Sombra, one of the most ruthless rulers of all Equestria. What could have made him this way though? His past was never revealed to us by the show so I took upon myself in The Crystal's Shadow.
Shadows form somewhere onseen and forgotten until a lonely filly happens upon them and changes his life forever. Everything he loved and hated unite into one burning passion towards a world set free. Free of happiness and smiles, warmth and comfort, freindship. Can anyone put a stop to this spreading plague of destruction? Take a look into the past of a mighy king and his tragic story of life and find out. His innocent fillyhood, to his present day of power and carnage. The one and only King Sombra. King of the Crystal Empire and fear itself. Proofreading by Bob Ray
Cutie marks are the highlight of your fillyhood unless of course there is the absence of one no matter what you attempt. Blank flank, as they call it. This my love, is where the story begins. A blank flank in school. "There he is!" an unknown filly announced. "Blank flank! Blank flank!" a chorus of fillies sang to follow up. 'Just ignore them.' I tell myself. 'If they think it doesn't bother me then they will leave me alone.' Suddenly I was hovering above the ground and a hoof was pressed into my throat pinning me to the wall. "Blank flanks are not welcome here." announced my executioner. My air was ascaping quickly and soon the deed would be done. Wham! Blood trickled from my foes mouth and onto my hoof. The ground embraced me while I recovered from what had occured. "What's going on in here?" the teacher trotted in. "Sombra hit Tay!" a chorus united to blame me. "Sombra, outside now." spoke the teacher. Slowly I trudged outside hearing comments behind me of disapproval and revenge aimed at me. The sun attacked upon my exit of the school house. Its rays digging into my dark coat like blades. "What happened?" "Tay choked me against the wall. The only way to get her off was to punch her, so I did." "Hmm... you stay here I will be back in a minute." and off went the teacher into the school. I waited for a few minutes and she came forth from within the school. "Well most of the other students claim that you hit her for no reason." "What! It was self defense!" "Regardless, fighting will not be tolerated here. Your mother will come soon to pick you up." I didn't know what to say. My first fight had happened. Now I am being sent home. I won't learn today's lesson but I will get an escape from all the other fillies. Good? Bad? I don't know. My mom arrived soon and teleported me home. This reminded me that I was the only unicorn who could not use magic out of my entire class. Surprisingly, mother never said anything about what had happened. She only glared at me in disgust. She left to take care of some eerands leaving me alone and confused. "What did I do?" I begged for an answer. The only answer that came was a simple yawn. I was tired, very tired. I don't recall how long I was awake after that yawn or even where i fell asleep. I only remember the dream. The classroom appeared before me complete with students and the teacher. Uncomfortably I slunk along the back wall to my seat beside my only friend. "So what do you think we are learning today?" he spoke. "Probably something else about regular ponies." I replied. "Yeah, I still don't beleive not all ponies are crystal. Maybe one day I will prove them wrong or if they are real I will record their magic ways in a journal." "I'm sure you will Starswirl, I'm sure you will."
The next day I met up with Starswirl before class. "Hey Sombra." Starswirl greeted me. "Hi," I started. "do you mind if I ask you something?" "Go ahead." "Have you ever had an interest in magic?" "Why? What have you heard?" Starswirl sounded panicked. "Nothing, I just had a dream where you planned to make a journal of magic and..." "Are you doing anything after school today?" Starswirl cut me off. "Not that I know of." I replied. "Good, meet with me and I shall take you to my home."
