Howling winds ripped at King Sombra's mane and cape but he didn't care; he was a stallion on a mission, his horn emitting a blinking black glow with popping purple bubbles. He strode through the snow, climbing a small hill and scanning the landscape until he found his quarry. After a few short teleportation jumps, he arrived at a ridge of the Crystal Mountains, heading up towards the Yaket Mountains. There King Sombra searched until he found a cliffside containing a set of cone-shaped cairns, fifteen-foot tall structures made of piled-up rocks. He placed a hoof against, sliding it against the rough surface of the stone and recalling the day that he made them.
Withdrawing his hoof, King Sombra marched past them, arriving at the face of a cliff that rose high above his head. His horn crackled with green and purple flames and he swept it in front of the wall, magically melting away a thick layer of ice and snow to reveal a pair of massive stone doors built into it. Ornate patterns of interlacing knots and fierce beasts were meticulously carved into the cliffside, an endeavor that'd taken hours even for the umbrum but was worth it to his pride as a craftspony. A triple-horned triskele was situated in the middle surrounded by a ring of ancient runes. He placed his horn's tip in the center of the triskele and spoke aloud:
"Opnaðu gáttina, svo talar ég!"
A deep rumbling boomed around King Sombra, the stone wall rattling as the runes were illuminated with a piercing trail of crimson light. The light traced the various carvings, bathing him in a bright glow before the doors groaned open, allowing him entry into a place not visited in over a millennium. Fire from King Sombra's horn revealed the expanse of the cavern he'd created, a safehouse of sorts should he ever needed to hide. He ignored the shelves of dust-covered books and chests full of gold, not even sparing a glance at his collection of magical weapons and relics. Digging through a large crate, he found a small chest hidden within and gingerly opened it to reveal a simple bracelet of precious stones that he clasped to his chest.
The afternoon sun bathed the Crystal Empire in scintillating light, illuminating the translucent buildings of the kingdom and creating a sea of shimmering lights. Crystal ponies dotted the streets, the glow of their radiant coats creating dancing beams of multicolored light. Atop a balcony on the Crystal Castle, Prince Tourmaline watched the sparkling masses below, his rose-colored eyes studying the common folk as they mindlessly went about their lives. A young couple pushed a stroller with a foal down the street, laughing and amongst themselves mirthfully. He wondered what it'd be like to be a commoner, just another face in the crowd instead of the crown prince of the Crystal Empire.
It wasn't that he didn't appreciate his privileged life; rather it was curiosity that caused Tourmaline to ruminate on the topic. After his ascension to alicorn status and subsequent marriage to Celestia, it had occurred to the stallion that other than a few trips to Canterlot, he'd never actually left the Crystal Empire and thus had no idea what Equestria was like. Something was missing, though Tourmaline hadn't a clue as to what that something was. Ever since he was a foal, he'd felt as though there was a part of him that was absent, like the misplaced piece of a jigsaw puzzle. Whenever he brought this up with his parents, they merely assured him that it was normal to feel that way but he never bought it. Their words were always warm and kindly but somehow felt to him as being disingenuous.
"They say that if you make a face long enough, it'll become stuck like that."
A crystal pony mare with a glittering magenta coat strolled into the room, a triple-pointed tiara set upon her chest-length, ivory and rose-red mane. Her emerald-green eyes sparkled with deep-seated affection and good-natured humor. Other than Discord, Tourmaline had never met anyone with such a hint of mischief in their gaze, and mischievous she was. Garnet loved making trouble, practical jokes especially, and he was often the one who had to clean up her messes.
"That's just a myth, Gar," Tourmaline grinned, shifting his wings at his side. "When I first told you that, you refused to smile for a week. The servants starting calling you, 'Princess Stoneface.'"
Garnet tittered. "Mother and Father weren't pleased." She took a seat at the sky-blue azurite table and magically opened up a wooden box, retrieving two strings and several beads made of various minerals. "They grounded you for two days, if I'm not mistaken."
Tourmaline sat down across from her and, wrapping one of the strings and a cluster of beads in his light blue aura, pulled the materials towards him. He selected a few beads and threaded the string through it, going in a pattern of blue, green, teal and violet before starting over again. Bracelet-making was a tradition they'd started when Garnet was five and they simply continued it, building up quite a collection over the years. They knew that is was only a matter of time before she too was married off and the siblings wouldn't have the time to partake in this activity so they elected to enjoy it while it lasted. Honestly, where did the time go?
