We all know Shining Armor. But we don't know Katyla, or Solar Shadow. Katyla Sparkle has a need in her. A need for power. And she finds that need when she meets the most despicable pony in Equestria: King Sombra.
We all know Shining Armor. But we don't know Katyla, or Solar Shadow. Katyla Sparkle has a need in her. A need for power. And she finds that need when she meets the most despicable pony in Equestria: King Sombra. Will she be able to control her lust for power? Or her unknown love for the dark Sombra? Read on to find out.
Hi. My name’s Katyla. Katyla Sparkle. You might have heard of my younger sisters, but not me. Twilight Sparkle and Solar Shadow. Twilight’s a princess now, and Solar Shadow is training for her third Equestria Games in a row. I’ve gone unnoticed for half of my life. You know, I was that nerdy girl sitting in the corner of the lunch room reading two books as big as myself at the same time. Twilight and I had regular studying competitions to see who would study the most, then who got a better score on the test. I always had to win. Even if it meant I had to cheat.
“Class. Here are your tests. Please set up your dividers and start right... now.” And with that, there was a rustling of paper, and every-pony began their tests. I turned over my exam, and started the test. I was nearly done when I came across a question that I didn’t know the answer to.
“Who was the designer for the Wonderbolts when they were first formed?”
I never read anything in the books about a designer. Or if I did, I skipped over it because it seemed useless. So I used the X-Ray spell I designed for this occasion and spied through the cardboard dividers. I peered at Rarity’s packet of paper, sure she would know the answer. I was right. She knew the exact answer. Flair D’Mare. I neatly wrote the answer down and continued on.
Five minutes later, I stood up swiftly, and walked over to Princess Celestia’s desk to hand it in. She used a grading spell to check the answers quickly, dipped her quill in green ink, and wrote the number 100 in the corner of the paper. I trotted away happily, grinning. I won the contest. Again.
“Another 100!” I shout, closing the door behind me with my hoof. “That’s A number 630!”
“Good for you honey!” my father, Night Light shouts. “Come down for dinner in an hour!” He says as I pound upstairs. I hear the door open, and peer down the stairwell. Twilight appears in the doorway, her face lit up with a smile.
“I got my 629th A!” She announces.
“That’s amazing Twi! Another one hundred?” I inquire.
“As alway!”
“Ooohh, it’s another tie. I got them all right too!”
“May the best pony win!” she shouts up the stairwell.
“Oh, I will.” I muttered to myself, smiling, and turned on my heel and headed to my room.
**********
After dinner, I trotted upstairs to my room and poured myself into studying. Our next test was Defense Against Dark Magic, and I had to master the shielding spell. Once I had read the whole book about spell, I used my horn to amplify the noise it made as I closed it, and announced, “Finished another book! 394 pages! Beat that Twily!”
“Gladly!” she countered.
“Shut up, both of you! Some of us are trying to sleep!” Shining Armor called to us grumpily from his room down the hall. Of course by then, Solar Shadow was already deep asleep, not hearing any of this.
I rolled my eyes and took my glasses off, setting them on the book I had just finished. “Well, goodnight Shining Armor.” I muttered under my breath. “And good luck beating me this time, Twilight. I crawled into bed, staring at the stars on my ceiling, memorizing the constellations I had put up, and fell asleep.
********** “Morning sis!” Solar shouted at me as she pranced past me, eager to finish breakfast and run around the city before school.
“Calm down Solar Shadow!” I heard after the sound of shattering glass. Solar had knocked into mom again and caused another mess of plates and french toast.
“Let me get that.” I offered, levitating the pieces of toast off of the floor and into the trash can, along with the plate. “That’s the 5th plate you’ve broken this month, Sol.” I reprimanded my little sister, shaking my head mockingly. “Be careful.”
“You know I won’t.” She replied. She never learns.
I trot around the table and sit down, grabbing a piece of toast and dunk it in the syrup. “So, I got another A yesterday.” I say, trying to make conversation.
“I heard. That’s your 629th A isn’t it?” My mother questions from the stove.
“630th,” I remind her, “Twilight got her 629 yesterday. I’m still ahead.”
