Midnight Radiance

Chapters

Prologue
Gala Preparations
A Leisurely Chat
Hesitation
Cracks In The Walls
Uninvited Company
Audience
The Dreamscape
Nightfall

Prologue

Cool night air wafted on a breeze through an open window, gently brushing against the feathers of Princess Cadence’s wings and prompting her to stir in her sleep. The day had been long and tiring in spite of how good it was, and the young alicorn had easily drifted off into a deep sleep when she had retired for the evening. When her aunt had first tasked Cadence and Shining Armor with running the Crystal Empire after their wedding, the young princess had had no delusions about the weight of the role they were being given. She knew it would be full, exhausting work nearly every day. Nonetheless she went to sleep exhausted and happy, pleased with the accomplishments she had fulfilled. Her last lucid thought was how beautiful and calm the night was, and just as she had decided more ponies ought to show Aunt Luna how much they appreciated a warm evening like this, she had drifted off to sleep and into dreams.

Initially her dreams were tame, silly nonsense… and then she stepped through a doorway into a dark room.

The change took her by surprise. She had been in Ponyville with Twilight Sparkle, who was practically dragging her to Sugar Cube Corner to approve an idea for Shining Armor’s birthday celebration, but the door had not opened into the warm, cheery little sweetshop. A high ceiling stretched far, far above her, and shadows that coiled like mist rolling over the surface of a lake obscured most details from view. Frowning and squinting in hopes of seeing better, Cadence took a few wary steps into the forbidding room. Strange… if she didn’t know any better, she would have guess this was the throne room of the crystal palace.

Something behind her shut with the force of cannonfire, and even before she turned to look she knew with frightening certainty the doors were gone. Black marble stretched out beneath her hooves and when she looked ahead once more, a throne of crystal waited at the end of the long hall. She was right about one thing at least; this was definitely the throne room in the palace. But it was not at all the same one she and her husband resided in. The royal seat that awaited at the end of this hall was formed from jagged, harsh-looking black crystals that emanated thick, twisting shadows.

King Sombra’s throne.

Cadence tried to swallow, but her throat was rapidly going dry with fear. Why was she here, in that tyrant’s throne room? Twilight and Spike had restored the Crystal Heart to the empire, and Shining Armor dutifully patrolled the empire’s borders with the royal guard to ward off any threats. True, Aunt Celestia had sent news not long ago that Sombra had briefly escaped his otherworldly prison, but she had followed it up with the reassurance that he had been dealt with and returned to the oubliette. Hence, there was no reason for the throne room to appear this way.

Somewhere behind her she heard a sound like jingling bells. A weary, world-worn sigh accompanied the musical sound and Cadence turned around to look behind her. An old unicorn was looking on unhappily, standing just a short distance behind her. A long, silvery-white beard ran from his chin to the floor, and his cloak and pointed hat were both adorned by shimmering stars and small, tarnished bells. The alicorn held back a gasp of recognition; was this the same Star Swirl the Bearded that once taught Celestia and Luna? He met her gaze levelly for a moment, then his eyes slipped past her to the crystal throne.

“I tried to warn her this would happen, he said, his voice melancholy as lines of sorrow etched themselves into his weathered face. “Had she heeded my advice and done something about what my auguries revealed back then, perhaps the tragic history of the Crystal Empire would never have occurred as it did.”

His hoofbeats echoed sharply in the chill air as he stepped past her, his gaze transfixed. “But I’m afraid sentiment often gets the better of us all. And I cannot fault Queen Platinum for being blinded with a mother’s love for her youngest son.”

Platinum… Platinum… that name felt vaguely familiar. Cadence rubbed her temple with a hoof, trying to recall correctly. Hadn’t the representative of the unicorns in all the Hearth’s Warming Eve tales been called Princess Platinum? Yes she had, hadn’t she? Aunt Celestia had mentioned meeting her at least once before, some thousand years ago or so. She looked up at the black crystal throne again and a startling revelation occurred as she was trying to study the structure’s details.

“Princess— I mean, Queen Platinum was King Sombra’s mother?!” she asked in disbelief. As the old unicorn wizard nodded, another remark he had made jumped to the front of Cadence’s thoughts. “He was her youngest foal?”

“Yes,” Star Swirl said in reply. “He was so named for the color of his coat. It was an oddity at the time, especially for a foal born into a royal family. Dark gray coats and solid black manes weren’t common back then, at least not nearly as much as they are now. And… well, with his elder brother Lucien being such a bright, resplendent colt, the queen thought the name was fitting; she didn’t realize what an ominous portent it would be. Yet even so the tragedy and sorrow that marked Sombra’s reign could have been avoided. Sadly, he was set on the path that made a tyrant of a once quiet, studious prince.”

An abrupt chill ran down her back and she flared her wings out to her sides, forming a small, protective barrier. Instantly alert, Cadence turned and twisted to each side, trying to pinpoint the source of her unease. Only the shifting shadows were rolling lazily all around them. Not convinced there was nothing to worry about, she moved closer to Star Swirl.

“So why are you sharing this with me?” she asked tentatively. “If there’s a concern about King Sombra, wouldn’t it be better to speak with my aunts, or with Princess Twilight Sparkle?”

It took a moment for what she was saying to process in her mind. Somehow Cadence could tell she was dreaming and it was therefore absurd to assume she was holding a conversation with the real Star Swirl. He had lived over a thousand years ago, and even if his lifespan had been longer than that of an average unicorn, he had surely passed away. This could only be a figment of Cadence’s imagination gone wild in a dream. But the old wizard turned and fixed her with a thoughtful expression, something akin to hope twinkling in those bright, knowing eyes.

“My dear young mare, you are Mi Amore Cadenza,” he replied stoutly. “You are the Princess of Love, one of the most powerful forces in the world.”

She lifted her brows in surprise. Yes, that was her role as laid out by Celestia, but wouldn’t that have been all the more reason to talk to a different princess? Surely this would better fit Twilight’s area of expertise…

“Tell me, princess,” Star Swirl spoke gravely, a look of worried intensity on his face that reminded her of Shining when he was deep in thought over any of their concerns. “Can somepony live if they have lost their heart through magical means?”

Ice plunged into the pit of her stomach and began spreading. Live, without a heart? Theoretically such a thing was impossible, but it had been mentioned before in Cadence’s studies that some time ago magic that powerful did exist. Even so, to lose one’s heart…!

“Surely nopony could live without a heart,” she replied. “Even if it were magically removed somehow and you continued to live physically, you’d only be a—”

“A shadow of your former self?” the unicorn finished her thought, and she nodded as he continued. “Yes, it would be a hollow existence. Without a heart to help guide oneself, a pony would act only on their thoughts. They could follow almost any plan of action if they believed it made logical sense, but without a heart to guide their conscience to determine right from wrong…” He trailed off, letting the unspoken suggestion hang heavily in the air. Sinister whispers seemed to echo in the swirling shadows and Cadence pulled her wings in tighter to ward off the chill.

“That’s awful,” she murmured. After a moment or two of silence, another thought occurred to her. She looked questioningly to the wizard. “Is it possible that a pony could be reunited with their heart if it’s been magically removed?”

The old unicorn watched her for what seemed like a long time before answering. “I believe it is possible, but up until now, there is no record of it ever having been tried.”

“Until now?” she echoed. He turned with a soft chiming of his many bells and walked steadily toward one of the arched windows that overlooked the empire. Curious, Cadence followed and the throne room became enveloped by a light gray mist. Star Swirl led her straight to the window and walked right through it without batting an eye, and when she also stepped through, they were abruptly in the courtyard below, outside the palace. Not phased, the wizard approached the Crystal Heart and stopped several steps short of it. Cadence hesitated, but stepped up next to him and looked at the Crystal Heart. Her growing sense of unease intensified, made all the worse by the fact nothing appeared to be out of the ordinary.

The Crystal Heart pulsed with light and a deep, bass throb of a heartbeat resonated around them. And beneath that sound, there was the tiniest of cracks.

Cadence’s eyes flew open as she jolted awake violently, a gasp escaping her. Shining Armor instantly propped himself up on his forelegs and looked at her in alarm.

“Cadence? Whatsa matter?” His voice was heavy with deep sleep, but his eyes were already bright and alert.

“We need to go check on the Crystal Heart,” she replied, bolting out of bed. “Now!”

“What?!”

She broke into a gallop, not waiting around for her husband to collect himself. The long halls of the palace flew by and she burst through the grand double doors, slowing her frantic run as she approached the courtyard.

