//------------------------------// // No Destiny // Story: The Umbra King // by Car Cloth //------------------------------// “Are you sure, Rarity?” “Of course! How many dark, shadowy stallions do we really know?” “It’s just… I thought we defeated King Sombra once and for all… I never thought I would see him again, and certainly not in Ponyville.” Princess Twilight Sparkle stopped when she reached the door to Rarity’s boutique. The candle lights had gone out and the place was dark. The volume of the world had been set to silent. The ponies of Ponyville lay still in their beds. Only Twilight, Spike, Opal and Rarity were stirring. “I knew something was up with that gem,” Spike said as Twilight took a hesitant step closer to the door. “I just knew it.” “You knew something was wrong, Spike?” Twilight asked incredulously. “Why didn’t you say anything?” “I, er, wasn’t sure. I thought I might’ve been imagining things.” Rarity shook her head. “It’s not your fault, Spike. No one could have predicted this was going to happen.” “Thanks, Rarity,” Spike said sheepishly. “It’s over now,” Twilight interjected. “We need to focus on what we’re going to do. Stand back.” She used her magic to slam open the door. Opal jumped behind Rarity’s legs, as did Spike. “Sombra!” Twilight called out. Nothing. Twilight stepped into the boutique. Her gaze was immediately drawn to the stallion lying on the floor, unconscious. Her steely-eyed determination faulted. “What… happened?” she awkwardly asked. “I thought you said he emerged from a magic gem?” “He did!” Rarity nodded enthusiastically. “But I had to defend myself. I thought for certain he would be awake by now… but I suppose he was very weak when he first appeared…” Twilight crossed the room and examined Sombra’s body. Immediately she knew Rarity’s claims were true. He was weak, but not defeated. He could still be dangerous, Twilight thought. I have a duty to protect Ponyville. “That’s funny,” Rarity said, breaking Twilight’s train of thought. Twilight turned to her with a raised eyebrow. “What’s funny?” “He looks like a normal stallion.” “I think he is a normal stallion, just…” “Just what, Twilight?” Twilight’s thoughts drifted back to the time she and Trixie had entered a magic duel. Trixie was a normal unicorn, yes, but… when she was wearing the Alicorn Amulet she wasn’t herself… and more powerful than ever before… “Rarity,” Twilight whispered, still deep in thought. “Didn’t you say something about a strange gem? That Sombra had?” “Twilight!” Rarity gasped. “Look out!” In one unrestrained move, Sombra used his dark magic to summon shadows through the boutique. They flooded the building and shrouded his body; all that could be seen were his eyes. The walls of the small shop shuddered from the power and the windows broke from the pressure of the semi-corporeal shadows trying to break free. “Fools,” Sombra hissed. “You can never defeat me…” Spike carried Opal out of harm’s way, just as the shadows began to lash out. Twilight stood her ground and spread her wings. Rarity stood by her side and silently nodded to affirm her commitment to Twilight’s defense. “Sombra!” Twilight began. “I am the- urg!” Shadows grabbed Twilight, interrupting her speech, only to throw her through the nearest wall. Rarity was taken aback and tried attacking the shadows with her kicks, but it was to no avail. The shadows finally freed themselves from the boundaries of the boutique, but by then Twilight had recovered. She flew up into the sky and cascaded down a flurry of magical beams meant to harm the shadows but not destroy the unicorn behind them. The shadows began to evaporate and Sombra stumbled forth into the streets of Ponyville. He seemed confused but determined. The commotion of the fighting had awoken nearby residents and ponies were now emerging from their homes. Twilight knew she had to do something before anyone got hurt. It’s my responsibility. She flew down to the street and placed herself directly in front of Sombra. There was nowhere to hide. “Sombra!” she called to him again. “Surrender!” “Never,” he growled, baring his fanged teeth. The sclera of his eye changed from white to green and Twilight knew now what it meant. That dark magic… Twilight had to make a choice: as a princess, Celestia had given her the ability to send individuals to Tartarus, and she also knew the spell for locking magical beings in stone but… Rarity was right. He is a normal stallion. Didn’t she have a duty to him as well? Wasn’t she the Princess of Magic? “I can’t allow you to go, Sombra!” Twilight, her mind set, cast a spell upon Sombra’s horn, locking the magic. She had learned it during the Equestria Games, after watching their gates work, but she knew that if a pony were too powerful it may break… The magic wrapped itself around Sombra’s curved and sharpened horn, sealing the magic within. “No!” he barked in defiance, shaking his head in a futile attempt to rid himself of the spell. It was too late and he was too weak to break it. Twilight knew it wouldn’t last forever. He was already much stronger than when Rarity had confronted him and