A Tyrant To A King

by ShuTodoroki

Chapter 27: The Last Problem

“You want to WHAAAT!?!”

Discord cringed as he plugged his ears with his deer antler and goat horn as he stood with Pikie in Sugarcube Corner, afraid he’d go deaf if Pinkie yelled like that one more time without ear protection. “I can hear perfectly fine, Pinkie, you don’t need to scream it!”

He had asked for a favor, a really big one from Pinkie. Sombra had retired to his castle suite right after Chrysalis, Tirek, and Cozy Glow were defeated, probably because he was tired from the battle. However, Discord still felt pretty bad about what he had done, especially to Sombra since the former tyrant had never really given him a clear answer as to whether he accepted his apology or not.

After asking around his group of friends, he figured Pinkie’s advice was the best; get Sombra something that he’d enjoy. After all, everyone would appreciate a gift, right? So Discord put things together in his head and thought logically for once.

Sombra had mind controlled the Cakes during his conquering of Ponyville to make a black licorice fruitcake, so it'd be safe to assume that was his favorite type of cake. Pinkie knew how to make cakes, so if he made a black licorice fruitcake by himself and presented it to Sombra, that could be his olive branch to renew their friendship.

The only problem was that Pinkie was appalled that Discord wanted to give Sombra a cake she found absolutely disgusting.

“Well, yeah, but if you want to make a cake as a gift it should be a better one than that!”

Discord shook his head, looking unamused as he crossed his arms. “Pinkie, I don’t think you understand. I’m gifting the cake to Sombra, not you. Your tastes shouldn’t matter. Besides, it’d keep the cake safe from you taking a tax out of it.”

“Hey! I do not eat from customers’ cakes!” Pinkie protested, which Discord simply regarded with a raised eyebrow.

“…Well, maybe only one bite. But I guess you have a point; the cake is for Sombra, not me. I did say give him something he’d enjoy…alright, I’ll help you, as much as it pains me to waste flour, sugar, milk, and eggs. Now, have you made a cake before?”

“Not one that doesn’t talk. I suppose I could just snap one into existence, but the whole point is that I make it from scratch to show that I’m sorry.”

"Exactly! And making a cake is fun, in and of itself. I'm sure Sombra will love it!"

Pinkie beckoned Discord over to the kitchen, where they got right to work.

---

Sombra was relaxing in his castle suite, a well-deserved period of rest after his fight against Chrysalis, Tirek, and Cozy Glow. He had been doing a lot of thinking, namely how he felt powerless when his magic was taken from him, yet fighting with his friends made him feel empowered in a way.

I suppose that's why learning teamwork is important. He thought to himself, before he scowled at the thought of why he had to fight in the first place. Discord had needlessly put Equestria in danger; the others might have forgiven him already since he redeemed himself by providing an opportunity for escape, but he wasn't so quick to forgive.

But he sounded genuine when he apologized to you, didn't he? Growling at the unwanted thoughts, he laid back on his bed, frustrated by how things weren't so straightforward, now that he was good. Before he could hold grudges without questioning it, but now he had a conscience that tirelessly worked to make him a better stallion. And it was working.

He was willing to admit that Discord didn't really know who he was initially, so his plan made sense if he only knew him as a ruthless dictator, but his point still stood. Discord knew that he trusted him enough to tell him about the situation with Grogar, and at that point he should've admitted his terrible plan.

That way, they could've prevented Discord from getting his magic stolen and the whole invasion of Canterlot from happening in the first place. But no, Discord just had to be an absolute dolt and go through with his plan, lying to Sombra that he'd inform everyone when he in fact did not.

Figuring that there was no use in belaboring over the past, he sighed as he looked out of the window from his bed, admiring the view. The castle was being rebuilt at a record pace, and once that was done, they could proceed with Twilight's coron-

A knock at the door snapped him out of his thoughts, and he got up to put his regal wear on to look presentable. Even after all this time he still liked to be seen as royalty, despite it being common knowledge now that he was just Sombra. His eyes went wide as he opened the door to see the one and only Discord, finding it strange that the draconequus had actually knocked.

"You actually knocked for once? Don't tell me you've lost your chaos magic again."

Discord laughed nervously, not really wanting to talk about that moment. "No, of course not! I just figured that you've always asked me to knock, so, I did. I know you're probably still tired, but I came by to give you something."

That piqued Sombra's interest, an eyebrow raised as he stepped aside. "Well, alright, come in, then."

