When I finally came to it, I was sitting on a Crystal throne. My body felt stiff, but powerful.
I turned my head to look at the strange walls of crystal surrounding the place. It looked… magical, for the lack of a better word.
As confusion started to rise in my chest, I felt a strong headache as memories exploded in my head.
The Crystal Empire, Sombra taking control, the burning sensation as the Crystal Heart purified him.
It was a lot in a few seconds. I gained full control of Sombra's magical capabilities and his full memories.
Yet it didn't change who I was. It felt like there was a thin barrier between the real me and Sombra.
I have everything he learned and the magic he honed for decades, yet none of the madness that came with it.
Or that was what I hoped.
Once my headache started to settle a little, I felt another power in my body, a power that neither my real self nor Sombra had any experience with.
'My devil fruit, the Uo Uo no Mi, Model: Seiryu, or (Fish-Fish Fruit, Model: Azure Dragon).'
'Kaido's devil fruit.'
I felt it. My body was strong. Sombra wasn't weak physically by any means, but his might came from magical means, not pure strength.
But a mythical devil fruit elevated Sombra, already strong body, beyond its limits—strength, stamina, endurance, and even regeneration on a much faster rate.
'I could transform just like Kaido.'
It was strange, like having a new limb. I can feel that it's there; I just need to use it.
It took quite a while for me to calm down as I let the quiet atmosphere of the throne room take the stage.
The only sound was what I assumed was a snowstorm raging outside.
I was in sorrow. I never wanted to be here. My grandparents would be heartbroken, and if I am gone, who is gonna take the farm after my grandfather?
'My father? That worthless man would destroy all of it in less than a year'
I took a deep breath as I calmed myself.
Using a small amount of magic, I made an illusion of an old man with a stern look holding his walking stick as he came into view.
I knew it was an illusion. I made it after all, but I needed it. I felt my emotions overwhelm me slightly as my eyes watered.
I didn't cry. I never did, but I was holding the tears by a straw while I felt my lips trembling.
"Old man… I am so sorry," my voice was deep, way different than my old voice, but I didn't care at that moment.
"I ruined everything… I shouldn't have taken that ugly card."
I was about to apologise again as he cut me off.
"What nonsense are you spouting, boy!… Answer me this: do you have a way back?!" His walking stick hit the crystal floor as he demanded an answer from me.
"No, I don't." I didn't lie. I never lied to him.
"Then what is the crying for?! Do you think I can't take care of myself without you, boy? I lived four times your life."
I wanted to cut him, but he didn't allow me to do so.
"What did I always tell you, boy? Life is difficult. Nothing you want will ever go fully like you hope. There will always be a difficult time ahead. There will always be sadness in this life."
His voice continued, just as stern but with the small warmth and understanding that he always used when I was in trouble.
"But that doesn't mean there won't be happiness. That doesn't mean that success won't arrive. No matter how tedious it is, as long as you live, it will always be worth it."
"So, boy! If you can't change something, then you live with it, and don't cry about it! Because, unfortunately, that is the way of things. So go and smack that sentimental nonsense in the wall and get to work."
I felt a small smile force itself on my lips as I forced myself to stand and started walking to the door.
I stopped for a few seconds as I talked one last time without looking back, because I knew that old man would make fun of me if he saw my smile.
"Will do, granpa, will do… I love you both, you know that right."
He smiled at me as if I were stupid.
"Yeah, yeah, I will tell that to Isabella… And Adrian, no matter what you do from now on, remember I expect you to do your absolute best."
"I am always the best," I answered, annoyed, remembering Alexander in college. It's not my fault that the man was simply a walking artificial intelligence.
He laughed that familiar laugh of his before saying, "Good lad, you always made us proud."
As the illusion disappeared on its own.
I know that this was a literal conversation made from my head, but I was quite sure that it was exactly what he would say.
'So I am Sombra, huh?… Very well, since I am here, then I will work with my situation.'
I pushed the large gate of the throne room as I came to view with a long crystal corridor.
For the next few minutes, the only sound in the castle was the heavy thuds of my armour as I made my way.
I remembered what that cursed card said: Sombra powers with the devil fruit and a modified Crystal Heart.
Sombra's mind was filled with thoughts as to what the modified heart could possibly do as he arrived at a huge staircase.
'If the Crystal Heart works the same as it does in the series, then I will bury it, drop it to the bottom of the Earth's core, never to be seen again.'
The memories of Sombra being burned were quite vivid. In fact, it was almost the first memory he received from Sombra.
'I have no intention to ever experience that pain firsthand, not now, not ever.'
Once Sombra reached the top, it took a few more seconds as his eyes came into direct view of the Crystal Heart.
'From the memoirs of Sombra of it, he expected not to be surprised, but face to face, the Crystal Heart was terrifying.'
The Crystal Heart was breathtaking, the most beautiful crystal structure that the original Sombra or Adrian ever laid their eyes on, but the magical power radiating from it was terrifying. A chill spread through Sombra's body just imagining someone using the Crystal against him.
Sombra shook his head as he walked closer to it while his magic flared around him, making his eyes glow…
'All that magical power… no wonder original Sombra feared the Heart and wanted it gone, although he was terrible at doing it.'
Once he was close enough, Sombra placed a gauntlet on it as the magic of the Heart flared for a second, but instead of the burning pain, instead what he felt was a connection.
A small magical thread grew from the Heart as it connected to Sombra's chest, more accurately to his heart.
At that moment, a small information finally came to Sombra's mind as he received his last gift from that cursed card.
The original Crystal Heart was impressive, but compared to this one, it might as well be nothing at all.
This Heart was capable of following orders, and as long as it had enough energy, it would try to fulfill them.
Of course, there were limits. It wasn't a wishing lamb, but inside the empire? The Heart's power was absolute.
And this Heart was for Sombra to command.
A slow, villainous laughter escaped from his throat subconsciously while his gauntlet started patting the Crystal Heart as his eyes were filled with something close to obsession.
Sombra kept caressing the Crystal Heart while his mind started thinking.
'The Heart needs emotional energy to work. Currently, it has enough to fulfill two commands within reasonable limits.'
But even commands have different types of magic usage. If the command is to kill intruders, then the Heart would use as much energy as needed to fulfill it and be done with it.
But if the command was for something continuous, like making a certain house or an object fly, then the Heart will use a big amount of magic to make it happen, and then it would be a continuous small drain or big drain depending on the command itself.
He finally retracted his gauntlet from it with a small frown.
'If the Heart is going to work, then the empire needed a population for emotions to be able to recharge.'
'And a king of an empty city is no king, after all.'
"Well, old man, how about that?… This boy is going to become a king," as a smirk formed on Sombra's face.
'Now, since I have no Crystal ponies… where do I get citizens for my empire to be?'
Sombra already assumed that this wasn't the original Sombra pony world, since he looked human enough and since no ponies were present.
Nor were any alicorns trying to have him six feet under.
Sombra turned his head as he walked to the edge, looking at the entire empire from atop the castle.
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He watched silently for a long minute as he saw the horizon that was filled with nothing but snow.
'Whatever world I have ended in doesn't matter. It will change nothing… unless I find some way back home. This will be my new home, my empire, and I am the king of the crystal throne.'
His magic formed a dark crystal in his hand as it floated slightly above his palm.
'And whoever tries to take my home from me will be imprisoned in crystal or removed permanently.'
As his hand closed around the crystal, crushing it to dust, before he opened his palm, allowing the dust to be carried by the freezing arctic wind.