King Sombra, a name that makes the ponies of The Crystal Empire cower in fear. Even the thought of the dark corrupt ruler struck the memories of agony into their hearts. The Dark King, was not always however, the evil being that he is known as today. That, is far, from the truth.
"Sombra!"
The gray stallion turned around. His deep black mane flowed around his, neck and covered his. He brushed his hair away, revealing his bright green eyes.
"Sombra. I have a message for you."
The courier handed the Sombra a scroll, and left.
Dear Sombra
Today is the day. Ever since your fathers passing I have waited for my chance to test you. If you succeed in my trials, consider yourself a member of the royal guard.
-King Allian-
"So, today's the day..."
Sombra dropped the note on the ground and rushed towards the castle, in the center of the glorious Crystal City. He had dreamed of joining the guard ever since he was little. Even as a child, he always had a fighting spirit, sticking up for his friends, and not taking anything from any pony. His father, Sonalo, had taught him everything he knew thus far. Sonalo was once captain of King Allian's guard, which was until... that day.
Sombra shook his head. He wouldn't allow the thoughts of his fathers passing to interfere with his test. If he was to succeed his father as captain of the guard, he would need to stay focused. His eyes began to glow as the castle came into view. His crystal coat, while gray in color, shined brighter than any pony else's on the street.
The front doors of the palace burst open. Upon his throne, King Allian looked across his the room, and stared into Sombra's eyes. His blue crystal mane shined from the light pouring through the windows.
"Sombra, glad you could make it."
The king spoke softly and calm, standing tall as the words left his lips.
"I would not miss this for the world my king."
King Allian smiled, impressed by the stallions attitude, most ponies would be having a nervous breakdown if they were about to perform a trial in front of their ruler.
"I like your attitude Sombra, you've got a fighting spirit, just like your father."
The King turned around, facing the Crystal Heart, which sat at the top of his throne, gleaming in the sunlight.
"It's beautiful isn't it. I only hope, that whoever my sit in this throne after my passing, is worthy enough, to behold in it's glory. For it is this crystal," King Allian turned around mid-sentence "that keeps us safe, from the dangers of the outside world."
"I would protect it and this empire to the death my liege."
Sombra saluted the king as he spoke.
"Indeed Sombra, and that is what I expect you to do. For taking the oath as a guard, will mean risking your own life for the safety of others; are you willing to do just that? If it is the only option, I expect no hesitation. For the safety of this empire, ensures the safety, of Equestria."
A drip of sweat fell off of Sombra's face, and fell to the floor.
"Yes, King Allian."
The King smiled.
"Then let us begin."
"Sombra."
The gray stallion turned his head. A dark red unicorn approached him.
"Follow me Sombra, your trials await. Three tests have been set out for you. Complete them, and you shall accepted into the guard."
"Alright, let's go."
Sombra began walking towards the door at the end of the hallway.
"Not so fast."
The red unicorn stuck his hoof out blocking Sombra's path. His tone changed as he uttered the almost threatening sentence.
Sombra turned his head, and looked at the unicorn, who stared at him menacingly.
"Listen to me. I don't care what the king says. I'm captain of the guard, and as long as I'm standing, you will never reach my rank."
Sombra's blood began to boil. He didn't like this unicorns attitude.
"We'll see about that."
"No. We won't, if I have anything to say about it, you won't make it a month before you wind up dead... or worse."
The gray stallion raised one eyebrow, confused at his last statement. What could "or worse" be? Whatever, he didn't care. He wasn't about to let some asshole ruin his chance to join the guard. He jerked himself away from the red unicorn, and walked down the hallway.
"Have fun." he heard as he opened the door.
Sombra looked up, as he now stood in a large courtyard, behind the Crystal Palace.
"Welcome Sombra."
The gray stallion looked up, as King Allian stood atop a pillar, placed in the center of the courtyard.
"Your test, begins now."
A lone pony stepped out of the dark room in the back of the courtyard. As he stepped into the light, his dark blue mane covered his face. He turned his head to the side, moving the hair from his face, revealing his bright white coat and purple eyes.
"As you know, all guards must be experienced fighters. Xilon here is going to test you in combat. You must attempt to defeat him by disarming him. And Sombra... make no hesitation. For the field of battle is no place for thoughts, only actions."
