//------------------------------// // Chapter 13 // Story: Defender of Justice, King Sombra! // by VashTheStampede //------------------------------// The following morning, Princess Cadance boarded the train south from the Crystal Empire. Sure, teleporting or even flying was faster, but it was less enjoyable to her. Especially considering it was nearly perpetually snowing outside of the bubble of pleasant, warm weather that surrounded her home, it just made flying unpleasant, no matter how much she enjoyed it at other times. The train didn’t take that much longer than making the flight, anyways. Teleporting was just boring, though, and could be draining over extremely long distances, unless your name is Twilight Sparkle. Cadance wasn’t exactly a slouch when it came to magical prowess, but, for example, from the Crystal Empire to Canterlot and then on Ponyville was a bit of a jump. A soft smile graced Cadance’s face – even her misgivings about Twilight’s “surprise,” she did miss her sister in law, and she had to admit a visit to Ponyville was hardly ever boring. Better than the Empire, at least. Cadance knew she couldn’t really blame the citizens; their last monarch had been a monster the likes of which Equestria had not seen before or since. Even though Cadance was an amateur at best at leading an Empire, the inhabitants of the Crystal Empire knew she was doing her best and loved her for it. Still, court days were often less productive than they could be, when watching the shiny, translucent behind of a citizen galloping from the room was not an unusual sight. For how much the ponies loved her, the inherent fear of the leader was deep in their psyches and was unlikely to leave for a few generations. If she was lucky, Cadance might live to see her grandchildren, or great-grandchildren, leading an Empire of ponies who no longer knew the need to fear their leader. The pink Alicorn sighed as she sat down in the train car, her suitcase (packed with only a few necessities, like soap, shampoo, and a photograph of herself and Shining Armor from their wedding day) tucked neatly underneath her seat. The train car hadn’t exactly been crowded when she got on it, but soon enough it had emptied out as both crystalline and fleshy ponies alike tried to hide fear or show deference to their Princess. She rested her head against the window for just a moment before pulling back – the glass was a bit colder than she had expected, and even in just the brief moment of contact, an outline of the side of her face had appeared on the window pane. Why are they so afraid of me? Cadance wondered. She tried so hard to be friendly and helpful and kind, but still they feared her. It’s not like I’m King Sombra’s daughter or something. --- A day had passed since Sombra had made his request to Twilight Sparkle, and he once again returned to her home to wait for the arrival of Princess Cadance. To say he was nervous would be an understatement, he was about to meet yet another pony with deific powers who had perfectly ample reasoning to hate his guts. She might also be a very distant descendant. So there’s that, too. Twilight had offered him some coffee, but he was on edge enough already, he hardly needed caffeine. He wondered how or why the Princess even actively kept coffee around, she didn’t seem much like the type to need it. Perhaps it was for her friends. Perhaps she just liked the flavor. Who knew? Not Sombra, and he was a little afraid to ask. Still, he sat awkwardly on the couch awaiting the arrival of Princess Cadance, idly glancing at the clock to see how many more seconds had passed since he last looked. Twilight had visited Redheart’s house last night, and told him Cadance would be arriving at about eleven in the morning. Sombra had arrived at Twilight’s castle just after ten, thinking it would be best to arrive somewhat before the Princess, and grossly overestimated the time it would take to get from Redheart’s to Twilight’s. Despite having made the same trip literally yesterday, he mentally reprimanded himself. Sombra looked at the clock again. Three minutes to eleven, it read. Suddenly, his throat felt incredibly dry. He stood from the couch, and set off into the kitchen at a gentle trot, trying to make as little noise as possible with his hoofsteps. The great, empty castle always felt a little off with just Twilight and Spike living there, but at the same time, it felt wrong to disturb the peace inside the crystalline halls. The memories it brought back didn’t exactly bolster his confidence either. He found Twilight in the kitchen, cleaning dishes by hoof. She’d done it yesterday, too, after sharing some tea with Sombra (which he had not really enjoyed but had gratefully swallowed down so as not to be rude), and at his questioning, had explained that every now and then it felt nice to do something, as opposed to just