//------------------------------// // Chapter 5: Power // Story: Relationships are Evil // by TheTimeSword //------------------------------// Twilight couldn’t stop staring out the doorway, stunned by the sight of the dark stallion. She stuttered as she spoke. “K-K-Ki-Ki... King Sombra!?” Trying to back away from the door, she lost her balance, slipping on the petal that had previously stuck to her hoof. The stallion walked forward, watching her fall backward onto the floor. As she lay on the ground, groaning in pain, she could hear him walking over. Her focus was blurry for a moment, but she eventually pulled her head from the ground. The dark unicorn stood in front of her with his eyes on something else. Her back legs were spread open in a compromising position, right within his view. “Well, I had hoped you would roll out the red carpet, but this wasn’t what I was expecting,” he said with a lick of his lips. She immediately teleported herself upright and faced Sombra with a look of both anger and humiliation. “I should have known you weren’t destroyed. Finally come to finish the mare who thwarted your rule?” Pointing her horn at the unicorn, she readied an attack. “If I had come to destroy you, I wouldn’t have knocked.” I’m not sure I believe that, she thought. Giving him a chance to speak, she dispelled the energy building in her horn. “Then what are you doing here?” With a charming grin, he replied, “I’m here for two reasons. One, to win your heart. However, since I know you won’t allow me to do that without redeeming myself first, the second reason is to become reformed. Word travel’s fast when someone gets a pardon from their imprisonment in Tartarus. I'm more than willing to throw my crown in the ring.” “Wait, you want to be reformed? By me? Why? I don’t-“ Placing a hoof upon her purple lips, he shushed her. “Reforming is the least of my desires, you on the other hoof… A beauty like you makes a stallion willing to do anything. Defeat dragons, burn villages, even change his entire outlook on life.” Her wings extended, and he knew exactly what that meant. With flushed cheeks, she immediately grabbed his hoof off her mouth, shoving it away. “G-Gosh, you certainly are a forward one. Please, wait here, I’ll need to talk to my apprentice so we can decide to reform you or not.” As quickly as she spoke she was gone, teleporting herself back up a few floors. She wanted a moment to calm herself, but upon her arrival she found Starlight to be hogtied with a sock in her mouth. Discord and Tirek, hands on each other’s throat, we’re shouting obscenities and insults as they attempted to strangle one another. “What in Celestia’s name!?” shouted Twilight, causing the two to cease their assaults. Using her magic, she separated the two, levitating them closer to Starlight. “I’m very disappointed in both of you, and I’d like to scold you both but I’ve got bigger problems at the moment.” Before Tirek could speak, Discord replied first, “He started it!” With a roll of her eyes, she pointed to Starlight. “Care to explain?” “Whoops.” Discord snapped his fingers, the rope and gag disappearing. “How did those get there?” Starlight coughed as she stood up. “Thank you, Twilight. I’m glad the other Element’s will be helping us, these two may be a little more rambunctious than I had first imagined.” “Unfortunately, it’s about to get a whole lot worse. We now have a third joining in on the reformation, and the bet,” Twilight replied. She covered her face with her forelegs, groaning an inaudible set of words. “I cannot believe this is happening,” she said, muffled by her forelegs. “Oh goodie, I certainly hope it isn’t a second Discord,” Tirek mumbled, purposefully within earshot of Discord. “A third is trying to win you? Who?” Starlight asked. “King Sombra,” she replied, her voice a diminished pitch. “…Who?” Starlight asked once more, uncertain of the name. “King Sombra? I’ve never heard that name either. What would he even be king of?” Tirek asked, scratching his head as he speculated. “Wait,” Twilight said as she lifted her head. “You don’t know who Sombra is?” The centaur shook his head and shrugged. “I had heard of Discord but had never met him until recent events. Not all villains know each other, Twilight Sparkle,” he replied. “And I wish it had stayed that way,” Discord added, crossing his arms, and spitting his tongue out at the centaur. Tirek rolled his eyes with displeasure. “Really? It has been a joy for me.” “Enough you two,” Twilight said as she rose to her hooves. “Starlight, let’s go introduce you to the new arrival. After you meet him, go get all the other Elements and Spike. We’ll have an impromptu meeting about this.” “Can I, uhm, be part of this meeting?” the unicorn shyly asked. Twilight placed a wing on her apprentice’s back, pulling her close. “Of course. You’re just as much a part of this as I am. You'll be part of all the meetings from now on.” Her words roused a strong smile from her apprentice. The two mares began to travel down the stairs, Tirek following after them. “I’d like to meet this, King Sombra. Perhaps he is some real competition, compared to Discord.” Upon hearing the insult, Discord chased after them. “Well, I’m not going to let you get a step ahead of me! I’d like to meet him too!” As they stepped into the foyer, Discord and Tirek stared from the bottom step, neither willing to greet the dark unicorn. Instead, they conferred with each other as they waited for the mares to finish. Twilight and Starlight greeted him warmly, his intrepid smile almost making him look gallant. He bowed to the two mares that stood before him. “Hello there, I’m Starlight Glimmer, Twilight’s apprentice. