The Return of the King

by MisterEdd

Welcoming Committee: Part Deux

Home sweet home.

Sombra stared up at the ceiling to count the familiar cracks of his old cell. With his ribs all healed up, there was no further reason to keep him in the guest bedroom and so he was totted off back to the dungeons. Not that he could complain too much; this simply meant that he'd get less visitations from the False Goddess, Princess Sleep-Stalker and Crazy Pink. He placed a hoof against his chest, noting the slight pain in his breast. If he resented them, then why did it feel as though he...?

"No, no, no! I don't miss them! I can't!"

Celestia was a two-faced, condescending egotist, Luna a patronizing hypocrite and the pink one? Well, she was just weird and annoying. Sombra rubbed his face irritatingly. They were all his enemies and yet they all tried to cheer him up or give him words of encouragement.

But why help me? I'm not worth their time or their energy. Is it pity or-...?

A sudden creaking sound caused him to bolt up sharply as the cell door was wretched open. Sombra felt his heart freeze at the sight of three familiar Royal Guards: the unicorn Golden Shield and his pegasus cronies Thunderhead and Swift Spear. They were followed in by a fourth companion, an unarmored teal-colored crystal pony clutching what appeared to be an old leather medical bag. Every muscle in Sombra's body urged him to flee-as futile as the gesture was-but he instead remained seated, held in place either from terror or defiance. Or both. The fear must've been evident on his face because the ringleader smirked crookedly at him.

"Look at the mighty King Sombra, scared as a little foal without his mommy. Can you believe that this sad sack used to one of the most feared beings in all of Equestria? How pathetic."

"Very pathetic," Thunderhead dumbly nodded.

"Let's get started before we're found out," Swift Spear stated worriedly.

Golden Shield nodded as the four surrounded Sombra. "Too true, Swifty. This is a once-in-a-lifetime chance and as much as I'd like to take time to enjoy it, we are on a time limit."

You're not going to mention a word of this to anypony...Are we clear?

Images of the previous attack flashed through Sombra's head, his hooves digging into the mattress as his heart both sped up and slowed down at the same time. The stallions were laughing, their limbs wildly kicking and punching him as he rolled on the dirty floor, trying to fend off his attackers. He remembered laying in agony until passing out, fear and pain clouding his senses like thick smoke. Something awoke in the umbrum as the four approached him, some semblance of the ruthless warrior that he used to be. Swift Spear and Thunderhead lifted him up by his forelegs and this was the opportune moment to strike.

"Dauði þeirra sem eru á móti mér!"

Sombra yanked his left foreleg free, jabbing his elbow into Swift Spear's jaw, knocking him away before swinging his head around and shattering Thunderhead's snout. Ignoring the geyser of blood that clung to his head, Sombra lunged forward and ducked beneath Golden Shield's haymaker, clamping his jaws down on the unicorn's shoulder. Warm blood seeped into his mouth and he had to gag to avoid swallowing it. Punishment no longer mattered; he was not going to allow himself to be tormented by these wretched miscreants any longer!

In between his shrieking and furious babbling, Golden Shield smacked at Sombra and swung him back and forth but the umbrum continued to sink his teeth into his flesh, further opening up the wound and coating himself in his own blood. Shoving Golden Shield into the bars, Sombra pulled his fangs free and turned to face the crystal pony, only to catch a blackjack to the cheek. The crystal pony swung again, clubbing him in the chest and stomach before knocking him to the floor with a blow to the other cheek. Sombra mentally chastised himself for his foolishness but those thoughts were put on hold when all four assailants grabbed him and violently jerked him up.

Gasping heavily, Golden Shield pulled his hoof away from his bleeding shoulder with a wince and presented it to Sombra. "You bit me? You wanna bite me?!" He slapped Sombra and then slammed his forehoof into his gut while the crystal pony rummaged through his medical bag. "Hold him up. I want him to see this."

The two pegasi eagerly obeyed, forcing Sombra's head up while the crystal pony passed Golden Shield a pair of pliers, which he fastened painfully around Sombra's horn. Sombra bit down to muffle his groans of agony as the pliers were squeezed but was unable to keep himself from crying out aloud. A unicorn's horn was the most sensitive part of their body so any intense pressure was more harmful than a cut on the lip or a blow to the ribcage. Twisting the pliers back and forth, Golden Shield began to grin wildly and Sombra wondered if he was a sadist.

Golden Shield then stopped and causally said, "You don't know Jasper here but you sure did a lot of damage to his home and his family. Imagine generations of crystal ponies plagued by nightmares, unable to recall being happy or rid of your influence." The crystal pony, or "Jasper" as he was known, entered Sombra's field of vision, a bone saw cradled in his hooves. "I told him I could get him payback and he was all too happy to jump at the opportunity."

