The Return of the King

by MisterEdd

Matters of the Heart (II)

"Hey! Wait up!"

Ignoring the pegasus, Sombra cantered on ahead, drawing nervous glances from every guard he strolled past. Spears rattled in high-strung hooves, ready to be released at the slightest hint of aggressive movement from the prisoner.

"I said, 'Wait!'"

Sombra came to a halt and spun to face Flash Sentry.

"What?"

"That was uncalled for," Flash admonished. "What gives you the right to speak to her like that?"

He stiffened as the umbrum advanced on him, his muscles tightening as Sombra loomed directly over him.

"Mind your own business, Private."

"The happiness of the princess is my business," Flash countered.

Sombra drew back and snorted. "Who are you trying to fool? You want me to get back with Celestia just so that you can have Twilight all to yourself."

All color drained from Flash's face. "That's not...I mean..." He shook his head and growled, "Don't you try to take the high road with me, King Sombra! You may have everypony else fooled with your 'good colt' act but I know the truth!"

"I never claimed to be good. I told everypony from the start that I'm not good yet they try their hardest to believe otherwise. Twilight, Luna, that beldame back there. I'm still going to get out of here eventually and when I do, I'm going to crush Princess Celestia into the dirt while her subjects watch."

Flash's mouth was agape. "You...you're a monster..."

Sombra grinned. "Here's the difference between us: I am who I've always been. I never try to be anypony else and I make my intentions very clear. You're too scared to admit what it is you truly want."

Bestowing one more threatening glance upon the bewildered pegasus, Sombra turned and resumed his march back towards the dungeon, content in having put the guard in his place.

Flash, meanwhile, remained where he was, ruminating on Sombra's parting words. It was true that Sombra's behavior was pretty consist across the board, never acting as though he were somepony else. He never feigned geniality nor meekness, always maintaining an air of hostility towards those around him. Twilight was the rare exception and that was only after she was patient and earned the dark stallion's trust. It was hard to really get a reading on Sombra.

And, he had to admit to himself, Princess Celestia is a bit fixated on Sombra...

Something loud and booming smashed through Flash's thoughts like a wrecking ball. It was the haunting, thunderous screech of a creature either dying or in extreme agony. The thundering of hooves sounded in his ears before he was almost run down by a fleeing group of ponies that he recognized as the orchestra band. His fellow guards charged full-speed towards the opposite way and a weight appeared in his chest as the realization dawned on him.

The princess!

He smelled the smoke before he saw it, a curling tail of black gas seeping out of the open doors of the ballroom. Shouldering his way past a sea of golden armor, Flash stumbled forward and was immobilized by the scene taking place before him. Kitchen staff were running back and forth dumping water on the burning velvet curtains. Freeing himself of astonishment, he took to the air, directing the attention of the other guards.

"Unicorns, use enchanted barriers to prevent the spread of fire. Earth ponies, escort the staff out and Pegasi, find the nearest source of water to put out the blaze. Go, go, go!"

To their credit, the royal guards quickly sprang into action. Auras of blue, gold, mauve and violet wrapped the flames inside of bubbles, isolating them and cutting off their source of oxygen. The kitchen staff and other servants were pulled away from the conflagration, a few of them passed out from smoke inhalation. Meanwhile, the pegasi were passing buckets, bowls, cups and pots of water back and forth between each other. Slowly, the flames began to sputter and die out. Only after the room was fire-free could everypony calm down and assess the damage.

The far end of the table had been charred and a chair had been reduced to smoldering rubble. The nearby curtains were practically incinerated, a wall had been stripped down to the foundation and a section of the marble floor was blackened with flame and ash. Despite this, Flash concluded that only a small portion of the ballroom had been affected and it would only take maybe a day or two to repair the damage. All in all, the situation could've been much worse.

But how did this start?

He soon found an earth pony sitting against a wall with his head in his hooves and recognized him as a server.

"Excuse me, but could you tell me what happened here?"

The stallion looked up at him, fear dominating his eyes.

"P-princess Celestia...it was after that stallion left. You know, the gray one? She stood there, not saying anything before letting loose this...awful noise. She teleported away in this ball of fire and, well..."

Flash nodded, now understanding the full picture. It was the area around Celestia's side of the table where the damage was. He guessed that she left in an angry and humiliated huff and her solar-based teleportation field accidentally set fire to the chair, table and curtains.

Sombra's words must've really affected her if her magic got this out of control. A conjurer's magic is tied to their emotions, after all.

~*~

With a groan, Sombra stretched out on his cot and wrapped himself up in a blanket. The guards outside were helpful enough to lock him back in and for once, he was happy to be back in his cell. After the abysmal dinner and the confrontation with Flash, all he wanted was to relax and get some sleep. Who knew dealing with both their crazy ex-wife and possible romantic rival could be so exhausting? Sombra moaned and rolled onto his side, ready to be taken away to the Dreamscape.

Unfortunately, as hard as he tried, sleep continued to elude Sombra. First he tried more blankets then less blankets then fluffed and turned over his pillow. He positioned himself on his side, stomach and back but none of that brought him even a wink of shuteye. Reading a book on the history of pre-Equestrian thaumatological practices failed so he paced around his cell before flopping back onto the cot. Why couldn't he sleep?!

Sparks zipped and popped before a burst of gold energy exploded, slamming him against the wall. When Sombra opened his eyes, he found Princess Celestia herself, albeit looking worse than he'd ever seen her. Her dress was torn and even singed in several places and her mane, which was still in its pink form, was bedraggled and knotted. She took a huge gulp out of a wine bottle and sway-stumbled from side to side.

