"No, Sombra. You don't have everything. Rather, you have nothing...nothing but grains of ashes of the creatures you've slaughtered, directly or indirectly. You say having absolute power is all? Well I say that's bullshit. Strength is only a matter of choice. Fighting like hell to protect whatever it is you hold dear. You possess nothing of that sort. That is why you also have no real strength. And that is also why...your demise is inevitable, no matter how you look at it. Perhaps, that is your reason for still fighting. Your reason for declaring destruction upon existence itself. It is as Starswirl the Bearded said a thousand years ago: The one who rules with fear, is always plagued by it."
He remembered them clearly, from beginning to end - the last long words of that purple unicorn. Even though her 'all-knowing' voice he had twisted into a foalish screech of pain and suffering as he crushed and twisted her spine and limbs, the weight of those words had not wanned one bit. Rather, it had clutched onto his heart like a tumor right up to the day his unsightful demise at the hands of the Sisters came.
Now 500 years later, he stood at the highest peak of the Crystal Empire, where he had watched entire towns and settlements burn under his shadow. He was resurrected. It was bound to happen sooner or later.
Just like how Celestia and Luna were eternally bound to the Sun and the Moon after millenia of controlling them, so was Sombra's existence rooted in the vileness of the world. The hatred, the pride, the ego and the paranoia that fueled conflict and carnage...
The very same things were the reason for his rebirth. It seems his last battle with Celestia had left her quite scarred, because after a few hundred years, she had begone to seclude herself from the world, along with her sister.
They had placed a new ruler, a student of theirs, to handle the already broken politics of Equestria in their stead. He had a few guesses as to who that student may have been - a descendant most likely of that priestess.
The replacement monarch managed things very well, perhaps even surpassing her predacessor in keeping Equestria stable. However, one day, a former student of Celestia's from around the years of their war, came back from a foreign dimension. She had been biding her time until she had gained enough strength to challenge all of Equestria.
The rest of the story spoke for itself. The other student killed Celestia's chosen one. She wounded Luna's existence to the point of making her incapable to appear in the physical third dimensional realm. Finally, Celestia, in a desperate but smart move, initiated a self-destruct sequence on the Elements of Harmony. The resulting explosion managed to weaken her wicked student enough for Celestia to kill her via brutal impalement.
In the midst of that conflict, two thirds of Equestria had been turned into a wasteland, with few souls still amongst the living. Drowning in despair and pain, most of Celestia's will to live crumbled that day. Her beliefs died, as well. But not...she. A part of her survived. The superficial one. The aspect of her personality driven purely by her most selfish and egotistical thoughts.
Daybreaker
A Princess that was led not by logic and love, but by the suffocating desire to seek any sort of comfort to her unresting soul. A shallow being...
"Just like you, Sombra."
Well, that's what the 'modern scholars' told him anyways. That Nightwind Dazzle boy had pestered him with questions of the distant past for hours on end before he finally did right and sang about his own stories. Sombra had an itching feeling that this pretty stallion was also of the purple priestess' lineage.
Heh...even after all these years, her presence continued to loom over his conscience. Her blood relative keeping an eye on him. Her own pre-dying words pushing shame and guilt into his shallow heart.
Sombra heaved a sad sigh. Perhaps, even the cries of a thousand dying babes accompanied by the delicious screams of their horrofied mothers, would not deafen those words. No, no, no...the meaning of her accusations would remain carved into his soul like a burning mark - a reminder of where he truly stood.
Not on some crystallized throne or on a mountain of the bodies of his enemies, but beneath all of it. Beneath the shittiest shit-filled slums, trampled by cattle.
He looked over the horizon from the balcony of the Crystal Castle. There, somewhere over that horizon, a burning blaze was gathering fiery rage, preparing to blast this kingdom and the rest of this worl-ney, the Multiverse to oblivion. Even though the night was cold (even colder thanks to his dark presence affecting the weather of the entire kingdom), he could feel Daybreaker's flame licking his skin, tasting his subtle fear.
"She has grown immensely. Last we met, it was like looking at a distant star from the vast cosmos, shinning and beautiful, yet a bit powerless. But now, this star has grown big enough to cover the whole sky and dwarf even the Sun itself."
