Before Nightmare moon threatened to cast the world into eternal darkness, yet long after Tirek’s failed campaign to thieve Equestria’s magic, a terrible event was to forever rock the world for centuries. The Crystal Empire would vanish, taking with it thousands of lives and a budding kingdom that existed as a glittering jewel in the frozen wasteland. And the cause of its disappearance was to be a maniacal monarch known as King Sombra.
But before he was a king, he was just a regular pony like any other in Equestria, though he certainly stood out in his homeland. Sombra was found as a colt wandering the borders of the Empire by a group of guards on patrol. They brought him in, thinking he was someone’s lost child. However, when they questioned him, he didn’t seem to know the answer to any of their questions, and the only word he could say was, “Sombra.”
Having no family to return him to, the guards took him to the Crystal Heart Foal Center run by a Miss Chestnut Falls. She took him in with the rest of the orphans under her charge. He was far behind the rest of the foals in the orphanage in terms of schooling, but he was a quick learner, and Miss Chestnut often spent nights at his bedside giving him further instruction to catch him up. Were it not for her, he’d have never learned to read, write, and speak quickly to be on the same level as his peers.
Sadly, the other kids at the orphanage lacked the understanding and acceptance of their caretaker. While his appearance would be considered normal in the southern kingdom of Equestria, his dull, ashen coat with black mane and lack of a Cutie Mark made him the, “Weird Pony.” Only one other foal in the shelter, Radiant Hope, was as “weird” as Sombra, and as she had put it, “We can be weird together.” Her oddity manifested in her belief that she saw “fairies” all around her. Sombra just put it off as her having an interesting imagination.
The two of them were inseparable. They sat together in classes, passing each other secret messages written in their own secret language. During free time, they’d play odd games only they knew the rules to, though there was sometimes debate as to whether Sombra was actually “eated” by an imaginary dragon. The other fillies and colts kept their distance from the two, seeing them as oddballs to be avoided, which worked fine for Sombra and Hope.
Over the course of Sombra’s first year within the Empire, they would gather and save money in anticipation for something Hope thought of fondly. Her most cherished memory was when her parents took her to the Crystal Faire where the whole city gathered to celebrate and offer their love to the Crystal Heart, which would be overseen by Princess Amore, ruler of the Empire, herself.
Sombra was excited to go to his first Faire, and he was especially excited to see the Crystal Heart, which to him sounded like a wonder to behold. Hope thought it would be nice if they went to see it before the Faire, as the Heart was always on display at the base of the castle, and Sombra was more than happy to go see it.
When they approached the Heart, both received visions. Hope saw an older version of herself adorned in royal regalia. Sombra, however, saw a smoky, wretched beast with green and red eyes, sharp fangs, and a curved horn ending in a spike. To him, he was staring into the face of a monster. And it terrified him. To make matters worse, the Princess herself appeared before the two as they stared at the Crystal, Sombra backpedaling into her foreleg when he saw his vision. Amore told them that the Heart was said to give visions of what was in ponies’ hearts, though she added that she felt that anything can be changed. She then asked them both what they saw, and while Hope spoke the truth of seeing herself as a Princess, Sombra claimed to see nothing but darkness. The Princess tried to inform him that if he did see anything, he could change it, though it fell on deaf ears as Sombra maintained that he saw nothing, which Amore stated that she believed him.
Months later, Sombra was woken early by Hope when she excitedly told, or rather shouted, that it was the day of the Crystal Faire. While previously he’d been eagerly awaiting the event, the day it came changed his excitement and joy into pure terror; so much so that he frightfully called to his friend for help when his dread kept him bolted to the ground and unable to move. He was placed in the infirmly bed of the orphanage where the window overlooked the Faire, and despite several examinations, the doctor couldn’t find a piece of mane out of place with Sombra.
His condition only worsened as the day progressed, and each hour that passed marked more of Sombra’s strength being sapped away to leave him weak and in torment. Eventually, Hope told Miss Chestnut, who had stayed at the bedside up until the late afternoon, to go to see the heart while she watched over her friend. The entire time, Sombra desperately wanted to be strong for Hope, but he felt as if he was being torn apart. It wasn’t until midnight, when the festivities died down, that Sombra was finally able to find rest, and Hope fell asleep shortly after him with a promise that next year, they’d get to see the Faire.
