Tirek's nails loudly scratched the stone surface of his prison, allowing him to silently cry in despair of yet another defeat.
The black caverns of Tartarus soon completely banished Tirek in their deep shadows, leaving nothing but pure void in his place. Cerberus, the jailor of the damned, growled before the bright image of the three Alicorns, allowing Luna, Celestia and Cadance to pass before him and leave their prison.
Luna scowled visibly, her walking speed increasing with every step until she was far away from both Celestia and Cadance. Princess of the Night pushed her hoof into the air, her loud voice bouncing from the very soil of this place.
"Double your pace, for Twilight the Princess is waiting for us!"
"We're coming, dear sister, coming...!" Celestia replied with barely any emotions, almost nonexistent smile appearing on her face soon afterwards. "We all can't wait to congratulate Twilight on her victory, can't we, Cadance?"
"Leaving so soon?"
Princes of Love visibly gasped for air, glaring around the blackness around her before allowing her eyes to settle on the only bright space in the caverns: The Sun Princess.
"Wha..."
"Is everything alright?" Celestia wondered with a note of concern, slowing her pace to a complete stop.
"Yes...I just...need to go back for a moment."
Celestia moved her hoof before the face of Cadance and hummed, taking the Love Alicorn by surprise. Then, she asked, "Are you sure?"
"Yes..."
"Then go. We'll be waiting for you above."
Cadance blinked before replying with a long nod and turning around, galloping back to Tartarus Caverns.
Luna lowered herself before Celestia, her wings moving slowly, barely lifting her body from the ground.
"What happened dear sister?"
"I'm...not sure Luna. I'm...not sure."
***
"Step to the left."
Cadance turned on the tiny road in one of the caves, allowing the pink radiance of her magic to light the way before. Scratching her body against the cold stone, Cadance passed yet another passage and lifted herself to the visible ledge. After crawling into the last of the narrow tunnels, she appeared in a tall underground cave. Wings of the Alicorn Princess flapped with a loud echo, lifting Cadance high above the ground until she noticed the iron ceiling of where the roof should have had been...
Her hoof touched the cold steel.
"Queen Mi Amore Cadenza..."
"Sombra..."
Red eyes glowed bright, his head lowered and pushed against the iron bars of his jail. His reply was void of any echo or hiss.
"Glad you could join in..."
With yet another flap, Cadance lifted herself closer to Sombra, breaking the silence those caverns held for so long.
"What do you want?"
"To talk..."
The hedges creaked loudly and obnoxiously, allowing access inside the jail of the King, few droplets of rust cracking far down against the stone floor.
"How did you...?" Cadance asked in surprise, hovering herself into his jail awkwardly, clearly afraid of what else this "weakened" unicorn was capable of doing.
"You never locked. It's not like I'll just jump down and splatter. Is this what you planned?"
"No! I..." Cadence shouted, clearly insulted. Her hoofs lowered and scratched the iron flooring of his prison before she looked around the place.
It was a broad room, if you could call it that, on the very top of this particular cave. Surrounded from all sides by solid, harsh rock, prison was perfect for any criminal, especially the likes of Sombra. Long, slightly rusted iron bars replaced the proper wooden floor for this "prison cottage" only allowing Sombra small den for something else but painful and spine breaking rest.
She never bothered or wondered to check where Sombra was taken and imprisoned after his defeat, but now when she looked at it... It was horrible.
"Do not dare."
Cadance blinked, her eyes trying to catch the barely visible figure of, once blazing with Dark Magic, king, before she casted yet another spell and gave life to long extinguished candles. Creamy whirlpool moved alike shadow against the wall, soon making the room as bright as day.
Sombra hissed loudly, his hood hiding the entirety of his face.
"Do not dare?"
"To take pity on me..."
"I don't. You brought everything on yourself. It was bound to happen thousand years ago or now."
"Big words for someone, who just came, and took my Kingdom."
His voice was weak, clearly lacking energy from absence of almost any food or water.
Cadence moved herself closer to the cloaked figure, her knees trembling visibly before she took a deep breath and turned, gaze centered purely on the king himself.
"It was never yours; you took it by fear and tyranny."
"I was born in it, I protected it. I saved it."
"I saw what your salvation did to those poor ponies! Don't you dare to speak of their horrors and pain as something g-good!" Cadence stumbled on her last word, anger in her voice visible and clear as she moved closer to the prisoner, being a hoof smash away from his face.
"You're not even a Crystal Pony, Mi Amora. In fact, I barely know you."
"W-what are you implying?"
"You have no rights to lead the Crystal Kingdom."
Cadence could swear she noticed a grin beneath the shadow of the brown hood appearing on Sombra's lips. The silence grew heavier.
Cadance shake her head once again, trying to regain composure before replying with a noticeable assurance, "They chose me, and even if I'm not righted to it by status or blood it's an honor to do so!"
"Ah yes, slaves of the Kingdom..."
"Ponies!"
