The Student of Sun and Shadow

by Journey Blue

Prerequisites - Shadows and Thoughts

Before the gates of Tartarus do the condemned await their final judgement. But Sombra, King Sombra, will not be found among them. For he is neither condemned, nor dead. Merely… lost.

Adrift.

He has stared into the abyss so long that it holds no influence over him. Look into your greatest fear, never turning away, and you will overcome its power.

He is a shadow amongst a vast sea of shadows. Only thoughts distinguish it from the darkness it calls home. A shadow without power, without purpose.

A shadow without restriction, it would seem.

Sombra may have returned to the shadows once more, but this time no prison binds him. He is free, free in every sense of the word.

He has no walls to stop him, and no body to limit him. He is a shadow, and wherever the shadows exist, so too, could he. Whether the shadow be in some dark corner where the light does not shine, or in the dark corners of one’s mind.

Thus, in his freedom, he chooses to do the only thing he cares to do. Satisfy his curiosity.

He is curious about his defeat. Curious about the one who defeated him.

Yes, it was that little purple drake that returned the Crystal Heart and the combined efforts of the entire Empire that ultimately ended him, but it was made possible by the hooves of one—a single unicorn mare.

He wants to know how she bested him, to know what else she is capable of, and to know why Celestia chose this mare as her personal protégé.

Celestia…

Her name rekindles the emotions once stripped from Sombra.

Celestia thought she chose mercy by imprisoning me, thought she would find peace by forgetting me.

So Celestia had sent her personal protégé to stop him in her stead. How arrogant of her. Or perhaps, he muses, even after a thousand years, Celestia still had not overcome her fear of him.

Then there was the mare—Twilight Sparkle. Celestia had had enough faith in Twilight to send her to face him. What had Celestia seen in this mare to warrant such trust?

With time he finds his answer, and he is not disappointed.

Twilight was no ordinary unicorn. She was clever, intelligent, and immensely powerful. Sombra finds that he cannot hate her. No, if anything, he feels admiration for her. She has not only proven herself to be a worthy opponent, but an impressive one. Further, both she and her friends were bearers of the Elements of Harmony, and Twilight, Bearer of Magic, bore the most powerful of these Elements. These weapons of the gods.

The Elements have found bearers that wield them to a far greater capacity than the Two Sisters, and yet, they were not wielded against me. What more does Celestia fear to lose that she has not more than once already?

A thought occurs to Sombra.

Twilight had so easily beaten his enchantments. True, her special talent was magic—all kinds of magic—but to see through his enchantments with such ease would have required her to understand his magic.

Sombra knows for certain that Twilight did not learn this from Celestia. Twilight had a special talent indeed. A dark talent.

What a shame it would be to see it go to waste.

Sombra would see that this talent is developed, but how? There is a limit to what he can do in the state he is in. He could reveal himself, leaving the safety of the shadows, but that would put him at risk, and he is already vulnerable. However, if she were made susceptible, were shadows to form in her mind, then he could have an audience with her, and her alone.

So he waits.

On multiple occasions he almost had the chance he was looking for. But to his annoyance, what shadows that could have formed were always dissipated by a light, a light called Friendship. Whenever Twilight was faced with a trial that could have overwhelmed her—banishing a horde of pink clones, dueling with a unicorn possessing a cursed power, or coping with petty life crises—her friends were always there to aid her. Whether this so called Friendship was some optimistic ideal, or a possible manifestation of The Elements’ power, it was certainly a powerful source of influence—it had been able to tame Discord himself, after all. It seemed that Friendship protected Twilight from Sombra in much the same way Love protected the Crystal Empire.

How curious.

Sombra lacks the impatience necessary to become discouraged. He has all the time he needs, and he does not need much. He is soon given the opportunity he desires.

Twilight Sparkle’s Coronation.

Twilight's ascension to the Alicorn race and her subsequent crowning as the newest Princess of Equestria, provided Sombra with all he needed to know about Twilight’s power and gave him the one thing he needed to get to her: complacency.

Sombra merely watched as Twilight, now Princess Twilight, adapted to her new role and responsibilities. Her performance was remarkable, no surprise, but Sombra is confident his chance will soon come. He is confident because a mistake has been made, not by Twilight, but by Celestia.

By bringing Princess Twilight to Canterlot Palace, Celestia had taken her away from her friends, and when Princess Twilight inevitably became overwhelmed by her new responsibilities, there would be no Friendship to stave off the shadows this time. The great irony of it was that the absence of her friends was what ultimately incurred the shadows.

There is nothing that makes one more vulnerable than loneliness, and after two months, Twilight is left defenseless.

Comments

[Changeling-Drone]

Interesting concept I'll be watching

[Xanthous King]

pixelsandclicks.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/leo.jpg

[Halfpaw]

Let us see where this story leads, hopefully the road it takes will be rough and untamed for the paved paths tend to be boring. Until the day it is clear which path you have chosen you have my attention.

[pokeking95]

Interesting. I will keep an eye on this. Not too sure, though, why you've gotten those dislikes. You do, however, tend to switch from present to past tense and vice versa. Moreover, I personally do not like a narrative being told in the present tense, but it is something I can get used to, I suppose.

One last thing:

Twilight had so easily beaten his traps.

It's probably my Sombra fanboyism showing through, but I think Twilight's actual performance in the Season 3 premiere says otherwise. But, I digress. It's hardly anything important.

Do carry on. I'd like to see what more you have in store for us.

[garfan]

she did learn of dark magic from Celestia though and she only cast after seeing Celestia cast it.

[Jman14102]

The way you are unfolding the story is wonderful. And I must once again praise you for your amazing writing style. It's stupendous.

[Journey Blue]

5226061
I was wondering when I would hear for you.

[The oracle]

5231292 He does seem to be the main commenter here.