• Published 14th Apr 2014
  • 449 Views, 3 Comments

Sombra's Mission - Strythio



Sombra needs to complete only one last mission before he gets to retire once and for all and live out the rest of his days with his family.

  • ...
 3
 449

Deceit


“Yes, there had been more than a little doubt a few moments back about your abilities.”

Amore had not fully recovered from the shock of seeing fallen guard members getting back up, brushing themselves off and rubbing their heads. As if they had all been experiencing a very realistic and very drawn out nightmare.

As far as Sombra was concerned, it would work out better if that were the case anyways, and it seemed to be the case. At last his heart rate could finally start to come down, as confidence in his own thwarting of the 'illusion' had sank in.

“I told you, nothing more than an illusion.”

Sombra continued to grin, slowly walking towards Amore until he came nearly nose to nose with her. None of the guards attempted to stop him, perhaps in their own little worlds

Not once did he reveal just how unnerved he had actually gotten back there.

“Now do you believe in my prowess?”


“Is she coming back?” Amore looked towards Luna as if she would spring back into that form at any moment; the pegasus disguise apparently did little to dispel her fears now that a glimpse of the 'real' Timore was stained back into her memory.

Sombra raised his head, giving the visage of looking down on the earth pony his same height. “Not while I am around.”

Amore’s pupils suddenly dilated, her gaze shifting to the Crystal Heart, as if drawn into a hypnotic staring contest with the jewel.

“I thought that she would have consumed the Crystal Heart, just like in my dream.”

Trance-like, the princess stepped around Sombra and towards the floating jewel, it having returned to its bright blue coloration. Luna strode over to Sombra while the guards followed their princess in this same manner.


“What is going on?” Sombra had been hamming it up with the self-praise, but this seemed unplanned.

“My other agents already cast the spell,” Luna whispered, Sombra barely even hearing her, “I will arrange for you a meeting soon enough.”

“I already met them.”

Luna seemed mildly surprised upon hearing this.

She smiled after a few minutes, rubbing her hooves in anticipation. “Now, with the princess and her most trusted guards at the beck and call of the Queen, and the Queen at my call, we may be ready to call this mission complete.”

Sombra's smile grew wider. Done already, music to his ears. He would surprise his wife with a very early return, and even head to the Crystal Empire for their honeymoon.

Of course, that would have just been too easy.

Amore snapped out of the trance with a shake of her head. She then violently pivoted to face Sombra and Luna, an angry scowl on her face.

“Sombra, get that pegasus out of my palace!” she ordered, pointing a hoof towards Luna, “If I ever see her again, she is to be hanged from the gates!”

This did catch Luna completely off guard. Sombra had never seen the princess so surprised in his life, and to be honest, he could empathize. He had thought that it had all been in the bag. The changeling queen apparently had not been as effective as Luna had anticipated.

Even the guards seemed to snap back to reality with the voice of their ruler ringing in their ears.

For a few seconds, Sombra hesitated to act, but a brush of Luna’s tail reminded Sombra that he was on the spot, no doubt the center of attention at this point.

“Right away.” Sombra ‘escorted’ Luna out of the throne room. He heard some murmurs coming from behind him. though his focus was on Luna.

“What happened?” Sombra whispered, just barely audible, “That does not seem a part of the plan.”

“I will handle that.”

Luna’s face showed her anger and displeasure, but more pertinently, it showed a murderous glint. Whoever had screwed up was going to get it. Good thing Sombra had pulled himself together back there, or that killing intent could have been directed at him.

“Sombra!” Amore's voice had a sing-songey tone, as if the princess had shifted into a much more happy and suggestive mood.


Sombra stopped and turned, Luna stood stock still next to him. Amore’s eyes shone brilliantly, sparkling with some strange force that he had not seen before. A very familiar sparkle, now that he thought about it.

“When you return, make sure you groom yourself.”

She then blew an incredibly fake kiss in his direction, completely offsetting any sort of understanding that the stallion had about what was going on.

She waved him good-bye with her left hoof; Sombra turned around and returned to leading Luna out the doors with a quickened pace, now even more confused than he had been before.

