Hail Sombra!

by MisterNick

Cave Dealings

One evening in the far north, beyond the borders of Yakyakistan and the mighty peak of the Everhoof, the distant Murky Mountains rumbled with an unparalleled rage that had never been felt before. At first the few local villages assumed that it was a distant avalanche or perhaps an earthquake, yet as it persisted new fears set in. Talk of monsters burrowing from deep within the earth to the surface and the resulting landslides and carnage were of chief concern. Quickly and without much forethought the villagers grabbed a few possessions and trekked to the south.

The journey was hard made more difficult by the fact that it had been so sudden and they were ill prepared. Supplies were scarce and what they did have wouldn’t last the very long much less out of the mountains. Yet, as they struggled through the ice and snow much to their surprise they happened across two alicorns who were of great repute and beloved by ponies far and wide. The alicorns asked why they had fled their homes as winter neared.

It was then a dark blue unicorn by the name of Midnight Clear stepped forward. “We fear for our lives. The earth trembled and quaked so violently we were certain that the very mountains would come down upon us! We fled but, alas we did so without proper provisions and I fear we will not be able to withstand this inclement weather.”

“Fear not,” said Luna, “For the earth may shake and the mountains quake but thou art safe in thine homes. We swear it.”

“We beg your forgiveness your highnesses but, cannot take that risk,” replied Midnight Clear, “We are isolated from the rest of the world up here. We cannot take that risk.”

“If that is a risk you cannot take,” replied Celestia after some brief consideration, “Then we will ensure your safe passage along with the proper supplies and maybe then you can reestablish yourselves in the small hamlet that overlooks the central most part of Equestria.” With a wave of her horn a small portal opened to a land orange with autumn’s splendor and warmer temperatures.

“What is the name of this place,” asked Midnight Clear.

“Canterlot,” replied Luna, “But we should make haste for today has been taxing for us as well.”

Midnight Clear smiled briefly as the other villagers stomped their hooves in approval and made their way through the portal. Yet, as his friends and neighbors crossed over, Midnight Clear’s gaze shifted northward and he sighed. “Such a shame,” he said quietly.

“What is,” asked Celestia.

“Well, I had a small cache of books up there. They weren’t exciting mind you but useful all the same. I just wish I could have brought them with me. It’s a shame that they’ll now rot under the rock and snow that is sure to fall.”

“I promise that I will replace what I can when we get to Canterlot,” replied Celestia much to the delight of Midnight Clear. Yet, as he trotted on to join the group Celestia turned her gaze northward knowing full well why the mountains trembled as they did.

---

For three days Sombra raged within his icy prison, a cavern deep within the heart of the Murky Mountains. It was bad enough that he had lost to the sisters in battle but, what had followed was simply unforgivable. Not only had they not finished him off but they had turned him into something that wasn’t a unicorn. To put it simply he was without definition and nothing more than a black amorphous shadow in a dark cave. He could stretch into the smallest of spaces, yet if he ventured too far a jolt from the sisters’ magic would shock him away from any hope of escape.

On the fourth day however, he’d calmed enough to reason that his tantrum wasn’t doing him any good. “Despite all this rage I’m just a king in a cave,” he muttered as slithered his way along the ground to look out the entrance. “Stupid alicorns and their stupid magic. They aren’t that powerful. I know magic.”

In spite of what most ponies thought alicorn magic wasn’t necessarily more powerful than any other form of magic. Its resonance was simply different and due to the rarity of alicorns it was difficult to combat. Sombra assumed that it might be possible to copy said magic and perhaps even overcome it with enough oomph behind it. After all that was what they did with whatever they called those things that they carried with them. “Stupid baubles of harmonic banality,” he muttered for the five hundredth time. Sombra sighed and cast a glance down at his now non-unicorn form.

The dark mass that was now his body slithered and slunk about on its own. It was darker than a moonless night and currently required much more effort to control than he’d ever wanted to employ. He couldn’t recall how many times one of his shadow tentacles had slide across something gross smelling or strangely sticky. He wondered what might happen if his family happened upon him and saw him like that, a shadow clinging to everything it touched. It would be more than a little difficult to explain how a king such as he could not control himself. “Stupid body,” he shouted so loudly that the walls of the cave shuddered once again as he turned away from the opening.

Yet, as he turned back into the cave and in spite of the minor bits of debris that fell from the ceiling Sombra spotted something in the cave’s dusty gloom. Its glow was very pale and weak as it flitted between the stalactites and stalagmites. If it were possible, Sombra would have cocked an eyebrow at it, but as a shadowy black mass he merely called out the first logical name that sprung to mind. “Hearse,” he bellowed stopping the small light in its tracks.

The light paused its wandering as if in silent contemplation before it slowly began to make its way over to him. “That burned,” grumbled the light.

“Of course it did,” replied Sombra, “But I did tell you it wouldn’t be pleasant.”

