Sombra opened his eyes to white.
“I guess this is death,” he spoke, sitting up and looking around, finding nothing but white.
“Not quite,” spoke a voice as a form slowly appeared in front of him. Sombra tilted his head and leaned forward as the form got clearer. Eyes widening, he realised it was his mother, and took a step forward.
“Mother? You’re alive?” Sombra saw the form stop a few steps away, and shake her head.
“Again, not quite,” she spoke in a masculine voice. Sombra narrowed his eyes, and said nothing. ‘Mother’ sighed, and her form shifted into many different ponies, of different genders.
“We, are a construct of the Crystal Heart, the greatest thing ever to be created by the three races during the final battle against the Windigoes. Now, we are simply known as the crystal we created, and our story is passed down, diluted by time. Well,” she paused, and shrugged.
“I say ‘battle’ but it was really just a final goodbye before we expected death.” The form shimmered, and split into three. Sombra blinked, and decided to keep silent. All were in the image of his mother.
“We took on the form of your mother, as we are inclined to believe it will help you draw some sort of comfort from our words. However, we weren’t entirely sure.” Two of them spoke together, and glanced to the third who rolled his eyes.
“What do you want from me, shouldn’t the Elements have defeated me?” Sombra watched as all three approached, and took points in front, and to his sides, speaking around him in perfect sync.
“We, as a device created for the same purpose as the Elements, calmly discussed your punishment to prevent your life from being wasted.” All three walked forward, and turned to look back at him.
“As such, we have managed to come to an arrangement which will remove a threat to our existence that only we can battle against, in return for you being spared from vanishing to dust.” All three once more merged into a single pony, and smiled gently at Sombra.
“We greatly care for our little King, who got so close to the truth of the Empire, he found a True Queen to be his Wife.” Sombra was glad the Heart didn’t transform as an example, it was too soon. As such, he still winced.
“Truth of the Empire?” Sombra winced as his head suddenly throbbed, and looked to his hoof, and fell backward as it vanished into shadow. The Heart approached, and leaned over him.
“This Empire was created as the final wall to protect against the Windigoes, should they ever return. In fact, Crystal Ponies are caused by the continued presence of us. When Equestria was founded, the majority moved down, while a town remained above to act as an early warning to their return. It was made to last centuries, protecting against them. However, that time ran out during your rule.” The Heart walked away, and his hoof reformed. Blinking at it, he looked to the Heart.
“If it wasn’t for your timely appearance, and the finding of a True Queen, it would have fallen within a week. Do you know why we call her a True Queen?” The Heart sat down, and motioned Sombra over.
“Because she is able to perfectly tune with the Heart,” he replied, walking over and sitting down. Sombra flinched as the Heart gave a nod, and pointed to the symbol on his mothers flank, and touched Sombra’s.
“As a pony whose sole talent is love, only a True Queen would understand the very nature of love, and be able to guide the Empire to that light.” The Heart nodded, and removed his/her hoof.
“What do you want from me.” Sombra looked coldly at the Heart, cutting off all conversation on that specific topic.
“Sombra, what you have been trying to accomplish, is the reduction of fear and hate that can enter a person. You understood that ponies need it, and did not want to remove it, but you’re building a dam to stop a flood. It can work, for a time, but it won’t stop the issue. You need to stop the source for that.” The Heart smiled as Sombra blinked, and continued.
“That’s right, Windigoes. We didn’t realise it at the time, but the reason ponies had grown to the point to be at each other’s neck was because of them. They have this...pulse, they do that affects the entire world. Think of it similar to a blanket of snow covering the world, but invisible. It’s their way of making their food source grow.” The Heart stood up, and stepped back.
“If we wipe out Windigoes, this effect vanishes. But the problem with this is how. And frankly, we just don’t know how one would get that high a concentration of harmony to pull it off. At least, until we saw you at work. We firmly believe you hold the key to not only saving the Empire, but the entire world from being consumed by hatred. And so, we ask for your help.” The Heart bowed before Sombra, who stood up in response.
“Where are we?” Sombra looked around as the Heart answered, speaking from his bow.
“Technically, you are inside the crystal with us. Your body remains outside surrounded by rainbow. This is all taking place within a fraction of a microsecond. You are currently over-saturated with magic, I would not advise casting any spells.” Still bowing, the Heart motioned toward the hoof that had become shadow shortly before. Sombra nodded once, and brought a hoof to his chin.
“Is that what you designed the crystal above the palace for?” Sombra waited as the Heart rose, and nodded.
“How much magic can it take?” Sombra tilted his head as the Heart grinned.