"Ponies of the Kingdom. Tell me, Cadenza, have they realized yet that you're fooling them?"
"Wh-what?"
Barely hearable chuckle ringed against the wall, making Cadence feel smaller and smaller in his presence.
"You said you love them..."
"I do! I love all of my citizens!" Cadance gasped, realizing she's moving in the hoofs of his well crafted trap.
"And you love King Shining Armor."
"Yes, I love my husband just as well."
"Who do you love more?"
"W-what are you implying?" Cadance cursed, her magic rashly grabbing Sombra's cowl and tearing it off his head, releasing dark as night mane and image of a broken horn.
He looked horrible, his mane greasy and unwashed since the day he was imprisoned here. While the king attempted to keep himself in shape, his once red and royal coat was now ripped in several places, dirty and strangulated. Sombra's eyes were still as red as blood, glowing and reflecting the pink flames of the candles, making wrinkles and scars left after his defeat yet so more visible.
"They know that you love Shining Armor more, than you love them. That your love is weak if not...fake."
"That's...not true... The love is just...different." Cadance mumbles, fear showing in her voice as she glared at Sombra. The King didn't even make a single gesture, his body just sitting in one position for the entirety of their meeting...
"That's a lie and I and your citizens know it. Don't you think about their feelings?"
"I..."
"What a selfish Queen..."
"I don't have to listen to this." Cadance said, anger in her eyes, as she quickly turned around, moving to the gate. "Good bye Kin-"
"Ah, but I didn't even thank you."
She stopped dead, goose bumps swooping on her body as she tremblingly turned around. Princess Cadence gulped, collecting her thoughts.
Sombra's voice cut the cold still like a sacrifice blade:
"To still be alive..."
"I...did not do it for you," She said, her horn glowing bright once again, keeping the candles burning strong, afraid to let the room plunge into the darkness.
The king smirked, lazy movement of his head moving his mane from his eyes. They were as red as fresh blood of a dripping and barely alive body...
"I do not kill, I'm not a murderer!" Her voice ringed across the cave, waking up a pair or so of bats.
Both Cadance and Sombra allowed the echo of their wings to silence before their eyes meet once again.
"I thank your selfishness for being alive, then. In the end, it's all about you and only..."
"You...got...no...idea!" Cadance burned up, her magic losing control for a mere blink, pink flames raising to the very ceiling like an erupted volcano, sparks and burned charcoal shattering against the stone roof.
The king just silently sat there, the glister of the remaining magic reflecting in his scarlet eyes before the cell went completely dark. Then, a silent guffaw trembled in the black, making Cadance stumble back: almost falling through the open door.
Sombra leaned against the wall, small "tuck" loudly ringing in the uneasy silence.
"Tartarus has been used to banish many things, Cadenza...but inside it, there is no secret that I do not know of. About: Discord, Nightmare Moon, Tirek and even - about the Love Witch... "
"There is no way..."
"I know -everything-!" He used his loud, royal voice the second time, catching Cadance off guard as visible, creeping like a snake, violet smoke moved in his pupils before a loud crack in his horn was heard.
Sombra bit his lip, yet she knew it hurt thousand times as much as when she had lost her alicorn powers.
There was no pity though, as he deserved everything that was happening to him.
"And...What do you want?" She asked with fake calmness yet real confusion. She had no idea what she was still doing here. She should be leaving back... Celestia is probably worry-
"You know nothing. You will not be able to rule the Crystal Kingdom with love."
"I believe I can... Love is a true, honest and powerful force!"
"So powerful King Armor was not able to recognize you were fake during the wedding..."
"How do you...?!" Cadance gasped, raising her hoof to her mouth in shock as he glared at Sombra with mix of anger and distress. The king just sat there, with nothing moving but his lips in a twisted, cold smile.
"Tartarus has no secrets. I had time to listen... listen to its walls, Queen."
"H-he was under a powerful spell; else he would easily notice it was not me!"
"Maybe it's not you he's in love with but the image of an Alicorn Princess. How shallow."
"You do not dare to say that!" Vortex of cream hue surrounded Sombra's body like a rope and smashed him against the stone wall with a noticeable force. Sombra growled from pain, though his cry was almost nonexistent due to his lack of any strength whatsoever.
After a minute, Cadance screamed in fear and let the magic go, her tears dripping on the cold floor. Sombra coughed loudly; cold sweat rushing on Cadance's skin as she began to move backwards, fluttering from the realization that she nearly suffocated someone she thought was worse than her.
Her wings spread, allowing the young alicorn to hover her away from the cursed jail and as fast as possible to the wet, soggy ground. Once she was able to stand firmly, her eyes darted back to the very top...
He was still there, alive...
"During my rule, everyone suffered equally."
Cadance yelled, screamed on top of her lungs at the King, loud echo still heard after a minute...two...five passed. Cadance stumbled, her hooves moving by the cold stone ground before she said in absolute fear:
"You are wrong... wrong..." Cadance could barely hold down her tears, "Wrong..."
