Motivation

“Honoured guests!”

King Sombra stood at the main entrance of the castle. His guard stood firm at his flanks and decorated his city with security, guarding everypony as they stood. His figure was strong, imposing and confident. Though many were not close enough to see it, all could hear his voice. He addressed not his castle, court or the grounds. He addressed the entire empire to its very reaches.

“Friends! Family! Citizens of the crystal empire! It is with great pleasure that I greet you this fine evening!”

His voice echo’d across the land he held purchase of. It boomed through the air and left neither subject nor pony unattended. Those present in his immediate company heard his word no louder than anypony else. His words did not ring but seemed so clear, like a whisper in the mind.

“It has been more than a year since I have taken office as your king once more! Nearing double that, and onward do we march against time! We have not truly celebrated our fortune. Tonight, I call folly on this notion!”

His deep voice flowed through the streets like a shockwave, masses of the crystalin populous in the streets. They looked up towards the castle, at attention. Not a soul dare ignore the call. Some still could not betray the fear to obey it struck in them; fear that had been sown into their very being. But that voice was not the voice they heard aeons ago. It was an addressing, not a commandment.

“Nothing has made me prouder, than to see the empire be restored to its former glory. To see the faces of everypony become radiant smiles, to feel the ponies trust in me once more and to see us bloom. In truth, this splendour never left us at all. For the empire has and will shine forever!”

Sombra’s horn glowed as he spoke, carrying his voice across the land. Those important enough to be in his immediate audience saw his stature, the stance of a powerful stallion. The malice was gone; the hazing dominance was nowhere to be heard in this speech. The foreign ponies would not know his darkness, and the king showed less already.

“Never the less, it has taken the work of every pony at hoof to have us realised as a nation in the eyes of Equestria again. Our guests, our neighbours stand among us. We have called them and invited far and wide, so that they may see and share our company! For this is the true gift we all should be thankful for!”

The ponies looked among one another. Indeed, the streets and shops were littered with ponies without the signature gleaming coat of their people, in awe of the powerful voice that swept the city. Their celebration had been announced with much fanfare, so did many other colours of coats fill their wake. Many crowds murmured in amazement.

“I shall keep you all no longer! The festivities are set. The hum of your hearts fills our streets with promise. Even I itch to enjoy my time among my people” there was a chuckle, light hearted “If only I glowed as they did!”

To either sides of the king stood most of his court. On the left stood Shining Armour, a partially stoic smile on his face behind the decadent and partially ornamental armour. Princess Cadence took the other side, looking radiant as she did. If anything she looked the most fitting for the occasion. She smiled as well, reserved but earnest and graceful. The king himself wore a mantle of silken dark lilac blue that trailed off nicely into the colour of his grey coat. The crown he wore was the first crown of his own design since his reformation to show in public. The others were merely an echo of traditional crowns. From its centre beneath his sharp horn, the sides wove themselves into his thick mane like intertwined silver thorn-less stems and managed to tuck some of his mane beneath the line.

“Let us all make merry from now onward! Dance, play, meet, greet, eat and revel! By my decree, I will the first Crystal Link celebration under my rule, to begin!” He announced, and raised his hoof in signal.

Sombra closed his eyes and listened. For now, he heard the cheering of his court and immediate audience. They had all watched him from the sidewalks of the pathway into town, and the ribbon that walled off this path from the side walk was severed at his mark. There were some seconds of uncertainly from the crowds over what this meant, before some started running into the streets from one side to another. Elaborate ponies darted out from the crowds, and beckoned their brethren into the open streets with ribbon and dance.

Should they enter the street so clearly marked as a walkway their king may parade upon?

More decorated and musical ponies harkened the crowds, telling them it was ok, singing the festival into being. The festival was a celebration of togetherness, they said. Together they were the crystal empire and together they were Equestrians, they said. And their king was no different to them in that regard. The severed ribbons were symbolic of coming together on all sides. They coaxed, took hoof in hoof with bystanders and began jigs, often joining groups of crystal ponies with other sorts.