The bone saw's teeth glittered forebodingly and the panic immediately set in, sending Sombra into a spasming frenzy as he attempted to twist himself out of the Royal Guards' iron-hoofed hold. No, no, please! Anything but that! Even if there was the slimmest chance of his magic never returning, there was no way in Tartarus Sombra could ever part with his horn, the last remnant of who and what he used to be. In his culture, an umbrum without a functioning horn was known as einnánvald, or "one without power" and was considered the lowest of the low, even below the crippled and elderly.

"It's time for you to pay for your sins, Sombra!" Jasper screamed, placing the bone's teeth against his horn.

"No, no!"

"What are you doing?!"

There was a burst of light intense enough to rival the sun's and everypony had to shield their eyes lest they went blind. A few seconds passed before Sombra opened his eyes, his body seizing up at the awe-inspiring sight before him. The mare in front of him appeared to be Princess Celestia, only all of the warmth and kindness had been banished from her face, instead replaced with a fury the likes of which not even he'd ever seen before. Her normally flowing, rainbow-colored mane and tail were now streams of crackling, smokeless flames and her soft pink eyes a golden-orange with cat-like pupils that glared unblinkingly at his captors with raw hatred and disgust.

"Celestia...?"

The four ponies tentatively backed away from Sombra, cowering before the true might of their Princess of the Day, their previous goal of revenge and torture completely forgotten. Sombra was so enraptured by Celestia's new form that he almost missed the squad of Royal Guards standing stoically behind her, their spears pointing almost accusatory at the four torturers. Trying and failing to hoist himself to his hooves, Sombra was thankfully aided by a pair of Royal Guards, who carried him out of the cell and away from the conspirators, whose faces ranged from horror to guilt and even awestruck bewilderment. Celestia momentarily glanced at Sombra, her gaze soft and sorrowful as her fiery mane flickered into a small blue column. She then turned her attention back to the guilty party, her face locked in a ferocious snarl and her mane once again a giant, orange-and-yellow-colored stream.

Golden Shield was the first to recover his senses. "Your Majesty, this is not as it appears-..."

"And how, pray tell, does it appear?" Celestia demanded. "Because it appears as though you and your friends abused your positions in order to assault and attempt to mutilate a prisoner." Her cold eyes fell on Jasper. "And smuggled in a civilian to aid you in your endeavor."

"But Your Majesty-..."

"Captain, arrest these pieces of scum and lock them up far away from Mr. Sombra. There will be a formal hearing before they are dishonorably discharged from the Royal Guard."

Celestia locked eyes with the three, especially Golden Shield. "You are all a disgrace to the title and the uniform. Get them out of my sight."

Jasper shouldered his way past the guards and threw himself before the princess. "And what of me?"

"That is for Princess Cadence to decide," Celestia stated coolly. "Take him away too."

Sombra must've passed out-either from his injuries or the emotional exhaustion-because he found himself in Celestia's forelegs, her appearance reverted back to its natural form. She was stroking his mane and peering down at him tenderly almost like a mother to her foal. "Sombra, can you hear me?"

"Yes...Celestia, what was that? I've never seen you so angry before-...."

She placed the tip of her hoof over his lips. "Shh, don't worry about it," she murmured, her voice soothing, hypnotic even. Sombra could feel his eyelids becoming heavy. "Just sleep, Sombra. Sleep..." Without any further interruptions or concerns, Sombra complied and shuffled off to the land of dreams that awaited him.

~*~

The guards took their leave and Princess Celestia was alone in the guest bedroom, silently watching over the resting stallion on the bed before her. She gazed at Sombra, noticing for the first time the peacefulness of his expression, how serene he appeared. It appeared to her that without the deep-seated anger and thirst for vengeance, Sombra had a calm, almost look about him, as if the years that brought on his hatred had all suddenly melted away. He was not Prince Tourmaline, nor would he ever be that person again but right now, he was close enough. Pulling the covers over him, she gave him one last once-over before bending over and laying a gentle kiss upon his brow.

"Good night, Sombra. I love you, now and always, my prince."

Comments

[Procket12]

Aw. I was hoping he would rip that one guards throat out like Rick did on the Walking Dead.

[Crystal Night]

*Celestia appears*
At that moment, they knew...they fucked up.

[Viper Pit]

Daaamn I know Sombra and twilight are gonna end up together but you're not making it easy

[MisterEdd]

9792464
Who knows? The story's not over yet...

[Wallens Sparkle]

I will never be happier of Princess Celestia appearances more than this one, she fucks them up☺, tho I still want twibra...
good work btw😁❤

[Procket12]

Wonder what Celestia's reaction would have been had he actually managed to rip out Golden Shield's throat and he was dead in his own blood by the time she showed up to stop the rest from cutting off Sombra's horn.

[PearlyDoesStuff]

DAYBREAKER!
Fucking based Celestia has had enough of their shit