//------------------------------// // 2. Steel Ponies ★ // Story: A Shadow's World // by Invanger //------------------------------// Sombra paced across the cave many times. He couldn't sit still because he could just sense that he would be free of this prison. It has been a thousand years since he was banished. His strength, stamina, and dark magic had only grown. He would never return to the weak, young stallion he had once been. He heard something that sounded like the ice was cracking. It grew louder and he turned into shadow. More for protection rather than being hidden. He saw a crack in the ceiling and chuckled rather evily and prepared to be free. The crack grows bigger and many smaller cracks branch out of it. His grin only grew as it gets bigger by the second. Soon it is large enough to easily fit through, even in pony form. He flew out of that place. Nothing had changed since he had been up here last. He looked around, not spotting his empire and growled slightly as he started to go in the direction of where it was. He couldn't seem to find it in this blizzard. He returned to pony form, glad that a milinium in solid ice has prepared him for the cold. And being one of the last steel ponies helps. Our fur turns hard as steel when harsh winds blow. It hardens upon impact. If something sharp was used very skillfully, it can get past the steel fur if it makes contact hard and fast enough. As he walked through the blizzard, he remebered his family and how there was only one other steel unicorn. The other unicorn's horn was normal though. Sombra's horn had been normal a good deal of his life. He found dark magic and it changed everything about him. How he looked, personality, knowledge, and it even changed his voice a little. Before he had come in contact with dark magic, his was horn like every other unicorn's horn. His coat was a few shades lighter and about two shades brown. He wasn't just a steel pony, his mother was a crystal pony. And they are normaly earth ponies as well. Sombra was able grow crystals like the crystal ponies, but didn't have the crystal like coat. Instead he had a steel coat. That is why most steel ponies are grey somewhere. He looked more like a steel pony than a crystal pony. Only thing that said he was part crystal pony was the ability to grow crystals. Before the dark magic, Sombra was friendly and had many friends. His best friend was Midight Fire. He was a dark brown with light grey mane. Like most steel ponies, Midnight and Sombra had been slaves. Once Sombra found the dark magic, he vowed to save them. He may be immortal and everyone he knew is gone, but they are a part of who he once was. "Mabye some steel ponies will let me stay with them." He was not so keen on being with other ponies, but if it means he can grow a little stronger then why not? He turned into a shadow and flew to where some steel ponies had lived. As he got close, he noticed that they look even worse than before he was banished. He turned back into a pony and walked inside the village. He stopped near the middle of the town. Almost none of the ponies outside payed attention to him. He felt something press on the armor that was on his right front leg. He looked down and saw a young colt. "Hey mister. Who are you." Sombra almost said 'King Sombra', but then he thought that the King part would scare them more than needed. "Sombra." he said, trying to hide to snake like lisp that is barely noticeable. "I haven't seen you before." the colt said. "I'm just passing through." "Where are you staying?" he asked another question. "No where right now." Sombra replied absent mindedly. "You can stay with me!" He exclaimed happily and starts walking. Sombra followed him because he hadn't able to find his empire earlier. The colt walked up to a slightly run down house and went in. He invited Sombra in and he followed, glad to be out of the storm. "Mom. I brought a new friend." The colt yelled as he ran to a door. "Who is it now, Midnight Fire?" A female voice called back. Sombra heared hoofsteps and stayed where he was near the door. Even though there isn't even a slight breeze, his mane and tale whip around as if he was standing next to a tornado. A dark grey mare with silver mane come out. "Oh, you must be his new friend. I'm Starcrossed and he is Midnight Fire." "I'm K-... Sombra." "Nice to meet you Sombra. Where do you live? I haven't seen you around here before." that's because I have been banished for a thousand years. "I'm just passing through." "Oh, we have a spare room if you would like to stay." Starcrossed offered "I'm only here tonight. Thank you. Then I have to continue on to The Crystal Empire." Sombra said. "Don't you know that the empire has been gone for a thousand years. Everyone says a pony who called himself King Sombra banished it when he was banished to the far northern