> The King & Shy
>  by I-A-M
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Act 1 ~ Sabbatical
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	
Chapter 1


The teapot drifted lazily along beside a small herd of ambulatory cakes like a shepherd tending its flock. Every so often it would tip forward a small stream of fragrant herbal tea would pour out and flow along a random course before ending its journey at the one of the two cups that were positioned relatively near their respective owners. Fluttershy had long ago gotten used to the rather cavalier state of physics during weekly tea times with Discord who was quietly drinking from his own cup whilst upside down. Gravity had taken the afternoon off so everything in Fluttershy’s living room was gently bobbing about. Fortunately, the rehabilitated Draconequus had long since learned to put things back where they were. It took him a bit longer to get the hang of putting them back in all the right dimensions of course. there were a few troublesome months where Fluttershy’s couch would occasionally be left missing for a few hours before she could call Discord back to retrieve it from wherever in the fourth dimension he had left the thing. Nevertheless, Fluttershy was incredibly proud of his progress.
“I’m quite certain, dear Fluttershy, that you are incorrect on this matter,” Discord finally rebuked from his position a few degrees acute to the leftmost corner of the room. “Rainbow Dash certainly has all the skill of a Wonderbolt but I would be lying if I said I thought she was ready to work as a team. She is just too brash! Maybe in a year or two.”
“Oh Discord, you know as well as I do that she just needs a chance,” Fluttershy quietly defended her friend. Not that she necessarily disagreed. Rainbow did have a pretty bad case of what her father called ‘Solo Flyer Syndrome’. “I’m sure that Rainbow could thrive in a team environment just fine.”
Discord shook his head. “Maybe, and trust me when I say I’m as much of a fan of throwing a wrench into the gears of a well-oiled machine as the next Spirit of Chaos, but the kind of stunts the Wonderbolts would end up being the wrong kind of chaos. You know, the kind that ends in a hospital visit.” 
Fluttershy winced at the thought. She appreciated Discord not going even further with it though. It was rare but a stunt flying accident could lead to far worse than a few weeks in hospital. Far, far worse. Something closer to home was bothering the yellow mare, though. “Discord, this is a little off topic but… are you alright?”
Discord suddenly righted himself (in relation to Equus) and met his host’s eyes with a cocky grin. “Why Fluttershy whatever do you mean? I’m just concerned about the wellbeing of my good, good friend Rainbow Blast.”
“Dash,”
“Same thing.” Discord harrumphed and went back to his tea which was refilling itself.
“You know,” Fluttershy began carefully, “I only ask you because you seem… uncharacteristically serious this afternoon. And concerned. About our safety and livelihood.  Not that it’s, uhm, a bad thing. It just seems a little… strange.”
The quiet pegasus kept her face schooled carefully to an offensively neutral expression that conveyed care and concern without being too forward. Another trick her father had taught her, though she was nowhere near his level. He and Fluttershy’s mother could hold entire conversations with a few silent looks. And often did. After a few moments Discord let out a heavy sigh, and Fluttershy knew she had won.
“Oh… very well,” Discord said softly. With a snap of his fingers the entire room righted itself perfectly. Every piece of furniture immediately zipped to their proper places and settled in without a single care for the laws of inertia. “The truth, my dearest Fluttershy, is that I’m leaving soon.”
Fluttershy froze up slightly but tried not to let the shock show. She didn’t want to stop him from whatever little momentum he had let build up. Instead she just said, “I see, and uhm, where are you going?”
“A very long ways away,” Discord said softly, his voice had taken on a somber quality that was completely at odds with his normally rambunctious personality. “The truth is that I love Equestria. I love my friends and my place here. You especially, dear Fluttershy, have made this orderly place more of a home than I ever expected.” Fluttershy just nodded, silently urging him to continue. “But… it is also true that I will never belong here. In the end I need chaos. The same way Ponies need love and friendship. As much as I’ve come to care for you and the others... I’m a Draconequus. I will never be a pony.”
“But-!” Discord raised a finger to stem the tide of rebuke that had built up on the tip of Fluttershy tongue. He didn’t use magic. He didn’t need to. Besides, he would never use his magic so selfishly, not anymore at least. 
“Hear me out, Fluttershy,” Discord said softly, his mismatched eyes seeming to become much brighter. “I didn’t say I was leaving forever. I fully intend to come back. However, I feel the need to wander, to express, and that’s something I cannot do here and still keep my promises to you about behaving.”
Fluttershy felt tears spring up behind her eyes but she quickly pressed the feeling back. “How long will you be gone?” She said instead.
Discord gave a noncommittal shrug. “I’m not sure, but… my reasons are more than just idly indulging wanderlust. For the first time I can recall in… oh… maybe ever, I feel a purpose calling to me.”
That, perhaps more than anything, shocked Fluttershy out of her worsening mood. How many times had Discord repeated the mantra that chaos didn’t need a reason to happen or a purpose beyond itself. That was the whole point of chaos, he would say.
“It’s for that reason that I, Discord, am going on Sabbatical!” With a snap of his fingers Discord was suddenly wearing a dated, old tweed jacket. The kind that a pony with tenure might wear. “I intend to find another Draconequus! True, I’ve never heard of another one, but then again I’ve never looked or listened. I can’t help but wonder if there are more, or if I am truly the only one. But I do wish to find out. To satisfy my curiosity. That’s not something I can do in Equestria, I’m afraid.”
Fluttershy felt as though her heart were about to burst with emotion. Lots of emotions. Sadness, joy, and pride were some of the chief among them. For the first time in their friendship, Discord wasn’t just passively accepting that being friends was a good thing. No, he was finally appreciating it as something greater. Something that filled a longing within him. And now he was setting out to take a whole new step; making a friend. Without warning Fluttershy leapt forward. tackling into Discord and hugging him tightly. The Draconequus chuckled as the featherlight pegasus held onto him. There were tears, but there was also laughter. She was so, so proud of him. 
“I’m going to miss you so much,” Fluttershy said through a happy sob. “We all will! Even Twilight. You drive her crazy but she cares about you a lot.”
“I know, dearest Fluttershy, I know,” Discord said softly as he pet her bright pink mane reassuringly. “And I promise to return, even if I can’t promise when.”
Nodding, Fluttershy stepped away from her friend and gave him her best smile. “I know you will, and I wish you the very best luck on your sabbatical, Discord.”
“Ha! I’m the Lord of Chaos, my dear!” Discord declared, “and I quite literally make my own luck! See?” He held up a clover with sixty-four leaves. 
Pressing a hoof to Discords claw, Fluttershy smiled up at him. “Are you going to tell the others too? And what about the Princesses?”
Making the clover vanish with a twirl of his claw, Discord huffed. “I already spoke to ‘Tia and Lulu about it, after all I couldn’t very well just vanish from under Sunbutt’s nose or she would think something was up. She has the means to contact me if it’s really an emergency. As for the others… I was hoping you could break the news to them. For once I think I would prefer to leave quietly rather than with a bang, as odd as that may seem.”
Fluttershy shook her head. “I understand completely, I’ll gather them together tonight, I guess you were planning on leaving after our tea?”
Giving her another grin Discord shrugged. “You always did know me best, my dear.”
“Well, then,” Fluttershy responded with a steadiness in her voice that surprised even her, “I think we should make the most our last tea time. Even if it is only for a little while.”





They talked for another few hours, but both of them knew it couldn’t last forever. After tea Discord said one last goodbye, gave the Fluttershy a gentle hug, and then left. Not with a flash of teleportation or by leaving a replica of himself made of cotton candy and cat whispers (Fluttershy never did figure out how he did that). Instead he floated higher and higher til he was well above the Everfree canopy and simply drifted away towards the darkening eastern horizon like a serpent through sand. Fluttershy stood watching his form become smaller and smaller in the distance. Only when he was completely gone did she return to her house and have a good cry. It took a lot out of her but she felt much better afterwards. It was almost six in the evening when she left to gather her five closest friends to share the news. Fortunately it was near the end of Spring and the days were getting longer. Naturally Fluttershy met with Pinkie Pie first, asking her to get everyone together and if she wouldn’t mind if they stayed late at Sugarcube Corner. Pinkie was curious but, rather than pushing for the ‘why’, she did as her friend asked.
Twilight Sparkle was the last to arrive at the Corner, having been caught up in an experiment. Rainbow was flitting around the room impatiently while Fluttershy, Pinkie, Rarity, and Applejack were sitting at a table sharing a nightcap as the evening had fallen in earnest.
“Finally!” Rainbow huffed as Twilight cantered into Sugarcube Corner looking a little frazzled. “We’ve been here for, like, an hour!”
“Half an hour at the very most, darling,” Rarity corrected gently as she took another sip of brandy. “You do have a tendency to exaggerate my dear.”
“Eh, you’re just not moving as fast as me,” Rainbow brushed Rarity’s admonishment off with a laugh. “I’m always going twice as fast as anypony else so it was totally an hour for me.”
Pinkie Pie lifted the old-fashioned glass she’d been balancing on her nose and set in on the table. “Yup, that seems like completely and totally sound logic to me!”
“I think that might count against you, Rainbow,” Twilight remarked as she took a seat at the table with the the other four.
Applejack laughed chuckled as she poured herself another measure. “She’s gotcha there, sugarcube. But now that we’re all here I confess to bein’ a mite curious as to what it was ya’ll felt couldn’t wait til the mornin’ to tell us about, ‘Shy.”
The eyes of all five of her friends turned to her. A few years ago this would’ve been sufficient to drive her back into the recesses of her hair for concealment. Now, though, the looks on her friends’ faces just brought her a warm sort of comfort. Comfort that was somewhat dampened by the news she was about to share.
“Well, uhm, I suppose there’s no reason to beat around the bush,” Fluttershy began takin a sip from her own drink. It was stronger than what she normally drank which was rarely stronger than a glass of red wine from Berry’s vineyard. Now, though, she was grateful for the stronger spirit. “During my afternoon tea with Discord today he told me there was something he wanted you all to hear.”
“Aaaaand he couldn’t tell us this himself… why?” Rainbow drawled from near the ceiling.
“Because he’s gone,” Fluttershy answered a little curtly.
That got everyponies attention. 
“You uh, you wanna run that by us again, sugarcube?” Applejack’s face had lost most of its good humor. “Whadya mean ‘gone’?”
“That’s not- I mean-” Twilight stuttered, interrupting Fluttershy’s response, before reorienting herself. “That’s a disaster!” She practically shouted, her wings fluffing out in distress. “We’ve lost track of the Lord of Chaos? How are we going to explain that to Princess Celestia?! We were in charge of him!”
Rainbow dropped to the ground in a crouch with a hard look on her face that drew a frown from Fluttershy. “ Don’t sweat it girls, I’ll find him by morning. It’s Discord, the dude isn’t exactly subtle.”
Rarity coughed into a hoof demurely. “Ahem, kettles and pots, darling.”
“We don’t have time to cook anything Rares,” Rainbow waved a hoof nonchalantly.  “We’ve got a rogue Draconequus to find!”
Fluttershy stomped a hoof on the table. It was light and dainty in comparison to anypony else doing the same thing but it was enough to silence the chatter. “Girls, the Princesses gave Discord their blessing and have a means to contact him. I didn’t ask you all here to argue about him. I asked you here because Discord just wanted me to tell you ‘Goodbye’, for him.”
The silence was deafening. Everyone stared expectantly at Fluttershy who, now fortified with the remainder of her brandy, shook off the incredulous looks and continued forward.
“He wanted to say goodbye himself, I think, but…” Fluttershy’s face fell as she speculated. He hadn’t said any of what she was about to tell her friends but she knew him well enough by now. “No, I’m certain that the reason is because he knew that if he saw all of us together and he was telling us goodbye then he wouldn’t be able to bring himself to leave. I know that… that sometimes it doesn’t seem like it, but he loves us all very much. I know he can be annoying, especially to you Twilight, and you too Rarity. And I know that the way he expresses himself is… strange. But he does love us. More than he can really say. It’s the same as how I know my animals love me. They can’t say it but they don’t need to. They have their own ways of showing it.”
With every word the girls faces fell a little more, Rainbow especially looked ashamed. Applejack just nodded, her previous humor seemingly restored. 
“Ah reckon he’s got a pretty good reason fer goin’ off them,” Applejack gestured two Fluttershy with her drink before taking another drink. 
Fluttershy nodded. “He wants to try and make a friend.”
At that point Twilight checked back in fully. 
“Wait, seriously!?” The look on her face was indescribable and Fluttershy flinched back. If she were to try describe it as something between ecstasy, disbelief, and that brief expression of terror right after you wake up from a nightmare and realise you’re safe and sound, she thought it wouldn’t be too far off. “That’s incredible! But, wait, why can’t he do that here?”
Fluttershy gave a soft laugh at the look of confusion they were all wearing. “Because of us, Twilight. We’re his friends but… we’re also ponies. Most of us will always fear him a little bit. He is Discord after all. He told me he wants to try and find another Draconequus, if there are any, but more than that he wants a little freedom. He can’t be himself in Equestria. He knows that and he respects that. But we can’t ask him to deny his nature forever.”
Twilight chuckled slightly. “I suppose you’re right. Like you said, he is Discord after all.”
Soft sniffling sounds from under the table interrupted the conversation. All five of the girls peeked underneath to find Pinkie Pie curled up beneath it with her hair flat. Fluttershy heart went out to her gregarious friend. Of all of the six of them it was Pinkie Pie that had gotten along with Discord the best from their shared love of pranks and laughter.
“I’m sorry that Discord didn’t tell you himself, Pinkie,” Fluttershy said softly. Without waiting for a response she reached down and pulled Pinkie’s prone form into a surprisingly strong hug. “He just couldn’t bear to say goodbye to us. I think it would’ve broken his heart.”
After a few more sniffles Pinkie pulled away. Her hair wasn’t flat and straight but she was missing much of her usual poof. Wiping her nose with a hoofkerchief that Rarity had kindly supplied, Pinkie rubbed at her eyes with her fetlocks.
“I know... it’s not that,” Pinkie said with a sad smile. “I’m just sad I couldn’t throw a ‘Going Away Party’ for him. Or even a ‘Hope You Find A Chaos Lady And Bring Them Back And Make Chaos Babies’ party.”
“Celestia forbid,” Rarity muttered while Applejack gave a shiver of fear.
“I’m not even sure how they reproduce,” Twilight whispered into Fluttershy’s ear while blushing furiously. Fluttershy could only shrug weakly.
“But I’m sure he’s coming back,” Pinkie declared with more surety than even Fluttershy felt. “He wouldn’t leave for good, right?”
Fluttershy nodded. “Yes, he said he would come back when he found what he was looking for. I’m not sure what that means but I trust him.”
Applejack gave a hearty chuckle. “Ah never thought I’d say it exactly, but yeah, so do I.” Pulling the glasses together Applejack poured a small measure of brandy into each of them before taking hers a raising it above the rest. “To Discord; wherever he wanders may he always find his way back home.”
With a glad cheer, the rest of the girls seized their glasses and clinked them together.
> The King's Geas
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	
Chapter 2


It was nearly midnight before the girls broke off to go their separate ways. Rainbow and Rarity staggered back to the Boutique, the graceful unicorn having offered her guest room to the inebriated pegasus. Twilight was carried back to the castle on Applejack’s stout back, having overindulged in the evening’s libations although for Twilight that meant anything more than one glass. Pinkie, of course, stayed behind to clean up the Corner for the next day’s business and Fluttershy had kindly stayed behind to offer a helping hoof. By the time the butter-yellow pegaus left a strong wind had kicked up. It was beyond night and into the very early morning as Fluttershy struggled towards her cottage, the wind seemed to get more fierce the closer she got to the Everfree.
“Must be a wild s-s-tooo-” Fluttershy stiffled a yawn as she muscled her way to her front door, “storm, oh my, I hope the animals are all righ- EEP!” 
Her thoughts were interrupted by crash of thunder and lightning outside. The flash and crack were nearly simultaneous and Fluttershy quickly scrambled over to her couch, propped herself up onto it, and peered out the window. Thunderstorms weren’t terrible uncommon around the Everfree, what with the wild weather that spawned up from its depths every few weeks. Despite her weariness, Fluttershy couldn’t help but be mesmerized by the roiling clouds illuminated by the flashes of lightning. Once they would have scared her, but ever since she started coming out of her shell she had been finding  more of the strength that her friends had always tried to convince her was there. She still didn’t like Nightmare Night all that much, but she had found some appreciation for things like the Everfree Forests wild storms. There was something majestic about the thunderstorm that roared outside her little home. Fluttershy was certainly glad she wasn’t in the middle of it, that would be a different story. But here in her home, wrapped in a blanket on the couch, watching the periodic flashes illuminate the roiling mass of clouds, Fluttershy felt at peace.
Another, larger flash lit her whole living room as a crash of lightning came down not terribly far from her home, maybe as little as a mile or two into the forest. And then again, and again, and again. All in the same place. Fluttershy felt her consciousness fading into exhaustion as she watched the display of nature’s fury. 
“Must’ve… uncovered a lodestone,” Fluttershy muttered as she curled onto the couch, too tired to go upstairs to her bed. “I’ll let Pinkie know in the morning, I’m sure… she’ll…”
Fluttershy fell asleep before she could finish the thought, so she missed the last few strikes of lightning. She also missed the sounds of a terrible roar splitting the air of the Everfree, masked by the thunder but not enough to disguise it’s unnatural fury.





Fluttershy woke slowly and groggily. The morning sunlight was streaming almost painfully through her living room window and it took her several moments to remember why she was waking up on her couch instead of in her bed. 
The thunderstorm, that’s right. The thought passed through her muddy mind as she shook the remaining drowsiness off. 
Her wings were kinked and sore from her awkward sleeping position and her mane was plastered comically to one side of her face. Staggering into the bathroom she performed her morning ablutions and finished combing out the worst snarls in her mane before stepping back into the kitchen to scrape together a quick breakfast. The storm had probably made a lot of work for her this morning and she wanted to get started as soon as possible. It was only after her second mug of black tea that she realised something was amiss.
The animals sure are quiet today, Fluttershy looked around, Angel Bunny was almost surely still asleep and even after he woke he usually romped around for a while before coming in and demanding his breakfast. Still, where is the birdsong? There should be quite a few of them out on a morning this nice.
Finishing her toast quickly Fluttershy stood from her table and made her way towards the back door, stopping only to grab the large bag of birdseed she kept nearby. Maybe they had run out of birdseed and were foraging. Opening the back door, Fluttershy opened her mouth to call out to her animal friends. The words died in her mouth.
“Oh my.” Fluttershy squeaked out instead. She stood in her backyard taking in a sight that she was not entirely sure how to feel about. On the one hoof there was wing-clenching terror. On the other hoof, sympathy for a badly hurt fellow pony. Well, maybe not ‘fellow’ per se. I mean, after all, he was technically a king. Now though, he was laying on the ground behind her cottage looking exhausted in every sense of the word.
Fluttershy had been far from the thick of things during the strife in the Crystal Empire but Twilight had described King Sombra as, ‘more ectoplasmic superstructure supported by thaumaturgic matrices dependent on anti-harmonic synergy than flesh.’ Fluttershy had just nodded politely at that. Spike politely translated it later as, ‘more smokey than he was solid.’ That had made much more sense. Now though, he was solid. Totally and completely solid. And very. Very. Big. He made Big Macintosh look petite by comparison. Mac stood a head above most other ponies, but the King of Shadows would probably stand the same over Mac. He still wore the raiments of his office. The dark iron crown circled about his mane of coal just above his arterial red horn while a steel gorget wrapped about his neck, scuffed as if from recent combat. His steel hoofguards were in the same condition while his royal cloak, while still in good repair, had several tears in it.
“...Help… me.”
Fluttershy’s ear twitched fearfully but, against her better judgment, she leaned in. “Uhm, excuse me, I’m sorry but… I didn’t hear you. Are you alright Mister…” *gulp* “Sombra, sir?”
One eye flicked open a bright green sclera surrounding an dark red eye glared balefully out from beneath a heavy lid.  “I said, ‘help’, little mouse.”
Fluttershy gulped back another lump of terror. This was not at all how she had been hoping her morning would go. “Uhm, I really don’t think I should… I mean… you’re a criminal-”
“I AM A KING!” His voice bellowed through the forest as he surged to his hooves, the animals nearby dashed for cover and what few had been brave enough to chance a look at the stranger were now gone. Sombra slumped back to the ground, as if the shout had cost him more stamina than it should have. “And you… will… Obey,” the last word came out echoing and laced with Power. 
Fluttershy had faced down bears, manticores, and even a dragon once. She might have looked soft and fluffy but beneath that pastel yellow exterior was steel of the finest quality. That being said, when faced with the cyclopean behemoth that was the overpowering will of the Crystal Tyrant there was only so much that fine steel could do before it buckled, and Fluttershy’s world turned into a haze of mind-numbing fog.

++

The Tyrant of the Crystal Empire had to admit. He was a little bit impressed. Alright, truthfully the amount of resistance she had put up more than impressed. The purple one had possessed might near to a fledgling alicorn princess in terms of magical muscle and even she had folded like crepe paper against the power of a mere contingent trap-spell. Though that trap had been one of his finer snares. 
This soft, butter-coated mare though… Power could be taught, seized, bargained for, even stolen. But the will to control that power. That was a talent one could not simply learn. It was inherent. It was the difference between a King and a Slave. First things came first though.
“You will obey me, heal me, care for my needs, and bring me back to health.” His words slithered into the young pegasus’ mind and wrapped themselves lazily around her brain. “You will keep my presence secret, you will tell no other creature of my existence or this event.” Fluttershy nodded at each command, unwillingly, but inexorably agreeing to each term. “I seal you to this geasa with my name, Erebos Sombra, and by my Horn it is done.” A spark of magic arched from his horn, striking Fluttershy between the eyes and snapping her out of the trance she had been drifting in.
“W-what… what did you do to me?” Fluttershy backpedaled away, eyes wide with fear. Sombra, however, had slumped to the ground, Drained by the exertion of his spell. 
“Bring me inside, Mouse.” His words rang in her ears like a bass thrum. She tried to say ‘no’ but, to Fluttershy’s visible shock, she was already moving to his side, nudging beneath his massive foreleg to lift him up and drag him towards the back door to her cottage. Carefully, she avoided the sharp edges and points of his armor as she heaved him up and forward. Sombra adjusted himself as best he could to keep the mare from accidentally impaling herself.
The journey was less arduous and bump-filled than Sombra had anticipated, it seemed the yellow pegasus had a naturally gentle touch. All the better, the gentle ones made for the finest healers. It took almost ten minutes before they were inside, Sombra had never before had reason to curse his magnificent physique but it was becoming more bothersome by the second. Perhaps he would force the yellow mouse pony into a physical regimen to strengthen her muscles. Eventually they were inside and Sombra could not help but admire the sheer persistence with which she must have been devoted to the ideal of keeping her home ‘quaint’. The miniscule amount of effort he had been able to exert to speed the process had left him exhausted to the bone. 
“I will sleep now,” Sombra could already feel his lids closing on their own, he allowed it. “Ensure that I awaken on something… softer than… your floor…” And then he was out.

++

Fluttershy dropped to the ground like a marionette sans strings and shivered. His last command still rang loudly in her ears. It was like the loudest kind of party and she was standing flush to the speakers. Once she stood and moved towards her closet, intending to retrieve the spare mattress, and the blaring receded to a background hum. Fluttershy filed that away, so long as she did as he ordered the noise would stay tolerable, but she should tell somepony shouldn’t sh-... The pain came without warning. It was like the noise in the loosest sense but where before it had been an all encompassing sound that seemed to close in around her, this was an aural spike of pure agony that threw her to the ground. With a lurch Fluttershy heaved the small breakfast she had eaten back up and onto the floor before dropping against, her knees incapable of holding her up. Her face rested in the cooling bile and she couldn’t even bring herself to care. The pain had faded and that was all that mattered.





Sombra woke to the sound of soft humming, like birdsong but sweeter, and as he lay upon something so incredibly soft it was beyond belief he reflected on how the voice might be quite the most beautiful thing he had ever heard. For several minutes he contented himself with simply easing back into the waking world and letting the song lull him into a state of peace he had not known for a millennium. 
“A-are you awake now?” Sombra wrinkled his nose, her voice was quite pleasant but he preferred her singing. “Uhm, that is, if you’re not then it’s ok.”
“I am awake, little mouse,” Sombra rumbled as he finally opened his eyes, rolling the mass of muscles that was his withers he felt, and heard, a satisfying pop-crack. “And henceforth you shall refer to me as ‘Your Majesty’, ‘Your Highness’, or ‘Master’. I graciously place that choice in your hooves.”
“Yes, your Majesty.” Fluttershy replied without hesitation. “I put away your things in my closet, uhm, if that’s okay... your Majesty”
Sombra raised a single, dark eyebrow as he gave a slight nod. A strong inherent will, faultless physical appearance, and naturally submissive. Sombra reflected, a dry smile etching onto his features as Fluttershy turned away to begin making up the makeshift bed. Had my apprentices in the Empire possessed half of her potential the Diarchs would not have known what had hit them.
A soft clink of porcelain drew his attention, somewhere in his musings Fluttershy had slipped out of the living room where he had slumbered and into the kitchen and had returned with a platter of sandwiches and a pot of luxuriously scented tea. She moved back into the living room with the same quiet motions, only the platter which was balanced perfectly on her haunches made any sound. Without a word she slid the platter onto the table in front of Sombra, leaning in to nudge it towards him with her nose. Never once did she look him in the eyes.
And if half of my servants had begun so well trained I might have ended up significantly less miserable as well. Sombra favored her with a brief nod of praise before picking up the sandwich in his magic and taking a bite. Cold, crisp cucumber danced across his tongue tinged with a light, tangy sauce. Not exactly castle fare but it was almost an improvement by simplicity alone. That and Sombra only just now realized he was ravenous. 
“Your Majesty?” Her voice was soft and as unobtrusive as it was possible to be. Sombra looked up, still chewing his way through his third sandwich. “Uhm, if you don’t mind, I was wondering why you’re not… still…”
“Mad as a march hare?” Sombra interjected wryly. Fluttershy blinked, momentarily unsure if she should agree. “You can thank your pretty pink princess for that. The crystal heart broke my power and I only survived thanks to a contingent spell I had laced into the castle’s architecture during my reign.”
“So, how did you become that way in the first place?” Fluttershy delicately lifted the pot of tea and poured a generous measure for the both of them. His cup filled first of course, Sombra gave another appreciative nod.
“Try being trapped in a lightless limbo for a thousand years with only your darkest fears for company,” he answered before snapping up another sandwich. “It is, to say the least, unpleasant.”
Fluttershy blinked in surprise. “O-oh, but I thought all of the crystal ponies were… uhm… frozen? Or am I wrong? I’m probably wrong.” The dainty pegasus looked depressingly dejected but politely attentive nonetheless.
Really, Sombra mused, if she weren’t the Element of Kindness I would suspect her of being the mastermind of the entire group. It seems that, contrary to my former belief, there really are ponies this nice. Taking a deep, satisfied breath, Sombra shook his head. “You are and you are not, mouse. My slaves were frozen, it’s true, but I was too powerful to be affected by the stasis spell. However, I was still within the event horizon of the banishment spell so…” He waved his hoof nonchalantly. “There you have it.” Sombra sheathed his teacup in a telekinetic glow and lifted it to his lips, taking a careful sip and humming appreciatively at the rich, subtle flavor. “This is quite good, you have your King’s gratitude.”
Fluttershy looked up with a bright smile, “Oh, uhm, thank you. It’s…” She trailed off, and the expression departed with her words.
“No, I did nothing to influence your opinion of me.” Sombra grinned, thick, brutal fangs showing as he cut off the inevitable question poised on his reluctant host’s lips. Fluttershy’s mouth dropped open, daintily of course. “I have, in point of fact, performed no magic beyond that first spell and the telekinesis I am currently using. It seems that you, my dear mouse, are simply naturally eager to please.”
“I…” the protest died on her lips, Sombra might be evil but he wasn’t lying. Fluttershy had always strove to be helpful and thoughtful of others. Even evil kings, it seemed. “I… suppose you’re right, your Majesty.”
“Of course I’m right,” Sombra answered as if it had never even been a question. 

++

They sat at the table for another hour in silence, broken only by the occasional refill of Sombra’s teacup, Fluttershy found herself lacking appetite suddenly. Instead she spent the time thinking. Thinking, and looking. Sombra was impossibly imposing. Even without the spell on her mind, even if he had no magic, he could easily kill her or any of her animals. The more she thought about it the more she was forced to accept that the spell was probably the best outcome that could have happened. If he had been unable to cast the spell, he no doubt would have resorted to… cruder methods. Fluttershy suppressed a shiver at the thought of what Sombra would do to get his way. To protect himself from the Princesses and her friends. 
Still, Fluttershy silently admitted, at least he’s polite.
Discord’s rehabilitation had tested even her patience, and he had been forced to relinquish most of his magic from the start. Fluttershy blinked as a thought flittered across her mind. 
An idea.
She had rehabilitated Discord, the spirit of disharmony itself! True, she had been under the aegis of the Princesses then but still, in practice maybe it could work again. Fluttershy had shown Discord what it meant to have friends, to be a part of something and he had realized that friendship, once he had it, wasn’t something he was willing to lose! The panic that had been bubbling away in Fluttershy’s heart suddenly settled as she realized that, even though the situation seemed bad, it didn’t change who she was or what she had to do. Sombra was evil, miserable, and wicked. All of this was true, but that didn’t mean he didn’t deserve chance at redemption. If Discord got one, then Sombra deserved one too. The rich feeling of purpose took the place of fear in Fluttershy’s heart and she looked at Sombra again, this time willing away the image of the Evil King and seeing him the same way she had resolved to see Discord. As just another pony in need of kindness.
He’s... beautiful. Blood rushed to Fluttershy’s cheeks as the thought coalesced. 
Now that she had resolved not to let her past views of him color her vision, the new first impression stuck fast. Every inch of his body was covered in smooth, flawless fur the color of dark ash underneath which rippling muscle could be seen. His mane coiled back in obsidian waves that, despite just waking, seemed to curl into a naturally rakish shape. He held himself with the bearing of true royalty and, with his thoughts turned inwards, the normal sneer of cruelty that made up his usual expression was replaced with an introspective mein that gave him a noble and scholarly appearance. Every inch of him radiated strength, confidence, and absolute control. 
I wonder what he was like before he was king… I wonder if he was nice. With an effort, Fluttershy shook the thoughts free.
“Bit for your thoughts, little mouse?” The dark stallion grinned at Fluttershy’s squeak. “Or were you picturing how next you might service me?” He rumbled suggestively, giving her a look that made all kinds of thoughts fly through her head. It was around the fifth shade of red that she turned that Sombra began laughing. A loud, bass sound. Like rich, warm cider in winter. “Ah, you are amusing, little mouse, I am entertained. Well done.”
Swallowing heavily and consciously pulling her wings back in, Fluttershy nodded. “Uhm, I was wondering… if it’s ok I mean… Uhm, what did you do to me?”
Sombra nodded his assent to the question and took another sip of tea. “I placed a geasa upon you. In the ancient tongue it means: a taboo.” Fluttershy nodded, but said nothing. 
Choosing to continue, Sombra actually seemed quite pleased to have an eager listener for once who wasn’t quaking in their shoes. “A mystic taboo, or geasa, is not like normal mind magic. It’s subtle and powerful, but very difficult to properly use. It places a compulsion within the deepest parts of the equine mind, beginning at the lowest level and working its way up. A geasa is a false mnemonic in your mind that creates excessively unpleasant stimulation every time you act against whatever the geasa concerns. This is the beauty of it, no matter who you are or how strong you might think you are, a geasa will always be the worst feeling you can imagine because your mind is what creates it in the first place.” 
Fluttershy nodded again, feeling ill but still listening attentively. It was a horrible thing to be done to somepony, but it was also kind of interesting too. 
“To avoid any unpleasantness I will explain your boundaries," Sombra remarked evenly, setting aside his newspaper. "That is my duty as King after all.” Fluttershy nodded more vehemently at this. She had no desire to experience the pain that had made her lose her breakfast earlier ever again.
“The geasa I placed upon you prevents you from revealing my presence or talking to anyone about what happened or happens between us. It also compels you to obey me in respect to seeing to my well-being.” Sombra listed each task off like it was a grocery list and Fluttershy nodded at each salient point. “However, you are not compelled to act against your nature or anything of the sort, I cannot force you to bring harm to yourself or your friends.” 
Fluttershy let out a breath she hadn’t realized she had been holding. The idea that she might be forced to do something terrible to someone to protect the King had been a stone in her gut since she realized she couldn’t disobey him. Then a thought occurred. “Why?”
Sombra narrowed his eyes, as if mildly offended. “Because I am a king, not some barbarian chief. I do not need to break the mind of another to see my will done. Besides, geasa lose their potency quickly if I were to force you to do something drastically against your nature. Subtlety is all I require to regain my strength. Keep my secret and your silence and that is all I will continue to require.
The threat was quiet but clear, and Fluttershy nodded. “As you say, your Majesty.”

++

“Your manners are impeccable, little mouse,”
Sombra’s voice broke the silence. Fluttershy glanced over, staring at the black stallion who had yet to look up from the copy of the Equestria Daily he was reading. She had been tidying up her small kitchen after the meal and readying to feed the animals around her preserve.
Fluttershy felt a soft flush grow on her cheeks. Evil king or not, Fluttershy did not hear compliments on much beyond her appearance or general attitude very often. “Uhm, thank you. My parents were very strict about keeping proper etiquette. Father would always say ‘a bad day is no excuse for poor manners’ whenever he was teaching me.”
Sombra lifted a single eyebrow, a tic that Fluttershy had quickly noted as being a sign of interest. “Hm, I happen to agree. Was your father of the aristocracy?”
“Oh, no, not at all. He was a seneschal to one of the minor noble houses in Cloudsdale. My brother and sister are both…” Fluttershy clapped her hooves to her mouth. “Sorry, I’m sure you don’t want to hear about a line a servants.”
“On the contrary, it’s possibly one of the only things we have in common,” Sombra remarked back, hoofing the third page of the paper aside and turning to the next section. “Do continue.”
“Well, uhm, my brother, Easy Breeze, is seneschal now that my father retired. My sister Lightweight is the head of the personal guard, my mother’s old post.” Fluttershy smiled softly at the memory of her family. They didn’t see each other often anymore and the yellow mare frowned at the notion that she might not ever see them again at all if this plan of hers went south. “I love them all very much.”
Sombra looked up, an unreadable expression painting his patrician features. Fluttershy averted her eyes from his and did her level best to keep her gaze on the table. She could feel his regard weighing on her, like he was looking into her. “Tell me, little mouse, how do you think this will end?”
Fluttershy snapped her eyes back up to Sombra’s face, fear racing through her heart. She couldn’t very well tell him ‘with you embracing the magic of friendship’ and she doubted that’s what he was asking anyway. He wanted to know how Fluttershy thought matters would end when he no longer needed her to care for him. Frankly, the meek pegasus had been trying not to think about it. But the geasa compelled her.
“I think that, when you’re better, you’ll kill me so I can’t tell anyone who was here or where you had gone.” It was the truth, or rather, it was what the deepest part of her heart knew would happen. Oddly enough, it felt almost liberating to put that fear into words. Instead of the quaking terror she expected, all Fluttershy felt was a sort of grim calm as she stared into his deep, slitted eyes. “I think it will end with no one ever knowing how I died.”

++

Sombra marvelled at how such a demure mare could manage to consistently impress him. The dark king did not consider himself a stallion of low standards, yet in the matter of hours (respective of his states of consciousness) that he had known this little mare she showed him more backbone than some of his generals had. Even now she was calmly meeting his eyes and telling him that she had every expectation of being killed for the sake of secrecy. In fairness, that had originally been Sombra’s plan too so he could hardly blame her from guessing it. Ending her life after he was healed was the most logical way for this chain of events to end. He would be healed, his presence unknown, the only witness silenced. For the first time in millennia he would be truly free.
And yet…
Every time Sombra approached the idea of ending the young mare’s life in his own mind he felt repulsed by the notion. Disgusted even. The very thought of quashing such potential prematurely grated against him. Of course, none of that changed the logic of the matter: she had to die or he would face pursuit once again by his nemeses. Suddenly, another thought intruded, one that was so absurd he could not believe he had overlooked it.
“What is your name?” The words came out before he realized it. True, he had never thought to ask her for her name. In fact, he was hard-pressed to recall the names of any of his servants. Servants were there to serve, they were seen and not heard. In a sense, they were closer kin to furniture in that they served a purpose and nothing else. But not knowing the Mouse’s name seemed wrong somehow. It certainly seemed wrong to have to kill her in the end without ever learning it.
Fluttershy blinked at the sudden change of tone and topic. “I… my name is... Fluttershy, your Majesty.” Her tone was confused but, a little relieved.
“Fluttershy,” Sombra tasted the word, it suited her. It was soft and quiet in the same way as its owner. The coal-coated king, for a moment, felt every one of his thousands year lifespan settle on his shoulders. He felt exhausted. “Very good, Mouse, I am going to sleep now. My body is still weary, ensure there is another meal waiting for me when I awake.”
“A-as you say, your Majesty.” It was the only answer she could give.
> In Service
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	
Chapter 3


Fluttershy slumped against her door, letting the cool breeze of the early evening wash over her. After Sombra had fallen asleep she had gone out to perform her usual duties, tending to the animals, feeding them, caring for the sick and injured. The sense of normality it gave her was a relief. She was able to pretend, for a little while, that she did not have a hangpony’s noose around her neck every moment of the day. Of course, Fluttershy had ensured there were several small sandwiches by Sombra’s bedside and a pitcher of cold water in case he woke up before she came back.  Fortunately, Angel Bunny had been out of doors when Sombra had arrived, off playing with his bunny friends. Somehow, she had managed to convince him that she was caring for a sick pony in the house and that he should probably stay outside so as not to disturb him. This much was true, Angel would have smelled a lie a mile away, but she also feared what Sombra might do to her little Angel Bunny. She knew the little dear could be a teensy bit abrasive and, considering who Sombra was, Fluttershy didn’t want to chance him lashing out at the little one.
Walking back into her house, her chores finished, the animals fed and tended to, Fluttershy crawled up onto the couch and stared at the stallion who was sleeping in the middle of her living room. She had a guest bedroom although it wasn’t exactly fit for royalty. The bed certainly wouldn’t fit Sombra’s physique. Fluttershy counted herself lucky she had the spare mattress still. She hadn’t had a bed large enough for it since she moved to Ponyville and, living alone, she hadn’t ever had a need for it. Picking up one of the sandwiches she had laid out, Fluttershy munched on it softly as she stood up and moved to the guest room, moving quietly by rote so as not to disturb her ‘guest’. With a flick of her wing she pushed the door to the room open. It was a little dusty, but the floor space was large enough to accommodate a bigger bed. She would probably have to remove the large end table but the dresser could stay if she moved it to the north wall. On a whim, Fluttershy went to the closet and pulled out a duster. some lemon-scented spray, and began tidying up the room. 





In the darkness Sombra dreamed. This was his realm and he reveled in it. The shadows coiled around his aetheric form welcoming him back to his true kingdom. He had not been in this place between the walls of sleep for well over a thousand years. Not since his banishment along with the Crystal Empire. It felt good to be back in a place unhindered by flesh. His spirit soared amongst the liquid emotion of his world. Here he was a master of his art and… Something was missing. The notion struck Sombra like a hammer on a brass bell. Gathering power around him he propelled his thoughtform through the roiling sea of emotion until he reached his destination. 
The Gate of Horn.
It was bent and torn as if something had shredded through it. A cold weight formed in Sombra’s chest. On the one hoof, clearly this happened some time ago so the fact that the world was still spinning meant that someone must have solved this little issue. On the other, the Gate was still shattered, meaning that which dwelt beyond it still roamed free in some way. Sombra swam up to the gate and examined the markings, they were old. Very old. Of course, time didn’t always mean the same thing in this realm as it did in the waking world. But the Gate of Horn was an island of calm in the torment that surrounded it, so the passage of time could be mostly relied upon. How soon after his banishment did this happen? And how? Who else… No, that wasn’t even a question. Only one entity knew their way around this place like he did. Well, no matter. this wasn’t his problem any longer. Still, it would do to question the mouse. Fluttershy, that was her name. Surely she would have heard of something of this magnitude, be it in a history book or otherwise.





The process of waking was fitful and indelicate. Sombra’s time in the wells of madness had blunted his once faultless technique. He counted through the Enumerations of Dawn, slowly anchoring his mind and soul back into his slumbering form. He felt reinvigorated by the journey but still there was much to do yet and his body was far from healed. With a final utterance he felt his body slide back into sync with his mind and his eyes snapped open. It was well into evening and he could hear the faint, lovely humming of his newest servant coming from somewhere down the hall of her cottage. Glancing over, Sombra saw that she had placed a bowl of soup and plate with bread, relatively recently by the smell of both, near him, alongside another pot of that wonderful tea. Either her timing was impeccable or she had continually renewed the food near him in case he awoke. Either one spoke well of her instincts.
Suddenly ravenous, Sombra seized the bowl and began to drink down the rich vegetable broth, Seizing the bread, he tore off large chunks of it, letting his sharp teeth shred the soft crust. Peasant fare for certain, but no less delicious. Idly, Sombra wondered how much of that was due to his long entrapment and how much due to his host’s culinary talents. A measure of both he surmised.
“Oh, you’re awake, I was hoping you would wake up soon.” Fluttershy drifted into the room silently, it seemed to Sombra that her hooves barely touched the ground. She wore a small apron that had a few smears of dust on it, her own appearance was, as usual, flawless. “Your room is almost ready, your Majesty.”
Sombra glanced down the hall and saw warm light spilling from an open door further in that he had not noticed before. “I assume it’s suitable?” At this point he had begun to simply expect her compliance as well as excellence of behaviour.
“It is the best I could provide, but it has room for your… immensity. It also has a window with a nice view of the forest. I set new drapes and moved the furniture about to accommodate the mattress, first thing tomorrow I’ll go into town and see about a new bed frame.” Fluttershy rattled off each nuance as if she had been serving royalty her entire life. Sombra could find no fault in her technique, so he simply nodded and lifted himself from the mattress.
Fluttershy moved with grace to seize the mattress and move it to the backdoor for a quick airing out before dragging it back to the guest room she had apparently spent the day preparing. Sombra found himself amused by watching the dainty pegasus mare move the large, unwieldy slab of fabric and down around her house with little difficulty. Her teeth had found small grips on the edges of the mattress that allowed her purchase, while what could only have been a great deal of practice allowed her to handle the weight with ease, allowing it to mostly move itself by guiding its momentum. All the while she avoided the various pieces of furniture and decorative crockery that were set about her home.
Finally, Fluttershy emerged from the room, having apparently fixed the mattress in an acceptable position. Stopping in front of Sombra she performed a flawless bow and curtsy, fluttering her wings out slightly as she did. 
“The room is fully prepared to the best of my abilities, your Majesty,” Fluttershy spoke softly, her gaze fixed somewhere around his fetlocks. “There is a shop in town where I acquire a bedframe, but for now I’m afraid I have only the mattress to offer you again as my own bed would be far too small and uncomfortable for a stallion of your heroic proportion.”
This little mare might be the most inoffensive creature I’ve ever encountered, Sombra mused as he favored his newest servant with a faint nod. For once I can hardly even imagine myself becoming wroth with her. 
“If I may ask, your Majesty…” Fluttershy began before trailing off. Sombra gave another small nod of assent. “I’m certain the rest of Ponyville will think it’s strange for me to be buying  a large bed. Everyone knows I live out here alone, after all, and even Ponyville’s few visitors rarely come near the Everfree.”
“I have already taken that into consideration, little mouse,” Sombra replied thoughtfully as he moved to inspect his new chambers. They were tastefully appointed and had the scent of a recent and thorough cleaning. Small, by his usual standards but acceptable. “If asked you will say you have a guest staying with you, do try and avoid too much conversation but if pressed you may tell them I am a crystal pony researcher by the name of Coal Axiom, here to study the indigenous wildlife of the Everfree.”
“I… see,” Fluttershy’s next words came out carefully. “If I’m not being too bold, may I ask why a researcher? Everypony in this area knows how dangerous the forest is.”
Sombra turned her head to fix one dark eye onto Fluttershy and gave her a fanged grin. “Very simple, in case I require an alibi, dear mouse.” For a moment Sombra considered leaving it at that but, for some reason, felt no need to hide his intentions. After all, it wasn’t as though she could betray him anyway, and his long isolation had left him feeling unusually loquacious. “I stored a large amount of material goods in a small, hidden shrine in the Everfree. Not even the Royal Pony Sisters knew of it. After all, what kind of madpony would hide in the very shadow of their own castle?”
Fluttershy stifled a gasp, instead opting to just nod along.
“I don’t want anypony asking too many questions about a strange dark stallion seen going into and out of this forest, after all,” Sombra continued as he trotted back into the living room and then out the back door with Fluttershy trailing behind him. “If asked, you may furnish the answers I have given you, Now, mouse, I am feeling a little stronger, so I am going out to retrieve some of my belongings. Ensure there is a suitable repast for me when I return.”
Sombra spoke without turning his head to Fluttershy. There was, however, a dark flash from his horn that caused the young pegasus to flinch in alarm momentarily. Fluttershy glanced around in confusion when no dark shadows erupted from the earth to devour her. Then she saw the small sack that had appeared between her forelegs. 
“I have provided you a small stipend to refill your pantry according to my needs,” Sombra remarked as he evaluated the forest with a critical eye. “Do not disappoint me, mouse.” 
Then he was gone. Unlike Twilight, Sombra’s teleportation wasn’t accompanied by a flash of light or any noise. He was simply there one moment and then gone the next, only the faint glimmer of dark energy remained for a few brief seconds.

++

Somehow, Fluttershy thought to herself as she stared at the space Sombra had been occupying a moment before, the quiet way he vanishes like that is actually scarier than a loud sound. He could teleport into a dark room and no one would notice. He could teleport right into my bedroom while I’m asleep and-
Fluttershy brain pulled a ‘full stop’ and she shook her head violently to banish the mental images that had accompanied that thought. Blushing was exactly the wrong reaction to that notion. Fear, yes, gut-wrenching terror even. Certainly not… whatever that was. More and more Fluttershy was beginning to suspect that Sombra’s geasa had done more to her mind than he was telling her. 
Yes, he’s handsome, she grudgingly admitted to herself, but he’s also keeping us hostage through evil magic and forcing us to lie to our friends and wait on him fetlock and hoof.
Not that the service part felt particularly bad. In fact, it almost scared Fluttershy how easily she slipped into the role. She had learned the mindset of a career servant from birth by watching her father and mother, so that was part of it, but the ease with which she accepted his orders… a part of her knew that she enjoyed being useful to others, and that meant she enjoyed being useful to him. Annoyingly, the thought didn’t sicken her as much as she felt like it ought to. There was nothing wrong with a life of service, though. Her whole family lived to serve, after all. 
Fluttershy rolled her eyes as the she thought about her family. Father would be so proud that you ended up in the family business after all. He and mother had supported her choice of professions of course, but there was no hiding the slight disappointment in their faces.
Gathering up her wicker shopping basket and throwing on a scarf, Fluttershy started the leisurely walk into town. It was still a couple of hours until supper and she wasn’t planning anything extravagant. A nice tossed salad and chilled artichoke soup sounded quite good to her. The walk itself was uneventful, and the town of Ponyville was just beginning to fade into the quiet evening state of most small villages. Mentally mapping out where the various vendors would be at this time of day, Fluttershy took a quick left into the market square towards one of the larger stalls to pick up some fresh romaine. Hopefully Sombra wouldn’t mind, romaine was her favorite and he hadn’t mentioned any dietary preferences. Fluttershy was hoofing through the heads of lettuce distractedly when a voice startled her out of her reverie.
“You alright there, sugarcube?” Applejack asked, her brow was furrowed slightly as she backed up a step. “Ah called out to ya but you looked mighty distracted.”
Fluttershy shook her head. “I’m sorry, I’ve been… busy. How was business today?”
Applejack grinned, the one thing guaranteed to distract Applejack was talking shop. “Sold out! Good thing harvest is comin’ up here pretty soon. Rainbow is already countin’ down the days to Cider season.”
“No change there then,” Fluttershy giggled lightly, “I’m glad things are going well, though.”
“Mhm, say Flutters, that was a doozy of a storm last night by the by,” Applejack shot a scowl in the direction of the Everfree, “Ah admit ah was a little worried about you. Ah know ya probably weather storms like that more often than most ponies, but ah just wanted ya to know ah’m right glad you’re okay. Was actually plannin’ on stoppin’ by after ah closed up shop.”
A shot of panic lanced through Fluttershy’s mind but she kept her face even with some effort. “Oh, that’s very nice of you, but I’m fine. It just scared some of the littler animals and knocked down some birdfeeders. Everything is fine.”
Why did it have to be Applejack that she ran into? She loved her friend but it was almost as hard to lie to her as it was for Applejack to lie to, well, anyone. The eldest Apple sister had a notoriously bad poker face. Fluttershy desperately wanted to tell Applejack everything right then and there, but she could feel pounding presence of the geasa even as the notion crossed her mind. If she tried to warn Applejack not only would she not get the words out but she didn’t want to think about what state Sombra’s spell would leave her in.
Applejack gave Fluttershy an odd look and for a second Fluttershy both hoped and dreaded that she her dishonesty had been discovered. Then Applejack shrugged and nodded. “Yeah, the orchard nearest the forest got hit pretty hard, but nothin’ we can’t recover from. Good to hear everything’s alright though, sugarcube. I’ll let the rest of the girls know.”
“O-okay,” Fluttershy waved nervously as Applejack meandered back to her half-dismantled stall. As soon as she out of earshot Fluttershy scrunched up her muzzle and snorted. “Oh shoot. Well, back to Plan A: try and reform the Mad King Sombra with the Magic of Friendship… and chilled artichoke soup.”
Turning back around, Fluttershy picked out some choice vegetables and a few tomatoes to go into the salad. She had most of the ingredients for the soup in her icebox and panty but, as Sombra had said, she needed to stock up and refill. She was cooking for two now, after all. BY the time she finished she knew she was bordering on running late. The conversation with Applejack had taken up a little more time than she had expected. Forgoing her usual slow trot, Fluttershy carefully cantered back to her cottage and slipped inside. It was, thankfully, empty. She still had about half an hour before supper was served so she put whatever she knew she wouldn’t use away and pull out the ingredients for the soup. It would need time to chill so she wanted to make it first. Hopefully Sombra didn’t hate artichoke.
> Dreams & Resolutions
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	
Chapter 4


Sombra appeared in front of the weed and ivy choked slab of carved stone he had crawled out of less than twenty-four hours ago. It wasn’t terribly far from the mouse’s cottage but enough to be a bother. Stepping through the crevice created by the lightning he quickly threw a minor warding and illusion spell over the hole. The general miasma of the place would keep most beasts out but he had not seized control of an entire empire by being sloppy and taking unnecessary risks.
Taking the stairs which wound their way down to the low, root-infested underground to his resurrection chamber, Sombra examined the defensive runes to ensure their usability. It was a simplistic setup but well-guarded against unwanted intrusion. In truth, however, it relied more on the defense of ‘never being found’ than anything else. Refuge in Audacity and all that. If Celestia had found his sanctum no amount of traps or contingencies would have stopped her.
The chamber itself was a large, circular room with a wide pit in the middle. Before his resurrection it would have been filled with roiling shadows, unmatter from the darkest regions of the dream realm. Now it was simply a pit roughly thirty feet deep. More of a tripping hazard than anything. The spells woven into the stone were well and truly burned out by the stress of reviving him. He had not come for the burnt husk of his old ritual though, he had come for the relics that he had stashed in case of emergency. All along the walls were tables, shelves, and trunks filled with an assortment of necessary tools and artifacts. He had gathered thousands of magical curios from across Equestria over his long and illustrious career, most of them were likely destroyed during the Royal Pony Sisters’ purges. Fortunately this one had escaped notice.
He quickly began taking stock of the room. He would not be able to bring much back to the mouse’s little cottage but he did require some of his more creative tools. That would take time though, many of the objects he required possessed powerful inherent magic and were not safe to teleport even short distances. He would need to carry those out by horn. The books though… many of them possessed little inherent magic and would be useful references. Wrapping several dozen of the books in his dark, telekinetic aura Sombra began arranging them in the air around him so that he could more easily assess them.
“No, no, no” Sombra shelved each book in turn that did not meet his needs, “yes, hm, perhaps, no, no. Ah, this one certainly… no, no.” It took over an hour but soon the ex-king found himself with a couple dozen useful grimoires. He would need to cloak them in an illusory field of course, just in case anyone decided to idly peruse his collection while he was out. 
Letting out a slow breath Sombra closed his eyes and focused on the backyard of the cottage. The brief sensation of vertigo and directionlessness that followed teleportation told him he had arrived even before he opened his eyes. As he did Sombra growled at the headache encroaching on his mind followed quickly by exhaustion. It was infuriating, he had slept through most of the day and still could handle more than an hour of sustained activity. Even a handful of spells sapped him of his once-endless stamina and reserve. He only hoped he could recuperate quickly under his servant’s expert care as he pushed open the door. The scent of food caused Sombra’s traitorous body to remind him in no uncertain terms that he was hungry even as he ignored the rumblings to walk to the guest room and shelve his selections. At least the mouse was singing again, her angelic voice soothed his mind even as weariness frayed his concentration.
“Your Majesty? Is that you?” Fluttershy poked her head into the room demurely, her eyes kept just slightly downcast in proper respect for her station. “Sorry to intrude, Master, but supper is ready to be served... at your convenience, if that’s okay.”
Pressing a hoof to his head, Sombra mentally willed away the pain that was building up. “Of course, I will be there presently, you may begin serving out the food.”
“As you say, your Majesty,” Fluttershy bowed herself out.

++

Fluttershy stepped back into the kitchen and let out a breath. Sombra had seemed more exhausted than she expected, it seemed he wasn’t exaggerating his need for a place to recover. He had looked perfectly healthy just a few hours ago and now it was like he had just finished the Running of the Leaves at a dead sprint. Walking up to her small dinner table, Fluttershy picked up the single candlestick that was decorating the table with the primaries of her left wing, using her right wing she lifted and struck a match, lighting the wick before replacing it. The skill was one she had learned under her father’s tutelage and had taken many weeks to learn properly. 
The King’s dishes were the next to be set out, the salad first followed by the soup bowl, covered of course. His utensils were already in place. Moments later, as promised, Sombra emerged from the darkened hallway. Fluttershy pulled the cushion out for him before stepping away and giving a silent bow. As Sombra took his seat he seemed to be examining her with an unreadable expression.
“You have only set a single place, mouse,” he rumbled, not taking his eyes off of her. For a moment she wondered if that was rhetorical. After his gaze didn’t shift he decided it probably wasn’t. 
“It would be improper to sit at such a small table with you, your Majesty. I can eat after you retire,” Fluttershy kept her response quiet. She didn’t want to take any risks while he was exhausted.
“I see,” was his only response before turning to begin on his salad.
The greens were quickly demolished, and the soup came next. As he began to eat, Fluttershy placed a tall glass of water beside him along with a couple of aspirin. Eyeing the pills suspiciously, he set the spoon down and shot her a questioning glance.
“It’s medicine for your headache, your Majesty,” Fluttershy said quietly, “they’ll help you sleep better.”
Sombra let out a grunt of acknowledgement before scooping another spoonful of soup into his mouth. After swallowing he set the spoon down again, though, and stared out the window. Had he seen something outside?
Her inner query was interrupted by his deep basso voice. “You know that the longer I take to recover, the more time you have to determine a means of defeating my geasa and free yourself, correct? Every extra day I am confined to your home means another day of serving me but another day of life, as well. Another day to try and scrape a means to survive my leaving. Or have you given up on your own life so quickly?”
Fluttershy cleared away Sombra’s salad dish as she thought about his question. When she came back to the table she sat back down at his side. “I haven’t given up on life, but that doesn’t mean I want to see you in pain. I don’t want to see anypony in pain.” Working up a hooffull of courage, and knowing it would only get her punished, Fluttershy turned to face Sombra directly. “You can take away my will, your Majesty, but you can’t change who I am. I won’t let you do that, at least.”
As she snapped her muzzle shut, Fluttershy braced herself for a blow or another spike of pain from her punitive enchantment. Nothing came. Instead, Sombra seemed to ignore her blatant disrespect, turning back to his dinner to finish off the rest of his soup before getting up from the table. Glancing down at the three little off-white pills and the water, Fluttershy wondered if she had overstepped her bounds a little too far. Anger she had been prepared for but silence boded much worse. Finally, he glanced back up at Fluttershy, sending a thrill down her spine. He was grinning, showing pale, fanged canines.
Well, this is how it ends.
“Good,” was all he said, shocking Fluttershy mind into sputtering silence, before taking the pills and washing them down with the water.
Turning on his back hoof, he left the table and retreated to his bedroom. Fluttershy heard the dull thump of his massive frame falling onto the mattress a moment later. It was only when her vision began to swim that Fluttershy realised she had forgotten to breathe, and let out a harsh gasp of air. She had been expecting a temper. Violence. Or at least cold punishment for her temerity. Instead he looked… pleased? More than ever she wished she had her friends to fall back on, but even if she wanted to risk involving them with a pony as dangerous as Sombra the geasa would stop her the moment she even tried. Shakily, Fluttershy began clearing away the King’s dishes before dishing some of the soup and salad out for herself. 
Fluttershy didn’t know how long she would have to ‘reform’ him, or even if she could. But if it was possible then this was the only way she knew how. By showing him Kindness.

++

Exhaustion took the King quickly as he fell to the bed. It was softer than it had any right to be and his entire body felt like a coiled spring slowly being unwound as he let himself relax. Should it have troubled him that the mouse refused to eat with him? No, it was the place of a servant to eat only after the King had eaten his own fill. Nor should her defiance have pleased him as it had. Sombra pulled the down comforter over his body as his mind wound down. He should have punished her impudence, yet he did not. Had he always been so merciful to his servants? No, he recalled meting out terrible punishments for failures, and worse ones for insubordination. Although, Sombra had to admit he did not recall enjoying it.
In fact, he recalled enjoying very little beyond satisfaction at successful endeavors. A new monument raised, a new mine opened, a new factory’s foundations laid into the crystal. As Sombra tried to seize slumber, he felt a familiar bitterness take root in his heart. Who did they think created the Crystal Empire? Who did they think made it worthy of the name? The Imperial Dynasty? Hardly worthy of the title. Backwoods nobility consigned to the frozen north and barely able to keep the eternal storms at bay long enough to harvest the food needed for the single small town in the vast, empty territory they supposedly ruled. Utterly incompetent.
Too tired to waste energy on anger, Sombra slowly moved his mind through the Enumerations of Dusk. Disjoining his spirit and body and seeking the respite of the dream world. His world. His realm.





Fields of snow sprawled out before him as Sombra’s mind reoriented, perceiving the true world once again. The realm of pure magic, divorced from the necessities of the mortal, material realm. It was day, he knew, though the sun was nowhere to be seen. It rarely was, so far north. At least that was the case until the Crystal Heart was forged. In the distance he saw the shining Crystal Palace, glimmering in the dull light of the overcast day. The bare-bones town around it looked as miserable as he remembered. For a moment Sombra wondered if it was because they truly were so miserable or if it was simply his own memories colouring the dreamscape. No matter, though. The death tolls from exposure at the time had spoken for themselves. Their misery was a foregone conclusion. The kingdom was drowning in snow, its huts built on stone stilts to keep the worst of the slush and ice from the doors and windows. 
A kingdom in name, only.
It was his kingdom, once upon a time. His petulant and ungrateful realm, pining for the days of starvation and hypothermia under the inconstant rule of their soft-hearted Princess. They called him the Slaver King, the Crystal Tyrant. Enslaving his people to serve his own ego. Sombra snorted in disgust as he let his mind wander forward in time. The snowfield melted, froze, and melted again as years passed. He found the moment he desired. The moment when everything came together and fell apart. It was an unusually bad winter, which was quite something considering the general miasma of frozen death that surrounded the Crystal ‘Empire’. Sombra grimaced, watching from a distance as the crystal pegasi tried desperately to keep the storms at bay. Among them were members of the royal family, easily picked out with their distinctive coats ranging from pink to carmine, doing their best to aid their subjects. They lent hoof, wing, and horn to the defense of their doomed little kingdom but to no avail. 
Then… yes, Sombra’s lips turned up into something between a snarl and a grin. A light shone from the central plaza. The citizens who couldn’t help against the storm were all huddled together to stave off the encroaching death.  There, in the center… Sombra grimaced at the coal-coated unicorn, lean and wiry with the scholarly robes of an Imperial Magistrate, focusing all of his power into the crystalline heart floating above the crowd. Sombra saw the unicorns lips move, but the howl of the storm stole the words. It didn’t matter, he recalled them easily. He saw all of the Crystal Ponies look to him in desperate hope. They lent him their power, their will, their unity. 
Suddenly light poured out from the Heart. Wherever it touched the snow was burnt away to reveal gleaming streets. The clouds parted for the first time in months to show the warm and shining sun. The Ponies themselves looked revitalized and strong, each one bolstered by the rest. The pegasi alongside the royal alicorn family descended from the once-frost-soaked skies in radiance. The Empire was safe, he had done it. He had fulfilled his promise.
And what did they say?
Even from a distance he could hear the voices of the citizens raised in exultation. Cheering the same name over and over again. Twisting the knife.
Cadenza. Cadenza. CADENZA.
Even after so long, the old bitterness still gripped his ancient heart. Sombra spat into the snow in front of him. “Cadenza,” he muttered hatefully, “what did the line of Cadenza ever do but fail? What did the line of Cadenza ever give them but frostbite and excuses? Miserable and ungrateful commoners. They proved their limited minds that day and their descendants were no different.”
Turning his back on the newly protected Empire, Sombra wondered why he had even returned to this place. To this worthless memory. He did not need to be reminded why he took their throne from them. He did not… 
Sombra’s concentration splintered as he felt the walls of his dreamscape thinning. A presence, a mind vast and subtle as the night sky was encroaching on his dream. No, he recognized this mind and moreover that mind would certainly recognize him. Thinking quickly, Sombra sent the timeframe of the dream forward, past his own glorious Age of Shadows and into the middle of the thousand year slumber of the Empire. Nothing but a frozen desolace remained. As a final touch he loosened his grip on the dream, it would not do to appear too lucid to the Keeper of the Night. His shape morphed and collapsed into that of a regular unicorn, a frame he once wore before he came into his power, still broad and muscular, but lacking his imperious mein and distinctive curved horn. Quelling his fear, he let the dream take him. The snow swallowed him in icy fury and, grimacing, he felt the cold slice his flesh in a way that he had forgotten. It had been so many years since the cold had touched him and it seemed to last forever, alone and shivering in the dark. It reminded him of his banishment. The cold madness began to seep into his mind and Sombra fought against the fear. He was a King. An Emperor! He was Erebos Sombra! The greatest and most powerful Unicorn to ever live. He knew no fear for he was fear incarnate!
Then, as quickly as torment came about, it faded. The pain, the cold, and everything seemed to wash away under a warm breeze.
“The nightmare is banished, art thou well my little pony?” 
That voice… Sombra allowed his consciousness to submerge beneath his dreamself. It would not do to ruin my own plan after securing such a capable servant.
Looking up from where he had been buried by the snow, he found himself meeting the kind, worried-looking eyes of the Princess of the Moon, Luna. Staggering weakly to his hooves, Som- No, Coal Axiom blinked in confusion. 
“I… I am, your Grace,” even submerged, Sombra’s mind burned indignantly at his body bowing to the petulant sister of Celestia. “Thank you, I’m afraid my nightmares come and go lately, ever since I awoke in the Empire.”
Luna’s features became grave at Coal’s words. “We understand, thou art one of the awakened, then. One of mine beloved niece’s fine subjects?”
With some effort, Coal kept his teeth from grinding together at the remark. “Yes, your Grace,” He responded, he did not trust himself to speak further on the matter.
“That doth answer Our next question, namely who would dream of such a wasteland. May We ask why thou art so far south?” Luna remarked casually as she swept away some errant snow from Coal’s mane with one of her voluminous wings. “We had been under the impression that the Crystal Ponies preferred their northerly climes.”
Coal cleared his throat slightly, a little bemused that he would be first to use his own cover story before his servant. “I admit it’s a bit warm, but I am a researcher. I came down to study the unique magical properties of the Everfree Forest’s flora and fauna. There’s no place quite like it in the Empire or in Equestria, you know.”
The lie rolled off of his tongue smoothly, and Luna favored him with a smile. “We must agree upon that premise. Now, as Our duties have been attended to, We must bid thee farewell, Coal Axiom, and wish thee more pleasant dreams.”
Luna gave a small nod of farewell before seamlessly bleeding out of Coal’s dreamscape and returning to the ocean of energy that lay beyond the walls. Letting out a breath of relief, Sombra shed the ego of Coal and returned to his former and more comfortable frame and body.
“That was far too close,” Sombra muttered darkly, “and yet, at the same time I must wonder. Equestria’s vaunted Mistress of Dreams and yet she was not even suspicious of me? Once upon a darker time I would not have passed her scrutiny with such ease… most interesting.”
He had indulged himself long enough, though. Sombra allowed his mind to drift further away from the lucid dream state into a resting, dreamless slumber. He would ask his questions of the Princesses and the many changes in the world on the morrow. The mouse would have answers enough for him. Til then, however, it might be better served if he remained aloof from the dreamscape for a time. He did not want to risk another visit from Luna on the off chance his good fortune this evening was just that and nothing more, fortune. Sombra did not trust his fate to flukes.





Fluttershy finished her evening chores a little later than normal. Angel Bunny had been quite upset with her at first but soon grew uncharacteristically somber as he followed her about. By the time she had completed her last few tasks, tending to the owl nests in preparation for their late night foraging, Fluttershy had begun to grow worried for him.
“Is everything alright, Angel?” she asked quietly, careful not to disturb the sleeping Sombra down the hall. The bellicose rabbit responded with a flurry of motions and squeaks ending with a accusatory finger pointing down the hall. 
“Oh, he’s just a guest, that’s all,” Fluttershy tried to reassure her beloved pet. “He’s exhausted and not feeling well at all, so I have to ask you not to disturb him or agitate him, alright? I will be very upset with you if I find out you disobeyed me.”
For once Angel didn’t put up a fuss. Fluttershy was very glad of that, she wasn’t sure if it was because of the firmer hoof that she was putting down, or out of a primal understanding that the sleeping stallion down the hall was many times more dangerous than the average predator. A measure of both, most likely. Either way she had a sinking suspicion that if any of her wonderful animal friends ever did manage to cross King Sombra there would be very little evidence of it afterwards. Or, maybe, quite a bit of evidence. 
Angel Bunny hopped away from towards his bed as Fluttershy shuddered violently at the thought. She knew it would be a risk but she resolved to beg Sombra to give her animals a little lenience in their behaviour. Pride was all well and good until a life was on the line, and if protecting her animal friends meant lowering herself to begging to Sombra she would do it in a heartbeat. Hopefully she wouldn’t need to humiliate herself too badly, though. Sombra, for all of his wickedness, seemed to have an odd kind of honor. Not one that Fluttershy could say she really understood but… she knew it was there. In the same way that, in the end, Discord had more in common with a petulant child who wanted attention than some ageless spirit, Sombra seemed to have less and less in common with the evil sorcerer king she had learned about. There was certainly more to him than met the eye, maybe even a splinter of good was left in his heart. 
Fluttershy chuckled at the thought as she walked into her room and began brushing her mane. Yes, perhaps the evil king was truly a misunderstood soul. And maybe his Empire of slaves was just a tragic misunderstanding as well. No, Fluttershy knew she couldn’t afford to be fooled into thinking he was truly good at heart. However much she wanted to believe in the innate goodness of ponies, Sombra’s actions had more than proved his ruthlessness and penchant for cruelty. He treated her well, but he had also enslaved her mind without a single thought. 
But… none of that meant he wasn’t capable of goodness. 
Everypony could change their ways and, sometimes, all it took was somepony else giving them the chance. Fluttershy desperately prayed that Sombra was one of those someponies. If he wasn’t then her story was going to end very soon and… very badly. She crawled into bed and pulled the covers tightly around her. Tomorrow was going to be more of the same. Serving a dark king and helping him heal only for him to probably kill her and leave her body to be found later. From there, who knew what he would do? Something terrible no doubt, and tomorrow would be the second step on that road. Had it really only been a day? This morning had seemed so bright and full of hope too. 
At that moment the final cord snapped on Fluttershy’s self-control and, slowly, hot tears began to slide down her face, matting her fur as she began to shake. Silently, Fluttershy sobbed into her pillow, her thoughts filled with fear and dark imaginings of a vast shadow covering the land and ponies enslaved again, and the knowledge that it would be her fault. When she finally did find sleep she mercifully did not dream.
> A New Day
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	
Chapter 5


The light of Celestia’s dawn broke through Fluttershy’s window to play along the floorboards and glinting pictures in her room. The reflection caught Fluttershy’s sleeping face and she flinched from the intrusion. Groggily, she blinked away the drowsiness of the early morning. She was used to waking up with the roosters, as Applejack said it, and was often up and about hours before the rest of Ponyville. 
This morning, though, was different. Instead of getting out of bed, looking ahead to a day of tending to her animals, catching up with her friends, and the general easy-going life that she loved about a small place like Ponyville. Yesterday had changed all of that though. Now, she was fighting for her life and, worse, she had to do it alone. 
Five minutes ticked by as Fluttershy languished in the paradoxically cheery dawn as she tried to work up the energy to get out of bed. She knew that it would get easier once she started but the initial impetus was eluding her. She couldn’t lay in bed forever, either. She didn’t know if the Master was much of a morning pony but she got the impression that he probably was. A scowl inched its way across Fluttershy’s face as she rolled onto her back and glared up at her ceiling. 
Master, she thought, I just called him ‘Master’ in my own head. I can’t even get away from him in my mind. What is he doing to me?
It was the geasa. It had to be. Sombra had told her that he hadn’t done anything to her mind beyond the initial spell but she didn’t know if she believed him. He had been nothing but brutally honest with her since the beginning so even knowing who and what he was Fluttershy found it hard to distrust him. That and he had no reason to lie to her. She couldn’t defy him. Fluttershy told herself that over and over but in the end she kept coming back to back to same argument. 
Why can’t I defy him? Fluttershy fought another wave of tears as she kicked her covers off and rolled out of bed and onto her hooves. Even when I’m allowed to it’s like… I don’t want to. Is it really just… me?
It felt like her mind was filled with a buzzing white noise as Fluttershy stepped out into her living room and made her way to the kitchen, the air was chilly and summer was fading. Soon the leaves would begin turning, the Running of the Leaves would be held, and soon after that she would have to say goodbye to her hibernating animal friends until next year.
‘If I’m even still here next year,” Fluttershy muttered softly as she began boiling water for the morning tea. “I wonder if I’ll even make it to the end of the Fall?”
“I should think so.” A deep voice answered Fluttershy’s self-directed question, startling the butter-yellow pegasus from her grim imaginings. 
Glancing over at the hallway she saw Sombra standing at the threshold of the hall watching her. He looked… good. Better than yesterday at least. He stood a little straighter, she hadn’t noticed it before but he had almost seemed to sag with the weight of his own body yesterday. Now he was… much healthier-looking.
“Forgive me, your Majesty,” Fluttershy turned and curtsied, bowing her head as she did. “I did not hear you wake up or I would have hastened to make up some breakfast.”
Sombra seemed to consider this for a moment before he shook his head. “No, I think not,” he cut through Fluttershy’s instinctive protest like a fine blade as he continued past her to the living room window and peered outside. “I can safely assume they serve breakfast foods in the village proper, yes?”
Fluttershy nodded silently as the teapot began to whistle. Moving mostly by instinct, she began the process of adding her own personal mixture. Fresh, black Minotauran tea leaves along with the pit of a fresh peach and a peelings of an apple from Sweet Apple Acres. 
“Good, you spoke of acquiring a bedframe for my chambers, I have decided to accompany you on your errands,” Sombra gave a faint sniff as he spoke before giving Fluttershy an approving nod. “A most fragrant mixture, mouse. I approve.”
“Ah… thank you, your Majesty,” Fluttershy was still processing his declaration. She couldn’t rightly tell him ‘no’. Literally, in fact. But… 
Shaking her head Fluttershy checked the tea with a sniff and nodded. It was done. If it the fragrance was too thin then the steeping would not be complete, but too overpowering and the flavors would be overpowering, the sweetness of the apple and the peach clashing with the bitter sharpness of the leaves. She had perfected this mixture some time ago though, and it irked her that she hoped Sombra liked it.
“May I ask how your Majesty intends to move about the village?” Fluttershy asked softly as she poured two generous measures of tea. As she turned to face the King she nearly stumbled  and dropped the tea at what she saw.
A darkly handsome stallion was sitting at the table where Sombra had been. His coat was not quite as dark as the King’s, and his horn was the more traditional spiral cone instead of the sharp, hooked blade that the Tyrant was known for. His eyes no longer flickered with emerald and lavender power, but were instead a warm shade of amber. His mane was still a rakish tumbledown, but combined with his slighter frame the whole of him was almost dangerously charming. Fluttershy felt her heart beat deafeningly for a few moments as she tried to will the image of the Slaver King overtop of this new intruder. There were many similarities, true. His expression was still a confident smirk, though much of the cruelty was lost along with the fangs. His eyes glimmered with hidden depths but now she could easily imagine it was with intellect and humor, rather than with wickedness like before. His cutie mark was very strange too, a horned and bisected circle surrounded by a triangle on top of a plain cross.
“Did I not tell you, mouse?” The new stallion asked playfully as he telekinetically retrieved his teacup. “I am Coal Axiom, humble researcher and scholar of the Imperial College, come to Ponyville to witness the unusual flora and fauna and magical phenomena of the Everfree Forest firsthoof.” Smirking, he took a sip of the tea before humming appreciatively at the robust flavor. 
Fluttershy joined him nervously at the table with her own tea. Silently, she took in his new form which Sombra seemed not to mind. 
When he did speak again, he reached across the table and cupped a hoof beneath Fluttershy’s chin. His touch was delicate, gentle even. As if he was actually concerned that he might harm her. “And you, mouse, are simply a kind-hearted Pegasus caretaker who generously offered to open her guest room to a weary traveler so he might be nearer to his place of interest.”
Fluttershy shivered. She didn’t know if it was out of disgust, fear, or… something else. Surprisingly, she didn’t find herself disliking the sensation of his touch. Sombra’s hoof was featherlight on her fur, barely even brushing her skin. A part of her desperately wanted to tell him to stop but the rest of her was frustratingly noncompliant. Sombra brushed her cheek almost affectionately with his hoof before pulling it away and returning to his tea.
Stop it, Fluttershy thought angrily to herself. You’re not allowed to be unhappy that he stopped. You’re relieved that he took his evil hoof off of you and you feel much better now that he isn’t touching you anymore. Right?
“As you say, your Majesty,” were the only words that came out of her mouth.
Right?
++
“Tell me about yourself, mouse,” Sombra said, breaking the silence that had persisted since they had begun the long trot to the village center. “I would know more of my servant before I begin interacting with the plebeian masses alongside.”
“That’s not a very nice way to talk about them, you Majesty,” Fluttershy responded a little sullenly. “They’re ponies too, good ponies. I’ve known many of them for years.”
Sombra smirked and gave a derisive snort. “They are still the common masses, no matter how you paint them. They will always be tarred by the brush of mediocrity until they are forced to rise above it, as you have. Now, I have entertained your side-topic, you will answer my question.”
Fluttershy winced, and Sombra felt a faint pang of annoyance. Her small, and likely accidental disregard of his initial order had caused the geasa to lash out, punishing her for the small disobedience. Well, that was her fault either way. Had he not generously explained the limits and boundaries of the enchantment? She would learn in time, though. In truth the retributive pangs she had suffered since he had ensnared her mind were markedly fewer than he had expected. Sombra chalked that up to her naturally servile attitude. 
“As you say, your Majesty,” Fluttershy answered after taking a steadying breath. “I’m twenty-four years old and was born in Cloudsdale. I grew up serving one of the few remaining aristocratic Pegasi houses. I attended primary and secondary schooling with excellent grades, although my grades in Flight School were very poor as I’ve never been a strong flier. After I came of age I earned an apprenticeship under Ponyville’s previous veterinarian, Misty Piper, I took on her post after she retired five years ago. Soon after that I met my current group of friends, Pinkie, Applejack, Twilight, and Rarity. Rainbow Dash I’ve known since I was a foal. Together we recovered the lost Elements of Harmony and cleansed Nightmare Moon, turning her back into Princess Luna.”
Sombra stopped stock still at her last words, Fluttershy glanced back with confusion painting her features. “Your Majesty? Uhm, are you okay?”
“You said you recovered the Elements of Harmony?” Sombra’s voice was low and deadly and Fluttershy’s eyes widened slightly in alarm at his tone. After several seconds she gave a small nod.
“I was given custody of the Element of Kindness,” Fluttershy said, worry clear on her face. Sombra could hardly believe his ears, “although we had to return them to the Tree of Harmony some months ago to keep it alive. Now we carry the powers of the Elements within us, at least, a little bit. I don’t really understand it, to be honest. Really, I’m just a caretaker.”
Impossible. The thought continued to race through Sombra’s mind as an alien sensation gripped his heart. Fear. The Elements had torn his power away from his, banished him, and stolen his kingdom. They were, arguably, the most powerful magical artifacts in existence. As inscrutable as they were impossible to manipulate. They were supposed to be wielded by the godlike Alicorns but now, to hear this tiny, insignificant pegasus living in the backend of nowhere tell it, their power was in other hooves. He wanted to accuse her of lying, a bitter irony, but he knew she wasn’t. He could hear it in her voice. The little mouse was genuinely confused.
“Who holds the power of the other Elements?” Sombra hissed, eliciting another flinch from Fluttershy as his geasa compelled the answer from her.
“My friends I mentioned,” she answered, her face contorted in pain. “Rainbow Dash is the Element of Loyalty, Applejack is Honesty, Rarity is Generosity, Pinkie Pie is Laughter, and Twilight is the last Element, Magic. Together we can use their power,”
“And you said you were forced to return the physical foci to the Tree of Harmony?” Sombra asked, stalking closer to Fluttershy. He could feel her desire to run away from him. Or even just to step away. The geasa compelled her to remain in his presence though. “Yet you still claim them?”
“Yes, your Majesty,” she answered. Tears were starting to form in her eyes and her legs were shaking. “After we returned them we discovered a chest with six locks on it by the Tree and over time we found the five of the keys. When a villain named Tirek, who had escaped Tartarus over a year ago, took our magic away did we find the last key and unlocked it. I don’t… remember very much of it but I know there was a bright rainbow, a pure light that became part of us. We used to to undo Tirek’s magic, return his stolen powers to the ponies he took them from, and banish him back to his prison.”
No. Disbelief shuddered through Sombra’s frame for a moment before he mastered himself. What she so casually speaks of… even in my time it was mere legend and fancy. The fabled remnants of myth but… how can she describe it so easily? I had to parse out the legends from a hundred conflicting tomes. If this little mare is telling the truth though then what she carries within her is more valuable than all of Equestria and the Crystal Empire combined.
“I see,” Sombra’s eyes were fixed on the little mare in front of him. “So you and your friends defeated Tirek the Betrayer, one of the last great Sorcerers, then? I will keep that in mind. Shall I expect your friends to be as unassuming as you are?”
Fluttershy nodded at first before stopping and saying, “Uhm, well, yes and no. Most of us are just regular Ponies, but Twilight is a Princess. She ascended after solving one of Starswirl the Bearded’s unfinished spells. If you look over there you can see her castle.”
Pointing her hoof east, Fluttershy gestured towards a glimmering spire. Sombra had wondered what it was but had dismissed it as tertiary to his other questions. Landmarks had not been high on his list of queries. Now that he looked at it more closely he make out the minarets and flags that flew from them. 
“A fledgling Princess? Twilight is the purple one, I assume?” Sombra asked, not looking away from the castle in the distance.
“Uhm, yes, your Majesty.”
“Interesting, I had guessed at her nearness to Alicornhood when she defeated my traps in the Empire,” Sombra mused as he stepped back onto the road, “but I had not thought she would ascend so quickly, nor that should make her territory in such a backwater. I will have to take special care to avoid her direct arousing her suspicions.”
“As you say, your Majesty.”
“Now, tell me more about your friends,” Sombra said as he began walking towards town.
Sombra’s good humor had taken a backseat to his concern. Suddenly his choice of location for recovery seemed far more dangerous than he had initially guessed. Orders of magnitude moreso, in fact. Furthermore, if Fluttershy guessed at what he was truly doing then, with this new information in hoof, Sombra suspected no amount of pain or threat would stop her from outing him.

