A loud, awakening metal shriek harshly scratched the rod of the curtains as Twilight pulled them back to let the sun shine in Sombra's room for the first time. She waited there for a moment, soaking in the sun, giving her purple fur a soft glow. Then, she heard Sombra let out a groan, watching him pull the heavy comforter over his head to avoid the bright light. Twilight kept a tired frown as she walked slowly over to the bed.
"It's time to get up, I've given you three days to sleep and the doctor says it would be good for you to walk outside." She explained, in no way soothing over the matter.
"I prefer this bed over that ghastly, disruptive light thine ponies call the sun." He mumbled disgruntled.
He's such a foal. Twilight angrily spat to herself.
"We've been feeding you, dressing your bed, and serving you since you've been here - if you're to be reformed, you need to learn to care for yourself." There was not an ounce of empathy in Twilight's tone, as she had grown too exhausted from the stress of caring for the tyrant.
"I'd rather burn in Tarturas than become a frivolous pony living a worthless existence." He growled.
"Well, this isn't the game 'Would You Rather', this is life, and frankly I'm tired of cleaning up after you - get up!" She yelled at him, aggravated beyond composure. Sombra looked over his shoulder at the flaring princess with a glare, knowing full well how he was acting. He knew she was right, it would be better for him to move around. He had begun to feel his muscles cramp and sore, his mind melt from boredom, and his hair mat. He must get up.
"What of a shower or bath? Thoust wish me to walk out in public with such a neglectful look?" Sombra kept a straight face, but internally he felt like smirking. He watched Twilight's face contort into further annoyance.
"Do you just expect us to do things for you all the time? We aren't here to serve you, you are not a king here, you're an ignorant colt expecting to be coddled over. No, you will pull your own weight from now on." She scoffed at him, her nostrils stressing their size and the bags of her eyes deepening in color. Sombra, after only a short period of time being there, was taking a toll on everypony. Mostly on Twilight.
"Thine wish is to humiliate me further, then. Since my imprisonment here you have burdened me...." Sombra had plopped forward down on top the covers, folding his hooves in. He had gained enough rest to hold his head up properly, lifting his chin as high as his ego. He had to admit, the sun burned him a bit as it came through the window into his room. He hadn't seen the shine of its rays in thousands of years.
Twilight took a pause before turning, her eye twitching slightly. Sombra found her expression atrociously unnerving.
"I burdened you? I burdened you?! You selfish, arrogant, bullheaded tyrant! Do you lack all self-awareness?!? Do you just say whatever comes to your stupid head and make whatever stupid face you like?! You have no idea! You were once a King for Celestia's sake! A tyrant King, but a King nonetheless, and you should know of proper etiquette! The way you are so brash and incompetent is an insult to your time! It is far more than disappointing to see such a well versed stallion be so incredibly rude and ungrateful! I had expected you to be difficult, but you're about as unbearable as giving a cat a bath! I'm so sick of this! I'm exhausted from trying to show you my kindness, and all you do is complain! Enough! You will do as I say when I say you should do it without argument!" Twilight's horn began to glow with magic, the ring around it heating up, but the princess would not notice the sting. Sombra's eyes widened with unease as an uncomfortable force took hold of his muscles and bone. He felt his skin crawl at the feeling, his soft fur rising in irritation as his hooves began to move on their own. His flesh betrayed him, moving itself off the bed and towards Twilight. His tall body encompassed hers with a shadow, but the alicorn could not be intimidated. She stared him in the eyes with fury beyond apology, Sombra so very close.
"Apologize." She whispered deviously, her magic gaining a more reddish hue and her eyes irritating. Sombra felt his throat cringe and burn, a bitter taste eating away at his tongue.
"I'm sorry." He wheezed out, fighting what strength he had to not give the princess satisfaction, yet failing miserably.