The next day, Sombra felt normal again, as if the events of the Faire hadn’t occurred, and he and Hope began to plan for the next year’s Faire. However, the next year brought the two to the same infirmary bed where Sombra felt himself wracked with pain. This happened the year after that, and the year after that, and so on. Each year that they grew, so too did Sombra’s wish to see the Crystal Faire with Hope, but his pain seemed to grow to outmatch his wishes. This went on for many years, until one year proved far more harrowing for the two.
While the day had progressed much the same as the previous ones, the afternoon brought with it a radical shift unlike any they had seen or experienced. Sombra’s eyes changed green and red, then began to leak purple smoke. Cracks started to appear over his body as if he were made of dried clay. Then, Sombra began to float! Hope awakened from his bedside to see the cracks in his form began to chip away bits and pieces of his body, causing a shadowy smoke to leak out. The two panicked, both watching helplessly as something horrific occurred beyond their control. Sombra called out to his friend for help as more and more of him seemed to dissipate into the aether, but Hope had no clue what she could do. Just as it seemed Sombra was going to disappear completely, Hope acted without thinking. She activated her horn, not knowing a spell to cast, but using the thought of fixing her friend to fuel her magic. This caused a bubble to form around Sombra’s dispersing figure, which carefully began to put itself back together in a matter of seconds. When the task was done, both collapsed onto the ground, though Hope arose with a new mark of two serpents wrapped around a scepter with a winged ball above them on her flank, something Sombra happily pointed out.
Things changed for the better for Hope after that event, but not so much for Sombra. Hope discovered she had the ability to cure any ailment, something that gained her great fame and adoration throughout the Empire as ponies fled to her in search for a cure for their ails. Indeed, she wielded a truly powerful magic… which worried Sombra greatly. There was word from the southern kingdom of Equestria that its diarchy was looking for a powerful unicorn in hopes of seeing if they had what it took to become royalty. A Prince or Princess…
The thought that Hope could realize what the Crystal Heart showed her worried Sombra greatly, for if it was right about her… then surely it meant he would become a monster like it had shown him. It was only when Hope approached him with an excited smile on her face and a letter held aloft by her magic that Sombra’s fears were realized. He recognized the seals of the two sisters from Equestria, and it meant his fears had come true. Hope would become a Princess, and he a monster.
He didn’t stay to listen to Hope, opting to run in both grief and terror out of the Empire and into the frozen tundra. He ran as far as his legs would allow in the snow, and when his energy was spent, he collapsed in the frost. However, it seemed the direction he ran was not as random as it had seemed, as a voice broke through the blustery weather to speak to him. It was a dark, creeping voice that made no audible sound to be heard, but instead spoke to him in his mind. He arose to find himself before a large, red crystal formation jutting from the earth. It told him the past he had forgotten, or rather never had, as the formation told him it had created him and claimed to be his mother. It said he was an Umbrum, a shadow pony. Where the Crystal ponies were creatures of shimmering crystal and light, Umbrums were their opposites, made of shadow and smoke. This, it explained, was the reason others feared and avoided him, because deep down, they were meant to.
But most importantly, it told him why he always fell ill during the Crystal Faire. Apparently, the Umbrum once tormented the Crystal ponies until Princess Amore created the Crystal Heart, which when fueled by the love of her subjects, could harm, and destroy the Umbrum. When it was first used, the blast of light trapped the Umbrum in a series of caves beneath the Empire where they remained for years. Only recently had one of them managed to reach the surface in the form of the great red crystal, and then set to work creating Sombra to combat the Heart.
Then, the crystal revealed that the weak form of magic that he could barely use was not his true power, but his real power had been locked away, as it made him far more vulnerable to the magic of the Heart. Without warning, an arch of purple lightning shot from the crystal to strike Sombra’s horn. When he rose from the smoke, his horn had turned red and curved upwards. His eyes changed to green and red, leaking purple smoke from the sides. And just like that, things became clear to him. He understood what he was, what he had to do, and he knew how to utilize the magic of his people. He had to take the Crystal Heart and destroy it. This would likely ruin his friendship with Hope, as she adored the Heart; however, his need to survive seemed to outweigh his wishes to see Hope happy.
