After my private chat with Thunderlane, my Circle of Darkness and I discussed my master plan to claim the city of Chicago. The meeting was quite entertaining, and I was surprised when some of the men were starting to show enthusiasm to the whole dark empire thing. I’ve never played D&D, but I could tell what we all looked like. It was definitely a sight to behold.
Of course some of the men were very skeptical about certain parts of my plan. They started saying things like, “can you really manipulate peoples’ memories so they Facebook what’s happening” or “how the hell are you going to blockade the entire city?”
Of course, as soon as they said such things, I started to suffocate them with my magic and smiled, having planned exactly what to say if a situation like this ever arose.
“I find your lack of faith disturbing!” I said. The CSI Miami theme played in my head at how awesome this was. Having made my point I released my hold on their necks. The other members who hadn’t spoke out broke out into a fit of laughter, and one of them even referred to me as “Lord Vader!” Even Thunderlane got a good chuckle out of it, though I think he was worried that I was actually going to kill them.
We spent the rest of the Thursday and all day Friday preparing for the operation. It was mostly boring stuff if you asked me. Enchanting weapons, setting up communication jammers, though I have to say, making my emergency broadcast message was a lot of fun.
It is now night time, and my human lackies and I are about to hit the all the precincts in the city. As I start to trot out the door though, I hear a voice call out to me.
I turn around and see Antonio with a frightened look in his eye.
“What’s wrong bro?” I ask, not caring how funny to say the word “bro” with my deep Dr. Claw voice.
“Remember, the day after your birthday, when we had breakfast together?” he asks. “I had pancakes and you had Frosted Flakes. I remember because that was the last time I was able to recognise you.”
An unpleasant feeling wells up in my gut upon hearing that. Back then I probably still looked human. In Antonio’s eyes, that might have been the last breakfast he had with his brother before I changed, both physically and mentally.
“What about it?” I ask, a little bit harsher than I intended.
Antonio sighed. “That day you made me a promise that no one at the bank would get hurt. You killed a man in cold blood. That’s what everyone says. It’s just, seeing you getting prep to go out again… Please just tell me, why did you do it?”
My black heart freezes, as guilt consumes me. It never even crossed my mind that he knew, even though the incident in the bank was general knowledge. Yet all this time, he chose not to bring it up, even when I spent all this time with him over the course of the week.
Caught off guard, I try to keep my composure as I think back to that fateful morning. My brother was right. I vaguely remember making a promise that the bank crew and I weren’t going to hurt anyone, yet I’d been the one who pulled the goddamn trigger. How the hell was I supposed to justify that to my little brother, let alone look him in the eye...?
I close my eyes and sigh.
“A voice in my told me to do it, and I obeyed,” I say with shame. “I hate myself for what I did. I believe there is a spell that could bring that man back from the dead, but I’ve seen Pet Cemetery one two many freaking times to even risk re-learning it. I can’t undo what I did, nor can I give you an excuse for my action. The echo from the past may have suggested it, but I was the one who shot him. But I can’t let what happened stop me.”
Tears start to well up in my eyes, as my legs tremble. I tilt my head down, my eyes open wide as guilt floods my body. I could live with others knowing about my greatest sin, but not my brother. The shame of it all is just too much too bear.
“Steve,” he says. “Promise me you won’t kill anyone. You still don’t have to do this.”
I shake my head. “What you ask is unrealistic. While I can promise that no civilians will be harmed, people who rebel will be putting themselves in danger. And they will rebel. I’ve enchanted everyone’s gun’s so that they maim instead of kill, but even then they are still potentially lethal. While my goal is to have the takeover go without bloodshed, the plan would have to go perfectly, and I don’t see that happening.”
I pause has I try and muster a look of resolve.
“I still have to do this though. If I don’t, the only alternative I’d have would be to isolate myself in this mansion for the rest of my life. At the same time, I need make up for the failures of my old life, and build a kingdom that is built not just fear, but respect.”
“But you don’t have to!” he shouts. “You're not that stupid pony from that show. You're my goddamn brother.”
I feel anger swell with in me, but I restrain myself. The last thing I want is to let my new persona cripple my relationship with my brother.
“Listen!” I say sympathetically. “I’ve got myself under control. If any of the boys harm anyone I’ll punish them. Everything will be alright little Antonino, so please go to bed and have faith. I’ll be back in the morning.”
He nods and starts to head towards the stairs but not before looking back at me.
“I know the old Steve is still in there. Do what you have to do, but don’t do it if means becoming a monster!”
I nod and try to shake the guilt off as I hop into one of the armed cars heading to the main police station. As the vehicle starts to move, I could here the other trucks heading out, each to different police stations.
