Shadows of the Heart

by Scribblestick

Frozen

Sombra's chuckle grew into a laugh, then a roar that shook the tall mountain peaks around them. Flurry feared an avalanche would descend at any moment. "Even your own cleverness has worked against you!" he cackled. "Tell me, Flurry Heart. How does it feel, knowing all your secret preparation has turned in my favor?"

Flurry shivered against the cold. A biting wind rushed through the narrow pass in which they stood. Sombra's mane, tail, and fur-lined cloak fluttered wildly around him, but he hardly seemed to notice. His wide grin laid bare his sharp, shining teeth. His eyes turned green, then flickered as his signature dark aura enveloped his horn. Flurry erected a shield, but the effort left her winded. I'm not strong enough for this.

"Hah! Even now, you fight." Sombra stepped closer, practically pressing his nose against her shield. "I admire your courage, and though I'm loath to admit it, I do have you to thank for my newfound freedom." The aura around his horn faded, as did the glow in his eyes. "I will allow you to leave this place in peace, but do not take me for a fool. By the time your parents can rally a search party, I will be long gone, hiding in every shadow, waiting to take back what is mine."

Flurry let her shield fade away, but not because of his offer. There was something about the twitch in his tail, the way his body angled slightly away from her. She didn't know whether to trust her hunch in this cold, and so, without the strength to teleport home, she decided to ask a question.

"W-Where are we?" she stammered.

"What's the matter? Are you lost?" Sombra chuckled. "I have already spared your life. You'll get no more kindness from me." And yet, he still stood there, watching her down his nose with that half-smirk. Her mind calculated frantically, but the fatigue and the elements muddled the operation.

"P-Please. I... I'll die out here," she said. Her legs trembled, and it took all her strength to stay on her hooves.

"It's no better than you deserve. Somepony must pay the price for Duskfall." Still he did not move. Flurry had to shake her head to keep her mind clear. She raised one hoof and stepped toward him. She felt the crunch of ice. Sombra watched her with raised eyebrows. Come on. What are you thinking?

"Y-You... you c-can't l-leave me," she said, staring at him with all the energy she could spare.

"Hmph. What makes you think that?"

Now it was her turn to smirk. She took another step forward. "B-Because... y-you would have... d-done it already... if you could."

Sombra glared at her. "Don't be ridiculous," he said. The pitch was too high. "This is my revenge, for Duskfall! I'm going to watch it to the end!"

Flurry shook her head with a laugh. "T-There's nothing holding you here," she said. "Y-You're f-free to d-do what you choose. You c-could attack the Empire, o-or... attack me and b-be done with it."

"Pah! You'd like that, wouldn't you? Your retribution spell would only turn my own magic back on me."

"T-That spell ended w-when we t-teleported, and y-you have h-hooves." She took another step closer. Sombra leaned back, but his hooves remained firmly planted in the snow. "Y-You're still here b-because... because you choose to be here. With me."

And in that one instant, Flurry saw through him, through the posturing and deflection. His pupils contracted as his eyelids stretched wide open. His frosty breath came out in quick puffs, tickling her nose before they were whisked away in the wind. Never before had she felt so sure that she knew exactly what another pony was thinking. Her legs gave out, and as she felt the gentle touch of magic catch her trembling body, she spoke, just loud enough for him to hear.

"You're here... because you care."

---

It was the warmth she noticed first. It stung, but in a refreshing kind of way. She heard the soft crackle of a fire nearby, and orange light danced against her eyelids. When she opened them, she found herself in a wooden shack, laid carefully on a stone hearth. A heavy blanket covered her body from her shoulders to her tail. She could hear the wind howling outside, and she could see the walls around her tremble against its fury. She looked around. Sombra was nowhere to be seen, but when her eyes settled on the blanket, she saw that it was, in fact, his distinctive fur-lined cloak.

"You're awake." His voice echoed around her, and though her ears pivoted this way and that, she could not determine where he was hiding. "It's about time. Your body wasn't built for this climate."