“Cadence!” Shining Armor shouted behind her, sounding a bit winded from the run already. “Cadence, wait!”

She glanced over her shoulder long enough to confirm he was approaching and then looked to the Crystal Heart, breathing hard through her nostrils. As in her dream, nothing appeared out of the ordinary. But she knew better than to write off a dream like that one; carefully she approached the floating crystal, lighting her horn to better see its details. Her own heart started beating rapidly as her eyes found the detail she had been hoping not to see.

Barely visible in the dim light near the bottom of the heart, Cadence saw a hairline crack among the natural facets where a tiny piece of crystal had chipped away.

Author's Note

I'm sorry, I imagine that this prologue isn't what any of you were expecting, but hey, gotta establish set-up for the rest of the story somehow, right?

Gala Preparations

Hastily several artisan ponies scrambled to attention, each managing hopeful smiles despite the anxious beads of sweat marking their brows. Though it was highly unlikely that any of their work might be rejected for the Grand Galloping Gala, it still said volumes if yours was the one hoof-picked for the centerpiece display… or if it was moved somewhere out of immediate view toward the edges of a room. Five teams had each come together to do their best work on individual interpretations of a sculpture that had been commissioned, and each team had given the project their best efforts. Now, under the gazes of the princesses, they restlessly awaited the fate of their art. They had reason to be nervous; Princess Celestia was scrutinizing each statue with a keen eye, while Princess Luna regarded all of them with the same dubious frown.

“I don’t know, sister,” she finally spoke. “Are you sure this is necessary? Twilight Sparkle has proven herself capable of overcoming many things, but I have my doubts about status in her honor to celebrate her Ascension. She’s gracious at heart, but being in the spotlight of attention doesn’t strike me as something that she’ll manage easily.”

The groups of artisans went wide-eyed, darting furtive glances at their peers at this proclamation. Celestia didn’t appear to notice however, which was a saving grace.

“It is true,” the Princess of the Day admitted as she continued to look between the five different statues of her beloved pupil. “Twilight gets very anxious and wound up in many social events if she overthinks things or is the center of attention. However, her Ascension isn’t something Equestria will simply ignore, either.”

“Then should we not select one of the more low-key statues here as the main one to be put on display?” Luna suggested, nodding to the two least ostentatious of the sculptures. “It would still fit the celebration without embarrassing her unduly.”

Celestia turned and looked to her younger sister, eyes twinkling as she smiled. She would admit it to no one, but it brought her a sense of relief to see Luna out of her hideaways and taking part in the decision-making for this year’s gala. Celestia had been worried that after recent events that had transpired, Luna might take much longer to recover than she had. Slowly, she gave a nod of approval. “I quite agree,” she said, before pointing out the second-to-last statue at the end. “How about that one?”

The team responsible for the sculpture in question let out excited gasps and Luna bobbed her head in acquiescence. “Yes, that should do well,” she remarked. “Thank you for your beautiful work.”

“Thank all of you,” Celestia added, offering every one of the artisans a bright smile in turn. “Kibitz and the rest of the palace staff will show you where your sculptures are to be set up.”

All of them nodded excitedly, but Luna was already turning away and walking off. Celestia spun about and took long strides after her sister. Within moments they were walking side-by-side again, receiving a respectful wide berth from other ponies in the area.

“It is a lovely day, Tia,” Luna murmured just low enough for her to hear. The elder alicorn giggled warmly.

“Thank you,” she replied, dipping her head in response to the compliment.

“I appreciate your offer to include me,” Luna went on, raising her head after a moment. “But why do you want my input on this year’s gala?”

“You’re the Princess of the Night,” Celestia replied. She’d anticipated this question would come sooner or later; Luna wasn’t a very social pony by nature. Doubtless she would want to bow out from the festivities as soon as formality would allow. “And my sister,” Celestia added. “The gala begins towards the twilight hour and goes into your night. Surely you would know some of the best ways to spruce up the evening to look better than ever.”

“Do you really think so?” Luna asked, eyes widening in genuine surprise. “But you’ve been hosting the gala for over a th—”

“Thousand years now, yes,” Celestia agreed. “But that is all the more reason why I think you should have a chance to shine this year, Lulu. Even if it’s in your own way, I think our subjects will enjoy and appreciate all the beauty and joy that your personal touches will bring.”

The younger princess’s wings rustled and shifted against her sides as she thought, casting her gaze down to her hooves. “Do you really think so?” she asked quietly, the apprehension in her voice barely concealing hopeful excitement. Celestia gave an encouraging nod, delighted at her sister’s growing interest.

“Yes, I do! Did you want to pick out the lamps and lanterns after lunch?” she asked eagerly. “I think I saw some you would love.”

“Just the two of us?” Luna asked, and when her sister gave confirmation, a small smile worked its way onto her dark blue muzzle. “Of course, Tia! It’s been awhile since we got to do something fun together!”

She hadn’t added on the last thought, but she hardly needed to; Celestia shared her unspoken sentiments. It had been a while since they had really just had a chance to be sisters together. Even doing something as small and mundane as selecting decorations for the gala together would be a nice opportunity to just be themselves once again. And of course, as long as it kept Luna’s mind off of other things…

“Oooh, yes Tia, it’s been ages since we had some real fun together!” another voice chimed in with mock simpering and delight. Both sisters stopped mid-stride, looking around for the one who had spoken. A pair of mismatched claws lightly tapped their shoulders as the voice added in an irritating singsong “Behind you!”

They spun around, joking in surprise at the floating, disembodied lion’s paw and eagle’s talon. A sly chuckle reached their ears and they turned back around as the paw and talon disappeared with a pop of displaced air. The owner of the paw and talon was watching them a few feet ahead, eyes bright with suppressed laughter that burst out when he saw their expressions. With another pop, his mismatched forelegs reappeared in their proper spots and he howled all the more wildly in his laughter.

“You should’ve seen your faces! That one gets ‘em every time!”

“Hello, Discord,” Celestia greeted the draconequus politely. “While I appreciate your enthusiasm, I believe my sister and I will manage on our own.”

Luna’s teal eyes moved from her elder sister to Discord as the chaos spirit stroked his goatee with great care. As far as the Princess of the Night was concerned, Discord’s interest in her elder sister was almost painfully obvious, not that he ever really made an effort to conceal it. Less obvious was the fact Celestia liked the roguish fellow, as she was quite practiced at hiding it. But Luna knew. She saw it in the way her sister’s eyes danced and how warm even her smallest smile was around Discord. The wheels in her head were already spinning as she turned to face the draconequus completely.

“How would you like to attend the Grand Galloping Gala this year, Discord?” she asked without preamble. She could feel her sister’s surprised, curious gaze move to her but she didn’t look away from him. His snowy eyebrows rose slightly as he looked back and after a moment, he hummed in exaggerated thought.

“Well technically I was present for each year of the gala, all things considered,” he said, before dryly adding, “After all, it’s not as though most statues in the gardens have anything better to do.” Celestia seemed to give a wince at that, though it could have been a trick of the light; a second later, she looked just as he had before to Luna. Luna glanced at her, catching her sister’s eye and tossing her a small smile.

“I’m sorry,” Luna said sweetly. “I can understand where you’re coming from. But Tia was just telling me that the gala has been getting a bit… monotonous. That’s why she wants me to help and give input this year. Perhaps if you attended, you could also help liven things up.”

The draconequus’ gaze slid over to them again and despite his affected air of aloofness, there was a spark of interest visible in his eyes. Hit with a sudden worry, Luna added, “Within reason, of course.” At that, he huffed and rolled his eyes.

“Do I look like the hired entertainment? What’s the fun in fun if you have to put it on a leash?” he asked, not properly addressing either of them as he threw back his head and lifted his gaze skyward. Luna lifted a brow at this. She had the feeling he was going to milk this as much as he could to draw it out. Very well then; two could play that game and she had her own little ace-in-the-hole.

“Oh, of course, of course,” she agreed in affected seriousness. “I was just thinking that if you stayed long enough, you could be my sister’s partner for the dance.”

Mischievous glee nearly had Luna grinning openly as she saw her words achieve the desired impact. Discord’s eyes widened and his gaze slipped toward Celestia, who in turn stared at Luna in stunned silence. With an effort, Luna maintained her prim composure as she started walking again.

“Oh well,” she said lightly, shrugging with her wings as she tried to hide her smile. “I suppose she’ll just have to dance with any handsome stallions that ask her instead.”

She had barely taken another step when Discord said, “Well now, hold on a minute! I can erase anything else from my schedule. The gala only comes once a year, after all. And I suppose, well… If you don’t want it to be boring, I suppose I can help.”

