Shock had frozen the moment. Numbly Luna’s brain struggled to make sense of what was transpiring, but it was in essence impossible. Her scope of vision narrowed as the rest of the gala fell away, the look of shock and alarm on Sombra’s face all she could see clearly. How was he here? He couldn’t be here. He shouldn’t be here!
Discord. Some half-aware part of her mind supplied the answer, reminding her of the draconequus’s presence and his vaguely suspicious behavior beforehand. Discord was behind all this. Other ponies rapidly came to this same conclusion as royal guards immediately charged forward and surrounded the chaos spirit and the unicorn king. Sombra broke eye contact with Luna, backing up a few steps as he watched the guards with distrust. Discord, his smile waning, looked around and realized things weren’t unfolding quite according to plan.
Luna forced her gaze away to look Celestia in the eye. Each saw mixed emotions warring in her sister’s expression but after a second, silent understanding passed between them. They couldn’t let this ruin the gala. Discord and Sombra would have to be escorted elsewhere, someplace out of sight, and the matter addressed in private to avoid further panic.
“It was a bad call, Sombra,” Discord broke the silence as he worked an awkward grin onto his face, his eyes darting around the room. “A bad call.”
***
They weren’t sure how much time had passed since they were brought to the small side chamber when the guards finally announced the princesses were on their way to see them. Sombra was willing to bet it had been at least a few hours and if Discord actually knew how long it had been, he wasn’t acting like it.
“Okay, but are we there yet?”
Sombra glanced up as Discord whined, just in time to see the guards all roll their eyes. Not that he could blame them; it wasn’t the first time Discord had thrown that phrase out there to be vexing, and it was grating on his last nerve as well. Of course, Sombra’s sympathy for the guards vanished every time one of them glared at him. Fear simmered just beneath all of their defiant expressions and he could feel it there, tempting him to exploit it.
It wouldn’t take much. Even with any bravado they cling to at the thought of their princesses’ power, there’s enough fear there to incapacitate them for a short time. It would be so easy… Celestia’s guards especially have seen very few terrors in their service to her, of that I’m certain.
Then what? Sombra’s pacing around the room slowed down as the thought occurred to him. He could take advantage of these ponies’ fear, but what good would that do for their current predicament? He would only exacerbate the situation, and Discord had already dug the two of them into a pretty sizable hole. No, tempting as it was to put these foals in their place, non-aggression tactics would suit them best here. Sombra gnashed his teeth. He despised such weakness. Diplomacy was one thing— so long as you came out of it with the advantage after all that cautious treading. But to have to swallow his pride, apologize, and submit himself to the judgment of the alicorn sisters? That was utterly humiliating, an open display of weakness.
He thought of Luna’s teal eyes hooded with cool distrust, a flash of pain and betrayal flickering just underneath. High walls had been built around her since he had so ruthlessly left her at the mercy of the Changelings, walls he might not be able to break down again. And again he realized he feared the possibility she may never forgive him. He stopped pacing, looking down at the floor between his hooves solemnly.
What will become of me if she never forgives me?
It was a strange errant thought. A long time ago he probably wouldn’t have cared one way or another, but something significant, something drastic had changed during the time he’d spent around Princess Luna. Somehow, alien though it felt, Sombra cared now.
There came another sharp contraction in the hollow behind his ribcage, the icy cold almost robbing him of his breath entirely. A tremor wracked his spine and ran through his legs. He fought for a moment to stay upright on his hooves as his balance wavered and he wondered in alarm what had just happened to him.
A small, rounded fruit suddenly popped into his field of vision, startling him.
“Everything peachy there, Your Spookiness?”
Sombra glanced at the paw holding the peach and looked up to its owner, who was watching him closely. If he didn’t know better, he could have sworn there was a flicker of interest in those red-and-yellow eyes.
“I am…” Sombra hesitated, then decided on the truth. “Pained.”
“Ah, yes,” Discord’s face lit up as he swooped down, the peach vanishing in a puff of smoke and tiny stars as he draped an arm across Sombra’s shoulders like before. “Luna and Celestia didn’t exactly roll out the red carpet for us, did they?”
“Your arm is on me again,” Sombra muttered, and when the draconequus removed it with a cheeky smirk, he added, “And no, they didn’t. Your little declaration of— ‘bad call’, was it?— spectacularly understated the matter.”
“Eh,” Discord said, shrugging slightly and proceeding to pull his own horn off the top of his head as though it was mere decoration. “Maybe just a skosh.”
Sombra watched, vaguely unsettled as the chaos spirit then polished the horn with the tuft on the end of his tail. “You do realize they’ll probably punish us far worse than before,” he remarked, eyes never leaving the detached horn.
