“You can’t have my love, but you can have my wrath. And while you’re at it, you can have my sword…”
After the miracle of Bright Town, the council unanimously decided to grant me the title of General and Commander of the Royal Crystal Army. I promoted my guards that I had trained into sergeants, and tasked them all with training the army. They and learned well from my guards, and in no time at all, they too were fit for battle.
There was no time to waste, the enemy was regrouping fast. Cities to the north were pulled back, much quicker, and more efficiently with the work of the army. Despite our surprise attack, they still expected us to stand our ground and wait for them. They would be unpleasantly surprised yet again. Before the could organize, I would command our troops to spearhead north again.
We caught them off guard, trying to set up their insectoid hive south of shimmermist. There had to have been at least fifty thousand of them and there were only five thousands advance troops at my back. I nearly felt sorry for them. We charged into their position, and tore them asunder. I was truly a master, my sword was my brush, the ground was my canvas, and red was my color. It spilled, it splattered, and it splashed everywhere my hungry blade swung, and sang in the air. The changelings were relentless, hissing and clawing at us. It was pathetic. Their only one advantage was their numbers, but against our skill it meant nothing. Now the tides were turned. Every step we took forward, every strike we made didn’t slow us down, it only made us stronger. It served to invigorate us, making us hunger for more of the beauty of combat, the satisfaction of destroying our enemies.
Without even taking a moment to breath, the rest of the army was taken, head on into Shimmermist. The old city had since been turned into a disgusting, horror of a changeling hive. A sickening, organic, black and green fleshy material had grown over the structures. Whatever this bubbling mass was, it smelled alive. From the hive poured the elite changelings. They were bigger, stronger and faster than the usual changeling spawn, which was perfect. We were getting a bit tired of slicing through them like butter and were eager for something a little more challenging.
After we had laid waste to their elite, the real swarm poured on us. Not just from the hive itself, but from all areas of the occupied north. We were really making quite a mess of them, so much so that it was getting difficult to hold our stance without slipping or tripping on some bit of changeling. None the less, their numbers were coming without end, and despite all of our battle prowess, we were only mortal. Myself and my guard pushed into the hive as fast as we could, knowing exactly how we would have to end the onslaught onto our army.
We dove past as many of the changelings as we could, the thicker the swarm became, the closer we came to our destination. We galloped deep into the dark lair of the queens, slicing open elite black guards as they blocked our way. The fleshy walls grew darker, the lights grew dimmer, and very soon, there was only a handful of of my own guard following me, the rest had fallen back, blocked by combat with too many changelings. Then the lights went out completely. Whatever grotesque cavern we were in was eerily silent. My horn lit up, but it was too late. Our arms and legs were held back by strong changelings and our spears and swords knocked down. We struggled violently before we saw what laid before us.
Three tall, terrible changelings came towards us. They had wings like fire, and eyes to match them, practically dripping with that glowing green corruption of souls and love that they had consumed. Their fangs were long, their horns longer. Their bodies were gnarled with thick, black armor.
I looked to them with the ferociousness of a grizzly wolverine. These were my real enemies, these were the ponies who were responsible for the deaths of all of my crystal ponies. They were behind it all, all of the hurt and pain they had caused. More so, these monsters had the audacity to invade my lands. I struggled and snapped, roaring out at them, despite the strong, hole filled hooves that held me back.
One stepped forward, chuckling darkly as she looked at me. I could feel that sinister voice echo throughout my entire body, “Give me your love… little prince…” She opened her fanged maw, and slowly, pressed it into my neck. I cringed, despite the fact that there was very little pain in the teeth piercing my skin. Behind her I could see her sisters were doing the same thing to her guards. My rage was replaced with fear, as I could feel deep, pounding pulses throughout my soul. With each pulse, I saw a vision before my eyes, each one as clear as day. I saw myself as a colt, playing with my Uncle Reighloph. I saw Princess Celestia, fair and wise. I saw Princess Luna, Strong and kind. I even saw images of myself as a colt, playing with my parents, such memories that I thought were long gone.
The pulses grew stronger and I grew weaker. With each palpate of magic, I could feel pieces of myself being torn away. It was sort of like I was slowly forgetting everything that had happened in my long, love filled life. And what would be left if all of that was taken away? I tried to feel that happiness, but it was so difficult of a feeling to hold onto. What was easier though, was anger. This monster was trying to take away everything I loved, my very love itself. I would not let her, if she wanted to take my soul away, my memories, she would have to kill me first.
“You can’t have my love…” I said, shivering from weakness, cringing through my spite filled jaws. I looked over, my guard was fighting the draining just as hard as I was. And his hindhoof was just next to my sword. He looked to me and I looked to him. We knew what to do. I looked back at the queen, “You can’t have my love… but you can have my wraith… and while you're at it, you can have my sword!” the sword was thrown just right into my grasp, and with all of the strength I had left in me, with all the rest of my rage, I drove the blade up into the dark queens chest.
With that surprise, the changeling elite loosened their grip on the soldiers and with lightning speed, they picked up their spears, and stuck the changeling queens with them. The elite fell to the ground, hissing and writhing in pain. The queens themselves, seeming to take a moment to realize the gravity of their fall all stepped back, then they shrieked out, just like the other queen had before. They had enough strength in them to push us all to the ground with their magic. Then as they writhed and cried out, the ground beneath us began to quake. The organic, fleshy substance that covered the walls and floor of the cavern bubbled, smoking and drying up, before it crackled and turned to dust. Just as this happened, we could hear a loud stomping, and a cheering above us. We had done it.