Sombra clenched his teeth. Even though he was the king, he had no right to doubt Sombra's skills. He was no less of a swordsman than his father.
"There is a blade waiting for you on the rack next to you."
Sombra turned his head, and looked at the small crystal weapon rack, the stood chained to the floor. He saw the silver long sword, that stood dormant in it's chamber. He extended his arm and gripped the sword. With great force, he pulled the blade of the rack, and held it out, challenging the white pony across the courtyard.
"Xilon," the king called out to the white pony as he drew his sword.
"You may begin. Sombra, attack."
"Kyaaa!"
Sombra charged at Xilon with tremendous speed. Xilon stood still, focusing his gaze on the charging stallion. He held his sword still, awaiting the attack. As Sombra grew closer, he gripped his sword and focused and the silver long sword, that his opponent gripped ever so tightly.
The gray stallion charged towards Xilon. Within swords reach, he motioned his arm to strike. Xilon positioned his sword perfectly to block the incoming attack, but instead, Sombra didn't strike. He used the speed from his charge, and jumped over Xilon. He kept himself balanced as his body flew over the white earth pony.
Sombra landed just behind Xilon, and swung his sword directly at his legs. Xilon picked up his back leg, and pushed himself into the air, barely dodging Sombra's strike. Xilon stuck his blade out, in front of Sombra's causing the gray stallion to stumble. Sombra felt his sword strike Xilon's and the recoil forced him to drop his sword.
Xilon landed, only a few inches away from Sombra. He kicked his sword back over to him.
"You didn't think this would be easy did you?"
Sombra clenched his teeth as he picked up his sword. This wasn't going to be easy. Not the slightest.
The gray stallion drew his sword, and began circling his opponent, waiting for the opportune moment to strike. Xilon didn't move, instead he held his sword and kept his eyes focused and Sombra. The gray stallion now stood behind Xilon, who still stood motionless. Sombra stopped moving, confused as to why Xilon didn't move.
"Never let your guard down!" As Xilon spoke, he turned around and threw his blade at Sombra. The gray stallion ducked, just barely dodging the blade. As he stood back up, he was struck in the face. He looked up as Xilon stood over him. He shook his head and attempted to stand back up. He tried to jump, but instead he felt something holding him back. He looked down, where Xilon was gripping his leg. He then felt himself flying, as the white stallion launched him towards the wall.
Xilon slowly approached his blade, which was lodged in the wall of the courtyard. Sombra's legs trembled as he attempted to stand up. He rubbed his head, and shrieked as his hoof swept over a large open cut on the right side of his head. He put his head down and gripped his face with his hoof, attempting to down the pain. The King then spoke,
"Your enemies will grant you no mercy. If you can't handle Xilon, perhaps you aren't fit to be a warrior at all."
King Allian's words burned in Sombra's head. He wouldn't allow himself to be defeated, and fail his father. The rage boiled up in Sombra's head, and he stood up, and drew his sword once more. He gazed into Xilon's dark purple eyes. The look on his face, he held no emotion. His face represented not fear nor bravery, not sadness or happiness, weakness or strength, bliss or rage. This battle was nothing but a joke to him, he was playing with him.
Sombra roared loudly, and charged again at Xilon. He raised his sword and jumped into the air.
"Hmph," Xilon said to himself as he jumped as well.
Sombra snickered.
"Perfect."
Xilon swung his blade at Sombra's chest. The gray stallion rolled out of harms way, and delivered a hard kick to Xilon's stomach. The white stallion fell in a downward spiral towards the ground. He opened his eyes, and forced himself to spin around, landing on his feet, half a second before he touched the ground.
Sombra landed next to him. Not giving his opponent the chance to recover, he swung his sword as Xilon. Seeing the attack coming, Xilon drew his blade, and blocked Sombra's strike. Not wanting to give up, Sombra attacked in a frenzy of strikes. The blue maned stallion began to get tired as he continuously blocked is attackers blows.