Someone was going to get it for sure; only thing was, Sombra now wasn’t so sure anymore about who was going to be getting what.

"Sombra, just play along," Luna whispered once the two were in the relatively empty streets, "I will set straight this oddity."

Sombra, for one reason or another, was not entirely convinced. After all, she had put even him under the illusion back there, and had failed to pre-warn him that he would be working with changelings.

"Are you sure you do not want me to come along with you?" He suspected that Luna might pay the Queen a visit; one did not simply anger an alicorn.

Luna was silent for some time, the empty streets slowly stirring again. While it was still daylight, the residents had apparently taken shselter in their homes during the incident.

When the two finally left through the gates, the city seemed to come to life behind them. Luna stopped, allowing Sombra to go a few paces forward.

Sombra turned around, meeting Luna's burning gaze dead on.

"The Queen has just joined the princess in her travel plans."

Oh great, now Luna intended on kidnapping the Queen?

"You can not do such a thing on your lonesome." Sombra felt some genuine concern, as he could tell that Luna's pride was getting the better of her. "You could ask Celestia for..."

"No."

Cold and detached could be used to describe the way Luna spoke that single word. Sombra could feel that creeping feeling again, the same one that he had felt when Nightmare Moon had emerged, though this time dark magic welled within his horn as a response rather than terror.

Before things could progress any further, Luna sighed, and the menacing presence departed. Sombra lowered his magic, but did not lower his guard.

"I do not need help from Celestia. I can handle this myself." Curtly she spoke, walking forward again. Once she had passed Sombra, she gave one look back towards the City, a scowl on her face.

"Where those on my list go, there are no return tickets. It would be best to nip this now before anyone else joins, unintentionally."

Sombra followed Luna some distance, mind considering the possibility that one wrong move could land him on this "list" of hers. No doubt a hit list, if his pony senses were to be trusted.


After seeing Luna off and getting a slight update on his mission specs, Sombra returned to the Crystal Empire. Luna would catch up with him later, out of disguise, and she emphasized heartily that Sombra needed to get very closer to Amore.

Uncomfortably close, to the point in which he could have her alone in a private chamber. Sombra wondered why they did not just assault while the Crystal Heart was in their grasp, but Luna refused to answer that question.

Whatever Luna intended on doing, it likely tied into that answer. However, all Sombra had to do was worry about his part of everything; Luna would just have to take care of the rest of it on her own if she refused assistance.

So he let the lack of answers pass this time.

Day Two: All Hail the King

It was nighttime by the time he returned, but the city was alight with torches and lanterns. A large gathering of excited ponies greeted him at the gates.

It seemed an entire parade awaited his arrival, the cheerful crystal ponies hoisting him atop a chariot and hauling him down Main Street, chanting his name.

“Sombra! Sombra! Sombra! Sombra!” The ponies cried out in joy, leaping and dancing and merry making in ways Sombra thought only the elite of Canterlot dared to celebrate in public.

Cider passed between hooves, cards flew into the air, and trumpets sounded with every single thunderous hoofstep of his litter bearers, who were all too eager to carry the perfectly capable stallion to the Palace.

Music blared and jesters entertained the crowds, the smell of freshly steamed vegetables permeating through the air, replacing the earlier fear and malice.

To say the least, it was a lot to take in.

Sombra had not realized the extent of their previous misery, cloaked in indifferent, plastered smiles, until he could actually view their merry-making for himself. Ponies laughed and cheered, some even mating in the streets.

Apparently word had not gotten out that he had indeed brought the Nightmare on them, indirectly. No ponies were actually hurt in the process, at least not physically, but no doubt his connections to an alicorn would cause some other connections to be made.

Truly, no set of words could fully express how thrilled these ponies were at their apparent savior's arrival and well-being. When they put the litter down, the crowd continued to cheer, even as Sombra walked from the chariot.

The Captain had been celebrated before, but this was completely different.

They were not peers, they were not fellow soldiers; they were a deceived populace thinking that they had been freed from the darkness of a mare who hardly cast her own shadow in the daytime.

