//------------------------------//
// Chapter 16. Insistent terminology. 
// Story: Temor 
// by Askre 
//------------------------------//

Chapter 16

The day before the encounter with Twilight and her friends...

Temor followed Emerald into a small bedroom that was close to the one Starlight had already assigned him. The crystal pony was still looking a little stunned after the prince had come racing inside, then told her to stop working on preparing his room. More shock came over the mare when Temor then promptly told her he remembered them being friends.

While still digesting that, Starlight had peeked her head in and told them Emerald could use the bedroom they were right now walking into. The unicorn mare however let them be, always showing deference to the prince.

“So… wait… you remember, sire?” Emerald couldn’t believe it, she had been breaking her mind trying to figure out ways to have Temor remember, parts of her almost ready to give up and simply resign herself to the fact that he didn’t.

“YOU. Do not. Call me sire!” Temor snapped but cringed when he realized he had dropped right into his usual prince routine when dealing with servants and slaves when seeing Emerald flinch. “Sorry. I meant to say, you can just call me Temor.”

Temor rubbed his forehead as he considered what to say next. The memories were still going around his head, he saw that the two of them had done a lot of fun together. She had made the early part of his life with the king far more tolerable. Yet he found there was still a disconnect, no doubt what Chrysalis had done on her part to let him forget her.

“Look, yes I remember. Father suppressed the memories and had Aunt… I mean Queen Chrysalis remove the emotional attachment to them,” he started explaining and sighed slightly. “Father suspected that it was you all along.”

Emerald grimaced when hearing that, figuring now why she had been chosen as the prince’s concubine. No doubt that had been her punishment for daring to befriend the king’s son. Yet, she couldn’t say it had been that bad, the prince had not been really that interested, most of the time he just had her serve him in other ways.

“So, is that why you saved me after the Crystal Heart broke my horn? Because we were friends?” Temor asked and sat down, that was one of the biggest mysteries for him right now, why the emerald green crystal pony had rescued him.

“Yes,” Emerald lay down on the floor, head downcast and she started to trace a circle on wood with her hoof. “I knew the others would just see you as they saw the king. Consider you as guilty as him, they would want you thrown into the dungeons or worse, executed. I couldn’t let it happen.”

“But why? You were free, your family was free, your nation was free.” The prince could still not quite get his head around the fact.

“I was and it was my choice to help you, because you made my life as a slave more bearable. Even if I was assigned to you… it was better than some of the alternatives,” Emerald said and looked up. “I wanted to repay you, because we were friends.”

“Even if my plans involve resurrecting the pony who enslaved your family in the first place?” Temor asked with an arched brow, despite it all, he was still loyal to his father. As far as he was concerned, Sombra had simply by accident, protected Emerald by doing this.

“C-can you resurrect him?” Emerald asked nervously, she wasn’t sure how to interpret the unimpressed glare she got.

“I was not supposed to tell you this, but my father’s spirit has been tethered to me since we reached that mountain top. I found his horn, it merged with mine. He’s been with us the whole time,” he told her, then pointed to the door. “Starlight is a member of the Order of Umbrum. They have expanded across Equestria, they are dedicated to assist me. Sombra’s sister, Ira is alive, she expanded the order. King Sombra is coming back.”

Emerald’s eyes widened at the first revelation then froze when hearing that the Order of Umbrum was still active. The mare gulped and wasn’t sure what to say, deep down she had just hoped they would be on the road, on a wild goose chase to find Sombra’s horn while she figured out how to restore his memories.

“However, I’m recognizing your years of service and in lieu of our friendship, I’m granting you your freedom. You can choose to stay with us… or go back to the Crystal Empire,” Temor said and stood up. “We will not stop you.”

The prince left the room to allow Emerald to think this over, going to his own to get some rest. He was also a bit worried about his father, the spirit seemed to have plain vanished. Starlight did come a little later, asking if he wanted some dinner. The prince wasn’t really in mood for company, the current events still heavy on his mind, so he asked the unicorn to deliver it to his room. 

“Take some to Emerald as well,” Prince then told her. “Or have her join you, I don’t care.”

Starlight had simply nodded. Temor had to wonder why the leader of this village was so happy to serve him, even if she was a member of the Order. He brushed it off for now. Once he had eaten, he decided to go to sleep. Hoping his father was still around and would return the next day.


When Temor woke up the following morning, he scowled when seeing no sign of the spirit. He threw off his blanket and climbed out of the bed, he put on his cape and left the room. Looking at the door to Emerald’s room, he decided breakfast could wait and he stepped over and knocked.

Hearing nothing, he opened the door and peeked in. Emerald was still asleep and had not been awoken by the knock. Temor debated whether to wake her and was taking a step inside when suddenly he saw a swirling mass of blackness form right next to him. It took the form of his father. The prince immediately bowed.

“Father, you’re back,” he whispered relieved, not noticing that the crystal pony was slowly looking groggily up from her bed.

“No time for that. It’s time to see if your horn has healed enough. There are enemies nearby,” Sombra snapped, ignoring the confused crystal pony nearby.

