//------------------------------// // A Banished Empire // Story: A Disparate Bond // by the7Saviors //------------------------------// The two fillies stood before the imposing stallion with unsure expressions. On one hoof, Sombra's very presence set the girls on edge. The Dark Magic rolled off the stallion in waves, and while Twilight merely felt uneasy, it practically made Starlight sick. On the other hoof, he really did seem happy to have somepony else to talk to, and Aeon did say as long as they didn't act like brats, he wouldn't hurt them. But then again, the two fillies wouldn't have trusted Aeon with a wet match, not after this and the last time they went through the doorway. Still, as uncomfortable as they were, the girls had silently agreed to give the stallion the benefit of the doubt. Twilight more so than Starlight, but both of them all the same. Those shadowy ponies outside the castle though... "Hey, um... Sombra?" The dark stallion standing before them raised an expectant eyebrow at Twilight. The filly shifted uneasily before looking back at the entrance far behind them. "Those... shadowy ponies out there," she began tentatively, "what are those? Is that... Dark Magic?" "Ah, yes," Sombra replied with a knowing nod, "I should have guessed you two would be curious about such a thing," he trotted forward, causing the fillies to scramble out of his way, "come, I shall explain just where it is you two have found yourselves." As he made his way towards the entrance, the two fillies looked at each other briefly before hurrying after him. With a simple push of his hoof, the massive double doors slowly but surely slid open, much to the fillies' awe. The things had to have weighed a literal ton, but Sombra had opened it like it was nothing. Twilight idly wondered if it was raw strength, or if there was some kind of magic at play. Either way, he stepped outside and the double doors closed on their own once the girls had stepped through the doorway. Sombra stood atop the tall staircase and stared out at the town below with an unreadable expression. Twilight trotted a bit closer and looked up at the stallion curiously. "S-Sombra?" Sombra blinked and looked down at the nervous lavender filly standing next to him. He frowned and looked back towards the city as he spoke. "What you two are looking at, is the remnant—the very shadow of the Crystal Empire... my empire," he explained, "it was once a glorious city, filled with ponies whose coats shined like diamonds due to the magic that once surrounded the city." "What happened?" Starlight asked, moving to stand next to Twilight as she herself looked out at the city, "it didn't always look like this... did it?" "Of course not," Sombra scoffed, "this was once a beautiful place full of color, magic... and love," he grimaced, "it was a place I once literally could not tolerate." The two gave Sombra a bemused look and, seeing this, the Stallion explained. "You see, young ones, I am not what you would call a... normal pony," he began, "I am something altogether quite different actually. I can tell by your initial reactions that you could feel the darkness wrapped around me like a thick cloak." Twilight and Starlight gave slow, uncertain nods at this. Sombra chuckled and shook his head before frowning once more. "There is a reason for that, and contrary to what you may believe, it's not because I fell and became a corrupted Dark Mage," he cast them a side glance, "rather, it was because I was originally born this way." "You were... born with a Dark Magic affinity?" Twilight guessed with a confused frown, "but... that's not that uncommon, I mean, apparently I was born with a Dark Magic affinity." "You misunderstand me, child," Sombra replied with a single slow shake of his head, "it is not an affinity I speak of, but my very being. I am not a pony, I am what's known as an Umbrum." "An... Umbrum?" Starlight repeated, furrowing her brow, "what's an Umbrum?" "The Umbrum are a race of specter-like equines," Sombra explained, "they are creatures born of potent Dark Magic, and I am no different. The pony form you see before you was given shape by my mother Rabia in order to seize this land." "Seize?" Twilight repeated, a slight hint of fear in her voice, "so... y-you're... you're a—" "A what? A tyrant? A villain?" Sombra finished with another chuckle, "I assure you, Twilight Sparkle, I am no more a tyrant than that Sun Princess of yours." His amused smirk fell away and was replaced with a scowl as he looked towards the pitch black sky. "Were you to ask about me, that mare would have you believe me to be some sort of evil dictator, bent on enslaving the Crystal ponies and ruling with an iron hoof." "And... did you?" "Hardly," Sombra replied with a snort, "yes, my rule was strict, and yes insolence was met with dire retribution... but I am not my mother. "I do not seek to destroy for the fun of it and I do not condone outright slavery. It is ineffective and would only result in my downfall at the hooves of my citizens in the end," he lowered his head and stared out into the distance, his gaze becoming wistful, "...and she would never forgive me if I were to attempt such a thing." "She?" Twilight asked, glancing towards Starlight, who returned her bemused look, "who's 'she'?" "It matters not," Sombra replied after a moment, "that aside, the shadows you see below are none other than the citizens of my Crystal Empire." "They're... wait, those things are actual ponies?" Starlight cried, backing away a step in shock, "but... what happened to them?" "An unfortunate effect of the Shadow Dimension I'm afraid," Sombra answered, "many centuries ago, my empire was in danger of burning to the ground at the hooves of a true tyrant, and I had no choice but to flee, much as it pained me to do so." "That's... that's terrible," Twilight replied with a sympathetic frown, "who attacked your empire?" "Not attacked, Twilight Sparkle—she didn't get a chance to," Sombra answered with a shake of his head, "no, I hid the entire Crystal Empire away before she arrived, and as for the mare responsible..." He trailed off, his eyes narrowing dangerously as he grit his sharpened teeth in silent fury. The fillies took a