The Ballad of the Prince-Formerly-Known-As-King-Sombra

by MisterEdd


P-A-R-T-Y

The ex-ruler of the Crystal Empire stretched himself out on the bed and smiled, his eyes drinking in the sight of the purple unicorn nestled against his shoulder. It had been an hour since he'd moved into the three-story cottage, taking a total of fifteen minutes to officially christen it and to use the headboard to put a fresh dent into the wall. Sombra stared down at Twilight Sparkle and kissed the top of her head, rewarded with a soft moan as she squirmed against him. And to think, it'd been only five months prior when he'd still been an evil despot and had demanded Twilight Sparkle's hoof in marriage in exchange for the freedom of her friends. Now he was just another stallion living an average life with his marefriend.

He slid out from underneath Twilight's body and stood up, his wings stretched out behind him. Oh, and now he was also an alicorn, something that he'd earned after helping Princess Celestia and the Elements of Harmony destroy his wicked father, a vile waste of pony flesh that made Sombra look like a daycare employee. He stared long and hard at one feathered appendage, idly wondering if there'd ever come a time when he would get used to having them. Aside from having wings, Sombra was also due to receive an official coronation, making him a prince and placing him alongside Princesses Celestia, Luna and Cadence as a ruler of Equestria. But what could he possibly be the prince of? Shadows? Darkness? A surprisingly soft and luxurious mane?

"Sombra? Are you alright?"

Tearing himself away from his thoughts, Sombra glanced down reverently at the mare sprawled out on the bed, his skin goose-pimpled at the sight of her short but undeniably feminine body. "I'm fine, Twi." He then gave her a once-over and gulped, "Tartarus, you're beautiful."

Twilight fluttered her eyelashes at him and he could've died from the way her smoldering violet eyes gazed into his own. "You're quite the looker yourself, Sommy. You flatter me too much, you know that?"

Sombra sank to his hocks and took one of Twilight's hooves into his own. "That's because you're worthy of it," he said gently, placing kisses on her hoof and forearm. "You're the most beautiful mare I've ever laid eyes on."

"Even more beautiful than Princess Celestia?" Twilight enquired dubiously.

"Well, let me put it this way: I can actually stand to look at you when I wake up in the morning."

Twilight giggled and kissed Sombra's nose. "Just don't let her hear that." She rose and stretched her hindlegs. "Okay, let's get going. We agreed on fifteen minutes and that was twenty minutes ago. Trust me, you don't want to miss a Pinkie Pie Party™. We'll never hear the end of it."


By the time the pair showed up on the Sugarcube Corner doorstep, the party was already in full swing, the music blaring from inside the establishment while conversations and hollers echoed through the walls. Sombra stopped and took a deep breath, concerned that perhaps his presence at this shindig wasn't really the best option, even if it had been organized for him. Oh, what am I doing? There's no way that this can end any other way than in a disaster! Well, I guess I can go home and start that Daring Do series Twilight recommended. "You know what, Twi? I'm not feeling well all of sudden. I'm just going to go home and sleep it off. You can go on without me."

A firm but gentle hoof wrapped around his front pastern. "Sombra, look at me." Twilight's violet eyes shimmered in the light emanating from the building's windows and he was lost in their brilliance. "You have nothing to worry about. I'll be right by your side, I promise."

Sombra nodded and braced himself as Twilight knocked on the door. By the third rap, a pink earth pony zipped into the doorway and beamed excitedly, "Hi Twilight and Sombra! Welcome to the party! What took you two so long?" Before either of them had time to answer, Pinkie Pie shoved a party hat on each of their heads and yanked them inside, slamming the door behind them. Pinkie motioned to the DJ to turn down the music and proclaimed, "The guest of honor has arrived!"

As to be expected, the few ponies that had gathered there looked less than thrilled and gave Sombra a wide berth as he and Twilight made their way to the center of the room. "Um...H-hello there?" Some ponies greeted him back while most remained silent, some even half-heartedly clapping. He honestly couldn't blame them, given his reputation but was still amazed by the amount of ponies that did show up. Then again, it was hard to pass up on dancing and free food.

Pinkie put a foreleg around Sombra and cheered, "Alright party ponies, let's get this Welcome-to-Ponyville-Slash-New-Bestie-Slash-Best-Friend’s-New-Coltfriend Party started!" The applause was louder the second time around and the music kicked back in, signaling the partygoers to resume their dancing, though trying their hardest to keep away from Sombra.

True to her word, Twilight stayed by Sombra's side, a hoof kept firmly wrapped around his own. They enjoyed some punch while Pinkie introduced them to the locals, including Cranky Doodle Donkey and his girlfriend Matilda, Octavia Melody, who Sombra seemed to especially get along with, Muffins "Derpy" Hooves and Lyra Heartstrings. Pinkie led the couple to an amber-colored stallion with a dark brown mane. "And this is Time Turner, he runs the town clock tower and is the local inventor." Sombra took note of the stallion's attire, which consisted of a Panama hat and a cream-colored frock coat with what looked to be a piece of celery pinned to the lapel. "Time Turner, this is Sombra! He's Twilight's new coltfriend and my new bestie!"

"Pleasure to meet you," Time Turner grinned and held out a hoof, which Sombra gladly took. It was nice to get somepony who wasn't so hesitant to socialize with him. "Welcome to our fine little town. I do hope you enjoy your stay and if you need anything, please don't hesitate to come see me."

"Thank you, Time Turner. I might just take you up on your offer. You know, Pinkie was just telling me that you're not originally from here. Where are you from?"

"Gallopfrey. Er, I mean, Chicobgo," Time Turner smiled awkwardly. There was a brief pause before he exclaimed, "Sorry, must dash!" and ran off with Derpy in tow. The three glanced confusingly at the departing stallion and collectively shook their heads. What's a Gallopfrey, anyway?

"Wow, he's a bit odd, isn't he?" Pinkie commented, earning her an audible face-hoof from Sombra.