What A Shadow Fears

What A Shadow Fears

Digital_Hex

Chapter Three

        “And here we are!” Twilight said with a flourish as she threw open the door to the room. She stepped inside, followed by Somber Heart and Rarity.

        The room was plenty spacious, as expected of a palace room. It was rather sparsely decorated, which wasn't quite as expected of a palace room. A large bed sat in the center of the room, a massive window taking up one of the walls. It had a cushioned sill, with a couple pillows settled along it.

        “It's not much, but I hope you two can make do.”

        Rarity turned to her friend, smiling sweetly.

        “Twilight, dear, it's fine! The room is plenty large. The, uh, only thing we could use is... a sleeping bag, perhaps.”

        Somber trotted slowly around the room, taking in the colours and design of the room. Some of his memories were still coming back to him, slowly. He recognized this room, though. It was the last room to be filled in the palace, long had it served as a storage room for various pieces of art that had yet to be placed throughout the palace. Apparently, the art that had been stored had found new homes, as well as many of the original pieces that once adorned that room as well.

        His eyes fell upon a framed picture, and he felt a cold tear in his heart as it dropped in his chest, frigid despair welling up in it's wake. The mare in the picture was a faint teal earth pony, her coat almost a soft white. Her mane had a thick accent of purple, with a few streaks of white and coal black intermixed within. Her eyes were a brilliant blue, like two glistening sapphires. He remembered when he'd had this picture painted for her...

        “Somber, dear? Are you alright?”

        Somber shook his head before glancing at the white mare. She looked at him carefully, concern quite present within her large blue eyes.

        He inhaled sharply, forcing a smile to his face.

        “Of course, lady Rarity. Quite.”

        She smiled. “You scared me there for a second. It was like you just zoned out there, you were staring at that picture for nearly ten minutes!”

        “Yes,” Somber said quietly as he looked back upon the painting. The strokes of coloured oils were pleasing to the eye, yet the image they made was painful to Somber's heart.

        “Scared...”

        o0o0o

“You can't be serious, Somber!”

The charcoal unicorn threw up his hooves in anger.

“I've already told you, Sapphire, this is my duty as a Captain!”

The mare before him wore a face of indistinguishable rage.

“You are going to get yourself killed, Somber Heart, and there is nothing that I'll be able to do about it. Can't you just wait until you receive a letter from the princesses!”

Somber Heart took in a sharp breath, about to scream back-

But paused. Sapphire had a point.

He let out the breath slowly, letting the air whistle through his teeth. He fell to his haunches, growling.

“Fine. I shall wait.”

Sapphire smiled softly in victory. Finally, her fiance saw reason, let go of his nigh-suicidal tendency to do right whenever possible.

Sapphire raised a hoof as she took a step towards him, but stopped with her hoof in the air.

This wouldn't be the last time, and she knew it. The next opportunity Somber had like this, the next time he was ready to charge head-first into the maelstrom, he would do it. He wantedto do it, and she knew it.

So... why was she stopping him?

“No,” she whispered as placed her hoof back down, stepping away.

She shook her head to the side. Somber Heart was a stubborn one with a good soul. His heart was bigger than his brain, for sure.

“Excuse me?” Somber asked, completely unaware of the war that Sapphire was raging within her.

But if he wanted to risk his life time and time again, he wouldn't be leaving her worried, leaving her in a state of wonder and fear.

She was tired, so tired of not knowing if he was going to come back dead or alive.

Surely it would be easier if there was nothing for him to come back to?

Sapphire slowly reached up to her left ear, undoing the ruby earring she wore. It was inset in a disc of sharp onyx, a beautiful piece of jewelry.

“Somber, I... I can't do this anymore.”

Somber opened his mouth, but no words came out.

“I will remain on your board of advisers, but...”

She cast him a sorrowful look.

“I cannot marry a stallion who would throw away his own life so willingly. I cannot, and I will not.”

Somber Heart felt himself shake with a growing rage as Sapphire turned to make her leave.

“So do what you will. If you want to face this head on... go right on ahead. It is not my decision any more.”

She opened the door, taking her leave. As she left, a runner charged past her, bearing fateful news.

“My Captain, the shadows have breached through the first barricade!”

Outside of the palace, in the darkness that was threatening to engulf the kingdom, a million narrow green eyes lit up with sharp, blood red pupil. They laughed.

        o0o0o

        Somber Heart jolted awake sharply, breathing heavily. His body was slick with sweat, practically steaming in the cool room.

        He looked around in agitation. The room was... it was cleared...

        He sucked in a deep breath greedily, feeling his racing heart slow down. The scent he gave off was of fear itself, rolling off of him in dark, thick billows of fright.

        A light clanking garnered his attention, his ears flicking towards the sound.

        Curious, Somber Heart rose to his hooves as he looked around. He was sleeping on the padded window sill, much to Lady Rarity's disdain. She had insisted on using the sleeping bag, but he would have none of it. She was to take the bed, and that was final.

        The clanking sounded again, almost like glass upon glass. Curious, Somber heart slowly stepped from the sill, making sure his hoof-falls were careful and quiet. A narrow sliver of light escaped an attaching door to the bedroom. Somber's sense peaked as he approached the door, and with a swift thrust of his magic, he swung open the door.

        Rarity stood in the middle of the common room, pouring herself a glass of champagne with a lazy blue magic. She jumped as the door slammed open.