++

Normally Fluttershy found the distance between her home and Ponyville to be almost reassuring. The introverted Pegasus liked being far away from even the limited bustle and excitement of civilization that the small village represented. When she did have to go into town on one of her errands, usually grocery shopping or her weekly spa visit with Rarity, she enjoyed the long, leisurely walk as a way to collect her thoughts, prepare herself for interacting with lots of Ponies all at once, and to enjoy the lovely countryside all around her. It was peaceful.
‘Was’.
Fluttershy couldn’t help but feel nervous walking alongside Sombra ever since their conversation. He seemed much more on edge than she had ever seen him. Even when he was collapsed in her backyard he had seemed collected. Controlled. Now it was almost like he was… frightened. Or at least concerned. On the one hoof that was good, right? It meant there was something he was afraid of. If he was afraid of being beaten it meant he could be beaten. On the other hoof, though, it also made him a lot scarier. Fluttershy knew firsthoof how bad choices could be made out of fear. Sometimes it felt as though she had lived most of her life in a constant state of fear. Sombra didn’t seem like the type to act rashly and, as terrifying as he was, Flutterhsy actually took some comfort in his cold and calculating nature. His fear seemed to sap some of that from him. The third-hoof problem was that his concern had put up a wall between them. She felt cut off from him and if she couldn’t reach him how was she supposed to reform him? 
In the end, that’s still my best chance to make it out of this, Fluttershy thought to herself as they approached. Maybe… maybe I just have to be a little brave this time. Like I was last night.
Mustering up all of her courage, Fluttershy sidled a little closer to Sombra and leaned in. Keeping her touch as soft and light as one of her feathers, Fluttershy gave him a gentle nuzzle on the side of his right foreleg. Sombra flinched violently and stopped, whirling his head around to stare at her. Bracing for an outburst, Fluttershy opened her mouth to speak first, keeping her voice calm, quiet, and even, just like she did when she was with an injured animal.
“Whatever is bothering you, your Majesty, you can always tell me about it,” Fluttershy said, not daring to look anywhere but his eyes. “Even if I wanted to, I couldn’t tell anypony. Just because it wasn’t my choice to take care of you doesn’t mean I won’t do my very best to help you get better. I just… I just wanted you to know that, your Majesty.”
For once, the mighty king seemed completely lost for words. He opened his mouth slightly but nothing came out. Some of the tension had left his haunches though and, feeling daring, Fluttershy took a risk. Taking another step closer, she leaned in and rest her head on his shoulder in a kind of half-hug. She didn’t dare try to put her forelegs around him. Fluttershy had a strong feeling that would be going a step too far.
Baby steps, she thought to herself, and maybe one day we’ll get there.
It felt like an eternity passed before a little more of the tension left his body and, to Fluttershy’s surprise, Sombra lowered his head slightly to press it against her own. She risked another soft nuzzle against his cheek, and this time he didn’t flinch or move away. 
“You’re a fool, little mouse,” Sombra said, his voice very quiet. “You have no grasp of the depths I will sink to. No idea how deep my cruelty runs. You will regret your kindness to me, I promise you that.”
Fluttershy pulled away slowly to meet his gaze. Though his frame was still that of ‘Coal Axiom’, Sombra’s eyes were once again limned with dark magic. Strangely, she almost preferred him that way. It was unnerving but… it was him. It wasn’t a disguise.
Taking a deep breath, Fluttershy slowly shook her head side to side. “Respectfully, your Majesty, I will never regret showing anypony kindness.” She gave him a small smile, it was a little weak, and a little shaky, but it was genuine. One of the first real deliberate smiles she had shown him since he had arrived. “Even you deserve kindness. If anything, I’ll make you regret dismissing it in the first place,” suddenly realising the rashness of what she had just said, Fluttershy stuttered out, “if… if that’s okay with you, I mean, your Majesty.”
Rather than be angry, Sombra smirked. “Be careful, mouse, there is a difference between being forthright, and being unfiltered.” Shaking his head, Fluttershy was pleased to see his expression had returned to the more comfortable and confident grin. 
Too relieved that her gambit had succeeded, Fluttershy was taken by surprise as Sombra leaned down and pressed his forehead to hers, carefully keeping his horn to the side. Shocked at his uncharacteristic, and blatant, display of affection, he almost missed his next words.
“There is no worse fool than a well-intentioned one,” Sombra muttered.
“Well, if it pleases your Majesty, I would rather be a well-intentioned fool than miss everything good in life,” Fluttershy answered with a small chuckle, a little surprised by her own bravery. 
Don’t think about how comfortable this feels, Fluttershy tried to work up some indignation but, to be fair, she had started it, even if she hadn’t expected him to return it. Don’t. Don’t. Do- oh… ponyfeathers, it’s allowed to feel nice.
“We’ll see,” Sombra answered, eliciting a small giggle. 
“Hey Fluttersh- Woah!” A loud impact nearby told Fluttershy all she needed to know about who had just interrupted their little moment.
Her head still cradled under Sombra’s, Fluttershy turned to glance over at the cyan Pegasus that had hit the ground to her right. She heard Sombra snort with amusement and Fluttershy could only chuckle a little too... Rainbow had a shell-shocked look on her face as she stared at the two of them that was, honestly, really funny.
“Good morning, Rainbow,” Fluttershy said, extracting herself from Sombra who, surprisingly, seemed a little reluctant. “How's the morning shift going?”
“Uh, okay I guess?” Rainbow answered after retrieving her jaw. “Are, uh, are you two like…” Rainbow Dash gestured back and forth between Sombra and Fluttershy, the latter of whom blushed softly. 
“Oh, uhm, sorry, this is… Coal Axiom,” Fluttershy looked to Sombra who gave her a small, approving nod. “He’s from the Crystal Empire and came here to study the plants and animals in the Everfree. I offered him room and board since I’m the only one who lives anywhere near it.”
Rainbow raised an eyebrow before glancing over at ‘Coal’ and looking him up and down with a critical eye. Starting at the tip of his horn, she looked him up and down. However, her methodical pace meant that as her eyes drifted below his neck, she missed the faint spark of dark energy that lit momentarily from his horn. 
Fluttershy did not.
She almost cried out as Rainbow’s eyes lost focus and her expression glazed over, but a second later she snapped back to reality and gave both them a crooked smile.
“Yeah, alright, he seems cool,” Rainbow said, smirking. “Not as cool as me though, and like, point-seven-five Rainbow’s on the Awesome scale, I dig the black on black.” looking Fluttershy, Rainbow winked. “Nice catch Flutters, Rarity is gonna flip her horn when she sees this, anyway I’m on the clock, so… laters!”
Rainbow Dash vanished in a prismatic blur, leaving a faintly blushing Fluttershy standing beside a smug-looking Sombra.
“What did you do to my friend?” Fluttershy asked. A pang of discomfort in her head made her add, “your Majesty,” to the end.
“Nothing dangerous, I assure you,” Sombra answered with a small grin. “I simply ‘suggested’ that she see me in a favorable light, nothing more. No need to risk a bad first impression, after all.”
Fluttershy wasn’t going to let go that easily, and she eyed him suspiciously. “You didn’t… geas her?”
Sombra laughed. “No, my dear. Maintaining a geas is not light work. Besides it would be unnecessary. No, I simply took advantage of your friend’s natural inclinations. Her brazenness and attitude told me she was the type to go on her gut and discard any extra thought as superfluous. If I had waited until she made her own mind up then I would have had to waste a great deal of time convincing her otherwise. Her type will take their first inclination and gallop with it come high tides or Tartarus. So before she made up her mind I gave her a nudge in the other direction. Started the ball rolling, so to speak. Her own nature gave it all the momentum that was needed after that.”
His explanation seemed sound, not that Fluttershy was an expert on a field like mind magic. Still… “I don’t like the idea of you doing things to my friend’s minds, your Majesty.”
Sombra scowled, and as he did so Fluttershy gasped at the flood of pain that suddenly filled her mind, setting off fireworks behind her eyes. As they faded she found herself still standing, Sombra’s magic keeping her in place. 
“I have given you far more leeway than any servant I have ever owned, mouse,” Sombra growled. “But do not, even for a moment, imagine that you are my equal. What you approve of is neither my concern nor my responsibility. I shall act as is needed to ensure my recovery is as smooth as possible, is that clear?”
Fluttershy’s mouth was dry, her stomach clenched in pain, and her heart felt like she had just finished going two rounds with a dragon, but she nodded silently. That wasn’t what he had been looking for, however, as another spike of pain jabbed into her mind. 
“I said: is that clear?”
This time his voice was low and deadly.
“Crystal clear, your Majesty.”
> Memories & Friends
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	
Chapter 6


“Welcome to Sugarcube Corner!” 
A bright and cheery voice greeted the pair as they entered the large, ridiculously proportioned building. Sombra could hardly believe his eyes when Fluttershy had pointed out the cafe and sweetshop as an excellent place to get breakfast. 
“Ooh! Hey Fluttershy! And… A new pony!”
She had, however, also warned him of her friend Pinkie’s exuberance and almost terminal need to greet new arrivals. As it stood, there was now a painfully saccharine pink mare invading his personal space with the ferocity of a sugar-coated blitzkrieg and Sombra was finding it very hard to decide between retaining his secrecy versus trapping her mind in a realm of fear and trauma 
“Uhm, Pinkie,” Fluttershy reached over and, thankfully, pulled the pink one away from him, “I know you’re excited but Mister Axiom doesn’t really like ponies getting so close to him, he’s a little like me in that.”
Sombra almost laughed at the idea that he was much like his servant, but she wasn’t wrong in respect to that. 
At Fluttershy’s words, Pinkie seemed to calm considerably, though her tail still twitched occasionally with what Sombra could only assume was a sugar rush. “Oh, sorry about that,” Pinkie said with an apologetic smile. “My name is Pinkie Pie! You can call me Pinkie, welcome to Ponyville!”
She stuck out a hoof to which Sombra raised an eyebrow. “I believe Fluttershy introduced us just a moment ago.”
Apparently undeterred by Sombra’s cool demeanor, Pinkie left her hoof outstretched as she gave a short nod. “Yeah, I know, but my Grandpappy Pie taught me that you should always greet with a proper hoofshake, and not to use another pony’s name until they’ve given it to you. Otherwise you're being disrespectful.”
Sombra’s eyes widened in unconcealed surprise at her words. “I see,” he replied, “well, in the interest of respect…” Sombra reached out and gave Pinkie a firm hoofshake and found a surprisingly strong grip behind, “my name is Coal Axiom, Scholar of the Crystal Empire, quite pleased to meet you.”
“Weeee! I made a new friend!” Pinkie immediately lost all semblance of decorum and began bouncing around the dining room of Sugarcube Corner with all the elasticity of a large marshmallow. Finally she came to a stop behind the counter. “Now, what can I get you? Everything is hot out of the oven!”
“I’ll have a strawberry muffin and a cup of earl grey, please,” Fluttershy said, lay a few bits down to pay for the meal.
Pinkie dished out Fluttershy’s order and set it on a tray before turning to Sombra who was examining the wall-mounted menu and display casings.
“Don’t worry about your order, Coal,” Pinkie grinned before vanishing back into the kitchen then returning in a rush. “I’ve got just the thing for you right here!”
Sombra opened his mouth to protest her presumption, but the words died on his tongue as he saw what she had added to the tray. He felt stunned. He was a king and yet this small, pink mare had managed to keep him on his back hoof nearly the entire time he had been in her shop. 
Humming a lively tune, Pinkie carried the tray over to the table Fluttershy had picked out by the window and set out the food. “One strawberry muffin with honey butter, as usual, and a cup of piping hot earl grey!”
“Thank you, Pinkie, this looks perfect,” Fluttershy smiled radiantly before blowing softly on the tea.
“And for Mister Axiom, two fresh Crystalberry scones and a cup of coffee,” Pinkie slid the order in front of Sombra who stared down at the nostalgic food in front of him, unsure how to feel about it. “Want any cream or sugar with that?”
“Hmm? Oh, no thank you, I prefer it black,” Sombra answered distractedly before lifting the scalding drink to his lips and taking a tentative sip.
It was perfect. Bitter and fresh, just like he remembered. Not a hint of burnt grounds with just the right ratios to keep it from being too watery or too strong. Setting the mug down he lifted the scone and took a small bite off of the corner. Crystallized sugars danced on his tongue, the sweetness offset by the warm, nutty bread. Sombra closed his eyes and, for a brief, brief moment, he wasn’t in Sugarcube Corner. He wasn’t even in his Crystal Palace. No, he was home. That small, worn out, half-buried hut with its wood stove set into the middle of the single room. So delightfully warm as it chased out the dire chill of the eternal snows that blew in the arctic north. His father’s rich voice reading out scriptures from the Book of Harmony as his mother pulled a fresh batch of scones from where they had been baking. He munched quietly on his scone as he listened to the familiar words with his brothers and sisters, all curled up together warmly.
“Your M-... C-Coal?” Fluttershy’s voice broke through Sombra’s memories.
Sombra snapped back to reality. He was looking down at the scone and felt a faint, unfamiliar twinge around his eyes. Glancing up he saw both mares staring at him, Fluttershy with concern, and Pinkie with worry.
“W-were they not good?” Pinkie asked softly. Sombra could hear the fragility in her voice. “I… I can make a new batch if they weren’t.”
“No, no they were perfect, Miss Pie,” Sombra answered a little unevenly. He set the scone down and wiped his hoof on a napkin. Lifting his hoof back up he found wetness around his eyes. Tears? That… wasn’t possible.
“Are you sure?” Pinkie asked again. “I’ve… I’ve never made someone cry with a scone before. Well, except for the ‘Baked Bads’ incident.”
Sombra chuckled quietly. “I would be most interested in hearing that story someday. But no, it’s just been… a very long time since I’ve had Crystalberry scones. Very long indeed. During m-... Master Sombra’s reign industrial pollutants poisoned much of the land where Crystalberries grew. The Crystalberry bush is a temperamental thing, you see. Very specific conditions were required for it to grow properly and, so, its berries became quite rare and prohibitively difficult to acquire. Eventually the King gave up trying to grow them in favor of more readily available crops. Crystalberry scones became more of a byword for a different time by the end of it all.”
Pinkie’s face lit up joyously. “Wow, that’s really sad but it’s also really happy, I guess. I’m so glad I could make them for you then. They’re pretty popular since the Empire came back and when you said you were from there I got really excited! I could finally ask somepony who actually remembered them if they tasted right! I… I really wanted them to be authentic.”
“Then I must admit you have succeeded remarkably, Miss Pie,” Sombra answered. 
“Nuh-uh, call me Pinkie. Miss Pie is my mom,” Pinkie’s smile had returned in full force. “Well, technically she’s Miss Quartz-Pie, but… anyways, I was really worried because I woke up this morning with my ears all twitch-a-twitchin’ and my left hoof tingling. That means someone really needed some good comfort food, and I thought I’d messed up. I’m glad I didn’t!”
Sombra was about to ask what that could possibly mean when he was cut off by the chiming of the Corner’s bell. A pair of ponies walked in, one with very light, fair coat and two tone pink and blue hair, the other with a sea-green coat and a light cyan mane with a shock of white.
“Oops! More customers, seeya later Coal,” Pinkie gave an exaggerated, faux salute before vanishing back behind the counter.
“Well, that’s Pinkie Pie, your Majesty,” Fluttershy said with a soft laugh. “Only at her happiest when she’s making other ponies smile.”
“Yes… I can see that,” Sombra answered quietly as he took another drink of his coffee followed by more bites of the scone. “Fluttershy?’
The mare in question looked up in surprise. “Yes, your Majesty?”
“About earlier,” Sombra began as he stared down at his half-eaten scone, “when I triggered the geasa on you.”
Fluttershy swallowed. She didn’t really want to revisit that event. In fact she’d been doing her level best not to think about it until he brought it up. “Y-yes?”
“Lashing out in such a manner was unworthy of me,” Sombra said quietly, “I… apologise.”
Sombra couldn’t recall the last time he had said those words; ‘I apologise’. Once they had been familiar. Common words spoken amongst Ponies who lived and laughed and worked with one another. But a King does not apologise. He does not excuse his actions to his lessers. A King acts and accepts that no decision can be made without both benefit and cost. So long as both were weighed and accounted for appropriately then there would be no apologies to be made. Doing so would simply be taking on meaningless regret for necessary sacrifice, and Sombra never made a sacrifice that wasn’t necessary. He coldly spent the lives of his subjects like coin, true, but he was a miserly and frugal spender. Every lost Pony was a lost artisan, engineer, teacher, soldier, or laborer. Each one lost diminished his Empire.
Fluttershy, for her part, looked completely stunned. Whatever she had expected him to say he guessed that an apology was probably far from her mind as a possibility.
“I do not require you to accept my apology,” Sombra continued, lifting his eyes to meet her wide, blue eyes. Those blue eyes that pierced him in such a familiar way.
Yes, Sombra thought, that’s right. Beryl had blue eyes too, didn’t she? I wonder how I could have forgotten that. I suppose it just… didn’t seem important.
Finally Fluttershy found her voice again, after processing the King’s unexpected words. “You hurt me, my King,” she began and, surprisingly, Sombra felt a small pang in his chest at her words. “I know that we… aren’t friends. I know exactly what kind of relationship we have. You’ve been nothing but frank and open about your expectations and your rules, so I shouldn’t have expected any other response but… I did. I don’t know why, but I did.”
“I apologised for the hurt, mouse,” Sombra replied evenly. “Do not press your fortune.”
Fluttershy shook her head. “I didn’t mean the geasa. It hurt but, uhm, I can get over that hurt. I meant… the fact that you did it, that you triggered the geasa. I guess it just… drove home that I really am nothing but a servant to you. That was what hurt, your Majesty.”
“I am a King, mouse,” Sombra growled. “Whatever that pink friend of yours believes, I do not have the luxury of friends, especially not given my past. No friend of mine would last long under that kind of strain.”
“That doesn’t mean you don’t need friends, your Majesty,” Fluttershy replied softly. “Maybe if you had friends you wouldn’t have become such a…” she cut herself off. “I’m sorry, I overstep myself again, your Majesty. It won’t happen again.”
Irritated, Sombra gave a snort and returned to his coffee and scone, taking solace in the nostalgia and peace of the past. Miserable as it may have been for the most part. He had just started in on his second one when he felt Fluttershy’s hoof cover his. Glancing up, he wondered at her sad expression. 
“I do forgive you, though, your Majesty,” Fluttershy said, favoring him with one of her small smiles.
Sombra didn’t respond, only grunting in acknowledgement before returning to his scones. He was determined to finish the last one while it was still warm. Although, for some reason, it seemed to taste even better than the first one.

++

As they left Sugarcube Corner, Sombra seemed to be in much better spirits. Fluttershy was glad for that. She had been afraid that she’d gone too far when she told him that she knew that he thought of her as nothing but a servant. That wasn’t really true, whatever he pretended, and Fluttershy knew it. If it were then he would never have responded her kindness. He certainly wouldn’t have apologised.
This, Fluttershy mused as they made their way towards the furniture store in the midst of the slowly waking Ponyville, was probably one of the reasons she wasn’t the Element of Honesty. If she wanted Sombra to appreciate friendship then, just like with Discord, she couldn’t just let him walk all over her. He had to understand that his actions could drive ponies away from him too. 
Just because I’m kind doesn’t mean I don’t know how to put my hoof down after all, Fluttershy thought to herself, remembering the business with the Breezies. If I’m going to help Sombra I need to be able to stand up to him, and that means it’s going to hurt sometimes. Maybe I’m just imagining it but… I can’t help but think that he inflicts pain because it’s all he’s ever known. That’s an awfully sad thought, but it’s not too different from taking in a pet who was in a bad home, I suppose.
Fluttershy was so lost in thought that only the intervention of Sombra’s hoof on her chest kept her from running headlong into another pony as they turned the corner to the main market square.
“Oh my!” Fluttershy snapped back to attention and realised who she had nearly slammed into. “Rarity! I’m so sorry, I wasn’t paying attention.”
The graceful white unicorn shook her head. “It’s perfectly alright, darling. And who is... this... ah, oh my,” Rarity gave Sombra her ‘up-and-down’ before batting her generous eyelashes at him, “this charming stallion here prevented any problems from arising.”
Sombra mere inclined his head in acknowledgement.
“Well, I’ll try to be more mindful anyway, it that’s okay,” Fluttershy answered. 
“Of course, darling. Now, what are you doing out so early?” Rarity asked. bemused. “I don’t see you in town very often and usually only in the afternoons. House call?”
“Oh, no, I’m, uhm, maybe I should introduce you two first.” Fluttershy glances back Sombra who gave a shrug and a small nod. “This is Coal Axiom, from the Crystal Empire. Coal, this is my good friend Rarity Belle.”
Rarity had scarcely lifted her hoof before Sombra took it gently in his own and lifted it to his lips, placing the barest whisper of a kiss on her fetlock. “Quite a pleasure to meet you, Miss Belle.”
“Oh, oh my…” Rarity blushed furiously and gave a nervous laugh. “You are very welcome, Mister Axiom, but please, call me Rarity. I can tell you’re from the Empire, such manners are so rare out here.”
“A shame,” Sombra answered with a rakish grin. “A lady of your poise and radiance ought to be treated as such. That is in my own opinion, of course. But please, call me Coal, Mister Axiom just sounds so uptight, does it not?”
Rarity fluttered her eyes at him and gave a demure laugh. “Well, I shouldn’t think so. I think your last name is quite nice, and I certainly lament that so few share your opinion on decorum and courtesy. We simply must get together one of these days, may I ask how long you’re in town?”
“I’m not certain, to be honest,” Sombra answered easily. “I’m an Imperial scholar here to study the unique flora and fauna of the Everfree. In truth I imagine I could simply settle down and spend a lifetime doing so and not catalogue half of the species in that expanse, but of course I do have duties to my peers and my kingdom.”
“A scholar! How wonderful,” Rarity was beaming, it had been a while since Fluttershy had seen her like this, her friend was smitten. The last time was Trenderhoof. Fluttershy hoped Rarity kept her wits about her this time around. Trenderhoof was strange but ultimately a nice pony at heart. Sombra… was not. “Well, I would love to pick your brain about Imperial styles and fashions if you ever have a moment.”
“I’m afraid my expertise lays in the more arcane aspects of lore, my dear,” Sombra answered with regret that even Fluttershy almost believed. His ability to adopt a persona was almost impressive if it weren’t so eerie. “That, and very little fashion occurred within the Empire during the Age of Shadows, I’m sorry to say. The only things most ponies wore then were manacles and chains, hardly chic.”
“Oh yes, I suppose that would be the case,” Rarity answered, her tone taking on a more gentle and commiserating tone. “I couldn’t imagine living such a life, I’m sorry I brought up the matter.”
“Not at all, what is past is past and I prefer to look towards the future,” Sombra answered readily, his grin actually seemed genuine. Fluttershy suppressed a shudder at imagining what kind of ‘future’ Sombra was looking at. 
If she was honest, Fluttershy felt a little sidelined by the conversation. Not terribly unexpected but, after Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy could tell when Sombra was buttering someone up and Rarity did have a weakness for high class stallions, although how the King had managed to pick that out from a glance was beyond her. His acuity was frightening sometimes. Fortunately it seemed to apply more to others than himself. Or her, for some reason. Fluttershy logged that tidbit away as she spoke up. 
“Uhm, I’m sorry to interrupt but we came into town to find a bedframe for Coal,” Fluttershy said, drawing a quirked eyebrow from her friend. “I offered him room and board in my cottage while he does his research since there’s nowhere else for him to stay that’s anywhere near the Forest. I have a spare mattress but I never took time to find a frame for it because it was so big and I never needed it.”
Rarity laughed. “And they call me generous. That’s such a wonderful thing you’re doing, darling. And, as it happens, I’m in much the same boat. I was out to buy a new bed for Sweetie Belle.”
“Oh, did she outgrow her old one?” Fluttershy asked conversationally as they began moving towards the furniture shop together.
“Ah… no, it caught fire and burnt to a clump of ashes, actually.” Rarity replied with an air of resigned frustration.
“Crusaders?” Fluttershy asked.
“Crusaders.”
“Well, I suppose it was bound to happen eventually,” Fluttershy lamented, patting her friend on the withers. “I’m a little surprised this is the first bed she’s gone through.”
“I managed to get the tree sap out last time,” Rarity answered with a shrug. “And the time before that I discovered that crude oil actually comes out of fabrics quite easily with some dish soap and hot water. Unfortunately, no amount of elbow grease can rebuild ashes.”
“Your sister seems to have an uncommon aptitude for destruction, Rarity,” Sombra remarked with a wry grin.
“Oh dear me, you have no idea,” Rarity remarked, waving her hoof. “My sister and her friends are wonderful fillies, truly, but their capacity for ruination is almost supernatural. Except for her cooking, actually, in that case I’m absolutely certain there’s something otherworldly occurring. I’ve seen burnt toast, but I’ve never seen toast so thoroughly ruined that it became liquid.”
“Surely you’re joking,” Sombra remarked with a laugh. When both Fluttershy and Rarity glanced at each other uneasily his smile faded, though. “You aren’t, how peculiar.”
“Sweetie Belle once tried to help me make a salad,” Fluttershy said with a haunted tone to her voice and her eyes fixed on some distant point. “I can still hear the animals screaming.”
“There there, dear,” Rarity gave Fluttershy a reassuring hug. “It’s over now.”
Giving a last shudder, Fluttershy nodded and returned the hug as they approached their destination.
The furniture store in Ponyville was really more of a specialty shop for carpentry and woodworks run by a friendly dun-coated Unicorn named Maple. Given that most of the furniture one would own in Ponyville was made of wood she made a decent living even in the shadow of Barnyard Bargains. Their goods might be cheap but tended to be of commensurately lower quality. Most Ponyvillians preferred hardier goods to cope with the more rough and tumble life in a small town on the edge of the Everfree. The shop wasn’t large, and mostly used as a display room since Maple had her workshop in the back where she kept the saleable wares. 
“Morning Fluttershy, Rarity,” Maple announced cheerily, poking her head out of the backroom at the sound of her front door bell. “Who’s your new friend?” Trotting out, Maple shook some woodchips free from her dark mane. 
“Coal Axiom, here on research purposes from the Crystal Empire,” Sombra stepped forward and shook Maples hoof. “Miss Fluttershy was kind enough to offer me room and board while I studied the Everfree Forest. Since I’m not sure how long I’ll be in town I opted to spend some of my expenses on a bedframe for a large mattress.”
“It’s about seventy-five by eighty inches, down stuffed, and about forty-four pounds,” Fluttershy offered, stepping up next to Sombra. “I don’t suppose you have anything in stock that fits that? I’d like to be able to give my guest more than a mattress on the floor tonight.”
Glancing up at Sombra she started a little as their eyes met. Oddly, he seemed as surprised as she was and quickly looked back up at Maple who was perusing what looked like a hoof-written ledger. Not wanting to rush her, Fluttershy turned back to Rarity who was looking at the both of them with a sly smile on her face.
“What’s wrong?” Fluttershy asked, quirking an eyebrow.
Rarity giggled. “Oh nothing my dear, just keeping my eyes open for anything of interest, that’s all.” Turning to Sombra, she asked, “Coal, dearie, would you mind waiting here with Maple in case she finds something appropriate? I need to borrow Fluttershy, she and my sister have similar aesthetic tastes and I wanted her thoughts on the new bed.”
“Of course,” Sombra replied graciously, shooting a glance at Fluttershy, “I’ll be right here when you lovely ladies are finished.”
“Flattery will get you everywhere, darling,” Rarity remarked with a wink, before trotting off, Fluttershy neatly in tow.
“Uhm, I’m pretty sure you have a better eye than I do for what your sister would want, Rarity,” Fluttershy said as they neared the small section of the shop with displayed frames.
“Of course I do, darling,” Rarity responded with a wave of her hoof, “no I wanted to talk about that dashing stallion who can’t keep his eyes off of you,”
You have no idea, thought Fluttershy a little dryly thinking of the geasa.
“I’m sure it’s nothing like that,” Fluttershy said softly as they moved amongst the woodworks. “We’ve only known each other for a few days.”
“I know, and to be perfectly honest I’m quite surprised you’re so willing to give him board at your cottage,” Rarity said. “After all, I do know how you are with strangers. At first I’ll admit I was a little worried that he had bullied you into it but, quite frankly, I don’t think I’ve ever seen you so relaxed around anypony who wasn’t one of us.”
This was news to Fluttershy. Did she really look relaxed? It felt like she had been on tenterhooks since yesterday morning. “R-really? I hadn’t noticed.”
“Well that’s my point darling, even you didn’t notice and yet here we are. There must be something quite special about that stallion for you to be so easy-going around him.” Rarity leaned and gave Fluttershy a gleeful nuzzle. “I’m so proud of you, either way. You’ve really come out of your shell lately. I’m sure he appreciates your kindness.”
I certainly hope so or this is going to end very differently than you expect, Rarity, Fluttershy thought dolefully. She gave her friend a brighter smile though. “Well, Coal’s actually not hard to get along with. He’s very quiet, polite, and hard-working. Sometimes I forget he’s even there.” Surprisingly, Fluttershy realised as she was speaking that everything she said was perfectly true. Moreso than she had thought when the words had formed. 
Yes, very polite, not accounting for the mental enslavement part, Fluttershy couldn’t help but feel a little annoyed at how easily the Master… Darn it, no, stop that... Sombra was winning over her friends. Rainbow, Pinkie, and Rarity all thought he was great. She was finding herself less and less impressed that he had managed to rise to rule an Empire and more impressed that he had ever lost. No offense to the Princesses of course.
“He is quite charming as well,” Rarity noted with a sly grin. “But don’t sell yourself short either, darling. Coal is quite taken with you, I assure you, I see the way he looks at you when you’re not looking.”
“W-what?” Fluttershy’s eyes widen in surprise. “I’m sure you’re mistaken, Rarity. He’s very… nice. But, uhm, a little distant.”
“Pish posh,” Rarity scoffs, waving her hoof again. “He’s a stallion, of course he’s distant. They’re terribly fragile creatures but that’s nothing against him. Coal strikes me as a very old-fashioned type and I think that’s quite perfect. The gentility, the gradual and deliberate shows of emotion. Why, a lesser mare might be jealous.”
Oh Rarity, old fashioned doesn’t even begin to cover it, Fluttershy actually had to stifle a laugh when her friend had said that. “Well, he won’t be around forever Rarity, he’s just here on business and after that he’ll be leaving.” And hopefully, I’ll still be here after that.
“Hm, I don’t know about that,” Rarity eyed Fluttershy sideways with a sultry grin. “I seem to recall him remarking on how he could, ‘settle down and spend his whole life here’ doing his work.”
A flush crept up Fluttershy’s cheeks. “I think he was just talking about the Everfree, it is very big and, uhm, unique. I don’t think even Zecora knows everything that’s in the deeper parts of the forest.”
‘Well, we’ll see,” Rarity smiled as she turned away from Fluttershy. 
Sombra was trotting back towards them just behind Maple who was holding some papers out in a sunflower glow. “Here you go, Flutters, I have a bed frame that fits the bill in stock. Your friend is quite the haggler, the frame will be delivered to your cottage by early evening at the latest, and I threw in one of my associates to set it up. Your friend paid out up front, so you’re all set.”
“Oh, thank you Maple,” Fluttershy took the warranty and delivery papers, along with the receipt. I suppose we will, Rarity.
“Ah, excellent, and I know exactly what I need for my sister as well,” Rarity said jovially, making her way over to the counter with Maple. 
“I quite like your little town, quaint and humble as it is,” Sombra said as Rarity left earshot. “It reminds me of home.”
“Really?” Fluttershy asked, honestly interested. “But the Empire is so big, Ponyville seems like such a small place in comparison.”
Sombra’s face took on that nostalgic air that he had worn while eating the scones. “Now, of course it is, but once it was not so different. Even your friend’s castle is reminiscent of the original Crystal Palace before the expansions. Before the Crystal Heart was created the ‘Empire’ consisted of nothing more than the palace and a small town not much larger than Ponyville cobbled together around it.”
“Oh, I had no idea,” Fluttershy said softly. “Was it nice?”
“Aside from the near-constant blizzards and regular sub-zero temperatures, I suppose it was ‘nice’, yes,” Sombra answered wryly. “Our leaders were not terribly competent. But enough, perhaps I will speak more on this subject later.”
Rarity had returned with her own receipt and sundry papers. “Well, since we’re all still here I say we go out and have a quick brunch. I have some time before Sweetie’s bed arrives.”
Fluttershy was about to agree as they stepped out of the store when Pinkie Pie appeared, interrupting her. “Oh, finally, I found you!” Pinkie looked out of breath and a little worried. “Spike showed up a little while after you left, Twilight says she’s convening an emergency Harmony Council immediately and we all need to be there. Rainbow is already heading to Sweet Apple Acres!”
“Oh my,” Fluttershy looked to Sombra and Rarity, the former of which looked vaguely disinterested. “Is it really that bad.”
Pinkie shrugged. “I dunno, Spike just said go.”
“Well, so much for brunch,” Rarity remarked, “I suppose we should be off then. Do you think Twilight will mind if Coal comes along? I would feel dreadful just leaving him in the middle of a strange town.”
“Sure!” Pinkie answered gleefully, “now we can introduce you to everypony!”
“Oh, good,” Sombra answered with a slightly strained smile.
Fluttershy couldn’t help but giggle into her hoof before leaning against Sombra. “Don’t worry,” she whispered, “Twilight and Applejack are a lot more toned down than Pinkie.”
Still, Fluttershy wondered knew that meeting Applejack would probably be the largest hurdle. Misleading everypony else was one thing, but the Element of Honest was the most stubborn of all and had a knack for seeing right through a pony. Of course, should the truth come out, Fluttershy couldn’t think of a better place for it to happen than in the middle of the castle surrounded by her friends. Sombra wasn’t the only one who could plan ahead.
> The Council
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	
Chapter 7


Twilight Sparkle’s castle towered over everything around it. It was quite impressive if Sombra was being honest with himself. The sharp edges and narrow spires gave a sense of commanding authority and yet somehow the castle never sacrificed the strangely whimsical aesthetic so common to the little village where he had been forced to spend his convalescence. 
The mouse, her loud pink friend, and the white one were quietly speculating on what could have driven their friend to call an emergency meeting so early in the morning. Sombra gathered, from his inconstant attention to the conversation, that Twilight was not what one would call a ‘morning pony’. Pinkie’s current running theory was that she had run out of coffee in the castle. The others laughed but Sombra would’ve placed a higher premium on caffeinating the local ruler properly than on filling the castle coffers. He remembered well the long nights and early mornings spent administrating the Empire’s rapid expansion under his rule. Still, Sombra doubted something like that would warrant the gathering of the six mares who, potentially, had access to one of the most powerful artifacts of antiquity. Another notion occurred to him as they entered the castle that had also occurred to Fluttershy.
Have they discovered my revival? The thought had slipped unbidden into Sombra’s mind and, even though he couldn’t see how it would have happened, he could not dismiss the possibility. I may be walking into a trap, far too late to back out now though. Besides, the likelihood is low and I confess myself curious. These mares may be my enemies soon and I cannot deny the value of seeing the inner workings of their council firsthoof.
As the four of them pressed onward through the entrance hall and into the inner sanctum, Fluttershy caught Sombra’s eye. He could see the worry there and, curiously, he was not sure how to feel about it. Was she worried for what would happen to her should she out him while the geasa was still in effect? Did she fear that he would attempt to kill her with the geasa in order to prevent them from harnessing their power? Her expression didn’t match those feelings though, Sombra decided. Then what was she worried about? If he didn’t know better it looked like she was worried… for him.
Absurd, Sombra mentally scoffed, this is the mouse’s best chance to end my control over her. The geasa won’t let her tell my secret directly but if they guess, or already know, then there would be little I could do about it.
As the final door was pushed open, Sombra found himself annoyingly reticent to step through it. It was a gamble, either he gathered valuable intel for his future campaigns or his future was cut short then and there. No, Sombra decided, there was no reason to hesitate. If they knew then his leaving would not prevent them from hunting him down. It would only delay the inevitable if this ‘Twilight’ was truly an Alicorn as the mouse had said. Had he fully recovered, or even halfway, perhaps fleeing would have been an option, but he could barely manage a couple of short range teleportations without exhausting his magical reserves. 
With his hesitation banished, he trotted into the sanctum just behind Fluttershy. Inside was almost exactly as he pictured. A grand crystal map detailing all of Equestria, most impressively in real time if the moving weather patterns were any thing to go by, that was surrounded by six equal thrones each embossed with a different cutie mark. The throne bearing a six-pointed star surrounded by smaller starbursts had another, almost child-sized, throne beside it. 
Leaning over to Fluttershy, Sombra voiced a question. “It seems to me that each of those thrones denote equal status, is that correct?”
“Hm? Oh, yes I suppose so,” Fluttershy answered, a little confused. “We’re all friends and neither of us overrule the other when we’re making decisions. We have to come to an agreement, that’s the rule.”
“Then it’s safe to say your authority is essentially the same between each of you,” Sombra continued, to which Fluttershy gave a small nod. “So what you’re saying is that you yourself have authority roughly equivalent to a Princess of a sovereign nation?”
Fluttershy opened her mouth with what looked like a refutation on her tongue before stopping, closing it, and furrowing her brow. Sombra had to admit that the look of consternation on her face was unusual but not unappealing. It was almost… cute.
“I… suppose that’s true,” Fluttershy answered carefully, “but I also can’t make decisions on my own. It has to be the six of us unless there’s no other choice.”
“Indeed,” Rarity interjected, “I’m sorry dears but I couldn’t help overhearing. To clarify, in the sense each of us is given equal voice, yes we have equal authority. But the truth is that ultimately only Twilight can pass legislation and edicts under the laws of Equestria. However, when she and the other Princesses were laying down the laws that would permit the authority of a fourth Princess, Twilight insisted that a law be placed in the books that we other five each be given the opportunity to vote on anything she wanted to pass. Twilight is a dear and she has learned from her mentor quite well. No ruler is perfect and Twilight is quite aware of the value of a good naysmith, as it were.”
“That’s right,” a voice interrupted the group of them, “I’m not much good without my friends after all.”
A lavender Alicorn with a dark purple mane streaked with violet and rose had entered trailed by two other ponies. The first was Rainbow Dash and the other was, Sombra assumed, Applejack. He vaguely recalled seeing the orange, hatted pony in the Crystal Empire before his revival. Behind the three of them was a smaller figure Sombra had nearly missed. It took some effort to keep the scowl from his face as the little Dragon responsible for his first explosive demise entered trailing behind Twilight.
“I didn’t realise we had a guest,” Twilight continued as she stopped in front of him. Sombra noted that, while she hadn’t quite come into her Alicorn stature yet, she still stood a good height over her friends. “My name is Twilight Sparkle, this is my number one assistant Spike. Although I’m afraid you’ve come at a pretty unfortunate time.”
Twilight stuck out her hoof which Sombra curiously shook. She truly was new to her authority, treating with him as an equal when, to her eyes, he should have been a commoner. Nevertheless, Sombra decided to play the part.
Making a small bow, careful to lower his head beneath hers, Sombra ‘introduced’ himself. “I apologise for my unplanned presence. My name is Coal Axiom and I’m afraid I was with Fluttershy running some necessary errands when we were caught up and your friends thought it best for me to accompany them rather than to leave me floundering in an unfamiliar town.”
“Oh! I thought you might be new,” Twilight smiled graciously, “well, welcome to Ponyville. Wait, you said you were out with Fluttershy?”
Twilight glanced questioningly at the quiet Pegasus standing comfortably by Sombra’s side who smiled demurely and repeated the now-familiar story they had been telling. “Coal is a scholar here from the Crystal Empire to study the Everfree forest, I offered him room and board at my cottage so he could do his work in peace and quiet.”
Sombra watched Twilight’s eyes grow wide with delight. “A scholar?!” she almost shouted before turning back to Sombra. “You’re an Imperial Scholar! Oh, gosh, I just… I have so many questions. I would love to get your perspective on the latest magical innovations, and you just have got to tell me what the Imperial College was like in its heyday! Do you have any published papers I could read?!”
With every sentence Twilight got closer and closer to Sombra until they were practically muzzle to muzzle. Thankfully a lasso appeared around Twilight’s barrel and dragged her back. Sombra had begun to fear for his virtue, or whatever was left of it anyway.
“Woah there, sugarcube,” Applejack laughed as she reigned her overeager friend in. “Ah’m sure Mister Axiom’d love to talk shop with ya but ah was under the impression we were here for somethin’ important?”
“Oh, yeah, right,” Twilight lost her carefree expression completely, her face taking a far more serious mein that immediately got everypony’s attention. “Girls, we’ve got a serious problem. I just heard from Cadence a few hours ago…. King Sombra has returned.”
Sombra felt a shock and chill run down his spine and settle in his gut at her words and, glancing over at Fluttershy he saw her ears had shot up and her eyes had gone wide. She glanced over at him with stark terror in her gaze. Mastering himself, Sombra gave her a confident smirk and a nod. She visibly calmed, a little of the tension leaving her wings and withers. He wasn’t sure why he had comforted her, but it felt better that she wasn’t so worried now.
Everypony else on the other hoof were not so fortunate.
“What?!” Rainbow shouted, “seriously? We blew the guy up! Literally blew him up!”
“Damn shadowy varmint,” Applejack scowled as she began rolling up her lasso.
Rarity gave a contemptuous snort. “That slaving ruffian just does not know when to back out gracefully, does he?”
“I did say it was an ‘emergency’,” Spike said, his slightly chubby features making his angry expression look more petulant than anything.
“Don’t worry! We’ve can zip up there, fire the friendship cannon, and BOOM!” Pinkie’s irascible humor seemed to diffuse some the tension.
“Pinkie, I really wish you wouldn’t call it the ‘Friendship Cannon’,” Twilight said with the kind of dull frustration in her voice that suggested that she had made this request before and fully expected it to be ignored again. 
“U-uhm, are you sure it’s Sombra?” Fluttershy piped in finally. “I mean, he seemed pretty gone to me back then.”
Sombra couldn’t help but admire Fluttershy’s ability to say something perfectly true and perfectly misleading. He couldn’t have done it better himself. Twilight, though, just nodded as she turned to the two of them.
“Well, Cadence said that a great pillar of shadow and smoke was seen in the northern ice fields last evening, and again in the pre-dawn this morning, only further out, by Pegasi scouts,” Twilight remarked with a dark look on her face. “So unless you can think of another creature that moves around using dark magic in a shifting form-”
“Quite a few spring to mind, actually,” Sombra said, before bringing his hoof to his mouth, as if he were ashamed of his sudden interruption. A plan was already forming in his head. Besides, the shadow obviously wasn’t him. Bowing in abject apology, Sombra lowered his eyes from Twilight, “I’m terribly sorry, Princess, I spoke out of turn.”
“N-no, it’s okay,” Twilight said, a hint of relief seeping into her voice, “please, I want to hear what you have to say.”
Standing up straighter, Sombra affected a look of embarrassment before continuing. “W-well, you said the subject traveled in a cloud of shadow and, given that Miss Dash is right," to which the cocky Pegasus gave a smug nod, "and Lord Sombra was destroyed quite thoroughly, I think it’s a bit rash to leap to the conclusion that he somehow survived. There are plenty of creatures that use shadows to move after all.”
Concentrating on a point back in Fluttershy’s cottage, Sombra found himself quite thankful that he had retrieved this particular book from his stash as he teleported it to his side. The drain was small but annoyingly noticeable. Flipping it open, Sombra continued speaking. “For instance, it could be an Umbral Shambler or any other of a number of Photovores. The minor and lesser variants of the Shade Golems constructed by Lord Sombra during the Second Shadow War also had inconstant forms that would match the description you gave. It could even be a Sun Dog, as they travel in a shadow-like fog, although close inspection with a magical scanning spell would be needed to reveal its form and the telltale halos around its head.” Glancing back up he gave the surprised mares a perfectly unassuming smile. “And those are just the ones I could think of off the top of my head. I’m sure there a number of more exotic creatures I haven’t considered. After all, the Arctic North is a habitat for Umbral and Penumbral beasts given its extremely limited exposure to sunlight and I would hate for my homeland to devolve into a panic because the Princess jumped to conclusions, justified though her fears may be.”
“That… actually makes a lot of sense,” Twilight said, her voice betraying a mixture of surprise, confusion, and relief. “I should send a reply to Cadence letting her know that there are other possibilities before she makes a rash announcement or declares a state of emergency.” 
Excellent, that will buy me plenty of time, Sombra mused as he gave a small nod. Although I do wonder what is currently haunting the little pink nuisance sitting on my throne. Maybe I opened one of my vaults while I was in my frenzy? Ha, that would be delightful.
“Well, I’m glad my expertise could set your mind at ease, your Grace,” Sombra gave another small bow as Twilight blushed furiously.
“P-please, just call me Twilight,” she said waving a hoof frantically. “I know Alicorns are supposed to be semi-divine or something but to be honest I still just feel like a regular pony.”
“That’s hardly proper, darling,” Rarity remarked from Sombra’s side. “Amongst us I understand but Coal is right to treat you with the respect due to royalty. That is something you will have to get used to after all.”
“Celestia doesn’t seem to care,” Rainbow quipped, floating a few feet above the group.
“Princess Celestia has ruled for over a thousand years,” Rarity retorted. “Her authority is unquestioned. Twilight has been a Princess for less than a year. She has to establish herself.”
As the two argued, Sombra watched Twilight out of the corner of his eye inch closer and closer to him until she could crane her neck just slightly to get a look at the book he was holding. It was endearing, in a sense. Twilight was certainly not what Sombra had envisioned as the leader of this motley group. In a sense he felt a kinship with her, actually. Twilight seemed to share his innate love of knowledge and the pursuit thereof. 
“Is… is that,” Twilight’s voice was low with awe. “Is that a copy of the Bestiarum Malefica?!!” 
Sombra’s ears folded back as Twilight nearly screamed the last two words. “Ah, y-yes, it is.”
Twilight looked as though she was barely restraining herself from tearing the book out of his grip. “Incredible! There are scholars who think this book doesn’t even really exist! It’s only even mentioned or referenced in a half-dozen Pre-Nightmare texts. There’s never been any real proof the book ever actually existed and now it’s inches in front of me!”
Glancing over at Fluttershy, he saw her stifling laughter. Twilight was looking at the book with the kind of glazed expression one would normally reserve for a soulmate or lover. Sombra was vaguely worried that if he took his eyes off it he might look back to find the book and Twilight in a compromising position and no amount of potential blackmail would bleach that particular mental image from his mind.
“Twi, ah think yer scarin’ the poor fella,” Applejack reigned Twilight back yet again before turning to Sombra. “Sorry ‘bout that partner, Twi’s a mite excitable over dusty old books but that ain’t no excuse for bad manners. The name’s Applejack, put’er there.” 
The solidly built earth pony mare stuck out her hoof with the kind of forthcoming directness that Sombra found oddly nostalgic of his childhood. His family and neighbors had been much the same.
“Coal Axiom,” he answered, taking her hoof and shaking, “a pleasure to meet you you Miss Apple.”
“Aw shucks, just Applejack is fine,” she answered with a good-natured chuckle. “Gotta say ya'll're a pretty big fella fer a professor.” Applejack's gaze took a more critical turn. Sombra couldn't say he was surprised.
"Applejack!" Fluttershy started, before Sombra held up a hoof and giving Fluttershy a small smile. 
“It's quite alright,” Sombra answered, before turning back to Applejack. “That's because I don’t hold professorship with the Imperial college. I’m a research scholar. I study plants and animals with magical natures and write papers on them. I don’t think I’m suited for being tied down to a lecture hall. Far too, as you say, stuffy. My work requires me to travel regularly and that suits me well, I think.”
“Huh, well ah guess that makes sense," Applejack answered. She still wore a thin smile, but Sombra could feel the edge on it. "Too bad ya'll weren't around during the first Crystal Empire fiasco. Coulda used a smart fella like yerself."
"Well, I'm afraid my mind wasn't quite my own at the time," Sombra replied with a wry smile, "I'm sure you recall."
Applejack gave a perfunctory nod. "Yeah, ah suppose that whole memory thing woulda put a damper on it. Where were ya'll during the Equestria Games, outta curiosity?"
Sombra could tell that the other mares were beginning to get uncomfortable. He just had to keep stringing Applejack along long enough to satisfy her. Preferably before she punched a hole in the one problematic area of his story, namely what happened between his first return and his true revival.
"I had already left the Empire by that point, I believe," Sombra answered, affecting a tone of pensive concentration. "I took a sojourn out into the icy north to see what had changed amongst the flora and fauna of my homeland before setting out into greater Equestria."
Applejack quirked an eyebrow. "Out in that frozen wasteland? Alone?"
A rainbow blur interposed itself between Sombra and Applejack, cutting Sombra off before he could respond. "Hey, AJ, what's with the third degree? Coal's cool, so what's up?"
"Ah'm just gettin to know the fella," Applejack replied hastily. "If'n he's gonna be livin' with Fluttershy especially. Landsakes Rainbow, I'd'a thought you'd be a mite more concerned."
"Hey, I talked to the guy!" Rainbow gestured vaguely toward Sombra. "He seemed solid. Being loyal also means trusting people and I trust Fluttershy, okay?"
Applejack responded with a stiff nod. "Alright, alright, ah reckon that's a fair call." Turning to Sombra, she tipped her hat. "Sorry 'bout that partner, just mah protective instincts rearin' up. Hope I didn't put ya off too bad. We're all o'us a bit protective of Fluttershy."
“I’ll… bear that in mind,” Sombra answered before turning away. 
He felt another headache coming on and by the throb near his horn it was not going to be a small one. Why was his magic taking so long to return? He hadn’t expected to able to manage the feats of power he had possessed at his height but teleporting a two pound tome that bore his own personal touches less than two miles shouldn’t have drained him so badly. As he looked back up at the young mares who, apparently, jointly ruled the countryside, he wondered if there wasn’t something inherent about the area hindering his magic. He wondered if it was causing his headaches as well.
“Girls, I’d love to stay but I have a lot of work to catch up on,” Fluttershy interjected, drawing Sombra’s gaze. She glanced at him with concern in her eyes. “Plus, Coal needs to finish setting up the guest room he’s renting out. Didn’t you have some work you needed to finish today?”
She directed the last question at him and he gave her a small, thankful smile. My fortune in finding this mare may very well have used up whatever luck has kept me going this long.
“Yes, I do,” Sombra answered quickly. “It was lovely meeting all of you, but I do have responsibilities, I’m sure you understand, your Grace.”
“Oh, yes, I… I do,” Twilight said, clearly a little unhappy. “But I would love to speak with you when you’re more settled. Consider my castle doors open to you at any time. If you need reference material I possess one of the best libraries outside of the Royal Archives.”
“I deeply appreciate the offer, your Grace,” Sombra replied magnanimously, etching a deep bow.  As he raised his head and turned to leave with Fluttershy Sombra quickly scanned the room. Rainbow was in conversation with Pinkie who waved good-bye, a sentiment he returned. He had a very material reason to stay in the pink cook’s good graces if he wanted more of those scones. Rarity winked and offered a quick ‘have a safe walk’, as she turned back to Twilight who had begun dictating a letter to Spike, probably to the usurper. Applejack caught his eye though, she was still looking at him curiously despite her apology, her eyes slightly narrowed.
I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised that the Element of Honesty regards me with suspicion, though she did an excellent job of hiding it if so, Sombra thought as he turned his back on the small group. It’s far too risky to try any subtle magics to sway her mind this close to an Alicorn. Besides, the mouse’s descriptions of her friends marked that one as the least susceptible to my powers, best not to try it til I’m stronger. She won’t act with all of her friends poised against her. Five out of Six isn’t a bad number after all. Miss Apple likely won’t make a move unless she’s sure and so long as I stick to the plan, by the time she’s sure I’ll be long gone.
As they left the castle, Sombra took a deep breath of the clean morning air before turning on the road to head back to the cottage with Fluttershy by his side. 
“You have my thanks for the timely extraction, mouse,” Sombra spoke cooly, his reserved and imperious demeanor returning with the lack of witnesses. 
Fluttershy’s ears flicked slightly, and she gave a small bow. “Of course, your Majesty. I can get you more painkillers when we get back to the cottage.”
“Good,” Sombra replied, wincing slightly as his head twinged. “In addition you will keep me apprised of this ‘Shadow’ in the Crystal Empire. I want to know what is threatening my former kingdom.”
Fluttershy nodded. “As you say, your Majesty.”
If it’s one of mine, then all is well, Sombra thought darkly. If not… 
Sombra thought back to the damaged Gate of Horn. There were no shortage of dangers that could threaten a dreamwalker, but if one had escaped into the Material realm then he would have far more problems on his hooves. 
No King rises without making enemies and not all enemies can be slain.

++

The walk back to the cottage was uneventful, aside from Sombra’s occasional twitches and grunts of pain. Fluttershy found herself getting worried. The headache last night was small and easily understood, today was different though. Sombra had barely used any magic beyond basic telekinesis and hadn’t done anything more strenuous than a leisurely walk. Despite that, the Master’s headache seemed many times worse than it was last night.
There you go again calling him Master, Fluttershy thought to herself as she did her chores. It wasn’t quite noon but she was very behind due to the emergency meeting Twilight had called. You need to stop thinking of him that way, he’s not your master he’s an evil sorcerer.
That’s not quite fair is it? Evil is a strong word after all. Tirek had been evil, Chrysalis had been thoroughly evil. Even Nightmare Moon had been evil after a fashion, although she was crazy at the time so maybe that was a gray area. But Discord had never been evil, just bored and omnipotent. Fluttershy considered that she would have once labeled Sombra with the others, but now that she was getting to know him she realised that wasn’t as true as she had thought. Sombra, for all of his merciless nature and frankly disturbing ability to lie, still cleaved to a code of honor and willingly held himself up to himself principles of behaviour. Fluttershy could still recall her surprise from yesterday (was it really only yesterday?) when Sombra had declared that he would not stoop to breaking her mind or forcing her to do something uncouth solely based on his honor. The Tyrant she had learned about didn’t fit that mold very well. The mind enslavement part fit him to a ‘T’ of course, but to be honest she was surprised by how little he had actually used it. 
It helps that you’re so accommodating, her mind treacherously whispered back to her. 
Well, what was she supposed to do? Fight him and suffer? Then he wouldn’t trust her, and if he didn’t trust her at least a little then she would never be able to reform him. That and she would just get hurt while he would still be recovering. No, whatever the case this was still the best avenue to handle the situation. Fluttershy wasn’t going to fool herself, though. He was dangerously charming and Rarity, ever the romantic, had picked up on that. Suggesting that he was smitten with her though was probably a misread on the Unicorn’s part though. No, not probably, almost certainly.
It was a little past noon when Fluttershy trotted back into her cottage. She took a moment to wash her face and hooves before preparing lunch. She didn’t know if Sombra would be awake but it would be rude not to at least be ready. He had gone to lie down after they had gotten home and she hadn’t heard from him since, although it had only been a few hours. Fixing a few simple sandwiches and a glass of lemonade, Fluttershy balanced the food on a small tray and carried it back to his room. Silently she pushed the door open and entered to find Sombra lying with his back to her on the mattress. The room was dark despite the noon sun, with the curtains pulled tightly closed. There were only a few thin beams of light providing some dim illumination. Doing her best not to wake him, Fluttershy moved to the small end table near him and slid the tray down onto it soundlessly.
“Even you are not that quiet, mouse,” came Sombra’s rumbling voice. Fluttershy squeaked in surprise as Sombra rolled over and up to look at her.
His eyes were back to their normal shade, that strange and hypnotic roiling green, indigo, and black that spoke of his strange and terrible powers. Thankfully his body had returned to normal, gone was Coal Axiom’s mortal dimensions, replaced by the Master’s titanic frame and wickedly curved horn.
Thankfully? Her mind whispered. What exactly are you thankful for?
“I’m sorry if I woke you, your Majesty,” Fluttershy bowed, keeping her thoughts off of her face. “I brought you some lunch. Are you feeling any better?”
“Some, yes,” Sombra responded before levitating one of the sandwiches to him and examining it. For a moment Fluttershy was afraid she’d done something wrong, but then he said, “aren’t you hungry too, mouse?”
The question caught Fluttershy off guard. “Oh, uhm, yes, I suppose I am. I was just going to go make myself something after you finished though.”
“I see,” he answered. “And if I told you that I wished for you to eat here and now, with me?”
Fluttershy opened her mouth to respond that it wouldn’t be proper but her mind caught up before she spoke. Rethinking things, she said instead, “I… would like that, your Majesty. If you don’t mind of course.”
This was important, Fluttershy could feel it. He had asked her to stay and she wanted to know why. At his nod she moved a little closer to the mattress and retrieved one of the sandwiches for herself and began eating quietly. The silence was deafening as they ate in a strained sort of quiet, Fluttershy considered it to be one of the most awkward lunch dates she’d ever been a part of. Sombra seemed unwilling to break the ice further but Fluttershy wasn’t willing to lose this opportunity. There was no telling if he would let propriety slip this much again.
“Was the Crystal Empire really once as small as Ponyville, your Majesty?” Her voice cut neatly through the silence and sounded too loud to her ears. But, then again, everything sounded a bit too loud to her. Sombra was silent for several moments, apparently finding great interest in the remaining crust of his second sandwich, before answering. 
“It was,” he said, his voice unusually soft. “It was very small indeed, in fact. Although as a foal I thought it quite grand I suppose. I could see the palace from the roof of my family’s little home. I recall how much I treasured the rare nights when the skies were clear and the moon was bright. On those nights the Crystal Palace seemed to shine and dance in the moonlight.”
“That sounds wonderful,” Fluttershy said softly. She remembered wondering what Sombra had been like before he was king. Perhaps her imagination hadn’t been far off.
“Most of all I remember the cold, though,” Sombra continued, his voice still soft but Fluttershy could hear a hint of strain in it. Or sorrow. “My family was… very poor. Everypony was unless you were a Cadenza.” He spat the last name with such bile that Fluttershy recoiled. His features softened as he saw, though. “I apologise, my memories of the royal family are cruel ones. There was very little food and even less warmth in those days. We all slept huddled together, my mother and father along with my two brothers and four sisters, out of necessity. In winter it was not uncommon for the weak and sickly, the very young, or the very old, to not wake up at all.”
Fluttershy felt tears on her face. She could hear the bitterness in her voice and it cut into her heart. “Why?” she croaked out, “why didn’t the royal family help?”
“There was naught they could do,” Sombra answered darkly. “They were Alicorns in name and body only, it seemed. A little stronger than the average Pegasus, Earth Pony, and Unicorn, but they were not gods. They could not conjure food, so we starved. They could provide no warmth that was not snuffed in moments by the chill winds, so we froze. Not that many of them cared to try, anyway.”
Fluttershy cringed at the resurging bitterness in his voice but, for once, she couldn’t find it in herself to blame him. “What about the Heart?” 
Sombra scoffed quietly. “The Crystal Heart was not yet even a pipe dream, mouse. It was not crafted until I was a stallion grown.”
“Oh,” was all Fluttershy could say. “What did you do, then?”
“The only thing I could,” Sombra answered, “I endured. As I have always endured. As I shall continue to endure through any indignity, through any torment, and through any hardship. A King always endures, it is what gives us the right to rule.”
“I… don’t think anypony has the right to rule,” Fluttershy said softly before cringing in the expectation of another jolt of pain like earlier that morning. When it didn’t come she looked up and saw him waiting and watching her expectantly. Working up her courage she continued. “I think… someponies do have a responsibility, though.”
“And what do you imagine is the difference?” Sombra rumbled, his sandwich floating almost forgotten beside him.
Fluttershy thought about his question for several moments before coming to an answer, though she knew it would probably displease him. “I think that if you believe that you’re responsible for somepony then it’s a burden, but you take it on because you want them to be better. To live better lives. But if you believe it’s a right then all that matters is that you think that you’re better. They don’t matter at all in that case, your Majesty.”
“How astute,” Sombra murmured. “I suppose there is some merit to your argument.”
That surprised Fluttershy. “R-really?”
Sombra nodded. “In respect to most leaders I would say you are quite right. But do not forget that I am better, mouse. There is not a single living Crystal pony who does not owe me their lives, not that anypony bothered to remember that in the end.”
For a moment Fluttershy felt confused. Conflicted even. On the surface it sounded as though Sombra was just indulging in the same self-aggrandizement that the stories ascribed to him. The Sombra that Fluttershy knew, though, was nothing like that. He didn’t even sound angry over the matter. Instead it was more like bitterness over an old wound.
“How do they owe you their lives?” Fluttershy asked, inching a little closer. To her surprise Sombra scooted over and, not willing to turn down his willingness to open up, she joined him on the mattress. “Will you tell me, your Majesty?”
Sombra’s expression turned distant and contemplative again. It was one that Fluttershy had learned to like, actually. An aspect of the dark king she didn’t feel bad about liking either. The expression restored some of his equinity. It was the Sombra that Fluttershy was trying to bring the surface. In her opinion it made him more handsome, too, giving him a resting almost-leonine aspect that she wasn’t the least bit ashamed to say she found attractive. His cruelty stole much of that from him.
“I never did tell you what my mark meant.” Sombra said in response. Glancing back Fluttershy looked at the strange rune on his flank. “It is a conglomeration of three symbols, you see.” 
Sparking his horn, he created three distinct shapes made from shimmering green light floating in front of the two of them. Fluttershy examined each one in turn. The first on the left was a horned circle on a small cross, the second in the middle was an empty triangle on a larger cross, while the third and final symbol on the right was a simple bisected circle.
Sombra pointed his hoof at the leftmost symbol. “That is the ancient alchemical symbol for the Spirit, or what modernists called the Mind, the next,” he said pointing at the middle symbol, “means Soul, while the final symbol is for the Body.” Each symbol wavered for a moment for moving and blending together, when they solidified again there was only one symbol: Sombra’s cutie mark.
“It means that I am in harmony with myself,” Sombra explained, “my mind, body, and soul are in unity. Many scholars neglect their body, while the strong often neglect their minds. Both tend to neglect the needs of their soul. Even as a foal I bent the whole of my being towards one goal, I had uncommon drive I suppose and, like a foal, my goal was equally absurd. I wanted to end the endless winter with my own hooves. Something I proudly and loudly declared to my family.” Fluttershy couldn’t help but laugh a little at the mental image of a tiny, foal-sized Sombra hopping up on a chair and proclaiming that he would end winter and save the Empire. 
Sombra huffed and Fluttershy leaned back against him, resting her head at the crook of his neck. “I’m sorry your Majesty, I didn’t mean to laugh, but that’s really adorable.” A part of her was surprised at her bravery, but this position felt almost… natural. The strength and size of his body, combined with his warmth, was comfortable.
“That as may be,” Sombra grumbled, “I never lost that notion, though. Even at the very end, when things were at their very worst."
Not thinking, Fluttershy snuggled in closer and looked up at the King who was too lost in memories to be troubled by her boldness. “What happened?”
“It was the winter that came in my thirtieth year. And it was the worst we had ever seen…”
> Memoirs of a King
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	
Chapter 8



