The Rise And Fall Of A Unicorn King

by exuvium

Rating: teen
Tags: Adventure, Dark
Length: 3231

A young unicorn's rise from prodigy student to black-hearted king.

King Sombra wasn't always a black-hearted unicorn. He was once one of Princess Celestia's most faithful students, a young unicorn preceeding Twilight Sparkle by over a thousand years. He had shown promise and high aptitude just like Twilight Sparkle has.

However, after graduation, his path took a decidedly darker turn than Twilight, leading up to the events that took place just prior to Nightmare Moon's banishment.

(Yes, another King Sombra story)

Published 1970-01-01 00:00:00 UTC
Last updated 2013-03-17 10:07:46 UTC

Prologue - The Exam

Sombra was awake late at night as usual, studying for his entrance exam to Princess Celestia's School For Gifted Unicorns.  The entrance exam was rumored to be a doozy this time around.  It was not anything simple like teleportation or levitation, not even self levitation.  No, it was something quite more this time.  While there was many rumors, no one truly knew what the test was actually going to cover.

-***-

The next morning he awoke bright and early for his exam.  The administrators sat in the back of the classroom, ready with clipboards and pencils, all levitated with their horns of course.  The door opened and the students were let into the room and guided to their seats.  A parchment and booklet was provided for each.

The students sat down, took the quills in horn, and the test began.  The students read their booklets of questions and quickly jotted down their answers.  Some of the students finished early and turned in their parchment.  Others not so early.  Sombra had thought the test seemed a little easy, actually.  Because of his reading, there wasn't really anything on the exam he didn't at least recognize.  Still, he took his time to double-check his work to make sure that he didn't make any careless errors.  The teachers jotted some notes down as they observed the applicants.

Once everypony was done, the test administrator dismissed the students, sending them to the cafeteria to get refreshments after the grueling exam.  As Sombra was about to leave, the administrator asked him to stay behind.

“Young Sombra, I thank thee for thy time.  You've shown an amazing talent for the subject matter.  We shall speak with the princesses regarding thy performance and let thou know their decision.”

Sombra beamed, excited at the opportunity!  “My thanks!  But, what of the others?"

The test administrator shook his head.  "The others did not demonstrate the same aptitude of study and comprehension as you have.  You breezed through the entire thing, getting most of the answers correct with little effort.  Despite finishing early, you still took time to go back and double-check your work to make sure nothing was in error."

Sombra was even more excited, not only did he do well, but he was best in the class.  A promising start.  "Well, even if they do not accept me, I will just try harder next time.”  His light gray coat and black mane seemed to glisten with his enthusiasm as he trotted along happily into the waiting room.

There he waited.  And waited.  And waited.

Finally, a very stern-looking stallion emerged from the next room over and approached Sombra.  His hardened countenance was cracked by a smile, small at first, gradually getting larger.  “Thou hast been accepted!” he said with enthusiasm.  The faculty was always excited when they could admit another gifted young unicorn to the school.

"This is a triumph deluxe!" Sombra said, matching the older stallion's excitement.  Sombra was jumping up and down in circles around him repeatedly saying "Yes" in rapid succession.

“You will want to pack your belongings right away," the faculty stallion said.  "The student body receives room and board while attending Her Royal Highness's academy.”

"Yes sir, immediately sir!" Sombra replied eagerly.

Sombra was so excited he ran home and packed his things immediately and headed right back to school.  His assigned room was waiting for him once he returned, even though school didn't start for a few weeks yet.  Textbooks for his first year were picked out for him and sorted, placed into a corner of the room with a course syllabus on top.  Sombra was so excited he had a hard time going to sleep that first night at the academy.  It certainly wasn't going to be his last.

Looking around he saw his bed, a writing desk, and not much else.  Might as well get a head start on reading, Sombra thought to himself as he cracked open the first one and settled down in bed.

"Introduction To Magic..." he said out loud as he read, giddy with excitement.  He continued to read well into the night.

Chapter 1 - The Rise

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.

Chapter 2 - The Pedestal

Sombra loved his room at the castle.  He was being afforded a private room where he can study and perform assignments given him by the princess, who had recently taken him on as her private student.  Sombra was tasked with studying higher levels of magic than the normal advanced classes.  The room at the castle had everything he could want.  A shelf for copies of books he requested from the library, a comfortable bed, a writing desk, art on the walls that would change periodically... it was decorated lavishly like a hotel room he would rent out, had he been traveling.

He was being visited in his room by his teacher, the fair and radiant Princess Celestia.  They had been at intense magical studies for a long while now, and Sombra had been enjoying every bit of it.  No matter how exhausting or mind-sapping, or brain-draining it got. Every new spell was like a puzzle to put together, or a mathematical formula to work out, and Sombra loved ALL of it.

