Deep inside the Crystal Empire, four individuals walked through the city, taking in the structures in all their glory.
Their temporary escort was Jack, who was now completely healed thanks to the Crystal Heart. His new wing, however, remained featherless; he would have to wait a month or so for the plumage to grow back. Jack glanced back at his friends, who had arrived a few hours ago with shock still etched in their eyes. It had been an interesting challenge explaining everything he had gone through during his time alone.
Jack turned his gaze toward the castle at the center of the empire, feeling deeply conflicted. Sombra had saved him. Although Jack had no idea what that heart-shaped crystal was, he knew Sombra valued it above all else. After all, Sombra had told him bluntly on the first day that if he ever placed a hand on it, he would be frozen in crystal for all eternity.
In all honesty, Jack didn't know how to feel about the situation. To him, the ordeal still felt like a fever dream. But he had almost died, and Sombra had saved him... simply because he was a "citizen" of this strange place. He was beginning to realize that none of this was a game.
At least Sombra isn't all bad, Jack thought. Sure, he mentioned not caring about lives outside of this place, but on a super-villain scale, I'd consider him decent.
In the Throne Room of the Crystal Empire
Sombra sat in a daze, staring at nothing as he realized just how over his head he actually was.
'The Marvel Universe... of all the possibilities!'
'I mean, sure, it could have been worse—like DC or Warhammer 40k—but that isn't saying much, is it?'
Sombra truly didn't know what he was going to do from this point forward. He simply hadn't considered the possibility of things being this dire.
'First thing I need to know: where in the timeline am I? Is Iron Man a thing yet? Has the Thanos plot ended, or is it somewhere in between?'
And the most important point: 'Is the power level based on the movies or the comics?'
If it was the comics, he was simply cooked in a hundred different ways. He might as well take the Crystal Heart and write a resignation letter before running away.
'Sigh... let's just deal with things as they come.'
Sombra's magic hummed slightly as he teleported to the castle's main hall. He glanced at the eighty SHIELD agents asleep on the ground in two rows.
'Their brainwashing should be dealt with... The question is whether they are going to stay, return to SHIELD, or maybe just run away.'
Sombra scanned the hall, watching the small flow of emotions from each individual feeding the Crystal Heart.
'If they want to stay, good for them. If not... then I will place them in the dungeons until someone comes for them. I will keep them as long as possible for the Heart to recover some energy.'
Sombra made sure to place a small magical trap near the doors of the main hall; if someone woke up, he would know. He chose to walk instead of teleporting as his mind started cataloging individuals he would need to find counters for.
But the biggest issue was the Sorcerer Supreme. Not just in a magical sense, but because the Time Stone was under their control.
'I wonder if it is Doctor Strange or the Ancient One...'
Sombra really wished it was Strange. At least the man was blunt enough to state his desires to one's face, and Sombra believed they could reach a logical agreement.
His massive form stopped in front of the crystal gates, pushing them open. Sombra looked at the Crystal Heart, covered protectively in his dark crystals. He noticed the energy level increasing—a slow, but finally noticeable, rise. The Heart didn't truly have a maximum level; the more energy it held, the more it could achieve. However, compared to the amount of energy it had started with, only 40% remained.
'Not good.'
If those agents were to become his subjects, he would need to deal with the climate. He may have kept them from freezing to death with a few well-placed spells, but that wasn't a permanent fix. He needed the Heart to fulfill its main purpose, just as it had in Equestria: to hold off the cold and frost so his empire could function.
But he doubted eighty-five sources of emotion were anywhere near enough to sustain it. He could try to do it himself, but such a massive spell was exhausting. He was confident he could sustain it for a week, maybe two, due to his Devil Fruit pushing his endurance and regeneration to great levels. But the mental strain would climb, and whether he liked it or not, he would eventually need to sleep.
'I need more people.'
