Long live the king

by Msande

More memories

More Memories

Twilight looked at the book on crystal pony history in front of her. A smile forming as designs for a crystal heart centerpiece shaped in her mind.

"Greetings Prince," came an unfamiliar voice as she turned to find herself inside train station. Before her stood a crystal pony proudly shining in the light.

"If only it could be under better circumstances," she felt her head bow politely.

"I'm going to be honest, most of the ponies here do not want you here. We feel that your presence here is Celestia's way of butting into the affairs of another kingdom. There are rumors that she's planning to add the Empire to her kingdom." His eyes never wavered, but the tone of his voice betrayed his unease.

"Understandable, but I am just here for the boring day to day tasks, I have no intention of sticking around once I'm not needed," The prince replied evenly.

Twilight studied the pony before her. His crystal coat was covered up by standard guard armor which she recognized from the book. Though he didn't seem as friendly as the novel had painted the Crystal Ponies out to be; and Sombra didn't seem to be as dark as the Princess lead her to believe. In fact, as far as she could tell, he really just wanted to go home. He certainly didn't walk like a pony who had any grand evil plans or anything.

As they went towards the palace, he shifted uncomfortably. The Crystal ponies in the streets kept a wide berth, either looking away quickly or shooting a dark glare towards the precession.

"Twilight!"

A shout broke Twilight from here trance. Rainbow Dash rocketed towards her at an alarming rate as she braised herself for an imminent collision. No impact came, Twilight opened her eyes slowly , coming face to face with the cyan pegasus, "We got a big problem, we can't find the Crystal Heart!”

"Oh that's nothing to worry about, I was just about to go make one anyway," Twilight replied waving her hoof while turning to grab the book.

"It's not just that! The Heart is a relic, and the pony that remembered it said that it's used to power a giant shield which protects the Empire." Dash panted.

Twilight's eyes grew wide, madly flipping through pages as she tried to recall the bit that mentioned the Crystal heart. Information that she found last page, except that it wasn't actually the last page. As she looked closer, she noticed the signs that a page had been torn out.

"Ha-ha-ha” Sombra's Laugh echoed through the palace, as both mares felt their tails curl inward . “Come now did you really think I didn't plan ahead? You'll never find the Heart in this cast le. Clock is ticking Twilight. Clock. Is. Ticking."

"We aren't scared of you!" Dash screamed at the faceless voice.

"Then I suppose you have yet to learn the lessons that my subjects have. Even the princesses themselves shy away from me. They hide behind their students. Despite all these years, things have not changed."

"What are you going on about? Show yourself, you coward!" Dash heard her words reverberate throughout the castle, with no response.

Silence filled the hallways as they waited for some sort of response. A door nearby opened, both mares whipped around to face it. "Twilight I couldn't find you, so I sculpted the heart for you," came a completely different voice, as Spike emerged from around the doorway carrying a somewhat dull crystal heart.

“What's with all the shouting?” The two ponies let out the breath that they hadn't realized that they'd been holding in, before casting their gaze around the room one final time.

"Dash I need you to let everypony know what's going on. Try to keep the Crystal Ponies happy, delay them while I start looking for the real Heart," Twilight ordered, her mind racing figure out what to do next. Rainbow Dash saluted, before racing off in a blur. Glancing back to Spike, "Lets take this from the top, we need to get to the throne room.” Twilight wrapped her magic aura around Spike and herself, teleporting them both to throne room. She glanced out past balcony, she could see snow briefly as the shield flickered.

"Ah so nice.” Shadows gathered around the throne, “Normally I would start corrupting this place. But with sleeping beauty, that's a bit beyond my current capabilities." The shadow converged into shape of a unicorn with a very sharp horn. The shadow's eyes glowed red, its 'body' resting on the throne.

Twilight readied for a fight, but the shadow just lounged across the arms of the throne. His head hanging back, blazing eyes staring at her lazily.

She held her position, breaking the silence. "What are you waiting for?"

"I am waiting for this barrier to fall, with it out of the way I'll be free to bring order to the land." He closed his eyes. "Cadence. She is failing. My little trip bought her some time, but she only has about an hour, two if she's lucky . I am just here to watch the show.”