"They quickly forgave me after I spent an hour straight making you laugh."
"I nearly wet myself I was laughing so hard!"
Tourmaline chuckled. "I know! With the way you were laughing, they could hear you in Mount Aris!"
Shaking her head, Garnet stared at him somewhat seriously. "You really need to get out there and make some friends, Toury. You can't just stay inside the castle with your books all day."
"Excuse me, but I have plenty of friends."
"Name five."
Tourmaline scratched anxiously at the back of his head. "Well...there's you-..."
"Siblings don't count."
"Celestia-..."
"Spouses don't count either."
"Um, Luna?"
"That's one."
"And Discord."
"Two."
"And...me, myself, and I!" Tourmaline rattled off and crossed his forelegs smugly.
Garnet facehoofed herself. "That's cheating!"
"Don't care!"
"Well you should." Garnet leaned forward with a crooked grin. "I don't think ponies will take it so well if they found out Tourmaline the Benevolent was a friendless cheater."
The gray alicorn frowned at her. "I hate that name."
"I know! So I love it!" She hummed and tied the ends of her bracelet together. "Done!"
They exchanged bracelets and Tourmaline had to admit, this one had to be her best work yet. It glittered with stones of yellowish-brown, light pink, wine-red, pale green and deep blue. He slipped it onto his right pastern and took a minute to admire the look and feel of it against his skin. As an empath, he could literally detect the love emanating off of it and felt a swell of pride at being so blessed at having a sister like her.
"Thanks Garnet. I love it!" Tourmaline telekinetically yanked Garnet out of her seat and into his open embrace.
Garnet chuckled and buried her head into his chest. "I'm glad. I love you, big brother."
"And I love you, little sister."
Kissing the bracelet, King Sombra slipped it on, watching the light dance across the stones.
"Soon, this'll all be over, Garnet. Soon."
~*~
"You're dismissed," Princess Celestia sighed towards the earth pony guard, slumping back into her throne. The team of unicorns she'd dispatched to capture Sombra had all failed, every single one of them requiring medical attention, even hospitalization for several of them. She knew that Sombra was dangerous, but his viciousness and brutality continued to surprise her. Thankfully, none of them had been killed though one stallion had several broken bones from being tossed out of a third-story window, only reducing his injuries due to splits-second magical application. Ex-royal guard Golden Shield, alongside his cohorts, was now a jabbering lunatic.
"I don't understand, Sister," Princess Luna asked. "Why did Sombra spare their lives?"
"It's a tactic of psychological warfare," Princess Celestia explained. "He knows he has the power of life and death in his hooves and can either grant it or take it whenever it suits him."
"Perhaps..." Princess Luna was deep in thought, clearly not convinced by Celestia's rationale. She'd visited his dreams on multiple accounts, as well as those of Twilight Sparkle's. They had a positive influence on one another, mostly on Twilight's end and had seen changes in the ex-king's behavior. Maybe he spared those soldiers out of mercy or even a shred of basic decency?
A pegasus royal guard entered the room, a hooded unicorn behind him.
"Your Highnesses, Adept Red Sulfur is here to seek an audience with you."
Princess Celestia quickly adopted her benevolent ruler expression. "Thank you. How can we help you, Adept?"
The unicorn bowed, pulling lightly on his light burgundy beard. "Your Majesties, I have dire news. There was a break-in at the School for Gifted Unicorns. Traces of dark magic was detected."
Both alicorns gasped. Princess Celestia leaned forward on her throne. "Was anything taken?"
"We discovered that a document was missing from the Restricted Archives Section. A map supposedly leading to the Flashstone."
A shiver ran down Princess Celestia's spine. "Are you sure of this?!"
"I am, Your Majesty," Red Sulfur confirmed grimly.
The Flashstone was an old and extremely powerful artifact, an amulet capable of altering the very fabric of reality. Five hundred years ago, an ancient sea-dwelling being known as Squirk attempted to use it to flood Equestria. Princess Celestia was able to defeat him and steal the Flashstone, using it to seal the leviathan back beneath the ocean's depths where he belonged. Unfortunately, destroying the amulet would've resulted in a cataclysmic burst of magical energy powerful enough to split the continent in two, so instead she hid it away in the Badlands. If Sombra wanted its power, then he was more desperate for revenge than Princess Celestia could've given him credit for.
