Somewhere in the Unicorn Range, within the secret mountain fortress known as “Lunar Fort 2”, a meeting was taking place.
The fortress practically was a mountain, carved out and naturally forming tunnels forming its corridors. Not much light illuminated the place, and for good reason.
The place was supposed to be a secret, after all, and a bunch of lights in the dead of night would certainly attract unwanted attention.
Within the actual fortress, most of the light came from windowless sections with lit torches, the occasional Night patrol passing by to make sure that they were still lit.
Banners with the Royal Sister's cutie marks hung over many of the walls, serving as the only notable decoration down most corridors.
Within the briefing room, a single, roaring fireplace illuminated the otherwise dark room. The room was made of the surrounding stone, carved specifically for the purpose of holding private meetings.
It was spacious, though a heavy wooden door served as the only way in or out.
The floor oddly enough had grass, giving a pleasant feel to those who walked in. Seat cushions were scattered all over the floor, the area right in front of the fireplace the only place bare of grass.
One would question the fire hazard of such a setup, but considering that there was hardly any other furniture in the room, one could assume that a stray ember burning down the place really would not be that costly.
The fire place, though roaring and cackling in the silence, hardly illuminated the room, with two ponies sitting across from each other, the light of the fireplace revealing the stone space between them.
The two would have had to stretch and lean their body to touch each other, but that space mostly was for the sake of comfort. The room was not drafty, so compared to the outside, it felt better to keep their distance.
Princess Luna and Captain Sombra sat in silence, neither saying a word for a few minutes. Luna, her blue coat and starry mane contrasting with the surrounding grey stone, held a single piece of parchment with her magic.
She set it between the two and unrolled it. Sombra noted that this was directly in front of the fire; best to get a good look before a stray ember get to it.
Sombra may have been fully garbed in his battle armor, dented and discolored from years of combat, but his eyes reflected the fire of the light like pools of water reflect the moon on a clear spring night.
His gaze on the fire, drifting to the parchment only when it was fully open. It was a map of the Crystal Empire's capital city, the very center of their rival's power and wealth.
His black mane and grey coat could hardly be seen with his armor reflecting the light of the fire, though not as clearly as his eyes had been.
Luna spoke first, breaking the solace. Sombra starkly recalled Luna's serious tone, lacking in jest or amiability.
“Your mission, in short, is that I need you to get the crystal princess to lower her guard and secure the Crystal Heart, ultimately ridding Equestria of a most troublesome rival. Do you think that you can handle that?”
Sombra chuckled, recalling that it had been Luna who practically dragged him from his home in order to do the mission, claiming that only he could complete the mission.
Though the last bit of her statement was clearly rhetorical, Sombra could not help but reply in kind, a dark smile spreading across his muzzle.
"I can handle that. Sounds like I will not even need the whole week. This princess is not even an alicorn."
Luna frowned, pointing a hoof to the clearly marked and circled castle on the parchment.
"Do not underestimate her, Sombra. It has taken a very long time to prepare for this, and I have no patience for anypony, not even Celestia's favorite guardspony, to mess it up."
Sombra's smile shrank ever so slightly at the thought of failure.
"You asked me for this mission, recall? Considering what is on the table for success, failure is not an option for me."
Luna nodded, a small smile forming.
"Of course. Truly, failure is not an option. If there are no further questions, then we may go ahead and set out."
Sombra flicked his ears, to suggest that he indeed had a question.
"So what do we do with the princess once we have her where we want her?"
Luna rolled up the parchment, poofing it off to some unknown location. She then flicked her own ears to Sombra's discarded saddlebags. Much like his armor, they had seen their best days quite some time ago.
"Something will have to be done with your appearance if I am to pass you off as someone not associated with the Equestrian military. As for your question."
Luna put a hoof to her chin for a moment in contemplation before answering, "I do not want to plan that far ahead yet; there are too many moving parts just in the acquiring of her trust portion of all this."
Sombra could hardly believe that Luna had not planned that part out. To him, it seemed like the most significant part of the whole plot.
Luna, likely sensing his discontent, elaborated further on the plan.
"I have tormented the ponies with nightmares for quite awhile now, and the princess has been led to believe, through my visionary influence, that you are the answer to their ailments. What we do with the princess depends largely on her own actions.”
Sombra reached his hoof and grabbed his saddlebags, suspicion written upon his face.
"Seems like you do actually have that planned out, and just do not want to tell me. Is there some reason I am not being informed of the possible paths?"
Luna sighed, again scrutinizing with her eyes the armor that Sombra wore.
"Do not question me on this. Leave the planning out to me; you just execute. If you can help it, keep innocent casualties down to a minimum."
Sombra smiled again, no doubt appearing somewhat conceded in some secret memory.
"Listen, when the Trottabamans arm every filly and colt with a small knife, you can not take any chances now can you? Guerilla warfare is very hard to lose when you leave nothing, and nopony, to chance."
Luna growled, showing some of her teeth in a way that Sombra thought was rather degrading for one of her class.
"This is not a mission of conquest, Sombra, at least not in the traditional sense. Your only targets are those who make obvious moves to harm you, expose your cover, or obstruct your mission.
No other pony! You have no idea the infamy that particular razing accumulated for Equestria."
Sombra cackled and leaned back onto his haunches, once again in full sitting position. "But it got the job done, no?"
Deep down, at the time, he wondered if he could get away with such a snide remark.
Luna sighed, apparently tired of beating an already dead horse.
"Listen, just follow my instructions to the letter. Use your head more often than your horn. The situation will remain fluid throughout this entire mission; nothing except my first sentence should be set in stone."
Luna locked eyes with Sombra, leaning her head in slightly for dramatic effect, enunciating each syllable as if they were their own important word.
"Do you un-der-stan-d me, Sombra?"
Sombra nodded and gave a hearty salute. "Yes your majesty!"
"Good."
Luna smiled, rose to her hooves, looked Sombra over one more time, and then frowned yet again.
"Leave the bag here. You may summon it later if you need it so badly."
Sombra looked to his saddlebags, the heavy book within far too precious to leave in the fire prone room that they sat in.
"I would rather keep it somewhere personal and private, if that is alright with you."
Luna looked reluctant to comply, but instead waved him off with a hoof, turning to face the door.
"Fine, but I expect you to be ready in five. We carry on from here on hoof."
Sombra's posture sank somewhat, those words disheartening considering the pleasant chariot ride over here.
He was used to marching, but at least he dictated when they stopped and when they went; Luna would probably have them trotting the whole way if she intended on them making it in one day.
Day Two: arrival (approximately noon)
Luna indeed made them walk the entire way in a single day, but by her grace, they stopped and made camp before actually reaching the gates.
In the springtime, the far north was not as insufferable to travel through, and could even pass for the temperate climate further south on most days.
Luna also actually carried her own saddlebag of supplies; Sombra did not mind having to only carry his own, but wondered if Celestia would carry her own if permitted.
It would have been an interesting thing to test out had he returned, as most royalty had their company carry such things.
His shiny new armor had been thankfully lighter than his old one, but as Luna put it, his current armor was more ceremonial than functional.
Again, he would stick out as someone affiliated with the military, but he would not appear like a real experienced soldier; just enough to distinguish him from the more infamous Sombra that supposedly prowled villages for foals to enslave for his masters.
Sombra would have liked for the record to show that he preferred to enslave the fully grown ponies; after all, they could carry far more than their own weight, even on long trips.
The trip to the Crystal Empire had been uneventful, perhaps by design, despite the very direct route that the two took.
Why they could not just take a chariot baffled Sombra, though he suspected that it had been to avoid association with Equestrian royalty.
Being non-crystal ponies, they were obviously going to stick out. It had not been until they made camp that Luna told Sombra that she would be going in disguise as a pegasus with a non-flowing, cloud-like mane.
She would not bother changing her color scheme or cutie mark; she would not be nearly as recognizable as her sister anyways.
She had said that with a hint of bitterness, though Sombra dismissed it, and reasoned she instead was trying to cover up the fact that she had probably not considered the presence of an alicorn with the supposed savior of the crystal empire.
The two finally arrived after a full night's rest to the Crystal Empire, the splendor of the city truly special, as Sombra had not seen such a city beyond the borders of Equestria. .
There were gems everywhere; the streets, the buildings, even the ponies themselves shone with a crystalline gleam.
Some sought streets paved with gold, but Sombra had fought dragons that would kidnap ponies just for the chance at streets made of gems instead.
The ponies were lively and cheery, frolicking even despite Luna's earlier claims of tormenting them in their sleep. Not a depressed one among the lot, at least with those seen outside.
"Welcome to the Crystal Empire!" one crystal mare greeted, her eyes locked onto Sombra's form.
Her coat had a tinge of yellow, with a curly mane to match, and she stood almost a whole foot shorter than Sombra. "I believe you two are here to see the princess."
"Good guess," Luna replied, smiling at the mare in turn, "I presume she is in the palace?"
"She is waiting for you, actually." The pony then skipped off, gazing at Sombra as if he had just come back from the dead in order to destroy an unholy demon for the people of the Empire.
And who knows; maybe he was. Luna did not go into very serious details about that either.
Sombra shook his head and carried on with Luna. He leaned his head in close to hers, not wanting to have to speak very loudly.
"How does she know that? And what is with this place?"
Luna giggled, at least looking to take some pleasure in Sombra's question.
"As I said, I have been preparing for this for quite awhile. Now stop whispering before you draw further suspicion."
Sombra stood up straight, indeed seeing some crystal pony guards gazing in their direction with narrowed eyes. No matter what country, the guards always spotted newcomers, and had some sort of vigilance regarding their presence.
Had they known who they were looking at, they might would have attacked right then and there.
Luna's preparation had to have been phenomenal, considering that his red horn did not draw any suspicious questions as to whether he was related to the Captain Sombra.
Or the thought that he might have some concealed weaponary undernath the ceremonial armor.
Once they reached the palace courtyard, they came within sight of the Crystal Heart. Security flanking every side of it demanded to know their reason for getting even within sight of the Crystal Heart.
Other than the obvious_ it was smack dab in the middle of an open square_ Sombra had to admit that he was somewhat relieved that somepony finally asked what they were actually doing, rather than what they were supposed to be doing.
No surprise that the ponies who asked were the ones guarding the crystal heart; after all, it possessed incredible power when wielded by the populace and their ruler.
With it, they could manipulate the emotions of the entire continent, in particular, Equestria.
They knew that Celestia sought to find some way to annex them, but with their monarch constantly rejecting diplomatic measures, they had good reason to believe that military force would be the next step.
It had been for the Equestrian break-offs who had centuries ago seceded when Discord was defeated, and refused reunification.
Using the Crystal Heart, the Crystal Empire not only could they repel almost any invading army, but also set into the hearts of Equestrians rebellion, discontent, and fear. The last thing they needed was another civil war.
That, Sombra admitted, was a legitimate reason for Luna to seek a more covert means of bringing down the Empire. They were supposedly there to stop that from becoming a reality, in some shape or fashion.
So, presented with the question of why they were there, answering the truth might would have gotten them kicked out rather early.
"This here is Sir Sombra." Luna presented Sombra as if he were some sort of cure all tonic, a single hoof tracing his features. It would have unnerved him had it been a stallion touching him in such a manner.
"I am sure Princess Amore is expecting somepony of that name and this look."
Sombra's ears stood on end as he took in that bit of information. Really and truly Luna was going with his real name. Luna had failed to specify that part of this procedure.
Damn it all, he had even thought of a fake name that he could go as! Shining Armor would have worked nicely, considering his armor's shine. Now he would have to go in there with his own name on the table, and extra caution to his reactions.
The crystal guards looked to each other for a moment. Sombra had been amused that they wore such little armor: merely a breastplate and a helmet. Yet still seemed to think that they were prepared to fight any sort of conflict with a fully armored Equestria.
Then again, the Crystal Ponies did not have to fight with their army against Equestria now did they?
"It looks about right, but how we know that it is not a fake?" One of the guards lowered his spear threateningly, as if that would reveal the truth if they were lying.
Sombra smiled. The whites of his eyes flashed green, and purple flames seemed to ignite from the corners. He then let loose a forked tongue, causing the entire ring of guards to look to each other in bewilderment.
As if it were some sort of passcode, the guard who had lowered the spear nodded.
The two Equestrians then proceeded towards the palace entrance.
Sombra made sure to take a mental note as to where the Heart was being kept, and the way in which they surrounded it in a tight circle. That information no doubt would come in handy later on.
Sombra and Luna were escorted through the crystal palace to the front doors, ceremoniously greeted by the guards along the way.
Sombra had to admit, he seriously believed, for a few moments, that they were welcomed guests about to bless the state with their power.
The throne room lavishly put on display the power of the Empire; the crystal construction, the purple and gold drapes, the large back and front doors, and the crimson carpet that led straight up to the throne greeted Sombra and Luna at the door.
Sombra's jaw fell open, his heart temporarily stricken with awe. Clean, sparkling, luxurious, far greater than the average home of any creature he had ever met before. Even the royal sisters tended to use vibrant coloration sparingly.
Princes Amore sat on her throne, gazing towards the double doors that allowed Sombra, Luna, and a few flanking guards to enter the room. Her shiny coat seemed almost translucent, though the hint of pink and red caught Sombra's eye.
Her weary orange eyes scanned the newcomers with scrutiny, as if filing away every inch of her guests' profiles. Her attention lingered particularly long on Sombra, perhaps because he stuck out even more so than Luna did.
The room being filled with bright colors and light, no surprise that he would be the center of attention. Both literally and mentally, Sombra knew that it would be a long walk to the throne.
One of their escorts stepped from his place and cleared his throat, preparing to announce their arrival.
"Presenting Sir Sombra and his, err, friend?"
The guard paused, looking towards Luna with a questioning look. Someone had obviously forgotten to ask her name, much less her affiliation with Sombra.
"Sir Sombra huh?"
Amore sat back in her throne, her mind likely going through any other ponies of that name, "Unrelated to Captain Sombra of Celestia's Army I presume?"
"Of course, no relation," Luna said, not wanting to give the guard a chance to think about an answer, " Sombra is a popular stallion name among this branch of the unicorn tree."
"Right." Amore did not seemed convinced, but did not challenge the response, instead shifting in her seat.
"For the past few months the dreams of my subjects, and myself, have been haunted by a strange mare bearing similar colors as to your own coat, miss...?"
"Timore. Timore Noctis."
Sombra blinked, trying to keep a straight face at the name Luna had given herself. Luna seemed to be walking on rather thin ice here, as no doubt anything resembling timid and nocturnal might make the princess all the more suspicious as to their identity.
Amore did not challenge this either, but rose from her throne and trotted down the eight steps to her throne. Her eyes remained firmly planted on Luna, no doubt sizing up the validity of the name.
After all, Luna was still disguised as a pegasus, and she may have heard that they were seen walking here rather than flying in.
"Well Timore, the mare in question calls herself Nightmare Moon, for some reason, and claims that she can only be defeated by somepony wielding dark magic and a red horn like a rhinoceros. Sombra here fits that description very well."
Sombra nodded, but Luna once again took up the call for speech, intent on selling the idea to everyone present.
"Indeed, Sombra's knowledge of dark magic is vast. All he needs is to spend one night and he can rid any resident of that mare's influence!"
Amore by this point stopped walking forward, and flicked an ear to the guards. "It does seem too good to be true."
Sombra noticed the gesture, and heard the most of the seven guards positioning themselves at the door. Two others flanked the princess, just a few steps behind her.
All of them wielded spears, and in no short order Sombra could have guessed that he and Luna were about to be under attack.
Or, Amore merely sought to gauge their reaction from what appeared to be the preparation for an attack.
Captain Sombra, happily married stallion of war, would have probably started advancing on the princess, as between a hostage situation and laying flat the entire crystal guard, the former seemed the most plausible to live through.
Of course, Sombra could not be himself here, so he would have to improvise. A sly smile found itself on his face, the stallion licking his lips slowly, deliberately, while eying the princess with a hungry expression.
"Well, if you are in disbelief, a one on one session is not out of the question. I am a stallion of many talents, the private chambers of fantasy and nightmare both bend to my touch."
A few guards in the room snorted, Amore's personal guard went rigid, a hoof wrapped around their spears as if preparing to throw in response to Sombra's words.
Luna glared at Sombra, as if trying to convey her displeasure for the very suggestive sentence that he had put together on the fly.
Amore, oddly enough amused, smiled broadly, eyes settling on Luna.
"A personal session with me is above your current credibility score, but I think your companion would be more than willing to play along, since she is so intent on selling you off as a miracle worker."
Even in her magical disguise Sombra caught the very brief scowl that almost fully emerged upon Luna's face.
"But, I am not..."
Amore silenced Luna with a raise of her hoof, anticipating her refusal quite well.
"As long as you are in the Empire, then the mare will strike, so you will do fine."
Luna would not be so easily defeated.
“Surely one of your guards would serve better?”
Amore chuckled, then teasingly mocked the perceived wariness for Luna to allow Sombra to demonstrate his abilities using her as a trial run.
“What is the matter? You do not trust Sombra to rid you of any nightmares that should befall you?”
Luna laughed uneasily, waving her hoof dismissively at the accusation.
“Come now, it is just that such impromptu sleeping is not what I am used to.”
Luna gave Sombra quick glance, as if permitting him to speak again.
Sombra smiled, figuring that payback for dragging him out here in the first place always tasted better on request.
“I am such a good nightmare banisher; a test on you will ensure this deal’s success. Do not worry, I will be gentle.”
Sombra knew he was going to get it later on, but in this moment, he relished in the restrained frustration of the alicorn disguised Pegasus.
Defeated at last, Luna Trotted around in a circle and then curled up. She gave the appearance of trying to sleep, though Sombra highly doubted that the mare would just fall asleep in the still semi-threatening atmosphere.
No sooner had Luna closed her eyes did Sombra, and everyone in the room for that matter, recoil backwards. Sombra had not even done it intentionally. A dark aura filled the air, icy grip choking the very breath from the ponies present.
“Oh she is good,” Amore commented, looking towards Sombra, “Well Sombra, you should get started.”
Sombra strode over confidently to Luna, horn glowing a bright red. His eyes flashing green, Sombra exhaled a purple mist onto Luna’s face, no doubt giving her the signal for something to happen.
Moments after exhalation, the mist expanded, and began swirling above Luna like a raging thundercloud its Pegasus prey.
Luna twitched and groaned, crying out, “No, no!” It seemed as if she were in the grips of a terrible nightmare.
The guards shifted, edgy from this display, perhaps reminded of their own nightly terrors. Amore inquisitively took a step forward, as if to get a better look at the process.
While Sombra knew that Luna would be faking this he could sense that something was off about all of this. His gut told him to prepare for retaliation for his earlier comment earlier than planned.
As if on cue, Luna lashed out in her sleep with her hooves, striking Sombra straight in the chest.
The air knocked from him, the stallion found himself sprawled out on his back, coughing and gasping for air. Recovery came only after a few minutes of this, by which time the amount of fear welling up in the room had dramatically increased.
While he had been focused on himself, Luna seemed to undergo a series of spasms; within the span of a few seconds, a new, dark presence surrounded her. She cried out again, but this time, Sombra could not make out the words.
Hopefully this odd display merely was Luna trying to both convince Amore of their charade and get payback on Sombra for his sultry commentary.
At least, he hoped that was the case.
When the swirling ended and Luna's form could once again be seen, no longer sleeping there was a pegasus mare; a tall alicorn stood in her place.
But this alicorn clearly was not Luna, or at least not the Luna that Sombra knew.
This new pony bore the same cutie mark and stood as tall as Celestia, towering over even Sombra this point, scanning the room with cat-like eyes.
When it opened its mouth, a harsh cackle like thunder emitted instead of words.