Sombra raised his sword in both hooves, and swung his sword down towards Xilon's hoof, attempting to disarm him. Xilon rolled to the right, sticking his leg out as he landed, tripping the black maned pony. Sombra's blade fell with him, leaving a cut on his front left leg. The stallion shrieked in pain as blood flowed out of his leg. He grabbed his leg and laid on the ground, roaring in pain.
"It's over Sombra."
Xilon put his sword back in his holder, and turned around.
"You disappoint me Sombra," the king sighed as he turned away from the shrieking pony.
"How could I have let this happen! I had my whole life staked on this. I can't, I'm not going to go down like this."
The stallion clenched his teeth as a nasty smile grew on his face. He stood up slowly, and picked up his blade. He launched his blade towards Xilon. He then charged after his blade, towards Xilon. The white stallion turned around, and quickly caught Sombra's blade. He looked in shocked as the blade was a mere two inches from his face.
Sombra then grabbed Xilon's arm, and repeatedly punched him in the chest. He threw the white stallion to the ground and picked up his sword from Xilon's hoof. Xilon groaned as he reached for his sword, which had fell a few feet away from him. He dragged his body towards it, when he felt a sharp pain in his side. Sombra continuously kicked him in his rib cage. The white stallion began gasping for breath as Sombra relentlessly beat him. He grabbed Sombra's leg, and flipped him over.
King Allian turned around, and looked at the ground, where he saw Xilon and Sombra, mindlessly beating each other with their bare hooves. Both stallions were heavily bleeding out of multiple wounds on their bodies, but neither of them gave any ground.
"Even after all that, slashing himself in the leg and being humiliated by Xilon multiple times, he still fights. Interesting, he's more persistent than I thought. Perhaps, he will be of some use. But still, he's nothing compared to Sonalo," the king thought to himself.
Sombra pushed Xilon to the ground, attempting to give himself some breathing room. He felt the blood dripping out of his mouth and onto the ground. He could feel that he had broken at least three of his ribs and that he couldn't keep this up much longer. He raised his fist, with the intent to finish Xilon here and now, when suddenly, he heard clapping in the background.
The black maned stallion looked up at the pillar, to see King Allian, applauding him.
"Very well Sombra. I didn't know you were so persistent."
Xilon moaned in pain as he stood up.
"Xilon. Go to the barracks and rest. Sombra, follow me. We have much to discuss before your next trial."
King Allian turned around, and stepped into the toward on the other side of the courtyard.Sombra sighed, fearing that his next two trials would be even worse than this. Meanwhile, standing by the door where Sombra had entered, stood a lone red unicorn. As Xilon walked through the door, he felt himself falling, as he was struck in the face.
"How could you lose to that pathetic whelp! You disgust me Xilon."
Xilon said nothing. He got up and continued limping down the hall. He stopped and turned his head.
"Say what you will Blaith. But when the time comes, you'll be tested, and your not going to pass."
The red unicorn turned around with a nasty grin on his face.
"I'm looking forward to it."
Sombra entered King Allian's throne room, where King Allian sat atop his throne.
"Guards, get him a medic before he bleeds out."
"Yes my liege."
The guard saluted the king, and rushed off.
"So, what did you need to talk to me about?"
Allian smiled.
"There's no rush Sombra. Relax, all will be revealed in due time."
"No. I just got the living hell beaten out of me. Now, just explain the next trial before I lose my mind."
"Calm down Sombra. You're in no conditon..."
The gray stallion could no longer hear the king's voice. He became very faint and his vision began to blur. He collapsed to the floor, and was quickly surrounded by a pool of blood. As he felt himself passing out he heard the king yelling.
"Get a medic fast! He's dying here!"
The gray stallion closed his eyes, and was knocked out cold.
King Allian stood over Sombra's body.
"Get him to the hospital. Make sure nothing happens to him. I may have need of him later..."
"Yes my king."
Sombra opened his eyes. And found himself lying down on a large stone. He lifted his head quickly, and looked around him. It appeared to be some sort of cave. What the hell was going on, he thought to himself. He rubbed his eyes, trying to clear his blurry vision. He looked at his leg, where his sword had slashed him. There was no wound or scar or anything, it had vanished. Same went for the cut on his head. Sombra stood up, and began wandering the cave, looking for an exit.
