Short Shorts

by Coranth

87. I, Sombra #2 (Author SI in King Sombra's Body)

"Hah!" cried Shining Armor as he caught up to me in an alley just off the main street. "I have you now, Sombra!" That said, he charged up and then fired a massive beam from his horn, hoping to dispatch me in one fell swoop. Shining had meant to hit me... but so great was his rage that he couldn't focus his magic, and it went everywhere, tearing the alleyway asunder and ripping off a part of one of the over hanging roofs of the building surrounding us. With skill borne of 615 years of life and service to Aiur, I leaped out of the way of the falling structure, whilst Shining surrounded himself with a shield. Neither of us heard the cry of the filly until it was too late. Both Shining Armor and I temporarily ceased our battle as the huge slab of crystalline roof came down... and buried the little foal alive...

Oh, no... I thought, a moan escaping me, oh, no, no, no...

As Shining Armor looked on, too shocked to do anything but stand there, I snarled as I turned and frantically tore the rubble apart with my bare hooves, hoping, praying that I wasn't too late. With herculean effort, I hauled huge chunks of rubble away... but when at last I finally uncovered the filly, a moan of despair escaped me as I beheld her condition. Her head, ribs, and legs were crushed; she was all but dead. No... I thought, no, no, no... come on, with all this power there must be something... When I'd ended up in this body I'd gotten not only my own memories, but a patchy mixture of King Sombra's as well, and I searched through those now as I frantically wracked my brains to find a way to help her.

Come on, you old monster, I thought, swiftly looking at and then discarding spell after spell after spell, there must be something here I can use; there must be a way to turn his destructive arts to the purpose of healing... Aha! I'd found something. Drawing upon the ancient King's near instinctive knowledge of magic, I gathered his - my - dark power... and pushed it at the filly. With bated breath, I watched as the dark power entered her, and then... that dark power crackled and hissed over her body as her wounds began to heal. Her neck and ribs snapped back into their proper places. Her flesh knit itself back together. And at last - after what seemed like an eternity - the little crystal foal opened her eyes, then yawned and stretched as I nuzzled, nuzzled, nuzzled, her weeping with silent joy. Moments later, I was placing her atop my back and heading towards the nearest hospital to get her looked over.

* * *

A miserable Shining Armor told the Doctor what had happened as Princess Cadence stood at his side for support, their attention thankfully not on me but on the Doctor as he examined the now-healed filly. As the Crystal Prince concluded the story, the Doctor finished examining the giggling and cooing foal then turned to me, his expression grim. "You're not Sombra," stated he, matter-of-factly. At this, I nodded frantically - finally somepony saw the truth - whilst behind me both Crystal Prince and Princess gasped. "King Sombra wouldn't care a whit for the life of one little filly, but you do. I don't know who you are, and I don't care; that you brought her here so swiftly speaks wonders for your character. Nevertheless, I have bad news for you, I'm afraid..." At this, the ponies behind me gasped whilst my heart dropped into my stomach.

"You believe you saved this filly; that you brought her back from the brink of death, and healed her?" I nodded, beaming. The smile was wiped from my muzzle, however, as the Doctor stoically continued, "The truth is: you did not. This little one died instantly when the roof came down..."

"Nhh! Nhh!" I cried, gesturing to her. But that's not true! I thought, incredulous. She's right there, alive and moving--

The Doctor just looked at me so very sadly. "This little filly died ages ago; was probably dead when you brought her here. You... you're drawing upon necromantic magic to... to control her like a puppet. You think she's alive, thus, your mind and magic is making it so..."

Eyes widening, I looked to him, then to the filly, then to him again even as I frantically shook my head, "Nhh! Nhh! Nhh! Shhs rgggh thrr!" I growled. "Shhs thrr, shss llvv..."

"I'm sorry..." stated the Doctor.

Something inside me snapped. Without warning - before anypony could stop me - I snarled and snatched up the little filly. Then, weeping, tears flying from my eyes, I ran. I'm not sure how long I galloped throughout the Crystal Empire; all I know is that by the time I stopped I was back where this nightmare had begun, breathless, my muscles burning. Gently, I lifted the laughing, cooing filly off my back then lay down amongst the rubble, placing her before me. She was so beautiful; pure golden coat with the loveliest white mane... More tears flowed as I realized what I needed to do...

"Rrrr--" I choked, then started again. "Rrrr yh... rddhh?" I managed to growl out. For the nth time I so wished that the former king's use of Dark Magic hadn't cruelly damaged his powers of speech! At the question, the little filly nodded and smiled; then she raised a little hooflet and I hoof-bumped her. Gently she and I nuzzled, nuzzled, nuzzled each other. She yawned softly, then curled herself up in a little ball. I moved to curl myself about her... and then... at last, I released the spell.

