Chapter 19: The Rise of King Sombra
Quill hummed merrily to herself as she trotted along the crystal road that took her to the heart of the Empire. Her spirits were much higher than they had been for months since she had started serving Gemfyre. She had never wanted to be the alicorn’s scribe, of course, but being in the palace had provided her with such delicious, vital information. It was how she had learned of the movement of the Princesses and discovered that Sombra and Luna had found the crystal caves. Oh how pleased the Nightmist had been when it had learned of Sombra’s abilities. He was a much better host than she could ever be. Besides, she had no interest in being some dark magic’s plaything.
She had her own ambitions.
Her magic was not pure, she was well aware of this, so none in Canterlot would accept her. If Sombra took charge of the Empire, she would have nothing to fear. So long as she could write and cast the light and dark magic that she had been born with, she would be happy. No one would ever shun again. For that reason, she and Sombra were very similar; they just wanted to both be accepted.
Of course, Sombra was just another factor in her plan. His magic, though weak at first, was a force to be reckoned with. If any pony could stand up to the alicorns, it would be Sombra. The Nightmist’ power was formidable, but combine that with the alicorn amulet and Quill would be surprised of Gemfyre could last more than a few breaths in a fight.
Good riddance to her, Quill thought as she approached one of the high arches that supported the palace. The crystal heart glowed happily between two prongs. There were no guards protecting it, but why would there be? No dark pony was supposed to be able to sneak past the border shields. Quill wasn’t tainted by the Nightmist like the other unicorns and Sombra were.
No, what she did was of her own volition, so the heart’s magic could not sense her inner corruption.
Quill smiled to herself and stood at the foot of the heart. Such a pretty bauble. Its origin was still unbeknownst to her, but it did not matter. The ponies could have all the love and hope that they wanted; they would mean nothing at all if they did not have their heart.
She turned and put her back to the crystal, her smile widening.
Long live the magic of the night.
Quill leaned forward, picked up her hind hooves, and bucked the heart directly out of its position. The crystal bounced on the ground and skidded, sliding several feet away. Quill turned to look at it then glanced up at the sky.
The shield immediately began to dissolve and collapse around the Empire. A cool wind swept across the land, and the air of peace that had settled over the ponies suddenly grew bitter and cold. Quill continued to hum and watched as the crystal ponies dashed from their homes to see what had happened. It wouldn’t matter of course; everything was already set into motion. She looked at them all, her head raised as if she was their Queen, not Gemfyre. She noticed Sombra’s two friends, Blue Belle and Ambersong, she believed. They ran together, and Quill could not help but snort when she realized Blue Belle could have just as easily flown.
There came a loud clatter of hooves on the stairs near where the heart once stood. Quill faced the sound and stood calmly as five guards and Gemfyre herself appeared. The Queen looked ruffled, obviously having just woken up. Even her crown had not been placed on her regal brow.
“WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS?!” Gemfyre shouted when she noticed the heart on the ground. She looked around, but her gaze did not settle on Quill, not at first.
“Is it really so difficult to understand, your highness?” Quill asked, drawing Gemfyre’s attention towards her. “Heartstone, or rather, I, did warn you that there may be traitors in the Empire.”
Gemfyre blinked slowly at her. “Quill?” she whispered. “You did this?”
Quill bowed mockingly. “Very perceptive, your majesty. If only you had noticed the traitor standing constantly at your side.”
Gemfyre’s face flushed crimson, and she stalked towards the heart. “Seize her,” she hissed at the guards.
“Ah, ah!” Quill said reproachfully as they neared her. “I’m afraid that will not be so simple.” With a smile, she reared back and lashed out at the guards with her magic, sending three skidding into the other two. One rolled and banged into Gemfyre’s side, nearly causing her to stumble as well. Four of the brave crystal ponies tried to rush her, but Quill turned and cast a spell that caused dark mist to swirl around the underside of the palace. Those who drew too close were either knocked aside by the mist or snatched up and thrown. Quill thought of her spells and threw one at the crystal heart, causing it to vanish from sight.