Little did they know that which would be in store for them. Well, at least temporarily. Sombra continued on, noticing that the crystal heart had not been returned to its public place.

Odd, the ponies were so happy, and yet, their relic was not back in the public view. Maybe the crystal ponies were unaware of what transpired with it?

The moment the doors opened to the castle, Sombra heard a vocal hush among the crowd, a scrambling of hooves accompanying the almost eerie silence that seized the night air.

Nope, nothing suspicious at all about that, Sombra tried to tell himself while he walked through the doors, heading straight for the throne room.

Sombra walked into the throne room, surprised at the slight change in décor. Purple drapes hung from the walls, a red carpet had been lavishly rolled out over the previously crystal floors, and fancy ribbon in a variety of colors hung from the ceiling and throne.

On the throne, in a purple dress, sat Amore. The crystal pony’s hair had been done up in a strange fashion, the headdress clearly meant to hold all of her mane in one spot. Her wide, expressive grin only made the occasion more fatal for Sombra’s comfort.

“Welcome back, Sombra! I apologize that you were not able to enjoy in the festivities, but it is high time that I give you your reward for liberating us from that monster!”

Sombra gave a soft laugh and a sheepish smile, attempting to conceal his discomfort with meekness.

“A thank you and a few bits to return home with would be just fine. That pegasus had been my ride here.”

Though chuckling, a pair of guards shifted from their place upon hearing this. Sombra paid attention to their movements, tracing it ever closer to the doors where he had entered.

The guards blocked the door; it was now that Sombra noticed an increased security presence in the chamber, all of them wielding spears or halberds. All eyes were on him while Amore drew nearer, walking on her carpet, smiling wide ever still.

“Oh, you must not understand, I plan on rewarding you in the only reasonable way! I am sure you will not deny my offer to become my prince.”

Sombra would have taken a step back, but the clattering of spears behind him convinced him otherwise. Prince? That escalated quickly, from honored hero to future king. His discomfort now turned into suspicion, and he stepped forward to meet Amore in the middle of the room.

“Prince you say? I come in and dispel some monster that has tormented your dreams for weeks and you want to proclaim me your husband?” Sombra scoffed, attempting to downplay the significance of his actions. “I would have thought that…”


Amore’s smile dropped and her eyes narrowed.

“Do not think incorrectly Sombra, you are becoming my prince not my husband. Father of some strong successors -maybe- but not a ruler yourself.”

Sombra chuckled.

“That’s great, I have been promoted to Chief Mounty. And who do I have the honor of sharing a bed with tonight?”

He already knew the answer, but it never hurt to hear it from the mare's mouth. Either way, it seemed that he would at least be able to get the princess alone, and with a wedding obviously out of the question, that merely sped up the process. Convenient.

Amore’s smile returned, but this time, a much more sinister tone undertook it as she took a single step closer to Sombra, coming just within bite range. She whispered lustily into his ear, out of earshot of all others in the room, words that made Sombra's jaw drop.

“Do not worry Captain; for tonight, I will be having Equestria’s finest in my chambers.”


She withdrew, locking eyes with the stallion who feared that, somehow, his cover had been blown. Her smile grew wider, and she turned, mocking Sombra’s inadvertent stuttering while she daintily walked away.

“Do not be late, Sombra. You know how mares are when you keep them waiting.”

Once she had walked through the doors, Sombra gulped, likely loud enough for anyone in the room to hear. Who was luring who into the bedroom trap now?

“Should we escort you to your room, Captain?” the guards sternly looked to Sombra, still blocking the way that he came in by. Sombra glanced briefly at the guards, debating on asking them whether or not his cover had been truly blown.

Either the changelings were still playing along, or these were the real crystal guards. Not chancing it, Sombra nodded, and gingerly followed the ponies to through another set of doors.

Rather than heading straight to the chamber, the guards offered Sombra a chance at a bite to eat before heading off to the waiting princess, who would be expecting top performance out of him.