After school that day I obeyed Starswirl's wish and allowed him to escort me to his house. We didn't speak along the way. Upon arrival at a nice house concealed by a yard of trees and bushes, Starswirl opened the front door and ushered me in. "Your answer llies in the back room." he stated closing the door. The hall was long. Too long it seemed. A vicous door stood proudly at the end slowly growing with each step I took. Now only a few inches from me, the door seemed to shimmer and glow omniously as if in warning. Raising a hoof to the door, opening it and even stepping in to the vast room weere all actions done against my senses. Soon I was standing in the middle of a huge collection of books. Black, red, green, and every color inbetween cased the contents of pages and secrets. "I used to be a stallion. Thing is, magic can be a very tricky thing to deal with. A spell turned me into a filly again. That's why there is so much in here. Year after year to past years I collected the magic of Eqeustria into these guides. My journals are to the left, spell books to the right and research guides straight ahead." Starswirl strolledd past me into the library. I didn't know where to start. Finally I decided to find the spell books so I could learn how to be a proper unicorn and use magic. Hour upon hour the pages turned and reflected into my mind what they knew. About half of the section had been cleansed of its contents before I had to leave. The next day I returned and continued to discover my full potential. "Come." a voice whispered. "Follow my voice." This wasn't Starswirl's voice and to my knowledge we were the only ones present in the library so who could this be? "Come forth!" the voice echoed in my head giving me a headache. I followed this time to a crack in the floor between two boards of wood. "Open it." sounded the voice. I slid back the board covering the voice. A key? No, a talking key with no mouth. "Find the lone, discarded book and unlock it." the voice was very hypnotic now. "Why should I?" I fought back against the spell. "I can sense yourh agony, your lust for revenge. Anything you want, anything, can be givin to you. Just find the book. Now follow." the voice shifted to elsewhere in the library. Within a few minutes I located a book in solitude. A book shoved behind the bookcase and left to be forgotten. "Good, now open the lock and read your destiny." I brought the book from the shadows and swiftly clicked open the lock. "You better go home before your mother get mad." Starswirl's voice mad me jump. "Oh... yeah. See you tomorrow." I said as I slipped the book behind my mane and backd out of the library. Months passed and Starswirl never mentioned my strange behavior on that day. Day after day I would go back to library nervous he would ask. Everything was going fine until Starswirl fell asleep and I lost track of time. By the time I realized the time I was almost an hour past curfew.
It was beginning to snow outside which was odd. Winter was not quite due yet. By the time my house was in sight the snow had forced my hooves and back into becoming numb. I reached the front door and tried to open it as quietly as possible. Unfortunately for me my mom always had a keen ear and had a severe sleep disorder. "Where have you been?" she asked in a tone that sent chivers down my spine. "Why are you so late?" "I..." I started but was quickly interupted. "Do you know how worried I was?! If you want to come home whenever you like then get your own place. If you don't like living here and you want to leave by all means do. Less stress on me huh. I'm sick and tired of always having to ask you to do things you should care enough to do. Your grades for instance. What is going on with you. One moment your top of your class next thing you know you are failing assignments! FAILING! Have you done your chores today? I bet you haven't! C'mon! Bet me! Am I making you mad? Good! You should be nice and pissed off because that is exactly how I feel! My own son doesn't care enough or respect me enough to follow my rules of curfew or get his stuff done like he is supposed to! I don't know where I messed up but apparently I did! Screw you mom!"
Anger raged inside my veins running rapant through my mind, body, and soul. All my strength was barricading the emotions from releasing. My muscles tightened as i collapsed in desperation to keep my emotions bottled. "Why are you so mad? Huh, answer me." My eyes shut as I winced. "I'm waiting." she began tapping her hoof. "I asked you a question! I shouln't have to wait this long!" The bottle cracked. The bottle of emotions I carried pent up inside me cracked. The many fights, failing gradees, duties forgotten, mother shouting at me treating me like I'm worthless, stress, being outcasted, and finally dark power. In these past months I had studied that strange book cover to cover. It was identified as a dark magic unlike any other. Shadows raced through my veins as my heart went black. "NO! I am sick and tired of you treating me like a worthless peice of crap who is only a disgrace to you! I am a living pony too! I shouted back with all my might. "I am your mother!" she yelled as her hoof collided with my jaw sending me backwards. "The day you feel bold enough to challenge me like that again you better bring it! Let me tell you something, you ARE nothing! I will beat the living daylight out of you." she was now so close her hot breath lashed against my face. "You chose the time and place but I will put up one hell of a fight! YOU HEAR ME!" I'm not proud of what happened next. The thing is... she didn't get the chance to fight back. Shadowy tendrils became constrictors around her throat and legs. Tendrils only I commanded. "I am the true superior... a ruler. A king." with that a shadow knife slit her throat spilling her crimson blood across the floor and my hooves. A thud sounded as her body hit the ground.
It took a few minutes before I realized what had happened. "What have I become?" "What you always wanted to be." a voice spoke from within me. "No, this is not what I wanted." "You wanted power, revenge, respect. To be feared." "Not like this!" "Too late." "No! Its never too late!" "Look in the mirror sometime kid. It is too late." I went into the restroom and gazed into the mirror. "What shadowy spell is this mirror cursed with? That is not me." "Yes, it is. Haha!" Purple mist streamed from green, omnious eyes. My eyes. My gray horn was tipped with red. Fangs dropped down from withnin my jaw. "I... its just not... can't be...its not me." "Its you improved."
