//------------------------------// // Eeeep! // Story: Rise Queen Umbra! // by grammar404 //------------------------------// The sounds of hooves echoed through the empty dungeon of the Crystal Empire as Cadence and Twilight trotted through the dungeon halls to where the old stallion was held. At the farthest cell stood two crystal guards, spears in hoof and gaze straight and unmoving, one turned her head to look at the princesses. "How is he?" Cadence asked. "He has been healed but still unconscious, your highness." "May we see him?" The unicorn mare bowed, "of course your highness." Cadence walked pass the guards followed by Twilight. She eyed the old stallion that was lying on the hard crystal floor. A magic nullifier clamped on his horn, one of his hind leg was shackled to the floor. Twilight gasped. "His ear twitched! I think he's waking up!" A groan from the old unicorn stallion confirmed what Twilight had jus said and the guards quickly gestured the two princesses to back away. But Cadence dismissed it. "No," said Cadence, "it's okay." She moved closer to the bars. "B-but princess!" The unicorn mare said. "We don't know what he's capable of!" Cadence eyed the shackles and frowned, "I think it's safe enough." The guards exchanged looks then nodded. "Where am I?" The old stallion muttered. He looked up and his eyes widened. "Princess?" he asked in confusion. He looked around and realised that he was in a cell. "What happened? Where am I? I – ugh!" he groaned and touched his horn. "You're in a dungeon beneath the Crystal palace. You attacked me during the late night festivities on the anniversary of Sombra's defeat." "What?" The old stallions eyes widened in disbelief, "But your highness! I – I couldn't have done it! I would never try and hurt you! This must be just a big misunderstanding!" "I wish it is, my little pony." Cadence's face saddened, "unfortunately there are evidence and witnesses, including myself and everypony who stopped you from doing so." The old stallion deflated his eyes locked on the floor, tears threatening to flow down his cheeks, "N – no... this c – can't be... my daughter's marriage is in a few weeks... How is this possible? I – I can't remember anything that had happened yesterday." His legs seemed to lost strength and he sat on the floor, his shimmering crystal textures turned dull. "What's your name?" Cadence asked. "Steel Field, your highness." He gave a small bow. "Well, Steel field, princess Twilight is here to... Interview you on what had happened to bring light to the case and to see if we could help lessen your sentence." she gestured at Twilight. Steel Field's mood seemed to brighten up and his crystalline texture followed. "I would like to ask you a few questions." Twilight said as she moved closer beside Cadence, levitating a notepad and a pencil. Steel Field nodded. "Asked away princess." "Why did you attack princess Cadence?" Steel Field frowned. "I'm sorry princess but... I really don't remember anything." Twilight raised an eyebrow, "then what do you remember?" "Besides waking up in here?" Steel Field tapped his chin, "Well, I was on my way home from the market when I heard this whispers at an alley. I decided to check it out, I think I was walking for a couple of minutes when everything began to turn darker. I don't seem to remember what happened after that." "Hmmm..." Twilight wrote on her notepad. "How about the song that you were singing during your... umm.. Coup?" The old stallion was hurt by that last word but did not show it. "Song? I have heard of many songs during my day." "Yes, this song, would you mind if I sing it to you?" Steel Field shook his head. "Not at all, princess, as long as it helps." Twilight sang the song and as she went on further towards the end, Steel field's eyes widened and his mouth agape. He was shaking as if the song sent shivers of fear down his spine. Before Twilight could even finish Steel field cut her off. "T – that's the song of the empire,The old empire. It was sang during his early reign, I was merely a colt back then. It was a campaign against the rebels and also for his unimaginable power. I – if the songs of old is being sung, that means Sombra's coming back!" he crawled into a ball, trembling in fear. "It's okay, Steel Field, Sombra was defeated twice, surely he will be defeated again!" Cadence said. "T – that's right,"he stared at Cadence, "you will protect us, right princess?" "I promise, now let's get you out of here so that you could return to your family. Guards!" "Yes, your highness?" "Free him off his shackles and magic nullifier, he is found not guilty." Twilight looked at Cadence and raised and eyebrow. "Understood." The unicorn mare nudged he companion, who unlocked the bar gate. "Now, Twilight, let's go to my room. We've got much to talk about." Cadence said as she trotted out of the dungeon. "Cadence?"said Twilight as she kept up with the other alicorn, "Why did you let him out just like that? I mean, he tried to kill you!" "I saw his eyes yesterday, Twilight, it was different than today." "How come?" "His eyes are perfectly clear when he woke up but yesterday? His eyes were dull and lifeless, as if he was merely a shell, a puppet, controlled by a puppeteer. And if what he says about the old songs were right then Sombra's now free." A couple of minutes later in Cadence's chamber... "It's not possible! The Crystal Heart locked Sombra back into the depths of Tartarus!" Twilight said as she phase around Cadence's room. "His been locked up for only a year! How can he possibly escape?" "I don't know either, Twilight." Said Cadence, "but if what Steel Field said was true, then we should prepare for his inevitable