"I guess not," she answered. "What is this place?"

"You're clever. You'll figure it out." Sombra's face melted out of the shadows. He watched her, unblinking, face inscrutable. Flurry watched him back.

"Thank you for saving me," she said at last.

"Hmph." Sombra glared to the side. "I merely decided that leaving you to die was a poor way to repay you, and I don't like leaving debts unsettled."

"Stop." Flurry's voice was more forceful that she intended, but she didn't back down. Sombra's gaze returned to hers. "I've read everything there is to read about you. The Sombra of legend shows no remorse and knows no mercy. The Sombra I've read about wouldn't have hesitated to abandon me, unless he meant to enslave me."

"What makes you think that isn't my intention now?" Sombra asked.

"Because, as I said before, you would have done it already." Flurry let out a long sigh. "The Empire, Equestria, they all know you as a being of nightmares, the avatar of fear itself. That's exactly what you told me the first time we met. But that's not really true, is it? It's like you said back at the palace. Every ruler worries about their appearance. And don't try to tell me you're the exception, King," she said quickly, holding up a hoof to silence the rebuttal she saw coming. "In fact, I think you care about that more than anypony else."

"Tch." Sombra's face melted back into the shadows. "I shouldn't have expected a pony like you to understand. I am the avatar of fear, the king of shadows. As far as you're concerned, my only goal is to wrest control of the Crystal Empire and destroy anypony who stands in my way."

"Then why are you hiding from me?" Flurry asked. Sombra didn't answer. "You're afraid I'll see through you again, aren't you?" Still, he remained silent. Celestia, I hope I'm right. "Fine. If you're too scared to face a half-frozen weakling pony, suit yourself."

Sombra lunged from the darkness with a cry, teeth bared and eyes glowing. He stopped an inch from Flurry's nose. She jerked back. He smirked. "All your talk, and you—ahh!" He stopped when she slapped him across the jaw. His wide eyes darted to her hoof, then to her scowling face.

"Knock it off," she said. "That's a cheap trick, and you know it. Now, stop being a scaredy-foal and come out where I can see you."

Sombra glowered at her. His dark gray body emerged from the darkness, and he lay across from her on the hearth. He looked so strange without his cloak—exposed, even vulnerable. The two watched each other in silence for a time. Finally, he spoke. "Well? Have you figured out where we are?"

Flurry nodded. "Obviously, I never intended to teleport myself into the middle of a blizzard. When you got caught up in the spell, you must have redirected it somehow. You work best in the shadows, and so you would have wanted to go someplace my parents couldn't find you—and, thanks to me, you knew of a place everypony had forgotten."

He shook his head with a smile. "You really are smarter than you appear." He stood. "You are correct. This is Duskfall—or rather, what remains of it." He walked over to the door. With his cloak gone, Flurry could clearly see his flank in the firelight, and the mark that adorned his fur—a golden crown, wreathed in shadow.

"Come here," he said, gesturing toward her with a hoof. Flurry stood and walked to his side. His horn glowed red, but without the inky blackness that usually followed. Beside her, the door began to glow red as well. "I want you to see."

The door opened. Flurry braced herself against the biting wind, but Sombra had erected a barrier to block it. Through the red shimmer, she stared at what remained of the village. Jagged black spires rose between half-collapsed houses, crystal spikes sparkling in the wintery sun. Flurry's breath caught in her throat. "It's true, then," she said. "The Royal Pony Sisters... they really did destroy this place."

To her surprise, Sombra was shaking his head. "I almost would have preferred it," he said. "A battle like that would have left scars, even to this day. No such scars exist. Believe me, I checked very thoroughly while you recovered." When his eyes met hers, she knew this was no act. "This village suffered the fate it was always destined to meet. It died slowly over decades, perhaps even a century or two, unable to keep up with the passage of time."

Sombra closed the door and walked back toward the hearth. "I'm sorry," Flurry said.