Gemfyre gasped and spun to face her. “Where have you sent it?!” she roared as her horn began to glow a vibrant teal.
Quill only smirked and backed away slowly. “Oh no, dear Queen, your fight is not with me.” She stepped to the side while Gemfyre watched her and smiled as her unicorn followers, guided by a regal Sombra, approached the outnumbered Queen. The group of traitors walked easily through Quill’s spell.
“Long live the King,” Quill hissed and leapt away.
~*~
This plan was easier than Sombra could have ever thought possible. He and the unicorns stood quietly outside, waiting for the shield to drop. He’d doubted Quill’s resolve at first, but when he saw the blue magic crumble, he knew that he had chosen right by allowing her to go forth with her ploy. He guided the unicorns inside, ignoring the crystal ponies that emerged from their homes to see what had happened. They didn’t matter right now; they would serve him before long, whether of their own free will or not, it did not matter.
As he strode forward, he watched Quill use her magic to take down the five guards that were supposed to be Gemfyre’s main protectors. The Queen hardly looked composed as she faced off against his companion, Gemfyre’s horn flashing with threat. He almost pitied her, or he would have, had she not been the one to banish him to begin with.
As Quill leapt aside, and Gemfyre saw who was behind her, Sombra felt a spark of satisfaction at seeing both the surprise, and a hint of fear, in Gemfyre’s eyes.
“You,” she hissed.
“Is that how you greet one of your long-lost souls?” Sombra asked her pleasantly. He nodded to the unicorns who spread out around her. He glanced at the gathering crystal ponies, but they were no threat to him. They hadn’t arisen to fight for their Princesses and Queen before until he had called upon them to do so. Who would lead them now? If their cowardice did not keep them at bay, then Quill’s magic would.
Still, he would not be overly arrogant. He motioned to a couple of his lesser unicorns who fanned out to separate the crystal ponies from Sombra and their former Queen should Quill’s power not be enough.
Gemfyre snorted and flapped her wings as if preparing for an attack. “You were banished from the Empire, Sombra. Leave, now, or I will show you no mercy.”
“No,” Sombra growled. Before Gemfyre could strike, he unleashed a blast of black and purple magic that shot straight for her chest. The alicorn Queen jerked to the side to avoid it, but the magic cut across her side, splitting the skin, and shaving off a few of her feathers. They floated limply to the ground, some kissed crimson by Gemfyre’s spilt blood.
Gemfyre cried out in pain and staggered to the side, her eyes widening once more. “How?” she gasped.
“You were right,” Sombra replied as he stalked towards her. “You were right to banish me and fear my power. You were right to deny fixing my horn so long ago. You should have imprisoned or killed me; that’ll be your downfall, Gemfyre.”
The Queen narrowed her eyes. “I will not let my Empire fall without a fight.”
“I would hope not. That would be far too anti-climactic.” Sombra cackled and raced forward, his horn glowing purple.
Gemfyre wheeled back and sent teal light streaming towards him. His purple shield diverted most, but a sliver of her magic broke through and cut across his leg, though not enough to trip him up. He kept running and attacked with another blast, which Gemfyre avoided and took to the air.
Sombra snorted and watched her soar above him.
A pathetic attempt at escape, he thought and shot his light towards the underside of the palace. The blast flew wide of the Queen, but he was not aiming for her. She swerved out of the way, but did not notice the magic as it bounced across several crystals then shot straight for her back. Gemfyre turned at the last second, but it was too late. The magic crashed into her and sent her plummeting towards the ground.
The great alicorn struck hard and rolled until she thudded into one of the palace supports. Gemfyre stayed on her side for a moment, panting, before she tried to climb to her hooves. Her frosted mane dangled over her right eye while the left gleamed with hate.
Sombra lifted his head proudly, his amulet glowing against his chest. “Yield,” he told her bluntly. “You are too old, Gemfyre. You know you cannot defeat me.”
