• Published 5th Jan 2017
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Age of Kings - A bag of plums



When King Sombra took over the Crystal Empire, one pony went into another world to seek help. Featuring the ancestors of the cast of Equestria Girls, this is the account of her quest in the human world.

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96 - The Battle for the Throne of Masyaf

The inside of the palace was a wreck. There were burned tapestries and cloth everywhere, and almost none of the torches were still lit. The sunlight coming in through the windows was more or less the only source of light and in the setting sun, it wasn’t much. Which was good for Emerald, and even better for Prince Sombra.

“We must first find your false king,” the dark haired prince said. “Use the shadows. They will aid our traversal.”

Sombra slinked behind a pillar and Emerald didn’t know if it was her eyes or not, but the Saddle Arabian prince seemed to vanish from sight. She remembered the shadowy powers the djinn had given Sombra, but it was different to actually see it with her own eyes. She wasn’t able to do that, but with her training as royal spymaster, he was speaking the truth. It was always easier to hide in the dark.

They had ditched their disguises back in the stables, deciding that it would be more expedient to move around in their normal wear. Like a pair of mice, Emerald and Sombra flitted from shadow to shadow, moving up toward the throne room. If Morn was to be anywhere in this castle, it would most likely be the throne room.

They had only encountered one other guard on the way to the throne room and with the Apple, Emerald broke him out of Morn’s control and proceeded on towards the large double doors leading to the throne room.

“These were broken when I left the city,” Prince Sombra whispered as he pointed to the doors. “Someone must have repaired them.”

Emerald raised an eyebrow. “Now why would anyone-”

She heard the crackle right before the doors exploded and she threw herself and Sombra to the side as lightning and splinters sped past them across the hall.

“I had a feeling you would return, my love…” a voice echoed around the hall, emanating from the throne room. “I’ve been making myself comfortable in my second castle while I waited, and I am right. Here you are. Right back to me.”

Morn Dread stepped out past the doors, resplendent in his dark armor. A crown of light rested upon his brow, and his eyes shone green in the gloom. Kingly he did look, but not a kind king who would lead his country with liberty and justice. No, this was a conquering, unstoppable king.

Unstoppable… until now. Emerald gripped the Apple tightly.

“And I see you have brought the crown prince with you. Splendid.” Morn raised Excalibur parallel to the ground. “Once he is dealt with, Saddle Arabia will be without an heir. And this kingdom shall bow to my rule as well. My lady, you will return with me and rule beside me.”

“You mongrel!” Sombra roared, gathering the shadows around himself and shooting towards Morn like an arrow. Morn’s sword arm twitched and a glowing barrier manifested in front of himself, causing Sombra to bounce off and land next to Emerald.

“So the prince has the powers of his father, it seems. But power or no, you will never match me, sand dweller.”

“Morn, please stop this!” Emerald entreatied. “Give up Excalibur and come with me back to Canterlot. Tis not too late to return things to the way they were! We can be together then!”

Sombra watched Morn. The King of Canterlot seemed to pause, looking between Emerald Edge and his golden sword. For a moment he almost looked tempted to lay down his weapon.

Emerald reached into her pocket “Remember this?” She drew out a small object: a ring with an emerald set in it. “You wanted to give it to me and ask for my hand in marriage. But I cannot, will not marry you so long as you remain a tyrant! You are better than this, Morn. Please, let us just go home.”

Morn Dread’s eyes seemed to flicker, the crown on his head growing a little dim. Then he set his eyes on Sombra, who was gazing at Morn with undisguised hatred at Emerald’s side. His fist clenched harder on Excalibur.

“I see how it is…” Morn growled at Emerald. “You’re with him! He’s brought you here to dog me! His people are ruthless cutthroats who let their poor suffer on the streets and starve while royalty lives high in this palace with food brought straight to their mouths. It does not deserve you, my lady. It deserves me.”

“And you think you can do better?” Sombra exclaimed. “Have you seen what has become of Masyaf after you took over? If you wish to criticize my family, be prepared to look at yourself first!”

“You will be silent, dog. I can do anything I want. I have Excalibur. With it, I will bring order to this evil world and there will be no more suffering. No more pain. We will all share in the wealth of my kingdom.” Excalibur’s glow intensified. “And you will be one of many kings to see it.”

Light pooled from Excalibur’s tip and shot out like a javelin towards Sombra’s head, but before it could touch him, a barrier of light sprung up from the ground between them, stopping the beam in its tracks.

