to someone greater than yourself? Mmmmmm… I bet you haven’t felt this kind of pleasure in a long time, have you?~”
Sunburst tried not to think about the truthfulness in that last statement, and his muzzle clenched even tighter to keep himself from doing anything he’d regret. But even with how painfully Sombra was pulling at his hair, it was impossible to keep himself from groaning through his pursed lips as those strokes grew more pleasurable. Sombra’s hoof continued to pump his length relentlessly, and caused Sunburst’s cock to throb even harder while precum began to seep from the tip. That clear, syrupy substance was soon caught by the charcoal fur of Sombra’s fetlock, which only added to the lewdness between them as he continued to goad Sunburst into submitting.
“All you have to do is answer me,” purred Sombra while leaning in close to Sunburst’s ear, and using his forked tongue to lick the outside of it so he’d shiver relentlessly. During that titillated response, Sombra chuckled gloatingly before he kept speaking. “You can do that, can’t you?~ If you’re able to call me your Master, I’ll help you finish, AND I’ll gift you with a greater sense of power than you would’ve ever achieved without me~”
Sunburst couldn’t dare contemplate such a horrible deal, since he knew that submitting to Sombra would be worse than suicide. But with how tentatively Sombra was jerking him off without pause, it was near-impossible for Sunburst to think objectively while shuddering from every needy throb of his cock. Not to mention, the King’s earlier statements were still playing back in Suburst’s head, which added even more conflict to his compromised state. While he didn’t want to even consider referring to Sombra in such a way, he couldn’t deny that the King seemed to carry a lot of knowledge just from what he said about him…
“Give in~” growled Sombra into Sunburst’s ear, just as he felt the pony’s cock throbbing harder within his hoof’s grip. “Yeeeessssssss… You want me to give you that pleasure, don’t you? And you also want me to give you more power… Power to Conquer… Power to Reclaim… Power to prove yourself as a worthy stallion… Right?~”
“Nnnnghhhhh~” Sunburst’s legs buckled as he shivered from the intensity of Sombra’s heated words, as well as that unrelenting pleasure that the King was providing with his hoofjob. And despite how hard he tried to resist, the pony couldn’t help giving the faintest nod of his head in response to that question. “Mmmmmfffff~”
“Oh, I think you can respond better than that~” purred Sombra with a confident grin, and used that last inflected word to provide an especially hard stroke to that twitching cock. As the pony jolted from that titillating tug, and finally opened his muzzle to bellow out a heavy moan, Sombra went right back in to whisper dominantly, “Say it, Sunburst~ You know that you want to. You want to submit to your King~ You want to have a taste of the powers I possess~ And most of all, you want to be my Slave…”
Sunburst’s eyes were still pinned shut, but his teeth were gritted tightly in an attempt to resist those increasingly alluring words. His horn tried to light up and reactivate, but it could only give a few stuttering fizzles in comparison to Sombra’s undying magic. And as his cock throbbed direly in the King’s grip, Sunburst wasn’t sure how close he was to reaching his climax; of course, considering how Sombra’s fetlocks were now matted with Sunburst’s precum, it was doubtful he could last much longer.
That was, until Sombra caught Sunburst by surprise, and let him go completely.
“OOMF!” Without warning, Sunburst fell to the floor before Sombra’s hooves, as the King stepped back from the wall and grinned down at him. Even when he was freed from Sombra’s grip, Sunburst still felt utterly helpless when he looked up from the floor, and saw the intimidating stare his captor had on him. His horn tried to light up a couple more times, but it proved to be fruitless as several sputters of sparks emitted from the tip, only to fall to the floor and dissipate instantly. Given how overwhelmed he felt for multiple reasons, Sunburst wished more than anything else that he had even a fraction of Twilight Sparkle’s powers in that horrifying moment.