“You shall not have the Empire!” she shrieked at him and rose to her hind legs, spreading wings wide. Teal and white magic crackled from her horn and began to build in front of her chest. The crystals around her started to hum and glow with her magic. Streams of crystalline power flowed towards her and helped her build her attack. Slowly, fire, like the flames that consumed her cutie mark, spread from her body and shot through Quill’s magic, swallowing it whole. It raced in a circle, trapping Gemfyre and Sombra within.
Sombra took a step back, surprised, and a little confused. What kind of spell was this?
The magic before her spun until it formed the image of a gem, the same one that was on her flank. With a shout, the Queen threw her hooves forward, along with her wings.
Sombra gritted his teeth and ducked his head as the magic screamed towards him and the ring of fire closed in.
“Help me!” he shouted to the Nightmist.
The beam that should have consumed him suddenly exploded around him. A smoky black and purple shield spun in front of the magic, breaking it apart and sending it flying into the supports of the palace and other crystals. Shards broke off and started to swirl and zip beneath the palace and towards the crystal ponies. He heard ponies shriek as the power went rampant and some were struck by the shards. Through the smoke, Sombra saw Gemfyre gasp and try to pull back her magic so she would not harm her subjects.
That was when Sombra took the advantage.
“Now!” he shouted at his unicorns and swung his head forward. His amulet and eyes glowed as he directed an attack at the Queen’s head. At the same time, the unicorns unleashed their magic, trying to keep the Queen in place while Sombra beat against her horn ruthlessly. Quill stepped forward and wrapped white magic around the old alicorn’s throat.
Gemfyre screamed and struggled against the powers, but she could not withstand Sombra’s magic. He watched through red-hued eyes as his power tore into her horn, turning the tip a sooty shade of black. More and more magic was sent forth as he tried to subdue the Queen.
Gemfyre yelled and staggered from side to side, trying to break free, but there was nothing she could do. The unicorns held her fast, and Sombra’s magic kept her trapped.
A loud crack resounded across the Empire.
Time slowed as Sombra watched Gemfyre’s horn snap in half. The top portion sailed across the sky and clattered to the ground near his hooves.
Gemfyre’s eyes rolled back into her head, and she fell within the circle of unicorns. They stopped attacking and stared down at the fallen Queen. Quill lowered her ebony mist so that all could see what had occurred. Gemfyre lay on her side, her wings splayed and her chest heaving with weak pants.
Sombra walked forward and looked her over. Purple and black smoke curled around his legs as he stopped beside her, the tendrils reaching for her limp form. She stared up at him between tangled strands of mane.
“The ponies…of the Empire…will never serve you,” she rasped.
Sombra leaned down and whispered into her ear. “They will, even if I have to force them to bow to me.”
“Celestia…Luna, they’ll stop you.”
Sombra smiled. “Luna would never stand against me…and Celestia…heh, I would like to see her try.” He settled his hoof on her shoulder and narrowed his eyes. “A pity you will not live to see me defeat the Princess of the sun, or watch your son perish instead of become King of the Crystal Empire.”
“Don’t—” Gemfyre started to beseech, but Sombra ignored her.
He pressed his horn to her broken one and called upon an ancient, dark spell that he had found in the books. He started to mutter the chant, and though Gemfyre begged him to stop, pleaded for him to let her see her grandcolt at least once, he did not listen. The crystals around him began to shake and tremble at his bidding.
Gemfyre looked at them in fright then stared into his eyes.
“Don’t let it consume you.”
“Too late,” his voice snarled at her.
Sombra shouted and swung his head up. The crystals flew to him and descended upon Gemfyre, but instead of tearing her apart, they began to circle around her. They glowed and caused her body to take on the same pinkish hue.
The last Sombra saw of Gemfyre were her sorrow-filled eyes. Her body turned into an orb of light, and it hung in the air as the crystals rushed around it and trapped her within a large pink crystal that was nearly Sombra’s height. He saw her eye stare at him from within, but in moments, that eye shut, and the crystal fell to the ground with a dull thud.