revenge." "But he can't go past the crystal heart's barrier." "Twilight, the barrier is strong but it's not impenetrable." Twilight faced Cadence with shock in her eyes. "Don't worry we have the elements of harmony. The girls and I can take him!" "Yes, but we don't know where he is or what tricks is he planning. You must go to the library and find out more about the old songs I'll go and talk to Shining." With a nod, Twilight went off to the library and tell her friends. Cadence stare out of her room's window, "Just what are you planning Sombra?" Crystal Empire's Royal Archives. Twilight, with the other Element bearers, arrived in the crystal library and began to shuffle their heads into the books, looking for anything related to the Old Songs or prophecy. Rainbow Dash was the first to call 'quits' followed shortly by Pinkie Pie, the party pony is just having a hard time to keep still for a long time. A couple of hours later Rarity and Fluttershy excused themselves to attend their appointment in the spa. Later that evening Applejack left to go to the market, Leaving Twilight to her own research. "Uuurrrgh!" Twilight groaned, pulling her cheeks down with her hooves. she then slammed her head into the book that she was reading. "Where is it! I've been looking through this books and still nothing!" It was true, for the purple unicorn has built a massive book fort around her to pass the boredom. Twilight sighed. "I need to relax and clear my mind." she said massaging her temples. 'I need to find out what this 'Old Songs' is about... How does the song go again? We drink to our youth, for the days come and gone. For the age of aggression is just about done. We'll drive out the rebellion and restore what we own. With our blood and our steel we'll take back our home. Down with Umbra! The – wait! Umbra! That's it, I just have to look for Umbra in these books.' Twilight looked around her and sighed. "How am I suppose to find it within all this books?" ‘It was under E~!' a familiar voice of a pink hyperpony came to her mind. Twilight's face lit up and she quickly ran into the U section. "Oh! Thank you pinkie!" she said. ‘You're welcome~!' Twilight's face turned into a confused one but she then shook her head, and focused on finding that book. The alicorn turned a corner and skidded into a halt. she carefully inspected the letters as she slowly walk by the shelves. ‘U... Um.... Umb.... Umbr....' Twilight's eye twitched, In front of her was a wall. The shelves ended there. Twilight put a hoof on her chest and heaved a breath to try and calm herself. But that didn't work. Smoke came out of her ears and instead of a calming sigh she let out an angry snort. She stared down the wall, charging her horn with a purple glow. "Celestia bucking dammit!" she blasted the wall with her magic resulting in a smoke of dust and debris. Panting, she watched as the smoke fades away and revealed a secret path. Twilight perk up, curious and a bit ashamed over what she did. But hey! she did found something. Twilight walk into the hole in the wall and trotted into the darkening pathway. She lit up her horn as she continued her trek. This hall must have been long forgotten, cobwebs lay in each corner and dusts covered the floor that each of Twilight's step would leave a trail. After a couple of minutes she found a door at the end of the forgotten hallway. she blew the dusts off the doorknob then she placed a hoof on it and carefully turned it, careful about making any noise, she slowly pushed the door ajar just a little to peek inside. her hurt was throbbing wildly, as if something was in the shadows and was about to attack her. Twilight glanced behind her, making sure nothing would come and jump out to scare her... or eat her. With a gulp, she turned back and pushed the door open. She surveyed the place, it was a bed chamber, and there she found portraits of a unicorn mare with the same appearance as Sombra. they were mostly portraits of her except for one. It was taken in the crystal plaza, the unicorn mare and Sombra were both smiling. ‘huh, for a second there I thought Sombra was once a mare.' a small grin made it into Twilight's face – not because of what she thought but because of the picture. There were crystal ponies on the background, free and happy. ‘was this taken before Sombra's reign? They seemed so peaceful. I wonder what happened? Twilight continued her search. She stopped at a crystal statue of the unicorn mare. It was a tall as Luna and was purely made of black crystals, on its platform has the word ‘Umbra the Defiant'. "So you're Umbra, huh?" said Twilight, "you both seemed so happy in the pictures I wonder what changed that?" Twilight turned her eyes to the drawer, beside the dust old bed, she magically pulled it open and saw a journal. There was nothing to indicate what it is on its cover, so she opened it. On the first page she read, "I think I am on my last days of sanity. I tried to coup last night which ended into a success. I never wanted to seize the throne. But the shadows! They made me do it! I will admit that I was a wee bit jealous about Umbra. The look on her face when I struck and killed father... hehehe... I know it was wrong, but I can't hold it back! If things goes wrong... please... 'Tilgiv mig, min søster.'" 'That's it?' Twilight thought, unknown to her the black crystals were slowly cracking on the statue, "why write in a journal if you'll just put a few sentences and... This stuff in the end - Eeep!" Twilight jumped at the sound of somethings hitting the floor. She turned around and saw Umbra staring back at her with her crimson eyes. Through out the Empire, two loud shrieks like of a filly was heard.