~ Eight hundred and forty years before Nightmare Moon ~

The winds howled furiously around the cloaked and bundled stallion that was carving his way through the snowdrift surrounding the towering crystal spire at the edge of the Imperial Capital’s municipal border. Only his horn could be seen; a long, straight, black spiral lit with a red glow, as a crimson plow made from telekinetic force drove away the heaviest snows from in front of him. The pony finally breached the magical field that was just barely keeping the snow away from Weather Spire Seven’s entrance. Staggering against the door, the pony nearly tore it off its hinges in an effort to get out of the terrible weather. The inside of the spire was stifling compared to the storm outside but, in reality, the pony knew it was probably only forty or so degrees.shaking off the snow that had collected on the heavy woolen cloak, he pulled the snowblind goggles off along with the cowl to let a ragged obsidian mane fall tumble down.
“Is anyone there?” he roared, stepping out of the vestibule that barred off the outer atmosphere from the delicate workings of the inner spire. 
The sound of hooves thunder down the hall outside the room met his ears followed by an off-gray Crystal mare. Misty Frost, head of Spire Seven and a genial, kind-hearted Crystal Earth Pony in the latter half of forty winters. She bore them well, still possessing a grace and enthusiasm that would have suited a mare half her age.
“Magistrate Sombra! How did you manage to get here in that horrible storm?” Misty cried out, unlocking the inner doors and ushering him in. “We had all assumed the monthly report would just have be shelved until the blizzard blew itself out.”
“Oh, you know me Misty,” Sombra chuckled dryly. “Nothing gets my quartz up like the heady and exciting goings-on of the weather tower reports. Why, what would I even do with my month without those riveting eighty pages?”
“You’re awful, Ere',” Misty choked out between laughs, “absolutely incorrigible. How a young buck like you ever got to be a Magistrate I will never know.”
“Oh that’s a lie,” Sombra retorted as they walked down the hall towards the main working stations. “You know it’s because I’m the best, after all.”
“Mm, well, I can’t deny that,” Misty responded. “When they told us three years back that our old Magistrate had passed and his replacement wasn’t even out of his twenties I thought one us must have pissed in one of the Cadenza’s brandy decanters to get that crap assignment. Who knew we’d end up with the most effective Magistrate in the court.”
“Oh I’m certain they thought you were getting a crap assignment, my dear,” Sombra replied with a thin smile. “But then again, everypony always did underestimate me.”
Misty bumped her rump against Sombra’s good-naturedly and chuckled. “Well we certainly did. I still regret the cold welcome we gave you on your first visit.”
Pushing open the swinging doors, Misty cantered into the wide, hemispherical working area of the Spire known colloquially as the ‘stable’. Embossed on the wall was the number seven. Seven of seven. The northernmost weather spire of the Crystal Empire and widely considered the coldest, most miserable post in all of the region. Half of the workers were considered wild cards or troublemakers while the rest were politically minded ponies who had established themselves as equis non grata to a Cadenza or somepony else equivalently stuffed up their own plot. Sombra was among those so-called ‘troublemakers' too. None of the older generations of Magistrates liked the idea of the young prodigy and upstart making trouble and enough of the Cadenza’s agreed with them to make things difficult for the dark-coated stallion. Sombra strongly suspected that he had only been granted his position as Magistrate because some icicle-sucker on the council figured a young up-and-comer would be easy to manipulate. He had graduated at twenty-five from the Imperial College with two Advanced Principles in Crystal Magic and Law; a practically unheard of feat of intellect. He had even been granted honors by the Royal family themselves. However, the next two years he spent attempting to introduce a record-breaking amount of legislation aimed at reforming an antiquated monarchical system that left the Crystal Ponies of the surrounding town in a perpetual state of destitution. He had made a great deal of enemies and, when he was twenty-seven, he had been ‘promoted’ to oversee one of the weather spires. Spire Seven. Sombra recognized a dead-end post when he saw one but he took it anyway, determined to make something of it.
“How’s my favorite band of bent-backed miscreants?” Sombra announced as he entered the room. Four tired ponies, a skeleton crew for a Spire, all looked up with pricked ears at the new arrival and moments later Sombra was swarmed by the Ponies of Spire Seven.
Greetings were exchanged and the bustle quickly died down to a more jovial atmosphere. Sombra was unusual in that the Spireponies considered him one of them. Most of the Spireponies hated their Magistrate with a passion but Sombra had put an unusual amount of effort into making sure his crew was taken care of; pushing through requests for funding, repairs, and the like, in addition to doggedly making his way up to the Spire once, or sometimes twice, a month for the weather report rather than ordering one them to make the trip to him. His ready willingness to take on his share of the burden endeared him to the hard-working ponies quickly.
A sapphire coated crystal unicorn stallion, pranced up to Sombra and threw a hug around his wiry shoulders. “Erebos, it’s been way too long! Nopony thought you’d come up in this weather. You know we wouldn’t have blamed you if you hadn’t right?”
Sombra returned the friendly embrace. “Well, good thing it’s not up to you, Azure. Then again if it was I’d probably end up as lazy as my predecessor,” there was a smattering light-hearted chuckles at that before Sombra loudly cleared his throat. “So, what are we looking at here? I should start compiling that report as soon as possible.”
Azure Eye gave a stiff nod and floated over a pile of papers, flipping what Sombra had come to think of as his ‘professional’ switch. “It’s bad news all around. Every time one cell blows itself out another crops up to take its place. We’ve never seen the like. Worst of all. and most inexplicably, the winds seem to be blowing down from the Crown of Equus but there’s no known weather phenomenon that could account for that.”
Sombra felt a chill run down his spine at Azure’s words that had nothing to do with the weather. “What’s the forecast on the storm ending?”
Azure’s gaze flicked over the pages nervously before answering. “Best estimates puts it at two weeks out.”
“Ponyfeathers,” Sombra retorted evenly, his ears flicking in irritation. “I know that look, Azure. Don’t give me the mushroom treatment, what’s the real forecast.”
“Sir, we’ve never seen a storm like this, it’s acting in a way that defies our expertise and-” Azure cut himself off at Sombra’s stony glare.
Snorting, Sombra fixed his eyes firmly on Azure before panning his gaze over the other four Spireponies. “We’ve been friends for three years. I know each and every one of your names, I know your families, your kids, I know each of one of you and that means I know that you lot are the most competent damn crew in this sunforsaken wasteland. I don’t believe for a second that the lot of you haven’t come up with a working theory. I thought you’d respect me enough to share it with me but I suppose I was wrong.”
“Sombra…” Misty put her hoof on his withers before letting out a low sigh and turning to Azure. “Tell him, Az.”
“Misty, he can’t bring this back to the Empire,” Azure responded darkly. “It’s complete speculation and, worse, they’ll use it to string him up by his horn.”
“Azure, I gave you an order,” Misty said in a low, deadly voice, her eyes narrowing. Azure cringed back but finally nodded.
“Well, you asked for it,” he said dolefully before pulling up a few scrolls and handing them over to Sombra. “By all accounts there’s no sign that the cells will stop forming. We can’t detect any significant degradation in the windforce, temperature, or size of the child cells to the point that they are, as good as makes no difference, identical to their parent cells.”
Sombra’s eyes widened with every word as he examined the raw data they had given him. “This… are you saying this storm will never end, Az?”
Letting out a sigh, Azure shrugged. “Theoretically it would have to end sometime. Conservation of energy dictates that much. But… basically yeah. Unless something intervenes then I speculate that this storm will overwhelm the towers within a month. Without their magic the town will probably succumb within a week-to-two-weeks depending on the weather pegasi. The Crystal Palace will probably be buried a month later. Fortunately, I suspect most of the pink pansies will have starved by that point.”
Each of the Spireponies were watching the exchange by now, and Sombra saw the same expression on each of their faces. Grim resignation. They all knew about this, probably had known it for over a week. They had all put on a cheery show for him when he showed up so that he would swallow their lie. Even if they did it for him it still hurt. They wanted him to think everything was okay so that he wouldn’t be blamed for when things went to Tartarus. 
Setting the scrolls down, Sombra rubbed the bridge of his muzzle. “Alright, I’m bringing this to the Magistrate Council, but you aren’t wrong. They’ll never accept speculation. I’m going to prove you all right and then, hopefully, we’ll get some actual decisions out of those powderheads. I need a place to work, is my office open?”
“I’ll unlock it for you,” Misty said, moving towards the hallway. “Everypony else get back to work, Sombra is going to need all the data we can give him if he’s gonna polish this frozen turd, you hear?”
A chorus of ‘Yes Ma’am’ sounded from the tired workers as Sombra and Misty left the stable. He followed her down the hall and took a right at the vestibule. Further down was a set of offices, each of which were locked up mostly from disuse. Ostensibly, every Magistrate had an office in their Spire but they went unused so often that most Spireponies converted them to extra storage space for various materials. Sombra was one of the only ones who actually worked in his on occasion. Reaching up to rifle through her mane, Misty pulled out a small, worn key and slid it into the lock in the leftmost office, turning it with a dull clunk. 
It was dusty but serviceable. There were a pair of desks crammed into the small space and a few chairs along with a large shelf for storing scrolls and tomes. Laying out the scrolls that Azure Eye had given him, Sombra maneuvered around to sit behind his desk, pulling out several blank scrolls to make notations and equations on. 
“You don’t have to do this you know,” Misty said, sliding in to sit across from the dark-coated young stallion bent over the ominous reports. “You could still take the other report back. Maybe advise them to shore up the windbreakers around the outer perimeter to give the town more time. I’m sure this winter will blow itself out eventually.”
“I’m not taking that chance, Misty,” Sombra answered, not looking up from his work. “I have no reason to doubt any of you up here in Spire Seven. If you say the theory is sound then I’m going to prove you’re right so that we can do something about it.” Glancing up he caught Misty’s blue gaze with his own fiery amber orbs. “And I’m certainly not leaving my friends up here in this sunforsaken outpost to freeze to death when the stormwall overwhelms the municipal border.”
Misty gave Sombra a tired smile. “You’re a good stallion, Ere’. Too good for politics, you know that?”
“I can name at least three of my rivals that would piss themselves laughing at you calling me ‘too nice’,” Sombra answered wryly, marking down an arcane equation only to scowl at the result.
“You could have just gone into academia, you know,” Misty said softly, her gaze taking on a distant quality. “You’re the brightest star the Imperial College has had in centuries, maybe ever. A professorship would have been your for the taking.”
“Bah, much too boring,” Sombra responded with a laugh. “Those old graymanes at the College spend all their time arguing about obscure lore. They never accomplish anything new.”
Misty shrugged. “You could have gotten an advantageous marriage, then. You’re young, handsome, and brilliant. Plenty of noble houses would have fought to marry off one of their daughters to you. Still would in fact.”
Sombra smirked, shaking his head. “You know I’d never leave you, Misty. You can reject me all you want but my heart will always belong in your cold, surly, angry hooves.”
Shaking her head, Misty let out a tired sigh. “You have a witty quip for everything don’t you, Ere’?” Her eyes were sad as she reached over and knocked her hoof against the scrolls. “You know we’re staring at the end of the Empire here, right? Unless we get a miracle and the storm suddenly breaks of its own accord it’ll swallow up everything in two months time, and that’s being generous.”
“I don’t believe in endings like that, Misty” Sombra answered stonily. “This kingdom may have problems but I refuse to let it die like this. I will find a way to end this storm and then I’ll find a way to end winter itself.”
Misty’s smile was small and wan. “If I were ten years younger…”
“And not facing the end of the world?” Sombra retorted, his grim humor still running strong. Misty let out a harsh laugh and nodded.
“I’ll go see what the grunts dug up,” Misty said by way of response, getting up from the seat. “Black Snow and Winter Dreams were working on some theories. Maybe we lucked out and they’ve come up with something.”
Sombra grunted in response, already back in his world of scrolls and data trying to piece together a fragment of sense in the logic-defying storm that howled outside the walls of Spire Seven. He was in the same state when Misty returned half an hour later with a ration bar made from frost lichen, one of the only stable food sources in the Empire, and the promised data. He barely acknowledged her as she set them down within hoof’s reach. She was familiar with his mannerisms though. Enough to know not to disturb Sombra when he was deep in thought and deeper in his work. Four hours later, when Misty returned to check up on Sombra, the scrolls were all neatly arrayed around him and several additional scrolls hung suspended in the air orbiting the dark stallion. Each one was covered in equations, notes, markings, and diagrams. Misty didn’t bother going into the room, just poking her head in. She did notice that, as per usual, his ration bar was still completely untouched.
Five days later, Sombra was at his wits end.
“This makes no sense!” Sombra roared, hurling yet another failed set of calculations across his office to bang against the door. The graying mare sighed from where she sat at her desk, and shook her head.
“We did warn you,” Misty remarked. “The storm defies all natural and magical laws. The ruptured leyline theory was particularly inspired, though. I’m a little surprised that wasn’t the root of it in the end.”
“It all added up until the end, too!” Sombra vented, stalking around the small office. “The constantly refreshing storm cells, the force and power of the storm, all up until we got those readings on arcane particle density. Not only was the ratio not dense enough to suggest a ruptured leyline, the density was actually at an all-time low! How is that even possible!”
Misty shrugged. “I’m sorry Ere', I am. We were all so sure it was the right line and inquiry. Sometimes there are just things that happen, though. Maybe this storm is just divine karma or some other justice.”
Sombra snorted in disdain. “Horseapples, the only ones who might’ve earned a rebuke of this magnitude would be the royals and where’s the sense in wiping us all out with them?”
“The spirits are hardly picky,” Misty retorted.
“Spirits… bah,” Sombra shook his dark mane. It had become matted and heavy since he started working. On a lark he sniffed himself and recoiled. “Then again, maybe my body odor is offending them. How are you withstanding this stench, my dear?”
“You smell like roses compared to some of the stallions in this station when they get on a work binge, Magistrate,” Misty answered wryly. “Compared to me too, actually. Now go, take a shower, get some food. You’ll work yourself into a torpor otherwise and then you’ll be no good to anyone. Shoo!”
Misty waved her both hooves at him from where she sat and earned a chuckle from Sombra. A small victory given his increasingly dour mood. “Very well, I will return in an hour and set to work again, though.”
“Naturally,” was Misty’s only response as he left the confines of the office.
As Sombra trotted down the halls towards the residency section, which was really just another featureless hall with a collection of bunkrooms and a communal bathroom at the far end, and turned over ideas about the apocalyptic snowstorm roaring outside in his mind. Every idea he had came up dry, every postulate disproved, and every solution ended up so much hot air. Sombra knew his time was running out quickly. Even if he determined the source of the storm there was no guarantee that it would be in time to stop the storm from destroying his home, so he begrudged every moment spent away from his desk and calculations. Even he had to agree, though, that he was beginning to run out of ideas. His last one had been less of a shot in the dark and more of a rock tossed by a blind, arthritic colt into an unfathomable abyss, whatever Misty said about it. A rupture in a leyline? That was what he had been reduced to testing? Naturally it had come up dry.
Pushing open the door to the shower stations Sombra trotted to the back end of the room. Only one stall was occupied, albeit by two mares who were rather less interested in showering than they were in each other. Without pausing Sombra snorted.
“Winter, Hope, I should think you two would have better things to do,” he grumbled as he walked past, eliciting two high-pitched squeaks of alarm.
He didn’t begrudge them their actions, if he was being honest. The situation was looking more and more grim by the day and some could only find comfort in distraction. Winter Dreams was Spire Seven’s best scanner, though, and her partner Errant Hope was one of his best storm analysts. He needed them working. Sombra reached the furthest stall and depressed the small floor panel with his hoof and grunted in relief as lukewarm water poured down over him, washing away the grime and sweat that had accumulated over the past few days. 
Perhaps I’m being too harsh on them, Sombra mused as he quickly and roughly scrubbed his mane and tail, carefully working at some of the worst gnarls. They’ve had it more difficult than most in this frozen phallus.
Homosexuals were not looked upon kindly in the Empire. Lots of unpleasant words were bandied about; words like ‘unnatural’ and ‘abomination’. Honestly, though, Sombra couldn’t have cared less one way or the other who a Pony found themselves in love with, but he had ended up aligned against the conservative  members of the Council by dint of his adamance that such Ponies be treated fairly regardless of their preference. Such a small kingdom, he had argued, could hardly afford to judge a Pony by something as inane as sexuality. His impassioned speeches had, ironically, forced the Council to reevaluate their ordinances with consideration of the needs of the Empire as a whole. The end result was a lifting of many restrictions by Royal edict. One of the very few intelligent decisions made by the Cadenza family in Sombra’s opinion. As a result many Ponies had ‘come out’ in celebration; Winter and Hope among them. Sadly such rulings were hardly enough to quell the bigotry of the Council and most found themselves relegated to dead end positions like Spire Seven.
Does this miserable Empire even deserve saving? The treacherous thought had crossed Sombra’s mind more than once. No, I said it before. The whole of the Empire does not deserve to suffer for the mistakes of a few, weak-minded dandies. 
The water began to turn frigid again and Sombra stomped the deactivation plate in annoyance. He had done as he had been asked and, to his irritation, he found that Misty had been right; he was starving. The small actions of cleaning himself had ignited his body’s metabolism. Stepping out from the banks of showers he seized a towel hanging from one of the wall-mounted racks to begin drying himself off.
“Uhm, Magistrate Sombra, sir?”
Sombra peeked out from beneath the towel he had been using to dry his mane at the cream-coated Unicorn mare standing in front of him. “Can I help you, Winter?”
“Is… is this really the end of the Empire?” Her words came out steady but Sombra could hear the quaver in her voice. Her bravery in the face of what might be certain doom was admirable.
Sighing, Sombra shook his mane giving him an almost leonine appearance. “I don’t know, Winter. I’m doing my best but this blasted storm is defying me at every turn.”
Another, higher voice scoffed from across the room. “So then we all die in a frozen heap?” Sombra glanced over at Errant Hope, a petite, light roan Pegasus mare with a chip on her shoulder the size of the Crystal Palace’s east wing, who was busy carefully drying her wings.. “Figures. We finally get some rights and the world up and ends. Well… bright side is that my dad will finally have to meet my marefriend and be civil about it.”
Hope shot Sombra a grim smirk. “Oh?” Sombra answered dryly. “Why is that?”
A loud smack heralded Winter’s right hoof thumping into her forehead. “Because he said he’d be civil to my face when Tartarus froze over,” Winter answered.
Sombra let out a barking laugh. “Well, I can’t say I disagree with that assessment. Too bad we’ll all be Crystal Pony popsicles by the time the conditions are met.”
Hope set her towel back on the rack to dry and cantered over to her marefriend and planted a wet kiss on Winter’s cheek. “Yeah well, no big deal. The world’s always been against us, right? Now it’s just trying a little harder.” Turning back to Sombra, Hope reached out and wrapped her forelegs around his neck and pulled him into a hug. “I never said this but… thank you. Even if the world ended up ending so soon, I’ll always be grateful that you fought for us, for Winter and I. These were still the best few years of my life because I got to live them as myself. I wouldn’t trade that for anything. I don’t know what dark sorcerer I pissed off in a past life to earn an eternal storm, but I’m glad I met you, Magistrate.”
Sombra had gone perfectly still. Hope pulled away, afraid she had overstepped her bounds by hugging her Magistrate. A second later Sombra seemed to snap out of it, a manic grin spreading over his face. 
“THAT’S IT!” Sombra nearly roared, sending both Hope and Winter staggering back several steps before Hope got rubberbanded into Sombra’s crushing embrace. “You’re brilliant! That’s how it’s happening! Everything makes perfect sense!” 
Without another word he dropped Hope and went galloping back to his office, his large frame and heavy hooves preceding him with thunder and leaving two extremely confused but hopeful mares behind him.
Nearly tearing the door to his office from his hinges, Sombra vaulted his desk and crashed down amidst his pile of notes as an extremely wary Misty Frost looked on in confusion. “Sombra? What’s-?” she was cut off by a single raised hoof as several empty scrolls came floating up in front of Sombra followed by a half-dozen quills.
Working at a fevered pace, words occasionally slipped from Sombra’s lips as the sound of scratching quills filled the room. “Yes, yes, this is it… no, ignore the fifth law… calculate the integral sequence… log to the base of… hah! Now invert the generation of particles and… Oh… Oh no.”
“Sombra, what is it?” Misty came out from around her desk and stopped in front of the grim-faced stallion. “What’s wrong?”
“I’m afraid I’ve discovered the source of the storm,” Sombra said in a hollow voice. “Or at the very least I know why it appears to be endless.”
“That’s… not good?” Misty asked in confusion. “Were we too late?”
“To be honest, I’m not sure,” Sombra answered, “but I do know that we drastically overestimated the amount of time we have left. Gather everypony in the Spire into the stable. I need to make an announcement and I don’t particularly want to repeat myself.”
Misty gave him a sharp nod and cantered off to gather up her crew as Sombra glared down at his calculations. They were worse than even Azure’s Worst-Case Scenario. Gathering them up he made his way towards the stable. Seven’s crew was small enough that everypony was gathered in front of him within minutes. Each waited patiently to hear what their Magistrate had come up with. 
Taking a deep breath, Sombra laid out his scrolls before floating them up, each in sequence. “Good news first everypony, I’ve found the source of our mystery storm.”
There was a small cheer that died quickly at Sombra’s expression.
“Unfortunately that is the extent of the good news,” Sombra continued grimly. “The storm is being fueled by magic, but not normal magic. That’s why we weren’t detecting it using our normal instruments. Not only that but it’s being created deliberately. I know this because the storm is being fueled by Dark Magic which does not occur naturally except in a very few places on Equus. Nowhere in the north is there a wellspring of Darkness potent enough to do this. More bad news too; we based our original timeline on the assumption that the energy buildup was essentially linear in nature. Every cell built up then expelled itself causing another to build up in turn. As it turns out that assumption was grotesquely optimistic.”
Azure went pale as he examined Sombra’s notations. “It’s exponential,” he muttered. 
“And it’s reaching critical mass,” Sombra finished. “We don’t have two months. We have two weeks at most before the stormwall breaks and the full force of whatever is building up in there is unleashed.”
“And when it is we won’t last more than a few days,” remarked Hope, eyeing the storm intensity predictions Sombra had laid out. “The windforce from this storm is enough to cover the Empire within a day, we can stretch that out with our weather pegasi but then we’re done.”
“That’s why we need to leave the Spire,” Sombra said, his tone brooked no argument. “If we don’t bring this information to the Council then the Empire will never know what hit it, and I’m not leaving any of you up here to die. Everypony, get your extreme weather gear on. I want everypony in full kit and barding gathered in the front atrium in ten minutes. GO!” 
His final word boomed out through the stable and immediately each pony scattered to their bunks. Sombra already had his gear set-up and ready, he had never removed it from the lockers after he arrived several days ago. It didn’t take him long to fully equip himself using his magic. The last attachment to go on was the case containing his notes, secured with locks and wards. Five ponies plus him all trekking back to the Empire. Abandoning their posts wouldn’t do them any favors but his math wasn’t wrong. Spire Seven was going to be uninhabitable within a week and Sombra refused to leave any of his friends in that situation. 
A stocky Earth stallion with a coat even darker than Sombra’s and a mane of pure white was the first to arrive. Black Snow, the Spire’s resident crystal mechanic, was a loner and a bit surly but Sombra respected him for his diligence and devotion to doing a job right the first time. Azure Eye and Misty showed up quickly behind Snow with Hope and Winter not far behind. Each of them looked to be carrying half again their weight in gear. Not just multiple layers to keep out the biting cold but tools to maneuver the deadly snow drifts and powder falls; areas of loose snow that look solid until any weight is placed on them and then they sink into a pit. 
“Is everyone secured?” Sombra barked grimly form beneath his cowl. A series of muffled affirmatives reached his ears. His sharp eyes examined each of his ponies to make sure their gear was strapped and secured properly. The far north was utterly unforgiving to even the smallest mistakes. “Good, then move out.”
Stepping through the main vestibule, Sombra pressed the keyplate set into the floor. With a snap of discharging energy the main door opened. The six ponies gaped in astonishment as a flood of snowmelt was forced away by the energy field surrounding the Spire suddenly going active again. The snow had piled almost ten feet high above the door and only the emergency failsafes had removed it safely. They were unlikely to work again after such an intense discharge though.
“Looks like you made the right call, Magistrate,” Hope remarked dryly from behind Sombra. “The horseapples have really hit the fan now.”
Sombra could only nod as he stepped out, using his crimson magic to break apart the newly forming ice. The five Spireponies filed out after him. 
“Everypony, secure yourself to one another,” Sombra ordered, pulling out a length of strong rope. “I don’t want anyone disappearing under a snowdrift or a dropping out of sight, got it? Keep an eye on one another.”
The Spireponies nodded their assent as each began tying themselves off, Sombra secured himself in the lead with Misty Frost behind him, Black snow behind her, then Errant Hope, Winter Dreams, and Azure Eye taking up the rear. The wind howled ruthlessly around them and even through his heavy gear Sombra could feel the brutal cold gnawing at the edges of his awareness. Unwilling to waste any time, the moment his crew was fully secured Sombra began pressing forward, his magic carving a path through the snow. Winter and Azure used their magic from further back to keep the snow from collapsing once Sombra had passed by, creating a temporary trench for the line of Crystal Ponies to pass through. It lasted only seconds after the six had passed by before the storm had erased all evidence of their passage, but by then the crew had moved on. 
Sombra grunted as he pressed onward through the storm for hours. Several times he looked behind himself to ensure that his crew was still moving. They always were, so why did it feel as though every step was a titanic labor? His head was buzzing painfully and every step forward carried the weight of the world behind it. Glancing back again he saw his crew was in little better shape. Misty and Black were both doggedly pressing forward with the usual tenacity of their kind, but Sombra could see the strain in their posture. It was like they were being dragged down by something. For himself, Sombra could barely concentrate with the incessant buzzing noise that filled his ears. It was like someone had shaken up a crystalbee hive and then teleported it inside his skull.
“Pull your own miserable weight back there, will you?!” Black Snow’s voice roared out suddenly. Sombra blinked in shock, distracted by the normally phlegmatic and stoic stallion’s outburst. “I’m not dragging your feathered carcass back to the Empire if you won’t at least bloody try!” Black snapped at Errant Hope who was immediately behind him. His face was twisted in anger- no, not anger, something stronger… Hatred. 
Hope’s normally kind face was marred by an equally furious scowl. “I weigh a third of you, you snirt-grubbing powderhead! And I am pulling my weight!”
“And don’t talk to her like that either!” Winter piped up heatedly from behind her marefriend. “Or we’ll just leave you behind and get on without you! You’re probably weighing us all down anyway!”
“Stop!” Sombra roared, “We can’t afford to waste time like this, we need to keep moving!”
“I’ll keep moving when we cut off this dead weight,” Black Snow snapped.
Hope and Winter were suddenly surrounded by a bluebell glow of magic and violently hurled forward, crashing into Black. “Will you miserable mares pull your heads out of each others nethers and get moving! I’m getting buried back here!”
Azure shook away a miniature drift that was accumulating on his back and pushed forward only to be knocked to the ground by a telekinetic bolt from Winter. “Touch me again and I’ll aim for your eyes next time!”
Sombra watched in dismay as his crew fell to violent bickering. Turning to Misty he was about to ask his strong right hoof for help only to realise she was gone. In a panic, Sombra quickly traced the securing line to where it vanished into a large snowdrift. Seizing a massive wedge of snow, Sombra dug feverishly until he found her. She wasn’t moving. Misty was laying on her stomach completely silent. Ignoring his arguing crew for a moment, Sombra leaned down close to his friend and let his magic flow into her, diagnosing her health. To his relief she was perfectly healthy aside from the terrible cold that was around them. That wouldn’t last though, if she didn’t get moving the cold would set in all the quicker. 
“Misty, get up!” Sombra yelled over the howling wind. “We need to go! The others are fighting and we’re still hours out from the Empire! I need you to help me rally them!” There was no response at first but, after a few seconds, Sombra felt relieved to see Misty stir. He was less relieved when she spoke.
“Why?” Her voice sounded empty. Hollowed out, even. “Why should we bother? The Empire hates us all anyway. It hates you too, Ere’. Why should we bother to drag ourselves all the way there and warn them when they’ll just ignore us? Let them die to their own blind ignorance, I say.”
Misty never called him Ere’ in front of the others. He didn’t mind but she said it was ‘disrespectful to his position’. She only ever called him that in private. Sombra half-suspected it was just because she just liked having a private name for him.
“What’s gotten into you?” Sombra muttered, the buzzing in his head was even stronger now. “What’s gotten into all of you?!” 
Turning to his crew, Sombra felt rage build up inside him at the Spireponies he had come to save. They had devolved into an all-out brawl. Black Snow had at some point lept onto Errant Hope and they were wrestling in the snow while Winter alternated between shouting at Azure Eye and trying to telekinetically pry Black off of her marefriend. Finally, Winter’s interference paid off, pulling Black Snow off just enough for Hope to land a blinding punch into Black’s eye, causing him to rear back with a whinny of pain. 
What happened next burned itself into Sombra’s mind. It seemed to happen so slowly that he could watch every moment of it play out and yet so fast that he could do nothing about it. Black Snow fell onto his back clutching at his face and howling in pain. Before anyone could react, Errant Hope pulled out the heavy spade from her gear and propelled herself at Black Snow with her wings, howling in inchoate rage. The spade fell with a sickening crunch, tearing through his winter gear and deep into his chest. Black Snow gave a violent jerk, coughing up a torrent of blood onto his killer before going terribly still. Winter went still with shock at what her marefriend had done but Azure, who had considered the taciturn, and now-dead, Black Snow a friend, let out a grieving cry and lunged past the stunned Unicorn he had been fighting, pummeling into Errant Hope and driving her to the ground beside Black’s cooling body.
Sombra heard the gut-wrenching sound of a horn piercing flesh and Azure Eye impacted the petite Pegasus. As Azure stood above the mortally wounded Errant Hope, Winter let out a maddened shriek and lunged at Azure, taking him to the ground and beating him with her hooves, firing blasts of telekinetic force into his face. All of it happened in a matter of seconds, and Sombra finally found his breath again, like a jolt of electricity carving through his veins. Powering forward through the building snow, Sombra seized the grief-maddened Winter Dreams and tried to pull her off of the brutalized Azure. 
That was a mistake. 
Despite being horribly wounded, with the whole left side of his face nearly crushed and his horn shattered, he still surged up and seized the spade that was still sticking out of Black Snow’s corpse and wrenched it out only to plunge it several inches into Winter’s neck between the seams of her suit. Winter Dreams gave a weak, startled gurgle, staring down at the shank of the spade that was protruding from her neck in surprise before glancing at Sombra, terror replacing the madness that had been there. Sombra could only stare back in shock as the light in her eyes slowly went out and she hung limply in his telekinetic grasp. Azure Eye’s wounds claimed him only moments later, his body heat and lifeblood seeping out of his body as he collapsed in a heap at Sombra’s hooves.
“Why…?” Sombra muttered hollowly as the lambent glow of his magic winked out, dropping the corpse that had once been the brilliant, optimistic Winter Dream into the unforgiving snow. “Why did this…”
The buzzing had returned in force, carving his mind in half. He couldn’t dwell on this now. He could wallow in grief and shock when he had the time, but he wasn’t the only one left. Misty was still lying supine on the snow nearby.
I’ll be damned if I lose everypony to this idiocy, Sombra thought furiously, stomping over and away from the bodies of his friends. 
Blinking away tears and doing his utmost to ignore the burning, bilious weight in his chest, Sombra leaned down and bit the bundle of cloth of Misty’s suit at the nape of her neck to drag her out of the drift. 
“Misty, I need you to get up,” Sombra’s voice came out raw and choked. “Please, get up.”
Her eyes, mostly hidden by her own cowl, flickered up to stare at Sombra. They were as dull and empty as before.
“Why?”
The question echoed in Sombra’s mind over and over in a cacophonous, thundering beat. Out of nowhere an irrational flash of fury overtook his mind and Sombra felt the nigh uncontrollable desire to stove in her worthless head. It would be a mercy wouldn’t it? If she was so weak that all she could do was lie down and freeze to death then a quick, albeit messy, end would be better for all involved.
“No,” Sombra muttered, feeling the buzzing clouding his mind recede slightly as he bent his will against it. “Whatever you are… whoever you are… you will not twist my mind to suit your needs. My mind is inviolate and unbroken.” 
Dark magic saturated the air, he could feel it trying to wind and twist its way into his mind. Trying to corrupt his thoughts and drive him to insanity the same way it had with his friends. The same as it was doing to Misty at that very moment, preying on her depression and feelings of isolation. She was lost to their whispers but Sombra was not.
“Very well,” Sombra said darkly, “let us play this game out, then.”
Closing his eyes, he shut away all of his senses leaving his mind in darkness. The storm howled silently. There was no cold, nor roar, nor anything else. There was only Sombra. Opening his magical senses he extended his perception through his horn. He could feel the dark magics all around him. Around him… and above him. The further up he extended his senses the denser the corrupt magic became until he found them. The source. Howling, cackling things seemingly made of condensed spite and hatred. They shrieked and cavorted above Sombra and his fallen crew, and he could feel their elation at the strife they had sown among his friends.
Wendigos, Sombra thought, and some distant part of him wondered at them. They were creatures of myth and legend come to life. Or something like life, anyway. Spirits of strife and discord, beings of pure dark magic. Well, two can play that game, can’t they? I am no mere puppet to be strung along. I am Erebos Sombra, the greatest Magus the Empire has seen in centuries. I can master any form of magic… even yours.
Slowly, carefully, and, above all, subtly, Sombra stretched his magic out into the air, letting it hang quiescent amongst the particles of the Wendigo’s magic. Further and further he stretched his power until he felt nearly spent, saturating the air just as they had until he was satisfied he had mimicked their technique perfectly.
Now… how do they… ah, how simple, Sombra grinned wolfishly as he discerned their method of feeding. So their dark magic simply acts like stomach acid; breaking down emotions into pure energy for them to devour. What simple creatures. They are not the only ones capable of absorbing power.
It was not unlike taking a very, very deep breath, in the end. His magic, which had permeated and saturated the same area as the Wendigo, suddenly flared into activity. Gorged and unprepared, the three Wendigo spirits that were floating invisibly above them never stood a chance as every particle of their magic was suddenly and irrevocably seized by Sombra’s sorcerous mimicry of their feeding process and dragged in to his spiral horn. Suddenly deprived of sustenance, the Wendigo howled furiously. Sombra, however, was not done. He kept pulling, kept inhaling their power and quickly the Wendigo found themselves losing coherence. As hard as they tried to pull away from the strange, dark Unicorn below them, they could not escape his grasp. It was like an iron vice had clamped onto them and, within moments, dragged them to into Sombra’s presence.
The stallion before them was different than before, shadow seemed to cling to him like a second skin and he practically shone with power. The Wendigo, on the other hoof, were barely shades. Left hollow, empty, and starving by Sombra’s spell. The stallion in question stared down at the withered spirits contemptuously.
“I have no use for bestial cretins,” he said, his voice deep and thick with energy. “But you killed my friends… you took them from me. No one takes from me.”
With another deep, magical ‘breath’, Sombra shredded the Wendigo, stealing from them the last power they possessed that was keeping their incorporeal forms constant. They blew away like so much snow in the torrential winds. Within moments the storm seemed to calm slightly, but Sombra could feel the presence of more Wendigo. Thousands more in fact. They dwelt still behind the stormwall. They would come eventually though. Now he knew his enemy, though, and Sombra was determined to end them once and for all. 
For now, though, Sombra looked down and Misty Frost who still laid at his feet. Her will was sapped by the Wendigo, nothing he could do would change that.
Or can I? Sombra stared down at his friend. He could feel the weak stirrings of life force within her now. Something about the Wendigo magic he consumed resonated with it. Will is merely impetus. All I need to do is rekindle that within her. Give her a new drive.
“Misty,” Sombra said softly, now that the howling winds had died down somewhat. Some part of him felt the need to try just one more time. Try to elicit some response. Something…. anything “Will you come with me now? Please… Misty, answer me.”
That hated word was all that fell from her lips in response.
“Why?”
Frustration that had nothing to do with the Wendigo coursed through Sombra and he scowled. “Why?!” He barked at her, making her start. “Have you no pride?! Have you nothing left to drive you forward into the dark?! Have you nothing left?!”
Misty didn’t answer, she just stared up at Sombra with empty, weary eyes.
“Fine,” Sombra spat. “You want to know why you’re going to get up?” His eyes lit with dark magic, green, lavender, and crimson energy spilled out from them like tears as darkness spat from his horn and struck Misty in the head. “YOU’RE GOING TO GET UP BECAUSE I COMMAND YOU TO! AND YOU SHALL DO AS I COMMAND!”
Misty’s body jerked and spasmed in place for a moment as Sombra’s magic thundered into her mind. Suddenly, his voice was all she could hear. All she wanted to hear. He had commanded her to rise and, on shaky legs, Misty got up. Clenching her eyes shut she let the pounding noise die down before opening them again, her sclera had turned a vibrant shade of viridian.
“Now,” Sombra said a little wearily, “it’s time to return to the Empire. We still have a job to do.”
Misty gave a small nod and turned, stopping only to bite through the rope binding her and Sombra to the dead behind them, and took her place at Sombra’s side.
“That last spell took a great deal out of me,” Sombra continued, taking a few unsteady steps forward. “Ensure that I make it to the Council.” Nodding once more, Misty leaned in to support Sombra, 
“As you say,” Misty replied.

++
“...in the end we made it back to the Crystal Empire with the warning,” Sombra said. “The rest of the story is longer and more complicated but, obviously, the Empire did survive.”
Fluttershy nestled herself into Sombra’s side, the fur on her face had matted down with tears over the course of his story. She couldn’t imagine losing her friends in such a horrible way. And being forced to watch it? To see it play out, helpless to stop it?
“I’m so sorry,” Fluttershy said softly, “nopony should ever have to suffer so horribly.”
Sombra scoffed in response, drawing a startled glance from Fluttershy.
“If you think that was the end of my trials, mouse, then you are desperately mistaken.” Sombra’s tone was both bitter and amused.
“I’m glad you told me that story, though,” Fluttershy said in all honesty. Horrible though it was. “I feel like I understand you a little better. That’s… important to me.”
Sombra only grunted in response, seemingly lost in thought.
Taking a deep breath, Fluttershy glanced at the clock and realised, to her shock, that they had been sitting there for hours and that it was already evening. She knew that she had chores to do and that she ought to get an early start on them but… 
Fluttershy chuckled quietly. To be honest she was far too comfortable to get up. Sombra was surprisingly warm and something about his titanic frame and the way he seemed to envelop her just by being beside her made Fluttershy feel oddly… secure. Glancing down she stifled another laugh as she realised that, at some point during the story, Sombra had curled his tail around her in a manner that almost seemed protective.
“You know,” Sombra said in a soft, bass rumble. “I do believe you’re the first pony I’ve ever told the whole of that story to.”
Fluttershy blinked in surprise. “R-really? But the Council… didn’t you tell them what happened?”
Sombra scoffed again, shaking his head and causing his leonine mane to flare out. “Only what was necessary. They did not need the details. They were more concerned with the Wendigo and my equations, anyway.”
Before Fluttershy could find a response she was interrupted by a heavy knocking at the door. “Oh! That must be the bedframe! I’ll go attend to that, your Majesty.”
A little creakily, Fluttershy got up from where she had been laying. Her body felt stiff and heavy from the long period spent immobile. Sombra pulled his tail away in an almost grudging manner before rising himself and shifting into the form of Coal Axiom.
“Very well, I will excuse myself for a time, I think,” Sombra replied. “I have languished too long today. I’m going to take an evening stroll, see to it my bed is ready for me when I return.”
“O-oh,” Fluttershy responded, a little disappointed. She had been looking forward to hearing the rest of his story when the bed was set up. Even if that meant sharing the actual bed with- eep!
That is not the thought we want to be having, Fluttershy admonished herself. That is the opposite of what we want, in fact. You’re getting too comfortable now.
Instead, she simply gave a small bow and curtsy with her wings. “As you say, your Majesty. Enjoy your walk.”
As she made her way out of his room Sombra’s voice stopped her in her tracks.
“I shall,” Sombra rumbled, stretching his long limbs. “And know that… that I am grateful to you for listening to me. Telling that story feels, somehow, liberating. So, thank you… Fluttershy.”
Sombra moved past her and left out the backdoor without another word and only another pounding knock at her front door snapped Fluttershy back to reality.
He… he called me by my name. She thought, a little annoyed at how happy that seemed to make her. Even without anypony else around he… maybe this will work after all.
For the first time since the whole mess had started, Fluttershy felt a little spark of hope ignite in her heart as trotted into the living room and opened the door to greet the movers.
> Taking Enthusiastic Walks
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	
Chapter 9


The cool night air carried the hints of early autumn in its welcome chill as Sombra walked the border of the Everfree. He briefly considered using the time to retrieve more of his belongings but quickly decided against it. The Everfree was bad enough in the daytime and he little cared to test his fortunes during the night while he had barely the magical strength of a subaverage unicorn, Instead he took a moment to do something he had not done in centuries; enjoy himself. His hours spent recounting his past to the mouse had awakened a whimsy in him that he had thought was quashed long ago. For so long he had cast his gaze towards the future glory of his Empire and to his next conquests. Now, though, he had no Empire to lead, no army with which to conquer, and, in truth, no desire for either at the moment. 
Sombra considered that last notion as he edged away from the Everfree and towards the outskirts of Ponyville. Once he had worn the Crystal Crown out of necessity but, looking back on it, there was little he enjoyed about rulership. It was all minutiae and details and, while he had enjoyed the challenge of it, there had been no ‘glory’ in it. It had been a burden he despised at times; leading the ungrateful, whinging populace had been a chore wherein he dragged them by the scruff of their necks to prosperity as they doggedly tried to crawl back to the dark ages.
Let us say I ‘retire’ my kingship, Sombra mused idly as he passed some of the more run down houses on the edge of the village, the question becomes: what do I do with myself? I can hardly exist in a world that calls me a war criminal. My pride will not permit me to live in hiding either. I refuse to fade into obscurity after being given a bloody muzzle by the Two Sisters. Sombra let his thoughts carry him down a small farm road and off a small outshoot towards a dingy neighborhood.
Glancing around, Sombra wrinkled his muzzle in distaste. It reminded him far too much of where he had grown up. Still it was almost comforting that, even in the saccharine principality of Equestria, there were still slums. He was about to leave when he felt a pair of eyes set on him from near the edge of one of the more worn-looking houses. Carefully, he extended his perceptions through his horn and cast them towards the shadowed corner of the house while pretending to walk away. The gaze was not idle, it was watching him. He could sense the mind though it was clouded with emotion; fear chiefest of all. Had he been discovered?
Best to face them now rather than permit them to scurry off, Sombra thought in annoyance. At least the nearest houses seem vacant enough from their poor state of repair.
Expending a small surge of his precious magic for a teleportation spell, Sombra vanished and reappeared next to the shadow where his watcher had secreted themselves. A startled yelp of fear answered him and a small figure attempted to dart away. Sombra seized their tail in his telekinetic grasp while wrapping his telekinesis around their muzzle to silence them before turning them about to face him.
The terrified face of a fuchsia-maned filly with an orange coat stared back at Sombra. Her eyes were wide and fixed on him, and he could feel her entire body shaking in his grip. Letting out an annoyed sigh, Sombra briefly weighed the pros and cons of letting the filly go as is versus wiping her memories. On the one hoof she was just a filly and was, therefore, unlikely to be a threat. On the other hoof he had no idea who her parents were. If they had any kind of influence then his life would be made that much more difficult.
Erring on the side of caution it is, then, Sombra decided as he carefully set the filly down.
“My apologies, little one,” Sombra said as he released her. “I’m afraid my nerves aren’t what they used to be. Are you alright?”
After a moment the filly stopped shaking and nodded her head. “U-uhm, yeah, I”m cool.”
“Good. Now, may I ask what you are doing out here in the middle of the night? Surely your parents couldn’t approve of you being out so late and alone.” Sombra noticed her flinch slightly at the word ‘parents’ before she shook her head.
“I’m just, y’know, hanging out,” she said, waving a hoof nervously. “What about you, huh? You’re out here too!” She pointed her hoof accusingly at him and Sombra couldn’t help but chuckle at her attitude.
“You are a child,” Sombra retorted, amused. “I am not and therefore I have a certain amount of autonomy that you lack by dint of your age.”
“Yeah, uh, I have no idea what like… half of those words meant,” the filly said, her muzzle scrunched up in confusion before turning away while still shooting a look over her withers at Sombra. “Look mister, I’m just gonna go, okay? Sorry I startled you or whatever.”
“Where are you going to go?” Sombra asked, his voice chillingly even.
The filly tensed up. “B-back to my parents of course.”
“That would be a difficult thing for an orphan, my dear,” Sombra answered darkly. The filly’s eyes went wide with shock and she began to move away. Her progress was halted by a single glare from Sombra, his eyes flashing with colors of magic that the filly didn’t recognise.
“But… H-how did you know?” she asked in a quiet voice, her eyes teary.
Sombra smirked. “You just told me, but I suspected from how you reacted when I mentioned your parents, although your poor attempt at lying reinforced my suspicion.”
The filly scowled and scuffed her hoof on the dirt patch under her. “Ponyfeathers,” she muttered. “I guess you’re gonna take me back to the Orphanage, huh?”
Sombra considered the notion. Orphans were the least dangerous witnesses. Nopony listened to them and more often than not they tended to slip between the cracks of bureaucracy. Lost children in an uncaring world.
“Perhaps,” Sombra answered, “or perhaps not. First tell me your name.”
The filly eyes took on a glint of hope. “S-Scootaloo, my name is Scootaloo.”
“Tell me, Scootaloo, why are you an orphan?” Sombra asked. The filly flinched at the question, her ears sinking down eyes clenched shut.
“I… I don’t really know,” Scootaloo said, her voice cracking a little. “I came home from school one day and they were gone. They took all of their stuff and just… left.”
“I see,” Sombra said dispassionately. “What did you do?”
Scootaloo shrugged. “I scrounged what I could for a few weeks. I did okay I guess. But eventually some ponies from city hall came to find out why my parents hadn’t been seen and why the utility bill wasn’t being paid. Once they realised my parents had left they took me to city hall. My Mom and Dad hadn’t told anyone where they were going, though. Or even that they were leaving. I… I overheard the mayor talking later about debts to some ponies from Manehattan.”
“Perhaps they left you so you would not be caught up in their mistakes, then,” Sombra ventured. Scootaloo laughed, a quiet and brittle noise.
“That would be a first,” Scootaloo said bitterly. “Mom and Dad never gave a flying feather what I did. They just sat around and drank. I don’t even know how they paid any of the bills. I cooked for myself, cleaned up after myself… I barely even noticed they were gone after a while.”
Sombra narrowed crooked an eyebrow at that before taking a more critical examination. There were no signs of scarring or any of the damage to movement that would imply that the filly was ever beaten. It seemed her parent’s disinterest in their offspring was so complete they couldn’t even be bothered to hurt her. It must have been some small miracle of pony biology that drove them to care for her through her foalhood.
“My father and mother passed away when I was very young,” Sombra found himself saying. It felt odd telling another pony that but, then again, it hardly mattered. “I was orphaned when I was around your age I suspect.”
“Oh… uhm, sorry,” Scootaloo answered, shifting around a bit uncomfortably. “That sucks, I guess. At least my parents are still alive.”
Sombra chuckled dryly. “On the contrary it is, perhaps, less awful that I was orphaned in such a manner. At least my own parents had a good reason for leaving I and my siblings alone in the world. Yours were simply terrible at being parents entirely.”
“Well that’s nice to know,” Scootaloo answered, scrunching her muzzle and glaring off to the side.
Silence fell between the two of them and Sombra found himself considering what to do with the filly. Scootaloo ended up being a bit of surprise to him, reminding him of his own beginnings. A part of him of also genuinely impressed with her fortitude and attitude. She didn’t curse the world for its unfair treatment of her, attempt to play the victim, or cast blame. She simply took the world as it came to her and focused on surviving. Admirable qualities, all.
A notion struck Sombra’s mind like a lightning bolt. I’ve been seeking purpose all this time, but… perhaps I’ve been too close-minded. The first Orders I created in my Empire were out of necessity but I cannot deny a certain sense of pride I felt in creating those well-oiled machines. To reforge them right beneath the Princesses muzzles? Very well, let us see how this plays out then.
“So, uh, can I go?” Scootaloo asked, shifting in place under Sombra’s gaze.
The sorcerer’s attention narrowed in on the small Pegasus. “Why didn’t you fly away?”
“W-what?” Scootaloo started at the sudden question. “You just surprised me was all! I-”
“When a Pegasus is surprised their first instinct is usually to take to the skies,” Sombra cut her off. “They’re like birds, they seek the escape of flight by instinct with very few exceptions.” Thoughts of the mouse chased through Sombra’s mind and he suppressed a chuckle. “You, however, tried to flee on hoof. Why?”
For the first time in the coversation Scootaloo couldn’t hold back her tears. Her eyes smashed shut and she looked down as the heat behind her eyelids built up. “B-because I can’t fly. My wings are stupid… they’re too small. They barely get me up off the ground. I’m twelve already and I’ve never flown, okay? Is that what you want to hear?!”
Instead of answering Sombra allowed some his power to flow into his eyes as he cast a finely tuned detection spell. Scootaloo stared as his eyes took on an unearthly, corpse-light glow. The world around Sombra shifted into washed out shades of muted grays and greens except for the runty Pegasus in front of him. She appeared as a complex network of flowing lines of ruddy energy. Immediately Sombra saw the problem; the lines were thin, fragile, and failed to extended into her extremities properly. Not only was Scootaloo unable to fly, Sombra mused, she was probably unable to Pegasus magic at all. Cloudwalking was almost certainly the limit of her capabilities.
“Your meridians are stunted,” Sombra said evenly as the eerie glow faded from his eyes. “Since meridians are what permit magic to flow through your body it is hardly odd that you can’t fly. In fact, I doubt you could even shape a cloud. Aside from cloudwalking you are more like a particularly fragile, sickly Earth Pony.”
Scootaloo’s face fell more and more as Sombra spoke and tears started to fall from her eyes. “W-well, fuck you too!” She finally screamed. “I know I’m a useless runt, okay! I don’t need you to tell me that. So what if I’ll never fly? I’ll figure something out and you… you can go sit on your own horn and spin ya dumb screwhead!”
Only after she finished her rant did Scootaloo realise what she had done, but rather than try and run or apologise she just stood her ground, tiny legs shaking, and glared at the towering, dark stallion. After a moment, Sombra’s face split into a predatory grin.
“Excellent,” Sombra chuckled, “most excellent. I’m glad I had you pegged right. You’ve got a fire in your heart that I admire, filly. Your parents left you malnourished and weak, stunting your growth and stealing the sky, your birthright, from you. The world has left your broken, homeless, orphaned, and abandoned and yet you continue to defy it.”
“S-so? What do you care?” Scootaloo asked, still not backing down.
Sombra smirked. “I want to offer you a deal, Scootaloo. How would you like me to fix you? I could repair the damage that neglect and hard years have dealt to you. Your meridians would recover, your body would be stronger, and you would, finally, be able to fly.”
There was a soft thump as Scootaloo’s legs finally gave out from under her. Her eyes were wide with disbelief as she stared at the ground and the dark hooves that belonged to the stallion in front of her. After a moment she stood back up and looked him straight in the eye. Sombra liked the look she wore. It was the look of somepony who had been beaten, trampled, and spat on by life but was never broken. They were eyes that had the determination to win or die trying. 
“Okay,” Scootaloo answered. “What do I have to do?”
“You’re not going to ask what the catch is?” Sombra asked with a sly grin.
“Nope.”
Sombra chuckled again. “Good girl.”
After doing a quick scan to ensure that they were still alone, Sombra suddenly shed his disguise. Scootaloo gasped as the stallion in front of her suddenly seemed to melt into shadow and reform into a cyclopean specimen of power. Sombra’s horn shifted back to its more comfortable curved, blade-like, shape and, lowering his head down, Sombra lifted his right forehoof to it and made a shallow cut just above his fetlock before holding it out to Scootaloo.
“Drink,” Sombra said simply. “My magic will do the rest.”
“That’s it?” Scootaloo asked skeptically. “Just… drink your blood? What are you, a vampony?”
Sombra shook his head and laughed. “No and no,” he answered, “This magic is older than Equestria, but it is magic, I am no vampony, and as for your first question; you must not only drink my blood... but survive it.”
Scootaloo swallowed heavily before glancing at the proffered hoof. Licking her lips she gave a sharp nod. “You’re on, weirdo.”
Leaning in, the frail Pegasus filly pressed her lips to the cut. Sombra, for his part, forced the blood to flow steadily into her mouth. Dutifully, Scootaloo drank until he finally pulled his hoof away. Every culture; Pony, Minotaur, Griffon, Saddle Arabian, and all others, had found a kind of implicit agreement on certain things. One of those was things was blood. Blood was life. Blood was power. This magic was not particularly taxing, nor did it require great amounts of magic from the caster. He had created the ritual in order to strengthen his most devoted servants and to ensure their obedience. The cost was not exacted from the caster but from the recipient. Most subjects died after being exposed to the catalyst spell that infused his blood into their bodies. Perhaps Scootaloo would die as well. Perhaps not.
A black and red arc of lightning leapt from Sombra’s curved horn to strike Scootaloo in the chest, snaking through her small body and digging into her heart. Scootaloo gasped and fell face-first into the dirt, spasming and shaking. Sombra knew that his blood would now feel like fire coursing through her veins. It would tear her apart and rebuild her from the inside out. He had never used this spell on somepony so young before and could not resist admitting to a certain curiosity as to its side-effects. He was confident she would live, though. Sombra had rarely ever been a betting Pony, but he placed fair odds on this little one making it through.
As Scootaloo shook and spasmed Sombra cast another spell to scan the town for a medical institution. Weariness crept up into his body as he did so and Sombra growled at the irritating weakness that had settled on him. Fortunately his scrying had found a suitable location; Ponyville General Hospital. 
One last spell and then I will return to the mouse’s cottage, Sombra thought as he gathered up the shivering form of Scootaloo with one leg and pressed her close to his chest. She was feverish and sweating. One more spell.
Silently he teleported himself near the Emergency Room doors in the shadow of an overhang behind a hedge. His scry had shown him an orderly who had stepped out to smoke near the hedge by the exit; a perfect errand colt. The darkness clung to Sombra like a second skin, shrouding the sorcerer from sight as he gently set Scootaloo down on the other side of the hedge from the orderly and stepped back deeper into the shadows to watch. Sure enough Scootaloo eventually cried out again, drawing the orderly’s attention. Alarmed, the scrub-wearing pony went poking around the foliage searching for the source of the noise. Inevitably he found Scootaloo, pale, shaking, and fevered.
“H-hey!” he shouted back towards the ER. “Hey we’ve got a sick filly out here!” 
Acting quickly, the orderly tore off the upper part of his scrubs and wrapped Scootaloo in them in an effort to keep her warm before lifting her onto his back and galloping back to the ER, his cigarette forgotten near the hedge. Smirking, Sombra stepped out of the shadows and stomped out the lit end as he cloaked himself in the shape of Coal Axiom once more and turned away from Ponyville and began the return journey to Fluttershy’s cottage. He would be seeing her soon again anyway assuming his plans panned out, which they usually did.

++

Fluttershy hummed quietly to herself as she finished fitting the master’s new bed with its sheets and blankets. The Ponies who had delivered it had been very nice about making sure it was set up properly. Sombra had been gone for almost two hours ago and for the past hour Fluttershy had been going about the business of making the guest room more fit for a king. Ever since he had shared his story with her she had felt strangely about their roles. Sombra had neither commented nor, really, acknowledged how close he had allowed her to get to him; physically and emotionally. Their dynamic was blurring in her mind and, she suspected, in his. How long had it been since Sombra had a confidante that was not terrified of him or enslaved by him. The geas controlled her actions but her mind was still her own.
Is it? Her mind whispered back to her. You’re still calling him ‘master’ when he’s not around.
Pausing in her cleaning, Fluttershy’s face scrunched up into an annoyed scowl. It was like a broken record. What if she just… liked calling him that? Was that wrong? Her parents and siblings had lived with a ‘master’ for their entire lives and had no complaints. They were proud of their roles, in fact. 
Maybe Sombra was right after all, Fluttershy thought, a wan smile replacing the scowl. Maybe service is just in my nature. I… can’t help but wonder if that’s such a bad thing.
The dainty Pegasus was about to pick up her cleaning again when she heard the back door open and then shut. Quickly she finished tucking in the covers and sheets of the bed before turning about to leave the room. She halted, though, as she caught a glimpse of herself in the vanity that had been set up near the window. Blinking, Fluttershy stared at the Pegasus in the mirror. Her apron had a couple smears of dust on it from helping the delivery Ponies in shifting some of the furniture around the room, her long mane was clipped back to keep it in place as she cleaned. More importantly though… she was smiling. It wasn’t the smile she was used to seeing on her own face, though; her new smile was easy, relaxed, yet excited.
“I wasn’t aware that vanity was among your traits, mouse,” Sombra’s voice startled Fluttershy. She let out a small squeak as she whirled around to face the towering stallion.
Fluttershy made a deep curtsy and bow. “I’m sorry, your Majesty, I just… thought I saw something strange and ended up distracting myself.”
Sombra chuckled as he walked past her into his newly appointed room. “You are permitted to acknowledge your own beauty, mouse. Tis hardly an offense to myself.”
A flush slowly crawled up Fluttershy’s cheeks at Sombra’s words and suddenly her heart was pounding in her chest. He had complimented her voice and her capabilities before but always in regards to how they served him. Never her appearance. At least, not like this.
This is silly, Fluttershy thought silently  you don’t need to be so excited that he said you looked nice. But… but he didn’t just say I looked nice. He called me beautiful. He thinks I’m beautiful.
“You… you really think I’m beautiful?” Fluttershy finally asked softly.
Sombra seemed surprised by Fluttershy’s response but after a moment he gave a small nod. “You are,” he answered in his pleasingly quiet rumble. “Beautiful, that is. Very much so, in fact.”
Warmth seemed to fill up Fluttershy’s chest and she could barely keep the smile off of her face. Sombra, on the other hoof, was carefully cleaning off his hooves before moving over to his new bed to examine it. Seemingly satisfied, he lifted himself onto the mattress and let out a groaning sigh of relief.
“Well done, mouse.” Sombra rumbled from his new bed. “I had almost forgotten what a proper bed felt like. This is more than adequate, you have your King’s gratitude.”
Fluttershy bowed again before making to leave, intent on fixing something for dinner. Sombra’s voice stopped her in the doorway though.
“Mouse, do you know a runty orange filly named Scootaloo?” Sombra asked. Fluttershy turned to face him, confused.
“I… I do, your Majesty,” Fluttershy answered. She couldn’t help but feel like an ice cube had been dropped directly into her stomach. “M-may I ask why you wish to know?” Sombra’s next words pulled the proverbial rug from beneath her hooves, though, leaving her rump on the floor.
“How long ago was she orphaned?”
Fluttershy worked her jaw a few times before rediscovering her voice. “W-what?! She’s not! Or… I don’t think- Oh… oh my. Why would you ask something like that? Uhm… your Majesty.”
Either choosing to ignore her little lapse or having not noticed it (Fluttershy suspected the former), Sombra shrugged his broad shoulders. “I came across her on my walk. She was hiding amidst some abandoned houses. Apparently, she had run away from an orphanage. I suppose I was simply surprised to see that, even with your vaunted Princesses, neglect and abuse still take their unpleasant toll.”
Too shocked to mind propriety, Fluttershy trotted up to Sombra’s bedside. “What do you mean? Was she alright? What happened… uhm, I mean if you don’t mind, your Majesty.”
Sombra gave her a grim smile. “The runt was clearly malnourished and had been for some time. Her wings are stunted along with, I suspect, most of her Pegasus magic. Before tonight she might have even fallen through a cloud.”
“T-thats horrible!” Fluttershy cried out, “that’s awful and terrible and… and... “ Fluttershy’s mind finally registered what Sombra had said. “And… your Majesty? What did you mean: ‘before tonight’?”
“The filly is strong, she will be just fine, mouse.”
Fluttershy’s response was stolen by the sound of somepony pounding furiously on her door. For a moment the demure Pegasus was torn between ignoring whomever had come to call in favor of continuing the conversation but the frantic nature of the pounding decided it for her. Bowing herself out of Sombra’s room, Fluttershy trotted to the door and opened it to reveal a terrified-looking Rainbow Dash.
‘Fluttershy! You’ve gotta come with me!” Rainbow nearly shouted despite being inches away. “Scootaloo is in the hospital!”
The bottom felt like it dropped out of Fluttershy’s stomach at Rainbow’s words. No, Sombra, what have you done?
“O-oh no, what happened? Is she okay?” Fluttershy asked, stepping outside of her home and shut the door behind her.
“I dunno…” Rainbow said in a choked voice. Fluttershy had never seen her stalwart friend so close to tears. “I… I’m one of her emergency contacts. The hospital sent a courier up to my house, like, twenty minutes ago I think? I went down as fast as I could. All they said was that it was… it was something in her blood. They called in Twilight a few minutes ago because they’re stumped. I… I just needed to come to you because I can’t do anything there and… and…”
Finally, Rainbow broke down. The normally brave and belligerent mare buried her face in Fluttershy’s chest and started sobbing. It was a hard, wracking noise; it sounded like nothing but pain. Fluttershy pulled Rainbow close, holding her tightly as Rainbow hugged her friend back. 
Sombra said that Scootaloo would be fine and, as much as I hate to admit it, I still trust him… he’s never broken his word before, after all. Fluttershy thought silently as she held her grief-stricken friend. This is going too far, though. I’m going to talk to him after everything is cleared up with Scootaloo, not matter what this stupid spell does to me. Poor Rainbow Dash… how could Sombra have done something so awful?
The answer, of course, was obvious. In the end he was still Sombra. Fluttershy had almost begun to fool herself into thinking she was making progress… and maybe she was. Only a little, though. He had only been with her for two days though it felt much longer. It felt like she was caught in turbulence when she was dealing with Sombra’s seemingly random personality. In one moment he was genial, introspective, intelligent, and almost… kind. In the next moment he made it known in no uncertain terms why he was feared as the Crystal Tyrant and King of Shadows.
After a few minutes, Rainbow stepped away from Fluttershy, wiping her eyes. “S-sorry about that, Flutters. Can, uh, can you maybe not tell anypony about that, yeah?”
“Of course,” Fluttershy answered, smiling beatifically. “We should go to the hospital. If you’re Scootaloo’s emergency contact you need to be there to sign off if they need to do something, okay?”
Rainbow sniffled a little but nodded. “Y-yeah, sorry. I just needed to talk to somepony and… and you were the only one I could think of so… Yeah, let’s go. Thanks for coming with me.” Fluttershy just nodded as they took flight and started heading back towards Ponyville proper. A few moments later Rainbow spoke up again. “Hey Flutters, I didn’t think about it before but… why was I called? I mean, why weren’t Scootaloo’s parents there?”
Oh no… I guess I wasn’t the only one who didn’t know, Fluttershy grimaced. I can’t keep this a secret though. Rainbow deserves to know at least as much as I do.
“W-well, I recently heard something about Scootaloo you see…”
> Decisions
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	
Chapter 10


Most newcomers to Ponyville are caught off guard by the Ponyville General Hospital. For such a small, relatively rural, village, Ponyville’s medical facilities are surprisingly top notch. A great deal of the credit for that can be laid squarely at the hooves of the town's industrious Mayor; Marelyn Mare routinely put health care at the forefront of her platform and, unlike many politicians, she stuck firmly to her promises. In her own words; 'a healthy populace is both happy and productive, the business of running a town is no business at all if the townsponies are not taken care of'. Her consecutive mayoral terms resulted in one of the finest medical establishments outside of any major city, with a staff of doctors and nurses who possess a level of expertise comparable to Manehattan Medical Center or Canterlot General.
Fluttershy had known all of that on an intellectual level. The Mayor’s health policies were among the big reasons Fluttershy had always been happy to vote for Marelyn on election day. Never before had she had a reason to be so grateful for their Mayor’s foresight, though, except perhaps that time Rainbow crashed mid-stunt. Fluttershy had been waiting outside the ICU alongside Rainbow Dash for the past hour while Twilight had gone in to aid in the examination almost forty-five minutes ago. To no-one’s surprise it turned out that their friend had, among her many earned and honorary degrees, a doctorate in Advanced Medical Arcana. Rainbow Dash had vacillated between being an emotional wreck and catatonic with worry and Fluttershy had been doing her best to comfort her friend. Scootaloo was like family to the cyan Pegasus, though, and the filly’s current condition combined with finding out that she had been orphaned by neglectful parents had hit Rainbow particularly hard since she hadn’t known anything about it. According to Dash, Scootaloo had never mentioned it and the fact that she had hid something so important from the mare who thought of Scootaloo like a little sister had hurt the loyal Pegasus deeply.
The door to the ICU opening cut off Fluttershy’s thoughts as Twilight trotted out wearing a grim expression along with her pale blue scrubs. “Fluttershy, Rainbow, I finished the analysis and-”
“What is it!?” Rainbow shouted, zipping up to Twilight and stopping inches from her face. “Is Scoots gonna be okay? Please tell me she’s gonna be okay!”
Twilight let out a sigh. “I don’t know, Dash. That’s what I was going to say. As far as I can tell whatever is afflicting her is definitely magical in nature but… it’s also physical. The closest I’ve ever seen to this kind of magic is the Poison Joke from the Everfree. It’s like a curse or a hex except it seems to reside in Scootaloo’s bloodstream.”
“So… So she needs blood then right?” Rainbow Dash answered with a desperate edge to her voice. “I can do that! However much you need, take it!”
Stepping back, Twilight put a hoof to Rainbow’s chest and gave her a sorrowful look. “That’s very generous of you, Rainbow, but we already tried that. Something in Scootaloo’s blood is attacking the infused blood even though it shouldn’t. It’s like the magic is defending itself.”
“Could she have wandered into the Everfree and contracted something?” Fluttershy asked softly. She hated the words even as they passed her lips. She knew exactly- well, not exactly but near enough -what had happened to Scootaloo. She felt her heart wrench a little as Twilight nodded.
“That’s the working theory,” Twilight answered, “since so much of the forest is uncharted and so little is known about the plant life. She may have eaten something toxic and only realised it later. Thank Celestia she had the good sense try to make it to the hospital… I don’t even want to imagine what would have happened if she hadn’t.” 
“How did she even get out there?” Rainbow asked dejectedly.
The purple alicorn shuffled through some papers that were floating nearby. “According to the Orphanage’s head, Gentle Hearth, Scootaloo has a bad habit of running away from the grounds.” Twilight answered sadly. “She has a lot of marks on her record; problems with authority, mostly. According to her caseworker Scootaloo’s parents essentially ignored her. I suppose after so long of taking care of herself and her adult ‘supervision’ being mostly ineffectual that isn’t so surprising.”
“So… so what’s gonna happen to her?” Rainbow asked, her voice cracking.
Twilight shook her head. “I don’t know, Dash. She’s stable right now, so that’s good, but frankly without knowing the root cause of what’s happening to her I can’t say if that will last.”
Fluttershy could feel the geas tying her tongue any time she thought about telling them the truth. Sombra had said that Scootaloo would be fine but what if he was wrong? 
If my friends knew that the master did something to Scootaloo maybe they could help her! It was a moot point, though, Fluttershy knew. Stupid, stupid geas. If something happens to Scootaloo I’ll never forgive him!
“H-hey,” Rainbow said suddenly. She had a look in her eyes like a light had just come on. “What about that new guy? The one staying with you, Flutters?”
Fluttershy’s ears pricked up in a surge of fear. “C-Coal? What about him?”
“Of course!” Twilight nearly shouted, her face lighting up. “Coal said he was here to study the flora and fauna of the Everfree! Maybe his research has something useful! Scootaloo got all the way to Ponyville General so she couldn’t have made it far into the forest, that means she probably encountered whatever did this to here near the verge of the Everfree!”
This is it! This is my chance! “O-oh, well, I don’t know about that.” What am I saying?! I just need to say yes! If I say yes then… then…  “He’s only just started his research, after all. I think he’s only been out a few times.” Then they’ll take him away. They’ll imprison him in stone like Discord was, or worse. “I suppose I can ask him but… I think Zecora would probably be a better choice.”
Twilight tapped her chin with her hoof before nodding, letting out a self-deprecating chuckle. “Yeah, you’re probably right, I should have known better anyway. If anyone knows how long it takes to get actionable results from a long-term study you’d think it would be me. Still, can you ask him to keep an eye on Everfree verge flora and to let us know if he finds anything that might suggest a toxic nature?”
“Of course,” Fluttershy answered with a lightness she far from felt. “I’m sure he’d be happy to help in any way.” 
“I’ll go to Zecora’s place!” Rainbow declared. “She’s probably asleep but we’re talking about serious stuff here, we should have thought of her first!”
Without another word Rainbow turned into a prismatic blur, making a beeline for the edge of the forest path leading to Zecora’s hut. Fluttershy felt a weight settle into her gut as she watched Rainbow vanish into the forest.
I’m lying to my friends for him, she realised. I can’t blame this on the geas, either. It was me, I decided to do this. Even though Scootaloo's life might be in danger I… I protected him. What have I done?
++
Sombra tossed and turned restlessly in his new bed. Although he was asleep the dark stallion did not find rest quite so easily. His mind felt fevered as shadows wrapped cloyingly around his mind. Whispers filled his thoughts with visions of black crystals, cyclopean monuments, and dark, cavernous vaults. He knew the shapes and places before him, even in his troubled sleep he knew the locations that his mind was being pulled toward. Why though?
Why am-



“-I here?” Sombra muttered as he looked down at the sunken temple that his dreams had brought him to. It was a monstrosity of twisting pillars and elegant, sweeping shapes that defied geometry. “This place must have been scoured from the face of Equestria a thousand years ago. The Sisters would not have left even one of these sites standing.”
This was no memory, either. There were none of the dark templar who served as devoted guardians. No priests keeping the black flames endlessly lit. It was empty and yet… not. There was more than just the howling winds winding through the pillars. Scowling, Sombra drifted forward, his astral form moving the dream realm around him hazily. The Temple had been built to exist coterminously in the waking and the dream realms but its destruction should have been equally mirrored. If it was here then that meant…
“Impossible,” Sombra growled, “if this temple had survived I would have been revived much sooner and with much greater strength. That I awoke so far from my Empire means it must have been destroyed.”
That made sense. The logic was there and yet… so was the temple. All logic pointed to the temple being destroyed except for its existence in the dream realm. Sombra hated not knowing what was happening. He especially hated being left in confusion over matters of his own kingdom. Well, former kingdom. As he made his way amidst the pillars and cold firepits Sombra examined the temple grounds. They were just as he remembered them; carved from black crystal and basalt excavated from the mountains and nearby quarries and etched with spells almost as old as the Wendigo. They were almost as much a work of art as of industry. The temple had served as a focal point for Sombra’s growing powers in the past and he had used the geomantic architecture to empower his spells, allowing him to craft impossible works of magic and artifice. It was in the depths of this very temple that the first Shadow Golem had been shaped. 
A surge of shadow and wind tore suddenly from the far end of the temple grounds, where the soulforge would have lain, to slap violently into Sombra scattering his thoughts like snow. Amidst the howling gale Sombra could hear whispers of a voice both familiar and alien. His memory tried to dredge up the sound but it was so faint. Then it was gone and the tentative memory left with it. Frustrated, Sombra prowled onward. He was determined to divine the source of this impossible temple. He had crafted it for a purpose and, with his fall and the subsequent coup of the Empire, it no longer had one. If it was not destroyed during the purges that followed his defeat a millennium past then that meant the Sisters must have decided on a use for it. There were few things Sombra hated more than someone doing as they would with his own things. He would shake the temple down to its very foundation stones rather than permit it to be used by that pair of winged fancies that called themselves Princesses or, especially, the last scion of the Cadenza line.
The entrance to the temple was a wide, gaping archway that opened to a set of stairs sized perfectly for Sombra’s immense frame. It gave other, more average-sized ponies, a sense of disproportion not unlike a young colt trying to wear his father’s jacket.
Sombra could feel the presence of a mind deep beneath his hooves. It was old, powerful, and… hateful. It was filled with hatred. Jealousy, rage, and spite, coiled around a heart as black as night. More importantly, though, it was occupying his temple.. Whatever this creature was it-
A sound interrupted the former king’s thoughts. It was coming from far away. Far beyond the walls of sleep and into the waking world. Sombra’s ears flicked back reflexively trying to pinpoint the noise. Turning away from the temple’s maw, Sombra scowled in annoyance. It shouldn’t be possible for a sound from the waking realm to reach him here. In dreams, perhaps, but this was far beyond the simple place of dreams and deep within the winding unmatter of magic. That he accessed this realm via dreams should be of no consequence.
Curious, Sombra focused on the sound in an effort to bring it into clarity. After a moment of concentration he succeeded and the sound became clear as day. It was the sound of somepony crying…. No, not ‘somepony’, that was the mouse’s voice. A surge of panic and anger cracked Sombra’s icy demeanor, splitting his focus in two like a dropped porcelain plate. He cast a brief gaze back at the portal to the dark depths before shaking his head.
The temple and its invading occupant will be here tomorrow evening, Sombra thought as he began the enumerations of dawn, lifting his spirit from the deep places of sleep and back to his body. I will deal with them on the morrow. For now I clearly have more important matters to attend to. Namely whoever made my servant weep.



Sombra blinked sleep from his eyes as he lifted his head from the pillow a bit grudgingly. Glancing at the clock, Sombra scowled; it was just past two in the morning. Even farmers were not up so early without very good reason. Moments later the feather-soft sounds of crying reached Sombra’s ears in the waking world. 
“Ah, yes,” Sombra grumbled, “my reason.”
Lifting himself out of bed, Sombra made his way out of his room and down the hall to his servants bedchambers. He could hear her crying though it was muffled. She was likely trying to keep it to herself and, for some reason, that irked Sombra more than being woken by it had. Pushing her door open he saw Fluttershy curled up on top of her blankets and shaking while every so often another sob would escape, followed by a hiccup and more shaking.
A small sense of relief passed through Sombra’s mind when he saw she was unhurt, physically at least. More anger followed quickly on its heels, however, as he wondered who had brought his servant to such a dismal state. Anger that quickly became a cold, dark fury.
“I would know why you shed so many tears, mouse,” Sombra’s voice was distant thunder caged in a shell of iron. Despite its low volume Fluttershy still started as if she had been shocked. Shadows flickered and writhed around Sombra as his eyes took on a fully green, lambent glow. Lavender flames licked off of the edges of his sclera as his face twisted into a furious mein. “If there is a culprit I would also have their name or names.”
Fluttershy stared at Sombra in shock for a moment before quickly wiping the tears from her face. It did little but muss up her fur which was matted from tears and her eyes were unavoidably red from crying.
“I-I’m s-sorry, master,” Fluttershy hiccuped. Sombra could still hear the tears straining at the edges of her voice. “I d-didn’t mean to wake you. I-I’ll try and be quieter.”
“Did you not hear me, mouse?”
The buttercream mare blinked in surprise. “I-I… it wasn’t a-anypony’s fault, your Majesty. Nopony did this to me.”
The flames and shadows calmed somewhat as Sombra tilted his head in confused irritation. “Then why do you weep as if you were wracked to your very soul?”
Fluttershy swallowed and sniffled a little before answering. “Because I did something terrible and I don’t know what to do. I made a choice and… and now…”
A sigh stifled Fluttershy’s self-recriminatory rant before it could gain steam. “I see,” Sombra said softly. Gone was the looming specter of destruction, replaced with his normal, albeit exceptional, leonine features. “Tell me what it is you think you have done.”
As he spoke, Sombra stepped closer to the bed and sat in front of her. Fluttershy looked pensive for several moments but Sombra knew there was no point in pressing the issue. 
She will tell me her troubles, Sombra thought idly to himself. It is in her nature. It is pony nature to rely on others. No matter that I am hardly an ideal candidate.
“W-well…” Fluttershy began, sniffling. “I lied to my friends to… to protect you.”
Sombra crooked an eyebrow in confusion. “That’s all? The geas forces you to protect me, mouse. If you become distraught over every little lie you are forced to-”
“It wasn’t your stupid magic!” Fluttershy yelled, startling Sombra. Fluttershy clapped her hooves to her mouth, horrified at what had just come out of it. “O-oh, I’m so sorry, your Majesty, I didn’t mean to- I just got so… so angry and-”
Sombra silenced her with a raised hoof. “Clarify what you just said to me, mouse,” he said, once she had quieted down. “What do you mean it wasn’t my magic?”
Fluttershy blinked in surprise but nodded. “Twilight and Rainbow were trying to figure out what had happened to Scootaloo when Twilight said that the magic on her resembled something a plant in the Everfree could do. A ‘physical curse’ she called it. Rainbow suggested they talk to y- to Coal, since you’re supposed to be studying Everfree plants. When they asked me if I thought it was a good idea I… I said no.”
If he was being honest, Sombra felt rocked back on his hooves. By pure chance the mouse’s friends had given her an opportunity to betray him fully into the grasp of his enemies without triggering the conditions of the geas. He had been sleeping and his walk had left him weary, and he had only himself to blame for his short-sighted ensorcellment of the young Pegasus. Fate and his own judgment had left him solely in the hooves of the shy mare in front of him and yet… she had protected him.
“I-I told them that your research had barely started and that you wouldn’t have anything useful,” Fluttershy continued. “I promised them I would ask if ‘Coal’ would keep an eye out for any plants that matched the description and… and… and they believed me!”
At this point Fluttershy had broken back down into quiet sobs. Sombra could feel himself becoming more and more frustrated, not with the mouse, not even with her friends. He was getting frustrated with himself. She had protected him for reasons he couldn’t begin to fathom. She had only served him for mere days and she had been given a seemingly golden opportunity to remove herself from under his hoof. She didn’t and now she was berating herself for the actions she had taking instead. This… bothered Sombra. The fact that it bothered him, in turn, frustrated him.
“I took advantage of my f-friends,” Fluttershy croaked out. “I k-know you said that Scootaloo will be alright but I can’t be sure and… and if she isn’t then it will be my fault! I’m a horrible pony!”
“You will forgive me if that complaint rings a bit hollow in present company,” Sombra stated dryly. His borderline-sarcastic tone served to snap Fluttershy out of her wallowing, however, and she looked at him in shock.
Sombra wrinkled his muzzle in annoyance. “You are bound in service to a tyrant, mouse, you are practically sainted in comparison. Besides, you cannot know what would have happened had you agreed to your friend’s request. I may be weak but do not underestimate the damage I am capable of inflicting if threatened. You very likely preserved at least one of your friends’ lives by deterring them from their ill-advised course of action.”
That may have been laying it on a bit thick, Sombra mused as he watched the gears turn in the mouse’s brain. True, I am not precisely defenseless but in my current state I suspect a good maiming is a generous estimate of the damage I could inflict before I would be overpowered.
Regardless of the veracity of his statements, Sombra felt a small sense of relief when some of the grief left the mouse’s features. She was still horrified by her choices, unsurprisingly, but she was no longer inconsolable. Why that mattered to him at all he wasn’t certain. Sombra did know that her crying had an unparalleled quality to it that served to disturb his rest but that was far from the only reason.
Have I truly come to care for this mare? Sombra felt a weariness in him as he asked himself the question. Indulging that impulse is, with utmost certainty, a bad idea of the highest order. Given her status as a Bearer my happening to sneeze within a league of her would be enough to bring down the wrath of the Sisters on my head.
“Your Majesty?” Fluttershy’s voice snapped Sombra out of his thoughts and he felt his heart make a sudden leap for his throat when he realised she had gotten almost uncomfortably close to him, with her muzzle only a foot away at most. “A-are you alright?”
“Yes,” Sombra rumbled as he stood up from where he had come to rest at her bedside and turned his back on her. “I am quite alright. Now, I expect you to sleep now. My geas will keep you dreamless and ensure your rest is undisturbed as I hope mine shall be.”
“O-oh…” Fluttershy answered meekly. “I’m… I’m sorry for waking you.”
Sombra shot a glance over his massive shoulder. “Rest, mouse.”
Surprisingly, Fluttershy didn’t flinch at his tone or his gaze. She just smiled that same radiant smile she always did. It… comforted him to see it. 
“As you say, your Majesty,” Fluttershy replied, bowing her head slightly. “And… thank you for trying to cheer me up.”
Sombra refused to dignify those last words with an answer and shut the bedroom door behind him. His mind was clouded and troubled. Moreover he was almost infuriatingly awake. Despite the early hour he felt a certainty bordering on the prophetic that sleep would elude him as he made his way back to his own room. Pushing the door to it open, Sombra glanced down the hall towards the living room and the front door. From somewhere deep in his sorcery-blackened heart he felt something stirring. Something utterly and irrefutably annoying.
I cannot help but wonder if my revival was somehow botched and left me insipid, Sombra thought dryly as he, instead of entering his room, telekinetically pulled out one of the books from his shelf then trotted out to the living room and through the front door as quietly as possible.

