Once, We Were Slaves

by stupidhand14

Chapter 3: Determination

Sombra, King of the Crystal Empire and Tyrant of the North knew defeat by his enemies loomed before him if things continued unchanged. Around his capital were the armies of Equestria, led by the two immortal alicorn sisters. The entire army was here, with nopony left to guard their lands and homes. Now was the perfect time to strike with his dragons.

Sombra raised his scepter to the sky, the red Bloodstone glinting against the sun’s light. He turned on his Canterlot Voice and turned to the south.

“Come to me, minions! Burn the Equestrian Army to ash!” he shouted. He knew his orders would be carried out, even if they couldn’t hear him, they would still come. He had forced the compulsion upon them. Returning to his throne room, he resumed his seat.

While waiting for his army, he cast his gaze back onto the map he had looked at many months ago. According to his clone, which was now dead, Saddle Arabia was still going through one of their civil wars. That would be an easy conquest, especially if he just burned it all to the ground. The idea was tempting.

Zebrica also presented itself rather nicely. The savannahs would make nice farmland, if he did choose to conquer it. Surely the ash that would come from burning zebras and grass would provide good fertilizer for the soil.

Lastly, the Griffon Kingdom. Supposedly, they had many magical artifacts and weapons of war. He might even let them live, if they submitted to him and formed the core of his policing force. Then again, if they were dead it’d be one less armed group working to overthrow him.

Looking at the sky, and breaking from his ponderings, Sombra grew curious. By his estimation, the first of the dragons should have arrived by now. Surely they would have obeyed, they couldn’t resist. The compulsion he had placed was too great. They would sooner die than disobey the order and go through the agony. They would come anytime now.

A trumpet sounded. Sombra, smug in his superiority, stepped outside his impregnable fortress. Turning himself to smoke, using up a portion of his shadow’s magic, he approached the lines of Equestria. However, there were no soldiers to greet him in combat. Instead, it was the two princesses, garbed in full armor and ready for battle.

Without warning, Sombra appeared from a summoned crystal in front of them, wearing his own armor. The two alicorns stood without fear. Instead, they simply stared at his entrance. They were not impressed, if their rolling eyes were any indication.

“I have seen better,” Luna noted.

“Sombra,” Celestia said, drawing herself up to her full height, “honor requires us to offer you one chance to surrender the city and yourself. What do you say?”

“I decline your ‘mercy’,” Sombra answered with a bestial smile.

“Then we have come with an offer.” Celestia used her magic to pull off her golden vambrace. With casual grace, she threw it at his hooves. A direct challenge. A duel.

Sombra, still wearing his smile, reached down and picked it up, teleporting it back to his throne room.

“I accept your challenge. When and where?”

“Now.” Celestia and Luna took to the air and headed west. Sombra, turning himself into smoke, followed. There was no way that the two alicorn princesses would ever disgrace themselves by breaking their codes of honor. Not that Sombra had any trouble doing so, if it assured him a victory.

The two Alicorns stopped near a glacier, Luna moving a small distance away. This would be Celestia’s battle to fight. Light versus Dark. Sombra took his position on the far east of the small open area, while Celestia took the west.

“Now,” Luna announced in the Canterlot Voice, “the duel will start when this spear touches the earth. Are both duelists ready?” Celestia nodded, followed by Sombra. Without anymore hesitation, Luna threw the spear into the air It landed blade down in the earth a few seconds later.

Sombra opened up with a crystal formation spell below Celestia’s hooves. She dodged just in time as several thin crystals emerged from the earth. She responded by firing a volley of magic missiles towards Sombra, forcing him to put up a small shielding spell to stop them.

Taking the initiative, Celestia charged Sombra’s position, a blade in hoof. Sombra summoned his own blade and charged to face her. Their blades collided, Sombra’s brute strength overwhelming Celestia’s grace. Breaking off the engagement, Celestia launched a small throwing knife at Sombra, who only barely dodged it.