Sombra panted as he stood above it, staring in both shock and wonder at what he had done. Gemfyre's broken horn had disappeared as well, leaving no trace of the alicorn queen except for the crystal at his hooves. Sombra chuckled, one that turned into a cackle, and finally a roar of laughter. He threw his head back and spread his hooves in glee.
“The Crystal Empire is mine!” he shouted and laughed.
“Sombra!!” a familiar voice shouted.
Sombra turned, annoyed that someone would dare to ruin his moment of triumph. He landed back on his hooves and watched Ambersong dart forward along with Blue Belle. Two unicorns moved to intercept them, but Sombra held up his hoof, urging them back.
Ambersong skidded and stared at the crystal on the ground. “What have you done?” he whispered.
“Taken what is mine,” Sombra said simply and nudged the crystal aside as if it was a broken toy. He strode towards Ambersong, a warm, welcoming smile on his face. “The Queen is dead, and I am the Empire’s new King. Join me, Ambersong…you too, Blue Belle. You have always been my dearest friends…I will give you everything you have ever desired.” He winked at Blue Belle. “All the instruments you could ever wish to play…bells gilded in gold and jewels.” He looked at Ambersong. “I’ll give you a home you can call your own, and all the gems you could ever hope to possess. You will find your place amongst the best musicians of Equestria.”
“Not like this!” Ambersong cried. “I don’t want any of your tainted treasures, not at this price!”
“How could you?” Blue Belle cried. “She was the Queen! She was our friend!”
“She was a tyrant!” Sombra raged and stomped both hooves down until crystals cracked beneath him. Black crystals sprang up and glittered in their place. “She would have us serve her and her brat of a son. We can enter a new era, can’t you see? She held us back all this time, and she neglected to show kindness to all ponies. Only those deemed worthy were favored by the tyrannical Queen. We no longer have to bow to her or the Princesses!”
“Not even Luna?” Ambersong glared.
Sombra frowned. “No, not even Luna, because she will be your new Queen. She will stand beside me, and you will love her, just as you will love me.”
Blue Belle sniffed. “Sombra, stop this. This isn’t you. We could never love somepony who would destroy another without any remorse.”
Sombra snorted. “See reason, Blue Belle.”
“No!” Ambersong roared. “You see reason! Look at what you have done! You have destroyed the protection of the Empire and taken the heart. You have destroyed our Queen, our leader and protector. You’ve joined the very unicorns we strove to fight against, the ones who tried to kill Luna!”
Quill brushed by Sombra and faced Ambersong. “It was an unfortunate happenstance. It will not happen again.”
Ambersong stared at her in shock. “You? You are involved in this as well?”
“Dearest, I started it all,” Quill simpered.
Ambersong’s eyes narrowed, and he threw himself at her. “You traitor! You’ve taken him from us!”
“Step back!” Quill shouted as she sprang away and flung magic at Ambersong. A white beam hit him in the side and sent him skidding.
Blue Belle shrieked and flew to him, but Quill attacked her next and sent her tumbling head over hoof into one of the pillars. As Quill approached the downed pegasus, Sombra threw himself between them.
“Enough, Quill,” he growled. He lowered his head, his red horn hissing with black magic. “There is no reason for this.”
“She will not bow to you, nor will the other,” Quill said, pointing at Ambersong as he struggled to rise. “I have to protect my King.”
Ambersong snorted. “The King you molded for your own whims. He was a good pony, Quill, and you destroyed him.”
Sombra glanced back at Ambersong with a frown. “She did nothing. What I did was of my own accord.”
“Was almost killing me and Blue Belle of your own accord as well?” Ambersong snapped as he struggled to stand.
Sombra was quiet for a moment. “I did not mean for that to happen,” he whispered and lowered his ears. He turned to face his friends and reached out a hoof to Ambersong to help him up. “You know me.”
“No,” Ambersong replied with a hiss as he brushed Sombra’s hoof away. “I don’t know who you are, but you are not my friend, and you are most certainly not my King.” He stepped towards Blue Belle and nuzzled her neck comfortingly as she rose.
