//------------------------------// // Chapter Two // Story: The Tragedy of Sombra // by Majin Syeekoh //------------------------------// Sombra was standing on his balcony, admiring the chain-gang below him. He grinned wickedly as they dragged each other in circles. "King Sombra, the Princess Luna returns with news of Discord!" "Let her in!" Sombra called out, a chill traveling down his spine at the mention of that hideous beast's name. However, my Luna is here, he thought to himself as he trotted into the throne room as Luna entered. They approached each other and nuzzled each other's necks. "Hey, Sombry!" Luna piped up, "I trust you've been getting our letters, dear?" "As I trust you've been getting mine, Lulu," Sombra replied warmly, "so, I believe you have vanquished the foul villain?" Luna nodded. "So..." Sombra asked, pacing around Luna, "how did you slay the draconequus?" "We found a new weapon in a tree!" "A...tree?" Sombra asked quizzically. "You mean like a branch or spear?" "No, Sombry!" Luna said while shaking her head, "They're called the Elements of Harmony! They were six jewels hanging off of a tree, and we used them to turn Discord to stone!" "...stone?" Sombra asked, "How ironic..." "Ironic?" "That the bringer of Chaos would be reduced to an immutable form..." "Oh..." Luna said, "By the way, what's the chain-gang for?" Sombra sighed. "I did not plan on you having to see justice being meted out so harshly..." "What did they do?" "Well, they're enemies of the Crown," Sombra replied, "those desecrated scraps who dare defy my carefully built order." "But...what did they DO, Sombry?" "Well, one of them practiced medicine without a license, a couple of them were living in a building without a housing permit, and the rest refuse to pay taxes." "But Sombry, why do you have to be so cruel?" "Well, let me put it like this," Sombra said, "Imagine a set of stairs, right?" Luna nodded her head at this. "Every step in its proper place, so that you can go up and down without issue," Sombra continued, "but what if one of the stairs gets knocked out?" "I don't know, Sombry..." "Exactly! You might miss a step, or even more importantly, not be able to reach the steps above the lost steps," Sombra replied, "these people skipped steps and risked all of us to falling!" "How so?" "Well," Sombra said, circling Luna,"those that refuse to pay taxes undermine the social contract implicit in being a part of the Crystal Empire! Without tax money, where would money for schools and parks come from? Knock that step away, we may lose all we hold dear!" "Uh huh...but what about the squatters? They weren't hurting anyone..." "Not explicitly, but implicitly. You see, we had assigned that house to a loving family that had applied the proper paperwork to live there. When the offenders get released, they'll be assigned proper housing as well." "But what of the medical license?" "I'm glad you asked! Let's say, for example, someone wanted to raise your moon without the proper training-" "...that wouldn't happen." Sombra looked flustered. "...why not?" Luna looked up at Sombra, "Because nopony likes my night!" "Nonsense, Lulu, I'm sure that they love it in their own special way-" "No! They don't! I look over the entire land, and all the ponies hide in their houses and sleep during the hours the moon rises!" Luna said with a huff. "...I watch the moon every night, and I think it's beautiful." Sombra replied warmly. "Oh, hush! You're just saying that 'cause we're betrothed!" "No, Luna, I say it because it's true. And because I love you..." Sombra said as her nuzzled her neck. Luna broke into a smile and nuzzled Sombra back, "I love you, too." Sombra sighed, enjoying the warm embrace for a while longer. Then he pulled away. Luna fell forwards, missing his warmth. "Lulu, I'd like to show you something. But you must promise not to tell anypony." "...ok. What is it?" "It's where I've relocated the Crystal Heart so that nopony can use it for nefarious means." With that, Sombra charged up a black bolt of dark magic and blasted the gem above the throne with it. As it filled with a sick glow, part of the throne room floor disappeared, revealing a long, circular staircase winding into blackness. "Come with me, Lulu." As Sombra started walking down, Luna grasped him in her legs and flew down into the darkness. Down they flew for about thirty seconds, until