Sombra was nothing if not ruthless. His soldiers marched into the neighboring villages and hamlets, dragging ponies out of their homes as they slept. The unicorns in his ranks ranks became unwilling slavers for their master, casting a similar spell to the one Sombra had used on the ponies in the City, swelling his ranks as those in the conquered towns fell under his dominion. The dark king just laughed from his throne, watching from afar through so many eyes, staying safe behind a wall of slaves and stone.
“We did not know it was happening, at first,” Luna said softly beside me, watching the grim procession almost apologetically. “No word reached us until your forces had spread like a cancer, and you were nearly at our doorstep. Had we known...”
“Not your fault,” I mumbled bitterly, unable to look away. “You stopped me. That's what matters.”
“...”
She looked as if she wanted to say something more, but remained silent. I couldn't muster the desire or effort to ask.
Sombra, the pony I had once been, delighted in his ever-growing dominion. Pony by pony, town after town, the world fell under his sway. It was, as far as he was concerned, only the right thing to do. To bring order to the world.
At last, however, the Sisters heard the reports from a lone pony that escaped the dark king's grasp – one just outside of the massive anti-teleportation spell he'd put upon the entire town before the assault. The Sisters sent scouts to investigate the mare's wild claims. Naturally, his forces found them, captured them and subdued them before they could escape, and in seconds his forces had peeled the information from their minds and knew what he needed to know. He could not send them back to the Sisters while under his dominion, they would suspect such treachery and could perhaps even break his command over them – and then the Sisters would know whatever the guards had scouted out. No... He kept them close at hoof. Even so, when they did not return by the deadline, he was sure that the Sisters would know something had gone terribly wrong and come to investigate themselves. He smirked, savoring the moment. Finally, a real battle worthy of his power... He wondered if they would come swathed in the protection of their armies as any sensible ruler would, or whether their misplaced value on the lives of their subjects would force them to face him alone.
He had his answer within hours. In the early morning, he felt a massive surge of power rebound from the anti-teleportation field he'd set up over the city, courtesy of the Heart, and reasoned that only the Sisters could be the source. He chuckled, limbs quivering with energy, climbing to his hooves to stretch languidly. Finally he trotted to the balcony to see them for himself. No, there was no room for doubt, he recognized the touch of those magics – one warm and bright like an ember, the other cool and smooth as polished stone. Sure enough, on the outskirts of his City stood two tall, proud figures, visible even from the distance, their wings flared and their horns vigilant upon their brows. No others stood with them – none he could see, at any rate.
Clearly, they had chosen the latter option. 'Fools,' he thought, even as his grin broadened at his luck. 'Coming alone? You're not even making it a challenge...' He let his mirth be known in his magically amplified voice, his silken words booming across the landscape. “Celestia! Luna! I'd welcome you to my city, but under the circumstances-”
“Why?!” Her voice, likewise amplified, cut through the cold morning air, rebuffing his own. “Why did you do this, Sombra?” He could hear the barely contained grief in her cry, the pain of betrayal.
'Such weakness,' he thought. They never ceased to disappoint him. 'How could she not expect this? I've put this off far too long.' My past self only shook his head – if he needed any more proof that they were unfit to rule, that sealed it. “Because you are WEAK.” His voice rang out as cold and harsh as a winter storm, his honeyed words abandoned. “Because you are unfit as leaders and as rulers – you are unworthy of the power that was thrust into your hooves!”
The younger spoke, stamping the turf in frustration. “We did not come to bandy words, traitor!” she shouted. “Surrender now, and we may be merciful!”
Sombra just chuckled – he had an army, and they were alone. He had magic they didn't dare contemplate, and they had only what they had brought. Did they think to subdue him on their own? He could not hope for better odds. As answer, he drew power from the Heart and concentrated on the ground beneath their hooves, and wondered if he had over-prepared. It was almost disappointing that it might be so easy...
A single large crystal grew out of the ground just beneath them, ready to engulf them within its glistening facets... But before it could, they leapt into the air as one, a single beat of their wings bringing them level with the rampart upon which he stood. A clear miss. Still – he had contingencies. He always had contingencies.
“So be it!” Celestia shouted from the distance.
The Sisters lanced forward as one, but soon found themselves among a swarm of Sombra's pegasi slaves, all armored and armed. He did not expect them to actually subdue them, but they didn't have to; his pegasi just had to tire them out and slow them down. That's what he had planned, at least. He watched, amused, as the Sisters slowed to a stop, confused by the flock converging upon them. No doubt the two alicorns could see the horror and grief in the eyes of the crowd, forced to attack their one hope of freedom, their soft leaders who allowed them entirely too much freedom in their lives. The glow of the Sisters' horns dimmed for a moment, once again showing that deplorable weakness, mercy... Then they shot up into the sky, into a dense patch of cloud, and for a few moments were hidden.
He waited. When the pegasi paused, confused, he growled in impatience. “Well?” Sombra shouted. “Go get them!” He sent the command out, and with a shudder the flight of pegasi were sent on the hunt. That, however, was a mistake... As soon as the last of the pegasi had entered the clouds in search of the two Sisters, a bright flash of blue and gold pierced the dense vapor canopy. Moments passed... But there were no falling pegasi, and the Sisters were nowhere in sight. A moment later hew as bombarded by hundreds of confused thoughts and sensations – it seemed they were all trapped. The cloud had become solid around them; they could not kick or beat their wings to get free. He cursed, realizing he should have studied more about pegasi combat and weather magic before sending them out to fight, but there was nothing for it. Besides, casting and maintaining such a spell would surely cost the Princesses, so it wasn't a total loss; they fulfilled their purpose.
He retreated into the chamber, and not a moment too soon – stone cracked as Celestia and Luna landed upon the balcony, glaring down at him.
