The One True King

by JDPrime22

Chapter 37 – The Shadowed Throne

Soft light was shed across the crystal streets, where the moon’s rays gleamed off the homes and towers and ponies alike. The many, many ponies that ran in a stampeding horde to the heart of the empire. To the castle. To the Heart.

To Discord.

Now, on any other given day, it would seem quite strange to put their trust into the distorted hands of the Spirit of Chaos. Those who knew only knew him to be that of a trickster. A foe once to Equestria and her allies. They heard word from their rulers that Discord was their ally now, and that his deeds would only work to benefit them from now on. But they weren’t sure. Who could ever be truly sure?

But today was not like any other given day. The day was indeed taken from them, by the shadowy demon that had risen from the grave more times than they could count, or would have liked to count. They only wanted to forget about him and everything he did to them. The day had transformed into a nightmarish night where monsters were coming to attack their home and annihilate their very way of life. That was what they heard, what they were told.

From a direct line of messaging from their rulers, Shining Armor and Princess Cadance eased their fears, assured them of their safety, and told their citizens to trust Discord. That was what the Crystaller told them all.

It was only after they felt the thunder and saw the dark storm on the horizon… slowly growing nearer… did they finally obey.

The evacuation was quick, clean, but chaotic. Nopony was left behind, the Crystal Guards ensuring that every home was emptied, that every family was accounted for, and that they had everything they needed to ensure their livelihoods could be protected. From Discord’s own words, they had some time. About an hour of it, but that was all. The Crystal Empire took every last second.

A massive crowd had formed in the center of the empire, where thousands of Crystal Ponies stood massed together, cautious and fearful for what was about to happen. They all had experienced the tyrant king, either in this lifetime or the one before, so they knew what to expect. Yet it seemed so different now, for they had the Crystal Heart. They had the perfect defense against the forces of darkness, a brilliant light to face it.

What would the need be to evacuate the empire?

Flash Sentry ensured everypony was brought together and nopony was out of place. As the leader of the Crystal Guards, he kept a tight line of sight across the crowd, watching to see if anypony would break away, would retreat back to their homes. It happened a few times, and it was dealt with, mainly with the ponies claiming they had left something behind and needed to retrieve it. Something valuable. A family heirloom. Some even claimed there was no need to evacuate, because the Heart would protect them. It changed every time.

But the time to retrieve such items was gone. The time to question the order had ceased.

The storm had come.

A wall of shade slowly surrounded the Crystal Empire, signifying the imminent doom with a treacherous roar of thunder that echoed across the Frozen North. Only… it didn’t sound like thunder. Not at first. Definitely not natural. It was as if every breath was stripped away and the crowd slowly turned in attention. Despite the minimal warmth they felt under the protection of the Heart’s embrace, many ponies still quivered where they stood. They still shivered in their exhales, their inhales. Their eyes as wide as could be, they all gazed to the edge of the empire.

The darkness was far worse than the night, enveloping even the sky until the moon and the stars were blotted away. From the shadows, snow and fog began to flood the earth. A creeping, terrifying wave that only elevated in height and weight. Meshed together, the snow and the shadow paved the way for the fallen king, returning for his throne.

So forth he came.

The horn jutted out from the shade, electrified with all the powers of the darkness, of Sombra’s unholy arts. The vile purples, sickening greens, and sulfurous reds. That much they expected. That much the Crystal Empire should have known when they were informed of Sombra’s return. What they did not expect was the thin, radiating lines of green breaking through the storm.

They did not expect the face of the beast as it emerged and unleashed another thundering roar.

As its reverberating tremors washed across the empire, many Crystal Ponies found themselves momentarily stunned, moments before confusion and strife filled their minds. The beast was unlike anything they had ever seen. Not the face of a pony, but the face of something worse. Yet he still bore the horn. He still wielded the storm. He still carried the power of the King of Shadows. It was him.

King Sombra…

He was alive. He had returned.

Finishing his cry, Sombra inhaled sharply, thus proceeding to suck in his storm. His very wall of shadows had returned to him, leaving nothing but the constant flowing of snow and fog around his shrinking body. And yet the body still stood tall and powerful, where all the darkness consuming the night had reformed to create something else. Something far more unsettling.