++

Fluttershy woke an hour or two later than she normally would have on a usual morning. Celestia’s sun was high enough in the sky to suggest mid-morning and for the second time in a row Fluttershy felt less than motivated to get out of bed. It wasn’t as bad as the day before but she knew that every day would bring with it fresh challenges for her to, apparently, fail at. Assuming she survived Sombra’s geas she had no idea how she would confess to her friends what she had done. Rainbow Dash would almost certainly never forgive her given how much the little filly meant to the cyan weathermare and Fluttershy wouldn’t blame her at all.
Hopefully the Master is still asleep, Fluttershy thought sullenly as she tipped herself out of bed and onto the cold floor. Shivering, she trotted out into the hallway. He’ll be upset if I made him wait for breakfast. 
She felt a measure of hope as she walked past his closed door and into the empty living room. The kitchen likewise showed no signs of the massive, ash-colored stallion. Smiling, Fluttershy began the process of making breakfast. She chose something quick and simple- honeyed oatmeal with fruit -so she could get to her chores faster and make up for lost time. Especially since she wanted to visit the hospital quickly to see if there had been any updates of Scootaloo’s condition. Leaving out a large portion for Sombra sitting covered on the table alongside the condiments in case he woke up before she returned, Fluttershy quickly and gracelessly scarfed down her bowl before leaving to finish her morning duties. 
When she returned an hour later to find the bowl untouched and Sombra still nowhere to be seen, Fluttershy felt a small twinge of regret. She had woken him up in the middle of the night. He was probably catching up on sleep. He seemed more energetic at night anyways. Setting up a small warming pad to place under the bowl to keep it at a palatable temperature, Fluttershy penned a short note explaining her absence and left it by the bowl. She only stopped to grab the red scarf hanging on a rack by the door before leaving to make her way to the hospital. She could only hope her decisions hadn’t been paid for by little Scootaloo. 
The walk was uneventful and quiet, much as it always was, but this time Fluttershy couldn’t find any peace in the quiet. For the first time she found herself getting frustrated by how far away she was from town. Abandoning her usual order of business Fluttershy spread her wings and kicked off from the well-trodden path and caught a low thermal. She rarely flew but that was more out of preference than lack of skill. She was a competent enough flier and her lithe frame made her especially maneuverable; Fluttershy simply had an Earth Pony’s preference towards keeping her hooves on terra firma. Her speed was far better in the air though, like any pegasus, and within a few minutes Fluttershy made a graceful landing in front of the Ponyville General front entrance. Quickly, she trotted through the doors and up to the front desk.
“Excuse me,” Fluttershy spoke up with unusual strength (for her) to the receptionist. A kind unicorn mare named Verity. “A pegasus filly named Scootaloo was brought into emergency care last night and I was wondering what room she was put in?”
Verity smiled. “Oh yes, I was told we had a sudden arrival. Let me check.” Her voice was pleasantly musical and she lit her horn to bring up a large ledger to consult. After a worrying minute Verity smiled. “There we are, room one-oh-nine. It looks like an outside consultant is currently attending to her and has been for some time, however, so if he asks you to wait outside the room I must ask that you obey him without question, alright Miss Fluttershy?”
“Oh, yes,” Fluttershy agreed readily, mostly relieved to hear that Scootaloo was out of intensive care. “Of course, thank you so much Verity.”
“No problem, I think Rainbow is down there too,” Verity pointed Fluttershy towards a hallway. “First hall on the right.”
Fluttershy nodded and trotted down, following Verity’s directions. Taking the first right she saw Rainbow snoozing on a bench outside of the room where Scootaloo was supposed to be. She tried not to disturb her fellow Pegasus who had probably been there all night but she barely made it up to the bench Rainbow was sleeping on before the athletic, nap-loving mare snapped awake. 
“Huhzawah?!” Rainbow Dash looked around for a moment before her brain caught up with her body. “Oh, hey Fluttershy, is it morning?”
Fluttershy nodded, feeling a pang of regret for her friend’s state. “Yes, I was just coming back to check on Scootaloo. How is she doing?”
Thankfully, Rainbow gave her a smile that shone with relief. “She’s gonna be fine. It was touch and go there for a while, but once Coal showed up he was able to give the doctors some pointers on how to deal with it.”
I can't have heard that right. Fluttershy stood stock still at what Rainbow had just said. “C-Coal is here?”
Rainbow Dash crooked an eyebrow. “Uh, yeah. Didn’t you send him over? He said he woke up after you got home and that you had told him what happened to Scoots. He must have headed over here right afterwards.”
“I… suppose so,” Fluttershy agreed, trying to cover her disbelief. “I didn’t realise he had left right away though. I was so exhausted that I must have fallen asleep right after I told him.”
“Well, I’m glad you told him Flutters. The guy turned out to be as reliable as me! I don’t think he’s left her side this whole time. Heck, that’s the only reason I got any shut-eye at all.” Rainbow stretched, her spine making loud popping noises.
“Well… that’s good…” Fluttershy felt a little light-headed and couldn’t keep herself from repeatedly glancing at the closed door to Scootaloo’s room.
“I’m gonna go grab some coffee,” Rainbow continued unimpeded. “I’ll bring some for Coal too. The dude is probably falling asleep on his hooves by now. You want anything?”
“Uhm, no, I’m fine, I’m just going to go check on Coal,” Fluttershy answered, snapping out of her daze.
Rainbow nodded at that. “Yeah, probably a good idea. He’ll probably need some serious R&R after this.”
The words fell on mostly deaf ears as Fluttershy trotted dazedly up to the door and pushed it open. She was half expecting to find him conducting some strange, dark experiment or be surrounded by shadowy coils. She was certainly not expecting to find him wearing a white coat that had been spattered by recent stains, a quill hanging idly out of his mouth that he seemed to be chewing on, and numerous clipboards floating alongside one his grimoires which he seemed to be reading simultaneously.
Glancing back, Fluttershy kicked out with her back hoof to shut the door, making sure she heard it click. Sombra seemed entirely unaware of the noise or her presence as he muttered to himself, absentmindedly chewing on the quill.
“Your Majesty?” Fluttershy said quietly as she approached. He didn’t react, so she tried something a little more... risky. “S-Sombra?”
“Not now, Misty,” Sombra replied distractedly. “This last sequence is giving me the run around. I’ll have it isolated in a moment, though.”
Misty? Oh, that was his… his friend from before, Fluttershy’s heart hurt just a little at Sombra’s reflexive answer. She could tell that, for the moment, he wasn’t in Ponyville General. He was back in the Crystal Empire. It’s strange but he looks so… comfortable like this. He actually reminds me a little of Twilight.
Sombra still hadn’t noticed Fluttershy’s existence. Instead, he floated out the partially chewed quill and noted down a few sweeping lines and equations before smirking. “That’s done it! Got the little bastard.”
The soft squeak that escaped from Fluttershy’s mouth at Sombra’s words drew the disguised king’s attention back to the present and Fluttershy gave a small laugh at his momentarily confused expression before clapping her hooves to her mouth before anything else fell out of it. 
“Oh, oh I’m so sorry, your Majesty,” Fluttershy couldn’t keep the slight smile off of her face. “It's just that you looked really… good. You looked happy.”
Sombra snorted at that before turning back to his notes. “The filly will live, as I said. Her life was never in any danger although I did end up catching a few problematic side effects that may have presented themselves before they took root. I suspect they were related to her malnourishment. It is frustrating since I should have foreseen that and I blame my tired mind. I am glad I came out here and oversaw her recovery."
His speech patterns had changed back to his 'kingly' style and Sombra didn’t turn to regard Fluttershy at any point, instead choosing to walk over to Scootaloo silently sleeping form. A small spark of magic lept from Sombra’s horn to Scootaloo’s forehead and settled in.
“There, that should ensure that she awakens in more-or-less the same state as when she fell into her slumber.” Stepping back, Sombra peeled back some of the covers. “The changes are settling in nicely, too, see?”
Fluttershy didn’t bother holding back a gasp. Scootaloo’s wings were the most noticeable change; before they had been small and stunted with little sign of growth in spite of her age, now they were nearly half as big as she was and the feathers growing from them ranged from black to deep indigo before fading back into orange as they moved towards main bones of the wing. There were other, subtler, changes as well, though. Scootaloo had always looked a bit scrawny and lean, but now she looked as though she had been eating three good meals a day for the past year and athletic muscle could be seen along her legs and back.
“What did you do?” Fluttershy murmured, in awe at the transformation that had taken place. “She looks so much healthier now.”
Sombra chuckled. “Of course she does, but I don’t have time for a lengthy explanation. Simply know that I ensured her health, safety, and soundness of body. Before this she would have been a stunted runt for life. Now she can be whatever she wants. That she will feel beholden to me is, of course, a given.”
Fluttershy could hardly hold back the tears that were threatening to fall as she looked over Scootaloo. She had always worried about the little filly, being so scrawny and small. Fluttershy wished she had known about the troubles that Scootaloo had faced at home but now, thanks to Sombra, she had a chance at a normal life. It didn’t matter if that had been his first intention, in fact it probably hadn’t been, but the fact remained that he had given Scootaloo her quality of life back after it had been unfairly taken away from her by neglect and apathy. 
“So you see, mouse,” Sombra continued, “you never had anything to worry about.”
His words sent a jolt into Fluttershy’s heart that sent it hammering away. ‘Never had…’ is that why he came out here? Did he- No, that’s… that’s not… Slowly, she turned to face him but his gaze had settled on the sleeping filly in front of the two of them. In that brief moment Fluttershy saw something she had never thought she would ever see on Sombra’s face. Something that, even in her wildest fantasies of redemption, she hadn’t dared to hope for. His features were softened, completely lacking their usual cruel lines but, unlike before when he had been talking to her friends, he wasn’t wearing a mask. No, he looked almost relaxed. The ghost of a smile tugged at the edges of his lips while a warm light had settled in his eyes. There was no other word for it; the way he was looking at Scootaloo was almost… paternal.
Fluttershy opened her mouth but she found a complete lack of words. What she did find was an urge to do something that was some combination of incredibly stupid, brave, and impulsive. 
The only words her brain could give her were: Buck it.
“Mouse, are yo-”
Sombra began to turn but didn’t get to finish his sentence before Fluttershy leaned upwards, almost having to lift herself off of the ground to reach him, and pressed her lips against his in a warm, insistent kiss. She felt shock roll through him. His surprise only lasted for a moment though before, to her pleasant surprise, he leaned in and kissed her back, wrapping her lithe form in his forelegs and pulling closer.
She didn’t even try to resist. She didn’t want to. There was so much strength in Sombra and yet, for some reason, Fluttershy didn’t feel even the slightest bit afraid. In fact, for the first time she could remember that wasn’t in the middle of big fight or huge trouble, Fluttershy dared to say that she felt fearless.
> Oh My
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	
Chapter 11


Soft.
That was the overwhelming sense that Sombra could feel in that moment. Everything about Fluttershy was soft. He let his hooves trail down her sides and she shivered delightfully under his touch and her wings spread out only to wrap around the two of them, her primaries tracing down Sombra’s back in turn. Her lips were like the softest velvet and her whole body seemed to mold against his in an intoxicating manner. Then there was the kiss itself; there was passion, yes, but not a fiery, scorching passion, rather it was more steady and unyielding. Constant, sweet, and deliciously addictive.
When the kiss finally ended and the two parted, Sombra was pleased to see a faintly dazed look on Fluttershy’s face. Her mouth was still just slightly open, lips parted and enticingly attractive. 
“U-uh, uhm,” Fluttershy blinked a few times as she seemed to come to her senses. Sombra could feel the incoming storm as the butter-cream mare’s muscles tensed up in preparation for a panic attack. Sombra chose to forestall it by lifting a hoof and placing it over her muzzle.
“Mouse, if you apologise for that I will be sincerely displeased,” Sombra remarked dryly.
Whatever it was Fluttershy was about to respond with was entirely lost, however, in the next moment. “Awwww, yeeeeeaaaaaah, I knew it!” Both Sombra and Fluttershy turned to see Rainbow Dash standing in the doorway with two mugs of coffee in a holder on her back and a smug grin on her face. “You go girl! Get some’a that!” 
Fluttershy, for her part, suddenly began doing her absolute best impression of a red delicious apple. She was blushing furiously, her ears pointed up and twitching distressedly although her wings, Sombra noted with amusement, had only tightened their grip on him. 
After Rainbow had stopped laughing and set the coffee down she turned to the mortified Fluttershy and gave her a more genuine, sincere smile. “Seriously, Flutters, good for you, you deserve a good guy” she said in a much softer voice, poking Fluttershy in the back with a hoof. “And, since Coal came down here in the middle of the night- morning -whatever, and spent the last eight hours making sure Scoots came through this crazy thing okay, I don’t think I even have to ask if he’ll treat you right.” Then she rounded on Sombra and pointed a hoof squarely at his muzzle. “I do have’ta say that if you ever hurt Fluttershy I will definitely lodge my back hoof so far up your flankhole you’ll be tasting the last three asses I kicked for the rest of your life, capisce?”
“Duly noted,” Sombra answered with a wry grin before turning to Fluttershy who was still clinging to him like an adorable lamprey. “Fluttershy, as much as I enjoy your proximity I will at some point need my personal space back to check up on Scootaloo’s vitals.”
Fluttershy squeaked something in the vague affirmative before detaching herself, albeit a bit grudgingly. She still remained within a hoof-length of him, though, which Sombra had absolutely no issue with. “S-sorry, Coal, I was… uhm… wasn’t thinking.”
Rainbow snorted a laugh. “Wow, if that’s what you do when you stop thinking we should get you to stop thinking more often. I only caught the tail end of your smooch-a-thon but I could definitely tell Flutters started it. Never thought I’d say that.”
A small cough came from the bed, distracting all three of them. Sombra was next to Scootaloo more quickly than even Rainbow Dash. A few sparks of magic lept from his horn and began orbiting around Scootaloo’s body. Rainbow glanced worriedly at the dark stallion, then down to the orange filly, then back to Coal. Fluttershy simply stood stoically by Sombra’s side as he did a few mental calculations.
Letting out a relieved sigh, Sombra turned to Rainbow. “She’s fine. Just getting used to the increased airflow and improved cardio-pulmonary system. For all the danger she was in, her body has adapted to the magical influence of the infection quite majestically, see?”
For the first time, Rainbow Dash took in Scootaloo’s physical state; the wider wings, the black feathers, the healthier shape of her body. For a moment Rainbow Dash looked like she was going to cry as she turned to Coal. “D-did you do this?”
Sombra was taken aback by the emotion in her voice, so much so that for a moment he was at a loss for words. When he found he simply shrugged. “In part, I suppose I-”
His explanation was forestalled by Twilight Sparkle entering the room followed quickly by Rarity, Applejack, and lastly Pinkie Pie. 
“Coal? I didn’t realise you were going to be here,” Twilight said with smile as the other three Elements filed in behind her and Sombra sketched a quick bow. “Did you come in with Fluttersh- Why are you wearing a doctor’s coat?”
Before either Sombra or Fluttershy could respond Rainbow piped up. “Because Coal’s been here since like, three in the morning, using his awesomely weird crystal magic to help the squirt through whatever made her sick!” The four new arrivals reacted with stunned silence, and Rarity was the first to recover. 
“That’s so wonderful, darling,” the alabaster Unicorn stepped gracefully forward, resting her hoof on Sombra’s withers. “You really are a good stallion, you know that?”
Sombra was about to respond when he felt Fluttershy tense against his side. He glanced down and saw her muzzle was scrunched up just slightly and she was eyeing Rarity’s hoof, which hadn’t moved from where she’d laid it.
The mouse is the jealous type, who knew? Sombra noted with amusement.
Shrugging, which had the additional effect of dislodging Rarity’s hoof, Sombra just shook his head. “When Fluttershy told me what happened I knew she wouldn’t be able to rest peacefully until the filly was back in good health and I do know some ancient techniques that most doctors here in Equestria would have no reason to know.”
“So, uh, don’t take this the wrong way Mister Axiom,” Applejack joined into the conversation finally, “ah’m mighty glad to hear that little Scootaloo is gonna be okay, she’s one’a my little sister’s best friends, but ah can’t deny bein’ a mite curious as to how you managed to cure her when all the doctors in Ponyville along with our resident Alicorn Princess were plum flummoxed.”
“AJ! What the hay!?” Rainbow practically launched herself forward the few feet that had existed between the two mares. “You make it sound like he planned this or something! He saved Scoot’s life!”
“Ah didn’t mean it like that,” Applejack backtracked quickly, holding up her hooves placatingly. “Ah just said ah was curious. Ya’ll don’t think it’s a little odd?”
“That’s perfectly fair, Miss Apple,” Coal responded before Rainbow could say something more troublesome. As easy as it was to get on her good side, she made something of an overzealous defender. “I’m sure the thought was on more than just your mind, am I right your Grace?”
“Well, I wouldn’t be much of a scientist if it wasn’t,” Twilight answered with a small laugh before turning to Applejack. “You could have asked your question a little more tactfully, AJ. He’s been up for Celestia-knows how long trying to help.”
Applejack looked down at the floor, scuffing her hoof on the tiles. “Aw shucks, ah reckon yer right, Twi.” Turning Sombra, Applejack held out a hoof. “Sorry about that, pardner…. again. Ah’ve always been a little mistrustful of outsiders but you ain’t been nothin’ but civil.”
Giving the farm-mare a tired smile that, for once, he didn’t have to bother faking, Sombra took her hoof and gave it a firm grip and shake. “I understand completely.” 
“So… you were going to explain?” Twilight asked a little too eagerly. She had several notepads hovering near her and as many quills too. Sombra couldn’t help but laugh a little at the sight. It was certainly endearing if nothing else. “I was under the impression you hadn’t managed to start your research project beyond the preliminary stages.”
“Yes, that’s correct,” Sombra remarked earning a few quizzical looks. “That is, I haven’t the slightest clue what kind of Everfree plant could have affected this little one so badly. However, I do know of a plant in the Crystal Empire that has similar symptoms. It’s called ‘Tyrant’s Root’, three guesses how it earned that name.”
“Ooh ooh! Pick me!” Pinkie, mostly content with listening until now, was suddenly leaping up and down in the air waving her hooves. “Is it because of the evil nasty wicked King Sombra?!”
Sombra saw Fluttershy flinch slightly but, fortunately, everypony else was understandably distracted by Pinkie. “Yes, it is in fact. You see the root has a unique effect that causes a pony’s meridians to become overactive-”
“Uhm, ya’ll are gonna have to explain mer-whatsits to the dumb farmpony over here,” Applejack remarked, raising a hoof like she was in a classroom. Before Sombra, or even Twilight, could answer her though, a bright voice piped up.
“Meridians are the magical equivalent of arteries and veins in the pony body,” Pinkie answered quickly, drawing several looks of undisguised shock. The pink confectioner continued on unperturbed. “They pull in magic from outside and from food and stuff that you eat then ponies use the magic for lotsa stuff. Earth Ponies use it to farm, Pegasi use it to make weather, and Unicorns use it to cast spells and stuff!”
“Uh… that’s exactly right,” Twilight said, flabbergasted. “Where did you learn that?”
Pinkie just grinned. “From my Granny Pie. She taught all of us Pie fillies. Earth Pony magic is how rock farms can create crystals inside of rocks. We focus our magic into our hooves and then push it into the rock! Then the inside of the rock absorbs it and gets all crystally! That’s why we have to make sure we rotate all the rocks regularly though so the crystals on the insides grow evenly. I was never very good at it, though, but Maud is super-duper good at it! Better than even my Pops!”
“Well,” Rarity said, blinking in surprise. “I suppose that’s a bit of friendship lesson there, isn’t it darling?” She said, turning to Twilight. “Sometimes even your closest friends can still surprise you.”
“Yeah, I guess so,” Twilight answered with a smile before looking over at Sombra. “Sorry about the interruption. You were explaining about the Tyrant’s Root?”
Coughing to clear his throat, Sombra nodded. “Yes, the root was used by Lord Sombra to infuse his most loyal and zealous warriors and servants with greater power. You see, the root caused Ponies meridians to draw in so much magic that it became toxic to their bodies, overwhelming them completely. It’s part of the root’s life cycle you see. Beasts or ponies who consume the root die of either magical overload or massive organ failure, then the remains of the root grows within the body and becomes a new plant. Sombra used small amounts to make unstoppable warriors and unparalleled sorcerers out of his followers, those few who survived, that is. The mortality rate, I understand, was horrifically high.”
“Holy crap,” Rainbow muttered, “Scoots ate that?”
Sombra shook his head. “No, not at all. I suspect it was some distant relative of the Tyrant’s Root, though. Everfree, being a wildly magical place, probably has a plant that thrives off of magical influx in a similar manner to the root. Most likely she was hungry and attempted to eat something that looked palatable. That is how parasitic plants evolve after all, they draw in victims with a sweet scent or taste.”
Twilight was nodding along with everything her expression became grim at the end. “You’re not wrong. I wouldn’t be surprised if a plant like that existed in the Everfree Forest. It’s a really dangerous place after all. So how did you heal her without knowing what she ate?”
“Quite simple,” Sombra remarked, “since the Tyrant Root functions by overloading the Pony’s body with magic I simply used my magic to create crystalline constructs like so…” A spark of red magic drifted up from his horn and coalesced into a perfectly hexagonal crystal matrix, “and then used them to siphon out the excess magic that was poisoning her system before allowing it to disperse harmlessly. Since the buildup stopped a few hours ago I’ve been spending the rest of the time ensuring there was no damage to her organs or muscles.”
“That’s brilliant!” Twilight smiled brightly as she noted down his Sombra’s words. “How did you get the magic to safely unbind from her blood, though? That’s what stopped me from trying the same thing.”
“I didn’t,” Sombra responded, drawing a look of surprise from the lavender Alicorn. “ I just waited for the magic to unbind itself from her blood when it was preparing to transfer to her organ and muscle tissue. Once it was freed from the blood I intercepted the particles with my crystals. After all, why try and force something that would occur naturally?”
Sombra suppressed a smug grin at the look of disbelief on the Princess’s face as it slowly turned into one of self-recrimination. “Of course, that… that’s so simple! How could I have not thought of that?!” Twilight’s notepads and quills floated down to the floor as she scowled, her face down as she stared at the space between her hooves.
You’re centuries too early to try and best my sorcery, Miss Sparkle, Sombra thought to himself. A small nudge from Fluttershy drew his attention away from his own thoughts and back to the butter-yellow mare beside him. She was looking at him with a pleading gaze then nodded her head towards Twilight, who was still looking despondent. Sombra flicked his ears in irritation. Oh very well, if I must.
“Your Grace,” Sombra said softly, drawing the attention of the five other mares who were consoling Twilight with little success. “In all fairness it was hardly an obvious solution. Nor was it one I could expect an Equestrian-trained mage to even think of, let alone execute. Crystal magic specializes in the transference of energy between points of access, from pony to crystal and back again for instance. Even had you identified the weakness of the affliction there’s no guarantee you could have safely siphoned off the arcane particles. I have had decades of training in this school of magic, that is the simple truth.”
Centuries, more like, but I can hardly say that now can I? Sombra chuckled inwardly. Turning his head to regard Fluttershy, he felt a warmth grow in his chest at the radiant smile she was wearing. A smile that was directed entirely at him.
“Coal’s right, sugarcube,” Applejack said sternly. “Ya’ll can’t be expected to be able to cast magic ya’ll ain’t even heard of.”
Sombra gave a supporting nod. “If it helps, too, my diagnosis suggests that her life was never in mortal danger. I can’t say what would have happened but I can say with some certainty that she would have survived the ordeal. Whatever she consumed must have been in a small enough quantity to avoid any dire side effects. That or the Everfree strain is simply less potent than the Tyrant’s Root. It may have evolved to affect wildlife rather than the more complex system of a Pony.”
“It did way more than affect her!” Rainbow said, interrupting. “Seriously, check it out!”
Carefully, Rainbow pulled the covers away from Scootaloo to reveal the wide, dark-feathered wings and lan, athletic form. If anything, Scootaloo was starting to look like Rainbow Dash in fact so long as whoever was making the comparison ignored the colors of the two mares. Twilight stared in wonder and Rarity nudged herself closer.
“Oh my stars, her coloration is beautiful,” Rarity whispered. 
Sombra hadn’t really given the filly’s appearance much thought but, since Rarity brought it up, he had to admit the combination of black and orange created a striking combination of color that evoked the image of the very last moments of sunset; the final whispers of the orange sun before the day is swallowed by the shadow of night. Sombra opened his mouth to say something but his voice was lost as he staggered in place.
Damnation, I’ve persisted too long, Sombra inwardly cursed himself for his folly. He had exhausted himself when he knew full well that he could ill afford it. I need rest and food.
In the dimness of his consciousness, Sombra heard Fluttershy speak up. “Oh dear, I should help get Coal home. He’s pushed himself to exhaustion. Can someone stay with Scootaloo in case she wakes up?” The world was fading in and out, and he felt an unpleasant numbness at his extremities. “Lean against me Coal, we’re going home.”
Home… yes, Sombra’s thoughts moved like they were submerged in syrup. Going… home.
++
It had been a struggle getting Sombra back to the cottage. It took almost an hour but Fluttershy knew it would have been significantly harder had he been in his true form. It had been a little difficult excusing herself from her friends, especially with Twilight offering her castle or Rainbow trying to help Fluttershy with the trip. She didn’t want to risk his spell failing where anyone could see him. Fortunately Fluttershy had been able to explain away her reluctance, though she felt another small pang of guilt that she was take advantage of her friends’ trust in her. This, however, she knew would have been impelled by the geas whether she would have wanted to protect him or not. Throughout it all she had felt the telltale pressure in her mind driving her to get her king to safety.  Not that she needed it anymore. The thought passed through her head without the usual vitriol, surprisingly. 
Well, a few things have changed recently… she thought, remembering the passionate kiss they’d shared before Dash had interrupted them. A blush turned her face scarlet, her fur only highlighting the shade.
Carefully, Fluttershy moved Sombra, who was in a kind of sleepwalking fugue state, into the living room and maneuvered him around the dining table and towards the hallway. It was around that point that she felt him getting heavier. For a moment she thought she was imagining it, but a quick glance told her that it was no illusion. Or rather, it was. Coal Axiom was fading away, leaving behind the towering frame of King Erebos Sombra. 
Oh shoot, there he goes, Fluttershy thought quickly as she began moving with a little more speed towards his room. 
Every step was more laborious than the last, though, as Sombra’s frame took on its usual weight and immensity. She barely got him through the door to his room before the transformation completed. The sudden and jarring end to the change caused Fluttershy to catch her hoof on Sombra’s tail which had gotten caught beneath them when she turned him to enter the room and, with a small eep, Fluttershy collapsed as the unconscious weight of the king bore her to the floor.
Even when she had moved him before she had never really appreciated how heavy King Sombra really was. Not that he was overweight or anything, she quickly reminded herself, but that the sheer volume of muscle he possessed dwarfed estimation. Now, however, she was painfully aware of his full weight as it pressed down on her. 
Oh dear… this is not good, Fluttershy thought privately. 
Her wings had, fortunately, been pinned to her sides when she fell. She didn’t want to think what Sombra’s full weight against her outstretched wing would have felt like. As it was she was pinned beneath him, laying on her right side with Sombra’s frame draped over her. Maybe if I lift up I can get… nope. Well, if I just… squirm forward I might be able to… oh fudge. She had managed to get her top half mostly out from under his barrel but now her legs were pinned and she couldn’t get them free. She was positioned directly between his forelegs, which were curled in enough to catch her shoulders and no amount of wiggling was letting her get free, not unless she wanted to risk damaging her legs. Fluttershy carefully moved her legs around, ensuring they had some movement so the circulation wouldn’t cut off. 
“Well, here I am,” Fluttershy said softly to nopony in particular. “I suppose this is where I’m staying for the time being. I guess it could be worse. Hm, I wonder…”
Cautiously, Fluttershy unfolded her wings just enough get her primaries loose. It took a few minutes but eventually she was able to maneuver one of them to the crook of Sombra’s foreleg. Bracing herself for Sombra moving, Fluttershy could only hope that he didn’t damage her wing, albeit unintentionally. Sucking in a breath and then slowly letting it out, Fluttershy gently slid her feather against the sensitive skin.
Sombra twitched and Fluttershy tensed for a moment, hoping she hadn’t just made an awful decision. Fortunately, Sombra’s movement caused him to shift just slightly to the right, enough that Fluttershy was able to free her legs. Before she could fully escape, however, Sombra’s forelegs tucked in, catching the smaller mare and pulling her to his chest. The grip wasn’t ironclad, or even particularly strong if Fluttershy were being honest. Now Sombra was on his side and cradling Fluttershy against him and, with a rush of embarrassment, she realised that she had managed to accidentally make herself the ‘little spoon’ to Sombra’s very, very big spoon.
I can get out easily I think, Fluttershy mused as she tested her hypothesis by pushing against one of his forelegs which were enclosing her. Sure enough they had about as much give as the turnstiles at the Ponyville train station. But… I don’t really want to. This is comfortable. The thought brought a fresh blush to her face followed by a resigned sigh. I can’t just leave him on the floor, though. That’s not right even if he wasn’t a king. I’m comfy but I’m sure he’ll be stiff and sore when he wakes up if I leave him this way.
Grudgingly, she pried herself free of Sombra’s grip and maneuvered herself back into position on his right side. Lifting him up, she pushed forward the last couple of meters to his bed and gently moved him onto it. Fluttershy couldn’t help but smile at the success as she trotted back to the kitchen and fixed herself some lunch. It had been a trying journey and she felt exhausted. After a quick meal of apples and cheese, Fluttershy sat at the table considering what had happened that morning.
When I thought about reforming him this wasn’t exactly what I had in mind, she mused as a wry grin turned his lips up. I guess I can’t really complain. He may have made me help him but this… this was my choice. Even if it wasn’t a good choice.
There was that. No matter which way she cut it Fluttershy had to face the fact that she had some kind of feelings for Sombra. King Sombra. The Crystal Tyrant and Lord of Shadows. Of all ponies she could have fallen for she knew that he was probably at the bottom of the list in terms of good choices. There were plenty of other stallions in Ponyville alone; Blue Note, Time Turner, Caramel. They were all good ponies. She was supposed to fall for a pony with a good heart or… or anypony but Sombra! So why was it that everytime she thought about his eyes, burning with emerald fire and crimson light, her heart started doing flips? Why did his deep, threatening baritone excite her instead of frightening her away? Every part of her mind was telling her this was a bad idea.
Fluttershy let out another sigh. She was doing that a lot lately since the master had come into her life. I suppose I may as well get my evening chores out of the way. Even though it’s early I don’t have much else to do.
The day was sunny and pleasant, much more so now that Fluttershy didn’t have the weight of Scootaloo’s fate hanging over her like the Sword of Damareocles. Her animal friends seemed to have gotten used to Sombra’s presence as they were no longer hiding in their dens and burrows. It had only been a few days but already they were treating him like a part of the household. That brought Fluttershy an odd sense of comfort. Animals, she had long ago learned, had a sense all their own that Ponies often ignored. An animal could sense disaster hours, sometimes days, before it happened. They instinctively know when danger is near them as well. The fact that they seemed mostly at ease with Sombra was promising in a strange sense of the word. 
It only took a few hours and soon Fluttershy was back in the house. She felt drained, like the last several hours had taken out an order of magnitude more than their toll. Turning her head she sniffed at herself and scrunched her muzzle at the scent. I definitely need a bath.
Trotting to her room she turned on her back hoof and stepped into her master bathroom. One of the few amenities she had spent more bits on than she was comfortable disclosing. Lingering in her open bath under the hot water with fresh, scented bubbles around her was one of her favorite ways to unwind. Turning the spout she hummed in satisfaction at the steam rising from the filling tub. Working quickly she added the bubble mixture and scented oils before setting out a large towel to the side. As soon as the tub was filled nearly to the brim, Fluttershy cranked the spout off, took a tentative step into the water, and hissed in pleasure as the heat sank into her tired legs. Careful not to cause a spill, she stepped fully into the tub and settled down, letting the water caress her flanks and withers, rising up over her wings and back to touch her chin.
She wasn’t sure how long she luxuriated in the hot water, but eventually to began the laborious task of scrubbing away the sweat of the day from her fur and mane, preening her wings, and combing out her tail. It was early evening by the time she stepped out of the tub and dried off. The water sluicing away the daily grime down the pipes. Far from feeling awakened, though, Fluttershy felt languid.
Oh my, I guess today was more excitement than I thought, Fluttershy walked out of her room and down the hall, into the kitchen for a snack. I guess I’ll make an early night of it, I should lay out some food for his Majesty. He’ll probably be ravenous when he wakes up.
Gathering some less perishable food, mostly fruits and cheeses along with slices of bread, Fluttershy carried the platter into Sombra’s room and slid it onto the nightstand. A long, heavy yawn escaped Fluttershy’s mouth, threatening to send her straight off to dreamland right there. Sombra was right where she had left him, a thought that brought more comfort than it ought to have, and the sight of his slow, steady breathing had a startlingly soporific effect. 
Then an idea cross Fluttershy’s tired brain. An idea that, had she been fully awake, she might have dismissed entirely out of hoof. I wonder if his Majesty would mind if I just…
A blush crept up her face at the thought of what she was about to do, but her tired brain wasn’t in the mood to try and offer any counter-arguments. Before she could think better of her idea, Fluttershy had lifted herself onto the bed and laid down with her back to Sombra. Taking care not to disturb the sleeping king, she scooted back until she was in the same position she had been in that afternoon. Sombra’s sleeping form seemed entirely fine with that idea as his forelegs closed over her in the same manner as before. Using her wing, Fluttershy lifted the blanket and pulled it over them both, snuggling into the king. 
No, not the king.
Her king.
Yes, Fluttershy thought as she drifted off, that sounds much better.
> Consequence & Judgment
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	
Chapter 12


As soon as Sombra began to stir he could tell something was terribly wrong. Never before had the dark king felt as sick as he did in that moment. It was like somepony had taken a trowel and hollowed him out. He felt fevered, which was impossible. As impossible as the tears he had shed two days ago in Sugarcube corner. Sombra could feel weakness threading through his body like poison; gripping his lungs and heart turning every beat and breath painful. Shivering, he curled in on himself, seeking some warmth. He found it in the small, soft frame of the mare who had, apparently, chosen to sleep beside him.
To say Sombra was shocked would be doing a disservice to the magnitude of the feeling. Fluttershy’s soft wings were at rest over her barrel with her back was pressed against him a decidedly pleasant manner while her silken mane was splayed fetchingly across the pillow the two of them had shared and down over her face. Her breath was steady and even, unlike Sombra’s, but for a moment the surprise was so complete that Sombra forgot his own ailing body.
But only a moment.
Pain wracked through Sombra’s frame a breath later, crawling up his body to his horn and leaving behind a cold, electric sickness. A muted grunt of agony escaped his throat, stirring the sleeping pegasus who was resting between his forelegs.
“My king?” Fluttershy’s soft, sleepy voice brought a soothing balm, but it was only mental. There was something very wrong with his body and Fluttershy took notice immediately. “My king?! What’s wrong?” 
Sombra could see the worry in her eyes as she extricated herself from him and almost toppled onto the floor before turning around to get a better look at him. He was sure he looked awful. His fur felt sweat-stained and matted, his throat was parched, and his horn throbbed in time with his laboring heart.
Sombra groaned. “I suspect something must have gone terribly wrong with my revival. I have not been regaining my magic as I should have. What little strength I possessed I, apparently, spent in healing the filly.”
“Oh... oh no,” Fluttershy leaned in, pressing her forehead to his for a moment before pulling away, a strained look on her face. “You’re fevered, badly, but I’m not even sure what kind of illness could affect a pony like you, your Majesty. What do I do?”
Sombra let out a strained breath. He did not want to admit weakness in front of Fluttershy but he knew he had to. His own reluctance irked him, since there was nothing she could do to harm him. It was simply pride and… something more. It was her, specifically, if he was being honest with himself. Sombra didn’t want Fluttershy to see him as weak. 
What a foolish notion, there’s no point in not admitting my suspicions that this stage, Sombra admonished himself before opening his mouth. “I suspect, little mouse, that almost any illness could affect me now.”
“W-what?” Fluttershy cocked her head in confusion. “You’re almost as old as the Princesses, your Majesty. What-”
“That is because,” Sombra interrupted, annoyed at the words he was about to say, “I was, as they currently are, immortal. I have reason to believe that has changed. When I was revived by my ritual I was brought back fully in body but not so in spirit. No longer am I the Eternal Tyrant of the Empire. Now I am simply Erebos Sombra, a mortal unicorn. What is worse, I am a unicorn with practically no magic and now, I suspect, I am also dying.”
Fluttershy stared at him, a stricken look on her face. “But… why? H-how could you be dying? You’re just sick!” She moved forward, carefully as though he were a fragile piece of dishware, and buried her face in his fur at the base of his neck, wrapping her forelegs around one of his large hooves and gripping tight. To Sombra’s surprise Fluttershy started to shake and he felt hot tears run into his fur.
“The whole of my body relies on the dark magic I wielded,” Sombra explained softly as Fluttershy sobbed into his mane. “Without it my body has nothing to fuel itself. It is devouring me, slowly, in an attempt to replace it’s lost source of energy. The consumption was slow enough originally but, with such an expenditure as last evening, I believe I exhausted my final stores.”
Fluttershy drew away from Sombra with a horrified expression. “Y-you only helped Scootaloo because I-”
A massive hoof came up to gently press against Fluttershy’s lips. Sombra was surprised to find that he was capable of such a tender touch. The things one learns around mares, Sombra mused dryly. “I simply hastened the inevitable, mouse. This was my fate no matter the catalyst. I would have persisted another week, perhaps two if I spent little magic, but no longer than that. You are not at fault, especially as it was my own choice. Do not presume to claim responsibility for the actions of a King.”
“I- I just… how can you be sure?” Fluttershy was on the verge of tears again, and Sombra felt his heart ache in response. Another unfamiliar feeling that simply confirmed the truth.
“Because I can feel again, little mouse,” Sombra answered softly.
That set Fluttershy back on her hooves. “What?” 
“The toll which dark magic exacts on its wielder is a lack of control,” Sombra explained as another agonizing shiver ran through his body. “It makes one’s emotions wild and unreliable. Mood swings, black and white disposition, paranoia, and more. Before I became king I created an artifact that could channel emotions freely, turn them into power, and amplify them. I took the greatest weakness of dark magic and created yet more power from it. The artifact, however, also had the unforeseen effect of turning my heart cold to all emotion. Like a crystal, I became impenetrable. I saw this as a benefit, of course, but in truth it was simply a price in another form. Ah, it also happened to turn me immortal.”
“You… you accidentally turned yourself immortal?” Fluttershy asked in disbelief. 
Sombra chuckled dryly. “Is that so hard to believe? Ask your precious Princesses  someday whether they planned their own ascension to immortality or not and you’ll find that accidental godhood is more of the rule than the exception.”
The laugh that came in response was small and cracked as Fluttershy leaned in, wrapping her forelegs are Sombra’s neck and holding him tight. It was strange, she felt much stronger than before. I must truly be at my last if I am so weak, Sombra thought darkly. That means… ah, yes, one last thing to do.
“M-... Fluttershy, will you look at me?” Sombra said softly. He felt Fluttershy stiffen in surprise, but she pulled away from him and met his gaze. “Thank you, my dear. Now, hold still.”
Reaching deep within the dry well of his magic, Sombra scraped up the last vestige of his power and cast it outward. A spark, barely more than a dying ember, flicked from his horn and struck Fluttershy in the forehead. Before Fluttershy could respond, Sombra spoke, his voice booming with dark portent.
“I, Erebos Sombra, Lord of Shadows, do release you from your geas and from all responsibilities therein. By my will, my name, and my horn, it is done.” A thunderclap rolled out from Fluttershy’s small form and out through the room, rattling the windows in their frames and setting nearly knocking Sombra from where he lay in the bed. “There, you are free now,” Sombra said softly. “A geas does not end with the death of the one who cast it, you see. Eventually the geas’d would be driven mad by the arcane mnemonic that impels them to protect that which has already died. I would not consign you to that fate, my dear.”
Fluttershy was utterly silent, her eyes wide and her mouth open. Tears wavered unmoving in her eyes and for a moment Sombra would have sworn she had somehow stopped in time. Coughing lightly into his hoof he continued a bit awkwardly. “I would ask, as a favor now since I have no hold over you, that you allow me to expire in comfort. Though I would imagine I hardly deser-”
His words were lost as Fluttershy bolted out of the room in a storm of hooffalls followed by the sound of the door slamming open, then closed, and a quick dust-off as she took flight.. Sombra felt a small pang of sorrow cut into his now-vulnerable heart at her swift exit. “Well,” he mused darkly, “I suppose I deserved nothing less all things considered. Dying alone was, in point of fact, probably my fate all along.”
Another agonizing shudder ran through Sombra’s body as he relaxed back into the bed. It was still warm, not just from his fevered flesh but from her. Running a hoof over the part of the bed she had been laying in not long ago, Sombra could feel the warmth there. The kindness she had showed him was not something he deserved. Commanded, yes, but never deserved. Knowing he was alone, likely for the last time, Sombra forgave himself a last, small indiscretion as he pressed his face to the warm bedsheets.

++

Fluttershy’s wings burned as she pumped them, drawing the wind around her to flow beneath them using her native pegasus magic that she had nearly forgotten she had. Every stroke of her wings brought the Castle of Friendship closer and closer, but in spite of that it still felt like she wasn’t going nearly fast enough. 
‘I’m dying.’
Sombra’s words echoed inside her head deafeningly. He had lifted the geas, Fluttershy could feel it, and yet she had never felt so driven to help him. There was no more latent pressure on her mind, bending her to serve him. There was no ringing in her ears pounding away at her will that was forcing her to give him anything at all. There was just a gut-wrenching terror that Sombra was about to die and that there was nothing that she could do about. She couldn’t. Fluttershy couldn’t. But there was somepony who might be able to help him. The most brilliant arcane mind in a hundred generations was now the Shadow King’s only hope. That begged the question, however, of how exactly Fluttershy was going to convince Twilight Sparkle, Princess of Friendship, to save the life of one of the most notorious tyrants in history?
Does it matter? The thought flickered through Fluttershy’s mind. Does it matter how I convince her? Fluttershy never thought she would ask herself that before. Of course it should matter how she convinced her friends to help… right? But if she was being fully honest with herself… No, it doesn’t matter. All that matters is that I save him. It’s stupid. Stupid, stupid, stupid. He’s wicked and spiteful and…
Sombra’s last action stuck out in her mind. He had lifted the geas. There hadn’t been any reason to, really. Once he… passed away then whatever happened to the world around him shouldn’t have mattered but he still did it.
‘I would not consign you to that fate, my dear.’
He cared about her. Sombra cared. There was no other explanation for it. It wasn’t just a matter of him desiring her or something crass like that. Sombra had nothing to gain from freeing her but he still did it.
“I did it,” Fluttershy whispered to herself breathlessly as she powered towards the castle in the distance. “I really did it.” She had made the black-hearted king care at least enough about one pony, herself, to spend a final moment of his time ensuring she was safe. “And now it won’t mean a thing if I can’t save him!” 
Fluttershy clenched her eyes shut, willing away the tears that threatened to spill over. Crying wasn’t going to solve anything. What was it she had said to Sombra? Some ponies have a responsibility? Well this was her responsibility. He was her responsibility. She was going to make sure he got through this no matter what. Wheeling about in the air, Fluttershy came to a hard landing in front of the castle steps and without waiting to knock or observe any of the normal proprieties she barged into the main foyer.
“Twilight!” Fluttershy shouted into the empty hall, “Twilight, please I need your help!”
A snap of displaced air and a flash of lavender light heralded Twilight’s appearance into the hall, her eyes wide with alarm. “Fluttershy?! What is it? What’s wrong?!”
“King Sombra is dying and I need your help!” 
Twilight stared blankly forward at Fluttershy for a moment before summoning a quill out of a pocket dimension. Carefully , she stuck it in her left ear, then her right ear in turn, working it around vigorously before giving her head a firm shake and turning back to Fluttershy. “Sorry about that, I think I had something crazy stuck in my ear. What did you just say?”
“Sombra. Is. Dying.” Fluttershy enunciated, anger seeping into her panicked voice. “You have to help him!”
“You’re going to have to help me out here Fluttershy,” Twilight said in a strained voice. “I’m not really following how you would even know Som-...” the Alicorn’s voice trailed off as her mind caught up and connected the dots. “Coal. Sombra is Coal isn’t he?” 
Fluttershy gave a small nod. “He revived a few days ago and caught me outside my cottage. He cast a spell on me so I couldn’t tell anyone about him. He said he needed a place to rest long enough to recover and then he would leave.” That was a bit of a fib but Fluttershy didn’t need to start another argument with her friend. She needed to get back to Sombra. For all she knew he was already… “But he never got any stronger. When he healed Scootaloo he ended up accidentally spending the rest of his magic. Now he’s dying, so please, we can’t waste anymore time!”
“What spell did he cast?” Twilight asked, “Or describe it, either way.”
“Twilight we don’t-!” Fluttershy was cut off by an upraised hoof, Twilight eyes were narrowed and angry. Letting out a sigh, Fluttershy nodded. “He called it a geas.”
Her friend gasped in horror. “A geas?! Are you bucking kidding me?! That’s three different kinds of illegal! Literally! The 113rd Edict of Canterlot banned Cerebramancy as a discipline due to its constant misuse. The Law of Free Mind forbids the use of any form of mind-altering magic on an unwilling pony, even if it was biological in nature! And Bright Eye vs. Trottingham established that, even if consent was given, once the mind is altered then consent could not be rescinded and is therefore impossible to fully consent to!”
Fluttershy withstood the verbal onslaught stoically as Twilight stamped her hoof at each point. When her friend was finally out of breath Fluttershy responded. “I’m not going to try and defend his actions Twilight. I know exactly how horrible being under a geas is, after all. None of that matters right now though. Sombra is dying and I’m asking you to save him.”
“And I’m saying ‘no’,” Twilight answered heatedly. “I refuse to save the life of a horrible tyrant that enslaved an entire Empire for hundreds of years. I refuse to lift one hoof to help the stallion that tried to kill all of my friends, my brother, and his wife, in the midst of trying to re-enslave that same Empire, I might add. You can’t ask me to do that Fluttershy, it isn’t fair!”
“I know that, but I’m asking you to anyway,” Fluttershy said softly, trying to fight back the tears that were threatening to spill forth. She hated fighting. She hated fighting anypony. But Fluttershy especially hated fighting with her friends. “Please, save Sombra’s life.”
“No, Fluttershy,” Twilight repeated. “Besides, you’re under a geas, you said so yourself. Who knows what else he did to your mind! Let me disjoin the spell first, alright?”
To Twilight’s shock, Fluttershy laughed. It was a weak chuckle more than anything else, really, but it was surprising nonetheless. Fluttershy started to open her mouth to tell Twilight that there was no point but she realised her friend wouldn’t believe her, instead she just nodded. “Go ahead and try.”
Twilight had been expecting a little more resistance but decided not to question a good thing. Closing her eyes she called up the most powerful, most subtle dispelling magic she knew: Starswirl’s Unwraveling. Any magic on Fluttershy would be unthreaded instantaneously. It took several moments to cast correctly which made it a poor spell to try and use on the fly but Twilight had time so she ensured she cast every facet of the spell perfectly. Once it was fully formed Twilight unleashed the spell. A matrix of power surrounded Fluttershy and tendrils of blue light swept through her. Fluttershy couldn’t help but giggle at the sensation. It was ticklish, like feathers sweeping all over her body. Moments later the spell completed itself and faded, leaving a Twilight staring in surprise for a third time.
“It didn’t find anything, right?” Fluttershy asked, although she knew the answer. She had the feeling that if there had been a spell to strip away from her she would have felt it. Twilight just nodded silently. “That’s because, when Sombra realised he was dying, the first thing he did was lift the geas from my mind so I wouldn’t suffer any side-effects related to his death. I knew you wouldn’t believe me if I told you that though, so… will you help me now?”
Clenching her eyes, Twilight let out a slow, even breath. Opening them again, Twilight gave Fluttershy a tired look. “I don’t want to, Fluttershy,” she answered, and Fluttershy’s hopes began to crack but they held on desperately at Twilight’s next words. “But… I asked Celestia to make the Council’s authority legally binding for a reason; because my judgment isn’t perfect. I won’t make this an outright no, but Sombra is a threat to national security. You can’t deny that. If I’m going to consider this then I want all of our friends to have a say in it.”
Fluttershy grimaced. That wasn’t what she wanted, Sombra might not even have that amount of time. As much as she hated to admit it, though, Twilight did make a good point. Their friends had the right to know what was going on but Fluttershy had hoped she could put it off for at least a little while. 
“What if it’s too late by the time we decide?” Fluttershy threw her last card on the table, but Twilight just shook her head.
“I’m sorry, Fluttershy,” Twilight said, sounding truly contrite. “The fact of the matter is that this too important for me to decide on my own. Neither I nor Equestria can afford a rash decision and… I have to consider that now. I’m a Princess after all, it’s my responsibility.”
Fluttershy had no argument against that. Hadn’t she said nearly those same words to Sombra not long ago? Twilight had more than just herself and her friends to consider now, so Fluttershy nodded. “Okay, I understand Twilight, call the others.”
The tension in the room lessened significantly as Twilight gave a relieved smile. “Thank you, Fluttershy. I promise that I’ll listen to you fairly about King Sombra, alright? Even if my instincts say otherwise.” Twilight’s horn lit up and she summoned four pieces of parchment to her side. She penned a quick note on one before magically copying the words over to the other three and then casting another quick spell to send the messages to their recipients. “There, I don’t like doing that if I don’t have to; a lot of ponies take umbrage to notes that magically track them down but, as you said, we might not have much time.”
“It took almost half an hour before the other four members of the Council arrived, Pinkie appearing first, to noponies surprise, followed quickly by Rainbow Dash and Rarity. Applejack, who had the greatest distance to travel, arrived last. They congregated in the map room where Twilight had already taken her seat, Fluttershy had followed suit as well and was waiting on her throne albeit with a nervous impatience and looking more determined than any of her friends could remember seeing her. As the other four entered the chambers any questions they had felt quashed by the tense atmosphere. The look on Twilight’s face was the main feature; less the erudite librarian and more the imperious ruler than they had ever seen her. She looked as though a great weight was bearing her down but that she was trying to lift it all the same. Without a word, Pinkie, Rarity, Applejack, and Rainbow Dash took their seats around the map.
Applejack was the first to break the silence. “So, ah don’t suppose ya’ll wanna tell us why we’re gatherin’ up so early? Ah had ta pass half mah mornin’ chores to Big Mac on account’a ‘Council business’.”
“Indeed,” Rarity chimed in, “I had several orders planned out today.”
“Me too!” Pinkie said cheerily, “but I finished them all before I left! Had to wake up Mister Cake to start the deliveries though, he wasn’t too happy about that. He’s kind of a grumpy-pants in the morning.”
“I was dreaming of sleeping,” Rainbow Dash said groggily from where she was slumped on her throne.
“Well, wake up,” Twilight said in a dark voice that snapped everypony to attention. Only Fluttershy kept her expression neutral while the other four looked like Twilight had just confessed to having an affair with Discord.
“Wow, who pissed in your inbox, Twi?” Rainbow said as she blinked the sleep from her eyes.
Twilight’s ears twitched with irritation. “Technically? Fluttershy. But either way we’ve got our first serious decision to make as a Council. I mean ‘Life-and-Death’ serious, girls, and better yet we’re on a time limit.”
There wasn’t even the slightest sign of the absent-minded scientist that Fluttershy was familiar with. This was the ‘Princess’ Twilight that was coming to grips with affairs of state and national security. It was a side of her that very few had seen thus far. Fluttershy admired it but she wasn’t sure if she liked it.
“Ya’ll are gonna have to explain what’s goin’ on then, ah reckon,” Applejack said evenly, her features calm after the initial shock faded. “Ya’ll’re makin’ it sound like we’re fixin’ to execute somepony.”
“That’s a bit hyperbolic, Applejack, darling,” Rarity remarked uneasily.
Finally Fluttershy spoke up. “No, actually it’s not. That’s exactly why we’re here; to decide if somepony lives or dies.”
“W-what?” Pinkie broke in, her hair had gone completely flat and her eyes wide. “B-b-but that’s awful! We can’t just decide that somepony dies! Nopony should be able to decide that!”
“I must say I agree with Pinkie,” Rarity said harshly. “Twilight I’m shocked. How could you even say- or think -such a thing?!”
“Yeah, seriously! That’s bucked up, Twi!” Rainbow had taken to hovering over her seat.
Twilight’s eyes flicked over to Applejack who, thus far, had been the only one who hadn’t voiced an opinion. “What about you, AJ?”
Applejack shrugged. “Ah’m waitin’ to hear who we’re judgin’.” Rarity, Pinkie, and Rainbow stared at the Applejack as if she’d grown a second head. “What? Ah’m a farmer. If you got a rotten apple you get rid of it or risk it spoilin’ the whole lot. It ain’t pretty but it happens.”
None of the girls had a response to that. It was odd, Fluttershy would have once been in exactly the same position as Pinkie but Sombra’s cold, pragmatic demeanor seemed to have rubbed off on her somewhat. She still hated the idea of letting someone die, but the notion of a ruling figure being forced to make a decision for the benefit of those they protect was far more than just a theory to her now.
“Alright, well here are the details,” Twilight said, her voice still disturbingly neutral. “We have a pony who is, at this moment, on the verge of death. Fluttershy asked me to save him but I refused, we talked and I concluded that I couldn’t afford a rash decision in either direction so we called you all here. The pony in question has, in no particular order; enslaved an empire, conducted horrifyingly unethical magical experiments, waged dozens of unprovoked wars for the sake of expansion, has used illegal mind magic on one of our own number, and those are just the sweeping, general crimes I’m aware of. The name of the accused is, you may have guessed, Sombra.”
The four newly minted jurors stared in disbelief, but any remarks were cut off by Fluttershy’s voice. “Uhm, actually Sombra is his last name. His first name is Erebos.”
Twilight blinked confusedly for a moment before the look was replaced with one of wry amusement that Fluttershy thought wouldn’t have looked out of place of Sombra’s face. “Well okay then, let the minutes show a correction and that the full name of the accused is Erebos Sombra.” Turning back to Applejack, Pinkie, Rainbow, and Rarity, Twilight could only grimace. “So what’s the initial vote girls? Former King Sombra is dying and we might, I stress might, have the ability to save him. Do we?”
“Why should we?” Applejack asked harshly.
The Alicorn of Friendship looked to Fluttershy for the answer. Clearing her throat, Fluttershy unconsciously raised herself up, framing herself straighter with her gaze forward and her wings only slightly extended. Without realising it, the demure mare had begun to mimic King Sombra’s regal posture. For herself, Fluttershy just wanted to make sure she was heard and that she didn’t hide away from their eyes. Not this time. Not with Sombra’s life on the line.
“Because he wasn’t always like he is now,” Fluttershy responded, her voice even and strong. It was still quiet but it had taken on a quality of power that she had never thought she possessed. I will make you proud, your Majesty. “You see, almost two thousand years ago there was a terrible storm…”
> The Trial
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	
 Chapter 13


The air around Sombra was hot and cloying. He could feel his body straining to continue its labored existence but he could also feel it failing by inches. If he was fortunate he supposed he might live to see the next sunrise but he very much doubted it. The difficulty of every breath and the hard, painful beating of his heart suggested that he had, perhaps, until day’s end. Perhaps he would see the sunset? That would not be so terrible of a last sight. 
Shivering, Sombra lifted himself from the sweat-soaked sheets of his bed and lowered himself to the wood floor. His body was unresponsive, as if he had attached dozens of leaden weights to every limb. His legs gave out almost immediately and he crashed to the ground.  At this rate he might make it all the way outside by the time the sun set. 
Well, that or he would expire somewhere in the living room. 
Sombra chuckled darkly, a harsh grating sound that originated somewhere in his tortured chest. At least the struggle to see the sun one last time would give him something to do with his last hours. As he imagined the encroaching sunset he was surprised to find himself… nostalgic. Almost regretful, in fact. Sunsets were beautiful, of course, he had always liked them, but there was nothing quite like watching the sun set over the snowy fields of the Crystal Empire. The rime-frosted plains of his homeland that reflected the fading light across everything, spreading color and beauty over pure white expanses.
Yes, there was nothing quite like a sunset in the Empire. It was too bad he was so far from that place. He would have liked to see it just one last time.

++

“...then he lifted the geas. He told me that he wanted to make sure I didn’t suffer any side-effects from it when he died,” Fluttershy finished. “He didn’t ask for help, or for me to try and save him. King Sombra accepted that he was going to die and acted accordingly, like a King should.” 
Fluttershy had resisted the urge to hurry through the story, as much as her desire to return to Sombra’s side needled at her she knew that her friends needed to hear every word. She had related the story of Sombra’s past as accurately as possible because, more than anything, it lent him a sense of equinity; something that she knew her friends desperately needed to see if she was going to convince them to save Sombra’s life. If they only saw a monstrous tyrant then her goal was a failure before she even started. If he was a pony though… somepony who had dreams, and goals, and a past… That would change the entire matter at hoof. Fluttershy knew she was fighting an uphill battle. There was no reason for her friends to want to save Sombra and the only reason they were listening was because it was one of their own who was advocating the idea. As it was, the five of them, plus Spike who was noting down her recitation in shorthand next to Twilight’s throne, were silent. When Fluttershy had confessed to Sombra’s actions concerning Scootaloo she had expected Rainbow Dash to say something. Instead the cyan pegasus just looked… thoughtful. It was an odd look for the normally brash and headstrong mare. Pinkie had, of course, cried near the end of her story about Sombra’s past just as she had. The idea of losing so many of one’s friends so brutally and so swiftly hadn’t left even one of former Bearers unmoved. Even Twilight and Applejack looked pained at the idea that somepony had suffered such a terrible loss.
Rainbow Dash, surprisingly, was the first one to raise her hoof. “So Sombra said that the squirt’s life wasn’t in any real danger, right? I… was he sure about that?”
“Yes, he was very sure,” Fluttershy answered with a small smile. “He seemed to take a liking to Scootaloo and… I know it seems strange considering that what he did put her in the hospital, but I think that it was his way of helping.”
Applejack scoffed harshly. “Seems like a kinda weird definition if’n ya ask me.”
“Nah, not really,” Rainbow answered before Fluttershy could respond, surprisingly the yellow mare. “You don’t know what the squirt's crappy parents did to her. She was never going to be able to fly, AJ! Never. It’s only happened a few times in the past few decades but it happens, alright? I’m not proud of it. I love Cloudsdale but Ponies are Ponies, sometimes they’re crap parents. When a colt or filly ends up like Scootaloo, starved and crap? That’s it. Game over. Clipped for life. Sombra changed that, even if he did it in kind of a bucked up way. I’m not dumb enough to cry about it. It’s not like there was another option anyway! Scoots was either going to live grounded for her whole life or she was going to risk her life to get the sky back. I know which one I’d choose. So considering what I’ve heard so far I’m throwing my vote in to save his life. Maybe we try him for crimes or whatever afterward but I owe him that much.”
Fluttershy was both impressed and grateful. She had been worried that Rainbow would be one of the hardest ones to convince considering how protective she was of Scootaloo. She had also never really considered how Rainbow might view the loss of flight, though. Of course, to Fluttershy, that wasn’t such a burden; she spent most of her time on the ground anyway. Sometimes she forgot how integral flight was to the Pegasi because of that. Giving a Pegasus back the sky would probably mean the world to Rainbow Dash even if it hadn’t been somepony she had a personal stake in.
It had taken four hours to reach the point they were at though and every minute was one that Fluttershy begrudged. She understood the necessity but her heart was still with Sombra back in her cottage. His life was probably measured in hours by this point, he certainly didn’t look particularly hopeful when she left.
Oh Celestia. 
She left him.
Fluttershy’s heart hitched in place for a moment as she realised what she had done in her haste to reach her friends. She hadn’t thought about it because she had hoped she would be right back with help but… but she hadn’t come back had she? She had just sped away and left him there on the bed, dying and alone.
“Fluttershy, darling?” Rarity said softly, “are you alright?”
Her friend’s voice snapped Fluttershy out of her guilt-ridden reverie, and she shook her head. “No, Rarity, no, I’m not alright at all, but we need to finish this so I can get back to him.”
“To… Sombra, yes?” Rarity clarified, uneasily. Fluttershy nodded a little annoyed. “I see, my apologies for this next question then darling but… given the circumstances I’m sure you can see it’s validity. I have to ask: are you and the King, ahem, together?”
Fluttershy felt the eyes of all of her friends turn to fix on her and for once she didn’t feel an ounce of shame or embarrassment. “Yes, we are.” Each of their mouths dropped to the floor with the notable exception of Rainbow Dash.
“Oh, yeah,” Rainbow said with a nervous laugh. “I did kinda walk in on you and Coal... uh, Sombra- wow that’s weird to say -getting your smooch on, huh? Awkward.”
“A-are you serious, Fluttershy?” Twilight asked in shock. “You k-k-kissed him? Knowing who he is and… and what he did?! That had to be some kind of mind magic!”
“Not necessarily,” Applejack replied, rolling her eyes. Fluttershy was a little surprised that Applejack was coming to her defense. She knew how much the farmer hated being lied to. “Ah know it might be some weird hoodoo or whatever, but ah’m bettin’ somethin’ else.”
“Well don’t leave us in suspense, darling,” Rarity responded.
Applejack shrugged. “Ya ever consider that Fluttershy might just have crap taste in stallions?”
Fluttershy flushed crimson and stared at the ground. “He’s not that bad.”
“He enslaved an Empire and you, Flutters,” Rainbow pointed out. “He kinda is that bad.”
“Wow,” Pinkie spoke up for the first time since the story ended. “Who knew Fluttershy would have a thing for badcolts.”
The blush became even fiercer. “Can we please get back to the topic at hoof now?”
Twilight coughed loudly into her hoof before tapping it hard on the table to restore order. “Fluttershy is right, we’re getting sidetracked. I admit, I feel bad for Sombra, or at least for the stallion he used to be. I never thought about what the Wendigo Crisis would have been like up north. None of that excuses his actions, however.”
“Can’t we just turn him to stone like we did to Discord?” Pinkie asked hopefully. Twilight shook her head, though.
“I’m afraid not,” Twilight answered. “Discord is a Spirit, not a mortal. He was turned to stone because that’s all the Elements were capable of doing to him. You can’t kill chaos, after all. You can’t banish it either. The closest we’ve ever come to using the power of the Elements on somepony like Sombra was when we used them on Tirek and Nightmare Moon. It stripped them of all of their dark magic and, from what Fluttershy told us of Sombra’s state and nature, using the Elements on him would probably do the same thing which would kill him outright.”
“Oh,” Pinkie’s hair, which had become hopefully poofy, returned to its flattened state.
“Ta get back on topic,” Applejack said, tapping her hoof on the map table, “Ah gotta say ah ain’t a big fan of makin’ decisions like this. To be honest ah’d’ve been just peachy stickin’ ta my farm fer the rest’a my days and never havin’ to decide somepony’s fate, but that ain’t how it worked out. No use cryin’ over bruised apples. Thing is, ah feel fer ya Fluttershy, ah really do, but in mah opinion a snake’ll always be a snake no matter how many times it sheds its scales.” Fluttershy felt her heart chill at Applejacks pronouncement and it only got worse as he continued. “Sombra’s a liar, a bully, and a criminal. Now ah’m all fer fair trials but who’s to say if we save him that he don’t turn on us? Or just run off so he can get back to his ‘Evil King’ schtick? Mah vote is no, Flutters, ah’m right sorry bout that but that’s how ah feel ‘bout the matter.”
Before Fluttershy could voice a protest, Rarity chimed in. “Unfortunately I have to say I agree with Applejack on the matter. As romantic as the notion of a dark king falling in love is I can’t let myself be blinded by the idea of it.” Rarity grimaced and shook her head. “I keep thinking back to when we helped save the Crystal Empire and seeing the looks on all the Crystal Ponies’ faces; as if they were missing something fundamental. Most of all, though, I recall the look of abject horror on their faces when they thought Sombra had won. I had nightmares about that for days afterwards. I would truly prefer it if we had more time to consider the matter but… if we must decide now then I cannot in good conscience risk unleashing somepony capable of that kind of evil on the world again. My vote is also no, I’m afraid.”
Fluttershy could only watch in horror as everything she was hoping for crashed down around her ears. Pinkie’s voice broke through defiantly, though, as she pounded her hooves on the table. She wore a scowl that looked utterly out of place on her normally carefree face.
“Are you ladies crazy?!” Pinkie nearly shrieked. “We’re talking about letting somepony die! That’s forever! No take-backsies! No more parties, no more fun, no more laughs or hugs or smiles or tears! Nothing! When somepony dies that’s the end!” Tears had started to flow openly down Pinkie’s face as she shouted. “I… I can’t believe you girls would just… Even if it’s somepony like Sombra! Everypony deserves a chance to be better!” Nopony said a word as Pinkie slumped back in her thrown and wiped at her eyes. When she spoke again it was in a much quieter voice. “No pony is an island, entire of itself, every pony is a piece of the continent, a part of the main. If a clod be washed away by the sea, Equestria is the less. As well as if a promontory were, as well as if a manor of a friend’s were. Or if thine own were. Any pony’s death diminishes me, because I am involved with ponykind. And therefore, never send to ask for whom the bell tolls. It tolls for thee.”
Silence reigned throughout the council chambers as the words sunk in. Everypony looked on in a combination of surprise and sadness at the wilted pink pony who stared pointedly at the floor beneath her. Twilight finally broke through the silence. 
“That was Dun, wasn’t it?” Twilight asked softly. “No Pony is an Island, right? I remember reading that in my literature classes back in Academy. I never really understood it until I made friends, I guess. I always thought it was too sentimental, but that was back when I thought I didn’t need anypony else.”
“It’s important,” Pinkie responded gloomily. “It was my Granny Pie’s favorite poem. She used to read it to me before bed. She told me to remember it because it was about Harmony. It was about how we’re all in this world together and that nopony, no matter how bad, deserves to be left out. How every life matters, even ones you don’t know or might never know. Their lives mattered. It’s why I throw parties for anypony who needs one. Even if I don’t know them I… I want them to know that they matter.”
“Then your vote…?” Twilight asked, clearly already knowing the answer.
Pinkie nodded. “Yeah, I want to help him. That’s my vote.”
Twilight let out a heartfelt sigh. “I suppose it was too much to hope that a issue this complicated could get a unanimous vote one way or the other…”
“What now?” Fluttershy asked softly, dreading the answer. The only one who hadn’t spoken her vote aloud was Twilight Sparkle herself.
“Now,” Rarity answered, “the law is clear; since there’s no clear majority between the five of us then the deciding vote falls to the Princess. In end we serve as advisors, darling, not a legislature. We’re here to make sure Twilight is never making decisions in a vacuum, but in the end it must be her who decides.”
That was the answer that Fluttershy had been dreading. With a cold heart she turned to face Twilight who was sitting in her throne silently, forehooves pressed together in front her muzzle as she deliberated over the question. The moments that passed felt like hours, but Fluttershy couldn’t bring herself to speak up. Impatience wouldn’t help her here. All she could do was wait. Finally, though, after what felt like an eternity, Twilight lowered her hooves and meet the eyes of her friends.
“I’ve decided.”

++

The sun was beginning to dip low in the sky as Sombra shouldered open the door to the cottage and leaned against the frame. His breath came in ragged gulps as pain shivered through his body almost constantly. It was a miserable existence but, he mused dryly, one that he would not have to endure for long. 
“Thank the spirits for small mercies, I suppose,” Sombra said in a raspy voice.
Letting go of the strength that had kept him moving inch by inch through the house to the door, Sombra collapsed to the ground. With some effort he propped himself up until he was half-laying-half-leaning on the door frame most of the way out of the house. He stared out at the rolling hills surrounding the little cottage and found himself wearing a weary smile; It was a charming place, as places go, with a winding road coiling over the hills, the smell of wildflowers and grass filling the air. There was a light breeze blowing as the sun moved in its inexorable passage across the sky. Sombra had to admit that the view was worth it. It wasn’t the desolate beauty of the frozen north but it was nice enough as last sights went. Although there was one more sight he wished he could have before expiring. Images of a warm smile and kind, blue eyes filled Sombra’s mind. Her soft, buttercream coat, the musical lilt of her voice. Sombra felt an emptiness in his heart.
You have earned this loneliness, Erebos, Sombra thought silently. This was your fate from the beginning. Do not lament it now that your bill has come due.
Sombra let out a sigh as he felt his heart shudder in his chest, laboring to beat with every moment. He was close now. There was very little time left to him. Perhaps that was for the best. Fluttershy did not need an aged tyrant ruining her life. Assuming he had not already done so.
No, if she is smart she will bury my body somewhere in the forest, or just leave it for the timberwolves, and forget I ever darkened her doorstep. It was hardly a fitting burial for a king but… he wasn’t truly a king anymore was he?
A gentle nudge on his side drew Sombra’s attention. It was a small, white rabbit. For some reason Sombra imagined the rabbits gaze held much greater intelligence than it ought to. 
“Come to witness the death of royalty, little one?” Sombra muttered through a cracked throat. “At least something will bear witness… even if it is merely the local wildlife.”
The rabbit watched for several moments before seemingly coming to a decisions and hopping up onto Sombra’s left forehoof and settled down to sit and watch the day pass alongside him. He hated to admit it but the company, sparse though it was, gave Sombra a touch of comfort.
“Even the animals know my time is near,” Sombra mused, “how trite.”
Taking a deep breath of the clean, country air, Sombra tried to find some measure of peace within himself. To his surprise he found some in the scent of her home that wafted out of the partially open door. In the scent of her garden filling his nostrils. All of it gave him a fleeting sense of… home.
“Perhaps passing here is… not so terrible after all,” Sombra said quietly. Pain washed over him again but it was duller this time. Lethargy crawled through his body, tempting him to sleep. He refused. He knew he would not awaken if so. He still had a sunset to watch, after all.