“YIELD!” shouted the elder with a voice that could shatter the eardrums of lesser ponies – but not him. He paused for a moment, surprised that he had to engage in combat so soon... But even a direct confrontation was not out of his reckoning. Indeed, he anticipated it with relish.
He smirked. “No, I don't think I will,” he said conversationally, his horn glowing a sickly green as he drew directly upon the Heart, goading them into the offensive. At the same time he sent a command to the unicorns of his personal guard to be ready to defend him with shielding spells.
His gambit paid off, at least in part – Luna unleashed a barrage of tiny kinetic bursts from her horn, a score of comets aimed right at his heart. So – she sought to kill him. He leered, and the blasts were all stopped dead or deflected as dozens of shields crackling to life around him. Some faltered and died as their magic was overwhelmed, of course, but he expected it – and he forced the casters to get back up and protect him to their dying breath.
Celestia paused, apparently sensing what was happening, and took action. “I'll keep him busy, Sister – go find his lackeys and deal with them,” she shouted over the din, her own horn burning brilliantly as she stepped forward. Luna paused, reluctant to leave the battle... But with a flap of her wings was out the same way she came in.
Sombra paused, considering. He was about to lose his shielding, there was no way his unicorn slaves had a chance against her... But he now had the two divided. He smirked. He only needed to neutralize the Solar princess before the Lunar returned. “You know you can't finish the job,” he crooned, taunting and goading her to distraction. “You're not strong enough. You were never strong enough to do what needed to be DONE!” With the last word he unleashed a spell throughout the chamber. It crawled across the walls, erupting into crystalline growths wherever it touched stone, the points closing in on her like an iron maiden.
The shards pierced her wings and grew into her sides, shearing fur and rending skin as they immobilized her. She gave a shriek of surprise and pain, and even as she struggled to get free, more crystals grew into the gaps to hold her fast. She was fighting against the power of the entire city... and she was losing.
“You cannot win, Celestia,” Sombra chuckled darkly, smirking. “Submit, and I will be merciful.” It was a lie, but he gambled that she was gullible enough to believe it.
Yet still she struggled. She clenched her teeth with such ferocity that blood ran down her lips, and still she thought she could win. Her body was pierced in a thousand places, pinned and held helpless, and still she was defiant. She glared at him through the pain, her horn beginning to glow more brightly than he'd ever seen. “SILENCE YOU CUR!”
He had only a moment to react before he would be blown away by the full might of the sun – he did not even think the dragon's essence would be enough to protect his body from annihilation. He could not block it, the shields cast by his slaves would not withstand the blast, and he could not raise one in time to stop it. There was only one defense against such an attack, one she would not expect; he stepped Outside, bypassing the anti-teleportation field she believed held him in place. A moment later he re-entered reality at the bottom of the tower, and watched as a wall of sun-fire blew out every window on that level and even the far wall, the deafening retort roaring across the city as masonry and glass rained down in the streets around him. He raised a small shield while it died down, he stopped to think. He could not kill her without enraging her sister, and then he'd have to kill her too – a losing proposition. He could not physically imprison her, either – she'd proven that, and clearly preferred death to surrender. And even as he pondered he could already sense Luna dealing with each of his spell-casters, one by one, knocking them unconscious. When the last of them fell it would be him alone against the two Sisters, and he did not like those odds.
“Very well,” he growled to no one, and Stepped back into the blasted room directly behind Celestia, silent as a shadow.
She was panting from the pain and exertion, her pristine white coat striped with blood like a macabre zebra. Even so, he could see her shoulders slumping as she gave in, the fight leaving her – she clearly thought he was dead. Her guard was down. Perfect...
He smirked, his horn charging. She must have felt it, but she was too slow – she was just turning around, her eyes wide with shock as she regarded the impossibly living unicorn king, when another volley of crystalline spines pierced her from above, pinning her to the unyielding floor and momentarily stunning her.
He could not imprison her physically, no... But he could trap her within her own mind.
Sombra once more drew from the Heart, amassing the Fear of the entire city in his horn. “Goodbye, Celestia,” he said grimly, and overwhelmed her mind with terror.
She gasped and spasmed, her eyes taking on a sickly hue as the magic took over her mind, warping her perceptions and trapping her within her own nightmares. He did not know what she saw; he only saw the effects. The alicorn stared, eyes wide in horror at things only she could see, until she was catatonic. He nodded, satisfied – one down, one to go...
He climbed back onto his throne, charred black from backwash of Celestia's fury, and waited for the other Princess to return. One by one, each of the spellcasters protecting him was subdued. He saw through his slaves on the ground as the whole group was levitated in her blue aura and dumped unceremoniously outside the city. A few of her own guards were showing up to take prisoners, but handled them with unexpected care. Apparently the Sisters had brought help after all, but not for fighting – not to risk the attack. He clucked his tongue, but was unsurprised.
Moments later the second Sister swooped through the gap Celestia had left in the side of the building. He smirked with satisfaction as she froze in horror, having caught sight of her fallen sister. When her eyes traveled to him, she snarled and moved forward with murderous intent writ upon her face.
“I wouldn't do that,” he said almost lazily, pointing at the bloody mass by her feet. Several knife-edged crystals were poised to plunge into her eyes, her throat, her ears – anywhere it would be messy and deadly, and preferably painful. He smirked, giving her a grin the devil would have envied. “Unless, of course, you think you can stop me before I snuff out her flame forever...”
She froze, seething. “What do you expect to do?” she spat. “Kill us? There would be no pit deep or dark enough for you to hide!”
He chuckled, smirking. “Kill you? No, I have no intention of killing you,” he lied smoothly. “All I want is for you two to... Step down. Equestria deserves a ruler who will do what needs to be done... Not you ineffectual milksops.” He sneered at the last. If he could trick her like he'd tricked her sister, trick her into pouring all of her energy into an attack and catching her unawares, it would all be his...
