Darkness is in Everyone

"So... Let me ask you first. Why do you want ME to teach BOTH of you Dark Magic?" Sokar asked them, observing them and tapping his fingers on his chair.

"Well..." Celestia started "Before we became a Princesses, we always wanted to learn something new. Magic was always our best topic. We always liked to learn new spells. The illusion was my favorite as I remember when I pranked my sister sometimes." Luna groaned at that. She remembered when her sister used to prank her sometimes with a fake chair or bed.

"Heh. The illusion is not an easy arcane to master.", Sokar looked away at the younger ones, "What about you Luna? What your favorite type of magic?"

"Shadow magic. I found a few books about that magic but they were very rare and hard to find. I started to learn it and I discovered that I'm a natural wielder of that type of magic." Luna said.

"Shadow magic huh? One of the hard to master type of magic too and only a few manage it." Sokar commented.

"We also want to surpass its reputation. We want to use it for Good, not Evil, as it were in the past.", Celestia said, "Magic itself it's not evil. It's the way that has been used in the past."

"True indeed.", Sokar grinned, "Dark Magic has a grim and infamous reputation but it can do many amazing things. Such a shame it's like that. You see that and you want to change that and that's something that I approve. Very well. I'll teach you Dark Magic but first, we need to find books about it. And I already know where to find them. In the Crystal Empire."

"Crystal Empire? Why there?" Luna asked him.

"I know what you mean Sokar. In the past, the Crystal Empire was controlled by Sombra, a unicorn with a heart black as night. He was a powerful Dark Magic-user and even after we defeat him, he cast a curse and Empire disappeared. He could leave a few books about the dark arts of magic." Celestia said.

"Sombra huh? It seems that he was defeated again but how?" Sokar asked.

"By the Crystal Heart. An artifact that was hidden by Sombra, so no one could use it against him. The Heart protects the city from the frozen winds of the North. It's empowered by love and light of everypony inside the city." Celestia explained.

'Artifact that is fueled by love and happiness of ponies huh? If it's true what Celestia said then I need to create a
defense system, if someone will plan to destroy or steal it.'"That's all that I need. I will on my way now. You can send a latter the Princess Cadance and Prince Armor about my arrival. And don't tell them about teaching both of you Dark Magic. I don't want them to freak out." Sokar said before getting up from his chair.

"I understood. I write that you will appear in Crystal Empire Sokar. Good luck with your trip." Celestia said with a sincere smile. Sokar nodded and left the room and start heading towards the train station.

Sokar was currently sitting in his seat while the express was heading towards the Empire. He watched through the window how the environment looked like. He saw how the weather changed. From calm and colorful place to snowy and cold. Sokar snorted and started leaving the express when it stopped at his destination. When he left, Sokar saw Cadance and Shining Armor.

"Your majesty." Sokar bowed his head, placing his hand on the chest.

"We don't have to be formal, Sokar," Cadence said. "We aren't in the public after all."

"I know but I don't want to be disrespectful Cadence. The others don't take that lightly." Sokar said.

"It's understandable Sokar. Some ponies don't take kindly about disrespecting them." Cadence explained.

"That's true. Either way, Princess Celestia send a letter to you. I assume that you receive it?" Sokar asked the princess.

"Yes, we did. At first, we were skeptical about that, but since Princess Celestia trust you then we should trust her." Shining said.

"Excellent. That makes things easier. We should go now. It would be strange to stand here like a tree." Sokar said and with the couple, they start to go towards the tower. Sokar examined it and he saw that under it, at the pedestal was a crystal-shaped heart. Sokar could sense raw and powerful magic pulsing inside it, that could destroy anything evil.

"I assume that is the famous Crystal Heart?" He asked the alicorn of love.

"Yes, it is. The treasure of our Empire. Without its power, the entire city would turn into a wasteland." Cadence explained to him. Without notice of The Princess and Shining Armor, Sokar created from his own shadow, three smaller ones and send them to the columns that supported the towers.

Later they found themselves before a throne and above it was a crystal. Sokar could sense that it was radiating with dark magic. Sokar turned to the alicorn and said "Celestia told me that Twilight found the Heart through the hidden staircase. It's that true?"

"Yes. After Sombra defeat, we tried to reach it but it could be only opened using Dark Magic. I tried myself to do that but it always ended with a hornache." Cadence said, rubbing her own horn. "It always makes me uncomfortable when I tried to use it."

"Hm. How this hidden passage is unlocked if I may ask?" Sokar asked the couple.

"Twilight said that she had to aim at that crystal with Dark Magic above the throne and the passage is revealed to you. Why are you asking?" Shining said, getting feeling that something will happen.

"I recommend you to stand back," Sokar said to them. "I don't want to something happen to both of you."

Before they could ask him what he meant, Sokar's eyes turned green and a dim purple mist started to leak from them. He fired from his hand a black and green beam at the crystal. It cast a dark shadow and revealed hidden stairs leading down. Sokar clenched his fist and release it, creating a small purple glowing orb that lightened the stairs. He sighed making his eyes return. Sokar looked at the duo and saw their expression filled with shock and fear.