"Good. Now, clean up and get dressed." She let her magic cool, and as she did the ring lost its glow and Sombra collapsed on the ground. His hooves shook and his eyes darted to them and the floor in slight panic. "Please..." Twilight whispered to him, her face looking straight ahead in a shocked stare with the the wall, a single tear rolling down her cheek. "Don't make me use this again on you... please."
Sombra looked up to see her tear fall from her chin with a look of surprise.
Why would she cry over me? I am nothing to her.
Twilight swiftly turned to meet the door and exit before she did anything worse than how she felt. Sombra's concern twisted into a dastardly smirk.
"Oh pretty princess..." Twilight stopped, "thoust only acted on her anger - it is, of course, only natural to feel rage. Thou hast put me in my place. Perhaps, me and thine majesty are not so different to each other?" Twilight remained still for a moment, before continuing to walk out the door, closing it softly. A few minutes had passed before Sombra's head suddenly began to pound in an immense inner turmoil. As he made his way to the bathroom to wash up, the pain subsided, as was the purpose of his binding to the princesses.
"Are you sure you don't want me to come with you Twi?" Spike pressed, Flash accompanying him.
"It's alright Spike, I need to be alone with him periodically. He'll likely stay closed off from us if we don't give a little leeway to him." Twilight prepared a pack with a bag of bits and a few scrolls, then placed it on her wings. "It won't take me long, I'll be back soon."
"Are you sure?" Flash questioned, noticing the beads of sweat rolling down the Princess's temple.
"I said I'm fine." She snipped, her brow furrowing. "Please, guys. I just-- I need to do this for him today...."
The boys looked at one another anxiously and irritated. They could tell something was off about her demeanor but neither of them wanted to press any further and hold regrets.
Twilight's heart had tensed up so heavily, knotting and twisting. Her stomach boiled, shooting burns up her throat, as her mind felt numbed with guilt. Using such a strong, potentially abusive power, created an inner battle with almost every organ and thought the Princess had.
He deserved it.
Twilight mentally shook her head at herself. Even though Sombra had done nothing but give the castle's inhabitants grief, it didn't seem to be that great of an excuse for her actions. She acted out of spite, rather than thinking about it. Seeing it as an opportunity to get back at him for his wrongs, even if it seemed a bit meager in comparison. It didn't matter his crimes or his arrogance when he was a reformant - somepony to learn friendship. What example of friendship does it set when you forcefully will somepony's body to your own bidding?
Some Princess of Friendship you've become! What would you expect when you can't even keep your own friends around?
"Twilight." Spike's inherently sharp, worried voice jabbed her intrusive thoughts. Twilight hummed in his recognition, only to be turned around toward the hall to see a well groomed black stallion. Something she hadn't noticed before was how fluffy and wavy his fur and mane are. Of course, being adept for a winter environment aided him in such a gruff appearance. Because of his origins leaning on well over ancient, he displayed olden unicorn qualities, which had become a recessive gene in the modern Equestria. His tail was long much like a lions, with a fluffed patch of hair to the tip. The stallion clacked his cloven hooves across the crystal flooring, the noise not even dulled by the brushed hair around them.
"Princess." He murmured with a sour expression. The black stallion kept his pride insistingly, keeping his chin high above her in what was a traditional display of nobility. Twilight felt her face heat, and her feathers irk and sprawl amongst themselves, unconsciously defending her own dominance, nervous by him.
"Good. You're clean." Was all the alicorn could muster, aggravatingly.
"Is that all thoust wish to say? Thine highness seems rather unnerved by thy presence."
"My presence." Twilight corrected.
"What?" Sombra raised a questioning brow.
"You need to learn how to speak more modern. Old Ponish is severely outdated, ponies won't understand you." The lavender mare explained, making her way to the door, then opening it with her aura. "Come on, you have a lot to learn."
Sombra hesitated for a moment, looking back toward his room. He kept his brows forward in determination, but Twilight noticed his eyes shrink as he looked back at her and the open world in front of him.
