The King is Dead, Long Live the Princess
Skyla sat by the gravestone.
“I guess this is goodbye,” she said. “I hope you’re not mad at me for leaving. I mean, I know you aren’t, but I also know what you told me when I asked about the tunnel for the first time. You were still dead serious back then, remember?” She winced, placing her hoof flat on her face. “Forgive me, that was inappropriate. ‘Very’ serious is what I meant to say. Sorry.”
The dethroned king, may his soul rest in peace, didn’t feel much offended.
“You shouted at me, even scared me a little. Back then I didn’t understand how difficult for you it all was. Sheltering an alicorn while everyone else hates them with passion? Now that’s what I call courage!” she said. “I feel terrible that I couldn’t see it, and that I called you stupid. I should have turned my frustration at the villagers instead, because, let’s be honest, they are the ones that are stupid.”
They were also mistrustful, and as inhospitable as the crude wastelands they called their own.
Skyla passed her hoof over the lush green grass, letting a nearby stream express its irritation in her place. The splashing remarks were accompanied by the singing of a blue jay sitting on one of the many trees that surrounded the rose-adorned area around the gravestone.
“What’s their problem, anyway?” Skyla said. “Just because some other alicorn has abandoned them in the time of their need doesn’t mean that every other wishes them ill. I certainly don’t! I would do my best to show them that I’m more than just a horse of apocalypse they want to see in my kind! If they didn’t start throwing rocks at me first, that is.”
Skyla didn’t really know why a mob of superstitious ponies would choose to throw rocks at her. The only rocks she was familiar with were also her stalwart protectors, as she was living in a narrow, but charming valley between the mountains where steep, rocky walls separated her cottage from the rest of the world. They valley itself was also protected by powerful enchantments veiling it from those who would like to find the young alicorn.
“You said that this is the only place where I will be safe. That out there, the ponies will hate me because I’m so different, because I’m something more than them. But I really can’t stay here forever,” she said, straightening up and taking a saunter around the glade. “I don’t want to be ungrateful or something. I know that the best way to appreciate what you did for me is to stay alive, to cherish life, but sitting here will only get me so far. I know every rock, every turn of our stream, every herb and fruit that we planted together!”
She looked up to the sky, a streak of blue cutting in between the mountain peaks.
“Ugh, I’ll go crazy if I won’t try and see something new,” she said. “Look! I’m already taking to myself! Well, to you, but it’s not like you can hear me.”
I can hear you, Skyla.
She turned towards the gravestone with renewed hope. “But you know what? Even if you can’t hear me, I still think I need to get this off my chest before I go, and I don’t really have anypony else to talk to, so please bear with me,” she said. “You promised that even in death you’d be still watching over me. I could… I could really use some of that right now.”
I am, and I will! I will be watching over you to the best of my abilities! Here, on the other side, it is difficult to discern the living and the dead, the afterworld from the world in which I left you. Everything I see is hazy, and everything I hear is muffled, everything apart from you. I can see you quite vividly, Skyla, and only thanks to you I have not given up on myself like the rest of these poor wretches.
Skyla sighed. “Of course we both know that you couldn’t be certain of what’s on the other side, but I guess that some part of me wants to believe that you found a way to stay with me… somehow. I know for sure that you’d try,” she said, sitting by the gravestone again. “So, about staying. With you gone, there is really no future for me here, so I’m leaving today. First, I’ll do my best to avoid the villagers, and then I think I’ll go find that mythical land you told me about when I was little.”
I should have never taken you so deep into these lands. I thought that I could exploit the mistrust of the locals and make them an impenetrable barrier between you and the Crystal Princess. Now I can only hope that you will reach your home, Skyla.
“The house just isn’t the same without you, but it took me quite some time to realize it, you know. At first I didn’t cry much. You never cried, and I wanted to be tough like you,” she said, her voice faltering. “I even tried to convince myself that getting stuck all on my own wasn’t such a big deal! That I could do whatever I wanted! No more lessons in magic, no more exhausting fighting exercises!”
