Twilight's eyes slowly cracked open. The pounding in her skull proving a rather unpleasant alarm, dragging her from the realm of sleep.
Her eyes, blurry and refusing to focus, tried to take in her surroundings, but could only find vague, gray shapes surrounding her. Slowly, she rose to her hooves, only for her knees to wobble, causing her to fall onto her flank instead. The impact against cold, hard stone startled her into full wakefulness.
She hurriedly rubbed at her eyes with her left hoof, and took in a proper look at her surroundings.
Tall, sturdy iron bars stood before her. Dull, gray walls surrounded her, made of dark, gray bricks. Not a single crack or sign of wear could be seen along the walls, denoting either newness or good maintenance.
Panic beginning to rise in her chest, she forced herself to her hooves and lunged for the bars, hoping to see one of her friends nearby, only for a heavy jerk on her back leg to hold her in place. Her head snapped around, finding a heavy looking manacle latched around her back left leg. She swallowed dryly, igniting her horn to-
"Agh!"
She yelped, a sudden, painful dizziness overcoming her for an instant. She stumbled and fell onto her side, a hoof idly reaching up to her horn in the process. The familiar bone-like appendage greeted her hoof, but the unfamiliar presence of a metal ring on her horn clued her in to what happened.
Stuck in a cell, chained to the ground, and completely cut off from her magic, Twilight Sparkle had only one option left.
Panic.
What happened? Why was she stuck in a cell? She hadn't broken a single law in her entire life! Had she done something that the Princess hadn't approved of? What could she have possibly done to-!?
The test.
Just like that, the memories of what happened rushed back to the front of her mind.
Of arriving in The Frozen North, of seeing her brother, being chased by a mass of darkness. Of a crystal kingdom, of Cadence and her shield, of the crystal ponies and the fair. Of dark magic and the crystal heart.
Fear latched at her heart.
She failed.
She remembered. She'd entered Sombra's castle in search of the crystal heart, under the assumption that he'd hidden it there, and managed to find his secret staircase down. Cadence's magic had been fading fast, according to Spike, and she'd taken a rather embarrassing tumble down the stairs at that.
She found a door at the bottom of the stairwell, managed to open it with Sombra's magic and-
She'd appeared back in Canterlot Castle, where Princess Celestia had told her she failed.
She blinked, and shook her head. That... didn't make any sense...
"Finally awake, I see."
The dark, rough voice startled her from her thoughts, and nearly ripped a yelp from her throat. Placing a hoof against her now rapidly beating heart, Twilight looked up, ready to scold whoever thought sneaking up her was a good idea, only to freeze at the sight of those eyes.
Crimson eyes glared into her skull with the force of a rampaging dragon, surrounded by a deep gray coat. A mane and tail of deepest shadow flowed in an invisible wind. A spiked metal crown sat above a curved horn that turned from dark gray to a bloody crimson, similar to his eyes. Silver armour covered his body, interrupted by a crimson cape lined with white fur.
"Sombra..." she whispered hoarsely, taking a fearful step back.
"What did you see, I wonder," his pearl-white fangs glinted dangerously as he spoke, "That trap of mine was designed to show one's deepest fears," he continued, tilting his head in a fashion too innocent for someone like him, "An unfortunate flaw is that it was only supposed to trap one individual. Imagine my surprise when I retake my kingdom, and find two individuals, a pony and a dragon no less, captured by my magic. Hmhm... how amusing."
His words triggered something in her head, causing her to growl and lunge forward, stopped only by the chain around her leg,
"What did you do with Spike and the others?!"
King Sombra regarded her with a cool gaze,
"They share the same fate as you. Prisoners under my reign. Though, only the dragon is being treated as kindly as you are. A reward for getting so close to the Crystal Heart, you could say. As is this meeting."
"Kindly?" she asked, the word striking her, hard, "Kindly?! You think locking somepony up against their will is kind?!" she snarled, "What are you doing to them?!"
"I have them strung up by their hooves of course. Wings in the case of those applicable."
Twilight flinched back at that, as if struck,
"What?!"
King Sombra merely rose a brow at her,
"You seem surprised," he mused, his voice rumbling, "Do you not realize that you and your cohorts have invaded my kingdom, and attempted to overthrow my reign?" he asked, "You should be quite glad I've not had you executed. Besides, pain is an excellent character builder."
Twilight grit her teeth, glaring heatedly at the false monarch in front of her. Hardly a few minutes of conversation and she could honestly say she hated this stallion. The bland way he spoke to her, the casual dismissal of the state of her friends, it was as though he thought she was a particularly slow foal!
"'Your' reign?!" she snapped, "The Crystal Empire isn't yours, Sombra! You're a tyrant who wants nothing more than power! You're nothing like Princess Celestia, and she's a ruler you could never hope to be!"