“What?!” Temor scowled, then sneered, his eyes beginning to glow green. “Show me, father!”

With that Temor teleported away, leaving a very confused Emerald behind. She had only seen the prince speaking to the thin air. She had woken up when feeling a cold chill go through the room. Deciding this could wait until the prince returned, the mare lay her head back down and tried to go to sleep again.







“Private Iceland, wait!” Twilight cried as she ducked an explosion when a dark magic beam landed close to her and her friends. The rest of the mares scattered to avoid it.

“We just want to talk!” the unicorn looked up at the massive shadow like smoke, towering above them.

Temor didn’t respond, already infuriated by being addressed by his old name. He shot out tendrils that slapped Rainbow Dash out of the air, the pegasus had been attempting to barrel right into him. Then crystals began erupting from the ground, forcing the other mares to flee in all directions.

“Don’t over do it!” Sombra whispered. His spirit had joined Temor’s shadow form, though all he could do was give advice.

Twilight helped Rarity back up and the two unicorns quickly dove out of the way from more magic blasts. Applejack was kicking away more crystals that erupted from the ground, while Pinkie and Fluttershy did their best to avoid them. Rainbow was back in the air, glaring at the shadow.

“Darling, I don’t think he wants to talk,” the fashionista remarked as she and Twilight were forced to take a shelter behind some rocks, they were soon joined by Pinkie and Fluttershy.

“Too slow,” Rainbow Dash shouted as she managed to dodge the incoming tendrils this time. She increased her speed and began going around Temor faster and faster, trying to force the large shadowy smoke into a more compact form.

“Shoot where she is going to be, not where she is!” Sombra told Temor, who had begun shooting magic at the pegasus, but kept missing due to her speed. With a sneer, the prince aimed and fired a large dark magic blast in the path of the pegasus.

Rainbow Dash just barely managed to avoid it, swiftly changing her direction up, but this had slowed her down enough to be slapped hard out of the air again by a tendril.

“Rainbow!” Applejack ran after her friend. She unfurled her lasso, which she had grabbed from her saddlebag shortly after the battle started, and used it to expertly snatch the pegasus and pull her back, just before Rainbow Dash hit the jagged-looking crystals that had produced out of the ground.

“Private Iceland, please!” Twilight jumped up on top of the rock she and the rest were hiding behind. “You don’t have to do this. King Sombra is dead. You don’t have to follow him anymore!”

The massive shadow and smoke turned to face where she stood, giving Applejack time to drag a disoriented Rainbow Dash to cover. The shadow started to shrink until Prince Temor was back in his pony body. On his head was the helmet and he was wearing his full armor and cape. His eyes were narrow and stared hatefully at the purple unicorn.

“Private, it’s not too late, you can return to your family, your mother,” Twilight said pleadingly.  Even if she knew the prince’s family were members of the Order, she still hoped that would stir something in him.

“Wait isn’t his mom…” Pinkie peeked out from behind the rock but was quickly pulled back by both Rarity and Fluttershy. Both the unicorn and the pegasus shook her head at her, then pointed at Twilight, indicating to let the purple pony do the talking. The pink pony chuckled nervously, mouthing a sorry.

“The king…” Temor sneered, dark magic was building up again in his horn. “Was my family, MURDERERS!!!”

With a roar, the prince shot a powerful blast that exploded the rock, sending Twilight flying. Rarity, Fluttershy and Pinkie were also thrown by the blast. The four ponies landed harshly on the ground.

“King Sombra raised me!” Temor snarled, grabbing Twilight up in a stranglehold with his magic and lifted the mare harshly up from the ground and started shaking her. “He taught me magic! He made my strong! He gave me back my heritage!”

“King Sombra is my father!” he snarled and slammed the unicorn back to the ground, stalking closer to the groaning pony, too disoriented and weak from the blast to do or say anything. Murderous glare was in his eyes and his horn was sprouting purple and green fire.

“Hey Prince Bozo!” Rainbow Dash suddenly came flying, ramming herself into the prince, throwing him off his path.

Temor landed hard on one of the many crystals now littering the landscape, but he came down on his feet, glaring at Rainbow Dash who hovered in the air right above the ground staring right back at him, hooves ready for a fight. Applejack was running to Twilight, and the others were picking themselves up from where they had landed.

“Private,” Twilight addressed the prince again, supporting herself on Applejack. “We know what he did to you. We know he abducted you when you were just a small colt, trapped you with him. It must have been horrible.”

“He didn’t trap me,” Temor growled and but for now kept his distance. he had used up a lot of power and he could already feel a strain on his horn. “Yes, I got trapped, but that was an accident. He had no intentions to keep me. I was to be sent back. He was as surprised as I was when I got stuck.

“And you know what that ‘horrible’ king did?” the prince stood to his full height as he stepped away from the crystal. “He took me in. He didn’t kill me or throw me in with the slaves. He fed me, he clothed me, he taught me, he raised me like any parent would.”