I have deprived you of your childhood, Skyla. I’ve been training you in the magical arts when I should have been reading you stories for a good night’s sleep. I’ve been teaching you how to act and think like a conqueror when I should have been showing you the wonders of the world.
Her eyes wet, Skyla whispered, “But then I realized I missed you more than I thought I would. What’s the point of having a dinner for breakfast if you can’t share it with anyone? Where’s the fun in playing in the stream all afternoon if no one plays with you? All that remained was silence,” she said. “I think I miss your voice the most. ‘Skyla, dinner’s ready!’ ‘Skyla, have you read the treaty I gave you?’ ‘Skyla, did you clog the chimney with your crystals again?’ ”
A faint chuckle was heard in between sobs.
I am guilty of a terrible crime, Skyla, and my only relief is that I have realized my mistake in time. It is true that a couple of years of giving isn’t enough to repay for a decade of demands, but that was the best I could do. At least… I thought it was.
Skyla collected herself and stood up. “Speaking of which, I’ve got something for you. Sort of a thank-you gift for all those birthday presents you gave me,” she said. “I’ve been working on it for some time now, and I know you probably wouldn’t like the means, so apologies in advance, but it will require extra power for the spell to kick in. It’s one of those instances I really need to tap into the higher magic, so you better keep your head down.”
She glanced at the mound by her hooves, a blush darkening her already rose cheeks.
“Sorry again! Of all the things you’ve taught me, tact and rhetoric were never my strongest suits. I’ll try to work on them in my journey, okay? Maybe then I’ll be worth the nickname you gave me.”
All I have ever given you were blatant lies, Skyla. First I was lying to satisfy my petty need for revenge, to keep my machinations going. Then I was lying to keep you away from them, because you deserved so much more, you deserved to follow your own path instead of becoming a part of a mad pony’s dream as worthless as the dreamer himself. At all times, I was lying to keep you close.
Skyla took a step back.
“Alright, here it comes!”
She closed her eyes and unearthed the darkest thoughts she carried within. She found herself all alone in a dangerous land where life imprisonment would be the least the ignorant masses would do to her. She was afraid. Her mother died in childbirth, and now she lost her father as well. She did not want to accept that her father was dead, no, she straight hated it! She hated the cruel world for taking her father away! He was a good pony, a decent pony, he alone had been taking care of her as long as she could remember! He didn’t deserve such a fate!
Although Skyla didn’t know much about the proper use of the higher magic only available to her kind, she had learned time and again that strong emotions were her best chance to unleash it.
She fell to her knees with a helpless lament.
“WHY? WHY YOU? WHY NOT THE WORLD INSTEAD?”
As fear and hatred took over, Skyla cried. Tears flowed down her cheeks while violet and green mist of magic streamed from under her eyelids.
Stop! Don’t do it! You’re still too young for the alicorn magic to obey you! It will consume you like it once did me with! Argh! I should have taught you better, but I saw only a source of power where I should have recognized the greatest of dangers!
Her eyes and horn still flaming, Skyla took a deep breath. While doing so, she placed her hoof on her chest, and after a moment of holding her breath, she exhaled and took her hoof away, drawing an arc in front of her. The magic withdrew, then a violent surge went through her body. Some invisible force lifted her in the air and tossed like a rag doll.
Please, let go of the magic! You are still young, and the temporary power is not worth the risk. I am not worth the risk! Whatever you are planning, Skyla, I am not worth it!
Skyla straightened up. Her horn shined with a blinding light, flooding the glade with waves of magic that was no longer violet and green, but brilliant blue instead, and as imperious and regal as the young alicorn herself. Upon completing her spell, Skyla couldn’t help but smile. She dried her eyes with the edge of her hoof, glad that her personal breathing technique worked.
“Not bad for your ‘Princess’, am I right?”
It’s… beautiful.
