The Shadow Queen
Chapter 43: Chapter Fourty Two: Behold my Power!
Previous Chapter Next ChapterDamage to the crystal castle continues. After the blackness engulfs the castle, red, glowing, pulsating veins seem to spread out within the walls, floors, and ceilings of the castle. Near those veins, cracks spread. From those cracks, black smoke leaks from them and floats upwards.
Eventually King Sombra turns my body into black smoke as well. We float up and appear to merge with the black smoke spreading throughout the castle.
In this form, it's hard to tell, but I think we navigate our way through the cracks in the ceiling and walls until we float out of the castle above it.
We continue to float off with a huge stream of black smoke floating up into the sky. We merge with a black, growing, and deeply menacing storm cloud high above Ponyville.
While still in smoke form, I feel King Sombra churn and agitate the magic within the storm cloud. The result is the intensity of the storm greatly increases and expands. Thunder proceeds to roll across the sky. Lightning flashes out of the clouds. Each time it does so, the bolts get more frequent and closer to the village.
After a while, Sombra and I peer down towards the village. From high above, I see the heavily warped perception of Ponyville.
The story is rather similar to what I saw back in my own human town. Here, I see homes black with decay. The main difference is this village appears to be buried in snow, except that snow is black as if made of frozen ash. In addition to the dark lightning storm, I also see a frosty blizzard choking the life out of the village.
While staring at this, I gain a distinct feeling that the black snow is far more menacing than it appears, and it appears very menacing. My gut tells me that the black snow has life-sapping properties, probably like necromancy that I've seen in some online video games.
In time, I eventually come to the conclusion that the reason I have this feeling is because it's a memory from Sombra. It's as if he's seen this phenomenon before.
I also get a distinct impression that the panicking creatures down below can see us as giant, glowing, menacing eyes staring down at them from within the black, flashing storm cloud, much as I had in one of my own nightmares some moons ago.
Listen to it, my little poppet! Listen to their screams of panic and pain! It is GLORIOUS!
If you say so, I return to him in as careless a mental tone as I can muster but, in truth, I am cringing with guilt and worry. I know what this world did to my pony counterpart, but it still feels painful to me to watch them suffer like this.
The strange thing is, this used to be a secret wish of mine in the heat of anger after I discovered my counterpart's fate. Now that it's actually happening, I'm surprised to discover how much horror I feel over this scene.
Realizing this, it makes me wonder how much I've changed since the last time I visited this place. Either that, or I'm a much nicer person deep down than even I have given myself credit for.
“For the record, the answer to your question is no,” Rarity once replied to me when I asked her if she thought I was irredeemably evil. “On the contrary, I actually think you are a rather good girl at heart who has made some awful choices lately. After all, someone who was truly irredeemably evil wouldn't bother to ask that question at all. She wouldn't care, or she would enjoy it.”
Although part of me wanted to think Rarity really believed that, I did not. Or rather to say, I had serious doubts.
But now, when I compare myself to someone who truly is irredeemably evil, I am noticing some glaring differences between me and him for the first time. Differences that help to illuminate who I am deep down.
King Sombra is overlooking this scene, and he is enjoying it, or rather he seems too, but I sense nothing but emptiness when I examine him inwardly. I've been more emotionally moved before with fictional characters in a movie. Sombra, in contrast, feels so fake.
Fake . . . like I have been for so many years.
This symphony is intoxicating! At last, Equestria shall know that their TRUE ruler has returned.
Let us not tarry our introductions any further. I am eager to greet my new slaves up close.
I can't believe a place as innocent as Horse-Land also produced a monster like you!
Why thank you!
Also, it's EQUESTRIA! Get it right!
I'll call it what I will. You may be controlling my body, your majesty, but you do not control my mind.
I hear him sigh, then he says, FINE! Call it what you will. I care not.
Now that was an interesting response. He used to rag on me about respect and authority, so why does he give me so much leeway now? He doesn't seem to be holding back as much against anyone else.
This might be noteworthy. I'll need to remember it.
My perception seems to zoom rapidly to the ground. It takes me a moment to notice that I am now actually on the ground. It reminds me of the column of smoke that shot down from the black and stormy clouds in my nightmare moons ago. Now I know what it looks like when seen from the other perspective.
Startled ponies turn to face me, or at least I think they are ponies. They look more like zombie ponies to me. Their hide is heavily emaciated. They also lack eyes. In its place is dark, sunken black voids.
“King Sombra? What are you doing here?!” one of the ponies asks in surprise. The voice of this pony is highly distorted. It sort of sounds like one who was dehydrated for weeks. The scratchy voice barely groans out. I can't even tell which gender this pony has, but I'm leaning heavily on it being a mare. Based on the height, definitely an adult horse, in any case.
“I've been told by my friends that you were defeated long ago,” the same horse spoke on.
“The details of my demise have been somewhat . . . exaggerated,” King Sombra announces smuggly. Interestingly enough, I did not hear my own voice within that multi-tone this time. This time, it sounded entirely male. “Regardless, I've come to correct that little oversight.”
“Not if I can help it!” the pathetic looking emaciated pony groans as she (?) spreads his/her legs into a battle stance. “I'll send you back to the Nether where you belong, demon!” the pony promises.
That declaration causes King Sombra to quietly laugh maniacally. During that time, I seem to shift back into a corporeal form. Because of that, my perception of the rest of the world alters. It is enough to realize that the pony who spoke all along is Starlight Glimmer.
By turning into a corporeal form, that also means that the citizens of Ponyville can get a clearer look at me as well. As a result, they gasp in shock.
“Wha . . .?” Starlight blinks in bewilderment at me. “Cozy? Why are you . . .” Starlight trails off, then narrows her eyes at me. “No. You're not Cozy Glow! I was right the first time! I am addressing King Sombra within Cozy Glow!”
“Well done!” King Sombra commends her. Once again, I hear my own voice speak as a part of his. “You’ve got a sharp mind about you. I'm sure it will be delicious as I crush your will!”
Starlight Glimmer widens her eyes when she realizes something startling, then she exclaims, “Oh my Celestia!” She narrows her eyes at me again. “What have you done with Twilight?”
King Sombra does not verbally reply. Instead, he simply passes Starlight a sinister grin.
Since I am inside of him, I sense him thinking that saying nothing would be more terrifying rather than giving an explanation. That way Starlight's imagination could work against her.
“Sunburst, Trixie, listen to me very carefully!” Starlight instructs in a commanding tone. “Get every creature as far away from here as you can. While you do that, I'll hold him off.”
“That's crazy talk!” Sunburst exclaims behind and to the left of Starlight. “You can't hold him off all alone!”