Guðir mínir, she's drunk!

"I have...I have words! For you," Celestia shout-mumbled, her pink eyes unfocused. She stepped forward and knocked over a stool with her hindleg. "Curses!"

Sombra sat up. "Celestia...what are you doing?"

"I told youse...words! I have a lot to say to you."

The wine bottle tumbled from her telekinetic grip, bounced and then shattered, spilling the remainder of its contents. She bobbed her head downward and sniffled at the aftermath.

"Why? It's such a waste!"

"I can't do this," Sombra muttered. "Talk to me in the morning when you sober up."

Celestia slammed a fiery hoof onto the floor.

"WE'RE TALKING NOW!" She bellowed in the Royal Canterlot Voice.

"Or, we could talk now."

This seemed to placate the mare. For now.

"Good. Now Sombra, you were very, very, very, veeeeery mean to me earlier. I do nice things for you. I made you a personal gym, I order you food, I even let you send letters to our daughter." She paused to contain a burp. "I even invite you to dinner and get all dressed up and looking pretty for you...and you never even say, 'Thank you.' Do you know how that makes me feel?"

Sombra raised a foreleg. "I'm going to say 'terrible'?"

"Yes! Terri-ble! Terri...turra...really bad!" Celestia slammed her large backside onto the floor and pouted. "I do so much for you. And you...you don't notice. You don't care!"

This is getting ridiculous.

Sombra then replied in his most gentle voice, "Celestia, didn't you ever think that because you make my imprisonment better, it only helps to remind me that I'm imprisoned?"

Celestia stared blankly at him. "I could make it worse, you know. I could take away your privileges. No more nice meals; just flavorless gruel. You'd never be allowed to exercise again. You can just stay in your cell and slowly grow too weak to stand. Your little visits from Twilight? Gone. You'd never see another face as long as you lived. And Cadence? She'd never hear or see another word from you again."

At the risk of his very existence, Sombra rose and glared down at the seated alicorn.

"Then you'd just be proving that you are far worse than me. That you, Princess Celestia, are truly Equestria's greatest villain."

In a moment of lucidity, his "guest" was back on her hooves, towering above him like some ancient monolith. Celestia's mane had erupted into a crackling stream of fire, her outspread wings dripping embers. Black-slitted, orange eyes blazed with fury and seeped smoke as the Princess of the Day revealed her true face. Not the all-seeing goddess or the benevolent mother but a false deity that believed her own legends. This was the true Celestia.

"WHO HAS DEFENDED EQUESTRIA TIME AND AGAIN FOR OVER A THOUSAND YEARS? WHO USHERED IN AN AGE OF PEACE AND PROSPERITY? WHO DO THE PONIES PRAY TO EVERY DAY FOR SAFETY FROM THE FORCES OF EVIL? WHO-...?"

"...-Is acting exactly like Nightmare Moon?"

Celestia's eyes widened at the revelation, regaining their pink hue.

"Luna was possessed by a dark force beyond her control. What is your excuse?"

The fire crackled and fizzed out, converting once more into tresses of pink locks. Ivory wings folded up as Celestia sank once more to the floor, shame engulfing her sagging features. For once, she resembled an old mare, weighed down by the stresses and trials of a very long life. Was this what it took to rule this land? For centuries, she watched over Equestria alone, with no proper guidance or aid. In that moment, Sombra pitied her.

"I'm so ashamed," Celestia wept, tears continuously flowing down her face.

Sombra said nothing, allowing her to bask in her own hubris. Minutes sped by before the mare addressed him again, her intonation like that of a scolded child:

"Do you hate me?"

Sombra exhaled through his nostrils and carefully inspected the whimpering, blubbering mess before him.

"No, I don't. I hate what you've done, what you continue to do. But I don't hate you, Celestia."

Wiping her nose with a wing, she sniffled, "Then, do you think that we could ever be friends?"

"Yes," Sombra lied and then followed it up with a half-truth. "You and I are done as lovers. We're not the same ponies as we were so long ago. Time and experience has changed us both and I don't share the same feelings for you that I once did. But yes, it's possible we could be friends one day."

Celestia then beamed at him and it was almost enough to melt his heart.

"Thank you, Sombra. I'll admit, I still have feelings for you but I don't think it's love. I do want a relationship of some kind though."

"Same here. Will you be alright with Twilight and I?"

Celestia's brow furrowed and she glanced down at her hooves.

"Um, it's still strange for me and could take getting used to. I think, that maybe, I am. Twilight is like a daughter to me. Just promise me that you'll treat her right."

A genuine smile appeared and Sombra nodded. "I promise." He then hesitated before adding, "And just so you know, I don't think that you're old or ugly." That was the second truth he told in that instant.

The alicorn's cheeks heated up. "Thank you. Thank you so much." She rose onto her wobbling legs and lurched to the left. "I'll have to say goodnight now. I think I'm going to throw up!" A flash of gold and she was gone once more.

Sombra groaned and crumpled onto his cot.

"That was illuminating."

He then fell asleep right away and dreamt of nothing.

Comments

[Ingsoc]

I was worried the princess would go full Daybreaker there!

[MisterEdd]

10352541
There's time for that later...

[Redwolf777sg]

God damn.... Sombra got some big cojones facing Celestia, who looks like she's on the verge of turning into Daybreaker. Hot damn, hot damn!

[MisterEdd]

10759874
And so, the seeds of conflict are planted...

[PearlyDoesStuff]

Jesus, she actually went Daybreaker there before Sombra pulled the "but Nightmare Moon!" card.