The ponies forgot their places soon enough and the broadening streets turned into an outdoor ballroom. After the initial dances died down the ponies continued to mingle as the songs filled their ears. For as far as Sombra could now see, his streets were littered with life. Dozens of thousands of gleaming living gemstones decorated his home.

He took to the pathway in a smooth leisurely stride “Shining, disperse your men.” he ordered. Shining nodded and turned to face the troop he had garrisoned. “There are no strict formalities for this occasion Princess Cadence. You are free to enjoy it as you see fit.” Sombra looked to the crystal princess.

She grinned back at him “I think I’ll stick with his majesty’s train for now.”

“You heard the man. Disperse” Shining ordered to his troop.

The vague order sent a brief uncertainty through the grouped guards, before one of the higher in ranking replied “Where, commander?”

“To the festival” Shining gestured behind him at the growing festivities “You’re all officially off duty for the evening and are to resume you’re duties at sunrise tomorrow. Those closest to the castle, spread word inside of this news, the rest of you are to alert the town guards as you leave the palace grounds.”

“All of us sir? But-”

“-Soldier, your king has given you an order. If you all don’t get out there and start enjoying yourselves soon I’ll be forced to discipline anyone on the job.” Shining joked and waved a hoof. “I’m still on the clock, but the rest of you deserve the evening for jobs well done.”

The royal guard exchanged looks as Shining turned around again, leaving them to their own devices. With their duties stripped from them their casual selves quickly took the reins. Smirks and grins were tossed about as they discussed the leisurely situation, some turned and headed back in the castle to take their last duty as informants, some headed for the barracks to deposit their armour and the rest spread out in small chattering groups.

The knight commander re-joined the King’s rather informal march through the merry crowd and into the city. Granted it was still accompanied by a crowd of ponies setting their sights on joining the king’s parade, there seemed to be no true structure to his trail of followers.

From the beginning of the city, bright lights and bustling bodies filled the streets. On approach the ponies immediately began to side step from the streets, clearing a walkway for the king and party to tread. His march had a spacious aura that divided all before him less they invade royal territory. Sombra shook his head and raised it high at the notion “Citizens!” His voice echo’d again through the masses “Do not disperse at my arrival! This celebration is yours! These streets were paved by your hooves and decorated with your souls! Humour your king with the life of a simple festival goer!”

The announcement carried more in the empire’s visitors. Those not of the city looked on at the king, at the kingdom he ruled, and nodded amongst one another in agreement. Such a beautiful sparkling town they said, such vibrant colours and exotic hospitality. Their leader was nothing like the stories of old. They repopulated the streets, closing the circular gap the king had as he walked. The ponies of the crystal empire followed suit, pulled on by their visitors into the open spaces and crowded the area again. Something about the event, the sheer splendour and freshness of it all, brought a hum of cheery comradery to everything done.

Sombra didn’t seem to have much of a destination plan with his walk. He simply walked, surveying the view. Parts of his court’s company soon started disappearing from his flanks. The flower maidens had noticed trendy satchels in the windowsills and could not help themselves from taking a peak. Some of the musicians were roped into new songs of the streets and lingered there too long to escape their new tune. Important individuals were either recognised or asked about opinions with equal or less important individuals and quickly enraptured themselves. What was once a crowded following thinned to a selected few who saw their place at the king’s side imperative.

He didn’t seem to mind. There had been no intention to have a following for the event. The swifter they left him to his devices the better.

Sombra inspected the shops and establishments as he walked. They bustled with activity, as did the stalls set up against the streets. Sparkling cotton candies along with threads of decedent savouries of interesting origins, local and foreign were all being sold. Aromas both sweet and strong drifted among the roads as he passed. Toys and crafts both complicated and simple called to seeking’s eyes. The business driven would be good for the empire, as well as the exposure. Moral should continue to increase, as would traffic in the area with word spreading further of the events aftermath.