This time she didn’t bother hiding her grin as she looked back and tossed her sister a wink on the sly. Letting out a warm chuckle, Celestia took the cue and gracefully inclined her head.

“Thank you, Discord. It’s very generous of you to offer your assistance.”

“Well I mean, naturally! It comes from all of those… egh, friendship lessons with Fluttershy. Say, wait a minute,” he said, stopping himself mid-thought and slowly turning to look at Luna as she kept walking. “What about you, Princess Moody-Moon? Aren’t you going to dance with anypony at the gala?”

Luna’s breath hitched in her chest as she came to an abrupt halt. Her thoughts almost immediately conjured up images of smoldering red eyes, the sound of a rich, decadent voice, and wounded feelings she’d spent the past several weeks trying to bury. Her heart gave a painful beat in her chest and she swallowed over a growing know in her throat, forcing the thoughts and feelings down as far as they would go. When she spoke her voice was even and cool, a perfect example of royal decorum.

“No,” she answered. “I will dance with no one. There are other matters that will need tending to, and as princess I shall fulfill my my duty and see to them. It is as simple as that.”

With a struggle of will, she resumed walking again on the pathway, never seeing the confused and sympathetic looks her sister exchanged with Discord.

Author's Note

Eh, short chapter is short ~~for a reason.~~ At least I got it posted before the end of the month? :twilightsheepish: Writing for Discord is still a pain in the rear, though. :applejackunsure:

A Leisurely Chat

Lack of change lent itself to the illusion that time did not pass in the oubliette. Every moment felt the same as the last, and the only thing that dispelled the misconception was the change of guards every so often in the outer hall. The flow of air was weak and the minimal light around his cell remained steady. No signs of night or day ever reached Sombra, and he realized he actually missed the sight of the sun and the moon in the sky.

The moon…

“I’m such a fool,” he whispered as quietly as he could, the sound almost vanishing in the capacious cell. It wasn’t the first time he’d thought or said the words in the past months. To think it had taken sneering exposition from the queen of Changelings and recapture by the bearers of the Elements of Harmony to realize this simply made it all the more humiliating. He hadn’t once stopped to consider the effect his coy flirtations might actually have on Princess Luna, and now… well, now it was too late to make right the situation. He had practically offered Luna up on a silver platter to the Changelings when he thought she had double-crossed him. There was no way in any lifetime she would ever forgive him now.

And if I’m honest with myself, I deserve every ounce of her ire, his thoughts added miserably. It was a difficult thing to acknowledge, but in a way it was too true to deny. He was certain that if Luna appeared right at that moment and spewed all the venom of her pain at him in an angry torrent of words, he would not lift a hoof to stop her. He deserved all of her anger and hatred, and in a way he wished he could just hear from her how hurt she was. At least knowing would give him some form of closure.

He shifted his weight where he lay on his stomach, turning his gaze to the far end of his cell. Instantly his eye fell upon the small tome lying on the floor, the only other thing in there with him. A sense of guilt churned and twisted in his gut, and his chest felt icy-cold and hollow beneath his ribcage. By this point, he had almost every word in it memorized. He had read it often, nearly every waking moment, pouring and agonizing and weeping over its contents.

The book was Princess Luna’s personal journal, brought to him by Princess Celestia not long after his recapture. It was a cruel sort of gift, but then she hadn’t given it to him with the intention of making him feel better. She wanted him to realize the full extent to which he had wounded her sister, to understand how Luna had begun feeling toward him before he had so cruelly turned on her.

Well, I understand now, he thought bitterly. I think I understand how she felt better than I can understand myself at this moment in time.

The icy coldness behind his ribs contracted sharply and he stiffened in pain. Several minutes passed before the pain eased and he was able to relax his muscles, exhaling raggedly. The pains and sense of frigid emptiness had begun sometime after he’d first read the journal. Initially he had been stunned and confused; what could possibly be causing this?! It wasn’t guilt because guilt was hot and sickening, almost crippling. But when he finally thought of what it could truly possibly be, he refuse to contemplate it further. The idea was frightening and robbed him of more hope than it gave him.

As he was waiting and considering reading through the journal entries again, an unexpected question suddenly jolted him out of his self-pitying.

“Aawww, why the long face, King Spooky-Boots?”

He sat upright, looking around in suspicion for the source of the voice. A creature was standing on the other side of the enchanted bars and leaning forward to get a better look at him, a creature he had only seen before in books of ancient legends. It stood bipedally and tapped eagle talons against one of the bars absently, studying him for a response. Sombra struggled to think of something to say, and found that nothing came to mind. After a second the draconequus glanced around the austere, cavernous room and grimaced.

“Then again, with a room like this I’d be pretty gloomed out, too,” he remarked. A light flicked on in Sombra’s mind. Draconequi had been rare enough ten thousand years ago, and they had to be even fewer in number by now. But there was one who was mentioned even regularly now, and even he was unique among his kind.

“Discord,” he said, stating the question rather than asking it outright, and he was rewarded when the draconequus’s eyes snapped right back onto him.

“Oh good, you have heard of me!”

Sombra arched a brow. “Is there anypony who hasn’t?” he muttered. “To what do I owe this, ah, visit?”

“What?” Discord said in a tone of false innocence, looking vaguely affronted. Then to the unicorn’s astonishment, Discord launched himself forward and slid between the bars of the cell, coming to a floating halt before Sombra. He leaned forward, resting his elbows on thin air as he planted his chin in his paws and grinned. “Can’t a fellow just come down and have a leisurely chat with a passing acquaintance?”

Sombra’s jaw dropped open as he looked from the draconequus to the bars and back again. Even his ears fell back against his mane as he continued to gape, stunned. There was no possible way for what he had just witnessed to occur! The cell was enchanted by alicorn magic, and all his own efforts to circumvent the warding in the past had been fruitless. “H-how… how did you—?”

“Let’s not worry about details, they drag a conversation down,” Discord interrupted, looking far too smug and pleased with himself. He reached out, poking Sombra’s nose a couple of times. “I’m here to offer you an invaluable and otherwise unattainable opportunity.”

The unicorn stared at him with a flat expression, his astonishment gone. “You come with a sales pitch,” he observed dryly.

“Naturally!” Discord stopped floating to stand beside him, draping an arm around Sombra’s shoulders. “Why, three-fifths of winning over somepony is a good sales pitch!”

Sombra squirmed out from under the draconequus’s talons, annoyed and mildly put-off by the too-casual physical contact and self advertising. What did this obnoxious entity want with him, anyway? He had nothing to offer that Discord would likely deem valuable and even if he did, he doubted Discord couldn’t just take whatever he wanted when he so pleased. Perhaps he’d just popped into this place to torment him. It was possible; Sombra had heard many tales of the chaos-spirit tormenting ponies purely for the sake of his own amusement.

“I’ll take your word for that,” he grumbled. “Why are you here? This is hardly a start to just some ‘leisurely chat’, no matter what you may pretend.”

“Who’s pretending anything? You see, my dear King Spooky-Boots—”

Sombra fought the urge to make gagging sounds. He despised this nickname already.

“I’m here to see what you think of the annual Grand Galloping Gala!” Discord extended his lion’s paw, uncurling it to flip out a small money piece. “Bit for your thoughts?”

Sombra snorted, flicking his ears back as he turned away. “Pah! Little more than an excuse for high society to mingle with the rabble. And both sides treat it as if it’s such a rare opportunity.” He strode a few paces away and sat down, proudly holding his head high as he tossed back his mane. “The barriers between royalty and commoners continually dissolve in this decade. Either way, it matters little. I had little use for parties when I ruled over the Crystal Empire and I have less use for them now. The Grand Galloping Gala holds no interest for me.”

“Really?” Discord asked, sounding genuinely surprised. “None at all? None whatsoever?”

Sombra shook his head, and his unwanted visitor’s next words caught him off-guard.

“Aww, that’s too bad. I thought you’d want to try it out this year. Princess Luna is in charge of managing the theme and decorations this time.”

The sharp, cold feeling in the hollow behind his ribs returned with a vengeance. He exhaled slowly, feeling the breath shudder down his spine as it left him. She was in charge of the gala this year? He tried imagining what it would look like, as seen through her eyes.

It would be beautiful. Dark and enchanting, sublime and resplendent in the way that only the night can be.

His mind jumped back to the last time he had seen her, with tears streaming from her eyes, angry and hurt as he turned her over to the Changelings.

