Sombra looked over the wizard city from a grand tower. At the massive crowd of Muggles and Squibs that piled over to hear HER wisdom. There were even a few half bloods in the mix. He must admit, even he was awed by her power.
"Are you enjoying your new life out of the Ether?"
Sombra turned to see a tall white Unicorn. She was beautiful yet battle scarred. Her tail was missing and she wore a plague mask, some say to hide the hideous disfigurements on her once beautiful face. She dressed in flowing black robes, adorned with skulls of various sentient species. Well mostly pony and human, there were a few skulls of creatures he didn't recognize. She had turned their bones into body armor and wore her cloak over it. The robes curved and were cut in such a way her Cutie mark was easily visible. The mark was an open book with a human skeleton standing on it, all burning in green flames
Sombra looked at her a moment, then back at her growing crowd, "Shouldn't you be giving a speech? I heard you had some great new invention to reveal."
"The speech can wait." She assured, her voice beautiful yet sent a chill down his spine, "I needed to see how my weapon was doing."
"Weapon indeed," Sombra sneered. Looking out into the crowd, "Though you migh not find me to be quite so cruel a tool as the legend demands. After all, history is written by the victor."
She said nothing in response merely stared at him from behind her mask. Sombra could feel her eyes on him.
After a moment of enduring the creepy stares, he explained, "The three tribes don't like to admit it, but there are far more then 3 kinds of ponies. There are the horses of Saddle Arabia. The Bat Ponies, evolved from Thestrals. The Seaponies, the Hippogriffs, even the changelings. We are all part of the same Animal Family. As we were all, once, the same species... this includes the Crystal Ponies... and my own creatures...
"Shadow Ponies evolved from a race of magical horses called 'Nightmares' but we are no more evil then the Bat Ponies... they just wanted to live their lives... the Crystal Ponies saw our very existence as unholy... Crystal ponies are creatures of light, descended from celestial beings. Where Shadow ponies are, by our nature, creatures of the night... It is the Crystal Ponies holy duty to cleans Equus of all dark things. And so they hunted us to extinction... all but me...
"I was only a child, a baby... prince to the fallen king... to the victor goes the spoils." Sombra looked back at the demon Unicorn, "I was a trophy. An exotic pet... bastards even had me gelded to insure my race dies with me... I grew up in the Empire, as the princess' personal slave, though we had no word for it... she was kind... her mother, the Queen, was not... As I said, I was a baby when they took me. I didn't know anything about my ponies, nor my native powers... I was beaten the first time I accidentally used my shadow bending... all I knew was that I was a captive forced to labor, hated by all... but the Princess...
"One day she helped me escape... she freed me... she pointed me in a direction and told me to run... to not stop until I learned where I came from... it was several weeks in a cold blizzard until I found what she was talking about... the ruins of my father's kingdom. What I found, at first, startled me."
"Wendigos," the demon mare simply said.
Sombra studied her a moment, was the true history not so lost as he imagined? Or was she just a master of finding the truth behind lost things. "They had taken shelter in my family's ruins. And in gratitude they taught me of my ponies." Sombra lightly touched his cape, "Even gave me momentos of my family line. They educated me, taught me to read and write, such knowledge long kept out of my reach. Then they showed me the royal library, which was filled with secret spell tomes and dark rituals I used to unlock my full power. They showed me true kindness, not out of pity but respect. They believed I could save them from suffering my ponies fate.
"They held nothing from me, telling up front of the prophecy and how I was their only hope... and telling me about the war between my ponies and the Crystal ponies... a war so old and ancient no pony even remember what started it... who was truly in the wrong...
"Then Princess Luna warned the leaders of both our civilizations. She had a vision... she foresaw the destruction of both our great ponies if we didn't end the war... the Crystal ponies offered us a peace treaty... after so long my ponies thought the war was finally at an end... it was a sham... they used the signing as an excuse to get all of their army behind our walls... then, with the ink still wet on our treaty, the begun their attack... they killed everypony... not even the children were spared... only me, as a trophy. As a warning to the other tribes... yet somehow, history has forgotten all that...
"I returned to the Crystal Empire, blessed by the darkest of magics my ponies had long since forbidden... and learned the Queen executed her own daughter... for the 'blasphemy' of showing pity to me... that is when I knew. Crystal ponies are the true definition of evil. So sinister in their hearts they believe their actions holy... still I showed them kindness. I refused to fulfill the prophecy. I killed some, yes, many actually. I will not deny I took pleasure from it. But I let most live. I insured their species would survive... I was the first slave ever known to ponykind... and I created an army of more...
"The Crystal ponies will not escape Justice! They will pay for what they did to my ponies. History will remember their atrocities!... and I will be harold as the hero who saved them from themselves. I have no interest in whatever goal you saved me for! I will bring Justice to a race of monsters!"