“You know, I don’t think you’re giving them enough credit,” Discord answered, not looking up from his task. “I mean, Celestia was willing to give me a second chance at being free. They’re pretty big on the whole friendship-and-forgiveness thing here in the heart of Equestria.” He finally stopped polishing the horn and gave it a once-over before nodding in satisfaction, and stuck it back on his head, fitting it snugly into place across from his antler. “You may even get a royal pardon, once you tell them why you’re here. Heh, get it? Royal pardon?”
“Forgive me for maintaining my doubt,” Sombra jeered dryly. “Somehow I don’t think explaining the matter will swing the circumstances into something favorable.”
“Spooky-Boots, haven’t you ever heard the phrase about how nopony likes a quitter?”
The stallion opened his mouth to protest in vexation, but never had the chance to fire off a retort. At that precise moment, the doors were flung open and there was a palpable shift in the room’s atmosphere as the princesses entered. Slowly the two of them turned to regard the alicorn sisters, eyes equally wide. If the expression on Celestia’s face could be described as tense, then Luna’s was guarded.
“Alright, Discord,” Celestia began, fixing a sharp stare on his face. “Explain yourself.”
All at once the confidence appeared to flee the draconequus, to be replaced by a brittle mask of nervous humor.
“Now now,” he began, clasping his front claws together in a placating gesture as he approached her. “I was going out of my way to do a good deed.”
As he spoke, Luna’s gaze shifted to Sombra, and the unicorn found he could not look her directly in the eye. Her sudden attention in light of the circumstances hardly felt positive, and he dreaded what she might say. The air was charged with tension and for the first time in centuries, the dark stallion felt small and powerless.
“I am having difficulty believing that was your intention,” the elder alicorn remarked coolly. Sombra bit his lower lip, abruptly recognizing this was the point where he had to speak up and jump in. Inhaling sharply through his nostrils, he lifted his head high and met the princesses’ eyes.
“Actually, his motives may not all be clear, but he did intend to do some good,” he declared, taking a few steps to shield Discord partially. “He wanted to give me the opportunity to speak with Princess Luna.”
His words crashed down into stifling silence. Celestia’s brows rose in disbelieving challenge, while Luna’s eyes flickered once before becoming half-lidded with an unseen wall of ice. She made to turn away and Sombra knew his window of opportunity was rapidly vanishing. He took a sharp step forward, trying to show his plea was genuine.
“Wait!” he bellowed, before backtracking and trying not to sound so thunderous. “Please, I implore you, Your Highness. Just listen to what I say, that’s all you need do.”
“ ‘Need do’?” Luna echoed coldly, her brows narrowing as her furious gaze bore into him. “I need not do anything, King of No Kingdom. I am bound by no obligation and thusly, owe you nothing. The fact my sister and I have even given you a modicum of our time and presence is a privilege we have granted you, not some right.”
He flinched, the words cutting into him. This was going even worse than he had anticipated and he felt even smaller than before. Would her silence have been preferable after all? He was no longer sure. His insides were hot in a sickly way as they knotted up and he wished he could have vanished away with a simple teleportation spell. And yet there he was, rooted by his hooves to the spot and trying to swallow over the lump in his throat to speak.
“I… I didn’t mean it like that,” he protested, sounding pitifully weak in his own ears. “Please, L— Your Highness. I ask, would you hear what I have to say to you?”
She went quiet, scrutinizing him carefully. Celestia and Discord watched on the periphery, awaiting the younger princess’s decision. Seconds ticked by, each a thudding heartbeat crashing against a weighted gong. Finally Luna inclined her head by a fraction, acquiescing to his plea. Sombra let out a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding in and after a struggle, managed to form the words.
“I’m… I am… truly sorry.”
He lowered his head, sinking in on himself as his body began to shake. He couldn’t look at her, not after a brief glimpse, and averted his eyes to the floor, studying the carpeting there. But he couldn’t stop himself now that he had spoken; the words left him of their own volition.
“I am sorry, for what I did and how deeply I have hurt you. Not a moment has gone by for me since where I’ve not regretted what I’d done to you. The more time I’ve had to dwell on it, the more the guilt eats at me and I want to take back my actions. There is no excuse for it. You have every right to never want to see me again, but I wanted to at least apologize to you face-to-face, in my own words. You deserve that much, and far more.”
Luna shifted her weight and he looked up quickly to see her turn her head away, hurt and uncertainty shining in eyes damp with unshed tears. Sombra’s insides gave a painful wrench and he was forced to lower his head again. A voice like mist started swirling chaotically in his thoughts, furious and accusing.
