Chapter XII
King Sombra.
Treelight’s words stuck in the original Twilight’s mind like green slime. How was Sombra resurrected? Why is he appealing to us for mercy? How had the Tree even managed to capture him? When he’d last met the Tree, he’d nearly destroyed it.
Twilight shook her head. Questions to ask the king himself, she decided. The ghostly copy of her floated over the snow like a paper cutout on a play. Twilight herself was trotting through the snow. The long battle with Grogar had left her exhausted, and she didn’t want to push herself.
As the Treehouse of Harmony came into view, Twilight had to bite back a gasp. The pastel, crystalline petals were covered in white snow, and the few that still poked out were crisscrossed with cracks. The beautiful treehouse itself was streaked with lines of black.
The Tree’s avatar didn’t gasp. She didn’t even pause. She kept her steady speed and hovered inside the building. Twilight looked across her assembled friends, students, and elders, searching each face for emotions. “Should we go after her?” Twilight asked softly.
“Well, I don’t think we’re gonna meet Sombra out here,” Rainbow answered wryly. “We came here to see him. C’mon!” The pegasus flew right inside. Everypony else, besides Spike, followed him quickly. Spike stood proudly by her side, giving her a relaxing stroke along her back.
Twilight couldn’t find any faults in that logic, so she turned inward. Am I afraid of what he’ll do? No, that can’t be it. He’s helpless and he needs us. Then… what am I afraid of? No answer welled up from her mind. She took a deep breath, steeled her nerves, and stepped into the treehouse.
Inside, Treelight hovered an inch above the center of the room. The entire treehouse glowed with the rainbow colors of Harmony. Treelight spasmed for a long moment, and the floor shimmered. The ground rumbled, and Sombra appeared opposite Twilight.
He was engulfed almost from hoof to head in roots of transparent crystal. Each of his four limbs was securely attached to the wall, and his horn was wrapped tight in the tree’s roots. He weakly looked up, his face wracked with fear. As he saw his visitors, a hint of hope crept across his features.
Twilight’s first feeling as she saw him was a potent mixture of disgust and pity. So this is who King Sombra really is? A scared, cowering stallion whose only chance of survival hinges on our mercy? He’s pathetic. But it would be wrong to execute him, or to let the Tree do it. He’s a prisoner, and should be treated as one. We should probably put him in Tartarus.
“S-so,” he said, his normally smug voice cracking. “You’re all here. It is quite a pleasure to meet you once more.”
Twilight didn’t know what to say in reply. ”Yes?” “Tell us everything you know about Grogar, or else?” “Don’t worry, we won’t let the Tree hurt you?”
Before she could choose, the rough snarl of Smolder’s voice dove in. “I say we let the Tree do whatever it wants to him. That’s what he deserves for what he did to it!”
Treelight smiled pleasantly at Smolder’s suggestion. “That’s a wonderful idea, Smolder.” Somehow, the complete calm of its face was more terrifying than any glare. Sombra gulped, straining helplessly against the thick roots.
“Uhhhh, no,” Pinkie said with a disapproving frown. “That’s… uh, not what we want to do.”
Fluttershy responded firmly, “Absolutely not. Tree, please be more gentle.” She turned towards Sombra, her face stern but sympathetic.
Stygian waved a hoof across the Bearers of the Elements and offered, “I trust in you six to do what is right. You helped me escape the darkness.”
“Fluttershy, go ahead,” Twilight asked. “You’re our expert on this sort of thing.”
Fluttershy leaned down to Sombra’s face. “Sombra, what happened? How did you return, why are you here specifically, and what do you want to do now?” She extended a wing and lowered it slowly towards him. He flinched. She gently patted his side, and the Tree reluctantly loosened its grip. He was still immobilized, but he wasn’t being squished.
“Well, after realizing how I could be valuable to his cause, Grogar summoned me back,” he answered. “And for the rest? I ought to start at the beginning, and relate all my glorious deeds…”
Chalk, stick, spell, and cloven hoof combined to weave a web of monstrously complex sigils across the Canterlot Castle throne room floor. Grogar’s every stroke added a line of electric blue fire, weaving and writhing together into a huge mass of arcane power.
Previously, this sort of spell had only required a simple sigil. But a piece of Sombra had still existed back then; his horn had survived his destruction. Now, with even his horn reduced to ash, resurrecting him was much harder.
But not impossible.
As the spell came to completion, black smoke welled up from the sigils, and a pair of green and red eyes appeared in the smoke. Grogar ignited his own horns and slammed the smoke with yellow magic. He compressed and solidified the smoke down to the shape of a pony, and King Sombra was reborn.
Sombra looked at a hoof. “What took you so long to realize that you needed my aid?” he asked disdainfully.
Grogar glared at him. “You managed to get yourself so completely destroyed I lacked sufficient power to restore you until now. As we agreed before your siege of the Crystal Empire, you will now serve me, or I will return you to the ether.”
Sombra’s heart burned with rage. The nerve, to order a king like me about as if I were a common slave! And worst of all, Grogar actually has the magical power to back up his arrogance. I can’t possibly defeat Grogar in battle. But what can I do?
I guess I have to go along with all Grogar’s demands, at least for now. Perhaps I’ll find a way to resist him later. He made a face. “Ugh, fine. What do you want me to do?”
“You are to travel across Equestria, enslaving as many ponies as you can as quickly as you can, with the requirement that you are to stay entirely out of sight of the Elements of Harmony and any forces they are likely to be in contact with,” Grogar ordered. “See if you can identify and enslave family members of the Elements. They will make splendid hostages. They are your primary focus.”
Sombra nodded. That was something he could do. “And where are these family members I am to find?”
“I haven’t taken the time to locate them, as I have other things to attend to,” Grogar answered. “I leave that to your investigation. Surely a task this simple is not beyond your limited intellect.”
“Whoa-whoa-whoa,” Dash interrupted. “Enslaving our families?” She shot forward and slammed a hoof beside his head. “Where did you take them!? Are they hurt? If you did anything to them, you’ll be sorry!”
Sombra’s eyes went wide, and he forced out, “If you are so inclined, I can tell you right now, but I’m worried it would be misleading without context. And it would be a shame for you to draw the wrong conclusion.” He moved his head to indicate her hoof.
Rainbow settled back with a scowl. “Fine. Tell us if they’re okay, at least.”
“Yes, they are fine,” Sombra reassured, the words tumbling out like an avalanche. “In fact, I took specific precautions to make sure Grogar wouldn’t hurt them. King Sombra ensures any hostages are appropriately secured!”
“You did?” Twilight asked skeptically. “Were you expecting to be captured?”
“Of course not,” Sombra replied, his cockiness returning, “but I was worried I might be, in which case I would probably have to rely on your goodwill to survive. And given our prior meetings, well, let’s just say I didn’t want to push my luck. Besides, captives are more useful if they’re unharmed.”
“I guess we may have been a little too extreme against you,” Rainbow admitted. “Disintegrating you three times miiight have been over the top.”
Fluttershy nodded. “That’s why we’re trying to find another resolution now. Sombra, why don’t you continue your story? We can interrupt again if we need to.” She gave him a soothing stroke with her wing.