Sombra stared at his once two beloved friends. They would turn against him after all he had done to ensure that the Empire would survive? Yes, it was true that he had almost hurt them, but he meant no harm to them or any other pony. Some had been injured because of Gemfyre, not him. Why couldn’t his friends see the truth?
He looked away sharply and heard Quill whisper to him.
“They will create a rebellion. You have to put a stop to them.”
“But—” Sombra started to protest until Quill planted herself firmly in front of him.
“Your rule is new; you can’t risk losing control before you have even been crowned. The ponies will not respect you if you allow these two to speak to you in such a crude matter.”
“She is right,” the Nightmist murmured. “You have to protect the other crystal ponies from them. They will ruin all you have accomplished because they cannot see the truth. Gemfyre has corrupted them; you can free them from her mental manipulations. I’ll help you…but first, you must silence them before they bring disharmony.”
“Please, my King,” Quill urged.
Sombra breathed out slowly and looked at Ambersong and Blue Belle. The latter watched him with fear in her eyes. Sombra sighed and closed his eyes, his heart aching. “Seize them,” he told his unicorns.
Ambersong swore and shoved Blue Belle towards the sky. “Go! Tell the Princesses!” he shouted and turned to face the unicorns. Only two blasts of magic were needed to lay Ambersong flat on the ground.
Blue Belle scrambled through the sky, her wings flapping frantically to get away.
Quill chuckled and aimed her horn at the little pegasus. “I have h—ah!” Quill shouted as a rock hit her in the side of the face.
Sombra whirled and saw one crystal pony, then another, grab rocks and broken crystals and hurl them at Quill, the unicorns, and finally at Sombra.
“Long live Queen Gemfyre!” they shouted in rage.
Sombra deflected several of the stones and stared at them in shock. How could they turn against him like this?! Quill was right! Ambersong and Blue Belle were just fueling Gemfyre’s manipulations. He would not stand for it! He started to pant heavily, his eyes burning with anger. He brought his hooves down again, and this time his magic exploded in every direction, turning all the crystals it touched ebony.
The palace started to shudder and contort as the power took hold. New twisted and jagged spires exploded from the once pristine palace. They rose into the sky, blocking out the sunlight that warmed the land.
Black crystals sprouted around the Empire, sending ponies scrambling for safety. Sombra watched many flee while others cowered before him and the recovering unicorns. He eyed them then sent magic flying after the retreating ponies. Black crystal chains reached out and caught their hooves and necks. The moment the power touched them, their crystal shimmer vanished and left their coats demure. They fell or struggled to escape, but the chains locked them together.
Those who did not flee bowed their heads to him quickly and started to chant, “Long live King Sombra. Long live King Sombra.”
Sombra relaxed a little when he heard this. At least some ponies were wise enough to accept him. He watched two of his unicorns drag a now bound and limp Ambersong away. For a brief moment, he regretted having his friend injured, but when he thought of how Ambersong had turned against him, he pushed his compassionate side away.
Mercy was for fools.
He strode over to the lack-luster crystal ponies as they worshipped at his hooves.
Quill followed him, a large smile on her face. “You have your Empire,” she said. “But a King needs a proper crown.”
She turned and motioned to a unicorn who trotted to her. A bag rested on his back. Quill opened the flap and pulled out a magnificent black and silver crown. The top of the crown appeared to hold two silver horns on either side, with a red and silver piece, like an ever watchful eye, rested in the center. Black armor spilled down the top and sides, the former of which would fit snuggly around his horn.
Quill levitated the crown and brought it towards Sombra slowly. “All hail King Sombra.”
The crown settled carefully and comfortably upon Sombra’s head. He stared up at it then looked around as the groveling ponies cried out their praises. Briefly, he thought of Blue Belle, but he pushed her escape aside.
Let her warn the Princesses, and then Luna would see what a great King he had become.
“Long live King Sombra!” the ponies cried. “Long live King Sombra!”