Sombra agreed. There was no telling how things would turn out once Luna put her portion of things into play, and Sombra did not want to have to do it on an empty stomach.



The dining hall was large, but compact to the point that no bit of space was wasted. Every wall and ceiling was covered in some sort of décor, the Empire’s flag appearing most frequently near the pillars that supported the room. The rest once again had been covered in ribbon and cloth of various colors.

The dining table was large, but circular, a contrast to most of the tables in Equestria. Sombra also had to get used to sitting in such a large hall, flanked by guards who watched his every move.

As they informed him, he was officially under their protection and supervision; he would not be leaving, nor would there come to him any harm if they had anything to say about it.

How encouraging. And here Sombra was thinking that all of the crystal ponies had been completely fooled. He ate his salad gingerly, not wanting to set off any of the guards with a ravenous appetite. Between his second and third bite, he requested, “A piece of paper and a writing tool, please.”

One of the guards complied, and while he ate, Sombra wrote. He wrote about what was happening so far, what had happened so far, and some of his own thoughts about it. He kept it short and sweet, however, as this was still a secret mission.

Once finished with his food and that particular task, Sombra rolled the parchment away and tucked it between his teeth, wanting any excuse possible not to speak for the time being.

The guards escorted Sombra through twisting corridors and revolving doors (Sombra took a minute to “test” the stability of the strange contraption), finally leading up to a wooden door.

The corridors, for the most part, were dimly lit, a torch here and there the only methods of lighting the insides.

Etched upon it was a name “Mi Armus Amore”. Sombra questioned the grammar, but did not question that this was definitely Princes Amore’s room.

“It is your lucky day Sombra,” one of the guards chimed, chuckling darkly, “You get to meet the other side of the family.”

Sombra swiveled his head towards the guards. With speech muffled due to the parchment in his mouth, Sombra asked, “What is that supposed to mean?”

Instead of answering, the guards snickered, and then slowly backed off until they were out of sight. The door creaked open, darkness from inside the room practically spilling into the dimly lit corridor.

Sombra had seen worse to be unnerved, but this still did not bode well. Alert, the unicorn slowly advanced into the darkness, waiting for his eyes to adjust to the darkness before fully entering.

Not surprisingly, the door shut behind him. Someone bolted it, and darkness completely prevailed over Sombra’s efforts at seeing anything. Typical of an ambush situation, except he had yet to be jumped with swords and daggers granting him a new set of openings.

“Princess Amore, I was not enthusiastic about this task before, but this is really not helping.” Sombra stalked through the darkness, going slow and deliberate as to avoid bumping or falling into anything.

Dead silence, the quiet before the storm, with only Sombra’s slow breathing any sign of life. Tasting the air did no good, though it smelled oddly fresh for a closed off room.

The room turned frigid once Sombra really tuned into his sense of touch. Deafening silence and blinding darkness restricted Sombra, though he did not risk lighting his horn. That would be predictable.

“Did you really think I would be tricked so easily?” Amore’s voice shattered the darkness and caused Sombra to turn in the direction of the voice. In the murky darkness, a very faint glow could be seen in the shape of a pony; crystal ponies apparently did not hide well in the dark.

Sombra now lit his horn, illuminating the much closer than previously thought Amore. She stood only one Celestia's length away from him, and while the room’s murky darkness did not permit a full room disclosure, but Sombra could at least see that the floor was made of wood.

Amore stood out of her gown, gaze set betwixt Sombra’s eyes in a stare that could cut open a dragon.

“You come in with your show boding, trick my ponies into thinking that they are liberated, when in fact, you have come to enslave them!”

Sombra chuckled, shaking his head in bemusement, as if it were all a joke, parchment still partially muffling his words. “Where did you hear such a ridiculous claim?”

“Timore told me while transformed as Nightmare Moon,” the mare staunchly answered, advancing on Sombra, “She also told me that you were very, very familiar with the surname Gladis. Does that ring a bell?”

Now this had turned personal. If this princess wanted to make threats on his family, then Luna would have to carry a corpse to the Queen's destination.