The dark storm had vanished, and formed within its heart was the towering body of the MUTO Prime. Formerly known as Jinshin-Mushi, and now only seen as Sombra. Planting his pulsating red fists into the earth, Sombra rose up to face off against the shimmering dome protecting his empire.

Not for long.

Through the fog, the snow, and the night… every last life within the Crystal Empire could see it.

They could see them.

They massed together behind Sombra, walking and stomping and crawling and slithering forward in a line of towers. Of beasts beyond comprehension or belief. Hardly any within the dome could believe it, unable to witness what their eyes claimed to be reality. It shouldn’t have been real. Sombra should not have returned in their new age of peace. He should have stayed dead, like so many times before. But that was a fool’s game to play, to believe anything other than reality. Sombra had returned, with an army of monsters behind him, and now their doom was secured.

Because they all carried the eyes of madness. They all glared ahead with eyes and veins belonging to Sombra.

Baphomet stood ragged and seething, gusts of breath escaping his nostrils and his skull and antlers painted in dripping, bloody accents. The chilling winds of the north tore at his scorched black coat, all while he stood in silence behind his king. Stood with his dagger-like talons hanging by his sides and his glare centered where Sombra’s was.

Yamata no Orochi slithered forward and reared up, his monstrous jaws opening wide to unveil rows upon rows of razor-sharp teeth. Deeper within, eight mouths sprouted forth and hissed accordingly. The pulsating veins of violet and emerald shimmered across the worm’s body, the beast trembling lightly, unused to the cold but not complaining. Unable to.

Typhon landed softly upon the snow-ridden earth, unfurling his wings before having them curl up neatly against his sides. The Titan growled, his six serpents hissing and snapping at the dome. His gargantuan claws dug into the ground, pulling the beast forward until he met the line. His eyes narrowed, steam erupting from his nose.

Sargon came to a halt at last, his seemingly-endless journey reaching a seeming end. The scorpion’s eyes stared blankly ahead, his stinger swishing back and forth high over his body, while his pincers slowly opened and closed. Chittering cautiously, Sargon turned to finally meet the eyes of his king, but Sombra did not meet him.

Amhuluk did the same, crawled forward until he could finally rise to full height. He shook away the snow clinging to his distorted and shattered body, the Titan hissing at the fierce cold. Far worse than the winters of Hailberg. With his tendrils slithering up and down and back and forth across his body, Amhuluk turned to his king, but he was met with the same response…

None.

Not until he was ready to act on his own accord.

And he did. Sombra very much did so, growling at the shield, at his kingdom stripped from him. His growls escalated into roars, into cries, into shrieks of rage as he stampeded through the snow and fog and struck the face of the dome. He rammed into it with his own body, the force of the impact sending a pulse, a wave of tremoring energy several hundred meters into the Crystal Empire.

Stumbling backwards, shaking his head to regain his composure, Sombra seethed, snorted, and charged again. Offering the same amount of force and speed and eliciting a familiar response.

He howled.

Baphomet screeched. Yamata no Orochi screamed. Typhon bellowed. Sargon roared. Amhuluk shrieked.

They rallied behind their king and charged.

One by one, each of the Titans struck the outer shell of the magical shield. Some fell backwards from the force of each impact, others remaining close to claw and punch and roar right into the dome. Yamata slid back into the earth, erupting from it again and again and driving his mouth directly onto the dome. He failed each time, then attempting to dig underneath it, but to no avail. The crusts beneath were also protected. Typhon flew overhead, expelling a stream of flames across the shield and leaving burning streaks. Not a crack.

More and more attempts, with more and more failures. Staggering back and slamming himself once more into the dome, raising his forelimbs and crashing them upon the magic’s surface, Sombra was enraged to see nothing. No small victories. The shield held and his monsters raged, Baphomet slashing his claws across the dome and screeching at it. Amhuluk did the same, leaping forward with each strike and earning nothing from his claws. Sargon drove his pincers and stinger into the magic again and again, and still nothing.