Does he... fear the outside? She hadn't considered before, it would have never crossed her mind if it weren't for this moment. After what was a mere few moments, Sombra strut for the door, his knees high as he walked. For the first time in awhile, Twilight genuinely smiled.
Sombra and Twilight walked alongside one another, the sun beating down on their backs. The Princess could feel sweat building under her pack making her wings a bit uncomfortable. The stallion beside her noticed, but only could look away.
"Thoust has told me once more that my language is forgotten. What has become of it?" Sombra said abruptly, in a loud yet deep voice.
"Ah well, this isn't exactly your time period. We say things like 'you' and 'me.' Saying anything else in place of them is confusing to others. Do you understand?" Twilight questioned, genuinely curious if he got it. Sombra simply looked at her and snorted grumpily.
"Ponies. Forgetting such pleasantries and arts for convenience."
"It's not that it's forgotten Sombra, just, fixed or tweaked."
"Why would thou fix a thing which possesses no brokenness?" This made Twilight give a quick, muffled giggle.
"Either way, you have to change. Change isn't a choice, I'm afraid. Though we might not like it, it is important for us ponies to learn how to adapt. I'm sure you're no stranger to change either, Sombra."
"... I am not... a stranger to change... as you are not." Twilight gave a sad smile, knowing there was definite truth behind that statement, even though the stallion speaking it would likely never know what change his Princess had been going through.
"That's very good. What do you think?" Sombra paused for a moment, then snorted once again.
"Pitiful."
"Eh... heh..." The mare awkwardly laughed in response, not well assuming where the conversation would go from there. Sombra eyed her for a moment, then the heavy pack, again. "Now I just need to teach you manners...." A smirk grew wide on her face, finding humor in her bluntness.
"Why would... I... privilege others with royal pleasantries? They are not our equals...." Twilight hesitated her next step, eyeing Sombra suspiciously.
"Our?" The stallion once again eyed her backside, but this time merely and quite obviously viewed her wings.
"Yes. Thoust is royal."
"I realize that but... even though I am royal, I couldn't ever see my life as more important than another pony. Everyponies life hold value and purpose..."
"Then no one is special, every pony then become of equal value."
"No, we are special and different. Each pony is unique to each other. Even if two ponies have a cutiemark that relates to the same thing, there will never be more than one of the same mark." Twilight and Sombra had all but stopped, both looking at one another, eyes full of knowledge.
"Cutiemark." Sombra whispered. ".... such a distant concept."
Twilight looked deeper into his eyes before shamefully watching the wind blow dirt slowly past her hooves, her fur gracefully sweeping with it. It seemed she didn't have any of the right words to say that day. Everything she had taught or considered didn't seem as good as it once had been. Had she already lost all faith in what she preached? How could she teach things she herself inertly questioned? Even though Sombra was wrong and confused about such things, recent events had made her question her own morality. The guilt ate away at her, creating the burn in her throat to worsen, she couldn't speak. She had feared what she would say next that could so easily be refuted with little hesitation. She earnestly tried to swallow it down, furthering her head closer to the ground.
"I'm sorry for this morning, and for my insensitivity to your... not having a cuteimark." Sombra raised a brow curiously, his ears pressing forward, listening intensely. "I see everyone as my equal, and you need to. I should have showed you a better example of that earlier." There was a deathly silence in the air, despite the crowd of ponies gathered in town. Twilight waited for nothing in particular, but just continued to watch the dirt.
"Apologizes." Twilight looked up at the tyrant with a start, her eyes wide from surprise.
"What?"
"I shan't repeat it." Sombra snapped angrily. "Clean thine ears so thoust may hear the King speak. Hmph."
"Okay... but... why?" The lavender mare could only hold a startled face at him, completely consumed with shock at the sudden chivalry.
"I have not acted as a King should.... " He mumbled, looking off, away from the wide-eyed alicorn beside him. The wind lightly blew his mane to cover he cheek. They had finally been shaded by clouds, and the sun cooled. Twilight smiled small at him, though he couldn't see it.
"It's okay."