++

Fluttershy’s breath came in short, hitching waves as she tried to process Twilight's decision.
“W-what?”
Twilight shook her head sadly. “I’m sorry Fluttershy, I said ‘no’. I’ve heard your story and your arguments and I just can’t bring myself to risk restoring Sombra. I can’t know what state he’ll be in if I do. What if he comes back close to full strength? Or even half? I don’t know if I’m stronger than him and even if I am he has centuries of practice over me. That’s not even considering his crimes. I’m sorry, really, and if the situation was different maybe we could talk about reforming him over time but it’s not.” Standing from her throne she solemnly lifted her hoof and brought it down with a booming thud on the map table. “As a sovereign Princess of Equestria I hereby sentence Erebos Sombra to death for crimes against equinity. May the Maker have mercy on his dark soul and may he find harmony in another life.”
Fluttershy couldn’t believe what she was hearing. She had been sure, so sure, that she could convince them to help her. To help him. But… but it had all gone so wrong. Applejack had taken her hat off and placed it over her heart, closing her eyes and bowing her head in respect. Rarity had bowed her own head as well, muttering a quiet apology. Pinkie sat in silent disbelief, staring at her friends. Rainbow just scowled and glared.
“How could you?”
Who said that? That voice was filled with vitriol and anger. It sounded so… oh. It was her. Fluttershy ground her teeth together as she stared incredulously at the ponies around her; at Twilight, Rarity, and Applejack most of all.
“How dare you,” Fluttershy hissed, drawing looks of surprise from her friends. “How dare you call yourselves the Council of Harmony and then vote to let somepony die! Even if he is a criminal. Even if he’s a tyrant!”
“Simmer down there, sugarcube,” Applejack said carefully, “it ain’t like we just blew it off, We decided on a course and now we gotta see it out. Ah’m sorry it ain’t what ya’ll wanted but-”
“But nothing!” Fluttershy stood, her wings flaring out threateningly. “You just sentenced the stallion I lo-...” she bit her tongue on that last word. “You sentenced him to death right in front of me. How dare you.”
Twilight reached out to put a hoof on Fluttershy’s shoulder, her face wearing a pained expression. “Fluttershy, I know it’s hard but…” 
The normally demure mare slapped Twilight’s hoof away violently and shot a burning glare at the lavender alicorn. “You have no idea what ‘hard’ is, Princess,” Fluttershy spat with a venom that not even she realised she was capable of. “If that’s how this Council is going to run now then… then I don’t think I can be a part of it anymore.”
Five mares and a drake, who had been trying to stay out of the furious exchange for the most part, stared with open mouths at Fluttershy’s proclamation. Twilight worked her jaw for a moment before finding her voice. “F-Fluttershy… you don’t mean that.”
That was the wrong thing to say. Fluttershy clenched her eyes shut and tried to master herself but all she could see was Sombra’s body lying dead on his bed because she had failed to bring him help. Images of him dying alone thinking he had been abandoned flooded her mind. With a scream of primal rage Fluttershy whipped around in her throne and brought her hooves swinging hard against the back of her throne.
The sound of splintering stone filled the council chambers as a massive cracked appeared in the Butterfly symbol embossed on the throne. When she opened her eyes it was with a dire expression of rage that swept over everypony, and drake, present. All six of them recoiled at what they saw in her eyes.
When Fluttershy opened her mouth she spoke in an empty, hollow voice. “I hope you all are satisfied with your decision. I’m going to go bury my King, now.”
With one last violent surge, Fluttershy hopped and kicked off hard against the her throne, shattering the compromised stone seat fully as she accelerated to a speed that left Rainbow Dash thoroughly impressed as Fluttershy tore out of the council chambers, and the castle, for what she suspected was the last time.
++
The sun was beginning to dip low.
It was getting harder and harder to stay awake, which frustrated Sombra. At this rate he was going to expire before he got what he came out here for. That was incredibly irritating given the amount of effort he had expended. How much time did he have left? An hour? Maybe two on the outside. If he could push it out to two he would probably be able to see the sunset. Thank the spirits that Summer was almost faded into Autumn by this point. If the days were still long he would certainly miss out.
It wasn’t as though he would get another chance after all.
Sombra snorted in amusement. It was strange how his impending death seemed to engender less fear or anger and more… annoyance. Perhaps he truly had lived for far too long. Life had almost become burdensome. No, it had certainly become a burden. Especially by the time he was banished. Alone in his castle with nothing but his enslaved guards for company. His armies fighting constantly at the borders.
The arrival of the two sisters at his castle to do battle with him in the flesh had been the lone light of excitement he had experienced in a century. He barely even begrudged them his defeat. Of course, his pride was wounded and he had sworn to kill them gruesomely but, if he were honest, that was mostly on principle. Now that he looked back he wasn’t even sure he had felt any real hatred towards them. Truly, being defeated was almost… relieving. He had hated his kingdom, his subjects, and his crown. He wore it because it was his duty to wear it. He ruled because it was his right.
But he hated it.
Ah, there it is, that’s why he felt so blasé about his encroaching demise. Dying in a small country cottage while watching a sunset was, arguably, many times more favorable than how he imagined his death coming all those years ago; slain by blade or spell in the ruined castle of a hated bloodline surrounded by the gormless pissants he called subjects. Surrounded by idiots and yet utterly alone. Alone since Beryl’s death, anyway.
Beryl.
Sombra hadn’t thought of her in so long. Perhaps his only true friend in those dark days of the Empire. During what the historians now called the Age of Shadows. She had been the only one who would argue with him over anything. 
More like everything, Sombra thought, a small smile curving his lips. She hated me.
So unlike Fluttershy and yet… they shared that iron will that Sombra so admired. I wonder if, had I not lost my heart to my creation, I would have come to care for Beryl as I do Fluttershy? That damn arcane machine really did exact a cost upon me. I was a blind fool for thinking otherwise.
“A fool of a King,” Sombra muttered, his voice carried the weight of his exhaustion.
The sound of wings drew Sombra’s attention, his ears flicking to side as he turned his head up. It took more effort than he had expected and his vision swam as he saw something come to a hard landing not far from him. He heard a familiar gasp and the figure galloped towards him, coming to a skidding stop in front of him. Blinking away the blurriness, Sombra was surprised to see Fluttershy crouching in front of him, he face streaked with tears, panic, and… relief?”
“Oh, oh thank goodness,” Fluttershy gasped, she was badly out of breath. “I was so scared I wouldn’t get back before you… oh… oh I’m sorry! I’m so, so sorry!” 
Without warning she lunged forward and wrapped her arms around Sombra’s neck, burying her face in his long, leonine mane again as she shook and cried. Sombra, for his part, was simply shocked she had come back. And alone at that. Slowly, he brought an arm around her and pulled her close. "You came back?" he muttered in disbelief.
“I did! I'll always come back! I’m so sorry I left you, my King!” Fluttershy choked out. “I tried to go to my… my friends, “ she hissed that last word in a way that surprised the King, “and ask them to help me save you but… but they said no! They took a vote and… they voted to just, just-”
“Let me die?” Sombra said with a dark chuckle. “Perhaps the fledgling Princess has some backbone in her after all. I certainly would have made the same decision sans the vote I suspect.”
Fluttershy sniffled as she pulled away, looking into Sombra’s eyes. He was shocked at what he saw. “My friends are supposed to be better than you, my King,” she responded with a dry chuckle, “no offense.”
No offense indeed. Sombra couldn’t bring himself to disagree with that notion. More importantly though… “Fluttershy, may I ask what happened to your eyes?”
The yellow mare blinked in confusion. “What do you mean?” Sombra could only nod towards one of the windows of the cottage. Fluttershy got up and peer in, focusing so she could see her reflection.
She gasped in shock. Staring back at her were a pair of blue orbs, slitted and dark. Completely unlike her usual appearance. Dark mist seemed to filter out from them in very small amounts. She was starting to look like… like him.
“Fluttershy, what happened?” Sombra asked, worrying seeping into his heart. He struggled to reclaim some semblance of energy from his dying body but it was difficult. “You are saturated by dark magic.”
“B-but I’m a pegasus!” Fluttershy responded in a high squeak. “How can I have any kind of dark magic?!”
Sombra shook his head. “Unicorns are not the only magic users among ponykind, my dear. All ponies use magic, Unicorns are just obvious about it. Since all ponies are capable of magic that means all ponies are capable of touching dark magic as well. Including you it would seem, though I couldn’t…” he trailed off as a thought occurred to him. It came slowly through the grudging morass of his mind but he seized it viciously. “Fluttershy… what happened between you and your friends?”
Fluttershy’s eyes narrowed. “They’re not my friends. Well… Pinkie and Dash are… they wanted to help. But… but the other three voted to just let you die.” She stamped her hoof on the ground in anger and Sombra’s eyes grew wider as the dark mist began to flow more heavily from her eyes. 
“They’re not my friends!”
At those words shadow and darkness tore out from Fluttershy in a wave.
> Beyond the Wall of Sleep
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	
Chapter 14


The mist bloomed and flowed as the delicious strength of dark magic crashed over Sombra. The pain faded to a dull burn, the lethargy was replaced by vigor and strength. Sombra lit his horn and took a deep breath of the magic flowing off of Fluttershy just like the Wendigos all those centuries ago, Sombra could practically taste the power. It flowed through his crippled body and washed away the weakness that had taken up residence in him. A week ago he would have been thrilled with such a turn of events. One entrusted to hold a fragment of an ancient artifact of light magic had succumbed to a powerful darkness. Not only did it practically eliminate one of the only things capable of harming him, the end result was restoring him to his old strength faster than he could have imagined. 
Yes, he should have been excited.
Instead all he felt was terror.
“Fluttershy!” Sombra cried out as the buttercream Pegasus staggered in place, her eyes blazing with an unwholesome green and red light. Dark mists flowed from her eyes. “Fluttershy I need you to concentrate!”
“I-I can’t... “ Fluttershy’s face twisted into a grinning rictus. “It feels incredible, your Majesty. The strength. The power. I didn’t know… how could anypony give up this feeling?”
“Because it comes with the price of madness, my dear,” Sombra answered angrily, stalking closer to his… what? Servant? No, she was much more than that. “You cannot permit the magic to poison you. It will destroy everything starting with your home and ending with you, assuming somepony else doesn’t deal with you first.”
“But… but you’ll protect me right?” Fluttershy looked up shakily from where she stood in front of her cottage. “You’ll keep me… safe?”
Sombra was beginning to deeply regret lifting the geas from Fluttershy’s mind. If it were still in place he would be able to subdue her easily. Now, though, her mind was too chaotic to risk trying to implant a new mnemonic.
“Yes, I will,” Sombra answered truthfully. “Right up until the moment you destroy me in a fit of dark-magic-induced madness. And it will happen. You’ve grown far, far too powerful too quickly.”
For the first time since the darkness claimed her Sombra saw Fluttershy’s face spasm into a semblance of normality. It lasted only a second but it was clear she was fighting it. After several seconds she grimaced, her brow furrowing as if she were in great pain. “What do I do… your Majesty?
“You need to let me in,” Sombra’s voice took on an echoing, dreamlike quality. “There is a fragment of powerful, ancient magic within you. It chose you to bear it because of the great kindness within your heart. That same kindness has now driven you to a place of hatred, though. It’s hemorrhaging power into you now because it’s confused. Dark and light are trying to coexist and the catalyzation is creating surges of chaotic power.”
“H-how do I... “ Fluttershy croaked, her voice was strained and thready. “Please… help me…”
Approaching Fluttershy was like striding through a maelstrom. The power was tearing at Sombra’s body and soul alike. It whispered and coveted like always, but unlike Fluttershy Sombra was no novice. He had submerged himself in the shadows for centuries. True, he had been protected by his creation for most of that but sheer familiarity with the power that now surrounded him inured him to its worst effects. No, he had long ago mastered his emotions enough to wield his magic in relative safety so long as he didn’t use anything too strong for too long. Fluttershy had no such benefit, though, and the overflow of dark magic was eating away at her psyche. If he didn’t stop the surges soon there would likely be little more than a paranoid, schizophrenic mess left behind.
“I am going to enter your mind,” Sombra’s voice boomed sonorously from within the dark storm of power that was beginning to black out the Everfree verge they stood near. “You will feel a pressure at the edge of your consciousness; do not resist it. Do you understand, my dear?”
Fluttershy cried out in pain as another wave of darkness tore out from her body. Her breath came in short, ragged gasps, but between them she managed to respond. “A-as you s-say, your Majesty.”
Lighting his horn, Sombra mused on the fact that, for the first time since he was awake he had absolutely no lack of power and his very first action would be to try and seal off that wellspring that was delivering it to him. 
What delightful irony, Sombra chuckled inwardly. Fate truly makes fools of us all.
Finally, Sombra reached Fluttershy. The pressure was impossibly powerful. It was almost all Sombra could do to resist drinking in the pure, unfiltered darkness around him. That would be the height of idiocy though. He was powerful, true, but that amount of dark magic would drive anyone to insanity. Leaning forward, he touched his curved horn to Fluttershy’s forehead. He could feel her trembling. 
“Everything will be alright,” Sombra whispered softly, “I promise.”
With some satisfaction, he felt Fluttershy nod. A burst of crimson light followed and he felt a sense of spinning vertigo as he plunged headlong into the storm surrounding her mind.



However bad it had been on the outside, the maelstrom of darkness was an order of magnitude worse on the inside. Sombra scowled as his astral form was torn at by ravenous, clawed winds. Lemures; the semi-conscious spiritual dregs of darkness, with their spiteful claws and envious teeth, knew nothing but mindless hunger. They were not a danger so much as an annoyance, though. The thought that there were some sorcerers out there desperate enough to imbue the insane little devils into mounds of alchemically grown flesh as a source of cannon fodder disgusted Sombra.
No, it was the larger predators that Sombra was concerned with. The shadowy leviathans that drifted on the tides of darkness. Sentient storms of negative emotions; hatred, rage, terror, despair. If he was not quick then Fluttershy would attract one of those horrors to her and it would devour her mind. Spreading ephemeral wings shaped like the leathery appendages of a dragon, Sombra tore through the morass of Lemures. He could feel Fluttershy’s mind at the center of the storm. A beacon of light in the shadow. Unfortunately, Sombra knew that if he could sense it then everything else within reach would be able to as well.
Heedless of the damage he knew he was inflicting on himself, Sombra tore through the stormwalls surrounding Fluttershy’s soul. He winced at the razor-edged pain that lanced through him. He couldn’t afford to let it weaken him though and, with an effort of will, he shunted the damage to his physical form. Sombra knew he was going to be in terrible condition when he emerged from this little venture but letting the little blighters carve away at his astral form would slow him down. Haste was the order of the day and that meant he would just have to weather the pain. 
Maybe not just weather it, actually, Sombra thought suddenly. I haven’t been strong enough to do this until now but…
As he cut through the stormwall Sombra concentrated, seeking out that coiling pool of pure energy that was his magic; the wellspring from which all of his power flowed. Reaching towards it, he called out to the construct that he knew was still submerged within.
Vae Victus, your services are required, Sombras mind thundered. Without hesitation the pool seemed to explode from within. In front of him a crimson coil of energy bled out of a cut in the air and slowly congealed into the shape of a brutal warhammer; Vae Victus, Suffering of the Conquered. Sombra’s personal weapon and the tool with which he had forged an Empire and broken a house of nobles thousands of years old. It was a weapon that, in his own time, had been nearly as feared as he himself. This was merely a projection of it, of course. The true weapon still laid at rest in a hidden place in the Empire. He could feel the weapons power and its echo in the Real. It had not yet been found. Not that he was surprised. It was in a place that nopony would expect to find something of such import.
Seizing the incarnated artifact with his mind, Sombra gave it a hard swing in front of him. He felt the sadistic spirits of the storm shatter under his malicious blow. They were no match for him, especially now. The winds split before him as if they were a mere breeze. He felt Fluttershy’s mind much more clearly now. Nothing would stand in his way.
He would reach his mare.

++

Fluttershy shivered in the cold, empty dark. She was surrounded by howling. Endless howling. That wasn’t the worst part, though. Through the wind and storm Fluttershy could hear the chattering voices of the ones who had betrayed her.
Twilight, pedantic and condescending. So sure that she knew every stupid answer. No matter that it was one of her best friends asking for her trust. No, that wasn’t good enough. She was a Princess now. She knew what was best and Celestia help anyone who thinks otherwise. So the lavender pinhead could put an Ursa Minor to sleep? Good for her. Too bad Major’s are practically immune to magic. Its cave wasn’t so far away either...
Then there was Rarity. Conniving and insincere Rarity with that fake accent of hers. Anyone who knew her parents knew she was from Whinnyapolis. Siding against her and Sombra for… what? Because she had a few bad dreams? Ha, she should ‘relocate’ a nest of Tartarus Wasps and make a few of those bad dreams come true. 
And Applejack. Dumb, dirt-grubbing, down-home-twanging Applejack. Every problem had some contrived countryism to go along with it. Snakes and scales. Snakes and scales. She’d show Applejack snakes and scales. Maybe she’d drop a basilisk on the orange brute’s barn. She knew where one slept deep in the Everfree. Let’s see what she thought of snakes and scales when her whole family was being digested ali-
“NO!” Fluttershy cried out, the thoughts were digging into her mind like venomous barbs. She tried to ignore the horrible thoughts that followed every voice but nothing seemed to help. “Please stop! I don’t want to hurt them like that! I never wanted anything like that!”
ArE yOu So CeRtAiN, sWeEtLiNg?
A slithering, whisper like jagged razors on concrete scratched into her mind. Fluttershy curled in on herself and screamed, trying to drown out its voice with her own. It didn’t help.
We CaN fEeL yOuR rAgE. wE cAn FeEl YoUr HATRED.
The voice was so close to her now. At least… it felt like it was. Was it in her mind? Fluttershy opened her eyes. She was staring into a mirror, a perfect facsimile of her stared back. Right? It was her, right? No… there was something wrong. Her eyes were blue right? Not black. Not dripping tears of pitch and filled with pinpricks of red light. And her teeth, weren’t they straighter than that? Weren’t they the rounded teeth of an herbivore? She certainly didn’t recall them being razor thin and knife-like, dripping some viscous red-
“NO!” Fluttershy turned and bucked at the mirror. 
She felt the glass shatter but the image was burned into her mind. All around her Fluttershy saw that horrible thing that wore her skin. She was surrounded. It was moving towards her with unpleasant, hitching strides like its bones didn’t fit right under the flesh and muscles it had pulled on like a cheap suit.
Do NoT fEaR uS. fOr We ArE rElEaSe.
FrOm PaIn.
FrOm SuFfErInG.
“You are a release from sanity and nothing more,” a deep voice tore through the thick, mental miasma that was closing in on Fluttershy as four thundering hoofbeats slammed down around her. “Begone, daemon, and do not let me catch you taunting this one again or I shall be far less forgiving.”
The figure standing over her was a vision of blue and white flames caged in the form of a massive, and familiar, stallion. His curved horn shone like a lantern in the dark as burning, draconic wings curled protectively around her. With a derisive snort Sombra brandished a tremendous and ornate warhammer made of arterial red light. The apparition that had been tormenting Fluttershy staggered back and let out a hiss like a thousand cockroaches. Sombra didn’t even flinch. Moving like lightning, he brought his hammer thundering into the daemon’s side sending it flying away into the storm with a sickening, visceral crunch of bone and organs. Its shriek was drowned out by the howl of its broken body breaching the stormwall.
“S-Sombra?” Fluttershy staggered to her feet, staring at the winged stallion in disbelief. “You’re not… not dead?”
He wore a sad expression. “No, my dear, I’m afraid not. The reason for that is as unfortunate as it is disturbing but that can wait. We need to leave this place quickly before another more dangerous entity decides to investigate this little maelstrom and-”
Whatever Sombra was about to say next, it didn’t matter. For the first time Fluttershy did not give one fluffy bunny tail about her actions as she practically tackled him to the ground. Before she could think it through she pressed her lips to his, gripping him tightly with her hooves as if he might vanish at any moment. It only took Sombra a second to recover and when he did he wrapped himself around her, wings and all, and held her close. 
“I’m so glad! So, so glad!” Fluttershy cried out the moment she pulled away from him. She clung to him, shaking and crying as all the tension and fear that had riddled her from the moment she had woken up to find him on death’s door flooded out of her on a wave of tears. “I didn’t want to lose you! I’m so sorry I failed you! I tried! I promise I tried!”
Sombra silenced her another kiss and Fluttershy felt her cheeks warm delightfully at his touch. “I know you did,” Sombra said softly as they parted. “Their decision was neither your fault nor was it entirely wrong.” He lifted a hoof to cut off the incoming tirade. “Your Princess made a judgment call based on the safety of her ponies; that is the burden of a ruler.”
“She sentenced you to die,” Fluttershy almost broke down again at that word. “Twilight was just going to… to let you…” 
“I will debate this for as long as you want another day, but I’m afraid we don’t have time to dally at the moment, my dear,” Sombra cut her off, but his eyes were soft with concern all the same. “We need to get out here quickly.
“W-where are we?” Fluttershy asked timidly, glancing around the at the featureless island of calm in the darkness. “I’ve never imagined a place so… awful.”
Sombra let out a weary breath. “There are too many names and none of them would mean a thing to you. Sufficed to say we have passed well beyond the walls of sleep to reach this place and are in great danger. You witnessed one of the more average denizens just now, but your soul is like a bonfire to the hungry creatures that dwell here and it will draw stronger and more terrible foes.”
“What happened to me?” Fluttershy met Sombra’s gaze and saw the reluctance there. “Sombra, my King, please… answer me.”
“You told me, not long ago, that you bore the Element of Kindness, yes?” Sombra stated more than asked. “You still hold the essence of that ancient power inside you, but nothing is ever as simple as light and dark. Kindness, Loyalty, Honesty; there is nothing that cannot be turned dark. When your friends forced you into a position that compromised your Kindness, your Elemental nature turned on itself. From what you told me before… this, you were put into a position where you had to choose between abandoning somepony in need and turning against your friends outright. There was no right answer so far as your Kindness was concerned.”
“S-so… my Element of Harmony turned me… dark?” Fluttershy asked in disbelief. That flew in the face of everything she had ever been taught about Harmony. There wasn’t supposed to be a dark side to be kind and loyal and… and any of it! 
Sombra shrugged. “In part, I suppose. I do not pretend to know the truth of the matter. These artifacts are beyond even my ken. They were ancient before the first foundations were laid for the Crystal Palace. It would take months of research, I suspect, before I could posit a theory that was more than guesswork.”
“I see,” Fluttershy answered softly. Taking a deep breath she did her best to push the panic away. Sombra was right, now wasn’t the time to deal with it and there was nothing to do about it at the moment any way. Still… it wasn’t all bad. “But… you’re going to be okay?”
That deep, baritone chuckle that Fluttershy had grown to love answered as Sombra nodded. “Yes, for the moment I am going to be fine. I have restored a great deal of my magic. So long as I do not expend too much of it I will have years, maybe decades, to determine a replacement source for my body to sustain itself on. Or, at the very least, I may be able to reverse the process.”
Fluttershy let out a tiny ‘yay’ and wrapped herself around Sombra’s wide, barrel chest. It was odd since his current form lacked his dark fur, but it was still Sombra. “Whatever happened made it so that you’re not going to die, so I wouldn’t change it for anything.”
Sombra pulled Fluttershy close and she giggled as she felt him nuzzle into her soft, pink mane. “Let us remove ourselves from this place, then, my dear. Although I suspect we’re far from out of the woods yet. Your display will have drawn a lot of attention since you’re releasing surges of dark magic like a geyser at the moment.”
“Where can we go?” Fluttershy asked, burying herself in Sombra’s chest as the storm twisted around her. “My… the others won’t just let you take me away. Not without trying to stop you. I’m sure they’ll think you’re controlling me or that you corrupted me.”
There was a small rumble from Sombra’s chest as he chuckled. “If anything, my dear, I fear it is you who corrupted me. Your little Council seems to deeply underestimate your persuasive capabilities, it seems.”
A weak laugh escaped Fluttershy’s lips. “They’ll try to take you away, won’t they?”
Sombra nodded. “They will, but they will also fail. Not all of my hideaways in the Equestrian mainland have been destroyed, there are still a few places for us to go.”
Fluttershy smiled, pressing herself against her stallion’s chest. “I’ll go where you go.”
“If I may say; that seems like rather a crap idea, my dear,” Sombra responded wryly.
Fluttershy just quirked an eyebrow up and smiled back at him in a surprisingly sarcastic manner that reminded Sombra of Rainbow Dash more than anything. “Well, according to certain farmponies, I have crap taste in stallions. So I suppose I’ll have to live with that, hm?”
Sombra stared in amusement, and even Fluttershy felt a little self-conscious at the casual cynicism she had heard in her own voice. A part of her wondered if that was the dark magic talking. If it had eroded away some of her timidity in speaking her mind.
That may not be such a bad thing, Fluttershy mused and, for once, her mind was silent on the matter. Turning towards the stormwall she glanced over at Sombra, who had followed her gaze with his own, and nodded. Time to confront my friends and whatever else is out there. But one thing is for certain at least… Fluttershy leaned against Sombra for a moment, reveling in the comfort of his presence, ...I’ve made my choice.
> The Shadow Gambit
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	
Chapter 15


Sombra opened his eyes and pain immediately wracked through his body. The maelstrom of darkness was still swirling around them which was a small blessing, but he could feel it growing steadily weaker now that Fluttershy had calmed down and it would not be long before the cover faded completely. Sombra scowled as he reviewed the damage to his body; dozens of shallow cuts with a few deeper lacerations. He had been given worse. Glancing down at his feet he saw Fluttershy collapsed on the ground. She was stirring though, which was a good sign. Turning his attention to his own damage, Sombra reached out and snared some of the ambient dark magic. Grimacing, Sombra braced himself; this was going to hurt. 
Letting out a hiss, Sombra pulled in the dark magic around him to fill in his wounds. It wasn’t healing; dark magic had a poor track record with that discipline, but it would keep the wounds from getting any worse than they already were. Carefully, he fixed the energy in place before letting out a harsh breath. He hated using that kind of magic. There was a reason he usually went into battle wearing full plate barding.
Speaking of which…
Stretching out his senses, Sombra found his regalia stored away in Fluttershy’s cottage and, with a thought, summoned them into place. As much as he despised the Empire and his subjects, Sombra could not deny that he had spent so long bearing the weight of his raiments that without them he felt somewhat naked. With their familiar weight in place, he let out a calming breath. Tomorrow he would pay for his arrogance. His body would be stiff and pained and no amount of dark magic would change that. Still, it felt good to have it, he didn't want to risk leaving it behind either way considering what he as planning.
“You look much better now, your Majesty,” Fluttershy said softly from beside him. Sombra glanced down and saw she had gotten up quietly, as always, and was smiling up at him. “I think I like you better like this.”
Rather than feel the usual pride in his appearance another thought distracted Sombra drawing his gaze down and away from the yellow Pegasus mare he had come to care for. “Fluttershy, are you certain this is what you want? Giving up everything? You can still step outside of this maelstrom and join your friends, you know.”
Fluttershy’s eyes widened and she glanced away from Sombra towards the edge of the spiraling darkness that surrounded them. “My… my friends?”
He nodded. Sombra had sensed them moments ago. They likely had arrived not long after he had delved into Fluttershy’s mind but now the veil was thinning enough that their individuals auras were filtering through. Bearers of Harmony, just like the little mouse in front of him. 
“My friends… I don’t know if I can go back to them after what happened,” Fluttershy said softly, tears showing at the edges of her eyes. “It hurts, your Majesty. I know why Twilight made the decision she did. I even understand where Applejack and Rarity were coming from but… but it doesn’t change that it hurts.”
“What of the ones who supported you?” Sombra asked quietly, placing a large hoof on Fluttershy’s shoulder. “Do they deserve your desertion of their ranks?”
“Pinkie and Rainbow Dash,” Fluttershy said their names half to herself. “They tried to stand up for you but… I don’t understand!” Fluttershy looked up at Sombra with wide eyes, “don’t you want me come with you?!”
Sombra smiled wearily. “I want you to be happy, my dear, and that is something I have not been able to say for many centuries. I think it would have been far too easy for me to become the monster the stories paint me as had I awoken in the care of anypony else. You showed me kindness when I deserved scorn. You gave me patience when I deserved destruction. The least I can do is ensure you are making the right decision. After all, I’ve only been in your life for a few days and-”
“Your Majesty,” Fluttershy interrupted sweetly, “I hope you’re not suggesting that I haven’t thought this through.” She lifted her gaze and fixed bright blue eyes on Sombra’s crimson orbs sending a sliver of ice into his heart. It lasted only a moment before she glanced down apologetically. “Maybe before Twilight made her decision I would have stayed but... but things are different now. It’s… easier with you because you’ve never pretended to be anything but who you are. I never really have to wonder if you were being genuine or sincere because, even when it was cruel, you were always honest. I think I need that right now. I feel betrayed and... I know you'll never betray me. Besides, I feel safe around you, my King. I… I don’t mean this as an insult but you’re a lot like one of my animals; everything you are is right out in the open."
“I think you’re friends would disagree based on my deceit,” Sombra answered with a dry chuckle.
Fluttershy shrugged. “Plenty of animals use camouflage to protect themselves.”
Shaking his head, Sombra let out a defeated huff. “So long as you are certain about this, my dear, I won’t bring it up again.”
“If I’m wrong I can always leave, right?” Fluttershy asked glancing up at Sombra. 
As much as the thought pained him, Sombra nodded.
Fluttershy smiled radiantly in response. “And that’s why I’m certain I won’t have to.”
“What?” Sombra asked, suddenly wrong-hoofed by her contradictory response. Fluttershy just giggled and patted his cheek with a hoof, though. 
“So… what do we do?”
Recovered from his confusion, Sombra flashed a dark grin that dripped with amusement.

++

The twisting darkness in front of Twilight and her friends, sans Fluttershy, felt like an unpleasant mirror to what was happening in her gut. The shock of Fluttershy’s declaration and the ruin she had left of the Seat of Kindness had shaken her resolve badly. Twilight had been so sure she was making the right decision, even though it was an awful weight, when she ruled against helping Sombra. He was a terror, after all. A tyrant who held an entire Empire in an iron grip of fear and slavery for centuries. Fluttershy had a big heart but this was going to far… right? 
“Snap the hell out of it, Twi!” Rainbow shouted into her ear, shocking her out of her thoughts. “Fluttershy’s cottage is right in the middle of that!”
“Rainbow,” Rarity interjected before Twilight could speak, “I hate to belabour the obvious but you saw Fluttershy’s eyes before she left. I would say there’s a better than even chance that she’s the cause of that.”
The cyan pegasus scrunched her face up in confusion. “Yeah what the hay was up with that anyway!? She’s a Pegasus, not a Unicorn, how could she use dark magic?”
Twilight held up a hoof to forestall anymore conversation. “Because anypony can use just about any kind of magic; Earth Pony, Pegasus, Unicorn… it just changes how the magic manifests. There are plenty of records of non-Unicorn dark magic users during the Nightmare Rebellions; Pegasi who could conjure uncontrollable storm, Earth Ponies who couldn’t be put down regardless of their wounds. It’s a discipline that was forbidden for very good reasons.”
“It’s that snake Sombra’s fault, ah’m sure,” Applejack scowled at the black storm raging around Fluttershy’s cottage. “He’s the reason Fluttershy went bad, there’s no other way. She was the nicest mare anypony’d every know.”
“Maybe… maybe it was our fault…” Pinkie’s voice was small and weak, reflecting her flat, drab hair. Her words drew the shocked attention of all of her friends though. Unperturbed, she continued to speak. “For all we know Sombra was… gone when she got back. I mean, okay, maybe he started it, but… can you really blame Fluttershy? She’s Kindness right? Asking her to let someone she’s helping just-” Pinkie’s face twisted up into an angry visage. “We asked her to give up on him. Is anypony really surprised she snapped? Granny Pie had a saying: The wise fear three things above all; a sea at storm, a night with no moon, and the anger of a gentle mare.”
“Your Granny had a lot of sayings, huh?” Rainbow asked dryly, earning a swat across her ears from Rarity. “Ow! Hey! I voted to help C-... ugh, Sombra, alright?”
“I know,” replied Twilight wearily, “this is my fault entirely. I’m the one who made the decision in the end. I was so focused on what Sombra might do that…” Twilight clenched her eyes as her voice choked. “I didn’t even consider Fluttershy’s feelings in the matter. Not really.”
“Darling… everypony makes mistakes,” Rarity trotted up and put a hoof on Twilight’s withers, “I let fear sway my decision too.”
“Ah didn’t.” Applejack deadpanned.
“Thank you for that, darling, that was very helpful,” Rarity replied through gritted teeth.
Rainbow Dash started to open her mouth to say something snide but her sharp eyes caught something near the horizon that drew her attention. Silently, she pointed towards a bloom of light that had appeared in the distance; a gleaming, blinding star that began at the tip of the Canterhorn and shot skyward only to curve around and angle directly down towards the five mares standing at the Everfree Verge. The falling star came to a thunderous landing not far from them, leaving a heated crater where it landed and a plume of smoke pour into the sky. From it strode a sight both familiar… and not.
Aurora Celestia, Diarch of the Sun and Princess of Equestria cantered proudly into their midst. She was not clad as a Princess now, though; instead she wore full plate barding of burnished gold that shone like it had been drawn fresh from a forges flames moments ago. Heat rolled off of her in waves causing the five remaining Bearers to flinch away. Her shaffron turned her normally graceful muzzle into a curved and angular wedge of metal that gave her a bellicose look and her peytral was engraved with solar iconography that seemed to glow their own accord. 
“P-Princess!” Twilight scrabbled forward, her wings flaring in alarm.
Celestia looked down at her former student and Twilight found some comfort in the fact that her old teacher’s eyes held no blame or anger, just a kind of sorrowful resignation. “Twilight, would you mind explaining why I suddenly felt a surge of dark magic the likes of which I have not experienced since I defeated my sister one thousand years ago?”
“I can answer that, Princess,” a light, demure, and familiar voice interrupted. The five former Element Bearers and Celestia looked up in surprise as Fluttershy strode confidently out of the thinning smog of dark magic. “That surge was my fault, I’m sorry I worried you but everything is fine now.”
Fluttershy’s five friends couldn’t help but stare. Fluttershy seemed like a completely different pony. Her stride was strong and confident, almost seductive, and her eyes seemed to glint playfully in the dim light of the setting sun. Her wings flared now and again, idly moving the air around her and showing off the ashen tips of her primaries and coverts. A subtle hint of dark mist drifted off of the edges of Fluttershy’s slitted eyes and her mouth was turned up in the faintest of amused smiles. There was almost nothing of the bashful and unassuming mare that they were familiar with in what they were seeing. More telling was her garb; few ponies in ponyville bothered wearing anything more than a hat or scarf and Fluttershy was usually much the same. She had certainly never been seen wearing a fanged necklace set with Jet and silver, or something as audacious as the circlet of blackened iron that was set on her brow which held back her flowing pink locks from her eyes. 
The Princess of the Sun held up a hoof to silence the incoming storm of words from Twilight and the others. Celestia felt a tension she hadn’t known in ages. Something about the normally shy young mare was putting her hackles up. “Fluttershy? You’ll forgive me for not taking your word on that, but I’m afraid I must insist on a little more explanation than ‘everything is fine’.”
Fluttershy smiled beatifically, strangely unbowed in the presence of one of the most powerful beings in recorded history. “My friends and I had a disagreement on... something important. The conflict caused my Element to surge. I’m sure Twilight can fill you in on the details, your Grace.”
“It was Sombra!” Twilight shouted, drawing a shocked look from Princess Celestia. “Fluttershy said he forced her to help him heal! Something went wrong though and he never recovered, she came to me because he was dying and asked for my help.”
“Oh no,” Celestia muttered, closing her eyes sorrowfully. “Twilight you… you said no, didn’t you?”
Three pairs of ears folded back in shame at the admonishment in Celestia’s voice. Twilight could only nod, not bothering trying to explain herself. It would have been insulting to assume Celestia didn’t already understand the reasoning. The alabaster alicorn turned to Fluttershy who hadn’t moved from where she had emerged and was still smiling faintly.
“Twilight asked you to be cruel, didn’t she?” Celestia stated, more than asked. “To force another to die for the sake of the many is the very polar opposite of Kindness. The inversion caused a conflict within you and that triggered a surge of dark magic.”
Fluttershy gave a small nod. “That’s correct, your Grace.”
“It’s not too late then,” Celestia said sternly. “We can still purge the darkness from your body without too much trouble. Please, come back to Canterlot and we can keep this from becoming worse.”
Whatever expectations the girls had, not even Celestia expected Fluttershy to laugh at her offer. It was a small, jewel-tone sound that was quite pleasant. “No, I’m afraid I have somewhere else to be. Besides, I don’t really feel like sharing present company at the moment. Later, maybe, but not now.”
“Is this because my former student’s actions led to the death of your charge?” Celestia asked sadly. “If so then please understand that this is for your own sake. You cannot allow the dark magic to root itself within you, it’s too dangerous.”
“Sombra is just fine,” Fluttershy replied with an air of amusement. "My surge replenished him, fortunately, so all is well in that regard at least.”
Celestia grit her teeth. “I see, and where is he now?”
“Safe, your Grace,” Fluttershy replied with cryptic amusement.
“Rainbow Dash, Applejack, I need you to search the area for any signs of Sombra’s presence,” Celestia ordered. Such was her authority that the two had already begun to move.
The roar of a typhoon shattered the quiet of the Verge as two massive walls of wind carved out to encircle Celestia and Twilight’s Council. All six turned to stare at Fluttershy whose eyes had lost their amusement and were now glaring at them, her wings flared out and crackling with barely suppressed power.
“I’m afraid that’s not in the cards, your Grace.” Fluttershy said evenly.
Celestia grimaced. “You’re taking his side? I understand wanting to help him recover but this has become something far more dangerous.” She stalked forward until her full height towered over the lithe Pegasus in front of her. “He is a mind mage, Fluttershy and he’s forcing you to stall for him while he escapes. He is abandoning you!”
Fluttershy crooked an eyebrow up before starting to laugh. Then chortle. Then outright cackle in the face of the millennia-old ruler of Equestria. The six of them looked confusedly at each other while the buttercream mare mastered herself before replying. “I’m sorry about that, heh, your Grace. It was just really funny. You’re very wrong though, I’m afraid.”
Celestia opened her mouth to respond as Fluttershy swept her wings back inward, letting the tip of her longest primaries touch the exposed fur of the Princesses fetlocks. Whatever Celestia had been about to say became a shriek of agony as nearly five hundred thousand volts passed into her body, throwing her to the ground as her muscles spasmed wildly. Before any of the others could snap out of their horror-induced paralysis Fluttershy surged upwards, drawing in a massive surge of air magic and creating a wind-tunnel with her passage and dragging the stunned Celestia in her wake. At the apex of her thousand foot rise Fluttershy pulled a tight U-turn downwards before abandoning her magic and bolt off to the left as Celestia rocketed past her and slammed violently into the ground below. 
“Don’t worry!” Fluttershy called out to her gaping friends. “I kept the current controlled enough, she’ll be fine. Alicorns are quite sturdy after a-”
Her words were cut off by a lucent beam of sunlight tearing out of the crater followed by a furious Celestia. Her shaffron had been abandoned, dented and mangled, where she had landed revealing her bruised face, broken muzzle, and blazing eyes. Fluttershy reacted with perfect timing; arching downwards and using the buffeting of Celestia’s passage to propel her away. Celestia pulled a turn only to be nearly slammed out of the sky by an invisible hammer of hardened wind that sent her spinning. Her peytral cracked and dented under the blow but Celestia recovered nigh instantly, and surged downwards towards her target who was hovering some four hundred feet below her with a cocky grin, hurling bolt after bolt of wind at the bloodied Princess. Celestia twisted left and right, letting the powerful shots pass her by, but just as she was about to collide with Fluttershy the shadows around yellow Pegasus seemed to flicker and she vanish, leaving Celestia to plow straight through empty space. She had a brief moment to register confusion before she heard Twilight shout a wordless warning at the same time she felt four dainty hooves land on her back. Twisting violently in midair, Celestia caught the tip of Fluttershy’s primary that had been aimed for the back of her head right on the edge of her gorget that sent another thundering surge of electricity into her. Celestia screamed in pain as her tormentor flickered away again. Her gorget was superheated and although her body was proof against flame, mostly, the electrical burns stung fiercely beneath the heavy armor. 
Shedding the weighty metal barding, Celestia spun about and sent several curving bolts of light towards her foe. Fluttershy dove and wove through the sky like a dancer, avoiding the bolts expertly as she curved around to send several shots of wind back at the attacking Princess.
“You’ll have to do better than that, your Grace!” Fluttershy crowed, as one of her wind hammers clipped Celestia on the side, sending her spinning before she righted herself again. 
“How dare you do something so vile!” Celestia roared, sending a fusillade of thin white rays searing through the sky towards Fluttershy. “You are truly the lowest of any creature that calls itself a pony!”
Fluttershy grinned as she curved around the barrage, avoiding the majority of them and deflecting the others with lightning-enhanced wings. “Flattery will get you everywhere, your Grace!” Fluttershy laughed as she wheeled through the storm of light.
The moment Fluttershy cleared the boundaries of Celestia’s fusillade she saw her peril. The barrage had been a distraction, a bright flashy, blinding distraction. Below Fluttershy were two dozen mirror images of Celestia surging upwards towards her, a longer, more complicated casting that Celestia had bought the time for through a massive expenditure of power. Flapping her wings hard, Fluttershy pulled up and soared higher. Gravity was working against Celestia, who was much heavier and less aerodynamic than Fluttershy by nature of her shape, and soon Fluttershy had put a wide distance between her and the pursuing horde of Princess lookalikes.
“The problem with mirror images is that they’re quite fragile,” Fluttershy muttered as she turned about and flapped both wings hard, sending a wave of coruscating dark lightning directly into Celestia’s charge. Nowhere near the power that Fluttershy’s pinion strikes had, the damage probably wouldn’t even penetrate Celestia’s passive defenses, but it was more than enough to disrupt the fragile illusory magics that held mirror images together.
Sure enough the energy wave passed through Celestia and her mirrors, fracturing them as their spellwork failed. Fluttershy’s grin lasted right up until all two dozen of them exploded, turning the entire sky beneath her into one giant flashbang. It had been a trap. Fluttershy shook the stars from her eyes just in time to see a the flanged head of a conjured mace crack down on her, sending her careening towards the ground and impacting the packed earth with a loud crash.
Twilight and her friends stared in unified shock as Celestia smote Fluttershy to the ground with a single blow. They were even more surprised when Celestia suddenly staggered in midair and dropped out of the sky like she had been swatted by the hand of the Maker to crash near the crater she had just put Fluttershy in... Fluttershy, who was climbing out of said crater almost completely unscathed.
The circlet on her head was glowing a brilliant, molten white.
Celestia tried and failed to stagger to her hooves before settling to glare at Fluttershy as Twilight and the others rushed to her side. She coughed up a small torrent of blood as she opened her mouth, coughing to clear her throat. “I-is that…?”
Fluttershy smirked as she tapped the circlet. “The Crown of Pureblood the Betrayer? Why yes, yes it is. Paranoid as he was psychotic; making a crown that would reflect the first direct hit back on the attacker. Not a bad idea, mind you, considering how many assassination attempts were made on his worthless head.”
A flare of red energy shot up from within the Everfree to detonate high above the forest. Fluttershy grinned. “Excellent, just in time. Well, your Grace, I will bid you goodbye til next we meet.” 
Sketching a mocking bow, Fluttershy dusted off and flickered away, her small form reappearing further into the forest as she shot straight before pulling a corkscrew and dropping down to vanish beneath the canopy.
Fluttershy’s five friends sat flabbergasted around the beaten and thrashed Princess Celestia. The silence was eventually broken by a frustrated “What the BUCK was that?!” from Rainbow Dash.
“Crudely put, but accurate, darling,” Rarity said in a shellshocked voice. “I barely even recognized Fluttershy. Is that really what dark magic does to a pony?”
“No,” Twilight answered, her muzzle scrunched up in confusion. “It just makes them crazy. Their emotions go out of control, they get paranoid and have violent mood swings. It sure as tartarus doesn’t turn them into magical juggernauts capable to going hoof-to-hoof with an Alicorn.”
“That’s because that wasn’t Fluttershy,” Celestia said from where she lay on the ground, breathing hard around her damaged frame. Her Alicorn healing factor was working overtime but it would be more than an hour before she was able to stand. Probably weeks before she was back to full strength. “I knew it from the moment I was struck down the first time… I've tasted that magic before…”

++

Fluttershy trotted down the spiraling stairs into the lair holding a lifetime’s worth of relics and ancient tomes. She chuckled as she entered the main sanctum and heard the sound of a deep, bass voice humming a familiar tune. Even with hooves of such size the owner somehow managed to make next to no noise as they moved around the reliquary. 
“Hello, my dear,” Fluttershy said, her face turning up in a warm smile.
Sombra turned around with a slight blush, embarrassed at having been caught off guard, before giving his head a shake and trotting over to pull Fluttershy into a hug. “Are you alright? I was so worried about you! I know you said you could win but…” Sombra leaned down to nuzzle against Fluttershy’s cheek. 
“I’m going to be sore for a few days but I will be fine soon enough.” Fluttershy chuckled. “Celestia can’t quite say the same I’m afraid. Now, hold still.”
Leaning up, Fluttershy pressed her lips to Sombra’s. There was a crackle of energy as Sombra began to shrink, his dark fur taking on a yellow tone, his tumbledown dark mane turning into a flowing river of pink silk. Fluttershy, likewise, began to expand, her body redistributing her weight and muscle to a more masculine shape and an arterial red horn emerging like a spear from her skull. Her fur blackened as if it were burning under a hot flame and she grinned as fanged canines emerged. 
Sombra took a deep breath, his form now returned to his ownership. “Ah, Theft of Form, I haven’t used that spell ages. I forgot how much fun it is. It worked perfectly too, they were delayed long enough for us to make all the preparations. Excellent timing with the flare, by the way.”
Fluttershy, for her part, looked down at herself and gave a wistful sigh. “Thank you. And anyway I kind of liked being a big dangerous stallion for once. Also, I didn’t think I’d like your regalia but it was.... nice. It made me feel powerful.” She giggled as Sombra leaned down and gave her a quick kiss.
“I will look into forging some regalia for you.” Sombra said as he walked towards the main ritual circle. It might’ve been mostly burnt out but the arcane framework was still intact. Enough for one or two more spells. Nothing like a spell of resurrection, but a long-range teleport? That was still in the picture. “You are going to be a Queen after all. It would only be suitable. Did you get everything packed and prepared for the journey?”
Fluttershy blushed furiously at how casually he spoke of her being his Queen. It did have a certain appeal though, she couldn't deny it. “Yes, your Majesty,” she answered quickly. “It was a little tricky with Unicorn magic but it was very useful once I got the hang of it. Did your artifacts work alright?”
“Mm, yes,” Sombra answered distractedly as he sifted through the neatly packed relics to put away the ones he had made use of. “Pureblood may have been a pompous ass but he was a powerful dark sorcerer and had quite an imagination when it came to forging relics. As for Nevarion’s Carconet, it performed magnificently, I never would’ve been able to outfly Celestia without its magic although I fear if I had used it much longer it might’ve started trying to transform me. That old shadow drake is a crafty bastard, even dead.”
“But you’re alright?” Fluttershy stepped up to Sombra’s side and leaned against him.
“I am quite fine, sore and bruised, but fine.” Sombra nuzzled and nipped at her ear drawing a pleased squeak from Fluttershy. “Now, we need to go. The sooner we go the sooner we bury this sanctum. They can’t follow us through a hundred tonnes of rubble.”
Sombra and Fluttershy began gathering all of the trunks and enchanted chests into circle. At one point Sombra even ensorcelled a pair of armoires into ambulation to speed the process. It was a difficult job but made easier by the fact that Fluttershy had packed everything perfectly. They were still on a time limit though. In an hour or so the moon would be raised and Luna would be free to pursue vengeance for her sister’s defeat. 
“By the way,” Fluttershy began, “where exactly are we going, your Majesty?”
Sombra heaved the last couple of trunks into place before turning back to Fluttershy. “To a the remains of a small outpost in the southern reaches of the Crystal Empire. Still quite far north by Equestrian standards I should think but it was practically tropical to us. I remember glancing at a map in one of your more modern books and saw that there is a city near it now. I should be able to produce viable papers for the grounds of the estate and enough gold to satisfy taxes. So long as there are no current owners we should be fine. The Diarchs will probably spend months just scouring the Everfree for us before they catch on to our ruse.”
Fluttershy laid a hoof on his side, drawing his attention away from the work around him. “Then let’s go, I want to be… I don’t really want to be in Ponyville for a while. Someday I’ll come back and forgive Twilight, Applejack, and Rarity, but…” 
A kiss from Sombra silenced her and Fluttershy hummed appreciatively against her stallion’s lips. “You are permitted as much time as you need to heal, my dear. Stay with me until then.”
Taking a deep breath, Fluttershy felt warmth fill her from her hooves to her tail as she gave an enthusiastic nod. “As you say, your Majesty.”
Turning to the remains of the circle, Sombra ignited the latent magic within it and conjured a powerful teleportation spell. As they vanished he set off a small spark, enough to trigger the final defenses of his cavern sanctum. The pair vanished a second later, and a few seconds after that the main supports for the underground lair detonated in a cataclysm of fire and fury, burying the empty hideaway in enough stone to frustrate even an immortal Alicorn.


~End of Act I~

> Act 2 ~ What She Left Behind
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Chapter 16


The weeks following the battle on the Everfree verge was a storm of secret meetings and grim decisions. Rainbow Dash and Applejack, along with the Royal Guard Commander and Master-at-Arms of the Equestrian Regulars, had been all for putting out a wanted poster and making an announcement of Sombra’s return but Celestia and Luna both put the kibosh on the idea immediately. Sombra was both a deadly sorcerer, an accomplished cerebramancer, and a skilled shapeshifter; he wouldn’t be recognized anywhere he went even with a wanted poster plastered over every city wall. Fluttershy was likely benefiting from the same obfuscating magics as Sombra was as well. Making the announcement would just start a panic and announcing his ability to shapeshift would just have the whole populace jumping at shadows. 
No, starting a panic would just create the kind of chaos that Sombra thrived on exploiting. All traces of his passage would vanish like footprints on a trampled path and they would never find either the dark king or Fluttershy. There was no sign of the pair in the Forest or around it. Not one of the searchers believed that Sombra and Fluttershy perished in the dangerous woods. Not only did nopony think Sombra was vulnerable enough to fall to some forest beast, but the Princesses were certain that if anything happened to Fluttershy the Elements would certainly react.
Life, of course, went on in Ponyville in spite of the tumult and upset that followed the fight and flashing lights. Nopony but those few present at the time knew that Celestia had been soundly beaten; through trickery and guile perhaps but beaten nonetheless. Luna took the fore after her sister’s defeat at Sombra’s treacherous hooves, mobilizing her much more adaptable and stealth-capable Lunar Guard to begin sweeping the Everfree and its surrounding townships. At first, Twilight and her remaining friends had expected to hear of success within the week. Then the week passed. Then a month. 


~One Month Later~


A knock resounded through the foyer of the Castle of Friendship, rapid and panicked. It was early in the morning and Twilight snapped awake instantly. For a moment she had the absurd thought that it had all been a dream. That Fluttershy was knocking on the door and this time she could do things right. Her logical mind quashed that insane notion seconds later and was reinforced by the sound of Rainbow Dash’s voice hollering something from the entrance hall. Twilight wiped the sleep from her eyes and blearily cantered out of her room and down the hall to where a very agitated Rainbow Dash was waiting.
“Dash, what’s wrong?” Twilight asked, her brain foggy but she felt herself wake up a little at the panic on Rainbow’s face.
“It’s Scootaloo! She’s gone!” Rainbow yelled, causing Twilight to flinch.
Holding up a hoof, Twilight tried to focus through the rude awakening she’d just had. “Okay, okay just hold on. You mean she ran off again? She just got out of the hospital, didn’t she have an orderly assigned to stay with her at the orphanage for the next week?”
“She didn’t run off, Twilight, she was transferred!” Rainbow hissed. “Transferred to some other orphanage in Manehattan! In the middle of the night, apparently!”
Twilight blinked in confusion as her coffee deprived mind slowly assimilated that information. “T-thats not right… that’s- I mean, it’s technically legal but it’s a really gray area.”
“Exactly,” Rainbow said darkly. “When I asked about it I was told that the paperwork was all in order and that the transfer was happening that day to facilitate a smoother adoption process.”
“Scootaloo got adopted?!” Twilight felt a small rush of joy for a moment before the realisation set in on what that meant. “But that’s a months-long process normally! It takes weeks to ensure the prospective parents are properly vetted and financially situated! Then there’s reams of paperwork to fill out and-”
Rainbow tapped her hoof on Twilight’s nose, interrupting her train of thought. “Yeah, maybe for normal folk, but apparently these ‘parents’ are some flavor of super-rich. Rules don’t apply to rich ponies Twi’, you came from a noble house you should know that. These ponies basically just paid to have all that crap taken care of.”
“So who adopted her?” Twilight gestured for Rainbow to follow her into the kitchen where she grabbed the percolator and started brewing herself some coffee.
Rainbow just shook her head, ears flicking in frustration. “I don’t know. It’s a closed adoption so not even her birth parents would be legally allowed know, much less me.”
An uncomfortable silence settled over the kitchen, disturbed only by the sounds of the coffee percolating. Eventually, Twilight poured herself a cup and took a sip, her eyes pensive. 
“Scootaloo will definitely contact you,” Twilight said finally. “You know that right? She wouldn’t just… ‘leave you hanging’.”
A grim smile crawled onto Rainbow’s muzzle. “I hope so. If not then I’m going to find her even if I have to turn the Canterhorn upside down and shake it.”


~ o ~


Across town, in the dim dawn light, Rarity threaded the needle at her work desk, carefully tying the delicate knot and preparing to correct the hem on her latest design. It wasn’t her best work, if she was being honest. Certainly a step beyond the bland offerings that this season had seen in her opinion but the fact that she knew she could do better irked her. It was the work of a few moments to make the correction and then her glittering magic whisked it off to settle onto a ponnequin. She couldn’t quite put her hoof on it but there was something lacking in her works lately. Her muse was mum on the matter but she felt it nonetheless. Her instincts screamed that she was missing some spark, something vital. 
But she knew what it was already didn’t she? It was the same reason she was up at the wee hours working on a dress she had no passion for: she wasn’t working to create. Rarity was working to forget. She was throwing herself into her craft in order to find an escape from the guilt that was gnawing at her gut. A choice made in haste had led to terrible consequences and while she knew it was hardly her fault alone it was the fact that she had be party to it at all, and what that reflected of her character, that Rarity had an issue with. She had disappointed herself as well as one of her best friends. A friend she had respected maybe more than any other pony.
“Fluttershy…” Rarity muttered. The name set off a cascade of feelings that Rarity had gone to a great deal of trouble to bury and, like an avalanche, they rolled over her, engulfing her in their crushing weight. Tears rolled down her cheeks and, a moment later, small wracking sobs shook her feminine frame. “Fluttershy, I’m so sorry… I’m so, so sorry.”
I know.
A cold shiver ran down Rarity’s spine. Had she just heard something? A voice, a terribly familiar voice. Closing her eyes, Rarity tried to convince herself she had imagined the sound. It didn’t work. “F-Fluttershy?” She spoke again, this time with purpose in her voice.
Here. Come over here.
The voice had a very definite direction. It was coming from her room and Rarity immediately tore into a gallop, knocking her latest creation from its perch as she ran. Bursting into her room. Her room was turned away from the sun to ensure the morning rays didn’t ruin her beauty sleep and, since she hadn’t lit any of the magelights nor opened the curtains, so it was nearly pitch black. Rarity glanced about after lighting one of the smaller lamps on her nightstand but saw nothing out of the ordinary.
“Am I really losing my mind after all this?” Rarity said with a small, nervous laugh.
Tap tap… tap… tap tap
A noise sounded from Rarity’s vanity, lighting the slightly larger magelight built into the top of the mirror, she realised that there was one thing out of the ordinary; a letter in a thick, old-style envelope sealed with black wax. As she picked it up in her magic, curious at the weight and archaic look of the thing, a glint of something bright caught Rarity’s eye in the mirror. A pale yellow form moving in the mellow darkness reflected by the glass. Snapping around, her breath caught in her throat as Rarity saw… nothing. Her room was as is as empty as it was when she opened the door. Turning the letter over, Rarity read her own name, penned in mouthwriting she knew as well as her own. Carefully unsealing the envelope, Rarity set the black wax, embossed with a spiked crown naturally, aside and drew out the letter:





Dear Rarity

I know that I hurt everypony when I left the way I did. Especially, I know that I hurt you. For that I wanted to tell you that I’m sorry. I still love each and every one of you so very much, so don’t ever doubt that. You are all so important to me. You’re my best friends. The truth is that I’m hurt too, though. What happened at Twilight’s castle shook me. I never imagined any of my friends would choose death over life no matter the scenario because, to me, that was what made us different from the ones we fought. It left me confused and in pain and feeling like my entire world was crumbling. The ponies I was closest too had chosen to take a life and I couldn’t handle that. I still believe that it was wrong but I also want you to know that I’m sorry for how I reacted. I should have tried harder to convince you, or gone to Celestia., or something that would have kept us together. I know that I had as much of a part in driving a wedge between us as anypony else. 
I’m still working to overcome the impulses that the dark magic in me causes sometimes. It isn’t easy but I’m getting better at it and my love is teaching me how to control myself and my magic in a safe place. That’s the last reason I’m sending this letter. until I can trust myself to not act rashly when I see you all, I want you to stop looking for me. I need time to heal and time to make myself safe again. 
But I still love and miss all of you. 
I miss our spa dates especially, Rarity.

Love & Kisses

Fluttershy

P.S. By the way, please let Dashie know that she’s safe and happy. You’ll understand when you see what’s enclosed.





Tears trickled down Rarity’s muzzles as she put the letter away. A large part of her didn’t want to show it to anyone else, even though she knew she should. Sombra was teaching her dark magic but, at the same time, she remembered the look of madness on her friend’s face in the Council chambers after the verdict had been passed. That look of such manifold rage that twisted Fluttershy’s normally beatific features into something so horrible had been seared into Rarity’s mind. If there was even a chance that Sombra could help her then… maybe it was time she swallowed her pride and accepted that Fluttershy knew what she was doing. Certainly for all of Fluttershy’s demure kindness and shy mannerisms Rarity knew that her friend was at least as capable as any one of them in a pinch. Using magic to swiftly wipe the tears from her eyes, Rarity’s gaze fell on the post script. Her brow furrowed in concern and, curious, she shook the heavy envelope and, sure enough, something was inside. Turning it upside, she shook the envelope and snatched up what it contained in her magic before bringing it up to the light to examine it. 
Rarity’s eyes widened in shock at what she realised she was holding.


~ o ~


Twilight and Rainbow Dash were finishing up an early breakfast when a soft, proper knocking came from the front door to the castle quickly followed by the sound of it opening.
“Twilight? Is Rainbow Dash here?” Rarity’s voice called out into the halls.
Rainbow gave her lavender friend a quizzical look before shouting back. “Yeah! We’re in the kitchen, what’s up Rares?”
The tapping sound of Rarity’s light-hoofed canter approached them moments before the white unicorn entered wearing a pair of hoof-made white blue saddlebags that matched her eyes. She looked a little worn around the edges but as beautiful as ever. She also looked… wary.
“Good morning, girls,” Rarity remarked in a voice that was a little weary. “Rainbow, I don’t suppose you happen to know where Scootaloo is at the moment? The orphanage hasn’t opened it’s public doors quite yet.”
The speedster’s eyes went wide with concern at the young pegasus’ name. “No, I don’t Rares, That’s why I’m here. She’s gone missing! How did you-”
Rarity held up a hoof before turning and rummaging through her saddlebags and pulling out a thick envelope. “I received this via… some kind of magic this morning. It’s from Fluttershy, I would know her mouthwriting anywhere and-” Rarity took out the letter and laid it down on the table “-it has quite a bit to say. But at the end are simply the words “She’s safe and happy.” along with this.
Rarity drew out the last item and set it on the table next to the letter. It was an orange covert, naturally shed by the look of it, with a black tip the color of dark ash.


~Two Months Later~


The broken throne of Kindness loomed in the quiet Council Chambers of Princess Twilight’s castle. The five former bearers and one drake sat around the map that had gone curiously dark since their sixth member had abandoned her post in protest of a damning verdict given by the castle’s owner. At the time it had happened Twilight had thought it was a good decision. She felt that it was the best decision she could make given the circumstances and the timeframe. Sombra was a war criminal; although his transgressions had occurred prior to any international statute it hardly diminished the cruelty of his actions. An entire people enslaved. An imperial war machine driven to expand and conquer without mercy by a ruthless tyrant. In the months following Fluttershy’s exodus at the side of Sombra, Twilight had delved into the secret histories of the insular Crystal Empire. Cadence and her brother had been forthcoming and sympathetic, as well as interested, in the contents of the once-forgotten manuscripts. The more Twilight read of the Shadow King the more she found herself both impressed and terrified of Sombra. When he deployed his armies there was no quarter given nor asked. No offer of surrender was ever made or accepted. It would begin with a messenger delivering a notice of annexation, not even a declaration of war, simply an edict marking the territory as a new part of the Empire. Then his armies would march in the next day armed to the teeth, brutally putting down any resistance. If the tribe or House controlling the land could muster an army there would usually be a small fight but it was always in vain. Sombra’s soldiers marched at the side of shadowy abominations created through dark sorcery; siege engines of black magic with only the command of their King for a mind.
It baffled Twilight to no end. This was the stallion she had chosen to forsake all vows and oaths for? That she chose to forsake her friends for? At first it had been infuriating, then maddening, then… thought provoking. 
“Twilight,” Applejack started, tapping her hoof absent-mindedly on the dark map. “Ah understand why ya’ll wanna meet every so often but frankly we ain’t seen hide nor hair of Sombra or Fluttershy for darn near a season. It’s the dead’a winter now and the odds of hearin’ anything before spring is pretty much zilch barin’ a miracle.”
The rest of the group grimaced at Applejacks bald-faced summation but nopony disputed it; she wasn’t wrong after all. Ponies traveled infrequently in the winter and news traveled just as slowly. Twilight just shook her head, though.
“I didn’t bring you all here for an update,” she said, her voice had a curious, thoughtful quality to it. “I gathered the Council to ask everypony here a question. One I’ve already asked Cadence and my brother who couldn’t give me an answer.”
“Oh?” Rarity piped up, her interest piqued. “Ask away then, darling. I’m not sure what you’re expecting to get from us though that even your brother and a Princess couldn’t answer.”
Twilight fluffed out her wings anxiously for a moment before nodding. “Does anyone here actually know anything about Sombra? Not the King-” she quickly clarified as the voices of her friends raised in protest, “-I mean Sombra the pony. As an individual. There are lots of stories and historical documents recording what he did but… there’s nothing- and I mean nothing -about why he did anything or even what he was like. Not even a self-aggrandizing autobiography and even Blueblood has one of those! This was a stallion with access to an Empire’s worth of scribes, parchment, and ink and I haven’t been able to find a single sentence on the pony himself.”
The silence was deafening for a short while before, of all ponies, Pinkie piped up and said “He’s very sad.”
Everypony turned to face her in surprise. “Why would you say that, Pinkie?” Twilight asked.
Pinkie Pie shrugged. “I remember when he came to the Corner with Fluttershy. It was only once but… when I found out he was from the Crystal Empire I served him some crystalberry scones. I was hoping he could tell me if I’d gotten the recipe right but when he bit into it, I dunno, something happened. He got tears in his eyes and I got really afraid that I had messed up super badly but he told me that… that I had made them perfectly. He said that the scones had just reminded him of better times, before… before he came to power. I think that, uhm, I think he really hates who he became.”
“Then why the hay did he do it?!” Applejack practically shouted, slamming a hoof on the table. “Why would he do horrible things like that if he didn’t have to?!”
“Maybe he did, didja ever think of that?” Rainbow Dash shot back, stunning everypony.
Rarity  tapped her hoof awkward only the table. “Uhm, Rainbow, darling, would you like to, perhaps, qualify that statement a bit?”
“Sure I would,” Rainbow face was crossed in a scowl as she glared around at everypony but Pinkie. “I might not like Sombra but right now, according to Fluttershy, he’s taking care of Scootaloo. He risked a lot, and almost died, making sure Scootaloo would have the chance to fly. Sure, he’s got a bad rep, but I’ve seen the choices he makes for myself and I gotta say I can’t see that guy doing crap like the books say he did without a really good reason. So here’s the thing; when I think about what it would take to make me do some of that stuff you know what my answer is?” Everypony was staring at Rainbow in rapt attention, Twilight looked like she wanted to say something but was keeping her mouth shut. “My answer is: if one of you were in trouble. Or Scoots, Or Sweetie, or Applebloom. That’s what it would take. I dunno about you guys but if it meant keeping all of you safe then I’m not ashamed to say I’d so some pretty bucked up crap.”
“So you think he only did because he felt like he had to?” Twilight clarified, looking a little unsure. Rainbow just shrugged.
“Yeah, basically, or something like that anyway,” she answered, “I mean if it were me I’d do it but I sure as tartarus wouldn’t write it down for posterity. I wouldn’t be proud of it. Seems like the same sort of thing. Maybe I’m wrong, I dunno, but the Sombra in the stories sure doesn’t match up with the Sombra I’ve seen since he got his marbles back.”
“Ah ain’t gonna pretend ah wouldn’t do some dark things to keep mah family safe either, Rainbow,” Applejack joined in, “but the reason don’t matter none if whatcha did was wrong in the end. If ya’ll felt it was worth it well more power to ya but that don’t getcha outta being punished.”
Rainbow scowled but didn’t argue. After a moment she let out a breath and nodded. “Yeah, I guess that’s fair. I’d still do whatever I thought I needed to though.”
“I wouldn’t expect anything else from you, darling,” Rarity said, a little sadly. “I think that goes for all of us though does it not? We would all do things we wouldn’t necessarily be proud of depending on the reasons. Especially for family.”
Twilight nodded. “I would give my left hoof to know what made Sombra do the things he did, or at least to know the truth. Stories aren’t always right after all. I really messed up when I made that decision, didn’t I?”
“Yeah,” Rainbow answered dryly, prompting a gentle swat to the back of her polychromatic head by Applejack.
“Don’tcha go makin’ her feel worse, flygirl, it was a rough state for us all,” the farmmare remarked.
“I hope they’re doing better now though,” Pinkie said with a small smile. “I just want them to be happy. I want to see my friend again too but… I want her to be smiling more than anything.”
“I’m certain we’ll see her again, my dear,” Rarity answered, putting her hoof over Pinkie’s. “Fluttershy just needs time, like the letter said.”
“But we’re not going to stop looking, even if we don’t have good odds of finding them,” Twilight said sternly. “I know what Fluttershy asked but I still don’t trust Sombra. I can’t, not yet.”
A round of agreeing nods answered the lavender Princess. On that, at least, they all agreed.
> Be Kind
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	
Chapter 17



~Shortly After the Battle on the Everfree Verge~


A dark, musty basement suddenly filled with viridian and lambent purple energy followed quickly by a powerful snap of air displacing as the teleportation ritual finished its work. Along with a large amount of extra containers and luggage, two ponies stood side-by-side; the larger one, a stallion whose coat was a deep ashen black matched by a charcoal mane glanced around his surroundings, his curved and almost bladed horn flashing as he scanned the area quickly to ensure no hostile entities had followed them through the teleportation. His eyes flickered with vestiges of dark power as he pulled the energy back into himself. He was miserly with his magic for good reason as his very lifeforce depended on it. The pony beside him couldn’t have been more different; gentle of form, spirit, and demeanor, the butter-yellow Pegasus mare who was standing comfortably in the stallion’s shadow seemed badly at odds with her companion. Her pink mane fell in a silk river over glittering blue eyes set above a delicate muzzle that was twitching in an effort to fend off the dust. An effort that was, ultimately, in vain.
“Ah… ah… AHH!.... ha’snoof,” 
The stallion gave a deep, basso chuckle. “My dear Fluttershy, only you could make a sneeze sound so genteel and graceful.”
Fluttershy rubbed her nose softly with one wing, trying to brush away the dust that she had kicked up with her sneeze. “That’s mean, my king, you teleported us into a dusty old basement, what did you expect would happen?”
“You’re a Pegasus, my dear, simply bend the dust away from you with an air current,” Sombra remarked with a shrug as he began moving out of the magic circle that the two of them had ended up in after their escape from the Everfree safehouse.
“You know very well I can’t do that,” Fluttershy said, a delicate moue forming on her face, warming King Sombra’s dark heart as he watched his caretaker pout. It was terribly adorable after all. “I probably use less Pegasus magic than anypony else, ever.”
“We will have to change that, otherwise your dark magic will overcome you without even trying,” Sombra responded distractedly as he began examining the walls, Every so often he would tap one of the stones at random as if expecting something. As far as Fluttershy could tell they were in an octagonal chamber with neither doors nor windows. She trusted Sombra though, and didn’t worry. At the worst, he could just teleport them out again or blow a hole in the wall.
“I thought you had cleared away the dark magic in me,” Fluttershy asked concernedly.
Sombra continued to tap away at the stones. “No, unfortunately I do not possess that kind of magic. Nor, I believe, does that magic actually exist. Once your meridians absorb enough dark magic you begin channeling it naturally. That is the primary reason it is so easy to gain power quickly through dark magic and also one of the reasons most practitioners do not survive long. They succumb to the madness and paranoia that channelling dark magic entails after becoming drunk on power. If we do not work on strengthening your native magic then you run the risk of letting the dark magic overcome your inner well completely.”
“You make it sound like a disease,” Fluttershy said as she moved out of the middle of the room to her king’s side as he continued to tap at the wall. 
“Hm, not quite a disease, my dear. Rather it is more that dark magic is alive after a fashion in a way that pure magic is not,” Sombra clarified as he moved to the next wall. “Pure magic is just that, pure; no more or less than energy at its most absolute. Dark magic is contaminated by mortality. It contains traces of emotional wavelengths that take root in practitioners. That is why many sorcerers find their worst traits amplified, you see. Whatever emotion most strongly resonates with them becomes exacerbated to an extreme degree.”
“Why is it only bad emotions though?” Fluttershy asked softly, “why can’t it amplify something like love or joy?”
“Theoretically it could,” Sombra answered with a shrug. “But think about it; the kind of pony who would pursue dark magic purposefully is the kind which has no patience for the slower, safer methods of mastering the magical arts. They want power quickly and that is usually not for beneficent ends; they want power because they fear their own weakness, or they want power to dominate others, or they want power for vengeance. They share one thing though: a want of power. It is a sad truth of mortals that those who would seek a quick path to power rarely have good intentions.”
“So it’s the Ponies-”
“People,” Sombra clarified, interrupting Fluttershy. “Not just ponies. Griffons, Minotaur, Buffalo, Deer and many others. There are examples of sorcerers and malcontents in every race.”
“People then,” Fluttershy rectified. “It’s the people who are bad, not the magic?”
Sombra stopped his rhythmic tapping to face Fluttershy with a thoughtful look on his face. “In a sense, that is a fair summation. But do not let that lead you to believe that dark magic is not culpable for their fall in a sense. Plenty of those who have had ill intentions might have been turned to another, brighter path had the poison of dark magic not turned their hearts stony with fear and hatred. True, it is the fault of the sorcerer for falling prey to the trap, but that does not excuse the traps’ existence in the first place. Dark magic is a guardless blade, sharp on both sides; do not mistake it for anything but a weapon.”
Turning back to his curious tapping, Sombra continued to check the wall for several minutes before finally announcing his success. “Ha! Found you,” he proclaimed smugly as he jabbed his hoof into the wall. The stone he struck depressed several inches and a loud grinding noise filled the musty room. A half-meter to the left of Sombra the stone seemed to twist and shift of their own accord until they formed a neat archway leading to a set of stairs going up. Fluttershy followed him up several meters before they reached another archway leading out to another, larger room, that seemed packed with chests and heavy trunks.
“What is this place?” Fluttershy glanced around curiously, though cautiously. She didn’t want to accidentally trip any security spells that might have been cast on the area.
Somba grinned. “This is a hidden supply cache from the Second Shadow War. It was originally part of a forward outpost, a fortress overlooking a mining village that provided my empire with valuable minerals and ore before it was captured by the Diarchy. The village, I understand, they simply occupied, but the fortress was torn down to its very foundations and the name of the edifice scrubbed from history. I am given to understand that the reclaimed stone was used to build a grand public bath.”
“Oh my.”
“Mm, I was not well liked in those days,” Sombra quipped as he moved among the crates and chests. “Fortunately it appears my masking spells hid this final cache from the Sisters’ eyes. Not surprising, actually. In those days they were pressed on all sides and hardly had time for in-depth excavations and since the Nightmare Rebellion came shortly after my banishment I suppose Celestia had a great deal more to worry about that a few hidden reliquaries.”
“Reliquary?” Fluttershy keeps pace alongside the king as he examines each of the containers with a critical eye. “So this is like the place you revived at back in the Everfree?”
“Yes and no,” Sombra answered as he stopped at one particularly large trunk. Leaning down he touched his horn to the lock affixed to the front of it and a snap of power sparked between them. “That place was a reservoir of arcane knowledge and was supposed to contain everything I needed to rebuild my personal power as a sorcerer. This location is a bit different.” Sombra’s telekinetic aura bled into the chest and snapped it open without ceremony. Fluttershy gasped at what she saw inside. “Here is where I left myself the necessary resources to regain my political and social standing.”
Gold, silver, electrum, and precious jewels of all kinds glittered before Fluttershy. There were coins of a dozen different denominations from as many different cultures. Gems representing hundreds of different, wondrous cuts. Everything gleamed like it had just left the hands of the craftsmare responsible for creating them. Many of them were incredibly old, but that was not surprising. What was surprising was the sheer volume. If this single chest contained such riches… “My king, there must a hundred crates, trunks, and chests in this room… are they all-?”
Sombra grinned. “I did tell you this was a mining town didn’t I? For two hundred years prior to its fall into the hooves of the Diarchy the wealth of an empire flowed through this town. And while not every trunk in this basement contains material wealth, they each contain something useful for rebuilding my standing as an aristocrat. Speaking of which; somewhere in here we’ll find the appropriate deeds and paperwork claiming this land as mine.”
“Uhm, won’t that be a little suspicious, your Majesty?” Fluttershy remarked as they turned away from the chest of treasures to begin examining the other containers.
”I used an assumed name, of course,” Sombra responded blithely. “I can’t very well show my true face so close to the Empire, even if its borders have shrunk drastically since my time.”
“Are we going to have to hide out here then?” Fluttershy glanced around. It was dusty and old, but that was mostly from lack of care. She was sure she could spruce the place up enough to be livable at least, if a bit spartan.
Sombra grinned. “Oh no, not at all, I’m a king, dearest, I can’t very well be squatting in a centuries-old basement. No, I intend to have a grand manse constructed above this location using the foundations of the old fortress. It’s far enough away from the city that I can play off the eccentric noblepony long enough to keep us hidden. That Celestia made a rather grave mistake when she demolished my little castillo. She may have annihilated the crenellated walls, tower bastions, and sorcery towers, but the true power of this place was set into the foundation stones. The arcane architecture of this place is as strong now as it was when I ruled an Empire that rivaled Equestria in its golden age.”
Something about Sombra’s wild smile sent a thrill up Fluttershy’s spine. Everything about what he said should have made her wary but, instead, it just excited her. There was something intoxicating about his fervor and authority. It wasn’t unlike standing near Celestia; but where the Solar Diarch had an almost matronly peace hanging about her, Sombra could not have been more different. He was wild, primal, and powerful. 
Applejack was right about one thing, Fluttershy thought, a grin forming to match her king’. I really do have terrible taste in stallions.
“I guess my only other question is, ‘where are we’, your Majesty?”
Sombra nodded his head, gesturing for her to follow him. “We are almost as far north as it possible to get and still be in Equestria, although you would hardly know it. I studied some modern geographical books, as well as paid close attention to your national paper; remind me to thank whoever thought it was a good idea to meticulously detail where the most divisive areas of your nation are in a journal read all across your country, by the way.” He lead her to a massive circular metal seal that was set into the ceiling. With a twitch of power the covering began to twist in place before seeming to melt. Fluttershy felt a surge of fear for a moment. It looked like they were about to covered in a wave of liquid metal. The the metal reformed into a cast iron staircase that spiraled up. As Sombra took the first steps up, Fluttershy shivered at a sudden blast of wind so cold it was painful. “My dear mouse,” he continued, drawing her up next to him and flourishing his cloak as it would settle over the both of them. “We are on the outskirts of a city that is rife with discontent and crime, one that is Equestrian in name only, paying lip service to the twin goddesses of sun and moon but owing their true allegiance to those oldest of deities: pain and fear.”
They emerged from hidden basement and walked through a thick copse of trees for several minutes until they finally reached a small outcropping that overlooked what must have been a ten-story drop. Below them sprawled a massive, walled city that towered even in the distance. Dull red stones, turned a dirty bronze with age and ill use stood out from the dirty snow that surrounded it. Black smoke poured from great factory stacks that pitted the city like sores. Massive spires, once pristine and fine, twisted up like a shepherd's crook and beneath them the malformed black sheep cowered; filthy slums and poorly maintained habitation blocks made from cold, brutal concrete.
“It went by a different name in my day,” Sombra said softly viewing it much like a vulture would watch a dying traveler.
Fluttershy could only marvel at the city’s diseased magnificence. “Stalliongrad?” she whispered, “that’s almost a thousand miles from Ponyville! We’ve come all the way to Stalliongrad?”
“Yes, mouse, we have,” Sombra answered. “And the Sisters are well aware that they have no power here. We are hiding in a nest of vipers and any attempt to fish us out will result only a bitten hoof and swift, painful death. I hope that we will have a good while before our presence is even suspected here.”
“I don’t want anypony hurt, your Majesty,” Fluttershy said firmly, her eyes lifting to meet Sombra’s directly.
The former king nodded, meeting Fluttershy’s gaze. “I know, my intention was to place us in a stalemate. Even if Celestia and Luna discovered where we fled to, the area is so hostile to their operatives it would still give us the time we need to prepare. I can’t make any promises though, if the Sisters send their agents to this city then it’s upon their own heads.”
“That’s not good enough.”
Sombra blinked, caught off guard by the insistence in Fluttershy’s voice. She was still staring up at him, her eyes narrowed slightly as she scolded him. Sombra could almost feel her normally gentle blue eyes boring into him.  He felt a small grin trace it’s way up his lips. There it was again; that iron will. That strength that he had felt when he first laid the geas on her.
“What do you expect me to do then, my dear?” Sombra answered blithely. “Should I stop them as they step off of the train and politely suggest that perhaps they should engage in the pursuit of information in a less lethal environment?”
“No, I want you to protect them if they come here,” Fluttershy said evenly stepping forward and jabbing a hoof into Sombra’s chest. “I want you to make sure they get back to their family’s safely. I want you to keep them safe from this horrible city because it’s our fault they’re here.”
“They’re here to find us,” Sombra retorted angrily. “To find me! If Celestia is fool enough to send her agents unprotected to this crime-ridden wasteland then upon her head be it! It is not my responsibility to keep the life of an enemy intact as they kick the nest of vipers.”
Fluttershy’s scowled deepened and she moved forward again until she was nearly pressed against Sombra, her eyes boring up and into him. “It wasn’t my responsibility to save you either, your Majesty! You were set on being an enemy to my friends and I from the beginning but I kept you safe anyway. Even when I didn’t have to I still kept you safe because I knew that what you needed wasn’t punishment, but help. You’re a selfish, mean-spirited, and violent stallion, your Majesty, but I know that you’re capable of kindness too! So, if you want this to work, if you…” a blush spread over Fluttershy’s cheeks, stealing her words for a moment. “If you want us to work, then you’re going to have you’re going to have to learn to be nice. I know that I’m going to have to okay with you doing some… bad things here and there. But you’re going to have to learn to show mercy even to ponies that want to hurt you. I’m not asking you to change who you are, just how you act a little… I know it’s risky but… please?”
A stunned Sombra stared down at the gentle mare that had suddenly become a fireball in front of him. Fluttershy’s pleading eyes were fixed solely on him and there was a desperation in them. Begging Sombra not to prove her wrong about him. What she was asking of him was ridiculous. It was patently ridiculous. There was absolutely no logic to it at all. What Fluttershy was asking him to do would risk putting them directly in the sights of the Diarchy. The entire purpose to choosing to stay in this location after securing the wealth in the reliquary was use the city as a deterrent and Fluttershy wanted him to protect them from it. That was akin to asking a king to protect an invader from the arrows that were loosed at them as they scaled his walls. 
How utterly ridiculous.
But then again, Sombra knew what he was getting into, didn’t he? What else could he have expected from the mare that had constantly and consistently protected him from discovery even when it would have been in her best interest to step aside? She was asking him not just to protect them but… to protect her. Or rather, to protect her spirit.
After several seconds he let out a sigh.
“Very well,” Sombra answered grudgingly.
Fluttershy’s scowl turned into a radiant smile. The warmth in it gripped Sombra by the heart. Never in his long, long life had he ever imagined that a mare with such a beautiful soul would ever look at him that way. If he had to make some sacrifices to his own plan so that she would keep doing that then… maybe that was a worthwhile cost. 
“I can only do so much though,” Sombra said evenly. “I cannot protect them from their own bullheaded mistakes if they persist.”
He felt Fluttershy nod as she leaned against him, going slack after their little argument. “I know, all I ask is that you do your best to keep them safe. I don’t want anypony hurt because of us.” Sombra wrapped a hoof around her and pulled her tight against him and Fluttershy let out a satisfied sigh as she nestled into his warm, solid frame. “Thank you, your Majesty. Thank you so much for being kind.”
Sombra chuckled at the irony. For the first time in centuries he had let someone order him around. It was an unusual feeling. Fluttershy had asked him to show kindness and… he had agreed. Sombra snorted with amusement, “As you say, mouse.”
> Cloudy Skies
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	
Chapter 18