having it done in a flash with magic. Sombra had offered to help, but Twilight politely declined his offer. Today, though, Sombra simply needed a drink. “Uh,” Sombra started, before his throat closed up a little and he forgot the rest of the words in his question. Twilight lifted her head, and turned to look over her shoulder. “Yes, Sombra?” “Could I… um… drink… glass?” Twilight giggled a little. “Would you like a glass of water?” Sombra nodded, blushing. Twilight’s horn glowed softly and pulled a glass from a cabinet, filled it quickly at the sink while she worked on scrubbing some plates, and floated it over to Sombra. “Nervous?” Twilight asked, as she turned back to the dishes. Sombra took a sip of water and nodded, then realized Twilight was looking the other way. “Yes,” he spat out after swallowing hastily, “It is not everyday you meet a pony who hates you, could kill you, and might also be your great-great-granddaughter.” Twilight laughed, though Sombra had not intended to be funny. “I’m sure it’ll be fine.” Sombra was less sure, but before he could voice those worries, there was a knock at the door. Twilight’s head jerked up again and there was a flash of light, and suddenly the dishes were clean. “Twilight?” A high, clear voice called through the door, “It’s Cadance! Are you there?” “Yes! I’ll be right there,” Twilight replied loudly, before turning to Sombra, “Why don’t you wait in the kitchen for a minute or two, I’ll let you know when you should come in.” Sombra nodded meekly, his blood colder than the water in his glass as he realized he was well past the point of no return. He gently set the glass down on the table and pulled up a chair, as he heard the delighted squeals and pleasantries the two princesses were exchanging in the other room. He noticed the intensity of his heartbeats, and for a moment feared it would burst from his chest. He sat, and waited for Twilight to call him. In the foyer of Twilight’s castle, the two mares sat next to each other on the couch, sharing a quick hug. “Oh Twilight, it’s so good to see you again!” Cadance practically sang, “How have you been?” “It’s only been a few months, it’s not really much compared to the many years we spent apart after I left Canterlot,” Twilight replied matter-of-factly. Cadance raised an eyebrow and gave the younger Alicorn a look. “Twilight?” Twilight shrugged and laughed. “It’s good to see you too, Cadance. I’ve been well, Ponyville has been it’s usual exciting self, so there’s never been a shortage of things to do or new ponies to meet,” Twilight faltered and for just a moment considered calling out to Sombra, but thought better of it. “How has the Empire been?” “Oh, you know, the same. Warm, sunny, the crystal ponies are terrified of me,” Cadance sighed, “The usual.” “The ponies are scared of you?” “Yeah, though I think it’s less afraid of me and more afraid of their leader. I mean, after that monster that controlled and tortured them for Celestia only knows how long,” Twilight’s sister-in-law replied nonchalantly, “It’s kind of hard to blame them after what King Sombra put them through.” Twilight Sparkle was suddenly acutely aware of how loud Cadance was talking and how Sombra was in the next room, with nothing but air between them. She laughed nervously, hoping her unease wasn’t as apparent to Cadance as it felt. To her relief, Cadance didn’t seem to notice, and the two sat in silence for a moment. “So,” Cadance started up again, “You said you had a surprise for me? I hope it’s a bit less exciting than the Tatzlwurm. That was fun, but… not exactly the kind of fun I want to have twice, you know?” Twilight laughed again, this time more genuine. The episode with Discord and the Tatzlwurm had been interesting to say the least. It was not at all how she had envisioned spending time with her sister-in-law, but it had been… fun was a stretch of the definition, but close enough to it Twilight felt it counted. “Yeah,” Twilight started, then paused for a moment, wondering how exactly would be the safest way to continue. She had found out the exciting way that the walls of the castle tended to reflect magic blasts rather than absorb them, and a very angry Cadance could make for a very injured group of ponies. “I… uh… there’s somepony I’d like you to meet, Cadance.” “Is it a foal?” Cadance asked immediately, her voice rising and face contorting into a scarily broad smile. “What? No, it’s not a foal. How could it be a foal? I wasn’t pregnant last time I saw you, and that was only a couple months ago. Wait, Cadance, you’re not…” Twilight trailed off and let the question go implied, not wanting to think about the details of the situation. “Oh, no,” the slightly older Alicorn replied, “Though not for lack of trying…” she added wistfully. “Ok, ok, no, done with that, this conversation is over, moving on,” Twilight said, Cadance’s response just