"It's done." He simply said.

"Sokar... was that a-"

"Yes, Cadence. It was Dark Magic that I used. It comes handy with situations like that." Sokar replied.

"But... how did you use with that ease. When I used it, my horn was aching after that." Cadence said incredulously.

"That's simple. Your mind was calm when you cast it. Dark Magic feeds off from the negative emotions like wrath, which is first to invoke and the easiest one. When you try to use with a calm mind, the magic causes to inflict pain to the caster instead. You already experience that yourself." Sokar said before looking back at the stairs. "Come on. We don't have all day to do that." With that, he started to going down with Cadence and Shining behind him. When they reach the bottom, they found the door that gave Twilight so much trouble. Sokar opened them and instead of the tower, they found a desk, a globe, and a few bookcases, filled with books that were about the arts of Dark Magic.

"I think we found Sombra's private chamber." Sokar looked at the desk and on it was another book. Sokar took it and examined.

"What's that book?" Shining asked him.

"By the look of it looks like a diary. Sombra diary." Sokar said before opening the journal. "Maybe there will be answers about why he became a monster." Sokar started to read the diary of the King. How he lived in the orphanage, how he met Radiant Hope and how they spend time with each other. Hope was his only friend and Sokar knew already that was leading.

Soon he found that they looked at the Crystal Heart because it could show the destiny of those that look at it. Radiant Hope's destiny was to become a princess but Sombra's fate was darker and malevolent. It happened during the Crystal Flare, a celebration that was intended to show Love and Unity of the Crystal Empire and protect it from the harm. Year after year Sombra's body was becoming weaker, but Hope was always at his side no matter what. The day came, where Sombra was started to fade from existence. Hope tried to use her magic to heal her friend and then... a miracle appeared.

Hope healed Sombra and gained her cutie and with that gained by the sisters the opportunity for study by their side. Sombra ran from the city, hoping to escape from his destiny... but he didn't know that he was running forward it. Soon he found out a blood-red crystal and from it... a creature whispered towards him. It belonged to his mother, Rabia. She told him about his origins, about his people Umbrum, and that his destiny was too free them from the prison made of ground. Rabia unlocked his son a true power and send him to Empire for a mission. To steal a Crystal Heart. When he was about to leave with the Heart, the previous princess of love, Princess Amora stopped him. She said that she knew everything about him. His race, his destiny and yet she didn't tell him.

Sombra fury knew no limit when he turned her into crystal statue. Unfortunately, Hope came to him. Probably was searching for him and when she saw Princess Amora as a statue, she tried to use her magic to help her while telling Sombra to run away. He told that he won't run any longer and he would make everypony paid for that they have done to both of them, he even offered to become Queen. Hope declined the offer, being more concerned about the princess. At that moment Sombra shattered Amora and that broke Hope's heart. He let her leave the Crystal Empire because he still cared about her to the end. Hope contacted the sisters in the hope to 'save' him. And that means by destroying him. He enslaved the entire city to dig deep to the ground to free his kind. It was written that he would not let them save Crystal Ponies by creating a curse that hid the Crystal Empire for thousands of years of suffering.

Shining and Cadence were shocked when they read this journal. Sokar could feel sorrow and empathy towards the tyrant but he also could feel a wave of endless anger towards his mother. She used her son, her flesh and blood and manipulate him to free a race born of deception and hate for petty revenge. He made a mental note to rip limb by limb from her when he met her personally.

Sokar closed the book and finally said "I think that's all. He wrote the last part before sisters banished him to Frozen North."

"To think that's happened to him... no wonder that he became like that." Cadence sadly said.

"No one is born as a monster. They became a monster when they went through a situation like that. Darkness is like poison. If you won't control it, it will control you and transform you into the freak like in the Sombra case." Sokar said.

Cadence looked nervously around and ask him. "What gonna do now?"

"I will look around. I bet Sombra left a few books worth the attention. You can leave if you don't feel well." Sokar said to them.

"I think I will. This place starts to give me creeps." Cadence and Shining moved towards the door and they left Sokar alone, leaving him within the room. He put the journal back where it was before taking a final glance at this. He sighed and walked towards one of the bookcases and started to search the one that will be most useful.

'It looks like Sombra collected books that were describing his race. He probably wanted to discover its origins but they were stopped when he was banished. That description fits Twilight, she too has a library full of books, so I shouldn't comment that.' Sokar thought before taking a dark book and opened it. He found that it contains most of the spells that he wanted to find. Opening a rift, he put it and closed it and started to look further.

Then he sensed a powerful dark magic signature behind and he knew who's belonged to. Deciding to ignore for the surprise, he continued his search. Soon a dark shadow rose from the darkness, with green eyes and curved red horn it looked at the newcomer with the curiosity. Moving forward with a grin on his shadow face, he moved his shadow tentacle towards Sokar's head.

Unknown to him, Sokar grinned and turned around, catching the creature off guard. "Stealth is not your strong side as it seems my friend. You have to try harder than that to sneak to the person like me."