But from Sombra’s point of view, all that he saw was a prime candidate for his plans. As he stood over the feeble stallion, the King narrowed his blood-red eyes while sporting an evil grin. “Say it, Sunburst,” he commanded firmly. “Say what you are, and I’ll grant you the closure you desire~”
Sunburst trembled while lying before Sombra’s hooves, with his face too heavily blushed to hide any confliction in his wide-eyed expression. The poor pony’s mind was stuck in a clouded haze, which kept him from being able to think too deeply about his actions. Instead, all that Sunburst could do was look up at that strong, powerful stallion who had him trapped in his own home, and was keeping him in place with the aid of his magic. Of course, when Sunburst’s gaze went up towards Sombra’s curved horn, his eyes widened as he caught sight of the King’s enchanting aura. Like a defenseless fly being pulled into a bug-zapper, Sunburst’s eyes soon went to the same entranced, unblinking state they were in when he first read that book. And as for his cock, Sunburst could still feel it throbbing hard underneath his body in wait of completion.
“That’s right, Sunburst~” said Sombra with a wickedly wide grin as he noted the pony’s glance up at his horn. His magic lit up even brighter, and he watched as Sunburst became less resistant with each passing second. With his eyes refusing to blink, tears began to trail down Sunburst’s cheeks once more without any notice from the stallion. Meanwhile, Sombra nodded in approval of that sight, and said more affirmatively, “Tell. Me. What. You. Arrrrrreeeeeee~”
More tears began to stem down Sunburst’s face, but they didn’t seem to faze the pony at all as his muzzle slowly opened. “... I… I-I’m…” His eyes were glazed-over while staring up at that intimidating horn, which carried the magic that he had become so entranced by. Despite how badly his conscience tried to scream at him to break free, there was nothing to keep Sunburst from speaking out-loud towards the stallion above him. “... I’m… y-your slave…”
Sombra leaned down towards Sunburst with an especially maniacal grin, and patted the top of his head like he was an obedient pet. “That’s right~” purred Sombra while his horn remained lit, before he pulled back to activate his magic even further. Sunburst’s wide-eyed gaze intensified as he saw that purple magic intensifying at the tip of Sombra’s horn, before a large bulb of light emanated in the middle of his aura. That beam of light slowly morphed into something of a cylindrical shape, which took a notable girth while forming into a new object. All the while, Sombra kept his pleased-looking smirk on Sunburst as he asked, “Are you curious to see what this is, Slave?~”
Sunburst slowly nodded his head, his expression looking rather blank as he replied under his breath, “Y… Y-Yes, Master…”
Sombra grinned lewdly from hearing that term, and closed his eyes to sigh blissfully. “Mmmmmm… Oh, it’s so nice to hear that after so long…” By the time he reopened his eyes, Sombra had finished creating his item within his magic. Meanwhile, Sunburst tilted his head in slight confusion upon seeing the end result:
A long, thick, almost phallic-shaped piece of smooth crystal.
Sombra used his magic to float the rod down to his hoof, which was still thoroughly glazed with Sunburst’s precum from earlier. The King grinned down at his newest slave, and asked with a more enticed tone of voice, “Are you ready to prove your worth to your King, Slave?~”
Sunburst’s mind was basically a blank while staring up at Sombra’s crystal rod, which allowed him to nod his head freely and state, “Y… Y-Yes I am, Master…”
“Good~” Sombra then lifted Sunburst back onto his hooves with his magic, which allowed the stallion’s cock to be seen again. Even in his brainwashed state of mind, Sunburst was still rock-hard as his stallionhood twitched incessantly between his legs. Because of that, Sombra didn’t see any issue as he gave a spinning motion with his hoof, and said to his slave, “Now… Present yourself to your King~”
Sunburst nodded his head firmly, and complied with his King’s orders as he turned himself around. He then bent himself over in an instant, like it was a move he had rehearsed hundreds of times before, and allowed his backside to be pointed right up towards Sombra. Sunburst flagged his tail up without needing to be asked, which revealed the unicorn’s petite pink pucker right underneath. Meanwhile, Sombra was grinning from ear-to-ear while purring to himself and licking his lips. “Mmmmmm… Such a tasty morsel, indeed~”
With the Crystaller fully-presented, Sombra didn’t waste any time as he lunged in and grabbed Sunburst’s cheeks with both hooves. The stallion instantly gasped the moment he felt Sombra’s muzzle burrowing in between his cheeks, and that forked tongue dragging up against his puckering hole. Sunburst tried not to spasm too hard while moaning from his King’s touch, but his body still shuddered in response to Sombra’s ravenous slurps against his hole. Despite how scary the King’s teeth may have looked, Sombra’s muzzle-work proved to be nothing short of spine-tingling as he held his slave tightly, and rimmed that hole like he had owned it for years.