His eyes glanced over the populous as they passed him by. Many stopped and greeted him formally, complemented the kingdom he ran. Those not as timid as others asked questions, others offered him some of their wares as he passed their market tables. He greeted all who greeted him, answered questions directly and encouragingly. To each offer he politely declined and found a way to ring a nearby pony into the sale instead. One wouldn’t call it charismatic charm but direct conversational delegation. Mingling with the crowds was key, building bridges not to him but to one another. He surveyed the leisure to work ratio, though it was becoming increasingly harder to tell who was working and who was having fun. The two types seemed to be blending swiftly as ponies partook in fun and lent hoof to one another.

“This has turned out to be quite the gathering.” he said aloud suddenly, addressing no pony in particular. “The magnitude is as expected, but it is still something to see rather than on parchment.”

“Mhm” Cadence agreed as she looked about, doing her fair share of meet and greets. She was still by far the more popular of the two ruling parties. “Is it everything you hoped?”

“So far, yes. All the plans have gone without problems.” Sombra looked back at the pink princess. She looked distracted, though not unpleasantly so “Cadence, in all due respect, I don’t see what is motivating you to remain near me this evening. You should enjoy the festivities.”

Cadence fixed the king with a look. It was a knowing smile that was almost patronizing “I have my reasons, Sombra” she said “There’s just something I wanted to see.”

Sombra narrowed his eyes somewhat at the mare. Over the past months Sombra had been taking it upon himself to mend his ties with the world. The most obvious starting point had been Cadence. After all, he owed her his new existence. But the princess’s attitude towards him had been anything from what he had expected. The way Sombra saw it he had robbed the mare of many things; from the position of power, the ruling of the empire, her comfortable normal living standards to a degree, her piece of mind, her pride…and then Shining. Yet the traces of bitterness he saw in her subsided quickly, and soon she was the one taking lengths to be familiar with him. She had been so supernaturally understanding, so quick to hold out the olive branch when he deserved none.

Sombra both admired and kept himself wary of her strength to overcome hardship. It was a terrifying strength, to have such control over the deepest emotions. Sombra himself knew she was not hiding her malice or masking it with half-hearted friendliness…she was starving it from the inside out. That wasn’t how darkness worked. “Have it your way. The offer to desert me for more entertaining company stands none the less.” he said.

“This is entertaining.” She replied with a little laugh.

“What is?”

“Watching you trying so hard” She looked over at Shining. He watched the conversation with an interested eye but said nothing. To him the situation still had a light air of awkward and he rarely added anything to a conversation between the two, lest he be held hostage on taking sides. So far they had not argued per say, at least none that he knew of “I know the real reason behind this whole festival stunt after all”

“I don’t know what you’re on about. The festival was made to celebrate the empire in all its glory.” Sombra replied defensively.

“Of course it is.”

Sombra huffed audibly and redirected his attention to the festivities. He could hear the female giggle behind him. Confounded mares thought they knew everything, no matter what their age or place.

He scanned the crowds again, something catching his eye eventually. In a modest looking café he passed by, a labourer was stacking dishes from the outside sitting area. The place was filled to its corners and seemed to host a calmer atmosphere that clashed with the festival’s bustling energy. Simply but neatly dressed, the staff wore arrays of bow ties, mane and tail ornaments that complemented the colour of their coats. This one had a gentle blue that matched his eyes and cutie mark, which popped out against the orange hue of his coat. Still…it missed something…

He stopped, as did his companions, and looked about again. “Cadence? Perhaps there is one duty I would like you to perform for the festival”

Cadence cocked a brow “What’s that?”

“You are familiar with the blessing of the shimmering coat enchantment aren’t you? How much and how long would it take to spread such a spell across the empire?”

“Not much. The crystal heart could do it in a split second if the ponies united their hearts with it.”

“Would you be able to organise that? I think it would serve as a firm traditional act to cement the festival’s importance. I’m sure our civilian guests would enjoy the spectacle and appeal as well. ”

Cadence gave a courteous bow “As you wish. Make everypony sparkly, got it.” The mare took a turn and trotted off into the crowds, presumably to find other unicorns. Or whatever it took for the spell, Sombra would admit to not knowing the details.

“Couldn’t you do it, sir?”