Emerald held up her hand, with the Apple glowing in its palm like a miniature sun. “Morn, please. This is not the way to order. Humans deserve the right to choose.”

Morn’s face darkened. “So you have an artifact of your own. And now you mean to take Excalibur from me! Would you set yourself up as queen in my place, Emerald Edge?” he spat.

“I do not want the throne, Morn.” Emerald scrunched up her face in anger. “I just want you back. As you were before.”

“I was weak and foolish before!” Morn declared. “Blinded by the lies told by the ruffian who I can barely stand to call my father. But now I am a changed man. Last chance, Emerald. Don’t make me take you by force.”

Emerald didn’t like what she was hearing from Morn’s mouth. This wasn’t him. This wasn’t the man she’d loved. He had been corrupted and she didn’t know if he was still in there, but she had to try while she still could.

“Dawn Saber lied to you, but this is not the way to go.” Emerald held up the Apple. “But if I have to show you the error of your ways, then so be it.”

“Finally,” Sombra grunted to Emerald as he brandished his scimitar. “Something we can agree on.”

“Then you shall witness my righteous power.” Morn held on to Excalibur firmly and charged towards them.

His first target was the prince, but as he slashed his sword forward, Sombra had turned himself into a cloud of shadows and wisped around his weapon before reappearing above him with his scimitar poised to attack. Without even looking, Morn’s arm moved to his side unbelievably fast and he parried Sombra’s attack with a blast of energy, sending the prince sailing across the room and into a pillar hard enough to crack it.

Lifting the Apple, Emerald conjured a trio of tendrils, which snaked around Morn’s legs and his sword arm. Sombra recovered and gathered the shadows, sending them out in a wave to try and wrestle the sword from Morn’s hand.

But the King of Canterlot’s grip was like steel. He held on to Excalibur and pulled his arm free from the light tethers. A shockwave burst from Excalibur and knocked down debris from the ceiling, as well as forcing Emerald to defend herself with a spherical shield from the Apple.

Excalibur’s tip released a blast of lightning, which hit Emerald’s shield, but it held strong. She smiled. They had been right. Morn couldn’t use the artifacts as well as she could, since he was just a human.

The spymaster raised the Apple high, then after a short pause, she slammed it to the ground, releasing a cluster of spear-like beams in a fan ahead of her. Morn shattered two of them with his blade, but another got him in the left shoulder, then another to his right thigh.

Sombra rallied and gathered the darkness in the room, closing it around Morn like a cocoon. The shadows squeezed at the knight, who tried hacking his way free with Excalibur. Emerald held the Apple aloft and wrapped threads of light around the famed sword.

Morn’s fingers struggled to keep ahold of Excalibur’s handle. While Sombra held Morn in place, Emerald could see the king’s grip on the sword loosening ever so slightly. If she could but pull harder, just for a few moments more, she could do it. She could make it.

“No! Excalibur belongs to me!” Morn yelled and he released a storm of lightning around him, destroying Sombra’s shadows and breaking Emerald’s tendrils, freeing him and the sword.

With his eyes aglow, Morn stomped towards Emerald, his blade pointed at her. He was about to fire a bolt of lightning at her when he suddenly shuddered and the glow around Excalibur faded.

“No… Not yet…” Morn staggered forward a few steps and stumbled to a knee, planting Excalibur’s blade into the ground to steady himself. “Guards! My soldiers! Your king needs you!”

From behind him in the throne room, about a dozen Canterlotian knights burst out, weapons in hand and eyes shining gold. They began to advance towards Emerald and Sombra, but Emerald used the Apple and she watched as the enchantments over the knights shattered and they dropped their gear, dazed and disoriented.

“No. You will undo all that I am trying to accomplish, my lady?” Morn grunted. “This chaotic and cruel world, I am trying to tame it. For all people. For my mother. For you.”

“Your mother does not want this,” Emerald said coldly. “And neither do I! Drop the sword, Morn. It is time this battle came to an end.”

“Then you will be the one to finish it?” Morn stretched his arms out and lifted his chest. “Do it, my love.”

Emerald held the Apple out, its glow intensifying as she formed daggers of light around her. She could do it here, she could end Morn’s threat and return the Canterlot and Saddle Arabia back to the way they were before Morn’s uprising. She could do it here right now, but then why did she feel as though she couldn’t do it? Emerald could end it, but could she end the life of the human she so loved? Morn had been everything to her in this world and she wasn’t ready to give him up.