The black coat became encased in purple armor, the previously bare head donning a matching helmet. The mane still resembled the night sky, but instead of flowing, it seemed alive, eagerly willing to obey the bidding of its master.
The many crystal guards in the room looked pale as ghosts, their shiny coats losing their luster. They looked like regular, scared shitless ponies now, much to Sombra’s personal amusement.
Indeed, Luna was quite good, as even Amore froze in place.
“Tremble in fear, little ponies, for the time of eternal night is coming! And you, my enemies, know what that means for you!”
The pony’s voice resounded and echoed off the very walls, sinisterly mocking the very fear that almost everypony felt. Sombra would have smiled had he not the lingering concern that Luna might be getting too involved in her role.
After all, he still needed to somehow best this without appearing to win too easily.
While Amore's two personal guards remained resolved in their position, the discipline of the fringe guards unraveled like a tightly tied rope knot untied without releasing the tension.
The five guards who had been shaking before dropped their weapons and fled, crying out in panic, “Nightmare Moon! Gallop for your lives!”
The two fringe guards with some mettle left in them joined the princess and her two personal guards, spears shakily held towards the spectral invader. Amore shook her head, over her initial shock and terror, and then stared at Sombra critically.
Sombra could feel a scolding coming his way, for Celestia wore a similar look the last time he had come back from campaigning.
“What is the meaning of this? How dare you bring Nightmare Moon, the mare who has tormented my subjects for so long, into my own throne room!”
Sombra turned towards Amore more hastily than he would have liked, for he feared that his cover may have been blown from this display. He spoke far more confidently than he should have, considering he had absolutely no control over the situation.
“Do not worry princess, this is naught but an illusion brought on by the drea…”
Sombra did not finish his statement; Nightmare Moon swiftly closed the very short distance between them and, with one of her long arms, swatted his body faster than he could register her initial movements.
Like a pest of sorts smacked off by a horse tail, Sombra went flying, rolling to a halt only when he came into contact with the half-opened front doors.
He narrowly kept from being impaled by the cast aside spears from the more cowardly members of the guard, far too much luck playing into his favor at the time.
Dazed, confused, and creeping fear beginning to take hold, Sombra realized that he may have underestimated this “illusion” of sorts. This Nightmare Moon might seriously be the real deal, and he had almost let her nearly break every bone in his body.
Sombra spat a few bits of blood onto the floor while he struggled to his hooves. His heart rate increased dramatically, every instinct in his body telling him to flee with the less dutious set of guards, adrenaline numbing any potential pain from his injuries.
Instinct, thankfully, was not all that the pony ran on.
“I retract that, maybe you are more than an illusion,” Sombra admitted, using his magic to pick up one of the fallen spears, “But that only makes you more vulnerable to tangible attacks!”
Sombra hurled the spear at Nightmare Moon; the body turned to a strange mist, and the spear seemed to go right through it.
Sombra scolded himself for not thinking straight, for even if he had struck, it might would have done more harm than good in the long run.
“Amore, I think it is high time that we were leaving!” one of the guards frantically stated, attempting to reason with the princes.
Amore took a moment to think before looking at Sombra again. Sombra did not like that look, so filled with smug expectation and a desire to see him succeed.
“No.” Amore then turned to her guards with a malice that made even Sombra cringe a little bit. Her voice dripped with subtle venom as she spoke, not wanting there to be any confusion as to her decision on the matter.
“I am going to make sure I appropriately punish the cowards who fled and abandoned their charge and comrades, but Sombra here has yet to prove himself. If she wins here, then we might as well hand her the crown, for there is no alternative.”
Nightmare Moon’s eyes lit up, as if that changed everything. Sombra uneasily felt oddly better, as if his earlier injury really had been nothing more than a mind trick of sorts. Then again, it could have been his adrenaline still pumping.
“The Crystal Heart would do.” Nightmare, her voice now more level, outstretched her wings as if to prepare for flight, despite the lack of flying space in the throne room..
“I would rather die than grant you the crystal heart!” the guards seemed to regain their bravery with the mention of their relic being in danger; Sombra had to wonder what they valued more, life or that magical jewel.
What kind of princess put more stock in a jewel than her own safety?
Nightmare Moon laughed, her laughter again echoed off of the walls while thunder cracked in the background.
“I can arrange that!”
Her horn began to glow a bright blue, a reminder to Sombra that Luna was supposed to be acting. He was not so sure anymore though, just how much was acting, and how much was just her. What was illusion, and what was reality.
What he did know was that if she got her hooves on the Crystal Heart, then while he might be complete early, he might not ever live to see another day while she remained in this mad state.
“Do not try to engage her,” Sombra warned, taking a few steps back from the danger, “That is an alicorn, and I need not remind you the power of Celestia.”
Comparing her to Celestia seemed to enrage the pony, the glowing brightening considerably. Sombra knew not why his statement evoked such a reaction, but he did know that he needed to start moving before she turned on him again.
No sooner had his hooves understood the directive did a blast of magic let loose from Nightmare’s horn. Although he dodged the actual beam, the shockwave from the resulting explosion sent him into the air, conveniently careening through the double doors
Sombra magically opened the door and rolled into the hallway. Not wasting momentum, Sombra managed to right himself just in time to hear the terrified screams of the guards.
With that distraction in place, more guards began to rush towards the throne room, concern written on their faces and spears at the ready. Sombra passed by them all, smelling the fear of what they might would find, and knowing that he did not want to be around for mayhem.
For lack of better grasp, the pony mindlessly ran through hallways, twissts and turns that he thought he had mapped out more appropiately beforehand.
He soon found out just how off he indeed had been, only one reasonable conclusion coming to mind after passing the same unicorn head statue three times in five minutes.
Somehow, just that quickly Sombra had managed to get lost.
Finding himself going in circles, Sombra ended up back at the throne room’s front doors. The sounds of battle were ongoing, and despite everything, Sombra had to check up on progress. When he opened the doors, however, he found far more than he had bargained for.
Corpses, charred and mangled alike, were scattered across the floor; Amore, having not lost her resolve, attempted to command her forces in an organized attack on the alicorn.
However, Nightmare Moon bested them all; a blast of magic there, misty asphyxiation there, the elusive mare kept up a one pony fight against the Crystal guards.
Their numbers dwindling with each assault, the Nightmare did not let up, blood covering her hooves and mane, the latter of which lashed out at any pony foolish enough to try to flank her from behind.
Sombra could only stare in wonder. No wonder the guards had been so terrified of her previously; dreaming something like this for a week would put him on knives as well.
A hoof tapped him on the rear, causing him to jump at least a foot in the air. The startled captain, upon landing back on his hooves, stared at one the guards who had earlier fled.
“Sombra, really, how long have you been just standing here?” the guard inquired, “Luna cannot hold them off forever.”
“You could fool me,” Sombra muttered before he realized that the guard had specifically referenced Luna using her actual name..
The guardpony’s eyes flashed green, a smile creasing his lips.
“Come on, most of the guard is either running around scared shitless or defending the princess. ‘We’ are the few who are left to guard the Heart.”
It only just now begun to register an answer to the question of who he was talking to. Or at least, what he was talking to, and how they seemed to know more about what was going on than he did.
“I did not expect to be working alongside changelings,” Sombra commented, closing the throne room doors, slightly muffling the sounds of the one alicorn fight.
The changeling laughed while he led the way down the hallway, apparently amused by Sombra’s response.
“Consider this a mutual benefit situation. It’s classified how we benefit, but I assure you Sombra, we are here to make your job much easier.”
Sombra wanted a full explanation, but that would have to wait. The changeling picked up the pace, now outright dashing, still in guard form. Sombra followed, not wanting to get left behind, lest Luna forget who her allies were.
The changeling led Sombra to a towering flight of stairs somewhere in the palace. Sombra dared take a look upwards to estimate how long it would take to get to the top. Seeing no end in sight, Sombra groaned.
“You have got to be kidding me!”
The white staircase wound upwards in a seemingly limitless spiral, as if the very heavens welcomed the top, and then watched it carry on past the stars.
Not only that, but the room was entirely unfamiliar, Sombra coming to terms with the fact that he may have been led astray by this changeling.
“I know it looks daunting, but it is merely an illusion that the ponies came up with,” the changeling reassured Sombra, “It is much easier going down than up.”
Sombra looked at the changeling quizzically. “These stairs go up. What have you been chewing on?”
The changeling laughed and, as a demonstration, walked forward.
“It was in our intelligence report, one I presume you did not get. These stairs are meant to deter invaders; the trick is to go down instead of up.”
The changeling hopped onto the first set of stairs, and then became encased in a green magic. The changeling flipped perspectives, and as if gravity made an exception for this insect in diguise, the changeling began sliding up the stairs.
“I have got to get me one of these troll staircases,” Sombra commented, watching the changeling go further and further upwards. It would make a fine addition to his Canterlot garrison re-design plans, he reasoned.
Repeating the changelings actions, Sombra found gravity slightly less kind to him, and rather than sliding up the stairs like his predecessor, he found himself falling off the second set back down to the first.
A few attempts later and he managed to reach the end, a few new bruises to show for it. His steps became somewhat labored, his earlier injuries beginning to make themselves known the more the unicorn calmed himself.
Here, at what looked to be the top of the castle, stood guard dozens of crystal ponies; all of them green eyed and smiling. This explained the 'cowardly' guards who were willing to abandon their princess to the fury of a raging alicorn.
In the center of the room, above what looked to be some sort of a water well, was the crystal heart, its light radiating a strange warmth that even Sombra could not deny demanded sheltering.
“The guards shelter the heart up here whenever there is a serious threat to the Empire,” the changeling from earlier explained with a smile, “Only the guards know about its location; the local populace have no clue.”
Sombra, though pleased at finding the Heart at last, had one lingering question. “So what do we do now?”
“Bask!” The changeling looked towards the heart with a smile, swooning ever so slightly alongside his comrades.
Sombra was not sure to whether he should be disturbed or angry. His mind would have settled on merely disturbed had a distinct sound from below not caught his attention.
The faint cries of terror stricken residents reminded Sombra that Luna was awaiting the signal to end the madness; there was no need for more ponies to die than necessary, if they were actually dying down there that is.
“I am going to have to borrow that for a moment!” Sombra channeled dark magic to his horn, and then shot it at the Heart.
The heart deflected the dark magic right back at Sombra, levitating him in the air until he touched the ceiling.
Flailing, the unicorn managed to cancel the magic out and land on his hooves, much to the amusement of the changelings, who all snickered in unison. It was kind of creepy, Sombra thought, but greater concerns were his.
“Dark magic will not work against it,” the changeling stated, “What do you need it for anyways?”
Sombra looked at the creature as if he had just suggested that he should jump off of the highest tower of the tallest building without his horn attached blind folded!
“Nigthmare Moon, is down there slaughtering the guard of the crystal ponies as if we were at war with them! She is likely awaiting the go ahead that we seized the heart!”
“The fewer of them around, the better,” one of the other changelings piped, “After all, they were going to have to be dealt with anyways.”
Sombra growled, but did not voice his objections. He was no pacifist, but he did not cater to trusting the word of these changelings, who were indirectly sapping at the resident’s love and vigor with their very own Crystal Heart.
Wait, if the changelings could sap at the love of the residents through the Crystal Heart, then that meant that all Equestria had to do was have the buggers seize the Heart and then invade.
The Heart would have been powerless to stop them, and for all of Amore' cunning, not even she could won against the full brunt of the Equestrian military.
He could go back down the stairs, but that would take far too long. The mayhem needed to end much sooner than that.
Utilizing standard magic, Sombra horn glowed red, the Crystal heart soon being encased in his magical grip. This time, the heart resisted in a very striking way; it jabbed at his mind, purging his thoughts of any sane emotion.
Instead, all he could think about was a purple mare and her foals, eagerly awaiting his return home.
Sombra felt warm and fuzzy, but when the changelings looked towards him as if he were something to eat, he quickly pulled the Heart down and readied his descent down the stairs
“Sorry about that, I guess we got a little greedy there,” the first changeling apologized, tracing a hoof sheepishly on the floor, “You have the Heart; we’ll report back to the Queen, and then link back up with you at your coronation.”
Coronation? For a brief moment Sombra thought that he might become an alicorn for his actions here. Just think of all the power, the prestige, the opportunities!
Then he thought better of it; it was more likely that he steal the Crystal throne and be crowned King than actually be ascended for his efforts. It had been a nice if not short lived thought though.
Sombra thought of the place that he wanted, the throne room, specifically, right in front of the front doors. With that image in his head, Sombra channeled magic into his horn, teleportation spell at the ready.
Upon execution, Sombra found himself just mere inches away from getting stomped on by Nightmare Moon.
Rather than flinching and bracing for impact, the captain instead used the Heart like a blunt weapon, slamming it against Nightmare Moon’s reared up body like the head end of a war hammer.
The surprised alicorn fell back, and the two guards awaiting their end near Sombra’s hooves looked up in bewilderment.
“Begone ye terror of the night!” Sombra chanted, surging magic into his horn in an overly flashy display of power, “The power of thy wickedness is naught to me now!”
Rather than standing down as she should have, Nightmare Moon stood up, eyes flashing dangerously from Sombra to the Crystal Heart.
No doubt the mare weighed her current options, though Sombra had no intentions of leaving to chance that she choose to just take the heart from him and leave him for dead.
Before Sombra could release his magic, he felt a tug on his strength; as if it had a mind of its own, the Crystal Heart took on a red tint, moments before it fired a beam of magic at Nightmare.
Though she turned to mist, the beam still struck true, and for reasons unknown to Sombra, they still seemed to affect her body. The red aura completely surrounded her form, engulfing it in a bright red light of sorts.
“Noooooo!” Nightmare wailed, vanishing in a poof of smoke and sparkles. Again, it seemed a bit flashy for Sombra's taste, but anything to get this part of the mission over.
Left in her place was the still disguised Luna, completely clear of any signs of battle. In fact, the previously mangled guards stirred again, their gasps of breath dramatically suggesting that they were coming back to life.
More likely though they were never actually dead, but Sombra did not toy with the idea that had that not worked, he could have been among them.
With the heart in his grasp, Sombra boldly stepped up to the awestruck princess, a confident smile on his face.
“Yes, there had been more than a little doubt a few moments back about your abilities.”
Amore had not fully recovered from the shock of seeing fallen guard members getting back up, brushing themselves off and rubbing their heads. As if they had all been experiencing a very realistic and very drawn out nightmare.
As far as Sombra was concerned, it would work out better if that were the case anyways, and it seemed to be the case. At last his heart rate could finally start to come down, as confidence in his own thwarting of the 'illusion' had sank in.
“I told you, nothing more than an illusion.”
Sombra continued to grin, slowly walking towards Amore until he came nearly nose to nose with her. None of the guards attempted to stop him, perhaps in their own little worlds
Not once did he reveal just how unnerved he had actually gotten back there.
“Now do you believe in my prowess?”
“Is she coming back?” Amore looked towards Luna as if she would spring back into that form at any moment; the pegasus disguise apparently did little to dispel her fears now that a glimpse of the 'real' Timore was stained back into her memory.
Sombra raised his head, giving the visage of looking down on the earth pony his same height. “Not while I am around.”
Amore’s pupils suddenly dilated, her gaze shifting to the Crystal Heart, as if drawn into a hypnotic staring contest with the jewel.
“I thought that she would have consumed the Crystal Heart, just like in my dream.”
Trance-like, the princess stepped around Sombra and towards the floating jewel, it having returned to its bright blue coloration. Luna strode over to Sombra while the guards followed their princess in this same manner.
“What is going on?” Sombra had been hamming it up with the self-praise, but this seemed unplanned.
“My other agents already cast the spell,” Luna whispered, Sombra barely even hearing her, “I will arrange for you a meeting soon enough.”
“I already met them.”
Luna seemed mildly surprised upon hearing this.
She smiled after a few minutes, rubbing her hooves in anticipation. “Now, with the princess and her most trusted guards at the beck and call of the Queen, and the Queen at my call, we may be ready to call this mission complete.”
Sombra's smile grew wider. Done already, music to his ears. He would surprise his wife with a very early return, and even head to the Crystal Empire for their honeymoon.
Of course, that would have just been too easy.
Amore snapped out of the trance with a shake of her head. She then violently pivoted to face Sombra and Luna, an angry scowl on her face.
“Sombra, get that pegasus out of my palace!” she ordered, pointing a hoof towards Luna, “If I ever see her again, she is to be hanged from the gates!”
This did catch Luna completely off guard. Sombra had never seen the princess so surprised in his life, and to be honest, he could empathize. He had thought that it had all been in the bag. The changeling queen apparently had not been as effective as Luna had anticipated.
Even the guards seemed to snap back to reality with the voice of their ruler ringing in their ears.
For a few seconds, Sombra hesitated to act, but a brush of Luna’s tail reminded Sombra that he was on the spot, no doubt the center of attention at this point.
“Right away.” Sombra ‘escorted’ Luna out of the throne room. He heard some murmurs coming from behind him. though his focus was on Luna.
“What happened?” Sombra whispered, just barely audible, “That does not seem a part of the plan.”
“I will handle that.”
Luna’s face showed her anger and displeasure, but more pertinently, it showed a murderous glint. Whoever had screwed up was going to get it. Good thing Sombra had pulled himself together back there, or that killing intent could have been directed at him.
“Sombra!” Amore's voice had a sing-songey tone, as if the princess had shifted into a much more happy and suggestive mood.
Sombra stopped and turned, Luna stood stock still next to him. Amore’s eyes shone brilliantly, sparkling with some strange force that he had not seen before. A very familiar sparkle, now that he thought about it.
“When you return, make sure you groom yourself.”
She then blew an incredibly fake kiss in his direction, completely offsetting any sort of understanding that the stallion had about what was going on.
She waved him good-bye with her left hoof; Sombra turned around and returned to leading Luna out the doors with a quickened pace, now even more confused than he had been before.
Someone was going to get it for sure; only thing was, Sombra now wasn’t so sure anymore about who was going to be getting what.
"Sombra, just play along," Luna whispered once the two were in the relatively empty streets, "I will set straight this oddity."
Sombra, for one reason or another, was not entirely convinced. After all, she had put even him under the illusion back there, and had failed to pre-warn him that he would be working with changelings.
"Are you sure you do not want me to come along with you?" He suspected that Luna might pay the Queen a visit; one did not simply anger an alicorn.
Luna was silent for some time, the empty streets slowly stirring again. While it was still daylight, the residents had apparently taken shselter in their homes during the incident.
When the two finally left through the gates, the city seemed to come to life behind them. Luna stopped, allowing Sombra to go a few paces forward.
Sombra turned around, meeting Luna's burning gaze dead on.
"The Queen has just joined the princess in her travel plans."
Oh great, now Luna intended on kidnapping the Queen?
"You can not do such a thing on your lonesome." Sombra felt some genuine concern, as he could tell that Luna's pride was getting the better of her. "You could ask Celestia for..."
"No."
Cold and detached could be used to describe the way Luna spoke that single word. Sombra could feel that creeping feeling again, the same one that he had felt when Nightmare Moon had emerged, though this time dark magic welled within his horn as a response rather than terror.
Before things could progress any further, Luna sighed, and the menacing presence departed. Sombra lowered his magic, but did not lower his guard.
"I do not need help from Celestia. I can handle this myself." Curtly she spoke, walking forward again. Once she had passed Sombra, she gave one look back towards the City, a scowl on her face.
"Where those on my list go, there are no return tickets. It would be best to nip this now before anyone else joins, unintentionally."
Sombra followed Luna some distance, mind considering the possibility that one wrong move could land him on this "list" of hers. No doubt a hit list, if his pony senses were to be trusted.
After seeing Luna off and getting a slight update on his mission specs, Sombra returned to the Crystal Empire. Luna would catch up with him later, out of disguise, and she emphasized heartily that Sombra needed to get very closer to Amore.