"How can you even be in here?" Twilight quickly scanned the room.

The shadow pony materialized a mouth full of pointy teeth, smiling darkly. "Well, I guess I could spare some ti me to teach you a few things." Twilight felt her fur ruffle on the back of her neck. "The problem with black magic is that, while it is powerful, it brings out the more, primal instincts. But once you are grounded in it, you're fine. I used that blast of magic you shot when you entered my shadow. It grounded me, so when your brother came back to get you I hide a bit of my power in his shadow. And when the barrier flickered, I suck in another part of me, which allows me to power my current form. So now I get watch the show, unhindered. With front row seats. Sadly I can't access most of my power, or form my true body. But once that happens, well, you'll have failed the test to say the least." He smiled.

Twilight's mind raced, 'Where could he be keeping the Heart?' She looked up noticing the crystal above the throne. It reminded her the crystal Princess Celestia showed her back at Canterlot. Her thoughts turned to his words earlier, 'This Castle... This isn't...' Her magic aura started to glow black as the magic started to form at her eyes. “Only somepony like you would hide the Heart away like this,” she spat , he didn't seem to fazed at her discovery.

"Good magic, bad mouth. That’s going to cost you, be careful what you say. I am a King after all." Sombra smirked as the shadow cast from the crystal formed and began to spread across the ground. The shadow revealed a long stair case down into a dark pit. Twilight released her magic, looking down and panting slightly. "Did it feel good? Dark magic is so intoxicating."

“No, it was very cruel and dark,” Twilight replied, shuddering slightly, “It was everything magic shouldn't feel like!”

“Get used to it, I've got a feeling you are going to have to use it more if you want to continue,” he chuckled darkly.

"Don't listen to him Twilight! We need to find that heart and we don't have time to be messing around with him," Spike reminded, glancing worriedly at the smirking shadow.

"Ah, I see we've found the voice of reason," Sombra said as the baby dragon huddled behind twilight at the edge of the stairs. "That just won't do. Shall we have another trip down memory lane?" his horn glowed slightly. She blinked, She was still in the throne room, though the darkness was gone.

"Prince, how nice to see you," A crystal pony was standing before the throne, his smile was friendly but his tone was cold.

"Yes, Mr...?" Sombra said as he eyed the pony. He was sporting a long blue cloak.

"Sparks, Crystal Sparks," the pony greeted, sporting a pure white coat and a black mane. "You know that a majority of the civilians are very... displeased that Celestia is sticking her horn into our affairs. "

"I noticed, I am just here to keep everything running smoothly. As soon as you get a new leader to do this; well you wouldn't be able to get me on the train out of here fast enough." The prince admitted. Sparks' smile seemed to get a bit wider.

"Glad to hear it. We will be having another civil meeting tonight, feel free to sit in, or tour the city, whichever you prefer," Sparks offered raising his hoof.

"I still need to write a letter, Princess Celestia will want confirmation that I've settled in." Prince Sombra admitted, looking out the windows towards his old home. "Where is this meeting going to take place? In case..." Turning back to find that the Sparks had long since vanished.

Twilight studied the memories, doing her best to try and find something she could use. He was walking down the streets, mostly keeping to the shadows. As he approached what looked like the post office, Twilight overheard a conversation as the prince turned an ear to some passing Crystal Ponies. "… Have you heard Equestria gave in ? They surrendered their kingdom to a deity, you figure they would have learned their lesson the first time ."

"The worst part is that the prince of the Coward King is here. You don't think the White Queen is going to make a grab for us as well, do you?"

"Using him would be the only way. Not even that Discord freak could get in. What makes you think the White Queen and her sister could?"

"They did manage to beat Discord..." The second remind in a hushed voice.

Sombra ignored the rest of their conversation his ears lowering, muffling the two voices in the memory. Twilight felt a sudden burst of anger at the idea somepony, anypony, could think Princess Celestia was as bad as Discord. Her inner rant was disrupted as she felt something odd.

"Twilight!"

She found her self being shaken. "What are you doing! You were just standing there for almost five minuets!" Spike's gaze was shifting nervously between her and Sombra.

"Oh its been quite a bit longer than t hat. The mind is a funny thing" Sombra said grinning at her, like the cat that ate the canary.