He heard a voice faintly echoing off the cave walls. His slow walk sped up into a full sprint as he charged towards the voices. The black maned stallion darted throughout the tunnels of the cavern in search of the voices he heard. But, wherever he was, this cave was much too large. He heard, the voices... but couldn't find their source. He called out to them.
"Hello!"
No answer. All he heard was his voice echo off the cave walls, followed by complete silence.
He continued roaming the caves, when he came across a small underground spring. He didn't realize it, but he had been in that cave for a long time, he was parched. He stuck his head down, and stuck his tongue out to drink. But, as his tongue reached the water, he felt nothing. His tongue merely moved freely in the air, even though he could clearly see that it was in the water.
He backed away from the spring, extremely confused. Sombra walked back and forth for what seemed like hours, but in reality, was only a few minutes. What in all hell was going on? Where was he? The last thing he remembered was passing out in the king's throne room. Was this another trial? But even if it was, why couldn't he drink the water. He didn't know of any spell that could conjure fake water, something was wrong here, very wrong.
The gray stallion solemnly sat down on a stone just a few inches away from the spring. He sat in silence with his head buried in his hooves. Thoughts slowly began to Sombra's mind, the bodies natural way of keeping itself occupied. For a long time, many random thoughts fluttered in his mind, until the unavoidable topic crossed his mind. Who was that red unicorn back at the castle? What did he have against Sombra that he had to threaten him like that? He didn't even know who that was, and yet he could feel the hatred and fury in his voice, like they had been at war with each other for years. Sombra knew when someone was angry, and that pony was seething with hatred, no doubt about it. If he ever got back to the Crystal City, he would need to find out who that is, after he completed Allian's trials.
With that thought in mind, what would Allian's other trials be like? Xilon was a vicious opponent in battle, Sombra had fought his heart out, and he still only won because of a surprise attack. In a real battle, no enemy would turn around and walk away when you're down. They'd finish you off and laugh at how pathetic you were. The thought of anyone calling Sombra pathetic infuriated him. He would have to get stronger. If Xilon isn't even the best the guard had to offer, he was in for a serious challenge.
Sombra's ears perked up. He lifted his head as he heard something in this distance. Voices, the voice were back, and they were very close. The gray stallion turned his head and looked down the tunnel, where a group of ponies turned the corner. He jumped up, hoping that whoever these ponies were, had come to find him. He called out to them, but they didn't respond.
The small group of ponies walked down the tunnel, each of them wearing armor, continuing on with their conversation, ignoring Sombra. The stallion rushed towards the group of ponies.
"Hello!"
Nothing, they simply continued walking. Sombra reached out and attempted to grab one of them, but his hoof phased right through them.
Sombra stood back in shock. He looked at his hooves, and said to himself,
"What, the hell was that."
The group of ponies stopped. One stallion stepped out of the group. He had a dark gray mane, light red hair and was wearing black crystal armor. Sombra looked in shock as he saw the nameplate on the stallion's chest.
"Captain Sonalo."
Sombra stepped back, and quietly whispered to himself,
"D- Dad?"
Sombra stood in shock. He looked, mouth agape, at his father. Captain Sonalo. His father had been dead for years, was this some kind of a dream? The stallion attempted once again, to touch his father's shoulder. But to no avail, Sombra's hoof phased right through his father's image, only slightly blurring the vision, as it moved through. Sombra stepped back in fear as his father began to speak.
"Come on men. Whatever was in this cave, we need to make sure..." Sonalo paused, taking a deep breath before finishing his sentence.
As he opened his mouth to speak again, Sombra turned his head towards the rest of the group. He recognized none of these ponies, surely if they were part of his father's team, they'd surely be somewhere in the Crystal City, right? He turned back to his father as he began to speak once more.
"We need to make sure, that "it" doesn't get it first."
It? What was "it" referring to? Surely if whatever it was, it wasn't something good.
