The Rise And Fall Of A Unicorn King

Quite a few years in to his schooling, Sombra had grown a little older, and still every bit enthusiastic for learning.  He had spent countless hours in the library reading and absorbing whatever knowledge he could, and had even impressed the princesses and newly appointed headmaster, Starswirl the Bearded, with his magical skills.  As a result, he also developed somewhat of an arrogant streak and treated the other students in a disrespectful manner.  He was an insufferable genius.

Sombra found himself reading in the library one day when he had heard a strange voice enter his head.  You know you have so much potential, the school is holding you back with its... structure.

"Who was that?" Sombra asked out loud in an alarmed voice.  He drew odd stares from other Unicorns in the library.  He looked around frantically trying to discern any tells of mischief from his colleagues, but none were to be found.  Perturbed, but not wanting to be too distracted from his studies, he returned to reading his book.  The idea that some voice could just speak inside his head whenever it felt like it was a little disturbing to Sombra, and he tried to ignore it.  But the voice would still come back to haunt him from time to time.

-***-

Sombra and several other unicorns filed into class early in the morning.  Sombra was reading his texts as usual while other students would talk, giggle, or otherwise carry on with tomfoolery while they waited for the teacher to arrive.

The teacher, a unicorn mare by the name of Gardenia, was running late and didn't arrive before class began.

"I apologize, class," she began.  "I was tied up in a faculty meeting that ran a little late."

Sombra smiled and spoke up, "Wouldst thou like me to take over the class?  I'm sure I can teach just as well as anypony."

Gardenia frowned, not liking his tone or implications.  She went about teaching the class, levitating a piece of chalk to draw out diagrams on the board.  Spheres and cones to demonstrate areas of effect on certain spells.  One diagram in particular was drawn as a cylinder when it should have been a cone, and Sombra was quick to point it out.

"Beg your pardon, but shouldn't that spell's affected area be a cone, and not a cylinder?" Sombra spoke up without raising a hoof.

Gardenia frowned again, but Sombra was right.  "My mistake, thank you Sombra for pointing that out."  She was polite about it as she could be, but anyone paying attention could hear the annoyance in her voice.

After she was done with diagrams, she moved on to formulas for potions and tonics.  When she had made a mistake in one of the formulas, Sombra jumped on it immediately.  "Should that be two parts sodium instead of three," he said.  "I know I'm just a student, but the texts seem to support my assertion."

Gardenia was enraged.  Sombra's disrespectful manner and smug arrogance was becoming too much for her to deal with right now.  What's worse, was that the other students started to show a similar lack of respect towards her, even though she could still beat any of them in a magic duel.

Eventually class had ended and everypony had filed out of the room and returned to their dorms.  Sombra kept to himself mostly.  He was starting to think he was above the other students as well as the faculty.  In his studies in the library, he came across something that was quite fascinating, and had the potential to let him live indefinitely.

-***-

"What can you tell me about soul stones?"

"Beg your pardon?" the teacher Auricomous asked.

"Soul stones.  I understand that they can allow one to live past their normal life span."

"Yes, this is true," the teacher responded, not quite sure where young Sombra was going with this.

"I should like to make one, you know, to store my soul in."  Something about Sombra's attitude didn't strike him right.  Sombra was very nonchalant.  "A brilliant mind such as mind should not be allowed to die."

Auricomous was shocked, to say the least.  "Sombra, you'll learn no such magic at this school, that sort of magic is not what we teach."

Like I said, the school is holding you back...

"Very well then," Sombra said, still a little unnerved by the voice he keeps hearing.  "I shall have to continue studying outside the school curriculum."  And with that, he left and headed to the library.

-***-

One late night the headmaster held a faculty meeting, requiring all magic instructors to be present, including the princesses.  Celestia and Luna insisted on having no special treatment given toward them.  They believed such a policy would help foster the citizens' faith in their rulers if they were subject to the same laws and policies as everypony else.

“I've called you all here for an important meeting,” Starswirl began.  “Sombra's power has increased so much in such a short time, I fear he has surpassed a few of our instructors as well.”

Gardenia spoke up, “He hath been quite vexing, interrupting my class to correct any mistakes I might have made.”  She was embarrassed at the admission.  “Sometimes he can be quite rude, and arrogant.  It's caused other students to be disrespectful and act out in a similar fashion.”

A low Starswirl rapped his cane on the floor to bring everypony's attention back to himself.  “Unchecked, Sombra's behavior will poison the integrity of the school.  He must be dealt with."

“We cannot punish him for overachieving,” Luna pointed out.

After several moments of silence and awkward glances, Princess Celestia spoke up first, “I will take him under my wing, as my personal apprentice.”  Everypony in Celestia's presence eyed her skeptically.  "Sombra has much potential, and it wouldst be a crime if We did not do everything within Our power to guide him on the right path."

“It will be so then," Starswirl announced.  He looked over the two princesses, 'pretending to be normal' as he called it and smiled.  "You shall inform him in the morning.”  Addressing everypony in the room, Starswirl rapped his cane on the floor again to get their attention.  “This meeting is adjourned, and we shall reconvene on the morrow to present Sombra with the news.”

Everypony got up and departed the room.  There was a mixture of moods in the room.  Some somber, some excited.  Regardless, everypony was cautiously optimistic.

-***-

“I canst not believe this!” Sombra gave an incredulous gasp.  “Wherefore the fair Princess Celestia taketh me as thine pupil?” he asked.

Princess Celestia smiled that cheerful disarming smile, where her closed eyes formed the arch-shape of rainbows.  "Yes, Sombra.  Your power hath grown far beyond the school's bounds, so I shall take you on as my faithful student to help guide you on the right path."

Starswirl spoke next, “this faculty feels that by strictly following the curriculum we hinder thine education.  We do not wish to impede thy studies.”

Sombra was excited at the opportunity.  Princess Celestia, the most powerful unicorn in all of Equestria, never took apprentices.  Starswirl the Bearded only rarely took personal students himself, most recent one being Clover the Clever.  But Princess Celestia?  One would never have expected her to.  Princess Luna?  Even more so.  Luna's sleep cycle already separated her enough from the students as it was.  It was just not feasible for her to take an apprentice.

Starswirl took a moment to let Sombra get used to the news before informing him of the next bit.  "You'll have to relocate your belongings to special quarters prepared for you in the castle."

Sombra's red eyes nearly glowed in excitement.  Not just anypony got to stay in the castle, and be Celestia's personal protégé on top of that.  It was just too much to take in all at once.

"We look forward to seeing you in private studies, young Sombra," Celestia said, smiling again.

Sombra teleported back to his room to gather his things.  Once he appeared outside, he found that a Pegasus-drawn carriage was already waiting to take him to the castle proper.  He rushed inside the dormitory to his room, throwing his stuff together as fast as he could.

This is going to be awesome! Sombra thought to himself, unable to conceal the huge smile on his face.

Your potential will come closer to realization, and it will be as you put it, 'awesome' a voice said in Sombra's head.

"Who IS that?!?" Sombra looked around, frowning at his mind's intruder.  At first he thought it might have been one of the other students playing a farewell prank on him, casting charms to make him think he's hearing voices.  "Show yourself!" he said out loud.

When no response came, Sombra took a moment to cast a magic dispel charm to rule out the prank possibility.  He didn't detect anything further, and went back to packing his things.  Whatever was speaking to him was no longer there, so Sombra disregarded it once more.  Once Sombra finished packing, he took his bags out to greet the Pegasi and ride up to the castle where he would be staying for the next leg of his studies.