Darke Life

"Ugh. Amber. Get off of me." The burnt-orange mare was asleep in my lap, purring like some sort of psychotic kitten. At first it was cute, but now I needed to move, and her head was pretty heavy.

"Hunh.... mhhhrr...." Amber purred again, and she blushed slightly.

"Amber!" I attempted to throw her off of me. Suddenly, her eyes opened wide. They were green with bright red irises. Her arms flailed, and she fell off of me, screaming.

"NO!" She was panting, looking around for some unknown evil.

"Amber, are you okay?!" Crimson Mane took her hoof and helped her up.

"Y-Yeah. I'm fine. I just.... nightmare."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah Crimson. I'm fine. I just hope this train ride's over soon."

~

We finally got off the train, and ended up in some white snowy oasis. I shivered and pulled my T-shirt tighter.

"Ugh... I don't see anything. Where the fuck is this "Crystal Empire" anyways?"

"Only a couple miles straight ahead."

"How do you know?"

"...."

"What?"

"Just a feeling. Like my crystals, the energy in them, it grows stronger the closer I get to Sombra.... I've no doubt he's having the same feeling. He knows we're here."

~

The kingdom of crystals gave off an eerie greenish grey glow as we walked through the streets. Amber ducked under various hanging lamps and tossed me a jagged crystal.

"Owch! What is this?"

"Crystal berry scone. Since you haven't eaten in a while."

"T-Thanks."

"Don't thank me yet. You'll probably die soon."

"What?!"

"Well?! Sombra's violent!"

We finally neared a large black-crystal structure. Jagged rock stuck out at odd angles, and the whole thing gave off an unearthly glow.

"Is that...?"

"Don't worry Crimson. You guys can wait outside for me."

"A-Are you sure? I mean, I..."

"I'm fine. Just, y'know, stand to the side or whatever and keep throwing grenades at him. No biggie."

"But didn't you just say..."

"Crimson." She turned around and promptly blocked his way. "I'll be fine. Yes, I want a little help, but I need to take down my father myself."

"..." Crimson was blushing and staring into Amber's big red eyes. "O-Okay!"

"Thanks."

"N-No problem..."

~

We ascended the large black steps into Sombra's main hall. Paintings all over the walls, both thinly veiled by black crystal (no surprise) showed off a large grey unicorn. His horn faded red at the tip, and his eyes were green. His irises were a ruby red, and thick purple smoke drifted from his eyes.

"Sombra?"

"Sombra."

A deep voice called out.

"You called for me, Amber dear?"

"... dad...."

Sitting on a black crystal throne was a dark grey Unicorn. He looked sickly, and his eyes were duller than in the paintings. He coughed violently before settling back in his throne.

"I knew you would come for me, Amber. I felt in the crystals. They made me feel well again."

"You're sick." Her expression instantly changed from dark and angry to a cool concern. "You're not going to live very long, are you."

"No." Another fit of coughing, and what appeared to be crystal-blood was hacked up onto his hoof. "But I so missed you Amber darling. I haven't seen you since you were a filly. You're so grown now...." His glowing eyes assessed every inch of her body slowly, as if internalizing every glitch and scar she had and assessing her weak points.

"I suppose I am."

"How I would have loved to watch you grow up.... I was a fool to let you go."

Amber turned away, her eyes tearing up. Sombra continued.

"Amber, I need a favor of you."

"What do you want?"

"I want you...." He started hacking, this time not quite as bad. "I want you to let me write a letter."

Amber nodded slowly and took a quill and scroll from the nearby desk. Wait, when did that desk get here?

"Come here and give them to me."

She trotted over to him on her hindlegs, holding the quill and scroll in her forelegs.

"Thank you." He levitated the quill and scroll with another eerie green light. He seemed to write particularly quickly, only stopping to re-ink the quill or cough. He then rolled up the scroll and levitated it to Amber. "For you."

She took the paper cautiously. "Why write me a letter when I am in the same room as you?"

"The things... I have never been able to say."

Amber unfolded the scroll and her eyes instantly started skimming. Sombra wheezed and nodded every time she looked at him. Her eyes then watered, and she started crumbling the paper.

"Lies lies lies lies lies lies..." She impaled the letter with a bloody red crystal that materialized from her hoof and suddenly threw it at her father's head. "LIES!!!"

Sombra caught the crystal. His eyes returned to a vibrant color, and he stopped coughing.

"Indeed they are, you pathetic foal. But they got you to drop your guard." He rose from the throne and suddenly threw a spiked crystal back in return. Amber turned to us, her eyes wide, and mouthed,

Run.

Crimson, Shadow, and I ran out into the hall to avoid the battle.

~

Amber suddenly drew a long crystal spear. Sombra did the same, but his was more jagged and dark.

"Shall we then?"

"We shall. I'll show you what you gave up."

Sombra let out a fierce battle cry and lunged for Amber. She barely dodged and slammed her elbow down onto his head. In return, Sombra elbowed her in the stomach. As she doubled over, her father raised his spear over their heads.

"I regret nothing."

"Yeah, let's see about that!" As the blade headed for her head, Amber performed a sweep with her hoof and knocked Sombra down. His weapon clattered on the floor between them. Amber got to it first and began to twirl it like a baton. After the fifth twirl she snatched it and headed for her father as if the spear was a jousting stick. He disappeared from sight in a flash of green crystals.

~

Amber looked around slowly.

"Wheeeeeeeeerrrrreeeee aaaaaaarrrrrreeeee yoooooouuuuu?"

"I'm everywhere but nowhere."

Amber smiled and suddenly swung around, clashing her spear into his stomach. He growled in pain and pulled it out. The wound scabbed over with crystals and disappeared. His skin was good as new.

"Abracadabra."

"You're an idiot." She swung the spear at him again, slicing his cheek. But this time it didn't heal. Sombra gasped.

"N-No!"

"No indeed. Crystal toxins from the Crystal Heart. Awh, you should be so proud of me. You may have its power, dad, but you can't control it. The light is now infecting your dark. Destroying you slowly." She jammed her spear through his stomach, and he bent over in pain, coughing up bloody crystal again.

"Slowly...." She twisted the spear.

"Painfully..." She jammed it deeper.

".... mine!" Sombra suddenly interrupted her with a firm hoof to the lower belly. Amber gasped in pain, and was sent flying into the wall. Sombra materialized another spear.

"The power of the Crystal Heart shall be all MINE! You pathetic, worthless, idiotic foal!" Amber was slowly standing up when she was shoved against the wall and held up by her throat. Sombra smiled wickedly.

"And on your birthday too. Do they know? They probably don't. They don't care for you, Amber." He leaned forward and whispered in her ear. "I gave you many chances to join me, and you gave it up for.... what, a stallion? A pathetic stallion at that." He tsk-tsked.

Her eyes rolled up to the ceiling, and she gasped for air. "I.... s-surrender..."

"Mm, what was that?"

"I... give... up." Her body went limp, and Amber stared down at him.

"Swear your oath of loyalty."

"I swear."

"Your body is now mine to control. Your friends are goners. You didn't even put up a fight worthy enough to save them." Sombra grinned again. "Welcome back to the family, Darke Amber..."

As I peeked at Amber through a crack in the door, I saw her mouth the words,

I'm sorry.