Uncomfortably close, to the point in which he could have her alone in a private chamber. Sombra wondered why they did not just assault while the Crystal Heart was in their grasp, but Luna refused to answer that question.
Whatever Luna intended on doing, it likely tied into that answer. However, all Sombra had to do was worry about his part of everything; Luna would just have to take care of the rest of it on her own if she refused assistance.
So he let the lack of answers pass this time.
Day Two: All Hail the King
It was nighttime by the time he returned, but the city was alight with torches and lanterns. A large gathering of excited ponies greeted him at the gates.
It seemed an entire parade awaited his arrival, the cheerful crystal ponies hoisting him atop a chariot and hauling him down Main Street, chanting his name.
“Sombra! Sombra! Sombra! Sombra!” The ponies cried out in joy, leaping and dancing and merry making in ways Sombra thought only the elite of Canterlot dared to celebrate in public.
Cider passed between hooves, cards flew into the air, and trumpets sounded with every single thunderous hoofstep of his litter bearers, who were all too eager to carry the perfectly capable stallion to the Palace.
Music blared and jesters entertained the crowds, the smell of freshly steamed vegetables permeating through the air, replacing the earlier fear and malice.
To say the least, it was a lot to take in.
Sombra had not realized the extent of their previous misery, cloaked in indifferent, plastered smiles, until he could actually view their merry-making for himself. Ponies laughed and cheered, some even mating in the streets.
Apparently word had not gotten out that he had indeed brought the Nightmare on them, indirectly. No ponies were actually hurt in the process, at least not physically, but no doubt his connections to an alicorn would cause some other connections to be made.
Truly, no set of words could fully express how thrilled these ponies were at their apparent savior's arrival and well-being. When they put the litter down, the crowd continued to cheer, even as Sombra walked from the chariot.
The Captain had been celebrated before, but this was completely different.
They were not peers, they were not fellow soldiers; they were a deceived populace thinking that they had been freed from the darkness of a mare who hardly cast her own shadow in the daytime.
Little did they know that which would be in store for them. Well, at least temporarily. Sombra continued on, noticing that the crystal heart had not been returned to its public place.
Odd, the ponies were so happy, and yet, their relic was not back in the public view. Maybe the crystal ponies were unaware of what transpired with it?
The moment the doors opened to the castle, Sombra heard a vocal hush among the crowd, a scrambling of hooves accompanying the almost eerie silence that seized the night air.
Nope, nothing suspicious at all about that, Sombra tried to tell himself while he walked through the doors, heading straight for the throne room.
Sombra walked into the throne room, surprised at the slight change in décor. Purple drapes hung from the walls, a red carpet had been lavishly rolled out over the previously crystal floors, and fancy ribbon in a variety of colors hung from the ceiling and throne.
On the throne, in a purple dress, sat Amore. The crystal pony’s hair had been done up in a strange fashion, the headdress clearly meant to hold all of her mane in one spot. Her wide, expressive grin only made the occasion more fatal for Sombra’s comfort.
“Welcome back, Sombra! I apologize that you were not able to enjoy in the festivities, but it is high time that I give you your reward for liberating us from that monster!”
Sombra gave a soft laugh and a sheepish smile, attempting to conceal his discomfort with meekness.
“A thank you and a few bits to return home with would be just fine. That pegasus had been my ride here.”
Though chuckling, a pair of guards shifted from their place upon hearing this. Sombra paid attention to their movements, tracing it ever closer to the doors where he had entered.
The guards blocked the door; it was now that Sombra noticed an increased security presence in the chamber, all of them wielding spears or halberds. All eyes were on him while Amore drew nearer, walking on her carpet, smiling wide ever still.
“Oh, you must not understand, I plan on rewarding you in the only reasonable way! I am sure you will not deny my offer to become my prince.”
Sombra would have taken a step back, but the clattering of spears behind him convinced him otherwise. Prince? That escalated quickly, from honored hero to future king. His discomfort now turned into suspicion, and he stepped forward to meet Amore in the middle of the room.
“Prince you say? I come in and dispel some monster that has tormented your dreams for weeks and you want to proclaim me your husband?” Sombra scoffed, attempting to downplay the significance of his actions. “I would have thought that…”
Amore’s smile dropped and her eyes narrowed.
“Do not think incorrectly Sombra, you are becoming my prince not my husband. Father of some strong successors -maybe- but not a ruler yourself.”
Sombra chuckled.
“That’s great, I have been promoted to Chief Mounty. And who do I have the honor of sharing a bed with tonight?”
He already knew the answer, but it never hurt to hear it from the mare's mouth. Either way, it seemed that he would at least be able to get the princess alone, and with a wedding obviously out of the question, that merely sped up the process. Convenient.
Amore’s smile returned, but this time, a much more sinister tone undertook it as she took a single step closer to Sombra, coming just within bite range. She whispered lustily into his ear, out of earshot of all others in the room, words that made Sombra's jaw drop.
“Do not worry Captain; for tonight, I will be having Equestria’s finest in my chambers.”
She withdrew, locking eyes with the stallion who feared that, somehow, his cover had been blown. Her smile grew wider, and she turned, mocking Sombra’s inadvertent stuttering while she daintily walked away.
“Do not be late, Sombra. You know how mares are when you keep them waiting.”
Once she had walked through the doors, Sombra gulped, likely loud enough for anyone in the room to hear. Who was luring who into the bedroom trap now?
“Should we escort you to your room, Captain?” the guards sternly looked to Sombra, still blocking the way that he came in by. Sombra glanced briefly at the guards, debating on asking them whether or not his cover had been truly blown.
Either the changelings were still playing along, or these were the real crystal guards. Not chancing it, Sombra nodded, and gingerly followed the ponies to through another set of doors.
Rather than heading straight to the chamber, the guards offered Sombra a chance at a bite to eat before heading off to the waiting princess, who would be expecting top performance out of him.
Sombra agreed. There was no telling how things would turn out once Luna put her portion of things into play, and Sombra did not want to have to do it on an empty stomach.
The dining hall was large, but compact to the point that no bit of space was wasted. Every wall and ceiling was covered in some sort of décor, the Empire’s flag appearing most frequently near the pillars that supported the room. The rest once again had been covered in ribbon and cloth of various colors.
The dining table was large, but circular, a contrast to most of the tables in Equestria. Sombra also had to get used to sitting in such a large hall, flanked by guards who watched his every move.
As they informed him, he was officially under their protection and supervision; he would not be leaving, nor would there come to him any harm if they had anything to say about it.
How encouraging. And here Sombra was thinking that all of the crystal ponies had been completely fooled. He ate his salad gingerly, not wanting to set off any of the guards with a ravenous appetite. Between his second and third bite, he requested, “A piece of paper and a writing tool, please.”
One of the guards complied, and while he ate, Sombra wrote. He wrote about what was happening so far, what had happened so far, and some of his own thoughts about it. He kept it short and sweet, however, as this was still a secret mission.
Once finished with his food and that particular task, Sombra rolled the parchment away and tucked it between his teeth, wanting any excuse possible not to speak for the time being.
The guards escorted Sombra through twisting corridors and revolving doors (Sombra took a minute to “test” the stability of the strange contraption), finally leading up to a wooden door.
The corridors, for the most part, were dimly lit, a torch here and there the only methods of lighting the insides.
Etched upon it was a name “Mi Armus Amore”. Sombra questioned the grammar, but did not question that this was definitely Princes Amore’s room.
“It is your lucky day Sombra,” one of the guards chimed, chuckling darkly, “You get to meet the other side of the family.”
Sombra swiveled his head towards the guards. With speech muffled due to the parchment in his mouth, Sombra asked, “What is that supposed to mean?”
Instead of answering, the guards snickered, and then slowly backed off until they were out of sight. The door creaked open, darkness from inside the room practically spilling into the dimly lit corridor.
Sombra had seen worse to be unnerved, but this still did not bode well. Alert, the unicorn slowly advanced into the darkness, waiting for his eyes to adjust to the darkness before fully entering.
Not surprisingly, the door shut behind him. Someone bolted it, and darkness completely prevailed over Sombra’s efforts at seeing anything. Typical of an ambush situation, except he had yet to be jumped with swords and daggers granting him a new set of openings.
“Princess Amore, I was not enthusiastic about this task before, but this is really not helping.” Sombra stalked through the darkness, going slow and deliberate as to avoid bumping or falling into anything.
Dead silence, the quiet before the storm, with only Sombra’s slow breathing any sign of life. Tasting the air did no good, though it smelled oddly fresh for a closed off room.
The room turned frigid once Sombra really tuned into his sense of touch. Deafening silence and blinding darkness restricted Sombra, though he did not risk lighting his horn. That would be predictable.
“Did you really think I would be tricked so easily?” Amore’s voice shattered the darkness and caused Sombra to turn in the direction of the voice. In the murky darkness, a very faint glow could be seen in the shape of a pony; crystal ponies apparently did not hide well in the dark.
Sombra now lit his horn, illuminating the much closer than previously thought Amore. She stood only one Celestia's length away from him, and while the room’s murky darkness did not permit a full room disclosure, but Sombra could at least see that the floor was made of wood.
Amore stood out of her gown, gaze set betwixt Sombra’s eyes in a stare that could cut open a dragon.
“You come in with your show boding, trick my ponies into thinking that they are liberated, when in fact, you have come to enslave them!”
Sombra chuckled, shaking his head in bemusement, as if it were all a joke, parchment still partially muffling his words. “Where did you hear such a ridiculous claim?”
“Timore told me while transformed as Nightmare Moon,” the mare staunchly answered, advancing on Sombra, “She also told me that you were very, very familiar with the surname Gladis. Does that ring a bell?”
Now this had turned personal. If this princess wanted to make threats on his family, then Luna would have to carry a corpse to the Queen's destination.
Sombra advanced on Amore in at this point, glaring at the princess with a gaze rivaling her own. Unwittingly, in an effort to get his oncoming threat more clear, he dropped the parchment to the floor.
“I suggest you get to the point. If you are involving those who do not need to be involved, I am afraid I might have to do something drastic.”
“Drastic?” Amore chortled, changing her straight approach and instead circling around Sombra. Sombra began circling in turn, the two almost mimicking lions preparing to fight to the death for the right to rule the pride.
“Now now, Timore would be very displeased if you did not play along. And harming me would set off the entire Empire in a heartbeat.”
Sombra growled. She had a point, but why would Luna turn him in like this? What good did it do her to risk her own covert operation? What if by some chance, this all had been an elaborate scheme to get rid of him?
No, Sombra dismissed that thought shortly after it arrived. That was preposterous; nopony could put down insurrection like Sombra and his forces. Nonetheless, it seemed that he would have to play ball, at least to some degree
“Seems you have me in a predicament.” Sombra gave off the appearance of defeat, so that he might would catch her to slip up. “Seems I cannot really trust anyone.”
Amore smiled, and then gestured towards her left. “No, but we can play for a little while. When Timore shows up, we can both give her a piece of our gratitude for being messed with and used.”
Sombra redirected his horn to a plain bed of sorts. Sombra then turned towards Amore. “She would never fall for that. Besides, how would she see us?”
Amore paused to ponder the thought a moment, and then smiled devilishly.
“You’re right; it would be best that we go somewhere a little less, reclusive. But that can wait till tomorrow.”
Like a wisp, Amore vanished into the darkness. If Sombra did not know any better, he would have to assume that she had teleported. But that was ridiculous; earth ponies could not teleport into thin air.
Smoke and mirrors no doubt. The wooden door opened again, light pouring in through it. Sombra took this as an invitation to relocate, and promptly went back out into the hall from which he came.
The corridor was now brightly lit, and the guards smiled at Sombra. They then led him to his own chambers, though they led him in silence.
His place of sleep would be a plain room, covered in crystals of course. A vanity mirror and a bed were the only significant pieces of furniture in the room. A balcony overlooking the city caught his attention.
After all, most of the chambers that he had been in that night were either closed off or too tense for him to really admire the open night air view.
Sombra wandered past the starry curtains that symbolically separated the two sections of the room and onto the balcony.
The view was amazing; the festivities continued, despite the false pretenses under which they were being held. It seemed quieter now, less out of control. Sombra reasoned that the late hour had caused many to turn in for the night.
Sombra sighed, this view reminding him of home. He would have to tell his family about this sometime in the future, when things were far less classified.
Without realizing it, Sombra smacked his lips, as if searching for some taste. This is when he realized that he no longer held the parchment from earlier.
Face hoofing himself, Sombra admitted that he had failed bigtime; he could not even remember when he had dropped it.
It had completely slipped his mind that he had even been carrying it still in his mouth, Amore had riled him up so with subtle threats regarding his family. Before Sombra could race off to action to find the parchment, a shadow cast itself over his form.
Sombra swung around, hoof already flying towards the potential aggressor. The hoof was slapped away and replaced with another, which tapped Sombra on the horn tip.
The gentle tap triggered a sneeze from Sombra. He leapt backwards, to the very edge of the balcony to get a good look at his attacker. To his surprise, his attacker had not been a changeling.
It was Luna, and by the looks of it, she was not happy.
“Why were you not in Amore’s chambers tonight?!”
Luna advanced on Sombra threateningly, a familiar parchment levitating above her head. The reason for her anger now became very obvious, as she had likely read the letter before storming over here.
“And what the hell is this? You are not supposed to record anything about what we are doing!”
On one hoof, it was a good thing that Luna somehow retrieved the letter; on the other, how did she manage to even find it? More importantly, how could she accuse him of not meeting with Amore when he had clearly met with the mare?
She roasted the letter with her magic, eyes never leaving the stallion who was at a loss for words.
“But, I did go to Amore’s chamber,” Sombra insisted, “Not only did I go there, it seemed as if she completely knew everything about the plan.”
Luna’s hushed tone hardly concealed her frustration with the words that came from Sombra’s mouth.
“Had your cover been blown half the city would be arming themselves to prepare war on Equestria!”
“But I could have sworn that I was talking to Amore in that chamber...”
“I watched her for three hours Sombra! That horny mare did not even come closer to getting off with you.”
Luna continued to take steps towards Sombra, as if ready to strike once within arm's length. Sombra would have backed off some more, Luna coming nose to nose with him making him ponder how high up from the ground he was.
The stallion, however, pressed forward towards her instead, forcing Luna into slight retreat in order to avoid an awkward muzzle bump. Sombra added a growl, not wanting to get continue to get ran over by Luna, regardless of her position.
“I was there with Amore and her guards, and she threatened that you were plotting against us.” Why were they having conflicting reports? Who was playing who here? Had the changelings led one of them on? And if so, which one of them?
Luna sighed, some of her aggression dropping after hearing Sombra out. Putting a hoof to her temple, she massaged gently, as if trying to piece together some order that would get them back on track.
When she stopped massaging, she looked again towards Sombra, though this time much of her hostility seemed to simmer considerably.
“Sombra, from this moment on, you have only one initiative. Bed that mare either here or in her chambers. I do not care if you have to go to her tonight begging her forgiveness!
And for my sake, do not write a thing about what goes on here, at least not until we finish this mission.”
Sombra furrowed his brow, his sense of dignity coming to the forefront. Sombra was not some desperate colt who needed to beg any mare for a good time, much less their forgiveness for not being prompt to some imaginary schedule.
“The only mare I have ever begged is my wife, and that is because she knows all the right places. No, if she is as on as you say, then she will come to me before the end of the night.”
Sombra took a bold step forward. For a moment, it would seem as if the two would come to blows. Before anyone could test the limits of the other's patience, the muffled sounds of hoofsteps echoed from inside the palace.
Luna, as swiftly as she had come, flew off, blending into the night sky like a shark does the murky waters it calls home.
She gave Sombra one last look before practically vanishing into the night sky. Sombra could not put where he had seen that look before, and he could not help but be reminded of the "list".
Well, no matter. Luna had insulted him in perhaps one of the worst fashions, and princess or not, he had to let it be known his grievance. Of course, had it been Celestia, he would have been less willing to pick an actual fight, in short because... well.
Why would he be less willing to actually fight Celestia? Luna and Celestia technically were equals, but the way he approached dealing with them definitely differed. Maybe it was a height thing.
Or maybe it was a respect thing. Sombra shook the thought from his head, not wanting to accidentally dream about this particular difference. No telling how Luna would react to the news that he respected Celestia more as an authority figure, though of course she might have already realized this by now.
Sombra stormed from the balcony, more than ready to break cover and pick a fight with the first pony with a snide remark regarding Amore and him when the bedroom door swung open. Amore stood in the doorway, unaccompanied and still in her fancy dress from earlier.
“So I guess you do like to keep a mare waiting,” Amore said, closing the door with her left rear leg, “My guards told me that I could find you here.”
No shit Starswirl, this is where he had been escorted to! Just before Sombra could end the mare’s life for stating the obvious, a familiar odor reached his nose, resulting in an oddly calming effect washing over him. It was not the odor of a mare in heat, but of fresh lavender.
Anger having melted away away, Sombra flooded with mixed emotions, his heart slowing near to a stop for the first time that day as nostalgia overwhelmed his senses.
Violet, his wife, could have appeared from underneath the bed sheets at that very moment, and he still would not have fully broke himself free. The purple earth mare could have even struck him with one of her larger gems, and still he would remain tranfixed by this familiar scent.
Sombra soon found himself locking lips with the pink mare in front of him, her forearms wrapped around his neck in an embrace that pulled him deeper into her influence.
Breath lost to him, Sombra could not fathom why she even tasted like Violet; that same tangy, earthy flavor that excited every organ in his body. Not saying that she tasted like dirt, but she had a very distinct, fresh from the ground vegetable kind of taste, with only slight variations depending on where he tasted her.
Before succumbing entirely to the seduction, Sombra pulled away, subconsciously pulling back towards the bed as he did so. “Where, why?” Sombra could hardly utter the words before Amore turned her head in confusion.
“Is there something wrong, Sombra?” Amore sounded a little hurt by the pulling away gesture.
“Why do you smell so familiar?” Sombra’s mind attempted to reel back from his body’s intentions, his earlier energy now being focused towards a different projection.
While this is what he was supposed to do, he did not expect to have to think of his wife the entire time. No doubt fantasizing about her would make this an easier task for him, but it would still remind him of infidelity all the same.
“I do not understand.” Amore took a few steps closer, concern dripping in her voice. “Is this not pleasing to your senses?” The answer was obvious, if she were even looking at Sombra, fully erect and eyes cloudy, body language contradicting the tracts of his mind.
Before Sombra could ask again, Amore tackled him, his body allowing her to force him onto the bed. The soft mattress hardly compared to the feeling of the heated mare on top of him, staring into his eyes in a lusty haze.
A challenge far greater than lifting a hungry diamond dog from him was attempting to force Amore to the side, a challenge that he grew weaker towards the longer this carried on.
Sombra’s mind attempted to funnel magic to resist, but again, his body overrode the command and instead brought his lips back to hers again. Harder and more passionately, the seduced stallion was about to entirely succumb, lost within a fantasy that played in his mind.
Violet, right here, having traveled all the way here just to give him some relief from this mission. Another foal to join the other two in the herd, someone would have joked. “Violet…” Sombra moaned between kisses. Every sense except his vision told him the same story, and his eyes lost credence in this moment of weakness.
Now his mind was convinced that this too might be a mere illusion, a dream of sorts, and that Violet was giving him a good wake-up call. The mare leaned back, pressing her forehooves to his chest while her haunches readied themselves, teasing his lower half with unjustified stimulation.
The mare massaged just right on his chest, relaxing the earlier tension built up by the whole Nigthmare Moon incident, and the various signs of a mission going wrong. She had been doing fine too, Sombra still lost in his own world, until she pressed just a tad too hard on his lower neck.
This snapped Sombra from his dreaming in an instant, this one inconsistency finally giving credibility back to what his eyes had been saying this entire time.