“GAHHH!!~” Sunburst’s eyes quickly rolled back while his eyelids fluttered, and his breaths grew more rapid between the hungry moans that belted out of his mouth. Meanwhile, Sombra gripped his slave’s cheeks with both hooves while clenching his eyes shut, and burrowing his reptilian tongue deep inside of Sunburst’s tight hole. Despite how inexperienced the Crystaller may have been with being rimmed, Sombra’s thin muscle proved to be very tenacious when it came to sliding deep inside of his slave to make him squirm relentlessly. And with his lips suckling around the outside of Sunburst’s pucker, the titillation proved to be quite a lot for the pony as he groaned out blissfully from his King’s touch. “Aaaaahhhhh!!~ Oh… Oh GOD!!~ Mnnnnghhhhh~”
Sombra growled rabidly while devouring his slave’s hole, and slathering that puckering muscle with as much saliva as he could. Even when Sunburst’s cock was left untouched, it still throbbed intensely with every rapid flick of Sombra’s tongue exploring inside his deepest depths. And as trickles of the King’s drool started to seep down from between Sunburst’s legs, the sloppiness of Sombra’s rimming was completely overlooked as the unicorn moaned out heavily in response. Of course, Sombra couldn’t resist pulling back from that hole with a wet pop, which caused Sunburst to gasp in overwhelmed shock. Meanwhile, the King grinned up at him and said firmly, “Tell me what you are~”
He then went right back in to tantalize Sunburst some more, which caused the pony to squirm underneath his King’s grip while his hole was being mercilessly licked by that forked tongue. And even as his eyes were clenched shut, Sunburst tried his hardest to follow his King’s orders as he moaned out, “AAAHHH!!~ I… I-I’m your slave, King Sombra!!~ I… I’m your slave, and you’re my Master! Aaaaahhhh… Mnnnnghhhhh~”
“Nnnnnnnn…” Sombra continued to rim his slave for another minute of so, before he finally pulled his muzzle back with the fur around his mouth matted in drool. But regardless, Sombra still smirked in satisfaction as he eyed Sunburst’s slathered hole. Even with how lubricated he got Sunburst, Sombra couldn’t resist spitting against that hole a couple times to make it pucker in response. Meanwhile, Sunburst still moaned out while feeling the cool air hitting his hole, as well as those warm globs of his King’s gift. But before he could feel anything else, Sunburst heard his Master say with a dominant purr, “You stay right in that position for the entirety of this process. If you intend to be my Slave, you must understand the importance of remaining bowed in my presence~”
Sunburst kept the bottom of his chin pressed against the floor, but still nodded while keeping his eyes closed. “Y-Yes, Master,” he said affirmatively, not even feeling the slightest-bit concerned by how naturally he was able to call Sombra by that term. “I understand.”
“Good…” With a lecherous grin, Sombra stood over his presented slave while holding that crystallized rod in his magic. Since Sunburst was already prepped for insertion, Sombra immediately floated that rod towards his hole while saying, “And you should also understand that I’ll be the only ruler you acknowledge, yes? I can’t have any of my Slaves submitting back to any… lesser excuses for ‘Royals’~”
Sunburst shivered with a strained groan, but still nodded in understanding while remaining bowed. “Y-Yes, Master,” he replied once more, not showing any resistance to his King’s words. “I promise, you’ll be my only ruler from now on…” Even though the slave meant that reply, his expression winced the slightest bit for a second or two. Although, he wasn’t exactly sure why while his mind grew so hazy in pleasure.