Though they made no progress, the impacts could still be felt by untold thousands. With each driving force thrown against the shield, the Crystal Ponies found themselves recoiling. They flinched back, holding onto their loved ones tighter and tighter, petrified gazes locked with the outer realm. With the world full of monsters and demons outside of their home. Many shielded their eyes and covered their ears from the horrific sounds bellowing out of the creatures’ mouths, sounding unlike anything they had ever heard, and never wanted to hear again.

And yet the Heart held. It spun slowly beneath the castle and had no intent of stopping, despite each tremoring impact thrown against it.

It grew so ferocious that the castle was finally evacuated, the guards spilling out and clearing the path directly to the Spirit of Chaos. In the center of the path, the Crystaller carried with him the princess of the Crystal Empire, the young Flurry Heart staring wide-eyed and curious to every event unfolding around her. Until finally, her eyes landed on the towering, misshapen being, finding him to be quite silly and holding out her hooves playfully.

Discord managed to turn his paled expression away from Sombra. Just for a moment to face the sounds of innocence beside him, the gentle mumbles and cries from the princess herself. He couldn’t help but offer a playful smirk in return, lowering his lion paw and gingerly tickling her chin. Flurry caught his paw, jamming his finger into her mouth. Discord morphed his finger into a pacifier, further soothing her into comfort.

Knowing she would need it now more than ever.

Meeting the Crystaller’s eyes, they both held the same level of understanding, knowing what they faced and what needed to be done. The Crystaller had come to terms with it. Discord had, too, long ago. Neither one of them knew if any of the Crystal Ponies had done so yet, or were even capable of doing so.

But after the fifth failed attempt to fully shatter the magic, something had changed.

Everyone turned to see Sombra backing away. Mentally and physically preparing themselves for another charge, the masses instead were unable to prepare themselves for what followed. For when Sombra took in a sharp inhale, his body began to change. He pulsated, veins electrifying with dark magic coating his body. It shrouded his horn, his jaws agape and breath ceasing when the magic exploded not from his horn… but from his mouth.

Thus, his dark roar spewed forth in a wave of shadows, volleys of purple and green lightning bolts bursting out and striking the dome.

Sombra’s Titans recoiled. They ceased in their attacks and backed aside to allow their king to act where he saw fit. Gazing in eyes and expressions pale and blank, the Titans watched on and did nothing. Watched as the stream of darkness crashed against the magical shield, the lightning striking it in unison and utterly devastating it.

And so, it all changed. The magic was corroded and corrupted instantaneously, unable to properly react to the foreign, unholy power infecting the shield. For the power of the MUTO Prime enhanced by Sombra’s dark arts was a different breed, a magic that was never before seen in Equestria. Beyond the ages. Beyond comprehension. It was new. It was powerful.

It was evil.

It was a magic the Crystal Heart could not fathom, and so it bent. It broke. It shattered.

Wailing on, the magic exploding from Sombra’s agape jaws continued to pelt the crumbling shield. The magic fell apart and a dark infection quickly spread across the dome. It washed throughout the land, removing first the initial barrier and allowing a storm of snow to return to the Crystal Empire. The darkness then proceeded to devour and maim and kill what was left of the magic. Finally reaching the castle. Finally reaching the heart…

There was no choice now. No time for contemplating. No time for reservations. Discord acted where he needed to and shot out his arm, extending it so his paw reached out and snagged the Crystal Heart right out of its resting place. Mere seconds before the darkness overtook the dome and consumed the castle, consumed the magic, and nearly consumed the Heart.

Grasping the Heart, Discord gazed to it, seeing his reflection in a multitude of angles. No darkness had infected the pureness of the Crystal Heart’s magic. It had remained without evil, without corruption. He wanted to smile, to offer some outward showing of victory, but he couldn’t. He couldn’t look in his reflection and call this a victory.

He felt the first flakes of chilling death land upon his coat. Turning to the oncoming winds of change, Discord watched as the last remnants of the Crystal Heart’s power faded away before his eyes. The storms above began to invade and the Frozen North slowly reclaimed its empire. On the edge of the horizon, Sombra and his monsters proceeded forth with a deathly fog following them.