The young Unicorn had just finished turning a zap apple into a pear.  Celestia clopped her hooves together, "Very good Sombra, you're progressing through the lessons much quicker than anypony else at the school," the princess complimented.  "You've certainly mastered transformation spells."

Sombra grinned the biggest grin he could muster.  He was living the dream for any unicorn born in Everfree, to be personally taught as a private student of the princess.

Most transformation spells functioned the same way, even though certain objects provided more resistance than others.  Living objects more so than inanimate objects, for example.

"Now Sombra, I want you to focus on this next magical spell..." Celestia instructed.  "The next lesson is altering properties of objects.  In this case, age."

Sombra was presented with a pot and a flower bud.  His task was to make it grow and blossom.

"You want me to grow the flower like an Earth Pony?"  Sombra almost sounded insulted.  Because of his magical aptitude, he was already far beyond the other unicorns.  In Everfree, there still existed the tribal bias between Unicorn, Pegasus, and Earth Pony.  Naturally Sombra, who felt himself above other Unicorns, also felt to be that much more above Earth Ponies as well.

Celestia closed her eyes and shook her head.  She frowned when she reopened them, "Sombra, I want you to remember something.  We ALL have roles to play in the circle of life.  The Unicorns control the day and night cycle and make society better with magic, the Pegasi control the weather and also act as the guard.  Earth Ponies have possibly the most important job, without which nopony else can perform their task."  The princess took a moment to compose herself again, "they grow and prepare the food."

Sombra was becoming annoyed with this whole contributing member of society business.  Why shouldn't he be free to study magic as he wished.  He wasn't harming anypony.  Why should it suddenly be his responsibility just because he's better than everypony else?  He too, took a moment to compose himself.  He closed his eyes to help in focusing his magic through his large red horn and unto the flower bud.  The glow surrounded the flower bud, urging it to grow and blossom into a beautiful flower.  Celestia smiled as she watched the magic take shape.  This was truly an advanced spell, only for the highest level of Unicorns.  The smile quickly faded however, as the blossom reverted back to a mere flower bud.

"It's okay, Sombra," the princess assured him.  "It's a challenging spell, and nopony is expected to get it right on the first try."

"Is this how immortality works?" Sombra asked.

"No, of course not," Celestia replied.  "Vera immortalitus is not dying from old age or illness."  When Sombra looked confused,  the princess felt she should elaborate.  "My sister and I are immortal, for example.  Discord, the former ruler of the land, is also immortal."

"Is that why he couldn't be killed?"  Each answer seemed to bring more questions from the dark-coated Unicorn.

"Immortality doesn't mean you can't be killed, it just means you won't die of natural causes such as age, sickness, and so on."  Celestia was starting to get uncomfortable with this line of questioning, because she knew what the next question was going to be before he even asked it.

"How do I become immortal?"

There it was.  The princess was reminded of the faculty meeting where she had agreed to take Sombra on as her apprentice.  One of the teachers had mentioned him asking about soulstones.  Sombra wanted to live forever.  Or at least he didn't want to die.  Princess Celestia appeared deep in thought for a moment before responding.  "You can't."  Here comes the inevitable 'Why not?' she thought to herself.

"Why not?" Sombra asked, predictably.

"I can't answer that."

"But..."

"Sombra, we're getting away from your studies."  Celestia sought to refocus Sombra on the lesson with the flower bud.  "You do wish to learn even the most difficult of magic, no?"

"I do, but..."

"Any Unicorn can destroy.  It takes a truly gifted one to create," Celestia said, trying to persuade Sombra to continue his lesson.  "You are a very gifted Unicorn, and I know you have it within you to create something wondrous, perhaps even new magic."

Sombra started to be unsure of himself, as if suddenly caving to the pressure he perceives being put on him.  He closed his eyes to focus once more.

"I know you can do it, Sombra," Celestia urged him, "I have faith in you."

His large red horn began to glow again.  The light given off by his horn slowly traversed the air and enveloped the flower bud, the magic once again taking shape.  The flower grew a bit taller as the blossom began to open once again.  The flower bloomed, showing its face to both ponies present.  The princess smiled.  Sombra opened his eyes and began to smile, but noticed a petal drop from the flower.

"I think I..." Sombra began.

"...overdid it," Celestia finished.

Sombra looked down at the floor, sad.  Celestia draped a foreleg over his shoulder and pulled him close in a tight hug.  "It's okay, Sombra," she whispered.  "You didn't kill the flower."

Sombra felt the princess's warm embrace for a while, but then she let go and stood up abruptly.  "That will be all for today, my faithful student.  You've made so much progress, I look forward to our next lessons."

"As do I, princess," Sombra bowed.

"Study and practice that age spell," Celestia said as she approached the door.  "I would like to see you make another attempt in a week's time."

"As you wish, Princess."  Sombra looked up again as she blinked away.  There must be some technique I'm missing, Sombra thought to himself.  His stomach rumbled though, and for the time being, further studies would have to make way for food.