Sombra looked at Fluttershy, to Rainbow, and then to Smolder, and continued.
As a cloud of black smoke, Sombra could move with unparalleled speed. His first target was a place none of the Bearers themselves were likely to visit, but a place where their family might well be found: Silver Stable Retirement Community.
Here, where ponies used canes to go from one easy activity to another, was a wonderful place to begin. Sombra crested a snow-dappled hill and swept through the town. One by one, he flared his eyes at them, and they fell under his mental sway. An army of the elderly, yes, but still an army.
And best of all, the Bearers might be reluctant to fight old, weak ponies like this! he thought with a sly smile.
“As your new leader, I order you to find everypony else in this town! You are to subdue them with the minimum force required and then bring them to me,” Sombra ordered. His minions fanned out across the retirement homes. A few minutes later, they had gathered up all the remaining ponies, and he was able to enslave the stragglers as well.
“Now, are any of you related to Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, or Applejack?” Sombra asked his enslaved ponies. Not a single one raised a hoof. He curled his lip down, and his voice gained a tinge of annoyance. “Ah. That is unfortunate, but not unexpected.”
He took a deep breath, the cool air filling his lungs like a passionate kiss. “My newest slaves, you are to seize the local train station. When the train stops here, overpower the conductors and take the train to Canterlot! There, you will await further orders!”
His legion obediently turned about face and marched towards the station. Sombra grinned wickedly and let his body disperse back into a cloud of fog. He considered the various possibilities at his disposal.
Twilight Sparkle’s brother Shining Armor will be in the Crystal Empire, but that’s where the Crystal Heart is too. Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash are pegasi; their family might live in the clouds. Cloudsdale? Stratusburg?
Applejack and Rarity have family in Ponyville, he recalled. But Grogar ordered me to stay out of sight of the Bearers, and they’ll probably be there themselves. What to do?
Sombra weighed his options. I could risk the Crystal Heart to try to seize Shining, but I can’t count on Grogar to resurrect me again. He needs me to quickly create a large army. Once he has one of his own, I’m redundant. So I’ll need to be much more cautious than last time. Ponyville has probably been evacuated by now. That leaves Cloudsdale and Stratusburg.
As he considered Cloudsdale, an idea struck him like a lightning bolt. Especially fitting, he mused with a smirk. Cloudsdale produces the majority of Equestria’s weather. With Grogar’s return, ponies will already be expecting abnormalities.
I could pretend to be just another bit of weather, blowing around the city, and scout the area without causing a full-blown panic. If I don’t find any family members at Cloudsdale, I can check Stratusburg next.
His mind made up, Sombra spread his body as thinly as he could manage, until he looked like nothing so much as a small storm cloud. Now for Cloudsdale.
He rose high into the air and immersed himself with other clouds. By surrounding himself with the flat stratus, even observers on the ground wouldn’t be able to see him.
Sombra swiflty and quietly darted through the sky until he spotted a group of pegasi bucking the clouds ahead. He fell out of the clouds and onto the city below. As dispersed as he was, he could conduct a search with impossible speed.
“Hey, can somepony do something about this fog?” a mare whined from somewhere inside him. “It’s really making it hard to see!”
Sombra resisted the impulse to gloat or even enslave her. He was here for a few specific targets, and the less impact he had, the less noticeable it would be.
“You know, if my amazing daughter Rainbow Dash were here, she’d have the sky cleared in 10 seconds flat!” a stallion replied cheerfully.
Sombra smiled interanlly as he moved his head towards the stallion’s voice. The stallion in question was a blue pegasus with a rainbow mane, a ruffled green shirt on his chest. Beside him was a mare with a lighter blue coat. “Yeah,” she added, “you should see her go!” They were talking to another mare.
Sombra lit his horn, and engulfed the three.
“Sleep,” he whispered sinisterly to Rainbow’s parents and the other pegasus, weaving a spell across them. They slumped to the ground. He picked them up with a bit of telekinesis, and carried them to the center of his smoky form.
Useful, but only one set of family members. He hadn’t been able to identify any trace of Fluttershy family’s. Do they live somewhere else?
Well, its possible one group of hostages will be enough. He rolled out of Cloudsdale and down towards the earth far below. His ensorcelled captives dreamed a sleep of nightmares. They struggled fitfully in his telekinetic grasp.
He spotted a cave yawning from one of the hills below, and drifted towards it. It was dark, damp, and cool, big enough to have plenty of hiding spots but small enough he could find his own way through easily.
Sombra deposited the three ponies behind a rocky outcropping. With a blast of magic, he caged them in a prison of black crystal. Thinking back to the Ponyville fiasco, he replaced the flat, grey rock they were standing on with a shiny layer of crystal as well. Now that they were here, he dropped the nightmare spell. It had served its purpose, and the were safely imprisoned.
His business done, he headed for the exit. His next target would be wherever Canterlot’s citizens had evacuated. If he were lucky, Twilight’s parents might be there.
Sombra looked across Canterlot. The city was completely destroyed. Every building he saw was reduced to rubble, like a foal had stomped on a sand castle.
He thought about this turn of events. Unfortunate to see Equestria’s beautiful capital gone. It had a certain aesthetic that was uniquely pleasing and could have attained true perfection with a bit of blackened crystals. But it’s more worrying to think about Grogar’s motivation for this kind of attack. What would he stand to gain from wiping out the city he was already in? It didn’t make any sense.
Nothing moved, but he couldn’t even see any ponies trapped or hurt. Everypony must have fled, he reflected. But to where?
Down the mountain seemed likeliest. He looked over the edge of the city. Far below, he could make out a river and a few trees beside it. A splotch of lavender flashed, and he smiled. There they are.
He cloaked himself in shadow, stepped off the edge and let gravity do the rest. Just as he was about to hit the water, he dispersed back into a cloud of fog. To anypony watching, it would hopefully look like a blot of darkness had splashed and scattered.
He floated just over the river, watching the trees. That flash of lavender had looked just like Twilight. But no matter where he looked, he couldn’t find its owner. There were a few other ponies up ahead, but not the one he was looking for.
“You captured my parents and stuck them in a cave!?” Rainbow demanded. “And filled their heads with nightmares!?”
“It’s safer than Cloudsdale!” he insisted. “I know exactly where they are, and Grogar won’t target it because there’s nothing there! And the nightmare sleep was just the sleep spell I knew the best!”
“Hold on,” Starswirl asked. “Canterlot was still intact when you left it?”
“Yes,” he confirmed. “I don’t know when it was destroyed. I suspect it happened when I was gathering that army.”
“Strange,” Starswirl murmured. His eyes unfocused as he went deep in thought.
“So you went around Equestria gathering up our family members and plopping them in a cave,” Pinkie summarized. “Right?”
“I’m getting to that,” he answered, and continued his tale.
Sombra slipped off the river’s surface and onto land, moving slowly and silently until he was under a tall tree. He remained a cloud of smoke, and waited.
After a couple minutes, a unicorn stallion trotted out towards him. “H-hello?” he asked. “Can you, uhh, speak?”
