All combat in the city stopped, as the king looked over his domain. The streets were filled with the bodies of his people. The fields beyond were red with their blood. And there, still standing, were soldiers who could barely stand, yet still forced to put their lives on the line to protect their homes and families to the last.
King Sombra then looked at his enemies, specifically. He saw how they used slaves as living shields. He saw how they tried to burn and pillage homes. He saw how they chased and herded innocent ponies into groups, weapons in hand.
He did not like what he saw.
It took those nearby several moments to understand that the monstrous growling that they were hearing was coming from the king himself, and not some creature as large and terrible as a dragon. With a mighty yell, Sombra sank into the earth, seemingly disappearing. A black shadow could be seen moving across the ground, and quickly swept beneath the invaders' feet. Dozens were sent flying as the king burst forth again.
But none looking could recognize the king, save for his glowing green and red eyes. Purple smoke was pouring from them, as if it represented a rage that could not be contained, even by such a monstrous shape. He was now a living darkness, consuming everything around him and growing larger by the second.
Nearby unicorns discovered that their horns no longer produced magic, and pegasi that their wings no longer worked. Most of the princesses' army began to run, seeking to get as far from the King of Shadows as possible. Even the dragons, previously enthralled by the destruction and bloodshed, were filled with an unnatural level of terror, and wanted nothing more than to flee from the monster that now defended his empire.
Every defender, including Discord and the reserved Obsidian, let out a wild cheer as the dark king joined the fray, ready to support his subjects and allies, already driving back the invaders with nothing but his presence.
Sombra then began to take his physical form once again, his dark visage appearing from the black smoke, followed by his armored body, standing on a pillar of dark crystal, looking down upon those that would dare attack his empire, that would dare to attack his people. His blood-red horn filled with power, as he let his rage fill his soul, and give him strength.
Discord could only stare as the king began his assault. He unleashed his power with a fury that seemed to mock the calm and thoughtful ruler the spirit had previously met. Every blast of magic, every mass of dark crystal that appeared to skewer his targets, was accompanied by a terrifying and rage-filled roar. It had not been a minute since his reemergence, yet the king had already filled the battlefield with hundreds more dead and wounded enemies.
The Spirit of Chaos was appalled by the sheer brutality of the king's attacks. Their was no sign of mercy or restraint, as he laid waste to his enemies. While Discord was certainly powerful enough to cause such devastation, he couldn't bring himself to cause that much pain and death. Yet the king was not holding back, even though some of the enemies were slaves and innocents, that didn't want to be there at all, that would have happily stood back, or even helped the defenders, had they been given the chance.
No, wait... the king just didn't need to hold back.
Despite his anger, Sombra was still using his intelligence, fighting with precision, rather than just raw power, as it had at first seemed. His strikes always struck in just the right spots, in just the right ways, to inflict maximum damage. And, as he continued to attack, he was focused on very specific targets; those that were keeping the slaves in check.
King Sombra summoned a cloud of tiny yet razor sharp black crystals, sending them flying into the air, and knocking pegasi out of the sky with pinpoint accuracy, but leaving every griffon above unharmed. Realizing that they did not have an army of soldiers breathing down their necks anymore, those griffons then turned on their masters, driving the pegasi back, and freeing more of their brethren.
The situation on the ground was similar, as minotaurs took aim at earth ponies, and zebras exchanged magical tricks with unicorns. Dogs that had previously been attempting to undermine the defenders instead began to burst forth from holes in the ground, ambushing groups of slave handlers, and breaking the magical collars that had been holding the dragons and hydra in check. Now free to do as they pleased, they began to attack the real targets of their hatred, burning and crushing the southern armies.
Discord renewed his own assault, now able to attack without worry of harming innocent slaves, once again raining lightning and rock on the invaders. The clouds in the sky now turned pink in color, and began to shower the battleground with, of all things, chocolate milk, reflecting the spirit's new hope and excitement.
With a huge number of their forces turning against them, and a terrifying monster of darkness joining the battle alongside the god-like spirit, the attackers all began to retreat in full force, turning tail and running as quickly as their legs could carry them. The crystal ponies charged after, now accompanied by creatures of all the other species, and led by the King of Shadows, and Spirit of Chaos.
It was then that the Princess of the Sun and the Princess of the Moon chose to make their own appearance. The clouds overhead broke to a blinding burst of sunlight, as the sisters descended from the heavens. The two had a set of six stones surrounding them, and bathing them in color and light: the Elements of Harmony. Their army may have been defeated, but they still planned on ending all resistance to their rule, here and now. Once and for all.