Sombra advanced on Amore in at this point, glaring at the princess with a gaze rivaling her own. Unwittingly, in an effort to get his oncoming threat more clear, he dropped the parchment to the floor.

“I suggest you get to the point. If you are involving those who do not need to be involved, I am afraid I might have to do something drastic.”

“Drastic?” Amore chortled, changing her straight approach and instead circling around Sombra. Sombra began circling in turn, the two almost mimicking lions preparing to fight to the death for the right to rule the pride.

“Now now, Timore would be very displeased if you did not play along. And harming me would set off the entire Empire in a heartbeat.”

Sombra growled. She had a point, but why would Luna turn him in like this? What good did it do her to risk her own covert operation? What if by some chance, this all had been an elaborate scheme to get rid of him?

No, Sombra dismissed that thought shortly after it arrived. That was preposterous; nopony could put down insurrection like Sombra and his forces. Nonetheless, it seemed that he would have to play ball, at least to some degree

“Seems you have me in a predicament.” Sombra gave off the appearance of defeat, so that he might would catch her to slip up. “Seems I cannot really trust anyone.”

Amore smiled, and then gestured towards her left. “No, but we can play for a little while. When Timore shows up, we can both give her a piece of our gratitude for being messed with and used.”

Sombra redirected his horn to a plain bed of sorts. Sombra then turned towards Amore. “She would never fall for that. Besides, how would she see us?”

Amore paused to ponder the thought a moment, and then smiled devilishly.

“You’re right; it would be best that we go somewhere a little less, reclusive. But that can wait till tomorrow.”

Like a wisp, Amore vanished into the darkness. If Sombra did not know any better, he would have to assume that she had teleported. But that was ridiculous; earth ponies could not teleport into thin air.

Smoke and mirrors no doubt. The wooden door opened again, light pouring in through it. Sombra took this as an invitation to relocate, and promptly went back out into the hall from which he came.

The corridor was now brightly lit, and the guards smiled at Sombra. They then led him to his own chambers, though they led him in silence.



His place of sleep would be a plain room, covered in crystals of course. A vanity mirror and a bed were the only significant pieces of furniture in the room. A balcony overlooking the city caught his attention.

After all, most of the chambers that he had been in that night were either closed off or too tense for him to really admire the open night air view.

Sombra wandered past the starry curtains that symbolically separated the two sections of the room and onto the balcony.

The view was amazing; the festivities continued, despite the false pretenses under which they were being held. It seemed quieter now, less out of control. Sombra reasoned that the late hour had caused many to turn in for the night.

Sombra sighed, this view reminding him of home. He would have to tell his family about this sometime in the future, when things were far less classified.

Without realizing it, Sombra smacked his lips, as if searching for some taste. This is when he realized that he no longer held the parchment from earlier.

Face hoofing himself, Sombra admitted that he had failed bigtime; he could not even remember when he had dropped it.

It had completely slipped his mind that he had even been carrying it still in his mouth, Amore had riled him up so with subtle threats regarding his family. Before Sombra could race off to action to find the parchment, a shadow cast itself over his form.

Sombra swung around, hoof already flying towards the potential aggressor. The hoof was slapped away and replaced with another, which tapped Sombra on the horn tip.

The gentle tap triggered a sneeze from Sombra. He leapt backwards, to the very edge of the balcony to get a good look at his attacker. To his surprise, his attacker had not been a changeling.

It was Luna, and by the looks of it, she was not happy.

“Why were you not in Amore’s chambers tonight?!”

Luna advanced on Sombra threateningly, a familiar parchment levitating above her head. The reason for her anger now became very obvious, as she had likely read the letter before storming over here.

“And what the hell is this? You are not supposed to record anything about what we are doing!”

On one hoof, it was a good thing that Luna somehow retrieved the letter; on the other, how did she manage to even find it? More importantly, how could she accuse him of not meeting with Amore when he had clearly met with the mare?

She roasted the letter with her magic, eyes never leaving the stallion who was at a loss for words.

“But, I did go to Amore’s chamber,” Sombra insisted, “Not only did I go there, it seemed as if she completely knew everything about the plan.”