“That’s…” he started to speak, only to find his throat was constricting tightly. He swallowed and tried to clear his throat, taking a couple of deep breaths before attempting to speak again. “That’s wonderful for her. Marvelous. I’m sure she will throw a gala unlike any other seen in Canterlot.”

“And?” Discord’s upside-down face suddenly loomed up in his range of vision. “Don't you want to see it?”

Sombra scowled. This heathen had no concept of personal space. “Of course I want to see her,” he snapped, then quickly amending, “ah, it. But in the event you hadn’t noticed, I’m more than a little stuck in here. And besides,” he added, turning his face away to look at the ground as he lowered his voice. “I doubt she wants me to see me ever again, anyway.”

“Well,” Discord said, stroking his goatee pensively. “I can help you make at least one of those things not a problem anymore.”

There was a clunking groan of metal and Sombra glanced to the side to see Discord’s tail wrapped around one of the bars, bending it as though it were made of putty. On a second glance, it did seem to be made of putty. Sombra lifted his eyebrows high. He worked his mouth for a moment, finally giving a small nod as his ears flicked toward the draconequus.

“Alright, I’m listening.”

Author's Note

Another short chapter, but again, for a reason. ~~Blame my bestie ShadO for the nickname Discord's bestowed upon Sombra.~~

Hesitation

The day had arrived.

The last three days prior anxiety had truly settled in, and it was only thanks to her sister’s gentle assurances that Luna didn’t feel totally frazzled. She had begun overthinking every little detail and second-guessing so many of her decisions that she had to be told—gently but firmly—to take a break from planning. For a wild, hare-brained moment she had even considered dropping in on Ponyville and asking for input from the Keepers of Harmony. It had taken a lot of convincing from Spike the dragon that asking Twilight Sparkle or any of her friends would only add to Luna’s stress.

“Trust me, just asking Pinkie Pie and Rarity alone will make you dizzy, Princess,” he’d said. “I think you’re going to do great!”

The little dragon’s words bolstered her a bit and when Celestia expressed the same sentiments later, Luna finally felt more at ease. Second-guessing her choices had become a too-familiar habit and she decided it was one she would have to break herself of. And as things started to come together in those last three days, she did her best to reassure herself she was doing just fine with the Gala preparations. No, it wouldn’t be the same Grand Galloping Gala ponies were used to every year, but that was all well and fine. According to her sister and quite a few members of the palace staff, the gala was pretty boring due to the monotony that had been established in throwing the celebration. But this was the year that things would change; with Twilight’s Ascension there was much to celebrate, and there was no reason why anypony wouldn’t enjoy a nice change of pace.

She was looking over her star charts, trying to make a final decision on how she wanted to showcase the constellations at dusk, when Celestia poked her head into the room.

“Ah, there you are!”

“Oh! Hello, sister,” Luna said, looking up from the charts and maps in mild surprise. “Sorry, I was lost in thought. Is everything alright?”

Celestia chuckled warmly. “Actually, I was looking for you so I could ask you that,” she replied. “You aren’t still feeling overwhelmed and anxious, are you?”

Luna rolled up one of the charts, pushing it aside with a hoof as she illuminated a few more lamps for her sister’s sake. “No,” she replied absently. “Not as I had been, at least. I’ve made it a goal to stop myself from second-guessing everything to the point it becomes stressful. Why? Why do you ask?”

A shimmering glow lit up Celestia’s horn, and her magic pulled two beautiful gowns into the room behind her.

“Because you forgot to pick up your dress and try it on.”

“What?!” Luna blurted out, stunned. She leapt to her hooves and took the dark blue dress from her sister, staring at it in astonishment. “My dress for the gala… Oh dear! How in the world did I forget?”

Smiling, Celestia extended a comforting wing around her sister’s shoulders. “Don’t worry, it happens,” she said soothingly. “You would think that after a thousand years I wouldn’t forget things when preparing for the gala, but I still do.” She looked to the dress, indicating it with a nod. “So what do you think? Do you like it?”

Luna looked from her to the gown, examining the fine details. It was a couple of shades lighter than her own coat and the weave was very thin and fine. Gossamer, if she wasn’t mistaken, and the fabric shimmered and twinkled like starlight when she turned it about. She smiled in spite of herself.

“I couldn’t have chosen better myself,” she murmured. “Thank you, sister. It’s beautiful. I shall treasure it.”

“You’ll make a wonderful host, Luna.”

The younger alicorn clamped down on the words that almost escaped from her. She was still uncertain how well she would fare in that regard, and didn’t think it wise to go making such statements prematurely. Instead however, she merely offered Celestia a grateful smile and turned to look in the closest mirror, floating the gown before her to get an idea of what she might look like. The gown shimmered as her mane billowed, and had she not known better she might have mistaken herself for the night sky at a passing glance.

You’re beautiful.

She could almost hear his voice in her ear again, as clear as the night when he’d said the words in awe after watching her illuminate the night sky. He had been stunned, left breathless and almost at a loss for words. She remembered the way he’d looked at her, as though truly seeing her for the mare she was, and not the pony he wanted her to be. Unconsciously Luna lowered the gown a fraction, looking away from the mirror.

He never cared about me, she reminded herself sharply, the thought sobering and cold. How could he? He has no heart. All he cares for are his own ambitions, and I refused to fit into them. He hoped I would be Nightmare Moon, that we were alike. None of his pretty words or attempts at flattery held any truth beneath the surface.

“Luna? Are you alright?”

Celestia’s voice got her attention and she looked up again, seeing her sister’s worried expression reflected beside her own melancholy look in the mirror. Again she tried to offer up a small smile.

“Yes, I’m… sorry. I was just lost in thought.”

Celestia was quiet for a moment—Luna had the feeling she knew there was more that her younger sister wasn’t disclosing about “being lost in thought”—but then she offered her own smile in response, warm and encouraging.

“Well, try to remember to focus on the positive. You’ll do well at the gala and you won’t be alone. We’ll do this together, and it’ll be a great evening,” she promise. “Don’t worry.”

“Thank you, Tia.” And thank you for not pressing the matter.

She looked back to the mirror, half-expecting to see a shadowy silhouette with eyes illuminated by smoking trails of dark magic. She chased the ghosts away from her thoughts, determined not to be pulled into the claws of despair and heartache again.

I will never trust any of Sombra’s words again, she promised herself. No matter how pretty they sound.

***

The sun was beginning its descent in the sky as ponies from all over Equestria began to enter the main gates to Canterlot Palace. There was a low hum of chatter and excited conversation among the throng of gala-goers that reached the open windows and lent a powerful sense of anticipation to the entire affair. Sombra’s gaze trailed around, watching the crowd below slowly trickle in through the gates. Something about the sight felt almost surreal to him and he was reminded of what he’d stated before in the oubliette. When he ruled the Crystal Empire, he would never have allowed for the common masses to commune so freely with royalty. It simply wasn’t done.

But it had been once, a small part of his mind spoke up. Didn’t mother encourage us to forge good relations with our subjects? The ponies of the Crystal Empire loved Queen Platinum. And she wanted us to understand what it meant to be good rules, the sort ponies would look up to and rely upon.

“Oooh, I bet this is your very first year attending the Grand Galloping Gala, isn’t it?”

Among a great many other things, Sombra decided Discord’s too-perky voice was a source of great vexation for him. He flattened his ears back against his skull, gritting his teeth.

“It is, isn’t it?” Discord was practically squealing like an excited filly. As usual he got right up in Sombra’s face, grinning excitedly. “Oh this is going to be so much fun!”

“Fun because you enjoy high-class social gatherings,” Sombra said wryly, “or because you’re going to turn the entire thing into a complete disaster?”

“¿Porque no los dos, my dreary friend? Who says they can’t go hand-in-hoof?” the draconequus replied. “Now listen, Spooky-Boots. The next half hour to an hour or so, the princesses are going to be preoccupied with their formal how-do-you-do’s. Not long after that they’re going to make some pointless little announcement about Twilight Sparkle’s Ascension—because you know, it’s not like we could tell from the big new honkin’ wings or anything—and after everypony does a little toast and cheer, the dancing is going to start. And that’s when we’ll make our move.”

Sombra frowned, still more than a little skeptical.

“So I’m going to maintain my disguise and act inconspicuous until then?” he demanded. “This is humiliating. I’m a king!”

Discord lifted his snowy eyebrows high in challenge. “Well if you really want humiliating, I have it on good authority there’s a number of performers from the Celestial Rings Circus here tonight,” he said, intentionally affecting a too-innocent tone of voice. “I’m sure they wouldn’t mind a fool among their numb—”

“My own disguise will suffice plenty, thank you.”

