//------------------------------//
// 1: Sombra's Reign  
// Story: Darkness Is Our Downfall 
// by xXSheltieXx 
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The day was so clear. I remember it clearly, every detail, every step. I trotted out of my home and made my way to the Crystal Train, holding my ticket for my ride, standing in the line. Suddenly, the sky turned a dark and smoky black, and our precious crystals turned into dark, blackened crystals, which held a similarity to Sombratic Crystals, as which they had come to be known.

I felt magic surround my hooves, as did other ponies. We were dragged by our hooves, tails, and hair back into the Empire. Many tried to run, but it was too late for that. The station became one giant Sombratic Crystal, and we could only watch on as we were dragged to our doom.

I stood by the Crystal Castle, the Crystal Heart gone. The castle turned black and red, many of the other ponies turning dim in waves. As I realized there was no hope, I felt the light drain out of me as well. He laughed from his perch so high up. He laughed and laughed, his horn now curved and red at the tip, fading.

His eyes were red with green, and purple flowing from them in wisps. His horn was surrounded with green and purple, and every pony was in shackles and harnesses. We were all linked to one another, and we were told what to do. No pony had hope, no pony could. The Crystal King was killed, I'd heard it from a guard. The Crystal Queen and Princess fled long before.

Sombra was such a kind pony before. He cared about every pony. But he was now replaced with a demon. In a different, low tone, he yelled over his kingdom.

"I am King Sombra, I am your Ruler, your Master! The Crystal King is dead, and his wife and foal are fleeing, leaving you to be in my hooves!" He announced.

"No, the Queen would never do that!" A pony spoke up.

I shook my head and looked up at him, defiant. "No, Sombra."

He was astonished, and was immediately in front of me. "What did you say?!"

"They had to flee because even our King could not defeat you. I understand that and I know they'll come back." I said, nodding.

"I can taste the fear in your voice, I can see it in your eyes, they tell me everything. You know they left, you've no hope to spare. Just look at yourself, you're no longer full of light, you know this is your demise and my rise in power and fame." Sombra smiled, licking his lips. 

"I may be lying, but at least you'll go down in history as infamous!" I yelled, stepping forward.

Suddenly, everything was black, every pony was gone, it was just me and Sombra. Blocks formed underneath us, and they fell gradually, making me hop my hooves in worry.

I was brought back to the real world, and I felt my eyebrows drooping. I looked at my friends, my family, they all gazed at me. I put my head down, and the words formed themselves, my lips moving on their own.

"There is no hope. This is our downfall. King Sombra is our leader now." I tried to shut my mouth, but it kept going.

I started walking, the chains jingling as I walked towards the crystals. The others put their heads down, becoming dimmer and dimmer. I picked an ax up and started mining the crystals and putting them in carts.

"King Sombra is our savior, King Sombra we do your labor. King Sombra is our better, stop and you'll be dead or deader." Was what King Sombra made us say every hour, on the dot.

We mined and mined for a long time, no pony kept track of how long it had been. And then our new saviors arrived. Princess Celestia and Princess Luna sealed King Sombra into the form of gas, and we only looked on. His magic still resided in the Kingdom, and we seemed to make a huge jump in time. Every outside pony said we'd been gone a thousand years, but to us, it was one moment, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna were saving us, closed our eyes, and strange ponies were in our Kingdom.

One stallion was called Shining Armor, and our Princess, Princess Cadance was back. I was elated to see her, but the Crystal Heart wasn't there. There was Twilight Sparkle, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Fluttershy. There was a dragon, Spike, and he was very small.

I walked out of the center, where the Crystal Heart should be, and looked around. Ponies, very slowly, were becoming more and more bright. I walked up to the white Unicorn with purple hair and she made a hat in a quick movement. It was straw and twine, but it was nice. She put it on my head, looking at me with a smile.

"Dear, what is wrong? Don't you like it?" She asked.

I made a soft smile and nodded, walking over to my family. I put the hat on my little sister, Stars Light, and she smiled, her crystal coat returning. My mother, Flower Basket, and my father, Ramp Rump, watched the Pegasi joust. They became crystallized again, and I was one of the only ponies left without hope.

I walked around, looking for Princess Cadance. I tapped an orange pony with a blonde mane, and she turned around and smiled.

"Howdy, partner, what'cha need?" She asked kindly.

"Princess Cadance?" I asked, tilting my head.

"She's up on the balcony, but she needs to concentrate." Applejack started to walk away, but I bit her tail and pulled her back.

I pointed up at the balcony. "Princess Cadance."

Applejack sighed and let me through, and I galloped up the steps. Shining Armor's horn was filled with Sombratic Crystals, and Princess Cadance was tired, but her magic was blasting. I walked over to her and looked at her with sad eyes.

"Princess Cadance?" I asked.

"W-Why aren't you c-crystallized?" She asked wearily.

I started to cry and hugged her tightly, surprising her. "I knew you'd come back, I knew it."

I let go of her, a smile on her face. "Do you know where the Crystal Heart is?" Shining Armor asked.

I nodded. "It's dangerous to try and get it."

"We need to get it to stop Sombra." Twilight Sparkle said, rushing up to me.

I nodded. "There is a spiral staircase in the center of the throne room, I saw King Sombra use Sombratic Magic to open it. But every pony who went down there saw horrible things and ran up, King Sombra laughing."

Princess Cadance held my hoof. "You d-don't need to call him King anymore."

I nodded. "There's a door down there that should take you to a big staircase and the Crystal Heart is at the top, but it's hard to get to. No Crystal Pony has ever made it past the fifth set of stairs."

Twilight and Spike ran to the Throne Room, and I trotted back down the stairs. I walked around, looking at more festivities, trying to have hope. After a while, I stood by the Crystal Heart Holder and wanted to look at it, maybe they just wanted more happiness. After a lot of fear and misconceptions, King Sombra was back. Ponies ran into each other, we all lost our happiness.

But then...

Princess Cadance flew and held Spike and the Crystal Heart! She put it in the Holder and we all rejoiced, bowing down, becoming crystalline again. The blue lines glowed and the heart blew Sombra back into the wilderness, where we all rejoiced. It was over.


For now.