Sombra floated in place. He didn’t reply in words, but he did oscillate his vapors inward and outward.
“Well, uhh, did Grogar create you?” a mare asked, peaking out from behind a tree.
Sombra vibrated his vapors again.
“Is that a yes, or a no? Either way, you seem harmless,” the first stallion said. He called out, “You can come out, everypony!”
Pony after pony trotted towards him, until perhaps thirty were all around him. In a blur of movement, he coalesced back into his unicorn form. He smiled elegantly at them, and his eyes curled with smoke. Each of them gasped, but he was too quick. Their eyes shifted to a blank green, and in a moment he had a new strike force.
“Move out in trios. Find, subdue with minimal force, and bring to me Princess Twilight’s parents,” he ordered. “I will gather more minions myself.”
“Yes, King Sombra,” they replied in unison. The enslaved ponies spread out in small groups of three.
Sombra returned himself to a cloud of murky darkness and swept forward. As each of his teams of minions encountered more ponies, he swept in to mind control them as well. With each addition, his net grew larger.
At last, one of his two hundred minions reported, “These are Twilight Sparkle’s parents Night Light and Twilight Velvet.” She indicated two pinned unicorns.
Sombra smiled his approval. “Release them,” he instructed. They fell to the ground with quiet groans. Gloatingly, he added, “Kneel before Sombra!”
Night Light and Twilight Velvet glanced to each other and then to him, and the two knelt. He grined smugly, and gripped them in his telekinesis. He dispersed his body back to liquid shadow, immersed them in his substance, and headed for the cave.
Rainbow Dash’s parents were awake. They looked up as he entered, fear and confusion on their faces. “Where are we?” Rainbow’s father asked. “Who are you?”
“I am the King Sombra, of course. The conqueror of the Crystal Empire, and dreaded foe of Celestia and Luna!” he crowed. “As for this place? This is a secure cave away from any major targets. And you are… bargaining chips, I suppose I’d say,” he answered, placing Twilight’s parents in the cylindrical spiked cage as well. “You will remain here, safe and unharmed. If all goes well for me and I take the Crystal Empire back, you’ll be cared for and kept protected as insurance. If not, well, you’ll probably be out by this evening.”
“What’s the point of all this?” Twilight Velvet demanded. “Why go to all this trouble to ponynap a couple unicorns and pegasi? Aren’t there lots of others?”
“Indeed,” Sombra replied smoothly, “but very few who are related to the Elements of Harmony.”
Velvet started in surprise. “You know about that?”
“Yes,” Sombra replied with a smug smirk. “Last I heard, your daughters are currently fighting desperately against Tirek, Chrysalis, and Cozy Glow.”
“So you imprisoned us to, I guess, gain leverage over Dashie?” Rainbow’s mom asked, her face creased with astonishment. “Is that it?”
“Precisely,” Sombra agreed. “They have already shattered my substance twice. I doubt anyone would see fit to resurrect me again. Should they best me once more, having you in my gentle hospitality will hopefully earn me some mercy. So don’t be afraid. You’ll be unharmed and even sheltered from Grogar’s minions. No point in wasting a resource, after all.”
“You don’t have to do this, you know,” Night Light offered gently. “You could defect and help our kids save Equestria.”
Sombra looked at Night Light, searching his eyes. Sombra seemed to hesitate for a moment, but then he shook his head. “No. He’s too powerful, and I too weak. All I can do is try to show him that it’s worth preserving some part of Equestria instead of collapsing it all. I want to rule subjects, not a land of ash.”
“Well, if you’re sure,” Night Light said. “Just don’t forget our offer. Twilight has a lot of mercy and forgiveness in her heart. Shining does too, though he’s a little more gruff about it.”
Sombra answered with a slight nod. His horn blazed, and plenty of bottles of water and peanut butter sandwiches appeared inside the prison. “I will return by tomorrow evening. Until then, don’t bother trying to escape. Not even Starswirl the Bearded himself could escape this magical cage!”
He looked into his prisoners’ eyes. There was concern, fear, a bit of anger, but something else too. Pity. They pity me.
Sombra shook his head, clearing his thugohts of doubt and uncertainty. He still had a recruitment mission to complete. He slipped back into a cloud of dark fog, and set out for Fillydelphia.
But before he’d managed to conquer even a tenth of the city, Grogar sent him a telepathic message. “That should be enough of a temporary army. Direct them all to lay siege to Manehattan. In the meantime, I have something else I require of you. You are to visit the Tree of Harmony’s ruins, scout the area, and report back to me. Do not engage any enemies you find there. This is strictly a scouting mission.”
Sombra replied through the telepathic link, “Fine.” He quickly ordered his troops to move to Canterlot, and set out for where he had destroyed the Tree of Harmony.
Equestria’s territory flew quickly under him. The bountiful, rich land was scarred with yawning chasms, craters, and fires. He would have frowned if he could, but smoke monsters didn’t have mouths to frown with. It was a shame to see the rather saccharine beauty of Equestria replaced with a ruined, devastated look. His brutalist aesthetic was far better than either, of course, but it was also much easier to turn saccharine beauty into brutalism than ruins.
The Castle of the Two Sisters came into view. He shot down the canyon into the Tree’s room, and he froze in shock.
The Tree was reborn. It was growing through the ceiling, shimmering with magic. He abruptly reversed direction, but the Tree had detected him. A surge of light washed over him, forcing him back into his equine body. The Tree reached out with tentacles of white light, each one grasping hungrily at the air.
Sombra took a few quick steps back, but the tendrils were too quick. They shot forward and wrapped around him. He tried to draw on his magic, but the Tree’s touch enervated his body. Their touch burned like acid, and Sombra screamed.
Twilight Sparkle, now glittering like crystal, and glowing the same white as the roots, appeared before him. “You ruled the Crystal Empire as a tyrant, inflicted incalculable suffering on the crystal ponies, and tried your hardest to destroy me,” she said with a cold calm and a serene smile. “By the law of balance, I visit the same fate upon you.”
Sombra felt his body going weak as the tendrils burned into him. The Tree of Harmony survived and wants revenge? How? He reached out with his mind to Grogar, but felt only a static silence. It must be blocking Grogar’s spell! he realized with horror.
“Wait!” Sombra pleaded. “I have information you might find useful!”
“I see,” Treelight replied. It continued to smile gently. “You are welcome to share it before I destroy you.”
“No, I want to share it so you don’t destroy me!” Sombra tried to explain. “To earn some mercy from you!”
“No,” Treelight said simply. “I will not compromise my principles for advantages. You deserve to be annihilated for all that you have done, and I will administer justice.”
Sombra felt despair seeping into his soul. What can I do? How can I convince the Tree to let me live?
Suddenly, the idea hit him. “The Elements of Harmony wouldn’t want you to destroy me,” he argued. “Twilight, Pinkie, Rainbow, Rarity, Applejack, and Fluttershy would want you to show me mercy, not justice.”
“Unfortunately, they are occupied right now,” Treelight said. her voice calmly pleasant. “In their absence, I will adjudicate.”