Mom just shakes her head in wonder at our strange competitive spirit. Most ponies settle their differences with hoof wrestles, or races. Twilight and I settle them with tests.
“Oh, I gotta go now if I want to be early.” I jump out of my chair, rush to the sink, deposit my dishes, and hug mom goodbye. “Tell Twilight she’s gonna have to wake up soon, or she’ll miss class.” I say, smirking.
“Oh, Twily’s already there. She left before you woke up.” My mother says, causing me to falter in my hoof-steps.
“Ooooh, well-played little sister. Well played.” I say deviously.
“Just go.” Mom prompted, shoving me and Solar to the door.
Another day of learning, and another day of beating Twilight at her own game.
**********
As always, I walked home with a book held directly in front of my face, relying on my hearing to keep me from crashing into strangers. I knew the way so well I could tell you every single pebble on the way. Twilight, Solar Shadow, and Shining Armor were leading ahead of me. I slowed down to turn a page and study the anatomy of pony. The others trotted ahead, leaving me to myself and my book. That’s when I bumped into him. I dropped my book at our feet, and he used his magic aura to lift the book into my hooves. His dark aura. It was pitch black with dark purple bubbles floating from his horn. That’s when I noticed that his horn wasn’t normal. It was a dark red ombré, and it was curved towards the back of his head. I lowered my eyes; and accidentally leveled them with his. His dark red eyes, brimming with evil.
After bumping into that dark mysterious stranger, I continued on my way home, trying to get back into my book, but I kept thinking of the stallion. The stallion, with his ominous horn and his sinister eyes. I couldn’t stop thinking about him. Whenever I thought of his beautiful eyes, I shivered. but not in a bad way. The way that makes you squirm with delight. I finally gave up on reading my book, tucking it in my the bag of books on my back. I had to get home before I crashed into another dark and mysterious stallion.
**********
Shining Armor was waiting for me at the door of our apartment, staring at something across the street. “Where were you Kat?” he asked distractedly.
“I accidentally ran into someone while I was reading.” I answered, “Anyway, why do you care?”
All Sining Armor did was ruffle my mane and push my glasses back onto my nose. “Runt.” he said affectionately. I head-butted him in the chest, and followed him inside.
“Any tests today?” my father Night Light asked.
“Nope, not till Friday.” I say, a little disappointed.
“By the way, Twilight’s looking for you.” Dad informed me.
“I’ll go find her.”
I trotted upstairs, my head filled with images of the stallion, and nearly ran into the wall a I rounded the corner. I came upon Twilight’s room, and say her pacing the floor, waiting for me.
“What’s up Twi?” I inquired.
“I just saw the most amazing thing!” She exclaimed, barely able to stand the silence. “Shining Armor and Cadance are in love!”
“Don’t be silly Twily.” I reply, disbelieving. “What makes you think that?”
“I saw them nuzzling each other in the cafeteria this afternoon at lunch.” she stated.
“Oh?”
“Yeah! They were sitting alone together in the corner. I was following Shining Armor to find a table with him, but he went to site with Cadance, so I stayed away. It’s a little bit embarrassing to be seen with your foal-sitter at school, no matter how amazing of a foal-sitter she is.” Twilight explained.
“Hhhmmm. You might be on to something. I think I saw him staring at something across the street when I came in. It looked like he was watching Cadance walk home.” I said.
“Wow. Our brother, the dorky Shining Armor, is in love with my foal-sitter. The amazing Princess Cadance.” Twilight muttered.
“Well, he is captain of the football team.”
“What has that got to do with anything?” She asked.
“You’ll see.”
“What do we do know?” Wondered Twilight.
“We follow Cadance and Shining Armor on their next date.” I answered cockily.
**********
I dug around in my drawer to find the black leather jacket that Cadance had given me in an attempt to help me find a sense of fashion last time she babysat Twilight. I had never worn it instead, choosing to keep it in my dresser for “emergencies” like this. I carefully maneuvered my cap onto my head, guiding my horn into the hole meant for a unicorn. I slipped on my black boots, another one of Cadance’s failed attempts, and trotted outside, waiting for Twilight.
