It began upon Twilight's return from Canterlot. The swell of triumph from rescuing the Crystal Empire had faded over days of pleasant but routine life in Ponyville. However, the curiosity piqued by the possibilities of shadow magic had not.
Twilight's research into the dark powers soon stalled, as she had next to nothing on the subject in her little village library. Celestia has been hesitant to give her more on the subject, doing so only after Twilight promised to keep her work in such matters limited to the purely theoretical. For a few weeks, she did, but it wasn't enough. Questions were raised more often than they were answered, and soon the only way to solve the countless mysteries bouncing around the unicorn's mind was a practical experiment.
That brought Twilight to tonight, standing in her basement and running through her pre-ritual checklist. The moon was new. The runes were drawn in powdered onyx. The mana patterns of the spell were etched in her memory. Spike was at Rarity's.
Satisfied, Twilight took a deep breath, then called upon the powers of wrath and terror. Shadows spilled from her eyes and horn, burning and stinging as they writhed out of her aura. Darkness flowed out of the ancient sigils, quickly overwhelming the feeble glow of the firefly lanterns and shrouding the cellar in darkness.
Then, impossibly, it grew darker still, an eye-sucking void on the other side of night that nothing could hope to illuminate. The burn in Twilight's head gave way to a chill throughout her body, a cold that went beyond simple temperature and made her very soul shiver. As she struggled for breath, a low buzzing filled her ears and a terrible presence pressed down on her spine.
Numbness crept through Twilight's hooves as the void sapped joy and hope from her mind. Shadows from beyond death reached out for the cooling morsel that had so foolishly presented itself, eager to feed on her sweet dreams and ideals, on the rare treat of skin and meat and marrow. But first, first would be her color, the bright vibrant hue that spoke of light and life, of all they could not have, but would take and take until—
"ENOUGH!"
The darkness imploded, collecting into the exact center of the rough circle formed by the runes. Shuddering and gasping for breath, Twilight stumbled to her feet, feeling weak as a kitten. Her legs shook as they struggled to support her weight. "Wha... what happened?" she groaned. Everything ached, and she was glad it did. Pain meant she was still alive to feel it.
The heap of shadows answered her in a deep, masculine voice, laced with pity and scorn. "An ignorant and naive young mare whose reach far extended her grasp learned the importance of proper protections when contacting the lands of the dead."
The voice was new to Twilight, but the roiling darkness was unforgettably familiar. "King Sombra?"
"Indeed." Sombra blinked, and Twilight realized his eyes were nearly indistinguishable from hers, the sclera white and not leaking fell magics. "You are a very fortunate pony, Twilight Sparkle," the shade continued. "Had I not intervened when I did, your body and soul would have been forfeit to malignant forces far beyond your ken."
"Why did you intervene?" asked Twilight. After a moment, she added, "How do you know my name?
Sombra had no lungs, but that apparently didn't keep him from sighing. "You exposed yourself more completely than if you had pressed your nethers against the veil between life and death." Twilight found herself too horribly mortified to respond. He pressed on, either ignoring or not noticing her reaction. "It is obvious that this was not intentional. Had you known of the necessary abjurations, you would've surely employed them against the dark, terrible being you believe me to be. As for why I saved your life? I did it because, contrary your misgivings, you have my deepest gratitude."
Twilight fell back on her haunches. "Whuh?"
A trace of amusement colored Sombra's voice. "Why wouldn't I? You have ensured the safety of my people, returned the Crystal Throne to its rightful heiress, reconciled the Empire with the Equestrian diarchy; in short, you have corrected every mistake I made during my disastrous reign."
"But, but Princess Celestia—"
The umbral mass shook his head, or at least the bit with eyes on. "Celestia is not exactly unbiased when it comes to her foes. She likes to see the world simply and starkly, in absolutes of light and darkness, even as she lives and works in reality's shades of grey."
Twilight leapt back to her hooves, her exhaustion forgotten in her indignity. "That's not true!"
"Oh?" The amusement returned. "Less than a month ago, she sent some of her most capable servants to acquire a newly available political resource before her rival leaders could even react. They even eliminated the only other party with a valid claim to that resources, the better to ensure Equestrian supremacy."
The mare stood silently in confusion, working through Sombra's doublespeak. After a few moments, she scowled. "She sent my friends and me to save a nation from a cruel tyrant and welcome it back to the world."
Sombra's form pulsed in a way suggestive of a shrug. "Semantics. But I did not save you from your own ignorance to debate political philosophy. What do you know of me, Twilight Sparkle?"
She snorted derisively. "What, don't you know?"
"Of course I do," came the calm reply. "I ask because I want you to hear yourself say it. Verbatim, if you can."
Twilight's mood lightened a bit. It was almost like an oral exam; one she was prepared for. "One thousand years ago, King Sombra, a unicorn whose heart was black as night, took over the Crystal Empire. He was ultimately overthrown, turned to shadow and banished to the ice of the arctic north. But not before he was able to put a curse upon the empire. A curse that caused it to vanish into thin air."
