When he found the Dark Purple veined crystal shard, with the dark black glow about it, he gulped.
Sunburst was no fool, theoretical wizard as he was, with no amount of skill at casting spells, he still had an insane amount of knowledge of magic, rivaled only by the princesses. He knew what the dark purple veined crystal, outside the boundaries of the Crystal Empire meant. Sombra. He prepared to mark its position and guide Shining Armor to it. Like a Crystaller should, to keep the empire, and, more importantly, Flurry, safe, when the voice spoke.
Every scroll he had ever read had described Sombra as speaking only in a series of growls and resonating roars. But, much to Sunburst’s surprise, he found out that that wasn’t the case. Though he had struggled to keep the heating spell he had been using around his body, when that voice spoke, well it made him feel...it made him feel things. And he suddenly felt too hot.
Visions of mad tinted power came to his mind, much like he was making a deal with Discord himself, but it wasn’t that that made him aware of his surroundings again, no, it was his beating heart. That was beating faster than usual.
The voice, deep, growling yes, but in Sunset’s opinion a sensual kind of growling, spoke again, and he was pleased to know that it responded to his thoughts. Clearly this was some level 3 mastery telechine…but he went no further in this line of thought because the voice spoke again, and, like the stallion with need he was he listened.
“Mmm, Interesting, it seems you have fallen for me.” - The voice, he realised, was coming from the crystal, and he approached it, feeling the need to protect it against any of Shining or Candance magic…why was he thinking of giving it up? Had he been crazy? The voice? The voice would clearly do him no harm.
The voice laughed as its mental tentacles pried into sunburst mind prying it open and examining what had last happened since his defeat. With a pleased smile he retreated out of the stallion’s mind.
“Crystaller hum? A pretty important position, right, they wouldn’t even check you if you were carrying me…”
Now that Sunburst thought about it his saddles could safely fit the rock, and he was a stallion capable of carrying the rock. A small hint of hesitation was still spread across the muzzle, a hint of loyalty towards Shining and Candance, but every little thought towards the rock and its voice, and, of course he realised it was Sombra, the Lord Sombra, in there, but he couldn’t help but feel like he had been bewitched.
Was that even a word? Bewitched? He didn’t care, and he didn’t show, instead he moved in to levitate the rock with his magic. With the newfound abilities and the trust on the rock, it was an easier task.
He was prepared to move the shard, the rock, the purple piece of Sombra to the Crystal Empire. Sombra grinned, little want it, need it spell, worked every time. In moderation. He feared to think what he could do if he applied it in large scale.
Sombra’s plans for the Crystal Empire domination turned out to be harder than they first appeared, he was two weeks in the endeavor and he had come to realise something. Sunburst was a massive dork! The kind of Dork he would have whipped when he came to rule, for wasting his time. Sure he had an important position, and he knew about theoretical magic, but he struggled to even keep large amount of levitation magic going. Had he, has he so claimed, really attended Celestia’s school for bright and young unicorns or what have you? When young Sombra had never had that chance? He who could mow down buildings with a single spell? It was an outrage for which Celestia would pay one day.
That was another thing, after Sunburst had sneaked the rock into his house, he spent the days talking to it, well him, Sombra, soothing it, telling it stories, and so on and so forth. If Sombra wanted to know this information he would have removed it from this foolish foal on his own, but no, instead, since apparently someone had fortified the spells since he had last been here, something Sunburst hadn’t been aware and had apologised for more than a thousand times for, he could gain no corporeal form. Instead he was stuck in this mineral.
Maybe the want it need it spell was a bit too strong on that one too! Because there were times when Sombra could swear Sunburst was doing kissy faces at him! As a rock! And sure he looked super stud like as a stallion! But he was a rock! He knew himself to be a powerful breed, but to make others love a rock, that was just not natural!
But as the weeks turned into months and the stories got repeated more and more Sombra had to admit, much like the court jester you just can’t kill because that’ll offend the yaks, even if they do have a sense of humor that threads on dreadful, he was growing fond of Sunburst. That didn’t mean he wouldn’t get like to get rid of him. At least, that was, what he told himself, but when it came time to cast another “want it need it, spell” instead of being set free, he did it. He told himself it was not to be turned over to the guards and be smashed to a million pieces, but he knew better.
And so that was how he spent most of his days, listening to Sunburst blab about his day, and he just sitting there, trying to ignore the itching, you’d think a rock wouldn’t itch, but he was starting to grow some mold. Just applying the sun. Sunburst from what was worth had gotten ahold of the situation eventually, but he liked Sombra’s company, his rare quips into his mind, the roomate style lifestyle. Even if he didn’t pay the rent, how could he?
And from there on out, sprouted their life. Together.