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As the the truck comes to a halt I turn to face my men. All of them wore gas masks and advanced protective armour, both of which I enhanced with magic. Most of them had weapons from the warehouse, minus the one hacker with the laptop. Even though our goal was to ensure zero casualties, we looked like a fully threatening force.
“Listen up boys!” I shout as they all turn to face their ruler. I smile out how obedient and loyal they are becoming. Even Dad never ushered this level of respect.
I smik as I continue to speak. “When the others radio in, we begin the operation. I want the demo team in position and your guns should be less lethal thanks to the my magic, but once you see your target’s fallen down, stop shooting. Once all the precincts are taken, we move to the TV Studio, and from there, Williams Tower. Are we clear?”
“Yes boss!” they say in unison.
I turn to the guy with the laptop. “Arnold,” I say, “how many cops are on duty tonight?”
“It’s crowded sir,” he says as I see sweat drip from his eyebrows. “The eastern side is definitely the most crowded.”
“Is the jammer working?” I ask.
“As of 10 seconds ago yes,” he says with an arrogant smirk.
Excellent! Now all that’s left is…
The radio next me goes off, as one by one all the other groups report in.
I feel a swarm of butterflies start to flutter inside my stomach, as I think about everything that could possibly go wrong. One screw up and it’s all over. As overpowered as I am, I know deep down I’m not invincible. If I mess up a spell, if I take too many bullets, if the police contact outside help, if the other teams fail? The possibilities swirl through my mind like an out of control blender. Once I gave the order, there’s no going back. Should I call it off, live my life in hiding and just stay in that machine?
No! It’s not just for personal gain. I need to do this for the other unfortunate ponies, so that our kind can thrive in this alien world. Plus, I’ll be damned if I spend the rest of my life in hiding. Once they see what I’m capable of, the masses shall worship and obey me.
And with that final thought, I lift the radio closer to my muzzle as I prepare to push the domino that would set everything in motion.
“Round them up boys.” I say softly, all the while smiling sinisterly with anticipation.
The men open the the back of the truck and we all storm out. My henchmen break into three groups, with the bulk of them following me towards the front entrance while the others go for the emergency exits. I gallop up the steps, swinging the doors wide open with my magic and rushing inside the lobby, my army following behind me.
Almost all the officers are caught off guard as we pile in. I stun most of them with my magic before they could react, and my men fire short bursts to stun anybody I missed. The secretary managing the front desk screams just before I blast her with a knockout spell. She comically stumbles backwards onto her rolling chair and lands with her feet in the air.
Once the lobby is clear, I hear gunfire coming in from the center of the building.
“The others are in!” I say as the thrill of battle courses through me. “Stay behind me and I’ll protect you as best I can while you cover me.”
“You got it Lord Sombra!” one them says.
I quickly back out of the exit with a wall of dark crystals before leading my men into the fray. With the exit secure, we charge past the desk into the center of the station and head into a large room where most of the cubicles are.
Almost a dozen officers start to fire at us. Going on defensive, I focus my magic on stopping as many bullets as I can, while my men fire at the police. Unfortunately, I overestimate how effective my magic could be against this many bullets, and more then a few hit us. One lucky bullet actually hits an unprotected part of my body, while another bounces off my armor.
Both shots send me stumbling backwards, as I duck behind a desk and wait for myself to heal.
“Shit!” I yelled to myself. “I really fucked this up.”
I watch helplessly as my men start to drop like flies on the floor. Some of them moan in agony while other lay motionless on the floor. Damn cops! A part of me in that moment almost wish we could just kill them, but I remind myself of my promise to Antonio.
As my wound closes, I jump up from cover and harness my energy into one of my new spells. My rage seems to amplify the spell, causing dark magic to wash across the floor like a tsunami. As the spell washes over each cop I see them drop their gun as their eyes begin to glow green.
Yes! The spell is working!
I raise my hoof and order the surviving members of my gang to cease their fire.
As smoke pours out of this one black cops eyes, I watch hims scream stumbling backwards, in terror.
“Alice, no!” he shouts. “Please don’t take the kids. I promise I’ll stop drinking! Please God don’t take the kids!”
I turn my head and watch as a second officer gets onto his knees.
“Bobby please stop. I’m sorry I got you killed. They told me they weren’t going to kill you. I would never have sold you out if I knew. Please don’t come any closer. I don’t want to go to hell.”
Me and the men stare in awe as the entire station turns into a state of utter madness, as fear and and hysteria take over. And through that fear, I feel my power surge.
“Corral them all into this room!” I order. “Secure anyone who wasn’t affected by the spell.”