that had only been mere moments ago... “Twilight!” Rarity called out to her. “I told the ponies of Ponyville to stay in their homes but we can’t keep fighting out here!” “Your right,” Twilight nodded. “I have a plan.” Closing her eyes to better focus, Twilight concentrated on her new crystal palace. Hope this works… Pop! --- Pop! The purple magic sprinkled off everyone as they glanced around. Twilight took a few deep breaths. Teleporting groups was more difficult than just teleporting herself. “Magnificent!” Rarity praised. Sombra backed away, the sclera of his eyes slowing fading back to white. “What have you done?” he whispered darkly. “Where are we? The Crystal Empire? Why have you taken me here?” “This is my castle, Sombra,” Twilight informed him matter-of-factly. “My castle is in Ponyville and I am the-” Without warning he lunged. Twilight stumbled back a step right before he was to cut into her chest with his horn. Pop! Sombra missed completely and wheeled around to find her. Pop! A magic crystal cage sprung up around him, preventing him from leaving. Sombra immediately tested the durability of the bars by slamming his massive body against them, but it was all in vain. Spike walked to the edge of the cage and puffed up his chest. “You aren’t breaking anything Twilight made with magic!” Sombra stamped his hooves against the stone, causing a thunderous clap to echo among the tall ceilings. Spike shuddered and backed away, momentarily started by the sound. He nervously laughed when he regained his composure. “Spike’s right, there’s no use fighting it,” Rarity said, fluffing her curly purple mane. “You might as well calm yourself.” “You’re the mare that woke me,” Sombra calmly stated, narrowing his eyes. Rarity flushed in embarrassment and looked away. Twilight interrupted them by clearing her throat. “Sombra! I am the Princess of Magic, Twilight Sparkle! As the princess here I demand to know what your intentions are!” For a moment there was nothing but tense silence. Sombra turned his full attention to Twilight and balked, “You? Once the title of Princess was reserved for Gods among our kind. Now it is apparently given out to any common rabble. “Twilight is a fine princess,” Rarity immediately interjected. “Don’t bother acknowledging his insults,” Twilight said to her friend. “It’s not worth it. He just wants to get a rise out of us.” “This spell won’t hold me forever,” Sombra calmly added. “And when it fails…” Twilight nodded. “And when it fails what? What exactly are you going to do?” The question, surprisingly, caught Sombra off guard. He noticeably hesitated. What was he going to do? “Return to the Crystal Empire, of course,” he muttered with a lack of conviction. “To rule it again?” Twilight asked. “Yes. To enslave the crystal ponies. That is my goal.” The more he spoke the more confident he became. Of course that was his goal. That had always been his goal. “Are you sure?” Spike laughed from a good ten feet away. “Not according to your cutie mark.” He pointed to the blank flank on the ebony stallion. “Keep control of your beast,” Sombra threatened. “I’m not like you simple ponies. I have no one destiny. It will start with the Crystal Empire and it will end with the world. No mark, no brand, can tell me what I am to accomplish.” Twilight had read many a scholarly book and essay on the idea of destiny. Were cutie marks a sign of the pony’s will, or a stamp forged by the universe that dictated their life? Sombra clearly prescribed to the latter way of thinking. Rarity stepped closer to Twilight Sparkle and lowered her voice. “I’ve never known a full-grown pony to not have a cutie mark. Why do you think that is?” “I don’t know, Rarity… Most ponies get their mark when they’re younger. Perhaps something happened to Sombra at that young age.” “Should we ask him?” Twilight and Rarity both turned back to the cage. Sombra was pacing the outer edge, magic flaring underneath the locking spell. They turned back to each other with skeptical stares. “I sent word to Princess Celestia,” Twilight informed her. “I was hoping I could speak to her before I made any permanent decisions. Maybe, once he’s calm, we can ask him about his past. I don’t think anyone really knows anymore… He lived during a different time period than us…” “You’re right. What about the magic gem? Do you think that has any significance?” “I think it’s very significant, Rarity. Which is why I need to ask you a favor.” “Anything, darling.” “You were the one that taught me that locating gems spell and… you’ve always had a special connection with rare gems.” Rarity held her head up high and nodded. “That’s right.” “Help me find out what this gem is. Help me find a way to remove it.” Twilight’s tone was serious and unwavering. Rarity nodded in agreement, knowing she was taking on a very important task. “I won’t let you down.” Twilight turned away from Sombra’s cage and made her way toward the circle throne room. “Celestia should be here any moment. I suggest we wait for her together… Maybe she knows what we can do.” Sombra watched them go, his thoughts drifting to distant times…