//------------------------------//
// Umber Castle 
// Story: Sombra Finds True Love 
// by Book Lover 1994 
//------------------------------//


Lucina woke up from her unconscious state to find herself on Sombra’s back, “what happened to me?”
“You casted a mega spell that was too much for your body to handle, and you passed out.” Sombra deadpanned.
Lucina was ashamed that she couldn’t control a powerful spell. Sombra could feel her disappointment with herself rolling off her.
“Cheer up Princess. Even though you collapsed in the middle of the spell, you still saved my life.” He tried to assure her.
“And how did I do that exactly?” She questioned.
“If you didn’t conjure up that shield, I would be scattered into the wind thanks to the Crystal Heart.” He continued.
Curiosity got the best of her, “is that why you didn’t want to go to the crystal fair?”
“Yes,” he responded.
“I’m sorry,” she apologized softly.
“It’s fine Princess. I shouldn’t have met you this morning in the first place.” He said not unkindly.
Sombra could hear Lucina sobbing, “I’m really, really sorry.”
Sombra conjured up a handkerchief for her to dry up her tears. “There, there, there no need for tears. I’m fine now… See.”
Lucina dried off her tears and calmed down somewhat.
They continued the trek in silence, but Lucina was unsure of where they were going. “Shadow where are we going?”
Sombra answered her question without hesitation, “We’re going to my castle.”
Lucina was puzzled, “you have a castle?”
“Yes,” he answered.
“Does that make you a prince?” She quarried.
“No even better than a prince,” he smirked.
“What could be better than a prince?” She challenged.
“A King of course.” He replied.
Lucina thought back on all the stories her mom and dad told her, “mommy and daddy said that kings and queens are evil. Are you evil Shadow?”
“It depends on who you are asking Princess.” He answered coldly.
Lucina brought her hooves around his neck and hugged him gently, “well I don’t think you’re evil King Shadow. You’re too kind to be evil.”
Sombra casted a sleeping spell on the princess to keep her from digging too deep into his heart. “Kindness can always be evilness in disguise. Remember that little one.” 
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“The trail ends here your majesties.” One of the guards said. 
Thunder Clap looked out into the snowy horizon and couldn’t see a hair or tail of Lucina or the strange stallion. 
“Where could they be? The land outside of the Crystal Empire wasn’t really explored more than the train tracks.” Princess Cadance worried. 
“Cadance is right, they could be anywhere by this point.” Her husband agreed. 
Thunder Clap wasn’t going to give up so easily, “they have to be somewhere. We have to continue looking for them, they might freeze out here.”
“But the trail ends here.” The same guard pointed out.
Thunder wasn’t having it, “then let’s split up in different direction from this point.” He drew an X on the spot that the guard indicated.
“That’s a good idea Thunder.” Shining Armor praised.  
The search group split up into three groups. Princess Cadance, Shining Armor, and Thunder Clap each leading a group. Princess Cadence’s group looked to the east of the mark, Shining Armor’s group to the north, and Thunder’s group to the west. 
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Sombra arrived to his umber castle with Lucina’s still unconscious body on his back. He walked into the empty foyer and conjured up a shays lounge made up of umber crystal and gently placed her onto it.
Lucina didn’t move a muscle and kept on sleeping. Sombra just watched her rest, unsure on what to do next because bringing the princess to his castle was never a part of his plan.  
A few moments later Lucina slowly open her eyes and was looking into the ever changing emerald green and ruby red eyes of Sombra. “I never asked this before but why does your eyes change colors all the time.”
“What do you mean?” he asked.
She stared right into his eyes and he backed up away from her breaking the spell, “you know ever since we’ve met your eye color would change with your emotions.”
Sombra was confused by her comment. He thought that his true form was hidden behind a façade. 
“I’m not sure what you’re talking about princess.” He played off.          
“Right,” She said skeptically. 
Lucina dropped the conversation but only just. She got up from the shays lounge and began to walk around the foyer. “So this is your castle.”
“Yeah,” he said bluntly.  
She turned to him smiling meekly, “Do you mind giving me a tore?”
Sombra felt a pang of pain in his chest where his heart was. He looked away from her and rubbed the back of his neck with his hoof. “Um sure.”    
As they went through the castle Lucina would ask questions about it. Little did she know that the castle was modeled after her own home, the only difference is that this castle was made up of umber crystals. Soon enough she began to notice that no pony was around, “um Shadow where’s everypony else?” 
“There is no ponies,” he said without thinking.
Lucina tilted her head to the side, “why not?”
“I like my loneliness that’s why.” He said coldly.
Lucina’s eyes narrowed, “is that so, I guess I’ll just leave then.” 
- “This filly is a real smart ass.”- He smirked.
With all the walking that they did Lucina didn’t even notice she had a cutie mark till the cloak she was wearing shifted off her. She saw her reflection in one of the umber walls and her eyes went wide. “Um… when did I get my cutie mark?”
“When you saved my life” Sombra said automatically. 
Lucina studied her reflection and saw that her cutie mark was a malty color star with an inner light shining through.  “It’s beautiful.”  
Sombra tried not sound like a perverted old stallion with his comment, but then he thought screw it. “Yes, it is.”
Lucina wasn’t weirder out by his comment at all. She smiled at him in appreciation.