Where am I? Who am I?
The thing in the dark writhed and shuddered. The cold, that ever present cold, soaked it to its very core. It could feel its mind beginning to slip away… or had it already left? It had been so long.
I am… I was… Who was I?
Images came to its mind: A radiant castle stretching high into the cold sky. An empire that bowed before him. Slaves walking down the Great Promenade of his city, lashed together in chains. Two winged beings silhouetted by the sun, their light burning him away.
I was… a king?
The thing opened his eyes. They shined in dark, illuminating the ice around the thing in a sickly, green light. The thing was surrounded by ice. It soon realized that it was buried. This was new. Or was it old? Was this the first time he had seen this place? Or had he looked out upon countless time before?
The thing heard a deep rumble from within its icy prison. This was new. It was sure of that now. Something was happening in the ice around it.
More images came to the thing’s mind and the thing in the dark soon realized that they were memories. His memories.
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“My Lord Prince,” said a stallion, “can you summarize today’s lesson?”
The young prince jolted himself out of his day dream and stared at his tutor. The aged unicorn stared right back at him, annoyance clear on his face. His white beard crinkled as he stood and paced around his pupil. Mage Arcanus stared at the young price. Though a pony of considerable age, the white maned and yellow coated unicorn was one of the most powerful magic users in the Empire. Now, on the cusp of retirement, he faced his greatest challenge: the prince’s eduction.
“Um,” said the prince dumbly, as he struggled to remember what the lesson was supposed to be about before he drifted off. “The… effects of empathetic energies… on thaumaturgic mechanisms?” The prince winced ever so slightly as his tutor narrowed his eyes at him.
“And what have we concluded?”
“Um,” said the prince, his mind racing trying to think of something. His violet eyes darted to the large black board and tried to make sense of the equations and diagrams that stared back at him. Finally he cast his eyes down and felt his ears slump in defeat. His tutor sighed and turned back to the great black board, picking up a piece of chalk with his magic and began to scribble.
“Empathic energies have a profound effect on thaumaturgy,” he began. “We know these energies can be used to exponentially amplify the effects of certain powerful spells and that these energies can be harnessed by special constructs, the most prominent being…?”
“The Crystal Heart?” said the prince.
“Correct. Now if we apply Clover the Clever’s Theory of Arcane Amplification, we can see that-“ The prince once again tuned out his tutor and stared out the window. He looked out upon the city vista and took in the sights.
He could see the heart of the empire in all its glory. The brilliant sun cast its rays down and made the entire city glow. He could see the ponies walking down the streets, selling their wares, laughing with each other and going about their happy lives. Beyond the city were the great farmlands, where most of the food that fed the capital was grown. The great, golden plains stretched for miles, each field ripe with wheat and corn and the berry bushes low and heavy with fruit. And even further out, past the great ruby gates, was the frozen tundra. From the palace, one could barely see the highway that made its way out of the Empire towards the Crystal Mountains and to the southern kingdoms.
‘This will be mine one day,' thought the prince. ‘This will all be mine and I shall rule it just as Mother and Father had before-‘
“Prince Sombra!” yelled the tutor as a piece of chalk suddenly collided with the prince’s head. “Pay attention!”
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‘I had a name,’ thought the thing. ‘I have a name.’ Another rumble passed through the ice accompanied by a small tremor.
‘Sombra.’
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“Sombra,” said the king. “Arcanus tells me that your studies have shown little progress.” The king stood taller that most of his subjects as he walked beside his son through the palace’s great halls. His charcoal grey form filled the royal robes well and the silver crown sat atop his head with all the elegance one would expect from a king. By contrast, Prince Sombra seemed small next to him. They both shared the same coat but Sombra had inherited his mother’s violet eyes and raven mane while his father had golden eyes and a deep chestnut mane.
“Yes, father,” said the Prince.
“I cannot stress how important these lessons are, my son. You will rule this city and the surrounding lands once I am gone. You must first have the knowledge to do so. A king must rule with power and knowledge -“
“And knowledge is one of the greatest power a king can wield next to the love of His people,” finished the prince. “Yes, I know. But it’s just so… boring!”
