More Than a Thousand Years Ago...
Dark waves smacked and rocked the Venture like a thousand claws, shaking the vessel as it cut through the sea towards a less-than-ideal destination. The ship's crew dashed to and fro across the deck, screaming orders and adjusting the rigging in order to maintain some sense of control in the dangerous squalls. Amidst the chaos, a single figure stood calmly at the bow, his blood-red cloak flapping around him like the wings of some great beast. His name was Sombra and the focus of his attention lay beyond a thin layer of mist. To everyone else on the Venture, their destination was a fool's errand but to Sombra, it was his destiny.
For three years, he'd traveled the world, searching and failing thus far for a proper teacher in the dark arts. Maleficium, as it was properly referred to as by academics, was a taboo study and thus most of its practitioners were either imprisoned and executed or forced to flee and hide in the most remote corners of the world. This, however, did not deter Sombra and his journey took him from Anugypt and Saddle Arabia to Abyssinia and the Far East. There were warlocks and witches to be sure, but none of them possessed the knowledge that Sombra desired, so he left them and continued his quest. At least it wasn't a complete waste, as he picked up various spells and charms for offensive and defensive magic.
Besides magic, Sombra also learned a variety of skills and trades that only ensured a steady stream of bits for food and travel but also to aid him in a deeper understanding of his own potential. In Japace, he studied metallurgy and the application of poisons and toxins such as curare and iocane powder and in Chineigh, acupuncture and techniques for pain tolerance. Saddle Arabian scholars instructed him in the ways of alchemy and chemistry while in Zebrica and Anugypt, he learned beast-taming and healing respectively. It wasn't until Sombra was staying in Englope when he'd heard rumors of a master sorcerer hiding out on the mysterious Black Skull Island, an area infamous for its barren landscape and site of a dark magic war that left its stain on the land ever since. "This," Sombra decided, "Is where I will find my teacher."
Sombra glided his hoof across the cover of the black book, the very same one that had reawakened his memories and transformed him back into his natural form. As it turned out, it was actually the Rödd skugga, a tome created by the greatest umbrum conjurers and thought to be lost during the Great War with the destruction of the umbrums. For whatever reason, King Carnelian kept it in the Forbidden Section of his library as opposed to destroying it, possibly due to his own curiosity. It was written in umbrumnese, a dialect no longer spoken and this gave Sombra an edge in translating its secrets.
He never heard the mysterious voice again. Perhaps it was the dark remnants of whoever created the book? He read that beings like eidolons and revenants existed so it was well within the realm of possibility. Although he could read the language and perform the spells, Sombra still needed a teacher to help him mold his magic into something lethal enough to take on the final five alicorns-Celestia, Luna, Concordia, Carnelian and Aquamarine-and bring Equestria out of the dark ages. If the rumors were true, then his long search was over and his revenge would finally be complete.
"Ye sure yer want er go ter Black Skull Islan’?" The captain was an old, shaggy-coated stallion from Sireland with a crooked muzzle. He shifted to Sombra's left and gazed out at the mist before them. "Thar’s nathin’ for yer dare but san’ an’ death."
"Then that's where I have to go," Sombra replied simply, growing irritated of the old fool's presence.
"Yer nu, if it wasn’t for de pay, oi never wud risk me ship or me cru ter brin’ yer dare," The captain muttered as a mountain came into view. "Oi ‘ope yer trip wus worth it, Mister Darkhame."
"So do I," Sombra whispered but the captain was already stumbling back to the stern by then.
~*~
Black Skull Island, despite its name, was neither black nor shaped like a skull as Sombra was quick to discover. The sand dominating its beaches was a dark gray with bits of black and any natural fauna was shriveled up and dead, as though the plants refused to live in such a place. It received its name from the aforementioned mountain, which was shaped like the fanged black skull of some leviathan. Other than a quick, "Gran’ luck ter yer, Sir!" nopony spoke to Sombra as his rowboat was lowered into the water; none of the crew were brave enough to bring his boat to shore, so it fell upon Sombra to enter the island alone. He was halfway to the beach when the Venture had turned around and vanished into the perpetual mist, not that he was surprised considering the superstitious nature of sailors as a whole.
The sand gave way to foul-smelling clay-like soil as Sombra trekked across the island, his eyes and ears ready to detect even the faintest trace of another living being. There was nothing: no wind, no chittering animals or even the call of birds. The entire island was like a giant cemetery except even cemeteries, ironically, had signs of life. He closed his eyes and allowed his horn to pulsate with a light black and purple glow. He could feel the dark magic around him, infecting every stone and contorted tree. It was a veritable nexus of dark magic and a chill crept down his spine at the sensation of so much evil. What could've possibly happened to create so much darkness? Not even the Umbrum-Draconequus War left beyond this big of a pocket of malice in its wake.
An hour of searching led him to the island's namesake as he arrived at the foot of the mountain, where the highest concentration of dark magic was gathered.
This is the place.
Sombra readjusted his saddlebags and trudged forward. He soon came across a series of artificial stars carved into the mountain and slowly followed them up, each step bringing him closer and closer to his destiny. His horn flared with activity as it caught traces of recently-used magic. He quickened his pace, breaking into an all-out gallop, running faster and farther than he'd ever ran. The stairs led to a large flat cliff where he spotted a lone stallion staring at him from the darkness of the mountain's shade, his brilliant gamboge eyes full of alertness as they narrowed at the newcomer.