This was not Violet, no matter how he sliced it, and this was not a dream either. Just before Sombra could roll the mare to the other side, as to free himself entirely, an arrow head punctured the front of Amore's chest, its bloody tip mere inches from his own neck.
Amore shuddered, her face going from calm to surprise in mere seconds. Hearing the next one whistling in the air, Sombra dropped his head back onto the bed, narrowly dodging yet another bloody arrow.
This one, however, went all the way through, whizzed just above Sombra's nose, and embedded itself in the spot where Sombra’s head had been a few moments back. A few drops of blood had dropped itself onto his mouth, driving any remaining sexual arousal into full retreat.
The fallen mare collapsed atop of Sombra. This elicited perhaps the manliest scream that Sombra could muster under the circumstances, the weight of the dying princess subtly decreasing while she began to bleed out on top of him.
He threw the mare to the floor in panic, himself rolling from the bed to the floor until he was out of view of the balcony entrance. Two holes were present in the starry curtain, both of which clearly having been made by the arrows.
Considering Luna's ability to blend into the night sky, Sombra would not have been shocked had she been the one to fire both arrows, though he did not see a bow and arrow set when he had confronted him earlier.
Sombra cast one look towards the dying Amore, her eyes hardening towards Sombra as realization dawned on her. She formed the words for a curse, but the curse never came; there, lying on the floor, she closed her eyes for the last time, the last of her life essence flooding onto the floor.
One of those arrows had definitely been intended to graze him if not go right through him, Sombra was sure of it.
Sombra leaped away from the mare, lest another arrow attempt to end his life, and backed towards the front door. Without thinking he had posed behind it; when it gently opened, the silhouette of a crystal guard could be seen, the light from the outside casting a gentle shadow of the guard within the doorway.
The crystal pony guard walked in, not yet noticing the princess laying dead at the bedside.
“Princess, I know you did not want to be disturbed, but I heard screaming…”
The moment that the stallion's face widened in surprise at seeing the the body, Sombra leapt from his place. Wrapping his forearms around the pony’s neck, Sombra pulled back into a stranglehold, wrenching the stallion from his rear hooves.
He backed himself to a wall, not wanting to give the guard the opportunity of forcing him back into it later in an attempt at freeing himself. After this Sombra forced his quarry to his rear, with the unfortunate construction of a pony's hind legs doing the rest of the work of keeping the earth pony from escaping via movement.
The guard's arms flailed pointless in the air, desperately trying to grasp or at least graze Sombra’s head. Even if the pony could see his attacker clearly enough to strike, Sombra had his horn at the ready.
He would have just ended it already with a magical blast, but he did not want to risk metaphorically lighting up the room like a lantern in the dead darkness of the night. Any creature capable of sensing magic would pick up lethal usage, and that would draw undesired attention to the current situation.
When the gurgling pony finally stopped moving, Sombra tightened his already noose-like grip for a few moments, as to make sure that he was not faking it. Sombra held the pony so tightly that he could feel the fading heartbeat ticking away, strength going from a gallop to a crawl within a few minutes of this.
After what felt like an eternity of waiting, the stallion went fully limp, and movement in the neck seemed to cease entirely. Sombra threw the pony aside, dropping him dead atop of his monarch. He had not intended on incurring such an unnecessary loss, but frankly, had the pony shouted for help, things would have gotten very sticky, very fast.
Of course, adding anther pony to the pile did not help his cause if yet another guard, or worse a patrol, happened upon the room.
Sombra knew that he was a dead pony if he was found with these two. After he gathered his wits and stood to his hooves, he gallopped from the room with the intent on getting to the crystal heart before getting found out. Using magic, he closed the door behind him, hoping that a polite guard would knock and buy him some more time, if any were to seek entry into the room.
Sombra turned the corner just in time to see a few crystal guards calmly walking in his direction. The guards seemed perplexed that Sombra looked as if he were about ready to run a marathon. The bloody hoofprints, the presence of which only now became apparent to Sombra, added alarm to the mix.
Sombra fled in the complete opposite direction as the guards, which caused them to cry out for Sombra to stop and explain himself.
A waste of breath, for the adrenaline pumped stallion practically flew down the hallway. His target now had to be the Crystal Heart; with it, he could at least bargain. Otherwise, he would be vastly outnumbered, unless Luna and her forces broke cover and supported him, neither of which Sombra desired to deeply entrust.
Day Two: Long Live the King! Approximately midnight
Sombra had ran for his life before. From griffins, dragons, phoenixes, and even Celestia, though the last had mostly been in jest.
Also, again except for the last, the stallion had never been forced to push himself beyond his ordinary limits. It did not help that he had hardly had a wink of sleep since arriving nearly twelve hours ago, and though Sombra had stayed up for much longer, the need for physical endurance began to take a bit of a toll on his mind.
His muscles ached, his breathing rough and scratchy, the endless maze of the castle making it more and more difficult to find his way around. Hardly could Sombra recall the correct route, having to put effort into the most basic of spells only going to show just how little he was actually still running on.
Sombra wished that he had jumped from the balcony, as at least he would have had his bearings. Sombra turned yet another corner to find a gaping hole in the floor. It was not at all inconspicuous, and if he did not know any better, he could assume that someone had purposely made that hole in the floor.
He stopped to to collect his breath and consider whether it would be wise to go randomly leaping into holes in the floor. Sombra heard shouts coming from the hallway he had just left from; his brief respite already had come to an end.
At least his brain functioned enough to choose to look before leaping, and the sight below was a most pleasant surprise. Directly below him was the Crystal Heart, floating with all of its glory, and providing the only source of light in the space that the hole led to. Oddly enough, the Heart floated completely alone, with no guards apparent from this view.
Sombra leapt into the hole, landing on his hooves directly next to the still floating Heart. As Celestia once scolded him, if a pony does not find what they seek sooner or later, it was not meant to be.
No sooner had he landed with a loud clop did something stir in the room. Ears trained for any signs of life, Sombra picked up on the faint breathing of a dying animal and the scraping of armor on the floor. It was unpleasant to the ears, but Sombra had to be sure that the animal truly was dying.
He had had enough surprises for one day.
It was still very dark, since the glow of the Heart was the only source of illumination. Stepping to the side as to keep his shadow from being cast on the area of suspicion, Sombra found a midnight blue shape laying on the far side of the space, it slowly crawled towards the Heart.
The bright blue eyes stood out significantly, the only sign that the changeling truly was not in disguise, though the point of disguising as another changeling seemed trivial with the matter at hand. This of course was not exactly good news, as if the changelings had been discovered, then that meant that the crystal guard already was on to everything else as well.
Sombra needed to know why this changeling was out of disguise; maybe as an aside he would figure out why he looked and sounded like some beast preparing to silently, and with utmost dignity, pass into the next world.
“Changeling!” Sombra whispered with a slight hiss afterwards, “What happened? Why are you not in disguise?”
The changeling looked up at Sombra with fearful blue eyes. It merely mouthed a word before finally succumbing to whatever had forced it to the ground in the first place. Gone like the wind, an expression that had so many times described the ponies associated with Sombra's dubious quests of conquest and subjugation.
“Stop Sombra!”
Sombra whirled around to see that the guards had encircled the Heart, and had arrived from the very same hole that Sombra had jumped down. Sombra turned his body around, conveniently covering the changeling corpse, lest that only further incriminate him due to proximity.
“Stay back!” Sombra warned, horn glowing an ominous red, “Things will get very ugly if I have to use this.”
The guards looked baffled for a moment before one of them yawned very widely. Before long, all four of the guards dropped like dead to the floor, snoring away as if they had grown just that bored from Sombra’s threats.
Sombra could only revel in his fortune for a moment before a starry maned mare appeared from the shadows. Taking the heart in her magic, Luna smiled triumphantly, her eyes sparkling from the reflection of the blue crystal gem.
“Alright Sombra, now time to move on to the next phase of my plan. Come here.”
Sombra looked only once back at the changeling before rushing up to Luna. Although tempted to pass out, Sombra wanted to first inquire as to what exactly was going on, as there were still too many questions left unanswered. “Any chance that you will explain anything that just happened?”
Luna lightly laughed, then replied, “Not right now. Cast dark magic on the Heart.” Of course, the two sisters had to have some irritable trait in common with each other.
Sombra shook his head, not feeling up to a fight for information. “I have already tried, dark magic does not work on this relic.”
“Just do it.” Luna was gentle but firm in this, her eyes becoming steely with having to re-issue her command.
Sombra relented, and channeled dark magic to his horn. He then fired it at the Heart. Contrary to what happened earlier, his magic began swirling around the heart until it completely encased it in a strange fog. The fog dissipated when Luna’s magic entered the mix.
Luna’s eyes flashed white, and the Heart let loose a bright burst that near blinded Sombra, causing him to shield his eyes with his hooves for protection.
"Oh, and just as a warning, you might feel some side effects..."
Luna's voice trailed on as if she were flying farther and farther away down a wide, circular tunnel. Sombra's vision, or lack thereof, did little to ease a growing panic as his body seemed to move on its own, independent of his will, his very soul even. Astral projection was one thing, but Sombra had never quite experienced a sensation like this before, even in his dreams.
Sombra regained sight without re-opening his eyes a few minutes later, his body seemingly restored to his controlling mind. He was in some strange world, where he was surrounded by stars, moons, and suns of different sizes and shapes. It was like being tossed out into space, except galaxies vibrantly depicted events very unfamiliar with the stallion.
Upon the facing of the brightest moon shone Luna’s cutie mark; a crescent moon against a black background. A voice rang out, as if chanting some spell. It sounded somewhat like Luna's Canterlot voice, but it alternated between sentences into Nightmare Moon's.
“All hail King Sombra! With his rise to your throne, all hope is surely lost. Only the crystal princess can save you, her arrival shall be heralded by the sight of the crystal heart upon her flank. Till then, slaves you shall be, your lives like a book of history; written by the victors of this day. Your night begins now!”
Sombra’s mind began slipping from his control, events playing in his head that were slightly different than what had transpired: Some sort of spell, he and Luna together casting it, the magic streaming throughout the Crystal Empire.
When the lights began to fade and Sombra could feel his eyelids yet again, he re-opened them. He was back in the dark underreaches of the Crystal Palace; he was on the floor, likely having fallen unconscious at some point.
The crystal heart floated above Luna, who grinned from ear to ear, her eyes glazed over in a strange lust that reminded Sombra of Celestia on his return trip from Trottabama. In public, she had very much scolded Sombra for his over-zealous actions, but in private, she seemed somewhat pleased at the thought of re-shaping an entire culture to fit Equestrian ideals.
Or at least, Equestrian domestic peace ideals. They shared very similiar ideals already when it came down to war.
Sombra came back from his reminiscence with a groggy rise to his hooves, his body weighed by some unseen force that worked alongside gravity to make his movements difficult.
“Nightmare Moon spell huh…” Sombra murmured, surprised that he did not speak with much more power, “Kind of drastic, huh?” As far as he knew of, the spell itself had cast all of the ponies into that same dream-like stance, and he doubted they had yet to be freed from it.
“Their worst nightmare; there is only one pony to cure them of that.” Luna’s smiled sinisterly, her hooves coming together in a devious rubbing motion, “You may write of what you recall up to this point. I and Celestia will ‘dethrone’ you and take the Heart. Understood?”
Sombra nodded fervently, finally getting some clear indication of an end game. “Understood. My slaves will, in the meantime, make sure of themselves and work the crystal mines.”
“We do not want to inherit a broke state, after all.” Luna walked up and gently tapped Sombra on the head.
Sombra felt odd, almost ethereal. Luna whispered straight into his left ear, “Let them never see the light of day save for the last day. Let them only bask in the glory of the moon. Once all is set, my plan will be complete, and you will finally get to rest.”
Sombra smiled, a warmth filling his chest like little else. Rest? He presumed home, with his family, but at this thought, something tickled Sombra’s horn. It was not Luna, and it was not the air; it was magic.
Sombra felt an odd slip of conscious, as if some demon sought to possess him. Right as it took hold on his mind, a sharp, acute pain pierced his mind.
Though Sombra wanted to howl out in confusion and pain, the only sound that came out was a dull and wretched groan. His heart ached, his legs lost all strength, and Sombra collapsed back to the ground. His mind again drifted, but this time, it felt more like he was falling asleep than being forced into a mental pocket world.
Sombra snapped awake, as if the previous moment had been naught but a dream. Much to his surprise, he was back in the crystal throne room. It was dark outside, and on a table to his right were a few rolled up letters, each labelled: “To Celestia”.
It was his hoofwriting, but the stallion had a hard time recalling if and when he had even written them. Using his magic, Sombra cast aside all other concerns and focused on the pieces of parchment, levitating them before him.
They read like a story-book, describing events that seemed in line with his mission, and some of his basic findings with dark magic. A few edits here and there with a conveniently placed pen, and Sombra could agree that they were ready to be sent off to Celestia.
They did not give too much information, but just enough to at least hint at many of the events that had already taken place, according to his earlier fantasy that is.
No sooner did he attempt to do so did the letters come straight back to him. Sombra seemed baffled by this, and had been intent on resending them when the throne room doors creaked open. Stepping in was a mare, though if Sombra did not know any better, he would have assumed her an Equestrian earth pony by her lack of a crystal coat.
Did he know better? Sombra felt that he did, as he was in the Crystal Empire, and there should have been no reason for Equestrians to be here while he still reigned.
The mare held her head low, as if frightened to even look him in the eye. Her flat and descended brown mane practically covered her face. Her ribcage could be seen poking from her sides, and her wobbly steps suggested fatigue.
Of course, for some reason he could not pinpoint, Sombra hardly cared. Normally he would at least wondered if he had been responsible in some fashion, but the obvious answer cast even that concern aside like paper in the wind. The pony stopped just a few feet from him and the throne that he sat upon, shaking like a leaf in the wind.
“Status report,” Sombra demanded in a harsh tone, as if ordering one of his more disobedient privates around. Despite context, Sombra could assume that this mare had caused him some issues in the past, or perhpaps was already on thin ice as it was.
The mare quietly spoke something, but hardly able to hear it, Sombra leaned forward with a frown. Fear was one thing, but incoherence was another. “Speak up mare, or your castle slave position will be terminated. You do not want to become a mine slave again, do you?” He raised his brow, as if with a wave of his hoof the matter would be done with.
The mines must not be a very pleasant place to be, Sombra concluded, for that threat caused the pony to speak up with a new vigor masked by her appearance.
“The mines are at full operation my lord. The shackles and chains are making things a bit slow, but so many crystals have been mined, we have become the envy of the financial world. You also have a letter from Equestria.”
Perhaps an explanation for why his letters were being rejected rested in the letter, Sombra mused. Noticing that the pony brought no bags, Sombra found it curious as to where the letter was held. “Well, where is the letter?”
Sombra channeled magic to his horn menacingly. The pony squeaked, fell to the ground, and covered her head with her hooves. Now they were shaking even more, now like a naked foal in the everlasting winter of the far north, every bone making some resounding noise. This would have been amusing had it not been for the fact that his letter from Equestria was still being withheld from him.
“Well, spit it out!” Sombra was on the verge of yelling, getting to his hooves, “Where is the letter?”
The mare regurgitated the contents of her stomach, and then fled towards the relative safety of the throne room doors. Sombra raised crystals to block her path, inspecting the puke. If nothing but food bits and water were in it, then the crystal mines would be a blessing compared to what he had in mind as punishment.
Spying the magical ring of a letter case, Sombra raised the case from the thin broth, surprised at how much of it so easily slid off the canister, and unscrewed the cap. A neatly folded letter emerged, wrapped in his magic the stamp of Celestia's cutie mark upon it.
He had not meant for her to literally spit it out; this of course angered him, and he felt justified to demote her the only way he could.
“You have earned yourself a place in the mines for this insult; if you are not in the chain gang by the time I finish reading this letter, you will beg me for death when I ravage and burn your form in green fire.”
The moment that the crystals blocking her path retracted, the pony fled, sobbing uncontrollably. Sombra blinked, taking into account the words that had just left his mouth. Ravage and burn with green fire? Making a reference to that city's razing disturbed him, but if he were to make the ponies desire rule by the royal sisters, such punishments seemed rather fitting.
Of course, why she offered no sort of resistance also seemed off. But then again, Luna's magical torments had already shown themselves to transcend the physical, to a place much harder to fortify. No wonder the dragons and griffins preferred to fight at night and rest in the day, for the night most likely terrified them like nothing else in the world.
“Hm, the Nightmare Moon spell is dreadful if these ponies are this terrified of me.”
Sombra chuckled to himself, taking an odd pleasure in the thought. Tragic really, but from the parchment, he could tell that this was all a part of the plan.
Sombra fully unfurled the parchment, and began reading the contents..
Congratulations Sombra! There is only one day left. I almost felt bad shoving this down that poor mare’s throat...
Sombra blinked, a mental image of Luna cramming the letter down somepony’s throat. That had to be painful, or at least uncomfortable to say the least, and would explain the discomfort that the pony had upon walking in. Under different circumstances, a mending of her punishment would have to have been in order.
Sombra continued reading in earnest.
I have dealt with all of the traitors in my court, and before long, Celestia will marvel at my abilities! Now then, tomorrow will be a staged fight on the balcony. You will stand there and look all intimidating.
I and Celestia will arrive, liberate the ponies, and then wipe their memory of you. So, live it up a little, as once you get back home you will have to be under the radar for awhile.
Sombra titled his head whilst he burned the letter, confusion riddled on his face. If they stripped the crystal ponies of their knowledge, then why would he need to remain under the radar? No one back home was aware of what he was doing, other than Luna’s guard, at least not that he was aware of.
Sombra then looked to the rejected parchments again, and paced the floor in front of the throne. Celestia had not accepted his letters; his cover story back home might not be very good at all. Or worse yet, Celestia had yet to be "informed" and did not want any evidence in her castle suggesting to the contrary.
“Well then, I know the perfect place to send these then,” Sombra mused, “Violet will definitely want to have some idea of what I am up to. Shade will just have to serve as a proxy.” The king stopped and looked towards the parchment, intending on using his magic to send them off to his daughter.
Before he could proceed, the floor beneath him gave way, sending the stallion plummeting down a particularly long flight of stairs. It had been unexpected and seemingly without cause, and the enshrouding darkness made it difficult for Sombra to tell what was up and what was down.
For a few moments Sombra was helpless to the disorienting wrath of gravity. Finally, by some grace, the pony slipped from the stairs and into the dark abyss, granting just enough time in one direction for the unicorn to light his horn and get a bearing on his directions.
Levitating himself just inches before coming into contact with the ground, Sombra righted himself. He first looked up, to see roughly how far he had fallen. The light above hardly shone down to the bottom, but its presence at least gave him judge that he had gotten lucky to fall off the stairs when he had, or else he would have been in for a long, bumpy fall.
He then looked around, there was only one question on his lips to ask the unseen observer he no doubt would mock him for his undignified descent. “Where am I… This place looks familiar.”
Seeing a wooden door with a crystal above it, Sombra recalled that this led to the hidden room with the Crystal Heart. Of course, it made sense that he would place the heart back in that spot, as the crystal ponies had no pegasi to ascend the heights to that room, nor would they be brave enough to go through all of this just to find it.. When Sombra went to open the door with his dark magic, the door opened on it own accord, as if it had been waiting for him.
Despite knowing that was not quite how it was supposed to work, Sombra trotted through anyway. The door slammed shut behind him and vanished, as if it was never there.
Rather than a spiraling staircases, Sombra beheld a sight that caught him completely off guard.
Somehow, this door had led him not just back to Canterlot, but to the two story cottage that he called home. Cobblestone steps led up to it, and similar cottages dotted the landscape. Clearly it was nighttime, but this constant location shifting kept up the suspicion that Luna's spell might still be affecting him in some ways.