"Your pity comes too late." His voice came out in a growl, but when he looked at her, his face softened. "Still, I cannot blame you for what happened here. And..." He paused, and took a deep breath as he stared into the fire. "I suppose I should thank you for your sympathy."

A chill ran through Flurry's body, and she returned to the fireside. "Your cutie mark," she said. "What does it mean?"

"It is a mark of my destiny, to be the king of shadows," he answered.

Flurry sighed. So much for honesty. She lay down on the hearth, letting its soft warmth fill her body. "Fine. Have it your way."

Sombra lay down as well. "I'm not lying," he said. "That is what my mark means. That is my destiny."

"To live in darkness? To spread only fear?" Flurry shook her head. "I don't believe that. I don't think you do, either."

"That isn't what I mean." Sombra's voice grew more forceful, with a frown and furrowed brows. Anger. No, wait... "You know nothing of Duskfall or our ways, and so you cannot begin to understand my fate. The king of shadows is not a title of fear, Flurry Heart. It is a title of responsibility."

"So it's your version of... what, princess of friendship?"

Sombra visibly shuddered. "I despise your modern titles, but yes. Princess of the sun and moon I can tolerate, but friendship..."

"What do you have against friendship?" Flurry asked. "You don't seem to mind being friends with me."

Sombra's head jerked toward her, and for a moment, neither said anything. "You saved my life," Flurry pressed. "And I did rescue you from the ether."

"Unintentionally rescue," Sombra added, "but, yes, you are technically correct."

"The point is, I don't understand why you despise on friendship so much," Flurry pressed. "If you were meant to lead, why wouldn't you want friends to help?"

"Because that's not the way things are done," Sombra answered. "Leaders must stand apart, for they are called upon to make decisions no other can bear. It is my burden to be alone, to have my heart hidden from my people—to be the king that stands in the shadows."

Flurry considered his words. In a way, she understood what he meant. Hadn't she done something similar when she decided to summon him on her own? Hadn't she made a heavy decision, took a grave risk, in the interest of her people? Or had she acted out of selfish curiosity? Just another of Flurry Heart's quirks...

"What about the crystals?" she asked, deciding to change the subject. "What was so important that you decided to enslave the Empire just to get your hooves on them?"

Sombra's gaze returned to the fire. He took a deep breath, then let it out slowly. "I suppose there's no point in keeping Duskfall's secrets now," he said. "Very well. I will tell you the tale of my people."

Comments

[Mp40]

This is good

[Scribblestick]

11147767
Thank you! I’m glad you’re enjoying it.

[Una]

11145973
I'd say that the drama with Flurrys parents dancing around her issues really. We could have possibly scene a few more scenes with that, or possibly with Sombra's appearances during Flurry's everyday life and how he affects it.

Just my 2 cents

P.S This last chapter was very enjoyable.

[Scribblestick]

11147909
Thanks for the reply! I will keep that in mind as I move forward.

[Dk]

this story is getting great

[Scribblestick]

11148172
Thanks! Hoping to keep it up!

[GamePlayer64]

As I read, the more curious I feel. Can't wait for the next chapter

[Scribblestick]

11148803
Awesome! Hope to have it ready tomorrow!

[PioneerofImagination]

Your pity comes too late.

Another good line.

[Bicyclette]

She looked around. Sombra was nowhere to be seen, but when her eyes settled on the blanket, she saw that it was, in fact, his distinctive fur-lined cloak.

aww, that must be very warm! and solid proof that Flurry was right

"Knock it off," she said. "That's a cheap trick, and you know it. Now, stop being a scaredy-foal and come out where I can see you."

hehehe, the advantage of using facts and logic instead of feelings

This village suffered the fate it was always destined to meet. It died slowly over decades, perhaps even a century or two, unable to keep up with the passage of time."

oof, definitely understand why a battle would be preferable for such a pony as Sombra

Sombra visibly shuddered. "I despise your modern titles, but yes. Princess of the sun and moon I can tolerate, but friendship..."

hehehe, that's the reaction that makes me love that title more!