“Can’t you just capture me?” Sombra pleaded. “You keep me as a prisoner, and when they get back, you can ask them?”
Treelight stroked her chin with a hoof. “Very well.” Her tentacles shifted to pull him right to the Tree’s roots. “You will remain here until they return. Then, they will decide your fate.”
“…decide your fate,” Sombra finished.
As Sombra finished his tale, Twilight spoke up. “Well, I think we are all in favor of telling the Tree not to hurt you,” she said, looking around. The other Bearers and Spike nodded, though Smolder scowled. “But we haven’t decided what we should do with you right now. Keep you imprisoned here? Move you to Tartarus? Free you? What do you girls think?”
“Keep him here,” Rarity offered. “As much for his own sake as for ours. He said it himself; nopody other than Grogar has the magical skill to recreate him, and I have a feeling he will be left pretty weak from the Tree’s energies.”
“We’re already working with Chrysalis, Tirek, and Cozy,” Rainbow pointed out. “Having Sombra with us would be helpful.”
“You’ve allied with those three?” Sombra asked with a sharp inhale. “How did you persuade them to join your side?”
“We had a shared interest,” Fluttershy explained. “And that’s why I think we should free you too. You also share a goal with us, and I believe we can trust you to help us against Grogar. At the very least, you should have the chance.”
“Grogar won’t attack ponies under your control, right?” Spike asked.
“I imagine he would not, as doing so would be even more stupid than he has been,” Sombra answered. “But I can’t be certain. He’s already made plenty of terrible decisions. I could do much better!”
“Well, in that case, being able to help them find safety seems wise,” Twilight said, ignoring his grandstanding. “So it does seem preferable to let you come with us.”
“I think you’ll make a good ally,” Fluttershy said with a kind smile. “You already showed kindness to our family members, after all. Everypony, I say we ask the Tree to let Sombra go.”
“I agree with Fluttershy,” Stygian said softly. Twilight turned to look at him, and he continued, “Sombra provides a variety of tactical advantages. He has reasons to work with you, and unlike the other allies you’ve made, Grogar probably thinks Sombra is still loyal to him. This makes him a uniquely useful spy.”
“You do have a point,” Gallus admitted, his voice taking on the irritated tone he so often wielded when someone made a point he didn’t like but had to admit was sound. “Headmare, what do you think?”
Twilight took a deep breath. “Overall, I think Fluttershy and Stygian are right. I know Sombra has a, well, checkered history with us, but so do Chrysalis, Tirek, and Cozy. However, if any of you have concerns, bring them up now.”
“What about all those slaves ya have?” Applejack asked Sombra suspiciously. “What’s gonna happen to ‘em?”
“Naturally, I will keep them under my control so Grogar won’t hurt them,” Sombra answered. “They’ll be kept safely.”
“What about after that?” Applejack continued. “Once we beat Grogar, Ah mean.”
Sombra kept silent for a long moment. “After Grogar is defeated, I’ll release them all.”
“Okay,” Applejack said. She nodded towards Twilight.
Twilight looked around the gathered ponies and other creatures. Smolder still looked as angry as ever, but she wasn’t speaking up. Twilight steeled her will, and spoke to the Tree of Harmony, “We would like Sombra to be released. We’ll handle what punishment he deserves after we stop Grogar.”
“So you have chosen to embrace limited disharmony to prevent larger disharmony.” Treelight smiled blankly. “You have also chosen mercy over justice. Very well.”
The roots binding Sombra to the wall snaked away from him, and he crumbled to the floor with a sharp gasp. Treelight watched him pant on the ground with its same haunting smile.
Fluttershy rushed forward to care for him. “Are you okay? Are you hurt?”
“Exhausted,” he answered. “The Tree was draining my energy almost dry.”
Twilight knew her friends needed to rest and recuperate, but every minute they spent was a minute Grogar grew stronger. She buried her face in her hooves. What can I do? Grogar is so impossibly powerful, and we blew all our energy against him one against twenty. He still got away, three of our allies lost all their enhancements, and now he has his Bell. How can we possibly prevail?
Rainbow looked outside. The sun had just set, leaving the cloudy sky a dark, grim grey. Snow fell hard and fast, piling up in drifts against the window. It wasn’t the soft, fun kind they would schedule for winter—it was a frigid, biting, dry snow. Even inside, she was shivering. She had only ever encountered this snow once before, when the Crystal Heart was destroyed.
On the other side of the room, her friends were discussing what to do. “I’m so exhausted,” Rarity complained. “My whole body aches.”
Gallus rubbed his forehead. “I’m still sore from where Grogar zapped me, and my head’s pounding. Here’s a tip: don’t dive onto a magical shield.”
“Should we find a way to give you some rest, then?” Mistmane offered. “You’ll be more skillful fighters if you’ve had time to nurse your wounds and let your muscles recharge.”
“But we don’t have time for that,” Spike argued. “Starlight’s got a huge army together right now. Grogar’s probably gathering his own army, so we need to attack before he has one.”
“Good point, Spike,” Flash Magnus said admiringly. Spike puffed his chest out proudly. “Tactically speaking, synchronizing an invasion with her seems like the best maneuver.”
“But we also have to keep in mind the strategic powers of the creatures present,” Starswirl cautioned.
“Strategic powers?” Sandbar repeated with a confused look.
“The might of Harmony,” Starswirl said. “From the Pillars of Equestria, to the Tree of Harmony, to the Elements of Harmony.”
At Starswirl’s last phrase, Pinkie made a quick slashing movement at her throat, but it was too late. Twilight had heard, and her eyes visibly drooped.
“But we don’t have the Elements of Harmony anymore,” Twilight said, her voice thick with despair. “We’re on our own.”
The words hung heavy over the room. Sombra avoided everyone’s eyes, even Fluttershy’s. How bitterly ironic that my masterstroke towards conquering Equestria has become a major obstacle to my reconquest of it.
A long silence held vigil, until at last Silverstream broke it. “So… now what?” she asked, putting a claw to her mouth.
Sombra wished he knew the answer. Every option anypony had suggested thus far had at least one glaring problem.
He closed his eyes, and forced himself to think of happier days. The time spent with a brilliant pony years ago, before his rise to power. His rule over his kingdom, when life had been pleasing and simple.
Now, when he looked forward, the best he could realistically see was a pardon from the Princesses and being forced to be an ordinary pony under clearly the implied threat of dispelling him back into the ether. What kind of life was that? Not one for a king.
Perhaps, he mused, it’ll be worth it to meet with Queen Chrysalis, Lord Tirek, and that creepy filly Cozy Glow. Maybe they have better ideas on what to do, how to prevail against Grogar, or even will just be amusing. Maybe I’ll be more in the mood to conquer after seeing them.
Even more ironic, he reflected, that Grogar’s idea of an alliance makes more and more sense. He just won’t be part of it.
The thought brought a small smile to his muzzle.
“After much consideration with my immense intellect, I have come to the conclusion that it would be worth it for me to talk with the other former followers of Grogar,” Sombra stated. “I’d like to leave immediately.”
“I’m fine with that, Sombra,” Twilight said approvingly. “Any thoughts?”