Despite the fact that this is the first time I've met him in pony form, I still easily recognize him. Both of them have the same voice, facial hairstyle, glasses, and even the star cape.
Inwardly, I sense that Sombra is less familiar with Sunburst, but he knows who Sunburst is regardless, primarily because he is stealing my knowledge from my physical brain.
“Indeed!” A blue unicorn mare, who is wearing a very gaudy and familiar purple cape and hat with stars, speaks up behind to the right of Starlight. “The Great and Powerful Trixie never would even think of abandoning her closest-”
A sharp look at Trixie from me, or rather the one controlling my body, instantly silences and cows her. During that moment, my vision appears to flash for a second. I'm assuming they saw a similar flash of light from my eyes.
“We do not have time to argue like this!” Starlight says insistently. “We have a responsibility to our students. Take them and GO! Warn the others in town too, when able.”
“I, um . . . the Great and Powerful Trixie sees your point,” Trixie agrees with tiny eyes due to fright. Despite this, she fluffs her white mane for a second in an arrogant pose. An instant later, she pretends to be severely cocky as she declares, “Very well! Trixie shall be the star of her own show in her own way! Trixie shall lead the other students to safety, and all shall be in awe of the Great-”
“Just GO!” Starlight screams instantly and insistantly.
This takes Trixie aback for a moment, but then she huffs as she closes her eyes. “Fine! Be that way.” She then lifts a familiar-looking glass orb above her head. “Come, my students! It is time we make our hasty escape!”
She chucks the orb down and, just as I figure, blue smoke explodes from it which quickly conceals her exit and everyone else.
“Remember, Starlight, don't let him inflict you with his Fear Curse!” Sunburst warns as he gallops away with the others.
Sombra seems intrigued by this new development. He makes me scan among the blue smoke for a moment, then focuses his attention on Starlight.
“Okay, Sombra! It's just you and me now!” Starlight declares. “Since you're unwilling to tell me what you've done with Twilight, then I'll ignore you and simply speak to another.” Starlight's expression shifts to eager concern. “Cozy Glow, if you are in there, please listen to me!”
I'M HERE, STARLIGHT!
I wish I could tell her this, but my voice is silenced since my body won't obey me anymore. Realizing that, I feel a profound sense of loss. I gave it up so easily. I wish I had known how much, and how quickly, I would come to regret that decision before I made it.
Sombra's sinister grin spreads as he announces, “There is no Cozy! Only MEEEEE!” He narrows my eyes at her. “You waste your breath, Starlight!”
As promised, Starlight ignores him and keeps on speaking directly to me.
“Listen, Cozy, I want to express to you how sorry I am!” Starlight conveys very emotionally. Some tears even “glimmer” in her eyes.
Sorry? For what?
“I'm sorry that I treated you as if you were a monster,” Starlight explains, almost as if she is reading my thoughts.
Sombra's eyes return to normal except for raising an eyebrow at Starlight curiously.
I sense that he's aware that Starlight is merely stalling him, but he's grown too intrigued to interrupt this. He wants to see where this leads as well.
During that time, he also reviews my stolen memories of my last encounter with Starlight in order to get more context to this conversation.
While he does that, I have a suspicion that he might understand some of the things that went over my head at the time.
“Twilight was right! You're not the same Cozy as the one from our world, and it was unfair to treat you accordingly. In my defense,” she places a hoof to her chest, “if you have experienced what I have with your counterpart, you might understand the reasons why I felt taking certain precautions was necessary, but I beg you . . . please believe me that I, in no way, had any intentions to harm you. On the contrary, I, too, had high hopes for you! Everything Twilight told me about your relationship with your mother and friends in your world sounded wonderful! I just wanted to make sure before rushing into anything.”
I feel remorseful as I realize that Starlight did indeed have every reason to fear me. I am an awful person. I lied, cheated, manipulated, and betrayed so many, even those I deeply cared about.
If I could take it all back, I think I would. I'm tired of living a lie, and I'm tired of feeling like an awful person. Even if it means going to jail, I wish I could gain an opportunity to set everything right. That's what everyone else deserves for all the good that they have showered upon me.
Still, with tears in her eyes, Starlight narrows her eyes at me a bit as she goes on to say, “Twilight also told me you are a strong and confident person. She told me that you are a leader, like Twilight and I, so I know you also have the strength within you to take BACK what is stolen from you!
“Fight him, Cozy Glow! I know you can do it! I believe in you!”
“Are you done?” Sombra asks Starlight a bit impatiently as he tilts my head slightly to the right. “Wonderful speech, Starlight! You don't just claim to be a leader, you prove it. How marvelous. Since I am aware of that now, I shall savor the moment when I BREAK you all the more!”
“NEVER!” Starlight barks at Sombra harshly, finally addressing him directly. “I will NEVER allow you to break my spirit! Not again! Not EVER again!
“The last time we met, you caught me unprepared. I vowed to remember that lesson, and I have ever since!
“You're not looking at the same mare that I was all those years ago! I've changed! I've gotten better! I have trained with the greatest wizards of our entire land, and I've mastered new spells in my own right. You won't find me the same pushover like I was last time!”
“Gooooooooood!” Sombra expresses with a sinister purr. “I like a challenge, for I so rarely get one of those. Be sure not to disappoint me, now, after making such lofty and ultimately foolish claims.”
“Oh ho-ho! You want a challenge?” Starlight Glimmer asks in a daring tone. “Well then, bring . . . it . . . on!” Starlight narrows her eyes further and further with the last three words of her sentence.
At first, both Starlight and I do nothing other than stare at each other. Each of us is sizing the other up. The only move either of us makes during this time is a cracking of a neck or joint in our leg, but we never stop glaring at each other's eyes with a focused gaze.
Meanwhile, the thunderstorm Sombra caused continues to rage above our heads. Several cracks of lightning finally make it to several of the homes in Ponyville. As a result, they start to catch fire.
Ominous winds blow between and all around Starlight and I. It makes both of our manes wave about, but we ignore that as we continue to focus sharply at each other.
Screams of panicked citizens of the town fill the air, forming into a wild cacophony all around us.
The Crystal Castle continues to spew black smoke into the sky in the background. The Crystal Tree itself sort of looks like a blackened, withered husk with pulsating red glowing veins that spew the smoke.
Deep down, part of me hopes Starlight will win. I even welcome the prospect of her killing me because, if she does so, at least that will set my spirit free.
I never thought I would cheer for an enemy set against me, but here we are.
Then, suddenly, Starlight leaps up high into the air far too high to be natural under her leg power alone. Up above, she quickly gathers energy which swirls up her horn before making a blast so strong that it suspends her in the air.
It is likely that Starlight tries to attack me from above in order to catch Sombra off guard, but it does not work. He meets her challenge with a hornbeam of his own. The two beams clash and struggle between each other. During this time, Sombra makes an interesting observation.