"You knew that was here. Since when?" The Shadow asked him.

"From the moment that you used your magic. Even if you tried to hide your presence, I already sensed you before I enter this room, Sombra." Sokar replied and surprising him yet again.

Sombra raised his metaphorical eyebrow at him and shook his head. "I'm impressed. You have found me, even when I hid my presence. You're not just a newcomer isn't that right?" Sombra slightly chuckled in his amusement. "To access my room you had to use Dark Magic. I can already tell that by looking into your eyes."

Sokar smiled from ear to ear at the king's deduction. "Perceptive aren't you? I can already tell that you're not the monster as those ponies describe you, don't you agree with me?" He chuckled and his eyes narrowed at the book before looking back at the shadow.

"You got me there. I saw you and those two, reading my private diary. You saw my fall and how my mother warped my mind and manipulate me to steal the Crystal Heart but I only did that for my friend. I wanted to make every Crystal Ponies pay for everything that they did to me. But I never wanted to hurt her nor I wanted to enslave her. I let her go and she told the sisters about me." Sombra shook his head at the memory of them. "When I took control over the Crystal Empire I hesitated about freeing my people. I knew what they were. Monsters feed on the pain, anger, hatred, and agony of every living being on this planet! If I would release them I would become a king of the wasteland or become their food."

"You choose lesser evil then. I understood that. In my life, I too had to make lesser evil to prevent a darker and more sinister to rise. It wasn't easy but it was necessary." Sokar remembered the times where he had given the same choice as Sombra. He shook his head and started to scratch his chin. "Either way, what brings you here Sombra? What you gonna do now that you returned."

"I was curious about why you are here." Sombra looked at his desk. "This place contained my secrets and knowledge from my race. I have found the books that were marked with my people's magic, so it was only a matter of time before someone decides to seek them out."

"You will be surprised at that. Celestia and Luna wanted me to teach them Dark Magic. I was shocked when they told me that." Sokar honestly said.

Sombra let out a burst of small laughter before regaining his composure. "How mighty have fallen. I never thought that they will fall that deep!"

"I wouldn't say that. They want to surpass their grim reputation and show ponies that can be used for a better purpose." Sokar explained to Sombra.

"Is that so?" Sombra thought for a moment before saying, "Ironic. The princess of the sun and moon decided to learn dark arts of Dark Magic. I don't know if I should be proud or amused."

Sokar chuckled at his comment. "Tell me about it. Oh, I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Sokar but you probably know that already. I don't come from this world as you suspect." Sokar bowed his head. "It looks that the only that allows you to remain here is your horn if I guess correctly."

"Indeed. It's the only thing that was left from my body. After when the Heart nearly killed me, I sealed my mind inside it and overt time I started to regain my power. Slowly but still. The only thing that traps me here is that I don't have my body." Sombra said. "If you want to help, I recommend that we should do that in a different place. I don't want to cause panic among the Crystal Ponies."

"You're right. It will be better if we do that in a different area. But for now, let's get you out of this place. I suppose you could hide in your horn and put illusion on it." Sokar said to Sombra.

He thought about this idea and after some time he said, "That plan can work. I can already tell that you are a strategist, my friend."

Sokar chuckled at that. "Fight many wars and you will learn one or two things."

Sombra's shadow started to sink into his horn and transformed into a blood crystal. Sokar grabbed it and hid inside his pocket. Before leaving he took few books and put them in the rift. He left the room and head back to the Princess. When he left, he saw both Shining and Cadence standing next to the entrance.

"I guess you waited for me?" Sokar asked.

"Have you find what you looked for?" Shining said to him.

Sokar nodded his head. "I did. I will leave now. I need to return to sisters, it's important." He moved his hand and with his finger started to rip a rift into a reality and created a portal. Sokar looked at them before entering, "If you wondering what is it's my own to travel from one place to another. It's faster from the train." The rift has closed, leaving the royal family alone in the tower.

The end of the rift opened in the Canterlot right before to the doors where Celestia and Luna were. Before opening, he sensed six magic signature beside the sisters. His eyes flashed and he saw through the walls the Elements and Twilight within the room. Canceling his spell, he entered the room and saw Twilight, still in her new form, sitting between her friends.

"It looks that a lot happened here," Sokar said. "Twilight told you everything I presume."

"Yup. When she told us about it, we were pretty worried but now Ah can see that she got everything under control." Applejack said.

"I'm sorry for worrying you guys," Twilight said in guilt. "I didn't want to freak you out."

"It's alright darling." Rarity put her hoof on her shoulder. "You only wanted to protect us but don't forget that we can to protect you."

Twilight chuckled at her friend. "You're right. The reason I started to learn new magic was to protect you."

"We understood that Twilight," Celestia said with a grin and turned to Sokar. "I think we should told them now Sokar."

"I suppose it is the right time," Sokar said. "I was curious when you wanted to tell them."

"What you mean Princess?" RD asked in confusion.

"I think I will tell from the beginning." Sokar sat the chair and scratch his chin. "Now. Where do I start?"