The group of soldiers began walking again, in the direction that Sombra had come from. The gray stallion knew that it was just a dead-end that way, but it wasn't like he could tell them to turn around. As the group fell into formation, Sombra fixated his eyes on a certain pony. He noticed a unicorn, who was dark red in color. As the group turned the corner, he saw only the first two letters on his nameplate. "Bl"
Sombra began walking towards the group, to try and catch up. As he reached the corner, he halted abruptly. He felt the ground below him starting to shake lightly. Above him, the stalactites hanging from the cave ceiling began swaying back and forth, ever so slowly. Drops of water slowly fell from the spikes, making a light dripping noise as they fell to the cold hard ground. The shaking began to intensify.
The black maned stallion turned around, as the walls behind him began to crumble. In shock, he rushed towards his father's group, sliding on the ground and falling to the floor as he turned the corner. He rubbed his head, and re-opened his eyes. He noticed his fathers team, scrambling around, looking for some place to hide. The ceiling in between Sombra and his father collapsed.
"Dad!"
The ceiling caved in, and Sombra could no longer see his father or any pony else behind the dark black boulders. He grabbed a rock and tried to throw it away. But, the rock wouldn't budge. He pulled with all his might, but nothing. The rock was simply stuck in place. The same went for the rest of them. Sombra began banging his hoof on the wall.
"Father! Can you hear me? Are you alright!"
No reply. Sombra repeated himself multiple times, until he collapsed from exhaustion. His vision began to blur, and as he tried to stand up, it got worse. He felt faint, and he stumbled as he took a step forward. The stallion fell once again, and struggled to keep his eyes open. The ground began to shake once again, and as Sombra began to fall unconscious he heard a voice, whispering to him.
"Rage... Torment.... Suffering..."
Sombra's lips moved ever so slightly as he replied to the voice.
"Wh, What?"
"I come for you Sombra!"
The stallion felt himself fall out cold, as he closed his eyes and a dark shadow rushed into his eyes.
Sombra opened his eyes, only to find himself in a small white room. A short white mare stood in the room next to him. The stallion jerked himself up, while the mare jumped back in shock, hitting the small shelf behind her. Feeling dizzy, Sombra observed his surroundings. Out in the hallway was a big red cross on the wall. He must have been taken to the hospital after collapsing.
"Where am I?"
The white pony picked her head up and looked at Sombra closely. She turned her gaze towards his front left leg, where the sword had slashed him.
"You're in the hospital. Do you remember what happened to you?"
The stallion put his hoof on his forehead as the wound on his head began throbbing and he felt himself getting dizzy.The last thing he could recall, was passing out in the king's throne room.
"You had quite a nasty scrape with Xilon. It's amazing that you're even awake, going sword to sword with him, trial or not."
Sombra's eyes widened. The trials, would the king even still let him finish? He tried to stand up, but collapsed under his own weight, feeling the sharp pain in his leg. The white mare helped him up, and set him down back in the bed.
"Don't try that again. Your leg is still in serious shape and several of your bones have been broken."
Sombra groaned as he laid back down. He was in no mood to just sit still and recover slowly. How long would it be before he could move? Or even worse, how long would it be until he could fight? Surely the king would forget about him and move on. A soldier that couldn't fight, was of no use to the guard.
"You should be back on your feet in a week. But I'd lay off any kind of combat for a while, you need to give that leg time to heal."
The injured stallion looked at his injured leg, hissing at his wound. If only he had kept his balance during that fight, he wouldn't be stuck here. The nurse left the room, and as the thoughts of his injury faded away, Sombra began to think about the dream he had had. It seemed all to real too be a dream, he felt the ground shaking beneath him. When he fell and the ceiling collapsed over him, it couldn't have been just a dream. No, it was something more, but there was nothing to prove otherwise.
As his mind was locked in an internal conflict, he started wondering what his father had to do with it. He knew his father didn't die during any kind of cave expedition, his body was never found, only his nameplate, but it was nowhere near any kind of cave. so why was he seeing him there? Was it just some sick trick his mind played on him? Or was something else going on. Suddenly, the image of that red unicorn he saw ran through his mind. He remembered seeing "Bl" on the nameplate. He focused his thoughts and tried to remember the face.
He squeezed his eyes shut as he tried to picture the unicorn. His heart froze as the image came into view. It was the same unicorn that had threatened him before is fight with Xilon. Was the unicorn part of his fathers team? That would explain why he was captain of the guard now, his dad's team was the best of the best.
