*Location: Outskirts of the empire, tundra*

"Ah, the sun has begun its decent, Celestia has ended another day and I have yet to master this magic of legends!" A pony by name of Sombra exclaims. He stood on a snowy hill surrounded by nothing, crystal towers glinting in the distance as the last of the days light faded away. Sombra looked down, grimacing at a book with no title, opened to a page with runes of a old and forgotten language only few knew.

"If I can unlock this degree of power I could make this world in a perfect image, all it will take is a certain amount of control. Not too hard for one like myself." Sombra says as he re-reads the page for the 340th or so time that day. Narrowing his eyes at the text and muttering under his breath as he tried to see what he has missed. "When the light of the sun shines off you pearled eyes, look to north and release all ties." He reads. "What ties?!" He angrily blurted out.

His fuming was interrupted however, as a figure that was without a doubt pony walks toward him, a scarf SHE wears flapping with the light wind. "You seem to forget the promise you made me Sombra." the figure says with annoyance. "You said you would come to the castle tonight before the sun could lower." She said.

"Must you always impede my progress love?" He says sarcastically. "I'm only doing it for you." He whispered as he walked close to her.

He then turned his back "I still have 10 more minutes of day light." He said as he looked down at the book again, face scrunched up in thought "Leave me, I will come when it is over."

With a huff the female equine walked away, frustrated and muttering under her breath.

Sombra looked up, a slight smile creeping in as she walked away. "Now, I'm sure I have it this time."

He then went to spread his hooves, raising his head and summoning his magical aura. A glow rose up from the base to the tip of his horn

He sweat from the effort. "Now the hard part."

His face melted to one of pain as he summoned the familiar black and green aura to replace his own. Something was different however...As this time it felt stronger.

"Finally! All this time was not to w-Wah?!" A sensation overcame him, he felt dizzy and felt something grab each of his legs. He looked down, seeing black tendrils coming put of the ground and holding firm to his legs. "What is this?!"

The tendrils turned from vines to a black blanket of sorts, spreading up his legs and underbelly, as it did something formed, shimmering dark armor appeared on his hooves and a chest plate. Very quickly it had consumed his physical body, replaced by a dark garbed pony with a curved and ret tinted horn with the flowing mane of a alicorn, but dark and a endless fall into a cavern type look.

However his mind still fought, the presence of pure evil was too strong unfortunately and his mind was corrupted, his old memories and personality pushed to the darkest and small corners of his mind. Replaced by a mace of evil, his own thoughts trapping in a cage at the back while this dark presence held his mind. "The power consumes the master..Fitting, he should not have tampered with the dark arts as he did." Said a deeper, much more sinister voice then the last.

A black figure approached the empire. Hovering and unmistakably pony. The figure brought with him a dark-green wave of magic of sorts. As it passed the red crystals surrounding the city as a defense  turned black, deep and obsidian.

The crystal ponies who saw did the logical thing, run toward the castle and cower. This was not enough however, as the Sombra-turned evil hovered right up the castle, summoning a wall of crystals with his trademark color to surround the cowering populous.

"Surrender yourselves without a fight and no one will be harmed." He says in a booming and deep voice. A Pegasus guard steps forward with keen eyes and raises his spear, wings twitching. "Who are you and why do you attempt to imprison and threaten us!"

Sombra's eyes narrow at the brave guard. "To take this empire for myself, I suggest you submit..."

"N-Not to some monster of magic!"

Sombra gave the guard a glare before a dark magic enveloped said guard. Covering him in black ink with a word.

"If you want to oppose me as a guard. Maybe you should be a crystal statue."

As he said it, the ink disappeared with a flash of light, revealing a black crystal statue of a Pegasus guard.

__________________

10 minutes later

Inside castle throne room

Sombra walked in with a slight frown on his face as he looked over at the throne, seeing the Nobel in charge of the place currently sitting on the throne surrounded by six or so white armored member of the guards. "You think you can protect yourself with the Pale Hoof?"

Contrary to most beliefs, Equestria did NOT only hold gold and black armored guards. There were forces out there such as the Pale Hoof, the Crystal Empire's version of stealthy soldiers, wearing only white. The armor is enchanted to match the color of snow around them, inside the the circle of the empire created by the Crystal Heart the armor resembles a pearl color.

"Y-you stay away! You hear?! I won't hesitate to send a letter off the princes-" That's all he could say before he disappeared in a flash of teleportation magic, the shocked guards looking on in horror as Sombra's horn powered down. "Any more objections? Or would you like to go where no pony has gone before?"

The guards bowed with haste, anyone with a resolve strong enough to just make a nobel disappear wouldn't hesitate to hurt a guard.

"Well, it would seem this overthrow is a success, now if it's no trouble, get away from my throne. And spread the word, Sombra, your new emperor!"

The guards scurried away, save one with a white and gold hoof imprinted on the front of her helm. Obviously a captain. Sombra looked at her "Well? Why do you stay? I told you what I want!" The mare gulped before looking him in the eye and steeling herself "You don't understand, a forceful takeover just by making the nobel disappear won't do it! You, I do not recognize. No one will follow some random overly powerful unicorn using....dark magic!"

He looked at her lazily "You need not know my identity, my old self does not exist. And I can DO whatever I please, I'm most likely the most powerful being in existence." A hollow, deep laugh echoed from him. "Save the princesses I see in the memories of the entity that held this body last..." He looked down, thoughtful. Bah, the only connection this empire had with then was a protectorate pact. It will be easy to deceive any who wonder where the nobel family went...What of your name?"

The mare snapped out of her thoughts "Captain Soaring Dash, pegasus and fastest flier in the empire!" She exclaimed with a puffed out chest. Only then did Sombra notice her messy white and red apple colored mane, sticking out of the back of her helm. "Well met miss Dash, if you were to say keep your captains position. Would you rally the guard as mine?"

She sat there a moment, thinking with a scrunched up face, her white colored fur flowing on the breeze coming from the open doors leading outside. "I could, anything is better then a nobel right?"

AND THEN EVERYONE DIEED AND I HAD A DED FROM MY BAD WRITING! Next Chapter: The Threat (Part 1/2) Estimated time remaining: 29 Minutes