King Sombra smirked at her, the fanged grin sending shivers down her spine,
"Oh, is that so? 'Princess Celestia, a ruler I could never hope to be', hmm?" his smirk grew somewhat, a gravelly chuckle escaping him, "On the contrary, Celestia is nothing more than a peace-loving fool, unable to protect her kingdom nor her sister. I, however," he intoned pointing an armoured hoof at her, "used my strength to do what was necessary, rather than allowing it to weaken me, as she does."
"Princess Celestia is not weak!" Twilight snapped, "She is a kind pony, and she loves Equestria and its subjects with all her heart! Because of her, Equestria is a peaceful nation, where everypony can live in harmony! All I see here is fear and oppression. No true ruler would let their kingdom down like this!" she declared, stamping her hoof.
Inwardly, Twilight wondered where some of this was coming from. While she had always admired her teacher for her kindness and ability, she'd never quite thought about the full implications that came with being royalty. Yes, she knew of the responsibilities-she'd seen the Princess's workload first-hoof more than enough to realize-that came with it, but she'd never had quite this strong an opinion on the subject.
Even King Sombra seemed a but surprised by her outburst, if the slightly raised eyebrows he sported were any indication.
"Hmm... you speak like someone who has... no... are you, perhaps, being groomed for the role?" he asked idly, before shaking his head, "No matter. Regarding your Princess's strength, she is weak. A ruler who has done nothing but sit on the throne can only be such," he snapped, "She coddles her subjects, allowing them to grow meek and powerless. I got rid of the Crystal Heart, the very thing allowing such weakness. The path to strength, to 'harmony', lies only on the path of hardship and strife. Only through adversity can we grow and prosper!" he said, eyes shining with a light she couldn't have expected coming from him, "And yet, when times grow rough, she does not take the fall herself, instead pushing the issue onto the very subjects she claims to protect! Wouldn't you say, O' Bearer of the Element of Magic?" he snarled.
Twilight blinked, taking a step back. The sheer... passion in his voice was a far cry from the bland tones he'd used just moments before. It... rattled her.
It... it almost sounded like Sombra actually... cared about the Empire.
But... but that was impossible. He was vile and evil. A tyrant, just like Princess Celestia said.
Twilight's eyes hardened once more at the thought. Yes, she'd seen the fear on the faces of the crystal ponies. She saw the pain in their eyes whenever they tried to remember.
The firmness in her eyes remained, but dimmed slightly.
But... not all of them had responded that way. Most of the ones she and her friends had spoken too seemed fearful, but... some seemed... content, if not happy. It was rare, but there had been the few who walked with confidence in their steps, with pride in their eyes, mixed with confusion upon being asked about Sombra or the Crystal Heart.
Her anger faded further when she actually though about his words. She couldn't... argue. In fact, part of her actually agreed. It was a well documented fact that ponies thrived most when faced with adversity. Equestria had been founded on it, in fact! Of coming together during the hard times, of trusting and depending on each other to grow and become strong enough to overcome the hardships plaguing them.
And as for Princess Celestia not protecting the kingdom... w-well, she and her friends had been doing a lot of the protecting...
B-but she'd stood against Chrysalis when she'd revealed herself!
A-and lost... but, Chrysalis was defeated!
By Cadence and Shining...
"P-Princess Celestia may not be perfect, but it's because of her that Equestria has such good relations with the rest of the world! Equestria is sitting in a time of peace that's lasted for over a thousand years!" she defended, a tad less heatedly, "Sh-she is a good ruler."
King Sombra nodded, surprising her,
"Indeed. She is a good ruler. I cannot fault what she has done, for it has brought Equestria far."
"But..." Twilight breathed, brow furrowing in confusion, "You said she was weak. H-how can she be a good ruler, i-if she's weak?" she asked. King Sombra regarded her with a soft gaze,
"Yes, I agree that she is a good ruler, but a weak one. For what shall happen when someone else takes over?" he asked, stunning Twilight,
"Wh... what?"
"She cannot rule Equestria forever. Eventually her reign will pass, and the torch will move along. What then?" he asked. Twilight blinked,
"Th-then, w-well... umm..."
"Equestria has only managed to survive so long under the constancy of her rule," he said, face setting in a grim expression, "Because of how she coddles her subjects, of how she protects them from the adversity that comes their way, via her own abilities or through a proxy-" she swallowed at the pointed look he gave her, "-her subjects will not know how to survive without her!" he snapped, huffing, "So when the time comes for a new ruler, the Kingdom of Equestria will fall, not through fault of their own, but because their ruler spent more time mothering them than ruling them!" he snarled, breathing heavily through his nose,
Twilight stared at him, stunned and, a bit, afraid.
He sounded so... sure of himself. So assured of his words. It was intimidating, especially for a caged pony like her. But more than that, it was... attractive. Not in the sense of him being attractive-oh sweet Faust no-but the words themselves, the message being told, were. The ideas and concepts hidden in those words begged to be investigated, to be unfolded for her to see.
But, even further, it begged for questions, and with questions, it wanted answers. Why did he think like this? What could have possibly gotten him to so utterly believe the words he was saying?
And so, against her better judgement, Twilight asked.