Charging forward with his crystalline sword, Sombra began to hammer down on Celestia’s defenses. She was able to hold her own against Sombra this time, blocking each strike he could give. However, she was too focused on the frontal assault and didn’t react in time to stop a few crystal spears from stabbing her in her flank.

With a cry, she launched herself into the air, but Sombra was prepared for this. He used more crystals to pull her into the ground, holding her there. She couldn’t move, he had been beaten her through brute strength and luck.

“Do you concede defeat?” Sombra asked to the pony beneath him.

“I… do,” Celestia replied. “We will withdraw our troops and leave the Crystal Empire be.”

“Come and get your sister, Luna.” Sombra moved a small distance away. Luna took a single leap to her sister and began to break the crystal.

Sombra had other plans. Renewing his attack, he launched several crystals at Luna, one of which made it through her armor piercing her chest. At the same time, he began to tighten the crystals around Celestia, hoping to crush her.

“Sombra, you tyrant!” Luna shouted as she launched a powerful magical attack at the crystals hurting her sister. “Your word means nothing!”

The spell broke Celestia free, but she was badly wounded. Wordlessly, the two sisters looked at Sombra, anger mixing with cold calculation. However, they were both wounded and weakened. Sombra had the upper hoof.

Without another moment to spare, the two alicorns took to the air. An obvious choice, and one that would put Sombra at a disadvantage. Turning himself into shadow, he began to give chase. He reached half way when a sudden gust of wind pushed his shadowed form down.

“Sombra!” came a voice. Looking into the sky, Sombra saw the sun break through the clouds of the Frozen North. Two alicorns were silhouetted against the sun, but their eyes shined white with power. “You have brought chaos and disorder to the land. You have killed your subjects, broken oaths, and made war against the Harmony of this world.”

A blinding white wall formed around the arena. Pure magical energy, and worse for him, harmonic energy.

“The land cries out for you to be destroyed, to be driven away. The land’s harmony will be your undoing, now.”

Sombra looked around, trying to find a way to escape. In this state, he couldn’t teleport out. However, if he touched the harmonic energies he would be destroyed. He needed to attack, it was his only chance.

Charging up towards the princesses again, he tried to envelope them in his shadow, but a ray of light came down from the heavens, driving him back.

“You, the Monster of the North, will no longer bother the creatures of this land.” The two alicorns touched their horns together, and harmonic energy gathered around them. Complex weaves of spells formed around them and spread out over the field.

It was then that he finally figured out what the spell was: an imprisonment spell. He felt the ice beneath him crack open, and despite being gaseous, he was forcibly drawn down into the bosom of the earth.

The grinding mass of ice closed above him, leaving him only one option: waiting. He couldn’t move, he couldn’t access his magic, he couldn’t do anything. Even the Bloodstone was gone, back in his fortress.

After several hours, Sombra realized there was no escape and activated his last resort: putting the empire in stasis. If he couldn’t have the Crystal Empire, nopony could. Sighing, Sombra waited. And waited. And waited. For one thousand years he would wait for his revenge, to claim what was rightfully his.

---

Spike was forcibly sucked to the void between memories again. He expected to feel his body again, but instead saw a new line of memories before him. They were different than Sombra’s, they were somepony else’s. He entered the memories rather than returning to his old body.

Author's Note:

One more part coming out tomorrow to wrap this whole thing up.

Remember, Criticism is always welcome.

Comments

[StarzGecko]

I wonder why the dragons never came? Or maybe he miss said for them to burn Equestria?

[Moonlit Oasis]

Well, by this point the dragons knew Sombra had control, so maybe they thought ahead and restrained themselves, or moved far away so they either couldn't respond, or wouldn't have been able to make it in time.

[Zubric]

I know killing it’s a last Resort but just locking them up just Delays the inevitable

[Ice Star]

If he's in the Empire, why is he so aware of places like the zebra nation, and implying they're close enough to conquer with ease?

The chapter started off with a touch of confusion, but it cleared up as it went on. Your combat writing is solid, though I wouldn't call crystal shards and such 'missiles' as a descriptor. However, unless something is in the next chapter, it might have been best to add just a little bit of foreshadowing here for Sombra's banishment.