Champion of Equestria: Dark Desires

by Buddy Hooves

Chapter 2: I'm coming home

"I'm sure going to miss you. You big old fool." Fletfoot said as he once again, slapping my back hard.

"Be sure to take care of yourself out there." Light Flake said before reaching out for a hoof bump.

"Thanks guys. You guys take care as well." I replied. Returning the bro hoof.

True to their word, my former partners decided to see me off in the morning. When I told my unit I was leaving, they were the most upset by the news. But being the type of stallions that they was, they decided to throw me a going away party. I tried to get them to stop, tell them it wasn't a big deal. But Fletfoot would hear none of it. Even said they would show up at the train station to see me off.

And now here we were.

"Don't worry about us, Mark. Without you, guard duty will be pretty dull." Fletfoot joked.

"All passengers heading to Ponyville please board. The train will be leaving shortly." A pony by the train door yelled.

"Well guys, I got to get going. Goodbye my friends." I said before gathering my suitcase with my magic and boarding the train.

Once inside, I put the case in the compartment where suitcases and things normally go, and took my seat near the window. After several more minutes of waiting, I heard the yell "All aboard!" and the train finally started moving. Taking a look out the window, I saw Fletfoot and Light Flake as the train started to pass by. I gave them one more wave goodbye before they were gone from my sight completely. I was going to miss those two goofballs. They had become some of my closest friends in these last few months.

But my attention soon turned to the matter at hoof. I was returning to Ponyville to face my other friends in the first time in months. I didn't know what to expect. Okay. Well I did, but that was the problem. I knew in my heart they would forgive me, but I wasn't ready to forgive myself. I was a coward for leaving the way I did.

----Flashback----

"What do ya mean ya're leaving ta join the royal guard?" Applejack asked, confused by what I just told her.

"It's true." I confirmed. "I asked Princess Celestia to sign me up to a special branch. That way, I can protect Equestria from any threat before they happen."

"But I don't understand, Mark. Why are ya doing this? Isn't Equestria safe enough? "

We both stood silent in the apple fields for several minutes. I just didn't have the heart to tell her the truth. That I was scared by my new form and mixed memories, all because of Sombra. And I was afraid that I'd become more like him over time. So I did the only thing I could think of. Avoid the problem.

"This is something I have to do." I finally replied.

"But when can I see you again?"

"I don't know. Maybe it's best to forget about me." I said as I walked away. Leaving a very sad and confused AJ alone in the field.

----Flashback ends----

The truth was, she was on my mind the whole time I was gone since then. And I felt like a jerk for leaving her the way I did. I didn't really want to break up with her, but at the time, I just couldn't tell her the truth. AJ had a thing for bring out the truth in ponies. And I wasn't ready to tell her. I had no idea how she would react when I saw her again. Would she forgive me for leaving the way I did? Or would she never speak to me again?

You weak pathetic fool. Allowing such petty thoughts to cloud your mind.

No. Not again. I placed my hooves on my head and begun to focus all my mental strength into banishing the voice from my mind. The real reason I ran away, and avoided my friends was because I could hear Sombra inside my head. It was small at first, barly above a whisper. Mocking me or trying to tell me to do things. But now his voice was loud and clear. I haven't told anyone about it yet. Not even the princesses. Truth was, the times when I did hear him was few and far between.

But it still worried me.

After a moment of focusing, my head was clear again. I hate it when he does that. I thought as I began to relax again. Truth was, I may have hated hearing him in my head, but he was always to the point. I was worrying too much about everything. I'm sure of it. The girls would be happy to see me again, and Spike would want to hear all about my adventure. I had nothing to wor....

"Is this seat taken?" A feminine voice brought me out of my thoughts.

"Huh? Oh, no. Go ahead." I replied.

A beautiful mare took the seat infront of me. She was a tall unicorn, almost the size of Princess Cadence. She was a pink mare with a dark purple mane and deep green eyes. Beautiful eyes. I almost couldn't stop myself from looking into them. I also notice she had purple eye shadow and pink lipgloss.

"Nice train ride." I said. Shifting my gaze to the window to avoid starring at her.

"Mmmm-hmmm. Very peaceful." She calmly replied.

"You on your way to Ponyville?" I asked. I looked back to her, but avoided eye contact with her.

"Yes. I'm on my way to take care of some business there." She answered me with a smile. "How about you?"

"I'm visiting my friends." I replied. "I've been away for some time."

"Oh. And why's that?" She gave me a curious look.