Discord stepped inside, before transporting the cake he made with a snap of his fingers, along with a table for it to rest on. "I…I wanted to apologize. Yes, I know I already did that back in the dungeon, but I wanted to give something to you to show that I really want to make up for my mistakes. Pinkie told me your favorite cake is black licorice, so…I made one for you, with some help from her."

Sombra looked at it silently. It was quite a grand cake, and it did smell quite good. "Pinkie helped you make this?"

"You should actually be grateful that she hates this type of cake; it guarantees she didn't eat from it before I gave it to you." Discord said with a small smile, before deciding to say more. "I really have grown to appreciate your friendship over the time we've known each other, and I wanted to show it rather than saying it. So…let bygones be bygones?"

Sombra's gaze flitted between Discord and the cake, before he eventually gave in. He was already planning on forgiving the draconequus since he was obviously genuine, and this was just the icing on the cake, no pun intended. "…Fine, Discord, I forgive you. If you're willing to go through the trouble of making such a big cake for me, how can I say no?"

Discord grinned as he gave Sombra a hug, which took the former tyrant by surprise before he hesitantly hugged back, hoping that no one was witnessing this. "Do we really need to hug?"

Discord laughed, before pulling away. "Sombra, hugs and friendship are practically synonymous! Besides, no one's watching so if you still want the tough guy image, it's not ruined."

"I suppose you have a point…anyway, help me finish this cake. I don't have anywhere to store it." Sombra pointed out, not wanting to stay on mushy things for too long.

Discord nodded as he got to work, chatting with Sombra as they ate. He was glad things were back to normal after he had almost lost Sombra as a friend due to his badly thought out plan. He was well aware that he still had a lot to learn about friendship, and he liked to think this was another mistake he learned from.

---

Sombra headed towards the plaza in front of the newly rebuilt castle to help set up the tables for the coronation once again. He found it quite tedious that he had to help with reparations again, but at least he could be assured that this time nothing would go wrong.

He was surprised to see that his work was already done, though; it seemed all the ponies in charge were on edge and trying to get everything done early, and he was met by a nerdy-looking unicorn, who was holding up a list.

"Ah, Sombra! Sorry, we forgot that your original assignment was to help set up the tables, but I suppose you could walk around and ensure everything is set up correctly. While you're at it, you can find the table you're assigned to. We have little cards on there with ponies' names on them."

"Alright then." Sombra replied, as he walked around each table that was set up. There were probably at least 15 tables to handle all of the guests, especially since species other than ponies would be in attendance. Everything looked in place, and Sombra was impressed that whoever set these tables up managed to get it done so fast while being accurate.

When he got to his table, however, his eyes went wide in surprise. Now whoever decided who was assigned to which table? He wanted to speak with that pony, as he held the little card up with his magic.

It read himself, Discord, Prince Shining Armor, Princess Cadance, and Princess Flurry Heart.

---

He really had to question the logic of whoever thought it was a good idea to put him with the rulers of the Crystal Empire, especially since they had never met face to face during the entire process of his reformation. Not that he feared meeting them, but he knew it would be awkward, and he wanted to avoid that if possible.

Initially, he wanted to find who decided to put him and his former enemies together at a table, until he started to think that maybe it was a good idea after all. Yes, he didn't particularly like the idea, but it was probably good to clear the air with the rulers of the Crystal Empire in the present time.

Yes, he was willing to admit that he was no longer the king of the Crystal Empire, even if it still stung a bit. He would show that maturity, and maybe, just maybe, he could be let back into the Crystal Empire. Once he had finished checking all of the tables to ensure that everything was set up, ponies and other creatures of all kinds started streaming in.

He waited at his own table, seated on the stool provided as he idly wondered what they were planning on serving as he saw the empty glasses. A burst of chaos magic was his only warning before Discord appeared in his stool, grinning as Sombra regarded him with a nod.

"You don't even react anymore! How boring." Discord said with a pout.

"I've been around you long enough to know that you could appear at any moment. Besides, I was expecting you." Sombra replied, as he pointed at the card on their table with the names.

"Ah, yes, a pony was greeting us as we streamed in and told us where we'd be sitting! So, is it just the two of us, or-" Discord stopped in his tracks as he picked up the card and read it, having a surprised expression on his face. "Oh. Well that was…unexpected. Even for my standards!"

"I had the same reaction as well, to be honest. No matter; it's probably best that I meet them and get it over with. I do hope that I can return to the Crystal Empire someday, since it's my true home."

