"Hello, Luna." Sombra appeared in the throne room of the castle, smoky shadows frisking around him, radiating trepidation and ruthlessness in their purest forms. Another entourage of lost souls pledging themselves to a king who has no right to rule.
Luna gasped, whirling around to face him. His chin-length raven hair rippled just like hers. Clad in gleaming silver armor and a blood-red cape lined with white fur, he looked every bit the king he claimed to be. A spiked obsidian crown rested amongst his locks.
A crown of lies, Luna thought. For if the rumors were indeed true, he had journeyed to the depths of Tartarus to strike an unspeakable bargain, transforming himself into this monster of his former self.
His lips curled into a sadistic, deranged smile at the sight of her, revealing white fangs. Scarlet irises met midnight blue, devoid of the man Luna knew.
No. Nononononono, she fell to her knees, bile clawing at her throat, but she held it down, swallowing painfully.
"What happened to you?" Her voice was usually a razor-sharp demand, but now, it barely reached the criteria for an undertone of a whisper.
Luna could feel his confidence crack ever so slightly. Small hints of anxiety reflected themselves in his eyes. "Aren't you happy for me?"
His fearsome appearance was just another illusion to cover up his everlasting insecurity. For underneath the armor and crown and fangs, he was just a boy. An extremely powerful and dangerous one, yes, but just a boy.
"My hand is fixed. I'm powerful, just like you. Now we can be together, and no one can tear us apart again. We can be the puppet masters this time. We're in control." Sombra approached her with the elegant, refined strides of a king.
"What did you do to yourself?" Luna demanded, refusing to believe he would actually use dark magic.
"I...made a bargain," Sombra hesitated for a second. "But why does that matter? This was our dream."
"Look at what you've done to yourself, Sombra! You turning yourself into a cold-blooded sadist was not our dream!" Luna screamed. First Jet. Then Chrissy. Then Evie. Now him. She was losing all her friends in one way or another.
But he was so much more than just a friend.
"Guards!" Luna commanded.
Distraught footsteps pounded on the marble floor and the giant doors exploded open. An army of 20 men stormed towards them, deadly crossbows aimed at Sombra.
With a flick of his hand, obsidians cracked through the floor, sending fragments of marble flying.
A crystal spike skewered one of the guards. Blood erupted from the man's chest, Luna gasping as the hot droplets sprayed her with red. The man's mouth was open in shock, a thin stream of blood trickling out of it. Crossbows were raised and arrows whizzed through the air as he drew his last breaths.
"Too slow," Sombra tsked as more obsidians burst from the ground, impaling the rest of the guards.
The screams that erupted from them shouldn't have been ones that she heard from the chests of humans: they were full of excruciating pain and agony, guttural, almost animal-like sounds.
The metallic tang of blood was too-present in the air, the sickening stench of it threatening to make Luna collapse.
"You really went to Tartarus to make the deal," Luna seethed.
You really used dark magic. I trusted you.
Sombra cocked his head to the side like an inquisitive puppy, still watching her intently. "Close enough."
Luna raised her hand and shot a stun spell at him, blue magic weaving from her fingertips. Sombra dissipated into shadows effortlessly, allowing the spell to go right through him, his green smoke-spewing eyes disappearing last.
He reappeared two feet from her. "Magic would be fun to duel with, my love, but I know you have a knack for weapons." He grinned at her and drew his obsidian sword. "You choose."
The sword sheathed at her belt was pure double-edged diamond, custom made just for her.
Diamond against black crystal clashed in reply.
"Why would you do this to yourself? " Luna pressed, eyes blazing.
"You already know the answer. I had a perfect opportunity to achieve my goals. How could I throw it away? My previous life gave me nothing. Surely you haven't forgotten the boy from the slums," Sombra explained. "Societal norms and toxic hierarchies tore us apart, as we were the oppressed. But now we can hold the strings. Together. You don't have to be afraid anymore, dear Luna. You can open up your heart to me."
She desperately wanted to believe he was in the right. She wanted to be with him. But the princess of the night was smarter than that. She shook her head, refusing to be fed the lyrical, well-spoken words that flowed from her lover's mouth like a river itself.
It's just another way to manipulate me. In his "fantasy", I don't hold the strings: he does. I only dance on them.
Cool air tickled her scalp as the obsidian sword flew over her head and she dropped to the ground, tackling Sombra and pinning him down with magic.