“Each of them has special talents nopony else does,” Ocellus said, “and so does Sombra. Maybe they’ll have ideas on how to apply his powers best.”
“I’ve met them all,” Sombra explained, “but only briefly. Yes, I’d like to reintroduce myself to them.”
Fluttershy extended a hoof, and he let her help him up. “They’re under the School of Friendship,” she said. “I would give you full directions, but you can just turn into smoke, right? I imagine finding your way down won’t be hard at all.”
Sombra nodded once, and set out for the school.
Sombra floated down into the caves below the School of Friendship. He felt the watching presence of the Tree of Harmony’s roots even here. It might’ve spared me, but it definitely doesn’t trust me.
He headed cautiously towards the sound of voices. There was a deep, booming male voice, a silky, rich female one, and a light, saccharine lilt. Lord Tirek, Queen Chrysalis, and Cozy Glow, he assigned mentally.
He couldn’t hear all they were saying, but he heard some eyebrow-raising snippets. “…what they’ll do to us after we defeat Grogar,” Cozy muttered.
“We can always just…” Tirek answered, his voice going too quiet for Sombra to hear. “…doubt anyone will begrudge us it.”
A voice similar to Twilight Sparkle’s, though with a vastly different inflection and tone, sliced into the conversation. He froze, listening carefully. It was Twilight’s voice beyond a shadow of a doubt, but the intelligence directing it was so dispassionate. “Full annihilation of all… …acceptable result,” she said clinically.
At last, he spotted the four of them. Cozy, Tirek, Chrysalis, and Twilight herself. He returned to his body, and sauntered forward. “Hello, my fellow conquerors,” Sombra said with a theatrical smile.
“Sombra?” Tirek asked in disbelief. “You’re alive?”
“Again,” Sombra affirmed with a sardonic smile. “Grogar realized the necessity of having me as an ally and brought me back to help him gather an army!”
“Huh,” Cozy said with a shrug. “Well, on the one hoof, bravo for mostly destroying the Tree of Harmony. That was impressive. On the other, you really screwed up by not finishing off the Bearers afterwards.”
“How did you return?” Chrysalis asked, her mandibles twitching. “It looked like you were completely annihilated last time.”
“I’m not exactly alive,” he answered. “Because of that, bringing me back is much easier than it would be for a fully living pony.”
The Twilight doppelgänger—one of Chrysalis’s changelings?—grinned wide at his statement. “Good. Please inform me on the full details of your magical capabilities and inclinations, and on the method by which you were resurrected.”
“That would probably take Sombra hours, Midnight,” Tirek said gently. “He’s already proven himself incredibly talented, and we can look into resurrections after Grogar is destroyed.”
“Ah, your name is Midnight?” Sombra asked, tasting its flavor and cadence. “I am King Sombra, rightful ruler of the Crystal Empire.”
“Yes,” Midnight confirmed. “Twilight was aware of you and you skill with fear magic. I am Midnight Sparkle, a clone of Twilight created by Queen Chrysalis. ‘Clone’ is misleading, however, as I have Twilight’s skill and intelligence without her moral compass weakening her.”
“Impressive,” Sombra said approvingly. “I’m certain we’ll have much magic to discuss after we oust Grogar.”
“Can you give us a quick summary of your powers, at least?” Cozy asked, batting her eyes. “That would help me figure out how best to apply your unique talents.”
“Well, I can quickly mind-control a lot of ponies at once,” Sombra answered. “I can conjure dark crystals that block spells and teleportation. And I certainly don’t mean to brag too much, but I am the world expert on fear magic.”
“Oooh, you can quickly get a huge army of ponies!” Cozy exulted. “I love it!”
“Where have you been?” Tirek asked. “Grogar must have summoned you between our visits to the castle.”
“Wait. Are you still loyal to Grogar!?” Chrysalis demanded. Her horn blazed to life. Beside her, Midnight dropped to the floor, and Tirek charged his horns as well.
“Absolutely not!” Sombra protested quickly. “I have no desire to serve that pompous old goat another second. He treated me like a serf instead of a king!”
“Do you believe him, Cozy?” Midnight asked, her voice calm and dangerous.
“Hmmm. Given what I know of King Sombra’s psychological profile, it does make sense,” she began. “As for if we can trust him, well, I’d say slightly less than the amount we can each other. We all have a shared interest in overthrowing Grogar, we all have shared enemies we can’t trust, and we even all have mutually compatible goals.” She shrugged. “We haven’t known him as long so we haven’t bonded as much, but the same necessities are driving each of us.”
“Well put, Cozy,” Tirek said with an approving smile. He let his spell fizzle out. A moment later, Chrysalis and Midnight did the same. “So, Sombra, where have you been?”
“Gathering an army, capturing the families of the Bearers, and then imprisoned by the Tree of Harmony.” Sombra winced. “If it hadn’t been for the intervention of the Bearers themselves, the Tree would have destroyed me again.”
“For a tree that is one-sixth kindness, it doesn’t seem to have much mercy,” Midnight muttered. “I’d love to see you debate philosophy with it, Cozy.”
“That would be fun!” Cozy said with a big, cheerful smile. “Oooh, maybe I could get it so guilty over its own contradictions, it just wilted away into nothing!”
“Funny you mention that,” Sombra said. “The Tree has learned how to talk.”
Chrysalis bolted upright. She asked, her face warped in disbelief, “What? How!?”
“It creates a sparkly apparition that looks like Princess Twilight,” Sombra explained. “It talks through that illusion.”
”Golly, so they were telling the truth,” Cozy said. She looked down at a tiny husk of a nut under her pink hoof. She pretended the faces of those six students were carved on it, and stomped downward as hard as she could, crushing it into dust.
“Well, this is all nice, but what do we do now?” Sombra asked. “I don’t want to just sit here doing nothing.”
“You could report back to Grogar,” Tirek suggested. “He probably thinks you’re still loyal to him.”
“Yesss,” Chrysalis agreed. “Find out what he’s doing.”
“First, we should get to know each other better,” Cozy suggested. “We’ll need to work together, which means we need to trust one another!”
“Hmm, alright,” Chrysalis said. “That is acceptable.”
“It is quite amusing, really,” Sombra commented, chuckling lightly. “Grogar was the one who demanded we work together in the first place. And now we’re using that strategy against him.”
“He was probably right about its effectiveness,” Tirek agreed. “I’m confident that if we all really were loyal to him, we’d have already crushed all resistance.”
“And now we get to betray and destroy him with his own plan!” Cozy laughed gleefully. “Oh, this is so much fun!” She took a deep breath, forcing her mirth down, and began, “So, let’s start by telling each other what we love. I love manipulation, betrayal, lying, and getting ponies to do what I ask them to!”
“Good taste,” Chrysalis chuckled. “How about you tell us what you hate too?”
“Sure!” Cozy said, giggling. “I hate ponies cuter or more lovable than me, Grogar, ponies not doing what I ask them to do, and those six students who ruined all my plans.” She took a deep breath, before forcing on a dainty smile. “Oh! I forgot my favorite thing of aaaall. Hearing my enemies beg for mercy!”