Pencil Pusher was a portly roan stallion who hated his job as much as he needed it. He wasn’t what you would call competent: being thoroughly corrupt and practicing embezzlement as if it were a classical art, he was more of a reliable nuisance than anything. He knew the famiglias only kept him around because they knew they could pay him off to ignore damn near anything. If they bumped him then Stalliongrad would just get another administration executive, maybe one with more morals and a few bodyguards for good measure from the ‘glorious’ capital. So he did his job to the worst of his ability from where he squatted behind a grubby desk in an equally grubby office. It was technically an administrative office but since the governmental administration of Stalliongrad as a whole was more or less a poor joke, it was less than impressive. Still, that didn’t help the shy, brown-eye’d, gray pegasus mare sitting across from the mean-tempered functionary.
“And who did you say you were again?”
“U-uhm, my name is Cloudy Skies,” she said softly. “I’m not really welcome in Cloudsdale anymore, but my family owned a plot of land outside Stalliongrad a long time ago. My papers are all in order.” Her bluish-purple mane was tied back in a functional braid that rested over her shoulders and everything about her screamed pushover. Pusher was pretty sure a fat payday had just trotted into his office. Lucky him.
The greasy stallion took another look at the ancient papers. “This is in the middle the forest,” he said after a minute of glaring at the page like it had shorted him on change, “I guess so long as you’re not stepping on the hooves of anypony important you can have it. This is some old claims paperwork though, I know for damn sure it’s not in line with current policy.”
“O-oh, I’m not surprised,” Cloudy Skies said gently, drawing the stallion’s attention. “My family is a very old line. I hope you understand that, given my circumstances, I was just hoping for an out of the way place where I won’t be bothered.”
The gleam of bits to be made lit up in Pusher’s eye. “Really? Well, I’m sure we could come to an agreement. The filing fee is a hundred bits but if you want it put through quick and discreet there are a few surcharges.”
Cloud Skies fixed her gaze directly on the rotund stallion, meeting his eyes. For a moment he swore there was a flash of green but any suspicion was washed away a second later. It was like he was drowning; he couldn’t breath, he could barely think straight. He was surrounded by somepony screaming and all he could see and feel were a pair of terrible blue eyes on him. Boring into him. Shaming him. Hundreds of memories flashed through his mind too. Bad memories. Memories of ponies he’d cheated and hurt. Family, friends, and enemies alike. The guilt crashed down on him. 
And then it was gone.
There was nothing around him but his grubby office. Nopony screaming. No eyes. Just the timid gray mare with brown eyes. Brown, right? They weren’t blue? Pencil Pusher felt a warmth spreading beneath him. He’d pissed himself. His whole body was drenched in cold sweat and his hooves were shaking so badly the papers had fallen to his desk.
Cloudy Skies set a large suitcase on the desk between them then smiled and a chill ran up Pencil’s spine. “Oh, I’m sure we can work it out. I can pay you a thousand bits now, including the hundred bit fee, and come back later with-”
“One thousand is fine,” Pencil Pusher answered woodenly. His throat felt like he had a vise clamp around him. “I-I’ll make sure the papers get processed right away Miss Skies. No problems, no need to come back. It’ll all be in order by the end of the week.”
The gray mare favored him with a beatific smile that soothed away some of the terror that was gripping him. “Thank you, uhm, if it’s not too much trouble you can mail the completed forms to this address here.” Cloudy scribbled down an address and passed it to Pencil Pusher. It was a post office box on the city rim. As far as he knew no pony even worked there anymore.
Not that he was going to argue. He’d trot it down there himself so long as it meant making sure she never came back into his office.
“S-sure, no problem, Miss Skies,” Pencil couldn’t get rid of the rock in his gut. Everything felt turned upside down. One part of his brain was saying to milk her for more money but a larger part was screaming in gibbering, inchoate terror while trying to violently smother the greedy part before she noticed. “A-anything else I can do for you?”
“Oh no, I’m fine thank you,” Cloudy said softly, smiling again. It warmed Pencil’s heart as much as it unnerved him. “I’ll, uhm, come by if anything comes up.”
“Uh, s-sure,” Pencil had never done a hard day’s work in his life, but for the first time since he got this crappy job he was gonna make sure absolutely nothing went wrong even if he had to strangle the file clerk downstairs. “W-welcome to Stalliongrad Miss Skies.”
She smiled again before leaving. As soon as she was out the door, Pencil Pusher pulled out a bottle of Stalliongrad’s finest backroom vodka, uncorked it, and took a long swig. He was drenched in sweat, his empty stomach was screaming about the icy booze that had just been dropped into it without warning, and he was sitting in his own piss. Somehow, Pencil still felt like he came out ahead. Pretty she might’ve been but Pencil hoped he never saw that weird mare ever again.


~ o ~


“So, how did it go?” Sombra asked without looking up from the crate he was cataloguing. 
Fluttershy had just strolled in through the hatch, shedding the disguise as ‘Cloudy Skies’ as she did so, her gray fur returning to her normal buttercream yellow. Sombra had taught her the spell over the course of a few days; by unicorn standards it was positively basic but no one expected a Pegasus to be able to cast spells. In theory it was really clever, though; using a Pegasi’s natural control over water and air to create a static filter of refracting colors let her make potent cosmetic changes to her appearance. Rarity would be so jealous. “Oh, uhm, I think it went okay. I don’t like what my Stare did to the poor stallion I was talking to, though, your Majesty. I think he pee’d on himself.”
Sombra chuckled. “He must have done some bad things in his life to react that badly. I did tell you, my dear, that your Stare will have changed, evolved really, with your immersion into dark magic. Good work, though. I was hoping it would be a simple matter to have the documents filed and processed but I was prepared to act accordingly if it hadn’t.”
“I thought I wasn’t supposed to use dark magic, your Majesty,” Fluttershy responded as she strolled over and leaned against Sombra’s comforting frame. 
“You didn’t,” Sombra answered. “You used your own innate power. It has been changed and influenced by the dark magic in your body but it’s still your natural magic. You need to use it more often and regularly to keep your meridians flowing with your native magical power.”
Fluttershy shivered at the thought. She didn’t want to keep hurting ponies and that was all her Stare seemed to do anymore. She’d only used it a few times since they had come to Stalliongrad now; once to get the post station near them running again, once to get through making a legitimate account with First Bank of Stalliongrad a deposit a large amount of Sombra’s more legal tender under her assumed name, and once to make sure she had proper identification could be filed for her. Fluttershy had never thought she would be thankful for the blatant system of bribery and corruption that was so prevalent throughout the city, but then she also never thought she would ever be considered a fugitive hiding from agents of the Crown. None of the others she had used her Stare on had reacted as poorly as the clerk had though.
“Is it getting stronger?” Fluttershy asked meekly. “Is that why it… hurt him?”
Sombra gave a distract shake of his head, sending his ashen mane tumbling rakishly. “No, it isn’t. From what I gather you have the ability to speak to a primal part of the mind. It’s similar to how you communicate with animals so easily, actually. Everypony has a primal side to them and you can bring it to the fore. I suspect your immersion in dark magic has heightened the emotional responses by selecting and highlighting moments of guilt and shame. The worse a pony is the worse the effect, although I imagine a properly hardened criminal wouldn’t suffer as much.”
Fluttershy nodded. “So… it only hurts bad ponies?” 
The king gave a small shrug. “As a general rule, I suppose. Although I wouldn’t put it past somepony with a powerful guilt complex to suffer from it equally. Either way it’s noponies fault but their own, really. Quite a selective power you developed, my dear.”
Shaking her head, Fluttershy resisted the urge to sigh. She didn’t like what her Stare had become but there was no helping it. At least if she knew how it worked and how to control it she could keep from hurting anypony accidentally. It was good to know the worst effect would only affect bad ponies though. She didn’t want to hurt anypony but if it had to happen she would rather it be like this. The thought made Fluttershy queasy even as it crossed her mind; once upon a time she wouldn’t have even considered hurting somepony, but now she was… well, not okay with it but she was far more comfortable with the idea than she ever expected to be.
“What do we do next, your Majesty?” Fluttershy asked, she didn’t want to think about her Stare anymore. There wasn’t anything she could do about it and it didn’t do to dwell, as her mother always said.
“Contractors,” Sombra answered thoughtfully. “Discreet ones, of which I’m sure there is no shortage of in this city. They must be capable and willing to construct a large, defensible structure in a short amount of time with a minimum of interaction with either of us and a reputation for keeping their mouths shut.”
“Uhm, that sounds like a tall order, your Majesty.” Fluttershy ruffled her wings nervously. It sounded downright impossible to her ears, actually but she felt like saying so might have been a bit impolitic. 
Shaking his head, Sombra laughed dryly. “Not at all, my dear. In order to have a stable infrastructure the criminals who run this city require exactly what I described en masse. How else could they keep their holdings secret from the crown, or from each other for that matter? I do not know how much has changed since I was imprisoned but I suspect honor among thieves has not yet become more than a poor jest.”
The more Sombra spoke on the matter the more Fluttershy realised he had a fairly good point. There was no way that the famiglias and syndicates of Stalliongrad did much, if any, of their construction work above board. The problem then became; how did they go about contacting the ponies responsible for the work? Fluttershy very much doubted they listed themselves in the public advertisements. Not that there were many of those in Stalliongrad in general. It was something that stood out to Fluttershy as she walked through the city as an incongruity that made everything seems strangely out of sync: there weren’t any billboards or advertisements. Everything felt cold and closed off, it was as if the city was telling her she wasn’t welcome, and that not even the false smiles and forced cheer of the service industry could penetrate the dim glower of Stalliongrad’s walls. No, this was a city where you had to know somebody or be somebody to get anything done. As far as Fluttershy knew, they fulfilled neither criteria. 
“You’re going to use more mind magic aren’t you, your Majesty?” Fluttershy said softly. It wasn’t really a question, and the way Sombra stiffened at the words was all the answer she needed. Before he could open his mouth she reached a hoof up and brought it gently to his chin, guiding his face around to look at her. She met his eyes, not with her Stare, but with all the emotion she felt for him poured out without words. “Your magic is the only thing keeping you alive, your Majesty. I-I’m not blind. I know that every time you cast a spell it takes hours, maybe days, off of your life. I want to try to make this work between us but that means you have to value your life at least as much as mine, okay?”
Sombra opened his mouth to respond but no words came out. Instead, he reached out and pulled Fluttershy in close and buried his face in her mane as she squeaked in embarrassment. “What would you have me do, mouse? We face a city that feeds on innocence and destroys kindness. We have risked much already with the few things you’ve done. I… I do not wish to see you drawn into this world. I have enough magic to last for some time, if I am frugal.”
It felt nice, having him so close to her. Fluttershy wasn’t ashamed to admit she enjoyed the sensation of it. Not just the physical part, although that was nice too, but the vulnerability he showed every time he got close to her. It was something he showed rarely, but it came out most when he was worried about her. Right now he was worried about both of them, she knew, but this was a problem Fluttershy already knew the answer to. Even if she didn’t like it.
“You can rely on me a little more, you know,” Fluttershy said softly. “I’m still supposed to be taking care of you, your Majesty. I just… don’t know this kind of thing very well.”
Sombra pulled away from her and looked down with sad eyes. “I have no desire to see you lose yourself to this filth-ridden city, my dear.”
“I won’t,” Fluttershy answered with a beatific smile. “I told you before that I won’t let anything stop me from being kind. It’s who I am. You couldn’t change me and… and this city is nothing compared to you. My King, right?”
A thin smile showed on Sombra’s features. “I can’t exactly deny that without undermining myself. Well done, my dear. Very well, let us see what you can do.”
Fluttershy continued to smile. “As you say, my King.”


~ o ~


Cloudy Skies trotted into a large, well appointed building with all the confidence of one who was supposed to be there. She was finding herself drawing more and more on the lessons she’d learned under Photo Finish’s tutelage for being a model. A skillset she had not imagined she would ever use again. The pale, Germane mare had been a ruthless teacher but she had a flawless teaching technique and Cloudy Skies drew every eye to her as she sauntered imperiously through the front hall to the main desk where a small, young Stalliongrad mare stood looking incredibly nervous.
“H-hello, Miss… can I help you?” The clerk stuttered. She grew more relaxed as Cloud Skies smiled at her warmly. 
“My name is Cloudy Skies, I need some construction work done quickly and with a minimum of fuss,” Cloudy stated, her voice soft but strong. In truth she was just trying her hardest to mimic what she thought Rarity would do in this situation. The memory of her friend sent a pang of sadness and anger through her, but she shrugged it off. “My family once owned a fine mansion outside the city, I’ve inspected the foundations and they are still whole. I need a group who can raise a suitable home for myself and a few others, now.”
Saying so many words all at once without cringing back felt alien, but Cloudy kept a straight face through it all. If she couldn’t do this then their only alternative was his Majesty’s mind magic and she had resolved to never see him suffer like he had back in her cottage ever again. She could still feel the cold sweat on his fur; his weak, labored breathing, and the wracking spasms of his muscles as his body betrayed him. Never again. She would step as far outside her comfort zone as she needed to to make sure it never happened again.
“Oh, uhm, there are a few groups who do that sort of work,” the clerk answered nervously, “but I’m afraid they’re very expensive.”
"Bits aren't a problem," Cloudy responded gently, "I care more about the demeanor and standards of who I'm hiring."
"O-oh," the clerk shuffled some papers around but looked uncertain. "All of our contractors are complete professionals, I'm proud to say."
"Who work for the highest bidder," Cloud pointed out. The clerk cringed and Cloudy felt a sympathetic pang for the young mare, after a moment of awkward silence, Cloudy smiled again, fixing her gaze on the clerk. “May I ask your name?”
The mare stiffened at the sudden shift but nodded after a moment. “It’s… my name is Dusty Shale. I know, it’s not very pretty is it?”
“I think it’s very nice,” Cloudy said, her voice clear and sincere. “If you’d like, I would love to have your company at my home when it’s finished.”
Dusty stared in surprise. “I-I don’t know that you should, Miss. I’m nopony at all, barely worth a name. Inviting me over might cause all manner of rumours.”
The smile on Cloudy’s face didn’t falter. “I can’t stop ponies from gossiping; what I can do is be kind. Besides, you seem like a very nice pony. You shouldn’t put yourself down by calling yourself nopony. Everypony is somepony, at least in my eyes.”
“I think you actually mean that, Miss,” Dusty said with a nervous laugh, “if you don’t mind my saying so.”
Cloudy chuckled lightly. “I think so too.”
Dusty pulled a few sheets out from under the counter she was standing at and looked them over briefly. “Don’t tell anyone where you got these, Miss Skies,” she said as she hoofed them over, “this group was blacklisted for refusing to complete an order for one of the more prominent families. If the family finds out somepony hired them it could mean real trouble for you.”
Holding the papers carefully, Cloudy examined the licensing paperwork critically. Back when she had lived in Ponyville she had done most of the upkeep for her house, with a little help from… from the Apple Family with the larger projects. This group worked on a much larger scale, though. It had a number of black marks on the record too, specifically the latest one which noted down a slew of negative remarks. Cloudy grimaced; if even half of them were true she wasn’t sure she wanted to hire them. On the other hoof there was probably a better than even chance that they were entirely fabricated to destroy the construction group’s reputation along with their chances at getting work from any but the most desperate of ponies. Sliding the papers into her saddlebags, Cloudy smiled radiantly at Dusty, who seemed to blossom under the kind gesture.
“Thank you so much, Dusty, I’ll take the papers back and go over them in detail.” Cloudy pulled the purse out that Sombra had given her and settled the bill. “I’ll see you again, I’m sure, I hope you have a pleasant day.”
“Y-you too, Miss Skies,” Dusty waved as Cloudy trotted away. “I really hope I didn’t just get her in big trouble,” she muttered quietly as the gray mare left. Well, Steelhorn was a good fellow, she knew. He and his company deserved this second chance, and they would definitely keep Cloudy’s project quiet. They were good at that. Assuming she wasn’t doing anything bad with it. Steelhorn’s combined temper and conscience was what got him blacklisted in the first place. Grimacing, Dusty turned to the east and bowed slightly, murmuring her first genuine prayer in years.“Please, Celestia, let this go well.”
> Something More
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Chapter 19



Three weeks had passed since Fluttershy and Sombra had made their escape from Ponyville and into the outskirts of Stalliongrad. The winter was coming on quickly as it was wont to do so far north and Sombra had been growing concerned. The cellar reliquary was well insulated for the most part but a lack of heat, proper plumbing, and a variety of other small necessities made it a deeply unattractive prospect as a place to winter. His main worry had been that the two of them may have had to spend a month or more in the city proper. That would have been problematic for a number of reasons, not the least of which being that avoiding the eyes of the Stalliongrad gangs would have been nearly impossible but also being directly in the city made it far more likely that some of the crown’s more passive agents would have had a far greater chance to notice them. Those worries were, for the most part, assuaged when the group that Fluttershy had hired in her Cloudy Skies persona had arrived and begun building the mansion he had designed roughly a week and a half ago. Steelhorn had turned out to be a towering minotaur with a straightforward, bellicose demeanor. Sombra had been wary of the minotaur foreman’s attitude but was willing to see their handiwork, 
The former tyrant was more than glad he waited. The first wing fairly flew up under the expert guidance of the minotaur architect. He showed all the capability and expertise that his kind were famed for in structural engineering. Not even Sombra’s complicated designs fazed the brutish builder; Steelhorn asked no questions nor raised any complaints about the strange, arcane architecture that ‘Cloudy Skies’ was paying him to build. So long as Steelhorn remained discreet on the matter, the time-tossed stallion was perfectly happy to keep funneling bits into the motley construction company’s coffers, even if it did mean that Fluttershy had to keep up her ‘Cloudy Skies’ disguise almost all of the time. Sombra considered it good practice. At the same time, Fluttershy had begun venturing out on her own into Stalliongrad. At first, Sombra was worried and, with a small, unfamiliar pang of guilt, set a small number of shadow familiars to watch over her while she walked. It wasn’t a taxing spell but he knew the mouse would say much to say, and loudly, if she knew he had expended yet more power on her behalf. 
She spent most of her time wandering the streets, speaking here and there to common ponies and griffons, of which there was a sizable population thanks to Stalliongrad’s relative proximity to the northern aeries. The familiars did not understand Equish so they could not deliver the conversation, but Sombra felt no need to eavesdrop, he only wanted to know she was safe. It was only near the end of the third week that Sombra grew curious. Fluttershy had made several stops into the same building. Over and over she had visited, sometimes leaving with substantially less bits than she went in with. Sombra didn’t particularly mind, what she was spending was a drop in the pond and he didn’t doubt it was for a good purpose. He half-suspected it was some lonesome charity on the fringes that Fluttershy had taken a shine to. That certainly seemed possible, but the more he watched the more he felt the determined look on her face suggested a much more serious purpose than simple charity.



~ o ~



The sound of ringing hammers, saws, and muffled shouting had become a fixture over the past week. Sombra toyed once more with the idea of expending the energy for a spell of silence as he mulled over the last stack of inventory sheets from the reliquary. It was an idle urge, one he knew would be a waste. The spell would only last a day at most and then he would have to recast it. It would be a colossal waste of energy and he had worked in far less pleasant conditions before. Besides, he was already expending energy that he knew the mouse would chastise him for, he hardly needed to give her another reason to be upset with him. Fluttershy was on her way home now and she looked distinctly pleased with something. Up til now Sombra hadn’t cared one way or another what she did with her time; whatever their previous relationship Fluttershy was her own mare now, Sombra expected no less from the mare he desired to share the authority of his throne. That being said he couldn’t deny that he was curious. She was showing an uncommon initiative towards something and that piqued Sombra’s interest greatly. 
Fluttershy was on her way home now, to their little temporary residence; Sombra had to admit it was more than adequate given how short of a time it had taken to erect. It would soon be the east wing of a grand manse that would serve as a subtle channel for his arcane energy; a beacon that would surreptitiously gather ambient magic from the north and draw it down, filtering it like a sieve and serving as a source for Sombra to draw from and sustain himself. It was a stop-gap measure at best of course… Sombra could hardly restrict himself to one locale for the rest of his life. Their new home would be a useful tool but its service as a sort of jerry rigged life-sustainer made it a massive weakness and target as well and he had no desire to draw that kind of ire down on them should anypony discover the mansion’s true purpose.
Sombra’s grim musings were broken by the sound of the front door opening and four dainty hooves trotting in from the blustery cold. Winter had come in force to Stalliongrad, being the northernmost territory of Equestria outside of the Crystal Empire, and Sombra heard Fluttershy shake the snow from her withers and wings before stepping into the generous living room that Steelhorn had constructed. Moments later the mare herself stepped into the study, gray coloration fading gently back to yellow. Her mastery of the camouflage spell Sombra had taught her was coming along nicely considering he had only been able to instruct her second-hoof on its workings. Fluttershy sidled up to his side and leaned in and Sombra shivered at how cold she was, he could feel his heat draining into her.
Fluttershy giggled quietly. “Sorry, my King, it was really cold outside and you’re very warm. How are the final drafts for the blueprints coming along?”
“You are forgiven for this, your most dire of transgressions, my dear,” Sombra chuckled as he shifted his weight to better accommodate Fluttershy’s presence.
Fluttershy’s light laughter answered him as she curled in and let out a long sigh and relaxed against him. Sombra was quiet as he stared down at the yellow mare who was so comfortable against him. She was fierce, kind, patient, and many other things he did not deserve in a friend much less in the strange relationship they currently had.
“So uhm, I didn’t want to bring it up until I was sure, your Majesty…” Fluttershy began softly, not looking up from where she was resting, “but I, uhm, I’m sure you remember Scootaloo, right?”
Sombra chuckled. “The little orange pegasus filly that nearly cost me my own foolish life? Yes I do have some vague recollection of her.” Fluttershy winced at his remark, but Sombra quickly shook his head at her reaction. “Not that I blame her, mouse. I was operating on false assumptions and made a foolhardy decision. One I would not take back, mind you, but it was foolhardy nonetheless. Why do you ask?”
“Well, uhm, I’m sure you’ve noticed I’ve been leaving more often…” Fluttershy pawed the ground shyly for a moment, stuttering over her next words before Sombra’s massive hoof came down to gently cover hers.
“I always notice anytime you are not within a hoof’s reach my dear, “ Sombra rumbled, “but you can tell me anything, you know this. No matter what, I will always hear you out.” He could feel her quickened heart rate slow to a steady beat as she nodded, leaning against him again. 
“I know,” Fluttershy said softly. “I know, but I can’t change everything I am. I still have trouble… confronting.”
Sombra leaned down to nuzzle the yellow mare’s cheek. “I wouldn’t ask you to change anything at all, my dear. Now, what is it you want to say?”
Fluttershy took a deep, calming breath before starting. “Uhm, once we got the construction work settled I started asking around about orphanages and foal’s shelters. It turns out there’s a sizable one operated by the crown. It’s… well-funded but like everything else it’s corrupt. The ponies there are perfectly happy to sell off children to the gangs and families without asking why. At first I hated them for it…” Sombra’s eyebrow raised at the venom in Fluttershy’s voice as well as the fiery swell of dark magic rising within her. Then, as quickly as it appeared, it was suppressed, “...but then I realised I could use it… I bribed a few medical technicians at the Stalliongrad Healing Center to have records pulled from the Ponyville archives and, well, it took a few days but I found out that Scootaloo is slated for release soon. I also, uhm, bribed some of the caretakers at the Our Lady of the Sun Orphanage and… they told me that they could arrange to have Scootaloo transferred up to Manehattan if I was, uhm, interested.”
A silence grew between the two ponies as Sombra digested that information. As he thought about her actions another notion occurred to Sombra that made a small, wicked grin appear on his face. “Bribery is a complicated game, my dear. One must balance between offering too much and having to deal with the avarice of your mark, or offering to little and garnering either a reputation for stinginess or suspicion. I’m surprised somepony with so little experience in the fields of subterfuge could be so successful.”
Fluttershy’s ears folded back and she looked away, a small grimace appearing on her face as her wings ruffled uncomfortably. Sombra’s smile faded slightly and he leaned down to nuzzle her again. “I apologise, mouse, I didn’t intend my comment to be barbed, but am I right in suspecting that you…?”
“Yes, I used my Stare,” Fluttershy confessed quietly. “I used it a lot. They were all dishonest, terrible ponies. They sell foals, my King.”
“Does that matter? Are you not Kindness incarnate?” Sombra asked half-jokingly. Fluttershy’s expression fell the moment the words left his mouth, though, and Sombra felt a tinge of regret for his comment. “I’m sorry, that was an ill-thought remark.”
The young mare shook her head and favored him with a smile. “No, I understand what you meant. The answer is ‘no’, though. I’m still a pony, even if I was chosen by the Element of Kindness. I’m not perfect.” Without warning Fluttershy buried her face in Sombra’s chest. He could feel her shiver every now and again. After a few awkward moments, Sombra opened his mouth to speak, but Fluttershy interrupted him, her voice muffled by his broad chest. “I-in the spirit of not being perfect... is it okay that I hate them a little bit, my king?”
“Yes, I think it is perfectly fine,” Sombra answered softly, “but then again, I am a war criminal and a tyrant, so what would I know?”
Fluttershy chuckled lightly, relaxing in her King’s embrace. After a moment she lifted her head to place a trail of kisses along the underside of his chin. Sombra felt a grin tug at his lips as he leaned down to meet her soft, supple lips with his own and deepen the kiss. For a moment they stayed that way, twined with one another, enjoying each other warmth and presence in the cold Stalliongrad winter. This was what his dark rule had been lacking, Sombra realised. Back in the good old bad days of the Empire when his domain spread cancerously across the continent of Equestria he had felt empty. Alone. In part he knew that was due to the Crystal’s influence; a curse he had levied upon himself thinking it to be a boon. He had been a foal to believe there was a such a simple path to power. To his surprise he now found himself almost thankful to the Diarchs for defeating him. Had he continued to rule he may have covered all the land in darkness and known only a cold and tiresome eternity. Thanks to the two sisters he had a second chance to live according to his own will without the chains of dark magic shackling his heart.
“So, uhm, about Scootaloo…” Fluttershy began, a tentative tone to her voice.
Sombra nodded. “If you wish to bring the little one up here then I have no objection to the matter at all. Besides, I did expend a substantial amount of effort on her, it would be interesting to see how she develops if nothing else.”
Fluttershy gave him a curious look before it vanished, replaced with a smile. “Okay, I’ll bring her up here. I’m going to have to go down to Manehattan to finalize the transfer, though.”
“Then I will come with you, my dear,” Sombra warned. “Beyond this frigid stretch of country the Crown’s agents have free reign. If you are not careful…”
Fluttershy silenced him with another kiss. “You know that can’t happen. You would have to use your magic constantly to maintain a disguise. Besides, you’re the only one who can direct the construction team. Steelhorn has been such a sweetheart about building piecemeal but you have to meet him halfway.”
“I refuse to let you go alo-!” Sombra retorted only to be silenced by yet another kiss. A small part of him was irritated at how effective a method of interruption this was and yet he could not find it in him to complain about it.
“I’m sorry, my King, but you have responsibilities here,” Fluttershy said fixing her gaze on him. Sombra knew she was right and couldn’t deny a certain pride in how assertive she had become since leaving Ponyville. A part of it, he knew, was thanks to the dark magic flowing through her now. All of the tiny inhibitions that had mounted up in her and left her a withdrawn recluse prior to their encounter were being eroded away by the tides of power that welled up within her.
And yet, she was handling the changes with grace and poise. Something few practitioners ever achieved, let alone mastered. He couldn’t refute any of the points she had brought up and she had spoken with both the confidence and the eloquence that Sombra had known she possessed. Sombra still wasn’t sure that Fluttershy had truly mastered her emotions yet, of course. Here and there he could see the cracks in her psyche and the strain on her emotional stability. He could only hope that her control was strong enough for now.
“I don’t like it, mouse,” Sombra muttered after a few moments. “You’re putting yourself in needless danger.”
Fluttershy gave a gentle smile. “It isn’t needless. Scootaloo needs us and I think we need her too, you need to have something to do other than just brood all day over musty tomes.”
“I am not brooding,” Sombra huffed, wrinkling his nose irritatedly, “I’m planning.”
His annoyance was answered by Fluttershy’s chime-like laughter and another small kiss under his chin, drawing out faint grin. Perhaps she was right and he was staying too distant from matters. Besides, hadn’t the original plan been to revive the old Orders? The little pegasus filly was going to be the harbinger of that intention. She had the drive and the wherewithal to survive the transition, now he needed to see how well she took to the training. It would be an amusing diversion if nothing else.
“Fine,” Sombra answered finally. “I will train and teach her as best I can given my magical handicap. We will see how she develops. But you must be careful during your excursion to Manehattan, my dear. It may be the heart of winter but your Princess has undoubtedly kept her eyes and ears wide open for any sign of you or I.”
Fluttershy nodded. “I know. I’ll keep my ‘Cloudy Skies’ disguise on. If all goes well I shouldn't be away for more than a couple of days, but I need to go let the Orphanage in Stalliongrad know that I want to go through with the transfer as soon as possible, so I’m going to head back into town now, okay?”
“Will you leave for Manehattan immediately after?” Sombra asked, concern coloring his voice.
Fluttershy gave a sad smile. “I think so, yes. Doing this fast is our best bet, but I promise I’ll keep my head down, okay? I have a lot of practice at that after all.”
Sombra chuckled. “That you do. But still, do not hesitate to use your Stare should it be needed. I would rather see you back unharmed than any other outcome.”
“I’ll come back with Scootaloo,” Fluttershy countered gently. “That’s the only outcome I’ll accept.”



~ o ~



Scootaloo was in shock as the Matron of the Ponyville Orphanage gave her the news. The young pegasus had only just been released from Ponyville General on observation and the promise of further checkups when news came down that adoption papers for Scootaloo had been filed and approved via the Manehattan branch. She was being transferred to Manehattan Home for Foals in Hays Kitchen temporarily where she would wait for pickup by her new family. 
“I know it’s sudden, Scootaloo,” Breeze Whisper said, keeping her voice to a low and comforting tone, helped by her delicate Trottingham accent. She had stopped Scootaloo on her way back from the kitchen and pulled her aside into a small parlour aside from the main foyer. “But you’ll have a family now, a real one. One that’s going to take proper care of you, you’ll see.”
“B-but… my friends,” Scootaloo’s voice was cracked and weak. “W-will I ever see them again? If I’m going to live all the way up in Manehattan I’ll…”
Breeze shifted uncomfortably. “Actually, I’m not entirely certain you’ll be living in Manehattan. They’re only using it as a place to pick you up from. You may be living in one of the suburbs outside the city, or even a village that doesn’t have a proper orphanage of its own. That’s not too uncommon, I’m afraid. But so long as your new parents are alright with it I’m certain they’ll let you send your friends here in Ponyville letters!”
Tears trickled down Scootaloo’s cheeks as she came confronted the idea of never seeing Applebloom and Sweetie Belle again. Or at the very least maybe not until all three of them were grown up. 
“A-are they nice? My n-new parents I mean.” Scootaloo asked shakily.
Breeze smile turned thin. “I’m sorry Scootaloo but… I haven’t met them. They contacted us through the Manehattan branch.”
She wasn’t even going to know who they were? Scootaloo screwed up her face in a determined effort not to cry. She wasn’t going to cry in front of an adult, she wouldn’t let herself sink that low. Stretching out her wings she took a little comfort in the long sunset-shaded feathers that now adorned them. She’d won the bet with that dark Unicorn, hooves down and came out of it with real wings. Finding a small well of courage, Scootaloo turned back to Breeze Whisper and gave a small, genuine smile.
“I guess I can’t help it, but I’ll fly right back here if I don’t like them,” Scootaloo declared. That Unicorn gave her a gift and she was going to use it. Scootaloo had no intention of staying with another family that ignored her, not without her friends, anyway. 
Breeze gave Scootaloo a kind smile. “I suppose I can’t fault you for that, all things considered.”
Scootaloo let out a breath and nodded. She survived whatever weird spell that Unicorn cast on her was, she could survive this. No one owned her life but her and Scootaloo was determined to keep it that way. That being said… it wasn’t fair not to give whoever these ponies were a fair chance, even if it did mean moving away for a little while. Scootaloo was about to open her mouth ask about seeing her friends one more time before she left when a loud pounding knock thundered against the main doors of the Orphanage. Without waiting for an answer, the door swung open to admit a pair of stout dun Earth Ponies flanking a lean, studious-looking gray Unicorn with a pale white mane. Breeze quickly cantered off to greet them, drawing Scootaloo alongside her.
“Uhm, hello messirs, can I help you?” Breeze asked, her voice not quite masking the quaver in it.
The Earth Ponies didn’t move to acknowledge her, but the Unicorn turned slightly to regard her in a manner that didn’t sit well with Scootaloo at all. “Yes, we’re from the Manehattan Home for Foals. I was told to pick up a young filly by the name of-” he paused for a moment before thrusting her hoof into his blue jacket and pulling out a paper, “-ah… Scootaloo, I believe was the name.”
“W-what?” Breeze worked her jaw for a moment in surprise before recovering. “I wasn’t told… it’s normally at least a week long waiting period! Especially with a transfer!”
The Unicorn regarded Breeze cooly for a moment before answering. “In certain cases we make an exception for the sake of expediency, especially if the prospective parent possesses readily viable proof and collateral to determine their suitability as a parent.”
Breeze Whisper stared at the Unicorn in disbelief. “T-that’s-! You can’t possibly be serious about this! Just because some we-” A slate-gray aura closed over Breeze’s mouth, silencing her and cutting off her building tirade. The Unicorn fixed Breeze with a hard glare.
“All of the paperwork is perfectly in order. Certainly you’re not suggesting we’re doing anything but acting in the foal’s best interest, are you Miss Whisper?” said the Unicorn evenly. “I very much hope not as I suspect your little orphanage could hardly bear the costs of a defense against charges of defamation.” The gray aura faded from around Breeze’s lips but she didn’t open her mouth. 
“Good, I shall have Stock and Barrel here gather the filly’s things and load them up,” he said with a faintly smug grin. “We leave as soon as possible, the next train is in less than half an hour and I intend to be on it, get to it boys!”
The large Earth Ponies bullied past Breeze and up the stairs, navigating the corridors with ease. Scootaloo, having watched the whole debacle play out in front of her, felt yet another pang of betrayal in her heart. In the end not even Breeze Whisper would stand up for her. No one would. No one but… Scootaloo let out a sigh. Rainbow Dash wouldn’t be there for her anymore, neither would that black Unicorn. Still, at least that weirdo had given her the means to fight back. No more frail, flightless chicken; she was a Pegasus, it didn’t matter who her parents were, all Pegasi were descended from warriors.
Mustering up her courage, Scootaloo stepped out from behind Breeze and looked up at the Unicorn. “What’s your name, huh?”
The Unicorn gave Scootaloo an appraising look before giving her a smile that sent unpleasant shivers up the filly’s spine. “Lock is my name, and you must be Scootaloo, yes?”
“Yeah, and I want to know where I’m going once we get to Manehattan,” Scootaloo demanded brazenly. “And who are my parents going to be?”
Lock gave a cocked smile that lacked any real humor. “You’re quite a firecracker, aren’t you? Well, I’m afraid I couldn’t say since adoption details are confidential. I was just sent to fetch you so I suppose you’ll just have to wait and see.”



~ o ~



Manehattan was a city of steel, glass, and gray stone. The rains never quite seemed to stop, even with a weather team five times the size of any other city in Equestria, and in the winter those rains turned into driving sleet and bone-chilling snow. Scootaloo tucked her wings around her in a futile effort to stave off the cold as she stepped lightly off of the train behind Lock and his two burly helpers one of whom, Barrel she thought but wasn’t quite sure since they were twins, was carrying her few belongings which mostly consisted of some winter clothing, most of which she was wearing, and a few trinkets and tokens she had collected as reminders of her Crusades with Sweetie Belle and Applebloom. Remembering her friends lit a fire in her heart, she was going to see them again not matter what these new ponies who called themselves her parents said. A part of her just wanted to give up, be angry, and break stuff but every time she felt that way she could feel that stallion’s burning eye daring her to give in to her weakness, to just be one more worthless layabout like her birth parents; living like parasites and complaining about the injustice of the world. That’s not who she was going to be.
“Move it, filly, we haven’t got all day,” Lock said evenly. The three male ponies had taken a few steps ahead were waiting for her. Scootaloo just nodded and stretched the wings out of the holes in the sweater she was wearing, stretching them after the long train ride in the cramped cabin.
“I’m coming, how far do we have to walk?” Scootaloo said as she trotted up next to Lock. She had tried to engage in conversation with Stock (or Barrel?) earlier but they had ignored her. Lock was the only one willing to indulge her in anything resembling conversation but every time she spoke to him Scootaloo got the feeling he was silently laughing at her.
“Shut up, kid,” Lock answered curtly, drawing a flinch from Scootaloo He’d been like that ever since they left the orphanage in Ponyville, his entire demeanor turned as stony as the color of his coat. She’d quickly learned to just avoid speaking to him, and was glad they were almost ready to part ways for good.
Scootaloo followed Lock as they trudged through the bitter cold of Equestria’s largest city. Every so often she would see a weather Pegasus flit across the sky to try and break up the worst of the snow clouds, but it was barely more than a stop gap. Rainbow Dash had talked about the winter storms in Ponyville often enough for Scootaloo to get the gist for how dense and difficult snow clouds were to properly break up. If a weatherpony struck too hard it would drop its entire payload on whatever unlucky sod happened to be below it. The best case scenario mean it landed somewhere empty but in Manehattan that usually meant a street or alley which caused different problems. Despite the cold and the miserable situation, Scootaloo couldn’t help but smile a little. For the first time, she could imagine herself as one of those hard-working weatherponies without the harsh reality of her stunted wings bring her crashing back to reality. Her new reality meant that she had wings that could take her high above the clouds just like her idol, maybe even into the Wonderbolts! For a few minutes, Scootaloo lost herself in a daydream about flying next to Rainbow Dash in the Cloudsdale Cloudaseum. She was interrupted from her imaginings by a small thump on her head from Lock.
“We’re here, filly,” Lock said. 
Stock and Barrel were already ascending the gray stone steps leading up to the main building. It was a grand old building made from old fashioned brick and mortar. It had probably been here long before Manehattan had expanded and become the symbol of metropolitan culture across the nation. Lock led Scootaloo up the steps, shaking snow from his pale mane.
“How long will I have to wait to be picked up?” Scootaloo asked as they entered the building. The filly shivered as the warm air reminded her how cold she really was. Pegasi were cold-resistant by nature but that didn’t mean it was comfy out there.
Lock shrugged. “Not long I would imagine, I was told I would be passing you off to your new caretaker upon arrival.”
“That’s correct, Mister Lock,” a soft, melodic voice answered from the side. A Pegasus mare stepped out of the shadows and gave them both a soft, warm smile. She was gray-coated too, but where Lock’s coat was more reminiscent of snow-bitten iron, hers was the mellow gray of an overcast day. Her mane had a luminous, nighttime quality to it and her eyes were a warm and oaky brown. For a moment Scootaloo stood poleaxed, a part of her wanted to ask if the mare was going to be her new mother, another, greater part was afraid that the gray mare would say no.
Before Scootaloo could recover, the gray mare had cantered almost silently over to her and stretched out a wing to pull her close. There was something familiar about her but it was all washed away with the gray mare’s words. “Hello Scootaloo, my name is Cloudy and I’m going to be your new mother, if that’s okay.”
Lock cleared his throat loudly, interrupting them and drawing a sharp look from the mare, Cloudy. “Sorry to interrupt, ma’am, but there is the matter of our fee. We got the package here in record time so a little gratuity wouldn’t go amiss, if you know what I mean.”
Cloudy gave them a thin, glassy smile. “Of course, I have your fee. Scootaloo, why don’t you go into the kitchen and get yourself something warm to drink, I’ll meet you there and we can head home. My carriage is parked in the back.” At that, Lock nodded to Barrel (or Stock?) to take Scootaloo’s things to Cloudy’s carriage.
Scootaloo, eager to get a warm drink before going back into the cold, cantered towards the kitchen. The last thing she heard Cloudy say was: “Here is your payment, but I did have one question and I’d like you to look me in the eyes when you answer…”
> Lucid Dreams
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Chapter 20
	

A thundering knock on Sombra’s study door split the morning silence and  produced a spur of grumbling from the dark stallion sitting at the small table. Sombra had hoped to enjoy his coffee and breakfast in the few moments before he inevitably swamped himself with work again but clearly Steelhorn had other ideas. Wrapping himself in the familiar visage of ‘Coal Axiom’, Sombra approached the door and wrapped in a pale grey aura, pulling it wide. Steelhorn stood on the other side of the threshold with two well dressed Unicorn stallions behind him, the brutish minotaur looked singularly more uncomfortable than Sombra could ever recall seeing him. Sombra didn’t recall a meeting today and if there was a meeting he would have remembered, meaning that this was an uninvited visit.
“Ah don’t suppose the lady of the house is up yet?” Steelhorn drawled in his low, dark voice. “We’ve got a coupla fella’s here who wanted to speak with her.”
“I believe her name is Cloudy Skies,” one of the stallions said in a nasally voice, “I’m afraid I must insist on speaking with her as soon as possible.”
Sombra couldn’t help a small smile cross his face. ‘Lady of the house’ was she? Well, that’s only appropriate for them to believe since she must be my face in these matters. How ironic, I suppose I must play the good servant this time around.
Schooling his features in his finest ‘who left this refuse in my kitchen’ expression, Sombra responded. “I’m afraid Lady Skies is in Manehattan attending to business matters. I would recommend a call ahead next time or perhaps a courier.”
The other stallion grimaced. “Look here you little horn-wipe, we’re not playing games. Your Mistress has made some powerful ponies real angry. Disrespect us and you’ll have a lot more trouble on your hooves, yeah?”
“Either way I cannot make Lady Skies appear out of thin air,” Sombra answered tonelessly without even turning to regard the speaker. “You will simply have to return at a later date if you’re so intent on speaking with her.”
“Unfortunately,” the more calm of the two interjected, “this was a one time courtesy call. Your Lady Skies has trodden on a few very important fetlocks in her short time here, bribing ponies who work for us, threatening them too by all accounts, and we wished only to politely to offer a bit of advice. There will not be a second visit, I’m sure you understand.”
The two stallions turned away without another word, Sombra scowled after them before turning back to his study with Steelhorn on his tail. “Sir, uhm, ah don’t mean to intrude on ya Lady’s affairs, but that was a pretty serious visit you just got.”
“I’m well aware of the their not-so-veiled threats, Mister Steelhorn,” Sombra replied as he returned to his desk and began sorting through the day’s papers. “The mo- er, Lady Skies has accounted for their attitudes, rest assured. So long as work on the manse progresses unhindered you are free to ignore those hectoring oafs.”
Steelhorn didn’t look entirely convinced. “Are you sure, sir? No offense but ya Lady Skies don’t quite know the Stalliongrad families like ah do. They don’t make idle threats.”
Sombra turned, flashing a grin whose fangs were neatly masked by his illusions but nonetheless sent a chill up the Minotaur architects spine. “Aye, Mister Steelhorn, I don’t intend to ignore them. I only said that you need not worry.”
An uneasy look crossed Steelhorn’s face as he stopped in front of the desk. “Ah ain’t worried about mahself sir, ah’m worried about the folks who work for me. Ah’m responsible for’em and, well, no offense but ah ain’t lookin to earn any more problems from the families, ya? If they come lookin fer yer Mistress and ya’self then it’s gonna be mah people what’re in the way. You get me?”
Sombra bit back a retort. He wanted to tell Steelhorn to shove his concerns and get back to work. The arcane geometry of the manse was incomplete and until then it was dangerous to draw power from it. He had been only doing so in the tiniest quantities to ensure he didn’t fall too close to the edge if something unpleasant occurred. Besides, Steelhorn and his laborers were nothing more than a temporary workforce and Sombra had need of them only insofar as they could complete the job assigned to them. If they were too cowardly to finish their work they were of no use to him. Perhaps he was better off turning them into forced labor; regardless of their fear he needed this manse complete or he and the mouse would be in dire straits come spring.
The mouse… 
The thought of Fluttershy penetrated Sombra’s mind on the heels of his planning. What would she say? What would she think? These were questions he didn’t even need to ask. He already knew what her thoughts on the matter would be vis a vis enslaving Steelhorn’s crew.
‘If you want us to work, then you’re going to have you’re going to have to learn to be nice.’
Enslaving others and forcing his will on them had all led to his misery and downfall centuries ago. Perhaps there was more wisdom in the mouse’s words than even she knew. Perhaps a change of tactics was, in fact, in order.
Glancing up, Sombra was mildly surprised to find Steelhorn still in front him waiting patiently for a response. A tired smile crossed the dark stallion’s features and he gave a small nod to the Minotaur. “I fully intend on dealing with this matter before the Lady Skies returns from Manehattan, Mister Steelhorn, don’t worry. Those blowhards threatened this household… do not dare to presume that they will escape that unpunished.”


~ o ~


Oneiromancy was an art that, in the centuries since his banishment, had apparently fallen into general disuse. From what he had read on the more recent treatises and essays on magical theory it seemed that the common pony thought of dream magic as a divine purview only accessible to Luna and the most ardent of her followers. It both amused and saddened Sombra that the art of dreaming had been discarded so thoroughly. Unlike evokers, conjurers, and the like, there were no strict doctrines to dream magic. No formulae or esoteric runes. Nothing that could be easily studied. In these future times it seemed magic had been taken down to the level of a science, but such a line of thinking could not comprehend dream magic. Oneiromancy was and always would be an art. To dream was to enter the fluid sea of emotion and memory; the gestalt subconscious of the sleeping world. Navigating such a mercurial realm was not a task for the light of heart or the undisciplined. Plenty of acolytes had entered the dreamlands only to have their dreaming minds become lost in labyrinths of spun sugar or be dragged beyond the horizon on a riptide of emotional force, leaving their bodies to wither and starve.
Sombra, of course, was long past that. Oneiromancy was an art he treasured now more than ever because it required no magic from his failing body. He only needed to align his pseudo-sleeping mind with the resonances of the dreamlands to enter it and there he was free. His first instinct, of course, was to reach for Fluttershy. She was there and still distant, but her warm presence comforted him to a surprising degree. No matter that she was leagues away; the dreamscape had little care for physical distances, for which Sombra was grateful. He found the lack of her presence… difficult. He had quickly grown used to the presence of the beautiful mare both physically and emotionally. She had rapidly grown to become not only a confidante, but a conscience. Something he had long since disposed of for himself. That was neither here nor there, though, and Sombra knew he could not afford the distraction of checking in on her. If he did, he suspected he would linger longer than he ought to, and he had turned in early to get a head start on the troublesome pair that had visited the manse. That done, he launched himself away from where his physical form lay and landed amongst the glimmering stars. Immediately he set about seeking the dull, violent minds of the ones who had threatened them early. He found them easily enough but they were pale and flickering; wakeful minds were only barely reflected in the dreamlands. He let them be, he did not expect them to be asleep yet but now he could keep a weather eye on them and await his opportune moment. Time was a fluid quantity in the dreamlands, and Sombra only kept his internal clock calibrated by observing his soon-to-be-prey. As such, by the time felt the intruding presence it was far too late for him to do anything about it. Sombra leapt to his hooves and conjured his regalia around him. His warhammer hovered at the edge of his consciousness, ready to be summoned. Calling a mirrored artifact of such power wantonly would be foolish though. It would draw all sorts of unpleasant attentions.
“King Sombra,” her voice was wry and… playful? “We had quite forgotten that thou didst possess the dreaming arts. Now we dost recall though.”
Sombra met the gaze of Princess Luna, her eyes were the deep, complex shade of a sapphire reflecting the moonlight. He had been expecting a fight, or at least some show of aggression. Instead she simply smiled at him; a small, enigmatic smirk that irked Sombra.
“My mastery of the arcane arts was matched only by my ego, if I remember your sister’s opinion correctly,” Sombra retorted, showing a smile that was more teeth than grin. “I found that remark a bit insulting if I’m honest. My ego possesses heights even my magic could never reach.”
“So We dost recall,” Luna answered as she cantered closer, “may We take our rest for a moment here? Tis been a long day and We are not by any stroke of nature a diurnal creature, and yet it seems betimes there is always some matter of state to handle no matter the godlessness of the hour.”
Sombra relaxed his magic a bit and gave a short nod. He had been reclining near a whorl of subconscious memory, idly toying with it while he waited for his targets to slumber. The whorl spun with reflected colors found nowhere in the waking world. Luna settled down near the edge and came to rest. Sombra decided he would play the Princess’s game for a while and mirrored her action.
“We don’t suppose that thou wouldst give thyself over to Our custody, then?” Luna stated more than asked after a few moments of silence.
“No, your Grace, I think not,” Sombra replied with a dry chuckle. “I’m having far too much fun out in the world these days. I almost feel grateful for you and your sister deposing me all those centuries ago.”
“Nor wouldst thou give Us thy location, I presume?”
“Again, I will have to respectfully decline, your Grace,” Sombra answered.
Luna gave a good-natured shrug. “Well, thou canst not fault Us for asking. In more serious humor We must ask another question; dost thou intend to reignite the fires of war?”
That was a good question. Sombra had certainly considered it, of course. Ensconcing himself in a new seat of power and driving forward a new war machine to roll across the fields and forests of Equestria. He could not deny that the thrill of victory on the field of battle was an enticing one. And yet…
“No, Princess, I do not think that will come to pass,” Sombra answered truthfully, to no little surprise of both himself and his guest. Perhaps the mouse is rubbing off on me more than I had initially guessed. “My warmongering days are over, I think. Besides, even with the might of an Empire at my back I could not claim victory all those years ago. I do not imagine I could do so now that I have nothing.”
“Most interesting,” Luna said, an impish smile playing around the edges of her mouth. “Our sister is quite convinced that thou art off in some distant land planning an uprising or laying the foundations for a new Empire. She fears another war will come to the borders of Equestria, I am glad that her fears are unfounded… and, We must admit, a little disappointed.”
Sombra raised an eyebrow at that, which Luna answered with a small laugh.
“The old days of war were terrible, but frightfully exciting,” Luna remarked, smiling faintly in recollection. “Dost thou recall the Battle of Ash Ridge?”
“Mm, I do,” Sombra said, tacitly deciding to humor Luna’s reminiscences. “Your forces had numbers but were badly outflanked. My 4th Legionary company had drawn your honor guard and a full battalion of your Lunar Armsponies into an ambush and surrounded you on all sides with forces from the 8th, 23rd, and 14th companies closing the gate on you. You lost a third of your forces in less than twenty minutes.”
Luna puffed out her cheeks and grimaced. “Well how were We supposed to know that thou wouldst want Us to claim the high ground on the ridge summit? Though in retrospect it seems obvious that thou didst likely entrap it. That said We didst not expect that thou wouldst have buried four fully functional Shadow Golems under the ridge. We must admit to a persistent curiosity: How didst thou get them there without Us knowing?”
“Truthfully?” Sombra answered with a chuckle, “those golems were there all along. I had my forces entomb seven Golems beneath the ridge almost a decade before Equestria and my Empire ever went to war. I intended to use them after the Winter thaw the next year to ambush the feudal lord that originally held the territory. To my surprise, he died of some illness during the Winter months and his much more cowardly and pliable heir readily capitulated to my demands. Some papers were, ah, reshuffled, and the Golems were forgotten until your forces pursued my companies to that region. I was most pleasantly surprised to discover four of my constructs had actually survived the passage of time. The rest, as they say, is history.”
Silence reigned as Luna stared open mouthed while Sombra related the story. “Verily!? We lost some of Our finest soldiers to a decade-old bureaucratic error!?”
“Funny old world, isn’t it your Grace?” Sombra replied with a faint grin. 
Luna scowled. “We doubt Our fallen soldiers would consider it ‘funny’, thou art as much a rapscallion as ever thou were, Sombra.”
Sombra gave a regal incline of his head, allowing his dark locks to tumble down as he flashed a roguish smile to the Princess. Luna narrowed her eyes but it didn’t manage to distract from the faint flush that appeared on her cheeks. Of the two sisters, Luna was the one that Sombra imagined he knew best. She was calculating and subtle in battle, always ready with an ambush or a turnabout even at the edge of certain defeat. Sombra could hardly count the number of times he was certain she had fallen into one his traps only for her and her forces to slip through his grasp and vanish like shadows. Luna never possessed the raw charisma and force of personality that her sister did though; the kind that inspired troops to charge fanatically forward even if it meant certain death. The Celestia that Sombra knew was a Warrior Princess, more comfortable at the van of a battle than in the commander’s tent. Much had changed, they almost seemed to have switched places. A thousand and more years past it was Luna who was the politically savvy one. Luna Dreamwalker, Luna Nightkeeper, Luna of the Watching Shadows. Many titles were given to her, most in acknowledgement of her seeming omniscience. The Night Princess’ intelligence network had been second to none in those days. Now she seems almost eager for a fight.
I wonder what changed… Sombra shook his head before fielding a question of his own. “Your Grace, a question if I may?” Luna gave a small nod of assent. “When I was first convalescing back in the mouse’s cottage I ventured through the dreamscape many times but the first place I visited was the Gate of Horn I found it to be damaged severely, why?”
Luna’s face paled. “Damaged? But that’s not possible. We are certain thou hast heard of Our… fall, yes?” Sombra nodded, the mouse had told him of her friends’ first meeting on their first walk into the village. “The Nightmare was an entity of terrible power from beyond the walls of sleep, far beyond the Gate of Horn. When We called it forth it damaged the Gate, but sending it back should have served to undo the damage We so thoughtlessly dealt.”
“It seems that was not the case, your Grace,” Sombra remarked smugly. “Perhaps you should have studied the darker arts in finer detail-”
“Do not mock Us, blackguard!” Luna hissed, showing the first signs of anger Sombra had seen from her since she appeared. “We knowest Our mistake! Tis a path We shalt not tread again!”
Sombra narrowed his eyes in a deadly glare. “Know your mistake? I’m sorry dear but I heartily disagree…” As he spoke the air around the Alicorn and the fallen king thickened until it was almost like syrup. “You meddled with affairs far beyond your knowledge. You were just like every other fool Alicorn who sought greater power than what they were given on a silver platter by dint of their blessed births.” The king’s voice deepened and the shadows clung to him like thick, wet cobwebs. “Just like everything else in their charmed lives, and yet they wished for more. Always more. It was never enough to be powerful. They had to be more powerful than any other!” Sombra stood and somehow, despite being roughly equal in size to the Alicorn Princess, he seemed to tower over her imperiously. “I know what you believe your mistake to be; that you lacked the necessary power and focus to control that which you summoned. Let me disabuse you of that notion…”
The dark king tipped his head upward, regarding what passed for the sky in that benighted place between dream and reality with disdain. Sombra opened his mouth and from all around the two of them a roar emanated. It rattled out from the air, the memories and emotions of reality. Luna cringed, at first, then her ears flattened, her eyes widened as the noise grew from being simply unbearable into something all-consuming. She tried to stand, to fight against the stallion, the mere Unicorn in front of her, but her body rebelled. Her mind revolted against her as eternity seemed to collapse in on them. Then, Luna discovered it was quite possible to vomit in the aether. Amidst it all Sombra was roaring and all of time and space roared with him and it could have lasted a moment or a thousand times a thousand years. For the first time since her freedom Luna wished she was back on the moon.
Finally, finally, Sombra stopped, and brought his head back down. He looked harrowed, not unlike Luna herself but while the Night Princess felt hollowed out and empty, Sombra looked… more. He looked vital, powerful, and insane; like some mad pagan god-spirit worshiped by the ponies of old before the coming of the Alicorns. Those stranger things that were either demons or angels… or both.
“Do you see now?” Sombra asked, his voice was throaty and raw and it had a husky quality that stirred something primal in Luna. “Do you understand? It was never a matter of focus or power. It never will be. The forces of this place are power and are anathema to focus. You cannot control them. Do not call up that which you cannot put down, your Grace, or you will once again find yourself at the untender mercies of the chaos beyond the gates.”
Luna shivered in place for a moment before finding her voice. “W-what didst thou do to Us? We feel weak as a newborn foal.”
‘I simply took advantage of an aspect of Alicorn biology,” Sombra explained, his appearance slowing growing more sane. “You Alicorns are more in tune with this realm of power, it is why you have so much magic. I simply… stirred the pot as it were and the chaos was reflected back into you and since you lack even the slightest respect for this place you did not know how to defend yourself from it. Why, I daresay you even think yourself it’s master, O’ Walker of Dreams.”
“Uhm, I’d really appreciate it if you stopped doing that, dear,” a soft, faint voice broke through the twisting air, shocking even Sombra. Fluttershy stood watching not far from them. “Princess Luna looks really… uhm, bad, if that’s okay to say, your Highness.”
Before Luna could answer Sombra stood and trotted up to the butter yellow pegasus with a curious look on his face. “How are you here? I have not taught you any manner of dreamwalking magic.” Lifting on massive hoof, he gently stroked her cheek, an act that Fluttershy leaned into with an appreciative hum. “How is this possible?”
“I’m not really sure,” Fluttershy answered after a moment. “We’re both in the carriage for the moment, I fell asleep, then I felt you watching me and…” Fluttershy’s words trailed off as a blushed crawled up her features. Sombra gave a rakish grin and motioned for her to continue. “Uhm, I felt you watching in my dream and… and I really missed you. So I tried going towards you, or where I felt like you were. I ended up here.”
“Brilliant, absolutely brilliant,” Sombra’s muzzle splits into a wide grin. “You’re a natural ‘walker, I had to study for decades before I managed it properly, I-” 
Fluttershy put a hoof to his mouth to silence him for a moment. “Your Majesty, do you remember what I said about being kind?” Sombra’s face fell but he nodded. “That,” she glanced over at the exhausted-looking Luna, “does not look like kindness. I said I was okay with you doing some bad things when they were necessary but it looks like you two were just talking. Did she threaten you?” Sombra grit his teeth but shook his head. “Then what you did was wrong.”
Without missing a beat, Fluttershy stepped away from Sombra and trotted over to Luna, gently helping her to her hooves. “Are you okay, Princess? I’m so sorry about what he did. He means well, I promise, but he’s not very good at it yet.”
Luna looked disbelievingly at Sombra, then down at Fluttershy, then back to Sombra again. A moment of silence passed. Then Luna made a soft choking sound and fell to the ground laughing uproariously. For several moments Luna just howled as she beat her hoof on the ground trying to get air into her abused lungs to breath past what looked like a terminal fit of giggles. Eventually she stood up again under her own power and wiped tears from her eyes. A laugh escaped every now and then but she took a deep breath as she turned to regard Fluttershy.
“Thou art safe, for that We are gladdened immensely,” Luna said, “We shall inform thy friends and family of thy safety for now. We are quite certain it will soothe Our sister’s mind to some end.” Turning to Sombra she shot him a knowing grin. “As for thou; We thank thee for the lesson thou hast imparted, harsh though it may have been. We shall be more mindful of the realm We walk. We acknowledge that o’erconfidence has e’er been a failing of ours.”
“Your natural talent notwithstanding,” Sombra remarked in a more civil tone, “I advise you be more careful of how you tread in this place and to spend some time learning and practicing the old fashioned way. Natural talent only takes one so far. That goes for you too, my dear mouse. Do not idly follow the road into the realm beyond dreams so thoughtlessly ever again. You’ve seen what lays past that particular wall.”
Fluttershy nodded, but as she did so her form become shaky and insubstantial. “I... I think I’m waking up. I’ll see you when we get home, okay?”
“I shall count the breaths til then,” Sombra remarked sarcastically, before saying in a more serious tone, “but be careful all the same.” Fluttershy gave a silent nod just as she faded from existence.
“How very interesting,” Luna’s voice had recovered its humor and mischief. “How very interesting indeed. Our sister and I shall have a most interesting o’er breakfast next morn, I think.”
“That’s it then? No attempts to stop me? To bring me to justice?” Sombra asked cheekily, “You’re just going to leave?”
Luna rolled her eyes. “Thou knowest just as well as We do that wars are not fought in this place unless one possesses a particularly creative death wish. We shall find thee in due time.” As she began to fade from view, a playful smirk drifted across the Princess’ features. “We art also gladdened to know even a dark king can be ‘whipped’, I believe is the modern parlance?”
Sombra scowled as Luna’s laughter faded away from the dream realm. He had more important matters to tend to. He had come to the dream realm for a reason, after all, and he could not rightly leave his work undone. Sombra had known many stallions like the two who had spoken to him this morning. They were molded by the cruelties of reality and taught to be cruel in return or else die a forgettable, meaningless death buried in an unmarked grave if at all. The warm embrace of the Diarchs was little more than a distant suggestion to be sneered at from the cold climes of Stalliongrad to these upstart colts. Ordinarily he would applaud their capability at surviving in such a difficult scenario but they had made the fatal mistake of threatening both he and the mouse. That warranted a refresher course in cruelty and it carried an expensive tuition indeed.
> Daughter
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Chapter 21


The carriage rumbled along the broken northern road away from Manehattan. The further one got from Canterlot the more the disrepair became obvious. Of course, the nearer one was to any major city; Fillydelphia, Baltimare, Vanhoover, the better the roads became… except in the north. Stalliongrad was curiously immune to the invasive kindness and pervasive good intentions of the rest of Equestria as a whole. It was as if all the darkness of an entire country had managed to congregate into a single, virulent demesne. 
 
Fluttershy couldn’t help but consider that fact as they moved away from the shining metropolitan center of the nation. Manehattan was a beautiful city, for all its faults, and Rarity had often remarked on its virtues. After being in Stalliongrad, Fluttershy couldn’t find herself disagreeing with her pale friend. She very much doubted that any city had its underbelly quite so close to its surface as the great northern, smoke-belching city she was returning to. Still, in a way it almost more… honest. Stalliongrad didn’t hide what it was from the world behind a veneer of gems and glitter and insouciant civility. Fluttershy felt a slight smile cross her muzzle as she found her thoughts drifting back to Sombra. He was very much like the city, she supposed.
 
Scootaloo shifted in her sleep, her new sunset feathers fluttering in the cool night air. The young filly’s slumber drew Fluttershy’s mind back to the why she was still awake. Hours, or perhaps minutes, ago she had awoken from the strangest dream. It wasn’t a dream of course. She had traversed some great distance in a place she had never walked before.
 
The dream realm.
 
The domain of Gods and Demons.
 
Sombra had called her a natural dreamwalker but something about that had rung untrue. Or at least… mistaken. Fluttershy had never entered that place before… 
 
Well, no… that wasn’t quite true was it? She had been there once not so long ago. When the darkness had overtaken her and she had seen terrible, unspeakable visions. Nightmare vistas that her mind had mercifully blitzed from her memory. Then he had come for her. Sombra had pulled her out of that maelstrom of chaos and darkness in a whirlwind of burning silver and obsidian.
 
Fluttershy did remember one thing, though. One… thing. She recalled its whispering voice, like a hissing cockroach. She remembered how it looked just like her except… it didn’t. Not really, did it? It made Fluttershy think that it looked her but just beneath flesh there was something else. She had hoped that after Sombra had taken her away that she would be free to find some kind of peace but her sleep had been awful these past weeks. She hadn’t told him. He hadn’t seen it and she didn’t want him to know. He fussed over her enough and he was busy keep them safe. Besides, in a strange way… Fluttershy wanted to handle this herself. 
 
She had never entered the dream realm consciously before, though.
 
Lucidly.
 
Not until that evening after collecting Scootaloo. Fluttershy had fallen asleep with Scootaloo curled up next to her and moments later had begun to dream. She couldn’t remember the dream in any particulars but she knew what it felt like when she left it. It was like being seized by the rib cage and pulled. Not painful but inescapable. Dragged from her normal, peaceful slumber and dragged through a wet, viscous membrane and spat out in a place of swirling, twisting, riotous colour. For a moment she had been gripped by absolute terror and in that moment the first thing she thought of was him.
 
Sombra. 
 
She could feel his gaze on her, even then. As if he was looking across a vast distance unerringly at her. With the thought of his name an image of him echoed in her mind and suddenly she was vaulted across an illimitable distance to land not-so-gracefully on a swirling shore of light. Sombra had told her a little about the dream realm; how it was a mercurial place full of danger, how it responded to desire and emotion the way the material world responded to physical stimulus. In the carriage, Fluttershy felt a faint blush creep onto her cheeks. There was something just a little romantic about the idea that her need for him was so powerful that the dream realm itself had catapulted her straight to him. It was silly and she knew there was nothing naturally benign about the place she had been in, but it was still kind of… sweet.
 
The small bundle of feathers and fur curled up in the seat beside Fluttershy shuffled slightly, drawing a faint smile from the demure pegasus. Scootaloo was probably dreaming too, but much nicer dreams, Fluttershy hoped.
 
Fluttershy contented herself with a few moments of watching Scootaloo sleep; her small chest rising and falling in a steady rhythm, those beautiful sunset feathers that Sombra had bestowed on her curling around her still-frail body. In that moment Fluttershy felt as if a massive weight had dropped into her heart, plunging it into her stomach.
 
This was her daughter.
 
Her daughter.
 
She was a mother and Scootaloo; little, accident-prone Scootaloo, was her daughter.
 
A lump of cold dread began to form in her throat. How could she have done this so brazenly? She was responsible for a life now. Not just the small, mostly-self-sufficient animal life like back in her cottage but a real, living, breathing pony. A young filly now relied on her to provide everything she would need to grow up healthy, from food and education, to discipline and order. Fluttershy bit her lip as panic set in. She didn’t want to start hyperventilating, that would certainly wake up Scootaloo and then they would both be losing their minds which wouldn’t help anypony at all.
 
Fluttershy tasted the rich, coppery tang of blood on her tongue and she realized she had bitten straight through her lip. It stung but it was a bracing pain. It snapped her back to reality. Fluttershy swallowed the lump in her throat and let out a shuddering breath. She could deal with this when she was back home. Right now she needed sleep. Or something like it.
 
Stretching a wing over Scootaloo, Fluttershy sidled a little closer to the sleeping filly and curled up beside her and let the steady rocking of the carriage lull her to a peaceful-
 




 
-....sleep?
 
Darkness surrounded her.
 
Scootaloo was nowhere to be found nor was the carriage. Fluttershy glanced all around her but everywhere she look was just an expanse of matte black nothingness.
 
It was a dream. It had to be. Not that that really helped at all of course. Dreams, to most ponies, meant they were fine. To Fluttershy it meant that she was potentially in very serious danger. Sometimes she wished Sombra had just kept some of his lectures about the nature of the dream realm to himself. Intellectually, Fluttershy knew it wouldn’t have made it any less dangerous but there was a saying about ignorance and bliss which Fluttershy hadn’t really felt like she appreciated fully until now. 
 
fOuNd YoU sWeEtLiNg… the familiar voice hissed from all around Fluttershy. 
 