“Hmm. Although your hornbeam is formidable and well cast, something is lacking in its strength. Are you holding back?” Then he realizes something. “Ah! I get it now. This is a stun hornbeam! Even now, you are holding back because of your foolish sentiment over this girl I am wearing?”
“Of course!” Starlight whole-heartedly agrees. “I won't rest until I rescue every creature from you, including Cozy Glow!” Starlight says determinedly. “That is not your body, Sombra, and I will see it returned to its proper owner! I owe her that much!”
While they spoke to each other, the hornbeams continued to clash with each other.
You hear that, little poppet? The fool thinks she can actually “rescue” you. HA! Such foolish sentiment. This really does seem to be the hallmark of an inferior sex.
She has no idea that you gave your body to me willingly.
Don't remind me, I bitterly but also somberly complain.
If friendship is a myth, then Starlight clearly believes in it, almost religiously. It's hard for me to believe that she's fighting this hard just to rescue me. I'm the one who betrayed them earlier. Why does she care so much for me?
This reminds me of my mom.
All of a sudden Sombra's hornbeam collides with nothing. Instead, his beam shoots into the empty sky. That is because Starlight suddenly teleports below my height in a crouched position. From below, she angles her next shot diagonally upward which solidly connects into my chest.
It is hard to describe the pain that follows except to compare it to an electric shock. It also leaves a lot of lingering heat in my body. My nerves quickly deaden, becoming numb. My consciousness also wavers for a moment, but Sombra is able to fight through it. He rises from it and focuses again.
By the time he does that, Starlight already adjusts her tactics. Since her hornbeam propels my body upward, Starlight seals the deal by locking my body in the air with a telekinetic aura. Using that same aura, Starlight forces each of my limbs to spread apart in an X pattern. She also forces my head to look straight ahead. From this position, Sombra is unable to aim his “horn” downward at her.
“Yield, Sombra! It's over!” Starlight demands. While she says that, she keeps concentrating to keep my body locked and suspended in mid-air.
Sombra laughs maniacally, but only for four seconds. After that, he says, “So foolish! You cannot restrain the King of Darkness!”
He charges his “horn” with something then causes a burst of energy. That seems to blow away Starlight's telekinetic hold and yet, strangely, he does not fall.
It takes me a moment to realize, with a start, that he is continuing to suspend my body in mid-air by flapping my wings down which hovers me in place.
What?! I ask him in astonished disbelief. Not even I could do that! How did you figure out how to fly so quickly?
He chuckles at me darkly, then answers, Instinct. Such things are bred into your species. I know how to wield pony bodies, and I am far better at it than you.
I can't argue with that.
Besides, you're not the first pony to be possessed by me.
Really? Do tell.
Perhaps later. I'm a bit busy at the moment.
“Flying already, I see,” Starlight observes. “I didn't think you'd have it in you. You weren't a pegasus before in life.”
“I am full of surprises!” Sombra brags to Starlight with supreme arrogance.
“Oh yeah?” Starlight grows a cocky smirk. “Well, that makes two of us, buster!”
Starlight surprises both of us by suspending herself in her own telekinetic aura then hovers up to match our height.
I didn't know unicorns could do that! I gasp in inward astonishment. Okay. That seals the deal. Unicorns in Horse-Land are O-P as fuck!
But of course, Sombra inwardly agrees arrogantly. We are the superior master race, especially those of us who know how to use our magic well.
“Well-well,” Sombra gives a slow clap of my forward hooves. “Congratulations. Very few unicorns can match me when it comes to the high ground like this. In some ways, you remind me of an old nemesis of mine a little more than a century ago.”
“If you think you're impressed with me now, then just wait! I'm just getting warmed up!” Starlight brags.
“Indeed.” Sombra narrows my eyes at her and gives a sinister smile. “Show me your power! I wish to assess the full capabilities of my new slave!”
“Oh, I'll give you far more than you can assess!” Starlight boasts as she flies off quickly while charging her horn. “Try to keep up with me!” she dares.
King Sombra takes the bait by attempting to fly off to chase after Starlight. As Starlight and I weave through the air, we blast hornbeams back and forth to each other. Sometimes we dodge, sometimes we block with an energy or crystal shield, and Starlight occasionally dodges by teleporting out of the way. Usually, whenever she did that, she attempts to get herself into a favorable tactical position.
Over time, Sombra catches on to her tricks, but Starlight clearly is the better flier, which makes sense since Sombra just now started to learn how to fly using wings.
He is doing too well for a first-time flier. Perhaps he did possess a pegasus before.
Still, I feel cautious to just take his word for it, for an Element of Honesty he is certainly not.
Neither am I, which is why I'm in the habit of guarding myself against accepting other people's words.
One extra challenge for both of us is the fierce wind storms buffeting us about or the occasional stabbing crackle of lightning.
While this continues, I marvel at the spectacle of our magical duel. I try to remind myself that not every pony can fight like this, especially while shooting magical hornbeams at each other in mid-air. Usually only alicorns can do that, but neither of us are, which is why this fight probably is rather unique.
Magic is amazing, especially to witness masters at the craft duel each other. It kind of makes me wish I was born a pony and a unicorn in this world. I wonder if my pony counterpart felt this kind of jealousy, hence her attempts to get rid of all magic just to equalize the playing field.
Despite Starlight's overall upper hand (or is it upper hoof?), Sombra ultimately wins this round due largely to a lucky break.
Starlight backs off while trading horn blast beams between Sombra and herself when, all of a sudden, a bolt of lightning strikes down hard only fifteen feet behind her. Although it does not hit her directly (likely it would have been fatal if it had), Starlight gets distracted in a crucial moment. She grits her teeth, her eye pupils shrink, her mane briefly seems to stand up on end, she stiffens but also shivers. Most importantly, she makes the mistake of looking behind her to gauge how close that bolt of lightning just barely missed her.
During that brief moment of distraction, a black crystal javelin is already on it's way to Starlight. To ensure that it hits, Sombra seizes Starlight in a telekinetic aura that not only freezes her but sends her directly into the path line of the projectile. As a result, it plunges deeply near her stomach, but lower than that. It's closer to her left hind hip.
Starlight screams in pain as she descends, then suddenly teleports on the ground to prevent the building momentum of her fall. She ends up landing softly on the ground, but with a large black javelin-like crystal protruding near her left hind hip.
After Sombra lands my body near Starlight, he advances me slowly and menacingly towards her. Meanwhile, Starlight painfully tries to crawl up to a standing position but overwhelming shooting pain prevents her from holding her balance.
“Well, is that it?” Sombra taunts her. “Is that all you got?”