they touched down. Luna saw a door, and reached out to it with her magic. It flew away and landed on the other side of the room. Luna tried to reach out again, yet the door slipped away once more. Luna stamped her hoof, looking at Sombra frustratedly. Sombra sighed, then charged up his dark magic. Luna could clearly see the whites of his eyes turn green and smoke trails wafting from his eyes as he blasted the crystal above the door with the black energy, leaving it to swing open. Luna looked inside, then recoiled in horror. "Sombry, no, no NO! How could you...how would you...WHY!" Sombra jostled her, whereupon she snapped out of whatever fever dream she was ensorcelled in, and looked at Sombra. "What was that!? You were telling me that you were leaving me for a younger mare, and-" "Merely your worst nightmare come to life, my dear. I would never leave my very special somepony," he cooed into Luna's ear, nuzzling her neck. He then fired a bolt of light magic at the crystal, opening the door. They both walked inside where there were- "Stairs," Luna noted, "why am I not surprised?" "Let me bypass these, love," Sombra said as he held onto the alicorn's neck, prepared a spell, and whisked them all the way to the top of the staircase. There floated the Crystal Heart in all of its glory. "It's beautiful..." Luna said in wonder. She walked towards it, entranced by its glow. Suddenly, she felt a sharp tug on her tail. She looked back to see Sombra tugging on it. "Why?" "Because you'll be trapped inside, my love," Sombra replied, "and then you won't be able to enjoy the ratatouille I prepared for us..." "Ratatouille? What's that?" "One of my specialties, dear. Eggplant, peppers, garlic, onions, zucchini, summer squash, flash-peeled tomatoes and celery reduced into a fine mash." "Oooh, sounds fancy!" "Very much so, darling." And with that, they teleported back into the throne room, and Sombra clapped his hooves together, but not before closing up the giant hole in the floor. The servant wheeled out two trays, and placed them on the floor with two candles between them. "Bring me my wine," Sombra said. The servant nodded and left the room, quickly returning with a bottle marked Hoofington Vineyards, two glasses grasped in his telekinetic field. Sombra nodded at the servant and sent him off. Sombra set the glasses in front of them, then proceeded to pop the cork with his dark magic, his eyes flashing green as he did so. He then poured out the wine into the glasses, and lifted up his glass. "A toast, dear?" He asked, gently wobbling the glass in front of him. Luna then lifted up her glass. "What should we toast to, Sombry?" Sombra's face grew pensive, then an idea popped into his head. "To the continued prosperous conjoinment of two heads of state?" Luna clinked her glass to his and said, "To us," and they both gladly drank to that. They dug into the ratatouille, and Luna said, "This is most delicious!" "Thank you." Sombra said between bites. "So you never told me why not having a medical license was bad," "Well," Sombra started, "if we don't have licensing for our doctors, they could be any quack, who doesn't recognize chicken pox, influenza, or..." "Sepsis?" Sombra stopped chewing. "Your father died because some doctor knew not what he was doing, am I right?" Sombra continued chewing. "Yes, he hired a quack. He said it was evil spirits possessing him. The only evil spirit in that room was that man, who I had convicted of regicide the moment I was coronated." Sombra continued, "You realize once we're married, you'll be a Queen?" "Oh yeah, I meant to ask," Luna asked, "may I remain a princess?" "Why," Sombra asked, "would you ever want to do that?" "Because it will make us sound young." "Oh, you." Sombra chortled. "What? We will not have ponies think us older than Celestia!" "Whatever you desire, Lulu..." They continued eating in silence. They finished eating, and Sombra clapped his hooves twice, the servant coming in and whisking away their plates, then walking out. They continued to sip their wine, staring at the lovely moonrise. "By the way, where's Political Pull?" Luna asked, which caused Sombra to choke on his wine. "He's been granted a long overdue vacation..." Sombra mused. "Well, he deserves it! He works so much harder than anypony here, barring you, of course..." "That he does..." Sombra said, shifting uncomfortably.