"Sic semper tyrannis."
Marcus Junius Brutus
Epilogue: We'll Always have the Memories
The frigid northern air filled his lungs and ruffled his untidy mane, as King Sombra stood atop his balcony, looking nostalgically towards the horizon.
His once shining silver crown had lost its sparkle, not having been polished in days. As the wind blew wildly against the stallion's face, the headpiece dangled and shook, almost falling down from the monarch's forehead.
The tyrant's elegant red cape showed signs of wear and tear, as several holes besmirched the expensive red silk. Even the white fluff now seemed to be a dirty shade of gray, unfit for ruler of an empire.
The armor Sombra wore had a different pattern. Still aching from his injury, the black unicorn adorned a new platemail, with an opening down the middle, revealing the red mark on the his black fur. The gaping wound was deep and would never heal. A hideous scar, going from his abdomen all the way up to his left eye served as a constant reminder to the arrogant king of what he had lost. He had allowed the Crystal Heart, the artifact which would have granted him dominion over the entire world, slip though his hooves.
His right eye, in which hatred and power once burned brightly, seemed dead and lifeless, as if stuck in the thousand yard stare. His left eye was covered by a silver eyepatch.
Gazing towards the south, he saw the Spires of Hate tumbling down near the entrance of his capitol city, as legions of Equestrian soldiers were advancing towards his position. The spires were tremendous structures, which stretched up from the ground and seemed to pierce the heavens, created using the stallion's dark magic after the war had begun. They had served as a vantage point for his archers and unicorn mages, providing an advantageous defensive position. Once a symbol of his power, the spires had now been reduced to rubble.
From afar, the thundering sound of crumbling crystal could be heard, alongside the desperate screams of the king's most loyal soldiers. A few hundred crystal ponies had remained faithful to the Crystal Empire, mostly because they feared Sombra's foul sorcery. Now, however, it seemed that number had just been reduced.
Trotting rapidly up the stairs towards the balcony, the monarch's old adviser gasped for air as he approached his master. Looking with dread upon the tyrant, the aged pony timidly spoke up, "My liege, a word?"
The black stallion seemed oblivious to his servant's presence. He just kept motionlessly staring in the distance, as the cold gale blew directly into his face.
After remaining silent for several minutes, the adviser gulped to clear the lump that had formed in his throat and, summoning the courage he needed, spoke up, "My liege, please. You have been up here for hours. You have missed several discussions with your last remaining generals and a council meeting. Your subjects need you!"
Sombra paid no mind to the frantic pleas of his confidant. He just kept staring apathetically at his failing empire. After several seconds, he lifted his hoof and pointed it forward, as if he was trying to change the direction of the northern winds. Instead of obeying, however, the frigid blaze intensified and kept flurrying in his face, defying the once omnipotent unicorn.
Huffing angrily, the king commented with a monotonous voice, "It used to obey me. Has it betrayed me too?"
Upon hearing those words, the adviser's legs started to shake, as he realized his master was slowly drifting into madness. In urgent need of a response, the old pony raised his voice and shouted at the black stallion, "My liege, listen to me! We are losing. The Crystal Empire is at death's door. The enemy will be upon the capitol and break through out last line of defense in less than a day. If you do not want to make any decisions to save your land, then I shall make them for you!"
Knowing that what he had done would normally have resulted in a gruesome death, the councilor's heart thundered in his chest, as he waited for a reply from his monarch. To his dark surprise, minutes passed and an eerie still was the only thing which could be heard.
After lowering his head and shaking it in desperation, the old pony turned around and started walking down the stairs, when he suddenly heard the sound of his master's voice.
Without even turning around, Sombra stated with a grim tone, "Who gave you permission to do that?"
Rushing back to the king, the adviser beckoned yet again, "Please, great lord, you must listen to reason. We have to gather all our ministers and generals and…"
With a distinct hint of anger is his voice, the tyrant shouted, "When did they become OUR ministers? I alone rule over the Crystal Empire. You are merely a pawn. Know your place, maggot!"