“That was fast,” Sombra commented, noting the quick time progress, “I had best not get too comfortable.” This had the workings of illusion all over it, but the feel of the stones, the cold breeze, and the moonless night seemed all too real.
Looking up, Sombra found that not a star shone in the sky either. A streak of lightning flashed across the sky, with thunder announcing the presence of an overhead thunderstorm. Well that explained one phenomenon at least.
Looking behind him, Sombra noted that any sort of wall was also gone; if this were an illusion, the castor was doing a very good job. Then again, Luna had already shown her prowess with smoke and mirrors, particularly in the realm of dreams.
That did not excuse the detail that there clearly seemed to be a message in all of this, one that Sombra needed to pick out and decipher if he was to escape any time soon.
Trotting up to his home, the stallion cautiously opened the front door, peering in with curious eyes. It was dark and quiet. No candles were lit, the few windows let in no special light. It was almost morbid, the kind of deathly quiet that made one think of a battlefield after the previous day of carnage and waste had long ended.
“Violet?” Sombra called out to his wife and stepped inside. Using his horn as a light source, the stallion traversed through the living room, climbing up the stairs in an attempt to find out if anyone was home. The home had very little amenities, the downstairs only consisting of a small den and a kitchen of sorts.
Sombra chuckled in recollection of one of his previous discussions with his wife. It had been when they first bought the place, having saved up funds from his... exploits, abroad. Celestia awarded handsomely when the situation merited it, and politics so allowed.
He wanted a cellar to store wine and cider; Violet had been violently against it, instead opting for extra bedrooms on the second floor in case of guests.
Seeing as there were three bedrooms upstairs, the victor had been his bride.
A creaking noise coming from Shade’s bedroom alerted the stallion to a presence. Once on the second floor, he could see three doors, two of which next to each other, the third attached to a different wall.
The children's bedroom and the master bedroom; the brief hallway did not have a single candle lit either, and all three room doors were closed, as if not meant to be re-opened anytime soon.
Using some force, Sombra forced open Shade's door and used his horn to light the dark room. Empty of all furniture, it hardly looked like a room in usage.
The creaking continued unabated, the source being a constantly moving window frame. Putting that on his to-do list for fixing, Sombra departed from the empty room, turning around to come face to face with Violet.
How she had managed to sneak up on him would have mattered far more had Sombra attacked out of instinct, but the familiar lavender scenet that accompanied her once again simmered his fire.
Violet was a purple earth mare with azure eyes and a dark blue mane that accented her visual expression perfectly. Her eyes were searing with anger. This did not make any sense, as Sombra would have expected his wife to at least be pleased with his return.
“Violet, is there something the matter?”
“Oh, nothing.” Violet turned from him with a huff. “Other than my never-around husband coming home unannounced like a stalker in the night.”
Oddly specific description, Sombra felt that there had to be a greater reason for her displeasure. Return from his mission meant that such a thing would not be the case any longer. “Violet, a week was the max, not the absolute…”
Violet threw her tail into his face, brushing his defense off as if it were a horsefly. She stomped downstairs, and though Sombra had been subtly aroused by the stinging gesture, the meaning of the gesture was far from flirtatious.
Sombra stormed down after her, his anger beginning to boil with her blatant refusal to tell him the problem. “Violet, I have been through quite the bit in the past few hours, days, I am not even sure which anymore. I would really like if we can skip any sort of foreplay in any oncoming discussion regarding my last mission.”
Violet stopped right before coming to the front door. She only turned her head once Sombra reached the base of the stairs.
“I am leaving, Sombra. You can keep the house, the store, and the property, but I am taking the foals. They need a father, not a soldier at the beck and call of gravity bending mares.”
For the record, Sombra wanted to point out, the princesses could do far more than manipulate gravity. However, that was not a point worth arguing right now. His wife had just threatened to leave him, and for what reason other than past absences corrected with the completion of this mission?
“I am gone for a few days instead of a few months and this is the sudden turn in reception? I was not expecting a welcome home party, but threats of divorce?”
“Actually captain, the threat is quite the reality.”
That voice, with an unusually cocky attitude to it, grinded the very bones that allowed Sombra to hear. Sombra used magic to open the front door, only to see Thunder with two foals, the stallion grinning from ear to ear. Shade and Umbra were happily standing next to him until they saw their father angrily glaring at their companion.
Violet flitted her eyes romantically at Thunder, and then re-addressed Sombra in a condescending tone. “Do not worry, I am sure princess Celestia will keep you company while you think about what you did to drive us to this.”
In a few seconds, all of the pretext registered. This had to be some sort of nightmare. There was no way that Violet would just up and leave him like this, not just for a few days! Sombra could not accept that, not without a fight.
Everything had stopped making sense ten minutes ago, but now Sombra truly felt that the world had gone discord on him.
Just before Violet could move another inch, angry tears began to stream down Sombra’s face, a snarl replacing cordial conversation. “Is this… Is this what I think it is?”
Thunder, that bold yellow armored guard, grinned from ear to ear before snidely remarking, “Yeah. I may not pull rank like you do, but I know what is actually important—“
No stallion would have finished that sentence in the presence of a dark magic user. Before Sombra could contain himself, he had loosed a blast of dark magic at the Pegasus, sending him sprawling backwards into the street.
Tossing aside any bodies that got in his way, the enraged stallion strode over to his dazed rival, green fire just the tip of the iceberg for what he planned. Ravage and burning with green fire came to mind, and so his horn readied to dole out the second part of his punishment.
Before Sombra could finish what he had started, a flash of lighting overtook his vision. His entire body became numb, and an intense heat severed any remote comfort that he might have had. Though he could see it, Sombra did not feel his body hit the ground, nor did he hear the closer than life thunder that would have blown out his hearing anyways.
Crippled by this, Sombra could only watch while Thunder rose to his hooves. Violet rushed to his side with a look of concern; He did not hear their conversation, but he did see their nuzzling, their obvious signs of affection in front of him. His wife had left him for not just some other stallion, not a mare, but another member of the guard!
His horn did not accept his offering of magic; truly the unicorn could only live in some sort of tormentous state of mind. He angrily watched his wife and mate kiss one of his own subordinates.
Defeated, crushed, Sombra began to weep, a sob coming from his lips. His hearing restored itself just in time to hear Thunder’s off base comment. “Oh how the mighty have fallen. He shed not a tear in Trottabama.”
Regaining his strength, presumably having been previously struck by a lightning bolt of sorts, Sombra staggered to his hooves, only for Thunder to mockingly laugh to his face. He channels magic to his horn, rage and killer intent building up into a furious build, only to fizz out.
Sombra collapsed again, numbness settled in more permanently, and the mocking laughter of his former subordinate while he walked his wife and foals out of view.
Miserably, Sombra vowed vengeance, but deep down felt that it was impossible in his current state. A strange warm began warming his back, and some hoof seemed to be stroking his hair. Another hoof seemed to be feeling around his sides.
Better late than never; it seemed as if Luna had finally found it high time to end this mad nightmare of his.
“There there Sombra, it is just a nightmare,” Luna softly cooed, “I am here to help you through this.”
Once again his senses seemed restored, and his body revitalized, to the point where Sombra could have leapt up if he so chose. Just as his eyes began to retain what water he still had left in his body, he felt Luna's reach get dangerously close to a particular region. This caused Sombra to cough and tense up in order to catch her attention.
“Um, Luna?”
“Too much physical contact?” Luna stopped reaching, though she did not stop stroking Sombra's mane.
“Yes. Remember Celestia's nickname during the last Captain's time?”
“...I thought you liked it.”
Intruding on his dream fantasies was one thing, but assuming that he would enjoy being violated by either princess after experiencing such heartbreak as a result of such intrusion seemed far-fetched. If Sombra did not know any better, which he doubted he truly did, he would assume that Luna just wanted to see what she could get away with without Sombra protesting. Rebound did not quite work that way, at least not for him.
“If you are using me as a sample for how to treat the crystal ponies, I say that if you go with that, you will get a nickname of your own of that caliber. Maybe Philuna.”
Luna released Sombra upon hearing this, resulting the dream faded into a strange bit of blackness, with only Sombra and Luna remaining. They were back underneath the palace, the crystal guards and the changeling strangely absent. No indication suggested that he was still in a dream-like state, but there was also no guarantee that he was safe either from that realm.
Sombra fully stood up, wiping away at some of the secretions that had accumulated on his face. As a precautionary measure, he took a few steps away from the oddly confused Luna.
“Hm, maybe you are right. I just figured a warm embrace…”
Sombra shook his head. “Yeah, comforting is one thing. Stroking is another.”
Luna looked offended, insulted really, at the implications of the statement. “How dare you assume that I would stroke you in any sort of way! Your mind wandered farther than my hooves.”
Oh, so his earlier statements had not been as clear as he thought they had been. Sombra did not seem convinced, especially since in some sense, Luna had been inside his mind at this point. He wiped away his remaining tears, though his heart still ached a little from the scene before Luna’s interruption.
“So that is your worst fear huh,” Luna mused, looking Sombra up and down, “I have to admit, your reputation does not quite match you as well as I would have thought. Crying over some mare leaving you?”
“You would not understand.” Sombra turned away from Luna, posture flat and loose, the mocking laughter ringing in his ears, “That hit so close to home. I did not expect the spell to work that well.”
Luna laughed, almost in a mocking tone of her own. “What were you expecting, some undead ponies from your campaign coming to consume your flesh?”
Sombra shivered, finding the undead battle more inviting than Violet’s angry decision. So this is how Luna had whittled down the Crystal Empire; no wonder those ponies were so afraid of her dream presence.
Now that he thought about it, Sombra realized that he truly had no idea how much of that had been an illusion. “How much of that had been a part of the dream?”
“All of it.” Luna did not move to meet Sombra, so instead he had to turn to face her stoic expression. “However, it is a preview of what is necessary. Dark magic will enshrine the very terror and morbid dread that will allow you to tyrannically rule these ponies.”
“Until you and Celestia swoop in and save the day?” Sombra eyed Luna suspiciously, some part of him dreading the idea of having to fight Celestia.
“Do not worry, we are just going to stage it. You will have to lay low for awhile so that your respective identities can be rightfully separated from each other. Brainwashing works best when association is kept away for a month or two.”
“That could have been avoided had I worn a disguise of some sort.”
Luna rolled her eyes, though she did not seem to disagree with the comment. It was then that Sombra noticed that the atmosphere of the Empire had shifted; rather than festive and frantic, it seemed darker, more morbid. The crystals all around them began to take a darker and more sinister look, jagged edges and teeth-like protrusions
Sombra found this to be oddly empowering, and grinned upon realization that he had returned to reality. Or, better yet, his hope that he had returned to reality. “It is good to be an Equestrian. You and Celestia both do not play around.”
Luna snickered, and waved the Crystal Heart over her head. “No, no we do not. Hail King Sombra.”
Sombra smiled and puffed out his chest proudly, or at least a feint of pride. In truth, he had quite the concern with adding yet another infamous takeover to his record.
"Now then, I will be taking the Heart back to Equestria," Luna suggested, turning as if to fly away, "I will be returning shortly..."
Sombra used his magic to levitate the heart from Luna, the alicorn apparently not expecting him to resist this.
"I think it is a good idea to leave it here; if the Heart were to show up in Equestria, that might ruin your plan."
Luna turned back around to Sombra, scowling somewhat at the thought of herself ruining her own plan. For a moment, Sombra backed away again, the heart floating between him and the upset alicorn, as if that would do him any good were she to strike at this moment.
"Get some rest," she concluded, turning away from him again, "I will come to claim the heart when I and Celestia arrive to put you out of their misery. Be a dear and do not lose it."
Luna rocketed off into the night sky, leaving behind a trail of glitter in her wake. Sombra sighed, his entire body finally feeling the weight of what he would have to do next.
“Sombra has what?” Celestia’s look of outrage and confusion was more than worth all of the trouble Luna had went through to get to this moment. In the throne room of the Royal Pony sisters, Luna had decided to go ahead and inform her sister of Sombra's actions. Of courses, she omitted her own hoof in the matter, as recognition for that would have to come later when it was more opportune.
Assassinating Amore, culling some of the crystal guards, and dealing with the changeling underhoofednes had only been the major points of Luna’s problems.
She also had to deal with paperwork, mountains of it, in order to shape up Sombra’s departure as a soldier going rogue, rather than somepony following her orders. Anyone who had spotted his leaving with her, aside from Violet and her foals, had to be sworn to secrecy or otherwise dealt with. Those otherwise dealt with also needed to have their absences explained in a reasonable manner.
Then of course Celestia just happened to want to have a private chat with Sombra regarding his retirement; Luna had to think up of some excuse for that too. She also had to prevent any letters between the two, lest anything leak regarding her plans that might tip either of them off about her true intentions once the conquest of the Crystal Empire was complete.
Celestia’s timing could not have been worse, for juts as Sombra had been put into his trance-like nightmare, a letter had come forth. It demanded to know of Sombra’s location, and, in that nice but firm sort of way that Celestia favored so much, advised Sombra to write back with great haste.
Forging his handwriting had delayed her from snapping Sombra from his nightmare, but seeing his worst nightmare had been a fair trade-off. It meant that she knew exactly what she needed to do in order to have the upper hoof in any further negotiations with Sombra, if it came down to that.
For now, however, the next phase of her plan had to be executed. Now that the Empire was subdued, she needed to explain to Celestia the situation in the best possible way for proceeding. Short, sweet, and in no way implicating her own support in the takeover.
“Sombra has, on his own, taken over the Crystal Empire,” Luna repeated, “He has enslaved the subjects, their dreams crying out for vengeance for their fallen state, and their monarch, Princess Amore, has gone to the great beyond far before her time.”
“How long has this been going on?” As usual, Celestia wanted a timetable, the truth of which being far too damaging for Luna’s cause. After all, she too had been absent from Equestria, and while she could easily explain away to guards, Celestia would be more keenly aware of Luna's regular schedule, and be able to discern abnormalities pointing to her participation in the coup.
“Sombra took over just yesterday, but I fear he has been planning this for at least a week.”
Celestia looked downcast for a moment. She then blinked, confusion riddled on her face yet again. “Hold on, why would Sombra go all the way to the Crystal Empire in order to set up a kingdom of his own?”
Celestia turned from a baffled Luna, whom only just now realized that she had missed something in her previous statement. Cautiously, she made the only logical move that she could think of at the time. “Why not? It is far from our military reach.”
Celestia took a seat on her throne, gesturing for Luna to sit in the smaller throne next to her. Height differences or no, Luna resented the difference in their respective thrones. She obediently took her seat, looking towards her sister expectantly.
Celestia took her time answering, as if wondering whether she should actually tell Luna the answer. Another pet peeve of Luna's, but one that she tolerated far more, as both had their share of private information.
“For his service, I was going to give him some tracts of land right outside of Everfree. The land is fertile and as of yet still unclaimed by private citizens.”
Luna almost laughed, but knew that such a gesture would give away how she really felt about the notion. “Yes, well, apparently an entire city is more of what Sombra had in mind for his actions.”
Celestia turned towards Luna with a frown. “Now Sombra knows better than to assume that I would just let him have an entire city, what with his reputation and all. I am surprised he even got into the Empire unharassed.”
“Guess he is far craftier than you thought.” Luna shifted in her seat, looking around the room in feigned disinterest. “What shall our response be?”
Celestia sighed, and stared at the ceiling. A long pause followed, one in which Luna had to resist the temptation to break on her own accord. She needed to plot her moves here carefully, and be more reactionary than catalytic, allowing Celestia to do most of the talking and herself most of the replying.
“First, I need to hear from him personally about his intentions. A rogue soldier normally talks more about their goals and aspirations than a regimented minion would. And Sombra is certainly not the latter.”
Interesting metaphor, Luna thought, reasoning that it was Celestia’s way of coming to terms with Sombra’s status. And as a way to perhaps lighten the mood. It was hard to tell without getting inside Celestia's head and reading her thoughts, which even she was not very able to do without being caught in the act.
When Celestia spoke again, it was with a firm tone and resolute expression. “Yes, letters are hard to express much in without worrying about interception; I shall go myself to assess the situation.”
The larger alicorn’s gaze then shifted towards Luna, as if expecting her to object to the proposal. Luna’s ears flattened, for indeed her mouth had already been half open to oppose the action. Taking a moment to compose a reason why, Luna proceeded with the knowledge that Celestia going to the Crystal Empire this soon would cause a serious plot hole.
“I think that is a terrible idea, sister. Your arrival may make him feel rather cornered.”
Celestia's expression did not change, save for a small smile.
“Nonsense, Sombra has always been very enthusiastic about my arrival,” Celestia's eyes had yet to leave Luna's, the sturdy eye contact making it more and more difficult to deny that Luna was hiding something.
“So enthusiastic that his wife once had the audacity to ask my guards if there was anything going on behind the scenes between us. Luckily for her the guard who answered was wise enough not to spread rumors, and spoke the truth.”
Luna did not really want to ask if the truth was scandalous, for she felt from Sombra’s earlier reaction to losing his wife that the two had a strictly business relationship. Some territory, thus, she let go, and instead trekked on a different bit of familiar turf.
“Is that so? Well, ponies change, sister, as Sombra has noted before that dark magic can negatively affect the disposition of a pony.”
“So can war,” Celestia curtly stated, narrowing her eyes, scrutinizing the statue-like pony that she was talking to, “You are awfully still in this conversation, and that is quite unlike you. Are you thinking hard about your answers?”
Luna’s body threatened to give her away, a few beads of sweat forming around her ears and face. She attempted to cool herself with some flicks of her ears, but the small current did hardly any good in bringing relief from the incredible amount of pressure that threw itself onto her.
“Of course sister, this is a decision regarding ponies’ lives. I am not going to answer without some thought.”
Celestia’s eyes seemed to burn a hole in Luna’s very soul, all without hardening or even flaring with magic. Her sister’s somewhat trusting confidence likely ate away at what consciousness Luna still had at the forefront of this discussion. She had not outright lied, but at the same time, omission was a type of lying let some ponies tell it.
“Well, you have had much time to think; what do you think should be done, if I am not to go and reason with him myself?”
It was a honest question, one that Luna dreaded with much of her being. She had been trying to think of an alternate solution that allowed her reigns over the situation, without exposing a blatant need for it. She needed an excuse, one that fit well with her personna as princess of the night.
Upon thinking of one, Luna relaxed, confidently allowing her gaze to stare deep into her sister's magenta eyes.
“I shall go, so that I may assess whether their nightmares are based in reality or not.”
For a few moments, eye contact remained, the two sisters gauging each other, sizing up the success or failure of this latest touch on tensions. Usually, this would have led to a joke to cool the mood, but Luna could read as well as her sister that this was not the time for jokes.
Celestia knew something was not right with how all of this was playing out; Luna knew that Celestia knew that something was not right. One of them would have to make the first move, the first act, for the other to be forthcoming with the griffon in the room.
At last, Celestia and Luna in unison blinked, as if both had decided that they had had enough of that in the same moment.
Celestia rose from her throne and walked towards the double doors, her back to Luna for a short while. She stopped midway, as if contemplating. Turning back towards Luna, whom had not moved from her spot yet, Celestia looked her younger sister up and down. one last time.
“Take a few elements of my guard with you, just in case.”
Just in case they need to report something, Luna thought. She nodded fervently in agreement, despite her thoughts.
“I shall go at once! Do not worry Sister, I will get to the bottom of this.”
Celestia left the throne room, likely to brief the soldiers on their latest duties. Luna, once Celestia was out of sight, wiped sweat from her brow, surprising herself by how slick it had become in just those few minutes.
Lunar Fort 2
“Guards!” Luna called out upon returning to her base of operations, “Find my masseur at once! He is to report to my chambers within the hour!”