“Yuck!” Twilight whispers in the bush, sticking her tongue out and her hoof near her mouth in a sign of disgust.
“Ssshhh...” I reprimanded her.
“Oh, yeah.” she said sheepishly. We turned our heads back to Cadence and Shining Armor’s conversation, just in time to see the pair of ponies walking away from us, towards the Canterlot Archives, which nearly made me melt with sappiness. What better than to spy on my brother in the library while he was on a date? Especially in the library!
“Come on Katyla, we have to follow them!” Twilight whisper-shouted at me.
“I’m coming, I’m coming.” I said, turning to face her, but stopped when I felt a hoof on my shoulder. I turned slowly, and found myself staring deep into the blood-red eyes of the strange stallion. I stifled a gasp, as well as a smile at being able to see him again.
“Be quiet. I don’t want anyone to know I’m here.” He warned.
“Who are you?” I ask.
“I’ll tell you later. But for now, be quiet.” he answers.
“Later?!” I stutter, as he puts a hoof over my mouth in exasperation and drags me away, using his horn to levitate me and loosen the burden of my weight.
He dragged me along through Canterlot, and I recognize landmarks along the way, even seeing my brother and foal-sitter sharing a shake outside of an outdoor café. I also saw Twilight all too obviously spying on them from behind a tree. I almost groan outwardly, until I think about the mystery stallion shushing me again. We ran down the streets of Canterlot, and eventually into he outskirts of the city, right underneath Cloudsdale. Eventually, we approach the Everfree Forest, and the stallion dumps me on the ground as gently as one can when releasing an object from a magical grasp.
“My name is Sombra.” He announces without preamble. “Let me guess. You already know my name?”
“Yes, Katyla” He said shortly.
“You've followed me so much that you already know my name?”
“No. Your sister is so loud that I heard her shouting in the bush.” He explains.
“Everybody heard her.” I agree, “Now, why did you drag me here for no reason?”
“To answer your questions.” He answers simply.
“What?” I stutter.
“I’m here to answer your questions about me.” He repeats.
“You knew I had questions?”
“I could practically hear your thoughts as you walked away. That, and I’m so powerful I can sense every thought of every pony.”
“Ohhhhkaaay, then. Why were you following me? Where did you follow me to?” I start off.
“I was so close to you when you bumped into me that I saw your thoughts. How you cheated just to win. And how much you were really enjoying that book.” He adds with a hint of a smile.
He went on to tell me that he was next in line as king of the Chrystal Empire, something I had never heard of before, and how he poured himself into studying like Twilight and I. He also explained that he now had a “bond” with me from when we bumped into each other. Apparently, if he touched somepony while casting that spell, they became connected and he could dimly hear my thoughts. He cautioned me that our connection could grow stronger, and that it could possibly be dangerous to us.
“Dangerous? How?” I question him.
“It might literally pull us together when we’re apart. Imagine sitting at the library, just reading, then bang! We’re pulled into each other like we’ve been released from your little sisters slingshots!” He demonstrates this by first keeping his hooves wide apart, then brining them swiftly together with a loud “Bang!”.
“Anything else it might do to destroy us?” I ask.
“Well, if one would concentrate hard enough, we could see into each others minds. Just think how disastrous that would be.” He says, almost shuddering.
“You say that like you do have something to hide.” I say pointedly.
“I don’t have anything to hide, except for embarrassing secrets!” He says hurriedly, as if he was hiding something.
“Okay, okay. You’re not going to tell me.” I put my hooves up in mocking defense, and ask another question. “Would we be able to feel one another go into each other’s minds?” I wonder.
“I haven’t tested it yet.” He replies. “After all, I’ve never accidentally bumped into a pony and was suddenly able to read minds.”
I continue to bombard him with questions, until he notices the sky darkening and the moon rising.
“I better get home.” I say standing up.
“You’ll never make it in time if you run.” He points out.
“Thats why i’m not running.” I counter. “I’m one of Celestia’s top students. Of course I’ve mastered the teleportation spell.” I reply with a smirk.
