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The Umbra King

by Car Cloth

Chapter 1: A King Reborn

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“Over here, darling. Just a few more and we can go…”

Spike ran over to the glowing patch of soil and hunched over to begin digging. With an exhausted sigh he asked, “Are you sure we haven’t gathered enough, Rarity?” He glanced over to the wagon that was precariously overflowing with rare gems.

“Pish posh,” Rarity dismissively waved her hoof. “The wagon will hold.”

“Why don’t we come out again in a few days to gather more? Surely the amount you have now is enough to get your dresses started.”

“We’ll be bringing in winter soon, Spike. I don’t want you to have to dig through dirt and snow to get to the gems, darling. We’ll just gather what we can now and I can work through until the winter wrap-up.”

The backhanded reminder that Spike was doing all the work caused him to groan. Well, at least she’s not trying to make it harder, he thought. Spike dug his claws into the dirt and within seconds he had gotten deep enough to uncover the gems. He reached in to pick them up when something singed his hand.

“Ow!” Spike gasped.

“What is it, Spike?” Rarity asked, trotting over with a look of concern.

“Er, nothing,” he replied, trying to act tough. Spike glanced at the gems and frowned. Nothing was out of place. What had hurt him? It felt so familiar… He reached back in and pulled the gems out. This time nothing happened. He threw them onto the wagon before wiping the sweat from his brow.

Rarity admired the pile of gems. “Good work, Spike.” She telekinetically pulled a sapphire from the pile, the largest one she could find, and floated it toward him. “Just as I promised. You were very helpful. I couldn’t have done it without you.”

---

“Two hundred and thirty-two gems,” Rarity finally finished counting and sorting the gems into piles. “A lot more than I thought I had… I should give Spike a few more for his trouble when I see him next.”

Glancing out the window, Rarity realized she had done it again; she had worked straight on into the night. “Oh my! Come, Opal. Time for bed.”

Opal, instead of doing as she was told, began hissing and batting at one of the crystals. Rarity wrinkled her nose in irritation.

“Opal! Leave those alone! They aren’t for you! They’re for my new dress line!” She trotted over and tried to shoo the cat away but Opal would not be deterred. Rarity glanced at the gem she was batting at. It was a lone dark red gem… one that didn’t fit into any of categories; not a ruby, garnet or red topaz… Rarity was almost never stumped when it came to jewels. She had left this one separated in order to investigate it further when she had time.

With one wild swipe, Opal accidentally touched the gem. She meowed in pain and ran away, hiding behind the changing curtains. Rarity was concerned, but curiosity got the better of her. She reached out with her hoof and picked up the gem. Nothing. Upon closer inspection Rarity saw that the gem was cracked.

“I wonder…”

Rarity never found magic gems, but she knew they existed. Perhaps this was one such gem? She and Spike had gone further out to do their hunting… further than they had ever gone before… Perhaps I should unlock this gem’s potential... magic maybe… Rarity closed her eyes and drew upon her own inner well of magic in order to tap into the gem’s inner spark.

For a brief second she thought it was working but then she felt a terrible pain in her head and horn. There was magic in the gem! A dark, terrible presence was fueling itself from the magic Rarity was providing. The presence clung to the magic like a dehydrated pony to water… Rarity tried to pull away but the presence held them together.

A dark shadow slipped from the red gem using Rarity’s stolen magic. It coalesced in the form of a large, black stallion, one that Rarity recognized right away. Determined to stop this from happening, Rarity pulled away with a hard jerk of her head and willed her magic back under her control. Once free she braced herself for combat and lowered her head threateningly.

“Stay back!” she commanded. “Back, you fiend!”

The black stallion formed completely and opened his blood-red eyes. Without a doubt, it was King Sombra. Rarity would never forget an enemy as ominous and menacing as King Sombra, and for half a second he was everything Rarity remembered. He lunged forward and attempted to gore her with his curved horn.

Rarity squeaked in momentary fear before turning slightly and bucking him with her powerful hind legs. Although she was no Apple Jack, or even an earth pony, the kick held enough conviction to hit him forcefully square in the head. King Sombra stumbled, obviously confused and disorientated. He growled as his knees hit the ground and Rarity could feel the magic holding him together weaken.

With one last gasp of defiance, King Sombra attempted to stand but couldn’t. He stumbled over, colliding with a table covered in gems and lost consciousness. The gems fell to floor, scattering to the corners of Rarity’s boutique. Silence blanketed the barely lit room. Rarity took a deep breath and calmed herself. After everything she had seen living in Ponyville… this wasn’t the craziest thing, but it was up there.

Opal burst out from behind the curtain and ran over to the body of the stallion. She faux-scratched at the body, pretending to help defeat the evil unicorn. When King Sombra twitched slightly, Opal shot back for the curtain. If she had color it would have been drained from her fur.

Now that the threat was subdued, Rarity threw herself across her chaise lounge and held a hoof over her forehead in a dramatic pose. “What a dreadful, awful thing! How could I have aided in King Sombra’s return? How could I have been so careless?” She glanced around and frowned. It was so much better when others were around to see her lament.

“Oh well,” Rarity sighed. “I suppose I should collect my gems and contact Twilight. She’ll know what to do.”

Rarity used her locate gems spell on the area and immediately the room began to glow. Every gem glowed with an inner light, giving away its hiding spot. Rarity used her telekinesis to gather them all up and place them back onto the tables in a neat and organized manner. When she turned to make sure everything had been gathered, she froze.

A dim glow was emanating from Sombra’s head, just underneath his horn. A gem? In his head? Rarity hesitantly got closer and examined him. Unlike the brief time she had seen him in the Crystal Empire, he was not wearing his armor. Upon careful inspection Rarity could find no sign of a gem on the outside of his body, just the faint glow of one hidden beneath the skin. She also discovered that King Sombra had no cutie mark, something she hadn’t seen on a full grown stallion.

“I wonder if the gem I fed magic is actually in his body now,” she pondered to herself. “Now I definitely need to speak to Twilight. Opal, come with me. We must rush to Twilight’s new crystal castle at once.”

The fluffy white cat jumped onto Rarity’s back and the two of them left the boutique in a hurry. Sombra slowly tossed and turned as the door shut behind them…

Next Chapter: No Destiny Estimated time remaining: 1 Hour, 21 Minutes
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