The demon unicorn looked at the last shadow pony. She simply reminded, in the tone of a kind teacher speaking to a dim witted child, "The ponies that committed those atrocities are long dead. A thousand years passed in the Ether, with their civilization still growing and changing outside our dimension. None of the ponies you tormented, for the last few hundred years, had anything to do with what happened to you or your ponies. Punishing those for the crimes of their ancestors is not the pony way."
"It is not the pony way to commit GENOCIDE!!!" Sombra sneered.
"You are consumed by a need for vengeance. I understand that, believe me, no creature understands that desire better then I, but we both already got it. The creatures that wronged us are dead, by our own hooves. Yet the knowledge leaves us hollow. It is time we found new purpose. I gave you back your life, and it is of course yours to do with as you wish, but you should try to recognize your vengeance was completed a long time ago. You have become the Tyrant you fought against, but at my side, we can insure what happened to us never happens to anyone else. We can bring forth true justice. A new order for both these worlds. To at last live in peace..."
Sombra looked at the group outside, "How do you expect to do that?"
The unicorn watched the crowd with him, "By burning both worlds to the ground, and building one paradise from their ashes. A place where all creatures live in Harmony. Where Crystal ponies live side by side Shadow ponies with no malice or hate."
Sombra snorted, "Well I don't doubt your power, Faust knows I can feel it, how do you plan to make Crystal ponies make nice with a long dead race?"
"... By resurrecting them of course."
Sombra froze.
"It is within my power to bring back a fallen species. Not the ponies themselves but it would just require the right know how to birth a new Generation of pure blooded Shadow ponies from my Cauldron."
Sombra's throat went dry, "Could you truly bring them back?"
"Those humans down there," she gestured with her hoof, "Are here because I am nothing less then the most powerful Necromancer who ever lived. I give them more then comfort. I give them the very souls they lost back in mortal form. Does creating a body, without having to fish for a specific soul, really sound beyond my power?"
Sombra gulped at the possibility. He never imagined he could have little Shadow ponies running around at his hooves... still... "Is this the part where you demand my help in exchange for bringing back my dead race?"
The plague mask turned to him, "I plan to do that regardless. All I need from you is a vial of your blood, to duplicate indefinitely, and a soul to sacrifice. Anything will do, although I am favorable to cats, Celestia do I hate cats. I won't even go the super villain route. By the end of the day, you will have your first shadow pony companion, even a few foals to soften your heart... and I will continue to make more regardless if you help me or not. I will even turn them over to you.
"If you choose to repay this kindness, then I ask you and your new civilization join me, but I will not force the issue."
"Forgive me if I question your generosity when you started this conversation by calling me a weapon." Sombra eyed.
She just smirked behind her mask, "Was that what triggered your little speech. I hate to disillusion you but you are not the 'weapon' I was talking about. Though I would be happy to show it to you."
Sombra blinked, still he got the feeling everything she said was delicately calculated.
She pulled out, what appeared to be, a purple stone from her robes.
Sombra studied it, curiously, "Crystallized magic? Those are rather commonplace in Equestria. How can that help you shape the world?"
She chuckled, "I have done a bit of work on it, to unlock it's full potential. Ponies have tried for so long to create wands. Well this may be a good deal more primitive, even Earth Ponies can use it." She looked out at the growing crowd of humans, "Even Squibs..."
Sombra looked at the crowd of thousands as the implications hit him.
"You gave them back their families that fell in the war... so that they would be more willing to stand by your side in another."
"It is easy to earn loyalty. Love, you'll find, is a compelling currency. But they will have the same choice as you. Help me or don't, I will not retaliate... not unless they act against me. If they chose to make themselves my enemy I can easily return the ones they lost to the Ether, but that is a last resort if reason cannot prevail.
"I am not some mindless dark lord hoping to conquer the world for my own satisfaction. I am trying to save it. Even with all the help from the ponies the wizarding race is doomed to die. The Squibs are the future, but even they are in danger so long as the muggles control this world. Our own isn't much better. Equestria may be at peace but the rest of the world struggles for survival. It is time we helped them... even if they don't accept that help willingly.
"Celestia is weak. She has become old and frail. The successor she has chosen is no better. A whiny child that lacks the experience and temperament for ruling. Creatures need ponies like us to protect them from themselves."
"You never did give me a name," Sombra eyed her, "What should I call this new ruler of a better world?"
She scuffed, "I will not rule it. I told you. I am no Dark Lord. I may intend to write the constitution but when I am done all races will sit on a Senate of elected officials. They will pass the laws and budgets. I intend to be more a figure head and spiritual leader, with no real political power."
Sombra eyed, "Your avoiding my question with propaganda." He could practically feel her smile behind her mask.
"That is because it is a more difficult question then you believe. My name was stolen from me, like many things, but who I have become? You may call me, Lady Necro."