And so he went into the Empire with his will to survive motivating him.
Crystal Empire, midnight…
Sombra crept silently down the crystalline streets of the Empire. The shadows themselves seemed to bend and move to shield him from discovery. Each gas lamp he neared had its flame snuffed out well before he entered the circle of light they provided. Even his hooffalls were silent as the grave, despite the glass-like surface he treaded upon. He moved at a quickened pace, slithering through alleyways to avoid patrols and those that would be on the streets at this hour.
He wore a set of black robes with purple trim, a red crystal clasp, and a hole for his horn. Normally, such finery would be well out of his price range, but Dark Magic allowed him to conjure things with an ease he’d never experienced. The robes aided in his desire to move unnoticed through the city, as the fabric appeared to absorb the light.
Soon, the brilliant light of the Crystal Heart appeared before him as he rounded a corner. Sombra’s movements slowed as he stalked up the steps towards the jewel, its radiance chasing the shadows that clung to him away until he stood as a dark blotch against the light. Seeing this caused him to quicken his approach, lest someone see him. The Crystal Heart remained afloat between two long crystals jutting from the floor and ceiling. He reached a hoof out to touch the Heart, only to retract it when the searing light broke through his ashen fur to let shadow stuff leak out. Sombra hissed in pain, taking a few steps back to let his form heal. He wanted to curse himself for his own stupidity. Of course he wouldn’t be able to touch the Heart; it was designed to destroy him.
He stifled a growl of anger as he called on his magic. Green and purple bubbles seeped from his horn and eyes like a sickness and poured out into the space in front of him. From the mass of gurgling energy came a hessian sack with a velvet pull string. Sombra took the bag in his mouth, knowing he’d be unable to use magic close to the Heart, and stepped forward once more.
For a moment, he hesitated. Thoughts raced through his mind about what would happen when the deed was done. He thought of Hope, and how it’d break her heart if she saw him now. What would happen to her afterwards? Would Sombra be able to protect her from the wrath of his people, or would she be consumed in a sea of shadow? Even if he could keep her safe, she’d hardly be grateful to the one that damned the Empire to ruin. Perhaps he could control his brethren to stay their hooves…
Sombra’s resolve hardened and he stepped forward, throwing the sack up and enveloping the Heart and snuffing out its light. The shadows immediately wrapped him in a silent embrace to aid in his getaway.
“Even now, it’s not too late for you, Sombra,” said a calm and maternal voice from behind. Sombra jumped and swiftly spun around to be greeted by Princess Amore, her horn alight to chase the shadows away once more. Her face was composed as she stared at the bag slung around his neck. “You can return the Heart and walk away.”
“Princess Amore!” fear gripped Sombra’s heart as he tried to look for a dark corner to leap into and escape. Sadly, the light Amore shone ensured such an action would fail. “What are you doing here?”
“Somepony needed my help, so I came,” she answered, stepping forward.
Sombra grit his teeth and stepped back, his eyes staring intensely at the Princess. “I don’t need your help!” he spat.
Amore tilted her head slightly and continued her slow advance. “Then why did you believe I was talking about you?” she asked, her tone conveying concern.
Her question brought him to a halt momentarily, making him restrain a hiss of anger that she’d caught him. “You have no idea what I’ve been through, Princess,” he responded bitterly.
The Princess’ face fell to take on a pleading, concerned expression as she dared to draw closer. “Then tell me, Sombra. Don’t make a mistake you can’t take back.” Her eyes stared deeply into his, hoping to make some sort of connection with him. “You don’t have to be one of those monsters.”
“One of those…?” Sombra’s mind froze and his face followed suet as realization struck him like a sack of hammers. “You knew what I was all along and you never told me…” he whispered hoarsely. He felt sick, he felt like his world was crumbling away further as he tried to keep himself from falling to the floor in misery at the revelation. For a moment, he couldn’t bare looking the Princess in the eyes as feelings of betrayal and anger flooded his mind. “You knew why the Crystal Faire made me sick.” He found the strength to look the Princess back in the eye as he whispered, “You knew, didn’t you?”
She didn’t try to obfuscate the truth from him or soften the blow. She simply closed the distance between them further to stand within reach and responded firmly, “Yes, I did.”
