Wrath of Sombra
Prologue
Darkness… cold lonely darkness… all around me… consuming me… I can't escape… I need to try, escaping… I need to try… I c- I can't breathe, help me, HELP ME! "GAH!" Princess Luna awoke from another nightmare, cold fearful sweat dripping from her face and onto her sheets, tears streaming down from her face and the familiar smell of fear filling the air of the room as she breathed heavily. She had this dream every so often and each time she had it, it had gotten worse and worse to the point where she didn't even feel like sleeping at night anymore just wander the castle aimlessly until her sister rose the sun at dawn. She knew what these dreams where and she also knew what they meant, for you see, 1000 years is a long time to be isolated on a cold rock. A guard came in with the up most urgency.
"Your highness!" He said with a tone of worry in his voice "Is something the matter? I heard a noise and thought you were in trouble, is everything alright?!"
"Yes" The princess said as she caught what remained of her breathe "Yes I am fine guardsmen, you were right to come in and check on me as you were trained and I admire that, but if you would be so kind as to please leave me now and return to your duties that would be much appreciated" Princess Luna said this with such stern and fear in her voice that it almost shuck the guard where he stood.
"Y-Yes your majesty" The guard said as he was leaving the royal chambers. Luna looked at the door and then her moon and wept softly and silently as so no one could hear it outside her chambers. Let me tell you something, something gravely important: Fear, no matter how irrational, no matter how implausible can rule over a pony's life and make them weak, make them feel helpless.
Chapter 1
Princess Celestia, Queen of Equestria, was about to celebrate her 3000th birthday. 3000 years is a long time, especially if you are immortal, but Celestia (or more simply called Tia by her younger sister) felt different. She had felt something that she had never felt before: old. This was, naturally, a grand celebration for all of Equestria even more important than Heartswarming or Nightmare Night for all the pony's gathered round and where ready to present their gifts to the princess. Some pony's homemade there gifts, it was quaint and had a certain charm to them, others bought theirs and gave them to a ruler could honestly buy them herself, but again they were charming none the less showing that her subjects at least cared for their princess enough to give her a gift and show their honor. The gift that Celestia loved to receive however was ones from her dear sister Luna who always gave the best gifts. Luna knew her sister collected antiques and was a fan of Pre-Equestrian artifacts and would love her newest gift to give her. Her hoofs echoed through the halls as she was carrying her gift on her back, wrapped in clean summer yellow wrapping paper her favorite color.
"Tia?" Luna called out through the halls. "Tia where are you? I come baring gifts!"
Celestia walked down the halls of the royal castle and saw her little sister carrying something that looked rather heavy on her back.
"Luna?" Celestia called out "Luna is that you dear sister?"
Luna saw her sisters smile and ran up to her embracing a hug as her magic held the gift in place. The two sisters hugged for what seemed like forever, Princess Luna broke the hug and smiled at her sister.
"Hello Tia" She said in a cheery voice "Happy Birthday!" she floated the gift to her sisters hoofs as she looked at it with childish delight.
"What is it?" Celestia asked as she tried to shake the package seeing if she can make out the contents of the package.
"Open it and find out!" Luna said as her smile grew across her face. Celestia unwrapped the gift and pulled out the contents of the package revealing a pair of old, withered glasses.
"Oh my" Celestia said as she examined the glasses.
"The pony who sold it to me said it was from Pre-Equestrian times" Luna said "He said it belonged to an earth pony"
"Well this is very sweet dear sister, thank you" Celestia said as she put the glasses next to the other artifacts on her shelf. Celestia sighed; Luna looked at her in fear of her sister being sad or distraught.
"Sister" She began to ask "Is something wrong?"
Celestias face grew with confusion and worry as she looked at her sister with age in her eyes.
"Well" She began "Yes Luna… yes there is"
"Well you can tell me Tia" Luna chimed in "I am your sister after all, and if you can't trust me then who can you trust?"
Celestia sighed and looked at Luna with a long worrying face.
"I don't know I just" Celestia began to speak "I just can't shake this feeling of age, of regret… of sadness. I just feel old; I mean 3000 years old that's… I can't fathom that, I mean so much has happened in the last two years alone! You coming back, Twilight becoming a princess, and even now Princess Cadence and Shining Armor in the Crystal Empire searching for any lost pony's that may have gotten lost from their home… I just want to sit down for once and breathe, just breathe and let things flow naturally for once and not let things get so out of control… just once…" there was a long silence as the two where in the room, Luna staring at her big sister in her time of need.
