Day Court had just been adjourned and Princess Celestia couldn't be more grateful, exiting the throne room briskly but dignifiedly, her golden slippers clacking against the marble floor. As much as she could've teleported, she enjoyed walking through the castle, passing by the guards and staff and speaking with them. It made her feel normal. After enquiring about a maid's recent marriage, she slipped into her bedroom and latched the door behind her.
"Finally!" Princess Celestia slumped into her favorite chair rubbed at her temples. The Court was especially grueling that day, consisting of a seemingly endless line of nobles whining about recent tax cuts or petty grievances. Whenever something hit their wallets, they came to her to complain. Lady Frou-Frou had to give up her fourteen-drawn carriage due to a new labor law and she was unhappy to say the least, her flabby jowls humorously gyrating with every screech out of her fat mouth. Jet Set and Upper Crust, one of Canterlot's richest and most influential power couples, appeared to demand exemption from increased taxation due to their philanthropic endeavors.
If that wasn't bad enough, Prince Blueblood, Celestia's "nephew," came prancing into Court to publicly demand more of an allowance so that he and his snobbish entourage can vacation in Foaledo. Celestia fought with every fiber of her being to avoid snapping at the impetuousness of her adoptive son, instead retaining her usual serene countenance and calmly declining Blueblood's request. The stallion threw a miniature temper tantrum and stormed off, an act that would be hilarious if it wasn't so heart-breaking. She'd raised him since the time he was seven, had doted on him and loved him like her own son and yet, he'd somehow turned into an entitled, petulant and selfish brat.
Perhaps Celestia was unfit to be a mother, wife, friend or a mentor. Her first student Sunset Shimmer left Canterlot cursing her name and Discord's transformation into an amoral despot was partially Celestia's fault. Tartarus, she'd taken on a maternal role with Luna when their mother Queen Concordia was absent and everypony knew what that road eventually led to. Luna, Discord, Sombra, Cadence, Blueblood, Sunset Shimmer....she'd failed them all in some form or another.
Isn't there a certain purple student that you're forgetting?
Celestia beamed. Ever since their first meeting years ago, she knew that Twilight Sparkle had great potential but even she would never have predicted the outcome of her apprenticeship. Twilight had not only brought together the Elements of Harmony-and becoming one the Bearers herself-but she also defeated Discord, detained an ursa minor, traveled back in time and became an alicorn. Now Equestria has another princess watching over it and Celestia couldn't have picked a better choice.
Shifting in her seat, Celestia conjured up a crystal ball and poured her magic into it. She cleared her mind, bringing into focus the one whom she desired to see. Red eyes, black mane, foul temper. Whenever she had free time or was unable to sleep, she often peered into the crystal ball to watch Sombra. Not in a creepy way or anything but as a concerned ruler and wife. Well, ex-wife. Since their vows included the "till-death-do-you-part" stipulation and Sombra had actually died, their marriage was no longer valid.
The crystal ball's cerulean surface swirled with a white-silver energy, coalescing into a sparkling golden hue before changing into a thick, black mass. She made out Sombra's cell, though it was much darker than usual and eerily silent. Squinting, she found an inert figure huddled in the corner, its stony face dominated by a pair of unblinking red orbs. Sombra didn't move a muscle, instead staring off into space as if in a vain attempt to find meaning in the cell's brickwork. It had to be one of the most chilling things that the mare had ever seen.
A pounding on her door broke Celestia's concentration. She hastily removed the scrying spell and teleported the crystal ball back to its rightful place.
"Come in!"
An orange pegasus guard entered, his helmet tucked beneath one foreleg.
"Flash Sentry? What's wrong?"
He raised his head. "Forgive me, Your Highness but I had to come get you. It's King Sombra. He's acting...erratic."
Celestia thought back to the vision in the crystal ball. "Very well, Private Sentry. Lead the way."
"....and then he just flipped out! Tossed a chair and yelled at me to get out!"
Flash finished his tale as the pair entered the lowest levels of the castle. Four unicorn royal guards, two on each side of the door, silently bowed to Princess Celestia, their spears aimed towards the ceiling and their faces etched with apprehension. Celestia's horn glowed, opening the door and remained lit as she and Flash entered the dungeon.
"Private, why are there no torches lit?"
Despite Celestia's gentle tone, Flash flinched slightly. "Before I left, the prisoner requested that the torches were to be put out. Well, screamed for it."
It made some sort of sense. Sombra had spent a millennium in total darkness so it wasn't that hard of a stretch to assume that that was where he was the most comfortable. The golden aura fluctuated, sending out a series of orbs with several sharp popping sounds. Each orb scattered across the room and landed on a torch, igniting the oilcloth tops and abruptly washing the room with light. Celestia diminished the glow of her horn and cautiously stepped towards the bars.