The sun still lingered in the sky; Luna guessed that a few hours of daylight remained, though the first signs of sunset were beginning to show themselves already on the horizon. Celestia had hoof picked the guards that would be accompanying Luna, despite the fact that she had made it sound like Luna would be making the decision on her own.
Here at the gate entrance, open for the first time in quite the while, Luna stepped from the chariot pulled by Celestia's two choices for escorts; two pegasi who did not seem very thrilled at the prospect of making a detour before arriving at the Crystal Empire.
Bat-winged ponies saluted Luna and rushed off while the feathered members from Celestia's guard unharnessed themselves from the chariot. Begrudgingly, they stared at the castle that had, from afar, looked like a mountain, not sticking out from the rest of the Unicorn Range. The were not happy to have been sent, but they were trying their best not to show their disdain.
The feeling was mutual, Luna thought to herself as she took the first few steps towards the dark entrance. The two guards flanked either side of her as per the usual, though their fresh recruit pacing rattled their armor in a similar fashion to Luna's frazzled nerves. Neither seemed bold enough to ask when she planned on visiting Sombra, but Luna knew very well that it was on their minds.
Or, at least, she thought neither of them were bold enough to ask.
“So, when are we going to visit Sombra? Is that not priority, your highness?” The one on her left had spoken first.
The one on her right chimed in, “Celestia ordered us to escort you to the Crystal Empire. She made mention that it was of utmost importance.”
Luna did not immediately answer and led the way into the dark hole that was the entrance to the castle. Upon entry, the gate shut behind them, cutting off all sources of light for a few seconds. Despite their newness to the force, the guards did not panic, but patiently awaited for their eyes to adjust to the torchlight on the inside.
Luna finally answered when she felt that sufficient time had passed, the less than eye catching stone walls drowning out the inspiration for any artist unfamiliar with a remotely prison-like setting.
“My sister ordered thee to escort me; she spoke not of how to get there.”
Her escorts exchanged questioning looks, likely due to Luna’s change of tongue for a moment there. Luna, feeling the need to elaborate, explained, as to not have that thought weighing on their minds for the rest of their visit.
“Celestia addresses our subjects in a strange sort of way; I am going to be making some new addresses very soon, so I am breaking it in.”
The guards did not respond, perhaps out of worry of some sort of retaliation. The corridor grew narrower and narrower, and soon, the guards had to make a choice between who was going to walk in front of Luna, and who would be walking behind, as the passage became too narrow for even two ponies to fit through shoulder to shoulder.
Neither seemed eager for the front job, at least in part because of the creeping darkness ahead that granted no confidence. Luna waved them off dismissively. “Both of ye behind me, for I knowest best where we are going.”
“Knoweth best where we art going?” the guard on the left offered. Though Luna noted that for later references, she did not verbally reply, and instead lead the way down the dark tunnel. A downward flight of stairs manifested, and the alicorn lit her horn for the sake of lighting. It would be embarrassing to trip on her own hooves in her own abode.
She knew these stairs well, but the clanky sounds of her cohorts behind gave away that they very little concept of winding downwards stair usage. That was all fine, since none of Celestia’s forces were allowed this far in generally anyways.
The trio seemed to descend for hours, the guards silently trudging on, despite Luna sensing their growing suspicion that not all was well. They did not openly question or voice the concern though, and trudged onwards. Once at the bottom, Luna bucked a wooden door open, sending one of the locks flying off.
The sound of startled creatures alerted the guards that they may very well be entering the prison chambers. Hopefully, they would be just visiting.
“Oh Queen, you have company!” Luna rang out in a sing-songey voice, sharply contrasting with the darkness of her surroundings. The guards gingerly followed, the rattling of chitin and the snapping of fanged jaws drawing their attention to the dangers that lurked in the shadows.
A prevailing feeling came over them that, if they were visitors, they were also going to become witnesses. Either that, or they were not going to be mere visitors to this strange place. Which was worse, they were not sure as of yet.
Luna led the way down the dungeon to the farthest chamber, where a bolted door held a particularly large changeling. This one’s jagged horn had a few pieces broken from it, the eerie green glow almost giving it an evil glow. The eyes, however, the feline doorways to the soul that radiated a sinister sunset orange, hungrily eyed the guards, as if it would consume them in but a single bite.
“I told you I would be a fair prison keep,” Luna continued, motioning the guards towards the door, “I brought you some visitors. Do not get too ravenous now, they are my sister’s informants.”
The escorts looked to each other, the answer to their previously unspoken question slowly beginning to dawn upon them. They were definitely not visitors. They were prospective residents.
One of the guards spoke up with a sort of desperate plea, assuming what indeed was the reason for this madness. “Listen, what happened with Crescent, that was an accident! Celestia said so herself!”
The door opened wide upon Luna’s magical command, the doorway to the waiting changeling queen and her forceful gaze.
Luna smiled at the defensive guards, who had their backs turned to the other changelings in favor of using ocular negotiation with Luna. The puppy dog eyes brought more amusement to Luna than sympathy at this point.
“Yes well, as Celestia would put it: accidents happen.” Luna flared her horn, shoving the two escorts into the cell, closing and locking the door behind them. She had nearly been struck with a flailing hoof when she had to move them past herself in order to get them in front of her.
They did not bother shouting out, nor did they bother knocking on the door. They had been trained, Luna knew, just for an occasion like this. Luna felt that Celestia knew very well that she would not so easily forget one of her own guards ‘accidentally’ ending up in griffon territory after a failed spy mission on the Day Court.
She knew that her sister would recall that grievance, and thus, would send two guards that were not only to spy on Luna, but also act as a sort of offering. Not of forgiveness, no, for Celestia really had not been in the wrong. Based on their earlier gall to correct her and question her directions, Celestia had her own personal reasons for giving these two up.
Severe insubordination had probably been one of them. The two had spoken far more than guards were generally supposed to to their escort.
Perhaps if they would have cried out, shouted, stamped their hooves, or pitifully wailed, Luna would have had a change of heart and released them. But the poor guards just made it so much easier by remaining silent, accepting the fate that had been handed to them.
“What a most terrible accident. I had best start to work on reporting this one.” Luna snickered, the back of her mind imagining that she had dealt with one problem. She would go visit Sombra on her own time or, if necessary, fabricate her visit.
Royal Chamber
Luna’s chambers were nothing too special compared to that of other royal rooms. However, it stood out among the rest of the rooms in the castle for its more decorative flare.
It was a simple room, a single, well cushioned table in front of a large fireplace. The stone walls were covered in decorum regarding the night sky, ranging from the moon to the various constellations. It was, in short, the most decorated place in the entire castle.
When Luna stormed in and lay herself upon her stomach on the soft table, a small table with jars and bottles of oils already had been set up next to it. Yes, even better, a small metal tool rested in the midst of all of this: a scalpel. She allowed her limbs to hang loosely over the sides of the table.
Luna’s ears perked when the door opened and then closed. Not a moment too soon, the masseur had arrived.
“Greetings, your highness,” the griffon spoke, walking up to the table with a surgeon’s seriousness, “What shall it be today?”
“Whole body,” Luna replied without missing a beat, “I have been very stressed lately.”
The golden beak broke out into a silly grin, though returned to neutral upon Luna’s gaze directing its attention towards it. The navy blue griffon resembled a mix between a panther and a crow more than an eagle and a lion.
This suited the castle atmosphere, though the abnormally large and expressive navy blue eyes did have a tendency to blend in too much with the surroundings, leading to startled guards sometimes brandishing weapons in his presence.
Based on the lack of scratches and bruises, no such thing had went on today. Luna stretched out her wings in anticipation, no doubt having looked forward to this the entire afternoon.
The griffon popped open the cork to one of bottles, sprinkling bits of the liquid into one hand.
“So madame, what troubles the ruler of the night?” He spoke as regally as he could muster, eying the princess' frame like an artist would a blank tapestry.
“Oh the usual, politics in this colorful land of ours.”
And with that the artist went to work, his talons massaging the princess’ shoulders and upper back, the oil quickly spreading across the handiwork. A gentle shine would reflect his progress.
Luna closed her eyes and, for just a moment, let this little luxury take place. So much still had to be done, and yet, this moment could be taken for her and her alone.
“How are things going in the Griffon-Dragon kingdoms? I presume the union is going well?”
The griffon chuckled whilst he continued his work, re-administering the oil when necessary.
“The union is on the verge of collapse as they blame each other for the losses to Equestria taken back during the war. Funny really, since it is more Celestia and you who are to blame for that, but I guess they prefer to blame something they can fight against.”
Luna chuckled, sighing in relief as the tension in her shoulders began to melt away. Next the griffon moved on to her wings.
“Yes, it can be rather difficult to fight against us. Of course, I think we are about done with expansion for a long time.”
“Well madame, it feels like you have been flying for quite a bit; one would think that with the ability to teleport everywhere you would use your wing less often.” The masseur seemed to have some trouble loosing the muscles at the base of her wings, but his efforts were gaining some ground. At least, it felt like it to Luna.
“Well, using magic may seem convenient, but relying on it can be a very bad thing.”
“I see.”
The masseur finally hit the sweet spot right at the base of her wings, which caused them to flop to her sides and twitch in response. Her body shivered as the sensation of loosened muscles seemed to allow more rapid blood flow to her wings, a previously unfelt soreness taking root, gently throbbing away with each press of the individual digits of the griffon. Truly, no pony could compete with this with mere hooves alone.
“Those talons of yours are probably the envy of the avian community!” Luna praised. The alicorn did not even care how rather childish she looked, splayed out as if she were about to get a large cube of sugar for her labors in the field.
With great care, the griffon retrieved the earlier metal tool, and with a surgical precision that hinted at a prior profession, the griffon lightly scraped at Luna’s back. Every now and again the griffon would flick the dirty oil into the fire, a gentle spark flaring up in response to this action.
The gentle scrape of the razor was oddly soothing while Luna reflected over the day's events. Indeed, she would take this hour or so to relax; she would be right back at it again soon enough though.
Sombra had not enjoyed sleep so much in years. Although unsure of how long he had been sleeping, Sombra awoke to find himself back in his guest chambers, tucked in and everything.
“Philuna…” Sombra murmured to himself upon noticing the cleaned up room, the balcony looking oddly inviting, “I feel weird.”
“Morning your highness.”
Casually Sombra turned to the source of the sound; a crystal mare, an elderly one at that. Her mane was gray, and she wore what might could be called glasses. Her attire was lacking, but she seemed to have an air of importance about her.
“Um, morning,” Sombra replied, suppressing the urge to yawn widely, “My schedule keeper?”
The mare nodded, and cast an awkward glance to Sombra's erection. “Would you like me to fetch one of the servants to take care of that?”
Sombra thought it over a moment before thinking better of the request. “That will not be necessary. You may go.”
The mare left the room with a restrained haste, as if galloping would not have been fast enough to leave his presence, but it would have been rude to go any quicker than she was. Sombra decided not to let that get to him; it was not unusual for the enemy to be unnerved about his presence.
Hopping out of bed, Sombra finally was forced to confront his morning wood. He hadn’t experienced this since his adolescent days, though memories were brought back at the thought.
“Guess that is what happens when you get an undisturbed, good night’s rest,” Sombra joked to himself, walking towards the balcony.
While he felt that he should wait for his lower tension to return, the bright sunshine splashing on his face warmed him to the point of smiling wide.
Just basking for a moment, Sombra half-stepped back into his chamber, eyes closed in some private bliss as his morning wood finally softened. “Celestia…” the stallion thought to himself, imagining her warm smile upon his return, her announcement of his retirement as Captain of the Guard.
And then of course the celebratory party that his wife would have planned. She would probably dress up for the occasion. He would don his ceremonial armor, and together, the two would retrace the steps of their first meeting.
"Come on Sombra, I know you can gallop faster than that!" A large stallion in chainmail jeered, "Get a move on!"
Sombra had only been in the guard for a single day, and in his younger years, he had little idea of what it truly meant to be a member of Equestria's military. To his detriment, that did not spare him the many times he had to run the obstacle course. He had leaped over fences, pranced around sharp wheels, and even swung over a pit of hungry manticores (many times he prayed that the chain would not snap on him). But the most difficult test was set before him.
Gallop, full speed, down a straight path, without stopping. It would not have been as bad had it just been a small stretch, like the last tests. But no, this was perhaps miles worth of path, filled with jagged and sharp rocks, gaping holes, and the occasional wall. Although his instructor could not stop him from stopping, doing so would require him to run the course again tomorrow.
Sombra was on his sixth run of the week, having had to re-run it each and every single day. Today was the day he was supposed to make it. But fate had other plans, for just as Sombra managed to nimbly dodge a sinkhole, a large wall presented itself. No hangs, no hooks, not even a crack for breaking through. Just a vertical wall that most pegasi scoffed at. Of course, they had a different course, but they scoffed at the audacity that a pony had to scale it with nothing more than their hooves.
No magic allowed. Sombra swore that this course hated unicorns and everything about them. It had to have been a conspiracy by Earth ponies to make their unicorn counterparts miserable. Going around it was the only logical answer, but that took one quite out of the way, and forced a jump over sharp spines. That would wear the pony out even more.
But, it sure beat climbing a vertical wall with no fingers, so Sombra took the traditional route and went for the spikes. Huffing and puffing, the brief moment from when he left the ground to at the high point of his ascension was an odd bliss. He didn't have to carry his own weight, and he could just let gravity do some of the work. It was too brief to fully catch his breathe though, and he nearly stumbled once he landed on the other side.
"Only a mile left to go private!" the stallion shouted, the earth pony somehow keeping pace, "You are literally the last one on the course! At this rate, you'll still be trying by the time everypony else comes back for the monthly exercise."
Dear Celestia, anything but that! A month straight of this torture was enough to drag the unicorn to seek the easiest route; to find a sly way to use his magic in order to help him out. There were so many unicorns watching though, they would know if he used even the slightest bit of magic.
Before he could gather his thoughts, a purple mare ran onto the course, pursued by two guards in grey armor.
"Stop!" the ponies cried out, but the mare was not having it; not weighted down by armor, she quickly gained the lead on them. d
"Hey, off the track!" Sombra's instructor cried out, but neither guard nor mare heeded, the former attempting to lose the latter.
Before Sombra realized it, the mare was smack dab next to him, her purple form racing to try to get ahead of her pursuers. Her azure gaze was dead set on the track, her dark blue mane billowing in the wind, her powerful muscles propelling her to jump across a sinkhole. By the time Sombra realized that he should have also jumped, he missteped, and found himself plummeting into the very same hole that had caught him off guard yesterday. His excuse then had been that it had been covered up with leaves; this time, he should have known exactly where it was.
Well, even as he tumbled and hit the bottom, a grunt could be heard from his mouth. Despite the rules, he lit his horn, determined to get back onto the track and pursue the strange mare who had so captivated him to fall into this damned hole again. Calling forth his magic, he levitated himself from the hole, much to the chagrin of his unicorn counterparts, and went back to pursuit on hoof. His heart racing and his head pounding, the stallion found himself overtaking his instructor and the guards within mere moments, the mare coming into sight.
She had left a small dust trail, but that would not stop him. It would only make it easier to find her. Dodging obstacles as if they were learned pieces, Sombra kept his objective trained on the mare, who by now had noticed that there was only one stallion even near to catching her at this point. With the end of the track coming near, the mare prepared to veer off; Sombra, using his magic, fired a beam of magic at her.
Physically, nothing happened, but the mare seemed to go into a frenzied terror, and rather than fleeing away, instead fled towards the guards. A monster of sorts appearing in her illusionary vision brought the mare straight into Sombra's waiting hooves. He released the spell before she could smack him away in her attempts to escape the latest threat.
"Someone *huff* is in a *huff* hurry," Sombra jested, trying his best not to breath straight into the mare's face, "Something *huff* wrong?"
The first time Violet looked at him dead in the eye with those azure eyes of hers was the first time Sombra knew attraction. Of course, while he was more than a little aroused at the time, the arrival of the two guards and his instructor ushered the moment into a corner as she angrily brought a hoof across his face.
Her slap stung, but it garner her much favor as the guards pounced on her, just a mere second before she would have made off again. Sombra's instructor, a little worn himself, took a moment to catch his breath while the guards restrained the mare. One of them gruffly stated, "You know, running from the law is a good way to get caught you know that?"
"What is her crime?" Sombra inquired, that being the million bit question at the time.
"She stole a rare artifact from the local museum," the other guard replied, "She also attacked us."
"You attacked me first, for the record," Violet lashed out, "And I already told you, you have the wrong mare. You coming at me like a horny stallion is what sent me to running, not the fact that you are supposedly law upholders."
Sombra chuckled, much to the guards irritation. "What is so funny?"
"Oh, you know, the fact that I just chased the mare down for that very reason," Sombra commented, Violet not finding it amusing by the look on her face, "And do you have any evidence that she took it?"
"Eyewitness reports describe an earth pony with a purple coat, blue mane, and azure eyes," the first guard replied, "She is the spitting description of it."
"Does she have the artifact?" Sombra inquired, "I mean, clearly to remember those kind of details she must have stolen it recently."
"No," Violet pointed out, "Nor do I even know what artifact they speak of."
The guards looked to each other in brief confusion before Sombra's instructor cleared his throat. "Well, whether this is a little misunderstanding or not, Sombra, you know what falling into that pit means."
Sombra took a deep breath, eyes closed as he remembered this meeting. Indeed, yet another run at the course. But it had been worth it; missing out and having to do it for a week just to go to Violet's trial had been worth it. The look on the guards faces when it was ruled that, since Violet did not possess the artifact, nor was she even near the museum at the time of the theft, the description given was too specific, and likely had been intended to frame her.
Meeting her had been the easy part. Wooing her had been an entirely different headache. Flowers, green grass, roses, cakes, pastries, all sorts of gifts that he thought a mare would have been interested in, denied before he could even offer them fully. In frustration, he tried to take her on a date, only for her to decline with the excuse that she was quite busy. Sombra knew that she was not at all too busy.
Not that he had stalked her or anything, but he was well aware of her schedule, and knew that she had six hours where she just sat in a pasture and looked at the evening sky. Again, not that he had followed her, but Sombra just happened to be in the same pasture at the time for one particular night. The same night in the summer where the local plants would release their maddening pollen upon the world.
Violet had not taken well to the intrusion, at first.
Sombra had made his presence known by awkwardly stumbling next to Violet, belly first in the grass. The grass was tall, so at least Violet could not also see the expression of pain and shame that he made as well. Not like she would have cared for that anyways.
"You again!" she exclaimed, inching a few feet away from him, "What do you want this time?"
Had he been honest, he would have told her that he wanted her howling his name in ecstasy, but thankfully honesty was not an impulsive disorder for the stallion. "I just want a chance is all," Sombra answered, rising to his hooves, "I could not help but notice that you were watching the sky here today."
"Really?" Violet sounded skeptical that this was a coincidence. "Of all the random fields in Equestria, you chose this one to hang around tonight?"
Sombra nodded, and though Violet still did not believe him, she relented and turn away from him, gaze upwards to the sky. Sombra allowed silence to fill the gap of words, with not even the stirring wind making enough noise to rustle up the moment. For a long time, the two sat five pony lengths from each other, gazing towards the sky. At last, Sombra could take it no longer.
"Violet Gladis," Sombra declared, inching towards her slowly, "I demand a date."
"Demand all you want, but I shall also refuse all I want," Violet said, not taking her eyes from the sky, "Do I need to make my point made with my hooves?"
Sombra would have dared her, but he had seen her at work at the Canterlot mines; one good buck and he would be limping home tonight. "That will not be necessary," Sombra waved his hoof dismissively, "May I at least get a why?"
"I am busy, I have already told you." Violet spun her ears backwards in irritation, at last turning again towards Sombra. "What about that can you not understand?"