Two weeks had passed since the incident. Two weeks after I burned the book and started wearing metal hoof covers to hide the blood stains. I thought it was gone, a part of the past. There I sat in my seat at school hiding the secret of my mother's death. Unfortunately that day I could only focus on what had happened. My mind replayed the scene over and over tormenting me. From when I opened the door to when I buried the body. I missed hearing the teacher announce class dismissed but realized when every filly that hated me stood around my desk cornering me. "You're going to regret ever being born." somepony whispered. In the blink of an eye they piled onto me. Crystal hooves pounded into my sides, head, and stomach. That was enough. Fillies were tossed against the walls. Desks fell in volleys crushing the frail frames of ponies. I could feel fangs growing again but I didn't care this time. Anger, hate, wrath, revenge all boiled into one toxin which infected my mind. One by one I personally snapped the legs and spines of every filly in the school house. The teacher stood in disbeleif of what has occuring. We held a stare that seemed long but was probably onl a few seconds. In that stare, I felt truly superior in every way. Raw power surged forward and did her in slowly allowing her to cry in agony. Wreckage surrounded me reaveling myself as the only living soul in the room. No witnesses. "No! This is not who I am!" I shouted running out of the school. I caught a glipse of Starswirl in the corner of my eye. "Sombra?" I heard him call but I continued to run.
With every step I took the images of my darker self flooded my brain. The stench of blood and torn flesh smothered me. I don't know why but tears flew from my eyes trailing behind me in the wind.Eventually I stopped running and wiped my eyes so I could see. Looking around I found myself in a wood. More tears crept in and blurred my vision forbidding me to view my surroundings. The moonlight grazed my back and strangely allowed my eyes to cease crying. Now I could make out many bushes and trees around me. Finding a rather large tree I curled and stared at the beauty of the moon as I fell asleep. "Sombra. The moon is beautifulisn't it? Absolutely stunning." I found myself starring at... well... myself. "Surprised? You shoudn't be. I must say you did quite well at the school. I thought you wouldn't be able to follow through." The other me stated as his horn turned red and curved followed by a pruple mist streaking from his now green eyes. "Don't worry," He revealed fangs. "it is only a dream. For now." "I didn't do anything to those fillies! You did!" I revolted. "Maybe I did, maybe I didn't. Maybe I used you like a puppet on a string and made you dance. Maybe your passions for life are my fuel towards an explosion of the Crystal Kingdom. Exploit its weakness and have eternity handed to you. Become a KING!" Shadows envoloped him revealing a crown and cape. "It is time to take what is ours, it is time to wake." Awake I did. The sun had begun to rise and my body told me 'seek shade!' Luckily a foredt loomed before me. I don't know how long i lived in that wood. Day after day, practicing my magic skills, honing in on ridding myself of the terror that had my life in a cage. Night after night I would fall asleep to the moon and the Shadow King would haunt me. Day and night I tried to stay awake but eventually I would collapse and sleep. One night it changed. Starswirl appeared. He was in some sort of peril for he was running and panicked. A cry for help rang in the air but I couldn't help. His body began to transform revealing my villlainous self. "Haha, 'help me'" he mocked. He seems to have found trouble in Canterlot. I think I am ready for a good killing spree, how 'bout you."
