Chapter 20
Shadowy Love
By FinnPony
Chapter 19
The same emptiness was all over him again, but this time it was different somehow. Ah, he had a body this time. Sombra lifted his right front-hoof in front of his face to examine it. Yes. He definitely had a body. The emptiness though, it was the very same he had spent almost seven years in. The world felt numb around him, just like last time. Everywhere he looked, he saw nothing. He knew that it was just a dream, but what he didn’t know was the nature of the dream. Would it be just a regular dream, or a nightmare? In a way he hoped that it would be a nightmare, because he didn’t even remember the last time he had had one.
He decided to walk for a bit, but stopped almost instantly. In the formless emptiness walking felt like he hadn’t moved at all, so he just laid down and thought that he would wait until something would happen. He wasn’t in a rush after all. Like he had predicted, something happened after a while. Something that he didn’t like.
He felt cold. He started to hear a wind whistling around him. He felt snow under his hooves, but not just any kind of snow, no. It was snow that felt like it was draining all the warmth from his body, and he was all too familiar with the feeling. The only place a pony was going to find a snow like that was in the Frozen North.
He was there again.
“I don’t like where this is going,” Sombra muttered to himself as he was enveloped into a thick snowfall that made seeing beyond ten meters impossible. Slowly he got covered by a small layer of snow, the coldness making his body numb. His teeth clattered and his breathing got faster, but he did not give up. He knew that it was a dream, so nothing bad could happen to him, right?
"Let’s see which one of us gets bored waiting first,” he challenged the dream.
After a while the numbness was getting stronger, and he started to think that falling into a hypothermia was a real threat. Sombra shivered uncontrollably, and his will was starting to crack. His skin started to feel like burning from the coldness, and he knew that he had to get moving soon, just to end his misery. With a defeated grunt he got up from the ground and shook off the snow off him.
Almost immediately he felt it. The numbness of his body disappeared, filling his body with vigor and feeling of raw power. His mood changed into a sadistic version of happiness. He felt undefeatable, like he was able to crush everything under his hooves.
Sombra snorted angrily. He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath of cold air of the Frozen North. His thoughts grew clear. He knew what was happening, and he just let himself be taken away by it. What he felt next was something he could clearly remember from his past.
It was hate.
He hated the snow, he hated the cold, he hated everything that he saw at the moment. He hated many other things he did not see at that moment, and as he started to think about it, he felt his powers gained strenght. The borders of reality and dream started to fade as he felt his powers getting stronger. He thought how he hated the two sisters, he hated their kingdom, he hated King Halite… He hated Twilight Sparkle. So why stop there?
Sombra opened his eyes, purple fires bursting from them as his scleras turned glowing green. The feeling of power grew and he looked upwards, at the cuff around his horn. It exploded into pieces and he laughed hollowly at the great feeling of freedom it gave him. His voice became strangely distorted and his thoughts grew even grimmer. He was now completely enveloped by his dream-reality, and the feelings within it. Those feelings made him remember what he was after.
Revenge.
It was an answer to everything. He needed it. This revenge wasn’t the same that had made him become what he was now, no. This was for those who had taken away his kingdom. He had taken it, to even out his grudge with King Halite, only to be banished by some mares that knew absolutely nothing about him or his motives! He stomped the snow angrily, and started to walk in circles. Soon he would make them pay. He also knew what he would need in order to do it...
The King’s Gem… The Alicorn Amulet.
He noticed that it was strange, how even now, thousand years after, his thoughts were still revolving around that damned amulet. Maybe it was because it was the only thing he had left. After all, revenge was everything he he had wanted. They had kept their part of the deal. Now he had his own part to pay, and all he had left was memories.
He grunted and decided that there was no time to cry over the past, and that he had a kingdom to conquer. He smiled wickedly as his physical form started to change. With a dark laugh his body exploded into a thick cloud of black smoke, leaving many small, black crystal growing through the snow where he had stood. The cloud started to move forwards like a gigantic black snake through the skies. His two green eyes with red irises were staring menacingly forward, a toothy grin under them.
“Equestria will be mine,” he snarled, subconsciously understanding how cliché his words were.
He didn’t get far before he heard a voice calling him.
“Sombra!” it called, oddly clearly and loudly over the howling of the wind around him. The voice was high and beautiful, clearly belonging to a mare at least as beautiful as the voice itself.
Yet it made Sombra almost freeze to the bone and filled his mind with dread.
His smoky form crashed to the ground, lifting up a big, white cloud of snow to the air, from where Sombra soon emerged. He was now wearing his red silk cape and battered battle armor made of steel, where one could still see the marks of many blades that had tried to end his life. On top of his head was his the notorious crown. He spun around in the snow, trying to find the source of the familiar voice he had heard. It didn’t take long before he finally saw the mare to whom the voice belonged.
In front of him stood a grey-coated unicorn mare with a charcoal-black mane and tail, just like his own, but they were longer and less messier than his. Her mane and tail flowed in the powerful breeze of the Frozen North, and her big, green eyes were looking at Sombra with sadness in them. Her ears were folded against the back of her head, but she bravely stared back at him.