The cell had been completely trashed, resembling the aftermath of an unattended foal's playtime. The cot's mattress had been tossed up against the bars, books and papers laid strewn across the floor and the small pinewood writing desk laid on its side. Black etchings lined the walls, depicting many strange symbols, half of which Celestia herself couldn't decipher. Her attention was drawn to the stallion in the far right corner, sitting with his hindlegs drawn up and his forelegs resting lazily on the floor. Two scarlet eyes pierced through the darkness. Sombra's mane was disheveled and hung around his face like an organic ebony veil. His breathing was sharp and ragged.
"S-Sombra?"
A minute and a half had passed before the stallion's head snapped up suddenly. He licked his lips and pursed them as if to speak. Finally: "What?"
Celestia smiled softly, though it was somewhat forced given the circumstances.
"Sombra...what happened here?"
Sombra then answered monotonously, "Redecorating."
"'Redecorating'?" Celestia mimed skeptically.
"Yes, it is my cell, after all. It was getting dull."
"I see." Whatever it was that was going on with Sombra was scaring her a bit. "And what brought about this sudden need to 'redecorate'? You've had the same cell for months."
One blink. Then three. "Why are you here, Celestia? You haven't been down to see me since they moved me back here. Why do you care now?"
That one hurt. Since discovering her lingering love for the umbrum, Celestia has done all she could to keep herself busy in order to gather her thoughts. The situation had not been helped when, glancing into the crystal ball one night, she discovered that Twilight had climbed into bed with him and slept alongside him. That sight alone brought the Sun Princess' blood boiling with an emotion that she'd not felt in centuries: envy. She was envious of Twilight.
When Nightmare Moon returned, it was Twilight who changed her back to Princess Luna and returned Celestia's sister back to her. True, while it was Celestia who oversaw Luna's slow but steady return to society, Twilight had managed to banish the darkness from the night-princess' heart and initiate her reclaim of her life. King Sombra had returned-yet again-and not only did Twilight defeat him but also successfully worked her way into his heart. Twilight had told Celestia about Sombra's confession of love and she'd scoffed at it at first, believing it to be nothing more than a ploy to manipulate the young mare. Now evidence to the contrary had arisen and Celestia was feeling powerless once more.
"I've always cared, Sombra. It's just that recently I've been rather preoccupied."
Sombra remained seated. "Mmm-hmm. So to what do I owe the honor of your presence?"
"Don't use that tone with me!" Celestia growled. "I only wanted to see if you were alright!"
Springing to his hooves, Sombra bared his fangs. "Of course I'm not alright! I'm locked up in a dungeon while you send in your head doctors to try to dissect my mind with their babbling."
"That 'babbling' is meant to get to the root of your problems. I want to help you!"
"If you really wanted to help me, then you should've killed me when you had the chance!"
Celestia's anger immediately receded to make way for confusion. "W-what?"
There was a pregnant pause. Sombra turned away and sighed. "I'm....torn, Celestia. I wish for nothing more than my freedom but now there's this pain inside, the likes of which I've never felt before." The mare said nothing, so Sombra continued. "Things are so bleak. I have no magic, no title, no future. We both know that even if you don't have me executed, you'll ensure that I never see the light of day again. I'm not Tourmaline, nor King Sombra or even Sombra. I think I want to die."
A soft golden corona filled the dungeon and when Sombra turned, he found Celestia inside the cell and situated right in front of him. She slowly made her way over to him and he began to back away from her. What is this mare doing? A tender wing cupped his cheek and he gave out an unintentional groan.
"Just because it feels like the end, doesn't mean that it is. Think of this as a whole new beginning, for all of us. I want to help you, Sombra. Please let me help. Don't shut me out again."
Sombra nodded numbly, tears trickling down his cheeks. "Don't....don't let Twilight see me like this."
"Of course," Celestia said softly, a twinge of hurt in her chest. She ignored it, for both of their sakes.
Flash Sentry watched all of this, unsure of how exactly to feel. In that moment, he didn't see the horrible monster he'd read and heard about. This was a broken stallion that was in pain and wanted it all to end. While Flash admittedly didn't care for him, he didn't want Sombra to suffer like this. Depression, especially of the clinical kind, was a poison in its own league. Like it or not, this was the stallion that Twilight chose and if she saw something in him, then he must be worth something.
Doesn't mean that I have to like him. Celestia pulled Sombra into an embrace, wrapping him up in her ivory wings. Seriously, how did he get Twilight AND Princess Celestia to fall for him?