"Come on Twilight, we need to find that crystal, before it's too late!"

Twilight shook herself, remembering what she was doing before the dream. "I've got a bad feeling," She started down the long spiral stairs. "Spike keep close."

"Come on, you could let him stay here, I know you are dieing to find out what happens next." Sombra teased her as she went down the stairs. His shadow floating down, keeping pace with her perfectly. "Come on, I know y. .."

Sombra's sudden silence, made Twilight pause. She almost glanced towards him, but she found that she was already at the bottom of the stairway. Looking up she found a simple door. It seemed normal enough, wooden, no odd shapes, just a dull crystal hanging above it. Twilight raced towards the door, only for it to rapidly move out of the way. She glared at it, and then glared towards Sombra, but his eyes were fixated with the door as well, his shadowy body not moving an inch.

Twilight turned back to the door, but each time she raced at it, it would move away. "Stop toying with me! You are just being a pest now!" she shouted at Sombra. The shadow did not reply, it simply stared at the door, never blinking or twitching in the slightest. Her frustration reached its peak as her horn glowed, regaining its sickly shades, shooting a nasty looking beam, hitting the crystal dead on. The door to halted immediately and began to glow.

"Twilight, I don't like the fact it stopped when you hit it like that," Spike said nervously, as the door opened up showing a bright light.

She ignored Spikes worry, running straight into the light, "Alright I think I found it..."

"Huh?"

She found herself back in the throne room. "Sombra, I am getting tired of your..." She realized she was talking out loud, and seemed to be in full control of her body.

"What are you doing here?" a hard voice inquired. She turned to find Celestia writing on some parchment.

"I don't know, I opened the door, and..."

"And now you must, g-" The Princesses voice fizzled out with a few green sparks, green static covered the walls and floor.

"I don't need you anymore!" shouted her own voice, finding herself back in her own library only to see herself yelling Spike.

"Bu-, bu," the dragon stammered of shrinking in her doubles shadow.

"Can't you listen? Leave!" Twilight winced at the volume.

"But I am your number one assistant, your best friend!" His pleading was filled with panic. Tears began to form, his whole body starting to shake, "I always thought of you as my m-"

"I don't c-"

"Leave him alone!" Twilight charged the doppelganger, unable to watch any longer.

"Twilight! I don't understand," Spike noticed the second unicorn as she collided with her clone. On the impact the world shifted again. This time however, the scene was unfamiliar to both of them.

"Hear ye, hear ye!" Shouted somepony as they soon found themselves on a stage behind the cap ed from of Sombra, who was posing for the full theater. As they walked around to the front, Twilight noticed that he had no markings of dark magic, his eyes were the same green as in his memories. "The Great Protector of Equestia has returned ridding the world of all threats. The Diamond dogs have been civilized, the changeling army scattered and monitored, and the Crystal Ice Demons of the north subjugated for the good of the land!" the strange voice called out.

"Demons?" Twilight asked, looking at Spike who simply shrugged.

"The wars have been averted," Sombra had a very nervous grin on his face. "...I, I, I must go see the Princess," Sombra quickly ran off the stage.

"Princess?" he called out, "Princesses?"

"GET OUT!" screamed the shadow, as Twilight and Spike found themselves back at the bottom of the stairs. Twilight watched as the Sombra vanished back up the stairs.

Twilight shrugged at his odd behavior, and got back to the matter at hoof, blasting the door with her normal, non-dark magic. The door opened, this time without the odd light or strange visions. She quickly raced through, not sure how much time she had left only to see, "More stairs! Ugh..." hanging her head, she started racing upwards.

-----------------------------------

Standing at the top of the tower she felt a weary smile flash across her face. The Crystal Heart was floating in the middle of the new chamber. She could also see that the shield was at it's limit, flickering dangerously. Quickly beginning to levitate the Crystal, she felt her consciousness start to slip away. "Not again, I am tired of these damn memories!" trying her best to shout, "Spike get that crystal to cadence!" Spike saluted and grabbed the crystal before her vision faded out again.