Sombra was baffled by the sight he saw. He slowly walked towards the mare, feeling his heart beating like mad. The sight in front of him was too good to be true, but as he got closer, the mare seemed all more real. She was younger than him. Sombra saw the small features of her that he remembered from so so many years ago. Her long eyelashes, her slightly shorter horn, her cutiemark resembling a star shaped crystal, her graceful posture and those beautiful green eyes that had once shined to him with love and affection.
They were now filled with disgust.
Sombra saw that, and he got confused. Wasn’t she happy to see him? After all those years apart? Why was she looking at him like that? He gently lifted his other fore-hoof towards the mare, just to touch her cheek gently, like he had done so many times before, but she swatted it away from her angrily. Sombra stared at him with his mouth open, his eyes wide from surprise.
“Crystal?” he asked confusedly, his voice still hollow and cold.
“Go to hell Sombra,” the mare said, starting to sniffle a little. She swept her mane out of her face and Sombra saw the tears rolling down her cheeks. She held back a full on cry and hissed at him, “Why did you do this to yourself?”
“Crystal,” Sombra said quietly, stepping forward. “What do you mean?”
“What do I mean!?” she exclaimed. “You… You have become something terrible!”
Sombra looked down at his body. He knew that he wasn’t the same pony that he had been before, but he had done everything just to make sure that she would be safe. Or that was what he told to himself.
Sombra stepped forward, but she stepped backwards.
“I did everything for you,” Sombra said to her, and saw that she became enraged by his words.
“No you didn’t!” the mare spat at him. “You let your own lust for revenge blind you, and now look what you have become!”
“What!?” Sombra asked with shocked voice, the purple flames in his eyes growing. “All I wanted was you to be safe! For us to get our lives back!”
The mare stepped forward, her ears still folded backwards. She poked Sombra in the chest, and said angrily, “You wanted revenge. Nothing more.”
Sombra didn’t say anything for a moment. He just kept staring at the green eyed mare. He then lifted his fore-hoof towards her cheek again, and this time she let him do it. He gently swept tears from her cheek. She rubbed her cheek against his hoof affectionately. It went on for a moment, before Sombra said quietly, “It was the right choice.”
Then he felt a hoof connect to his right cheek with a loud slap. There was a quick white flash in his eyes, and he lifted his hoof to the sore spot on his face. He stared at the crying mare in front of him, whose eyes were burning with anger.
“You think that it was right choise to throw your life away?” she asked and turned around, to stare into the nothingness of the storm.
Sombra was still holding his cheek when he said, “I did it for you, please believe me.”
“I can’t,” the mare said to him, turning to glance at him over her shoulder. She was crying freely now, not trying to hold it back. The sight made the odd burning in Sombra’s chest return, which angered him more than anything at the moment.
“Mom and dad would have wanted us to move forward, but no!,” she said angrily, her eyes red from crying. “You just had to do… whatever you did to become like that!”
“Crystal I…” Sombra tried, but he was cut off.
“Shut up!” she hissed. “Mom and dad would be turning around in their graves if they would see you now.”
Those words hurt. She, if anyone, should know how much they had meant to Sombra, even though he did not remember them clearly anymore. He opened his mouth with his eyes filled with anger. The purple flames flowed towards the dark mare in front of him as he leaned towards her.
“How can you not understand!” he growled, showing his fangs. Crystal fell down to her haunches and had a terrified look on her face as Sombra continued, “How could I just let him go unpunished after what he had done!?”
“He made a mistake! Unlike you, who knowingly threw your life away!” Crystal cried, only fuelling Sombra’s rage.
“I did what I had to do!” Sombra shouted, making Crystal wince and cover herself with her front-hooves. Sombra panted and realised what he had done.
A frightened expression spread on his face, and he knelt in front of her. He opened and closed his mouth before he tried to say something, only to be stopped by her.
“I remember how you were, a loving brother, but look at you now,” she sobbed, her mane falling over her face. “You are so filled with hate that it glows from you.”
Sombra couldn’t answer. They just stared at each other for a long while.
“Goodbye Sombra,” Crystal then said, her ears drooping. She rose up from the before starting to walk away from him. Sombra wanted to go after her, but he couldn’t move.
“Crystal!” she shouted after her. “Don’t go! I am your brother!”
“You were my brother,” Crystal said and took a last glance at him. “But now you are a monster.”
“Crystal! Please Don’t go!” Sombra pegged, the purple flames growing even bigger. He fell down to his haunches and looked after his little sister, who calmly walked towards the storm. He could only see the silhouette of her anymore. Suddenly, even with all that power he had, he felt weak and lonely. The only thing he had wanted to protect was now walking away, leaving him. All alone.
He held his head with his hooves, shouting curses at nopony, or maybe at himself. Her sister’s silhouette disappeared into the storm, making Sombra just scream into the wind, not knowing how it would help at all. All that he had left from his life was now gone.