Look what you’ve done, it said. Look what you’ve done! Look upon the irreparable damage you’ve done, the wounds you inflicted on her! Are you happy now? Are you proud of what you’ve done?!
He was a monster. Everything within him had turned hideously ugly after he lost his heart and now he realized he was a monster. He didn’t deserve to stand before her.
The moment passed and Discord finally spoke again, presumably, Sombra suspected, from a latent inability to keep quiet for long.
“Well! That was a very, uh, expositional bit of confession there,” the draconequus commented, giving the stallion an awkward pat on the back. “You’re welcome for the assist by the way, no need to thank me out loud.”
Sombra spared him a look of irritation before risking another glance at Luna. Still she refused to look at him directly, but she opened her mouth partially, hesitating as she selected her words carefully.
“That… is all you wished to say?”
This time he felt the weight of the Sun Princess’s stare as he tried to muster up a suitable reply. “I… I don’t know,” he said quietly. “Perhaps more, eventually. But that was what I needed to tell you right now. I wanted to look you in the eye and apologize, and when Discord offered me the chance to do so, I took it.” He turned to Celestia then, lifting his chin high as he gestured with his horn in Discord’s direction. “So I believe he did intend some good.”
On cue Discord grinned proudly, but it faded as Celestia and Luna both remained silent. After a second he made a noise of exasperation and threw his claws up into the air. “Oh, come on! Are you really that mad at me?”
Luna whipped around almost too quickly for anypony to follow, nostrils flaring in rage as she bore down upon them. “Mad? Mad? I’m furious! You have some nerve, Discord! You don’t care one whit about the panic and fear you caused everypony when you—”
A white wing extended gently over the younger alicorn’s shoulders and Luna stopped mid-sentence. “Luna,” Celestia murmured soothingly. “It’s going to be alright. We won’t let anything happen to anypony, and we’ll reassure them of that.” She paused momentarily in thought before evidently arriving at an idea and continuing. “The night is still young. Why don’t you start your dreamwalk early? We can determine tomorrow what ultimately must be done.”
There was hesitation in the Princess of the Night as she took measure of her sister’s words, and for a brief moment she looked to Sombra. This time the stallion felt something else begin to battle his anxiety, something beneath it that flickered into life with a small but bright glow. Strange as the feeling was and much as he wasn’t certain what to call it, it was a positive thing; that much he could tell. Luna held his gaze steadily, though when she spoke it wasn’t to address him.
“Yes,” she murmured softly. “Perhaps that is best.”
She turned, her gown shimmering and twinkling as she moved, and strode silently from the room. Sombra relaxed a fraction. Certainly that could have been worse but he felt the encounter actually went better than he’d initially anticipated.
Except that Princess Celestia wants to resolve the matter on the morrow.
Slowly he turned to face the elder alicorn, not surprised that Discord did the same. Celestia’s violet eyes reflected only calm; the image of a detached ruler stood before them, her gaze sweeping over stallion and draconequus equally in cool assessment. Instantly Sombra felt tense again. His last discussion with the Princess of the Day had been frigid and barbed, and he knew she had been personally angered by his betrayal of her younger sister. Celestia was a difficult pony to read, even for royalty, but he wouldn’t have been shocked if some of her righteous, tempestuous anger still lingered.
“For now,” she finally declared, “I’m going to have to have you moved elsewhere, King Sombra. You cannot stay here in the palace this evening.”
Instantly he felt a measure of outrage. How dare she! He was a king! At the very least if she acknowledged such then she could offer him guest quarters, but to refuse him staying in the palace even for a night?! Yet dogging right behind his outrage was a realization of surprising clarity. This meant she wasn’t resorting to sending him straight back to the oubliette in which he’d previously been imprisoned!
Perhaps I ought to view that as a victory, however small.
“Guards,” she addressed the other ponies still present, and all of them quickly stood to attention. “Princess Twilight Sparkle and my niece, Princess Cadence discovered the existence of long-forgotten crystal caverns beneath the palace back when Queen Chrysalis attempted to ruin Cadence’s wedding to Shining Armor. Please escort King Sombra there and accompany him to ensure that no further panic is incited.”
Sombra curled his upper lip in a small sneer. Was this a poor attempt at humor on her part or a subtle, underhoofed insult? The guards seem to have other concerns however, as one of them approached the alicorn mare and cleared his throat, a strong expression of disapproval on his face.
“Please forgive me Your Highness, but—” he flashed an uneasy glance Sombra’s way, “is it really wise to leave him in those caverns?”