startled step back as his black mane flared out and the violet mist about his eyes blazed like miniature flames. "Let's just say that when I am free from this accursed spell, that mare will not live to create another Sunrise." It took a second, but Twilight caught on to the phrasing of Sombra's words. Her eyes widened in shock as the realization dawned on her. "You're saying it was Princess Celestia that tried to attack your Empire?" she asked in a horrified whisper, "but... but why? She wouldn't do something like that... would she?" Sombra took in a deep breath and let it out in a long sigh before turning to Twilight. He frowned at her confused and disbelieving expression. "...I see there is much you do not know about your lauded Goddess of the Sun," Sombra stated dryly, "while I would love to set the record sraight I believe now is not the time." Twilight went to ask more, but thought better of it and closed her mouth. Sombra nodded in approval and continued. "As I was saying, in order to keep my Empire and it's citizens safe, I cast one of the most powerful Dark Magic spells I know. It was a... banishment spell of sorts known as the Shadow Gate." "The Shadow Gate..." Twilight muttered, with a thoughtful frown, "from the name, it sounds like a dimensional spell, and you did say something about a 'Shadow Dimension'," she turned back to Sombra with a bemused raise of her brow, "don't those usually fall under the category of Time Magic?" "Normally you'd be right, child," Sombra replied with a nod, "but remember, many spells cannot be properly defined and can often overlap with other Branches of Magic. The Shadow Gate spell is one such spell in that it uses Dark Magic as its source." "Huh," Twilight responded, "I... actually didn't know you could use Dark Magic for a dimensional spell." "Did you not demonstrate such when you arrived in the desert wasteland you now call home?" Sombra replied, raising his own eyebrow at the filly, "from what I was told, it was quite an impressive feat of Dark Magic for one so young." Twilight winced and looked away, to Sombra's confusion. He didn't push the apparent issue and instead turned to Starlight. "And then there's you, Starlight Glimmer," he began, causing the light pink filly to eye him warily, "you should be proud to have such a rare affinity as Runic Magic. The potential in such a thing is staggering, and I must admit, I find myself somewhat envious." "Um... thanks?" Starlight replied, blinking in surprise, "I... don't really know what else to say to that..." "There's no need for thanks," Sombra replied with a smirk, "just be grateful you two have such rare gifts," he suddenly frowned in thought, "gifts... yes I believe that's a fair idea." He eyed the two for a brief moment, his brow furrowing contemplatively. The two fillies looked back at him curiously. "I suppose it can't hurt," he finally muttered after a moment, "and it's never to early to learn..." Before the girls could ask what he was talking about, his horn lit up with a dark violet bubbling aura and two rolled up scrolls materialized into existence directly above each filly. "A... gift for the two of you," Sombra said in response to the fillies' confusion, "think of it as study material for an entrance exam." Twilight's eyes lit up at the stallion's words, whereas Starlight merely frowned in annoyance. "Seriously?" Starlight grumbled, picking the scroll out of the air with her magic, "I thought we weren't gonna be doing any learning yet?" "True," Sombra replied, "and I don't intend to teach you until the time is right, but that doesn't mean you can't get a head start." "Why... can't I... get this open?!" Twilight cried in frustration as she tried to pry the scroll open with her magic, "what kind of scroll... is this?" Sombra chuckled, and as Twilight continued to struggle, his chuckle turned into a full blown laugh. "I see someone is an avid student," Sombra observed, "I know you're eager to begin your studies, Twilight Sparkle, but you must have patience. These scrolls will not reveal their contents until the time is right." "And how will we know when the time is right?" Starlight asked with a raised eyebrow, "are they just gonna pop open?" "Trust me, Starlight Glimmer," Sombra answered with a smirk, "you'll know when the time is right. Now then," he turned to look in the direction of the double doors, "I believe that is all the time we have for now." "What do you—" A familiar rising hum and a bright flash of light signaled the appearance of the shining doorway that led back to the Nexus—though Aeon did not step out this time. "Oh," Starlight finished flatly, "guess it's time to go then." "Why don't you come with us?" Twilight asked suddenly, looking between Sombra and the door, "I'm sure Aeon wouldn't mind." Sombra's eyes widened in surprise and he gave a hearty laugh a second later. "Oh that is precious!" the stallion said, still chuckling, "while I appreciate your sympathy for my plight, I must decline. Aeon's 'gates' only allow those she specifically chooses to go through, and I wouldn't even if I could." "What?" Twilight asked, taking a step towards the stallion, "but why? You might be kind of scary, but I don't think you're really a bad pony!" "He's not a pony, remember?" Starlight pointed out as she made her way to the doorway, "and I don't think it's a good idea, Twilight." "But—" "Listen to your friend, Twilight Sparkle," Sombra interjected, nodding towards the shining door, "she speaks the truth, and besides, it is not my time yet. I will return—and soon—but for now you must leave me here." Twilight wanted to argue, having grown accustomed to the stallion's presence during the course of their conversation. She wrestled with herself a moment before coming to the conclusion that they'd be seeing him again soon anyway. Reluctantly, she nodded and trotted after Starlight, turning to give Sombra one last look over her shoulder before stepping through the doorway, the scroll she had been given floating alongside her in a bright magenta aura. The stallion chuckled and shook his head in amusement before disappearing in a whirl of ebony smoke—the doorway vanishing at the same time in another blinding flash of light.