Luna sat beside the unconscious King Sombra. Luna eyes and cheeks ripened with tears. His monitor beeped, his body was a shell. Luna still sat beside him, but she knew she'd have to leave sooner or later to deal with politics. She wept a little more,
"Huh, so you came back, Sombra?" Luna asked the unconscious body, "It's funny, you come back after all those years and you haunt your kingdom, then you die, and come back, and you're dying again..."
Luna's throat hitched, she almost choked those words out,
"Remember when we first met? Do you remember Sombra? All those years ago?" Luna questioned, "Those passionate nights... Sombra, I was in love with you. I'm still in love with you..."
Luna looked at him with sadness, and anger, and other mixed emotions. She didn't know how to feel,
"What's the use?" Luna asked as she stood up, "You can't hear me."
She scoffs at herself as she walks away from him and looks out the window, she spots ragged tents of the evacuees, smoke rising from the mountains, she could only hope Nikola was fine too, along with her sister, the Elements of Harmony and her niece and nephew-in-law. She shook her head and tears blurred her vision,
"Look at me, if you can, Sombra. I'm a mess, I've been a mess for more than a thousand years. I became a monster," She sniffs, "You're a monster too, I'm sorry to say. I mean, you come back after I had to kill you, that hurt, hurt like hell. Then you come back and die again. And now..." She lets out a dry, sad chuckle, "You come back and you're dying again."
Luna shakes her head and holds back her tears, she sniffs once more before walking towards the door,
"I'll come back, Sombra," She told him, "I'll come back again."
Luna opened the door with her magic, she wanted to look back, but she didn't. But just as soon as she stepped out of the room, she heard a deep voice call her,
"Luna..." The sick voice croaked.
Luna's eyes widened, she turned around to see Sombra, eyes half open, reaching out for her. She gasped,
"Sombra?" She asked.
She stepped back inside and closed the door.
"Come on, Tia!" A young blue pony shouted to her half asleep older sister, "We're going to the Crystal Empire today."
Her white furred, pink-maned older sister grumbled awake,
"Come on, Tia. Wake up," She told her.
"Ugh... Luna, go away, just give me five more minutes," Celestia huffed.
"But we'll be late!" Luna replied.
"Luna, sweetie, Mother or Father will wake me up, just please? I don't stay up all night like you," Celestia told her younger sister.
Luna sighed, "Okay, Tia."
"I'll be up, little sister," Celestia smiled before dozing off once more, "I'll be u..."
By this point she was fast asleep again. Luna then quietly paced out of her older sister's bedroom and walked down the grand hallway of her family's palace, she was a little disappointed that she couldn't get her sister up but she was nevertheless excited to go the Crystal Empire for the first time, and hopefully she'll meet new friends there too...
Luna was lost for words when Sombra woke up, she tried to find words as Sombra opened his eyes more. They both shared an uncomfortable silence, the sound of his monitor being the only thing making sound in the room,
"Wow," Sombra uttered, "It's been a while, Luna."
That's all he has to say? Luna thought to herself. Damn right too, it has been a while. Luna gave a calculated look at him, he looked around his room nervously,
"It has been a while, Sombra," She told him.
"I feel sore," Sombra changed the subject.
"You're dying," Luna winced.
"Oh," He spoke, "Well, that's what I get after I being summoned from the dead, huh?" He deadpanned. She didn't laugh.
"Yep."
"I need to go. That Ozymandias guy needs to pay. And that Tesla fucker too," Sombra spoke to himself as he adjusted himself in his bed.
"You're not going after Tesla. He's my friend," Luna told him coldly.
"He bucked me in the jaw..." He started.
"You and the Changeling beat him to a pulp," She retaliated.
"That wasn't just me and him, Luna."
Luna scoffed, Sombra adjusted himself in his bed once more,
"I can't feel my bottom legs," He said.
Luna sighed, "You're paralyzed. You're extremely lucky that magic blast didn't kill you."
"It's killing me though," Sombra replied.
"Why did they resurrect you, Sombra?" Luna changed the subject, "You can't stay gone twice."
"They needed help with their terrorist plan. They promised me my kingdom," Sombra told her.
"It's not your kingdom anymore, Sombra," Luna replied.
Sombra grumbled angrily,
"I'll kill them all..." He whispered to himself.
"Stop it."
"I'm serious. I'll murder all of them, Masai, Ozymandias, Tesla, those damn Elements of Harmony, and that little pipsqueak dragon," Sombra told her with a slight hint of anger.
"Sombra, you won't be killing anyone, not anymore, not ever. Ever since you became darkness you've been nothing but a monster," She grunted.
"I'm not the only monster in this room," Sombra firmly told her.
"What do you mean?" Luna questioned.
"Nightmare Moon," Sombra replied, much to Luna's surprise, "What? You think I didn't know about it? I was still watching where I was darkness, how did it feel being alone on that desolate chunk of rock in the sky?"
Luna closed her eyes. She felt like crying. How could he be so heartless?, she thought to herself. She shook it off, as hard as it was, she didn't want to cry, especially in front of him,
"Why say that, Sombra?" She asked him, "What good will it give you?"
"I don't know," Sombra replied.
"If you're going to mock me after spending what felt like eternity in the moon, then I'll just go," Luna told him crossly before turning around to face the exit.
"You don't want to," Sombra retorted, "And well... I don't want you to go."
Luna looked back at him, "Then don't insult me, Sombra."
"Luna, this is the first time we've properly talked in..." He pauses and ponders to himself, "I don't even know how long it's been."
