//------------------------------// // New Accomodations // Story: The Return of the King // by MisterEdd //------------------------------// All in all, it was not a shabby-looking place to call "home". Sure, it was a ten-by-fifteen barred cell in an old dungeon but considering where Sombra had been forced to inhabit before, he could honestly proclaim this to be a step up. With one guard holding the cell door open, two others grabbed Sombra by either foreleg and shoved him inside, sending him careening face-first into the wall. He spun to bare his fangs at the royal guards, who ignored him as the door was slammed and locked shut. As to be expected, the grim-faced royal guards were more than willing to get rough with the ex-king, seeing him as the enemy of their beloved princesses and thus worthy of their everlasting disrespect. While it was true that Sombra was more than capable of handling them even without the aid of dark magic-as he stood taller than most other stallions and possessed a more muscular build-he never once fought back. He held no illusions that Celestia sought to keep him imprisoned until he eventually died centuries later but attacking his jailers would do nothing for his already tarnished image. It was his very, very faint hope that by acting as the ideal prisoner, Celestia would reduce his sentence due to good behavior and allow him to see his daughter. My daughter. The umbrum rolled lazily onto the squeaky cot, his eyes trained on the cracks above him. The word was still foreign to him, holding an odd bittersweet sentiment to it. Cadence had used his affection for her against him, leading to being stripped of his magic and being locked away by his most hated enemy. Then again, she only did it to keep her friends safe. "But that's why I'm here!" Sombra shouted to nopony. "To free and protect Equestria from Celestia's clutches!" He sighed wearily, suddenly feeling as old as he was. "But of course, nopony sees it but me." Rage boiled his heart in white-hot magma. Are the ponies really so blind that they can't see what's right in front of their idiotic little snouts?! Equestria isn't some happy little place with no worries! Can't they see the corruption? The danger? Sombra rolled onto his side, a hoof absentmindedly traveling to stroke the space on his back, right below his withers. He could still feel the pain of the red-hot blade as it cut through his flesh. Alicorns cannot be trusted. Sombra stared at the wall, particularly at the fourteen tally marks carved into the slate surface. He'd been imprisoned for two weeks, although it certainly felt longer than that. To be fair, he only maintained his sanity during his thousand-year banishment due to the simple fact that he'd been converted into a living shadow. Shadows can't feel cold or tired. They don't know hunger or restlessness, all of which he himself experienced ever since reclaiming his flesh and blood form. Every day, Sombra was served some kind of mush serving as breakfast before being taken out to a spacious underground chamber, latched to a giant wooden arm and forced to walk in a circle for an hour. Then, he was tossed right back into his cell, served more mush and herded into a rudimentary wash room, where he had to scrub himself with a smelly bar of soap before being blasted with a water hose and sent scurrying back into his cell. This was followed up by a trip to a city-certified psychiatrist, a skinny, condescending little know-it-all and then, surprise, another helping of mush. And this was Sombra's schedule. Every day. For two weeks. "Why does Faust hate me so?" ~*~ The trip down to the long abandoned dungeons was as silent as the grave. Twilight Sparkle-now known as Princess Twilight Sparkle-felt her bones rattle with every step, her body shivering the closer she reached her destination. Two weeks had passed since she'd last conversed with Sombra, with whom she shared a complicated relationship with. Yes, he'd tricked her into going on a date with him and stealing her first kiss but for some bizarre reason beyond even her understanding, Twilight found herself intrigued by the stallion and sought to unravel the mystery that was King Sombra. Who was he? How did he come to be who he is? Shortly after the coronation, Princess Celestia sat Twilight down and told her the story of how she and Sombra, then known as "Prince Tourmaline," had first met at a Grand Galloping Gala. Celestia's mother and Tourmaline's parents, the then-rulers of the Crystal Empire, decided to unite their kingdoms through an arranged marriage between their children. Despite the arrangement, the two became friends and that friendship blossomed into love, and they decided that they wanted to be married to one another. She didn't know the specifics of Sombra's fall but knew that it involved discovering his true nature and his tutelage under the dark sorcerer Grimoire Incantatus. This led to Celestia's pregnancy, Cadence's birth and the two sisters' last battle against Sombra. Finding her curiosity unfulfilled, as well as her own fascination with Sombra, Twilight made an impromptu visit to Canterlot to speak with the umbrum, who she was hoping would be talkative considering the circumstances of their last encounter. A large steel-barred door swung open and the two royal guards led her into a spacious chamber, where a cage-like cell lay