She turned to her sister. "Luna, send a message to Twilight and her friends, tell them to hurry to the Badlands as fast as they can! Sombra cannot possess the Flashstone! Faust help us if he does."
Red Sulfur bowed once more. "I must hurry back to the school, Your Majesty. The recent break-in might attract more thefts."
"Be on your way, Red Sulfur and harmony be with you."
"As with you as well."
~*~
The Badlands were a large patch of red-orange sand, scorching earth and blistering heat, a wasteland stretching for miles where nothing grew water was considered a luxury. At one point, prisoners who were to be executed were left out there to perish. King Sombra was learning this lesson himself, his thick fur damp with sweat beneath his cloak and cowl. His kind were built for the cold, not the heat and he pitied any creatures that were foolish enough to make this place their home. As it just so happened, there were bands of ponies living in the Badlands, just not of the regular Equestrian variety and it was their aid that he sought.
Past a cluster of dunes and through a giant canyon, King Sombra hiked beneath the boiling sun until he came across a makeshift camp of dozens of tents. Slowly, he approached the camp and got a better look at its proprietors. Scorponies were nomadic in nature and a more recent addition to Equestria's races, having only arrived within the last two hundred years. They were similar to their more classically equine brethren except their backs, limbs and underbellies were covered in a thick, armored carapace that ranged in color from light brown to dark purple. Their segmented tails ended in pincers that contained a neurotoxin strong enough to knock out a full-grown pony with even the smallest of scratches.
The males varied in size, being comparable to a pony or even growing a foot taller than Sombra while the females were either exactly the same size or a little larger than a foal. Some of them were garbed in multihued articles of clothing, with scarves, belt sashes and straw hats for the males and shawls and head scarves for the females. As it just so happened, they had chosen to set up camp exactly where King Sombra needed them to be. A few sentries, noticing his approach, leapt forward with spears and daggers raised. Their tails were arched and their pincers clacking rhythmically.
Slowly peeling back his cowl, King Sombra kept his hooves raised as he lowered himself to the ground submissively. "Greetings, fellow travelers. I wish to dine amongst you and if possible, meet your leader in order to discuss trade."
Speaking to one another in a strange tongue, they surrounded him with the largest one cocking his head left and right. He then gestured for King Sombra to follow him, his fellow tribesponies poking at the umbrum with their spears. All activity in the camp ceased so that they could observe the newcomer, eyes full of mistrust but also curiosity. They hung a left and marched into a large tent, coming face-to-face with an old, scarlet-colored scorpony reclining on a pile of cushions. The big scorpony whispered into his ear and he nodded, sitting up to face King Sombra.
"They tell me you wished to meet with me?"
King Sombra bowed. "That is the truth, Great Chief."
The old scorpony stroked his beard. "Who are you who so brazenly enters our camp?"
"I am Sombra Darkhame, King of the Crystal Empire, Conqueror of the Frozen North and Son of Weland. I am known as the Shadow King, Láthspell, and Shadavar. As Imhooftep, I was High Priest of the pharaoh Djogser and also Karkadann of the Abyssinian Plains. To the natives of Zebrica, I was known as Macho Mekundu, or 'Red Eyes.' I am the Resurrected, the Avenging Son and the Last Umbrum."
"You have many names, Sombra Darkhame," the old scorpony hummed. "And 'umbrum'...yes, I have heard that name in my travels. The shadow-ponies from the Land of Mist and Ice, long since dead. They were great warriors." He rose and walked around King Sombra. "I am Charybdo, the Scarlet Death, the Breaker of Skulls, Poisoner of Demons and Great Chief to the Blazing Star Tribe."
"I am honored," King Sombra bowed.
Charybdo poured two glasses of water and offered one to King Sombra, who gratefully accepted. The old scorpony sat upon his pile of cushions. "Why are you here, Darkhame?"
"The ruler of Equestria did me a great disservice and I've sworn vengeance upon her."
Charybdo lowered his glass mid-sip. "You mean the Sun Mare?"
"The very same. She is responsible for the death of my kin and family."
"That is unfortunate," Charybdo stated. "But what does that have to do with us?"
"Great Chief," King Sombra began, "The Sun Mare will be sending six of her defenders after me. They will track me here and I wish for your warriors to fight them off but not kill them."
"Do you now?" Charybdo's tail flicked at his side. "Why should we aid you?"