Sombra looked back at Shining and gave him a coy smile “I could cover the entire festival in a dark rolling mist of despair or erect giant earthen spikes, yes. Sadly no, it is not possible for me. The blessing of having a glimmering fanciful coat is not something that ever seemed to work for me...nor is it a magic I am attuned with.” He replied and resumed his slow walk. “It allows Cadence to have a key role in the festivities as well. I don’t want the ponies to mistake this celebration as a reflection of my accomplishments.”

The guard pony nodded in acknowledgement simply. Often Sombra worried he bored the younger stallion. An old king forgotten by time, too used to speaking in such long verses hardly seemed entertaining. Not to a jovial and bright spirit he’d come to know Shining as. They walked together in the crowds, but with Cadence gone Sombra felt alone with Shining. They weren’t alone though. Shining was calling him sir. “I see you’ve found your voice again. I’d thought for a moment that you’d milled into the crowds as well.”

“I’m the only guard on duty. The king’s safety rests on my shoulders” Shining replied with exaggerated importance. What a charmingly convenient excuse to be near him. “Are we going anyway specific, sir?” Shining asked after another brief distance walked. He didn’t look bored, taking in the sights around him with curious eyes and no doubt a growing appetite.

“I was actually hoping you could tell me, Shining.” Sombra replied with a light hearted laugh “Has anything caught your eye?”

Shining gave him a look. Sombra only noticed it when no suggestions came “What?”

“This is the part you didn’t have planned out?”

“I hadn’t planned out the possible scenario of leisurely time with only you to accompany me, no. I had expected more need for me, though it seems everypony has taken the festival’s spirit to heart, which I am glad for. The idea also seemed selfish to plan for. This is normally when one ‘goes with the flow’”

“…Really? Nothing?”

“Yes, nothing” Sombra looked back again at “Is this an issue?”

“It’s not, sir. You’re just normally on top of everything.” Shining replied.

“Yes, well” Sombra gave his argument some thought. He found he had no witty response to give. Though he supposed that was the idea “Forgive me for trying to simplify my life somewhat.”

Shining sped his pace up slightly and fell in line with the king. He pressed himself closer between them, but still took lengths to make it look un-intimate and more business orientated. “You don’t need to be anywhere tonight?”

Sombra glanced backward. To passers-by it probably just looked as if Shining was whispering information to him. Neither stallion gave away their closeness, but used one another to block the crowd around them out. They made their own universe together “None. The festival has no concluding fanfare and should continue until the ponies decide otherwise. All should celebrate as they see fit…even you and I.”

Shining’s answer was simple “I want to be alone with you.”

Sombra smiled at the earnest sounding plea “Truly? The evening is still quite young. The food is looking quite delectable and exotic. Some of the party games look interesting as well, and the dances in the streets look most enjoyable.”

“We can’t do that stuff together.” Shining replied quickly “You know we can’t”

“You are welcome to do these activities without me Shining. You are not my pet”

The whispering turned slighlty harsher “I don’t want to dance around in the streets with a bunch of strangers or have a bunch of mares eye me funny while I buy food or shove cider down my throat till I can’t think. I just-”

Sombra reached up and gently tapped his mate’s cheek “At ease Shining, I jest”. They continued to walk, urgently huddled together, straight faced like news of a new threat was looming. The king found his guard’s ever-present lengths to protect his image enduring. It was never for his sake. Shining didn’t really care how ponies perceived him…he lived for the sake of others.

Shining turned his head away grumpily in reply.

Sombra turned his head backward to an angle and gently kissed the spot he had petted. The motion was quick and fleeting, not a soul could have seen it “What say we purchase some of the candy floss, perhaps one of the pies or the pasta you have been eyeing and then head back to the castle to wait for when Cadence’s spell takes hold. I’m lead to believe it’s quite breath-taking.”

Shining nodded again in defeat and slowed his trot, smoothly disengaging from the king’s side. Sombra was still looking at him over his shoulder, a content and almost smug smile fitting his lips.

“Am I strenuous?”

“Huh?”

“Am I strenuous to be in a relationship with?”

Shining looked up from the small hay sandwich he had been eating, gulped the mouthful down “Why does that matter?” Signs of irritation were still present from being teased.