That got a hearty laugh from the group. “I’ll go next,” Chrysalis said. “I love the delicious taste of love, my hive (when they don’t betray me, that is), and the thought of Starlight Glimmer suffering my revenge!” She cackled. “I hate Starlight Glimmer, Twilight Sparkle, Starlight Glimmer, Grogar, Starlight Glimmer, and Starlight Glimmer!” Her eye twitched as she used her magic to scorch Starlight’s face into the rock she was standing on, and then slammed her hoof down hard enough to fracture the stone to pieces.
“O…kay, heh heh,” Cozy said with an awkward half-laugh. “How about you go next, Midnight?”
“Certainly,” Midnight said, her voice devoid of passion. “I love magical research, magic theory, immortality, isolation, calm, spellcraft, and access to all books ever written. I hate the Tree of Harmony and the loss of knowledge.”
“Your turn, Sombra,” Cozy said, looking at him expectantly. “What do you love and hate?”
“Well,” he began dramatically, “As King of the Crystal Empire, I naturally have quite a few sources of enjoyment. I love the sweetly dark crystals, the Crystal Empire, dark magic, and… ah, nevermind. It’s pathetic.”
“You can tell us,” Cozy said gently. “We won’t laugh.” A thought crossed her face. “Well, unless it’s funny, I guess.” Chrysalis, Midnight, and Tirek nodded.
Sombra sighed. “Very well. I love the most amazing pony I’ve ever met, Radiant Hope.”
A moment of stunned silence passed, and the other four broke into uncontrolled laughter. “Bfffhahahaha,” Tirek guffawed. “S-so you have a sp—special somepony?”
“I was not expecting love to be brought up,” Midnight chuckled mildly. “You did not strike me as the type to be interested in games of romance.”
“I most certainly am not! And she’s not my special somepony!” Sombra protested, a red blush on his cheeks.
Chrysalis, giggling, brought up, “Y-you do know I’m a changeling, right? I can feel the affection for her oozing off you. You want her to give you a big, sweet, loving kiss~!”
“Oooh, Sombra’s got a fillyfrieeeeend,” Cozy joined in. “Sombra and Radiant, sittin’ in a tree. K-I-S-S-I-N—”
“We weren’t lovers!” Sombra protested, his blush brilliant on his dark grey face. “At most we were, er, interested in each other. We never went on so much as a date!”
Chrysalis let green fire engulf her, and in a moment, she was a pale purple mare with a light blue mane and a healing staff cutie mark. “Would you like to fix that sometime?” she teased. Sombra shot her a furious glare.
“Okay,” Cozy said, at last catching her breath. “I think that’s enough, guys.” Chrysalis rolled her eyes, and returned to her true form. “Sorry, Sombra,” Cozy apologized as she wiped tears from her eyes. “I just really, truly never expected you to say that.”
“I didn’t want to bring it up for a reason,” Sombra grumbled. “I knew you would all react like that.”
“Well, can you blame us?” Tirek asked, his chuckles dying off. “I mean, King Sombra talking about a foalhood crush?”
“Actually, that gives me an idea,” Cozy said, her eyes bright. “Sombra told us something embarrassing about himself. It just seems fair for each of us to say something like that too!”
“Now that is a most excellent idea,” Sombra said instantly. “I am very curious to hear all of yours.”
“Ugh, fine,” Chrysalis said. “But just so we’re clear, none of it ever leaves this room. If it does, I will personally destroy you.”
“Deal,” Sombra agreed, “as long as that applies retroactively to mine too.”
“Sure,” Chrysalis said, shrugging her shoulders.
“That’s fine by me,” Tirek said. “Midnight?”
“I don’t think I have any embarrassing secrets,” Midnight said flatly. “I’m only two days old. Even were I to be longer-lived, why would I be embarrassed of things I have done or felt? I am perfection incarnate, therefore I need never feel guilt, shame, or embarrassment. I might err, but I only err when having access to insufficient information, and thus never through any fault of mine.”
“Okaaay,” Cozy said with an eyeroll. “I guess we’ll skip you for this, Midnight. Since Chrysalis actually turned into Radiant, how about she goes first?”
“I already went first,” Sombra complained, “but she should go second.”
“Uuurgh, alright,” Chrysalis grumbled. “I have a pn… ltr… go.”
“What was that?” Tirek asked, cupping an ear. “Couldn’t hear you.”
“I have a pony alter ago,” she admitted sourly.
The cave fell into shocked silence, and then the others broke into laughter. “S-seriously?” Tirek gasped between deep laughs. “Sometimes you imagine yourself as a pony?”
“Yes,” Chrysalis spat under her voice.
“You’ve gotta show us now,” Cozy giggled. “Turn into her!”
Chrysalis facehoofed. Green fire flickered over her her body, and she turned into a pale green unicorn with an orange-red mane. Her cutie mark was a ladybug.
“G-golly, and here I thought you hated us cute ponies,” Cozy wheezed.
Sombra laughed even harder. “You were mocking me for having a crush, and all this time you like to play pony? Do you host frilly tea parties? Draw artwork of her?”
Chrysalis narrowed her no-longer-slitlike eyes. “For your information,” she hissed, “Crackle Cosette is not a cute pony and she does not like tea parties. She is a photographer of the Canterlot Historical Society with a dark secret: she in fact supports the changeling regime, fully recognizes how rule by Queen Chrysalis would be an massive improvement for pony life, and deeply despises the illegitimate usurper Thorax as well as Starlight Glimmer. She uses her position as a photographer to gather intelligence on Equestria and then forwards it to me.”
Midnight snorted. “You invented a fictional pony friend and turn into her?” Beside her, Tirek was trying and failing to hold in his laughter.
Crackle Cosette crossed her forelegs in a pout. “Oh come on, each of you has your own pony alter ego. Admit it.”
“Uhhh, no,” Tirek said. “I’m perfectly happy being a centaur.”
“Fine, maybe it’s a changeling thing,” Crackle said. “Once I’m queen again, I’ll ask them. I’m sure they’ll all admit they have pony alter egos too.”
“You do that,” Sombra said, chuckling. “Who’ll be next?”
“Cozy!” Chrysalis snarled, returning to her natural form. “She’s the reason you all laughed at me!”
“That works,” Cozy said with a shrug. “I’ll go next.”
“And my secret is,” Cozy admitted, chuckling nervously, “I really love Alien Alicorns versus Space Pirates.”
“I never took you for the type to read science fiction garbage,” Chrysalis snorted. “What, do you like to read about how the heroic main character defeats all her enemies effortlessly with lasers?”
“No!” Cozy protested, blushing. “Listen, Alien Alicorns is high liter—”
“Isn’t that the book about a green Celestia?” Tirek asked.
“Pffffhahahahaha,” Sombra chortled. “You actually read those silly action books?”
“It’s not just science fiction garbage!” Cozy protested. “Princess Aetherial Singularity Entropy Void XVIII is the last legitimate heir of the Quasar Ascendancy!”
