It was some time before Twilight could be allowed outside the darkness.
As Sombra had doubtless hoped, Twilight soon basked in the dark power that had consumed her. But this was a power born of hatred, and she had plenty of it, all directed towards Sombra. Every time he attempted to reach out to her, she lashed out at him in fury. If she was to be tamed, her hatred would have to be redirected elsewhere.
And so, visions appeared to her of her friends, all of their worst times together.
“You’re not an athlete,” Rainbow Dash said, as the two of them stood at a race’s starting line. “You’re an egghead.” Applejack, meanwhile, was barely holding back a laugh.
In the middle of a field, Pinkie Pie’s tail twitched. As if on cue, an improbable assortment of heavy objects fell on Twilight.
Behind her cottage, Fluttershy wrestled a bear, ending the fight with a sickening twist of the bear’s head.
On the side of a frozen lake, Spike said to Twilight, who was wearing skates – “You’re a natural, all right. A natural disaster!”
She remembered all sorts of things. She remembered the first day they met, in which she was stuffed by Applejack, abused by Rainbow Dash, exploited by Rarity, ignored by Fluttershy, and ambushed by Pinkie Pie. She remembered them each trying to win her favor, pretending to be her “friend” so they could get a ticket to the Grand Galloping Gala. She remembered them turning on her when Discord came. She remembered pleading to them for help on some occasion, something to do with a report – she couldn’t possibly imagine what it had been about – and they’d just sat back at their picnic and laughed.
She also forgot all sorts of things. All their good times together, all the context behind every sour moment, how each stumbling block in their friendships had made them stronger, strong enough to defeat any threat to Equestria… anything positive in their relationships. She also forgot everything about the bonds that couldn’t be shaken, the bonds with Shining Armor and Cadence.
She didn’t hate Sombra. She hated them. Why, she was grateful to Sombra for freeing her from their pretenses of friendship… she would relish the chance to pay them back for all her wasted time, her dashed hopes. She’d never thought of friendship as worthwhile, but when Celestia had sent her on a mission to “make some friends” she’d – perhaps for a moment – had hopes of something more. But it was just like at Celestia’s school, were everypony only wanted to be “friends” with her because of her connections with the Princess and her magical talents. No matter what she did for them, still they secretly detested her.
And as for Celestia… Twilight was tired of being used as her pawn. Why had she been banished to Ponyville to deal with a bunch of crazy, worthless ponies? Why had they been sent to deal with Sombra, a threat they only had a slim chance of dealing with? There was only one conclusion – Celestia had abandoned her. She couldn’t believe she hadn’t seen it sooner.
As soon as she felt like leaving this soothing, comforting darkness, she’d have to give Celestia a piece of her mind.
…
At last the darkness receded. She was once again in the throne room, with Sombra standing before her, his now-repaired throne behind him.
It looked like there was a smaller seat beside it, now.
Twilight bowed before Sombra, pleased to see him again. In response, he said, “Rise, Twilight Sparkle.”
“Yes… master.” She rose to her hooves again, a grin on her face. “I have a request for you.”
“Oh?” Sombra raised an eyebrow. Doubtless he already knew.
“I would like you to be my new mentor. Teach me everything you know about magic… especially dark magic.”
Sombra gave a dark chuckle. “With pleasure, Miss Sparkle.” He stepped forward towards her, placing a hoof under her chin, raising her eyes to meet his. Red pupils looked into pupils, and the purple contrails of their eyes met. “I hereby accept you as my apprentice, my lieutenant, my servant above all others.”
Twilight grinned even more. “I am yours, King Sombra.” It was nice to have someone who wanted her for what she was.
…
The next few hours were spent in the castle courtyard, with Sombra giving Twilight a quick overview on dark magic, as well as several offensive spells. Black crystal spikes conjured by the pair’s magic made for targets, as well as the occasional crystal pony for when live targets were required.
Soon, the two called it a day and went back inside the castle as the sun began to set, preceded by a small trail of slightly battered crystal ponies marching back to their places in the dungeons. Twilight could feel Sombra’s smile on her as they entered the main hall.
“You learn quickly, my apprentice.”
“Well, I’ve got a skilled teacher.” Twilight said, turning to Sombra beads of sweat and a smile on her face. “Still, I’m glad for the break. I think I’m going to go to the dungeon… see how my “friends” like the new me.”
“Ah, about that.” Sombra’s smile faded. “There is one test I must ask of you, Twilight… you may recall that I implied that I’d captured your friends.”
At that moment, there was a sudden crash, and the gates to the castle were thrown open by the impact of a crystal pony in dark Blackguard armor flying into them, before the unfortunate guard skidded across the floor to a stop, unconscious. Behind the gates were five ponies who Twilight knew very well.
“…I may have lied.”