The Return of the King

by MisterEdd

Reaching Out

The crowd of advisors and nobles dispersed and were shepherded out of the throne room by the royal guards, giving Princess Cadence some much needed breathing room. With the doors slamming shut, the room was cast in eerie silence. Rising from her throne, she climbed down the steps of the dais and poured herself some chamomile tea.

"Well, that was stress free," Shining Armor joked, earning him a light shoulder jab.

"Very funny, Shiny. At least you get to stand there and look pretty."

"Don't pretend like you don't enjoy the view," Shining Armor countered with a double eyebrow raise.

Princess Cadence rolled her eyes and took a sip of tea. "Okay, you've caught me." She rested her head on his shoulder and smiled sweetly at him. "I just love the way you look in your armor. So tough, so handsome." Their lips met and she melted into his forelegs.

Buck, I love a stallion in uniform....

The doors flew open and a pegasus was led in by two crystal pony guards, ruining the couple's moment to themselves. The two pulled away and Princess Cadence cleared her throat, putting on her royalty mask.

"How can I help you?"

The pegasus, a mail pony by the look of his uniform, bowed and pulled an envelope from out of his mail bag.

"Your Majesty, I come bearing a letter from Canterlot. It bears the royal seal."

"What?" Being careful not to appear as rude, Cadence patiently waited for the pegasus to hoof her over the envelope before turning it over, discovering that the wax seal did indeed bear the sigil of the Canterlot royal seal. She tore it open and unfolded the piece of paper inside of it, freezing as her eyes began skimming it. "Sweet Celestia..."

"Cady? What is it? Did something happen?"

Princess Cadence didn't hear Shining Armor, her attention fully engrossed by the letter's contents and, more importantly, its writer:

Cadence,

I hope that this letter reaches you and that you've chosen to read it. I know that I'm probably the last person in Equestria you want to hear from considering our past history. Even as I write this, I can feel the anxiety choking me. My mind is a maelstrom of emotions, the two primary ones being remorse and hope. I regret how I came back into your life, especially the manner in which I chose to reveal your parentage. You and Celestia were right; it was not up to me.

Even though I claim to want only to have your best interests, the truth was that it was more for my benefit than yours. I wanted to hurt Celestia and for you to recognize me as your father. However, it escaped my notice how selfish and cruel it was and for that, I'm sorry. Words cannot describe the guilt that haunts me for hurting you. I never want to see you upset and knowing that I caused you distress wounds me more than having broken ribs.

Despite the guilt, I also believe in the remote but possible hope that you'll one day forgive me for my transgressions and perhaps even pay me a visit. You are the only positive thing to come out of my dark and sordid life and that alone fills me with pride. The fact that such a brave, kind and caring mare somehow came from me leads me to believe that perhaps the world isn't as terrible as I previously thought. Twilight is here helping me to compose this letter and wishes that the two of you will hang out soon.

In closing, even with my current incarcerated state, things still are not as bleak as they could be. Sure, the world is awful, but at the same time, as long as you are in it helping couples find their true loves, then how miserable could it possibly be? I await your letter and should you choose not to reply, then I completely understand. Just knowing that you're alive and well is good enough for me. Many blessings upon you my child and may your days know nothing but happiness.

Sincerely,

Sombra

The alicorn gulped and calmly placed the letter into Shining Armor's hooves before falling into a nearby chair. "It's my father. My birth father. He wants to make amends."

Alarmed, Shining Armor's head snapped down to the letter, his mouth moving as he read the words. He read and reread it, puzzlement written as clear as day across his face. Folding the letter back up, he stuffed it into his belt and turned to the guards.

"Take this mail pony outside and shut the doors. Await for further instructions." The guards nodded and the doors shut behind the three, leaving the royal couple alone once more. "Are you alright, Cadence?"

Her hooves on her temples, Princess Cadence smoothed over the skin, slowly shaking her head back and forth. "I...I'm not sure, Shiny. I think. It's just..." She threw her forelegs up and let them fall into her lap. "It's a lot to process." She stared up at him. "What should I do?"

Kneeling before his wife, Shining Armor placed one of Cadence's hooves against his cheek and smiled hopefully. "I know I can't possibly comprehend what you're going through but I do know that this is something that isn't going to just go away. If you write him back, you're asking him to be a part of your life and if you don't, it's going to gnaw at you for the rest of your days. Yes, he's one of the worst villains in Equestrian history but from what you've told me and what I just read, Sombra really does care about you. Even if he's a monster, he's still your dad. You forgave Celestia for lying to you. It'd be kind of hypocritical to not give him a chance."

Princess Cadence's smile returned and she lightly kissed Shining Armor on the lips. "I love you, Shiny."

"I know." And then: "I love you too, Cady."

~*~

Sombra let out a sigh and set the book down, rubbing at his eyes and letting out a yawn. To keep from falling asleep, he decided to keep his mind busy by reading, first a book on recent developments of magical theory and application, then a fiction novel of a series Twilight recommended about a pegasus archaeologist/adventurer. Admittedly, it was amateurishly written and lacked detailed description but was certainly ambitious and engaging, detailing the exploits of a charming and intelligent lead and colorful villains. He wasn't a fan of fiction but still devoured the book in one sitting. Now he was bored and in a non-reading mood with nothing else to do.

