• Published 2nd May 2019
  • 4,058 Views, 246 Comments

The Return of the King - MisterEdd



Defeat and imprisonment are not enough to break King Sombra's spirit. He may be down but he's not out...

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The Pinker Cheer-er Upper

Hours had passed since Princess Celestia's visit and the sun finally rose, bathing the room in vibrant light. This, however, came to the supreme irritation of one certain ex-king. True to his word, Sombra had been unable to go back to sleep, instead spending the rest of the night counting paint chips and whatever else he could find. It was preferable to the nightmares awaiting him during sleep.

1,202 Paint chips
52 Polka dots on the curtains
23 Stripes on the fainting couch
1 ticked-off umbrum

Sombra sighed and tapped his hooves together out of sheer boredom. He tried to come up with a plan to escape from his current predicament but found, to his immense displeasure, that nothing came to mind. He laid there and puzzled and he puzzled until his puzzler was sore.

This would be so much easier if I wasn't banged up and magic-less.

In the past, the majority of Sombra's victories came from a combination of his keen tactical mind and dark magical prowess. Now that one of those was missing, the other was simply incomplete.

The door unlocked and swung open to reveal Princess Luna flanked by three royal guards and one unicorn mare, who held a stainless steel tray and cover. One guard stood by the door while the other two accompanied the mares as they neared Sombra, who watched them with an emotionless expression. The unicorn lowered the plate onto the table next to the bed and removed the cover, revealing a thick broth, a spoon and a piece of bread. She then hastily darted backwards towards the safety of the door and, with a permissible nod from Luna, bowed and exited the room.

"Good morning, Luna," Sombra grinned, letting his fangs peek over his bottom lip. "This is certainly a surprise."

The alicorn stared blankly at him. "I'd ask if the food is to your liking but I don't care. You should be both fortunate and grateful to be receiving what you have."

Sombra's grin never wavered. "Then for you, my dearest Luna, I am both." He looked towards the tray and concentrated, a slight pressure developing in his forehead.

What the hay? Oh...right.

It was Princess Luna's turn to smirk. "Is everything alright, my dearest Sombra?"

He gave out a growling huff and snatched up the tray with his hooves.

Now I remember why I hate you.

It reminded him of when they'd first met, back when she was a teenager and he was still a young stallion. Back then, she was going through a rebellious phase (though not as extreme as trying to kill her own sister) and wasn't keen on seeing Celestia married off to some random prince. So she behaved as snarky as possible, taking every opportunity to take shots at him (sometimes literal) but they eventually became friends and Sombra, or "Tourmaline," even started to view her as another sister. Although he'd never admit it, Sombra missed those days.

After a few spoonfuls of broth, which was surprisingly delicious, Sombra set the tray aside and wiped his mouth before studying Princess Luna carefully. "I take it you're not just here to feed me. What's the real reason behind this little visit?"

The princess' stoic mask slipped. "I know you had a nightmare last night. Even though I was unable to enter it, I could feel it and the terror you exhumed. It was one of the largest I had felt in a very long time."

Normally, Sombra wouldn't care but this new information had him intrigued. "I thought you could enter any dream?"

"Yes, but non-ponies such as dragons and griffons are a tad trickier. As you are still of an equine race, I should still be able to access your dreams. The concerning part was that something was keeping me out."

Sombra's brow furrowed in confusion. "What do you mean, 'keeping you out'? Are you saying that I did that?"

Princess Luna hummed, taking a moment to explain it properly. "Sometimes...when a subject is experiencing a nightmare based on a traumatic experience, the brain will force them to confront it and it will do this by blocking out all external forces. In short, I believe that you subconsciously kept me out as a way of facing this particular trauma. What was it that you were dreaming of?"

Turning his head away, Sombra let out a heavy sigh.

"Dravite Hill," he murmured half-truthfully.

Though he couldn't see it, Princess Luna's eyes widened with horrified recollection at those two words. The actions performed that day lived on in infamy, not just as a black mark on her mother's record but on the alicorn race as a whole.

"I...I'm so sorry, Sombra. I had no idea that even after all these years, you would still-..."

"Just leave it be, Luna." Sombra's voice came off as more tired than angry. "What's done is done."

For a moment, Princess Luna's hoof hovered over Sombra's shoulder. She wanted to say or do something to alleviate his pain, both physical and emotional but nothing came to mind. Withdrawing her hoof, she sighed and motioned for her guards to follow her.

"The past is never done with us," she said tenderly as she began pulling the door closed. "Whether we want it to or not, it continues to shape us each and every day. The only thing we have a say in is what it molds us into."

~*~

The hours rolled by, though Sombra hardly noticed. He was locked securely in his own mind, trapped in a whirlwind of thoughts that dragged him through the air of contemplation. Luna's parting words were some of many that had plagued him. He also recalled his talks with Twilight and Celestia, though he wasn't exactly certain why. All he knew was that they never left him be.

"Perhaps...I see myself when I look at you. I see a lost soul, one that needs to be guided."
"I do care, Sombra. That's why I'm here..."
"Somepony that, like myself, needs to be brought back into the light."
"You know, I think that deep down, you're a good person. You've just forgotten how to be."
"A truly wicked stallion would not have hesitated to have killed his enemies when he had the chance."
"It doesn't matter what we want, what matters is what we need...!"

He found himself abruptly ripped from his thoughts when a loud commotion erupted outside his door, sounding like clattering and an argument between the guards and somepony, presumably a mare judging by the high-pitched voice.

Wait a minute... that voice sounds familiar. Oh no. Please, please in the name of Faust, don't let it be...