"Hm, I'm not entirely sure how the Crystal Ponies would feel about that, to be honest." Discord remarked, looking thoughtful as he stroked his goatee with an eagle claw. "For what it's worth, I think you've more than proved yourself to be good now, and there's no reason for Cadance and Shining Armor to think otherwise. I mean, you've been free all this time, and nothing was stopping you from trying to take over the Crystal Empire again."

Right as Discord finished saying that, Cadance, Shining Armor, and Flurry Heart arrived, the royal couple looking quite shocked that Sombra was at their table before they quickly recovered, trying to look somewhat cordial while Flurry made her displeasure known.

Flurry scowled, making a fuss as she made a magic bubble around her to protect herself, Cadance quickly smothering the yellow magic with a wing in an attempt to not insult Sombra when she had heard how the former tyrant was turning over a new leaf.

"Sombra. It's nice to see you; Twilight told us all about how you helped in the fight against Chrysalis, Tirek, and Cozy Glow." Cadance greeted, as she sat down on a stool next to her husband.

"Hey, I did too!" Discord pointed out, only to be on the receiving end of a glare from Sombra since this wasn't the time.

"Yes, well, it was the right thing to do. I'm glad that we succeeded, so that you and Prince Shining Armor would not have to become the last line of defense for Equestria." Sombra replied, trying to not look awkward as more ponies streamed in to watch Twilight's coronation.

"We're certainly glad that wasn't the outcome either." Shining agreed, sitting on his stool next to his wife as the Pillars of Equestria got seated behind them.

Discord sighed as he decided to try to make things less awkward, even if making small talk wasn't his forte. "So…must've been a long train ride from the Crystal Empire, hm? All worth it to see Twilight become the next ruler of Equestria though, no doubt."

"Yes, and I suppose I should just address the elephant in the room since I can tell things are awkward. I'll admit, Shining and I didn't think your reformation would be successful, but I can tell that you've changed for the better, and I really appreciate that. Both of us do." Cadance said, Shining nodding in agreement.

"The Crystal Ponies however don't feel the same way; they probably need more time to digest that you're not who they remember anymore. I don't know whether you want to stay here or go back to the Crystal Empire, but we'd be happy to have you back, after some time has passed. We can always send you a letter when we think it's the right time for you to return." Shining offered, which surprised Sombra since he didn't think they'd be so forgiving.

"I would be honored to return at some point, and I'm grateful for your forgiveness. I've been learning more about friendship through my time with Twilight and her friends, and it wouldn't hurt to learn a bit more before I return." Sombra agreed, Discord smiling since he was happy for his friend being allowed back into the Crystal Empire, at least at some point in the future.

They had settled into a comfortable silence for only around five minutes before Princess Celestia and Luna came out onto the balcony of the castle, smiling as the coronation got underway. "Citizens of Equestria, and beyond!"

A raucous sound of cheering came from the crowd gathered, full of dragons, changelings, yaks, and other creatures.

"My sister and I have ruled this land for quite some time, but even we know that change eventually comes to us all. And though we know it can be unsettling, it's as natural as the rising and setting of the sun and the moon. Both of which my sister and I feel confident leaving in the hooves of the pony who will come after us."

Celestia paused to look behind her, checking that Twilight was ready for her coronation, before continuing on. "And so without further ado, I give you the new ruler of Equestria, Princess Twilight Sparkle!"

As Twilight walked out, she tripped over her gown, causing the entire crowd to gasp as Sombra could feel the second-hoof embarrassment. She quickly got up, however, smiling sheepishly as Celestia and Luna merged their two crowns into one for Twilight.

Obviously, Twilight was supposed to be surrounded peacefully by birds and butterflies, before the routine obviously went wrong as they surrounded her too closely and haphazardly flew off as two swans lowered the crown on Twilight's head. The Wonderbolts then flew in with shades of purple trails behind them, fireworks going off around them.

The fireworks made them fall out of the sky, causing the swans to let go of the crown and send it flying into the air. Twilight then proceeded to leap off of the balcony to catch the crown, causing the entire crowd to gasp once again, including Sombra who didn't expect Twilight to do such a foolish thing.

She slowly flew into the air, looking quite embarrassed as Applejack tried to save the coronation with a toast to Twilight. That is, until waiters started pouring pitchers of…applesauce? Certainly an unconventional choice of drink. Sombra thought, Shining and Cadance looking similarly confused.