"Ugh, this is too much. I need to focus on the other two tests. I can worry about this later."
But the longer he laid down in that bed, the longer he tried to keep the thought out of his mind, the more it bothered him. He would close his eyes to sleep at night, but the images of his father, the red unicorn and the crumbling cave would come into view. He barely caught any sleep all night, each day feeling longer and worse than the last. At this rate, he wasn't going to recover any faster.
After a few days of lying in torment, the nurse came into Sombra's room.
"Well, you can go today. Your bones have healed enough that you should be able to walk around freely. Just keep calm for a few weeks."
"Ugh," Sombra thought to himself, "King Allian won't wait for me forever."
His muscles strained as the stallion picked himself up. His legs wobbled as he walked out of the room. He set off towards his house to recollect his thoughts. What was he going to do about this?
As Sombra walked home, he noticed something out of the corner of his eye. He saw the red unicorn from before standing right outside the castle. Sombra could clearly see his nameplate now.
"Captain Blaith"
So his name was Blaith. Well that answered one question, but why was he so hostile towards Sombra? Did he hold some kind of a grudge against his father? Even if that was true though, why would he have been enlisted in Sonalo's squad. This was all too confusing to bare. He decided the best thing to do was just to go home and sleep on this for day. He would worry about everything else in the morning.
Sombra opened the front door of his fathers old house, which he had inherited after his death. He kept his head down as he walked through the halls of the old crystalline house. He looked at the pictures of his father that stood nailed to the wall right beside his bed. Instead of bringing back old and sweet memories, these pictures filled him with a sense of confusion.
He crawled into bed, hoping to peacefully fall asleep and purge his thoughts from his mind. They swirled around in his mind like a tornado, just ravaging everything in its path. It was all he could focus on. Sombra tossed and turned in his bed, jamming his eyes closed.
"Sombra..."
The stallion's heart stopped. His eyes jerked open and quick as a falcon, he jumped up out of the bed, landing hard on the wooden floor.
"Who's there!" he said with a harsh tone.
Sombra's voice echoed off the walls, until the only response he got was the sound waves bouncing off the walls back towards him. Time slowly passed as the stallion stood still, moving nothing but his eyes to look around his room.
"Answer me!"
"Sombra..."
He took one step forward, towards the doorway. He felt a cold breeze pass over his shoulder. Sombra shivered as he felt the temperature around him drop. It began to get even colder, until the stallion began to shiver. His teeth started chattering and his ears started ringing. The ringing got louder, and louder. Sombra lifted his hooves and jammed them over his ears and screeched in agony.
The ringing stopped, and Sombra dropped his hooves and looked at the floor. Breathing heavily, he muttered to himself,
"What the hell is going on."
The petrified stallion turned around. He picked his head up, and fell back in shock as a shadow rushed into his eyes. He felt himself fall to ground, hearing one final word before passing out.
"Anguish."
Sombra laid unconscious on the floor of his bedroom, like a statue. His hooves were up in the air, as if he had flailed them around. His mouth was wide open and his eyes were rolled up in his head. On his face, you could barely see it, but there it was, a little demented smile. He looked like a possessed victim in a horror movie, but this was real. All too real.
The next day, Sombra had awoken, feeling terrible. His head was in pain from hitting in on the floor last night and the ringing continued in his ears. The lone stallion slowly limped through the Crystal City. He wasn't sure if what happened last night was real or not, but he didn't care. Too many things were going on and he wasn't going to let that bother him. It was probably just a dream? Or at least, that's what he hoped it was.
If he was going to continue King Allian's trials, he would need to recover, fast. Time was going to take too long to heal him, he needed an alternate path, now. There was only one pony in Equestria who would even know anything about healing him. The arch-mage of the Crystal Empire, Lanloc. He was the one pony who kept the barrier over the Crystal City, that kept its residents safe from harm. Anything that tried to enter, with any kind of dark intention in its heart, would be repelled. Next to the captain of the guard, and the king himself, Lanloc was one of the most important ponies in all of Equestria.
If any pony would know how to heal Sombra, it was Lanloc. And if that happened, he could continue King Allian's trials and succeed in becoming a guard. Which on the other hand, brought another question into Sombra's mind.