“Oh, is that so?~” Sombra leaned in close to Sunburst, and caused him to groan deeply the moment he pressed the tip of that rod against his presented hole. Sunburst moaned out with his head reeled upward, and shivered in elation from feeling such a comforting bout of pressure back there. Meanwhile, Sombra teased the slave’s hole as he kept the rod from going inside just yet, and instead asked Sunburst, “So, does that mean you’re no longer working for Shining or Cadance?~”
Since he technically already stopped working for them, it was easy for Sunburst to respond while shivering against that waiting crystal. “Nnnnghhhh~ Y-Yes! I… I-I’m no longer the Royal Crystaller! I… I’m only your slave, King Sombra!~”
“Goooooooood~” With that, Sombra grinned with a pleased nod before pushing that rod a little harder against Sunburst’s hole. The slave’s moans grew even heavier as he felt himself opening up slowly, before the tip of that crystal finally sinked through the tight opening. Despite how thick that rod may have been, the smooth shaft and earlier lubrication helped to ensure the crystal could slide in rather effortlessly by the ruthless King. Meanwhile, Sunburst remained bowed for his new ruler while writhing from his efforts, and more spurts of precum shot from his cock as it smacked against the underside of his barrel.
“Thaaaaaat’s right~” growled Sombra as he slipped more of that smooth crystal inside of his slave, and his magic grew brighter to match his widening grin. “Embrace the crystal, my little Slave~ Because with this, I’ll grant you the power needed to overthrow this city in my name. And then after that, I’ll take over all of Equestria like I had planned before~”
If Sunburst hadn’t been taken so dominantly by the lecherous King, he would’ve been absolutely appalled to be part of his dark plans. But with each added inch of crystal that slid deeper inside of him, his mind became more clouded in lust while submitting to Sombra without shame. “Aaaahhh!! Y-Yes, Master!~” he moaned out as he clenched hard around that crystal burrowing deeper inside his hole. “Nnnnnghhh… I… I’ll do whatever you say, my King! I swear!!~”
Sombra chuckled with a gloating grin as he stood over his squirming slave, not even touching him anymore while his magic was lit. As that thick crystal buried itself deeper between Sunburst’s supple cheeks, Sombra smirked in satisfaction from how easily he was able to corrupt the weak Crystaller. If this was how most stallions nowadays were like, the King was confident that his plans for conquest could be better achieved with Sunburst’s help. But first, Sombra had to make sure that this change in Sunburst’s demeanor wouldn’t be temporary…
“GNAAAAAHHHH!!~” When a sudden burst of energy shot through Sunburst’s system, the slave’s head reeled up even higher while belting out a strained moan of pleasure. His cock throbbed like mad as it dangled helplessly between his legs, his lust unable to be sated while his stallionhood was left untouched. Meanwhile, that thick crystal burrowed in his ass was glowing a bright shade of purple, with the base sticking out working as a conducting rod for Sombra’s magic. As for the King himself, Sombra was laughing maniacally while floating off the ground from his magic, while also shooting a strong surge of his aura through the crystal inside of Sunburst.
“That’s right, Slave!!” cackled Sombra in absolute glee while hovering over the pony and cackling with glee. “Embrace my magic!! FEEL the power swelling inside of you! Let it consume you, and allow the magic to transform you into the stallion you know you can be~”
Meanwhile, Sunburst’s eyes were clenched shut as he struggled to stay in his presented stance, and his body twitched from every magic-induced pulsation that left his fur standing on end. His nerves were tingling like mad as he spasmed around that thick crystal rod, and felt it growing hotter inside of him as a conductor of Sombra’s magic. And even as the magic began to spread out within the slave, there was nothing to stop the stallion from moaning out rapturously each time his cock throbbed from the titillation he was feeling all throughout his system.
“AAAAHHHH!!” With a sudden jolt of his body, Sunburst’s mouth remained wide-open while his muzzle was pointed up to the ceiling. Because of that, Sombra grinned wide in elation as he saw the pony’s teeth beginning to take better shape. Sunburst’s eyes clenched shut as he groaned from the unfamiliar contortions he felt inside of his mouth, but he wasn’t able to see his flat teeth beginning to morph into razor-sharp fangs. The two teeth beside his front ones began to swell out as the magic intensified, before they slowly started to peek out from between his quivering lips. And as Sombra watched with a prideful grin above his form, Sunburst’s fangs eventually grew out to sabertooth-like lengths as they extended past his chin, and glistened brightly under the King’s purple magic.
