"We will not let you resume your reign of terror." The young mare declared. "We will stop you with the power of friendship, and the Elements of Harmony!"
As the rainbow lights crashed down upon him, Sombra roared in agony. He could feel the magic tearing his body apart. His life flashed before his eyes, a parade of lies, betrayals, defeats, and failures. And yet…
"We've almost got him!" Cheered the pegasus with the rainbow mane, as the dark king's form began to come unraveled.
"Perhaps this is for the best…" Sombra whispered as he felt his power waning. "An end to the misery…" His eyes slid shut…
Only to snap back open, blazing with determination.
"NO!" Sombra roared in defiance, focusing all his will to pull his body back together. "I shall not fall here! I shall not fall to hypocrites like you!" Struggling headlong into the multicolored blast of magic pressing against him, the stallion slowly put one hoof in front of another, slowly but steadily approaching the six mares.
"W-what's going on?" The other pegasus cried fearfully, any semblance of confidence gone, in the face of their enemy's unexpected advance.
"Hold firm!" Shouted the leader, a purple unicorn that focused and directed the magic of the group. "We have to finish this now, for the sake of the Chrystal Empire, for all of Equestria!"
"Disgusting," Sombra growled through gritted teeth. "You act like heroes, like you are the ones in the right. Are you being played for fools, or only fooling yourselves?" He continued to advance, even as the magic began to tear pieces from his body, ragged shadows leaking out. Yet, he ignored the pain, staggering forward, his furious gaze locked on the ponies in front of him. "No… It matters not! I shall defeat you… I shall free my race… even if… it costs me my life!"
"What's he talking about?" Asked the earth pony with a hat, worry coloring her tone.
"I… I don't know!" Replied the leader, clearly as confused as the rest.
However, the power of their magic did not abate, the group unwilling to risk being tricked by the dangerous stallion.
Under the crushing power of their magic, Sombra finally collapsed. The light burned into him, his body tearing apart into shadowy wisps. "No…" His body stopped coming apart. "No!" His eyes snapped open, more determined than ever. "I cannot lose here!" Gritting his teeth, Sombra's Dark Magic flared, pushing back the searing light, and knitting his form back together. "Everything I was raised to believe in was a lie…" Sombra pushed back to his hooves. "The only ponies I ever trusted betrayed or abandoned me…" The stallion began to stagger forward once more, refusing to die. "Every being in this land wants me dead… but… none of that matters at all!"
"How… is he still standing!?" The unicorn with the white coat asked in shock. "No being has lasted against the Elements of Harmony for this long before! Not even Discord!"
However, it was Sombra that answered, with a cackle that turned into coughs, liquid shadow splattering the ground before him, only to be scoured away by the power of the Elements. Ignoring the fluid that passed for his blood sliding down his chin, Sombra grinned, his voice wavering as he spoke, but his tone filled with determination. "The draconequus cared only for himself. I care nothing for my own life. I fight for my kin. It is for the sake of the entire Umbrum race that I defy death. I defy princesses. I defy your Elements, and I defy YOU!"
Suddenly, the dark king rushed forward, only to stumble before the force of the light magic that eroded his form at every step. Collapsing mere feet from where his foes hung, suspended in midair by the same power that beat him into the ground.
"I was prepared to become a Monster… to free those that had no being else to turn to." Sombra gasped out, his form blurring, as he struggled to hold himself together against the deadly light. "I was prepared to… become a Tyrant… Even now… I would gladly give my own life… so that the Umbrum may live their lives free."
Again, his Dark Magic peaked, wracking his body with pain as he fueled it with the sheer force of his will. Crying out in agony, he poured everything he had into his magic. Pulsing with power that no mortal being could safely maintain, he unleashed it back toward the now thoroughly terrified mares, pushing back the power of their Elements. "I cannot fall, will not fall, until I have fulfilled my destiny, and freed my kin!" Sombra roared. "You say you fight for Harmony? For Friendship? I fight for Justice and an entire race! With that driving me, I cannot fail! There is too much at stake! I… I…"
And yet, his power began to wane. He stood alone, outnumbered six to one. As powerful as he was, his foes wielded artifacts that could bind a god. Slowly, the light pushed his power back once more.
"No…" Sombra's voice grew weak, as his body began to unravel once again. "Why… is the Umbrum's lot in existence to suffer? To forever… be cast as the villains? Are they... to never… taste freedom… again?"