Tirek, Chrysalis, Sombra, and Midnight stared at her. “’Princess Aetherial Singularity Entropy Void’?” Tirek wheezed. “That’s her actual name?”
“Yes!” Cozy answered, a blush on her pink cheeks. “It’s serious stuff! After being forced into wrongful exile, she travels with her oath-brother Pulse Shockwave the Elliridrinian, her hoofmaiden Laser Light, and her love interest Dr. Quark Matter to venture the stars, battle enemies of the Ascendancy, and eventually regain her rightful throne!”
“So… it’s just like every other science fiction space opera,” Tirek snickered. “Except with really long names.”
“No!” Cozy insisted. “The titular enemies she fights are the Nebulae Falconry, a pirate kingdom, but the real villain is her younger half-sister Nova Rage XIV who forced her into exile and usurped the throne. Aetherial uses her wits and ruthlessness to defeat her enemies, and unlike so many other stories, she shows absolutely no mercy to any of them!”
“Really now?” Chrysalis asked dubiously. “I distinctly remember a foal being read one as a bedtime story.”
“They seem lighthearted, but they’re actually really dark!” Cozy whined. “They pretend to be cute, heroic, and innocent to lull you into complacency. Look, how about I tell you my favorite scene? It’s a pretty big spoiler, but I bet none of you will read it ever otherwise.”
“I’d prefer not right now,” Midnight said, keeping her voice from veering into irritation. “This is not meant as a slight against you, but just a desire to continue the rotation. It’s Tirek’s turn, correct?”
“Indeed,” Tirek said with a crack of his knuckles. “As I never had a chance to share the things I love and hate, I’ll do that as well.”
Chrysalis nodded, and scooted closer to listen.
“Naturally, with a life as long as mine, there are many things I feel very strongly about,” Tirek began. “I love my mother Queen Haydon, my gram-gram, absorbing magic, learning long-forgotten secrets, and the thought of being named king of my homeland.” Nopony laughed as he mentioned his grandmother. “In contrast, I hate those annoyingly lucky ponies, my brother Scorpan, my father Vorak, and Grogar!”
“I think it’s sweet you care so much about your mother and grandma,” Cozy said, her voice genuine. Her tone took a sadder turn. “I kind of wish I had ponies to care about too.”
The room fell into awkward silence. “Us?” Tirek asked hesitantly.
“Speak for yourself!” Chrysalis hissed. “I for one do not love any of you!”
“Nor I,” Midnight said quickly. Maybe a little too quickly. “Love is an emotion I have neither time for nor interest in.”
“Likewise,” Sombra agreed, his words cascading over each other. “You are useful, valuable allies who I believe I can trust. But that most certainly does not make us friends!”
“Heheh, guess not,” Cozy said, batting at her ribbons. “So, uh, I think that just leaves what you’re going to share with us, Tirek.”
“I… am not really the smartest member of our group,” Tirek admitted.
“Hah!” Chrysalis crowed. “I knew it! Sclerite, Frenulum, I told you! He isn’t the smartest one!”
Cozy couldn’t see either Sclerite or Frenulum reply to Chrysalis, but that wasn’t particularly unusual. Sometimes Chrysalis would talk to changelings only she could see. It was just one of her quirks.
“Then who is?” Sombra asked, raising an eyebrow. “The smartest, I mean.”
“Midnight,” Tirek admitted grudgingly. Midnight nodded as if he had said something very prosaic.
Chrysalis whirled towards Tirek. “It’s not me!?”
“Though it hurts my pride to admit it, Midnight seems like the smartest to me,” Sombra agreed.
“Conspiracy!” Chrysalis hissed. “So you all got together to make me look like a fool! Tymbal, throw Tirek in the dungeon!”
Cozy couldn’t see Tymbal, and Tirek wasn’t moving, so she had to assume Chrysalis had declared an auxiliary dungeon around Tirek.
“Chrysalis, would we do that to you?” Cozy asked, fluttering her eyelashes. Chrysalis shot a flat look at her. “Okay, yes, that is exactly the kind of thing I love to do. But you’re on my team! You’re one of us!”
“Don’t feel bad, Chrysalis,” Tirek said, giving her a slap on the back. She recoiled at his touch. “I’m not the smartest member either. We each have our own strengths.”
“Correct,” Midnight reassured Chrysalis. “My superlative intelligence should not be misread as a critique of your own skill. You have proven immensely useful.”
“It really is like Grogar said,” Sombra murmured thoughtfully. “Where one of us is weak, another is strong, and thus together, we are a formidable force.”
Chrysalis rolled her eyes. “Urgh, fine. Tymbal, let Tirek out of the dungeon.”
Cozy still couldn’t see Tymbal.
“Thank you for releasing me from the dungeon,” Tirek said, his voice dripping with bemusement. Cozy couldn’t resist a giggle of her own.
“I may have underestimated the value of companions,” Midnight said. “My previous ones were moronic and incompetent. But you four have shown or been told to me as being both intelligent and competent. Perhaps I will keep contact with you while and after acquiring the magical secrets I desire.”
“I guess being part of an ‘us’ isn’t that bad after all,” Sombra admitted. “I’ve had allies before, of course, but none as ruthless or powerful as I. I haven’t had people to really cooperate with, or scheme with, or just talk about these things with since…” he trailed off into a frown. Cozy chose not to press him over it. “Sharing your company is… nice.”
“Mhmmm,” Chrysalis said, her voice now far more relaxed. “I was initially averse to the thought of sharing the world, but now? It reminds me of my hive.”
“Yep!” Cozy chirped. “I can’t wait to split Equestria up and crush all opposition!”
“Here’s to victory, then,” Tirek said proudly.
“To conquest!” Sombra agreed.
“To revenge!” Chrysalis hissed.
“To knowledge!” Midnight added.
“To teamwork!” Cozy finished. The five drew closer into a circle, and placed their hooves or hands together.
“To victory!” they cheered together.
Cozy smiled as an idea hit her like a lightning bolt. “Oh my gosh, I just realized. We need a club name!”
“Do we really?” Tirek asked, groaning. “Can’t we just call ourselves ‘allies’ or ‘co-conspirators’ something?”
“We absolutely need one,” Cozy insisted. “Something really awesome and intimidating.”
“The Changeling Government-in-Exile?” Chrysalis suggested.
“The King Sombra Fan Club?” Sombra half-joked. “Hmm, nah, that’s a bit too on-the-nose.”
“How about the Legion?” Midnight offered. “We are five of both Grogar’s and the Celestial Diarchy’s most dangerous opponents, and we’re working together. ‘Legion’ seems descriptive and apt to me.”
“Mmm, that’s good,” Cozy said approvingly, “but it could use something. What are we the Legion of?”
“Desolation,” Sombra answered.
“Revenge!” Chrysalis declared.
“Doom,” Tirek said simply.
“The Legion of Doom…” Cozy said, caressing the phrase as if it were her first crush. “I love it.”
Around the circle, Midnight, Chrysalis, Tirek, and Sombra all grinned wickedly. “Perfect,” Chrysalis hissed with a dark laugh. “Long live the Legion of Doom!”
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YA THINK?!?