"You see?" asked Sombra. "Not a jot of concern for my motives, my goals, my origins. I am merely the villain of the piece, a straw pony that the sun and moon could heroically smite."
Twilight rolled her eyes. "Which is exactly how you behaved – a nearly mindless tide of malevolence intent on enslaving the Crystal Empire and spreading hatred and tyranny throughout the world."
Sombra glared at her. His eyes glowed with a harsh white light, a sharp contrast to his writhing body of gloom. "That abomination was not me. It stole my face, perverted my life's mission. You know nothing of me, Sparkle. Nothing." He paused, sighed, and relaxed, his form going still, his eyes returning to normal. "And I wish to rectify that."
Twilight swallowed. She'd taken a few steps back from the furious shade. She retraced them now. "How can I trust you?"
Sombra's gaze stayed steady, but where there had been rage, now there was sorrow. "You owe me a lifedebt, Twilight Sparkle. I do not know what has become of the old traditions in these past thousand years, but in my time, the savior could make any one request, and the saved would have no choice but to fulfill it. However, I would rather you heard my story of your own free will."
This got a suspicious scowl. "And if I do, what will you ask of me instead?" she asked.
"Nothing. The living should not be beholden to the dead. It is not my place."
"But you'll still use it to make me listen to you," Twilight noted.
"If I must." Sombra's form rippled and flattened, as though making himself comfortable. "Must I?"
Twilight thought about this for a few minutes. Ultimately, she followed the shade's example, lying down. "I'll listen," she allowed. "For posterity's sake if nothing else." Her magic took hold of a transparent crystal pillar the size of her head and carried it to her side. A moment's greater focus, and the gem began to glow from within with magenta energy.
"A recording crystal," observed Sombra, his eyes wide.
"One of the first exported since the Empire's return," Twilight confirmed.
After nearly a minute of silence, Twilight quirked an eyebrow. "Well?"
Sombra shook himself, jiggling a bit. "My apologies. It... Well, it will be clear soon enough." His gaze a thousand years away, he began.
My name is Sombra Pyrolusite. You probably did not know I had a last name, am I correct?
I thought as much. If I am remembered at all, it is as a senseless tyrant, a bully who practiced cruelty for cruelty's sake. Obviously, the truth is vastly more complex than this. Nopony ever thinks of himself as the villain, ever actually acts in the name of evil. Even Discord was an agent of chaos, which is a far cry from pure malevolence. A being so dedicated would be a storybook villain, with all the depth of a shadow. And believe me, I know a lot about shadows.
To understand me, to know what fate actually befell the Crystal Empire, it is best to begin at the beginning. Not of the Empire, of course. I won't for ask that much of your time.
Are you sure? Well, I'll give the abridged version. It begins midway through the tale of Hearth's Warming. As the three tribes set out for greener pastures, Chancellor Puddinghead, in her... unique wisdom, ordered the very young, the very old, and their immediate families to stay behind. They would not survive the harsh journey, and there was always a slim chance that the weather would break in time.
With the unicorns and pegasi gone, the families that remained had nothing but love and camaraderie for one another. Thus, the windigos found themselves without food, and tracked the pilgrims. Soon the frozen grip on the land loosened, but only where the families lived. The windigos' magic had been there for too long, the ice and snow piled too deep. Without the light of love, the land was locked in winter.
The earth ponies adapted, as they always have. Even their magic, their innate tie to the land, altered itself. The ponies crystallized like snowflakes, no two alike, each beautiful in his or her own unique way. Their mastery of crystals of both earth and water followed suit. One mare's connection to crystalline perfection grew so great, so intrinsic, she ascended to alicornhood. She took a mortal consort and foaled the first heirs of the Crystal Dynasty, from which your Cadence is descended.
Now, to my birth.
Are you surprised? I did not emerge fully formed from the darkness, fell magics streaming from my eyes the very second I was created. I had parents, family, a home. Admittedly, I had few friends, but that was more a result of circumstance than attitude. A mare as clever as you should be able to surmise why.
Precisely. I was the first unicorn born in the Crystal Empire in centuries. The population was, aside from the royal family, entirely earth ponies. I was the only pony in living memory to have a horn and yet have no wings. Foals my own age treated me more as a curiosity than a peer.
No, no, no. That early alienation did not precipitate any alleged turn to darkness, nor did a cruel home life. My parents gave me as much love as any child could ask for. They even beseeched the emperor's children to teach me magic, knowing that they could not. In his magnanimity, Prince Brilliance acceded.
You of all ponies can imagine my excitement at the time. The prince, the heir of the empire, teaching magic to me, a colt who had not even earned his cutie mark! I cannot look back on that first lesson without shaking my head at the countless ways I embarrassed myself, alternately humbling myself before him and bouncing about with unbridled glee.
Thankfully, I quickly overcame such impulses, largely thanks to the prince's kindness and patience. He acted less like a ruler to his subject or a tutor to his student than as a surrogate older brother to a young traveler of the same path. For a time, my life was a blessed one, and I wanted for nothing.