As his Dark Magic faded, the light of the Elements washed over him once more. As his existence came undone, tears fell from his eyes as he whispered his last words.
"So be it… This world… will always be unfair… won't it?"
When the light of the Elements cleared, all that remain was his crown, an unassuming band of metal, lying in the dust.
In silence, the six mares he had been fighting gathered around what passed for his remains. The pink earth pony asked quietly, "Is it over?"
The one with the rainbow mane forced a smile, as she replied, "Of course it is! We won… didn't we?"
As the unicorn that lead them picked up the crown, she studied it for a moment before speaking.
"It's definitely over, but… I honestly don't know if we can call this a victory. For now, let's just go home."
I liked this story.
Me Love it!!!! Also agree with your author's notes.
This is one of the best story i ever read ! Keep up the amazing work ! Take care !
If I had to say what this reminds me of, I would have to say Undertale..
A genocider too huh?
6569828 Just a No Mercy Run, but yes, Undyne was a huge inspiration. ^_^
I'd like it more if it wasn't so rushed and arbitrary. But s'alright.
6571015 I'm ashamed to say it was my first run, decided to pick it up after watching half a pacifist play through, so I wanted to do it differently.
6571142 Lol, same here. Wanted to do a Genocide run, but didn't kill enough creatures in the field, so it ended up just a 'No Mercy' run.
6571020 Eh, I'm sure I could do better if I wrote it out as a full story, but even a short one-shot like this was pretty draining to write. Sombra is one of my favorite characters, after all, so killing him off was not pleasant, and I usually write comedy, not tragedy, to begin with.
Every Villian is a hero in his own mind. And sometimes they fight to right what they perceive as wrong. But it's the victors that write history after all.
6572193 Not every villain. Take Tirek, for example. He knew what he was doing was wrong, he just didn't care.
After reading this for a second time, I see why this is one of the best stories on this site.
It is a bit rushed, but it conveys the story in a way that most authors can't.
I loved this story, I would love to have a story about Sombra's backstory!
Once again, loved the story!
6963164 Thank you very much for the support! This story has done far better than I ever expected it to, to be perfectly honest.
It's always bothered me, the ponies superiority over other races. Whatever they do is right and just, and the other races are just unenlightened savages who need to be shown the light of friendship. Or be vaporized in its Rainbow Power.
Are the Griffons not supposed to be a mighty kingdom united by the drive to gain power and wealth for themselves and their families?
Are the Yaks not allowed their drive to perfection, the one thing that keeps their stalwart race alive in the cold and unforgiving mountains?
Are the Dragons not supposed to be immensely powerful and independent creatures, kept in check by one powerful Dragon Lord?
Is any of nature, it's wild plants and animals, allowed to thrive without the ponies literally doing all the work for them?
Are the natural Winter Storms of the Arctic North not perverted and restrained by the misplaced Crystal Empire, itself a transplant to an place where it does not belong?
Equestria reminds me of Early America and Manifest Destiny. Remember, we are better than them, and it is our job to erase their culture and beliefs and replace them with our own,
7165282 An apt comparison. After all, how many Native American heroes do you learn about in school?
7165349 The only one I remember is Chief Sitting Bull, one of the last ones resisting American expansion.
Now the tribes are confined to badlands in a desert.
Even the Alaskan Native peoples are losing their heritage, home, and culture
7165384 Exactly.
Who is to say who is evil and who is good, it is declared by the winners of the fight. King Sombra was just trying to save his people, the villains in our storys they might be the true 'good'. But then again who knows. The true story lies with those who have been defeated, and those who won.
7266890 Well said!
7267518 Thank you.
Decent little one-shot, I was even sort of rooting for him towards the end but sadly, the result was inevitable especially with the tragedy tag plastered on the story. I liked it though, good and evil isn't as clear cut as some people think, it has to with perspective. In war each side may think themselves just and the enemy, the villains. Who decides who was right and wrong? The side left standing when all is said and done.
7455755 Thanks, glad you liked it! For something so short, it was surprisingly difficult to write.
I hope that one day you'll write a sequel to this, I really felt sorry for Sombra and the Umbrum(and other non-pony races) for living in such a Crapsaccharine World.
8147947 I don't intend to make a sequel, but I may add another chapter about another villain if I feel inspired at some point.
The difference between a war hero and a war criminal is which side you're on.
9107686
And if you break the Geneva convention.