"I left to get away for awhile." I answered. Though I kept my gaze on the floor. Wasn't a comfortable subject to talk about, even with total strangers. "I.... I needed some time to think things over, is all."

There was a pause of silence after that. For a moment, I thought she decided to be silent about the subject. Which was fine by me.

"Don't worry, Mark. Twilight and her friends will welcome you back with open arms."

"What? How did you know m...."

When I looked up at the mare, she was leaning close to me and starring right at me. It was then I noticed that her green eyes were glowing. Those beautiful green eyes. I couldn't look away, even if I wanted to.

"Your... eyes..." was all I was able to say in my trance.

"Do you find them pretty?" She purred.

"I... I..."

---

"Queen Chrysalis. We meet again." Mark said in a darker tone. He snapped his eyes shut, breaking the trance she had him in. When he opened his eyes again, his pupals turned red and the white of his eyes were a sick green.

"Sombra!" She jumped back into her seat in surprise. "So the rumors were true." She kept her current form, but allowed her voice to take it's original sound.

"It's me. My spirit is bound by this pony now." He calmly stated.

"I had heard that you returned in the form of a black dragon and attacked Canterlot."

"It was true. My goal was to get my revenge on the princesses, as well as Twilight and her friends." Sombra explained. "And the kicker was, if they defeated me again, I would possess their friend Mark here and still destroy Canterlot."

"Judging by the looks of things, I'd say your plan worked." Chrysalis pointed out.

Sombra gave a soft sigh. "Yes, and no. With the powers he gain from me, Mark used them to defeat me in my dragon form. In his weaken state, I did try to take him over, but the princesses used their magic to banish me." He then took a moment to stare out the window. "But then something happened that no pony could have for seen. We merged in spirits."

"I don't understand. What does that mean?"

"It means I'm now tied to this pony for the rest of my days." He turned away from the window to look straight at her. "He's more like me now, and I'm more like him."

Queen Chrysalis took a moment to think about what he just said. After which, a wicked smile formed on her face.

"Then what's to stop you from taking your revenge now?" she asked. Taking a seat next to him. "Let's work together. With our powers combined, we could easily take over this land once and for all."

Sombra leaned in close to her, a smile formed on his face. "I would love nothing more then to help you get revenge against Celestia and the others. But I can't. At least, not yet."

"Oh phooey." Chrysalis huffed. Leaning on the seat. "Well, if I ever need to see you again, I know where to find you." She then calmly stood up to look right at him. "Just be careful, Sombra. It's a dangerous game your playing."

"I could say the same about you." He smiled.

"How about a snack for the road?" She asked, before leaning in and kissing him.

Sombra was surprised at first, but quickly relaxed into it, returning the kiss. He would be lieing if he said he didn't enjoy it, for it had been ages since he felt the touch of another. The short kiss quickly became many, as in between breathes their tongues found each other. Queen Chrysalis almost moaned with delight. To her, it wasn't just making out, but her feeding. Sombra had willingly opened himself up to her, and she was drinking in deep all the emotions she sensed within him.

She tasted all the emotions inside him. Regret, anger, longing, lust, and love. Deep inside the pony Sombra now inhabited, she could taste the vast well of love inside. Love for Equestria, love for the friends he made, and love for a mare. Chrysalis almost giggled at this discovery. Sombra had willingly showed her a hole in his armor. A hole that she could use against him if she wanted to.

"That's enough!" Sombra demanded. Breaking the kiss and pulling her away from himself.

"Spoil sport." Chrysalis huffed. "Oh well. I got what I needed." She then began to walk away. "Goodbye, Mark. Till we meet again."

Sombra watched and waited until she left the cart before letting out a sigh. He didn't trust Queen Chrysalis, not fully anyway. And seeing her again like this meant that she was up to something, something big. No doubt plotting against Twilight and her friends. Whatever it was, he was going to have to keep a closer eye on things in the near future.

---

I awoke to find myself still seating on the seat. I was still on the train. but what happened? Last I remember was a girl sitting next to me, and.... I then remembered how she had those strange glowing eyes, and then I somehow blacked out. As I smacked my lips around, I noticed a strange taste inside my mouth. It was almost sweet, and my tongue felt funny. Almost like it was licking on something.

As I was trying to figure out that little mystery, I noticed the train was beginning to slow down. Damn, we're almost there. I thought to myself. How long was I out for? I decided to file all this in the 'worry about it later' pile in my mind, and just worry about the now. I needed to get my suitcase ready so I could leave the train. And then, I REALLY needed to use the restroom.