Sunburst’s fur also began to change as Sombra’s magic continued to be absorbed within his writhing body. Slowly, the tufts of orange fur around Sunburst’s hooves grew out thicker than the rest of his legs, and heavy fetlocks similar to Sombra’s covered the sensitive keratin. Sunburst’s orange hair also expanded out in volume, and soon carried a luscious sheen reminiscent of a lion’s mane. The pony’s facial hair, which was formerly just a goatee he had been trying to upkeep for years, suddenly expanded out so a thick orange beard could cover the entirety of his cheeks and the bottom half of his face; even though the beard didn’t have the same volume or thickness as his mane, it still complimented his more masculine look while his fangs were sticking out so intimidatingly in front of his muzzle.
Atop Sunburst’s head, his inactive horn suddenly started to light up as the yellow magic sputtered a few times like a broken light bulb. But slowly, the looming aura of Sombra’s purple magic started to peek out from the base, and eventually encompassed the pony’s horn to cover up his own magic. Sunburst’s moans grew more strained as he felt that appendage tingling hard, but he wasn’t able to do anything as the bone slowly remolded under his King’s transformation. The standard cone-shape, as well as the spiral ridge that went around its length, both altered tremendously as Sombra’s magic grew more prominent, and the mass of that horn grew a more elongated curve. By the time that ridge disappeared to reveal a flawlessly smooth surface, the tip of Sunburst’s curved horn looked just as sharp and intimidating as his rows of needle-sharp teeth.
“Mnnnnghhhh~” Sunburst’s cock also started to swell out as Sombra’s magic intensified, with his length growing out by a few inches to match his thickening girth. And as that meaty slab of hot cockmeat grew more alluring for the King’s approval, so did Sunburst’s balls as they started to hang lower from the added weight. In just a matter of seconds, those average-sized testicles expanded out to a heftier girth than before, and soon carried the weight and size of two softballs between Sunburst’s legs. And even as the pony’s black ballsack carried more strain from the added weight, the balls looked much more alluring while dangling from every heavy throb Sunburst’s cock made during the transformation.
All the while, Sombra was laughing like a madpony as he marveled at his creation, and reeled in the satisfaction of his plans coming to fruition after so long. Even though he had been thwarted twice before, the King couldn’t have felt more confident after capturing the Crystal Empire’s Royal Crystaller, and turning him into an obedient slave for his own use. And as the transformation process grew more notable with every defining feature coming to surface, Sombra had a feeling he wouldn’t even need to do anything himself~
“AAAAHHHHH!!~” By the time Sunburst finally reopened his eyes, his irises had morphed into a ghastly shade of red that matched his King’s perfectly. An ominous green gaze began to surface across the whites of his eyes, before glowing brightly from Sombra’s reverberating magic. And as Sunburst moaned out in overwhelming pleasure during his transformation, a heavy plume of purple smoke soon bellowed out from his eyes. The magic was intense enough to crumple the metal of Sunburst’s glasses frames, and the lens shattered before falling to the floor; however, judging by how piercingly intense Sunburst’s new eyes looked while open, it was doubtful that he would need his thick glasses anymore.
“Nnnnnghhhhh!!~” Just as the transformation process reached its apex, Sunburst clenched his eyes back shut, and gritted his fangs to better focus on the crystal rod still buried inside of him. Even as Sombra’s magic continued to coarse through it, Sunburst could feel himself getting unbelievably close to orgasm with the aid of his King. Fortunately for the slave, Sombra was gracious enough to land back on the ground, and get up close to Sunburst to finish the job. As his magic continued to be soaked into Sunburst’s system, Sombra grabbed the base of that rod tightly in his hoof, and started to pump it in and out of the slave to leave him reeling.