Suddenly he heard her voice for the last time, like she would have been standing right next to him, whispering into his ear.
“Don’t lose her like you lost me.”
* * *
“Gah!” Sombra exclaimed as he woke up from his dream, springing to a sitting position. A cold sweat poured on his brow and his breathing was frantic. His eyes scanned the room quickly, before, with a relieved sigh, he flopped onto his back again. It had just been a dream. He had known that actually, or at least until it had taken complete power over him.
He rubbed his eyes and looked towards the window. The curtains were pulled over it, but he could tell that it was still dark outside. Fearing that he would return to that terrible flashback he feared so much, it still made him shiver, he pulled his blanket all the way up to his chin. He thought about his nightmare, and didn’t know what was worse in it. The fact that Crystal, his little sister had abandoned him, or that he was starting to see why...
He shook his head to clear it. He was becoming a real mess. Everything was falling apart. His feelings raged on freely, he had actually enjoyed his time in Ponyville… Well, most of the time. His plan wasn’t doing so well and the worst terrible thing was that he was actually starting to think reformation as a real opinion. Sombra frowned. Now that he thought about it, there was one thing even worse than that. He found Twilight Sparkle’s company enjoyable.
He could hear his sisters words in his head again. Weren’t they his thoughts in a way? After all those were his dreams, and he remembered hearing something about dreams just being ponies’ way to solve or understand their problems. If that was it, then why would losing Twilight Sparkle bother Sombra? He had no interest in her, other than the fact that he would use her to his own advantage, like he had originally planned.
Sombra rolled to his other side. His mane fell over his face annoyingly, but he ignored it, and thought about his plan. What had it been originally? To use Twilight Sparkle in order to find a way to get revenge on the two sisters, who had imprisoned him to the ice of the Frozen North? He closed his eyes and thought that his life had been just revenge after revenge. He chuckled darkly at that, and thought that maybe his reformation would be the end for that cycle. He realised that he was once again thinking about reformation. Could he really start a new life? He sighed. Sombra knew that there was one thing that would decide that.
The Alicorn Amulet.
He had to find it. It was more like an obsession to him now than anything. He needed to find it. Sombra knew that when he would, he would know what to do. He rubbed his eyes again, thinking that then he would know if Twilight Sparkle’s work would have had any effect on him. If not, he could just conquer Equestria and continue his reign of terror. After all, if that is to happen, then it is meant to go that way.
But what if when he finds the Alicorn Amulet, and decides that he wouldn’t need it? What if he wants to be the good guy for a change? He didn’t know what he would do then, because he had never lived a life like that. Not for long at least. It would be easy to just continue from where he had left, ruling as a tyrant, but he slowly had started to envy Ponyvilleans. They were happy with their lives, which were filled with friends and loved ones. Sombra didn’t have either. Not anymore.
He stared blankly in front of him for a long while, unmoving, barely even blinking. Wasn’t he supposed to make friends? That’s what Twilight Sparkle always said. How in the hay was he supposed to make any friends while being locked in a damn castle? He thought about it for a second, before he snorted and rolled to his other side.
He made a mental note to make some friends in the future, just to see what it was like, before falling back to sleep. This time he could rest without seeing ghosts from his past.
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God damn Sombra fics.
*grumbles*
Oh hey, this is on my read later. I wonder which page of the 30 it is on.
I'm intrigued about Sombra's past and his bond with Crystal. I hope the next chapter comes soon, so that we can see how Sombra will bond with Rarity.
Great chapter. I was nice to see Sombra's sister. I hope Sombra tries to change, but I have a few suspicions of what is going to get in his way.
This is so good!
"Was it worth it? Was it worth losing anything you can call love or happiness, all in the name of revenge? Would you really rather be filled with spite? Why don't you just try being happy?"
I pray for an update soon.
Ah, now this is how you make a villain.
This is such a good story. So far you are one of the first writers to give Sombra such depth in character and background without going overly dark. Can't wait for the next installment!
I guess this is why Sombra sayes Crystals all the time.
I really do like this chapter, no fan girling, no happy-internet-squeals, just respect and praise.
DRESS MAKER YOU SAY?!
5167207 I really cant take that awesome quote seriously with that user picture, bro.
I wonder if this chapter timing means that Sombra will see a shadow of her sister in a certain dressmaker personality, manner and style, and with that a special deep connection shared between the two prideful unicorns.
That of course would make Twi enter green a berserk state
...internally 
.
5170252 son of a bitch...
5170787 I hope we can still be friends
5170903 nup, deal breaker mate
It's coming all together now. Sombra's parents must have been killed by the former King and he wanted revenge for them and Some how his sister died too by the Crystal Empire and He enslaved them all
5171001 If you says so... :T
quickmeme.com/img/82/8208731cace7e39f9ae527e5ea2344b92c5119635d0cd8ec19fdd510ed593b31.jpg
This chapter would have been legitimately interesting if it was either written in first-person or as a diary entry.