Sombra approached the figure, only to have his fore and hind hooves trapped in place by a flickering sickly-yellow aura. As he pulled and struggled against his bonds, which appeared to sporadically vanish and reappear, the stallion stepped into the light, his face haggard and world-worn. His coat was a grayish aquamarine that was knotted and even missing in places and his shaggy snow-white mane and beard were kept long and streaked with dark gray patches. He was dressed in tattered white silk robes whose design and construction indicated that they'd once been worn in high social circles before being allowed to fall into permanent disrepair. What was most striking, however, was the gnarled, blackened horn that sat atop the crown of his head, resembling the burnt remains of a tree after a wildfire.
The stallion then spoke in a booming baritone:
"Who are you and why have you trespassed onto my island?"
Sombra stopped struggling. "I have heard tales of a dark sorcerer living on this isle. I wished to confirm this."
The old stallion cocked a busy eyebrow. "And why would you do this?"
In response, Sombra threw his hood back, revealing his face to the stallion. "My name is Sombra, last of the umbrums, and I wish to learn from you."
The aura sputtered and faded as the stallion slowly circled Sombra, regarding him with a mixture of shock and fascination. "An umbrum, you say? I thought they were all wiped out. I witnessed the demise of King Erebus and his followers myself."
Sombra noticed his white robes and the pieces fell into place. "You...you're Grimoire Incantatus, the teacher of Starswirl the Bearded. Grimoire the White."
The old stallion froze in mid-step, leaning on his black walking stick. "I was...a long time ago. I was the court magician and main advisor to King Solaris himself. That is, until my back-stabbing whelp of a pupil sold me out and had me banished from Equestria."
"Didn't you switch sides during the War?"
Grimoire nodded. "The umbrums had much to teach us, only Solaris was too much of a fool to see this. As a result, I was stripped of my title and tossed away after my former student did this." He tapped his horn for emphasis. "I've been living here ever since, waiting for a chance to take my vengeance upon the alicorns."
Sombra carefully approached him. "That is why I'm here. I want to avenge my kind but I need to grow stronger if I'm going to do this. Teach me your ways. I want to destroy the alicorns and everything they've built. I want them to suffer as I've suffered. Only then can my kin rest in peace."
Grimoire's brow furrowed deep in thought as he softly muttered to himself. Sombra noticed the madness in the old stallion's eyes, a kind of disturbed magnetism in their intensity. A great silence dominated the mountain and it was a few minutes later that the elder magician finally consented.
"Very well then. I will teach you the ways of maleficium. That is the way of it after all. A master and an apprentice. One to embody the power and the other to crave it. Follow me."
The two entered a large stone archway into the mountain, where an entire fortress had been carved into the stone. Giant pillars reached up to the high ceilings, which were all covered in letters from an alphabet that even Sombra couldn't identify. Great stone sconces clasping green flames littered the great hall and statues depicting enchanters of old stood like silent guards. It was unknown if this place existed before Grimoire's arrival and if it didn't, then it would've taken years, decades even, for this single old pony to create this place. Sombra was impressed either way. He noticed Grimoire magically wrenching the top off a barrel, the yellow glow waxing and waning as the old stallion violently ripped something out.
Sombra dropped his saddlebag to the floor and asked, "What is it that you have there?"
A large, crimson beetle was suspended in mid-air and kept at a safe distance as it irritatingly snapped its saw-toothed mandibles at the stallion. Grimoire turned his mad gaze towards Sombra.
"Do you know what this is?" He asked with a dark smirk.
Sombra shook his head. Grimoire floated the beetle out so that he could see it better. It possessed four legs, the first two of which ended in two, scythe-like appendages. A series of armor-like plates encompassed its thorax and several hooks ran along its sides.
"Think fast!"
Grimoire tossed the beetle at Sombra, who barely had enough time to dodge, allowing the beetle to cut his cheek with one of its thorax-hooks. Before Sombra had time to question Grimoire's actions, he heard a high-pitched, chattering-shriek and spun to evade the beetle, which was now whizzing through the air on blood-red wings. He shot at the beetle with a concussive blast but missed and rolled to avoid its scythe-like graspers. Grimoire chuckled amusingly.
"That, my young friend, is a berserker-beetle. Once it detects blood, it launches itself into a mindless fury and attacks its prey. I've heard that it can strip ponies to the bone in a matter of minutes."
Issuing another shriek, the berserker-beetle launched itself at Sombra, who rolled and fired off another magic blast, this time knocking the beetle out of the air. Just when Sombra thought that he'd won, the beetle recovered in mid-air and zoomed around him, grazing his foreleg with a grasper. At the smell of more blood, the berserker-beetle shrieked once again and zipped straight on towards Sombra. Now he was in a dilemma: either he reveal the full scope of his abilities or allow the beetle to cut away at him.
How can I convince Grimoire that I'm a novice if I don't use any spells? And I can't learn from him if I'm dead!
One look at Grimoire's sadistic grin and Sombra came upon a solution. He turned and ran, leading the beetle towards the old stallion. Once he was convinced that he had a clear shot, Sombra dropped and hit the beetle square in its underbelly, sending it careening towards Grimoire. The beetle struck him on the nose, scratching him with its thorax and eliciting another battle-shriek from the blood-hungry arthropod. Sombra couldn't help but grin at the sight of the old pony as he dipped and ducked the beetle's attacks before grasping it in a telekinetic hold and slamming it into a nearby wall until it was a pulpy mess.
Grimoire turned from the beetle's remains to assess Sombra.
"Clearly you need proper training but you have a good head on your shoulders. Well done. Your training starts tomorrow."