The king gave a small chuckle. “Perhaps, but you should still do your best to understand and master it.” He paused for a moment. They stood in the palace’s new Grand Hall, where important state functions were to take place. It was to be the home of everything from diplomatic negotiations to state dinners and eventually, hopefully, wedding ceremonies. The work crews were busy carving out the various frescoes in the walls and around the great pillars that supported the new halls. Master artisans sat on scaffolds as the chipped away at the cyan crystals and magicians used their powers to grow beautiful works of art from the crystals themselves.
The king turned to his son and spoke, “Look, my son. See how they work together to create something wondrous.” The king closed his eyes and lit up his horn. “Feel how their love for the craft drives them and gives them power.”
Prince Sombra closed his eyes and copied his father. Sombra could indeed feel the craftponies’ engeries around him. He could even see it with his mind’s eye. The emotions they produced flowed around them in a calm, blue mist and bound them together. The magic users shined like beacons as their companions’ feeling gave them extra power.
“This is the power of the Crystal Empire, my son,” said the king. “Our love for one another powers the engines of progress and it is the duty of the King to guide that engine for the benefit of His people. Do you understand?”
Before the prince could reply, a loud yelp sounded form the top of the one scaffold. He looked up, the spell still active and saw one of the craftponies dangling from the edge. Sombra stared as the blue cloud that had surrounded him was replaced by an angry, energy cloud. The cloud began to grow as the pony began to slip and it spread to the other ponies in the room. Soon the entire room was bursting with the black energy in his mind’s eye.
And as the pony fell, the energy crashed over Sombra. It was so different, a harsh, electric sort of rush that passed through him. Just as suddenly as it came, it stopped. Sombra shook his head free of the spell and beheld the craftpony floating a short distance off the ground, surrounded in his father’s dark brown aura. The entire room sighed in relief and the poor craftpony bowed before his king, sputtering thanks and apologies for his own carelessness.
“Think nothing of it, my subject,” nodded the king as he turned back to his son. “Now then, as I- Sombra?”
The prince gave no reply. He simply stared out into space. ‘That energy,’ he thought, ‘that power! It was so much more potent than anything I had felt before.’ A smile crossed the prince’s face. ‘I want more of it.’
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‘Their fear,’ though the thing in the dark. ‘It was so powerful, so delicious.’ The thing saw the ice around it fracture. It was no bigger than the smallest of spider webs but it soon began to grow.
The thing paid it no mind. More memories came to it.
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“I have never seen so much drive before,” said Arcanus. “He has delved so deeply into his studies that I dare say he could finish my curriculum ahead of schedule by weeks. Maybe even a month!” The old unicorn seem to beam with pride, but his mood fell once he looked back at his king. The king simply looked at progress report on the desk in front of him, barely registering the words. Arcanus cleared his throat before continuing. “I… know that the boy has taken her majesty’s passing… difficultly. We all have, Your Grace. Perhaps the studies are simply his way of… keeping his mind off the matter.”
The king looked up at the mage and nodded in agreement. Truth be told, he was not far from his sons position and had busied himself with statecraft to keep his mind off the recent death of his queen. “Perhaps it is for the best,” he said. The whole empire shared the king’s loss, for the queen had been beloved my all. It was a terrible and sudden thing, a fever that had burned through her in a fortnight and had left the king a widower.
The funeral procession had winded through the great promenades of the capital with every citizen attending. The streets and buildings were lined with ponies in black garb and the roads were covered in lilies and yellow roses. The king and his son had walked behind the funeral carriages, both wearing black robes with hoods covering their heads. The sky mirrored the somber mood of the people and it was snowing.
Sombra’s horn was alight with the empathy spell. He could see the sickly, black morass that flowed around him. ‘It is their sorrow,’ he had thought to himself. ‘There’s so much of it.’
The funeral itself was held in the new Grand Hall. Many nobles had regarded this as an ill omen, for what can be said of this place if its first use was the funeral of a queen? The king and his son were surrounded by the royal court and many visiting dignitaries from the southern kingdoms. The service lasted for an hour and was followed by speeches from nobles who spoke of the queen’s grace and beauty and how she ruled with equal grace and beauty. By the end of it, nearly three hours later, the king and prince merely sat alone in the empty, cold hall, looking at the coffin.
The king was jostled out of his memories as the door to his office opened. Prince Sombra regarded his father and mentor and said, “I have decided to take a leave of absence, father.”
The king stood up straighter. “What?”
“I will be leaving the capital to complete my studies,” said the prince. “I will be taking my guards and servants with me and be staying at the High Monastery.” He turned to the stunned mage. “Arcanus, could you please pack your things and whatever else you will need for the journey?”