“Answer the question, Shining”

“You are” Shining replied and began tucking into some corn.

Sombra nodded and readjusted his posture on the little bench they sat on. The court gardens were usually quiet. Him and Shining frequented them often in the night for ‘air’. There were not many other places they could go, and random rooms in the castle were not exactly romantic or ideal for privacy. He studied the gem themed candy they had bought idly as he spoke “Would you say it has been worth the effort?”

“What kind of question is that?”

“One that I would like answered in earnest.” Sombra replied.

“You’re not supposed to ask somepony that”

“-And why not? It’s a valid question”

“That’s not what couples ask each other”

“How else are they to learn of problems then? The basics of coexistence are conversations after all. I doubt all the mares and stallions in the brothels stir deep emotional connections with their clients.” Sombra shook his head “You haven’t answered my question again Shining, either of them. How else am I to improve?”

Shining took a long, deep sigh and looked at Sombra. The king looked so serious kneeling there. Serious was casual for Sombra. He was serious about improving…serious about being a better mate to him. The honesty was a weird brand of romantic “…Sombra, you don’t need to improve on anything.”

“Nonsense. Improvement is ever-present and critical to development.”

“No, I mean…” Shining rubbed his mane thoughtfully “I don’t think you need to improve, or change. I wanted to be alone with you because I like being alone with you. Even when you tease me I don’t really mind. You always do something else that makes me forget how annoyed I am.”

Sombra nodded with a little smile “So, I take it the outcome is worth its pursuit”

“Yeah” Shining replied, giving a small embarrassed laugh at the end.

“Was that so hard? If you know the answers to the questions you need only answer them.” Sombra shook his head again and looked to the side, looking at a patch of crystal chrysanthemums “Though I suppose I can’t expect love to be a highly functional thing that can be tracked with ease…for that I apologise.”

Shining rubbed his mane some more, bashfully lowering his head. “You’re been in a good mood all day…” he said finally.

“I have reason to be.” Sombra chuckled and reached up, taking the twisting crown off his head and setting it aside. His mane seemed to loosen into its more flowing shady style without it “Tis a day of celebration”

“…Yeah.”

Sombra glanced over at Shining again, paused, then at the flowers once more “…This place reminds me…” he said after some contemplation.

“What?”

“Of the reason we celebrate today”

Shining tilted his head slightly “What’s the garden have to do with the crystal empire growing.”

“…” Sombra smiled a little wider, seemingly lost in whatever memory he was remembering. There was a content serenity in his posture as he sat. “…I feel so childish now. Though it seemed a good idea as any in conception”

Shining pursed his lips and leaned back on the bench, eyeing the king suspiciously and wiping his muzzle clean of some of the food residue. “Alright, I’ll bite. What are we really celebrating today?”

“Today marks the day, I believe, that I fell in love with you” Sombra replied, calmly looking back at the other stallion.

Shining stared back at the king. “It’s what?” he sat up straight in alarm “Oh buck did I forget our anniversary? I coulda sworn-”

“-No, no. I said today is the day I believe I fell in love with you. Our anniversary as a couple follows in a few months. It is not something I am aware is typically celebrated, so I dressed it up as something else so I may have reason to celebrate it. Such a selfish reason as well, I figured I would boil the festival down to my core emotions and thoughts at the time.” Sombra looked over to the lights of the festival in the distance “Joy in my centre, a will to be free and do as I pleased, to talk and connect with another, pride in who I was. A feeling of wholeness, hope…” Sombra looked down at the candy again “Why not let the ponies celebrate my happiness guised as their own, I told myself. Let them steal the meaning and make something useful of it. Even if I may not take the day for my beloved alone, he is sure to be at my side with guard protocols making it so.”

Sombra looked back at Shining, with more conviction. His serious focused as he tightened his cross legged hooves together “I had not intended to tell you. Let the day be as it was. Let it be my secret guilty whim. Now that I’m here with you, it seems my heart could not stay my lip as I look back.”