“Alright, alright, suit yourself,” Discord said, backing up slightly before adding under his breath, “Ya party-pooping bag of gloom.”

Sombra rolled his eyes, reaching up with a hoof to pull down the hood of his enchanted cloak. “You’ll come and find me when it’s time?” he asked quietly. He felt unexpectedly nervous, but concluded it was because of her. Never before in his life had he faced another pony in such a state to beg for forgiveness, of all things. He had spent countless hours in the oubliette telling himself she would never forgive him, but now faced with the opportunity to apologize, suddenly that possibility was so real it frightened him.

It frightens me.

The realization gave him a start. When was the last time he truly had felt this sort of fear? There was another painful contraction of icy sharpness within his ribcage.

“Of course I will!” Discord exclaimed. “Have I ever yet let you down or steered you wrong?”

Sombra started to turn and look at him, feeling a need to comment on that remark, when Discord snapped the claws of his eagle talon. A small lurch in the unicorn’s stomach signaled the effect of the spell as they teleported, the scenery around them replaced in a blink. Now they were among a crowd of ponies milling about as they headed to the main courtyard where several of the activities were to take place. Discord’s abrupt appearance drew some attention their way, as several ponies turned to catch a glimpse of the infamous draconequus. Murmurs instantly started up, and even with the cloak concealing his identity, Sombra was uncomfortable.

“Ta for now,” Discord said in a posh voice, manifesting a monocle from thin air and affixing it to one of his eyes before sauntering off. “Have fun, Spooky-Boots! I’ll pop in later!”

As he departed the attention of those nearby followed him, for which Sombra was grateful. Rapidly the enchantment on the cloak took effect. Many unicorn sorcerers had been enamored with the idea of invisibility cloaks for centuries, but Star Swirl the Bearded had done something better, taken the concept several steps farther and made a type of cloak levels above that. Sombra himself had recreated it; its enchantment didn’t turn somepony invisible, but instead allowed them to remain unnoticed and ignored.

And it did just that.

For what seemed far too long for comfort, he wandered around, observing the festivities. Everywhere he went there was a buzz of positive energy and excitement, even in just the casual socializing. And at different places the atmosphere was even more charged with excitement; different performers everywhere were putting on small unofficial pre-shows, and visitors from all over drew huge crowds around them, the emissaries from Saddle Arabia in particular drawing the most attention. Despite his desire to stay silent and unnoticed working out well, Sombra found after a time that loneliness was beginning to hang over him like long branches of a forlorn willow. Yes, he was able to see all he wanted and not be bothered or recognized, but the solitary isolation started to bear down upon him. His gaze wandered to a few of the ponies from the Celestial Rings Circus as they chatted and laughed with a couple of Wonderbolts fliers and Ponyville residents. The sound of light-hearted joy in the laughter they shared made the feeling all the more pronounced.

They seem so happy, he observed, settling down on an open patch of grass and lying on his stomach. As he continued to watch them, his thoughts turned again to Princess Luna and the time the two of them had spent together while journeying to the Badlands. Weren’t we the same as they are now? Didn’t she laugh like that for me?

Suddenly the possibility she would reject his apology and never speak to him again was even more real and terrifying than ever. Shakily he started to get to his hooves, feeling his resolve crumble to dust.

I cannot do this. I’ll need to tell Discord now isn’t the right time.

Truthfully he wondered if there ever would be a right time.

***

A smile like sunshine lit up Celestia’s face as the final toasts were made in celebration of her beloved pupil’s Ascension to princess status. She was more proud of Twilight Sparkle than she thought anypony would ever know. There as a slight shift to her left and she turned her head to find her younger sister looking at her with a knowing smile.

Well, almost anypony.

“You know, I think underneath that nervousness she’s truly honored, Tia,” Luna whispered. “I’m glad we did this for her.”

“As am I, sister. Hopefully this will ease any doubt she may have about how our subjects will receive her as a princess.”

“Even if it doesn’t, we’ll be there for her,” Luna said before smiling self-consciously. “I can relate to how she feels.”

They both glanced to Twilight, who was standing in the midst of a crowd of ponies toasting her as she smiled nervously. The young mare kept her wings tucked in tight against her sides as she tried to acknowledge everypony’s words of congratulations and encouragement, nodding and smiling intermittently. After a moment or two she hastily looked back to where the two sisters stood side-by-side, as though seeking guidance. They both smiled warmly in response and she finally smiled genuinely back at them, drawing a measure of confidence from their faith in her.

“Thank you,” she declared in a carrying voice. “Thank you everypony! I promise, I won’t let you down!”

At that the sisters exchanged another secret smile and then Luna stepped forward. “We know that you’ll do well,” she told Twilight reassuringly before addressing the crowd at large. “The dancing shall now commence in the royal ballroom!”

A couple of faces among the crowd winced at Luna’s volume, but a brand-new wave of excitement broke out over them all. Celestia chuckled quietly; Luna could be very intense when she got into something, but her enthusiasm was infectious. The evening had gone splendidly so far, and the Princess of the Day had a feeling from now on the gala would be more lively and fun. As she trotted forward and led the crowd alongside her sister, she suddenly realized there was someone at her other side as well.

“Ho-hum.” A familiar, disinterested yawn heralded Discord’s presence. “Are we done with the boring events yet?”

Celestia glanced at him, not at all surprised to see the draconequus sporting a monocle or sipping from a goblet full of what appeared to be styrofoam. She lifted her eyebrows, trying to hold back a chuckle as the corners of her mouth tilted up.

“Not if you consider dancing to be boring as well,” she remarked.

“Hmm, considering I’m here on the invitation of you needing a dance partner,” he replied thoughtfully, tossing the goblet over a shoulder. “Well, perhaps it could be fun after all.”

To her other side she could feel Luna smirking as she signaled the guards to part and allow entrance to the ballroom. “Just twisting your arm, aren’t we?” she said, tone sardonic. As they walked in, heading for the far end of the room, some of Discord’s playful demeanor sobered as he turned to regard the younger alicorn.

“Not to be too nosy, Princess Moody-Moon,” he began, “but don’t you have a dance partner picked out?”

Celestia frowned at him. The sudden question and its nature left her feeling vaguely suspicious, though she wasn’t entirely sure why. For her part, Luna handled it well.

“No,” she answered with a shake of her head. “I have no interest in dancing tonight anyway. I shall be happy to watch everypony else enjoying the music and having fun.”

She seated herself off to the side, looking out at the ballroom full of guests and smiling brightly as the music started up and several ponies began dancing. Celestia’s heart swelled with pride. Her sister was the utter picture of calm regality in her tiara and gown, and she finally seemed to be enjoying the festivities instead of just moving through the motions.

“Well,” Discord continued, undaunted. “I would hate for you to feel left out.”

Luna turned to look at him, frowning slightly. “I don’t feel left out,” she replied, a hint of annoyance slipping through her relaxed exterior.

“Good!” Discord said cheerfully, standing on his mismatched hind legs and striding into the center of the dancers. Ponies parted, stepping back in confusion and wide-eyed curiosity. He continued to usher a few of them back, clearing a wide space, and the music came to a pause as everyone wondered what was going on. Celestia watched, feeling an unexpected tension creeping into her muscles and her back.

What in the world is he up to?

“Because, should you change your mind…” he went on as though nothing had happened, and proceeded to snap his talons with a loud crack that echoed off the high walls. There was a small pop as displaced air ruptured and a figure was teleported into the space the draconequus had cleared. A cloak concealed the newcomer’s face, but the large frame and powerful build between the cloak’s folds was familiar in an alarming way. The Princess of the Sun felt her mouth go completely dry as she sensed her sister completely tensing up beside her.

No, he wouldn’t—!

“I got you the perfect dance partner!” Discord announced, throwing back the cloak’s cowl to reveal a shocked unicorn stallion with a wavy black mane, gleaming sharp teeth, and a distinctive, curved blood-red horn.

Author's Note

I'm so far behind on having posted a chapter in a timely manner. Gotta say that I'm enjoying playing around with Sombra's and Discord's interactions, though. By the by, the Celestial Rings Circus belongs to (and is a small shout-out at) my friend ShadO, who has up to this point been an unintentional source of ideas for this story. Also not sure how Discord can convince himself that this particular method for getting the two of them to talk to one another again will be successful, but hey, maybe he knows something we don't.