She snarled, fuming and tossing her head in agitation. “You think YOU are fit to rule?!” she shouted, her mane shuddering and blackening for a moment before returning to its usual ephemeral twinkling. “You're a fiend! I don't know what you've done to the innocent ponies of this city, but I swear by the Maker you will pay!” She puffed, her fury barely contained. Just a bit farther...
“Oh? You mean, pay like your dear sister?” he asked. He drove a spike into Celestia's side – a non-fatal wound, but a painful one.
Luna staggered as if struck, and gave incoherent moan of denial and grief. The mangled mess of a pony that laid before her could barely respond at first, save for a weak whimper and twitch. It seemed she was beyond pain. Even so, Celestia's eyes seemed to become clear for a moment, and fixed upon her sister. Her mouth opened with a weak croak, as if she'd forgotten how to talk. “L-Luna... Stop... It hurts...”
The world froze. Silence fell. I realized it was not a part of the memory when I heard a shuddering gasp from beside me, and turned in a dull, numb confusion to Luna. I dimly registered she was struggling to contain herself – fury or tears, I wasn't sure. I resolutely turned away, wondering if it was possible for guilt to hurt any worse than it did then. There I was, the very person who had... who had mutilated and tortured her sister, and she was helping me – not out of any goodness on my part, not because I deserved it, but purely for the sake of goodness. I lowered my head and closed my eyes, letting what tears come that may. There was nothing I could do or say; silence was my only recourse. I couldn't have blamed her if she blasted my mind then and there, ending the nightmare and my life.
The silence stretched long, too long, and still I laid there like a dead man. Finally she spoke. “And now you see why I do not wish for you to travel with Princess Cadance and the Wonderbolt, Soarin,” she said, her voice dull and devoid of emotion.
I saw what she meant. I could think of nothing to the contrary; what she said was absolutely true. But as terrible as I felt then, I realized it would be even more terrible to be left alone with myself. What good did I have in me, truly? None of it was mine; while my memories may have been stripped away, I was born from the blackest of hearts and souls. I was better, I told myself, I was not the same person; but let's assume that was true. Was that my goodness? No, I realized... Any goodness in me was from others; I had no claim to it. Disappointing them would inconvenience me, so I fit within the social norms to avoid their scorn, but deep down... I was still the same. So, what then would happen to me if I was left alone with myself?
That goodness would decay. Any goodness or appearance of goodness would fall to ruin, or dry up like water in a desert. At best, I would be left with nothing but the guilt and torment of the knowledge of what I'd done, and... I would die, alone and unloved. At worst, the guilt and pain would fade to an indifferent numbness, and I would settle back into my old ways. I would not know any true happiness, only viciousness and destruction and conquering, until I was permanently stopped by someone infinitely more worthy than myself. I would die a condemned man or die as something less than human.
A shudder rocked my body as I considered the fullness of those fates and the fullness of my sins. There was no alternative if I was left alone on my own, no other fate that awaited me. “Please... Please no,” I begged, all dignity forgotten. “I can't be alone... I'd die. I'd worse than die.”
“Be quiet, and watch,” she said firmly, but the cold edge to her voice was gone. There was no comforting wing, or a pat to the back, or anything of the sort – I did not deserve it, and I did not blame her for witholding it – but even so, the sentencing seemed at least temporarily postponed. But I did not dare to hope.
I opened my eyes and turned to her, but she nodded gravely back towards the scene unfolding before us. Reluctantly, I continued to watch – my only comfort was the knowledge that it was nearly over. I did not know how it would come, but I knew I was witnessing my imminent defeat.
The tableau held for several moments, the Luna in the memory seeming to twitch as a riot of emotions vied for control over her face. A shudder ran down her back, and starlight in her mane seemed to be going out. Finally, she seemed to snap. Her features turned from a cool blue to the blackest of midnights, and this time they did not turn back. She bared her teeth – now sharp like a howling wolf's, and just as deadly – and glowered darkly at Sombra with eyes like a predator. Eyes like my own. Without words, she attacked – and for the first time in the battle, the dark king knew fear of his own.
She shrieked like a banshee as she unleashed torrent after torrent of deadly magic at him, and it was all he could do to avoid or block each of the attacks. Shadows seemed to obey her command, reaching towards him with all-too-solid claws to rake at his armor and sides, terrors come to life. He began to realize he was no longer facing the Princess of the Night; she was the Princess of Nightmares. My past-self, however, did not realize what he was dealing with yet, and believed he could play upon her compassion for her subjects.
“STOP!” he shouted, parrying and deflecting several blows in quick succession. “Stop, or I'll kill them all! Every last stallion, mare, and foal in this city will die!”
She did stop, but only out of vicious amusement. “Go on, then,” she hissed, her face breaking into a demonic grin. “Do it.” And still she advanced on him, a sword held in her aura, gleaming with a fell light.
He blinked stupidly, finally understanding his mistake. That was not Luna, he realized. He was dealing with something entirely unknown, and far more deadly. She would not care in the least if he massacred each and every one of his slaves; it would only put him at a disadvantage. Still, he had to end this, and end it quickly. “Fine then,” he growled as if calling her bluff, and gathered a mass of Fear magic within his horn. Hopefully she would think he really was killing all his slaves, and wouldn't be prepared for what he really intended...
It was a desperate, underhanded attack, but it worked; she seemed to think he was, indeed, releasing a spell to kill his slaves, and only realized his real intentions when it was too late to stop him. The dark king blasted her with Fear magic, filling her mind with the corroding force, and watched in relief as her eyes clouded over. A moment later she slumped to the ground, senseless. He stood there, panting as the tension eased from his body, as he slowly realized what he'd done. An unpleasant grin spread across his face.
