Sombra sat on his bed. The night had been long and unbearably painful. He couldn’t sleep and the lack of it was very noticeable. His heart was heavy, but it was empty without Ornate. His energy was low, and he didn’t have it in him to eat or sleep.
He couldn’t go on without Ornate. He didn’t know much about this world. It had changed too much since his reign in the Crystal Empire. He was used to her helping him adapt. She was his crutch, and without her, he was helpless.
Sombra looked outside of the window next to his bed. He watched the sun begin to rise past the horizon. He knew that Snow Ire would be back any minute to check on him again.
Instead of waiting for her, He stood up and walked out of the room and headed towards the bathroom. He walked inside and grabbed a fluffy gray robe. He walked over to the showers.
The long room had showers all around the wall. The whole room was tiled instead of being made of ice. He walked to an empty shower and set the robe on the tile shelf in the middle of the room.
Sombra walked to the knob on the wall. He turned it to the left, making sure that the water that turned on became warm. The steam from the water gave him the clue that it was ready.
He stepped under the flow and began to wash himself off. He tried to let the water wash away his worries. But they were too heavy against the weak water flow.
He turned the knob, making the water stop. He shook off the water from his fur as much as he could. He grabbed his robe and put it on. Walking away from the showers, he found a surprise awaiting him.
Standing in front of the door to the hallway, Sombra found Snow Ire. She was wearing a white nightgown with a white shawl over her shoulders and wings. She saw him and smiled gently.
“I see you had your shower,” she remarked.
Sombra nodded, looking down. Snow Ire frowned.
“What’s wrong?”
Sombra growled softly and walked past her, gently pushing her out of the way. He walked into his room and locked the door behind him. He quickly walked over to his bed and took off his robe. The only thing that was wet was his mane and tail.
He sat on his bed once more, crying softly. He missed Ornate dearly and would do anything to get her back in his arms. He grabbed one of his pillows and hugged it gently. It was the only thing he had left.
***
Ornate sat up and rubbed her eyes with her hooves. The crystal ball wasn’t the most comfortable place she had slept, but it wasn’t the worst. She slept fine, considering the hard floor.
She looked around to find the room empty. She couldn’t see any signs of Snow Ire anywhere. She stood up quickly. But that’s when she heard the door open and slam shut.
She turned around to find Snow Ire sobbing uncontrollably. She ran to her bed and collapsed to the mattress. Her sobs became loud and long. Ornate watched as the pegasus kept crying.
After about an hour, Snow Ire’s cries had stopped and Ornate found she had fallen asleep. It was now her time to shine.
Ornate gently tipped the ball to the side, making it roll onto the bed. She carefully moved the ball to the side of the bed. The ball tipped over the side and was heading to the ground, but luckily, there was a fluffy carpet on the floor.
Once the ball had landed, she quickly ran to the door. She stopped and stood still. The ice pony maid usually came around that time. She had to wait for the door to open.
It wasn’t long before the door opened. Making sure the ice pony did not see her; Ornate ran through the door and headed down the hall; towards Sombra’s room.
Ornate felt like a hamster running in a hamster ball. She stopped in front of his bedroom door and gently rammed the crystal ball into it, making a soft knocking noise. This made Sombra open the door and look around. Ornate quickly ran in before Sombra closed the door.
Ornate ran the crystal ball to Sombra’s bed. She watched as Sombra walked to the bed. Before he could lie down, she ran the crystal ball around him. This startled him a little, but he immediately noticed Ornate inside it.
His heart skipped a beat as he picked up the ball.
“Ornate!” he exclaimed.
“Shhh!” she answered.
Sombra quickly looked around. Finding no one had heard him, he brought his attention back to the small pony.
“What happened?” he asked quietly.
“Snow Ire has feelings for you,” she quietly explained. “She knew that you loved me more than her, so she trapped me here to win your affection.”
Sombra growled.
“When I find her, I’m gonna—“
“Wait!”
He stopped and looked down at her.
“Don’t do her physical harm,” she started. “She might harm me if you threaten her.”
Sombra nodded.
“I’ll do my best.”
Sombra gently set the crystal ball under his bed. He ran out of the bedroom and into Snow Ire’s room. He found her sitting up and wiping her eyes. When she saw him, she smiled gently.
“You’re back,” she replied softly.
Sombra glared at her with a dark expression. His anger filled him. Snow Ire noticed this and began to fear him.
“What’s wrong?” she asked.
“What have you done?” he asked her.
She was confused.
“What do you--,” she started.
“You’re a monster!” he cried.
Snow Ire’s eyes widened.
“Why have you kept her from me?! Why did you lie?!”
Snow Ire began to understand. She looked at the pedestal at the foot of the bed. The crystal ball was gone. She growled.
“So, you’ve found out,” she started. “You were supposed to love me!”
“I could never love a monster.”
Sombra casted a spell and sent it towards Snow Ire. It bound her legs and wings together. He ran over to her and removed her crown.
“Now,” he started. “I will cast the spell and search for the magic imbalance. You will stay out of the way.”