//------------------------------// // Epilogue // Story: Vengeance // by EquestrianKirin //------------------------------// ...How long had it been?... ...Since the fall of the once proud rulers of equestria: Celestia and Luna... ...The elements of harmony were no longer a happy memory, for not even them were able to stop him... The world of pure darkness. Hard to believe that such a land was once the magical land of Ponyville. The village that stood appeared more dead than alive, each building crystallized with black daggered crystallic stone. The skies above held no sun, nor no moon. The only light left in the world was the purple and green fire that lit up the town, and even that hardly made much of a difference in light...if one could even remember what true light looked like anymore. The ponies weren't much better off than anything else: living under a dictator's rule in the world of pure darkness. Each pony, as far the eyes could see, didn't share any sort of smile, any remote happiness was removed...All they could see was sorrowful, dim-coloured ponies, going on their schedules that were forced upon them by their new ruler. Many mares and stallions were completely chained up, hooves and necks chained up like prisoners of their own town, as they were forced into their own slave labour. It was a sad sight to any pony with pure common sense and guilt. The crystal castle, now nearly invisible in the pitch black twilight, stood in all of it's demonic glory, as the ponies were forced to work under it's gloomy gaze...In one of it's balconies, their dictatorial ruler, King Sombra, looked down on his own empire, full of newfound pride, a feeling he hadn't felt in many years. The look of disciplined depression on everypony in his presence made him feel accomplished in his victory. After gazing down on the empire's residents, Sombra ventured back inside his castle. The inside of the castle had been a bit modified to suite his liking: his black crystallined mainframe of the halls mirrored his reflection in an almost perfect way (as best a daggered crystal could do). Kept polished by some of Sombra's slaves daily would do that to the castle. Speaking of which, Sombra checked on the servants down in the throne room, who he assigned earlier to clean up on the throne room for that "day" (if one could even call it a day without the light). After some wandering through his halls, he found his throne room, his servants continuing to wipe down the throne Sombra had them assigned to do. The unicorn confronted them as the pony turned back and bowed in his presence, something he enjoyed. Sombra looked over the throne for a bit, not seeing any smears or smudges on his lovely throne. With that, he nodded and allowed them to go clean the rest of the palace. Sombra sat down on his throne, looking around his throne room. "Feels great to be back..." Sombra sighed, feeling grateful to had returned to his rightful place as king again. As he continued to look around his magnetic crystals, his eyes caught to a personal decoration. The white wings of a long forgotten ruler spread above his castle's main door: a reminder to that fateful day. The unicorn smiled in triumph as he got up, eyes looking into it. His eyes look up at it for a while until... "Sombra? You ready?" Normally, Sombra would be angry for such a innteruption into his castle, but he recognized the voice, and had a smile instead as he turned around. The unicorn's guest looked rather tall, about the same height as Sombra, though thinner and more dark blue than black. Her armor gleemed in the light of Sombra's fiery torches as she drawed near. Sombra smiled deeply, letting her pass him. "Go right ahead, my dear," Sombra insisted, a hoof aimed to the main doorway. his guest walked over to the doors, swinging them open wide so she could observe the world outside. Her long, sharp horn glowed bright blue, and suddenly something began to rise from the horizon. The only main source of light that the world of Equestria had left: the moon. With just one minute of use, the full moon's rays shined down brightly upon the world, The rays of the moon ventured inside Sombra's castle, his armor shining in the moonlight. His guest smiled back at him, her teeth sharp like his own. Her eyes, pupils in a slither like that of a reptile. Her wings were spread, her horn gleamed in the light...Sombra smiled at his princess, walking towards her side... "As beautiful as ever, my dear sweet Nightmare." "I'm glad you think so, sweetheart..."