Cracks In The Walls

Shock had frozen the moment. Numbly Luna’s brain struggled to make sense of what was transpiring, but it was in essence impossible. Her scope of vision narrowed as the rest of the gala fell away, the look of shock and alarm on Sombra’s face all she could see clearly. How was he here? He couldn’t be here. He shouldn’t be here!

Discord. Some half-aware part of her mind supplied the answer, reminding her of the draconequus’s presence and his vaguely suspicious behavior beforehand. Discord was behind all this. Other ponies rapidly came to this same conclusion as royal guards immediately charged forward and surrounded the chaos spirit and the unicorn king. Sombra broke eye contact with Luna, backing up a few steps as he watched the guards with distrust. Discord, his smile waning, looked around and realized things weren’t unfolding quite according to plan.

Luna forced her gaze away to look Celestia in the eye. Each saw mixed emotions warring in her sister’s expression but after a second, silent understanding passed between them. They couldn’t let this ruin the gala. Discord and Sombra would have to be escorted elsewhere, someplace out of sight, and the matter addressed in private to avoid further panic.

“It was a bad call, Sombra,” Discord broke the silence as he worked an awkward grin onto his face, his eyes darting around the room. “A bad call.”

***

They weren’t sure how much time had passed since they were brought to the small side chamber when the guards finally announced the princesses were on their way to see them. Sombra was willing to bet it had been at least a few hours and if Discord actually knew how long it had been, he wasn’t acting like it.

“Okay, but are we there yet?”

Sombra glanced up as Discord whined, just in time to see the guards all roll their eyes. Not that he could blame them; it wasn’t the first time Discord had thrown that phrase out there to be vexing, and it was grating on his last nerve as well. Of course, Sombra’s sympathy for the guards vanished every time one of them glared at him. Fear simmered just beneath all of their defiant expressions and he could feel it there, tempting him to exploit it.

It wouldn’t take much. Even with any bravado they cling to at the thought of their princesses’ power, there’s enough fear there to incapacitate them for a short time. It would be so easy… Celestia’s guards especially have seen very few terrors in their service to her, of that I’m certain.

Then what? Sombra’s pacing around the room slowed down as the thought occurred to him. He could take advantage of these ponies’ fear, but what good would that do for their current predicament? He would only exacerbate the situation, and Discord had already dug the two of them into a pretty sizable hole. No, tempting as it was to put these foals in their place, non-aggression tactics would suit them best here. Sombra gnashed his teeth. He despised such weakness. Diplomacy was one thing— so long as you came out of it with the advantage after all that cautious treading. But to have to swallow his pride, apologize, and submit himself to the judgment of the alicorn sisters? That was utterly humiliating, an open display of weakness.

He thought of Luna’s teal eyes hooded with cool distrust, a flash of pain and betrayal flickering just underneath. High walls had been built around her since he had so ruthlessly left her at the mercy of the Changelings, walls he might not be able to break down again. And again he realized he feared the possibility she may never forgive him. He stopped pacing, looking down at the floor between his hooves solemnly.

What will become of me if she never forgives me?

It was a strange errant thought. A long time ago he probably wouldn’t have cared one way or another, but something significant, something drastic had changed during the time he’d spent around Princess Luna. Somehow, alien though it felt, Sombra cared now.

There came another sharp contraction in the hollow behind his ribcage, the icy cold almost robbing him of his breath entirely. A tremor wracked his spine and ran through his legs. He fought for a moment to stay upright on his hooves as his balance wavered and he wondered in alarm what had just happened to him.

A small, rounded fruit suddenly popped into his field of vision, startling him.

“Everything peachy there, Your Spookiness?”

Sombra glanced at the paw holding the peach and looked up to its owner, who was watching him closely. If he didn’t know better, he could have sworn there was a flicker of interest in those red-and-yellow eyes.

“I am…” Sombra hesitated, then decided on the truth. “Pained.”

“Ah, yes,” Discord’s face lit up as he swooped down, the peach vanishing in a puff of smoke and tiny stars as he draped an arm across Sombra’s shoulders like before. “Luna and Celestia didn’t exactly roll out the red carpet for us, did they?”

“Your arm is on me again,” Sombra muttered, and when the draconequus removed it with a cheeky smirk, he added, “And no, they didn’t. Your little declaration of— ‘bad call’, was it?— spectacularly understated the matter.”

“Eh,” Discord said, shrugging slightly and proceeding to pull his own horn off the top of his head as though it was mere decoration. “Maybe just a skosh.”

Sombra watched, vaguely unsettled as the chaos spirit then polished the horn with the tuft on the end of his tail. “You do realize they’ll probably punish us far worse than before,” he remarked, eyes never leaving the detached horn.

“You know, I don’t think you’re giving them enough credit,” Discord answered, not looking up from his task. “I mean, Celestia was willing to give me a second chance at being free. They’re pretty big on the whole friendship-and-forgiveness thing here in the heart of Equestria.” He finally stopped polishing the horn and gave it a once-over before nodding in satisfaction, and stuck it back on his head, fitting it snugly into place across from his antler. “You may even get a royal pardon, once you tell them why you’re here. Heh, get it? Royal pardon?”

“Forgive me for maintaining my doubt,” Sombra jeered dryly. “Somehow I don’t think explaining the matter will swing the circumstances into something favorable.”

“Spooky-Boots, haven’t you ever heard the phrase about how nopony likes a quitter?”

The stallion opened his mouth to protest in vexation, but never had the chance to fire off a retort. At that precise moment, the doors were flung open and there was a palpable shift in the room’s atmosphere as the princesses entered. Slowly the two of them turned to regard the alicorn sisters, eyes equally wide. If the expression on Celestia’s face could be described as tense, then Luna’s was guarded.

“Alright, Discord,” Celestia began, fixing a sharp stare on his face. “Explain yourself.”

All at once the confidence appeared to flee the draconequus, to be replaced by a brittle mask of nervous humor.

“Now now,” he began, clasping his front claws together in a placating gesture as he approached her. “I was going out of my way to do a good deed.”

As he spoke, Luna’s gaze shifted to Sombra, and the unicorn found he could not look her directly in the eye. Her sudden attention in light of the circumstances hardly felt positive, and he dreaded what she might say. The air was charged with tension and for the first time in centuries, the dark stallion felt small and powerless.

“I am having difficulty believing that was your intention,” the elder alicorn remarked coolly. Sombra bit his lower lip, abruptly recognizing this was the point where he had to speak up and jump in. Inhaling sharply through his nostrils, he lifted his head high and met the princesses’ eyes.

“Actually, his motives may not all be clear, but he did intend to do some good,” he declared, taking a few steps to shield Discord partially. “He wanted to give me the opportunity to speak with Princess Luna.”

His words crashed down into stifling silence. Celestia’s brows rose in disbelieving challenge, while Luna’s eyes flickered once before becoming half-lidded with an unseen wall of ice. She made to turn away and Sombra knew his window of opportunity was rapidly vanishing. He took a sharp step forward, trying to show his plea was genuine.

“Wait!” he bellowed, before backtracking and trying not to sound so thunderous. “Please, I implore you, Your Highness. Just listen to what I say, that’s all you need do.”

“ ‘Need do’?” Luna echoed coldly, her brows narrowing as her furious gaze bore into him. “I need not do anything, King of No Kingdom. I am bound by no obligation and thusly, owe you nothing. The fact my sister and I have even given you a modicum of our time and presence is a privilege we have granted you, not some right.”

He flinched, the words cutting into him. This was going even worse than he had anticipated and he felt even smaller than before. Would her silence have been preferable after all? He was no longer sure. His insides were hot in a sickly way as they knotted up and he wished he could have vanished away with a simple teleportation spell. And yet there he was, rooted by his hooves to the spot and trying to swallow over the lump in his throat to speak.

“I… I didn’t mean it like that,” he protested, sounding pitifully weak in his own ears. “Please, L— Your Highness. I ask, would you hear what I have to say to you?”

She went quiet, scrutinizing him carefully. Celestia and Discord watched on the periphery, awaiting the younger princess’s decision. Seconds ticked by, each a thudding heartbeat crashing against a weighted gong. Finally Luna inclined her head by a fraction, acquiescing to his plea. Sombra let out a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding in and after a struggle, managed to form the words.

“I’m… I am… truly sorry.”

He lowered his head, sinking in on himself as his body began to shake. He couldn’t look at her, not after a brief glimpse, and averted his eyes to the floor, studying the carpeting there. But he couldn’t stop himself now that he had spoken; the words left him of their own volition.