He wondered...His mind wondered. His body tried to suppress the trembles that would finally confirm the priestess' words. That he was a coward. And so he distracted himself with wondering thoughts and questions.
Why was Celestia attacking the Crystal Kingdom? Were any of the current residents of the Crystal Kingdom actual descendants of his once loyal vanguard? Was Luna still attending to the dreams of equestrians? Was Luna still Luna and not an execrable nightmare? What would happen now?
The ministers of the Crystal Kingdom had resurrected him with the purpose of using him as a secret weapon against the might of Daybreaker and her legion of Sunspawn(abominations created from the Sun itself)...
Yet another solemn sigh escaped his lips, though he was smiling. Smiling genuinely at the folly of it all.
"Ironic, is it not? Our fates had always been like that, Celestia. Once, I helped you gain control over Equestria. I was your appointed guardian, after the death of your mentor at the hands of the Qliphots. But I became envious and sought to claim your glory, for I deserved it as much, if not more, as you. Then, I was your enemy and that further cemented your undeserved fame. A millenia later and once again we clashed as enemies. Once more, you were the savior and I was the fiendish villain."
And now...things had gone full circle. It all ends how it began. With the two of them bickering and squabbling over something. This time, he was to be the savior and she was to be proclaimed the villain.
And yet, he was paralyzed with fear. Fear not only of her power, but of the future. What would happen to him, after he had completed his 'task', the reason given to him by his recreators? Would they send him back to the Ether? What if he failed to meet their expectations?
Yeah, you could say he could simply destroy the fools, but the whole Crystal Kingdom already knew he was back. If their leaders were killed by him, they'd surely rebel against him. And if the Crystal Kingdom didn't support him and the rest of the world wanted nothing to do with ponykind as a whole, then he would be forced to flee to the far corners of the universe.
But simply fleeing from the problem and acting like a survivalist would do him no good. Daybreaker will no doubt eventually find him and by the time she does, she will be so strong, she'd crush him like an insect.
More and more sweat began to pour down the Fallen King's forehead as he struggled to keep a clear head, his knees bucking underneath the stress. The hopelessness of every plausible scenario send a static chill down his shadowy being. And in his depression, her words echoed, louder than ever.
"...your demise is inevitable, no matter how you look at it. Perhaps, that is your reason for still fighting. Your reason for declaring destruction upon existence itself. The one who rules with fear, is always plagued by it."
Maybe she was right...
...
Sombra furrowed his brows, a weak ember of something akin to hope sparkling in the depths of his dark being.
Maybe she was right, yes. But that just meant that she was yet to be proven wrong.
And now, he had that chance. Now, faced against more impossible odds than ever, with soldiers unwilling to go out on the battlefield, he could prove...that King Sombra though spreading fear, is undaunted by it!
He went to the general of the kingdom's military.
"Prepare your troops. We attack tomorrow at the hour of twilight."
The general's eyes widened.
"B-But...I...the troops..." he struggled to find the courage to say it to him, but one lower ranked officer did.
"With all due respect, Sombra, none of us think fighting Daybreaker is a wise move. Most of us have voted for surrender."
Sombra vanished and then reappeared in an instant in front of the bold stallion, who froze on the spot at his cold glare.
"Are you afraid, little colt?"
"N-No..." he objected, even though he was soaking the floor underneath with piss. Earlier, he had struggled to describe the off-putting feeling he got from everyone in this place. But the smell of the piss summarized it perfectly.
Everyone was scared. His features softened somewhat and leaned forward, whispering into the ear of the stallion.
"I am. Very much so. Afraid, that is." then he stepped back, eyeing everyone in the room, not with his eyes, but with his very soul. "But if none of you are willing to fight for your own sake, and if none of you are willing to go to war, than I shall be this kingdom's only fighting unit."
"...your demise is inevitable, no matter how you look at it. Perhaps, that is your reason for still fighting."
That's right, you isolated bitch. Fear is what drives me. Fear of being forgotten and overshadowed. Fear of being stolen what was his. Fear of being punished for his crimes. Fear of being put in this hopeless situation.
And suddenly, there were more voices.
And suddenly, there were way more volunteers.
And suddenly, he no longer felt afraid.