Shining didn’t know how to reply. He tried looking Sombra in the eyes but they were so transfixed on him. Looking at them for one second would pierce how much Sombra wasn’t lying into him. The words were almost painfully sincere.

“...” Sombra looked away again “I’ve said too much, I know and I apologise. It’s not what couples say, is it? Mates do not throw grand festivals in their loved one’s names and expect adoration or thanks, lest inadequacies and awkward scenarios occur.”

“Sombra?”

“Yes?”

“What do you mean ‘today is the day you fell in love with me’?”

Sombra face turned pensive and clicked his tongue “Hmmm” it stayed that way for a few moments. The garden was quiet otherwise as Sombra gathered what looked like every thought he could find and tried to align them into sentences. The fact that he had options and ideas alone was enough. Most ponies would give you a guessed half answer…like Shining might have “Well, I’ll start by staying that you have many attractive traits commonly sought after in stallions, both physical and emotionally. I won’t go into those; I’ve probably showered you with those praises embarrassingly enough one way or another”

“Beyond that, I don’t believe there is much else besides the fact that I simply…started enjoying your company. Much more than I thought I would. We never talked in great detail, most of our communications were very authoritarian and duty based. You took to your role in life and performed it, and that much I respected. I had no alternative reasons for finding joy in your presence…and yet I did. To me your presence began brightening the room, the air seemed less tense and thick and I…” Sombra smiled to himself, lost in a memory “I looked forward to seeing you, however brief we spoke or limited our time was together. I know not if you noticed, but I certainly tried opening up to you. I asked you little idle questions of little importance and paid attention to any and every comment you made about your life. I gleaned the type of pony you were one brick at a time. What I gathered, what I saw, what I heard, I liked. And you never minded. Perhaps you pitied me, but I would take pity over scorn. To pity is to care for another’s suffering. Few so close to my operation would give me the luxury of pity.”

Sombra traced some of the bench’s framework with a hoof “This place reminds me, because there was a day where I was alone with you. Never will I forget it. I found you here in the gardens between patrols, studying the plants for whatever reason you might have had. I assumed for Cadence…”

“And after exchanging pleasantries, I stayed. I had work to complete. But I stayed. Because I was comfortable here, alone with you. For whatever reason you had, you stayed for some time. We spoke some more, trivial things, simple things, subjects that weren’t awkward at the time. Your sister, your marriage, your expectations for the future and your current troubles in small comfortable answers. You were warm…pleasantly warm and genuinely open to conversation. Practical and understanding You even seemed curious about me in ways that didn’t wholly have relevance in my reformation or my past, though you raised no queries of me that day…and then you left to do your duties…”

Sombra snorted at himself as Shining gazed at him silent. “And I consciously noticed something. With your departure, grew a longing for you.” He reached up and gently stroking the bottom strands of Shining’s mane “The longing never left me. As the days followed I began noticing the same longing for you. Time and time again, it would flare up within me and I was left to curse my misfortune. I never acted on any of them then, but when you were close the longing dispersed. It filled me with samey content, something I was not used to. A feeling that no matter what happened, even if I failed in the future, I would continue onward for the sake of those who depend on me…” Sombra looked around slightly, across the flowers “One year ago, in the opposite end of the courtyard garden, by the lilies, did I commit the sin of loving a married stallion. I am simply fortunate, or enough of a curse to those around me, that he would reciprocate.”

Shining shuffled on the little bench slightly. Words weren’t coming again. Sombra looked back at Shining, then down at the candies he’d bought himself and hardly touched. He lifted and inspected one “I was always fond of these as a colt…they tickled in my throat.” he said simply, and popped it into his maw. Some time passed in silence, the king presumably waiting for some kind of reply. If it was so, he did it with a calm face and busied himself in eating the little rainbow coloured sweets.

Shining shuffled again, towards Sombra. He tucked his head below Sombra’s as neatly as he could manage. It was never neat, not when you were a unicorn. A ebony limb circled around his neck and gently stroked the nape, above the armour. He closed his eyes, sitting there uncomfortably. Faint music from the fair provided a hum in the distance. Sombra’s jaw moved up and down as he snacked.

