//------------------------------//
// Epilogue. Biding their time. 
// Story: Temor 
// by Askre 
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Epilogue

Prince Temor sat behind a desk in his new study in the fort of the Order of Umbrum. The unicorn was going through a list of names, held up in his magic. His horn was mending, now only a thin line showed were the crack had once been. On the desk was a cup filled with wine which he periodically drank from.

He looked up when shadows started to congregate in front of the desk before rising to form King Sombra. Temor rose up and bowed his head, sitting down only when the king gave him a nod.

“How does your research go?” King Sombra asked, using his magic he grabbed another cup and a flagon of wine and filled it up. He put the flagon away and sipped his drink while waiting for an answer.

“Very well, my aunt was very busy these long years she waited for the Crystal Empire to return,” Temor responded and looked up. “She’s filled every nook and cranny of Equestria with members. We have thousands of them.”

“Intriguing,” Sombra grinned, he had himself been busy. Receiving members who had not come to the ceremony, renewing their loyalty to the Order and to him.

“What we had at the ceremony was just a drop in the ocean. Ira summoned those who would have been the most easily identified as members of the Order, the descendants and those connected to them,” Temor continued to explain, he grabbed his wine cup and drank. “We are going to keep them hidden away, both here at the fort and the underground settlement we are constructing.”

“That one I’m aware of,” his father nodded. “Though I know my sister had hoped the secretary could have remained at Celestia’s court for a little while longer, having her pretend she didn’t know her husband was a member of the Order. Ah well, she will just have to start her duties sooner serving me.”

Temor put the cup down and the papers. There was one thing he really did want to ask, but wasn’t sure if it was his to do so. “So, I take it you heard what my aunt planned for me?”

Sombra looked at him, then shook his head. “We are stallions, Temor. It’s the mares who decide who we marry. If you really wish to be a Dark Pony. That is a custom you must get used to.”

“I thought you didn’t care for that part of our custom,” Temor sighed, his thoughts were on Emerald. They were friends, but he had kind of hoped with her staying there could be something more. Yet he didn’t want to force that issue, he did not want her as just another concubine anymore.

“My objection was that my mother intended for me to marry Ira. However, I see no problem with arranged marriages between unrelated ponies. Starlight is a powerful mare, bit misguided in her ideals, but we can fix that. She would serve well as your consort,” Sombra told his son sternly. Temor winched then nodded.

“We must not forget, Temor that Ira is the Queen of the Dark Ponies. We cannot reject her queenship. The oath of the first Queen Odio forbids it. However, she is willing to share her rulership with us as she was never interested in ruling, have no fear,” the king chuckled and sipped from this cup, his grin was turning malicious. “We aren’t losing power, if anything we are gaining more.”

Temor arched his brow and looked at his father, not quite seeing whatever it was Sombra was seeing. His father approached the desk and leaned over it, so he was staring right at him.

“My sister is naive. Never fully grasping how her powers worked. Or how any power worked for the matter. She may have rebuilt the Order of Umbrum, but always maintained that it was you who were in charge and that I oversaw it as well. She’s hoofed all those followers over to us, she just wanted the Dark Pony Empire back,” King Sombra’s voice lowered. “Oh, I will make her a queen over an empire again, that empire will just simply include Equestria as well.”

The prince blinked for a second, then he started grinning just as devilishly as his father. It dawned on him what his father meant. While they allowed Ira to play the Queen and High Shadow, they would be the ones really in charge and would in the end destroy their enemies.

“I must admit father, with all this sentimentality you were showing at the ceremony, I was starting to worry you were growing soft on us,” Temor chuckled, he clung his cup with Sombra’s.

“Nothing wrong with finally showing that I care for you, my son. I’ve raised you well, you rejected that pet of Celestia, proved your loyalty to me and eventually I will be fully able to reward you for it all. How does ruling Canterlot in my name sound?” Sombra stepped back and finished from his cup.

“I think I can handle that. Very well, I will wed Starlight, not that I had any choice I suppose,” Temor shrugged and refilled his cup. He offered his father more, but the king shook his head and returned his cup to the desk.

“Let your aunt play the Dark Pony Queen for now, she’s earned it,” Sombra said and started walking to the entrance of the study. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I have some followers to attend to.”

Temor watched the king open the door, outside were two earth pony mares, one blue and one pink, both with similar mane cuts. The prince rolled his eyes when seeing the seductive smile come on his father as he regarded them.

“Your Majesty, I believe you ordered a massage?” the blue pony said, she had a strong foreign accent. The mare smiled sweetly at the king.

“A massage? I suppose we can start with that. Come, we’ll go to my chambers,” King Sombra said as he stepped out of the room and closed the door.

Prince Temor shook his head and rolled his eyes again. His father was certainly not wasting much time using his new body to the fullest. The unicorn turned in the chair so he faced the window behind him. He could see over the mountains through it, further to the north was Equestria.

A sinister grin started to crawl over his muzzle, his thoughts were on the past few days. How not that long ago, he had been on the run from the Crystal Empire, only in the company of his former slave and the spirit of his father. Now he sat in a fort, his father alive and surrounded by loyal followers.

They never stood a chance, he chuckled, remembering the six mares who had tried to find them. His aunt had been there from the start, guiding events from the shadows, always watchful and ensuring things went as she had intended.

Ira still hadn’t told them how she had come back to life, but the prince suspected it had been a similar process to the one she had done to resurrect his father. She was a Dark Pony and just as capable of accumulating dark magic, spirit or not.

She admitted having intended to wait several more days, allow her dark magic to build up more, but their enemies forced her to speed it up. That’s why she was so weak after the resurrection, she had nearly emptied her reserves.

“Just wait Twilight Sparkle, I’m coming,” he whispered and turned back to the desk, he kept staring forward, eyes narrow but still sporting that sinister smile. “I was brought to my father in fear and fear is my name.”

“I am Prince Temor!”

The end