“To be just as cruel and merciless as he was?” Twilight shouted. She was starting to fear there was no reaching him. “This isn’t you, Private!”

“My name is TEMOR!” the prince screamed and stomped both front hooves so hard on the ground that it made long cracks. “That sniveling little crybaby is dead. I rose from him, stronger and more powerful. I am the son of King Sombra and your frantic spiel won’t change that!

“I am a Dark Pony!” Temor snarled and started shooting dark magic again. Rainbow Dash had to duck out of the way and the rest of her friends ran for cover. “I am not a weak-minded Equestrian who blathers on and on about friendship and harmony!”

“Temor, you are overdoing it!” Sombra saw that his son was reaching the limits of what he could do right now. His horn was still too recently healed. He had been silent so far, somewhat stunned and touched to hear his son’s declaration of loyalty to him. He cringed when seeing Temor’s horn was beginning to pulsate.

“Private Iceland! Stop shooting magic right now!” he finally snapped and stomped a hoof on the ground. Temor immediately ceased firing. Slowly the young stallion looked stunned at the spirit.

He wasn’t the only one surprised. The six mares were all staring, jaws agape. They had not only felt the earth-shaking stomp, they had heard the dark voice ordering Temor, using his real name to cease. They now actually saw the faint visage of Sombra, staring sternly down at the prince.

“It… can’t be,” Twilight whispered.

There was though no time to fully react to this startling event. Suddenly all six mares found themselves floating in glowing white magic bubbles. Out of a shadow emerged Ira. Cold fury was in her eyes.

“This is enough!” the High Shadow declared, snapping Temor’s attention to her.

Sombra merely glanced towards his sister. Ira slowly turned her gaze towards the six trapped mares. Rainbow Dash tried to bang her hooves on the magic surrounding her, but nothing happened. Twilight had recovered from her shock, but now stared sadly down at the mare holding her and her friends.

“I warned the princesses. I told them to stay away!” Ira whispered, her mouth and eyes twitching. “Yet they keep pressing on. Keep interfering.”

“They are quite annoying like that,” King Sombra remarked as he floated closer to his sister. Temor slowly approached. He looked like he had just been slapped hard, a small crack had formed on his horn after the lengthy battle.

“The True Return will go forth. My brother will return to life!” Ira continued to glare at the six trapped ponies. “And my nephew will be reunited with his family.”

“You corrupted his family!” Twilight shouted with tears in her eyes, recognizing her voice now.

“I have corrupted nothing!” Ira snapped and floated the unicorn’s bubble closer.

“I gave them solace; I gave them comfort during trying times. I promised Mirage the return of her son. I promised Barricade that his brother would come back,” the tall mare pointed at Temor. “And behold, I am about to grant them exactly what I promised!”

“Wait… what?” Temor finally looked up and found his voice again. He looked at Sombra who still had his attention on Ira.

“You are about to give them back a monster that King Sombra created - not Mirage’s son and not Barricade’s brother!” Twilight argued. She cried out when she was shocked by the magic all around her. Her friends let out a shout of protests, but were shocked as well in turn.

“SILENCE, Celestia’s pet! My brother did what he could. He was not the best father, but he was a father to him,” Ira spat. Then she looked at Temor and her features eased instantly.

“Oh, my poor nephew...your horn.” She raised a hoof and gently touched the crack on Temor’s horn. Then she dropped it lower to caress his cheek. “Return to the village. Tell Starlight to prepare. We will soon depart.”

“Alright,” Temor whispered, all fight out of him. He used what magic he had left to teleport away.  With him, the spirit of King Sombra also vanished.

“Nephew?” Rainbow Dash remarked with confusion. Her friends felt pretty much the same, though Twilight continued to stare angrily at Ira.

“I am Ira, the last Queen of the Dark Ponies. Sister of King Sombra, daughter of Queen Rabia.” Slowly Ira turned her head back to the six mares. Then she suddenly glared at Pinkie Pie.

“You have something that belongs to my nephew!” she snarled and out of the pink pony’s mane the wooden toys floated out.

“Hey!” Pinkie protested and tried to grab the toy figures back, but they left the magic bubble and floated over to Ira. The dark unicorn held up a hoof and the toys clumped together, floating above it in their own magic ball.

“He loved playing with these. Emerald gave them to him. When I was still a spirit, haunting the Crystal Castle, I ensured he got them. Oh, the adventures he had them go on,” she whispered, smiling down at the toys, before she dispelled them for now.

“Does anypony know what the hay’s she talkin’ about?” Applejack asked, wondering about the sudden change in attitude. No one could really answer. Ira seemed to have forgotten all about them for now.

“What am I still doing here? I have things to do, to prepare,” Ira shook her head and started to walk to a shadow of a boulder. She gave the magic bubbles a withering glare.

“Oh and you are all coming with me since you are so insistent on seeing the Return!” she snorted and began sinking into the shadow, dragging all six magic bubbles after her into it, causing alarmed cries from the six mares trapped within.

End Chapter 16