“After I’d agreed to it and when it suited you.”

“Details,” replied Sombra as he waved a shadow tentacle, “Just don’t act like I lied about it.”

The king and vassal quietly sat for a bit. As Sombra looked at Hearse he could see that his aide had maintained his form albeit translucent. “Consider yourself lucky Hearse,” replied Sombra quietly, “I haven’t been able to focus long enough to regain my former glorious form.”

Hearse rolled his eyes, “Well, maybe if you’d quit raging and focused your efforts on that particular task…”

“Is that back talk?”

“Of course not,” said Hearse with a sigh, “But let’s drop the pretenses of the royal/vassal relationship shall we? I’m dead and apparently home in on you for some reason.”

“I have to fulfill my end of our agreement but as you can see… it may be awhile.”

“What are you now anyway?”

Sombra grumbled and slid along the wall limply. “Obviously I’m what those accursed princesses turned me into.”

“Which is?”

Sombra growled and focused slowly forming one large red eye from within the shadow that glared at Hearse, “You had to have seen and heard what happened. I was turned into this thing! As the dark princess said, ‘King Sombra thou art now but a shadow of thine former self.’”

“Ah yes. I recall her sister followed that up with a rather unladylike ‘Yeah’ that shook the heavens,” replied Hearse with a small chuckle.

“Yes, she did. It was foolish and if she saw you now she’d probably say that you didn’t stand a ghost of a chance against them followed by that same 'yeah,'” rumbled Sombra.

“That’s not funny,” replied Hearse with a frown, “Dying hurt.”

“Nothing about this situation is funny, including that.” With that, Sombra finished sliding along the wall to the farthest corner of the cavern away from Hearse and unceremoniously settled himself to the floor. His lone red eye gazed at the spectral pegasus until the sun finally dipped beyond horizon. When it did the large red eye finally closed.

Once it did Hearse slowly floated toward the opposite end of the cave. No sooner had he reached that corner though when he swore he heard someone call his name very faintly. He ignored it at first, satisfied that it was merely his ears playing tricks on him. Yet, when he heard it again a little louder he turned toward the black mass that huddled along the wall. “Did you say something,” he asked.

After a long pause Sombra finally answered, “I pushed a little too hard too fast didn’t I? This situation… I created it didn’t I?”

Hearse’s eyes widened in shock at the frankness of the question asked of him. Slowly and carefully he picked his words, “You saw an opportunity and went for it. Perhaps it was premature but… you’ve never been afraid to push for what you wanted and what you thought was best for the empire… your family and… frankly yourself.”

“All the crystal ponies ever did was lay around and goof off with their celebrations. Then come winter they would beg for aid from others. It was a disgusting cycle Hearse.”

“I know,” replied Hearse, “You usurped the throne and forced with the promise of pain and death to do your bidding. Never before had a populace been so motivated to create bountiful harvests, improve their equipment and even expand their borders. For the first time in generations they were productive. Slaves perhaps but productive.”

“It’s called tough love Hearse,” growled Sombra, “Sometimes folks require motivation.”

“Nevertheless, it did lead to rebellion.”

“Which I … we… squashed and I made an example out of them and some ‘innocents’ to keep the others in line. It was only proper.”

“We,” said Hearse his eyes wider than before and his jaw hung agape, “D-did you just say we?”

“The throne has many legs that support it Hearse. You were one of those and you remained steadfast in your support even if at times you were unsure of the course of action.”

“Well… I mean….”

“I need that help again W. R. for both of our futures.”

“You’ve never used my first to initials before,” replied Hearse in shock, “What is it you want?”

“I need time to pull myself together. I also need a lay of these mountains and whatever it is that surrounds it. I cannot leave here but you… you can scour the area.”

Silence filled the cave as Hearse stared at the black mass that was his king. While a part of him was flattered to be asked to handle such a task another part, one maybe he should have listened to years prior, begged him to reconsider. “With all due respect Sombra… why should I? You killed me…”

“Still hung up on that?”

“I also made it clear I’m no longer your vassal. I’m tethered here by your word when instead I could have moved on.”

Sombra snorted. “I don’t think you’d enjoy the end result of ‘moving on’ Hearse. Call it a hunch.”

“Even so, for all I know you’ll stuff me into some weird exotic bird or some other monstrosity and say, ‘Hey kept my bargain.’”

“I’m wounded by your suspicion Hearse,” said Sombra as his from began to expand once more, “Truly I am. You know I’m good to my word and if you want to have any hope seeing what you want to have happen come true in the near future ….”

“Guarantee that I’ll get what I want. I don’t want to be a changeling or some weird creature. I don’t want to be a flying squirrel with a growth out of his head. Equine or I stay here.”

“Of course,” replied Sombra, “I had no intention of doing otherwise. Now go?”