"Well" Luna said, breaking the silence "If you were to take my advice Tia, you need to get out of this castle, take a break go on a vacation, before you truly become old, before you truly become one of these artifacts."
Celestia stared at her sister as a smile beamed across her face, she went up to her sister and kisses her on the forehead.
"Well" She said "I just might do that"
Chapter 2
Cadence and Shining Armor had been surveying the lands outside the empire they ruled looking for room to expand their ever growing empire's needs. With permission from the princess of course they scouted the area in search for lands they could use for farming, building, living Etc. Things had been looking up for the young happy couple, but you must remember, there are no such things as perfect marriages. They had been in the freezing winds since at least 7:00 this morning scouting the lands and watching the temperature slowly drop, it had been a cold and bitter winter. Armor looked through his telescope next to Cadence, who was shaking in her coat from extreme cold.
"A-A-Armor" She said shivering "I w-w-w-want to g-g-g-go h-h-home, please, I'm freezing"
"Hold on" he said in response to her "I just need to see if this land is ready for farming needs"
"Armor I'm freezing" Cadence said "I want to go home now!" she said containing her shiver
"Hold on" Armor said
"N-n-no more 'Hold On'" Cadence said "I want to leave!"
"Cadence" Armor said "I'm busy; we have a mission to find land and were going to do that"
"A mission?" Cadence said with a laugh in her voice teeth chattering and her anger warming her up so she can speak "everything had to be a mission doesn't it? You still feel like you're in the military huh? Gah, everything is about you isn't it?! I'm not some grunt you can just bully around into doing things Armor, I am your wife!"
"And that's exactly why you're here!" Armor snapped back "You are not only my wife but the princess of the crystal empire, and it's your duty to help these ponies!"
"But what about us?!" Cadence snapped "What about our future? You want children yet you can barely pay any attention to me! I feel like…" tears formed in Cadences eye "I feel like you don't care about me"
Armor saw how he hurt his wife, the one who was there for him when no one else was. His heart broke as he went to comfort his wife in his strong hoofs.
"Hey… hey… shhh" Armor said to her "I do care about you… you're my life Cadence my everything, I wouldn't be here without you… it's just all this stuff, all this I just… I guess I lose focus. Look, you and I both want children, both want to start a family and I want you to know that I do love you ok? I'm sorry; I didn't mean to snap…" Cadences cries where hushed and Armor as they looked at each other and kissed passionately, like how the moon kisses the night, how heat from a fire gently kisses your skin, this love and this passion could only come from two who were truly in love. Armor broke the kiss and looked at his wife with passion and love as a smile crept across his face.
"I'll pack my stuff" He said "And then we'll go" He began to grab his equipment but something caught his eye, a black figure in the distance. He grabbed his telescope and looked at the figure, it almost looked like a pony.
"H-Hey!" He said to Cadence "I think somepony might be out there!"
"What?" Cadence questioned "It's probably just a rabbit"
"Rabbits aren't that tall" Armor responded "Hey! HEEEEEEY! OVER HERE!" Armor yelled at the figure with enthusiasm and curiosity. He waved his hoofs around and the figure looked at them and started coming their way.
"Hey Cadence" Armor said "Come on! He's coming this way!"
"What?" Cadence said "Are you crazy?! That could be a wolf or something!"
"I don't think it's a wolf!" Armor said as he ran out to greet the figure.
"Armor!" Cadence yelled "ARMOR! Oh great!" Cadence ran after Armor and almost tackled him to the ground as he got closer to the figure. As they got closer Cadence slowed down a bit as she saw what Armor was seeing, a pony in a cloak. As they got as close as they could to the pony without crushing it or getting in its bubble they looked at the cloaked figure, a tall dark clad pony with the hood of the cloak covering his face it almost looked as it he had a horn.
"Greetings friend" Armor said with a childish and excited tone "Are you lost?!"
The figure stared at him and then looked at Cadence; he saw how she had looked so cold.
"Cold?" the figure said in a menacing deep tone of voice "It seems as though you are, but I wouldn't stress any of it you get used to it once you have been out as long as I have."
Armor looked confused and saw the look on his wife's face as looked at the strange pony.
"Who are you stranger?" Armor asked
"You mean you don't know?" The pony said "You don't know who I am? She didn't tell you? Well I'm not surprised, who would remember an old relic? An. Old. King?"
As he said this he removed his hood and revealed himself. Armor knew that face, he knew it all too well, the eyes the mouth even the horn. His face grew in sheer terror as he saw who the pony really was. His mouth opened and all that could come out was one word one name.
"Sombra"