What was he going to do about Blaith? For whatever reason, Blaith held a grudge against him for whatever reason, and that would surely get in the way, but what use was it worrying about it now. Sombra ignored the thought, and continued towards the arch-mage's tower.
As the tower came into view, Sombra picked up speed and began a light jog towards the arch-mage. Two guards stood by the entrance.
"I'm here to see the arch-mage."
The guard on the left looked at his partner, who slowly nodded no.
"I'm sorry sir. I can't let you in, official business only."
"You don't understand. I need to see the arch-mage now."
The guards raised their swords and pointed them at Sombra.
"You need to leave, now."
"It wasn't a request."
Sombra's eyes grew a dark flaming red. He stood on his back to hooves and raised his front ones pointing them at the guards. Two shadows rushed out of his arms and into the guards faces, knocking them out cold. Sombra fell back down, and looked in shock at what he had done.
"What, what just happened?"
He had suddenly gotten so angry at them, and then he just lost control. What was happening to him, he wasn't a unicorn and should have no type of spell or magic. This was something else, and it wasn't good. Sombra dragged the two guard's bodies behind the tower and set them down behind a bush. Hopefully when they woke up they wouldn't remember what happened.
He entered the tower, carefully making sure that no pony had seen him go in. As the door shut, a lone unicorn stepped out from behind a nearby house, and stood staring at the entrance.
"He's breaking. I can see it."
Sombra climbed the spiral staircase, leading towards Lanloc's chamber on the top floor. He approached the front door, and rammed into it, breaking the lock.
He now stood in the arch-mage's chamber. It was a large room, lined with bookshelves filled with spell-books containing varying schools of magic, Necromancy, Wizardry, Witchcraft, Cleric etc. In the center of the room, there was a small orb, sitting on the pedestal. It shined a bright blue as the suns rays reflected off of it. Sombra approached the orb.
"Lanloc!"
Sombra listened for a reply, but there was no answer. He called out again, and still no reply. As he called out a third time, he began to hear footsteps coming from behind him. He turned around, and faced the arch-mage, who slowly approached the young stallion.
"Sombra. Son of Captain Sonalo I presume?"
"Yes arch-mage Lanloc."
The old unicorn paced back and forth, with a perplexed look on his face.
"I'm not so sure I want to know how you got up here, it's why you are here that is important."
Lanloc stopped walking, turned his head and faced Sombra.
"I know why you're here. It's quite obvious actually. I heard about what happened between you and Xilon. Not many that stand against a swordsman such as him live to tell the tale. But, what less would some pony expect from Sonalo's son."
The arch-mage stopped speaking, and looked into Sombra's deep green eyes. His gaze was solid, almost... creepy, like he was staring into Sombra's soul.
"I sense a dark presence within you Sombra. Painful, anguished cries echo in your spirit."
Sombra leaned his head down and replied to the old wizard.
"I'm not hear to listen to you preach to me. Can you help me or not?"
Lanloc stroked his beard for a moment, pondering the question. Finally, he set his hoof down, and spoke to Sombra.
"I'm sorry Sombra," he turned around and faced the door, "But to heal your wounds, I would need to tap into powers confined by the secrets of necromancy, a boundary that I will not cross."
The old mage began walking towards the exit.
"You should leave now, before the guards find you here."
Sombra clenched his teeth, angered at Lanloc's response. He charged at the arch-mage, and wrapped his hoof around the old unicorns throat. A dark gray fire lit up around his eyes. The green in his pupils drained out, and replaced the white background of his eyes. His pupils lit up a bright red color. He charged the old mage and struck him to the ground. He lowered his head, just above his victim.
"You WILL, help me."
Lanloc choked as he tried to speak.
"Shut up! I don't want a response. Just do it!"
Suddenly, Sombra began to growl loudly. His muscles strained and his head began to hurt immensely. He grabbed his head and began to yell as the fire in his eyes receded and the red in his eyes faded away. The crazed stallion shook his head back and forth, screaming in pain.
Taking deep breaths, Sombra stopped screaming and looked again at the arch-mage, who was still struggling for air. He didn't realize how much pressure head put on the old unicorns throat. Whatever was happening to him, it sure as hell wasn't good. If he kept losing it like this, he would end up killing some pony.