And with that, I imagine our doorstep, summon my deep purple magical aura, and in a flash, I am back home. I trot inside with a smile, imagining Sombra just staring at the scorch mark I always leave, and shaking his head.
At home, I was determined to look up this ‘Crystal Empire’ in the library, but before I could sneak away, I was confronted by Twilight.
“Where the hay were you?” She abruptly emerged from around the corner, catching me off-guard.
“I got lost.” I cover.
“But you grew up here. You know this place like the back of your hoof.” She states.
I think quickly and come up with an alibi. “I was thinking and turned at the wrong time. Ended up at the castle gardens somehow.”
“Oooookkkkkkaaaaaayyyyyy.....” She accepts the alibi grudgingly, as if she didn’t quite believe me.
“Fine! I saw a friend and got distracted. We talked for a while, then I realized you weren’t with us.”
It was partly true. Sombra was a friend. Sorta. And we did talk for hours. I just knew Twi wasn’t there with me.
“So,” I said, trying to distract her. “Did Shiny and Cadence to anything important?”
“No! All they did was stare at each other and call each other stupid nicknames!” And with that, she launched into a tirade of complaints about “how ponies in love never do anything but make goo-goo eyes at each other.” I just smiled a let her continue her rant.
********** I wandered around the Canterlot Library, searching for something, anything about the so-called ‘Crystal Empire.’ I asked librarian after librarian, but no one seemed to know what the Crystal Empire was. Whenever I asked, they stared at me like I was crazy, and then shook their heads. Then I resorted to using a location spell to pinpoint any possible information about the Empire. I found an encyclopedia with a little hint about what the Crystal Empire could be.
“The Crystal Empire is one of Equestria’s oldest realms. The buildings are made almost entirely about crystal, and the ponies who live there have coats that reflect off of the light, making it seem as if they are made of crystal themselves.” A footnote read, ‘For more about The Crystal Empire, read “The History of the Crystal Empire”’
Well, that was no help at all.
I stood up and searched the library for the book that was mentioned, but could not find it anywhere. I asked more librarians, and yet again, they shook their heads in confusion. After a while, I gave up, and hearing my stomach growl, I headed toward one of the many cafés in Canterlot, determined to get food. And more answers.
I sat down at the Canterlot Café, one of the more well-known cafés in Canterlot. I quickly ordered my lunch, and while I was waiting for the food to arrive, I made the decision to find the mysterious stallion - Sombra.
After lunch, I trotted around the perimeter of the Everfree Forest, searching for Sombra. To my surprise, I found him, sitting and quietly reading a book. I used my magic to surprise him and take the book and asked “Watch’a reading?” I turned it over, and nearly dropped it. The title read ‘The History of the Crystal Empire’
“Hey!” Sombra protested.
“Hey yourself. I’ve been searching for this book for hours!” I replied rather loudly.
“I know. Once you set your mind on something, nothing can stop you.” He said with a hint of a smile.
“You read my mind?” I chastised him gently. “Yeah, I can see how fun this ‘connection’ will be.”
“Oh, it’s wonderful. Your mind is a like maze of knowledge.”
“Huh. Never heard that analogy before. Now, gimme the book!” I said, lunging for it. He responded by simply levitating it just out of my reach. That only made me angrier. Not bothering with jumping up and down trying to grab it, I caught Sombra by surprise and used my magic to grab it from him. Feeling triumphant, I kneeled down to open it, only to find that he had gently slid it away from me and was closing it. Standing up, I did something I never would have done with any other pony. I don’t know what came over me. I stepped forward, and kissed him. Square on the lips. Sombra was so surprised, he dropped the book. I stopped kissing him for a moment, but not to retrieve the book. I had to breathe. Then, he surprised me by returning my kiss, this on just as forceful, but still as gentle as a summer breeze. The feeling of need I had been experiencing the past few days since I had met Sombra retreated. It was still there, but it wasn’t throbbing and pulsing as it once was. Now it was almost purring with content.
Still feeling mischievous, I grabbed the book from the ground and trotted away happily.
“Thanks!” I shouted into the wind, my cheeks no doubt as pink as the frosting on a Canterlot Café cupcake.