'Two alicorns', he thought. 'I've subdued two alicorns.' He would finally have true immortality. He would have the power and prestige he truly deserved. He would rule Equestria for all time as its rightful King... It was the beginning of a glorious new era! He chuckled heartily, self-satisfaction and pride washing over him as he contemplated which he would kill first.
Just as he was summoning his guards to drag the catatonic princess to a more fitting place to perform the ritual, however, an empty laugh joined his. “Hah.”
That was not his laugh, if it could be called a laugh, and it was coming from... her. “Heheheee...” She laughed again, twitching and spasming on the hard flagstones. When her eyes flickered to awareness and settled on him, his blood ran cold. When she lifted her head, her face breaking into a grin with far too many teeth, he began running far, far away, as fast as his legs would carry him. He dove out the window, plummeting down to the ground above, catching himself in a pillar of dark crystal and crashing through it, wincing in pain. It was less risky than staying with the deranged creature for a moment longer.
Whatever that... thing was, he could not subdue it with the power of Fear. It was entirely out of his reckoning; he had no contingencies for such a scenario. His only hope was to lure it out of the City, activate the spell sequence to send the City and its inhabitants Outside until the threat had passed, and then return when it was dead. He would need to perform the Ritual upon Celestia the moment he returned, however, as he had no doubt that whatever was waiting for him when he returned would be terrible indeed.
There was a terrible shriek and snarl behind him, and he redoubled his pace. He drew on the Heart to fortify the strength and speed of his limbs, but even that was barely enough to keep ahead of the menace. He raised barriers of solid crystal behind him in a desperate attempt to slow her down, and it seemed to work. All the same, she was far too close for comfort. He passed through the gates, not even stopping when he faced a small contingent of royal guards waiting outside – none under his control, apparently Celestia and Luna's – and barreled past them. They had been standing at attention, the unicorns of the group maintaining a shield around an ornate chest while the pegasi and earth ponies maintained the perimeter. He ignored their cries of shock and surprise, giving them no thought as he kept running. Once he was sure the mad Princess was in hot pursuit, he activated the process – he had only waited until then to be sure she would follow. If he transported his city Outside while she was in it, well... it would not end well for him.
Abruptly, however, the hoofsteps slowed. A moment later there was a crash of shattering shield spells and more shocked cries. He risked looking over his shoulder, his bewilderment getting the better of him, and what he saw was not encouraging; guards were scattered or unconscious, the chest was open, and six multicolored balls of light were orbiting the nightmare following him...
'Oh no', he thought with rising panic. 'No, no NO'.
He recognized the Elements; the guards must have been holding them in reserve, just in case they were needed. He understood too little about them to know exactly how they would work when wielded by a single Bearer, or when the Bearer was mad with grief and rage, but he suspected it would not bode well for him. If they turned him to stone, well... he only hoped he would not be put on display next to that infuriating Draconequus. No, scratch that – he only hoped he would not end up as a gravel bed spread around the infuriating Draconequus. The latter seemed far more likely at that point.
It seemed she intended neither. “STAND YOUR GROUND, FILTH, AND I SHALL MAKE A QUICK END OF YOU!” the alicorn shrieked, the Elements beginning to glow brightly with a disquieting light.
He didn't have a chance against her, not when she had the Elements as well, not when she was effectively immune to the Fear magic that he relied upon. 'Change of plan,' he thought. 'Get her back into the City, write it off as a total loss, and worry about Discord later.'
“She's dying, but not dead!” he shouted in desperation. “Your Sister lives, even now! And she will live.” He forced a malevolent chuckle past the terror that threatened to choke him. “If not... Well, you can feel it yourself; I've activated a device in the center of the City, and when it activates it will destroy everything within the walls. And your Sister is at the very center...” It was a lie, but she would feel the buildup of power; it was all the evidence he needed.
She seemed to falter, for a moment... But she was too far gone. “No. You will die this day, Sombra!” she shouted.
He threw up a shield in desperation, but she broke through it seemingly without effort and flung him to the ground with enough force to pulverize both stone and bone. He wheezed and spat out blood, dazed and bruised, and struggled to stand, but the force slammed him back down, over and over again, until he nearly blacked out. All the while, the Elements grew brighter and brighter, and aligned upon him.
“Your rein is over!” she bellowed in rage. “Enjoy your last breath, Sombra, King of None!” the alicorn cackled, and a moment later he was bathed in a wash of rainbow colors. It blasted his magic from his body, searing his mind in its radiance and severing him from the host of minds under his control. He howled in more pain than he could fully express, attempting to claw and hold onto the source of the lion's share of his power even as it was ripped away in that purifying light, but it was no use. He thought he was dying, he thought he was dead, he thought he was gone, but when the light faded... He still lived. He was broken, but still he lived.
He was dimly aware of a frustrated growl, the alicorn tossing her mane in frustration as she eyed the Elements. “Kill him, I say! End his life!” She snarled, surrounding them in a dark magic of her own. “Kill him, or I will MAKE you kill him!” He sensed her trying to empower the Elements with her own magic and direct them to her own purpose, but it seemed they were resisting. Eventually, they did activate again – but only reluctantly, and with a sickly amalgamation of their own power and whatever twisted magic and intent she was pouring into them. If he thought the searing, purging light from earlier was bad, what came next was far, far worse. The elements bathed him once more in their glow, but this time the shadows of the Princess's magic flowed with them. He was torn apart.
Every piece of him was scattered into disarray by the dark magic, grinding him to dust and seeking his utter and complete demise. But it was not to be so; the light attempted to hold the disparate parts in a loose unity, to preserve his body even as it was being destroyed. It was... torture. He was being broken down to dust, but he was not permitted to die. He wanted to howl in agony, but he could not scream.