Sombra shut his eyes tight, hoping to quell the tears he felt threatening to pour. He felt betrayed. Betrayed… and angry. That anger slowly grew within him, chasing away his sorrow. He looked up, his face contorted into a venomous glare. “All those years of suffering,” he began scornfully with green and red eyes boring into the Princess with hate. “And you knew why because you made it! You made the Crystal Heart to destroy me!”
Amore shook her head, her firm expression still holding. “Not you, Sombra,” she corrected. “I saw the potential to be better. I see it even now. You can choose-”
“ENOUGH!” he bellowed, his horn flaring to life with purple sparks. He was done; done with the lies, done with the light, and done with the conversation. He was going to make her pay! He’d turn her into red and black slag and crystal. He’d drag her petrified form before the masses and drown in pure joy as they watched him shatter her with his hooves. He would free his people, and march his dark army over the frozen north until all became shadow. Then he’d move on to Equestria to enact vengeance on the two sisters for separating him and Hope. All light would be snuffed out until there was darkness and nothing more. Only then, would he be happy again.
And it’s here where events would have gone on as we remember. Sombra attacks the Princess, Celestia and Luna engage him in combat, and the Crystal Empire sinks into a thousand year torpor…
However, one can easily forget small footnotes in history that, while with hindsight may seem unworthy of being remembered, some such footnotes could have changed the course of history and the events therein by their timing. In this case, it comes in the early arrival of a certain individual...
“Sombra?” a familiar voice called out from the darkness behind.
Sombra jolted, turning on the spot and aiming his spell towards the intruder. Amore must have had a guard sneak up behind him. No matter, he’d take care of them, and then return his ire to the Princess. But to his surprise, he found no armored guard with weapon drawn and poised to strike him down. He instead found a purple Crystal unicorn with a light blue mane and sapphire blue eyes staring frightfully at his spell ready horn. “H-Hope!?” Why was she here? Was she trying to stop him too?
Hope looked fearfully at her best friend, barely recognizing him with the drastic changes to his body. “What are you doing?” she asked, her voice trembling. “Why is Princess Amore here? Where’s the Crystal Heart? Where have you been?”
Sombra’s shock subsided and allowed anger to reign once more when he heard the order of her questions, the last being about him. He sneered at his friend and broke eye contact. “Of course you care more for the Heart than me…”
“What are you talking about?” Hope was trying desperately to make sense of the situation, but everything seemed so strange, she had no idea where to start.
“I’m taking the Heart!” Sombra admitted, evoking a shocked gasp from Hope. “It’s the cause of my sickness. It’s high time I rid myself of this blight.”
“You can’t destroy the Heart!” Hope objected.
“Then should I leave it here? Let it destroy me as it nearly did at the last Faire?” he fixed her with a grave scowl as a bad taste entered his mouth. “Have you already forgotten what almost happened?” the memory of himself nearly being torn apart played itself in his and Hope’s minds, eliciting a shudder of pain from Sombra.
“I…I don’t understand-”
“YOU NEVER UNDERSTAND!” Sombra hollered. “I’m not like you, Hope. I’m an Umbrum, a Shadow Pony. The Crystal Heart will kill me if it remains here…” his enraged expression shifted to one of detest as he recalled the morning’s event that sent him running. “But why should you care? You received a letter from the Princesses, and I’m sure they’ve asked you to come to their castle to study under them, haven’t they?”
Hope’s eyes widened at Sombra’s outburst. She’d never seen him so angry and… bitter. She was also surprised that he had guessed what the contents of the letter she received were. “Sombra… I-”
His expression softened into a saddened, broken one. “You were going to leave me Hope… you were going to abandon me here to die alone!” As much as he wanted it to be easy to hate her forever, he couldn’t. She was the one who gave him purpose as a foal. She was the one that stayed at his side as the Crystal Faire went on just outside their window, but never once left him to enjoy it. No, he lost his momentary anger towards her. Now, all that was left were feelings of betrayal and sorrow.
“I… I didn’t know you felt this way, Sombra.” Hope’s eyes shimmered with fresh tears. She tried to take a step forward to comfort her friend.