After a two year assault on the Crystal Kingdom, we had finally beaten back our foes, and made safe the Kingdom. I had done my duty not just as a Prince, but as a King, as a hero. I’ve become the hero that Uncle Reighloph had taught me to be. I was really a hero! I looked to the few remaining guards that stood by my side and we had ourselves a hearty laugh, then a cheering as he clasped hooves, shouting our victory, cheering down to our enemies in hell, letting them know who they dared to mess with!
As we started to walk out of the cavern, I heard a small crackling noise behind me. The men went forward, and I turned my sword towards the noise. Out from a dark tunnel rolled a small little creature. She was about the same size as a little filly pony. Her hair was a dark green colored, and her eyes were bright. She bore the same black shell as the changelings, but it was softer, and unarmored. She had two little clear packs on her back, that I wouldn’t know just what they were until later. The little creature skittered up to the center of the room. She looked over the bodies of the three dead queens and let out a little sniffle, then began to whimper softly.
It became clear to me know that this must have been the youngest of the changeling queens. And what lie on her back were two, admittedly cute, little white changeling larvae, still tucked away in their fluid filled egg sacs. None the less, this was still a changeling, my enemy, the same race of creatures whom had killed so many of my ponies in such a horrible manner. I walked up to her slowly. She saw me coming as I lifted my sword above my head. I had to kill her of course. I would give her a swift justice, much less of a courtesy than her kind had awarded my ponies. She looked at me, gasping quietly as she crouched down, whimpering some more as she looked at me with those big green eyes, shaking with terror. I looked into her eyes, and I had no doubt that this was just another one of their tricks. My arms were weak, I lifted up my sword yet again, ready to give this dark little monster justice. But alas, I would not.
I put my sword into the ice and I knelt down to the changeling princess. I looked at her sternly and I spoke, “Changeling, your kind has devoured countless numbers of my ponies, in a death so wicked and cruel I can hardly imagine it. I have slain your sisters, as it was their numerous hordes that tormented my ponies. And my all rights, I should do the same to you. But I will not… I am allowing you to leave this place with your life, and the lives of your children. But you are never to return to the Crystal Kingdom again, and you are NEVER to threaten it’s ponies… Do you understand me?”
The little changeling girl looked at me shocked, hardly able to believe that she was still alive, let alone being given the chance to leave. She nodded to him, and I flicked my hoof at her. The changeling skittered away and that would be the last I saw of her. Of course I did think that she might someday return and raise her own changeling army. And by that logic, and all other logic I should have killed her. But in that moment before I dropped my sword on her neck, I remembered what my Uncle Reighloph had told me, “What makes a true hero, isn’t from knowing how to swing a blade, that’s easy, anypony can do it. No, what makes a true hero, is knowing when to keep his blade sheathed. A true hero knows when to be merciful.”
Many of my soldiers had fallen, but many still remained. They all cheered, all with smiles a mile wide, patting my shoulder, and shaking my hooves! I was nearly brought to tears at that. After all, these weren’t just my soldiers, they were my brothers. We had spilled the same blood in the same snow, fought to protect the same kingdom. Not only that, but they helped me realize my dream of becoming a hero.
My Chief Lieutenant approached me and gave me a gift, something that he and all of his men had worked on for me. It was a crown made of swords! A bit of a garish looking thing, certainly not fitting for a prince. But I saw it as a symbol of their loyalty, of the ones we had lost, and of our comradery. I placed it on my head, and wore it with such pride, the soldiers went wild with cheer as I flaunted the beautiful crown! I loved these men, like they were my own brothers, my own children, and now I could finally take them home safely.
They carried me nearly the whole way back to the crystal capital city. The grand doors opened and there were crowds of people in the streets, all of them scared, not knowing if their doom was arriving. The city, although large had more ponies than normally, it was packed with members of other cities, and villages and towns from the north. I stood up, on just a small platform of the city and shouted, “Ponies of the Crystal Kingdom, the changelings have been defeated… we are victorious!” They looked at me with amazement. A pony approached me, by the look in her eyes, I could tell that this was a mare who had been fed on my changelings, and barely survived, “Sombra has… defeated the monsters…he has SAVED! He has saved the Crystal Kingdom!” she shouted out, happily, and almost hysterically. The entire crowd burst into cheer.
“All hail Prince Sombra!” said one, “Neigh! He’s no prince, he’s the Crystal King! Long live King Sombra!” he shouted, and soon they all followed! “Long live the king! Long live the king!” My eyes were so wide, so full of joy. This time, I really was brought to tears. The crystal ponies finally learned to love their country again, they learned how to have faith, in themselves and in their leader. Uncle Reighloph, Mom, Dad, Princess Luna… I’ve done it… I’ve become a hero. I’ve never seen the crystal ponies so enthusiastic, so full of zeal! I had saved them, I had really done! Maybe the Crystal Kingdom didn’t have to fade into boringness and monotony, maybe there was hope for us after all! “Long live the King! Long live the king!” They kept shouting. I looked at them wide eyed. I was used to idle waving from celebrities, but this… was this what it was like to be a real hero, a real king? I raised my hoof nervously, and those tens of thousands of crystal ponies all burst into cheering. It was beautiful, the crystal ponies, the Crystal Kingdom… My Crystal Kingdom…
Marvin Approached me, “Your highness… the council has requested your presence…”