A thought occurred to him in the haze of pain; if he died, he needed only to enter a new body and he would be safe. Even better, Celestia would still be trapped in the tower, and he could still use her to perform the ritual. His plan could still work, just at a greater cost than he'd first anticipated. He just needed to get back into the City before it was too late... He pushed past the pain, reaching for the Heart and its connection to the vats, ready to grow a new body for him should he perish... And found he had no control over them any longer. He was bound to the Heart in mind and soul, he could still sense that; but he could no longer control it. Through it, he sensed the minds of several guards approaching Celestia, and moments later she was freed and being carried off – but he could do nothing to stop them.
'No. NO!' He shouted in his mind, railing at the unfairness of it all, writhing and struggling, but his body was dispersed cloud of black smoke held together by blacker magic; struggle as he might, he could barely control it. Sluggishly, like a fog oozing in during the night, he began to make his way back to the City. It was all coming to pieces around him. All of his contingencies were coming to naught. He had to regain control of the Heart, he needed to recapture the minds of his slaves, he needed at least one of the Princesses alive... He couldn't do it. He'd failed.
He was vaguely aware of the alicorn shouting at him, but the bolts of energy she blasted through him did no more harm than had already been done; they passed right through his ethereal body, and he continued his slow procession towards the gate. He was desperate; he had no clear idea of what to do, but he thought if he could make it back to the heart he could do something to fix himself and regain his power...
But it wasn't to be. When Luna had ran out to beat him to a pulp and Celestia had not followed, a small group of pegasi guards had apparently taken it upon themselves to look for the solar diarch. It wasn't surprising how quickly they found her, what with the freshly made hole in the wall and the solar flare that was her calling card. He did not know whether they broke her out of the crystals buried in her flesh or if the spines had disappeared on their own, but they were gone. She was alive and awake, and her guards helped her stumble through the front gates.
Though blood still matted her fur and innumerable holes marred her hide, her eyes were clear and keen. “...Luna?”
The mad alicorn froze at the sound of her sister's voice, and slowly the darkness faded from her visage. She turned, unable to believe her eyes. “Sister? How-”
“There's no time,” she said with a grimace. “Something is happening inside the tower. I could not trace it to the source, but there is a tremendous amount of energy accumulating-”
It was too late. Before she had finished speaking, there was a bright flash of light... and everything was gone. His past self was alone, his senses gone, his sense of body gone, his thoughts scattered... All that remained was a faint feeling of the Heart.
It took a long time for his thoughts to coalesce into a coherent sense of self, and even longer for him to work out where he was. He was, strictly speaking, nowhere. He had no body; he was merely attached to the Heart. When he realized this, he desperately reached out to its power, attempting to gain control of it again... but he could not. He had lost control of it, and without a body he could not regain that control. He was not being pushed into a new body because his old had not died, and he could not manually start the process; he was helpless. A barrier stopped him, a barrier that let him sense the energy within and feel all the things it connected, but prevented him from even the smallest manipulation. He dashed himself against that barrier ceaselessly, desperately, his only hope so tantelizingly close but so infuriatingly inaccessible, but it was no good. He was less than the meanest ghost.
“That explains why you behaved as you did when the Empire returned,” Luna mumbled quietly. “More animal than pony... You were not truly there. The thing we imprisoned in the ice was only what remained of your body, was it not?”
I nodded mutely, agreeing, but did not speak; I did not feel I had the right to say anything to her, not after seeing what I'd done to her and her sister.
My past-self fell into a despair, trapped in a darkness from which he could not escape, without even a body to tell him what was real and what was not. He may have gone insane... But he gradually began to notice the faintest of images trickling through the Heart. The disembodied mind clung to the source, pressing against the barrier as hard as it could, desperate for a sensation, any sensation. The images eventually grew clearer, or perhaps he only grew better at interpreting them; in any case, it was still a one-way transaction, and he had no way to influence what he saw. But he could see; even so, what he saw did not set him at ease.
He was vaguely aware of others around the City. The ponies of the city, of course, were dazed and confused; that was to be expected. But he could also sense two new minds... He caught brief glimpses of them, a white-coated, blue-maned unicorn stallion with a shield upon his flank, and... another Alicorn?!
How much time had passed, he wondered, that a brand new alicorn had arisen? He studied the pink-coated mare, adorned with both wings and horn, as she went about her duties. He learned about her as she learned about the City itself and the ponies within. It seemed she and the unicorn were mates – or simply lovers, perhaps, but he could not distinguish between the two from his vantage point. They seemed to be inquiring of the ponies of the City, reading every book they could get their hooves on, pouring through all of the information they could. Were they looking for him? He could not be sure...
There was a disturbance. The alicorn and her partner caught word of something outside the walls, and promptly rushed out to meet it. If he had a heart, it would have skipped several beats when he saw what they did; his own face stared back at him. His body had grown much stronger since he'd last seen it, even so far as partially taking on the shape it remembered. He saw his own eyes leering back at him, but none of the intelligence he expected whenever he looked in a mirror – he only saw a feral hunger there. He didn't know it was possible that it had survived without him; even so, he could detect a deep, yearning craving within it. He, likewise, felt a pull towards it. Of course... He was still bound to his body and to the Heart; likewise, his body was still bound to his heart and soul. So, the body was drawn to him, and sought to reunite the three.
Still... It was only a body, little more than an animal – all instincts, no tactics. He watched, and would have cringed if he could. It simply charged at the unicorn and alicorn duo in a frenzy of violent intent, but they easily repelled it with a shield. It lost interest in them when it found it could not attack them directly, attempting to force its way into the City proper. The shield expanded, however, and kept it out – together, the alicorn and unicorn seemed to have no trouble maintaining the shield and repel his insubstantial vessel. It roared in fury, dashing itself against the shield fruitlessly until it lost its form, and finally retreated. He could not detect where it went, but he presumed it had slunk off to lick its wounds.