 
Fluttershy’s eyes snapped open and she stifled a gasp. Cold sweat broke out over her entire body. Only the sensation of Scootaloo shifting around in her sleep broke Fluttershy out of the paralysis of terror that gripped her. 
 
That voice. 
 
It was so painfully familiar.
 
Eyes of pitch and teeth like needles. A voice like a thousand hissing cockroaches.
 
Clenching her eyes shut, Fluttershy tried to block out the memory. “Leave me alone…” she whispered softly, “Please… just leave me alone.”
 
yOu’Re NeVeR aLoNe SwEeTlInG, the voice in her mind chittered. yOu’Ll NeVeR bE aLoNe EvEr AgAiN.
 
Tears leaked down Fluttershy’s face and matted her fur, Every time it spoke it felt like broken glass scraping on a chalkboard in her ears. She tried to move but leaden weight seemed to cling to her legs. Fluttershy could feel her eyelids drooping down as the overwhelming need to sleep crept up her throat and into her brain. She was so, so tired. A part of her mind scrabbled frantically the fading vestiges of consciousness, but it was all in vain as darkness closed in around Fluttershy’s mind like a cloying shadow.
 
She was so tired.
 
If she could just rest her eyes a bit she would be okay.
 
If she could just sleep.
 
SlEeP.
 




 
…
 
…
 
DrEaM.
 
Fluttershy dreamt. 
 
She dreamt of demons and angels as she drifted through seas of frozen fire and towering edifices of brass to cyclopean gilded halls choking with incense and cacophonic music. Twisting labyrinths of spun sugar watched by prismatic ravens that led to vast marshes filled with sunken ziggurat and whispering, mournful cries. Things she couldn’t fix her perceptions on clearly cavorted around her as she grew weaker and weaker, all while a distant voice sang to her of quiet, endless slumber. How long Fluttershy slept she didn’t know, but time meant very little. It didn’t really matter though, did it? All that was important was that she slept and slept and-... and-
 
Please, a small, frightened voice shook the wet, clinging mass of darkness she was buried under. Please, please wake up. She wanted to sleep but… Fluttershy knew that voice. Please… wake up...
 
In the deep, wracking darkness beyond the wall of sleep, Fluttershy shifted. Her wings tried to stretch open but she there was something keeping them bound.
 
What’s wrong? Why won’t you wake up!?
 
That voice. Fluttershy knew that voice. Scootaloo. Rainbow Dash’s biggest fan. Why was she in her cottage trying to wake her up?
 
Fluttershy furrowed her brow. No, that wasn’t right. She wasn’t in her cottage she in a carriage going home to Sombra. She was… 
 
Please… I know maybe it… it’s too soon to call you this but… please m-mom, please wake up!
 
She was a mother.
 
Two eyes snapped open in the darkness shining with emerald light. The spirit that was woven the dark cocoon around her barely had time to register surprise before a pulse of pure prismatic energy erupted from the captive who had, moments ago, been neatly bound and dying, her strength slowly being leached into the parasitic daemon that had held her captive.
 
It’s name was Sh’herek. Centuries ago it had been worshipped as a minor goddess of vengeance. Ponies and Griffons, mainly, had often called its name to bring down pestilence and dark fortune on those who had wronged them. The last few Solar Inquisitions had not been kind to its few actual priests though, and the last century had seen its name forgotten by all but a few Sorcerers who generally had better things to do than call on a mostly defunct spirit with an, admittedly, poor attitude. It had eventually retreated to the Everfree Forest, one of the few remaining bastions of darkness and mystery. A place where even the Purged and Forgotten could find enough sustenance to preserve themselves. When the little pony had suddenly erupted with dark power Sh’herek had seen a golden opportunity to reclaim much of its lost magic. Too bad the Shadow King had, apparently, seen the same opportunity. Even in its hayday Sh’herek had never possessed the strength to challenge such a powerful practitioner of the dark arts, so it had retreated. Still, it followed the little pony on the periphery, hungrily watching its dreams and waiting for a time when the fallen King was no longer watching over her.
 
Then she had left the shadow of the old city and Sh’herek saw its opportunity when the little pony expended herself to lash out at the three dull ponies that had carried the little newly mended bird from her quaint home near the dark forest. The pony was tired, so she had slept, and in her sleep Sh’herek had found her vulnerable. Everything was perfect.
 
So how. How had this happened?!
 
Sh’herek stared down hatefully at the shining pony that glared up at it in return. One moment she had been wrapped and bound in its web, drained almost to death and in the next the pony had torn through the steel-like strands as if they were cobwebs and held so much magical might caged in her tiny, insignificant frame that she shone like a trapped star.
 
ImPoSsIbLe! It hissed poisonously. YoU wErE tO WeAk To EvEn MoVe!
 
Fluttershy turned as she stared up at the daemon that had trapped and nearly killed her. It was wearing her skin like a wicked mockery but now all of the subtle wrongness of its body stood out almost painfully: protrusions under the thing’s false fur where its unnatural skeleton sat poorly beneath the disguise, those horrid, needle teeth and its pitch-filled eyes. As Fluttershy took it all in, she didn’t feel the same supernatural terror that had filled her in front of her cottage; instead rage boiled in her chest. Not at what the thing had done to her but what it had almost done to Scootaloo. Finally, the little orphan filly had a mother who would love and care for her instead of neglect her and treat her like a burden. The thought of Scoots suddenly having her new mother die out of nowhere right beside her made her want to retch. 
 
Or murder something. 
 
Maybe both. 
 
Fluttershy admitted that she was mostly playing things by ear at this stage.
 
“The first time you tried to kill me, my King protected me,” Fluttershy spoke in a deadly, hushed tone. “He knocked you away like a leaf and warned you to stay away. Now you’re back and you’re trying to do it again. Since my King isn’t here to reprimand you, I think I’ll have to.” Another thundering cascade of energy ripped out of Fluttershy like the heartbeat of Faust. “And, uhm, I’m afraid I might enjoy that more than I probably should.”
 
Fluttershy had never been a particularly strong flier. Between her general lack of practice and distinctly un-pegasus-like preference for keeping her hooves on the ground, her wings saw use only when she had to get somewhere quickly or needed to reach one of the higher nests. In the realm of dreams, though, even an Earth Pony could soar through the heavens. 
 
A sound like a god’s whip being cracked broke the silence as Fluttershy left the ground with a sweep of her wings that now seemed wider and stronger than they ought to have. Sh’herek had barely blinked before the little pony slammed into her like a shooting star complete with a burning corona of light suffusing her whole body. Sh’herek was hurled through the void like a rag doll, a feeling that was annoyingly familiar. This was not the Shadow King attacking it though, nor was it as weak as it had been then. Sh’herek had drunk deeply of the little pony’s immense well of power and had strength to spare.
 
Spreading its rotting, bony wings with a snap, Sh’herek caught itself and tapped into the magic she had stolen, flooding itself with power. Balefire limned its body as bits of skin fell away, revealing more of Sh’herek’s twisted form. Its lower half tore away completely revealing a long, spine-like tail ending in a wicked barb dripping viscous brown fluid, the flesh around its mouth ripped and tore as it freed its lower jaw from the confines of its disguise.
 
I wIlL cLaIm AlL oF yOuR pOwEr! Sh’herek roared. It rocketed back towards Fluttershy with a sweep of its rotten wings as scythe-like blades of flesh and bone tore free from one of its hooves.
 
As the organic blade slashed towards Fluttershy a spark of inspiration struck. A memory of Rainbow Dash during winter wrap up some years back laughing as she hovered over Applejack dropping snowflakes on the farm-mare from out of reach, using her native pegasus magic to gather moisture from the air around her wings and make a localized flurry, Applejack had spent half the day covered in snow until she got a hold of a rope and lassoed Rainbow down. The ensuing snowball fight had been a thing of Ponyville legend. 
 
A faint smile tinged with pain found its way onto Fluttershy face as she whipped her wings up. Magic arched across her feathers, leaving behind crystals of ice so cold they were black, as her wings caught the attack against the sheathe of curved, barbed ice that now coated her wings like talons. A flash of surprise crossed the daemon’s face as Fluttershy flexed her wings, sending it staggering away.
 
Sh’herek rocketed back into the sky followed quickly by Fluttershy trailing a cold wake of biting wind. Bony spurs met black-ice as they slashed at each other, twisting gracefully around one another with wings moving like blades. Sh’herek snapped its tail around as their wings met again and again to strike and Fluttershy’s neck. Before the barb could reach her the once-shy pegasus twisted in place, dragging moisture and cold air from the pure energy that made up the dream realm and formed a dense shell of ice to catch the blow. The barb scraped off the shield that disintegrated just as one of Fluttershy’s wings carved through the space to land a glancing cut across Sh’herek’s chest. 
 
The daemon seemed to falter for a moment and Fluttershy flared her wings to follow through with the attack. Sh’herek’s tortured face contorted into a grin as more of the false fur of its disguise tore away to reveal a writhing nest of dark energy nestled in a cage of overgrown ribs. The cage ripped open with a sound of brittle wood snapping to release a torrent of dark magic at point blank range, slamming into Fluttershy. Arching its back to reposition, Sh’herek turned over to drive Fluttershy from the sky with the stream of pure putrescent energy and into the ground. Its ribs snapped shut, stopping the hemorrhaging power and rocketed down, snapping out a wing and, with a thought, sharpening the edge of the bone to a fine blade. At speed nearing a sonic rainboom Sh’herek crashed into the ground, driving the blade down to where Fluttershy had landed. For a brief moment the daemon felt a surge of triumph and began to draw back its wing.
 
The wing didn’t move.
 
As the dust cleared, a shining light poured out from the morass of fouled energy Sh’herek had created. Fluttershy stood firm with the blade of bone gripped in her mouth with blood flowing from her cut lips as the black, skintight shell of ice she had congealed around herself began to fall away revealing the furious mare beneath. A snort of air came from Fluttershy’s nostrils reminding Sh’herek vaguely of a bull. Where the misty air touched, ice grew like vines, ensnaring and freezing the blade of her wing in place. 
 
Snapping out her wings, Fluttershy tore back into the air. Desperately, Sh’herek tried to wrench its wing from the Fluttershy‘s mouth as the mare dragged the daemon-thing along roughly, when that didn’t work Sh’herek swung its barbed tail around, stabbing repeatedly into Fluttershy’s back, but the black shell that had absorbed Sh’herek’s trap-spell spoiled every thrust easily, with every crack the daemon’s tail made being quickly filled in from the mare’s seemingly limitless supply of energy. After another moment the small mare’s speed became too great to gain any leverage with the drag stealing the strength from its attacks.
 
Fluttershy concentrated, biting down hard on the almost metallic bone as she dragged her tormentor across the illimitable space of the dream realm. Here she wasn’t the shy, weak, creature she was in the waking world. 
 
Here she was strong. 
 
Here she felt the power that Sombra had always insisted she had within her. That fragment of light from some ancient artifact, he had called it. Fluttershy hadn’t had any idea what he was talking about then but now, here, in this place that was so divorced from the physical plane she could feel it. Just a little, Fluttershy thought as she bit down harder feeling the her attackers bone blade crack under the pressure,  I can feel… whatever it is that my King thought was there. I can finally… feel it.
 
Even in the dream realm she could feel her wings burning as she climbed higher and faster. The angry shrieking of the daemon she was dragging was lost to the roar of the false winds around her. Her limit was close, the light in her was sputtering even as it burned ever brighter. At the peak of her rise, Fluttershy pulled a corkscrew and turned down into a full dive. Ice streaked behind her in a nearly solid trail of bitter cold. The ground approached with startling speed and at the very last moment Fluttershy flared her wings out wide, transferring the full weight of her momentum into her unfortunate passenger who struck the ground with the force of a divine hammer with an impact that echoed through the empty space around them for miles.
 
The crater was nearly two meters deep as Fluttershy walked calmly to the edge and stared down at the mostly-frozen wreckage lying at the bottom. There was very little that remained in one piece; fragments of bone and rime-frosted fur lay strewn around the crater. At the center, though, was her one-time tormentor. Fluttershy cantered carefully downward until she was standing beside the broken daemon. She could tell it was still alive, insofar as it ever was alive in the first place anyway. It was writhing in obvious pain but for the first time she could remember Fluttershy felt nothing but dull, smoldering anger.
 
“My King ignored you because you weren’t a threat to him,” Fluttershy said softly to the gurgling, frostbitten mass in front of her. “He only struck you because you threatened me. But I want… I need you to understand something. I am not my King. Whether or not you’re a threat to me, you’re a threat to my daughter.”
 
Glancing down at her hoof, Fluttershy felt a flash of inspiration, and lifted it. Black ice congealed around it until her hoof was shod in an ornate armored boot not unlike her King’s regalia. Flourishes of more lightly colored ice flared into wings on the edges of the boot, and hard, black ice formed the bitter sole. 
 
“I will not abide anything,” Fluttershy said imperiously, “that threatens my daughter.”
 
The hoof came crashing down on the brittle, cracked skull. A long, drawn out sigh seemed to flow from the broken daemon. The air around Fluttershy began to shimmer and a bone-deep weariness settled into her body. Just before to returned to the realm of normal, mortal dreams, Fluttershy grimaced and glared down at the shattered daemon.
 
“Never… again…” she muttered before keeling over.
 
Fluttershy felt as though she was falling. The air around her was thick and warm and a part of her thought she should spread her wings. That was something you did when you were falling right? It didn’t seem immediately necessary, though. 
 
So she fell. 
 
Then her world rocked back and forth. Something was shaking.
 
Somepony was shaking-
 




 
“Mom?” The voice was small and frightened. Instinctively Fluttershy moved to wrap a wing around the small form beside her. “A-are you awake?”
 
Fluttershy cracked a single eye open. Scootaloo was staring up at her from where she was curled in Fluttershy’s wings. The yellow pegasus smiled wearily; she felt as though she had just run back to back marathons. Every inch of her body ached with the strain of the war she had just waged in the dream realm. Still, she was a mother now and exhaustion was no excuse. Slowly she lifted her head to meet Scootaloo’s relieved gaze.
 
“A-are you alright, M-miss?” Scootaloo asked haltingly. 
 
“You know,” Fluttershy responded with a warm smile. “I like it when you call me ‘mom’, actually. If that’s alright with you.”
 
A fragile smile formed on Scootaloo’s face. “Y-yeah! I’m… I’m fine with that. Uhm, are you okay, though? I couldn’t wake you up. I was starting to get really worried.”
 
“It was nothing, just a bad dream,” said Fluttershy. 
 
Scootaloo looked like she wanted to ask more questions but decided against it and curled back up next to Fluttershy.
 
“When we get home, which is near Stalliongrad by the way, you’ll be meeting your new father.” Fluttershy continued softly, and she felt Scootaloo stiffen beside her. Fluttershy chuckled at her response. “He’s a very kind stallion, don’t worry. Even if he has a strange way of showing it I guarantee that he only wants the best for you.”
 
“W-will I be able to visit my friends in Ponyville?” Scootaloo asked hesitantly, and Fluttershy grimaced.
 
“I’m not sure, I’m sorry. It’s quite far away you see,” Fluttershy answered. “And there are other reasons that I promise I’ll explain when we get home and we can all three of us sit down and talk, okay?”
 
Scootaloo ruffled her feathers and frowned but nodded. “Okay, but I’ll fly away if I don’t like it. Got it?” 
 
“Got it,” Fluttershy answered with a warm smile. “But I promise it won’t come to that.”
 
Satisfied, Scootaloo curled in closer to her new mother and Fluttershy wrapped a pale, grey wing around her. This felt right, it felt good. She hoped that Sombra would feel the same way about the young filly in time. Despite his carefree attitude toward Scootaloo, Fluttershy suspected he would be a very good father figure for her and that he cared more about her than he let on. She only hoped that her former friends wouldn’t come looking for Scootaloo, that she hadn’t just drawn down additional scrutiny on their already tenuous situation. Either way, Fluttershy silently vowed to protect her daughter with everything she had. 
 
Glancing over her own wings, Fluttershy stretched out one of her primaries and focused… nothing happened. Furrowing her brow, she glared at the feather, silently demanding what she wanted from it. For a brief moment Fluttershy felt that same pull within her that she felt every time she  used her Stare. It was followed quickly by a splitting headache and a wave of exhaustion causing Fluttershy to flinch, snapping her eyes shut and biting back a cry of pain. Letting out a slow breath to ease away the pain of her aching skull, she opened her eyes.
 
Her primary was covered with the faintest coating of black rime.
 
Fluttershy smiled wearily as she lowered her head down rest beside her daughter. She would protect Scootaloo.
> Father
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Chapter 22


It was early evening when the carriage rumbled into the sparse, snowy forest that surrounded the slowly rising mansion outside Stalliongrad. The snow was falling heavily as the edge of winter began to creep in. Stalliongrad was famous for its bitter, biting winters and especially for the snowstorms that roared down from the far north, although lately the storms had been of less worrying intensity. Most of the citizens attributed that to the re-emergence of the Crystal Empire for the more mild (by Stalliongradi standards at least) winters. The far northern Crystal Pegasi helped to guide and the tame the intense storms, breaking them up before they reached the northern regions of Equestria in full force, instead dispersing a half dozen small storms across the whole of the great northern borders.

Still, the snowfall was far heavier and more intense than Fluttershy was used to. Even the carriage’s enchantments, which were designed to maintain a comfortable temperature inside the cab, were not quite up to snuff in keep the biting cold out. Scootaloo shivered, curling up closer to Fluttershy, her small body more adapted to the temperate climate of Ponyville,

“Why do we live so far outside the city?” Scootaloo peered out the slightly shuddering window and watched the trees pass, every so often spying a white rabbit dart across the tableau.

“Because the city is full of terrible ponies,” Fluttershy, still in her disguise as Cloudy Skies, answered softly. She hadn’t been apart from Sombra since they had met and she found that she did not care for it at all and was very much looking forward to being together with him again.

“So why do we live here?”

“Because,” Fluttershy replied with a gentle smile, glancing over at her daughter who was staring questioningly at her. “We’re trying to avoid attention and best way to do that is to hide amongst those who don’t wish to be noticed.”

Scootaloo raised an eyebrow at that answer. “Uhm… did we do something wrong?”

Fluttershy shook her head.

“So why are we hiding?”

“Did I say we were hiding?” Fluttershy asked, ruffling her gray feathers.

“Basically,” Scootaloo said flatly.

“Hm,” Fluttershy shrugged. She was feeling confident being so much closer to her King and knowing she was getting closer every moment. “I wonder how he does it. Saying so much without saying anything at all.”

“Who?” Scootaloo dropped down to the seat and curled up next to her new mother.

Fluttershy leaned down, nuzzling Scootaloo’s cheek and eliciting a small grunt of annoyance. “Your father, he’s a very accomplished stallion and spent a lot of time in higher courts.”

“So he’s a politician?” Scootaloo asked.

“A sorcerer, actually.”

Scootaloo blinked, not knowing exactly how to respond to that. She wasn’t stupid. Sorcerer was an archaic term and not a particularly polite one. The word Sorcerer conjured up images of dark robes and darker magic. Illegal spells and proscribed crafts. Scootaloo didn’t know what to do with the fact that her mother chose to use that word knowing full well what it meant.

“W-what’s he like?”

Fluttershy turned to look down at Scootaloo warmly and for a moment the small filly saw a sparkle of something… fiery in her mother’s eyes.

“He’s terrifying,” Fluttershy said finally, her voice full of affection. “And wonderful, and powerful, and dangerous, and noble. Your father is a terribly dangerous stallion who has done terrible things to many ponies, yet he carries a throne in his heart wherever he goes, holding himself to a higher standard than anyone else.”

Silence thickened in the carriage cab as Scootaloo swallowed dryly. Moving back to the window, Scootaloo watched as a large white archway slowly came into view. The rumbling of the carriage wheels became slightly less pronounced as they reached the properly cobbled roads leading up to the manse’s more finished regions. Passing under the arch, Scootaloo’s eyes widened as she saw the partially constructed edifice rise fully into sight. It was half-built, true, but that only seemed to add to its imposing appearance. The eastern wing was the most finished section; made of dark stone, not quite black but clearly something other than plain granite. There was something that Scootaloo couldn’t quite put her hoof on though, something about it felt… old. Even though it was clearly brand new and currently under construction there was a feeling of antiquity about the whole place. Rather than being built it felt like the whole place should be a crumbling ruin.

There was life here, though. There were workers of all stripes moving to and fro between the various structures and scaffoldings. It was a motley crew that stunned Scootaloo with its diversity. Two griffons worked alongside a pegasus on the roofing section, a broad-shouldered female mule pulled a cart of quarried stone up an incline towards a section of excavated foundation supported by two earth ponies on either side of her. Near what Scootaloo guessed would eventually be the western wing was a caribou, his coat heavy for the winter, lifting dozens of large square stones into place as he mortared them together, his enormous antlers aglow with light from his magic. In the center of them all was a huge minotaur underneath a field pavilion and surrounded by tables and desks covered in blueprints. She lost sight of the activity when the carriage turned, the driver guiding it into a small alcove off of the east wing that had a distinctly temporary look to it.

“So uh, I guess this is a stupid question but are you like, super rich or something?” Scootaloo asked as she stepped out of the carriage, shivering in the sudden bitter cold.

Fluttershy shrugged. “We have wealth, but only your father knows the full extent, but I think by reasonable standards the answer is ‘yes’. Now, follow me, we’re going into the study. We have a lot to talk about before anything else.”

Scootaloo stared at the innocuous side-door adjoining the carriage garage to the east wing like a viper, and Fluttershy let out a small sigh before trotting over to the scared filly.

“I promise it will be alright,” Fluttershy whispered, leaning down to nuzzle Scootaloo’s cheek. “Nothing bad is going to happen, not while I’m around.”

Tearing her eyes away from the door Scootaloo looked up at Fluttershy, and the disguised mare felt a small pang in her heart. She wanted to shed this disguise as soon as possible, she hated being hidden from her new daughter even though she knew it was important that she never show her true form outside the walls of the slowly rising complex. Secrecy was their greatest defense here, after all.

Lowering her wing over Scootaloo’s back and pull her closer, Fluttershy nudged the filly forward towards the door and began walking. Scootaloo obliged a bit haltingly but eventually they were inside, out of the cold and surrounded by what had quickly become the more familiar smells of home. Woodsmoke and strong coffee permeated the air, a sign that her King had spent numerous late nights working. There was also the faintest scent of something darker, the scent of Sombra himself, a kind of rich spice that sent a shiver up Fluttershy’s spine and down her wings.

Quickly hanging her scarf and hat and doffing her boots, Fluttershy turned to Scootaloo and smiled. “Finally, we’re indoors. Scootaloo, I’m going to show you something but I need you to promise that you won’t tell a soul about it, okay? It’s incredibly important.”

Scootaloo paused from pulling her own scarf free. “Uh, okay yeah, I mean, it’s not like… something weird and creepy is it?”

Chuckling, Fluttershy shook her head. “No, it’s just this.”

Shaking out her wings and mane, the gray coloration drained off of her like water as her fur slowly returned to its natural butter-yellow and her mane one again became the pink, silken waterfall she was accustomed to. In moments the mare standing in front of Scootaloo went from being a near-stranger to the familiar face of one of the kindest mares anypony in Ponyville had ever know.

“F-Fluttershy?!”

Scootaloo stared at the mare she had come to know well over the course of her friendship with Applebloom and Sweetie Belle. The one who had braved the Everfree Forest and an angry Cockatrice to help them during their sleepover. Who, according to local Ponyville gossip, had stood up to a dragon. Who had stood hoof to hoof against Nightmare Moon, tamed Discord, and together with her friends had banished both King Sombra from the Crystal Empire and Tirek from Equestria as a whole.

Only to vanish mysteriously.

Of course, Scootaloo had heard rumours. Orphans were invisible to most and heard more than almost anypony suspected. That Fluttershy had done something unforgivable. Some even claimed to have seen the demure mare dueling Princess Celestia herself. Which was silly. Right? Then there were the rumours that Fluttershy had been willingly harbouring some evil unicorn who used dark magic on her. That Scootaloo believed, even though none of the orphans did. She was positive she had met the very creature Fluttershy was accused of helping.

That would, of course, meant that Scootaloo’s new father was most likely...

“Scootaloo?” Fluttershy asked with a wary but hopeful smile. “Is everything okay?”

With no response forthcoming, Fluttershy moved a little closer. Wrapping a wing around Scootaloo, Fluttershy smiled and nuzzled her cheek. A second later the filly snapped out of her stunned torpor and stared wide-eyed up at Fluttershy.

“S-so… are you still my mom?”

“Yes!” Fluttershy almost gasped out, tears shimmering on the edges of her eyes, “Of course I am, I adopted you because I wanted to be your mother and nothing will change that, I promise!”

Those words broke the dam and Scootaloo sniffled before burying her face in Fluttershy’s soft fur before the sob that quickly turned into full crying escaped her lips. The two of them stood there, lost to the world around them for several moments as Scootaloo slowly got back in control of herself. She had spent so much her life prepared for the absolute worst, knowing it would be more likely than not to happen. Suddenly having all of that weight lifted from her tiny shoulders, paradoxically, made her feel like she was suffocating. Her mind was trying to tell her to relax but the ingrained memories in her muscles were telling her to find the danger. To find the lie. To find the threat.

If it had been anypony but Fluttershy it might have been harder, but the yellow mare practically exuded calm and. Eventually, Scootaloo found her breath again. Looking up into the warmly smiling face of her new mother who reached a hoof over to gently wipe away the streaks of tears that were matting down the fur of her face.

“Better?” Fluttershy asked softly. Scootaloo just nodded, earning a smile from her mother. “Good, now let’s go see your father.” Fluttershy didn’t bother denying how good that word in connection between herself, Sombra, and Scootaloo, felt to say.


~ o ~


The newly completed audience chamber was, in Sombra’s opinion, quite adequate. As compliments go, that one was quite high given he had ruled an empire for centuries and his standards for such things were high.

It had been completed no less than forty hours ago and decorated mostly with the more lavish rugs and pieces of artwork from the cache below the foundations. There were few windows, and none of them were of any considerable size, leaving the whole place dimly lit with only the numerous braziers saving the place from near total darkness. Sombra preferred it that way if he were being honest; he wasn’t sure if it was his northern heritage, coming from a land of limited sunlight, or his nature as a creature of shadows, but he had a strong preference for the low light conditions of sunset and evening. It was why he had preferred to take his walks at night.

Either way he had found himself spending more and more time working in the wide, empty audience chamber than he had in his study. Partially this was due to the fact that, frankly, he had been growing tired of the quarters. Something about them made them feel cramped, rather than cozy, without the Mouse nearby. The other part was, honestly, that the throne he had designed for himself and the Mouse was actually surprisingly comfortable. It was a gorgeous, dark marble affair, more akin to a bench curving in a half-moon form with a high, scooped back depicting various images of royalty and more than a few eclipsed suns; his own private, albeit petty, jab at the Diarchal sisters. As if anypony but himself would notice. It still gave him a slight chuckle every now and again.

He had spent the past day and a half going over the latest construction reports alongside the reserve of wealth under his hooves. He preferred to pay the workers directly rather than use any of Stalliongrad’s banknotes. That way there was no paper trail to judge how extensive of a construction he had ordered and he could maintain the facade of ‘Cloudy Skies’ occupying a small, previously overlooked, estate quietly. Spending too many bits in a place like Stalliongrad was an excellent way to be noticed by the wrong sorts of ponies. To say nothing of potentially tipping his hoof to agents of the crown who might have been keeping a weather eye on the flow of bits in the city..So far things were going quite well; construction was ahead of schedule, there was no sign of the Royal Sisters wising up to their location, and first trickle of arcane power was beginning to flow through the structure like a sieve. It was, comparatively, only a few drops, but it was more than Sombra had tasted since the Mouse had refilled his reserves. The former King had been settling in for another day spent settling various accounts when the interruption came.

Several loud raps at the chamber doors broke Sombra from his calculations regarding a chest of centuries old Zebrican coinage and whether it was best used as tender or sold as a collection. Blinking away a bit sleep from his eyes, Sombra glanced up, his spine cracking loudly in the dark silence of the chamber.

“Yes? You may enter.” Sombra spoke with an almost reflexively dark authority. Just of a hint of a growl rumbled behind his words. A habit from his Imperial days. Sombra smiled faintly, feeling rather glad his old ruling habits hadn’t died off fully.

There was a brief delay before one of the large double doors cracked open to permit a sight that Sombra had been sorely missing the past few days. Fluttershy stepped into the audience chamber and onto the plush red carpet leading up to their new, shared thrones. Setting his work off to the side, Sombra could feel a faint grin tug across his face as he stepped off of the dais of the throne and trotted forward, quickly speeding to a canter and nearly tackled Fluttershy, sweeping her up and pulling her close. The pale yellow pegasus giggled wonderfully as Sombra nuzzled against her neck, face, and muzzle, before pressing his lips against hers. Fluttershy gave an appreciative hum as she leaned in to her king’s affections. This is what he had missed, this is what had been missing for a long, long time, but most recently for the past week.

“Ewww…”

Sombra grimaced and pulled away from Fluttershy at the sound of a third, and familiar, voice. Fluttershy giggled again and turned her gaze and Sombra followed it to settle on a small, orange filly with wings that were far more impressive than they used to be. Scootaloo had a look of revulsion on her face.

“I see you were successful, Mouse,” Sombra said dryly as he, reluctantly, pulled away from Fluttershy and stepped around her to close in on Scootaloo. The filly’s features went from disgust to something like panic as he closed in on her. “So, you survived.” Of course she did. He ensured that she did. Not that she needed to know that at this juncture.

Scootaloo swallowed the lump in her throat and tried to stand up straighter, unconsciously flaring her wings to make her small frame seem larger and more threatening, a hopeless act of defiance against the towering, muscular draft stallion. Her only warning was a flash of dark light from Sombra’s horn before she was hoisted bodily into the air with an undignified squawk of alarm and brought to eye level with Sombra.

“Do you know who I am?” Sombra asked, his voice had a deep, resonant quality to it. Scootaloo was reminded of when she was younger, of how she would hide under her bed during thunderstorms. How the distant, and sometimes not-so-distant, rumblings would shake her to her bones.

It took a moment but Scootaloo found her voice. “Y-you’re the evil wizard Fluttershy was hiding, right?”

Sombra’s eyes narrowed. “Accurate, but not what I was asking, try again.”

Swallowing again, Scootaloo wracked her brains. “Uhm, a… bad guy?”

“Debatable and more a matter of perspective,” Sombra answered with an ominous grin. “But still wrong, try again. Who am I?”

“I don’t know!” Scootaloo shouted, squirming in his arcane grip. “Alright? I don’t know!”

“Dear…” Fluttershy said softly, putting a placating hoof on Sombra’s shoulder.

Narrowing his eyes, Sombra drew Scootaloo closer. “You have been adopted, yes?” Sombra asked, drawing out a nervous nod from the filly. “Then I ask again; who am I?”

“M-my dad?”

His gaze still fixed on Scootaloo, Sombra releases his magic, letting her drop unceremoniously to the ground. “You will address me as ‘father’,” he began, without preamble, pacing around Scootaloo like a wolf circling prey. “You will be awake with the dawn each day, and you will join me in the courtyard to practice forms. You are far too small for your age which means we have a lot of catching up to do. Breakfast comes after morning practice, then you will begin your schooling. Your days will be far more difficult than they have ever been. I am not a gentle teacher nor have I ever been a parent, and kindness does not come to me with any manner of ease. So, hate me if you will, but I will ensure you are prepared to deal with whatever challenge comes your way and believe me, they will. Months ago I offered you the sky on the wager of your life, now it’s time see that investment come to bear fruit. Have I made myself clear?”

Scootaloo fixed Sombra, no, her father, with a hard glare, one that he met with an equal ferocity. They stared one another down for several minutes, while Fluttershy watched them both with not a little bit of worry. She trusted Sombra but she also knew he was a difficult pony to live with at times. The silence stretched into a dull tension, with neither filly nor king turning away from the other.

“Am. I. Clear?” Sombra enunciated in a soft, dark tone.

Instead of answering, Scootaloo snapped her wings out wide, loosing a gust of cold air in the dim audience hall. With a single flap she nearly vanished, picking up speed at a rate that would have made her idol proud. The door thundered open as Scootaloo tore out of the chamber, leaving a faintly grinning Sombra and a shocked Fluttershy.

“Not surprising,” Sombra rumbled, dark light igniting at the tip of his horn to summon a fitted fanged and jeweled carcanet to his throat. Another flash conjured black, draconic wings from his back that dripped misty shadow. “Wait here a moment while I give our daughter her first lesson.”

Scowling, Fluttershy leaned in and up to plant a soft kiss on his cheek. “Be kind, your Majesty. And gentle. She’s been through a lot.” she said, before kissing his lips “And don’t use too much magic, okay?”

Sombra chuckled, “I’ll do my best.”

With another flare of black magic, Sombra vanished from the throne room, leaving the slightly annoyed Fluttershy behind. “Well, that went about as well as I could have expected, I suppose.” Looking about, she finally stopped to appreciate the changes that Steelhorn and his exceptional crew had wrought in her week-long absence.

The audience chamber had exactly the kind of dark grandeur she expected from her king’s designs. Some kind of ashen-colored marble with streaks of white that caught the flickering torchlight in such a manner as to both fill the area with smoky illumination and make the place more intimidating. Fluttershy smiled slightly at the thought to meet petitioners here, her king towering over them, herself at his side counterbalancing his ferocious mein. The more she thought about it, the more she liked the thought.

“Queen Fluttershy,” she whispered softly to herself, giggling at the sound of the incongruous words. “Father and mother would be so proud.”


~ o ~


Scootaloo tore out of the bleak throne room without a word. Her ‘father’ was nothing like Fluttershy but he was, perhaps, exactly what she expected from the dark unicorn that had given her the wings she was now using to flee his estate. A shout of surprise was elicited from a pair of draft Earth Ponies she dove between as she erupted from the east wing of the quickly rising manor. None of the workers caught more than a glimpse of the burnt-orange blur before she made it into the snow-filled forest. A moment later the cold caught up to Scootaloo and she began shivering in flight. The winters out near Stalliongrad were far more dangerous than the ones in her hometown, she knew. She would have to get higher, and try to find a thermal to ride back to Ponyvi-

SNAP

A massive black figure appeared several feet from her prompting a terrified squeak as Scootaloo pulled up hard to avoid a sudden and unpleasant impact, plowing through the canopy and about a meter of snow, blinding her as she emerged into the cold, open sky.

Scootaloo barely had a moment to clear her eyes of the white powder before a gust of hot, wild wind struck her from the side, sending the small pegasus wheeling in the air. Flaring her wings reflexively, Scootaloo steadied and brought herself to a hover. Her eyes widened at the sight of the dark unicorn hovering several meters away from her, wide, shadowy draconic wings flapping lazily to keep him aloft.

It was more than just his form though. There was a presence to him, wicked and foreboding, as he drifted in the air. “Well? You were fleeing me weren’t you?” Sombra grinned languidly, his fangs showing past his dark lips. “I’ll just tell you now, there’s a Lucent Barrier around this manse. Its purpose is to give a false image to scrying sensors and anyone looking from afar. Thus, if you can breach past the barrier’s limit, I’ll not be able to follow. I can’t risk anyone seeing my magic or my true form after all.”

Blinking away the snow caught in her mane and eyes, Scootaloo glowered at Sombra. “Why are you telling me that? I’m trying to escape, remember? You aren’t supposed to help me.”

Sombra’s unconcerned smile remained in place. “You believe you can escape me, then?”

Scootaloo’s glower turned to a scowl. “I know I can.”

“Excellent,” Sombra hissed. “Try.”

He had barely finished the word before Scootaloo vanished in a hard, clap of displaced air, her newly minted wings seizing the air around her like a vice, thundering her away away at high speed. Sombra careened after her, grinning. The little orange filly had an intuitive grasp of Pegasus magic that he had rarely seen even in seasoned weather Pegasi of the Crystal Empire. He had a notion as to why, too; Scootaloo had spent most of her life straining for even a taste of the sky, drawing in what tiny, bare sips of sky magic she could in order to obtain something like lift. Without ever realising it she became better and better at efficiently using those tiny drips of magic, maximizing the output. Now that her meridians were healthy and powerful, she was pulling in more magic than ever. Combining that with her natural talent for optimizing her magic, it made her throughput something to behold.

Not that it was even remotely fast enough. She might have had efficiency of magic, but her flight skills were atrocious. Even Sombra could see that. Scootaloo constantly flew and pulled against the wind and thermals. Whenever she struck a crosswind she ripped it out of her way, anytime she hit a thermal wrong she kicked it into shape.

In short, Scootaloo didn’t ride the wind so much as she did beat it into submission, and that took too much time.

Scootaloo nearly made it to the edge of the barrier; it was like looking through a heat haze, just a slight blur that was making everything beyond a certain point seem slightly insubstantial. She was almost to it when another surge of heated air crashed around her, lifting her high in the sky and away from the barrier, spiraling her around as the vastly differing temperatures of air caused her wings to catch one moment and flounder the next. Unfortunately, her fine control was badly lacking and another burst of air, ice cold this time, sent her spinning to the ground, flailing her wings as she suddenly had no grasp of anything at all. Snapping out her wings, the constant motion left Scootaloo desperately scrabbling for lift but the spinning, vertigo, and wildly thrashing winds were too chaotic for her to exert any control over. The only thing she knew was that the ground was closing in fast.

“AHHHHH!” The scream left her throat reflexively, only to trail off as her brain registered that she had stopped moving. A dark, tingling aura of magic surrounded her, keeping her levitating about a foot above the snowy ground.

“Your technique, if you can call it that, is in desperate need of refinement, little wing,” Sombra said, a dark bass chuckle hiding just at the edges of his words. Scootaloo wheeled herself in the air turning to face him.

“Yeah, guess so,” Scootaloo said grumpily, realising she had no way of breaking the sorcerer’s grip. “So I’m trapped here then, huh?”

Sombra’s face lost its playful mirth, and set her down gently. “No, you will never be trapped anywhere, I promise you that. If you really want to leave, I will do my best to facilitate it. It would, I’m sure, break the Mouse’s heart to see you go, but I know her well enough to say with some certainty that she would never keep you against your will either.”

Scootaloo blinked in confusion as her mind worked around Sombra’s words. That was it? She just had to say it and she could go… wherever? She tried to find the lie, or the catch, but she couldn’t. “After all that… chasing and windy magic and stuff?” Scootaloo asked, staring up at the centuries-old mage. “After the threats and the stuff about training and being up a the crack of dawn and investments? You were just… lying?”

Shaking his head, Sombra gave a fanged grin. “Not at all, I made no threats, little wing, and my intention of training you was entirely serious. Even you can’t deny you need it; you were just outflown by a Unicorn. I am a difficult taskmaster and I expect a great deal from you, but that’s only because I firmly believe you have a shining potential to be somepony truly incredible hidden within you that needs only time and a little direction to bring out.” Sombra said, his voice growing soft towards the end. After a moment, he surprised even himself when he put a single, large hoof on Scootaloo's back and drew her closer.

Leaning down, Sombra did what he remembered his mother doing for him when he was young, foolish, and feeling lost, and nuzzled her cheek. “I believe that with all of whatever is left to me of my heart, little wing, I promise.”

To his surprise, Sombra felt warm tears against his muzzle as Scootaloo gave a soft sob and leaned into him. Unsure of what else to do, he simply remained where he was, letting her cry against him. After a few moments, Scootaloo mastered herself, and pulled away, but not too far. “So, uhm… is it okay if I just… call you ‘dad’, sometimes?”

Staring down at her, into her bright and intelligent eyes, Sombra felt a little bit of his iron will cave. Letting his shoulders sag, he smiled a little wearily. “Sometimes, only sometimes, and only in private, agreed?”

Scootaloo nodded happily, hugging him around his barrel chest, even though her small limbs didn’t even come close to reaching around him. “Yeah! Thanks… Dad.”
> Promises, Promises
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Chapter 23


Sombra and Scootaloo emerged from the snow-covered forest together with the small filly riding contentedly on her father’s back, the sight of which warmed the heart of a certain pegasus mother as she watched her two loved ones approach their home. Scootaloo was snoozing away when Sombra entered the foyer of the east wing, shaking some of the snow free, but gently so as not to wake the sleeping filly. Fluttershy just let her heart swell as Sombra carefully trotted over to the short chaise lounge near his study desk and ever-so-softly lifted, and then lowered, the sleeping Scootaloo onto the cushions. With a small tug of magic Sombra pulled one of the quilted blankets that was draped over the seat and folded it over his new daughter.

“We shall have to set up a proper room for her, you know,” Sombra rumbled, as he returned to Fluttershy’s side. “She can’t sleep in my study every night. It’s hardly befitting.”

Fluttershy felt her grin reach to her ears as she leaned up to nuzzle her King. “I know, I’ve already made some preparations with the building team, the room is ready it just needs some furniture. One of the carpenters is already working on a bed frame and dresser. I can get a mattress easily enough.”

“Hm, well enough, then,” Sombra grumbled as he returned to his desk. A small flash of magic brought his work from the throne room into his study in front of him. “How did the trip go? Any trouble at all?”

“No, none…” Fluttershy answered softly as she moved with Sombra to his desk. “I may have used my… ability on the Ponies that collected Scootaloo though. I don’t like the idea of those stallions collecting colts and fillies.”

“I find myself categorically unsurprised,” Sombra replied sardonically.

Fluttershy ruffled her wings, turning away with a frown. Sombra bit his tongue and grimaced, turning from his work to pull Fluttershy to his side. She let out a breath and leaned into him, pressing her face into his broad, powerful chest. “I’m scared, my King. I keep… doing things. Terrible things. It feels like I can’t even help myself. Like I want to do them. I feel like I’m losing myself.”

“Such is the danger of dark magic,” Sombra said quietly, lowering his snout to nuzzle her cheek. “It may be this way for the rest of your natural life. To my knowledge there is no means of fully purging dark magic from anyone. Even if there were, I suspect your attunement to your element would complicate matters too much to risk it.”

“I don’t want that though,” Fluttershy whispered softly, clenching her eyes shut and her wings hard to her sides. “I don’t want to have those f-feelings for the rest of my life. I want to be n-normal, I want to be how I used to be! I don’t want to feel like hurting other ponies or… or any of the awful, awful things I k-keep thinking about.”

“I know…” Sombra held Fluttershy close, it was all he could think to do. “In the end, though, the cruel truth of life is that we are not given a choice in how our hearts are molded. We live as we must insofar as it permits us to survive. What truly matters, I believe, is whether we choose to mindlessly act on what we have been made into, or if we chose to make something more of ourselves. When I deafened myself to my own heart, I made the choice to simply be what I was made into: a tyrant.” Pulling away slightly, Sombra looked down into the eyes of his future queen. “You can be so much more.”

Fluttershy stepped back as she let out a low, steadying breath before looking up at Sombra and smiling. “You know, for an evil king you’re very good at cheering me up.”

“Only you, my dear,” Sombra responded with a doting smile. “Only you.”

“Mm, and Scootaloo now,” Fluttershy corrected gently as she nuzzled under Sombra’s chin. “She’s our daughter, so cheering her up comes with the territory.”

“Technically, she’s only yours, at least on paper, my dear. After all, we're… hmm,” Sombra trailed off, drawing a curious look from Fluttershy.

“My King?”

Sombra didn’t answer, there was a flurry was questions and answers firing in his mind as he looked down at Scootaloo. A daughter. His daughter. He had never had children nor had he ever considered it. He had been immortal, after all, so an heir would have been superfluous at best. At worst, a liability. Now, though, his future was uncertain. His mortality was deeply in question. As far as his research led him to believe; so long as he maintained a steady flow of magic his body would sustain itself indefinitely. That was a rather large caveat to his existence though. If he was deprived of magic or struck down and forced to expend too much to quickly then… Perhaps an heir was in order. Moreover, there was another, significantly more important factor to consider.

“Your Majesty? Are you okay?” Fluttershy lifted a hoof to Sombra’s cheek.

Sombra closed his eyes and let her touch fill his senses. It was soft, gentle, and reassuring. Her scent filled his nostrils and brought a calm to his heart that was only present when she was by his side.  All this time they had been together, in refuge from the Crown of Equestria, hiding away so that they could be together. Perhaps… it was time to confront that last part of his withered heart.

“Sombra?” Fluttershy stepped a few inches closer, her eyes filling with concern. She rarely called him by his name unless she was worried. Or upset.

“Begging your pardon, my dear,” Sombra responded in a quiet voice. “I need some time to… reflect on a few things, I’ll be downstairs in the relic cache if you need me.”

“O-oh, okay,” Fluttershy felt a pang of worry run through her heart. Worry and a touch of sadness. She had hoped that… oh well, these things take time, she knew. “I’ll be here for you, your Majesty.” It was a gentle, but insistent promise.

Sombra nodded before turning and setting off towards the audience chamber. His hooves carried him swiftly through the cold halls of the east wing. He made a mental note to install some sconces capable of holding some basic heating and lighting enchantments. 

The secret staircase that lead deep beneath the swiftly rising manse was hidden near the back of the throne room and sealed away with a variety of spells powered by the manse itself. Nopony but Sombra or those he deemed worthy would be even be capable of finding the valuable horde. The masking spells had kept the stash secret for a thousand years, King Sombra reckoned that now that the spells were finished recharging they would serve to protect it for another millennia.

Moving around behind the throne Sombra tapped at the stone, sending a surge of magic through the arcane matrices carved into the heavy, quarried gray rock of the floor. Within moments the stones had rearranged themselves into a staircase leading down to the metal seal which in turn melted into the spiral staircase leading into the cache. Stepping carefully down the narrow walkway, Sombra let the entrance seal itself away above him. Passing by the wealth of a small nation without sparing it a glance, Sombra felt around with his magic, seeking out what he knew was down here amongst the relics he had recovered from the Everfree Cache. It would have a very distinctive- ah-ha!

With great care, Sombra retrieved a crate from one of the shadowed corners and drew out from its depths a small wooden box carved with intricate fractal designs. Touch his horn to the lid, he felt a crackle of power displace itself as the wards released at the familiar twinge of their maker’s magic. With a slight hiss, the lid opened and revealed… gems. Small, smooth, spherical gems that glowed with an inner light.

There were ten places for ten identically shaped gems. Only four of the spaces were filled, something that would have frustrated Sombra back when he was at his height of power but now it sent a pang of regret through his heart. He had not really had friends in the bad old days, but he had had comrades, of a sort. Still, the one he was looking for was still here, a deep and beautiful green, the same color as the coat of the mare who had owned it.

“My loyal servants,” Sombra said softly. The light in the gems flickered at his voice, almost as if it were responding. He was not looking forward to this, but a King faced the rightful consequences of his actions no matter what. Had he not told Fluttershy exactly that?

Taking a deep, steadying breath, Sombra wrapped the gleaming green gem in a cushion of magic and lifted it from its velvet setting, snapping the lid of the box shut as he did so and returning it to its rest in the crate. Moving into the burnt out ritual room which he and Fluttershy had first appeared in after their flight from the Everfree, Sombra channeled a small amount of power into the gemstone.

“Servant eternal, your King commands you thusly… awaken, for even death dost not lift the yoke of duty.” Sombra intoned the powerful, driving summons, and immediately felt the response.

The gem practically leapt from his magical grasp and stopped to float in midair less than a meter from him. A mist the color of ocean spray drifted down from the gem, first in a trickle, them a stream, then a thick torrent. The mist took the shape of a Crystal Earth pony, first it was a crude approximation but as the moments passed the mist began to resolve into a coherent form around the gem. A beautiful young mare in her prime, eyes closed and looking for all intents and purposes fully alive, stood in front of Sombra. Her coat glimmered like emerald gemstone, casting fractal patterns of light around the room while her tail and mane was the riotous blue of the ocean. Only the touch of mist occasionally drifting from her body and the faint hint of translucence at the edges of her form hinted at her ethereal quality. Finally, after five, excruciatingly long minutes (by Sombra’s perspective) the spell completed itself and the mare’s eyes snapped open. Her left eye gleamed with the green gravelight of the gem, the other was a livid and familiar blue that fixed Sombra with a glare.

Sombra felt a clench in his chest like a vice grip. It was an alien sensation that he had not felt in so, so many years; apprehension. He was afraid and… ashamed. It must have showed on his face because the green mare quirked an eyebrow up in confusion. She recovered quickly, though, schooling her features into a hard, implacable gaze and lifting her left foreleg to strike it across her chest in salute.

“War Marshal Beryl Esmaralda reporting for command, your Majesty.”


~ o ~


Fluttershy gently lowered Scootaloo’s tiny, slumbering form onto the large bed in Sombra’s room. Technically it was just Sombra’s room and Fluttershy had her own just across the hall, but truthfully she knew that she could count the number of nights which she had actually spent in her own room without even using all of her hooves. Almost every day ended with her cuddled up with her King, nuzzled into his warm, barrel chest. The thought still made Fluttershy blush despite their sleeping arrangements having been a regular thing practically since their rooms were finished.

In fact, Fluttershy mused as she pulled the duvet over Scootaloo, she could probably just repurpose her own room into Scootaloo’s and then just make Scootaloo’s ‘under construction’ room a guest room. Or maybe for a second foal if she and the King ever… Fluttershy’s face flushed crimson as the thought quickly latched onto her brain and ejected whatever else she was thinking. She couldn’t help but wonder what their foal would look like. Would they be more like her, or like her King? Fluttershy couldn’t help but giggle joyfully at the thought as she quietly stepped out of the room to let her new daughter sleep. Sombra was rough but he had excellent paternal instincts, he would be a good father to Scootaloo and any other foals they had.

The thought plastered a semi-permanent grin on Fluttershy’s face as she reflexively donned her ‘Cloudy Skies’ form before stepping out of the door to the study and into the biting cold of the Stalliongradi winter. On instinct, Fluttershy spread out her senses, lifting her wings just slightly to catch more air along the surface area of her feathers. She could almost taste the bitter cold around her, but it carried other things on it as well: the piney stirring of the evergreen trees, the faint musty grit of factory ash from the nearby city, the coppery tang of blood.

Blood?

It was the only hint Fluttershy had that something was very wrong before the attack came. She felt the thin tine of metal splitting the air towards her side and, more out of reflex than anything, she dropped to the ground letting the long, wicked needle fly over her to stick fast into the stone wall a meter from where she fell prone. Casting her wings out, Flutershy rocketed from where she was crouching up a dozen meters, high above the half-built estate, just as several more needles buried themselves in the snow where she had been an instant ago. Now that she had a birds eye view Fluttershy spotted several lumpen shapes in the snow and places where the white blanket covering the land was stained red. The builders, only a few though, the others must have made it safely to cover somewhere, or fled the grounds. Fluttershy grit her teeth and felt a fire ignite in her chest that was becoming more and more familiar. Rage and fury nearly blinded her to the next attack, but her wind-sense picked up the disturbance just in time to trigger her reflexive response; Fluttershy jerked to the side as she felt the air split again and hissed in pain as the needle cut a burning line along her barrel.

The hovering gray Pegasus narrowed her eyes, purposefully flapping hard to stir the winds. Scanning the ground and the border of the forest she waited. More and more Fluttershy found herself thanking providence that Sombra had insisted she study advanced Pegasus magic in depth to better counterbalance her condition, as well as join him for at least a few of his morning training regimens. 'A healthy body and a healthy mind go hoof-in-hoof', according to him and Fluttershy found herself in agreement. She was leaner, faster, and more agile, mentally and physically, than she had ever been.

Whoever had trespassed her home was expecting a soft, demure target. They would live to regret that assumption. The attackers wouldn’t stay still forever, they would eventually grow confident enough to attack again and then- There! A flicker of gray-black motion on the edge of the treeline was all that gave the attacker, or attackers, away but it was enough. Fluttershy dove down, hearing the whistle of needles rip through the air she had just vacated.

Fluttershy hit the ground like a pony-shaped missile, sending out an explosion of snow from where she impacted. A griffon, her feathers a mottled light gray and black that camouflaged well in the snowy landscape, leapt away with a panicked squawk of alarm. The griffon hen flicked her wing strangely as she retreated, and Fluttershy felt the now-familiar sensation of a needle splitting the air towards her. Pivoting on her front hooves Fluttershy spun about, avoiding the attack and bringing her face to face with her attacker, letting the needle bury itself in the snow.

Snow descended in calm flurries from the sky to settle into the tree branches and drift slowly down to the wings of the combatants as they squared off against each other. There was no sound but the rustle of wind. Even the small beasts of the surrounding forest, long accustomed to the constant sound of construction, had fled at the scent of blood. The Griffon assassin fixed her hawkish eyes on the mare that the criminal element of Stalliongrad knew as Cloudy Skies. The timid, unassuming gray mare that had cajoled and bribed her way around Stalliongrad for the past few months was supposed to have been an easy target; a gilded little bird removed from society and throwing around too many bits for the famiglias to be comfortable with that was supposed to die without a fuss. She had trodden on too many fetlocks and gotten far too many supposedly tight lipped functionaries to talk and none of them could rightly say why.

“Why?” the mare hissed, her eyes narrowed and angry. “Why did you attack my home?”

Nyada wasn’t the type answer questions. Ever. Certainly not about clients, and she met the mare’s eyes to tell her how she could go sit on some pinheads horn and spin. She tried, anyway. Ice sluiced through Nyada’s gut and her heart hitched in her chest the moment she met the gaze of Cloudy Skies. Nyada's skull filled with the sounds of screaming and for a moment all she could see were two sapphire blue eyes burning with baleful green fire.

“Answer. Me.”

Fear, no, terror, like this was alien to the assassin, and as Nyada's throat unglued itself it took a monumental effort of will not to simply spill every single answer the mare asked her for. Her brain was screaming at her to do anything, anything to make this mare go away. To make her stop staring.

With a shriek of defiance, Nyada made a maddened lunge at her target. Startled at the sudden failure of her Stare, Fluttershy backpedaled while sending a hurricane force surge of wind at the Griffon hen. With her wings splayed out in intimidation, Nyada had no chance; the powerful gust caught her perfectly, picking the assassin up and bodily slamming her into the massive evergreen behind her before dropping her limply to the ground. Fluttershy winced at the cracking sound of the twin impacts.

“M-miss?” Fluttershy said timidly as the snow knocked from the branches settled. “Miss? A-are you…” the words died in her mouth as she saw the bloody smear on the tree.

With an alarmed squeak, Fluttershy sprinted over to the prone Griffon, her wings hung at unnatural angles, and she heaved with every laborious breath. Blood leaked freely from Nyada’s beak as she feebly tried to get away from the gray mare approaching her. It was no use though, her back was broken, her wings shattered, and her abused lungs could barely suck in air. Doing her utmost not to meet the Griffon’s eyes, Fluttershy knelt and gently brushed away the snow from her erstwhile attackers body before pulling her close, trying to share some warmth.

“I-I’m sorry,” Fluttershy sobbed, “I didn’t mean to hurt you like that, I swear, you just… usually my Stare works but…”

The Griffon hacked blood onto the snow, patters of it staining Fluttershy disguised coat. After a moment of ragged breathing, she spoke, too weak to resist the mare's siren call any longer. “The… the nightmares…” Fluttershy leaned, perking her ears to catch the whispered voice. “They said… nightmares… came from… here. Hired me to… kill the owner… stop the… nightmares."

Fluttershy scowled. “Sombra… what have you done?”

Even more gently than she carried her own foal, Fluttershy lifted the Griffon on a cushion of air then onto her back. Ignoring the blood, Fluttershy did her best to swiftly but carefully move the assassin out of the forest and towards the manor. She had only barely made it past the thickest part of the forest and out onto the manse grounds when she was met by Steelhorn and a small number of his crew; the towering minotaur brandished a brutal, two-headed axe.

“Ma’am,” Steelhorn drawled, in a calm, deadly voice. “Ah’m gonna hafta ask ya ta hand that chickenhawk over to mah crew if ya please.”

Squaring her hooves, Fluttershy lifted her head to scowl at her workers. Steelhorn was flanked by heavy draught Earth Ponies on either side of him, and a Caribou just behind them.

“Not a chance,” she responded icily.

Steelhorn sighed, leveling the smile of his axe at Fluttershy and her wounded passenger. “Miss Skies, ah’d rather not do this, but that there chickenhawk hurt a number of mah crew fairly bad.”

“Deaths?” Fluttershy braced herself for the answer, but Steelhorn shook his head, and she let out a sigh of relief. “Then I’ll pay all of their medical bills personally, but I will not let you hurt a helpless Griffon. End of discussion.”

The workers moved to surround Fluttershy and the Caribou’s horns lit up, preparing for a spell. Steelhorn didn’t budge. “Ah’m afraid that ain’t your call, Miss Skies. So you’re gonna give us that chickenhawk one way… or the other. An’ ah happen ta like workin’ for ya Miss Skies, so ah’d deeply appreciate it if it’weren’t the other way.”

“You’ll have to kill me to get her,” Fluttershy answered gravely. The steel in her voice set the four workers back a step. There was no hint of fear or hesitation in her voice. Just an cold and utterly certain conviction. “But you will fail.”

The silence stretched for what felt like hours but, eventually, Steelhorn stepped aside. “Fine, ah suppose ah ain’t got your conviction, Miss Skies. But believe you me, me an’ mine’ll want a proper explanation as to why we’re lettin’ some lowlife hired killer walk past us and why you’re willin’ to die for her, ya’hear?”

“You will,” Fluttershy answered. “But you won’t get her life either way, not unless she attacks you. I will never permit I’ve promised to help to be given death without mercy like that. Not ever again. Is that perfectly clear?”

Steelhorn glanced to either side of him; his workers didn’t look happy but they didn’t look like they were in the mood to argue the matter either. “Ayep, crystal clear, ma’am.”

With that settled, Fluttershy trotted carefully back into the east wing of the house and down to her mostly unused room. The moment she was out of sight Steelhorn and his three workers let out a breath of relief. Steelhorns axe nearly fell from his hand, burying one of its heads in deep into the stone. Both of the draught ponies looked like they’d just had ten years shaved off of their lives, and the Caribou looked fit to pass out.

“Boss,” one of the draught ponies said after a moment of heavy breathing, “if it’s all the same to you, I’m fine not ever bringing that subject up with Miss Skies ever again.”

Steel dropped onto his rump and chuckled blithely. “Y’know, Axel, ah reckon ah’m perfectly alright with that. The moment she cottoned to our intentions it felt like my heart was fixin’ to tear itself right outta mah throat.”

“My horns are still tingling,” the Caribou muttered. “I don’t know what kind of magic she was using but it was… dark. Very dark. I’m with Axel on this one, Boss. I’d rather shear my horns off and spit in Princess Luna’s face than piss that mare off again.”

“Ah hear ya, Anu,” Steelhorn replied before turning to the other draught pony. “This here decision a unanimous one, Checker?”

“Pretty ah pissed myself somewhere in that conversation, suh,” Checkers said as he got shakily to his hooves. “So yah, ah’ll toss my vote into the ‘keep Miss Skies happy’ pot and keep it there, thank ya.”

“Right, then we’ve got an accord,” Steelhorn said, taking a deep breath as he got to his hooves, wobbled a bit, then found his footing. “Ah’ll let the rest’a the crew know about Miss Skies’ generous offer of treatment.”

“And her promise of righteous, unflinching retribution on anyone who threatens her guest?” Axel asked with a wry smile.

Steelhorn chuckled. “Ayep, reckon ah’ll cover that’n too.”
> Apologies
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Chapter 24


“Beryl.” Sombra said the name so quietly that it was easy to imagine that he had not intended to say it aloud at all.

“Yes, your Majesty?” Beryl replied, her odd eyes examining the King carefully. “How may I serve?”

Sombra shook his head, clearing away the tattered remains of his thoughts. 

“I have not called you up for your service, Beryl, I simply…” his words trailed off and for a moment he lost himself in memory as he reached out to touch his War Marshal’s shoulder. 

His hoof passed through her, as he knew it would, and Sombra felt the pain of his displacement in time more clearly than he had in all the time he had been awake. Just for a second, he had wanted to believe he could touch her again. The greatest ally and fiercest opponent to ever stand by his side as he cast his endless shadow over the continent. He had not known it then but Beryl had been far more than his General. She had been his conscience.

Beryl glanced down at Sombra’s errant hoof in confusion. Letting out a weary sigh, Beryl spoke again, this time with far less respect. 

“Did whatever brought you back addle your brains, my Lord? Or are we going to continue your bloodbath? I didn’t consign myself to that wretched glowing rock to be poked and prodded.”

Her tone startled Sombra out of his musing and drew out a low chuckle, Beryl’s eyes widened in shock at the sound. “No, I suppose you did not. Though I am curious, why did you allow me to bind your essence to that soulstone? I would have thought you’d have been pleased to finally be rid of my ‘loathsome presence’, even it was simply in death.”

Pushing away her surprise for the moment, Beryl scowled. “Obviously, your Majesty, I let you bind me to ensure that you would always have me by your side to shout down your latest atrocity masquerading as a tactic. A world exposed to your unshackled ego and utter disregard for life hardly bears thinking about and I couldn’t rightly trust some other schmuck to rein you in, could I?” 

Beryl emphasized each point by jabbing her incorporeal hoof into Sombra’s armored chest. 

“I see,” Sombra regarded his Marshal pensively for a long moment. Long enough that Beryl drew back under the scrutiny.

“Something’s changed,” Beryl said. “You’ve changed.”

“I have,” Sombra agreed, “and in more ways than one, and in my opinion, the changes have largely been positive, although they have come with a hoofful of irritating caveats to my existence.”

Beryl advanced on her king, her mismatched eyes narrowed as she looked him up and down. She circled him several times as if searching for something, her ghostly hooves making no sound in the silent undercroft of the mansion. Finally, Beryl stopped in front of him, a strange look of disbelief painting her features.

“Who… are you?” Beryl asked quietly. “You look like him, like the Tyrant, but you stand differently, and you speak with a weight that I’d almost call… regret.”

“I am Erebos Sombra,” Sombra answered curtly. “I am- was- the Crystal Tyrant, the Slaver King of the North, and Emperor of the Crystal Dominion. I prosecuted two wars of brutal annexation, oversaw the mass enslavement of thousands, and was responsible for the misery of tens of thousands more.”

“And?” Beryl prodded again, and this time her tone was more curious than acidic.

“And…” For once, King Sombra felt his throat close around his words. He knew what he wanted to say, but to say it was antithetical to his existence.

A King did not make apologies for his actions. A king did not regret what was necessary.

But therein lay the question. Were his atrocities necessary? For certain, Sombra still believed wholly that the line of Cadenza needed to be demolished. Whatever nobility it might have once had had long since decayed by the time he had been born under their troubled rule. The House of Cadenza was synonymous with nepotism, disregard, decadence, and cowardice such that even the citizenry of the Empire were happy to install an autocrat like Sombra over the once-noble Cadenza.

Sombra imagined they regretted that decision eventually, of course.

But were his actions necessary?

No. Not all of them. Perhaps not even most of them.

Sombra’s had allowed his heart to be encased in cold crystal and to darken with both the pollutants of the Wendigo’s magic, his own awful temper, and his rage at seeing the only ponies he had ever considered to be friends butchered in front of him.

King Sombra closed his eyes and exhaled, then raised his head to meet his War Marshal’s gravelight gaze.

“And I am sorry,” Sombra said. “For what I did to you… and to the Empire… and for the monster that I became, I am sorry.”

Beryl’s jaw dropped and her eyes widened.

“An apology for my atrocities is poor compensation,” Sombra continued. “I saved our Empire, and then turned it into an abattoir, created an artifact of light and then used it to blacken the whole of the north.”

“Why are you saying this?” Beryl hissed. “Why now? When it has long since ceased to matter!”

Sombra shrugged, a curiously unkingly gesture. “To prove to myself that I am able to grow, perhaps, and perhaps that is a selfish and unworthy reason for an apology, but it is all that I can give.”

“Do you think an apology can make up for your sins?” Beryl snarled. “Can they wash the blood of a dozen petty kingdoms off of my hooves? Can they rebuild the villages you ordered me to have razed?! CAN THEY RESURRECT THE ARMIES I KILLED?!”

Sombra endured Beryl’s tirade with the stoicism of a mountain. 

“WHY NOW?!” Beryl bellowed, and if she had been corporeal Sombra truly believed she would have attacked him. Instead, she paced like a caged manticore, impotent and enraged. “Why not somewhere in your centuries of bloody rule? If you were going to grow a soul why couldn’t you do it before you dragged us through Tartarus?!”

“I have no answer that will satisfy you, Beryl,” Sombra replied. “I cannot undo my acts as King, but I can try to make it right.”

“Then go out into the snow and die!” Beryl hissed.

Sombra lowered his head.

Death was what he deserved. This much was true. He had done more terrible things in his long and unwholesome existence than most could manage in twice that amount of time.

“If there was justice in this world,” Sombra started quietly, straightening his posture as if he were lifting a great weight, “then I would have been consigned to the shadows of madness and that madness would have ended in a painful, ignoble death.” 

Sombra took a step forward, reaching out until his armored hoof hovered a hair-span from Beryl’s ghostly form.

“Were it within my power to grant you the peace of my death, I would.” Sombra lowered his hoof from Beryl’s face as ephemeral tears, of rage or sadness Sombra was unsure, tracked down her cheeks. “My life does not belong to me anymore, however… it belongs to a mare who dared to make a better stallion of a cruel king.”

“So the Tyrant has fallen in love,” Beryl said bitterly. “Horseshit.”

“I do not deserve her kindness,” Sombra agreed. “I do not deserve this chance I now have.” His jaw clenched as he spoke the last word, and his next words came out hard-bitten. “But I did not deserve to watch my family starve to death in the cold of winter because our noble rulers could not deign to open their larders. I did not deserve to watch my friends butcher one another in fits of madness drawn from a curse levied onto our selfish Empress! This world, War Marshal, does not give one copper bit about what we deserve!”

“And that excuses you?” Beryl asked. The vitriol was gone from her voice and replaced by a strange kind of weariness.

“Nothing excuses me,” Sombra replied. “But I have the opportunity, now, to make her happy. I have the chance to do as a king ought to, and… perhaps this time I will do so correctly.”

“She truly has hold of you, doesn’t she?” Beryl stated more than asked, and Sombra nodded.

“Aye, War Marshal.”

“Does she know she holds a heart blackened by the sin of ages?” Beryl cocked her head, and there was almost a hint of a smile at her lips.

“Aye,” Sombra repeated. “She knows.”

“And still she accepts it?” Beryl chuckled and shook her head, sending her seastorm mane tumbling. “Then she is a better, and far more foolish, mare than I.”

“I owe her my life,” Sombra gestured to himself. “I owe her more than that, in fact… and even if I cannot repay the thousands I harmed, I can and I will repay her.”

“Then my final question, O’ King,” Beryl’s words twisted around the last word, and Sombra found himself smiling at her familiar sarcastic tone. “Why raise me up? Why not leave me to sleep the endless sleep of the damned in this,” she gestured to her gravelight eye, “this thing?”

Sombra stared into the eye of his Marshal. Beryl had been his most loyal enforcer, even if she had also been his harshest critic. She always followed his orders, no slave-collar required, but she did so in her own manner. She had always tried her best to operate within his rule and to soften the blow of his iron hoof, and she had failed more often than not.

Yet, she had always done as he demanded.

For better or worse.

“I want to release you,” Sombra said finally. “To life, or unto death if that is what you wish.”

Beryl stared at him, unblinking, for a long moment. It wasn’t quite disbelief, but it was close, like she was waiting for the other bit to drop. When he did not continue, she let out a quiet sigh, and chuckled.

“You know,” she said, “I thought that, given the chance, I would want to have a chance at life outside of your rule, but now that it comes to it I’m not sure I can do that knowing all of the things I did in your name…”

Beryl looked over Sombra’s shoulder to the other three gems set into the velvet brace of the box, and for a moment her face took on an infinitely tired cast.

“Let us go, Sombra,” Beryl said. “Let us rest, and not in this false, dreamless nonexistence… just let us move on. We only ever persisted to try and blunt your endless cruelty.” She looked around for a moment before settling her gaze on Sombra again. “I’m not sure if this is just some kind of selfish madness on my part, but if I’m being truly honest, I think you may have actually changed.”

“Not by choice, I assure you,” Sombra replied wanly, and Beryl laughed.

Not a forced, harsh laugh. It wasn’t her mocking, sarcastic cackle, or a bitter guffaw. It was a laugh that Sombra had never heard pass her lips in all the span of her service to him. It was a real, true peal of laughter.

“I will miss your counsel, War Marshal Beryl,” Sombra said.

“I will not miss counseling you, your Majesty,” Beryl replied.

Sombra chuckled and nodded.

“That is fair.” Sombra raised his hoof up and schooled his face to an expression of regal authority. “War Marshal Beryl Esmaralda, in light of your years of dutiful service, flawless record, and many honors, I, King Erebos Sombra, do discharge you from active service with full honors.”

Beryl’s form flickered with Sombra’s words, and her false eye gave a weak, gentle pulse like an ebbing candle-flame.

“Rest easy, soldier, thy duty is done,” Sombra intoned as he lowered his hoof. “May the Summerlands greet thee at thy journey’s end.”

With a long, echoing sigh of relief, Beryl raised a hoof over her chest barding, offering Sombra one last salute in the old manner of things, and for the first time, she did it without a scowl.

And then she was gone.

Three more to go.







It was hours later before the secret stairs behind the throne descended again, and King Sombra emerged from the cache with a weary, dragging stride. His armor and crown weighed more heavily than they had ever done before, and he made it all the way to the edge of the throne before sagging.

“Heavy is the head that wears the crown,” Sombra muttered as he sat on the steps that led down from the throne.

Raising his hooves to his brow, he lifted the crown and let his long, dark mane spill around his face. Strange that it did not seem nearly so heavy when it wasn’t resting on top of his head. Here in his hooves, the crown was almost light. 

Sombra had never considered himself a superstitious creature. Magic notwithstanding, baseless superstition only ever served to hamper one’s ability to rule, in his opinion. A king could not put stock in the entrails of chicken to guide his decisions or allow the manner in which sun reflects off the moon to change his path in war.

But perhaps a crown can bear more weight than the metal and precious stones that make up its structure.

“The weight of the dead, perhaps,” Sombra mused.

“My King?”

Sombra jerked in surprise and the crown nearly tumbled from his hooves. A cushion of air caught it, and with the wind came the sweet, familiar scent of the young mare that had become so important to him.

“Mouse,” Sombra began as he plucked the crown from the cushion. “Why are you-?”

The words died on Sombra’s tongue as Fluttershy, who had apparently been resting on their shared throne, stood. Her side was stained pinkish red with blood stemming from a long, thin cut that had been left untended. Her movements were shaky but her gaze was unwavering as she limped off of the throne bringing herself level with Sombra.

“Is something the matter, my King?” Fluttershy asked.

“You… you are wounded.” The words came out with dull numbness. “That is a weapon’s mark, Mouse, what-” Sombra bared his teeth and his hackle rose along the back of his neck- “who has harmed you?!”

Fluttershy tipped her head in a pantomime of confusion.

“The assassin, of course,” she replied curtly, but before Sombra could reply to her statement she continued. “After all, you’ve apparently been inflicting nightmares on the ponies of Stalliongrad, and it was really only a matter of time before they reasoned out where the nightmares came from and tried to make them stop.”

Nightmares.

Sombra felt his mouth dry as he recalled the rude stallions who came to the door. He had Dreamed that night, and in the place between the walls of sleep he had found the pools of those stallion’s dreaming minds. He had drawn the mean, low predators of the Dream to them, and he knew where one found meat others would follow.

Wicked minds are fertile ground for nightmares.

And then he had left. He had ignored them, content that his petty vengeance had been served. They would not sleep well for a good, long time, perhaps not ever again if they were not wise enough to leave Stalliongrad. 

He had acted on impulse. On old impulses. His demesne had been impinged upon, his subjects threatened, and his sovereignty questioned, and in response, Sombra had done what he always did. He struck down the ones who had dared to make themselves a nuisance.

Who had inconvenienced him.

“The assassin is currently resting the guest room being tended to by a physician I called from the city,” Fluttershy said, ignoring Sombra’s flabbergasted expression. “And that is where she will stay, safe and sound, you-” Fluttershy jabbed a hoof into Sombra’s chest- “are going to make sure of it!”

“She attacked you!” Sombra snarled.

“She was hired to attack me because of you!” Fluttershy snapped. 

Fluttershy’s usual demure and soft tones were gone, replaced with fire and fury. Fluttershy advanced on Sombra, and had anyone had been in the audience chamber they would have treated to the sight of the dark king backpedaling away from a much smaller mare who was glaring daggers at him.

“What did I ask you to do when we came here?” Fluttershy spoke flatly. “Be! Kind!”

“They threatened us!” Sombra retorted.

“They’re bullies!” Fluttershy countered. “Of course they threatened us! They’re mean and scared! That doesn’t mean you get to afflict them with horrible nightmares for weeks on end!”

“I-!” Sombra bit down on his lip. Clearly he had miscalculated somewhere. Admissions of wrong-doing did not come easily to him, however. “I admit that the… the nature of the punishment… may have been ill-conceived, Mouse.”

Fluttershy sighed quietly, and the tension fled from her limbs as she pressed her forehead against her king’s barrel chest, her soft fur matted against his armour, and Sombra let out a sigh of his own as he wrapped an arm around her.

“I know you’re not good at this, my King,” Fluttershy began. “But because of a decision you made, an assassin came for me. Not you, me.”

That notion sent a sluice of ice down Sombra’s spine. Never before had he been forced to contend with the possibility of collateral damage, or rather, he had never cared. His soldiers had not been collateral, they had been coin spent to buy land and territory. Civilian casualties had been necessary messages, burnt villages were the same.

His cruelty had brought no shortage of assassins, but their blades had always been aimed solely for his own neck. It was well-known that the Crystal Tyrant cared for his subjects only insofar as they were of value to him… only so long as they were productive, and no threat against them would move that cold, cruel king.