“AAAAAHHHHH!!!” Sunburst moaned out with a strained cry the moment he felt that slooth crystal gliding in and out of his hole, and his entire body quivered in his King’s grasp. “Nnnnnnphhhh~ Kee… K-Keep going, my King!! Aaaaaaahhhhh! I… I’M GETTING CLOSE!!~”
“GOOD~” Sombra was grinning from ear to ear while shoving that crystal deep inside of his slave, and watching how much he squirmed each time he pulled it back out. Sunburst couldn’t stop moaning as the tantalizing strokes of that rod grew faster, and he felt his King pumping the crystal like a dildo inside of his reeling body. Each time the tip of that rod reached his deepest depths, Sunburst whimpered with a hard shiver upon feeling it grace against his prostate. And as for Sombra, he made sure to continuously push on that button the longer he spent milking his slave to completion. “Now,” he growled with an eager grin between the pumps of his rod, “As soon as I finish, I’m ordering you to fulfill my plans of conquest. You’re going to be given a vast amount of my power, and you’re going to use it to its highest ability to take back the Crystal Empire~”
“Aaaaahhhhh!!~” Sunburst’s eyes may have been rolling back blissfully, but the transformed stallion’s head still nodded while taking every hard pump of Sombra’s rod. “Mnnnghhh~ I… I understand, my King!!~ I… I’ll do whatever it takes to make you happy!”
“That’s right~” growled Sombra with a widening grin, and his pumps of the rod going harder inside of the moaning pony. “And you’re not going to let anypony stop you while serving me! Not even Twilight Sparkle herself. Understood?~”
“I… I understand!” moaned out Sunburst, who could barely even be called that name anymore while transformed to such a disturbing degree. With his fangs fully unsheathed, and his body looking more akin to Sombra than ever before, Sunburst didn’t even try to resist his King as he said between breaths, “I… I’ll take her down myself if you allow me, Master!!~ I’ll… I’ll claim every pony I know to better serve you, my King!~”
“Gooooooooood~” Sombra’s eyes narrowed more intensely, and he gripped that rod hard in his hoof while pummeling Sunburst’s hole like a jackhammer. Even as the stallion shrieked out from the overwhelming barrage of thrusts of that crystal inside of him, his cock was twitching like mad as it repeatedly smacked his chest and spurted out thick ropes of precum. Meanwhile, Sombra made sure that every remaining thrust counted as he whispered into the slave’s ear, “And you will claim every pony you know, little slave~ You’ll show everypony just how strong you can be with the right magic inside of you. Magic to help you capture… Magic to help you claim… Magic to help you disable, compromise, and even kill any ponies who stand in my way~”
Sunburst could feel himself reaching the very precipice of his peak, and his cock was pulsating rigidly between his legs in wait of Sombra’s say. And just as the King sank that rod as deeply as he could inside of Sunburst, he made sure to whisper sultrily into the pony’s ear, “And guess what?~ You’re going to prove that by taking down Shining and his family~”
Even though the old Sunburst would’ve never agreed to such a thing, the newly-transformed stallion in Sombra’s grasp was clearly someone entirely new. As soon as Sombra pressed that rod against his needy prostate, the stallion shot his muzzle upward as he moaned out in a lustful howl that matched his thick fangs. The pony spasmed hard while Sombra held him down tightly, and his cock spasmed as a heavy torrent of cum erupted out like a broken faucet. His plump balls could be seen struggling to writhe upward due to their weight, but they still helped to churn enough of his load to let several thick ropes of cum drape across the floor between Sunburst’s hooves. And even as that thick crystal remained lodged between his cheeks, Sunburst’s hole continued to clench around the rod’s girth as he moaned out shakily in ecstasy.
“Aaaaaaahhhhh!! AAAAAHHHHH!!! AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH HA HA HA HA HA HA HAAAAAAAAA!!!~”
FWOOSH!!!
Sombra was thrown back a few feet by a heavy gust of purple magic, but he didn’t seem the slightest bit upset when he grinned at the source. King stepped back with a prideful stare on his creation, while the pony formerly known as Sunburst was standing freely in his newly-transformed self. His curved horn was glowing with the same bubbly aura of purple magic of his King’s, and his grin showed just as much malice and confidence behind the heavy fangs peeking through his lips. Sunburst looked like a completely new stallion with his masculine appearance, and his intimidating stance that provoked a heavy aura of evil all around him. And as he looked back at his King, the slave’s glowing eyes narrowed devilishly while spewing small plumes of purple smoke at the corners.