tucked away in the corner. Her heartbeat quickened as she locked eyes with the dungeon's sole occupant, who slowly rose from his cot as if in a trance. Somehow, Twilight found herself advancing towards the cell, stopping only when a guard called out for her and she froze on the spot, finding herself three feet away from the bars. "Twilight...I wasn't expecting to see you," Sombra said softly with an air of bewilderment but also relief. "Neither was I," she replied somewhat shyly. A minute of uncomfortable silence had passed before she could speak again. "I brought you some books to read." Her saddlebags opened up and several books came magically flowing out, sliding themselves through the bars of the cell and placing themselves into a neat pile. Sombra inspected the waist-high stack. "I wasn't sure what you'd be interested in so I brought you books on fiction, astrology, art, history, science and philosophy." Sombra was stunned. Why was she being so nice to him? He'd tricked her into developing feelings for him, stole her Element of Harmony, hurt her friends and tried to kill her mentor. Anypony else in her position would rightfully hate him and keep their distance. But here she was, actually showing concern about him. A small smile graced Sombra's face. "Thank you Twilight. I mean, Princess Twilight." The mirth, it seems, was contagious. "Just 'Twilight' will do. And...you're welcome." As far as she could tell, Sombra had minimal comforts and no access to books of any kind, which was a grave taboo to her. She couldn't imagine being locked up with nothing to read! It was just barbaric! Although Twilight was genuinely concerned with his well-being, she hoped that this display would serve as the first stepping stone on the path to earning his trust. After all, Canterlot wasn't built in a day. "So Twilight, what, uh...what have you been doing?" "Well, after the coronation, a former student of Princess Celestia's stole my tiara and escaped through a mirror to another world." Sombra froze at those words. "I followed her and ended up being in a place with these beings called, 'humans.' Anyway, I beat the thief, convinced her to turn over a new leaf and came back." "I see..." Memories flooded Sombra's mind. He recalled Garnet and his usage of his "parents'" magic mirror, of traveling to another world and becoming a bipedal ape-thing. Garnet forgive me... Twilight looked at him queerly. "Are you alright? You look like you've seen a ghost!" Sombra shook his head. "I'm fine. So then what happened?" Though concerned by the change in topic, as well as Sombra's spooked face, Twilight decided not to push the issue. "Well, I, erm, also started going out with this royal guard named Flash Sentry." Sombra's hooves dug into the floor. "I'm happy to hear that. Just happy for you two," he managed through clenched teeth. Why am I angry? I told her to move on and forget me. In fact, why would I tell her to move on in the first place?! "And a royal guard! Well done!" I'm going to be sick! Twilight tapped her front hooves together. "A-actually, we're not together anymore." Wait what? "I mean, he was so nice and sweet but when we kissed...there just wasn't a spark. Nothing. So I told him that it'd be better if we remained friends. He was surprisingly okay with that." "I'm sorry to hear that, Twilight." Yes! Yes, yes, yes! "Break ups are always difficult. Believe me, I know." Twilight rubbed the back of her neck. "Well, thank you, Sombra. I'm not really sure why I told you but thanks for listening. My friends are still on my case about it. Talking about how I threw away a 'future hubbie' and all that." Although Sombra didn't know what "hubbie" meant, he was actually happy to help. "It's my pleasure, Twilight." The alicorn turned but then looked right back at Sombra. "Are you...are you still going to try to conquer Equestria?" As much as he wanted to lie, Sombra decided the truth would be better. After all, wasn't his goal a pure one? What did he have to be ashamed of? "Yes, I am. This land is plagued by villainy, corruption and cruelty. It needs a strong leader, one that can make the difficult decisions. Both Celestia and Luna are unfit to rule." Twilight was aghast. "But they do what's best for everypony! They make us happy and the citizens love them!" Sombra stared into Twilight's eyes. "Ruling a kingdom isn't about being loved. It doesn't matter if your subjects love you if your kingdom is in total disarray. Being a ruler means making the hard choices, the ones that help your kingdom thrive. Even if it means everypony hates you, you must do what is right for the realm. It's about more than just wearing a crown and living in a palace." Twilight seemed to ruminate over his words. "You make...a fair point. But you still went too far during your reign." Sombra raised an eyebrow. "If you're referring to my treatment of the crystal ponies, I was preparing for war and that meant mining for materials to forge weapons and armor and that requires labor. Besides," he said more to himself as he turned his head, "They got what they deserved." The alicorn searched Sombra's face, finding it etched with anger and sorrow. "What did they do to you?" Sombra gulped, his throat suddenly dry. "It's not what they did to me. It's what they did to my kin." He then met Twilight's gaze once more. "I'm the last of my kind for a reason."