“Good for one full go around the planet before shattering.” While complicated, and difficult to build, the palace had been made to absorb magic from the residents, to be sent to the heart, and then sent as a laser to the crystal which would then send it out as a pulse. They had been careful in the design, and it was designed to last, unlike the town.
“Would the Elements, you, the Crystal Ponies, and a True Queen be enough?” Sombra waited as they slowly nodded.
“It would, however you would need somepony to convert all the conflicting energies into one pure energy. Somepony who is an expert at manipulating magic and harmony.” The Heart winked, and Sombra nodded. That obviously meant him.
“However, if you do not have the True Queen, it wouldn’t harmonise into one properly, and so we are going to have to resort to waiting until a new True Queen is born.” The Heart waited patiently for Sombra to speak.
“Won’t that take years? The Windigoes are coming, we don’t have years.” Sombra tilted his head as the Heart nodded, and swiped his hoof at the white around them. It transformed, and suddenly they were above the Empire, looking down upon a wave of ice-blue charging into the Empire.
“My dear King, they are already here. And it is going to take hundreds of years for a True Queen to be born. With only your sister to spread Crystal Pony genes into Equestrians once more.” Waving a hoof, the Heart leaned down, looking at all the Windigoes.
“Every single Windigo is down there, ready to destroy the one thing halting their feeding. It is why the Elements agreed to our proposal in return for your life. For you see, we plan to protect the Empire, as you asked, while also saving your life and trapping all Windigoes until the chance to destroy them once and for all returns.” The Heart smirked down, before once more swiping and returning them to the white nothing.
“How are you going to do that?” Sombra stepped back, feeling a chill up his spine as the Heart’s smile only grew.
“We’re going to make you immortal.” The Heart turned away and made an irritated motion as it continued.
“We tried Alicorn but the Elements refused on the grounds you aren’t a bearer. No matter, we’ve got other methods to grant you the power you’ll need.”
“But, if I don’t die, I can never see my beloved in the afterlife, nor my mother.” Sombra looked down, closing his eyes as he clenched his teeth. When would he be allowed to rest? Would he be forced to serve his Empire forever, instead of just a simple lifetime?
“Don’t worry, it’s only temporary, we’ll remove it the same time we remove the powers we are gifting you with.” The Heart put an arm around Sombra, who flinched and stepped away.
“Look, we need to turn you into a battery that will run indefinitely, because we don’t know when the True Queen will be born. We can’t power the spell ourselves, we’re just a complicated converter.” The Heart stepped back, and sat down.
“You swear you will remove it once I have done my duty?” Sombra raised his head, and the Heart nodded enthusiastically.
“How long will I be used as a power source?” Sombra sat down in front of the Heart, looking it straight in the eyes.
“200 years tops,” the Heart made a cross on their chest, and smiled. Sombra sighed, and lowered his head. As King, his duty came before his own desires, always.
“Very well.” Sombra stayed seated as the Heart split into three once more, all beaming as they formed a triangle around him.
“Excellent, while we begin the process there is a few tiny tidbits we do need to tell you,” spoke one, looking to the second.
“You see, while you will be awake and unaffected by the Windigoes while trapped in the time bubble, you won’t be able to actually leave the city,” continued the second.
“We’ll detect the True Queen give or take a few years after, but we need you to sort of ‘push’ her along otherwise she won’t be able to repel the Windigoes in time to buy you the chance to enact the plan.” The third one lowered his head to the ground, and dissolved into it, forming a crystal heart symbol.
“That is fine,” replied Sombra. After all, he was currently a ‘corrupt King.’
“There’s also the fact we’re going to have to give you more power than you can possibly handle to power the spell, and it is likely to affect your brain slightly. We haven’t entirely nailed down how much, but I suggest read a lot of books.” The second one also vanished into the ground, the two hearts joined together by a line going around Sombra.
“After the new Queen activates us, we will remove the power and also your immortality as promised. After that, we entrust the fate of the Kingdom to you. Don’t fail us this time.” Finally, the first one dissolved, and a triangle formed around Sombra, and he was blinded by a pure white light, somehow even brighter than the whiteness around him.
And then...darkness.
Sombra opened his eyes and looked down, most of his body was currently a large shadow. Examining his body, it seemed the power had been too much to hold in a Unicorn, but not in his shadow form. Flying down to the city, he passed the place he had trapped the citizens, and blinked. They were entombed in ice, and surrounded by greedy windigoes, feasting on them. Sombra tried to interact, but found he simply faded through both.
Turning, Sombra took in the sky, noticing how everything outside the city was just, nothing, black. Flying toward the castle, he made his way down the street and into the Empire’s library, and toward a section he had never touched that was filled with Fiction.
Opening a random one, he began to read.