Sombra followed the two alicorns as they toured around the castle. It was very unpleasant. Sombra wouldn’t have thought he’d be missing the shadowlands. Fleeing, hiding, and dying in pain. But this, this torture was beyond it. He saw freshwater, sweatmeats, comfortable beds everywhere, but he could touch nothing! It was the truest definition of torture. This was an escalation of his punishment, he knew that now. But the only question was why could the princess see him, but only one of them.
Sombra has started off by peppering the princess with questions that she ignored. He did so only to distract himself from the most basic comforts of life that seemed to be the most decadent luxuries in his current state. Then his mind wandered back to a distant memory.
Sombra looked up at his father, stomping down hard on the barren hillside. “Father, why should we not spend the extra gold from the ewes this year? We could buy mother something nice, or buy us all some sweatmeats, or new bedding.”
The shepherd chuckled and shook his head. “Because we don’t need any of those things my son. Tell me. If I offered you a gold, or mother’s life, what would you keep?”
Sombra rolled his eyes. “Obviously mother, but don’t be silly father, how would spending extra money risk mother?”
“It may not, I admit, but what would you risk? We set that money aside, we can ensure our family is safe even if our flock suffers a disease. How many temporary comforts will you trade for that risk?”
Sombra paused, thinking for a long moment before nodding. “None, father.”
The shepherd smiled and nodded. “Find comfort in the simple things, most are free. A drink of fresh spring water, the love of family, or even just a moment of fresh air after the rain. Free, but the most priceless thing you’ll ever possess.”
Sombra frowned as he came back to the present time. He remembered many lessons his father had that sounded nice, but that’s what they were, nice little stories that didn’t work when confronted by brutal reality.
The two princesses talking about something to do with a farm being forgiven its taxes because of a plague over their wheat crops, they were barely able to harvest enough to feed their own family. Sombra smiled darkly, ahh, that old ruse. As much as it hurt him to assist these usurpers to his kingdom, the weakening of the kingdom weakened his people. "You know they are lying, princess." Despite herself, Twilight glanced back at the spirit following her. "Send your guards to retrieve the taxes, or else next year every other farm will 'have a plague' while they keep the gold for themselves."
Opening her mouth Twilight looks about to respond instinctively to the suggestion before pausing, and turning to look at Cadence. "Do you think we could organize a visit to the farm?"
Cadence was surprised by the question, but Sombra was completely flabbergasted. While Cadence saw no reason to say no the remainder of their question as they turned to leave the crystal palace. Sombra grinned wickedly as he followed the princess. Perhaps there was still hope for his empire, though the soft princess' did not know it they were playing right into his hand. When they saw how wicked even their own people were she would learn there was only one way to rule, by fear and power.
Sombra was extremely disappointed when they got to the farm, as the plague was quite obvious. Over 90% of the fields lay burned in an attempt to save what little has remained uninfected. An unexpected and unwelcome development. The princess would no doubt crow and gloat about how he was mistaken.
Even worse than being wrong though was to see how the concept of nobility had fallen. The farmers thanked the princesses but they did not properly grovel at the feet of their rulers. Did they not know who kept them safe? That they could live their lives without the threat of invasion!?
While Sombra stewed on these things the princess slipped away from Cadence and the others, approaching the specter she alone could see. “See, King Sombra? They told the truth. If we were to have taxed them they might have been able to pay, but it would have ruined them. And there would be no taxes later.” Twilight was obviously approaching it from a practical standpoint, appealing to kindness would get her nowhere with Sombra.
“You got lucky this time princess but you cannot be so naive as to think everyone in your kingdom is so kind.” He knew this because every time he had been told such had turned out to be lies.
Twilight shook her head, while upset, also a little saddened by how twisted Sombra's mind seemed to be. He suspected duplicity and betrayal everywhere. She looked out over the farm, shaking her head. "People are not how you think of them."
Sombra laughed, shaking his head. "This is not representative of how things work, little princess. Every time I heard such a sob story I sent my guards out, and guess what? Every single time they returned with the withheld taxes."
Twilight blinked, then looked at the shadowed king, who was staring... Almost longingly at the surviving patches of the wheat field. "What would you have done to your guards if they had failed to do so?"
Sombra's response didn't take even a moment to come. "I would have had them punished for negligence of their duty!"
Twilight sighed as she stood up, shaking her head and looking the specter in the eyes. "Do you not think that might be why they were successful every time?" She turned and walked off, shaking her head as Sombra stared after her, frowning. No... It could not be so, his way was the best way, the princess didn't know, his father didn't know, none of them understood. Strength was the only way to rule!