“I am sorry, for what I did and how deeply I have hurt you. Not a moment has gone by for me since where I’ve not regretted what I’d done to you. The more time I’ve had to dwell on it, the more the guilt eats at me and I want to take back my actions. There is no excuse for it. You have every right to never want to see me again, but I wanted to at least apologize to you face-to-face, in my own words. You deserve that much, and far more.”

Luna shifted her weight and he looked up quickly to see her turn her head away, hurt and uncertainty shining in eyes damp with unshed tears. Sombra’s insides gave a painful wrench and he was forced to lower his head again. A voice like mist started swirling chaotically in his thoughts, furious and accusing.

Look what you’ve done, it said. Look what you’ve done! Look upon the irreparable damage you’ve done, the wounds you inflicted on her! Are you happy now? Are you proud of what you’ve done?!

He was a monster. Everything within him had turned hideously ugly after he lost his heart and now he realized he was a monster. He didn’t deserve to stand before her.

The moment passed and Discord finally spoke again, presumably, Sombra suspected, from a latent inability to keep quiet for long.

“Well! That was a very, uh, expositional bit of confession there,” the draconequus commented, giving the stallion an awkward pat on the back. “You’re welcome for the assist by the way, no need to thank me out loud.”

Sombra spared him a look of irritation before risking another glance at Luna. Still she refused to look at him directly, but she opened her mouth partially, hesitating as she selected her words carefully.

“That… is all you wished to say?”

This time he felt the weight of the Sun Princess’s stare as he tried to muster up a suitable reply. “I… I don’t know,” he said quietly. “Perhaps more, eventually. But that was what I needed to tell you right now. I wanted to look you in the eye and apologize, and when Discord offered me the chance to do so, I took it.” He turned to Celestia then, lifting his chin high as he gestured with his horn in Discord’s direction. “So I believe he did intend some good.”

On cue Discord grinned proudly, but it faded as Celestia and Luna both remained silent. After a second he made a noise of exasperation and threw his claws up into the air. “Oh, come on! Are you really that mad at me?”

Luna whipped around almost too quickly for anypony to follow, nostrils flaring in rage as she bore down upon them. “Mad? Mad? I’m furious! You have some nerve, Discord! You don’t care one whit about the panic and fear you caused everypony when you—”

A white wing extended gently over the younger alicorn’s shoulders and Luna stopped mid-sentence. “Luna,” Celestia murmured soothingly. “It’s going to be alright. We won’t let anything happen to anypony, and we’ll reassure them of that.” She paused momentarily in thought before evidently arriving at an idea and continuing. “The night is still young. Why don’t you start your dreamwalk early? We can determine tomorrow what ultimately must be done.”

There was hesitation in the Princess of the Night as she took measure of her sister’s words, and for a brief moment she looked to Sombra. This time the stallion felt something else begin to battle his anxiety, something beneath it that flickered into life with a small but bright glow. Strange as the feeling was and much as he wasn’t certain what to call it, it was a positive thing; that much he could tell. Luna held his gaze steadily, though when she spoke it wasn’t to address him.

“Yes,” she murmured softly. “Perhaps that is best.”

She turned, her gown shimmering and twinkling as she moved, and strode silently from the room. Sombra relaxed a fraction. Certainly that could have been worse but he felt the encounter actually went better than he’d initially anticipated.

Except that Princess Celestia wants to resolve the matter on the morrow.

Slowly he turned to face the elder alicorn, not surprised that Discord did the same. Celestia’s violet eyes reflected only calm; the image of a detached ruler stood before them, her gaze sweeping over stallion and draconequus equally in cool assessment. Instantly Sombra felt tense again. His last discussion with the Princess of the Day had been frigid and barbed, and he knew she had been personally angered by his betrayal of her younger sister. Celestia was a difficult pony to read, even for royalty, but he wouldn’t have been shocked if some of her righteous, tempestuous anger still lingered.

“For now,” she finally declared, “I’m going to have to have you moved elsewhere, King Sombra. You cannot stay here in the palace this evening.”

Instantly he felt a measure of outrage. How dare she! He was a king! At the very least if she acknowledged such then she could offer him guest quarters, but to refuse him staying in the palace even for a night?! Yet dogging right behind his outrage was a realization of surprising clarity. This meant she wasn’t resorting to sending him straight back to the oubliette in which he’d previously been imprisoned!

Perhaps I ought to view that as a victory, however small.

“Guards,” she addressed the other ponies still present, and all of them quickly stood to attention. “Princess Twilight Sparkle and my niece, Princess Cadence discovered the existence of long-forgotten crystal caverns beneath the palace back when Queen Chrysalis attempted to ruin Cadence’s wedding to Shining Armor. Please escort King Sombra there and accompany him to ensure that no further panic is incited.”

Sombra curled his upper lip in a small sneer. Was this a poor attempt at humor on her part or a subtle, underhoofed insult? The guards seem to have other concerns however, as one of them approached the alicorn mare and cleared his throat, a strong expression of disapproval on his face.

“Please forgive me Your Highness, but—” he flashed an uneasy glance Sombra’s way, “is it really wise to leave him in those caverns?”

Low whispers were quickly exchanged between the other guards and Sombra caught the word “crystals” among the whispering. He fought the need to scowl. True, leaving him in such a place played to his advantage for working crystal magic, but the last thing he wanted was for Celestia to be given such a reminder. Despite stating the obvious, it was also voicing a reason to potentially send him back to the oubliette. Still, she barely looked at the pony who had spoken before looking to Sombra and meeting his gaze levelly.

“Had he used the chance to escape for something sinister, I would not hesitate to agree. But you all have witnessed the same thing tonight as I have. He chose to stand before Princess Luna and apologize. If this apology is sincere, then there should be no reason why King Sombra would not wait patiently until tomorrow for the opportunity to stand before my sister and I again and sort out this matter. If he is sincere, then I expect little to no trouble.”

An itch started up in Sombra’s withers but he maintained his composure and regarded the alicorn with raised eyebrows. This was certainly a lot of trust to put in anyone, much less him; either that or the princess was taking quite the gamble, and she didn’t seem like the type to do so. However, he realized the truth as he held her stare. Celestia’s eyes gave it all away. She expected no trouble because if he did try anything, she intended to stop him as swiftly and decisively as possible.

Well then, touché princess.

“You have nothing to worry about,” he announced in a dry tone, preparing to depart the room. Instantly the guards closed in as he strode toward the door, determined not to let him out of their sight. “I did not go to this trouble to then destroy my own progress at making amends.”

“It is good to hear this,” Celestia responded, though not without a hint of suspicion in her tone. “My apologies for the inconvenience. We will send for you tomorrow.”

“There is no need to apologize,” he muttered. “Being around crystals again will be a comfort.” It was neither a complete lie not the absolute truth, for he had realized in a way how closely crystals mirrored the fragility of all ponies.

***

She watched the dark king leave, keeping most of her thoughts and suspicions locked away in the back of her mind. The entire exchange between Sombra and her sister had been rough, the stallion pained and uncertain as to how to go about the apology. Likely it had been many thousands of years since King Sombra gave anypony a sincere apology, assuming this wasn’t the first time he’d ever done so in his life. And Luna…

Luna’s heart had been left in tatters after Sombra’s betrayal. Celestia couldn’t bring herself to be upset with her sister for what happened, despite having warned Luna not to trust the dethroned king. Her own heart hurt for her sister and now, she believed that Sombra’s sudden appearance and the unexpected regret he had expressed were sure to leave Luna feeling even more hurt and confused.

Perhaps he truly is sincere, she pondered. It wasn’t without a twinge of guilt that she recalled having given him a copy of Luna’s journal after imprisoning him again in the oubliette. It was a violation of Luna’s trust and privacy, one that Celestia knew she would have to come clean about with Luna on her own. She had been angry and felt in all her righteous fury that Sombra needed to know exactly how her sister felt about him in order to fully understand the scope of how deeply he had hurt Luna. The ends didn’t justify the means; Celestia knew that and in retrospect, she felt her decision had been made in poor judgment, the impetuous act of an older sister lashing out at one who harmed her family. But was it possible that the journal had gotten through to him?

Could that be why he went to all this trouble just to apologize to Luna?

“Well, if you don’t need me for anything,” the voice of the only other one left in the room with her broke her out of her musings as it addressed her with an uneasy laugh. “I uh, I think I’ll just be heading out to sample the punch now.”

Celestia didn’t even move as she reached with her magic and yanked Discord’s tail, anchoring him to the spot. She heard him swallow loudly, pausing before he spoke again.