Trembling, the old pony replied, "Forgive my poor choice of words, wise master. At no point do I wish to undermine your majesty's authority. What I wanted to say is that we must try and negotiate a mutually advantageous truce with Equestria. We can offer to free all the remaining prisoners and give a significant part of our treasury to repay the war damages in exchange for amnesty. I can arrange a discussion between us and the princesses and we can …"
Turning around, the unicorn gazed at his counselor with disgust and burst out, "A king does not negotiate with vermin. You have the audacity to suggest I give those Equestrian scum a part of my riches. The treasures of the Crystal Empire are mine and mine alone. On my life, I will not part with a single coin … not one piece of it!"
As the black stallion continued to speak, madness burned in his right eye, as his mouth started foaming.
This sent shivers down the spine of the old adviser, who took a few steps back, scared of what his master had become.
Huffing with rage, the tyrant continued, "I should hang you for treason! You dare doubt the power the Crystal Empire. My loyal soldiers will paint the battlefield red with the blood of those defiant Equestrians. My armies will march onto Canterlot and burn in to the ground. I am King Sombra, first of my name, lord of shadows and commander of the army of darkness. I am eternal. I cannot be defeated!"
Upon hearing those words, the aged pony just froze in fear, not sure what do to or say.
The unicorn gazed upon his terrified servant with pleasure, as he could feel his own powers growing, fueled by the despair of his counselor. Shifting to a calm tone, the black stallion ordered, "You claimed I have missed several meetings. No matter … we shall discuss the situation of my kingdom here and now."
Puzzled by the request, the adviser inquired, "Here? Out here my lord?"
Donning a mad smile on his visage, the monarch answered, "Yes! Right here! Does the cold bother you? What's wrong slave, were you not born in the north?"
By this point, the old pony was not terrified anymore. He had gone past that point. Fully realizing that his master had lost it, he chuckled amusingly and shed his fears. Remembering the grim issues he had to discuss with the tyrant, the adviser didn't even try to censor his words, as he just spewed out what came into his mind.
"Very well then. First matter. Remember those ponies I've told you about a month ago, you know … the ones who were running out of food and were unable to give us the metal that we needed. Thanks to your brilliance, they have deserted, joined the resistance and are now attacking our troops near the northern front," said the aged pony, as he stared Sombra straight in the eye.
Lashing out at his counselor, the king stated, "TRAITORS! They are no longer part of my empire! They will be killed, just like all the rest!"
Pulling his hair out in frustration, the adviser exclaimed, "Don't you understand, we are the ones who will be killed. Open your eyes my lord! We are besieged on all sides. Most of our generals have been captured. There is no way we can win this war. If we refuse to negotiate, thousands of ponies will storm the Crystal Castle in a matter of days!"
With a sadistic grin on his face, the tyrant replied, "I'm COUNTING on it! The armies of Equestria will come for me … and within my fortress they will face all the terrible creatures that I have wrought, the boundless power I have mastered ... and one by one they will fall at my feet. Anyone who would rise against me will be IMPALED on the spires of the Crystal Castle!"
Slowly backing away from his master and heading towards the stairs, the old pony commented, "My liege … please … I implore you … contain your anger …"
Without even letting his servant finish his sentence, the monarch lifted himself upon his hind legs and screamed loudly in the wind, "The power of the umbrum will no longer be contained … it shall be UNLEASHED!"
Too afraid to be in the black stallion's presence anymore, the old adviser ran down the stairs, refusing to even look back.
After Sombra had finished his speech, he noticed that the northern winds had intensified and shifted their direction away from him. Even more, he could suddenly sense the fear and desperation of his own soldiers, which were getting pummeled on the nearby battlefields. This caused his shadow to double in size and his horn to grow brighter than ever, as he felt immense dark power surging through him.