“I'm . . . still just getting started!” Starlight growls in determination. She is struggling to hold an angry and defiant face rather than showing any fear. That quickly washes away, however, when Sombra telekinetically seizes the black crystal and cruelly twists it inside of her. Screaming in agony, Starlight falls back onto the ground.
“No-no-no, my little pony! I'm not done toying with you yet!”
Sombra gives a horn blast beam but, rather than hitting her, he hits his own black crystal. It seems to charge it with black and purple popping energy. After that, the crystal transforms into the same type of energy then sinks into Starlight's body through her open wound. As a result, Starlight screams again as purple and black energy seems to sear her flesh but, unexpectedly, the wound closes a moment later, apparently fully healed. It may have been a very painful heal (like cauterizing a wound with hot iron), but he apparently undid the damage he caused earlier none the less.
Both Starlight and I are surprised by this uncharacteristic show of sudden mercy. She looks back at her former wound with wonder. She notices it is gone. She still winces in some lingering pain, but there does not seem to be any major damage left. She looks back up at me for an explanation.
“As I said, I'm not done toying with you yet,” Sombra reminds Starlight. “I don't want you passing out since it eliminates my opportunity to torture you further. Besides, I want you to show me more of your delicious POWER!”
In revulsion, I sense he's telling the absolute truth. Sombra only healed her because A, he is arrogant as fuck, and B, he cruelly wants to prolong her suffering, the nihilistic bastard!
I feel shocked to notice this level of depravity in anyone. I thought people like this only existed in pure fiction. I was aware of the concept, but it felt like a myth. I didn't believe it just as much as I thought friendship was fake too, but apparently, I am learning a lot today.
“Well gee, thanks, but . . . you're going to regret that!” Starlight warns as she makes her way back on her hooves. “Your arrogance shall be your downfall, Sombra!”
“And your doom shall be yours!” Sombra returns evenly. “Come now, Starlight Glimmer! Let's resume our little dance!” Sombra makes me bow as he waves my forward right hoof to my chest. “Shall we begin?” he invites with sinister delight.
“Oh-ho! We shall!” Starlight accepts as she faces me fully with a daring smirk. “I've studied magic all my life. During that time, I have encountered many rare and powerful spells, including a very old spell, Similo Duplexus. When combined with Accelero in just the right way . . .” Starlight charges her horn then seems to cast something. As a result, her entire body seems to vibrate quickly at the molecular level. Seconds later, a second copy of her shoots five feet to her left. After that, both versions of her say simultaneously, “I can literally be in two places at once.”
Sombra lifts my left eyebrow at this as he makes me say, “Impressive.” He narrows my eyes and grows an evil smile at her as he says, “Indeed you are powerful and resourceful, Starlight Glimmer! I shall enjoy crushing your mind and making you mine!”
“You'll have to catch us first!” the two Starlight's taunt simultaneously then suddenly rush away from each other so fast that they leave a purple streak of light following after them.
Sombra tries in vain to visually track both Starlight Glimmers, but all he could manage to do is catch a faint trail of their purple streak. They are literally moving faster than the eye can see.
Sombra can't even track his target, let alone attack them. Starlight, however, did not have the same problem. In fact, by making a copy of herself, she doubled the number of actions she can make at once, and both of them are moving at super speed on top of that.
For a short while, Sombra is overwhelmed by this tactic. Now the hornbeams are landing on me hit after hit too fast to be able to react effectively. Sometimes Starlight also grabs me in a telekinetic hold and uses it to freeze me to make sure the other hornbeam hits.
Eventually, however, Sombra adjusts his tactics by turning into black mist. At one point I even see my vision split further apart as one of Starlight's hornbeams passes between my eyes, apparently at empty space due to the morphic shift. During this time, Sombra also morphs his wounds to heal the nerve damage of the hornbeams that hit earlier.
Sombra laughs maniacally loudly, then cries out, “YES! THIS IS MORE LIKE IT! MORE! SHOW ME MORE OF YOUR POWER, and soon to be mine!
“Well done, Starlight Glimmer! Now this is more entertaining, so I'll up the ante as well! HAVE AT YOU!”
He morphs me back to pony form and lifts both forward hooves up which tremble. I also feel a huge chill on my soul as he summons a huge degree of dark magic. As a result, many spike-like towers of black crystal tear out of the earth and grow to enormous towers all around me.
Inwardly, I also sense something else important. I realize that Sombra's plan is to get Starlight Glimmer to exhaust her magical energy while demonstrating to him what she's capable of so that he will wield her all the better later on.
Meanwhile, unlike her, the magic he's drawing upon is the crystal on my forehead, and he is convinced that it is an unlimited resource that he can tap.
I realize that, if he's correct, then this is a war of attrition. His plan is to outlast his opponent. At the same time, with any blow she successfully lands, he can simply heal himself with his infinite supply of magic. With an advantage like that, this battle can only go one way in the long run.
The only way Starlight can win true victory in this fight is to wipe out all of Sombra's consciousness in one blow, thus making sure he has no time to recover later. However, any attack powerful enough to do that would likely risk major damage to me, and he knows Starlight is too “soft” for that.
As a result of all of this, he feels arrogantly invincible. He just might be right, at least with this match up.
While all of this is going on, both Starlight's are zipping around at super speed. I can't tell for sure, but I think she made additional clones of herself. If I had to guess, I'd say we're dealing against a total of four versions of her now.
Sombra notices this too, and he is pleased. The more versions of her there are, the faster she'll drain through her magic. She has to capitalize on her advantage quickly or he'll easily outlast her.
I realize, with a thread of hope, that Starlight might realize that as well. She must have had a good look at my artificial horn by now. I don't know if that's enough to properly identify it, but maybe it at least gave her some idea of its capabilities. Maybe Starlight is building on her momentum because she realizes there is no other way to seal her victory.
Damn, I respect that mare so much! I suspect she's the underdog in this situation and she knows it, yet she bravely holds her ground. Not only is she brave, but she's resourceful and smart. With each passing second, she is carefully assessing her opponent and calculating a way to actually win this fight even if the odds are stacked against her.
Aside from that, I also recall that another of her objectives is to stall Sombra from going after anyone else. That much, at least, she is definitely successfully accomplishing.
You go, girl! Kick his ass! Kill me if you have to!
If you seriously believe that everyone else is your friend, then do what is necessary to secure victory. In order to win against such an overwhelming force, sacrifices must be made. Do whatever is necessary to protect your most important chess pieces. To do that, you must give up whatever is expendable.
Please, Starlight! Abandon your foolish hopes to save me. That will only end in vain, and I'm not worth it anyway.
I wish to God that I could explain to her all the reasons that I'm not worth it.