"You see now what's happening to you! You can't control your own rage anymore! I fear what you would do if you were in perfect shape."
Reluctant to agree, Sombra, being as stubborn as he refused to turn away from his goal.
"Whatever this is. I'll learn to control it. But I can't control anything if I'm in this state. I'm telling you Lanloc, heal me and I can use whatever this is to my advantage. Please, I need to finish Allian's trials."
The arch-mage pondered the question for a few minutes. After waiting, for an answer, Lanloc broke the silence.
"I should put you down for what I've seen here today. But from what you've shown me, I would stand no chance."
Lanloc turned his head, breaking eye contact with Sombra.
"I'll do it, but no that when you lose control, and your soul turns against your body, you'll regret the day you came here."
Sombra stood in silence. The old mage walked towards a section of the bookshelves in the back of the library. The books were dusty and old, and hadn't been touched in years. The art of necromancy had been outlawed in the empire, and it's secrets were locked away in Lanloc's chamber. After rustling through a pile of books, Lanloc returned from the center of the room, with an old red book in held tightly in his grasp.
"Heth, ishann alkraah."
As the words escaped the arch-mage's lips, a twisting purple been fired out from his horn. He squeezed his eyes shut trying to keep himself focused, the spell was obviously taxing on his abilities. The ray struck Sombra. He shrieked in pain as his wounds began to close up and the scars disappeared. The stallion could feel his bones moving around inside his chest. He began to shiver as they shifted back into place. The pain eased as the ray of light began to fade. The arch mage raised his head, making eye contact with Sombra.
"Go. Now."
Sombra nodded quickly and rushed out of the tower.
The old unicorn laid in silence as Sombra's footsteps faded away.
"May you find redemption in the path you walk," the arch-mage muttered as he closed his eyes.
Sombra, sprinting at top speed rushed towards King Allian's castle. The wind blew his black mane in all directions, creating a frizzy mess. But he didn't care. His strength had returned and the only thing on his mind right now was King Allian's trial. As he approached the front door of the palace, a lone pony stepped out of the door. A red unicorn, with a light gray mane that fell straight down and hardly blew in the wind as he exited the palace.
"Well, well. I'm surprised to see you here so soon Sombra."
Blaith smiled.
"Move Blaith."
"Why. I don't think our king needs to see another failure."
The red unicorn let out a small chuckle, seeing how angry this little insult actually made Sombra. Why not capitalize on it and enrage him further. He could use a good laugh today.
"You're no different from your father. Every pony expects so much from you, but in reality you're nothing but a coward. An outcast. That's why I'm captain of the guard. I keep my soldiers in line. Without me, everything would collapse, like when your father lead us."
"My father was a great leader. Noble, courageous, unlike the reject of a soldier in front of me."
Sombra felt the darkness growing inside of him. He had to keep it contained, or else Lanloc's prediction would come true, all too soon.
"You know nothing about your father! I hope that soon you'll see your father as you should! A coward, thought nothing more of his men than expendable bodies, to fight for him while he would escape and reap the rewards of his fallen brothers."
"Oh and I'm to take the word of a captain who hides behind his words rather than those of my own father!"
The red unicorn let out a small chuckle.
"Perhaps, maybe you'd be more optimistic if your father hadn't blinded you with his tales of his own heroism and acts of valor instead of telling you about the amount of blood he had on his hooves.
Enraged Sombra grabbed Blaith's throat and held him in the air, gripping the unicorns throat.
"Go ahead Sombra. Do it. You know you want to!"
Voices swirled around in Sombra's head. The more he fought what was controlling him, the more powerfully it fought back. His own will was pathetic compared to this, he may as well be protecting a sand castle from a tsunami.
Sombra released his grip from Blaith's throat. The red unicorn rubbed his neck.
"I knew you couldn't do it. And when the time comes, I won't grant you the same courtesy."
Blaith walked away, leaving Sombra alone sprawled across the ground in front of King Allian's palace. The dizzy stallion stood up and rubbed his head. He growled silently at Blaith, and walking into the palace.
"Yes Sombra. Succumb to the darkness..."