Seeing Celestia and Luna coming to confront them, Sombra's eyes narrowed, and he once again turned to shadow, descending into the ground. He reemerged beside Discord, who only now noticed something odd about the king.
Sombra was carrying three items that exuded powerful magic. One was a piece of black armor that he wore, that went up to cover his forehead, around to the back of his neck, and extended down to his chest, with three different colored crystals set into it; the largest was just below his horn, with the other two on the sides of his neck.
Another was a large, twisting, golden bracelet, with yet another crystal set into it. The last was a second, smaller bracelet, silver, with two more crystals, set not quite opposite to each other. Where as Sombra's had a sense of balance and general orderliness to it, the other two items seemed entirely random and haphazard. Discord liked them.
Sombra tossed the asymmetrical bracelets to Discord, saying, "A gift. One that I have been working on for quite some time."
Discord responded with his usual pompousness, saying, "Why thank you, Sombra old buddy. I didn't know that you cared."
"Just shut up and put them on." Despite his impatient words, Sombra's face and tone betrayed his own happiness. Discord discovered that his new bracelets fit perfectly, as if they were made for him. Together, the two turned to once again face the princesses.
"What's this, did you two get some new toys?" Celestia's voice was stuck up and confident as she mocked her opponents, not believing for a second that they could actually harm her. Luna once again stuck behind her sister, more wary of the weapons that Sombra had made. Both kept to the air, a considerable distance from the mismatched pair.
"Why don't you come over here and see what they do?" Discord was surprised that Sombra was the first to respond, and that he actually seemed to be mocking the sisters. But a quick glance from the king seemed to say, "Trust me." So Discord stepped back and let him take center stage.
"And why, exactly, should we do that?" It was Luna that spoke this time, with a suspicious tone.
"Because you obviously can't lose, right? I mean, you're the Princesses of Equestria! How could we possibly stop you?" Sombra's voice was practically dripping with sarcasm, almost painfully dishonest.
While Luna only became more worried, Celestia couldn't resist attacking after that. Either the king was mocking them, or he was being rude in front of someone that he knew was his better. Either way, she needed to punish his impudence, and teach him a lesson he would never forget. Granted, he would be dead, but, oh well.
Dragging her sister behind her, the Princess of the Sun charged at the two, already preparing the Elements to strike at the Spirit of Chaos, leaving the king to stand all alone against the sisters' combined might. Realizing that she had no choice in the matter, Luna also began to feed the Elements, trying to fire them as quickly as possible.
As they drew near, and were about to launch there attack, Sombra said a single word to Discord: "Now."
While Discord didn't understand how he knew what to do with the odd bracelets the Sombra had given him, or what they did, he still instinctively knew how to use them. So, at Sombra's signal, he did, and was surprised to see a second beam of light heading out to meet the princesses'. But where as the Elements of Harmony produced a single, solid rainbow, the king's and spirit's were unsteady, and shifted color from one moment to the next. But when the two met, their powers proved to be equal, fighting against each other for several moments, before both suddenly stopped.
And then nothing happened. The two sides stared at each other, everyone confused by what had just occurred. Everyone except for Sombra.
The king merely stood there, a knowing smile on his face, as Discord, Celestia, and Luna all tried to figure out what had just happened.
"How... did... you..." Luna was the first to speak up, but still struggled to find her voice, or what to say in response to the bizarre situation.
"Simple. I just matched the Elements of Harmony with an equivalent power." Sombra began to walk forward now, calmly closing the distance between him and the sisters.
"The Elements of Disharmony. How unoriginal," Celestia practically spat.
"You used the power of Order to match the power of Chaos. How is that original? But no, I went with something a little bit... different." Sombra's smile grew as he came to a halt a short distance away.
"Our power is that of improvement. Growth. The power to pick one's own path, a better path, and not be held under the hooves of someone like you. Ours are the Elements of Progress."
Discord looked at Sombra with confusion, and couldn't help but wonder what he was getting at. He had said that he was going to use Discord's power as the basis of his creation, but Discord was the Spirit of Chaos, not Progress.
As if he could read his mind, Sombra answered the spirit's unspoken question. "Chaos is simply change. It is unpredictable, and dangerous. But it is that same change that betters the world, and everyone in it. That change fuels Progress, something that even I wish upon the world." The king turned to give a nod to Discord then, before continuing. "And as such, even I have the seeds of it in me. Determination, to meet any challenge, no matter the odds. Cunning, to provide with my mind, what my body and magic cannot. And Imagination, to envision a better tomorrow, regardless of the limitations of today."