With a huff Hearse agreed and disappeared into a nearby wall. As soon as he was gone Sombra slowly began the arduous process of reeling in every bit of his shadowy form from within the cave. Once done he began to focus on his form and how he remembered himself. Yet no sooner had he begun the process when thoughts of his wife and children crept into his mind. “Oh Esmeralda, I’m a mess,” he sighed.

Esmeralda was his crown jewel. The light green unicorn had a fire deep within her that could be warm and cheery but also destroy a guy. When pursuing her he’d done everything he could think of to woo her. Whether it was writing her songs and sonnets, moonlit dates with lengthy conversation, or presenting oversized gemstones to her he’d done it. He’d also done what he could to eliminate the competition for her affections, sometimes literally.

Much to his pleasure she’d returned the favor while educating him in the art of apothecary, lessons about science and how to blend them with magic to create wondrous things. She would lend him the occasional sympathetic ear and was not above creating her own schemes that went along with his. Sometimes they got carried away which, in no small part had led to their ‘I do’s ‘and children. Even so, Sombra wouldn’t have had it any other way and even feared for their safety, especially when faced with the wrath of two angry alicorns. But now he feared something else even more, the dreaded what if.

What if he was unable to reconstitute himself? How would his family react when they reemerged so many years in the future? What if it was too much for them and they fled to some other prince? Those and many other questions plagued Sombra as he focused on his limbs. “For them,” he muttered as he felt the first pieces of him firming up.

Ever so slowly Sombra felt himself become the king he once recognized again. Bone slowly formed and locked into place with low crunches and pops. Muscles and various organs soon followed sucking and sloshing their way into place only to be covered with the hair and fur that had once been his. He could feel his lungs heave loudly as he struggled for air, the exhaustion of this initial process had taken its toll, yet he smiled just the same.

When he opened his eyes he was greeted with the face of the ghostly pegasus who looked at him peculiarly. “That was the weirdest thing I’ve ever seen in my… ‘life,’” said Hearse as he made the air quotes with his hooves, “First you reformed like some… I don’t know what… and now you look exhausted and … is that a genuine smile?”

“Shut up,” murmured Sombra as he slowly rose from the rock, “I assume you have returned from your mission yes?”

Hearse rolled his eyes, “Yes. It took a week and the results are bizarre.”

“How are they bizarre?”

“Well, these mountains are absolutely loaded with a variety of rocks and metals. Everything from talc to diamond, coal to various iron and copper deposits are here. This could be a flourishing mining area and yet, the villages below…”

Sombra popped his neck, “What of them?”

“They’re all abandoned and in a hurry. It’s as if the ponies… well I assume ponies but… those who lived there were spirited away… because after a certain point… their hoof prints just disappear.”

Sombra blinked, “That’s just bizarre. I wonder…”

“I don’t want to know. Anyway, outside of what they left behind, the occasional stand of trees, lichens and some frost bats…”

“Frost bats,” asked Sombra.

“Well yes,” replied Hearse, “They live in the caverns to the east… they probably feed on whatever plants or animals happen to be in the area. Good thing we’re not alive because I’d hate to be swarmed by them. There were literally thousands of them. Gave me the willies.”

As Hearse spoke Sombra gazed out the magically sealed entrance to his cavern. “Interesting,” he said as he grabbed a stone off the floor and chucked it through the entrance. As it flew past what he knew to be the magical barrier his eyes widened. Quickly he ran to it and tapped the hole and received a shock that sent him flying back into the depths of the cave. “Hearse,” called out Sombra as he pulled his half shadow half unicorn body back toward the entrance. “I need you to exit this cave and look at the entrance. Tell me what you see.”

Hearse cocked his head questioningly but did as he was told. When he flew back in he responded, “Just a sheer cliff face.”

“An illusion well isn’t that tricky of them.”

“It’s not like any ponies would bother scaling it anyway and not a soul other than me knows you’re here.”

“The only sure fire way a pony would find it on accident would be if they could fly. Unfortunately, I have no living pegasi and the only living neighbors I know of are …”

“Bats. We’ve established this.”

Sombra smirked and reformed his hind quarters much quicker than before. “You know Esmeralda was truly gifted in potion making and new quite a bit about science. She taught me just how wonderful combining them with magic could be… if done properly.”

“Well, that’s obvious,” replied Hearse, “What are you getting at?”

“Well,” began Sombra as the smirk transformed into a dark and confident, “We have bats, abandoned villages presumably pony hair… not to mention my own and my magic. Hearse what do you think we could do with that?”

“I don’t know I…”

“Think hard.”

“Wait,” said Hearse his eyes widening, “Are you saying that you want to create some sort of hybrid?”

“I’d always wondered what I could do with a supremely loyal air force.”

“That’s insane!”

“Hardly,” chuckled Sombra with a flourish, “its opportunity and when it knocks, it’s best to answer the door.”

Comments

[nightwalker]

Well, that is an interesting development and origin story.

[MisterNick]

8098835 Glad that you liked it!