The multiple towers of black crystal spread out many jagged spikes from the larger base. It spreads about one hundred feet in every direction around each of the crystal towers. In the process, some homes get shredded.
Not only does Starlight dodge these crystal spikes, but she rushes into other pony homes and teleports those in danger to safety.
Noticing this, it gives Sombra a sinister idea.
Some of the crystal towers break apart, especially along the upper ends of the towers. They become many giant chunks spinning in the air telekinetically. He breaks them further apart then rains crystal destruction following Starlight Glimmer's speed streaks. In the process, he further shreds apart more of the pony homes, and again Starlight rushes in to save them.
“Your mercy is your weakness, and the weak shall crumble before my overwhelming might!” Sombra taunts aloud. “BEHOLD MY POWER!”
This time my whole body trembles due to the huge influx of dark magic he is channeling. I feel my soul growing colder as the magic attempts to sap my emotions.
As a result of all of this, many of the crystal towers shatter into much smaller pieces which hover in the air. After that, it starts spinning all around me. Sombra laughs maniacally (as usual, the predictable and cliché bastard) then transforms into a giant cloud of black smoke. That smoke whirls around, becoming a tornado. The crystal shards spin around and within the black tornado, a tornado which also has menacing red and green eyes with purple wisps trailing after it. He even draws in some of the storm clouds up above, becoming a tornado of flashing lightning, thunder, black smoke, and loose crystal shards.
As a stormy, smoky, and crystal shard-filled tornado, Sombra deliberately steers himself towards the other homes of Ponyville. They start to crumble when he draws near them then definitely get shred apart when he comes at them directly.
Screams of panic from the innocent citizens of the town fill the air. Meanwhile, Starlight races into each of the homes using her multiple clones and teleports them to safety, or at least defends them with an energy shield. I also suspect she creates even more clones just to be able to do all of this in time to rescue them.
Sombra roars with delight as he continues his path line of rampant destruction until one of the Starlight's teleports and flies in front of the eyes of the black tornado. She has to struggle hard to maintain her position in order to resist being swept up by the air currents.
“HEY, SOMBRA!” Starlight Glimmer shouts at Sombra in order to be loud enough to be heard. In fact, I suspect her voice is even magically augmented because it seems to echo across the landscape with each and every word.
She goes on to say using this volume, “WHY ARE YOU ATTACKING THE INNOCENT CITIZENS OF PONYVILLE WHEN I AM YOUR OPPONENT?”
Intrigued, Sombra pauses to assess her.
During this time, the tornado slows down its speed and the thunderstorm considerably lowers in volume. As a result, the next time Starlight speaks, she doesn't have to shout nearly as hard.
“I THOUGHT YOU WANTED ME TO GIVE YOU A CHALLENGE, SO WHY ARE YOU HOOFICAPPING ME?”
“What I want . . . is victory . . . and I will achieve it by any means necessary! While your weak sentiments draws a line and insists to never cross it, I do whatever it takes to win. It's not just overwhelming power that can ensure one victory, but also intelligent tactics, and in the end . . . only the victor tells the story! The rest shall crumble into meaningless DUST!”
Starlight points a hoof at me, the black tornado, as she says, “YOU WERE THE ONE WHO SAID YOU WANTED TO TEST MY ABILITIES TO THE LIMITS, BUT IF YOU KEEP ON AIMING AT THE INNOCENT PONY CITIZENS WHILE KNOWING I'D RESCUE THEM, THEN YOU WON'T SEE MY FULL CAPABILITIES. YOU CAN ONLY DEFEAT ME ONCE, SOMBRA. I WON'T GIVE YOU ANOTHER CHANCE. SO . . . HOW DO YOU WISH TO DO IT? DO YOU WISH TO DEFEAT ME WHILE AT MY BEST, OR ARE YOU CONTENT TO EVER WONDER IF THE CHEAT TACTICS YOU USED IS THE ONLY REASON YOU WON?”
Sombra continues to assess her.
“WHAT'S WRONG, SOMBRA? ARE YOU SO AFRAID OF ONE LITTLE PONY THAT YOU FEEL YOU MUST RESORT TO ALL OF THIS JUST TO DEFEAT ME? HOW PATHETIC!”
I sense that King Sombra is aware that he's being baited, but it works anyway. As a pony of overwhelming pride and ego, he cannot let an insult like that go unchallenged. That is his weakness and he's aware of that, but he also feels that he's so powerful that his weakness ultimately doesn't matter in the long run.
Sombra turns back into pony form. In the process, the tornado and the storm cloud around me dissipates. Most of the crystals also drop to the ground.
“Very well, Starlight, you make a convincing argument,” Sombra concedes. “For that, I shall grant you one boon.” He spreads my forehooves apart. “Teleport me wherever you wish. We shall continue our mad dance there.”
“Gladly!” Starlight accepts then immediately flies at me. When her own forehooves touch me, a flash of teal light explodes all around me. The next thing I know, I'm flying high above some arctic wasteland. Many snowy mountain peaks are all around me.
Inwardly, I shiver at the cold, but Sombra appears to enjoy it. He even seems energized by it somehow.
I sense, from his thoughts, that he's even delighted at the new location because it delivers him much closer to a place called “The Crystal Empire,” whatever that is. For some reason, he has ambitious agendas for that place. I feel a primal and greedy sense of ownership over it.
“Why thank you, Starlight Glimmer! You have been most helpful to me!” Sombra expresses with delight.
“Don't thank me yet!” multiple Starlight clones above say simultaneously. “I got one more gift for you. Take THIS!”
King Sombra makes me look up then widensmy eyes, startled, when he notices about eight Starlight's shoot a hornbeam diagonally towards me. The beams collide with each other and combine into one extremely huge beam. It's more like one giant column of light with streaming energy and magical spirals around it.
King Sombra barely has time to answer this new challenge. Even after blasting a hornbeam back, it still drives my body straight into the ground. He barely holds his position there with shaking hooves. During this time, I feel his inward disgust at my physical weaknesses compared to his own body. At the same time, I sense him extremely impressed with Starlight Glimmer's newest magical display.
“Most impressive!” he commends. “But you are only delaying the inevitable while simultaneously galloping right towards it. Thy end draws near!”
“Funny!” the Starlight clones said together, then one of them teleports right in front of me while Sombra is still busy struggling with the hornbeam of the other seven. The one in front of me says, “I was about to say something similar to you!”
Sombra widens my eyes at her as Starlight creates an extended beam from her horn except it hangs limp like a whip. She uses this to whip at my left hind leg then rips it forward in order to trip me.