The door burst open, revealing a pink earth pony mare wearing a white and red striped cotton dress and a nurse's hat and dragging a wheeled chest along with several heart-shaped balloons. A sickeningly-sweet, wide grin was plastered on her idiotically cheerful face.

Pinkie Pie...

Winding up a crank, the chest's top split open and a series of horns, pipes and whistles erupted from within, accompanied by a bouncy, upbeat tune. Bounding around like a wild spring on her head and tail, Pinkie Pie belted out:

I am Pinkamena Diane Pie
And I'm cheerful all day long!
If somepony said that I was sad,
Then that pony would be wrong!
I heard that you were feeling down and blue,
So here's a super thing that I will do!
I've come here to help brighten up your day,
And chase all of your blues away!
Tra la la, fiddle dee dee
Hope you get well soon!
Ho ho ho, he he he,
Have a heart-shaped balloooooooon!

She slid across the floor on her hocks, shoving said balloon into Sombra's hoof as confetti burst forth out of the chest, showering Sombra in the damnable pieces of colorful paper.

Buck...my...life...

There was a pause. And then: "You are ridiculous in every meaning of the word."

"Thank you!"

"That wasn't a compliment!"

Pinkie bounced to her hooves and grinned, "Aw, somepony's just grumpy that they fell out of bed. Don't worry! I'm here you make you feel all better!"

Sombra cocked an eyebrow. "So you're going to heal my injuries, restore my magic and aid me in overthrowing the current regime of false gods so that I may reign over Equestria and usher in a new era of peace and stability?"

"No silly! I'm here to heal your emotional injuries so that you don't overthrow the current regime and we can all be friends and you don't have to be so mean anymore!"

"Then you're as useless as a bucket missing its bottom."

Upon realizing that he was still holding the balloon, he yanked it so that the tip of his horn impaled it and he watched with immense satisfaction as it deflated into a frowny-faced piece of rubber.

"And what use is a bucket with no bottom?"

A pink shape appeared on the left side of his bed and replaced his popped balloon with an identical duplicate. Sombra stared incredulously at the mare and then at the spot she was just at.

How in the...?

He carefully rolled over to peer at the right side of his bed.

It's too narrow for her to crawl under and she definitely didn't walk around the bed. What sore of witchcraft is this?!

"There's plenty of uses for a bucket with no bottom! You can turn it into a hat, you can use it to make a mailbox, you can turn it into a drum, then, of course, there's always the option to..."

The mare's words filtered through one ear and out the other. All Sombra could focus on was the flapping of her gums and wondering to himself how she could possibly keep talking without any breaks or need for air. Then there was her issue with space as she was standing dangerously close to him. Close and incessantly chattering. If one could listen closely, they could hear the last of Sombra's nerves fizzling up and dying like worms caught on the sidewalk during the afternoon sun.

"Sooooo, what do you want to do now?!"

Sombra's left eye twitched. "I want to toss you out of the window and watch you go 'splat' on the ground below."

Pinkie Pie blinked and then slapped her hock. "Oh Sommy, you're such a kidder!"

"'Sommy'?!"

"Weeeeeell, 'Sombra' sounds a bit harsh so I'm going with something funner!"

"No!"

"'Som-Som'?"

"No!"

"'Sombry'?"

"Don't you dare!"

"'Som'?"

Sombra shoved his face into Pinkie's so that they were nose-to-nose. "I don't care if it sounds 'harsh.' My name is Sombra! It's the name my mother gave me and it's what I'm going with, you blabbering simpleton!"

By the time Sombra withdrew his face, Pinkie's was frozen in some sort of blank expression.

Finally! It's about time somepony was able to shut this accursed mare up-...

Pinkie's trademark grin returned as she cupped her hooves together. "Awww, that's so sweet! Somepony loves their mommy!"

"Enough!" Sombra screamed, throwing his hooves in the air like he didn't care (which he didn't). "Why?! Why did you choose to willingly come here? What possible reason could you possibly have to be in the same room as me?"

Pinkie Pie blinked and stared at him as though he'd told her that carrots were conspiring to take over the world (which, according to Pinkie Pie, would've been ridiculous considering how it was clearly the work of killer tomatoes).

"Well...it's because my special talent is making other ponies smile and to brighten up their days."

"Yes...but why me?"

I swear, it's like talking to a brick wall. Then again, at least the wall can't talk back.

The pink mare glanced at Sombra, her big blue eyes shimmering with compassion. "Because everypony deserves to be happy, even if they themselves don't think that." Sombra didn't answer, so Pinkie continued. "You've been hurt, haven't you? I can see it on your face. Somepony or several someponies hurt you and that's why you're so mean."

Sombra clenched his teeth. "Maybe they did. It doesn't matter."

He flinched when Pinkie placed her hoof over his own.

Seriously, why are these mares so touchy-feely?

"It does because you're unhappy and that makes others unhappy." She then slid away from him and began to pack everything up, her mane and tail slightly deflated and straight. "Don't give up on other ponies. If you let your pain control you then all you'll ever do is hurt yourself and everypony around you."

Something wormed its way into Sombra's heart and he suddenly felt himself feeling bad for the weird mare. She just wanted to help him. No schemes or profits. Just to see him happy.

Wheeling her chest out of the room, Pinkie gave Sombra one last lingering stare and asked:

"How can you be happy if you're always hurting?"

Author's Note:

Pinkie Pie's song is a variation of the VFD (Volunteers Fighting Diseases) Song from both the episode and book "The Hostile Hospital" of Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events.

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