Morn Dread’s eyes darted about the space, as if looking for a way out. Then he found it. He fired a bolt of lightning above Sombra, blasting a hole right through the ceiling and raining down debris atop the prince, and while Emerald turned her attention to him to project a barrier to hold the debris up, Morn used this distraction to leap out of a nearby window.

“No!” Emerald kept the barrier above Sombra as she gazed out the window.

Morn had fallen a considerable height, but to not much of her surprise, Emerald watched as the king began limping away from the palace grounds, using Excalibur to blow a hole through the walls. He stopped and turned back one more time, flashing Emerald a look she knew well. It was a look of determination, a look she had grown to admire over the years. This battle was far from over.

With the Apple, Emerald shifted the debris to the side and walked over to Sombra.

“Thank you, Emerald Edge.” Sombra pushed to his feet. He held his shoulder in one hand, likely a dislocation. And the left side of his bleeding forehead was swollen. “But your hesitation may have cost us our only chance. Why did you not strike him down where he stood? You could’ve ended your struggle!”

“I…” Emerald tried to come up with a reason, an explanation, but she couldn’t admit it. Not even to herself. “We will find another chance. I promised to help you take back your kingdom, and I have. Is that not enough for now?”

Sombra gave Emerald a shrewd look, but did not press the issue further. “We had best tell Parisa and your friends outside that we have won.”

“Aye,” Emerald sighed. She lowered the Apple and used a quick burst of its power to heal Sombra’s injuries. It was useful having this artifact around, seeing as their mages were out of manticore blood.

A piece of advice from Emerald’s old mentor from Equestria flickered in her mind.

“Never let your emotions compromise the mission. As a spy, you may have to do things that are unpleasant or detestable. Put your personal feelings aside and do the job as you were told to.”

She had allowed her emotions to color her actions on this mission, and allowed Morn a chance to get away with Excalibur. She had to make sure she didn’t do it again, or there might be harsher consequences next time.

I have to do better. I have to do what’s best for the world.

The walk out of the palace went without incident and Emerald was quick to spot her friends, still waiting around at the stables. The three young ones were the first to rush over, with Honeygold and Spectrum already firing their questions at Emerald till their words merged into babble. She had to calm them down before listening to what they had to say. Emerald told her friends everything that had happened in the palace, all the way up to Morn’s escape.

“Pity he got away.” Spectrum rubbed at her left arm’s bicep. “I would’ve liked to give him a piece of my mind.”

“Wait your turn, Spectrum.” Jewel Pin flashed her scissors. Everyone backed away a step. “Morn has taken me far from home and away from my beloved High Rise. Why, it feels tis been ages since I have laid my eyes upon him.”

“But we can leave now, yes? We’ve got what we came for.” Nightfall asked, eyeing the Apple. “We just need to find Morn and stop him.”

Emerald sighed. She knew she needed to stop him, but she didn’t know if she had the resolve to do so. Perhaps she could turn his mind, like he did for his army, but the spymaster was disgusted with that. How different would she be if she took away his choice?

Prince Sombra was talking to Parisa about something in Saddle Arabian. The dancer seemed to be protesting something with the prince, and she seemed to be unwilling to back down. Finally Sombra sighed and nodded, then went over to Emerald.

“Now that the Canterlotian king has been driven from my city, there comes to the matter of your fate. I said that I would have you all tried for crimes against the crown.”

Emerald couldn’t believe what she was hearing, nor could the others. The former pegasus didn’t want to fight Sombra; she was confident that she could win, but she didn’t want any more conflict in the near future.

“But,” Sombra continued. “I cannot deny the help you have given me, both out in the temple of the djinn, nor your aid in repelling King Morn Dread. I think that counts well towards services to the crown. And that is why, at Parisa Pie’s suggestion, I have decided to pardon you.”

“A pardon? What have you gotten yourselves into since we were last together?”

All eyes turned to the palace walls where a lone rider was riding in through the gates on a camel, a cheeky smile across her blue face.

“Moon Tide!” Light Speckle was the first to speak. “You made it here!”

“I did not know you were coming back,” Nightfall added. “How in the world did you find us?”

“I just asked for directions to the capital.” The blue mage hopped off her camel. “I must say, it seems much has happened since. And this must be the ruler of this land?” She looked at Sombra.

“My name is Prince Sombra,” the Saddle Arabian said. “And you are?”

“Mage Moon Tide of Canterlot.” She bowed. “I have come to aid the Lady Emerald Edge in her quest to save our kingdom. Or might I add now, to save all kingdoms.”

Emerald’s group put on confused faces.

“Oh, there is much outside the Masyaf walls you do not know. Where do I begin…?”


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