“Don’t come any closer!” he demanded, lifting the sack from his neck and holding it in the air, as if readying to throw it to the ground. He turned and backed up so Hope and the Princess were within his line of sight. “I’ll smash the Crystal Heart!” he threatened, raising the bag a few more inches up to prove his point.
“Sombra,” Amore called quietly.
“I don’t want to hear from you anymore!” Sombra’s eyes hardened as his conversation with the Princess earlier came back to him, and brought with it the anger it created. “You knew everything, and kept it hidden from me so I could suffer!” he looked between the two and snarled. “I’ll not listen to anymore of your lies! Both of you are just trying to hurt me! Trying to destroy me!”
“Sombra, please don’t!” Hope pleaded tearfully.
He turned his glare back to Hope and ground his teeth. Why’d she have to be here? Why couldn’t she have just left him alone? It would’ve been so much easier to kill Amore and deal with Hope later, but she had to butt in where she didn’t belong. Sombra was sick of the two of them. He’d see to it they’d suffer, they’d all suff-
His train of thought was brought to a halt at the sound of sniffling to his left. Sombra flicked his eyes over to see Hope on her haunches, trying to wipe tears from her eyes.
“Sombra,” she spoke in a shuddering whisper, barely audible, but he could hear her. “I’m so sorry… I don’t know what happened to you this morning to bring you here, and I don’t fully understand everything that’s going on…” She paused to suck in a deep, trembling breath before looking up into Sombra’s eyes, her’s now red and freely releasing tears down her cheeks. “I’ve been so focused on getting my Cutie Mark and healing Ponies that I never noticed my best friend was suffering the whole time. I should have taken the time to talk with you more… I… I should have noticed something.” for a moment, her saddened expression broke into a short lived smile. “You’ve never been too good at hiding your feelings. I was so wrapped up in being accepted by everypony that I… I left you behind.” Hope stood up and wiped at her eyes. “I’m so sorry, Sombra… I’ve been a terrible friend.”
During her outpour of emotion, Sombra had managed to keep his composure; however, as he listened to Hope tearfully apologize, his breathing became less calm as he did all he could to keep from mirroring her. Seeing Hope in tears, lamenting over what she perceived as being a bad friend and chastising herself should have been cathartic for him. Instead, he found himself reaching a hoof to his face and finding his cheek wet with fresh tears. And it was here that his resolve wavered. He hated seeing Hope pained like this, despite his wish that he could remain angry with her. Now, he began to hate himself for bringing her to tears.
Then, Sombra looked down to his reflection and winced at the site that met him. His red irises surrounded by green, the curved horn stained red as if it were a hot iron or dipped in fresh blood, the serpentine finge that poked out of his upper jaw, and the purple smoke trailing from the far corners of his eyes brought a terrible memory to surface within his mind. The creature he saw as a colt when he approached the Crystal Heart, the one that plagued his mind awake or asleep, was staring back at him.
And it was all this, Hope being brought to tears, the omissions of truth from the Princess, and his nightmares being made real by his own doing that finally broke his resolve. He had felt justified in taking the Heart out of a need to survive, and he had thought it right to punish the Princess for what he perceived as treachery, but the truth was, he couldn’t accept responsibility for his own failings. No one forced him to run from Hope instead of talking things through. No one forced him to steal the Crystal Heart, the red crystal entity only gave him the facts and suggested what he should do. And no one forced him to prepare a spell to kill Princess Amore. He made the choices of his own free will, and it disgusted him.
Tears ran freely from his eyes. His chest heaved as the pain and guilt that had gathered within was let out. His teeth clenched tightly in shame at what he’d allowed himself to become, and how easily he let it happen. “Hope,” he whispered through a sob. “I’m sorry… You’re not at fault.” Sombra looked up to his friend. To his surprise and relief, she had moved closer to him to wrap her hooves around him. He flinched at the contact, then relaxed as she began to hold him tightly. “I was scared and… and stupid. I didn’t try to talk to you, and I just…”
Hope shushed him, using a hoof to pat Sombra’s back in reassurance. He rested his chin on her shoulder and let himself weep, occasionally murmuring out a shaky apology. “It’s okay, Sombra,” she whispered back. “We can talk when you’re ready. Just… just let it out.”