With a wicked sparkle in his right eye and an eerie glow stemming from behind his eyepatch, the king approached the edge of the balcony and pointed his hoof towards the place where the Spires of Hate once stood. Suddenly, the gale began to blow wildly in that direction, as if it had understood the dark overlord's command. The unicorn then turned his hoof to the eastern gate of his city. Moments later, a new breeze appeared and aggressively rushed towards the destination indicated by the monarch.
Donning an arrogant smile on his face, Sombra then ran his hooves through his hair, restoring his mane to its proper shape, and afterwards arranged his crown properly.
He then lifted his forelegs into the air and let out a demented laughter which thundered across the entire Crystal Empire, sending shivers across the spines of all the creatures who had heard it. Drawing a deep breath, the stallion burst out, "All who challenge me will BURN in the fires of my hatred!"
After looking at his land for a few more minutes, the tyrant turned around and started walking towards his chambers. Just as he took the first step, his scar started to ache profoundly and in his ears he could hear the words which Twilight Sparkle had said to him after she had been raped, I swear by Celestia, by Equestria, by all of pony-kind … I WILL KILL YOU!
Turning back, Sombra scanned the horizon with his eyes. Suddenly, his gaze seemed to be supernaturally drawn to a particular point, somewhere near the Crystal Mountains.
Grasping his chest with his hoof, the black unicorn burst out, "I know you are coming for me, Twilight Sparkle! I can sense you out there. You, your five pathetic friends, the three princesses and that idiot white stallion. Come … face me … if you dare. I guarantee you, this time, your silver tongue will be of no use!"
With that, the monarch went inside his citadel, wishing to prepare for what was about to follow. Moving his hoof close to his neck, he remembered that the Crystal Heart had once stood there. Huffing angrily, he said to himself I had it ... it was right here.
He then thought back to the battle which he had lost in the frozen tundra, when the purple unicorn and her friends had defeated him in the magical duel. After the king and his troops had retreated, in a fit of range, the tyrant and his one remaining Tenebra had butchered the other crystal ponies, accusing them of treason. When his honor guard had arrived it was too late – the members of the resistance were gone, along with his six former prisoners and the mystical jewel.
After he arrived back at the palace, he immediately ordered his servants to craft him a new armor, since his wound ached severely. Even worse, the king then went down an apparent spiral of madness, as his troops started losing battles on all fronts. He had not been able to find the spy which lurked in his very fortress, nor had he managed to stop the advancing enemy troops.
But now, the monarch's composure had returned, as had his insidious powers. Knowing that the army of Equestria would soon be upon his capital city, the despot was preparing for his last stand … or for the moment which would once again shift the tides of war in his favor. The Crystal Castle had more than a few sinister secrets hidden within, which the black stallion intended to use against his enemies.
As Sombra entered his private chamber, he looked at his bed and recalled the fun he had had with the six prisoners of the Crystal Empire.
He remembered capturing them in the mountain pass. He recalled tormenting Twilight Sparkle in her cell and robbing the pleading mare of her virginity. He remembered the rebellious blue pegasus and insolent orange mare who he had made scream, after they had made sweet love right before his eyes. He recalled the cookie pink earth pony who gave him quite a challenge before being thrown inside the Shroud of Agony. He remembered the deceitful white unicorn who tended to his carnal needs so well and then aided him in torturing the shy yellow pegasus. He recalled the passionate night he had spent with the purple unicorn, the moment when he had actually believed she would become his consort, right before she proceeded to steal the Crystal Heart from his neck.
Looking in the mirror, he gazed upon the scar which would forever be on his chest and stated, "Even if you somehow defeat me Twilight Sparkle … even if you and your friends banish me back to the shadow realm, it will not matter. I shall return!"
"And no matter how far apart we are, I will always be close to you and your friends … because … WE'LL ALWAYS HAVE THE MEMORIES!"
THE END