"But I am not the only one responsible for making this world a better place. There is another, that shows aspects of some of these Elements far better than I can. Care, to look after and help those that need it. Patience, to wait out the bad times, and to always be ready for the good. And some Spontaneity, to keep things interesting." The King of Shadows spoke to the Spirit of Chaos specifically, then. His smile grew particularly large as he mentioned Spontaneity, but he remained completely sincere as he listed off Discord's Elements.
Celestia was getting quite annoyed by the display. "Oh, yes, glitter and rainbows and sparkly little jewels. Can we just get this gag-fest over with."
"So, how does that defeat the Elements of Harmony? And how does that accomplish anything?" Luna spoke up as well, confused as to what exactly Sombra had done, or what the point of it was.
"Easy. When two opposite forces meet, they cancel each other out. Your Order, born from tyranny, and our Chaos, born from freedom, couldn't exist together, so they were both temporarily eliminated. Shut down, so to speak. Oh, and as to how it helps us," Sombra's grin became rather sadistic at this point, "don't you realize what position you're in right now?"
Discord was the first to understand what the king was talking about, and grew a similarly wicked smile as he realized what it meant. Luna figured it out several seconds later, and immediately tried to fly away as quickly as possible. She was stopped when Discord suddenly appeared beside her and grabbed her muzzle, waving a threatening finger in front of her face and forcing her to stay put.
Celestia and Luna were now facing off against the two most powerful creatures in Equestria, without any extra weapons or powers to help them.
Celestia was the last to figure it out, after getting abandoned by her sister. But where as Luna responded with terror, she was filled with rage at the trickery. How dare they fool her? How dare they mock and humiliate her like this? They would pay, if she had her way.
Turning to the weaker of her opponents, she began to fire off blasts of magical power, pounding away at the shield that the king had put up. She put all of her fury and desperation into destroying him, yet not once did any of her magic pierce his defenses. He simply stood there, deflecting all of her attacks, and waiting for Celestia to tire herself out, with a look of strain on his face. He had not eaten, drank, or slept in a week, and was having trouble holding off the powerful alicorn's attacks.
But in the end he won out, and as Celestia stood there, panting and exhausted, he prepared a single counter attack. A massive amount of magic flowed into his horn, and he shaped it into a single mass of power, a hammer that appeared above the princess' head, and crashed down upon her, making a crater in the ground large enough to swallow several nearby, empty homes. As his magic disappeared, Celestia's battered and bruised body could be seen at the hole's bottom. She was not dead, but she no longer had any strength left to fight back.
Sensing how hopeless her situation was, Luna decided to try and take the easy way out, struggling out a muffled surrender through Discord's hand. With a look of fake surprise on his face, Discord responded with, "Well, look at that! The courageous Princess of the Moon is trying to avoid a fight? How unexpected! I suppose I might as well let ol' Sombra take over then, and decide what to do with a traitor like you."
Luna's face grew panicked, and she tried to struggle free from Discord's grip. But he didn't loosen up for a moment, and took her down to the King of Shadows, just as he had promised.
Sombra looked at the two tyrants with a feeling of utter loathing. They both stared at him, Celestia pale and barely able to lift her head, waiting for the inevitable sentencing, expecting swift and final justice.
But Sombra surprised them, saying, "Death would be too good for you." The princesses stared even harder, a feeling of hope filling them. Maybe they would be spared! Then, they noticed a stiffness creeping up from their legs, and looked down. Luna screamed out loud as dark crystals began to engulf her body, terrifyingly quick, yet agonizingly slow.
Sombra continued to look on with a face that showed no hatred, no anger, no pleasure at what he was doing; all it showed was the grim visage of a judge declaring two criminals' punishment. "You will experience a far worse kind of torture than anything you have ever experienced, than any pain you have ever caused anypony else. You will experience your own worst fears, live through your greatest nightmares, over and over, always getting ever worse, for the rest of eternity, until your minds are broken by terror and suffering. You will pay for every crime that you have ever committed, and you will never die. Your torment will last forever."
And, just as their fate was foretold, nameless horrors began to creep into their minds, and all of the terrors of the world ran rampant in their heads. They tried to open their mouths to scream, to beg, but no more noise could escape their lips. The last thing that they saw was the King of Shadows' merciless eyes, before darkness closed around them...