That is what has brought me to you." "Wow, so are you here to kill me?" The mare who stood before me asked. "Oh no! I have been controlling 'him' and..." "So when we went on dates, was 'he' there?" "Yes, maybe, I am not sure. That night was the last I have seen of 'him' for months." "But will it come back? I am afraid now. how do I know I won't say something wrong and you kill me? I can't live like that. I'm sorry but I think its best if we stop seeing eachother." "You don't mean that. C'mon, I have changed! I am not that thing! Plese beleive me." "I wan to, I really do but... I can't." "Octavia, please. I love you. I would never let 'him' hurt you." "Even if I stayed, what would you do if we had a filly? Would you kill it?" "No!" "I can't be certain. I'm sorry." Octavia turned around and ran away crying. "Congratulations! I was beginning to wonder if she would ever leave you. now we can focus on what really matters. Vengeance!" A familair voice spoke behind me. "You." I turned around to face myself. "You have ruined my life! You have destroyed my loved ones, my goals and I am done." "Prove it." He responded. Shadows created a dome around us and lifted to reveal we were now in a clear open space, a battlefeild. "You get the first move." I charged at him with my horn ready to execute my tactics. I lunged forth just as he teleported and I crashed. I spit out the dirt that had snuck into my mouth and charged again. This time I was ready. He teleported, I did the same. I landed a successful hit on my opponent and prepared for another. Pain seared into my shoulders as he slammed me back and jumped on me. I tried to kick him off but he was positioned just right. A hoof crashed down upon my face followed by another and another. My jaw popped, my head hurt, my horn broke, and then my eyes swelled shut. "Next time you want to challenge me, think first." He got off of me. I wobbled into standing postion and spoke, "I'm still standing." A beat and my legs were swept from underneath me and hoofs beat into me from every side. I screamed in agony for something needle like had started stapping repeatedly in the legs and in my stomach. I could barely feel the warm blood trickling from my weak frame. I must have bled alot for it poured into my mouth I was hardly able to see the pool that caressed my body. Pain continued to fire through my nerve endings. My bones shattered, my veins busted and my life was ending. "Now, are you going to fight back?" I couldn't answer. Blood had filled my mouth and my jaw flet like it wasn't even attached anymore. "Are you going to fight back!" He began beating my spine. Light consumed me and stars surrounded me. A dark spot appeared in front of me quickly approaching. Before I knew it it had swallowed me and I was back in Equestria but I was a king. A shadow king.
"Gaah!" I jerked awake. My mind still carrying fragments of the vivid dream I just awoke from. Wait, no. Not a dream but a flashback. 'A flashback?' I thought to myself. 'Is it even possible to have a flashback and a dream at the same time?' Apparently. Now all I could dwell on was the preceding events to now. 'After the battle with myself I lost Starswirl but found an arena. I fought, won and kept the chest plate. I returned to the Crystal Kingdom where I began my rule with terror as my agent. And here I stand! King of crstals!' Casting the land into darkness as the crystal's shadow. Magic coarsed through me and zapped my crown and cape onto my strong body as I stood. I proudly strolled onto my balcony overseeing everypony below. Cool air invaded my fur from the northern winds bringing back memories of the day I murdered my mother. A chuckle escaped my throat as the scenario played once more. Everypony below slaved away doing my bidding. Every crystal throughout the kingdom would be mine soon. Surely that will grant me what I need to applify dark magic across all of Equestria. Everypony will bow to me and be terrified! "King Sombra my lord." a gaurd of the palace approached, paused to bow, then rose. "Two ponies were spotted flying this direction. Their estamated time of arrival is two minutes." "Another attempt to cut me off no doubt. Secure the borders, nopony gets out or in."i commanded. The gaurd stared at me. "No," he shook as he spoke, "I refuse to decline shuch an act towards our freedom. I am ashamed to have served loyalty to you and your twisted plots. This time I stand my ground." "Oh, do you now." I locked eyes with him and stared into his soul. All he could do was shake voilently and finally look down. "Yes, master." "Wait, I have a better idea. Let them come and you shall pay the price." i levitated him over the balcony edge. Hovering in mid-air. Two shapes were now visible in the sky. Alicorns. Gasps and shouting were audible from bellow as they neared closer and closer. Soon they were hovering in front of me. One of stunning white light and command. The other a deep blue and barely tainted by the world.
"Greetings, this is Luna and I am Celestia. We are here to ask your resignation from the Crystal Kingdom." the taller of the two spoke. Silently I formed a black crystal behind me. "A reasonable request excpet for a couple things. Kingdom has 'king' in it therefore a king such as I must rule by definition. Two, I am not a reasonable pony." The black crystal shot forth from its concealed state through the gaurd's armor and body. Screams filled the air as blood thickened around the wounds. The blood soaked crystal shimmered at the alicorns in triumph for they were stunned. The macabre scene lingered on long enough to emphasize my cautious warning. When I felt my message was clearly revealed I allowed the body to fall with the crystal to the ground far below. Trails of shimmering crimson left the corpse but followed swiftly after. "Leave now and be spared. You shall never return again. Oh and if you do send somepony else to rob me of my throne, expect their head on an obsidian platter." Luna was petrified at what had just occurred. Her countenance suggested disbelief as her head bobbed back and forth. Her eyes searching for the dead and finding me when she looked back up was priceless. "Your tyranny can not stand any longer. Release the crystal ponies from your rule." Celestia boldy challenged on. "You are both imcompetent fools! I give the orders and any who dares to defy me have their worst nightmare come true." "Nightmare?" Luna whispered almost unaudibly. "Fine but we will not go easy." Spoke Celestia. "So be it."