The air shook suddenly. A shimmering wave seemed to pass through the atmosphere from the town. “Ah. It seems Cadence has completed her duty for the evening. How very mindful of her to have the town as the locus instead of the castle. Ponies love to see such magic’s at work before their eyes.”

Shining didn’t look up to see if he had changed. He looked because he felt a wince. The king’s eyes were closed, his face contorted into a frown, his mane frazzled and dishevelled. It was as if he had been stabbed by the wind. “What’s wrong?” he asked, quickly looking around for threats.

Sombra gave the other a cheeky smile “I began to crack and imploded the last time this happened, remember?”

“Why did you-”

“-The crystal heart nor it’s magic cannot kill me anymore…” Sombra interrupted quickly “I suppose that doesn’t mean it won’t sting with the darkness I still hold. Pay it no mind, it is a gentle brief pain.” The king took a slow deep breath “Come, nestle your head beneath mine again.”

Shining glared at him. Sombra looked back. The ebony stallion panted softly, fatigue taking his features “Don’t do that”

“This is hardly anything to be worked up over”

“I don’t care. Can you at least not hurt yourself for me?”

Sombra laughed a deep rumbling laugh “Pain is a means for growth in the best circumstances. I hardly mind a prick should my entire empire be thrown into elated frenzies.” He looked out towards the town again. There were significantly more lights gleaming in the distance, like a sky of stars on the ground. It seemed louder too “I have you here with me as well…as far as I am concerned, a very mild side effect was worth the reward reaped”

Shining shook his head, his ears dropping as his alerted senses relaxed “Just don’t overdo it…” he shoved the king’s chest and left his hoof there, feeling the heaves calm to normal breathing. He rubbed their tenderly, feeling the muscle carefully as they rose and fell.

“You are as much a stallion as I, Shining. We live to protect the ones we care for…you may berate me the day your chivalry makes a sacrifice for me instead. Two stallions hell bent on protecting the other would make a fierce team.”

The guard looked down at his hooves in quick contemplation. He leaned forward properly and hugged Sombra, shifting on the bench to make it comfortable. He nuzzled at whatever fur he could find with his face. “What good am I as a royal guard if you risk killing yourself?”

Sombra looked down, circling his forelegs into a cuddle and murmuring softly in appreciation as he felt his mate gently bath him with his tongue. The unconditional concern of his mate was a weakness Shining exploited so unknowingly “…I will try not to, Shining. I make no promises, but I will try. It is hard not to, when you protect me as well.”

The lighter stallion stroked what he could reach of the other’s thick mane. He felt so encumbered in Sombra’s arms, wearing his armour. A hoof would normally run up and down his spine by now. He kissed Sombra’s chin and nibbled there till the other dipped his muzzle in reply. The king’s lips fell into his with ease and meshed eagerly. The day had been too busy organising and rallying. The pair had not even had a chance to exchange morning pleasantries, let alone the rest of the day. Sombra pulled on Shining’s tongue and curled around it with growing hunger, the first taste waking his thirst for the act. The other pushed himself against the king, making himself available entirely. There was a roughness that wasn’t there yet…but that was reserved for prolonged affection.

“Shall we go inside?” the king murmured to his lover as their lips parted. “I’m sure you’ve heard enough of me talk for one night…”

“Not yet...I wanna make another memory here. One for both of us”

“Oh?” Sombra’s brows perked in interest as he kissed Shining’s cheek “That does sound promising.”

Shining leaned off the king, but the darker stallion eyed him with an approving grin “What?”

“The crystal’s blessing suits you.” Sombra replied as he stroked Shining’s now sparkling white coat. It was almost as radiant as he remembered it to be, that day one year ago. His eyes were practically sapphires now. Funny…they seemed almost fake enhancements compared to the memories he had. Though one could say the same force was at work…

Shining ignored the complement and slid off the bench. He bowed before it deeply and held out a hoof to the other, giving a sheepish grin. “I request an audience with the King”

Sombra chuckled. He held out his own hoof towards Shining’s invitingly “Very well. I’m listening…”