"You are not busy right now," Sombra insisted, yet still advancing, slowly but surely, "Five minutes of your time can not be that much to ask for."
Violet sighed and turned fully towards Sombra, perhaps now noticing the increasingly closing proximity of her persistent follower. "Five minutes. If I miss the meteor shower-"
"The name is Sombra," Sombra interrupted, jumping right in with his limited time already ticking away, "Private in the Equestrian Guard, aspiring Captain of the Guard. My father fought in the last war and actually came back, and my mother oversaw a rock farm until her recent departure from this world. I have sought to follow in my father's footsteps and make him proud, though he has a few grays in his mane already."
He stopped advancing and waited for Violet to press on. However, her ears were perked upward instead of back, as if now she seemed mildly interested. "Tell me more about this rock farm."
Sombra found it strange that she took interest in that, but he pressed on. "Well, it is a rather large rock farm, the mining operation in Canterlot. After her death, she bequeathed it to her sister, knowing the kind of interest I would take in overseeing such a thing."
"My workplace," Violet pointed out, as if Sombra did not already know. Well, as far as she knew he didn't know.
"Nothing against it, but I prefer the unknown and peril!" Sombra puffed out his chest here, going into his entry day speech all over again, "Adventuring is the life, and the fight to defend and expand Equestria is the greatest calling of the day! And one day, I will be head of it all!"
Violet giggled, though for what reason is still a mystery to him, even to this day. "Well, if you happen to run into your Aunt, let her know that I am still looking for that pay raise."
Sombra deflated. It was clear that Violet was less interested in him and more interested in his aunt. He took offense even. "Yes, I will surely let my aunt know that two minutes of my five minute date was focused on her business."
Violet softly batted a hoof at Sombra, no doubt wishing he were still approaching so that it might hit him. "Do not take offense, Sombra. You sound very charming, but I have my own dreams to fulfill. I am sure since you have been following me for weeks you are aware of them."
"How-"
"When you work in a mine long enough, feeling vibrations in the ground is a very important skill," Violet explained, "To be honest though, you were not exactly subtle. I mean, following right behind me in broad daylight? I have encountered sapphires with more stalking prowess than you."
"Well, I was not trying to be subtle," Sombra insisted, "Being subtle would have been suspicious."
"Yes, following a mare who constantly rejects you is not at all suspicious," Violet teased, "I think you have been in the Guard a little too long to understand that being bold does not make it any less suspicious."
Well, she had him on that one. "So, have I at least made myself talk-worthy?" Sombra inched forward just a foot, now within arm's reach.
Violet smiled, a wide smile that brought hornets to Sombra's chest and a bolt of lightning to his head. "Well, for a unicorn I suppose you are quite talkable."
A flash of light through the night sky, as the first falling meteor went blazing through the atmosphere. The two's attention was brought up to the temporary light show as more meteors followed behind. Sombra quickly lost interest in this and found himself staring back in Violet, her eyes reflecting the magnificence of her gaze. For the briefest of moments he thought that he might have seen her flick her ears, but perhaps it was a trick of the light.
He studied her features, from her rounded muzzle and mildly dusty coat to her strong legs and oddly straight tail mane. Yes, how sturdy and firm she was built, even in aesthetics. Once the light show ended, Violet looked towards Sombra again, noticed his stare, and blushed. She started backing off, unfortunately. "Yes well, this has been a fine, erm, date, but I really must be going."
She dashed off, leaving Sombra speechless and, frankly, very confused. He was about to chase after her when his erection interfered with his galloping.
"Damn it all!" Sombra cursed aloud. He was so close to making a connection, so close to finally getting her attentions. And then he just had to start fantasizing about what it would be like to roll through the grass, pumping her till she begged him to stop.
Sombra shook his head, the hornets in his chest departing to be replaced by a soreness instead. He would have to try again, perhaps in daylight, where she would be less susceptible to thinking of date rape when he became aroused by her again. Well, he already knew that she would leave her home an hour before sunrise, so he had till she got to the mines to try to convince her to give him another chance.
Sombra cackled to himself as he thought back, shaking his head. Violet later told him that he had not been far on the mark; she had felt quite uncomfortable with all the attention Sombra had been giving her. Not to mention he was a unicorn and she was an earth pony, a difference that didn't seem all that great until the two became more of a couple.
Sombra, not wanting to rekindle those particular memories, peered over the City to take his mind off of that bit of his past. The residents were hard at work, going about their business as if it were a regular day. It seemed almost as if their leader had not just been assassinated two nights before.
Speaking of which, since he was in charge, then that meant that he should probably get prepared for the day. Which meant that he needed to go into the Crystal throne room, past the many guards still alive, and anypony aware of a facade going on in the streets of the city.
If he were lucky, Luna had worked her magic again and the residents would be very much willing to comply with his new rule of the kingdom. After all, though many of them walked around as if they were free, every last one of them were now his slaves. And every single one of them would know the name Sombra.
Sombra had hardly gotten to the throne room when he noticed a line of ponies, some crystal and some not so crystal, outside the throne room doors. There were no guards in plain sight, oddly enough, but the ponies still seemed to respect the closed doors principle of royalty.
It was mildly unsettling. He would have expected a mob. Then again, the events of the past day or so were fuzzy, so from what Sombra could gather, they had already settled into the subjugation role. Whatever he had done the day before, it had been the hard part.
Dodging the crowd that he feared would go lynch crazy at the sight of him, Sombra pressed himself against a wall. Now that he thought about it properly, there was only one way into the throne room that he knew of; so of course he would have to pass the crowd.
Sombra sighed, and with some reassurance that he had lived a good life, he ventured out into the crowd. Though they all stared at him, they carried on with their conversations as if he were merely another passing pony.
“Why would Amore so suddenly leave some random pony in charge?” one of the crystal ponies inquired rather loudly, “Maybe she really does need a vacation.”
Sombra flicked his ears dismissively at this statement. With a gesture far too grand for the occasion, the stallion burst open the throne room doors to find an empty throne room.
There were no visible occupants, and even the decorations from earlier had been taken down. Save for the darkened crystal walls, the place resembled a guard mess hall abandoned upon news that the princesses would be coming.
Clean as a brand new horseshoe, and just as empty too.
Sombra gingerly walked up to the throne, eyeing his surroundings for any signs of potential foul play. None came, and upon taking a seat, the line outside sent out the first in line.
A mare, bound in chains, was pulled along rather roughly by a stallion. The crystal pony still had a fiery gaze in her eyes, defiance really.
However, the stallion clearly had the reigns, tugging her along as if she were his possession instead of Sombra’s.
“Your majesty, thine mare-slave bit me!” the unicorn bellowed with a barely concealed tone of impunity, “I demand a proper punishment be wrought on her head!”
Sombra questioned the usage of the word “wrought”, but felt that it was more pertinent to deal with his first, and clearly more amusing, charge of the day. Attempting to stifle a laugh, Sombra pressed for more information while feigning concern. “Oh did she now? Where did she so sinketh her teeth into thine flesh?”
Talking in this manner would have bothered him some had it not been for the practice that he had the day before, ordering his slaves about and organizing an economy centered around their labors.
“My stallionhood!”
Sombra could not contain his cynical, but boisterous laughter, the throes of his amusement echoing through the entire room as if it were a mighty roar. A few tears rolled down his cheeks, his laughter continuing for at least five minutes before he finally began to calm down.
Regaining his breath, and composure, the very confused ponies facing him would soon shift back to their more serious expressions once Sombra looked their way again.
“And what, pray tell, was thine stallionhood doing in her mouth in the first place?”
The unicorn shifted his eyes towards the mare, using his magic to tug her chains so that she was forced to the ground. “Well, she is still in her prime, and in heat. I did not want to sire a foal doomed to be a bastard by law, and it would not fit anywhere else. She was doing fine till I prepared to climax.”
Sombra eyed the crystal mare more closely, beginning to see a vague twinge of fear. His scrutiny could sentence her to a wide array of punishments at a whim. Of course, the stallion’s story did pose an obvious reason for mercy, for the mare was half his size. “Attempt thee to insert all of thineself into this mare?”
Now it was the unicorn’s turn to laugh, once again tugging at the chains. “Of course, I did promise her dinner. That seems to be besides the point though.”
Sombra growled, his horn glowing ominously with his shift in demeanor . “Tug at the chains of my…” Sombra took a second to recollect himself here. “Our slave one more time and we will find a set of chains to fit you.”
The unicorn laughed, his own horn glowing a bright blue in response to the obvious threat. He tugged yet again the chains of the mare in defiance. “I am an Equestrian, who rented this slave for my pleasure while I spend my hard earned bits here in thine City. Save for capital offenses, I have immunity, unless you wish the wrath of the royal sisters upon thee.”
Sombra cackled; clearly somepony had not informed this unicorn just who he was dealing with. “We are well aware of these circumstances; damaging royal property, that mare-slave of which you rented, IS a capital offense.”
Sombra’s horn glow went from red to green; his shadow bent from his form and emerged as an ethereal cloud of sorts, hovering for only a few moments before striking down on the unicorn.
The unicorn responded with a stun blast, but the attack literally went right through the shade; the darkness encased the horn, and upon dissipation afterwards, left naught but tiny black crystals on the horn. The unicorn desperately attempted to continue channeling magic, but to no avail.
“Now then, mare, we ask thee; are thine damaged?” Perhaps he should have asked that first, since technicallly a denial would warrant him to free the unicorn of bondage.
The crystal mare glanced briefly at the still shocked unicorn. An unspoken shift in dominance emboldened the slave-mare as she stood on all fours, taking one hoof to rub her throat.
“Deep throat really hurts the vocals,” the pony rasped, “No telling where that thing had been either. And ‘dinner’ was more like a sip.”
“You are not going to believe that are you?” The unicorn was indignant, but the undertone of concern tore off the mask that in truth, the unicorn had not foreseen Sombra to so hastily side with the mare.
“Seems legitimate,” Sombra declared, raising a hoof into the air, “For damages against royal property, thee are to become royal property. We are sure Celestia will love to heareth about thine exploits with young mares, but until then: off with the horn and with haste the chains!”
And so it was. The unicorn had prepared to scramble, but Sombra’s shadow moved far faster, granting the previously ungarbed unicorn the new accessories. Chains and shackle, going well with the snapping of the unicorn’s horn. He snapped it clean off at the halfway mark, no doubt scarring said pony for life. Oh well, it went with the job description.
“Next!” Sombra shouted, waving with his outstretched hoof for the duo to leave his presence.
As the original slave led, with reigns, the new slave, a new pair walked in. This duo was like a gender mismatch of the previous pair. Sombra hoped that they would not be coming to him with the same issue.
He would not be disappointed. The mare spoke first. “King Sombra, this here slave hath performed quite the misdeed! He refused to lift my litter around town, though 'tis his job. What says thee for punishment?”
Sombra mused over this for a moment. On one hoof, obviously not doing his job was warrant for punishment. On the other, for what reason would the stallion have to risk the anger of his monarch in not doing his job? The mines always had room for more stallions after all.
“Well slave? What dost thee have to say for thyself?”
The stallion looked up, fearful, hardly meeting Sombra's gaze when he spoke with a shaky voice. “The litter is composeth of granite, and tis the size of eight stallions. How can thee expect one stallion to carry that across the city?”
The mare snorted in response. Sombra would have cackled had he not been in such a serious setting. “Mare, thee realize thine slave's limitations? Buy more to get the job done.”
The mare seemed indignant, as if that were asking for four hooves on a silver platter. “Twas garunteed that one crystal slave possessed the strength of ten. Hath I been cheated?"
Maybe, probably. Sombra didn't created the advertisements, nor was he bound to abide by them either.
"Perhaps, a refund is in order." The mare seemed somewhat pleased with herself, up until Sombra smiled wide.
He knew very well how to solve this situation. When in doubt, a hoof for a hoof. “Perhaps we shalt have thee carry us around the city in thine litter; would be most fun to watch you and thine slave labour at the same task.”
“I am an Equestrian!” the mare shouted, stomping her hoof in anger, “Thine shall not treat me as such, lest thee face the wrath of mine princesses!”
Sombra nodded his head, as if complying. Of course, he instead was giving the signal for the slave to take a few steps away from the mare. The stallion hastily did so, and by the time the mare realized what was going on, she had been chained and shackled to a large round weight by Sombra's shadow.
“Next!” Sombra shouted, crystal guards escorting the still angry mare and the stallion from the throne room. She bucked and cursed, swearing to high heaven that Sombra would rue the day that he messed with Equestria. She even threatened that Sombra himself would come and put this name thief in place; poor mare hardly recognized that she was faced with the very same Sombra.
Which was strange, as he was a rather well known figure in Equestria. His horn was his trademark identifer; how is it that these Equestrians seemed completely oblivious to this? Sombra suspected Luna to be at work again, but even he doubted that she had brainwashed them into that.Then again, as Sombra reviewed the events of the past few days, other than the previous day's blank, it was very possible in fact that she could have.
No other pair immediately followed behind. Perhaps seeing four slaves emerge instead of two had unnerved the rest of the crowd. Silence fell heavy, and for a few moments, Sombra thought that he could have the rest of the day to himself.
No such luck, for yet another pair entered the throne room. This new pair stood out almost instantly; it was not a slave and master, but two equals. More pertinently, they bore the steely armor of the Equestrian military; in other words, ponies who certainly should recognize Sombra immediately.
When they spotted Sombra, their mouths dropped open. Sombra maintained a very large smile; it was nice to have some recognition once and awhile for his real self. “Ah, here to call in the dues already? Thine residents were just set off to labor actually.”
“Captain?” the earth pony stuttered, hardly believing his eyes, “Tis it really you?”
“In the flesh.”
The two guards looked to each other again before continuing down the steps to the throne room. They stood together, even paced, walking in step with each other. Truly, had the circumstances been different, Sombra would have been delighted to see them.
Though the earth pony spoke first, the pegasus was quick to interject when necessary.
“Captain, we had heard that you had went off with Luna and never saw the light of day again. Yet here you are-”
“Enlaving Equestrians.”
Sombra chuckled, resting his back against the throne in a relaxed posture. “We hath not enslaved many, just a few who doth not understand our laws.”
The pegasus seemed very skeptical. “Sombra, if ye are the new king, and ye are an Equestrian citizen, by Celestia's law, that makes all of thine subjects her subjects. Ye realize what that means right?”
Sombra's ears flattened, and for once since he had awakened earlier that morning, confusion riddled his face. The earth pony had few qualms with supplanting the missing information.
“Unless thee renounced thine citizenship, then 'King' is not really the proper title of thine position, but Duke or something to that effect. The crowns are still at the top.”
Indeed, Sombra had overlooked that, though it mattered little in the grand scheme of things. He would be overthrown soon enough. “Yes well, as of this point, I am a King, and as such, I shall rule my subjects as I so please.”
Noticing his drop in the royal “we”, the two guards assumed that Sombra had returned to their position as far as mindset went. As such, the pegasus shifted in speech to match. “Well, Celestia sent us here in case Luna made a detour on her way here. Celestia very badly wants to speak with you.”
A pang struck Sombra's heart, and he bit his lip as his thoughts wandered into for what reason Celestia so urgently needed to speak with him. Was it about Violet? The punishment for the burning of Trottabama? Despite his desire to find out, if he had to face Celestia right now, she would probably coax all of Luna's plan that he knew of right out of him.
But shouldn't Luna have already divulged all of that? Maybe the soldiers were being kept out of the loop for security reasons. And had she not rejected his earlier letters for some reason?
"Since she hath rejected mine letters, tis clear she desires a face to face conversation," Sombra reasoned, "We shall be awaiting her visit."
The earth guard chuckled nervously. "You really want Celestia to have to come all the way up here to speak with you? I doubt she will take the news very well."
"We hath spoken," Sombra declared, "If thine princess wishes an audience, she shall visit or send diplomats. Not soldiers."
With a wave of his hoof, he dismissed his former colleagues. Or at least, that is what his gesture was supposed to mean. Neither pony moved, the two apparently still in shock at the audacity of their captain. To them, he must have clearly lost his mind.
"So, what they said was true," the pegasus noted, "You really have gone rogue."
Sombra perked, his attention fully on the words that came from the pegasus. News finally of how he was received and perceived back home.
"May whatever power you serve be with you on the day Celestia comes," the pegasus warned, leading his companion away, "Unlike Trottabama, you will not get away with this City."
Upon them leaving, Sombra was left alone in this throne room, for the first time contemplating whether he should chase after them or not. Deciding that would be a most un-kingly display, he refrained and relaxed further in his throne. It would all be cleared up by the time this was over; he just needed to be less concerned with things was all.
Sombra eyed the door again. "Better safe than sorry," Sombra murmured, "If I leave no record, then I will certainly be sorry."
"Luna!" Celestia's call for her sister came sharply, and might would have made any other pony scurry for cover. Luna, however, was never far, especially since she too lived in the same castle. Not much went on without either of the sisters anyways.
Luna strode up to Celestia, feigning to be just waking from a nap. Her massage therapist had done wonders, wonders so great that it was obvious that she had not taken that trip up to the Crystal Empire as she had claimed that she would. Seeing her sister as enranged as she was actually got her heart to racing. If Celestia was angry, heads were going to roll.
"Sombra had the nerve to reject my invitation?" Celestia fumed, still pacing the clear out throne room, "And suggest that I go to him instead? Has the stallion lost his mind?"
"Among other things," Luna joked, "Your most faithful captain has clearly taken advantage of the situation."
"Word among the Guard has spread that it is him," Celestia lamented, "If he destroys the crystal ponies, Equestria will have to face the political ramifications of provable genocide! Luna, we have to do something."
"Ransom his wife and then kill him upon compliance?" Luna suggested, "Might be a bit messy, but it is straight to the point."
"Sombra bathed an entire city-state in green fire out of fear for his life and the life of his subordinates," Celestia mused, "No telling what he would do if he thought that his wife and foals were in danger."
"So what do you suggest?" Luna inquired, genuinely curious, "If we march on the Empire, Sombra will resort to drastic measures to prevent capture."
Celestia looked to Luna, determination in her eyes. "If he wants to rule the north, then he should first learn how to live in it; we shall banish him there."
Luna seemed taken aback at the suggestion. "Banish him? Wouldn't killing him be better-"
"If we are wrong and Sombra has contracted some condition due to dark magic, then forever the guilt would haunt us if we were to end his life without trying to help him," Celestia explained, "At least if we banish him it will give us time to assess the cause of this rebellious behavior."
Luna would have objected, but Celestia had already set her mind to it. And there was no changing her mind once it was set.
"My lord!" one of the crystal guards came rushing in, panting heavily as if he had been running for at least an hour, "There, is-"
"Catch your breath," Sombra ordered, perched on his throne in a disinterested fashion. He had seen very few visitors since the guards had left to give his answer to Celestia, and the hour was approaching quickly.
A few minutes past before the stallion made his report. "Equestria's Princesses have been spotted making their way here! What should we do?"
Sombra pondered it for a moment. This was, of course, according to plan, but he would have expected Luna to give him endgame details before the time came. Of course, she rarely gave details early, this mission's history had shown that, so Sombra dismissed the troubling thoughts. "Let them come. We shall meet them on the balcony."
The crystal guard bowed and departed, perhaps a bit too excited at the coming news. He and the others would receive their freedom soon enough, they likely felt.
Waiting in his throne room, Sombra felt an odd calm about the upcoming ordeal. He neither felt worry nor extreme concern. But he was not excited either, and that is what mystified him the most. He should be thrilled that his last mission was about to come to a close. That he would not have to worry about slaving away in some mine or low class shop just to pay for his retirement. Not every pony could say that with confidence.
He could spend the rest of his days with his loving and most faithful wife and his two young foals. He could watch them grow up, start their own journeys, and add on to the herd.