I lashed out with a pulse of shadow focused from my horn. I expected it to deal more damage than just knocking both of the alicorns back but I was disappointed. They quickly recovered and fluttered onto the balcony. They landed with such grace my thirst for blood elevated. I stamped my hoof down sending forth dark magic which crystalized and swirled around Luna caging her in.
"Luna!" cried Celestia. Protective instincts flickered through her pupils. She jumped and charged at me. Her wings gave two beats before I calmly stepped aside allowing her passage. Braking in midair she reversed her position and flew at me again only to be dodged once more. She was so predictable. I sensed her next move and teleported between her and Luna's black prison. Magic flooded my senses as I cast a shadowy spell upon the entrapment. Celestia vanished then reappeared bouncing off the walls of the obsidian safe.
"You can't penetrate it. You will drain yourself of energy before you even come close to breaking that shell. All your alicorn magic and nothing to do with it." I mocked. I gave a quick smirk before binding her wings and legs with shadows.
"You monster." she spat.
"Not yet." I raised a metal covered hoof above her horn preparing to break her channel of magic. She looked into my eyes and pleaded. I stared back cold, tasting the power. Her soul shivered in fear. Her pure heart, sickening! She gave a whimper as my hoof shattered her horn. Pleased, I cast her against the far wall head first. She cried for mercy. Tears fled her eyes. Magic oozed from her broken horn. I couldn't help but laugh.
Light shone from her head radiating violently. The light blinded me to the point where I had to turn my back. Daggers of light dug into my back through my cape. As randomly as the light appeared it dimmed into extinction along with the daggers. I turned around to see the last thing I expected. Her horn... had... regrown! How was this even possible?
A growl vibrated in my throat. Purple and green spots began to appear on my horn as I cast a spell teleporting myself into the crystals that made up Luna's cage.
"Luna." My face projected onto every smooth piece of crystal inside, "You and I are not so different. I command sinister shadows and you control the moon. We go hoof in hoof. I can't make shadows without a moonlight and you need my shadows to complete the night. Your sister stands in the way. She fails to see your true potential and power. We could bring forth nightmares from the moon and terrors from the shadowy crevices. Your sister doesn't love you. Love doesn't exist. Everypony dances throughout the day then sleeps at night and ignores your masterpiece. But I, I have noticed your night sky and have admired it many a time." I released a wisp of dark magic which found its target on Luna's horn. "Use this power wisely. Recreate Equestria. Cast down your enemies. Poison them with your triumphs." space and time warped as I teleported out of the crystals. Celestia had regained a full stance. Her body was fragile and battered yet she stood proud and valiant.
"Sombra. It doesn't have to be like this." she begged.
"Oh but it does." I replied with derision in my voice. A crystalline blade came to my side. I chuckled as I charged forth planted my sword upon Celestia's horn then twirled to cut her legs. She stumbled but remained standing. I swung again and again slashing her white fur. Blood streamed across her body turning her coat red. A steady stream of blood flowed from various points on her body. Three puddles accumulated below her broken frame. Determination was still imprinted on her face even with blood dripping from her mouth. "The weak show sympathy and pay for it. Your heart pumps life throughout your body but now it betrays you! This is a cruel world, learn to be what they call cruel and unjust and you shall thrive." I spun my black blade readying it to strike a final blow.
"Enough." she muttered. A flash of light slammed me back disintegrating my sword.
"Now Luna!" The black prison was glowing from inside. Pieces of crystal flew everywhere from Luna's blast which then turned to me. Both alicorns honed in and fired on me. My body became weak. Weak? Me? Jolts of pain surged throughout my body amplified by my metal armor. I was tossed into the air and slammed against an obsidian mirror cleverly disguised against the wall. I fell alongside shattered fragments of obsidian.
"What's that?" Luna questioned noticing what was hidden behind the mirror.
"The crystal heart!" Celestia rejoiced.
My heart burned with hate, boiling to extreme temperatures and rising still. There was a reason I hid that abomination. A reason that did not need to be known!