And it works. By tripping me down onto my back, Starlight also disrupts his concentration against the huge hornbeam from above. Sombra's final desperate act to defend himself is forming a black crystal armor around my body just as the huge beam from above slams hard into my body. Blinding light fills my eyes as well as an unbelievable amount of pain and shock. The armor might have absorbed most of it, but what still got through spins my mind for a loop.
In fact, I think we did lose consciousness for a short while. Something sparks us back up. Maybe a contingency he set up earlier? Perhaps in another crystal?
As my eyes open again, I look up as Starlight stands directly over me, pressing both of her forehooves on each of my forelegs to pin them down into the white, icy snow. She also has a fixed beam aiming at my neck but does not extend any further. It kind of looks like a teal-colored lightsaber, except it extends from her horn. During this time, Starlight is panting very hard.
“Yield . . . Sombra! It's . . . over . . . now!” Starlight demands between her gasps of breath.
Sombra glares up at her, although I inwardly feel him exceedingly impressed with her. She managed to nail him a lot further than he suspected she would.
Then I sense a shift in his plans that startles me. Frankly, it creeps me out as well.
“Wha . . . where am I?” Sombra asks aloud using my voice alone, and he sounds innocent and confused as he says that. He widens my eyes at Starlight in startled recognition as he asks, “Starlight? Is that you?” He narrows my eyes at her. “What are you doing here? Or, more importantly, what am I doing here? Did you drag me back to Horse-Land?”
Damn! He even got that terminology right just to deceive her.
Don't fall for it, Starlight! That still isn't me!
Starlight looks taken aback as she asks, “What? Cozy? Is that really you?”
“Yes, of course it's me! Who else would it be?” Sombra barks up at her harshly. “Why have you dragged me back here? Are you planning to freeze me in stone too?!”
“No, Honey! No!” Starlight desperately reassures. “In fact, I had nothing to do with how you got here, although I might have inadvertently been responsible for freeing your consciousness from King Sombra.”
Sombra looks at Starlight in confusion as he asks, “Who?”
“Um . . .” Starlight trails off, then shakes her head. “Um, nevermind. We can deal with that later. Right now, I want to assure you that I won't do anything to harm you. I promise.”
“What good are your promises when I've been dragged back here against my will?!” Sombra spat harshly at Starlight.
She widens her eyes as she declares, “I already told you, I'm not responsible for dragging you back here! In fact, my plan is to return you to your mother post-haste, but only after exorcising an unwelcome entity within you.” Starlight groans as she looks to her side. “But, unfortunately, I don't know that spell. I may have to get Spike to send a letter to Star Swirl the Bearded for that one.”
“Starlight?” Sombra calls up to her, drawing her attention back to me. “About that entity you spoke of within me . . . she has a message for you.”
Starlight squints in confusion as she asks, “What? She?”
“Yeah,” Sombra confirms. “She says . . .” he narrows my eyes at her and grows a vicious smile while he says in his normal voice, “Checkmate, Starlight!”
That's how you put it when one achieves victory, right?
Sombra turns me into black smoke again and passes through Starlight. Since my body became incorporeal, she fell right through my previous position which momentarily puts her off balance.
On Sombra's way through Starlight, I felt him concentrate much of his energy directly into her horn. The result is black crystals growing within it.
Now behind her, Sombra morphs to invert his position so that he's facing towards her back rather than away from it. From there, he turns me back into solid form.
“No!” Starlight cries out in fear when she notices what he's done. “NO!”
In vain, she tries to activate a spell but it just sparks and fizzles at her horn.
Oh Starlight! I'm so sorry!
With a raise of my right hoof, black crystal grows from the ground all around her four hooves in order to lock her in place.
“My, my, that was fun,” Sombra commends as he trots my body around Starlight in order to face her from the front. “I haven't had that much of a struggle in many centuries. You are to be commended.”
Starlight momentarily struggles to pull her hooves from the crystal but her efforts are clearly in vain. Her look becomes very worried at that point, but also thoughtful. Even now, she's struggling to analyze her situation for any advantage she can think of. She does come up with one.
“Cozy Glow, I don't know if you can hear me. I pray to Celestia that you can hear me because this is very important! I need you to take back your body, Honey! Fight him!” Starlight urges me.
I wish I could but, right now, I'm more of a prisoner than Starlight is because I can't control my body at all. Even if I tried, I am very unlikely to succeed. We've both seen how powerful this guy is. Admittedly, he does have an unusual advantage because of those stolen crystals, but that is something I have to factor into my calculations of the situation.
It's hopeless! Simply hopeless!
“Wow! Even now you continue your struggle to defy me!” Sombra expresses in a very impressed tone. “Trapped as you are, even with your magic sealed, you don't give up, do you?”
“Cozy Glow, please listen to me! You've got to fight him!” Starlight urges desperately. “Please don't let him do this to me! To us! We deserve so much better. Together, we're stronger than he can ever be.”
Sombra's “horn” glows with magic. As a result, the same purple/black popping aura surrounds Starlight's throat then proceeds to choke her. She can't get another word out because of that, but she continues to look at me with pleading eyes full of tears. Eyes that beg me to rescue her.
“Defiant to the last, aren't you?” Sombra asks Starlight with almost sexual sounding pleasure from my voice. “Let's take care of that, shall we? I've delayed the acquisition of my prize long enough. For once, it feels well earned.”
For a very brief moment, my vision flashes green. After that, I see a pair of green clouds float over to her eyes. In continued defiance, she closes her eyes stubbornly. He concentrates and forces them open with his telekinesis, but shifting his focus like that also frees her throat.
“Cozy, don't let him win like this!” Starlight cries out desperately. “I'm sorry for what I tried to do to you earlier. Do you hear me? I'm sorryyyyyyyyyyyy . . . rryyyyyyyyy, . . . rryyyyyyyyyyy, . . . rryyyyyyyy,.”
Starlight's final words echo in my mind as I am also engulfed in blackness. For a moment, I thought I lost consciousness, too.
No, you're still very much awake and aware, Sombra explains. But I wanted to show you something.
I feel so disgusted and scared of him that I'm tempted to reject him, but curiosity overcomes me.
Show me what?
First of all, I want to express that some of your tactics to manipulate your minions are a bit clever. I'm especially fascinated how much you were able to accomplish without the use of magic, but as you are about to see . . . lacking magic is a very severe hooficap. After all, look how much your tactics have failed you.
Your problem is the fact that your tactics attempt to convince others to do things your way, but since they still have their free will . . . they are eventually able to reject you. Your system was inherently flawed from the very beginning.
I can't just blame your system itself. Some of it was your fault as well. You grew too attached to your subjects. Too sentimental. Such weaknesses should be stamped out without mercy the moment they crop up.
Now, let me show you how I hoofle my subjects. What you need to understand is that, to truly enslave a potential subject, one must attack the source of their strength. With no foundation, their will crumbles. Without willpower, you squash the source of potential rebellion. All that's left is building materials for us to mold as we please!