Low whispers were quickly exchanged between the other guards and Sombra caught the word “crystals” among the whispering. He fought the need to scowl. True, leaving him in such a place played to his advantage for working crystal magic, but the last thing he wanted was for Celestia to be given such a reminder. Despite stating the obvious, it was also voicing a reason to potentially send him back to the oubliette. Still, she barely looked at the pony who had spoken before looking to Sombra and meeting his gaze levelly.
“Had he used the chance to escape for something sinister, I would not hesitate to agree. But you all have witnessed the same thing tonight as I have. He chose to stand before Princess Luna and apologize. If this apology is sincere, then there should be no reason why King Sombra would not wait patiently until tomorrow for the opportunity to stand before my sister and I again and sort out this matter. If he is sincere, then I expect little to no trouble.”
An itch started up in Sombra’s withers but he maintained his composure and regarded the alicorn with raised eyebrows. This was certainly a lot of trust to put in anyone, much less him; either that or the princess was taking quite the gamble, and she didn’t seem like the type to do so. However, he realized the truth as he held her stare. Celestia’s eyes gave it all away. She expected no trouble because if he did try anything, she intended to stop him as swiftly and decisively as possible.
Well then, touché princess.
“You have nothing to worry about,” he announced in a dry tone, preparing to depart the room. Instantly the guards closed in as he strode toward the door, determined not to let him out of their sight. “I did not go to this trouble to then destroy my own progress at making amends.”
“It is good to hear this,” Celestia responded, though not without a hint of suspicion in her tone. “My apologies for the inconvenience. We will send for you tomorrow.”
“There is no need to apologize,” he muttered. “Being around crystals again will be a comfort.” It was neither a complete lie not the absolute truth, for he had realized in a way how closely crystals mirrored the fragility of all ponies.
***
She watched the dark king leave, keeping most of her thoughts and suspicions locked away in the back of her mind. The entire exchange between Sombra and her sister had been rough, the stallion pained and uncertain as to how to go about the apology. Likely it had been many thousands of years since King Sombra gave anypony a sincere apology, assuming this wasn’t the first time he’d ever done so in his life. And Luna…
Luna’s heart had been left in tatters after Sombra’s betrayal. Celestia couldn’t bring herself to be upset with her sister for what happened, despite having warned Luna not to trust the dethroned king. Her own heart hurt for her sister and now, she believed that Sombra’s sudden appearance and the unexpected regret he had expressed were sure to leave Luna feeling even more hurt and confused.
Perhaps he truly is sincere, she pondered. It wasn’t without a twinge of guilt that she recalled having given him a copy of Luna’s journal after imprisoning him again in the oubliette. It was a violation of Luna’s trust and privacy, one that Celestia knew she would have to come clean about with Luna on her own. She had been angry and felt in all her righteous fury that Sombra needed to know exactly how her sister felt about him in order to fully understand the scope of how deeply he had hurt Luna. The ends didn’t justify the means; Celestia knew that and in retrospect, she felt her decision had been made in poor judgment, the impetuous act of an older sister lashing out at one who harmed her family. But was it possible that the journal had gotten through to him?
Could that be why he went to all this trouble just to apologize to Luna?
“Well, if you don’t need me for anything,” the voice of the only other one left in the room with her broke her out of her musings as it addressed her with an uneasy laugh. “I uh, I think I’ll just be heading out to sample the punch now.”
Celestia didn’t even move as she reached with her magic and yanked Discord’s tail, anchoring him to the spot. She heard him swallow loudly, pausing before he spoke again.
“If you want me to fetch you a glass too, Celestia, that’s—”
She whipped around, glaring, and saw the words die in his mouth. He stuttered momentarily, casting about for something to say. With a sigh Celestia released his tail, knowing her edge was already starting to soften. Staying angry at the draconequus had never been easy for her, save those times when he had threatened Equestria with his chaotic wrongdoing. Since his reform thanks to his growing friendship with the pegasus Fluttershy, Celestia was finding it even more difficult to separate her personal feelings from her choices as a princess where he was concerned.
“Why did you do it?” she sighed. She was met with a flabbergasted look of incredulity.
“I wanted to help!” Discord protested, stunned and offended she hadn’t drawn that conclusion on her own. “Neither one of them were going to do anything but drown in wangsty regret and self-pity if they kept going on like that!”
Celestia lifted her eyebrows, delightedly surprised at how directly he had gotten to the point. Truthfully, he was probably quite accurate in his assumption. Still… “But you didn’t stop to think it all through before you acted.”
“Eh, being too hung up on details takes too much time. I’m a fellow of action, but that doesn’t make me the ‘plan guy’.” After a second he frowned, searching her face. “You are mad at me, aren’t you?”
“No,” she said quietly, turning to leave and doing her best to hide her face. “I’m afraid I’m just feeling let down.”