How many chapters long will this story be?
10049047
I always thought it was weird how casual they were about killing him.
10049077
However many it needs to be. I don't want to put a number on it because I'm not sure.
Took the words right out of my mouth.
10049080
Agreed.
10049145
Sombra was really pleased with himself after capturing the M6. It was his first real error in both episodes. Every other time he's failed, it seems to have been through circumstances outside his control.
10049269
Yep.
God Chrysalis, stop being such a tsundere.
10049435
Chrysalis is a huge tsundere because she's terrified of looking like this:
derpicdn.net/img/view/2016/11/9/1291842.png
10049478
Come on Chrysalis. Embrace the fuzz
10049499
I’m sure she will one day, or not, but she basically already has best friends without admitting they are.
“They aren’t my friends! Sure, I don’t want them to get hurt, I trust them, we share stories, enjoy each other’s company and I feel relaxed and happy when I’m around them, BUT THAT DOESN’T MAKE US FRIENDS”
10049499
She will never! She refuses!
10049769
That's absolutely where Chrysalis, and the Legion in general to a lesser extent, is at.
Can make Nightmare Moon ans Daybreaker appears???
10050205
I don't like to spoil my own story. Don't worry though, I am writing.
10049799
They are so in denial, it's adorable
Damn that tree is cruel, good to have Sombra in the team though. I love how you foreshadowed him in earlier chapters with that smoke. I also adore the villains bonding, probably one of my favourite parts of the story.
ne should be me.
I'd love to see that. It would be extremely satisfying.
10051369
No kidding. Remember, she locked the students with their deepest fears and nearly killed Gallus.
I was absolutely determined to foreshadow him plenty so it wouldn't seem out of nowhere.
One of my favorite to write!
Fixed, thank you!
I was laughing my ass off through this chapter.
Sure they plan to go back to villainy now, but after seeing what true companionship feels like, they’re going to reconsider and go straight.
Those don't exist
10055184
Mission accomplished, then! I wanted a bit of light humor, a break from the action.
10060040
Certainly a possibility.
10061499
derpicdn.net/img/view/2012/7/17/46502.png
10061499
so true!
How does one retcon a retcon? Would Radiant Hope be involved in this? Would Chrysalis get therapy? Would Princess What's-her-name get the high ground? So many questions.
10109165
What do you mean by retcon a retcon?
Okay, getting back to reading this now, and I have to be completely honest...I do not care about Sombra. While I do think his FIENDship is Magic comic was pretty fun as a descent-into-villainy story, it’s also the only one about him that I read. I know that the comics did some stuff with him afterwards, but so far as my experience with him is concerned, he’s a blank slate who I mostly know for being either obsessed with crystals, or else sounding like an evil Dudley Doright.
Unlike with the trio, the show never provided any redeeming qualities for him whatsoever - no mercy, compassion, or honor. The very way that his mind-control works means he’s constantly mistreating all his minions by making them continuously suffer their worst fears. And he never is given any reason for why he acts the way he does other than “because I’m evil.” Theoretically, it probably exists, but the show provided nothing to work with, unlike the vague sense of honor and family issues of Tirek, the quest to feed her people and herself and obvious loneliness of Chrysalis, or Cozy Glow simply having a warped understanding of friendship that could theoretically be corrected.
And then of course there’s the problem that a lot of the love for the Trio came from the way they interacted with and played off of each other...and Sombra doesn’t have that since he never hung out with them. He’s kind of a third wheel, and doesn’t share the fun dynamic that the Trio have.
And then finally, I can’t really bring myself to be outraged by his death. I sure as Hell am not happy that in the show that apparently Discord decided to disturb the guy’s afterlife, whatever it is, so bring him back just as a disposable minion...but that ire is directed at Discord. As for Sombra, he fought, he very nearly won, and then he was struck by the Rainbow and obliterated while at the height of his power and fully able to defend himself or flee (after all, he’d managed to flee before). Would I prefer Discord hadn’t used necromancy to create a disposable minion? Of course, what he did was despicable. But Sombra wasn’t a saint, and he was never at anyone’s mercy.
Basically, reading this chapter was kind of a slog because you brought back Sombra...but, essentially, not really. Instead this is basically an OC, since this Sombra doesn’t really bear a strong resemblance to either previous version of Sombra. I’m not blaming you for this because you set out with the mission of redeeming or at least showing the good sides to all the villains but Sombra has none so of course you have to invent it...
...but I’m still just not interested in him as a character, and to be frank he’s sort of dragging down the story at the moment.
I’m sorry if this all came across as laid on a bit thick. I don’t mean to insult or cause offense, I just wanted to outline why I don’t really care about Sombra - not hate, just apathy. I know that you seem to love him, and I admit that he is kind of cool as a villain, or could have been...but he’s not a villain here.
I took elements from the FIENDship to use. The later Sombra comics end up having him redeemed so they're now incompatible with the show.
I tried to base Sombra upon how he appeared in the premiere. If he seems more like an OC, then I screwed up and I should try to fix it.
I'm sorry, then. I don't take offense at anything you said, but I do feel bad that you didn't really enjoy this chapter. I was upset at how the premiere treated him, upset that he wasn't brought back like he was supposed to be, and wanted to redeem that here.
If you have advice on how I could write him better, I'm interested in it. Otherwise, I guess I just hope that it isn't such a pain you don't want to keep reading, because your comments always are really wonderful and insightful.
10123075
Oops, I forgot to quote you. Here was my reply: 10123234
Aww hope Is that mean we're going to see her soon and she the same pony from the comic right
Boy what a team and And it still scare me Because all 5 of them are very dangerous I guess I'll use that song one more time
Yeah this is pretty much how I imagine all these villains And yeah pretty much they kind of remind me of the suicide squad
But once again I do like how the villains trying to get to know each other just like that episode I mentioned earlier But this time midnight and Sambra joining in
Boy tree Despite your on our side you could be so very scary you know lol😅
I'm one of the people who loathed the ending and saw great potential in Grogar (but also loved the fact the three villains get to experience friendship, possibly reform themselves without twilight's help.. literally the POINT OF THE SHOW.)
Anyways, just finished reading chapter 12 and I'm loving EVERY WORD OF IT. THANK YOU for making it!
And I can't tell you how much I love how you wrote Cozy (love her not being an alicorn) Tirek and Chrysalis, easily the highlight of this fanfic, every scene they are in is entertaining and I wish for it to always last.. best characters so far + Midnight is good and entertaining as a supporting one!
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I'm absolutely thrilled! The villains were the highlight of writing it as well, they're so much fun to work with.
Christ, Twilight.
Princess of Friendship, guys.
Well to be fair he tried to mind-controlled Everypony and creatures 2 attack others and even the main six so basically it's his fault anyway and he kind of pushed too far just saying
How did Chrysalis know how Radiant Hope looks like?
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Read his emotions.
This is easily my favorite chapter thus far. It’s not perfect, but it has Radiant Hope and is just a 10k word version of the best scene in Frenemies—what’s not to love? 💚
Oh, and I love that you’ve committed to Chrysalis imagining her children and talking with them constantly.