//------------------------------// // The Oncoming Storm // Story: The Return of the King // by MisterEdd //------------------------------// More than a thousand years ago... The Forbidden Jungle lay towards the southern tip of Equestria, a dense forest stretching for miles with the Badlands on one side and the sea on the other. Deep in the collection of thickets and tangled flora, a group of changelings journeyed to a mountain towards the center of the jungle, their black carapaces slick with cooling secretions. Leading the band was their monarch Queen Chelicerae, her purple eyes fiercely purveying the area from atop her litter. She'd been invited by a mysterious party to attend a meeting of Equestria's enemies, promising her vengeance against the Three Tribes and their precious alicorn leaders. Doubting the concept of an ambush, she nevertheless brought with her a troop of fifty changeling soldiers not only to be cautious but also to show her own might. Above them, a great loomed overhead and the platoon halted, the litter-bearers kneeling down so that Queen Chelicerae could plant her three good limbs onto the ground. Despite her lame left hindleg, she held herself with dignity and lightly hobbled to address her second-in-command. "General Pleuron!" A red-crested changeling in purple armor bowed his head. "Your Majesty." "Come, let us introduce ourselves." She strode arrogantly towards the mountain with General Pleuron silently tailing her, arriving at the mouth of a great cave at the mountain's base. Inside, a series of wall-mounted torches lit the tunnel and soon they found they way into a giant cavern, the stalactite-covered ceiling rising three hundred feet above their heads. A being made of molten rock and flames was in a heated discussion-pun not intended-with a cyclops while a large diamond dog sat silently amongst four others of his race. At the other end, a trio of bat-ponies were hissing to each other in their native tongue before their heads darted to stare at the newcomers, the eyeshine of their retinas making their eyes glow in the dim light. Known also as cavalums and thestrals, they were similar to pegasi except for their thicker coats, bat-like wings, tall pointed ears and enlarged canines. Bat-ponies were hematophagous; they drank blood instead of eating fruits or grains, making them unwelcome in Equestrian society. The tallest of the bat-ponies approached the changelings, his hooves carrying him soundlessly across the cavern floor. He was pale white with a bald head and glowing yellow eyes that contained almond-shaped pupils. He was dressed all in black and unlike his kin, his fangs were located at the front of his mouth side-by-side, giving him a rat-like appearance. General Pleuron stepped forward to intercept the bat-pony but Queen Chelicerae held him back. The bat-pony's wings twitched as he addressed Chelicerae, speaking with a strange accent. "Are you the one who called us here?" "No, I am not. I am Queen Chelicerae of the changelings." The bat-pony's head jerked slightly as he bowed it. "I am Orlok, king of the thestrals or 'bat-ponies' as we are called." By the tone in his voice, he didn't particularly care for the designation. "I see," Queen Chelicerae replied softly, pouring on the charm. "It is an honor to meet you." "Can someone tell me who arranged this?!" The molten creature boomed. "Be silent, fire-spawn!" The largest of the diamond dogs hissed. "Black Shuck did not bid you to speak!" Flames burst from in between the cracks in the molten being's armor-like hide. "I am Lavan, king of the fire demons and I will not be commanded by a filthy mutt!" "Ex-king," the cyclops, Brontes, haughtily pointed out. "You rule over an extinct race in a dead realm." "I will burn you to cinders!" "ENOUGH!" They all turned. A unicorn appeared on a ledge one hundred feet above their heads. Even the cyclops had to strain to look up at him. The stallion leapt, transforming into a wispy shadow that descended onto the center of the cavern's floor and rematerializing. Queen Chelicerae's eyes widened at the newcomer, not trusting her sight but forced to accept the truth. The unicorn was dark gray with a black mane and a red, curved horn protruded from his head. Red eyes darted from one attendee to the next. "I summoned you all here." "That's not possible," Queen Chelicerae uttered. "The umbrums were all destroyed in the war!" The stallion turned towards her. "I am Sombra, the last umbrum." "For what purpose did you bring us here?" Brontes demanded. Sombra addressed the whole group. "We have all of us been wronged by the Three Tribes and their precious alicorns. Our races killed or even wiped out, our homes taken from us, forcing many of you into less-than-ideal living arrangements." "Indeed," Orlok nodded. "Before, my kind dwelled in the lands of our forefathers before King Solaris forced us out and dubbed it 'Canterlot.' Ponies fear and despise us, claiming that we steal their foals in the night." Queen Chelicerae roared, "Changelings used to live all over Equestria but thanks to the ponies, we're forced