Sombra had two solutions for this:
• A: Use his knowledge of the world map to teleport around the globe and find individuals who had nothing left to live for—those who needed a new beginning. People on the verge of giving up might not mind a chance at a better life. Or perhaps sick and dying individuals he could heal in exchange for their loyalty. He could even make the empire known worldwide to attract tourists, though that would invite spies and weaken internal defenses.
• B: Start small. Instead of covering the entire empire, he could focus on covering the castle against the climate and then expand accordingly.
Of course, all of this ignored the fact that he would need to provide electricity. He would either have to use the Crystal Heart—which he would not—or find a roundabout way. Maybe use the magic-filled crystals from the mines as batteries for special generators.
He would have to decide soon. He needed to start producing food and establish the crystal mines so he could trade for necessities. And he would need to form an army; he couldn't be expected to run across the planet every time someone with a gun approached his walls.
Even if, by some miracle, all eighty-five agents agreed to be his subjects, it wouldn't be enough. They were far too important alive to risk in combat. He needed them to start planting or working the mines, which was at least safer than fighting whatever the Marvel world would throw at them.
'So, I need to make some sort of golems or something similar. The list of tasks grows larger every second...'
'Speaking of military power... that reminds me.'
The next second, Sombra teleported to the outside walls of the Crystal Empire, looking at the four planes he had moved an hour ago. If it wasn't obvious, Sombra had no intention of giving them back. They were his spoils of war.
Including the weapons of the agents themselves, they were now government property of the Crystal Empire. And he was the government. So even if all the agents wanted to leave, he wasn't giving a single bullet back. He could sell those weapons or even try to replicate them with the Crystal Heart. Or, he could have the Heart give them a small upgrade to fire magic instead of bullets. Since ponies—and his subjects—would have magic flow naturally through them, his army would have infinite ammunition.
Of course, Sombra wasn't willing to go to war over them. But unless Nick Fury called Captain Marvel from space over a few stolen weapons, good luck convincing him to return a single round.
As for the planes, they were now surrounded by crystals. This was Sombra's method of ensuring no harm came to what was now one of his most useful possessions—and to ensure no one stole them without him noticing.
"Alright... let's start working on things one at a time."
'First problem: the population. What is the worst place on Earth that people would leave without much regret? War... people would leave their homes to flee destruction.'
So, he would either follow his first plan or find refugee camps, which would require outside information.
'Well, it isn't that hopeless, at least.' Once those lazy agents woke up, he could ask them about such things.
To be honest, Sombra needed an ally. He hoped he could reach an agreement with SHIELD; selling magically powered crystals for food and necessities wasn't an exaggerated request. But that was his last resort.
Sombra gave one of the planes a small kick, nodding to himself before teleporting back to his throne room. He sat down and let out a long sigh. He could make deals with individuals instead of organizations—men like Tony Stark or Victor von Doom. But he would rather not deal with... unstable individuals.
Sombra cleared his thoughts and walked to the balcony to enjoy the cold air of the South Pole. Suddenly, a huge wind blew across his face, and he heard a kind but slightly curious tone.
"Apologies for not visiting sooner. I was off-planet for a while."
Sombra's eyes snapped open. He froze in shock at the man standing before him.
"I must admit, this place is beautiful. And I can see that you haven't killed anyone since you arrived, even though the government attacked you."
The man standing there was like a nuclear reactor on steroids. The amount of energy Sombra could sense made all the alarms in his head beat like drums.
"Oh? I suppose I surprised you. Sorry about that, but I've been watching for the last ten minutes and I thought it was about time I introduced myself."
The man landed in front of Sombra, flashing a kind smile while offering his hand.
"I know it is rather rude to visit a King in such a manner, but my name is Superman. And yours is?"
'...Someone... just end my suffering.'
**********
(A/N): And just like that Sombra world view that he held on with pure stubbornness have cracked again with the man of steel visit making him realise that DC universe was also on the table and things are far more complicated ..
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