//------------------------------// // Passion // Story: The Umbra King // by Car Cloth //------------------------------// “Oh jeez, oh jeez, oh jeez,” the dragon uncontrollably wailed. “How could you, Rarity!? He’s a monster!” King Sombra slowly stepped out of the cage. He stared down at the mare in front of him and narrowed his eyes. “If this is a trap you’ve executed it poorly.” The mare held herself with a sense of regal purpose. “I would never do that, darling. It’s against everything I stand for.” “I’m going to go tell Twilight!” the dragon suddenly interjected before running from the hallway. Sombra laughed, the smell of fear filling the hallway. Perfect, he thought. Start a panic. Tell the town. You can do my work for me. “Spike!” the white unicorn called for the dragon. “Spike!” The dragon didn’t stop. Sombra glanced around. They were alone and the castle was empty. He smiled to himself. Trusting fools. “King Sombra,” the mare said, drawing his attention back to her. “I know we’ve never really talked, you and I… Or, you and anybody, really… but that ends now. I want to formally invite you to tour Ponyville with me.” She gave a slight bow and smile, maintaining the etiquette between them. He admired her brave, but foolishly placed, trust and… it had been a long time since he ruled on high as king. He had almost forgotten basic etiquette himself. He looked away from her and contemplated the offer. “I will have to decline.” If that dragon really was going to spread word of his release he couldn’t be seen wandering around with the likes of this mare. Fear came from the unknown. He would let the residents of this tiny town use their imagination and further compound their own fears. “Decline?” the mare balked. She was at a loss for words. Obviously she hadn’t contemplated a backup plan. “I see… perhaps a tour of the castle then?” “Very well,” he said, relishing the chance to feel regal once more. “Oh… good,” she replied with a nervous laugh. “This way then.” He followed behind her, his eyes set to the windows of the castle. Outside he could see the accursed snow. Winter was here. Just the thought of the cold caused him a great deal of anger. “This… uh, is the hallway,” she motioned to the giant space around them. “And this door here leads to the main entrance hall.” She opened the door but closed it twice as fast. She smiled in embarrassment and waved her hoof dismissively. “Did I say it led to the main entrance hall? I meant it was a bathing room. Yes. A bathing room.” Clearing her throat she continued down the hallway, this time running ahead and checking the contents of the room before announcing them. “And this room is, uh, a study?” Sombra walked by her and entered the large circular room. There were bookshelves lining the walls and at the center was an over-sized wooden desk covered in open tomes. His unicorn guide obviously didn’t know the castle well. No matter. He needed time to recover and walking through castle corridors brought back old memories… “Are you all right?” the seamstress asked, obviously concerned with his sudden withdrawal. “I’m the lord of shadow and fear, seamstress. Of course I’m all right,” he curtly responded. What was she concerned about? Him? He didn’t need anyone’s concern. He didn’t need their pity. “My name is Rarity,” she corrected. Sombra didn’t respond. He turned his attention to the open books on the desk. The mare eased closer to him in order to crane her elegant neck over to get a better view. “What is all this?” she curiously asked. “Spells to lure Ruin Worms,” Sombra absent-mindedly stated. “Old spells.” “You know about Ruin Worms?” “Of course,” he snapped. “The ruler of an empire should know such things.” “What do you know?” “They were the only real threat to my empire. The changelings had no love to feed on, I was powerful enough to keep monsters at bay, Discord had a thing about disrupting Princess Celestia and nopony lived in the frozen north…” He slowly turned the pages of the old tome. It was practically older than he was. “Well, I’m just a lowly seamstress,” she sarcastically quipped, “But I know a great deal about defending kingdoms as well. I was personally involved in a war against the changelings and I’ve had my fair share of monster attacks.” For a moment Sombra was impressed. “Yet you retained your immaculate coat.” “Of course. I visit the spa once a week, I’ll have you know.” The mare quickly spun to show off her sleek white fur. Although he had always been partial to dark colors, the pristine white of her body was alluring. “Scars are very striking, but not for a lady. I prefer the elegant look.” Sombra turned his attention back to the old tome. He remained quiet as he read through the text, trying to think of anything else. The book knew next to nothing about the Ruin Worms. It was missing some crucial information. He didn’t care. He already knew everything there was to know about the forsaken creatures. He had already dealt with them before… --- Rarity watched Sombra slowly turn the pages of the old tome. He wasn’t really seeing the pages; his eyes were vacant as if lost in deep thought. “Eh-hem,” she cleared her throat, drawing the dark stallion’s attention once again. She smiled, trying to remain upbeat. “I thought about what you had said. About our marks and destiny and all that.” Sombra closed the book on Ruin Worms and gave her his full attention. Even with his magic sealed, Rarity could swear shadows were moving in the room. Out of the corner of her eye she could see them shift, but when she turned her full attention to them there was nothing. “What did you conclude?” he asked slowly, taking a step closer to her. Rarity tossed her mane from side to side, attempting to hide her nervousness. “I spoke to a friend of mine. Her name is Pinkie Pie. She’s isn’t very good for philosophical discussions but she gave me great insight into this dilemma, at least enough for me to sleep properly. She said the marks are a sign of what bring the pony the most happiness in life. Their passion. I don’t think I could have said it better myself. I mean, I know a pony with bubbles as a cutie mark. Bubbles can’t be a destiny, now can they?” Rarity laughed, but Sombra didn’t. Rarity quickly stopped herself with a nervous cough. “So you were persuaded by the simple notion that they represent passions instead of destinies?” he scoffed. Rarity ignored his obvious attempt to insult her. “I wanted to know what your passion was, King Sombra. Perhaps we can solve this mystery once and for all. If you have no passion in life, than I’m right because you have no cutie mark, but, if you do have a passion, than I’m wrong.” The dark stallion began laughing to himself, utterly amused by the turn in the conversation. “Is that all? You’ll have solved this mystery just like that? Need I remind you that I want to rule over the Crystal Empire? Over all of Equestria? Isn’t that a passion? I would say your friend is a fool.” The sclera of his eye tinted a shade of jade but it faded quickly. Rarity had been expecting this. It was the gem talking, she knew it was. “What would you say your second passion is?” she asked. “Just out of curiosity.” “Tsk. Would you say you had a second passion?” “Oh, yes. I have many passions. Gems, architecture, crystals, beauty, my friends, my sister, keeping up on all the latest gossip… I could go on, but I doubt you want to hear them all.” “You have a sister?” he asked, a slight hint of genuine emotion in his voice. “Hm? Oh, yes. Sweetie Belle. She can be a handful from time to time, but I wouldn’t give her up for the world.” Rarity turned her head to the side. “Do you… have a sibling?” A haunted and melancholy expression came over him. He took a shallow breath and nodded, as though talking about it were too painful. Rarity remained quiet, hopeful he would elaborate without her needing to ask further. Perhaps this was what she was looking for! “I had two siblings,” he remarked quietly, staring blankly at the floor as though trying to remember a distant memory. “A sister. And a brother. And we lived at my family’s forge…” BAM! The door to the study burst open and Sombra immediately turned and braced himself for combat. Twilight and Spike were at the door, a look of determination across their faces. “Stand down, Sombra!” Twilight commanded. The powerful stallion pushed the desk out of the way, leaving a clear line between him and the alicorn. The solid wood desk cracked against the bookshelf, knocking the old tomes to the floor. He smiled, inviting the conflict.