Everything in the thirty foot radius from the gravestone had been transformed. The grass turned into a smooth, emerald surface from which numerous topaz columns—former trees—were rising high to join their ruby crowns over the glace. Slices of white opals entwined into exquisite roses stuck to the amethyst bushes, and the gravestone itself changed into a mighty chunk of diamond.
Only the words carved on its surface remained the same.
Here lies
Sombra
a loving father
a unicorn whose heart
was pure as crystal
I… I have no words.
“This is my gift for you,” Skyla said. “Without anyone tending to the house, the valley will get swallowed by weeds in no time. But not this place. I made sure of that.”
You shielded the place of my final rest with crystal, because your heart knows love like no other. You truly are your parents’ daughter, and I was a fool for thinking I could change that.
Since the moment your cutie mark appeared I knew I wouldn’t be able to exploit you for achieving my goals. At the same time, I was too afraid to stand in the light of truth, to return you to the Crystal Princess and accept the punishment for my crimes. I couldn’t. I wasn’t strong enough, and I am sorry. I do not ask for forgiveness, for I deserve none, but I want you to know that amongst all my lies there is a single truth that I have realized much too late. A truth that is now keeping me sane, here, on the other side.
Skyla embraced the tombstone, and Sombra embraced her.
“Thanks for hearing me out, dad,” she said. “I love you.”
I love you too, Skyla, my daughter of whom I have never been worthy.
Skyla left the dethroned king’s crystalline sanctuary.
She stopped before a thick curtain of ivy, making sure that her wings were tucked beneath a simple shirt, weighted by her saddlebags, and covered by a traveling cloak. She decided she’d be posing as a unicorn during the journey, at least until she’s sure that the ponies around her were no longer after her skin because she was different. There had to be some good-willed ponies out there, right? Her father was one of them, after all.
She took a deep breath and entered the tunnel that would lead her to the vast expanse of the uncharted world.
“I wonder if this Equestria place is very far.”
Hello there! Thank you for reading my story. I am no longer writing pony fiction, but if you want to support my current creative endeavor, check out my content on Twitch! 
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Hello and welcome to The Royal Daughter!
Although the latest episode confirmed that there's a royal baby on the way in the Crystal Empire, judging by Cadance's still slim figure it will take some time before Princess Skyla has her debut in the show. This story is a glimpse to a possible future (quite likely in a [AU] way, but I feel there's no need for the tag as of this moment) that involves a vengeful king and the young alicorn. It is also something different than my usual repertoire, both in form and contents, but I hope you'll find it worthwhile it nonetheless. Also, yay for writing a short story! Usually when I'm trying to do that I end with a couple thousands more.
Enjoy!
...You know, this story intrigues me and I would like to see it continued.
Wow...
That...that was amazing...
6549875
I left it semi-opened in case I wanted to write a slightly paranoid Skyla traveling to Equestria (possibly with Sombra watching over her and helping her - somehow - so that he could repent for his sins in his own eyes). Is that what you think would be a decent continuation?
6549891
mmmmyep.
6549881
I'm happy to hear that. It was a challenging thing to write, so it's good to know it worked for you.
6549902
Alrighty then! I'll keep that in mind.
Continuation!! This could be an amazing chapter story! And one I'd love to read!
sequel please!!!!!
6550384
Unfortunately, I'd like to stay dedicated to another chapter story I'm currently writing, so I don't think this one will get any longer. Instead, what would you say to another one-shot that would cover some pivotal point of Skyla's journey? I mean, I don't have anything planned, just throwing ideas and watching if anyone would be interested.
6550403 if it helps. I'd be interested in reading it. If I had any writing talent, I'd see if we couldn't talk about me helping. Sadly, I suck beans at writing. I'm more art oriented
A very nice, clean and rather great short story. Bravo.
6550387
I appreciate your enthusiasm! As of right now I have only a vague idea of where would I go with this story, but it's great to see you're interested in it.