Alas, this was not to last. The roll downhill began one day when Brilliance was teaching me the basics of divination magic. It was difficult for me. The sensations delivered by the half-formed spells distracted me too much to complete them. In my pride and frustration, I refused my tutor's advice, simply throwing myself at the challenge time and time again.
Soon, the time had come for the midday meal, and I was no closer to success than when we began. Brilliance wanted to adjourn, to give me time to relax and consider the problem from a new angle. I would have none of it. I begged for one last attempt, and he was kind enough to give it to me.
I had, over the course of the morning's attempts, grown accustomed to the spells' feedback. I knew I needed to exploit this acclimation while I could, and so I did. Knowing what to expect, I kept going from spellform to spellform, able to ignore the swimming colors and nameless sensations that played along my horn and mind.
In my eagerness, as I neared the final step of the spell, I made a slight error. The final step was a mote of light, but instead I channeled darkness.
Yes, the standard magic detection cantrip.
Ah, normally, you would be right. For any other colt, the spell would have dissipated harmlessly. But not for me.
You never have seen my cutie mark, have you? A moment. I should be able to make myself more solid...
Do you even have to ask? There are only so many things a torch burning with a black flame can mean.
In part. The symbols on our flanks reflect our very souls, and reducing them to a single meaning is not only difficult, but often woefully flawed. Consider your own, Twilight. A spark surrounded by five others? A talent for magic and magic alone could manifest in virtually any shape imaginable, so why something so abstract and symbolic?
I'll tell you why. Because there is more to that violet burst than magical aptitude. One and five. Six as one. You were born, destined to rediscover, reunite, and reactivate the Elements of Harmony, Twilight Sparkle. You do not simply do magic or bear Magic. You are Magic.
I suppose we are. In any case, my talent lies not just in manipulating the shadows, but understanding them and vanquishing them. The torch is not creating shadows, but revealing them for all to see, forcing them out of hiding in more perfect darkness, and destroying them with pitiless light.
Yes, even though the flames are black. It's symbolic.
Of course, when I first miscast that magic detection spell, I didn't know any of this. All I knew was that the shadows of the room had come to life, slithering about the room like eels, tiny hands clutching scraps of their own essence, faces twisted in hateful mockery.
I did what any colt would do; I panicked. But when I bolted out of the room, there they were in the hallway! Floating through the walls! Orbiting Brilliance's horn like surreal shadowy jewelry!
I fled the palace that day. I knew the layout so well, I did it with my eyes closed. Perhaps a guard shouted at me. Perhaps it was Brilliance, desperate for an explanation to my behavior. I remember not. All I recall is the fear.
At the foot of the castle, I leaned against one of the building's scintillating legs, panting for breath. After a few moments, Brilliance came down the stairway. To my astonishment, the shades that surrounded him gave shocked yelps and made great haste away from me... yet fleeing to my left.
Once I got past my coltish self-centeredness, I realized they were fleeing the Crystal Heart itself. I looked around. Sure enough, while faint charcoal smears could be seen in the distance, none of the monsters dared come close to the sacred relic.
I tried to tell Brilliance about it. I thought he believed me until I told him we needed to alert his father. All playfulness vanished from my tutor, who coolly informed me that the Emperor had far more pressing matters than the delusions of a colt, even a favorite of the Royal Family. Hallucinations could very well be part of growing up as a unicorn, after all.
Yes, but as far as we knew, they could have been. Remember, I was the first and only unicorn born in the Crystal Empire.
Over the following weeks, I was able to curry enough favor with Brilliance and his sister Mellifluence to be invited to dine at the Royal Table one evening. A great spectacle was made of it, and I confess some part of me enjoyed the spotlight.
In any case, that night, after dessert, I presented my case to Emperor Dominance. I told him of the shades, of the Crystal Heart's effect, of its woefully limited range. I explained how I had been observing the shadow creatures for some time, observing how they fed on hope and joy, how those well and truly infested with them had hearts like stone, lives without dreams.
To his credit, he listened to it all. He gave it thought. I was novelty, not nobility. He could've dismissed me with but a word. Instead, he did it with seven:
"And what would you have me do?"
His question stopped me dead. Surely, I had thought, once I brought the matter to His Excellency's attention, he would see to it that the matter was settled. I just had to be the messenger, or so I'd assumed. Instead, I had to confess to him that I did not know.
No, what do they say about assuming?
Heh. No, only me in this case. Thus chastened, I could do nothing more than endure Emperor Dominance's patronizing smile and reassurance that it would all be alright so long as I eased up on my magic practice.
If only...
Author's Note
After all of the jokes, the disappointment, and the relatively minor degree of fanfiction interest, I felt I should step up to bat for ol' Tall, Dark, and CRYSTALSSSS.
The key question of this story is not "Who is Sombra?" but "Why is Sombra?" I've seen very few proposals in that regard, and I'm fairly sure no one's taken the direction I plan on. We'll see.