"…This is applesauce." Sombra stated matter-of-factly, unsure if this was some sort of joke as he held the glass of applesauce in his hoof.

"Yes, and you're a pony." Discord replied sarcastically, laughing as he "drank" his applesauce, soon getting Shining, Cadance and Flurry to laugh as well.

"I think Applejack got the order wrong." Shining said, as he drank from his glass.

"We'll have to check on Twilight, to ensure she isn't too mortified." Cadance added with a small chuckle, as Sombra sighed.

This was some coronation, alright…

---

"Sombra, a letter for you."

Sombra looked up from his desk in the Crystal Castle, motioning the royal guard to come forward with a hoof. "From who?"

"Princess Twilight Sparkle."

"Ah, thank you. Just leave it on the desk, and I'll open it."

The royal guard nodded as he dropped the scroll on Sombra' desk and promptly left, leaving the royal advisor to open it. After several years of Princess Twilight's rule, Cadance and Shining agreed that Sombra could come back, and although he got an icy reception from the Crystal Ponies at first, he slowly, but surely, earned their trust when it became clear he no longer meant them any harm.

Besides, he had already served punishment enough from being imprisoned and getting his magic taken away from him. Many years after that, once Flurry Heart had become a grown mare, Cadance and Shining agreed to retire, Flurry acceding to the throne in a grand coronation ceremony not unlike Twilight's.

He was then appointed as her royal advisor due to his "experience" in leadership, which he was happy to do since it meant he had truly gained back the trust of the ponies of the Crystal Empire. He really didn't actually have to step in as much since Flurry was a mature and intelligent leader, but she still consulted him from time to time which helped in giving him a sense of purpose.

A quick read of the scroll alerted him that he should travel to Ponyville to share his wisdom with her top student, Luster Dawn. Apparently, she was so focused on her studies that she didn't think friendship was worth learning about, and Twilight thought that he could provide a unique perspective that Luster would appreciate.

The trip wouldn't be a problem; he could easily travel long distances in a short period of time in his shadow form. However, he figured he should probably tell Flurry about his travel plans, in case she needed him for something during the short period of time that he'd be gone. Well maybe longer, if he was accosted by Discord during his time in Ponyville.

He got up from his desk in his office, pushing the double doors open to head into the throne room. Royal guards regarded him with a nod of respect as he passed by, a far cry from the reactions to him back in the Crystal Empire a decade ago.

He pushed open the doors leading to the throne room, Flurry regarding him with a smile as she put down a scroll that she was writing on, probably to negotiate diplomacy with the Changeling Kingdom as they had discussed earlier that day. "Sombra! Any news from King Thorax?"

"Unfortunately not. I actually came to inform you that my presence was requested by Princess Twilight; she has a student that she wants me to advise about friendship. I shouldn't be long; at least, not if Discord demands that we catch up."

Flurry giggled holding a hoof to her mouth at the mention of Discord. "He shouldn't, not from how many times he pops in out of nowhere to visit! That's completely fine though, Sombra. I'm sure you can share some good wisdom with her; Thorax is a great leader to talk to, anyway. I'll manage."

"Thank you." Sombra said before he left, promptly turning to shadow to head towards Ponyville. As he traversed the Frozen North to get to his destination, he couldn't help but think about where his life had taken him over what was in reality many years, even if it felt like the day he was imprisoned was yesterday.

If he had stayed banished into the ice of the Frozen North, he would have never had the chance to redeem himself. Back then, he wouldn't have even dreamed of accepting friendship, believing that ruling by force and fear was better. After everything he had been through, however, he was sure of one thing.

He wouldn't have it any other way.

Comments

[Bronycommander]

Cant blame flurry here for going into self protect mode at the sight of sombra

Nice work!

[ShuTodoroki]

11568024
Thank you!

[Bronycommander]

11568025
Youre welcome!

[Late_Night]

kinda underwhelming, all told, but at least you didn't choke it

[Crystal Night]

I really liked this story, a bit different from the usual. Now all that Sombra needs is a love interest. *coughs* sequel *coughs*

[Misty Shadow]

And so, everything is wrapped up with a nice little bow on top. Not a bad Sombra reformation story, I'll say.

[ShuTodoroki]

11568576
XD We'll see if I can find a love interest for him!

[ShuTodoroki]

11568630
Thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed it!

[yammering2]

enjoyed your story keep up the great work

[ShuTodoroki]

11569487
Thank you so much!