6550403
Pre-reading opertinity? Sure, love these kind of stories. Be even willing to ghost write from time to time if you'd let me so that story could happen.
6550433
It actually helps! It's always good to know that there are people out there willing to give your stuff a shot. Oh, and here's a secret about writing: everyone sucks at it, but some have tried and learned to convince others they suck a little bit less. So if you'll ever get stuck working on your art, don't hesitate to mash the keyboard for a change!
6550463
Thanks especially for saying it's clean. Celestia only knows how many times those blasted typos escaped my attention!
6550569 More to the flow than spelling, that i tend to gloss over. It goes as a smoothly flowing river in its soliloquy from each side of the coin. It stands on its own strongly, and yet leaves enough there that you could easily expand if need be.
If you finish this other story you speak of, do THIS.
This would get featured in a heartbeat.
And I would weep tears of joy.
Manly tears.
6550586
Thanks anyway!
Ah, I see now.
6550532
Well, I'm afraid I have to say no to any form of ghostwriting, but if you feel like writing anything in this setting then by all means, please do. The way home is long, so there's a lot of things that could happened to Skyla along the way, and I'm certain I won't be able to cover them all!
6550605
Nah, I don't think so. Fics about Sombra are pretty niche overall, and I doubt I'd find enough people interested in my take on Skyla. That said, I'm super happy to hear that you've found it worth reading! I appreciate the support!
great story!!!
going to write any part of the journey to equestria?
I'd enjoy seeing a one shot of when she finally meets Cadance or the Sisters, or even Twilight. Basically her 'coming home' as it were.
6551554
If I dream up a relatively short and interesting enough scene, then sure I will.
6551802
Homecoming and reuniting with her family would be interesting, but for it to have proper emotional impact I'd have to write at least some of Skyla's struggles along the way, I think. So this particular bit is rather less likely at the moment.
Great. Just great.
You've earned my fav and thumbs up.
6552784
Fav, thumbs up, comment, and plus one on the story view counter? It's my lucky day!
I would like to read more of this. Especially anything with Skyla meeting her real parents and family. It would be an emotional train wreck and I would love it.
6555620
You're right, that would be glorious, and so utterly devastating and emotionally exhausting for all involved! It's definitely a scene worth writing, but I think I'd like to write some bits of Skyla's journey first (I'm not saying I am writing those, mind you, but given the reception of this story I think it deserves a short sequel at some point in time).
Thanks for giving it a read!
There's a reason why I should stop reading one-shots. I always want to see what happens next.
6645507
Who knows, maybe I'll deliver a sequel one day. Not anytime soon, I'm afraid, but the concept of Sombra watching over his "daughter" during her journey is definitely something I'd like to revisit in the future.
Awesome stuff, it'll be pretty nito if this was continued, eh.
This was SO WORTH the peek. OMG. I CRIED BUCKETS! It would be worth it to be Skyla just for even a day to get to experience that changed Sombra who loves a daughter he never earned. Please do a sequel. Your writing is so beautiful.
6774376
I'm super glad you liked this story! As for the possible sequel, I have a vague idea on how to continue, but I'm not working on it right now, so I can't really make any promises. Thanks for dropping by!
*wants a sequel so bad*
6834127
I take it that the story left you speechless and you're conveying your emotions through little ponyheads. I can live with that!
please for all that is holy make a sequel to this masterpeace.
6854239
As of right now I have no plans for writing anything in this setting. The good news are, however, I have the possible title for a sequel and a few scenes somewhere in my drafts, so maybe I'll return to Skyla and Sombra someday!
Wow, dude, you're much too kind in calling it a masterpiece!
What an interesting idea, and well executed too.
7761735
I love when people are checking out some older stories of mine, it's a great reason to return to them. Can confirm - I still dig the idea, and I'm glad you do too!
this was amazing it made me cry a bit
7956742
Thank you for saying that, I'm glad you found it worthwhile!
Will there be more?