After the train arrived at the station, the first thing I did after exiting the train was go use the bathroom. After releaving myself, I then stood at the station while I tried to plot my next move. I didn't think this far ahead. Looking around the station, I saw the other ponies as they went on about their daily lives. Couples and families greeting each other, or ponies just getting off of a long business trip. I couldn't help but smile at that moment. It was nice just watching the simple joys in life.

"Right. Time to get this show on the road." I said to myself. I decided that once inside Ponyville, I would visit all the major places where my friends would be. I'd bet they would be pretty surprised to see me again. I'd have to think Princess Cadence for not writing to Twilight and ruining the surprise. Picking up my suitcase with my magic, I then began making my way into Ponyville to see my friends.

"I just hopes this goes better then I plan."

Ponyville sure hasn't changed much since I saw it last. It was still the peaceful little village that I saw when I first came to this world. Ponies coming and going, just living their peaceful lifes. Well, as peaceful as a world with magical creatures and talking ponies could be. I couldn't help but remember the funny things that went on while I was here. It was enough to make me laugh.

"Mark? Is that you?"

I turned around to see that Lyra was standing there near one of the many market carts. No doubt buying something to make for lunch with Bon Bon.

"Hi Lyra. It's good to see you again." I said with a smile.

She dropped what she was doing, crossed the distance between us, and wrapped me into one of the tightest hugs I've ever been in.

"Mark! It IS you!" Lyra said, holding me close. "I missed you, you big oaf."

"Air..." I gasped. That got her to release her cobra like grip, giving me a chance to suck in some much needed air into my lungs. She stood right next to me, excitement was plastered all across her face.

"Where have you been, Mark? I haven't seen you in months."

"I've been away on duty. I took a position as a royal guard." I explained. "But how about you? How's things between you and Bon Bon been?" I asked, hoping to quickly change the topic.

"Things have been great." I answered with a smile. "She and I are closer then ever."

"That's good to hear." Last I heard about the two, they had grown into a couple. Which didn't bother me. I had no issues with a mare on mare relationship. "Say, Lyra. You wouldn't happen to know where the girls are right now, would you?"

Lyra put a hoof to her chin and gave it some thought. "Hmmm.... Twilight's at her castle, doing who knows what. Rarity's working at her shop. Pinkie's at Suger Cubed Corner. Applejack's at her farm. But I don't know where Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash are right now."

"Thanks." I nodded. "This is going to be perfect."

"Wait, you mean to tell me they don't know you've returned yet?"

"Nope." I replied with a wink. "I wanted it to be a surprise."

"You're one funny stallion." She chuckled, shaking her head.

"And on that note, I'm taking my leave. I want to go before the element of surprise is lost on me."

"Okay. Bye Mark. I'll see you later." Lyra waved.

After giving her a polite nod, I used my magic to pick up my suitcase and continued on my way. Now that I knew where the girls were, I could pick my targets out better. Dash and Fluttershy were wild cards, cause I didn't know where they were. But the others I could pick off at my leaser, so I decided the best thing to do was to visit all of them in order. Applejack was last, because she was the hardest for me to prepare for. But first on my list was Pinkie Pie.

She was the craziest out of the group, and would react the most unpredictable. So it was best to get her out of the way first. I soon made my way to the doors of Suger Cubed Corner, and prepared for whatever madness awaited me. Well, I guess it's now or never. I thought to myself as I stepped past the threshold.

Taking a moment to look around, I noticed the place was quite busy today. Several ponies were at the tables, enjoying their snacks. A few ponies stood in line, waiting for their orders. I decided to step in line and place my own order. As I did so, I noticed that Mrs Cake was working the counter today. Which would put Mr Cake in the kitchen preparing the treats. So Pinkie Pie was either helping in the kitchen, or was watching the foals. Either way, it meant she was close by.

"Next." Mrs Cake hollered. Meaning it was my turn to place an order. "What can I get you, sir?" She asked as I walked up to the counter.

"I'll have a chocolate milkshake with a blue berry muffin." I said. "Oh, and tell Pinkie a friend's here to see her."

"Sure. One moment please." She said, before walking through the kitchen door. I tried to make out what was being said, but was only able to hear the words "gray unicorn... Says he's a friend... looks handsome."

She soon came back out of the kitchen and took her place behind the counter. "Your order will be ready shortly." She said with a polite smile.

"Thank you, ma'am." I replied.

"Say, do I know you? You look familiar." Mrs Cake asked, trying to figure out who I was.