And so Sombra did as suggested and simply wept into his friend’s shoulder. Thoughts of destruction and revenge were swept from his mind by a tidal wave of sorrow. He clung to Hope for what seemed like ages until his eyes became red and dry, whereupon he moved back to rub his snout with his forehoof and, for the first time that night, he smiled. This expression quickly broke, however, when he realized there was a third party watching him.
Sombra nervously turned to look to Princess Amore, who had stood back and allowed him to be comforted. She stood with a calm and welcoming smile. She didn’t need to speak to convey what she waited for. While she was happy to see Sombra rescued from the dark, he still had the Crystal Heart in his possession, and Amore had to place back where it belonged.
Sombra looked at the bag resting by his hooves, having been forgotten in his need to vent, and lifted it with his magic. The sack was enveloped in a bubbling green and purple aura as it lifted itself from the ground to hover before the Princess. She allowed her smile to grow but a fraction and nodded her thanks to Sombra before taking the Heart from the bag with her own magic. Amore needn’t turn to look as she moved the Crystal Heart back in its rightful place, its light once more bathing the underside of the castle.
This done, Amore gave her two subjects a humored look as she asked. “Would either of you care for some tea?”
Crystal Castle…
The three retreated from the pedestals of the Crystal Heart and took tea within the Princess’ private quarters. The room was was a large and opulent space, filled with exotic furnishings from all across the realm. A mahogany bed large enough to fit six ponies, fitted with silk sheets and pillows, laid next to a grand window with glass made clean enough to seem non existent. A few feet from that, a great hearth carved from the castle itself bathed the room in warmth. The three all sat close to the fire in cushioned seats, a table between them peppered with oatcakes, sugar cubes, honey, milk, and a white porcelain tea set with purple and gold filigree.
The place seemed so strange to both Sombra and Hope, as they had never seen such wealth and decadence in their lives. It helped ease them as the Princess interviewed Sombra on the events leading up to his attempted theft. He was still hesitant to speak on what he’d discovered, but the Princess was patient, and Hope reassured him enough to learn why he made to destroy the Heart. To say the two mares were surprised would be an understatement, though Hope’s shock came from learning the whole story of Sombra’s unique position, whilst Amore was dumbstruck at the revelation that the Umbrum had found a way to communicate to the outside world via the red Crystal Entity.
Almost immediately, the Princess had guards sent out in the direction Sombra had left the city. They would travel three miles out in search of an odd cluster of crystal that they were to remain at a distance if spotted. If they found nothing, a second group would be sent on the morrow to search further and in a wider area. She assured Sombra that, while the Umbrum meant to torment Empire and its ponies, she had no desire to see them destroyed. “While I know it’s rather foalish of me to think, I hope we can coexist one day,” she admitted. “I have always believed that anyone can change who they are, they just need the right person, or pony, to believe in them.” at this, she gave the two a knowing smile.
Apparently, her last statement went unnoticed by Sombra as he sternly looked to her and shook his head. “I hate to disagree with you Princess, but I just can’t see my-” he stopped mid sentence and ground his teeth in frustration. “Those creatures as being anything but malicious. I can’t imagine what years of being trapped to let their anger and hatred fester must be like, but I don’t think I’d like to see them unleashed to vent their rage. My moth… the Crystal Entity seemed to be composed, but I could feel the desperation in its words when it instructed me to destroy the Crystal…” he looked down scornfully as a bad taste entered his mouth. “And I, like a fool, listened to it…”
He quickly felt a hoof resting on his shoulder as Hope reached out to reassure him. “You weren’t in the right mindset, Sombra,” she offered. “You were scared and confused, and the Entity offered you clarity when your mind was all but fog.” She offered him a smile, then brought an oatcake slathered with honey to his mouth. “From what it sounds, you haven’t eaten since breakfast.” the cake was playfully pressed to his lips, lifting them up to show some of his teeth, as if he were smiling from the right corner of his mouth. Sombra responded by staring at Hope with as level a look as he could manage. Hope, meanwhile, was now sporting a humored grin at the sight.eventually, Sombra relented and opened his mouth to eat the treat, trying to steady his breathing to avoid laughing at Hopes strange antics and choking on his food.