For the first time in weeks, he felt a spark of hope. If he could reunite his body with the Heart, all might not be lost. He would at least be corporeal again – a definite improvement over his current situation. From there... Well, he had no idea, really. Recuperate as well, perhaps start rebuilding his army of mind-slaves... He wasn't sure yet. He didn't know enough about how the world had changed since he'd been gone; he'd have to learn more before making any solid plans. Unfortunately for him, he realized, there was nothing he could do but watch and hope; he was completely powerless. The matter was entirely out of his hooves.
I felt a brief sense of irony as my past-self continued to monitor the situation; I'd been watching my past the whole time, and now he was watching his body, and both of us were powerless to affect what we were seeing. I was helplessly watching someone helplessly watching his own body. I might have found it more humorous under different circumstances. He could only wait for his body to do something on its own, and I could only wait for the stream of memories to draw to a close.
Finally, something broke the tableau; the unicorn left the sanctuary of the City and passed beyond the dark king's senses. When he returned, however, he brought six mares and a dragon youngling with him into the city. What excited the imprisoned creature, however, was the appearance of the stallion's horn and the effect it had on him; his magic was suppressed by a sort of black crystal. He assumed it was the doing of his body, and knew it was the lynchpin to his victory; the unicorn synergized his magic with his mate, and together their power was far greater than the sum of their individual strength. His rogue body had eliminated that advantage, however, and now only the alicorn was left to maintain the spell on her own. Already he could see the bags under her eyes as the spell taxed her reserves, her exhaustion grrowing from maintaining the City-wide shield. It was only a matter of time before she faltered and the spell failed completely. When that happened... well, he had high hopes.
Even so, the mares that came with him were a wrench in the works. 'Why are they here?' he wondered. He could not fathom their purpose; what they did made no sense. Through the eyes and ears of the city, he saw them perform an eclectic assortment of activities, each more ridiculous than the last. Two of them set up stalls, only to give out food, drink, abstract musical instruments, and some sort of headgear. Another two paired off to... Wait, were they jousting? That went out of vogue years ago. He dismissed them as frivolous and insane, the lot of them.
No matter, he thought; whatever they were trying to do, it seemed to be failing. He could sense their growing unease, and soon their panic, but still they persisted with their ridiculous fanfair...
All but two – one of the unicorns and the dragon. What were they up to? He watched with growing suspicion as they made their way through his castle, almost unerringly passing through the traps and hidden pathways to the location of the Heart... He had apparently written them off as complete fools too hastily; they had at least some idea of what was going on. Did they intend to use it against him? No... They couldn't know how. Luna and Celestia had to be dead, they were no longer connected to the Elements; that was one of the requirements for the City to return to reality. He was the only being in existence that still knew how to use the Heart to its full potential, of that he was certain...
Yet found it they did. He peered at her from within the Heart, curiosity getting the better of him. Who was she that she managed to get so far? What did she intend? A moment later, however, he saw only a confusion of color and then the ceiling. The unicorn was caught within the final trap, and the Heart was sent flying across the room – inaccessible to her. He felt a moment of relief; whoever she was, she was cunning enough to pass by his traps. Only the dragon had access to the heart, and without unicorn magic he had little hope of doing the trapped king any harm. No, Sombra told himself, his power was safe for the time being, and the shield protecting the City had nearly faded to nothing. It was only a matter of time before he would be reunited with his body, and he longed to reclaim his physical form.
He would have cackled with glee at what happened next, though – a tremor passed through the castle, and the dragon fell off the parapet... and straight towards Sombra's approaching body. The hatchling wasn't just not hindering him, he were actually helping his future king's reuinification! A dark unicorn seemed to coagulate from the mass of shadows and smoke, the body grew more and more solid the closer it came to the Heart, feeding upon the Order magic to bring its disparate components back together. Moments later his body was whole and tangible once more, and he could feel the tingling of his limbs and the blood pumping through his veins as the Heart came closer and closer, the dragon falling, falling, falling...
Then it was all snatched away.
That interfering alicorn from before, she came out of nowhere and pilfered his Heart. The imprisoned king and his feral body gave twin screams of anguish and fury as they were once more ripped apart, watching one another as they were separated again. She couldn't do that, he thought bitterly. It wasn't fair! He had been so close... He watched helplessly as she returned it to its original place, and it slid into its socket like a key in a lock. It made no sense; they could not use it, they didn't have the strength or the knowledge. They were only prolonging the inevitable. He sighed, but calmed down; after all, his body only needed to reach the Heart, and all would be well. They could not play keep-away forever, after all, and it was only a matter of time.
The heart began to spin-up in preparation, and he waited to feel the surge of Fear – with any luck, it would empower his body and allow it to destroy the interlopers once and for all. Hopefully it would spare the alicorn in the process, however; he would have need of her. As the energy accumulated in the system as a whole, however, something felt... wrong. The Heart's power was bleeding away and fading, not increasing; he could sense the Fear within the system draining to a trickle, and something else was pressing in from all sides, overwhelming the shunts designed to keep the steam of power running pure...
'Oh no,' he thought dourly, once again reflecting on how easily everything could go wrong in an instant. 'Ooooh no no no. Oh buck it all.'
The shunts, designed to filter out any non-Fear magic, were simply overwhelmed; what came flooding in was a mixture of such power and light that he could not comprehend it. It pushed in on him from all sides, burning and searing and severing, rejecting him. As his final connection to the Heart was severed and every connection to the world was sheared away, he fell into the darkness once more.