Luna’s hushed tone hardly concealed her frustration with the words that came from Sombra’s mouth.

“Had your cover been blown half the city would be arming themselves to prepare war on Equestria!”

“But I could have sworn that I was talking to Amore in that chamber...”

“I watched her for three hours Sombra! That horny mare did not even come closer to getting off with you.”

Luna continued to take steps towards Sombra, as if ready to strike once within arm's length. Sombra would have backed off some more, Luna coming nose to nose with him making him ponder how high up from the ground he was.

The stallion, however, pressed forward towards her instead, forcing Luna into slight retreat in order to avoid an awkward muzzle bump. Sombra added a growl, not wanting to get continue to get ran over by Luna, regardless of her position.

“I was there with Amore and her guards, and she threatened that you were plotting against us.” Why were they having conflicting reports? Who was playing who here? Had the changelings led one of them on? And if so, which one of them?

Luna sighed, some of her aggression dropping after hearing Sombra out. Putting a hoof to her temple, she massaged gently, as if trying to piece together some order that would get them back on track.

When she stopped massaging, she looked again towards Sombra, though this time much of her hostility seemed to simmer considerably.

“Sombra, from this moment on, you have only one initiative. Bed that mare either here or in her chambers. I do not care if you have to go to her tonight begging her forgiveness!

And for my sake, do not write a thing about what goes on here, at least not until we finish this mission.”

Sombra furrowed his brow, his sense of dignity coming to the forefront. Sombra was not some desperate colt who needed to beg any mare for a good time, much less their forgiveness for not being prompt to some imaginary schedule.

“The only mare I have ever begged is my wife, and that is because she knows all the right places. No, if she is as on as you say, then she will come to me before the end of the night.”

Sombra took a bold step forward. For a moment, it would seem as if the two would come to blows. Before anyone could test the limits of the other's patience, the muffled sounds of hoofsteps echoed from inside the palace.

Luna, as swiftly as she had come, flew off, blending into the night sky like a shark does the murky waters it calls home.

She gave Sombra one last look before practically vanishing into the night sky. Sombra could not put where he had seen that look before, and he could not help but be reminded of the "list".

Well, no matter. Luna had insulted him in perhaps one of the worst fashions, and princess or not, he had to let it be known his grievance. Of course, had it been Celestia, he would have been less willing to pick an actual fight, in short because... well.

Why would he be less willing to actually fight Celestia? Luna and Celestia technically were equals, but the way he approached dealing with them definitely differed. Maybe it was a height thing.

Or maybe it was a respect thing. Sombra shook the thought from his head, not wanting to accidentally dream about this particular difference. No telling how Luna would react to the news that he respected Celestia more as an authority figure, though of course she might have already realized this by now.


Sombra stormed from the balcony, more than ready to break cover and pick a fight with the first pony with a snide remark regarding Amore and him when the bedroom door swung open. Amore stood in the doorway, unaccompanied and still in her fancy dress from earlier.

“So I guess you do like to keep a mare waiting,” Amore said, closing the door with her left rear leg, “My guards told me that I could find you here.”

No shit Starswirl, this is where he had been escorted to! Just before Sombra could end the mare’s life for stating the obvious, a familiar odor reached his nose, resulting in an oddly calming effect washing over him. It was not the odor of a mare in heat, but of fresh lavender.

Anger having melted away away, Sombra flooded with mixed emotions, his heart slowing near to a stop for the first time that day as nostalgia overwhelmed his senses.

Violet, his wife, could have appeared from underneath the bed sheets at that very moment, and he still would not have fully broke himself free. The purple earth mare could have even struck him with one of her larger gems, and still he would remain tranfixed by this familiar scent.

Sombra soon found himself locking lips with the pink mare in front of him, her forearms wrapped around his neck in an embrace that pulled him deeper into her influence.

Breath lost to him, Sombra could not fathom why she even tasted like Violet; that same tangy, earthy flavor that excited every organ in his body. Not saying that she tasted like dirt, but she had a very distinct, fresh from the ground vegetable kind of taste, with only slight variations depending on where he tasted her.