into swamps and the deepest forests, starving and deprived of our main food source. Oh sure, we could leave, but Equestria is ours! We should not have to flee! We are changelings!" "Diamond dogs claimed much of Equestria's underground but ponies think of us as stupid mongrels that don't need their underground. Black Shuck has asked Queen Concordia for more land but she refuses!" "King Solaris personally killed many cyclopes during the War," Brontes growled. "We now are few in number." "That's better than I!" Lavan proclaimed. "I once led an army of ten thousand strong, ready to turn the world to ash. Now I have only myself and a burning desire to destroy everything lush and green." "And that," Sombra enunciated. "Is why you're all here today. I wish to propose an alliance between all of us. Aid me in conquering the Crystal Empire and soon, the rest of Equestria." "Why should we listen to you?" General Pleuron spoke for the first time since entering the cavern. "You were but a colt when the War concluded. We changelings sided with the umbrums but they lost and we suffered for it." He stood beside Chelicerae, who stared pitifully at her lame hind-leg. "So that's it? You're just going to give up and allow Concordia and her ilk to stroll freely over your territories?" Sombra turned to each and every one of them. "One loss and you're ready to cower?" "I cower before no one!" Lavan slammed a stone fist against his chest. Sombra grinned, purple smoke swirling from his eyes. "Then help me storm the Crystal Empire and together, Equestria will fall. You will all get your retribution, your homes. No longer will you hide in the shadows or swamps. Show the ponies why stealing your lands was a mistake." "There are five alicorns in charge. Can you face them all?" Brontes asked skeptically. "I can and I will. They may be powerful but they are also arrogant. Peacetime has turned them into a freshly put-out bonfire: all smoke and no flames. Besides, with the time that's passed, they won't expect us to rise up against them. By conquering the Crystal Empire, we'll take out two of their own and show Concordia that we're a force to be reckoned with." The stallion spoke with such vigor and conviction that Queen Chelicerae found herself unexpectedly moved. "I will join your campaign. May the streets run red with the blood of alicorns." "My flames will scorch the earth so that nothing grows again," Lavan intoned, pounding his chest. "Black Shuck agrees to your alliance. Ponies will fear the wrath of the diamond dogs!" Brontes knelt before Sombra. "I will send word to my people. We are yours to command." The three bat-ponies screeched to one another before Orlok nodded towards the other male in his group. "In the name of our sovereign Orlok the First, I, Eclipse of the Clan Nightfall, do formally acquiesce to your proposal." "How do we conquer the Crystal empire?" Queen Chelicerae enquired eagerly. Sombra's eyes glowed a sinister green. "Leave that to me." ~*~ The wind ripped through Sombra's mane as howling gales reverberated throughout the seemingly endless ivory plains of the Frozen North. Ignoring the frigid temperature and the gusts of winds, he continued his trek through the four-inch deep snow, the spires of the Crystal Empire looming just overhead. A mix of both triumph and trepidation entered his heart but he ignored them, choosing instead to march forward as if nothing happened. Movement entered his peripheral and he cocked his head slightly to the left, his gaze fixed onto the silvery, blue-gray shapes that stopped to glare at him. Ice-wargs: giant wolves that roamed the expanse of the tundra and served as the bane of many wayward travelers. The largest one, whom Sombra took to be the pack leader, stepped forward to lock its gold-speckled brown eyes on him. Sombra returned the stare and after a minute of unflinching eye contact, the lead ice-warg turned and with a toss of its head, directed its packmates to follow it as it vanished into the fog. With a faint smirk, Sombra continued on his journey. Neither pony nor beast shall impede me on my quest. My cause is just. It wasn't long before he'd arrived at the entrance to the Crystal Empire and placed a hoof on one of the howlite beams, flooding his mind with memories he had assumed long dead and buried. Shaking his head, Sombra freed himself from the haze of nostalgia and found himself facing two crystal ponies in royal guard armor. They jabbed their spears at him threateningly. "Halt! Who goes there?" The first one barked. "Identify yourself!" The second one added. "Sombra Darkhame, here to see the king and queen." They shared puzzled looks between them before the first one spoke up. "We've never heard of you." "Good." A green glow filled Sombra's eyes, its ebbing light drawing the royal guards in, their jaws going slack and their eyes drawn wide open. They swayed slightly, their eyes briefly becoming green as they fell into a trance. Sombra's voice was distant but soothing. "Is General Sunstone still alive?" "Yes," the first guard droned. "But he retired a year ago." "General