"You do. But last time you saw me, I was a blue earth pony without a cutie mark."

"Wait, then that means your..."

"MARK!!!"

It took me a moment to understand what had happened, as it was too fast to follow. Pinkie was at the kitchen door, took one look at me, and rushed me. The Pink blurr tackled me to the ground, and was now sitting on top of me.

"Mark! I'm so glad to see you again. I've missed you so much." Pinkie said, looking down at me with gleaming eyes and a beaming smile.

"It's good to see you too, Pinkie. But do you think you could get off of me?"

"Oh. Sorry about that." She said, before getting off of me. The hyper mare waited until I was off the floor before pelting me with a hundred questions. "Where have you been? Did you get to see all across Equestria? Do you have any exciting stories to tell? Oh, do you have any wicked battle scars? Did you bring back any gifts? Why did it take you so long to come back?"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Slow down, Pinkie. I'll answer all your questions, but first, let's take a seat over to one of the tables." I suggested. Hoping I could calm her down a bit so I could explain myself.

"Wow. So you really have been all across Equestria." Pinkie said in amazment.

"More or less." I replied, slerping down the last of my milkshake.

I had spent the last half hour explaining everything that happened since I went to join the royal guard. How I took post at stations near the edge of Equestria, guarding against monsters and doing other boring guard stuff. How I met Fletfoot and Light Flake, and how we grew to be close friends. But I left out the bad stuff, like the real reason I left, Sombra's voice inside my head, or any of my other doubts. I ended the explanation by telling her how I was stationed to the Crystal Empire, and Princess Cadence had to almost order me to come back.

"But I don't get it. Why didn't you let us all know you was coming back to Ponyville?" Pinkie asked, giving me a curious look. "I could have thrown you one big old welcome home party."

"I know. But wanted my return to be a surprise." I stated.

"Oooh, that make sense." She said with a funny look. I just took it as the norm with her.

I let out an almost defeated sigh. "The truth is, Pinkie, I didn't tell you girls I was coming back because I was afraid to come back." I finally admitted.

"What? Why?"

"Because it's been over five months since I've seen you girls. I was afraid you'd all be mad at me, or never want to see me again."

"Mark, we're your friends." Pinkie said as she reached over the table and put her hoof on top of mine. "It doesn't matter how long your gone. We'll always be happy to see you again, silly billy. Besides, ever letter you wrote to Twilight, she would always tell us about it."

"Thanks Pinkie. I guess I just needed to hear that." I smiled.

"No problem. Now you said that you planned on seeing the other girls, but didn't know where Dash of Fluttershy was, right?"

"well, yeah."

"Then I'll go find them while you go visit Rarity and Twilight. That way, we can all meet up at Twilight's castle and all welcome you home in one big supertastic welcome greeting!" She finished with a cheerful smile.

"Uhhh... I don't think I..."

"Then it's settled. I'll see you later, Mark."

And just like that, she was out the door before I could even form a solid sentence. After taking a moment to process what had just happened, I couldn't help but chuckle at what just happened. Say what you will about her, but that mare always knew how to make the most out of any situation. And to be honest, I was glad she was helping me like she was. It meant I didn't have to face this all alone.

"Right. Next stop, Rarity's."

Ding-ding

"I'll be with you in just a second." Rarity called from across the room, not bothering to see who had entered the shop. "I'm busy putting the final touches on this dress."

"Too busy to greet an old friend?" I asked.

That got her attention. She stopped what she was doing and looked up to where I was. "Mark!" She exclaimed, before putting the dress on a table and rushing over to give me a hug. Thankfully, it was more gentle then Pinkie's.

"Mark, darling, it's so good to see you again." She said, releasing the hug.

"It's good to see you too." I replied. "I heard your business has really picked up."

"It has! I now have a branch in Canterlot and Manehatten." She boasted.

"That's good to hear." I said with a smile.

"So, did you just get back?" Rarity asked, noticing my suitcase on the floor behind me.

"Yep. I already ran into Pinkie Pie. She's going to gather everypony at Twilight's so I can get one big welcome." I explained.

"Well then, we better not keep the others waiting." She said as she made her way to the door.

"Wait a minute. What about your work?"

"It can wait. Besides, this is more important.

I grabbed my suitcase and we both exited shop. Rarity flipped the sign at the door to 'closed' before locking the door behind us.

"...And then, Maud got him to give her party canon back." Rarity finished, laughing at what had happened.