I felt her body grow still...

I felt her little heart slow and then stop beating...

I felt her lungs as she stopped breathing; heard the rattle of her final breath...

And then at last I raised a hoof...

And gently, oh-so-gently, closed her eyes...

Feeling lower than I'd ever felt in my life, I tightened my curl about her body, setting my head to rest upon my forehooves, wanting nothing more to "go with her"; to join that little filly in the afterlife. Cuddling her, rocking her, I whimpered and whined and wept bitterly, staining her coat with my tears as I cried, and cried, and cried... It was when I felt the white, gold-gilded hoof of Celestia touch me gently, heard her softened voice - "It's time; you have to let her go, now" - that I finally snapped. I looked around at the ruin, the devastation. I hadn't caused this. I knew the hoof that wrought this deed... and before anypony could stop me I was atop Shining Armor, beating him to within inch, after bloody inch of his life as...

"WWWWRRRRRRROOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHH!"

"ARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

"GNNNNARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

I roared my grief to the heavens. Soon, however, I was surrounded within a golden aura and hauled away from the arrogant stallion; then my world vanished into the sea of white that were the wings of Princess Celestia. I struggled, thrashed, kicked, wailed... and then finally I just burnt out, turning to hug her as I bawled like an overtired colt. "Nvh mnn fh thss t' hphn. Nvh mnn fh thss t' hphn. Nvh mnn fh thss t' hphn..." I whimpered. "Plssss..."

"Sshh, sshh, sshh," Celestia soothed, "it's alright; I know, I know, sssh..."

* * *

I had a super-fortress, capable of holding as many as needed, able to manufacture armies of machines to create as well as destroy...

Over 615 years of training and experience with combat, psionics, politics, diplomacy...

Mastery of the physical, psionic, and technological arts... and now limited control of sorcerous pony magic thanks to this body I inhabited with its patchy memories that were now mine...

I was David Boucher, Protoss-raised, human High Templar.

I was King Sombra, former Emperor of the Crystal Empire.

And yet, for all my great power...

I could do nothing...

Nothing to save the life...

Of one... little... filly...

Author's Note:

My Author SI ends up in the reincarnated body of King Sombra. It... doesn't work out well...

Comments

[joeyjumper94]

I'd be angry too if a filly was killed because somepony's bad aim caused a roof to fall.
I'd feel crushed if I had all that power, but couldn't do anything to help that filly.

[Coranth]

4098688 What makes this even worse is that my SI follows a strict oath - one followed by all High Templar - to never engage in combat via mundane means. To never fight physically. When this happened, I'd just incarnated (in the body of Sombra) and had gone into the Empire looking for help, to ask where I was, etc.

Shining Armor and Cadance refused to listen to reason.

I didn't cause this. I didn't fight Shining Armor. I was fleeing from him.

It was all his fault, because of his blind hatred for King Sombra; for what he did to the Crystal Empire. Shining Armor was blinded by his rage, "I'll do anything if it means your death, monster!" And he did.

This was the result...

[eighter]

for all the power of necromancy it is not the white and can not fully bring the dead back to life it just makes jokes,puppets of life

but once again i love this short

[joeyjumper94]

4098895 did you lash out at Shining (I can't aim to save my life) Armor.
PS. How long was the filly dead?

[Coranth]

4100538

Did you lash out at Shining (I can't aim to save my life) Armor?

I was concentrating on getting the hell out of there, so if I did retaliate against Shining Armor it was to stall, hinder, or temporarily disable him in some manner that I might put more distance between him and me.

How long was the filly dead?

Not sure, but it took me half an hour to get to the Doc. As written in the story, the little filly was killed immediately when the roof came down, but because of the spell I cast on her, I didn't even know she was dead until the Doc told me so...

[joeyjumper94]

4101958 If the time between when the filly was crushed and when you fixed her body with the spell wasn't too long and there was no damage to the brain, then she could've been saved.

before anypony could stop me I was atop Shining Armor, beating him to within inch, after bloody inch of his life as I roared my grief to the heavens.

this is what I meant by lashing out.

[Coranth]

4102353 Even with all my training as a High Templar, my Mentors were unable to instill within me the absolute purity of discipline that true Protoss High Templar possess; my mind was too different from theirs, they said. Thus, despite my great training, in times of duress the most powerful of emotions can still get the better of me.