Before succumbing entirely to the seduction, Sombra pulled away, subconsciously pulling back towards the bed as he did so. “Where, why?” Sombra could hardly utter the words before Amore turned her head in confusion.

“Is there something wrong, Sombra?” Amore sounded a little hurt by the pulling away gesture.

“Why do you smell so familiar?” Sombra’s mind attempted to reel back from his body’s intentions, his earlier energy now being focused towards a different projection.

While this is what he was supposed to do, he did not expect to have to think of his wife the entire time. No doubt fantasizing about her would make this an easier task for him, but it would still remind him of infidelity all the same.

“I do not understand.” Amore took a few steps closer, concern dripping in her voice. “Is this not pleasing to your senses?” The answer was obvious, if she were even looking at Sombra, fully erect and eyes cloudy, body language contradicting the tracts of his mind.

Before Sombra could ask again, Amore tackled him, his body allowing her to force him onto the bed. The soft mattress hardly compared to the feeling of the heated mare on top of him, staring into his eyes in a lusty haze.

A challenge far greater than lifting a hungry diamond dog from him was attempting to force Amore to the side, a challenge that he grew weaker towards the longer this carried on.

Sombra’s mind attempted to funnel magic to resist, but again, his body overrode the command and instead brought his lips back to hers again. Harder and more passionately, the seduced stallion was about to entirely succumb, lost within a fantasy that played in his mind.

Violet, right here, having traveled all the way here just to give him some relief from this mission. Another foal to join the other two in the herd, someone would have joked. “Violet…” Sombra moaned between kisses. Every sense except his vision told him the same story, and his eyes lost credence in this moment of weakness.

Now his mind was convinced that this too might be a mere illusion, a dream of sorts, and that Violet was giving him a good wake-up call. The mare leaned back, pressing her forehooves to his chest while her haunches readied themselves, teasing his lower half with unjustified stimulation.

The mare massaged just right on his chest, relaxing the earlier tension built up by the whole Nigthmare Moon incident, and the various signs of a mission going wrong. She had been doing fine too, Sombra still lost in his own world, until she pressed just a tad too hard on his lower neck.

This snapped Sombra from his dreaming in an instant, this one inconsistency finally giving credibility back to what his eyes had been saying this entire time.

This was not Violet, no matter how he sliced it, and this was not a dream either. Just before Sombra could roll the mare to the other side, as to free himself entirely, an arrow head punctured the front of Amore's chest, its bloody tip mere inches from his own neck.

Amore shuddered, her face going from calm to surprise in mere seconds. Hearing the next one whistling in the air, Sombra dropped his head back onto the bed, narrowly dodging yet another bloody arrow.

This one, however, went all the way through, whizzed just above Sombra's nose, and embedded itself in the spot where Sombra’s head had been a few moments back. A few drops of blood had dropped itself onto his mouth, driving any remaining sexual arousal into full retreat.

The fallen mare collapsed atop of Sombra. This elicited perhaps the manliest scream that Sombra could muster under the circumstances, the weight of the dying princess subtly decreasing while she began to bleed out on top of him.

He threw the mare to the floor in panic, himself rolling from the bed to the floor until he was out of view of the balcony entrance. Two holes were present in the starry curtain, both of which clearly having been made by the arrows.

Considering Luna's ability to blend into the night sky, Sombra would not have been shocked had she been the one to fire both arrows, though he did not see a bow and arrow set when he had confronted him earlier.

Sombra cast one look towards the dying Amore, her eyes hardening towards Sombra as realization dawned on her. She formed the words for a curse, but the curse never came; there, lying on the floor, she closed her eyes for the last time, the last of her life essence flooding onto the floor.

One of those arrows had definitely been intended to graze him if not go right through him, Sombra was sure of it.

Sombra leaped away from the mare, lest another arrow attempt to end his life, and backed towards the front door. Without thinking he had posed behind it; when it gently opened, the silhouette of a crystal guard could be seen, the light from the outside casting a gentle shadow of the guard within the doorway.