The snow fell heavy. It struck the crowds and earned terrified cries from every life present. The guards held their weapons, gazed to the Titans making their approach, with Flash Sentry keeping his soldiers at the ready. Ready for war, to die… for anything. But Discord did not have that in mind for the inhabitants of the empire.

Protecting them, getting every last innocent life to safety, and ensuring the survival of the Crystal Empire’s future… that alone earned a soft smile. This was his victory. A smile that never could have lasted when Sombra turned his glowing, hellish glare onto the castle and roared.

“Now would be a good time for us to make our leave,” Discord mumbled, with the Crystal Heart, the Crystal Ponies, and Flurry Heart safe under his care.

He snapped his talons and vanished. Everypony did.

It was as if the once populous Crystal Empire had become a ghost town instantaneously. No sounds were elicited from the empty buildings. No signs of life in the crystal roads. All that could be seen was the darkness of the night, the swirling storms moving in and casting its cold onto the empire. Snow rained and fog consumed, devouring the empire in a matter of seconds.

Paving the way for the wielder of the storms of the north. King Sombra slammed his fist into the street, shattering the crystal beneath him and bellowing loudly. So loud in fact that all the empire trembled from his echoing cry.

Typhon flew overhead, howling out into the storm while Amhuluk leaped from building to building, crashing through solid crystal and rolling several times across the roads. The psychotic Titan thrashed about, shrieking with madness consuming his mind. Baphomet’s hooves stomped through the streets, the Titan screeching softly but refusing to attack. Not needing to spread any chaos, for his king remained silent. Sargon moved slowly and steadily, his multitude of legs mirroring Yamata no Orochi’s to a degree, but not nearly as numbered as the massive centipede’s. The two Titans followed behind their king, watching curiously to his intentions.

Sombra was focused dead ahead. He had stopped at the base of the castle, bending low to gaze beneath it. To his shock, to his growing fury, there was nothing beneath it. No ponies. No rulers. No Heart. Crying weakly at that, Sombra backed off and stood tall. Shaking his head with an agitated growl, his anger only continued to boil hotter. He should have known his foes would have protected the Crystal Heart after hearing of his return. He did not expect, however, that the empire’s ponies would have been taken from him as well.

King Sombra growled fiercer. Seething pure fire, raging beneath his skin.

It mattered not. He would still be heard. His influence would still be felt. The throne was his and soon all the world would bend the knee to his reign.

Darkness coursed from his heart, his mind, flowing from his horn and consuming his body. Standing up on his hind legs, Sombra unleashed a tremoring cry into the falling snow and raised his forelimbs high above his head. Bringing them down, his magic flowed from his limbs and thus impacted the earth with unrelenting force.

So forth his magic was spread. His infection grew and the darkness made its triumphant return to the Crystal Empire. Black crystals sprouted forth from nearly every inch of the land, washing over homes and buildings and streets alike. And then, black towers of jagged crystal burst forth from beneath the very earth itself. They rose higher than any building, high enough to rival the castle, and spread further and further. Throughout the empire and beyond.

By the time his magic had ceased, by the time his dark influence had been cut off and the outskirts of the Crystal Empire were infested with towers and mounds of dark crystals, Sombra lifted himself higher and roared.

Directly to the heavens. To the storms that clashed above his head. To the lightning and snow and raging, earthly powers. He roared to it all.

Baphomet, Sargon, Typhon, Yamata, and Amhuluk came together. They all roared alongside their king, screaming and howling and raging at the skies. Only working to amplify Sombra’s roar, to signify to the world those who rejected the usurper’s false rule. They made themselves known. They no longer remained hidden to the great serpent.

Sombra made sure of that.

He could see the storm growing deep in the south. Growing bigger. Darker. Coming to them… to challenge them.

And the king in the north roared to it, amplifying his alpha cry and telling Ghidorah that he was waiting. Ready to defeat the Three-Headed Tyrant and take his army of monsters for himself. Ready and waiting to end this war once and for all.