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// A Presence Ever Somber 
// Story: Phantom Krystal: An Unstable Ruby 
// by Lifeblood_Wisp 
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Darkness. Darkness as far as the eye could see. At least for anypony unfortunate enough to happen upon his domain. With every step, one could feel shadows grow upon them, and their once bright color becoming a dull shade. Those who entered would either leave a different pony, or not at all. The creatures of this caliber were commanded by only one ruler, and his tyranny was matched by few. It was almost a death wish for any normal pony to to enter his warped dimension. There was just one slight issue. 

Cozy Glow was not any normal pony. 

She entered the Dark Domain with little to no concern for her survival. If anything, she was confident in what she was about to do. She walked through the swarms upon swarms of the dwellers of the Dark Domain, simply dismissing the ominous sounds that each of them made toward her. Strangely enough, none opted to attack her. She eventually made it to the stronghold where he remained. She strode up to a pitch black room and called for the one she’d been looking for. 

“I’m back ‘your majesty’. Turns out you were right. She’s really insecure about him.” She said. Suddenly, darkness began to materialize, and it contorted into a shadowy pony towering over Cozy. It opened its snake-like green eyes and its red pupils focused on Cozy. “Y’know, you got more of a knack for this stuff than I do. I do have to ask, why exactly are we focusing on her?” She continued. The shadowed pony responded in a low voice. “It won’t be as simple as 1-2-3 when we have him. It’ll take time for the magic to do its job. Until then, we must keep her on her hooves and away from the Vertia.” It said. It’s front teeth were quite sharp, and it’s voice, easily distinguishable as that of a male. 

“ Is that all you came for?” The shadowed pony asked in a way that could only convey curiosity and tease. “If it was, I would’ve just told you over portal. I needa relax,” Cozy said. “I had to fight the Vertia, and then wait for Chrysalis, then watch the oh so very lackluster fight between her and Tirek, then get into her head, which requires a lot of thinking mind you, and THEN I had to open a portal and walk through your slaves, come alllll the way here and talk to you. So yeah, I’m gonna need a couch, some food and one of your slaves.”. Cozy’s horn glowed, and suddenly, she was lying down comfortably on a soft, one-pony couch, with a dweller of the dark domain feeding her a broad assortment of foods.

The shadowy pony gave a smug laugh in response. “If I remember properly, weren’t you beaten by the Vertia. You had ample amounts of rest then.” He said smugly. His comment made Cozy almost choke on a grape she was being fed. She eventually spat out a saliva filled, half chewed grape. “Ok listen, I was double teamed by the Vertia and his little bitch rodent. Not my fault Tirek’s a fat piece of deadweight.” Cozy complained. The shadowy pony rolled his eyes. “Nonetheless, could you check the Vertia’s extraction quarters?” He asked. “Already did on the way here. Say, why do we need it out of him. What’s stopping us from just putting him under a spell or erasing his memory or something.” Cozy inquired. “We can’t have a sentient pony/changeling be our puppet forever. It leaves too much to chance to just leave it within someone who can adapt, learn and understand.” The shadowy pony began. “So getting it out of him lets us bend it to our will without fail.” Cozy finished.

“Question 2. What exactly is the Vertia? What makes it special from the stuff at the Crystal Empire?” Cozy asked with a mouthful of cheese. The shadowy pony began to almost fade, until not but a grey pony mostly covered in armor except for a few certain parts. A red royal cape warmed his backside, and a black fiery mane flowed from the crown on his head. His horn was sharp and red, and purple wisps flowed from his eyes. “It’s powerful. It houses a powerful force known as kamige. Has the power to manipulate the rules of magic and nullify it entirely. With it, I can finally be the king I was once meant to be. I, King Sombra will finally have what is his and rule as the gods intended!” Sombra said. Cozy smiled at his self-motivation. “Egotistical much?” She remarked. 

“One could say that, but I owe it to my people. Look at them. They’re aimless without someone to rule over them.” Sombra said as he pointed to the thousands of dwellers below. “Don’t ya think that’s neutering them a bit? Even pawns need a mind of their own, don’t they?” Cozy inquired. “Sometimes they do, but pawns are useless when under no influence. What I mean is, if you sent them into battle without someone to call the shots, their value decreases drastically as opposed to someone to lead them. Competence stems from leadership. It isn’t neutering, it’s nurturing.” Sombra explained. 

Cozy raised an eyebrow and smiled. This was the first time she had been genuinely interested in a topic in a long time. Problem was, she was clueless on how to ado on the conversation, and it was her turn to speak. She simply sat there silence as that seemed to be her only option. For a while Sombra left alone growing silence that would occasionally be broken by Cozy’s chewing. After long enough, he broke it. “Not a talkative one? It seems to contrast your former self.” He said. Cozy, having enough to eat, sat upright. “My entire thing is taking down to people, making them feel bad about their existence, and don’t get me wrong that’s fun, but you’re more powerful than I am right now. I don’t exactly know what to say to someone higher than me. If I’m being honest, it’s a tough pill to swallow. That’s why I like working with you. We think the same. Sombra gave nothing return but a flat “Interesting.”

Suddenly, a dweller rushed into the room, breaking the conversation. They spoke a language unknown to Cozy, but native to Sombra. He motioned for Cozy to follow him, and so she did. “What happened?” She asked. “Another ally has made themselves available to us.” He said. “Somepony who desires something that was stripped from her powers.”