In response, King Sombra pushed his saddlebags forward and nodded towards them. Puzzled, Charybdo summoned a mare to take his glass while one of the sentries passed the saddle bags to him. He soon retrieved a wooden, Y-shaped object covered in symbols.
"That is a dowsing rod, enchanted to find the nearest source of water. Grasp it by the prongs."
Doing so, Charybdo jumped slightly as the dowsing rod began to glow bright blue, gently vibrating with a gentle warble. It directed him to the glass cup sitting on a nearby chest. The other scorponies chattered amongst themselves, evidently in awe of the magical item. As a former member of a nomadic race, King Sombra knew that wanderers didn't care for riches or fine materials like silk. The only thing that mattered were the basic essentials for survival, such as food, weapons and of course, water, especially if your physiology and lifestyle was acclimated to hot temperatures.
"In exchange for your services, you get to keep that."
Passing the rod to a sentry for inspection, Charybdo hummed to himself and idly stroked his beard. He then smiled, "You are a shrewd one, Sombra of the Dark Coat. We have a bargain."
~*~
"So how much further? All of this moisture is making my mane all frizzy!" Rarity squealed impatiently.
Twilight followed the glowing pendant around her neck before glancing behind her. "According to this dark magic tracker, we're almost there."
Rainbow Dash wiped her brow. "Great! I can't wait to lay the smackdown on King Sombra!"
"Uh, Dash? Aren't ya forgettin' tha last time we faced him? He wiped tha floor with us!"
"Applejack is right," Twilight mumbled as she peered out into the Badlands. Ever since their journey, she'd been quiet, reserved. Heck, even Fluttershy had more to say than her. Normally this would've been an issue but given the circumstances, the others left her alone. "Sombra is way too much for any one of us to handle, even if we team up."
From atop his perch on Twilight's back, Spike patted her head reassuringly. "Hey, everything's going to be alright, Twi."
"I wish I could believe that," Twilight numbly replied. "I thought Sombra was getting better. I knew he was still hurting and I...I thought I could help him. But I wasn't enough."
Applejack placed a hoof on her shoulder. "Hey now, don't say that. Everypony's got demons that they just can't shake. Yah can't expect ta change everypony. Especially somepony like Sombra."
"Yeah! Plus Sombra really, really loves you!" Pinkie Pie jumped in. "He didn't say anything because he didn't want to hurt you!"
"But by saying nothing, he still hurt me! I thought he trusted me and I trusted him!"
"I was saying it all along-..." Rainbow started when Fluttershy of all ponies shut her up with a warning glare. "Sorry."
"Let's just get going," Twilight murmured and strode ahead.
It was an hour before they neared a small camp of some unusual-looking ponies. Their bodies were coated with armor-like plating and in place of hair, their tails were segmented metasomas ending in a pair of pincers. Scorpius equus, also known as "scorponies," were a mysterious type of equine race that roamed the deserts and harsh wastelands of Equestria, having adapted to arid climates and barren landscapes. They were mistrustful of outsiders but still offered aid to wayward travelers. So far, they declined any efforts by ponypologists to study their culture, making this a golden opportunity for Twilight and the advancement of social sciences.
The seven approached the camp when they heard a shout in a language they'd never heard before a crackling ball of reddish pink energy sailed over their heads. An explosion threw them forward, tumbling through the hot sand as a band of scorponies charged towards them.
"Everypony, run!"
Taking a cue from Twilight, they fled away from their attackers, taking refuge behind an outcrop of rocks.
"Ah! Why are they shooting at us?!"
Fluttershy hugged Rarity tightly. "Maybe they think we're attacking them?"
Twilight shook her head. "No, they're a warrior race but they're not hostile."
"Well, they're mighty ornery now, ain't they?" Applejack pointed out. "Duck!"
"A duck? Where!" Applejack managed to yank Pinkie down just in time to avoid a thrown spear.
The scorponies advanced, some firing magic missiles from their tails while others were using spears or slings and rocks. Twilight peered over the rock, carefully assessing the situation. She spotted a large rock back and to the left of the charging horde and an idea formed.
"Alright, I'm going to teleport to that rock over there and provide you with cover fire. Applejack, start breaking apart some of these stones so Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy can attack from above."
"Gotcha!"
The earth began slamming her hindhooves against a large boulder, cracking it and sending chunks of debris tumbling down as the two pegasi gathered up their new ammunition.
"Great! Rarity, you and Spike will hit them from here with your magic and fire."
"Sure thing, Twi!"