Amore chuckled at the two’s strange antics, though her good mood was short lived. She cleared her throat to regain their attention. “While I’m happy to see you two getting along, I feel it prudent to discuss how we’ll be moving forward.” Her words earned her two confused looks, and she realized that she needed to elaborate. “Obviously, Sombra’s continued existence is threatened while remaining here, at least during the Faire.”
“I could move out of the Empire,” Sombra offered, though he didn’t seem sure of the option given his nervous tone and hesitance to look either pony in the eye.
Hope seemed ready to speak in protest to this, when the Princess said, “That’s actually what I was thinking.” Both her subjects seemed shocked at this, Sombra’s jaw visibly tightened and Hope seemed unsure whether to look angry at the Princess or remain surprised. It took a moment for Amore to realize how what she said could have been interpreted, and she snickered at how foalishly she had worded her response. “You were thinking of leaving the Empire in a way that would isolate you from others, wern’t you? I was thinking it would be far more simple, and fitting, for you to join Hope in Equestria.” Once again, she received expressions of surprise, and her light snigger returned at the sight. “I’m surprised the thought hadn’t crossed your minds.”
Hope was the first to reply. “Would the Princesses be okay with it? Their letter asked for me only…” her eyes widened a bit when she realized she made it sound like she was trying to dissuade the idea, causing her to turn to Sombra and quickly add, “Not that I wouldn’t love for you to come!”
“Have you written a response to the letter?” Amore asked, to which Hope shook her head. “I will write a letter informing them of the situation, and that it would do well for them to allow Sombra to join you. I’ve not known them long, but Celestia and Luna have always strived to be welcoming to others. I’m positive they’ll accept one more bed to fill.”
“What would I even do there?” Sombra spoke up.
“There’s a wizard within their court known as Starswirl,” Amore replied. “He’s something of an authority on magic. I think it would be wise for you to meet with him.”
“Why’s that?”
At this, the Princess seemed hesitant to answer, or at least took her time in selecting her words carefully. “Sombra… I’m not sure whether you know this or not, but the magic you’ve been using recently is… dark.”
“I’m afraid I don’t understand,” he admitted.
Before voicing her reply, Amore’s horn lit up to envelope the items on the table between them. Porcelain pots and crystal trays moved smoothly around the table’s surface. When the movement ceased, the table held what appeared to be a small maze. She then levitated two sugarcubes at one end. “Most unicorns utilize magic that requires careful study and practice to perform.” One cube entered the miniature maze and began to carefully weave its way through the small obstacles. “Even when we know how to cast the spell, there are complex ways in which we must focus our magic to achieve a specific outcome. It can take years for a unicorn to master a single spell to the point of performing it instantly.” The sugar cube finally made it to the end of the maze to hover over Sombra’s cup. “However,” Amore’s features darkened as the second cube, rather than pass through the small entrance she had created, quickly made a beeline to the end, bumping through the “walls” of the maze and losing bits of sugar along the way. “When one uses dark magic, they forgo concentration and spell formulae to achieve their goal quickly. While this makes casting powerful and complex spells easy, it rots the mind and corrupts the mage.” The cube hovered over Sombra’s cup, but unlike its predecessor, it had lost nearly half its size. “Each time it’s used, the caster has changed for the worse.” She released her control on the sugar and let it plop into the tea. “So until you speak with Starswirl, I’d like to request you refrain from using your magic.”
Amore received no verbal confirmation. Sombra’s expression had darkened in thought of what she said. Part of him wanted to blame dark magic for making him do what he had tried, but once again, his rationality kicked in, and he knew it would be cowardly to try to mask his actions as out of his control. It was then that he vowed internally to never blame others for his own actions. If he was going to stand with Hope as she trained to ascend to royalty, he’d ensure he was there to help her along the way. It was the least he could do after this day’s events.
Sombra’s eyes moved to meet the Princess’, and he spoke with a new conviction in his voice. “I swear to never use that magic until Starswirl himself says otherwise.” His chest puffed out in pride.
The Princess was kind enough not to snicker at the nobility in Sombra’s words and tone. She assumed this was his way of making up for his actions, so she wouldn’t begrudge him the chance to act in such a way. “Good,” she said chipperly. “Now,” her smile returned and her eyes looked hungrily at the now cool treats that peppered the table. “Would anyone care for some more tea and cakes?”