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” “The pleasure is mine,” he replied, taking her hoof and kissing it gently. “Oh, my. If you don’t choose him, I might be disappointed, Twilight.” Starlight couldn’t help but giggle, her face redder than Tirek's fur. “Alright, alright. You’ve got work to do,” replied Twilight as she nudged her student towards the door. After Starlight had exited and the door securely closed, Twilight looked to Sombra, a curious expression on her face. He immediately took notice, asking her, “What is wrong?” “I don’t understand what you hope to gain, King Sombra. If you had been revived, why not attack the Crystal Empire again? Why come here to be reformed?” “Firstly,” he said, “it’s not King Sombra. It’s just Sombra. To be a king, you must have a kingdom. Secondly, as you know, the Crystal Empire is under the control of a powerful couple. I cannot regain my army unless I am able to overcome their strength, which is something unwise of me to try at this point in time.” He looked to the stairs, watching Tirek and Discord argue quietly amongst themselves. “Finally, as I told you before, I did not come to be reformed. You wish for me to redeem myself, but I have come to win your heart, so that is what I will do reformed or not. Becoming your mate will make me a king once more. Though, ruling with you will mean a much different kingdom than I had ever wanted, but beggars cannot be choosers.” Twilight frowned, disappointed in his answers. “So, you aren’t really here to become reformed, you’re just here to become a king. That’s disheartening. Well, I’ve got some bad news for you.” “Oh?” He shifted his eyes from the stairs to lock with Twilight's. That’s when he noticed the ice cold stare she was giving him. “The bet is to win my heart. However, you can't do that unless you're reformed. Any charm you had was just shattered because nopony likes being used for power, wealth, or status.” She took a step towards him, her eyebrows furrowed. “You only get one chance to be redeemed. One. Chance. If you fail, you're going to Tartarus.” He gulped and promptly shut his mouth, fearful to say anything else that may damage his standing. Sombra had hoped for an easy victory, claiming rule over Twilight’s subjects, and demeaning her enough for him to take full control. It was not going to be as simple as he had imagined. “Discord,” she called out. The draconequus immediately ceasing his bickering with the centaur. “Please take Tirek and Sombra to the map room, you three will be included in our meeting.” Her serious tone seemed laughable to Discord. “Since when did I become your pet?” he asked. She looked at him, her eyes were still sharp and icy, like a raging blizzard. “One map room, coming up,” he nervously said. The three stallions disappeared in a flash, leaving Twilight in the foyer to wait for her friends. She could feel herself seething from Sombra’s words, the sensation slowly faded as time passed but not before she stomped her hooves in frustration. Once her friends had finally arrived, she led them up to the great hall. She filled them in on their way, all with different reactions to the retelling. Expecting the worse, the group of ponies found all three challengers on separate corners of the room, each with thousand-yard stares. “What’s going on?” Twilight asked. In almost perfect unison, they replied, “Nothing!” “Well, this is a little… uncomfortable,” mumbled Rarity, as she walked in and sat in her crystal seat. Twilight groaned, wishing to be done with anymore nonsense. “Alright, take your seats. Spike, if you could, take a letter.” Spike jumped onto his throne next to Twilight’s, placing a parchment flat on the table, quill firmly in his claw. “Ready and able!” “Dear Princess Celestia, we have received another villain who wishes to be reformed. It just happens to be King – erm, no, it happens to be Sombra. Just Sombra, Spike.” Twilight looked over his shoulder to make sure he understood. She then continued, “I have decided to allow it, my friends and I should be able to handle both Tirek and Sombra’s reform. If either of them fails, they know that Tartarus is waiting for them. If you have any advice, I would be honored. Sincerely, Princess Twilight Sparkle.” “Princess… Twilight… Sparkle. Done!” “Please send it immediately,” she said. After rolling the scroll and sealing it, Spike raised it up and blew his magical green fire upon it. Twilight looked at Sombra who still stood firmly on one side of the room. “Did you understand that? Just like Tirek, Tartarus awaits you if you fail. As I said before, you get one chance at this.” He nodded from the corner, unwilling to speak or move more than that. “Alright, I’ve had about all I can take. What is with these three? They’re actin’ loopier than Pinkie the first time she drank coffee.” Applejack slammed her hoof down on the table, shifting everyone’s focus to each of the fellas. Fluttershy got up from her seat at the table and wandered over to Discord. “What’s wrong Discord?” she asked, looking up at his serious face. "Are you okay?" “Nothing is wrong, dear Fluttershy.” He patted the top of her mane, but remained in upright position, eyes forward. The yellow pegasus rubbed the