Just watch.
A strong part of me does not want to. The part of me that's angry at him wants to defy anything he says. The part of me that's horrified recoils from what he says, but the part of me that sympathizes with Starlight . . . I can't help but be drawn to the answers about her fate.
The first thing I notice is the sound of a blizzard storm. After that, I start to see a vision of a dark field covered in black ice. Black snow whips back and forth about the area. At first we are viewing this scene from high above. Since the night sky is also black, it's very difficult to tell the ground apart from the sky.
But below I see a lone light purple mare trudging through this desolate field of black ice. I faintly hear her voice calling out into the winds, but I can't make it out until my perspective gets closer.
While I draw closer, I notice another unusual detail inwardly. I sense the chill of the night all around us, yet I'm unaffected by it for once. If anything, it seems to invigorate me.
I find that a very disturbing sign.
“HELLOOOOOOOO!” Starlight cries out desperately into the black, snowy wastes. “IS ANYPONY OUT THERE? ANY AT ALL? ANY CREATURE?”
My perspective continues to draw closer to her. Eventually I seem to float about nineteen feet in front of her. That's close enough to notice that black frost covers a vast majority of poor Starlight's body. She shivers as she suffers out here in the dark.
Alone.
“Please, anypony! Any creature!” Starlight calls out more lightly. I can see she's losing her strength rapidly. In addition, sorrow and despair is threatening to crush her will.
“P-p-p-p-please,” Starlight cries out as she shivers, “I d-d-don't w-w-want t-to b-be ah-ah-ah-alone!”
My sympathy for Starlight suddenly quadruples. However, in a strange way, I also find it a bit comforting to know that I'm not the only one who feels that way. I faced a dream much like this long ago. It was, and still is, my worst fear. I wasn't sure if anyone else felt that way too, but here she is. Now I have proof that validates my feelings.
Oh Starlight! I'm sorry too! I'm so sorry! I'm sorry that I'm a shitty person! I'm sorry that I made such mistakes. We might all not recover from them.
Damn it! If only you killed me, none of this would happen!
Chanting voices pick up in the screaming blizzard winds. Starlight's ears perk up, a brief sense of hope filling her for the last time in this vision. Hope that soon crumbles when she notices what they are saying.
“All hail King Sombra! All hail King Sombra! All hail King Sombra! All hail King Sombra!” many ponies chant over and over again as they crawl out of the black snow like zombies crawling out of their graves, and indeed, they look heavily emaciated with green glow that covers their eyes.
“Everypony, no! No, you have to snap out of it!” Starlight cries out desperately. She trudges over and shakes a pony that looks like a ponified version of Applebloom, albeit a pony zombie version of her with green glowing eyes.
A chilling screech fills the air which draws Starlight's attention upward. I look up too, then get confused by the sight of what looks like ghostly horses with wispy trails behind us. I think I spot three of them dancing and swirling up in the black night air.
“WINDIGO'S!” Starlight cries out in fear. “No! NO! This can't be happening! Not AGAIN!”
Now I draw closer to Starlight. As I do so, I hear the crunch of snow under my hooves as well as feel the chill of the ice penetrate my hooves, but again, it doesn't hurt.
Starlight looks over to me. When she does, her already tiny eyes shrink impossibly further with horror.
“No! NO! It can't be you! I've grown beyond you! I've changed!” Starlight insists, oddly seeming to have forgotten about the chill of the night since she's no longer stuttering.
“Oh Starlight,” I tell her. Strangely, my voice sounds exactly like hers, although maybe a little younger sounding. “You should know better. You're a smart mare. Deep down, you know you're always the same. You can never change. Not at your core where it's really important.”
“NO, NO!” Starlight rejects as she shakes her head then buries her face in the black snow while covering her ears with her forward legs. “I have friends now, and they love me!”
“You mean these friends?” I ask as I gesture to all the other ponies in the vicinity.
After I do so, their chant changes to, “You failed us, Starlight! You failed us, Starlight! You failed us, Starlight!”
“Everypony . . . I'm sorry!” Starlight whimpers in despair. “I tried to defend you! I tried so hard, but I wasn't strong enough! I wasn't fast enough! I wasn't brave enough!”
“You failed us, Starlight! You failed us, Starlight! You failed us, Starlight! You failed us, Starlight!”
“No, you weren't all those things,” I say in a soothing voice while eerily sounding just like her.
I gently lift up her face with a hoof to steer her gaze towards me. Once I do, I see through the reflection of her eyes that I do indeed look like a younger version of her, although my mane is cut a bit differently than her. It seems much more formal.
“But I have good news for you,” I offer in a soothing tone. “You can join your friends again.”
“Join us, Starlight! Join us, Starlight! Join us, Starlight! Join us, Starlight!”
“You can be with your friends!” I tell her cheerfully, “for all are equal under the rule of King Sombra!”
“All hail King Sombra! All hail King Sombra! All hail King Sombra! All hail King Sombra!”
“No!” Starlight closes her eyes, cries in misery, and defeated despair. “This can't be happening! This is a nightmare!”
“Give up, Starlight!” I urge her. “You've fought your true fate long enough. It's time you finally come home!”
Starlight cracks her eyes open at me. I see a tiny glimmer of hope in her eyes but it's mostly wrapped in sadness.
“No more tears,” I tell her compassionately. “No more fears. No more nightmares . . . for there will be no more dreams, either. No will . . . just complete surrender.”
Sniffing, Starlight cracks in a tiny voice, “Yes.”
“That's it, Starlight!” I coax in a soothing voice. “Now tell me . . . whom do you serve?”
“Sombra,” Starlight answers in a slightly higher voice.
I shake my head as I say, “There is no room under his rule for half-truths and half-convictions. Say it strongly and mean it. I ask again . . . whom do you serve?”
Starlight stands up straight and emotion seems to drain from her voice. She answers somewhat robotically, “Sombra.”
“That's it, Starlight!” I cheer as my vision flashes green. A green cloud floats over and engulfs her eyes, just like the others. “Welcome to the family, Starlight!” I bid.
“All hail King Sombra!” Starlight cries out in an empty and listless voice. The next time she repeats it, she joins the chant of the others.
* * *
My vision comes back into focus. When it does so, I notice that I am standing behind Starlight Glimmer again, but not for long. Regardless of my will, I find myself trotting forward in order to view Starlight from the front. When I do so, I notice her eyes engulfed with sickly, greenish energy.
And that, my dear, is how it's done, Sombra inwardly brags proudly. When you attack them from within and crush their will, there is nothing left to oppose me, and there never will be.