But now, he was in hiding. Cloudy Skies was the face that Stalliongrad knew. Fluttershy was the target now, not him, and he had…

“I had to hurt her,” Fluttershy started to shake as she spoke. “I hurt her very badly, my King. I broke her wings, and her back too, I think…”

“This is my fault.” Sombra lowered his head and buried his face in Fluttershy’s pink locks. “I… this was not my intent, Mouse… I…”

“I know,” Fluttershy nuzzled against Sombra’s cheek. “I know you’re trying, and I knew you wouldn’t do it right the very first time… it’s just…”

“I forced you to do harm,” Sombra said. “No less than if still had you slaved to my geas.”

No, my King, I chose to do harm,” Fluttershy corrected quietly. “But you did make me have to choose, and I would have very much preferred not to have been forced to make that choice.”

“Now what?” Sombra asked as he pulled back.

“Well, what do you think should happen next?” Fluttershy asked pointedly.

She stared at him. Not Stared. Just stared, with those deep blue eyes of hers, eyes that were so much like Beryl’s but lacking the War Marshal’s deep cynicism and acid personality. Fluttershy’s gaze wasn’t accusatory, nor was it angry, it was just… patient.

“I… I recognise my mistake,” Sombra said. “And I will correct it… I am sorry, Mouse.”

Her features softened to a smile, then she tilted her head up and pressed her lips to his in a gentle peck. 

“I forgive you, my King,” Fluttershy relaxed against him and shivered. “I should, uhm, probably have the doctor look at my side now, I think.”

Sombra let out a huff of annoyance as he wrapped her in a telekinetic sheathe and gingerly lifted her onto his back, Fluttershy squeaked slightly as she came to rest on his broad shoulders, then relaxed against him as she found a comfortable balance while he walked.

“Why did you not seek healing immediately, Mouse?” Sombra grumbled.

Fluttershy mumbled something incoherent against Sombra’s fur as they made their way down the hall. Sombra was patient, casting a glance over his shoulder every now and noting Fluttershy’s slightly red cheeks as he carried her, following her silent, nudging directions to the room where the doctor was looking over the would-be assassin.

“Well?” Sombra asked again as they paused outside the door, and Fluttershy extended her wings to lighten her descent from Sombra’s back.

Once she was on all fours again, Fluttershy paused at the door, scuffed a hoof awkwardly against the floor, then sighed.

“I… I wanted to make a point, my King,” Fluttershy said, pointedly avoiding his eyes. “I thought that maybe if you saw my wound, with no bandages or treatment, it might make my point a little better.”

Sombra raised one eyebrow slowly as she explained, and Fluttershy’s cheeks turned a shade redder.

“You left a wound inflicted by an assassin’s blade untreated,” Sombra said slowly, “for dramatic effect?”

“Oh hush,” Fluttershy swiped a hoof over Sombra’s lips. “I learned it from you.”

“And what if it had been poisoned?” Sombra asked as Fluttershy nudged the door open.

Fluttershy laughed; a quiet, gentle giggle that lightened the air around her as she gave Sombra a disbelieving look.

“My King, I lived on the edge of the Everfree Forest for most of my life,” Fluttershy said. “I would know if I’d been poisoned.”

As she was turning away from him, Fluttershy’s butter-yellow coat rippled and shifted to the gray of Cloudy Skies just before she vanished into the small room, leaving a bemused Sombra behind her. The little Mouse had changed greatly since they had come to Stalliongrad. It was a cold land, not as cold as the Empire, but still… cold. Places like this tended to harden the very soft, and break the very brittle. It was good, then, that the Mouse was proving to be made of sterner stuff than the pig-iron these criminals were seemingly crafted from.

He’d felt it the day they met in her garden. Before she had saved him, and before he had realised how much he had changed, Sombra had felt what lay beneath that soft exterior when he’d pitted his will against hers.

Steel of the finest quality.

Sombra donned his illusory facade of Coal Axiom and followed Fluttershy into the side room. A young unicorn mare in a faded habit was quietly admonishing Fluttershy as she applied a salve to the shallow wound.

“By Celestia’s Grace, you’re fortunate this was not deeper, Miss Skies,” said the nurse as she pulled the bandages snug. “Even if it was not envenomed, it might have become infected.”

“I had business to attend to,” Fluttershy replied gently. Her tone was one of warm formality and polite respect in her guise as Cloudy Skies, and sounded far more confident than her natural timbre. “Besides, the hen was in far worse shape than I, she needed your attention more.”

“We can agree on that, at least,” the nurse said before turning to Sombra. “And you are?”

“Coal Axiom, majordomo to Lady Skies,” Sombra replied smoothly. “And you?”

The nurse eyed him up and down critically, then glanced at Fluttershy who nodded. Only then did she relax and give Sombra a weary little smile.

“Gentle Repose,” the nurse replied finally. “A sister of the Convent of Her Morning Light.”

“Ah, a Celestian,” Sombra did his best to keep the strain from his voice as he looked past her and met Fluttershy’s gaze evenly before turning back at the nun. “I trust you possess formal training?”

“Yes, Ser Axiom,” Repose said with a nod. “If this were any other city I might work in a hospital but, as it is Stalliongrad, the only place I can help those who need me most is from the halls of the Convent.”

“So you are not a mare of faith?” Sombra asked.

“Of course I am!” Repose replied sharply. “I was raised in Celestia’s light, one does not need to be atheist to be a doctor, Ser Axiom.”

“Coal.” Fluttershy spoke the name of his guise and nothing more, but beneath that single syllable was an entire admonition.

Despite being on the receiving end of it, to hear Fluttershy rebuke her servants so gracefully actually filled him with pride. Regardless, Sombra bowed his head in studied apology to Gentle Repose.

“I meant no offense, Sister,” Sombra said.

Gentle Repose gave the dark stallion a narrow-eyed look, but finally nodded and turned back to Fluttershy who had moved to the sleeping hen’s side.

“You keep your servants on a short leash, Miss Skies,” Repose said with a small smile as she joined Fluttershy.

“I do what I must,” Fluttershy replied diplomatically. “Will the assassin live?”

Repose nodded. “She will, though it will be some time before she walks again, and even longer before she flies.”

“Then you will care for her until she is able to do both,” Fluttershy said in a tone that brooked no argument and drew a frown from Gentle Repose.

“With respect, Miss Skies-” She began, but Fluttershy shook her head.

“I will put you on retainer,” Fluttershy spoke over Repose with a kind of quiet grace that made it difficult to speak back. “I’ll pay out a donation of five hundred gold bits to the Convent per month for you to remain and treat the hen.”

Repose’s eyes widened. A sister of a Celestian convent she might be, but five hundred gold bits would go a very long way towards helping the needy around Stalliongrad, and five hundred per month even more so.

“Why?” Repose asked before she could stop herself. “This hen tried to kill you. I won’t heal her just so you can torture information out of her if that’s what-”

“I would never!” 

Fluttershy’s voice struck a deadly hiss, like a razor being drawn across oiled leather, and Repose froze in place as Fluttershy’s eyes fixed coldly on her for a long moment before softening. 

“My apologies, Sister,” Fluttershy said quietly. “To be clear, I only want you to heal her, nothing more. Just make her well again… please.”

“Why?” Repose asked again. “I don’t understand.”

Fluttershy laughed a little bitterly, a sound that put a splinter of pain in Sombra’s heart. He had brought Fluttershy here to hide from Celestia’s light because Stalliongrad was the only place dark enough; it was a city where even the nuns were cynical.

“Why? Because it’s the right thing to do, Sister Repose… I’m not sure how else to explain to you that all I expect you to do is be kind.” Fluttershy put a hoof on her shoulder briefly, then sighed. “If you won’t stay, I won’t force you, but I would ask that recommend someone, pony or otherwise, who might be willing.”

Gentle Repose stared at Fluttershy for a long, disbelieving moment before relaxing back and looking down at the hoof on her shoulder. Sombra could feel the conflict in her, the roil of emotion and distrust that was warring with the very Equestrian desire to trust that this gray pegasus mare in front of her was being genuine.

Fluttershy, for all of her timidity, possessed a natural charisma. Whether it was her aura of kindness or something more nebulous, Fluttershy made ponies want to believe in her.

“I’ll stay,” Repose said finally. “If you’re telling the truth, then I will stay.”

Fluttershy’s smile was radiant.

“Thank you, Sister.” Fluttershy drew her into a quick but warm hug, then pulled back and turned to Sombra. “Mister Coal, please draw up the necessary paperwork and dispense the funds.”

“As you say, Lady Skies.”

Sombra’s reply came with only the slightest quirk of the lip as he bobbed his head in a quick bow, and Fluttershy gave him a smile as warm as she dared without betraying herself.

As Sombra left, Fluttershy spoke up again.

“Since you’re going to be staying, I’d like you to do a checkup on my daughter…”

Sombra chuckled as he dissolved into shadow and moved through the rooms of the mansion to the throneroom. It would be a relatively small expenditure, and it would not be unwise to have a medical professional on hand. That she was a Celestian nun was problematic, but in a city like Stalliongrad that might be the best case scenario.

Hopefully, he would be able to keep things manageable. The famiglias would not know one way or the other if the assassin succeeded, but if he lifted the nightmares they might assume the act was at least enough to accomplish their goals.

Tonight he would banish the creatures back to the deep places of the Dream once more. No more unearthly nightmares for now. Still, he would have to speak to the Mouse about a reckoning of some kind. They had been attacked in their home, and that had to be answered, and besides…

The Mouse had no love of the famiglias, and at that thought Sombra tapped his lip as he shed his disguise and came to rest on the throne.

Perhaps it was time to go on the offensive in a more concerted manner than just petty vengeance. It would have to be in a manner that the Mouse agreed with, one that resulted in a net gain of ‘good’, whatever that meant. He would leave that to Fluttershy to determine, she was far better at judging such things than he was.

With an effort of will, Sombra reached beneath him to the cache and summoned one of the smaller crates of material wealth to his side. Sifting through it, he counted out the amount for the month’s retainer, set it aside, and teleported it to the sealed coffer in his office. He would handle that in the morning.

As he did, something caught his eye.

A bracelet, subdued and beautiful, and crafted from soft, yellow gold, with a bloody red garnet set into the middle.

Carefully, Sombra drew the band out of the crate and turned it over and over, eyeing it critically for a long moment before nodding to himself and setting it aside. He would perform an engraving on it later and enchant it with a charm of durability, and then…

Yes, perhaps it was time.

Every King needs a Queen, after all.
> Cleaning House
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Chapter 25



~ One Month Later~


“Are you sure about this, your Majesty?” Fluttershy whispered.

She spoke out of the side of her mouth as she trotted down a side road through the industrial district of Stalliongrad. It was a musty, smog-choked section of the city that was among the oldest of its districts.

Both its age and its location near the heart of Stalliongrad was a part of its appeal for the criminal famiglias, but the main draw was the network of interconnecting tunnels that wove beneath the central industrial areas. Originally, they had been built by none other than King Sombra during the Second War of Shadows as an intricate set of interlinked supply depots, although they had long since been cleared out by the Sisters by the time the famiglias moved in.

Now they were being put to use as smuggling tunnels.

‘Perfectly sure, Mouse,’ the shadows around her whispered.

Fluttershy nodded and continued. She had mastered the ability to refract light around her some time ago and was using its more advanced form to close in on a warehouse that King Sombra’s shadow spies had narrowed down as the main base of operations for the Kamjen Famiglia, who had originally hired Nyada.

After the assassination attempt, Sombra had put Fluttershy through her paces more rigorously than ever. It went beyond her simply joining him for his morning routines and exercises. Now he was teaching her, along with Scootaloo, how to defend themselves.

Part of that training was mental. Sombra had drawn both mares into the Dream where he taught them the finer points of their pegasus-born magic. Time passed far more slowly in the Dream, as well, meaning he could pack days of training into a single evening.

The fact that both mother and daughter had proven to be even more apt pupils than he had anticipated helped too.

Scootaloo had little talent for the subtler points of holothurgy like Fluttershy did, but her skills as an aerothurge were prodigious. She might not be able to turn herself invisible, but she could manage basic disguises, and Sombra considered the ability to pulverise a boulder into gravel with a hammer of air to be a fair trade-off.

Furthermore, while they had been training, Sombra’s spies had been gathering information.

‘There are several guards, Mouse,’ Sombra whispered from the darkness. “Once we’re inside it will take time for me to manifest, find a spot out of the way so I can emerge, then I can end them and we can confront this bloated fool.’

“I would rather not turn this warehouse into a slaughterhouse, your Majesty,” Fluttershy replied quietly.

A quiet sigh issued from the darkness.

‘Do you have a better idea?’

“Well, uhm… we could ask them nicely?” Fluttershy offered.

Sombra mused on that notion from where he rested in a side-dimension of shadows. If it were anypony else who made that suggestion, it would have certainly been a joke. These were hardened criminals they were approaching, not some gaggle of misguided ne’er-do-wells waiting for a helping hoof to put them on the right path.

The only reason that Fluttershy was going in instead of himself was to ensure no one witnessed him. If any of the guards were compromised by the EID and escaped, that would be it. All of them had to die, or else none of them could witness him.

‘You’re aware that won’t work, yes?’ Sombra said after a long moment.

“You don’t know that,” Fluttershy countered quietly as they approached the door. “Can we at least try?”

‘They sent an assassin after you, Mouse, do you really think they’re open to dialogue?’ Sombra grumbled.

“They did try dialogue first,” Fluttershy said pointedly, and Sombra grimaced within the shadows. “I’d like to try it… please?”

Another sigh rippled out.

‘Very well.’

“Thank you, your Majesty,” Fluttershy said warmly.

With their plan settled, Sombra guided Fluttershy through the maze of alleys and backstreets. It was raining and like everything else in Stalliongrad the rain was cold and bitter. This was actually a benefit to the pair, however, since pegasus magic used water to reflect light, and the surfeit of rain ensured Fluttershy remained totally invisible. A unicorn would find maintaining their own version of the spell impossible in these conditions, with the rain constantly striking their invisible form and making their presence painfully obvious.

The warehouse near the northwest edge of the district was an old one, and from the outside it looked practically condemned. King Sombra’s arcane sight revealed somewhat more, however. The facade of crumbling brick was reinforced with layers of enchantment that would keep the building standing through an artillery fusillade. It also contained a powerful dimensional lock, preventing any teleportation in or out of the building except by those who knew the key that bypassed it.

Magically speaking, the place was a fortress, and that made the dark king smile. It had been a long time since he’d toppled a fortress.

“Where do I go in?” Fluttershy mumbled.

‘Around the left side there’s a door,’ Sombra replied. ‘My spies have seen ponies go in and out of it throughout the day and night.’

Fluttershy followed Sombra’s guidance. As she did, she glanced up and around, occasionally spotting her King’s little familiars. They had all the appearance of an average black crow, save for their beady red eyes and unnerving silence, and Fluttershy quite liked them. They were friendly enough if you didn’t bother them, and they seemed to like her as well.

‘There.’ Sombra whispered, a tendril of shadow spilling up from beneath her and nudging her to the side.

Turning her head, Fluttershy spotted the door. It was old and made from rusted metal, and the frame was set deep into the wall such that if she hadn’t been looking for it she probably never would have seen it.

She glanced around rapidly, twitching her feathers as she did to pick up any slight motions of the air, and once Fluttershy was certain she was alone she approached the door and gave the handle a little tug.

“It’s locked,” Fluttershy whispered.

‘Not for long.’

The shadows boiled up from underneath Fluttershy, flowing like oil into the lock. A moment later, Fluttershy heard a quiet click and rattle, and the door creaked open.

‘Ladies first.’

“How gallant,” Fluttershy flashed a warm smile at the tendrils of shadow that were surrounding her like the tentacles of a daemonic sea-beast before they silently retreated into her shadow. 

Pulling the door open, Fluttershy stepped inside. It was cool, but not cold, and the temperature was too regular and comfortable to be anything but the product of magic. She’d entered a small vestibule that contained something like a waiting room. Cheap carpets covered the stone floors, and a few decent chairs were pushed against the walls. There was a table near the largest assortment of chairs that had an ashtray filled with spent cigarette butts and a stained deck of cards.

A few meters down from the table was a heavy wooden door reinforced with solid steel bars and a thick padlock.

Another smaller door to the left of the table opened a moment later to the sound of a toilet flush as a lean, scarred stallion with a cutie mark depicting a tire iron and whose coat was the color of old asphalt stepped out and went back to the table. He was wearing a flat cap over his dirty brown mane which he adjusted as he plopped down on a seat and pulled out a cigarette.

Fluttershy cleared her throat with a quiet cough.

“Uhm, pardon me?” 

The stallion yelped and leapt to his hooves, scattering the cards and sending the chair sprawling as he snatched up a long, heavy bit of lead pipe in his mouth from near the wall which he brandished as he looked wildly around. 

“Oh, right.” Fluttershy shook herself daintily, shedding a layer of water from her coat and bleeding back into the visual spectrum in the grayscale guise of Cloudy Skies. “Good morning, my name is-”

“AAAAHHH!” The stallion let out a muffled blend between a shout of panic and a battle-cry past the pipe he gripped in his teeth as he charged Fluttershy down.

He got all of a meter before he was nailed to the floor by Fluttershy’s irritated frown as their eyes locked and panic filled his soul and emptied his bladder.

“Please don’t do that,” Fluttershy said firmly, and the stallion staggered drunkenly as a pair of eyes that alternated between warm brown, piercing blue, and burning, neon green sliced into him. “I just want to talk, alright?”

The pipe dropped from the stallion’s jaw with a clatter as he made several inarticulate squeaking noises.

“Oh my,” Fluttershy broke off her Stare as she frowned down at the damp spot beneath him, then sighed. “I really wish that didn’t happen all the time.” Looking back up at the stallion, she gave him a warmer smile. “If you’re willing to stay civil and be nice then I won’t have to do that again, okay?”

“Uh… uhm… y-yeah,” the stallion nodded numbly. “Sure that, uh… that sounds good.”

“Good.” Fluttershy’s smile turned beatific. “What’s your name?”

“Uhm, it’s uh… it’s Grit, m-ma’am.” Grit looked fit to expire on the spot as Fluttershy took a few steps closer, her smile never shifting.

“Well, it’s very nice to meet you, Grit,” Fluttershy said. “My name is Cloudy Skies, and I’d very much like to talk to Papa Kamjen about something, can you take me to him?”

“I… I don’t-” Grit stammered as he tried to back up.

Fluttershy frowned again and reached out to put a hoof on Grit’s shoulder.

“Grit, I really need to talk to him,” Fluttershy said. “It’s important and I am sorry, but you’re going to take me to see him, and I really would rather force you to do it if I can help it.”

Grit stared at the strange mare who called herself Cloudy Skies for a long, agonizing moment. Sure, he’d probably get his nuts chopped off by a burly minotaur in a gimp mask if he brought this crazy mare to the big boss himself, but between that and whatever hoodoo she’d put on him just by looking into his eyes?

“B-Baba Yaga…” Grit mumbled, and Fluttershy raised an eyebrow.

This was her. Grit knew it like he knew his mother’s teat. Nothing- nothing- compared to the sheer horror that had filled him when she looked him in the eyes. It was like a curse. This mare was a pegasus, not a unicorn, so she shouldn’t be able to cast spells, but legends said that the Baba Yaga was a shapeshifter and a witch… she could look like anypony at all.

“Who?” Fluttershy asked, but Grit clammed his mouth shut and shook his head.

Maybe this was the witch of legend, maybe not. What he did know was that the mare was terrifying and Grit decided that if there was one thing that scared him more than his bosses, it was the prospect of this little mare looking him in the eyes for even one more second.

“I’ll t-take you,” Grit replied finally. 

The warmth returned to Fluttershy’s expression as she patted him on the cheek and stepped back,

“Thank you, Grit,” she said with a smile. “I would really rather do this without everyone in the warehouse dying.”

Grit swallowed hard before nodding.

He too, Grit decided, would also like this to end without everyone in the warehouse dying, since that would almost certainly include him.

Turning about, Grit moved to the door with the slowness and care of a stallion who suspected he was about to shot in the back of the skull, reached under his flat cap, and drew out the key before fitting it to the lock. It clicked and the door opened smoothly to a spacious room.

The room had a number of other ponies in it as well as an assortment of griffons, all sitting around drinking and smoking. Among the ponies, there was also a pair of minotaurs in the back playing cards and a heavy-set yak who appeared to be napping upright near the corner. All of them had the look of hardened criminals, and Grit swallowed back his panic as he stepped inside with the mare who called herself Cloudy Skies right behind him, smiling as if she were just visiting a good friend, and not walking straight into the primary base of one of Stalliongrad’s most notoriously violent famiglias.

One of the minotaurs stood up from their game and eyed Fluttershy suspiciously before turning his gaze onto the stallion door-guard. He was an enormous specimen, fully eight feet tall, and better than half that wide. His coat was the color of loamy earth, broken up by networks of thick scars, and his belt held a brutal, heavy, single-edged blade that resembled nothing so much as an enormous machete.

“Grit, who’s this?”

“Don’t matter, she’s got business with Papa Kamjen, Two-Stack,” Grit squeaked out. “She’s a player.”

The minotaur, Two-Stack, turned back to Cloudy who smiled up at him, utterly unperturbed by the tower of bipedal muscle that was glaring down at her.

“It’s very important, I assure you,” Fluttershy said. “Will you let us through?”

Confusion crossed Two-Stack’s features as he glanced between Fluttershy, Grit, and his companion. His stature and expression only ever provoked one kind of response from ponies, which was terror. Even the most fearless of Stalliongrad’s mercenary elite knew a moment of hesitation when he stood over them, but this waif of a mare had no fear whatsoever.

And it wasn’t feigned.

Stay in the merc-for-hire business long enough and you can tell who’s just trying to fake it til they make it, assuming they ever did. Those ones tended to die early, though… too much bravado, not enough sense. The other ones though? The ones that could stare down a manticore and grin? Those were the ones Two-Stack had learned to be truly wary of.

Two-Stack lowered himself until he was practically bent over the mare. His shadow eclipsed her entirely, and Grit let out another squeak as he scrambled out from between them.

“Oh, my.” Fluttershy reached out and patted Two-Stack’s chest with a hoof. “You’re very large, you must be getting plenty to eat, hm?” 

She chuckled lightly as she smiled up at the minotaur.

“You ain’t scared.” It was a statement, not a question.

“Of course not,” Fluttershy replied brightly. “Why would I be?”

Something about the way she said that put a knot of ice in Two-Stack’s gut. For a moment he felt an unfamiliar, almost nostalgic, flicker of fear at her tone.

She wasn’t crazy. Two-Stack knew crazy, and that wasn’t it. This mare was just very, very… certain. She knew she was in no danger from him and that worried him, because the only ponies who acted like that were the ones who had stacked the deck so far in their favor that it was all but impossible for them to lose.

Those were the worst enemies to go up against.

“Name?” Two-Stack rumbled, feeling that Grit probably had the right of it. Whoever this mare was, she was a player. No one who wasn’t deep in the game had a spine that straight.

“Cloudy Skies, it’s very nice to meet you, sir,” Fluttershy chirped. “Would you mind seeing me to Papa Kamjen? I’m sure Grit has to get back to the door, and he’s been very kind to see me in.”

“Yeah, sure.” Two-Stack turned to Grit and jerked his head for him to back, which Grit did with obvious relief. “What’s ya business with the big cheese?”

“I just wanted to clear up a teensy misunderstanding,” Fluttershy replied with a smile. “Some of his men came by my house and my majordomo was, uhm, a bit rude, and it all got a little out of hoof, so I thought we should talk and clear the air.”

“Uh-huh…” Two-Stack felt the oddest premonition of something awful creeping up his spine as he turned and gestured for her to follow him. 

Two-Stack escorted Cloudy Skies into the main compound, down a few flights of stairs, and into a lushly appointed foyer. There was operatic music playing faintly but clearly over a hidden P.A. system, and the whole place smelled of rich, smoky oak.

“Wait here,” Two-Stack said as he stepped past her and knocked his fist twice against the door at the end of the room.

The grille of the door slid open with a hiss and Fluttershy listened to the muted exchange. It sounded like a hushed argument.

‘I cannot believe we’ve gotten this far,’ Sombra mumbled from Fluttershy’s shadow. ‘There is something very wrong with these ponies.’

“With respect, they’re just ponies, your Majesty,” Fluttershy spoke quietly out of the corner of her mouth as she watched Two-Stack’s broad back. “I’m sure they don’t want to fight any more than I do.”

Another sigh issued up from the floor.

‘I highly doubt that, Mouse,’ Sombra said after a moment. 

“Well that’s no reason not to give them the chance, at least,” Fluttershy countered. “You always resort to violence first and talking second, when it should be the other way around.”

“Miss?” Two-Stack turned and straightened, looking down at Fluttershy as he did.

“Yes?” Fluttershy replied, trotting up to his side cheerfully.

“Papa Kamjen will see you now, but he’s a busy guy, so…” Two-Stack trailed off, but Fluttershy nodded knowingly.

“Of course, I want to finish this quickly, too,” Fluttershy assured him. “I’m sure once we can talk we’ll have this all sorted out in no time!”

“Uh, right…” Two-Stack stepped away from the door and nudged it open for Fluttershy, who bobbed her head, thanked him, and stepped through.

The moment she was out of sight and the door closed behind her, Two-Stack heaved a sigh that was dredged out from the deepest parts of his lungs. A shiver ran across his limbs and down his back as cold-sweats broke out over his skin, leaving trails of gooseflesh behind, while his stomach roiled with uncomfortable waves of nausea as a pressure he hadn’t even realised he’d been feeling was suddenly gone.

“What in Tartarus-?” Two-Stack staggered as his vision swam for a moment before righting itself.

He hadn’t felt like that since his first years as a mercenary, decades ago. Stepping away from that mare had been like coming down from the torturous adrenaline high of his first real battle, one that left him weak-knee’d and vomiting on the floor even though the company he’d signed with had won.

Slowly, Two-Stack turned to stare at the closed door that Cloudy Skies had just passed through with wide eyes as a deep, terrible, instinctual fear took up residence in the back of his mind. It was that primal fear of a natural disaster incoming, and it warned him to run. Run far, far away, and don’t look back.

Something was about to happen and Two-Stack hadn’t lasted this long as a mercenary by sticking around for those particular types of ‘things’. Instead, he obeyed his instincts, turned on his hoof, and ran, hauling at full tilt back the way he had come, out past his companions in the entrance hall, and past Grit who stared at Stack’s fleeing back for all of half a second before immediately following him, leaving the rest of the crew watching them in bewildered confusion.

Back in the compound and through the door, Fluttershy trotted happily down a short hall until she reached another door. This one was pony-sized and made of thick, warm mahogany, and she admired it for a moment before pushing it open.

The door opened to a wide and well-lit room with an enormous, conference table that stretched a full six meters down and at least two wide. There were seven ponies in total seated at the table, three on either side and one at the head on the far end of the room, and none of them looked very nice, in Fluttershy’s opinion.

Furthermore, there were another ten assorted mercenaries, six ponies and four griffons, arranged about the room and armed to the teeth. 

And it was dead silent.

Fluttershy looked over the ponies at the table as she closed the door behind her, noting each one in turn. Sombra’s spies had turned up their identities which Sombra had shared with her, and they were all ponies she had expected to see today.

Along the left, nearest to Fluttershy, there was the dun-coated smuggler, Rook. Limber and lean, he had a dangerously nervous energy about him. Seated beside Rook was a black unicorn mare with a teal mane named Grim Tidings, a highly rated wetworks broker who was said to know every killer in a hundred-mile radius, and just next to her was one such killer, a one-eyed blue pegasus named Payday, a notorious marksman, and a black-market arms dealer on the side.

On the other side of the table was Winterlight, a pale-coated, red-maned unicorn mare who had gone rogue out of Celestia’s own school, fleeing to Stalliongrad where she started up her own spellwork business. She sold all manner of illegal enchantments and spells that had been banned by the crown for good reason. Then there were the twins down from her, Kindle and Spark. The two crimson earth ponies were known for their highly illegal concoctions, all of which exploded regardless of whether or not they were supposed to. Their once-unbroken red coats were pocked with scorch marks, and both of their manes grew slightly patchy, the result of numerous close calls.

At the head of the table, of course, was the crimelord himself.

Papa Kemjen, or ‘Stone’ in common Equestrian. He was possibly the biggest, meanest, nastiest looking stallion that Fluttershy had ever laid eyes on. His coat was a shade of granite commensurate to his name, and his black mane was cut to a short buzz. His body rippled with a combination of fat and muscle, and the sheer immensity of him gave the stallion a ponderous look.

His eyes told a different story, though.

They were the sharp, bright blue of the open Stalliongradi sky in winter, and there was nothing slow or ponderous about them at all.

“Dabro pazhalovat.” Kamjen’s voice was like a distant thunderhead boom beyond the horizon.

“Uhm, good morning,” Fluttershy bobbed her head in greeting. “I’m very sorry to have interrupted, but I needed to speak with you, Papa Kamjen.”

“And who are you to decide this?” Kamjen asked.

His inflection did not change, but a subtle pressure washed over the room, and everyone in it flinched.

Everyone but Fluttershy.

“Well, my name is Cloudy Skies, and recently you tried to have me killed,” Fluttershy explained, and the temperature in the room seemed to drop several degrees. “I’m certain it was just a misunderstanding, so I wanted to discuss it with you and hopefully we can sort this out.”

Kamjen stared at Fluttershy in contemplative silence for several moments as he tried to decide if she was joking, crazy, or a combination of both. It took him another few minutes to eventually come to the conclusion that she was neither, and that she was, in fact, being entirely genuine.

“Cloudy Skies,” Kamjen repeated finally. “You are the one who my men say made nightmares come to them for days on end.”

“Well, uhm… not exactly,” Fluttershy sighed as she scuffed her hoof awkwardly on the floor before raising her head again to meet Kamjen’s dour expression. “It was really just a misunderstanding, your men were rude to my majordomo, and he overreacted. I’ve already spoken to him about it.”

“And the assassin?” Kamjen asked.

“Oh, she’s fine,” Fluttershy said brightly. “I’m afraid I fractured her spine and broke her wings when she attacked me, but she’s recovering nicely now.”

The ponies seated around the table shared nervous looks. Even the notoriously unstable twins looked unsettled at the casual remarks Fluttershy was making. For her part, Fluttershy read their expressions as ones of concern and stepped a little closer until she was at the table.

“I promise you, she’s perfectly fine,” Fluttershy assured them. “We had a nice talk and she’s promised not to try and kill me again, and I told her I would get all of this sorted out with her employer.”

“I am curious how she gave you the location of this compound since, to my knowledge, she did not know of it,” said Kamjen in a deadly tone that sailed cleanly over Fluttershy’s head.

“Oh, she didn’t tell me anything,” Fluttershy replied.

Kamjen leaned forward on the table, and the massive wooden beam creaked under his weight as he glowered at Fluttershy.

“You lie.”

“I would never!” Fluttershy replied in a huff. “That’s very rude! Accusing someone of lying when you don’t have any proof? Shame on you!”

Winterlight sighed and there was a dull thud as she dropped her head to the table briefly before looking back up at Kamjen, then over at Fluttershy with a tired grimace.

“This is a waste of my time,” Winterlight said in the stiff, cultured tones of a Canterlotian native as she stood up. “I’m just going to kill her and-”

“Sit down.”

Fluttershy’s voice never rose. It never pitched higher or grew any louder than before. The only sign of something different happening was Fluttershy turning to Winterlight, fixing her with a heated glare and only the slightest narrowing of her eyes.

Winterlight shat herself on the spot.

Tremors rolled up her body as her mind was filled with screaming. Her skull rattled with the voices of the hundreds of ponies her pain-spells had tortured, and from behind her eyes the accusing glares of all of the corpses she had helped make stared at her with hungry, silent rage. Her breathing became harsh and labored as she toppled backward, spilling out of the chair before striking the ground and scrabbling backward on her rump while babbling near incoherent apologies, although who they were directed at was a matter of debate.

“I wasn’t talking to you, Miss Winterlight,” Fluttershy continued sternly. “I was talking to Papa Kamjen, so please wait for your turn.”

When she turned back to Kamjen, his expression had hardened to something far darker than annoyance. Now he was wary. He had heard of an unpleasant curse that somepony had laid on a few of his men, and had struck back on principle. His men were his hooves, so to strike at them was to knick at Papa Kamjen’s fetlocks, and the murderous stallion’s policy had always been to repay every knick and scar a hundredfold.

Kamjen watched Winterlight babble and scrape. Moments ago she had been as proud and haughty as ever, and now she was reduced to little more than a terrified filly who couldn’t even control her own bodily functions.

“I’m so sorry about your carpet, Papa Kamjen, but that sort of thing happens a lot, I’m afraid,” Fluttershy said, turning back to the famiglia boss. “I’ll be sure to pay for the cleaning bill, just send the invoice by post.”

Without a word, Papa Kamjen clapped his hooves together with a dull boom, and all ten of the guards raised crossbows and took aim at Fluttershy, whose only response was to frown a little more deeply.

“We don’t have to do this,” Fluttershy insisted. “I’d rather just talk.”

Kamjen snorted and the sound came out more like a bull ox than a pony as he raised his right hoof and poised it like an executioners axe that was ready to fall over the neck of this impertinent mare.

Before he could drop his hoof, though, Fluttershy said:

“Don’t kill them, please.”

Papa Kamjen had a brief moment of confusion, as Cloudy Skies didn’t appear to be speaking to anyone in the room, but rather to the ground. That confusion turned to shock as the room exploded into a torment of writhing shadows. Tendrils of darkness lashed up with the speed of a serpent’s strike, shattering bows, splitting bolt quivers, and knocking the guards from the feet.

The other members of his small council screamed and scrambled to get off of the floor. Kindle hauled Spark up after him. Payday tucked and rolled from his seat to the top of the table with the grace of an acrobat. Rook was somewhat less nimble, and as he was mounting the table a tendril of darkness sprouted up near him. In a panic, he lashed out with a hoof to kick it, but his hoof sank into the substance like it was gelatin. The tendril thrashed violently, yanking the stallion off of the table, but not before he screamed and grabbed Grim Tidings by her back legs, dragging her with him.

Both stallion and mare were screaming, cursing, and shouting as the tendril flailed. Grim Tidings was spitting invectives as she was thrown drunkenly around the room by the tendril-gripped Rook who refused to let go until finally she had enough, lit her horn, and sent a roiling bolt of black, necrotic lightning arcing into Rook’s body. The stallion’s body withered and rotted where it touched, killing him instantly, and his grip slackened in death, dropping Grim Tidings to the floor in a graceless pile from whence she scrabbled over to a nearby end table, knocked the vase from atop it, and pulled herself into its place.

In the corner of the room, Winterlight just curled into a little ball on the floor and sobbed through hysterical fits of giggles as the tendrils ignored her.

Through it all, Papa Kamjen just stared, dumbfounded as his guards were scattered and disarmed, and six of the deadliest ponies in the city were reduced to scampering foals, all at the whim of a single, unassuming mare. The stallion who had brought much of Stalliongrad to its knees through backroom deals and broken bones didn’t often find himself at a loss for words or actions, but simple shock dulled his rage as he watched Cloudy Skies frown delicately at the ensuing madness she had wrought.

His rage could not be tempered for long, however.

Bellowing like a bear, Papa Kamjen heaved the entirety of the table out of his way, sending his allies flying with cries of alarm as he barrelled towards Fluttershy, head low, shoulders set, and fury painting his reddened face.

The tendrils attempt to halt his advance, lashing and beating at his body while others grabbed at his legs but Kamjen was a juggernaut of momentum, and he tore through the ephemeral substance without slowing 

He got within a quarter-meter of Fluttershy before their gazes met and Kamjen’s charge stopped dead.

Eyes like the endless blue skies pierced into the stallion called Papa Kamjen for a moment before they scorched over with rancid green fire and black smoke. Screams filled his ears while the blood of his thousands of victims filled his mouth, poured down his throat, and choked his lungs with rancid gore. Visions of burning homes danced like juddering zoetropes in the back of his mind as memories paralysed him.

For a moment.

Only a moment.

Kamjen howled with fury. His black heart was numb to even the most wicked extremes he had taken, and Fluttershy staggered back as the enormous stallion broke through the wall of her Stare by brute, mental force.

Blind with rage, Kamjen swung one cinderblock hoof in front of him in a wide, bone-crushing swipe that would reduce any living thing he struck to a brittle sack of shattered gristle.

He hit nothing but air as Fluttershy dove between his legs. Rime trailed behind her as she left a trail of pure black ice on the ground, skated elegantly along the ice path she wove in front of her and putting her out of Kamjen’s reach in the space of a breath, and her escape left behind shackles of numbing ice that were growing quickly across Kamjen’s fetlocks and up his legs.

“BITCH!” Kamjen howled as he tore himself free, leaving behind patches of his coat and, in some places, skin. “I’ll bury you in the SNOW!” 

He charged, battering through furniture and guard alike, leaving both broken in his path as Fluttershy bolted straight up and over the furious Stalliongradi who buried himself in the wall on the far side of the room.

“Please stop!” Fluttershy pleaded as she landed crisply on the leg of the upturned conference table. “We can talk! We don’t have to fight!”

“DIE!” Kamjen bellowed again as he turned and charged again.

The conference table was reduced to splinters as Kamjen tore through it towards his target, and Fluttershy bolted upward again, and she made it all of a meter before she jerked to a violent stop.

Kamjen had fought flyers many times, and they always moved upwards. Griffons and pegasi alike sought the safety of the skies by instinct, and the moment Fluttershy had taken her eyes off of him to coil up for liftoff he had pushed off, putting all of his considerable muscle into a leap, and caught her tail in his teeth as she had tried to escape. 

“EEP!” Fluttershy squeaked as she was swung around like a living flail. The room heaved and spun about her as Kamjen bore her to the ground.

She didn’t want to fight.

Fluttershy hated fighting.

WHY DID THEY ALWAYS WANT TO FIGHT?!

Fury bloomed behind Fluttershy’s eyes as she swung her wing down, catching the moisture in the air on the tips of her feathers and creating a smooth, cold, blade of ice at her wing’s edge an instant before the feathers sliced across Papa Kamjen’s face-

-and cut through his eyes.

Fluttershy went spinning away as Kamjen howled, and the shadows welled up to catch her and carry her out of the flailing stallion’s reach. The moment she landed, the shadows began to bubble upward, though, taking on an almost-physical weight.

“Don’t!” Fluttershy hissed. “Don’t manifest!” 

‘He will kill you!’ The shadows snarled.

“No, he won’t,” Fluttershy replied as she backed away from the advancing psychotic behemoth that was Papa Kamjen. “Stay in the shadows, if anypony sees you then this was all for nothing!”

‘I will not let you come to harm, Mouse, you cannot ask that of me!’ Sombra bit the words out, and the shadows beneath began to darken as Sombra began the arduous process of bleeding himself back into reality and out of the half-Dream shadow realm he occupied.

“Stay where you are!” Fluttershy snapped.

The shadows shivered beneath her as she ducked and dodged more blind strikes. Kamjen was surprisingly agile for such an enormous stallion, and even blind he was terribly dangerous.

“I decided to do it like this, so I have to do it myself, okay?” Fluttershy continued. “I know you’ll keep me safe, my King, but do it from where you are, please.”

A nest of tendrils boiled up from beneath Kamjen as he took a step, sending him sprawling and giving Fluttershy a moment of reprieve as she bolted up and over the enraged crimelord to land on the other side of the room.

‘This is foalish, Mouse, my magic is limited from here!’ Sombra’s voice was tight and strained. ‘We should have just killed them all to start with. If they’re all dead then no one saw me! It would never have been an issue!’

“What we do and how we do it is a reflection of us, my King, not them,” Fluttershy replied. “If we’re going to do this then we’re going to do it the right way, so please, if you love me, don’t come out.”

‘Damn you, Mouse, that’s-’

“Do you?!” Fluttershy bit out.

Silence answered her for a moment, broken only by the bellowing, hate-filled stallion that was tearing the room apart several meters away.

‘You know that I do.’

“I do,” Fluttershy replied, smiling. “And I love you too, so please.”

Another sigh issued up from beneath her.

‘Very well.’

Taking a deep breath, Fluttershy flared her wings out and pulled the water from the air to coat her body in another layer of moisture over her disguise. Where the droplets sank in, ice formed and grew like a fast-motion reel of leaves opening in the spring across her wings, chest, and back.

Ice as black as midnight coated the body of Cloudy Skies until it clung to her like armor. Her wings became arsenals of numbing cold; primaries became blades, pinions turned into spears, and her hooves became rime-caked hammers of cold.

She didn’t want to hurt anypony, not even an awful stallion like Papa Kamjen, but at the same time, there was a limit to all kindness. Sombra had wanted to be better in his own crude and sometimes wicked manner. The dark king was not good at being good, but he tried, and he apologised when he failed, and then he would try again.

That was all that Fluttershy could ask for, and she was truly happy with that. She had faith that, one day, Sombra would appreciate kindness for its own sake, even if that day was a long way off.

Papa Kamjen was different. He was cruel and horrible, and it was obvious that he felt absolutely no remorse for the unspeakable things he had done. 

Fluttershy surged forward, riding a slender path of black ice and keeping low as she wove between Kamjen’s blind, thundering strikes. 

From deep within the shadows, Sombra watched, his heart in his throat as Fluttershy bobbed and weaved around bone-crushing hooves. If even one of those attacks so much as glanced across her it would buckle the armor, to say nothing of a direct hit. With twitches of mental effort, Sombra sent tendrils of shadows up and around Kamjen. They couldn’t stop him, the massive stallion was simply too strong for the shadow constructs to hold him back, but they could slow his attacks, put him off-balance, and Sombra prayed that would be enough.

Beyond the shadow, Fluttershy ducked beneath Kamjen’s attacks. Where they hit the stone floor, pits of gravel opened up. Furniture was reduced to splinters in an instant, and Fluttershy prayed the other guards had the wisdom to get away from this room, although there were enough bodies to attest to the fact that not all of them had been quick enough.

Papa Kamjen had murdered his own men without even seeing them. They might as well have been plaster statues that he had torn through.

The thought infuriated Fluttershy.

A hammer-like hoof crashed down where Fluttershy was standing an instant after she vacated the spot, and as she landed, she shook her head, and spoke.

“I won’t kill you,” Fluttershy said. “But I think you might wish that I had when I’m done.”

Whipping her wings out, Fluttershy hurled a spear of frigid air at Kamjen. Where it passed, it created a path of black ice, and when it struck Kamjen his body went rigid as rime flash-froze over his coat, and his hooves were anchored to the ground by growing ice. 

Roaring, Kamjen heaved his front legs up, tearing free of the ice.

It was exactly what Fluttershy had wanted.

She bolted forward, riding the ice like a slide that carried her underneath Kamjen. She flicked her wing once, catching the air and spun herself around, then lashed out with her other wing at the backs of his front legs. Icy blades sliced through tendon and muscle, freezing the blood before it could flow and blackening the flesh with frostbite.

Fluttershy’s momentum carried her past the stallion a breath later, out from under him and behind him where she did the same thing to his rear legs, crippling Kamjen in a handful of seconds and dropping the blind, blunted, and frostbitten stallion to the icy ground.

From within the shadows, Sombra could only stare in shock as Fluttershy stood, staggered for a moment as the spinning stopped, then shook her head, and trotted over and around Kamjen.

Papa Kamjen tried to rise several times, but his crippled legs gave beneath him like tortured support struts. His breath huffed out of him in waves of warm mist as he brought his head up and turned his blind eyes towards Fluttershy.

Towards ‘Cloudy Skies’.

“You… what are you?” Kamjen asked raggedly. “H-How…?”

“It didn’t have to happen like this,” Fluttershy said sadly as she put a hoof gently on the side of his face. “We could have just talked.”

Kamjen stared blankly in Fluttershy’s direction for several moments. He wanted to kill her, but his limbs had stopped obeying his commands. He was too cold, his muscles were torn, his legs were crippled, and his eyes were gone.

He had nothing left.

“Kill me.”

“No,” Fluttershy replied.

Kamjen made a weak lunge at Fluttershy, but his body turned it into more of a pathetic flop than anything.

“KILL ME!”

“No.”

Silence reigned for a long time as Fluttershy sat with him, until finally, the broken crimelord sagged completely down to the floor, giving up even the pretense of struggling.

“Why?” Kamjen asked. “Why not?”

“Because I’m kind,” Fluttershy answered, “not merciful.”

With that, Fluttershy stood, flared out her wings, and shook the ice from them before turning them this way and that to check the striations of the wind. There were still living ponies in the room, although there had been so much destruction she wasn’t sure how many were left.

“I know some of you are still alive,” Fluttershy announced. “I came here for Kamjen, not you, so I’ll give you a chance to leave Stalliongrad forever. Take your things, take all of your business, and leave the city… you’re no longer welcome here, and if I find out you stayed, just remember what happened to the last pony who was unreasonable.”

Turning on her hoof, Fluttershy made her way out of the conference room. As she did, she glanced over to the side and saw the pathetic, quivering mess that was Winterlight. The tendrils which had ignored her had also stopped the majority of the debris from harming her, but she still hadn’t moved.

“Can you bring her with us?” Fluttershy asked.

‘Why?’

“Because I think she might really regret what she’s become.” Fluttershy had never seen such an extreme reaction to her Stare, and Sombra had said that the worse a pony’s guilt, the stronger the effect. She hoped that meant Winterlight had a chance. “Please?”

‘As you say, Mouse,’ Sombra replied, and the tendrils closed around Winterlight, dragging her down into the shadows. ‘She will sleep in darkness for a time, and you can decide what to do with her once we’ve returned to the manse.’

“Thank you, my King,” Fluttershy said warmly.

Once they were out of the room, Fluttershy marched out, through the compound, up the stairs, and back into the large room where the guards were. The looks they gave her suggested they were surprised that she was still alive, but they didn’t bother her beyond that.

‘Sound-proofed rooms downstairs, I would guess,’ Sombra mused as Fluttershy passed them by and stepped back out into the rainy, overcast Stalliongradi day.

“Take us home, my King,” Fluttershy said, and on the heels of her words the world turned to darkness and there was a sensation of falling accompanied by an omnipresent whispering that lasted all of a moment before Fluttershy’s hooves settled on cool stone.

The shadows bled away to reveal the throne room of the manse, and Fluttershy took a deep breath of her home as she waited the few moments it took Sombra to emerge from the shadows as well, fully solid and as powerful as ever.

“That was dangerous, Mouse,” Sombra admonished quietly, but he pulled her close to him nonetheless, burying his snout in her soft mane that was already fading from gray back to silken pink.

“Doing the right thing is always harder, my King,” Fluttershy replied as she nuzzled against him. “But I need you to be willing to do that with me, okay?”

“I am well aware, but that does not mean I have to be pleased that you’re putting yourself in danger,” Sombra grumbled.

He sighed and rested his forehead against Fluttershy’s for a moment before pulling her into a warm, insistent kiss which she readily and happily returned.

As they parted, Sombra stepped back and shuffled awkwardly while Fluttershy smiled up at him with the same loving patience she always did.

“My King?”

Sombra sighed, then lit his horn and pulled the small box whose contents he’d spent the last few weeks enchanting out of a pocket dimension.

“Mouse- no, Fluttershy- I…” Sombra took the box in his hooves and turned it around, staring down at the simple wooden container for a long moment as Fluttershy waited. 

“I am never going to be the stallion you deserve,’ he began, “and yet you have chosen to stand by me time and again in spite of my ill temper and unpleasant nature.”

“You’re not that bad, my King,” Fluttershy said with a sardonic smile. “You do try, at least.”

“I try for your sake, not mine,” Sombra replied gravely.

“I know.” Fluttershy reached up and set her hoof against her cheek. “I can’t ask you to be somepony other than yourself, my King. The fact that you’re trying to be better at all is enough for me.”

“Am I?” Sombra asked quietly.

Fluttershy frowned. “Are you what?”

“Enough?” Sombra looked up at Fluttershy and, for a moment, she could see the ages of loneliness worn into his eyes. “Am I enough for you?”

There was so much weight on his shoulders, and not all of it belonged to the crown on his brow. The weight of his hatred and his cruelty bore down on him, not the guilt, but the impulse that he was always denying in her presence. Fluttershy could feel the desire to be better in him like a faint ember, and she knew that he did not believe that it was in him to do so.

The fact that he was trying despite that spoke volumes.

At least, to her it did.

“Always, my King,” Fluttershy answered finally.

Silently, Sombra turned the box to Fluttershy and opened it, revealing the bracelet within. It gleamed with polish, and the garnet shone with a bloody light that mirrored the color of his magic.

“Then would you be my Queen?” Sombra asked quietly. “For however long the world permits me your presence?”

Tears welled up in Fluttershy’s eyes as she reached into the box with her wings and drew out the delicate-looking piece of jewelry. She could feel the humming magic that was strengthening it, and she suspected that despite its appearance it could probably stand up to almost any punishment.

Looking up from the bracelet, Fluttershy held it out to Sombra and nodded.

“You never had to ask,” Fluttershy said in a slightly wet voice. “But I’m so very glad that you did.”

Taking the bracelet in his magic, Sombra unhooked the latch and slid it over Fluttershy’s right foreleg before locking it in place. As it closed, the magic in the bracelet sized it down enough so it fit as snugly and comfortably as possible.

“Now I just have to make you a crown,” Sombra said with a soft chuckle.
> Suspicions In Stalliongrad
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


	Chapter 26



	~ Five Months Later~


Shining Armor rubbed at his eyes as he trudged into the expansive dining room of the Crystal Palace. Thanks to every light source reflecting off of everything else, mornings in the Crystal Empire were both much colder and significantly brighter than the ones in Canterlot despite it being the seat of power for the Diarch of the Sun, and he had never really gotten used to it. 

Even now, after better than half a year of living in the latest protectorate of Equestria, Shining found the mornings to be the most difficult part of the day.

The fact that he was not a ‘morning pony’ didn’t help.

The coffee did, though. Especially since the cooks were always sure to make it extra strong. Double-brewed black coffee bitter enough to kill a small rodent was just about the only thing that could kick his sludge-filled brain into gear these days.

“Lord Armor.” One of the Crystal Knights, the Imperial equivalent to the Canterlot Royal Guard, approached him and saluted as Shining sipped his coffee.

He briefly considered dropping the guard out of the nearby window. It was far too early to deal with whatever it was that required a damned Knight to deliver it to him, personally. 

Well, technically all missives delivered to him had to be done so through a Crystal Knight. It was some hackneyed holdover from the Empire’s old traditions. The Imperial military was surprisingly autonomous compared to the Equestrian Guard. Senior officers and the various echelons were expected to handle their own problems, and if the problem required a higher pay grade, it had to be delivered by someone who was under the direct commander of that pony.

That meant that if something needed the attention of the second-highest executive authority in the Empire, and the highest military one, it would have to be sent through a Knight, and it was far too early for something that dramatic.

“Yes, Captain Opal?” Shining asked quietly once he had swallowed the contents of the mug, then slid it out to be refilled by a waiting servant.

“My apologies for disturbing you so early,” Opal began, “but we've received a direct communique from Canterlot, and it bears the Triune.”

The Triune.

Shining Armor swallowed hard as a newly refilled mug was put in front of him. Moving quickly, he wrapped the mug in a sheathe of telekinetic energy, slugged it back, swallowed again, turned to the Captain, and held out a hoof.

“Let me see.”

A scroll, thick and heavy, was placed in his grip. It did, indeed, bear the wax-sealed Triune as promised, which did not bode well. 

The Triune was a symbol that had only recently come into use, and it bore the combined detailing of Celestia, Luna, and Twilight Sparkle’s cutie marks. The only reason his wife Cadence’s mark wasn’t among them was because, legally, she wasn’t an Equestrian Princess. She was an Imperial one.

That meant that this scroll bore the sum total authorities of the three highest rulers on the continent. The Princesses of Sun, Moon, and Friendship had apparently deemed something so important that it deserved to carry the weight of three thrones.

“Thank you, Captain.” Shining set the scroll down and reflected on how he hadn’t even eaten breakfast yet. “You may return to your duties, I’ll call if I need you.”

“Yes, Lord!” Captain Opal saluted with a metallic crash, then turned in perfect parade-ground order, and marched out of the dining room with a deafening clangor.

Metal-shod hooves on a crystal floor.

Who in Celestia’s name thought that was a good idea?

For once he couldn’t blame Sombra since the palace predated his rule, meaning it was probably thanks to his wife’s ancestors which did not speak well of their common sense. Then again they were nobles and, however well intentioned, nobles would always be nobles.

“Crap.” Shining stared at the scroll like it was about to unfurl and bite him. “I wonder what the odds are that that thing holds good news…”

Not great odds, he’d wager.

Sighing, Shining Armor looked up from the scroll, leaned back, and took a deep breath before yelling: “CADENCE!” 

His shout was answered by a magical detonation, and Shining Armor winced. She’d probably been in the middle of feeding Flurry, who still had the occasional flare. They were nothing like they used to be, which had been downright apocalyptic, but they were still an alicorn-scale surge of magic.

A flash of light heralded his wife’s arrival. She appeared a few feet to his left looking slightly singed and seriously put out.

“Yes, darling?”

“Ooh… sorry about that.” Shining grimaced as Cadence gave him a flat stare while she magically smoothed out her mane and sifted the ash from her coat. “It’s important though, honey.”

He held up the scroll for Cadence, showing the wax seal outward, and Cadence’s eyes widened as she recognised the mark.

Trotting over to her husband’s side, Cadence took the scroll and broke the seal, then unfurled it on the table so they could both read the message that her Aunties and little sister had considered important enough to warrant one of the first official uses of the Triune. It was thick and heavy and consisted of almost two dozen pages, all regarding the same topic.

“Stalliongrad…” Shining let out a thoughtful hum. “I thought Celestia had pretty much given up on that place.”

“She didn’t give up on it, Shiny,” Cadence said. “But Stalliongrad’s criminal element is too entrenched for her to do anything meaningful. If she sends funding, it goes missing, internal investigators either find nothing or suffer ‘unfortunate accidents’, and no matter where she looks everyone’s hooves are either squeaky clean or she’s handed some low-level patsy.”

“Why not just put the whole city under martial law, then?” Shining Armor asked, stomping his hoof as he did. “It’s clear the place is corrupt!”

“Stalliongrad is huge, Shiny,” Cadence replied with a sigh. “It would take half the Guard to secure that place, and that’s assuming nopony gets bribed… and it would be the citizens who suffer the most, not the criminals.”

“So what’s changed that it warranted the Triune?” Shining asked, turning back to the scroll. “Is she asking for a joint action between our Kingdoms?” He paused thoughtfully, then nodded. “That might be effective.”

“Maybe…” Cadence mused as she skimmed the text. “Wait… no, it’s something else. Here, honey, look!”

She pointed out a section of the scroll a page-and-a-half in, and Shining read it over in detail.

“Wait, seriously?” Shining looked up at his wife in disbelief. “She wants you to perform an investigation on why Stalliongrad has suddenly started paying its taxes?” He lifted the page and scanned it again before looking back to his wife. “I don’t get it, isn’t that a good thing?”

“Y-Yes… in theory,” Cadence allowed. “But the more pressing question would be: what changed?”

“Who cares?!” Shining laughed and pushed the scroll away. “Why would Celestia want us to go poking a bear that’s finally decided to stop raiding the garbage?”

“Maybe she’s worried it has something to do with King Sombra?” Cadence said.

Shining Armor settled back down at the table, took a drink of his third refill of coffee, and Cadence grimaced again, this time at the strong smell coming up from it. He sipped at it a few times, and his brow furrowed as he stared down at the swirling dark brew.

“I can’t reason that out,” Shining admitted. “Sombra would have nothing to gain from changing the status quo of Stalliongrad. If, and I do mean if, he was in that area, he would benefit far more from leaving things the way they were.” Shining Armor shook his head. “No, I still think Saddle Arabia is our best bet.”

“I highly doubt Sombra had anything to do with the vizier’s death,” Cadence grumbled.

“He died out of nowhere!” Shining countered.

“He was ninety-five!” Cadence huffed before turning back to the scroll and scanning over it until she reached the middle.

There were several pages that had clearly been compiled by Twilight Sparkle herself. They mostly contained data points and charts, but they all painted a picture of Stalliongrad as a city that had held onto a terrible but stable municipal standard for decades before seeing what appeared to be a miraculous spike in prosperity three months prior. 

Currently, Stalliongrad was reporting record low unemployment rates, cleaner streets, lower crime, and a happier populace, and that was just from the reports from the Equestrian Intelligence Division’s few operatives in the city. 

Moreover, several known criminal cells had gone dark all at once. Known fronts for Stalliongradi famiglias were found mysteriously deserted. Suspected famiglia agents were vanishing too, sometimes under the very noses of the EID operatives who were actively tracking them.

There were no trials though. No criminal proceedings were moving through the Stalliongradi courts either. Nothing more interesting than average petty crimes, anyway. The worst offense they’d had to deal with in the past month was a case of regarding some poor stallion’s cabbage cart being repeatedly overturned by an unlicensed unicorn aeromancer which was more unfortunate than tragic.

Still, Cadence mused, Shining Armor had a point. None of this actively suggested the influence of a being like King Sombra. The Crystal Tyrant was subtle, but even by his standards turning a city from a cesspit of misery into a thriving and productive Equestrian city was just too convoluted.

More likely it was some clandestine shadow war between the famiglias that got out of hoof, the result of evil and selfish ponies finally turning on one another the way they always tended to. 

At least, that was Cadence’s line of thought until she reached the last few pages, between which was an envelope that held several magically taken photographs..

“Shiny, look.” Cadence shook the photos out and scattered them over the table.

The images were in color, but the shades were a bit washed out due to the speed at which they probably had to be taken. They all seemed innocuous at first, save for a single pony that was somewhere in each of the images. In each case the pony in question had been circled in ink.

It was a lithe young pegasus mare. Her coat and mane were varying shades of gray, and gave the impression of an overcast afternoon in the far north. In a few of the photos her eye color was visible; a soft, unassuming shade of brown, and overall she was the sort of mare who probably couldn’t have stood out in a crowd if she tried.

Cadence and Shining both would have overlooked her in an instant if she hadn’t been specifically pointed out.

Both unicorn and alicorn stared at the mare for several moments.

“There… there’s certainly a resemblance,” Cadence said finally.

“She’s the wrong color, but an illusion is nothing to a sorcerer like Sombra,” Shining agreed, then started nosing the photos out of the way to look over the final page. “The dossier says her name is ‘Cloudy Skies’… EID reports say she claims she’s a social outcast from Cloudsdale, although with a common surname like ‘Skies’ that’s probably impossible to prove one way or the other.”

Cadence tugged the sheet away and skimmed it.

“Lives on the outskirts of Stalliongrad in a recently finished manor,” Cadence read off, then frowned. “EID hasn’t been able to reach the grounds, though… something about getting lost in the woods, and the suspicion is magic.”

“Could be a perception filter.” Shining went back to the photos and looked over them again. “Sombra was a tyrant and a murderer, but his actual magic was a lot more subtle than the history books give him credit for.”

“Agreed,” Cadence said. “This also says she’s regularly seen in the company of two bodyguards.”

“Is one of them a dark stallion?” Shining asked blithely.

“Surprisingly, no.” Cadence set down the page and started sifting through the photos until she found one in particular. “Here… here they are. A griffon hen and a young female pegasus not much older than a filly.”

Cadence turned the photo to Shining Armor and held it out. Shining took it in his telekinetic grasp and examined it more critically than he had the others. The griffon hen was young, too, but she had a hardened look to her. Probably a professional mercenary, he would guess. There were a lot of those types in the north.

The other one, though… the near-filly pegasus was almost an identical shade of gray to Cloudy Skies, though her mane was significantly shorter and a little darker. Also, unlike Cloudy, her feathers darkened to a deep, thunderhead-black at the tips while Cloudy’s wings were a uniform, if somewhat mottled, gray.

Both hen and filly were wearing light and tightly strapped leather barding, a favorite of pegasus and griffon mercenaries as it served to spoil the worst of an arrow or crossbow bolt’s damage without hampering their flight. The griffon appeared to be unarmed, but for all Shining knew she simply favored her claws in combat. No griffon was ever truly unarmed, after all. The lack of visible arms didn’t eliminate the very real and likely possibility of hidden weapons either.

The filly, on the other hand, had an obvious and unusual weapon strapped to her side.

A warhammer.

“Hey Cady,” Shining said as he examined the filly. “Twilight said that she and her friends received a message from Fluttershy months ago regarding that filly, Scootaloo, right? The one Sombra cursed and then healed while he was in hiding?” 

“Mhm.” Cadence nodded. “Do you think that’s her?”

“Could be,” Shining allowed. “Could definitely be… Sombra was known to favor the warhammer too, which is a strange choice of weapon for a unicorn.”

“Why?” Cadence asked.

Shining set the photos down and hummed thoughtfully as he took another sip of coffee. Sometimes he forgot that his wife didn’t always have her horn. Unlike his sister, the only other Alicorn ascendant, Cadence had been born as a pegasus.

“It’s the weight,” Shining began. “Unicorns have always favored lightweight weapons because we wield them with our telekinesis. The lighter the weapon, the longer we can use it. That’s why the oldest legendary weapons of Unicornia were made from mithril.”

“Light as a feather, hard as dragonscale,” Cadence recited quietly.

“Exactly, a mithril rapier, for instance, could be wielded almost indefinitely.” Shining Armor set his mug down and picked up the photo of the three figures again, this time focusing on the filly’s weapon. “But a warhammer is heavy, it’s meant to break joints and crush through armor.”

“A symbolic weapon for a tyrant,” Cadence said angrily.

“True, but it’s also a tool of intimidation,” Shining pointed out. “Do you have any idea what kind of magical powerhouse you have to be to wield a weapon as heavy as a warhammer in a protracted battle?”

“So his choice of weapon is him flexing at his enemies?” Cadence asked, drawing a chuckle from her husband. “Color me unsurprised… so you think that filly is Scootaloo and that he’s teaching her?”

“It’s not outside the realm of possibility is all I’m saying,” Shining replied. “This is all assuming these random loose threads tie up into an actual lead, though. It could be coincidence, I still can’t figure out a motive and we’re making a lot of assumptions here, grey pegasi aren’t exactly uncommon.”

“No, I know,” Cadence said. “Twilight seems convinced, but you know how she gets when she thinks she’s found a pattern.”

Shining nodded. He did know. He grew up with her after all. Twilight was brilliant and incredibly keen-minded, but she was also obsessive and had a tendency to find patterns where there was only chaos. That didn’t mean she was wrong, though. There were definitely suspicious signs involved, and the timeline mostly matched up.

It was worth checking, anyway.

“Why us, though?” Shining asked. “Why not just deploy more EID operatives?”

“It’s political, I think,” Cadence replied. “The Equestrian government is compromised by corruption in Stalliongrad, or at least it was last we check, but a foreign dignitary like me isn’t beholden to the crown.”

“But you also can’t do anything permanent,” Shining pointed out. “They’ll bow and scrape then go back to whatever they were doing the moment you leave.”

“It’s not about changing anything, Shiny, it’s about investigating.” Cadence shuffled the pages of the scroll together and pushed it towards Shining Armor. “The information in the scroll points towards this ‘Cloudy Skies’ acquiring vast amounts of property via some extremely shady transactions. All surface-legal, of course, but they don’t make any sense otherwise.”

“You think it’s a takeover?” Shining mused.

“It sure looks like one.” Cadence sighed and shook her head. “If it is Sombra that means he’s using Fluttershy as a cats-paw.”

“Then it’s a good thing we’re going to check it out,” Shining said. “I’ll have the knights put together an entourage, you want to ask Sunburst to look after Flurry?”

“Yeah, we should leave as soon as possible,” Cadence stood and began trotting towards the doors of the hall, but paused as she reached them.

“Cady?”

“Sorry, just…” Cadence shook her head. “I really hope it’s just a coincidence. Stalliongrad is too close to the Empire for comfort.”

Shining Armor could only nod. The northmost city of Equestria was practically sitting on the Imperial border. As much as he wanted to find Sombra and Fluttershy, he didn’t want to imagine what they’d been doing so close to the Empire for that long.

That and, ever since Sombra returned, there had been sightings of a pillar of shadows in the tundra far, far to the north. So far out that even Cadence couldn’t recall anything ever being built out there.

It never came closer to the capital, but it also popped up like clockwork.

The pillar was too much like Sombra’s magic to be unrelated.

Maybe if they found him they could just ask.

Shining Armor chuckled at that. Sure, ask the Crystal Tyrant about what that horrible shadowbeast on their borders might be up to and could he please maybe put it back wherever it came from.

Sighing, the Commander of the Crystal Knights stood from the table, finished his coffee, and left the room to find Captain Opal and see about that entourage. If Sombra was in Stalliongrad then they would need as much muscle as they could reasonably afford.







As cities went, Stalliongrad was never destined to be a great beauty among them. It had none of Canterlot’s graceful, sweeping grandeur, and even as an industrial center it lacked the orderly lines of Detrot and Fillydelphia. 

It looked, instead, like what it was: a stubborn old matriarch, long past her troubled youth and hard bitten by brutal winters and short, unpleasant summers.

There was nothing aesthetically pleasing about the city. The roads were wide enough to feel mildly agoraphobic only in the places where they weren’t cramped and uncomfortable. The bare brick structures bore the wear and tear of decades, and the people who inhabited the city were not much better.

Suspicion lingered on the carriage being drawn by Imperial porters as it trundled down the open boulevard that carved through the heart of the city like a poorly healed scar. From its windows, Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, and her husband, Prince Shining Armor, looked out over the huddled masses that moved in lonely throngs.

“They don’t even look at each other,” Cadence said quietly as she pulled the curtains back over the window. “Even in crowds they act like they’re alone.”

“I never liked Stalliongrad,” Shining said. “It always felt like I was being watched.”

“You’ve been here before?” Cadence asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Once,” Shining replied. “It was a training deployment. We did joint exercises with city guards all over Equestria. We went out to Vanhoover and Las Pegasus, and it went alright. Fillydelphia was probably one of the better ones…” 

“I sense a ‘but’ coming,” Cadence said with a wry chuckle.

“Even the best were just like any local militia,” Shining admitted. “Poorly trained, and mostly civvies in uniform. Most of them were just good mares and stallions wanting to do their civic duty, but they weren’t soldiers.”

“Was Stalliongrad different?” Cadence cocked her head as she asked, and her husband looked pensive for a moment.

“Kind of…” Shining said. “They… well, they certainly knew how to fight, I’ll say that much.”

“Why does that not sound like a compliment?” Cadence asked.

Shining chuckled. “Because the militia of Stalliongrad didn’t fight like soldiers, they fought like insurgents, or guerillas. They used advanced urban clearing tactics, psychological warfare, and some… questionable policies.”

Questionable policies had been the polite way to say it. The Stalliongradi defense force had a standing policy to use extreme force. They didn’t hold back, never let up, and never stop hitting until whatever they were coming down on was beaten senseless or dead. It was a combat doctrine that turned them into a military equivalent of a rabbit punch followed up by a series of low blows and a shiv to the kidneys.

It was effective, though.

At the time, Shining’s superior had wanted to reprimand the Stalliongradi for their brutality, but technically speaking nothing they did was illegal or disallowed. They simply operated at the extreme end of violence that they were permitted to, and the fact that they kept themselves so carefully on the ‘right’ side of the line suggested that they knew precisely what they were doing.

In short, that meant that their brutality wasn’t a result of the local Captain and municipal defense committee having loose control over the militia. It was the opposite.

This was how they were trained.

“Will it be a problem for us?” Cadence looked concerned as she glanced back out the window. “Stalliongrad is famously corrupt, and I can’t imagine any amount of recent improvement can change things that quickly.”

“I doubt it will be an issue,” Shining said. “There’s no reason for them to attack us, and if they did it would be all the evidence Celestia needs to bring down the weight of the crown on Stalliongrad.”

That would be an understatement.

If the Stalliongradis attacked a foreign Princess on Equestrian soil it would be a diplomatic incident. It didn’t matter that the Empire was a protectorate. In fact, that would arguably make it worse since there would be fewer political hangups preventing a joint action. No, Shining was certain that the militia of the city would leave them alone. If something unusual or illegal was happening the main problem that he and his wife would face would be finding it at all.

But that wasn’t even why they were here. He had to keep reminding himself that the reason they were here wasn’t to investigate wrongdoing. The true matter was to determine if King Sombra and Fluttershy had fled to the north.

The more Shining thought about it on the trip to the ancient city, the more he disliked how likely it seemed. Sombra would find no welcome on Imperial soil, but it was hard to remember sometimes just how huge the Crystal Empire once was in his day. The borders of the Empire used to encompass the city that would become Stalliongrad, and all of the land around it. Hiding here put Sombra close to his former seat of power while providing him with a haven amid a den of lions.

It was an open secret just how little control the Princesses had over Stalliongrad, after all, and a creature as subtle as Sombra could easily determine that much.

If he was here, though, then why were things improving?

That was the only part that failed to track in Shining’s mind. Why would Sombra make the city less dangerous for agents of the crown. The worse the city is, the easier it is for him to hide.

So why?

Shining’s thoughts were interrupted as the carriage came to a juddering halt. 

“Ooh!” Cadence pushed the door open and goggled up at the building they’d stopped in front of. “This isn’t so bad.”

The structure was massive, ten stories of solid red stone quarried from the nearby mountains. Unlike the rest of the city, it had weathered the years with remarkable aplomb. The walls were rough, but whole, the great pillars stood as solidly as ever, and the looming presence of its immensity towered over the rest of the city like a sullen patriarch.

“The Red Hall,” Shining said. “It’s the administrative heart of Stalliongrad, and the seat of the Governor as well as the parliamentary council.”

“Is it bad that I was expecting a crumbling ruin?” Cadence asked with a weak laugh.

“Not really,” Shining replied, smiling wanly. “All things considered, they could probably be taking better care of the city at large.”

“Hopefully the governor is agreeable,” Cadence said as the Crystal Knights formed up around them and they began ascending the steps to the Hall.

The great double doors of the Red Hall opened with a pained groan of ancient wood and metal as the party approached. On the other side were four figures dressed in the white-and-red livery of the Stalliongradi guard; two were ponies, a mare and a stallion, both earth ponies. The other two were griffons, and all four looked unimpressed.

“Welcome to Stalliongrad, Princess Cadenza.” The large griffon at the lead, a dun-colored male with mottled white spots across his feathers, bowed his head briefly as he spoke with a thick but cultured accent. 

The bow itself was more telling, though. It was low enough to indicate respect, but short enough to make it seem more perfunctory than genuine. 

“I’m afraid you’ve come at a troubling time.” The griffon continued. “We would be happy to take you to the diplomatic suites, though. I must insist that you take only four of your guards with you, however. This is policy, I’m sure you understand.”

“Of course.” Cadence gave the griffon her best smile before turning to dismiss the other six guards.

“We would like to meet with Governor Prochnost as soon as possible,” Shining said, taking a step closer to the guards. “Our visit comes at the behest of the Equestrian Triarchy.”

“Yes, we are aware,” the griffon said, which caught both Cadence and Shining off-guard. “Unfortunately, the Governor has recently stepped down from his post to see to pressing family matters and the governance of Stalliongrad currently rests with the council.”

Cadence and Shining Armor shared a look of shock. The governorship of a city was no mean posting, especially for a city that rivaled the size of Equestria’s largest and most prosperous cities. Abdication of a seat was practically unheard of.

“Then… we would need to address the council, I suppose,” Cadence said. “Can we speak to them?”

“The Interim Chancellor will be closing the session in a few hours,” the griffon replied. “You will be met with at a time shortly after that.”

“I see.” Cadence glanced at Shining who just shrugged, then turned back to the griffon who had begun leading them up a set of stairs. “May I ask a few questions of you?”

“Certainly,” he replied.

“Firstly, I’d like to know your name,” Cadence asked.

“It is Grunveldt,” he replied. “Of Bitterclaw.”

“Grunveldt Bitterclaw,” Cadence repeated. “Your rank?”

“Lieutenant Commander.”

“Well, Lieutenant Bitterclaw, can I ask about the role of ‘Interim Chancellor’?” Cadence continued. “What exactly is that?”

Grunvedlt sighed, a sound of annoyance more than anything else, but he replied after a moment of consideration.

“You are aware that the governorship of a city is appointed by the crown, yes?” The griffon took on a lecturing tone as Cadence and Shining both nodded. “But the parliamentary council is elected from the landholders. In the event that the city lacks a governor the council elects one of its own to act as a temporary executive authority.”

Shining frowned. “That’s… that makes sense I suppose, but I don’t think a redundancy like that has actually been used in… Written’s Quill… a few centuries at least. I can’t remember ever hearing about it.”

“You are correct,” the griffon replied. “The station of Interim Chancellor has not been used in over three centuries, but with the abdication of Prochnost, it became necessary.”

“That’s fair enough,” Shining agreed.

In truth, he’d been hesitant to deal with Governor Prochnost at all. The stallion was known for being hard-nosed and bellicose, and it was a strong opinion within the EID that Prochnost was one of the most deeply corrupt individuals in the city. For certain, it was unlikely the famiglias of Stalliongrad would be as well behaved as they were if the local government wasn’t playing ball with them in some capacity. 

There was no proof of course. It was in the famiglias best interests to ensure that their friends in the local government appeared squeaky clean, and the few times Prochnost had ever been investigated there had been nothing to suggest he was in league with any of the criminal families.

But the suspicion was still there.

As they reached the diplomatic suites, Grunveldt directed his small squad to sweep the room, and the Crystal Knights followed suit a moment later, going over the room again before bringing in their charges and their associated luggage.

“I will send someone for you when the Chancellor is ready,” Grunveldt said.

“Wait!” Cadence trotted out after him as the griffon turned to leave. “The Chancellor, what’s his name? And what’s he like?”

“The Chancellor?” Grunveldt chuckled darkly. “Her name is Cloudy Skies,” Cadence felt the bottom drop out of her stomach at the name, “and as for what she is like? Let’s put it this way… the local nickname for her is ‘Baba Yaga’, make of that what you will.”

As the Stalliongradi guards left the pair to their suites, Cadence and Shining Armor both felt a chill run down their spines at the griffon lieutenant's unsettling promise. If Cloudy Skies was indeed Fluttershy in disguise, then how much had she changed?