"Why are you doing this? And... why do it... like this?"
King Sombra regarded her coolly,
"Tell me, what do you think makes a ruler?" he asked. Twilight blinked, the question throwing her off,
"U-um... w-well, Princess Celestia is kind and caring," she began, eyeing her captor for any reaction, but he merely nodded and gestured for her to continue, "So a ruler must be kind and caring. T-to bring their subjects a sense of comfort. To bring them joy and harmony," she continued with more confidence, "A ruler must be strong and just! With a good heart!"
King Sombra nodded along with her,
"Those are, indeed, good qualities for any individual. But, forgive me when I say, they make rather poor qualities for a ruler," he said, frowning slightly, "A ruler must be strong, yes. A ruler must care, this is true. But a ruler must be firm and decisive. Powerful and unyielding in the face of adversity, willing to withstand any hardship alongside his kingdom for the sake of growth," he added, "But above all else, it the reason they have for taking the crown, the guiding idea that pushes them forward that makes a ruler. In short, a ruler must have a reason to rule. Tell me, what is Celestia's reason to rule?"
Twilight, once again, blinked at the statement, both for a lack of understanding and of the suddenness of it.
"Her... reason to rule?" she asked, "What is that supposed to mean?"
King Sombra rose a brow at her,
"You do not know?" he asked, "After all your spirited defense of her, you can't guess?" Twilight flushed,
"I-I don't know everything!"
He sighed, an almost tired look that didn't suit him slipping onto him.
"She, and her sister, liberated Equestria from Discord. They took control of Equestria to protect it from the likes of him. To protect them from the hardships that came from his defeat. They protected them. They did not allow them to grow on their own. While protection is a noble endeavor, it is not a proper reason for someone to rule."
It was strange. Hearing him, a tyrant, so eagerly talking about this. Twilight... didn't understand. He'd forced himself onto the ponies of the Crystal Empire, not giving them a choice in who led them, and, yet, he held such clear views on something like this.
It just... it didn't make any sense.
Unless...
"What reason do you have to rule?" Twilight asked, a bit harsher than intended, "You took over those ponies' lives and forced your ideals on them!" she snapped, scowling, "What reason could you possibly have that justifies any of that?!"
His eyes gleamed with a cold light, instantly shutting her up. King Sombra then rose himself to his full, considerable height, easily towering over the small mare by a full head or more, eyes gleaming and horn sparking, though Twilight knew it was less from a spell and more from agitation,
"Understand this. My methods may be rough, they may not be just, and, perhaps, they are not even the correct ones. But if I am wrong, then I am wrong, not my kingdom. Even long after I am gone, this Empire will survive. Because I did not coddle them. Because I let them grow and become strong. Whatever comes their way, whether I am here to witness it or not, will be endured. I will not, nay, I cannot stand for weakness. For it was weakness that plagued the Empire, that plagued my home, all those years ago, before my reign. It was that weakness, that made ponies content with their lot in life, never striving for more, never reaching beyond what they were, for they never needed to struggle," he glared down at her, eyes alight with fire and passion, "I will not allow my home to fall into that state again! I will drag my kingdom, my home, into the heights they never dared reach, kicking and screaming if I must! I will teach them the value of hardship, the meaning of the struggle, and I will do it all with a smile on my face if it means making my home, my subjects, shine like they never had before!" he said, grinning madly, "Nothing and no one will stand in my way! Not you, not your Princess, not even your home! And you and your friends will have a front-row seat to the beginning of a new era, where the Crystal Empire will reign over Equestria, and I shall take this world to the limits that your weak Princess never even dreamed of!"
He stamped his hoof against the ground, grinning wickedly at her,
"For I am King Sombra! Ruler of the Crystal Empire, and King of the Crystal Ponies, and that is my dream, my reason to rule!"
And with that, King Sombra spun on his hoof, cape fluttering wildly, as he strode out of the dungeon, leaving a speechless Twilight behind.
... and that is my dream!
"He did all this... for a dream?" she muttered.
And so, for a time, Twilight Sparkle wondered.
Did she have a dream?
*CRASH*
"Don't worry, Twilight! We're here to save you!"
Twilight smiled. Well, whether she had a dream or not, she'd find out. With her friends.
Still, even as they caught up and freed her, Twilight couldn't help but think...
Maybe King Sombra wasn't a bad pony after all. Just misguided.
Author's Note
Hey, all! Sorry about not posting anything for TCoH this time around. I... probably won't be able to do much for awhile. There's... a lot going on, as I'm sure everyone already knows. With the big bad going around, stuff with my college has been ramming my schedule, and I'm pretty sure all the stress has gotten to me. 
That being said, I managed to get some stuff out, so it's not all bad.
I always felt there could've been more to Sombra than there was. I was pretty interested in him when he made his first appearance, but it sort of faded in the end. This turned out much shorter than I expected, but I still think this turned out alright. Let me know what you think, yeah?
Hope you enjoyed. Constructive criticism appreciated. See you next time!