8271529
Hello! As of right now I have no plans on continuing it. I'm not even sure if people would be interested in Skyla's further adventure(s), seeing that there's a canon character of Flurry Heart now!
Despite which way the show went, I would enjoy seeing this daughter of Cadance explored further as she learns of the world and her past.
8620658
Great to hear you've enjoyed this take on her! I'm not currently planning writing anything more in that matter, but Skyla definitely has a place in my head-canon.
Such a lovely story! Deep emotions, nice describing. And I think they will meet each other somehow - Sombra even as spirit can help her (I mean he can move freely as ghost, can`t he?)
My mark: 9 out of 10 (great story, but nothing outstanding)
9087518
Hi, I’m glad you liked the story! Good King Sombra will definitely do everything he can to help his “adopted” daughter return home, but unfortunately he won’t able to be with her 100% at a time.
As a ghost, or rather a spirit trapped between the world of the living and the actual afterlife, he can only peek into Equestria through places where the veil is the thinnest - places where death itself left a mark. Graveyards, sites of battles, groves and woods tormented by decay, those sort of spots.
9087752
Well - it`s Equestria, not our own world. Everything is possible :) Although somewhy the writers of mlp serial holding imagination back tooo much, just sticking with "people stuff and society" and adding magic "when needed". Although from the first seconds of serial they say "The magical land of Equestria", but i can`t really "feel" the magic because they never actually developed the "magic rules for the pony world"
9088762
Yeah, totally with you on this one! Perhaps “magic” in the opening should be interpreted as friendship itself, so the opening would then convey something along the lines of “the
magicalland of Equestria [where friendship blooms]”.But you’re right that no clear explanations of magic-magic as we understand it are given (I gave it some thought in Arcane Realms, actually - there’s a somewhat of a working magic model presented there if you’re interested).
Well, i think things is even more complicated than in your story (i haven`t read it and probably won`t). First of all, why ponies do ever need any kind of buildings? Any "nobel" ponies? Even food is groving under their feet! (also, they can grow it with magic - again, rules is not set in yet). Why do they even need to bother about anything? In warm lands without humans with lots of grass (obviously not desert islands) any horse would live like in heavens (well, there are maybe some predators, but horses can kick them hard, especially with hind legs). Buildings? Nope. Society? Maybe primitive. Guards? Nope. Job? No. Hobby? Yes, maybe. Adventure? Only if you want to. Villains? Well, they have a powerful magic, aren`t they?
And I`m talking only about basic nature and idea. The MLP writers surely can build much more inteesting world, much more comprehensive with clearly-established magic rules (not only pony magic, but world`s magic rules also).
The only only things I found really interesting is changelings(again, how they could even possibly starve if love is not exhaustive source, and if they could live among ponies - no problems for both kinds?) and semi-seaponies, semi-griffons (forgot their kind`s name - they clearly showed and first appeared in "MLP the Movie"). And it`s the only things i found really interesting. Princeses? They all seems like stupid sillies-fillies, not the f*^&ing all-magic-poverful one-thousand-years rullers of kingdom who survived many wars and many leadership-dilemas. They only seems believable in fanfics here - yes, here, they are the most poverful and wise rullers. But not in serial.
I could only imagine what the Equestria could look like if writers took some more time to develop this world and to unleash full potential of their imagination. It`s a shame they didn`t. Cause the MLP world for me seems unbelievable. Veeeeeeery unbeliaveble. I know it`s serial originaly for kids...... but c`mon! Kids also have brains and good thinking! They also want a good story and world, not some artificial sH*t!
Sory dude, it`s only my emotions ;) Didn`t thought to write it here..... but i don`t know where to write elsewhere....
9093384
No problem, you could probably turn your thoughts into a nice essay on this topic. You may consider giving blogs a try - you’ll have your musings gathered neatly on your profile and not scattered in comments under multiple author’s stories. It’s practical!
9093860
Or I can turn it in "my own" world and story, make art, 3d models, music, programming and make money :) But this things take years to make...