Something nagged at him though, something that told him that his lack of excitement was intuition. No sooner did his thoughts wander did the entire room darken, as if the sun itself had taken a quick break behind a giant shade. On guard, Sombra rose from his throne, only to see Luna materialize from the darkness, her face showing extreme concern. She stood just in front of the double doors, slowly approaching as she no doubt realized her projection was a bit far from her target audience.
"Sombra, why are you not making preparations?" Luna inquired, "You appear hardly concerned at all."
Sombra chuckled, for if the mare could read minds, she would know that it was not mere appearance. He really was not all that concerned. "I am not concerned. I am going to lose anyways-"
"You should at least bring the Crystal Heart for good measure," Luna insisted, her projection wavering, "We want this to be as realistic as possible. You are to be standing on the balcony, not moving from your place regardless of any flashing lights from my sister and me that may suggest something requiring you to move."
Sombra scoffed at the first portion of direction. "I have the Heart hidden away; consider it backup in case the crystal ponies do not take too kindly to your intervention. They may be slaves now, but if they get wind of what is going on-"
"Your job was to make sure that they do not!" Luna strode up to Sombra angrily, temper clearly rising, "We can use that Heart to force them into submission again."
"Actually, that would only make them stronger since it is their magical artifact after all," Sombra pointed out, "I have no doubt that you two could carry out the job without the Heart."
Sombra's refusal to relinquish the heart, much less reveal its location, had clearly gotten under Luna's coat. However, she seemed to be showing restraint in unveiling her anger, and Sombra had to note that this made her seem more like a princess than ever before.
"We can, but I need the Heart secured before we get here in the flesh," Luna pressed, "It is very important to me."
"What says Celestia on this?" Sombra inquired, "She rejects my letters, and then sends guards to demand that I leave the Empire. Doesn't she realize that would spoil the plan?"
"Celestia had to build up some pretense before rushing here." Luna seemed patient enough to explain this, despite the somewhat common sense principle behind it. "She could not just up and decide to find you here randomly. Either way, I am done asking Sombra, I demand that you bring the Heart with you when you go out onto the balcony."
"No."
Sombra was resolute on this. If the crystal ponies suspected that they were trading one tyrant for two, then they would rally together and, in the presence of the crystal heart, have the power to threaten Equestria. Celestia and Luna's only options then would be to use force, which they could have done without going through the trouble of planting him in the middle of this. That would defeat the purpose of the whole mission.
In part, their suspicion would have arisen from the little explained fact that Sombra did come to power under very questionable circumstances. The death of their previous ruler and the subsequent subjugation of the Guard may have been swept under the rug with the chains of bondage, but it had not been forgotten outright. Not to mention, again, once the ponies found out Luna's job of defending the night and the realm of dreams, they would no doubt put two and two together.
No, Sombra could not risk giving the instrument of their demise. Why could Luna not see this though? If he did not know any better, he would have suspected that Luna wanted to risk unraveling the entire plan.
Luna sighed, her projection once again briefly fading before returning to its full color. "Fine, have it your way. But I will have the Crystal Heart at the end of this. "
Her form vanished, and the lighting in the throne room returned to normal. Sombra's mind picked up on the not so subtle threat at the end of her statement. Luna wanted that Crystal Heart; and whether Sombra gave it to her or not, she was going to get it. Of course, if she obtained it, then so would Celestia. But she specifically used "I".
She apparently had no intentions of allowing her sister to also have access to that power.
Though that was mere conjecture, Sombra concluded that not all was quite right with the plan. Something had happened that had once again caused Luna to deviate. What that meant for him was ambiguous, but it was clear that he needed to be prepared for just about anything. Looking about the castle, Sombra concluded that it would need a visual make-over. The bright ceilings and walls just would not do, as it would contrast sharply with the upcoming scenario to be played out.
Using dark magic, Sombra began to influence the crystals around him. To his delight, they responded eagerly, becoming almost as black as his mane, spreading spires of red and black all over the Empire's crystalline structures. Yes, red and black was a rather stereotypical way to represent power and malice.
"What to do now..." Sombra mused. He still had three hours before the appointed time, noon. Though he tapped his chin for a moment, the perfect time burner came to mind to the stallion. Some of the dark magic that he had spread was slowly beginning to tickle at his mind, reminding him of the possibility that he could end up with an arrow through him. Or worse, a horn half the length of his body that would serve the same purpose.
"A letter," Sombra concluded, "A backup spell, and of course a gift ahead of time for Violet."
30 minutes till Noon
Sombra, never one to be late intentionally was already out on the balcony, casting glances towards the rising sun as he awaited his cue to begin looking menacing. Granted, he had already donned the ceremonial armor that he had come here with and draped a cape over it, so he at least looked like the King that he was supposed to be. The crown on his head did not really fit in this aspect, but that did not matter.
All that mattered now is that he was now in the easiest part of his mission. Before he could bask too much, the slaves below began walking in odd unison, as if they had been given some sort of signal. Sombra peered down below and smiled. Their hopelessness, their despair, all of it would soon culminate into a resounding cheer once Celestia and Luna flew onto the scene. They would be freed from his "tyranny", and each would buck, bay, and whinny in joy for their new rulers.
Sooner than expected, the rays of the sun were graced by the two alicorn sisters. The crystal ponies below paid no heed at this point, but Sombra had his attention almost fully on the two sisters, silhouetted by the giant orb of fire that warmed the day. Seems they were also quite early, or had intended on sneaking up on him first.
Celestia spoke first, always being the larger of the two figures. "Sombra, we have, as you so egotistically demanded, come. And this sight displeases us greatly!"
Sombra smirked, thrusting his chin upward, preparing his loudest bellow. He had been working on the retort for a few minutes now, and he had to say, he knew that the "your displeasure is our pleasure" line would certainly garner some genuine irritation from the princess.
Before he could let loose however, Celestia continued speaking whilst shaking her head. "We are sorry, our most esteemed captain, but the time for your punishment for Trottingbama, among your recent offenses, are long overdue. We shall not allow these ponies' lives to be risked by your continued reign."
Luna briefly shot a glance towards Celestia, though due to the sun it made it difficult for Sombra to read. Right here in front of all of the crystal ponies, she had just mentioned that incident, which also had a proportionately large number of earth pony victims. In front of the audience that had been supposedly in the dark about his identity back home, she had revealed that he was the same pony who had commanded Celestia's army during that particular incident.
And it was here that fear gripped Sombra, as Celestia's body language all pointed to one thing. She was not joking, she was not putting on a show; as Luna's temporary reaction had shown, Celestia was dead serious. Which meant that Luna had likely not told her about the plan. Either that or they had made a change of plans without telling him.
And Luna had no intentions of divulging the plan either if the former were true, for both she and Celestia began channeling magic to a central point. Terror unlike anything the stallion had faced before gripped him, his thoughts and magic reeling. He was prepared for Luna's betrayal; his last thoughts, and that curse ready to lock away the kingdom. Take away her prize, her loot, her booty, and he stripped her of the success that treachery would have otherwise brought.
But he was not ready for Celestia's betrayal if it was the latter. He was not ready to have to deal with a hostile Celestia either way it fell.
Even as the beam of magic shot towards him, he stayed rooted to the spot on the balcony, the inner guardspony determined to follow orders for some reason. Even if those orders led to his destruction. In a flash of dark magic, the very ground seeping with it, Sombra's body became enveloped in the two's magic, and the kingdom in his.
"Ye shall be banished to the far North for a thousand years as a mere shadow, thine trademark tool of tyranny," Celestia decreed, "For this time, we will not allow ye to do as ye please, for no reason!"
Sombra wanted to cry out at this point, but he found his voice restrained. An addition to the spell it seemed. His body dissolved and turned into a shade, prevented him from speaking intelligibly. 'Wait, was this the plan all along?' came out as "Graaaaaaaaaaaaaah!"
In a wisp akin to a powerful wind, he was swept from the balcony and thrown to the white enclaves of the snow, unable to comprehend the manner in which he had been sentenced. Further and further he went, until all that he could see was a dark crevice, its invitation a cold burst of vapor that nearly froze his face in place. Upon entry, the top slammed shut, and for the first time in his existence, Sombra found his body spread out among the darkness that riddled his prison. His cage.
He cried out, but naught but a ghastly howl was heard. He attempted to literally cry, but his eyes merely produced the green fires of his magic. Despair unlike anything he had felt before took hold, empowering the very darkness that surrounded him. His prison seemed to consume him in this fashion. Sombra began to ponder if he really should have ever trusted that he would get to go home once and for all. That Celestia and Luna would keep their end of the bargain to a pony such as himself.
In darkness, with only the sound of the howling wind as a distraction, Sombra lost all other senses, likely a consequence of his body's deconstruction into that of a mere shade. Festered out of the belief that, no matter which way he crossed it, Luna had betrayed him, cast him in a role that was supposed to only last a week. Only a single emotion could be felt, one that would slowly rebuild a sense of purpose in the discarded stallion.
One thousand years, wasting away in the darkness of his prison. One thousand years desiring just a glimpse of what his family had been up to. One thousand years plotting his vengeance against the mares who wronged him so.
His prison opened for the first time since those thousand years began; it was as if a clock had chimed, the timing was perfect. Sombra had lost track of time anyways, it having felt like a few hundred years since his most unfortunate encounter with fate. But now that he was free, he could feel the curse being lifted from the Empire.
And that meant that it was his time to put his plan into action. Still a large shadow, Sombra rushed towards that abominable place, knowing full well that the ponies would be expecting his imminent return. Time was of the essence, and even in the swirling winterland of the far reaches of the North, he journeyed for what felt like days before finding the first signs of the castle. The castle had been restored to its old state, and the crystal ponies were all still in their restraints.
Good, that meant that Equestria was not aware yet. Before he could surge his form into the city, a large double layered bubble shield was erected over the city. Despite his best efforts, he could neither puncture nor phase the shield, its power clearly held by two formidable magic users. indeed, though he could only hardly see them, he could see the two users below.
One was an alicorn, having both wings and a horn. The other was a mere unicorn. They spotted him and hurried along, removing the bonds of the crystal ponies below.
No matter.
He backed off, unable to to break through. Whether he liked it or not, these new occupants were not going to just allow him into the shield. He would have to bide his time; it was only a matter of time before he got an opportunity. Plus, until they found the crystal heart, there was no need to be too wary of them. Without it, there was no way that he could be taken down unless Celestia and Luna came to confront him.
So he would prod at the barrier here and there, even as it became opaque and prevented him from viewing the Empire. For several days this would continue, fruitless as it seemed that both ponies combined could hold the barrier up for an undefined amount of time.
Not to mention the nagging fear that Celestia or Luna might show up and prematurely put an end to his plans.
On a particular day, the fourth day, Sombra did not immediately go to the barrier. Instead, he held back, a snowstorm obscuring his sight of the city temporarily. In contemplation, he wondered why his body had yet to return to normal yet. He still could not speak either, or at least outside of his head.
His current fascination was with a strange road of sorts, which had two metal rails with wooden planks. He had not seen it be used, but somehow it kept from being completely snowed over in the weather. It was then that a strange carriage ran along it, dropping off some ponies and a dragon at what appeared to be a station of sorts.
How weird, none of them had armor, sword, or shield. They clearly were not here to fight him then. They were, however, greeted by the white stallion from earlier, who had apparently abandoned his place as shield bearer and left it up to the alicorn. Spotting his chance to weaken the opposition, Sombra slowly, but surely, began to approach the group.
His intent on surprising them was spoiled by the howling wind; reading more into it than perhaps they would have had it not been for the stallion, the group turned just in time to see him towering above them. They all fled for their lives, as if they could outrun him. Sombra pursued, using his shadowy form to his advantage, spreading his mass out just enough so that he could cover more ground.
Just as he was about to overtake them, the stallion turned to face him. As that was his target, Sombra stopped and assessed what sort of magic the unicorn might attempt to use on him. A stun spell most likely, as it was a universal attack taught for self-defense purposes. The beam that he fired might have been more dangerous than that, but Sombra did not intend on finding out. He easily dodged, and descended upon the unicorn, engulfing him in his darkness.
Now in the pony's mind, Sombra searched around for an avatar of sorts. If he was going to get inside the stallion's head, he might as well cut out the suspense and lower his only form of defense here.
He did not have to wander far, as the stallion's avatar appeared in the center of the dark conscious, a single spotlight illuminating the defiant unicorn. Under different circumstances, Sombra would have formally challenged the unicorn.
“Where are you?” The stallion lowered his stance as if to pounce on the threat that he could not yet see.
Sombra responded by appearing in front of him, re-imagining his own body so as to give the opposition some sort of idea of what he was fighting.
The pony was not impressed as Sombra's form finished shaping, his extended canines and wickedly curved horn not at all deterring him. He had likely seen comparable foes in the real world. “So you are the unicorn who cursed the Empire!” the stallion charged up his horn again, this time aiming it towards Sombra's face. “What do you want with it?”
Sombra smiled, and for just a moment, he saw a flicker of doubt in the unicorn's eyes. It quickly turned to steely resolve as he fired off his magical beam again. Sombra once again dodged, though this time he had to jump out of the way instead of simply slinking to the side. The advantage to his pony form, however, was that he could fight back more traditionally.
Firing off his own red beam, Sombra aimed it for the stallion's chest, only for the stallion to erect a blue shield in defense, which stopped the beam from going all the way through with ease.
Keeping up the blast, Sombra stepped ever closer, pouring more and more magic into the shortening distance. The unicorn grimaced, and seemed to strain under the effort. The shield, however did not waver as a result.
Once within striking distance, Sombra raised his forehooves and stomped them into the shield. Combined with his magical blast, the shield at last shattered; rather than retreat, the unicorn charged forward, apparently intent on running him through with his horn. Desperate times indeed, for just as Sombra's hooves touched the ground, he titled his head forward just enough to meet the unicorn's blow, horn to horn.
Now in a tussling match with their heads, the two stallions staggered; Sombra was surprised that he was being pushed back by the unicorn. He had expected to easily overpower the opposing stallion, but there was more muscle behind that frame than Sombra had taken into account. Realizing that he was going to lose a match of physical prowess in his weakened state, Sombra snickered, and then looked his opponent in the eye.
“What is a unicorn who can not use magic?”
The unicorn, much to his pleasure, actually narrowed his eyes and snarled in response.
Oh well, Sombra would just have to finish his own joke. “A zerocorn.”
Laughing at his terrible own joke, Sombra channeled dark magic into his horn before surging it into his opponent's horn. Dark crystals began to manifest, and once Sombra finished his spell, the other unicorn's pushing became weaker.
Whether temporary or not, Sombra took advantage of this moment to push his quarry to his back. Before he could right himself, Sombra stomped two hooves to his stomach, knocking the breath from him.
With a wicked smile that had terrified an entire Empire of ponies, Sombra began to prepare the final spell. The unicorn struggled to get his hind legs to Sombra's belly so that he could throw him off, but Sombra would have none of it; he bound the entire lower half with dark tendrils.
He had him at his mercy now. Horn charged, Sombra fired a beam straight between the eyes of the stallion. Instantly he convulsed, as if struck by some lethal force, before relaxing, a confused look on his face.
“Wha...?” Was the only fragment of a word that the stallion could get out before his eye glazed over.
With just this intent, Sombra delved into the mind of his victim, intent on uncovering everything that he could about how Equestria had changed. Well, to be truthful, he could care less on how the kingdom had changed; he was more interested in how Celestia had painted him out to be.
In this memory, Sombra could see that it had gone back to a point before the pony came to the Empire. The climate was warmer, the bed he was resting on ruffled and undone, and that pink alicorn perched on the other side of the bed. In her magical grip was a short piece of paper, presumably a letter based on how it was folded.
"Shining Armor, you and Cadance are to report to the Crystal Empire immediately," the pink alicorn read, her eyes scanning a letter, "The honeymoon is over."
"Damn," Shining cursed, "Did she really say that?"
Cadance presented the letter, as if a simple 'yes' would not have sufficed. "Neighagra Falls has been nice, spending it with you."
The two ponies nuzzled each other, much to Sombra's external gag. He was not here to see a love story unfold between newly weds. He had literally been there and done that long before this stallion was even conceived.
"Wait, where is this Crystal Empire?" Shining asked, confused as he brought the letter back up.
Cadance brought the envelope that had likely contained the letter up, bringing out a map with a large red circle on it. "My guess is that it is where the red circle is."
"This letter seems kind of short," Shining pointed out, "I mean, normally Celestia gives her guards a little more information. I am Captain and you're princess, so you would think she would give us all the details."
"Ah, forgot something," Cadance noted, digging through the envelope with her magic, producing another letter. After scanning it, she concluded with a sheepish smile, "I probably should have read this one first. It gives a full briefing."
Shining laid his head onto his pillow, a sigh escaping him. "Well, it looks longer, so I guess-"
"Oh no you don't." Cadance playfully lifted her husband's head from his pillow with a sheepish gaze. "I know this morning was rough on you after last night, but she did say immediately."
"Alright." Shining reluctantly got out of bed and began getting prepared. Whatever happened last night, it had led to a sluggish excuse for a captain of the guard, or so Sombra reasoned. Uninterested in this preparation sequence though, Sombra focused in on the stallion's hearing as the letter being read aloud.
The following information is to be considered classified. With the threat of banishment, this letter is only for the eyes of Princess mi Amore Cadenza and Shining Armour.
I am sorry to interrupt your honeymoon Cadance, but the Crystal Empire has returned to Equestria. As I already mentioned in lectures past, the return of this kingdom is pivotal to your role here in Equestria. I need you and Shining Armor to defend it from King Sombra. In case Shining is unaware, King Sombra is the black-hearted unicorn who took over the Empire nearly a thousand years ago. Make no mention of his status in Canterlot, nor bring up Gladis.
Cadance giggled, perhaps because she had inadvertently told him anyways. Shining seemed rather confused by this. "What does Gladis have to do with anything? Doesn't that mean sword? And Sombra used to be in Canterlot?"
"Things were different back then," Cadance explained, "Even now there are not many places with a dominate unicorn population. If Sombra did come from Equestria, then he probably had roots in Canterlot."
No, that could not be it. That was really it? No Trottabama reference for once? Not even a mention that he had been a predecessor to this stallion's position? Sombra was in disbelief.
"Anyways, we have no time to lose. Sombra could already be on his way there." Shining finished wrapping a scarf around his neck
Well, to be technical, they had arrived just in the nick of time; even with all of this delaying that they were doing. It seemed that they were preparing to leave, and since that was all the information that Celestia seemed to have packaged into the letter, that meant that this was the extent of what he could gather regarding his absence.
Now having all that he needed, he released the stallion to the bubble shield. With Shining Armor's inability to use that bubble shield spell himself, now all Sombra needed to do was be patient. Clearing his name would be difficult since it seemed that most were unaware even of his affiliations with the Guard, but at least treason was not on the list to be cleared. All he would need to do is find his records of the events, which he had safely stowed with Violet.
Sombra grimaced, realizing one major flaw in his plan. As Celesstia had stated implicitly when she had banished him, it had been nearly a thousand years since he had last done anything in Equestria. Even if the enchantment on the pages kept them from decaying, it was unlikely that Violet would have been able to hide them for very long, especially since Celestia at least would have sought out his record of dark magic.
One thousand years of planning, only to find that a key part of his plan was missing. He needed the Crystal Heart now more than ever; even if his name remained tarnished, he could at least still play the part. He could still get his vengeance and carry on with the plan.
He didn't have to become a hero instead of a villain. His wife and foals were now long dead, and any descendents would have a distorted view to be unchanged by any heroic deeds to be claimed. There was nothing left now but to finish what he had started.
As uninviting as that was, Sombra had his mind made up. King Sombra had one last act in the play. He would either win and plunge Equestria into instability and chaos. Or he would finally get his permanent retirement.
Either way, his drawn out play had finally come to its final act.