ice. Speaking of names, yours is very similar." Starcrossed said. She said something to Midnight Fire and he ran off. "If your wanting to talk about names, where did you get his?" Sombra questioned. He just had to know if they were descendents of his old friend. "Well, somewhere a thousand years ago, there was Midnighg Fire. Who was rumored to be King Sombra's friend. I chose that namd because I am a descendant of him." She answered. Sombra felt like she can be the only one to know about him. "Those rumors are true. He was a good friend." Starcrossed had a look of confusion and shock on her face. "So means... your here... that means... your the King Sombra." She said kinda of excitedly. "Yes, I'm King Sombra. And the empire returned today, just like I have." he confirmed. "Don't tell anyone else about that. They would freak." Starcrossed warned. "Didn't plan to. I came to save all of you from slavery." he said and her face lit up. "This is the last standing village that isn't in slavery. Can you show me how you grow the crystals?" "How did you know I can do that?" Sombra asked, confused on how much information was remembered about him. "Well, it's mainly just this family that still remembers. We passed the story down. Never changed it. It was the first Midnight Fire who did it. He wrote it down. Each generation has rewitten it, not changing the words even the slightest bit. Midnight Fire wrote about you, knowing that you would be forgotten by everyone if he didn't save the memory. I even have the book." she explained. Sombra was surprised that Midnight Fire actually saved all the knowledge he had about him. "Okay." he said, struggleing a little bit to continue to hide his real voice. "You don't have to hide anything in this house." Starcrossed says, haveing noticed his struggling. He nodded and made a small crystal grow. Starcrossed watched, looking happy. "So it is true. You are part crystal pony." She said, mostly to herself. "Yes, and I plan to make them pay for enslaving us." Her face lit up a bit at this, she also had a slight look of confusion. "So... your kinda going against part of what you are?" She asked. He growled slightly and Starcrossed stepped back a little. "They are the kind that enslaved me. I don't care if I am part crystal pony. They have hurt everyone around me." Sombra said, not bothering to hide the snake like lisp. He head a knock on the door behind him. "Go in the kitchen. That is Mist Seeker. He is my brother and I don't kow how well he would take to you being here." Starcrossed said and pionted to the kitchen. Sombra removed all evidence of him being there and went in, his armor making his hoofsteps slightly muffled by the grip on the hoofguards. He heard the door open and a male voice. Starcrossed and the other spoke for a few minutes. Starcrossed came in and said, "Mist Seeker wants to meet you." Sombra nodded slightly and walked out of the room. He saw a light grey stallion, the same color as mist, with blue tinted silver mane. He is slightly taller than most stallions, but Sombra was still taller than him. "Hello King Sombra. My sister tells me that you and the crystal empire, along with all the ponies have returned." Mist Seeker said, glaring slightly at Sombra. Sombra could easily return the glare, but kept an emotionless face. He said nothing and let Mist Seeker say what he wanted. Sombra could tell he didn't like him here at all. "I agreed to let you stay here for the night, but you have stay away from my nephew. I don't want him to be with a dark magic user. Most of all, a crystal pony." He said, his glare a bit stronger. Sombra growled at what he said. "I may be part crystal pony, but I would rather have them enslaved and in the mines." he hissed at the other stallion. Sombra kept his tall stance and glared ever so lightly at him. He didn't feel like making him see fears or anyhing, but Mist Seeker's hatred was enough for now. "Mist Seeker, why don't you go play with you nephew." Starcrossed said, most likely trying to save his tail. It seemed like she didn't want him to anger Sombra much because she is aware of what he could do. Seeker snorts and walks away. "Follow me, I'll show you the room you can stay in." She said and began to walk down a hallway. He followed not far behid her. She opened a door and walked in. "This is the room. If you need anything, I'll be in the kitchen or my room at the end of the hall." She said and left. Sombra closed the door and looked around the room. The bed was on the far wall. There was a small nightstand beside it with a lamp on it. The bed is an old mattress with a patchwork blanket on it. There is a single pillow that is slighlty flat. He was tired and walked over to the bed and lay down. It was by far the most comfortable thing he had been on in a thousand years and quickly fell into a dreamless sleep.