The memory became disjointed at that point; only brief sensations of indeterminate duration, marked by a dull sense of floating and indistinct blobs of light, indicated he was alive at all. Those periods started growing in frequency and clarity, however, and the blobs of light became funny shapes, and his sense of floating was accompanied by the floating of his mane and weightlessness. At some point he finally became lucid enough to contemplate his surroundings.
His sluggish mind churned, and he looked about slowly, confused. It took him what felt like hours to realize that his eyes were fine, but the medium in which he existed was foggy and indistinct. He was suspended in a fluid, cloudy like an egg-white but far less viscous. Also, it was somehow breathable – a spell? Yes, spell, he could feel that. He had no sense of smell, however, probably due to the fluid. He felt neither warm nor cold, but it pressed in all around him and suspended him weightlessly. He tried to peer beyond the fluid... Was that glass? No – not glass, crystal.
With a start, he finally realized he was in one of the vats he designed, the final contingency – the Heart had restored him to a new body, it seemed. He felt a chill, realizing he must have indeed been killed. That chill gave way to panic as he realized his enemies could be bearing down on him any moment, and he whirled about the fluid in a frenzy, eyes darting to and fro, imagining enemies all around him and ready to finish the job...
...But, of course, he was alone. He was alone in the dark, empty chamber, and he was safe. He gradually calmed down, taking stock of his situation. He was alive, and had a body – certainly an improvement over his previous predicament, but far from ideal. A quick check over his body confirmed that everything was as expected, hale and hearty like before. As for the Heart... That was a complete loss. He could sense nothing from it, not even the brief glimpses he gathered while disembodied within it. With its loss, of course, went his host of mind-slaves – another terrible blow.
His horn glowed dimly, releasing the draining mechanism, and he spent the next several minutes coughing up the remainder of the fluid as he fully contemplated his loss. His kingdom was gone; he was no longer king of anything. His main source of power was gone, and while he was stronger than the average unicorn he was no match for an alicorn, let alone a draconequus. His one chance at immortality ended in failure; one day, he would well and truly die. He...
He'd lost, utterly.
Some of the fight went out of him, then. To have climbed so far, only to have it all stripped away, hurt him more than he cared to admit. Why did the Sisters have to fight so hard, he wondered? If they cared so much about Equestria, they should have let him win – surely they knew he was a greater ruler than they would ever be. He just didn't understand it. Why couldn't he win, just once?
He shook his head to clear it – melancholy would do him no good. He could not reclaim the Heart, not while he had the entire City against him. He'd hidden away Starswirl's research notes, and he had them practically memorized; seeking them out would serve no benefit, and might give his enemies the edge if the notes fell into their greedy hooves. No... there was nothing left for him in the City. The only prudent course of action was to flee.
The only advantage defeat seemed to afford him was that everyone seemed to think he was dead. Wrapped in a heavy cloak – a soft blue, his usual ensemble of red and black would be counterproductive to a surreptitious departure – he made his way out of the hidden entrance and stepped into the sunlight. What he saw did not please him.
Chaos. His glorious City had fallen to chaos. His jaw slacked as he looked about him. There was a vendor stall on the sidewalk, and he was almost certain they hadn't a permit. Even worse, young ponies ran through the streets, unheeded, and the guards simply let them without batting an eye. Speaking of the guards, where was their sense of pride, their dignity? A common mare smiled and waved at one of them, clearly having forgotten her station – that was bad enough, but could be corrected with the proper application of force. But did the guard teach her her place? No. He didn't even verbally chastise her, or scowl. What did he do? He smiled and waved back. Clearly, the dark king – now ex-king, he thought bitterly – had his work cut out for him if he ever regained his former glory... but he could not do that as he was.
He fled the City, but remained in the winter wastes; the region had much greater levels of ambient Order magic than the more temperate climates, and he reasoned it would be the best place to begin anew. There was wild game, so his craving for meat would be satisfied. Likewise, the mountains were mostly untouched; gemstones would likely be reasonably plentiful. He carved out a spacious cave, intent on setting up base there and rebuild his base of power. Of course, if he was to truly rebuild, he'd need slaves...
He donned a the heavy cloak and added a face-wrap to the ensemble, and ambled down the road towards the City. He did not intend to enter it – not yet – but any traders leaving the City would make an excellent first acquisition, he thought. Not so much for the pony itself, but for the wares it carried. A few minutes later, he came upon an earth pony pulling his cart, one full of winter squashes and other root vegetables. He smirked to himself, casting the spell upon the pony and bringing him under his dominion...
...Or, rather, he tried to. The moment he cast the spell to enslave the unsuspecting victim, however, pain blossomed in his head and horn. He tried to push past the pain, but the only grew worse and worse until he relented. Staggering and panting, he stood there in total confusion. What had happened to him? Was his body defective?!
He blinked the pain from his eyes only to find the trader had stopped, and stared at him with obvious concern. “Hey, uh, sir?” he looked Sombra up and down as if uncertain. “Err, Ma'am? Whatever you are, are you okay there?”
Something was wrong. Something was very WRONG. He strode past the startled pony without another word and made his way back to his ramshackle lair. He couldn't cast that spell, the spell that had made him great in the first place. Other spells he could, and had no problems with; but that one was denied to him. Digging deeper, he performed every diagnostic spell upon himself that he could remember. What he found broke his spirits; it was a lingering curse. It had a trace of strange spectra upon it, a spectra he recognized but never fully understood – it was the telltale signature of the Elements, the same signature he discovered in the spell containing Discord. Further analysis revealed its purpose and intent; it was preventing him from commanding any other beings, from bending them to his will. He thought back, remembering the words Luna had spoke as she wielded the Elements against him, and grimaced. He did not think it was intentional, that apparently did not matter. He could not break the curse the Elements had placed on them, they were simply too powerful. It took an entire team of trained unicorn mages to even loosen the spell binding Discord, as well as the resources of the Crown, and that was for the purpose of tightening and reinforcing it; there was no way he could break it. His rein was over, he realized. He would forevermore be the King of None...