His salvation from mind-numbing tedium came in the form of a surprisingly exuberant Twilight Sparkle, who burst into the room waving an envelope around with her magic. Humming an upbeat, soulful little tune, she spun around on one hindleg and laid the envelope on Sombra's lap and grinned expectantly.

Sombra stared at the envelope then at Twilight, who rolled her eyes comically, "Well, aren't you going to read it?"

The envelope in question bore a wax seal depicting a snowflake with the Crystal Heart in the center, indicating that it was sent from the ruler of the Crystal Empire. Cutting it open with the tip of his fang, Sombra wiped away the sweat that had suddenly formed on his forehead and gingerly began to pull out the letter that was inside. How such a simple piece of paper could induce so much tension was beyond the umbrum but he soldiered on, his eagerness to hear from his only child overriding his fear. He was still getting used to using his hooves, an experience he found extremely cumbersome, and slowly unfolded the piece of paper. Controlling the shaking of his hooves, Sombra took a deep breath and proceeded to read:

Sombra,

As it has become plain at this moment, I've received your letter and written you a response, the very same one that you are no doubt reading at this present time. Even now, I can't quite accurately describe my feelings towards you at the moment but despite our history, there are two or three individuals that are ahead of you on the list of those that I'd ever wish to speak to. Initially, I was shocked and a bit scared upon reading your letter but after rereading it a few times, I found myself a bit touched by the effort that you put into it as well as your heartfelt apology. Although I'm not yet ready for us to have a face-to-face meeting, I would like it if we continued to correspond like this. Shining Armor told me that forgiving my mother for her wrongdoings but not giving you a chance would be unfair as well as highly hypocritical.

After learning the truth of my parentage, I sat my adoptive parents down and they told me the whole story, at least what they knew, filling in blanks that have plagued me for my entire life up to this point. Even if they aren't my birth parents, they are the ones who raised me and I still love them and accept them as my family. That being said, I've been trying to spend more time with Celestia in order to get a better sense of where I came from and from what she's told me, it's a very tragic picture. However, she did tell me stories of the stallion that she fell in love with and how kind and noble he was. I can't imagine the terrible ordeals that molded you into who you are but I sincerely believe that he's still somewhere inside of you.

It took a lot of courage for you to admit your fears and to ask for help in composing your letter. To hear you speak about me with such pride despite barely knowing me is very humbling and I wish to rectify this by telling you about myself. My name is Cadence and I grew up in Southern Canterlot, the only child of Brooks Medley and Lilac Spring. When I was five, I wanted to be a ballerina and to tour all over Equestria, even in the regions unexplored. I was sixteen when I earned my wings and I was scared because I thought that meant I wouldn't be myself anymore.

After a talk from my parents and Princess Celestia, I realized that instead of choosing, I could be both Cadence and Princess Mi Amore Cadenza. Thankfully, Celestia agreed to postpone the coronation until I turned eighteen, allowing me time to finish school and enjoy my teenage years. It was around this time that I acted as a foalsitter for Twilight and our friendship was firmly established. A few years later, I met a young Royal Guard named Shining Armor and fell unabashedly in love with him. Our wedding day was spent fighting Queen Chrysalis and her changeling hordes and while this was far from how I pictured it to be, it brought me closer to Shining Armor and Twilight so I wouldn't change it for the world.

Shining Armor and I were then elected to be the new sovereigns of the Crystal Empire and the rest you already know. Since then, it's become something akin to its former glory, despite my relative inexperience of running a kingdom as well as my position as an outsider. Thankfully, the crystal ponies were very accepting and it didn't take long to build trust between us. Did you ever feel scared or anxious about the prospect of being a ruler? I was ready to lose my mind!

Even though things are difficult at the moment, I do honestly believe that, given enough time, we could build an actual relationship and it's not impossible for me to one day forgive you. If it's any consolation, I accept your apology and I wish for your own health and happiness. Please don't hesitate to write to me should you feel lonely and I'll try to respond as soon as I can. Just know that even though I'm not yet your daughter, you're still my father.

Best wishes,

Cadence

P.S. Tell Twilight that I look forward to our SILT and I'll let her know when my schedule opens up.

Sombra reread the letter three times before he carefully folded the letter back up, placed it inside its envelope and set on the bedside table. He sniffled and rubbed at his eyes, wetting his face with fresh tears he didn't even know he'd shed. For the first time in a long time, he felt real hope for the future and this both terrified and delighted him. Cadence hadn't yet forgiven him and brought him into her family but he was on the way. Looked over at a concerned Twilight and almost did a double take as he'd completely forgotten that she was even there.

"Are you alright?" Twilight asked softly, hovering at the foot of the bed.

Sombra nodded and rubbed at his eyes again. "I think so, Twilight. Thank you."

"You're welcome, Sombra."

Comments

[Viper Pit]

9601508
you got your wish

[Procket12]

Title makes me think of this song.

[MisterEdd]

9729469
Ah, Heavy Metal. Love that movie's soundtrack.

[Moonlight_shadow78]

Awwwww!

[Wallens Sparkle]

9758350
I agree with you

[Wallens Sparkle]

Its weird to think about shining reaction of his sister falling in love with his father in law,Lol

[MisterEdd]

9758388
We'll see how that plays out when we come to it...

[Sephocolys]

9757245
your profile picture makes your comment ten times better.

[sapphireStarzzzz]

Does SILT mean : sister-in-law time?

[MisterEdd]

10879884
Yepperoni