“Hehehehehehe… HahahahahahahahahaHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!~” Sunburst couldn’t resist reeling his head back as he laughed psychotically in his new form. He may have been a “Slave” in Sombra’s prideful eyes, but it was clear that Sunburst was just as dangerous in his transformed state as Sombra had been the last time he was in the Crystal Empire. And with the two stallions now working together, Sunburst was eager to start as he rushed up towards his King, and bowed before him with his eyes closed. “My King!~” beckoned the new pony as his voice carried a more posh tone reminiscent of Sombra’s. “May I have permission to start work now? I’m really eager to give you your throne back~”
Sombra walked up to his newly-altered slave, and nodded with a smile as he petted the top of Sunburst’s thick mane. “You have my permission, dear slave~” he said as his grin revealed more of his fangs with each passing second. “But remember this… You’re only serving me now, so don’t hesitate to spill blood against anypony who stands in our way~”
Despite how chillingly dark such an order should’ve sounded, Sunburst merely looked up at his King with an eager grin as he nodded his head. “Oh, believe me, my King,” he said with a curelly wide smile, and his voice straining with excitement, “I’m hoping to spill some blood~”
Sombra’s grin grew especially wide as he nodded in approval, and he leaned in to say to his slave, “Well then… You have my permission to spill as much as you desire~”
And with that, Sunburst lit up his horn as a thick aura of purple magic spread out around the tip, and Sombra smiled in approval while stepping aside. Sunburst had his horn directed towards the door of his former home, and cackled maniacally when he used his newfound magic to blast a giant hole with ease. The unicorn had only used a fraction of the magic he would’ve needed back before that transformation, but it proved to be enough to blast off the front of his home with a thunderous crash. From the outside, the magical blast almost looked like an explosion as remnants of crystal shot out in all directions, and littered the ground with fragments all around his neighborhood. Several tatters of blue cloth fell across the front lawn, which was all that remained of Sunburst’s cape and hat following that destructive blast. And all around the ruined home, lights began to turn on as dozens of Crystal Ponies awoke from Sunburst’s first display of his true powers.
“Goooooooooood Slave~” Sombra nodded in approval of Sunburst’s first expulsion of magic, and motioned for him to commence forth while the night was still young. “Now head out and continue your fun. That’s a direct order from your King~”
Sunburst turned around to give Sombra a respectful bow, and said with an evil grin across his fanged muzzle, “As you wish, my King~”
After that, Sunburst left the remains of his recently sold home, while Sombra remained inside in wait with an antsy smile on his face. Upon seeing him leave, Sombra couldn't keep himself from chuckling in delight as he saw the base of that crystal still firmly embedded between the stallion's cheeks, and glowing with his purple magic to fuel his rampage. He could hear the worried murmurs from the Crystal Ponies outside who came out to investigate what happened; however, those murmurs quickly turned to shocked gasps, and then panicked screams as soon as Sunburst walked outside. The thunderous booms of his magical blasts were accompanied with the sounds of blood-curdling shrieks, as well as shattering crystals as the unicorn began his work. Before that night, Sunburst was nothing more than a humbled Crystaller who depended on other unicorns to make an impact; but as Sombra stood and listened to the sounds of his slave’s magic-infused carnage, he could only imagine how fulfilled Sunburst must’ve felt to have some real power for a change.
“Aaaaaahhhh…” Sombra sighed to himself with a satisfied smirk, and savored the sounds of the Crystal Ponies’ terrified screams as Sunburst made his way towards the Crystal Castle. The revived villain lit up his own horn, and began to walk out of the wrecked home by himself. He took a breath of the brisk evening air as he smelled smoke in the distance, and heard the alarm sirens bellowing out from the castle; of course, given the sounds of destruction that made his ears twitch like the sweetest music, he knew that the castle’s defenses wouldn’t be enough to hold back his creation. And as the wreckage of Sunburst’s warpath provided a beeline to the castle, Sombra followed the crystal fragments and puddles of blood while smiling to himself. “I must say,” he said happily to nopony in particular. “It’s quite a nice feeling to help somepony for a change~”