Starlight Glimmer is mine now. I own her. She is my slave, and that is how she'll forever remain.
Normally I'd argue against forming an attachment to others, but this prize is well earned . . . and a great deal of power is gained accordingly. The important thing to remember, however, is that my acquisitions are just tools. Use them only for as long as they are useful, then discard them.
Isn't that right, my dear?
At first I thought he was talking to me until Starlight Glimmer responds by saying with an empty, listless tone, “I am an object.”
Seeing her blank expression and hearing her voice so drained of all emotion and passion, my heart shrivels in pain and sympathy. This is not the Starlight Glimmer I've come to know and respect. This . . . thing . . . is something else. Something of his creation. I feel horrified to behold this.
Then something else startling occurs to me. Did he do the same thing to me? Is that why I've been getting dumber over these past few months? Is this why I had trouble concentrating? Was Sombra setting me up for failure months ago just so that he could convince me to give up my body in a moment of despair?
I can't be sure, but it makes too much sense.
Of course, he did not wear me down the same way he did to Starlight because he had no access to magic back then. Instead, he had to convince me to give up my body. Something tells me that the majority of his focus was targeting my subconscious mind. My personality did somewhat alter these past few months, and I even recall being confused by it.
King Sombra makes me lean forward and take a deep whiff of Starlight Glimmer's mane, which makes me feel a little revolted at the action. As a result of it, though, I smell mostly lilac scented flowers with just a hint of sweat. The sweat mostly serves to enhance the other scent due to the moisture.
“Lovely,” Sombra makes me purr with sexual sounding pleasure. “She's mine! All mine!”
Sombra makes me eye her livid face for a moment while I feel my mouth open as if drooling in pleasure, then he makes me say, “Open your mouth.”
Whoa! That sounds hauntingly familiar.
Starlight Glimmer immediately obeys. Seconds after she does, I am forced to seize her lips with my own. He makes me do a deep throat kiss to her for the very first time in my life. I didn't even know how to do it before.
In my mouth, I can feel Starlight licking me back. Our tongues seem to wrestle in my mouth, yet I still sense no passion from her. It is as if she's just barely awake, or she is asleep and doing this in her sleep.
When Sombra is done playing with her, he backs my head away from her and concentrates a bit.
“Starlight Glimmer is my property now,” Starlight herself says. “Since she no longer has any will, nor will she ever gain it again, then only my will can govern her actions.”
I feel both horrified and fascinated to witness Sombra talking to me through her! This confirms for sure that he has telepathic control over her.
“Starlight will never feel anything again,” she goes on to say, “which includes any will to disobey.
“You see, Cozy, once I get her pesky will out of the way, I am free to forever claim the remains . . . her body and her power.”
I feel like crying. So much sympathy and guilt crushes me because of what happened to her.
This is my fault! My fault! I shouldn't even be allowed to live!
“And now that we got that established,” Starlight is forced to say in a still empty tone, “it's time to put my new possession to work.
“Starlight, go roundup ten new slaves and bring them back here. Once you do, I'll give them a little bit of re-education,” Starlight is forced to say to herself. After that, she vanishes in a popping, teal explosion that lingers tiny magical sparkles for a few seconds.
Which leaves me sort of alone with Sombra again.
I feel a bit taken aback by his sudden shift in attitude once we are alone. He forces me to look outward into the vast, snowy mountain top landscape with a contemplative look.
“My old lair is not too far from here,” Sombra recalls aloud. He seems to mostly be speaking to himself. “I'll need to regather some of my old power there to prepare myself for the next threat.”
Threat?! I ask questioningly and a little hopefully.
Oh, that's right. You don't know. Allow me to explain.
To the best of my knowledge, there are only three things in Equestria that can possibly threaten me.
One of them is Twilight Sparkle and her friends, but the thing about their power is it requires all of them to be together to use it. Apparently they have a connection to the Elements of Harmony, one of the former most powerful forces of our land. It's weakness, however, is the fact that it requires all of them together to pull it off, and Twilight is trapped in your world.
The second threat is Discord.
Discord is a powerful magical entity native to another dimension. He can rip the fabric of reality and change it to his whim with a mere snap of his fingers. When he does, he can change anything, literally anything, even history. When he does make a change, he usually is wacky about it. I'll need to gather something back at my former lair to help me prepare for him.
Huh. That sounds an awful lot like another famous and favorite character of mine from another sci-fi show I used to watch.
Really? Sombra asks me, intrigued. After asking, I can feel him consult my memories for context of what I am talking about. Once he finds it and reviews it, he says, Huh. Well, I guess they are pretty similar. Eerily, they have the same voice as well.
However, unlike the fictional character you are thinking about, Discord is very much real, so he's very much a threat to me until I prepare for him.
As for the third threat, he makes me gaze south-east, that dwells within the Crystal Empire.
Despite how much of a threat it is to me, I cannot destroy it. If I do, my precious Empire would be buried under ice and snow. That wouldn't threaten me directly, but it would kill my subjects, and that is too wasteful.
However, by itself, the Crystal Heart is no threat to me unless all of the Empire's citizens charge it and use it against me, but there are two ways to safeguard myself from it.
Number one; I can hide it. I can also set up booby-traps to further safeguard it.
Number two; I can also crush the will of the pony citizens. When I break them, they'll be unable to charge their will into the Crystal, so it's no threat to me even if they do find it.
I barely have the will to care, but I ask, How far is your lair?
Not far, Sombra answers as he makes me look southward. I can easily get there before the end of the night.
A startling epiphany occurs to him as he looks south-west.
“Night!” he makes me exclaim aloud. “Oh, that's right! I'll also need to make a pit stop in Canterlot to pick up a very important artifact there.”
Why is it so important?
He narrows my eyes as he says, “It is important because it controls the flow of the day and night cycle in this world.”
O . . . . kaaaaaaaay! Yeah, I just heard that.
This is just another reminder to me that logic and this world do not get along.
A teleporting sound pops in from behind me. Sombra turns my head about to look back at a new group of ten ponies wrapped with a teal-colored laser cord extending from Starlight's horn.
My heart sinks. Part of me hoped beyond hope that Starlight would reclaim her will somehow while she was gone, but apparently she rounded up ten of her former village mates without any hesitation or remorse . . . or any emotion, for that matter.
“Gooooooooood!” Sombra makes me express with a sinful purr. He turns me about and advances upon the terrified citizens while slowly spreading my wings in a fan-out fashion. When he stands in front of them, he says, “What delicious-looking new sssssssssslaves you are! Behold my might and despair! Your freedom is hereby terminated, for your truemaster has come at last!”
My eyes flash with sickly, greenish light at them.
I shrivel further inside, for it has become clear to me that my story is about the victory of the bad guys.