The doors of the throne room rattled frantically, about to open again. Obsidians grew over the door, preventing anyone from entering.
But Luna barely noticed. Sombra's eyes glowed a vibrant, flaming red. His irises turned green, spewing tentacles of purple smoke as well.
What horrible power was this?
Luna felt herself slam against the opposite wall as stars exploded before her eyes. Her lungs burned and screamed for air, but her airways had closed off and her lungs refused to move. Mind control.
After a few seconds, he loosened his grip.
Consider this a warning. I'm not weak like I was before.
Muscles taut, she strained to break free, landing hard on the floor. Her sword fell next to her, releasing a clang that reverbrated throughout the room.
"Is this how we're going to play this game?" Luna raised an eyebrow.
Sombra looked askance for a second, biting his lip ever so slightly.
"Still not impressed? Well, I have one last thing in store for you. Maybe this will convince you to be my queen," Sombra said as he channeled all his focus into this one spell.
The princess of the night braced herself for the spell, but the robust wave of magic sent her tumbling back. Red, green and purple rimmed the edges of her vision before she plummeted down a void of black.
Luna woke up in a room. The Canterlot Castle throne room, to be precise. Except it was pristine, with no traces of blood visible. Five people she cared for the most stood in front of her:
Tia. Sombra. Chrissy. Her dead parents Aurora and Nox.
Luna's sword-holding hand raised without her consent. She clawed at it and even tried shooting magic at it, but all she managed to do was draw blood.
Aiming for Celestia, and the diamond blade struck her sister in the heart. She gave an inaudible gasp of horror as blood pooled from the gaping wound in her chest, opening her mouth to unleash a silent scream.
Tia's terrified of blood and sharp things.
"Stop this NOW!" Luna shrieked, trying in vain to fight against the force controlling her, but her only accomplishment was twisting the sword in her sister's chest and yanking it out, a tsunami of blood spraying the room.
Luna finished by slamming her sword through her sister's crown, the ornate metal and gems exploding in a burst of shards.
Next, Luna moved on to Chrissy.
"Please don't," Luna begged. Sweet, innocent, bubbly Chrissy didn't deserve this. She had a whole life ahead of her. For someone to dangle it in front of her face then rip it away from her, that was despicable.
Chrissy head snapped back as she started choking, green fingernails raking her delicate throat. She twitched, violently shuddering and jerking until she fell still, her corpse landed next to Celestia's with a thump.
Chrissy is claustrophobic, though she wouldn't tell a soul.
"Stop!" Luna pleaded. "What have I done," she whispered. "This isn't you, Luna. This isn't you!"
Aurora and Nox followed in their own gruesome deaths. But Sombra's was perhaps the worst, when she kissed him while he held her in a warm embrace, them surrounded by black crystals.....
Until she used his weaknesses and his strengths against him, stabbing him in the back repeatedly while his blood ran into her mouth.
Five people she cared for the most now lay dead at her feet. Cold, emotionless caracasses with glassy eyes who chanted the same word over and over again.
Murderer. Murderer. Murderer. Murderer. Murderermurderermurderermurderermurderermurderermurderermurderer.
Luna's knees buckled and she shrieked to block out the noise. Make it stop. Make it stop! MAKE IT STOP!
When she opened her eyes again, she was in the arms of Sombra. The vision wasn't real. It was a Nightmare Spell. Once cast, the person would experience their worst fear.
Still, she shook violently, having reached her breaking point, not bothering to hold back tears. She had underestimated his powers by tenfold, and she'd payed the price for it.
"Fear is an interesting thing. It motivates you, corrupts you, changes you. Once you know someone's fear, they are at your mercy," Sombra murmured to himself as he stroked Luna's hair.
"I can cast Nightmare Spells, grow Obsidians, mind control people, and possess umbrakinesis. You have prodigious magical abilities, good connections with the other kingdoms and rule the Dream World and the Night. The world is at our feet. Will you be my queen, fair princess?" Sombra whispered in her ear.
Before Luna could answer, he gently lifted her chin with an ice cold finger, forcing her to look at him.
"Yes, you will. Forever and always, my love."
Go to sleep, dear Luna. He commanded.
And with that, Sombra kissed the top of her head and once again dissipated into shadows, his beautiful queen in his arms.