The mage merely looked on in disbelief. Finally the king walked up to his son and spoke, “What is the meaning of this, Sombra? Why… Why would leave?”
The prince looked back at his father and, for the briefest of moments, the king thought he saw something behind those violet eyes. “Knowledge is power, father,” said the prince. “And still have much to gather.”
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‘Power!’ roared the thing, its icy prison shaking and groaning. ‘MINE!’
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The streets were once again pack but this time the crowds cheered with joy. Banners flew high overhead and the air was filled with the smells of freshly baked goods. The ponies lined the great promenade and threw confetti as the carriages rolled past them, followed by columns of guards, their armor polished to a shine and striding in strict precision. After many long years, their prince had returned!
The king sat waiting on his throne, the crown he wore seemed to grow ever heavier atop his grey streaked head. The Grand Hall was filled with nobles, all awaiting the return of the prince and sharing their king’s excitement. The King stared ahead at the doors with a youthful energy he had not felt in many, many years. His ears turned forward as he heard the heavy clomp of approaching hooves.
The doors parted and a portly earth stallion announced, “Presently to the High Court of the Crystal Empire, His Highness Prince Sombra!”
The court stomped in approval as a small party entered the hall. Ten guards in grey armor, their faces hidden behind masks, followed a large unicorn stallion in similar attire. The king looked down upon his return son and smile. The prince had left a colt and had returned a grown stallion. The king had never felt so proud. He stood, his knees groaning silently with age, and spoke. “My son,” he said, his tired voice reflecting his years. “It has been far too long since you have graced these halls. Long have We waited for your return. Tell Us: have you gained the knowledge that you had once sought?”
Silence reined the hall. A few nobles leaned in closer to hear their prince speak. The figure before the throne smiled, revealing a pair of large fangs. Several members of the court let out gasps.
“I have, father,” said the thing that was once Sombra. The voice reverberated throughout the Grand Hall, a deep and terrifying thing that spoke of unnatural taint. The thing’s visor disappeared, revealing a pair of red eyes in pools of glowing green light. Its horn glowed and turned a burning orange as a purple mist radiated from the thing’s eyes. The guards lowered their weapons and began to march with malevolent purpose towards the now screaming nobles. Their horns had been replaced or infected with a dark crystal that seemed to radiate hatred and a lust for violence.
The thing climbed the dais and seized the king harshly with its black aura. “What is the meaning of this?!” yelled the king. “Why are you doing this, Sombra?!” He looked into the things eyes, but he did not see his son. A crystal sword materialized out of thin air and point at his heart.
“To take what is mine,” said the thing. “All of it.”
The sword surged forward.
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“MINE!” the thing raged as it continued to writhe and tear at its crumbling prison. “ALL OF IT WILL BE MINE!!”
Once news of the King’s death had reached the ears of the populace, their fear and sorrow had been enough for the new king to corrupt the Crystal Heart. He used the Dark Heart to curse the Empire, and enslaved the citizens. He fed off their fear and sorrow, growing in power daily. And soon his darkness had spread into every pore of the empire. The buildings, once radiant and beautiful had been twisted and deformed. The palace, once a shining become across all the lands, had become a cruel mockery of its former self. And at the heart of it all, on his dark throne, King Sombra sat and reveled in his new powers.
It had all literally come crashing down around him when two sisters from the southern kingdoms came to confront him. The thing that had become King Sombra fought them tooth and nail, using the darkest of his new powers to combat the Royal Sisters.
It had not been enough. The light of the Royal Sisters had burned him away and left him buried in the icy wastes that surrounds his dark kingdom. The kingdom itself seemed to vanish along its dark king and soon both passed into memory and eventually into legend.
And after centuries in the dark and the cold, the thing that had once been a king began to feel its fade away into the darkness.
Until now.
Something had happened. The thing in the dark didn’t know what it was but it could feel the return of its kingdom. Now the broiling darkness that was the thing shattered though the surface and felt the icy winds blowing through its gigantic new form.
“MINE!” it roared. “CRYSTALS! SLAVES! ALL MINE!”
It was more beast than pony now, this thing that had once been a king. Gone were any features of the young Prince who spent his days gazing out on the city. All that remained was the consuming hatred and desire for power.
All that was left was the Thing in the Dark.
