//------------------------------//
// The Voice of the Forgotten Stallion 
// Story: The Last Light 
// by Shadowkat02 
//------------------------------//


Sombra's Point of View

I never saw myself as the villain. People never do. I lived with the Crystal ponies in peace. I made friends despite being ostracized most of the time. They were outcasts just like me. But they had no idea what I was. What I was meant to be.
But no matter what I couldn't seem to suppress what I was meant to become. A voice inside me awoke. It didn't come full on right away, but instead very gradually. To be honest I have no idea when it started. But I do remember when it first spoke outright. Before that it was only feeding my ambitions, or giving me thoughts and ideas. But one day, it finally grew a voice of its own.
I remember the day very clearly. I was not a foal anymore, I was about 15 or so. I was on my way to the castle with my friend - no friend isn't the right word. She was a companion of mine.- She was like me. Outcast by our piers, disowned by our elders, disrespected by our inferiors. At times, yes, she was a friend. But we saw each other very little. She was from Canterlot and I from the Crystal Empire. 
I was going to show her around my small village and then show her the magnificent castle. We had just finished up and we were heading to the castle when I heard it. 
"You know she doesn't like you for who you are." Its voice rasped and resounded in my head. I knew that was a lie, I knew she didn't care about my social ranking or status, just as I didn't care about hers. "She just feels sorry for you." It almost hissed at me. I shook my head, trying to get the lie out of my thoughts. 
She looked at me worried. "Are you okay?"
"Ya. I'm fine." I quickly brushed the situation aside.
After walking through the town and seeing all the sights of the capital, we arrived at the Crystal Palace. It stood tall and shimmered in the sun. She gasped. I felt something well up inside me. A warmth. A pride for my home.
"This isn't your home. You don't belong here." The voice was louder this time. And once again, I brushed it off.
"You've probably seen far more beautiful palaces and things back home." I admitted. The warmth died down.
"Not like this." She said with awe in her voice. "This is far more stunning than anything that I've ever seen."
"I'm glad you like it." I looked down at the ground bashfully. "Luna, can I ask you a question?"
"Sure." Curiosity and empathy were mixed in her voice.
I took a deep breath and plucked up my courage to ask the question that tugged at my thoughts. I was afraid of the answer, and more importantly, I was afraid she was going to lie to me.
"Why are you friends with me Luna?"
She looked up at the enormous castle that stood in front of her and thought for a few moments. I started to think she didn't hear my question. "Well, to put it plainly, you're like me."
"But I'm an outcast, you're a princess."
"I might be a princess, but I constantly feel like I'm living in my sister's shadow. She's loved by all and everyone simply adores the sun." She seemed to spit out the last words with disgust. Although she never liked to talk about her sister, I had never seen her talk about anyone that way. "No one ever appreciates what I have to offer, whether it's my opinions or my magic. Celestia always seems to be the favorite, the prized student, the princess that everyone loves."
I could now see her struggles.
"Sombra, I like you because you except me. Not because of my social ranking, but for who I am."
I realized, in depth, why she befriended me. I smiled at knowing that she genuinely liked me.



As we grew older, so did our friendship. We wrote letters to each other and stayed in communication for a long time. She came to visit the Crystal Empire every year or so. I got to see her then.
Then a time came where I realized that she was no longer just a friend. I swore that I would tell her, the next time I saw her, how I felt. 
That day came quickly. 
She and I talked for what seemed like forever, just catching up about things going on in the kingdom, our lives, and other things that came to mind. Even though we had written to each other, it was different when we met up. I was glad I could see her again. I never told her how I felt though. After trying to pluck up my courage to tell her, I never could. It was the voice that stopped me and the lies that it whispered.
"She is a princess! Why would she ever take someone like you? Do you think she actually would accept your love? You're friendship is one thing. But love is another. You're a fool to think she would ever love you back." I realized it was right. I was kidding myself. There was no way that she would love me.
So we went on talking. I watched her smile, I watched her laugh at my jokes, I listened to her talk.
She sighed. "You know? That's one of the first times I've laughed in a while."
"Really?" I doubted.
"Yea." She looked down at the ground. "You are one of the only people that I can be myself around. With the rest of Equestria, I have to talk in the Royal tongue." She made made a dramatic gesture with her hoof. 
"So you're comfortable around me?" I asked.
"Yea, possibly more so than my sister." She replied. I stared in disbelief.
I took a deep breath and tried with all my might to ignore the voice in my head.
"Luna, I have a question."
She looked at me, curious.
"Do you love me?"
I braced myself for the response. But what I got was silence. She wore the same expression the day I asked her why she was friends with me. It was a pondering look. It was as if, she was searching the whole world for answers.
Finally, she looked back at me. "Sombra, you know that we've been good friends for a while now. And I would never want to hurt your feelings." She paused. "I....I don't know how to answer that question right. Of course I love you, but we could never be together. My place in life is different than yours. And society would not except us."
I stared at the grass beneath my hooves. "I understand."
She lifted my head up to meet her empathetic gaze. "I think you've known that for a while. Our friendship works because we understand that it is not our social standings that make us who we are. But if we were to go out into the Equestria, they would not understand, as we do."
Disappointed, I nodded.
"I have to go, my sister is waiting." She turned away, in hopes that I would not see her tears. There was no use hiding mine.



I walked through the streets with my head hung low. I knew that was going to be her answer. I had been her friend for five years now, I knew she was the type of pony to say that. "She said that so she could be kind." The growling voice echoed through my thoughts. "Yes, but she still admitted she loved me." I answered in my head. "That was a lie, she didn't want to hurt your feelings." The voice grew louder. "She would never lie." I replied. "Oh would she? She's a ruler, a politician. She lies all the time to save face." It spoke in it's raspy tones.
I didn't know what to say or think. I look up at the Castle. It was further away, but it could be seen anywhere in the Empire. There it stood. Shimmering in the sun. Sombra hated the sun. He hated the Empire. He hated love. It had betrayed him. But he could change that.
"I could give you the power to change that." The voice promised him.
"I mean if I can't have love...." His own voice in his head, merged with the growling, dark voice. "no one can."