"You've got it, Darling!"
"Ooh, ooh! What about me?!"
Twilight grinned and placed a hoof on Pinkie's shoulder. She pointed up to a nearby hill. "Do you see that hill? I need you up there to barrage them with rocks."
"Okey-dokey-lokey! Pinkie Pie's on the job!"
Teleporting into position, Twilight unleashed a wave of magical bolts while Rainbow and Fluttershy hurled rocks from the air, striking the enemy but their thick hides repelling the smaller rocks. Beams of blue energy fired from Rarity's horn in conjunction with Spike's fire breath. The scorponies' armored skin was no match for dragon fire and they knew it, choosing to flee rather than getting burned. Zipping around the area, a pink blur collected a ridiculously large amount of rocks and in the blink of an eye, was crouched atop the hill. Her forelegs spinning like windmills, Pinkie pelted the scorponies with a torrent of stones, laughing madly as she did so.
"Yippee-ki-yay, melon farmers!"
Applejack crushed a large stone chunk into smaller pieces when she heard a clicking sound and felt a sharp pain in her right hindleg. She cried aloud and rolled onto the ground, coming face-to-face with what looked to be a scorpony filly. Three more scorponies joined her, two males and one female, the four of them forming a semi-circle around the downed mare. A burning sensation rippled through Applejack's leg and she tried to stand, only for her affected limb to go numb, sending her careening into a boulder. She was hit by a wave of dizziness, the world spinning as a nauseous feeling dominated her stomach.
"Applejack!"
"Wha…?"
Something blue rocketed past her, kicking up a cloud of dust and knocking the scorponies, sending the tumbling across the ground. Applejack shook her head, her eyes struggling to re-focus on her rescuer. A wing settled around her and she was lifted up, her left foreleg situated over a small but strong set of shoulders. Three blurry faces briefly conjoined into one, forming the face of a worried-looking Rainbow Dash.
"You okay?"
"Psh, me? Ahm just gravy. Could ya stop spinnin' though? Givin' me a migraine."
A rumbling, trumpet-like sound echoed throughout the Badlands, evidently one that the scorponies recognized as they scurried back to their camp. Twilight and the others turned, finding an old, red-colored scorpony holding an animal's horn. Cautiously, the team met back up, gathering around behind a large rock. Now that they could take a minute to catch their breaths, they realized that their foes were now staring at them. What was going on?
"Emissaries of the Sun Mare!" The old scorpony called. "I wish to address your leader!"
All eyes turned to Twilight. Slowly, she stood up and walked out in front of the rock.
"My name is Princess Twilight Sparkle. Why did you attack us?!"
"Forgive me, Twilight Sparkle! I am Charybdo, Great Chief of the Blazing Star Tribe! We were honoring an arrangement with King Sombra Darkhame to keep you distracted!"
This was worrying news. "'Distracted?'" Twilight called over, "You mean King Sombra ordered you to distract us while he stole the Flashstone?!"
Charybdo frowned. "'Flashstone'?! No, no stone! He said that you had to be out of the way so his battle with the Princess Celestia could go on uninterrupted."
Apprehension struck Twilight as the pieces fell into place. "This wasn't about the Flashstone…"
"What do you mean?" Fluttershy asked.
"I mean, this was just a ploy to lure us away from Canterlot! We have to go back!"
~*~
In the courtyard of Canterlot Castle, a swirling orb of darkness opened up and out stepped a gray-coated stallion, red eyes glowing with satisfaction. Twilight and her friends had taken the bait and not only did that mean they couldn't interfere, but that Twilight was safely out of harm's way. King Sombra was sorry that he had to deceive her but she would've prevented him from completing his plans for retribution. It was Red Sulfur who removed the map from the school, with a little persuasion on Sombra's part, his thought-controlled mind then erased of the whole event. The Mirror Pool was such a success that it just had to be utilized more than just once.
While four of the duplicates were taking care of Golden Shield and his cronies, King Sombra sent the fifth and last one to negotiate with the scorponies, using a carefully crafted script and an old trinket he finally found a use for. Once they were no longer necessary, he summoned them to his hideout and quickly disposed of them. It was strange to kill what was essentially himself but that was a thought for another time. They'd served their purpose, confusing the enemy and giving him time to train, to regain his former strength and prepare for the final battle. To think, it took over a thousand years to get to this point but King Sombra was nothing if not patient.
"Now let the sun set for the final time."