As we made our way to Twilight 's castle, she told me about past events. This one was about how Pinkie Pie, Maud Pie, and her went to Manehatten. Pinkie tried to find the perfect gift for her sister, while Rarity was looking for a new place to set up a shop. I was mostly quite, just enjoying the story as we walked. But we soon came to our destination.

"Here we are." Rarity said as we walked up to the front doors.

"Where are the guards?" I asked.

"oh, darling. Twilight doesn't like being treated like royalty, remember? She wants everypony in Ponyville to think of her as a normal pony." Rarity explained.

"Oh, that's right." Truth was, when I was staying in the castle when I first came here, she did have guards posted around the castle. But that was because Princess Celestia ordered them there, because they were worried about my safety. Now it seemed that things have returned to normal.

Rarity gave the door a quick knock, but I didn't see the point. Twilight knew who we were, and I'm sure we was welcome in. But I guess it was better to be polite. There was the faint sound of hooves on the other side, followed by a muffled "I'll get it." When the door opened, a pony I've never seen before greeted us. She was a pink mare, with a pretty purple mane that had a color streak to it.

"Oh, hi Rarity. What brings you here today?" She asked, holding open the door so we both could pass through. "And who's your friend here?"

"That's what I wanted to see Twilight about." Rarity said. "Starlight Glimmer, I'd like you to meet our friend, Mark."

"Wait. You're Mark? The one that defeated Sombra and saved Canterlot?" She asked.

"Well, more like I won by the skin of my teeth. But yeah, that's me." I chuckled as I rubbed the back of my head.

"Sorry. Just I heard alot about you, is all." Starlight said, holding a hoof out to shake.

"I've heard things about you as well." I replied. Shaking her hoof.

"All good things, I hope." She asked with a nervous chuckle.

"Only that you're very talented with magic. No wonder Twilight decided to make you her apprentice."

"Oh, uhh, thank you." She replied. Seeming to calm down a bit.

Just then, Twilight and Spike walked into the main hall where we were standing. It looked like they just came from the library, no doubt doing more research on something. That was just like Twilight. They took one look at us and froze in their tracks. I could tell by their expressions that they were surprised to see me.

"Mark!" Spike was the first to react. Running up to me and giving me a huge hug. Twilight just calmly walked up to us, a warm smile glued on her face.

"Cadence's letter said that you on your way to Ponyville today , but I thought I'd have more time to prepare." She stated.

"Twilight, my dear, you mean you knew?" Rarity asked.

"Aww man. And I told her not to write I was coming." I explained.

"It's okay." Twilight giggled. "I didn't tell Pinkie. And that was your biggest worry if I remember right."

"Yeah, but..."

"So where have you been all this time?" Starlight asked.

"Mark here has been on duty as a royal guard all this time." Rarity answered.

"Yeah, I get that. But why hasn't he returned until now?" Starlight was getting to the heart of that matter. Damn her and her smart observation. "Usually, guards are given leave much sooner then now. It's been months, right?"

"Well, I can explain that." I said.

"And I'd like ta hear that explanation, sugarcube."

And then I froze in place.

Pinkie pie had walked through the main doors with Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and Applejack. My eyes were drawn straight to AJ, as my head started to swim. I had so much I wanted to say to her, but I didn't know how to begin. How I missed her, how I loved her, and how I was sorry I left the way I did. The other girls stayed back as Applejack walked up to me, never taking her eyes off of mine.

SMACK

My cheek burned as her hoof slapped me with thunderous sound. As I recovered from the hit, I saw her face had a stern expression on it. But her eyes began to water, and next thing I knew I was sweeped into a tight embrace. Tears flowed freely from her cheeks, and in my confused state all I could was hug her back.

"Ya stupid, stupid stallion. Don't ya dare leave me like that ever again." She cried into my withers.

"I'm so sorry, Applejack." I softy replied.

As I looked up, I saw the girls smiling at us and giving me looks of approval. In that moment, all the weight on back, the guilt I felt in the past few months melted away. And I knew that everything was going to be okay. Sure, I had some crow to eat, and apologizing to do, but I didn't care.

I was just glad to be home.

Author's Note:

Phew. This chapter was way longer then I thought it was going to be. But I think it all worked out okay. Aleast I got all the welcome back stuff out of the way.

Just for the record the thing between Sombra and Chrysalis was the first of passionate moments I have plan in this story. I won't get too far into it, and make this clop, but I might have to add the sex tag later.

But that's for me to worry about later. Right now, I'm going relax and plot out the script for the next few chapters. See you guys later.