end of her chin, contemplating why he was acting so strangely. He did not move another muscle as she stood in front of him. “I don’t like this,” growled Rainbow Dash. “Maybe they’re up to something. Like, they’re getting ready to attack us all at once.” “If that were true they would have done it by now, before the letter could be sent,” Starlight reasoned. Pinkie Pie burst into laughter, startling the ponies around the table. “Oh come on, it’s so obvious!” She snorted at the end of her sentence. “They all have their reasons for wanting to win the bet. Now that there's more competition, things are getting serious for them. They are on their best behavior, just to impress Twilight.” The three sirs looked at each other in shock. “Oh, she’s good,” Tirek muttered, the other two nodding in agreement. With a loud, audible groan, Twilight rose up from her seat and stood on the table. “Alright, listen up you three. I want to make it very clear. To win the bet you must win my heart, but you must also fall for me yourselves. That was the rule stated upon Discord when he first agreed to Starlight’s bet. Tirek and Sombra, you still have to reform before you can even try to win.” “Pretty sure standing like stiffs against the wall isn't really a good way to reform, or win her over,” Starlight mentioned. “That’s correct. You must be yourselves if you truly wish to make a connection with me, not what you think I want you to be. You've got to prove that you want to reform.” Tirek and Sombra relaxed a little, still standing against the walls, neither of them wanting to be the first to move. “Hey, I already like this. That means it’ll be easier for me to win!” Discord cheered himself on, breaking his place against the wall. “You’re right, so I’ve decided to make it a tad bit fairer. In order for you to win my heart, Discord, you must also help them redeem, or at least stay out of their way. If I feel you did not try your best at helping or became a burden to their reforming, then you will lose.” Twilight stomped her hoof on the table, ending her explanation. Tirek burst into laughter, also breaking his place. “Discord actually helping us? He’s guaranteed to lose!” He continued laughing. “I have to help them, and win you? I’m the Lord of Chaos, not the Sultan of Impossibilities! There is no way I could ever do that,” Discord angrily mocked the very notion of helping the two villains. "Staying out of their way might be the most valid option," he muttered under his breath. “Well, Discord, you could always give up.” Starlight grinned at the draconequus. “That means I win, though.” All the ponies, except for Fluttershy and Twilight, goaded Discord with a unison of ‘wooing’. Starlight had already figured out how to get him riled just from watching him interact with Tirek. “What! No! I won’t give up. It’s just, well, I’m just wondering… how is it fair that I have to do something if I lose, and those two don’t?” Rarity replied, “They have to reform before they can try to win Twilight. If they fail to reform, they get sent to Tartarus. Would you rather have that, Discord?” Discord quickly grabbed Fluttershy and wrapped his arms around her. “No, no. Being a helpful friend is the punishment that we agreed upon. No sense changing our rules now.” He over-zealously rubbed Fluttershy’s pink mane. “Tirek and Sombra only get sent to Tartarus if they fail to reform. The bet is more to prove they've fully reformed. Basically, if they lose the bet, they get nothing other than good friends. I think that’s fair since it'll be a trial for them to reform, compared to Discord who can immediately go after Twilight's heart.” Starlight was convinced Tirek and Sombra could become reformed like she had been, she did not see any reason to put more pressure on them losing. “Shucks, that sounds pretty difficult compared to what Discord has,” Applejack said. “I agree, in fairness, Discord should be placed on our level,” Sombra countered. Tirek placed his head against his hands. “You shouldn’t have said that, you young, arrogant fool.” “You want fairness?” Twilight asked as she looked down her nose at Sombra from her throne. Discord placed a hand over Fluttershy’s eyes, and the others winced at her stature. "Um, well-" “You are a villain. You are not reformed. You have not redeemed yourself in any manner. Discord is our friend, you are not.” Twilight slowly stepped off from her throne and began walking towards Sombra. “What’s not fair is you mind controlling the crystal ponies, or placing a curse upon the Crystal Empire. You have two choices, be our friend or be sent to Tartarus. Is that fair enough for you, King Sombra?” The dark haired stallion stared deeply into Twilight’s eyes. I could easily defeat her, he thought. But her friends and Discord, probably not. He nodded to Twilight, showing he understood the position he was in. “Good. Tomorrow, Tirek and Sombra will begin their journey on the road to friendship by spending time with two of you. I’ll leave it up to you girls to decide who those two will be. Discord, you will be spending tomorrow with me. Understood?” Twilight’s tone seemed so militaristic to the ponies, they were truly inspired and delighted that their friend had finally seemed to come into her role as a leader, the Princess of Friendship. “You go, Twilight!” Rainbow Dash cheered. Discord nodded to her, releasing Fluttershy from his grasp and raising a hand up to his forehead in salute. “Meeting adjourned.”