Azurite has taken over his position," the second guard answered. "Excellent. Now, listen to me very carefully..." ~*~ The copper-colored stallion stared morosely into the fireplace, his thoughts as wild and searing as the crackling flames. Sunstone took a gulp of wine and grunted, his incandescent hide glittering in the light. The Umbrum-Draconequus War had long since passed but the memories of the conflict haunted him daily, especially those of the war's conclusion. Historians termed it "the Dravite Hill Massacre," but it should've been called "the Dravite Hill Annihilation." When his troops were finished, not a single umbrum villager was left alive, save for one traumatized colt. He rose stiffly, his joints cracking as he shuffled to refill his glass. A suit of umbrum armor stood on display, an everlasting reminder of the atrocities they'd committed, what he committed. When the war was over, Sunstone and his platoon were given medals and declared heroes, but there was nothing heroic about the deaths of civilians whose only crime was being the same race as those Equestria was at war with. Sunstone had recently turned seventy and when King Carnelian asked him to retire, he gracefully accepted and even chose his successor. The fact was that even though he loved his rulers and his home, he could no longer continue to serve either and it wasn't just due to his age. Sunstone slid back into his chair and sighed deeply. The empire hadn't been the same since the prince vanished. The official story was that he merely went missing while exploring the Yaret Range but he knew better. He knew Tourmaline's true identity, as he was there the day the king and queen spared the colt's life, their biggest act of kindness but also their greatest folly. He'd witnessed the umbrum shedding his crystalline shell and rediscovering who he was, what he was and knew that it'd only be a matter of time before he returned to wreak terrible vengeance. His front door pounded. "Sunstone, sir! Open up in the name of the king!" Setting aside his wine, Sunstone gently pushed himself to his hooves and ambled as fast as he could to the door, not wishing to delay his guests. A pair of royal guards were waiting for him on the other side of the door, their postures statue-like as they curtly bowed. The larger of the two stated, "Sunstone, we've been dispatched to inform you that the king wishes for your presence immediately. It concerns grave matters pertaining to the empire's security." Sunstone gave an understanding nod. "I will be right back." Shutting the door, he quickly brushed his mane and donned his hat and scarf. He was ready to rejoin the guards when he paused before an open window and frowned. It wasn't open a minute ago. He shrugged and closed it, turning to head back to the door when a dark shape loomed above him, a pair of red eyes burning in the blackness. Sunstone tried to scream, only for a tendril to wrap around his muzzle while two more took a hold of him and threw him into his chair, lashing him to it. The shape diminished, shrinking until it was at eye-level, shifting into an equine form. It was a unicorn stallion with a red curved horn, dark gray fur and a pitch black mane, a silver spiked crown atop his brow. Sunstone's eyes bulged in recognition, a muffled howl in his throat. "Hello General," Sombra uttered. "It's been a long time." The tendril around Sunstone's muzzle retracted and he shifted his jaws around to get the feeling back. "You...you've returned. I knew you would." Sombra chuckled darkly. "Why wouldn't I? This is my home, my kingdom." He then took on a more grim expression. "The Crystal Empire is mine by right. Consider it restitution for the slaughter of my village." The crystal pony had never been more terrified. "L-look...Sombra, I know you're angry and you have every right to be-..." "'Angry?' No, I'm furious!" "I-I know! I didn't want to do it, I was just following orders! We all were!" Leaning forward, Sombra snorted, though there was no humor in his face or his tone. "You...were 'just following orders.'" The tendrils tightened around Sunstone's chest and hindlegs. "Is that what you tell yourself day and night to justify your actions? 'I was just following orders.' Do you lull yourself to sleep with those words? 'I was just...following...orders.'" His eyes wandered over to the armor. It consisted of a steel gorget, leather coif, vambraces and greaves. A low, grow vibrated in Sombra's throat. "And what is that? A trophy of your conquest?" Sunstone struggled in his restraints but they were too tight. "They're a reminder! A reminder that that day happened! So I never forget what I lost and what I continued to lose! What Equestria and the empire are built on!" The umbrum continued to study the armor before returning to Sunstone. "You really regret your actions, don't you? It doesn't matter; I have such plans in store for you, my friend." A sensation of dread developed in the pit of Sunstone's stomach. "Are you going to kill me?" "No." Sombra's eyes lit up like green searchlights. "I have something else in mind for you..."