"Sparks?" Sombra called out as he entered the darkened throne room. "Sparks?" Sombra lit his horn, attempting to get a better view. Scanning the room he lept back, realize he'd almost walked right into a gaping pit in the center of the room . He looked down into the pit, and could just barely make out somepony talking.

"It seems that if we want to rid ourselves of this 'Div ne intervention,' we are going to have to get rid of them both. Pony kind must be lead by its own, not by some cosmic deity."

"Yeah cause that's worked out so well in the past," Sombra muttered, starting down the stair s.

"So we put off electing a new leader and then we let the public unrest grow. With the prince seemingly in charge. The populace will start to grow suspicious. We start a few rumors about a takeover, and before long we'll hang the prince and start the war to get rid of Celestia." The ponies all muttered in agreement.

"Not on my watch," Sombra did his best to look intimidating as he stood to his full height.

"Oh I don't think we'll have to worry about that," Sparks grinned as a previously unseen pony brought their hooves up, knocking the poor prince senseless. Twilight's world went dark before Sombra reopened his eyes.
Looking up the eyes focused on a door, her eyes widened as a group of Crystal Ponies went to open the door, their hooves emanating darkness as they reached towards the door. The crystal above the door siphoned t he dark energy as the door creaked open with a familiar bright flash of light.

She was standing outside looking down at the world. All of Equestria was burning, a massive army holding the crystal emperor flag raised high over the burning capital of Canterlot.

"NO!" she felt her body spasm, as well as something burning at her eyes. The memory cracked and blurred, tinted and skewed by rage. As her vision returned, the ponies that had been holding Sombra down were strewn around the chamber. None of them were breathing. She caught a glance of Sombra in a nearby crystal, seeing a familiar form, looking just like he did when Celestia was briefing her about the mission. He pulled on a red royal cape.

Blinking, time seemed to fast-forward, she saw five years of ruling. The coronation of the king, the subjugation of an empire, failed assassination attempts. She no longer saw the citizens as ponies, she saw something out of a nightmare. Each crystal pony was nothing like what she'd seen of them in the city and memories. They had sharp fangs, monster-like tails filled with snakes, wailing constantly as their bodies spasm ed unnaturally.

Time raced on as she spotted both Princess. The king watched them both as they started freeing the monster-ponies. Then one of the crazed beasts lashed towards Celestia, a bit of blood dripped down her leg.

"And the rest is history," came the jarring voice of King Sombra.

Twilight woke up. Standing across from her stood the King, no longer in his shadowy form. And resting at his his hooves was the crystal heart.

"How? When?"

"Oh please, the memories were just a distraction.” She glanced past him to see that all of her friends had been rounded up, Shining Armor was in chains.

"Twilight!" Shinning armor struggled to wrestle free.

"Foal, you couldn't touch me when I was at half power and mindless beast. Just give it up." Sombra chuckled at the pitiful sight, Twilight glared at him. One of his eyes seemed to be the green shade from his memories.

"How? I sent Spike..."

"Next time tell the foolish child not to use the stairs. He would have done better if he'd just chucked the thing off the top of the tower." Sombra continued to chuckle.

"So now what?" She looked at the newly re-crowned king.

"Hmm, good question. I haven't quite figured that part out just yet , but I have a few ideas." Chuckle turning to a grin as both his eyes lit with dark magic.

Au: special thanks to the editor and chief. Helping out with the editing and small additions, that made the story even better. Sorry for the space between chapter but can't rush good help. Hope you enjoy the next chapter and I look forward to posting the next chapter.

Also anyone interested in my other works i have links to my fan fiction and Fiction press work on my profile page.

Comments

[Shino Dogood]

yay~ Something I helped with has been posted on fimfiction! This feels kinda weird.
Ah well. I'll be working on fixing up the next chapter as soon as I can.

[vazak]

Interesting development I liked the history on the crystal empire, though I felt the start of this chapter was choppy and the whole spike scene with the heart was difficult to follow.

[Msande]

1712175
yeah but i wasn't sure how to break it up properly. Thanks for the coment

[nightmaster0]

Good chapter so the Crystal Ponies are evil and Sombra is the good guy. What about the Princesses what side are they on?

[Msande]

1714826 Kind of, Sombra is still evil but more an extremest than some guy who did it for the evilz