He fell into a depression at that point. His dreams of power and rule were dashed, permanently; the chaotic, lawless ponies would never accept him as a leader willingly, and he could no longer force them for the good of all Equestria. Without the support of an army of slaves, he could have no reliable source of power. Without that, he could not become an immortal King...
Some days he fought against that bleakness of spirit, pursuing Starswirl's research for some scrap of greater power, something he missed, something that would allow him to regain his former glory. Other days he was little more than a beast, and would hunt and eat what he killed where it fell. Always, he stayed hidden, and avoided the deplorable ponies who would rather let lawlessness and disorder reign than give up their freedom for a greater cause. He could not allow anyone know of his existence; he had no doubt the Sisters would return and finish the job if they ever caught wind he was still alive. So, he hid his doings from the world and lived in solitude. Weeks became months, months became years, and still he hid. He was mostly successful at that – no one used the paths very much, and he never saw any patrols.
And then he showed up. He looked so much better in stone.
I sighed, watching the scene play out once more – one final time, I hoped. The taunting, patchwork nightmare hell-bent on mischief; the terrified, defiant unicorn seeking to reclaim lost glory; the curse to strip him of all his memories, his very identity; the hastily constructed spell to preserve what he could, but too little and too late... And it was finally over.
I felt the spell finally peter out, and the press of thoughts and images lifted from my mind like a great weight. The flood had ceased; no longer was I forced to relive every moment of my terrible life in Equestria. All was calm, all was quiet, all was empty. It was done. I breathed a sigh of relief.
“So, that is why you never rose again,” Luna said, as if a mystery had been cleared up. She nodded to herself. “I am glad some good came from my... Episode, though I did not realize what I did at the time.” She coughed awkwardly. “What you saw before was the beginning of my fall; you were partially to blame, of course, but I still behaved poorly. Even so, if it stopped you from casting that evil spell again, it was worth it.”
I nodded numbly, unable to disagree – it was done. I would never be able to do that again to another being; it was a relief. But when I thought back to what had caused her to use the Elements in such a way, I cringed. The guilt was still raw for me, but I forced myself to face it. “Was your sister alright? After...” I trailed off, my voice breaking, unable to finish.
She met my eyes, her mouth set in a firm line. “She recovered, eventually. She had nightmares long after her body had healed, though I was there to assist with those.” Her expression softened, and she sighed. “Even so, your treachery hurt her far worse. You were her student, but she almost saw you as a son. Did you know that? She took joy in your accomplishments and growth – she hoped you would be the next Starswirl. She even hoped that your unique affinity for Order magic would finally grant you the power to Ascend. Even when you showed the darkness and hardness in your heart, she still held out hope and tried to correct you. She wished the best for you, and prior to my own...” she paused, taking a breath before continuing, “Prior to my own downfall, she still held out hope that she could redeem you rather than end your life. It took a thousand years for her to finally give up that hope and put Equestria's well-being first.” The edge had crept back into her voice, and she regarded me with the eyes of a judge. I quailed under her stare, but said nothing... What could I possibly say in my defense?
She continued to stare at me for a long while, deep in thought. Her expression was inscrutable, and betrayed no more of her thoughts than would a marble bust of her likeness. Finally, she spoke. “Before, I told you I did not want you to travel with your friends and family, for fear that you would return to your own ways and do them harm,” she said coldly. “Were my Sister here, I am certain she would agree with that assessment. Indeed, I I am certain that any pony with the full knowledge of your deeds would agree with that assessment – even dear Fluttershy, after Discord's final treachery.”
Tears rolled down my snout, soaking into my fur. I could not speak; I could only beg inside my mind, please, no, I don't want to be alone...
She paused, considering her next words with particular care. “Yet,” she continued slowly, “I believe they would be wrong.”
I wasn't sure what I was hearing. She couldn't really mean...
“It is not our way,” she continued with more certainty and even a hint of warmth, “to turn down a pony when they truly wish to do better, no matter how black their deeds or how far they have fallen. It may, indeed, be necessary to kill in extreme cases, where the being is a clear and present danger to innocents; but not when there is only the potential for danger. We value justice and grace, but grace must prevail when possible. Indeed, I know this lesson well.” She chuckled wryly. “You saw it yourself, and you know the story of what happened after.; I was not myself, not as I was meant to be. I could not become what I should have been on my own accord. It took the help of others to bring me back from the edge of the precipice – first Celestia as you just saw, then the Bearers to restore me completely. We could not help ourselves – in that regard, we are alike.” She gave a tired chuckle, and smiled for the first time in what seemed like years. “I never believed I would be saying this to you, Sombra – but you will be granted a measure of clemency. I would see Celestia's old hopes come to fruition, and for you to become the pony she always thought you could be.”
I didn't know what to say. I couldn't say anything. Relief welled up in me, filling me such that I could barely breathe. There was a chance. I didn't have to be that... that thing I was. I could change.
She continued, the edge back in her voice. “But mark me, Sombra – if you ever are a threat, I will put you down myself. I will not allow you to hurt them, and I will bring the full fury of the night upon you.”
I nodded dumbly, and silently agreed – dying would be preferable to going back to the way I was.
She nodded in return, taking my assent for what it was. “Good. Now, be at peace,” she said kindly once more. “This has been an ordeal – for both of us – and true sleep is well-deserved. I am hopeful for you, Sombra... But I will be watching.”
With that, the world around me became peaceful and dark, like a cloudy night sky. I slowly fell into a deep, dreamless, and true sleep, and knew no more.