"I remember our talks like it was yesterday though," She pulled off a small smirk.
He smirks back, "Remember when spent that night in the Emerald Gardens? Just talking about anything."
She smiles in reminiscence, "That was after you spilled the wine over your father," She chuckles.
Sombra lets out a deep laugh, "Don't remind me."
Luna and Sombra laugh in remembrance of that moment, before going silent and sad once again. Luna sighed,
"What happened, Sombra? With us?"
"We changed, Luna. I changed," Sombra replied.
"I was hoping you could change again after you came back," Luna told him.
"You can't hope for that, Luna. I've gone off the deep end," Sombra confirmed to her, "I've lost my mind. My soul spent so long in the Darkness it's taken it's toll."
Luna sighed, "Well, a girl can hope."
"An old lady more like it," Sombra mumbled.
Luna widened her eyes, "What was that, Sombra?" She asked sharply.
"Nothing," He said quickly.
"Hmm, may I remind you I'm a year younger than you, old man," She remarked with smugness.
"Well..." He paused, "We're both old."
"You're older," She laughed.
Luna turned around and made her way to the door,
"I need to go," She glumly sighed, "I need to tell the ponies Tesla is safe."
"Okay," He replied, "Bye, Luna."
Luna smiled sadly at him and then further exited the room,
"Luna..." Sombra halted her.
"Yes?" She replied.
"Are you afraid of me?" He asked with worry in his deep voice.
She paused to think, Sombra didn't like that, "I'm not afraid of you, Sombra. But others are. And I understand why they are."
She left the room, leaving Sombra to take in her words. He understood her, for the first time in years...
Celestia and Luna sat in the halls of The Crystal Empire, waiting on their mother and father, Queen Callista and King Sirius speaking to high council of the Empire. Luna sat bored on her seat, huffing and puffing as she stared at the small fountain in the middle of the hall,
"When are Mother and Father going to be done?" Luna whined.
"I don't know, Luna," Her older sister replied, her patience slowly decreasing.
"I'm so bored!" Luna spoke, a little louder than she hoped.
"Look," Celestia sighed, "Go and play for a little bit, come back to our room once you're finished, I'll tell Mother and Father where you are. Okay?"
Luna's mouth curled into a smile and then excitedly hugged her older sister. Her sister was overwhelmed by her excitement,
"WhereshouldIgo?!" Luna asked with a quick tongue.
"Well... um," Celestia struggled to speak with her sister's tight grip around her, "I'd go to the Emerald Gardens. That's where I went the last time."
Luna let go of her sister as Celestia gasped for air, Luna hopped off her seat and skipped away,
"Bye Tia! See you soon!" Luna cheered.
"Bye... Luna," Celestia choked out, almost laughing from her younger sister's overwhelming excitement.
Outside of the castle, within the glassy shrubs, a young foal stands looking across them, grey fur and a dark black mane, his eyes green and irises red, the young Prince Sombra stands, sighing at the sight. An older pony, his dark blue crystal-like body was shining brightly in the sun, stood beside him,
"Sombra," The older pony spoke.
"Yes, Kryon?" Sombra asked back.
"You realize your punishment now, yes?" Kryon questioned, "The one your father told you to do?"
"Yes, I'm completely aware of trite and banal punishment," Sombra deadpanned.
"Look, son. You know you shouldn't be in the armory at the age you're at, its dangerous," Kryon informed him with sympathy.
"But I'm an immortal being, Mother and Father can't control me forever," Sombra retorted.
"Biologically immortal, yes. Physically? No. You can still feel pain, a blade can still pierce your skin and kill you," Kyron told the foal, "You need to be more careful."
Sombra scoffed, "Whatever you say, old man."
Kyron sighed, "Listen, you need to water the emerald plants. It takes magic to water them, so..."
"I know how, Kyron," Sombra interrupted.
With a blank look on Kyron's face, hoisted a pale of enchanted water towards Sombra, who caught it within his magical grasp,
"Come to my quarters when you're finished," Kyron told him as he walked away.
"Of course," Sombra said as Kyron walked away from view, "Jackass."
Sombra walked into the garden, pale in tow, he sloshed against one emerald plant, then another, and another,
"Three down, one hundred and forty seven left to go," Sombra sighed to himself.
Meanwhile, another young pony, as blue as the ocean deep, pranced around in awe and wonder at the sight of the emeralds, as green as envy, as sparkly as the sky full of stars that match the light twinkles in her mane,
"Wow," Luna uttered.
Sombra was still drowsing the emerald plants in waves, not paying any attention to whatever is surrounding them. Luna continued to prance about the garden, her head in the clouds, the bright Sun shining down warmly against her, until...
SPLASH!
Water dowsed her and she quickly went cold, she shivered as her mane fell forward over her eyes. Sombra realized what he'd done,
"Oh no!" He exclaimed.
"Oh my, I'm freezing..." Luna shivered.
"Great Mogarth's ghost!" Sombra said as he approached her, "I'm so sorry."
Luna let out a small giggle, jittery from being cold, "It's okay."
Luna moved her mane away from her eyes and then met hers with Sombra's. Both stuck there, looking at each other,
"Hi," Luna greeted.
"Um... hi," Sombra greeted back.
Luna was awestruck by his green eyes, as bright as the emerald in the garden they stood in, she found herself lost in his eyes, and he found himself lost in hers too, her blue sapphire eyes, wet gemstones, he saw the stars sparkle within them,
"I-I'm Sombra. Prince Sombra," He introduced himself.
Luna smiled, "I'm Princess Luna."
And something beautiful started...