a giggle and a slight blush. Both ponies were quiet, as Twilight rubbed her hooves over her eyes as though it could make the mental image go away. “Is it a special friend?” Cadance asked quietly, her voice unstable, as though trying to hold back a sob, “Somepony you might have a foal with?” “There are not going to be any foals in the near future!” Twilight yelled, and Cadance rolled over in a fit of laughter. Twilight groaned. “Alright, enough of that. Cadance, I need you to be serious for a minute.” Cadance sat up and stopped laughing immediately. “What’s wrong Twilight, who is it?” “It’s… it’s complicated,” Twilight responded, before turning her head towards the kitchen. “You can come in now,” she called. There was no response. “You can come in,” Twilight repeated, and Cadance cocked her head quizzically. Twilight turned back to her oldest friend and smiled weakly. “Just a minute.” Twilight got up off the couch and hurried to the kitchen. Rounding the dividing wall from the foyer, she found Sombra sitting in the kitchen quietly, his back to her. “Sombra?” He didn’t respond. “Sombra,” Twilight started again, softer this time, gently putting a hoof on his shoulder. The big stallion jumped, and wiped a foreleg across his eyes as he turned to her. She was surprised to see he had been crying. Or rather, was crying. He sniffled and held eye contact for a moment, then turned away again. “She c-called me a m-monster,” Sombra lurched through his sobs. “She didn’t me-” “Sh-she’s n-ot wrong-g,” Sombra cut in, “and she d-did me-an it.” Twilight was still searching for an answer when she heard Cadance behind her. “Twilight? Who is that?” It was then, for the first time, that Twilight Sparkle was happy she lived in a crystal home, with smooth, non-absorbent, easy to clean floors. Sombra let out a shriek that a young filly finding a spider in her bed would envy, and lost all bladder control. The intimidating black stallion fell out of the chair he into a puddle of his own urine, sobbing and screaming in terror. A brief flash of purple light and the puddle was gone, but Sombra remained where he lay. His legs twitched spasmodically as his mind fought towards the flight side of “fight or flight,” wanting to gain some sort of traction or hoofhold to put as much distance between himself and the pink demigod as possible. Cadance, on the other hoof, was letting a war between fury, fear, and confusion rage in her mind. Her heart said hate, her mind said fear, but her eyes brought her only bewilderment. Here on the floor before her was King Sombra, the stallion that had done unspeakable things for hundreds of years to the Crystal Ponies, to her ponies. He was a monster, hardly short of a demon in pony form, and had a magical prowess rivaling, if not outright exceeding, that of the Celestial Diarchy, who could easily overpower her. Now before her though, here he was, crying on the floor, shrieking in terror, and only moments before had actually peed himself in fear. “I’m sorry!” Sombra wailed, “I’m so sorry!” Cadance tried to vocalize a response to what she was seeing, but only managed a barely-pony sound that started as a grunt and ended as a squeal, and passed through growl, groan, sigh, and sneeze on the way through. Perhaps what was most confusing to her at the moment was that Twilight seemed to be paying more attention to the dictator than to her. “Sombra,” Twilight yelled, trying to be heard over the ex-king’s crying, “Sombra! Get a hold of yourself!” “I’m sorry!” The outnumbered unicorn continued between sobs, “Please don’t kill me! Please! I’m sorry! I’m sor…” the words were lost as they turned back to tears. Another grunt-squeal escaped Cadance, before she swallowed forcefully and managed to get some words out. “What. Is HE. Doing HERE?” Cadance scream-growled at Twilight, her horn flaring with magic as she prepared to defend herself and her sister-in-law. Twilight sighed angrily and bound Sombra’s mouth to quiet him somewhat, muffling his bawling. Standing up, Twilight stepped to the side, and Cadance found herself with just a moment to make a decision as her dearest friend was no longer in the line of fire between herself and the stallion who represented everything Cadance hated lay defenseless. With a thought, the spell was cast. For Twilight, everything seemed to go into slow motion. She saw Cadance cast the spell, and was able to figure out what it was, where it was aimed, and that it would, in fact, kill Sombra if it connected. She cast her own spell, trying to block it, but even with her great magical ability, Twilight only partially succeeded. Instead of striking him square in the back, the pink bolt glanced off a foreleg. His crying and writhing stopped immediately. Sombra never even heard the discharge of the magic, but for just a moment his mind registered blinding pain, and then everything went black.