        “Goodness, Somber, you startled me!”

        Somber took a deep breath. Figures he would get himself so worked up over something as foolish as a mare getting herself a glass of wine. Speaking of wine, though-

        “Can't sleep?” he asked the white unicorn. She chuckled dryly as she finished topping off her glass before she tipped her head back, downing it in a single swift gulp.

        “Not in the least,” she responded. “Don't take it personally, but this is the first time I've shared a room with a stallion.”

        Somber felt a light heat flood his cheeks as he looked away. Rarity, meanwhile, opted to set the glass down and was chugging away at the bottle.

        “Ah, I apologize for any inconvenience.”

        Rarity pried the bottle from herself with a sharp tug of magic, addressing the stallion.

        “Nay, tis not an inconvenience. More of an... unforseen situation.”

        Shrugging, Rarity tipped back again, guzzling down.

        Somber couldn't believe his eyes as the mare quickly put away a third of the large bottle. He noticed he was staring, pulling his eyes aware only to stare at her cutie mark. It was three marvelously cut diamonds.

        He mentally facehoofed as he realized he couldn't stop staring at her flank.

        “Dear? Is there something the matter?”

        Somber jolted back, looking up to see bright blue eyes.

Just like a pair of sapphires...

        He shook his head, painful memories rushing back into his mind.

        “Somber, dear?” Rarity asked, now concerned. He'd been acting strange like this all day, but he looked to be in genuine pain now.

        “I'm... fine... Sapphire...”

        “Sapphire?” Rarity asked herself aloud. “Whatever does that mean?”

        Somber roared in pain as he fell to his knees, hoof on his forehead. Rarity dropped the bottle as she rushed over to his side.

        “Whoa there, do I need to call for help?!”

        Somber grit his teeth as he tried to keep tears from forming in his eyes. There was a sharp, overwhelming pain splitting through his head.

        “N-No,” he declared. “I'm fine.”

        “Not to be rude, but you certainly don't look fine.”

        He forced out a laugh at Rarity's comment, taking a deep breath.

        A few moments passed by, and the pain slowly subsided until it was relatively tolerable. Eventually, he let himself fall to his side, gasping slowly.

        “Are... are you alright?” Rarity asked. This stallion was quite the chore. The very first night she'd stayed with him, and already he was having a fit. Not that it was her fault any.

        She took in the sight of him in his state. He was quite well-toned, muscular but not too large, very well shaped. His shoulders were thick, good for a variety of things, she had no doubt-

        “No, Rarity,” she whispered to herself. “Don't even think about letting your mind go anywhere impure. Not now.”

        Somber groaned as he pushed himself up. He rubbed his forehead, a slideshow of his past filtering through his mind. It was mostly the same stuff he'd already seen, but there was also a new memory.

        It held great pain within it.

        Rarity looked after the stallion with eyes of concern. Who was he? It was obvious, especially with his state right now, that he was not the same terrorist everypony remembered him as. He was like a blank canvas, it seemed. But what was his picture? What story did he tell? And how did the story come to be?

        Rarity leaned back, letting herself fall into a thick pillow.

        “Somber Heart?” she asked. Somber grunted.

        “Do... do you truly not remember what you were? What you did?”

        Somber breathed slowly.

        “I cannot recall the deeds it is clear that I committed, no, but... I know, I have done terrible deeds indeed. It is obvious from the way the guards treat me, and the nightmares that so plague me.”

        Rarity hissed.

        “I'm sorry, I didn't realize you dreamed of such things...”

        “It's not so much a dream as much a memory,” he admitted. “I know the name Sombra... it sounds evil indeed. Why I would have chosen it...” He shuddered. “Alas, I do not know. But perhaps tomorrow, I shall learn of my crimes.”

        Rarity nodded, magicking over her bottle of champagne. It was less than halfway full.

        “I see,” she murmured. She lifted the bottle to her lips before pausing, instead passing the bottle to Somber. He eyed it curiously.

        “Champagne, circa 1842. It's quite good.”

        He gave her a curious look, but she motioned for him to carry on. Swallowing, he brought the bottle to his lips and took a quick swig.

        All he could taste was the yeast. He hated the taste of yeast. He sputtered at the liquid, much to Rarity's amusement.

        “Too cheap for you?” she asked with a giggle. He shook his head.

        “No, it's just... gross...”

        “I see...” Rarity said, still rather amused.

        “Hey, Somber?” she asked suddenly. Somber looked up to meet her eyes.

        “How did you get up there on the top of that mountain?”

        Somber sucked in. That was a question he, too, wanted answered.

        “I... I don't really know. I just remember suddenly being there, being cold. And then you were there... and then I kind of forget after that...”

        “There was an avalanche, dear.”

        “Ah,” Somber said quietly. He was quickly growing tired again. He slowly rose to his hooves. “Well, if there's no trouble, then I best be returning to sleep.”

        Rarity tipped her head after him as she magicked the bottle back towards her.

        As the door closed, her magic gave a faint pulse of red.

        “Sleep well, my King,” she chuckled throatily.

        A bolt of lightning suddenly crashed outside of the window, far away, and lit up the room. In the flash, Rarity's pupils narrowed to slits, only to return once the darkness had returned.

        She purred as she sipped from the bottle again, the tip of her horn turning a scorched black as she suspended the bottle with her magic.

        “Sleep very well, and beware the nightmares.”