Again, like obedient soldiers, the mobsters are quick to obey my commands. As they round up the remaining cops, I take the time to mend the wounds on both sides. Despite my lack of knowledge of medicinal magic, I am able to save about five of my men from keeling over. The cops sustained very minor damage, and unlike us, suffered no casualties.
When my men tell me the station is secure, I undo the fear spell and summon a circle of black crystals around the cops. From within the circular cage, the police stare at me through the gaps. They are appear terrified and confused, struggling to make sense of the situation. Their bewilderment amuses me greatly, as I break it a soft fit of laughter.
“I apologize for the inconvenience officers.” I say, causing many of them to gasp in shock. Again I chuckled. “Yes I can talk. Anyways, I have a very busy night planned for myself, and I figured it wouldn’t be right to leave you all here without first telling you why.”
“You!” one of the cops in back shouts. “It can’t be you. You're just a cartoon!”
“Ah!” I say. “Someone who recognises me. Step forward.”
The officer who spoke timidly huddles closer to me on his knees. He has a short mustache and brown hair. If I were to guess, I’d say that the man was about thirty something. His body jitters as I stare at him in silence.
Taking advantage of his anxiety, I slam my hoof down and snap my maw at him like a rabid dog. Afterwards, I leave my mouth open, exposing my fangs and tongue. To say he is scared shitless would be an understatement, the amount of fear that emanates from him far exceeds anything I have felt before. It makes me crave more.
“Tell me officer!” I say menacingly as my craving for fear intensifies, dark impulses clouding my mind. “Did you watch my show when you were in college? Go ahead, tell the precinct what a faggot you were. I bet you masterbated to them didn’t you!”
What the hell am I saying. I know I’m an asshole but I even when I used to poke fun at David I was never this mean.
But even as I start to question my behaviour, I find that I’m too caught up in the moment to stop.
“Tell them who I am!” I scream as if Lucifer himself had claimed my body. “Tell them who their new god is. Say my name bitch.”
“Sombra.” he says softly.
“Louder!” I yell.
“Sombra,” he said, a little louder this time, but still too soft for my liking.
“LOUDER!!!” I roar.
The man loses, as fear and terror pour out of his being like a shaken soda can.
“SOMBRA!” he said “KING SOMBRA! Please don’t kill me. I have a wife and kids man please!”
A faint voice echoes in my head. It sounds like it’s telling me to stop, but it’s being pushed back by the overwhelming sense of power that his fear brings me. That’s when I think back to all the other times I felt this euphoria that my hatred and people’s fear of me brought. I want to indulge in it, but I hold myself back. While I knew that it would make me stronger, enough was enough. He had given me enough. If this continued, not only would I look more like a villain in the eyes of the public, but I might lose control.
I shake my head as if coming out of a trance. While I knew I could extract more fear out of him, this one man had already given me more than enough.
“I apologize for scaring you,” I say, in a much calmer and less threatening tone. “I get a little carried away sometimes. You may go back now.”
Not needing to be told twice the cop makes his way back.
I then turn my attention to the group at large.
“I’m running short on time so I’m giving you the abridged version,” I say. “I’m taking over the city and turning it into a kingdom so that my kind may find refuge. You are all welcome to keep your jobs and uphold the law. However, only those who pledge their allegiance to me may do so. If you do not wish to serve me, I will not force you. However, any attempts at rebellion will be dealt with. You killed several of my followers today, and I have made sure to spare all of you. Please don’t make me regret that decision. For now, you shall stay here until further notice. Any questions?”
The cops begin to all talk at once, making it almost impossible to hear what any of them are are saying. If worst comes to worst, I’ll just have to put slave collars on them, but I can worry about that later.
Just then, I hear my radio go off. I levitate it closer to my face and speak.
“Are the other stations secure?” I say sternly.
All the other groups start reporting in. Things didn’t go exactly as planned. It seems taking over all the police stations was too ambitious and an overall unrealistic goal. However, it seems like we got most of them, with only two of them still standing. As far as I can tell, the only fatalities were from our side.
While this might pose problems later on, the dominos were already in motion. I had made my choice 45 minutes ago when I gave the order to attack, and now there was nowhere left to go but forward.
“Alright everyone,” I say. I want two volunteers to stay behind and watch the cage. “I don’t think they can escape, but I wouldn’t feel right leaving them alone. The rest of you are coming with me to the TV Station!”
As I finish, I hear my men applaud me and shout and chant my name. A sense of victory washes over me. I was able to resit my dark impulses to some extent, and just took out a police station Terminator 2 style by not killing any cops. In this moment, I feel like the city is already mine.