“If you want me to fetch you a glass too, Celestia, that’s—”

She whipped around, glaring, and saw the words die in his mouth. He stuttered momentarily, casting about for something to say. With a sigh Celestia released his tail, knowing her edge was already starting to soften. Staying angry at the draconequus had never been easy for her, save those times when he had threatened Equestria with his chaotic wrongdoing. Since his reform thanks to his growing friendship with the pegasus Fluttershy, Celestia was finding it even more difficult to separate her personal feelings from her choices as a princess where he was concerned.

“Why did you do it?” she sighed. She was met with a flabbergasted look of incredulity.

“I wanted to help!” Discord protested, stunned and offended she hadn’t drawn that conclusion on her own. “Neither one of them were going to do anything but drown in wangsty regret and self-pity if they kept going on like that!”

Celestia lifted her eyebrows, delightedly surprised at how directly he had gotten to the point. Truthfully, he was probably quite accurate in his assumption. Still… “But you didn’t stop to think it all through before you acted.”

“Eh, being too hung up on details takes too much time. I’m a fellow of action, but that doesn’t make me the ‘plan guy’.” After a second he frowned, searching her face. “You are mad at me, aren’t you?”

“No,” she said quietly, turning to leave and doing her best to hide her face. “I’m afraid I’m just feeling let down.”

Author's Note

*folds hands* You guys have no idea how much I hate attempting to write anything on my smartphone.
The only thing I'm really going to point out in this chapter for everyone to take note of is the way that Sombra reacts when Discord pops his own horn off his head in order to clean it. Remember that, it'll come up later on.
Additionally, a small reminder here that there is a playlist for this up on my 8tracks profile, and the link to said playlist is in the story's description.

Uninvited Company

There was one thing King Sombra could give the guards who escorted him; they refrained from attempting to make conversation. All the better; guard ponies on duty that were chatty were liable to shame their post in some way or another. He was led in silence down several halls and passages. They were barely wide enough for two ponies crossing in opposite directions to pass by each other comfortably, and the ceilings in most of these passages were much lower than those in the ballroom and grand hall. Before long he felt like the walls were pressing in ever so slightly. Any members of the palace staff they encountered leapt to the sides of the halls somewhat dramatically and waited for them to pass. They never said anything to the guards, but their whispers followed Sombra down the halls and the sensation of their eyes crawled the length of his spine the whole way.

Suspicion was rooted in fear and uneasiness, and part of him took pride in knowing he inspired terror with his presence alone. His infamy had only grown in the thousand years since he enslaved the Crystal Empire to his will and was banished by the Elements of Harmony. What could stop or prevent his return to power if he so wished it?

Princess Luna.

This time the pain in his chest was sore, a dull ache, and didn’t pass right away.

True, she wasn’t the only thing standing in the way of that course of action. Princess Celestia was formidable enough on her own, and if the two sisters combined their power— He gave a small shudder. That wasn’t something he wished to relive any time soon. Not to mention the new wielders of the Elements could equally pose a problem. But still, the Princess of the Night…

He inhaled deeply, held his breath for a beat, then exhaled slowly through his nostrils. Weariness crept into his bones. What was the use of it? Centuries ago, he wouldn’t have hesitated to seize power. In fact, he hadn’t! However, now he was struggling to see the point in it. Something had changed after he left Luna at the mercy of Chrysalis and her Changelings. Now the benefit in such an action didn’t spring to mind right away. Really, was there any benefit in returning to rule the way he had before?

Is it worth the effort it would take to seize power? Is it worth the effort necessary to then hold onto what I’ve taken? He found his gaze drawn downward to his hooves as he walked along, and swallowed over the hard knot in his throat. Is it really worth… her hating me?

He allowed his steps to drag and his mood plummeted even further somehow. Around him the halls blurred from his sight, not passing quickly but just vanishing from his span of attention. It was only when he saw a transition from the tile and masonry into a rough, rocky floor that he paused and started to take notice of his surroundings once again. Before them a flight of barely-shaped stone stairs descended into a vast, dark cavern, lit only by the soft glow of multi-colored crystals dotted here and there. Sombra lifted his head and pricked his ears up. Perhaps it was mere imagination but he thought he heard low, musical tones coming from the crystals.

“This way,” one of the guards said, before he began their descent into the gloom, illuminating his horn for light. Sombra watched him take the first four steps down, then followed cautiously. The stone stairs felt firm beneath his hooves but they slanted on a somewhat steep angle and dropped off into the darkness on either side. He place his weight as carefully as he could, trying to focus on both where he stepped and where he was being led.

A tone like a low, lone chime echoed around them. Sombra flicked his ears multiple times, trying to listen closer and pinpoint where the sound originated from. The first note trailed off, growing duller and duller until finally it had faded from hearing entirely. But even as he lost that note, another chimed in the opposite direction, the tone a hollow gong.

“Do you hear that?” he said aloud before he could stop himself.

“Hear what?” the guard behind him demanded, his tone instantly suspicious. Sombra didn’t answer right away and instead began to look all around them, trying to see as many of the crystals as he could.

“That sound,” he said absently. “Like music.”

One of the stallions snorted quietly and the other made a scoff that he tried to mask as a fake sneeze. “Probably an after-party dance or something,” the one leading the way said dismissively. “The gala is so loud you can catch a few chords every now and then even down here.”

Sombra wanted to argue the point but held his tongue and instead replied, “Yes… perhaps you’re right.”

That appeared to satisfy the guards, at least partially. They were fools regardless but it served no purpose to debate; if they could not hear the sounds the crystals were making, so be it. The unicorn king didn’t need to say anything that would raw more unwanted suspicion from them and besides, it was likely a result of his own affinity with crystal magic. He did his best to ignore it for the time being and indeed, the sounds faded to the edge of his hearing for a while.

They must have traveled down half a tower’s length before Sombra was finally led to a spacious alcove. It cut deep into the cavern wall and within it, many large crystals grew randomly from the rock, emitting a faint luminescence. Here he felt a pulse akin to a heart’s beating coming from the crystals, and their chimes were faint but harmonious.

These have known magic, he thought to himself, and recently. He entered the alcove cautiously, slowly examining his surroundings.

“You will wait here for the rest of the night into the morning,” one of the guards announced.

“When the princesses send for you, an escort will arrive to show you to the audience chamber,” the other declared. Sombra glanced back at them, irritated by their coarse manner, but the two young stallions were already departing and paid him little heed. He settled down with a derisive snort.

Commoners! No respect or manners, the lot of them!

Once he’d put them out of his mind, he regarded the alcove with interest again. For all that he was practically still a prisoner, he finally felt a bit more at ease. This place felt comfortable, familiar. He was briefly reminded of the Star Lake Caves from his youth and the magic and crystals he’d found there. The two places were similar, yet different. The residual magic here felt warmer, gentler, something he found peculiar. He looked upward, wondering.

Crystals are some of the most powerful conduits and stores for magic, he thought. Many naturally absorb stray magical energy, and it feels as though these have absorbed a great deal. But this doesn’t feel like any sort of magic I’ve encountered before. Is it possible… This cave is right below the Canterlot Royal Palace. With so many ponies in one place, with all this… ‘love and harmony’, could the crystals also have absorbed some of their positive energy?

Theoretically he was sure it was possible, though that didn’t make the possibility a definite. He shifted where he lay, a particularly light blue vein of crystal catching his eye. Well, there was a way to find out… Pushing himself to his hooves, he approached the vein cautiously. The light blue crystal emitted a soft glow and a low hum as he drew nearer. Strange; it was almost as though it was attuned to him. That was impossible, of course. There was no way a crystal so full of positive magical energy was naturally attuned to his sort of dark magic. Yet all the same it responded to his approach.

What does this mean? he wondered. Pausing, he thought on it and came to the conclusion that there was only one way to really find out the crystal’s secrets. He drew closer, preparing to magically extricate the crystal from the rock surrounding it—

“I wouldn’t dooo that if I were youuu!”

Sombra jumped at the unexpected sound of Discord’s voice, scrambling away from the crystal vein and looking around wildly for the draconequus. Chunks of small rock fell from the ceiling and he glanced up, stunned to see Discord’s head and entire upper torso emerged halfway through the top of the cavern. Sombra worked his mouth soundlessly for a few seconds before finally getting a few words out.

“H-how… how did you—?”

“Drilled a tunnel,” Discord answer the unfinished question casually, as if it were the most obvious solution to come up with. “You know, they really should consider making some subterranean levels. Would make for excellent storage space. Or a training area for practical magic. You know, whatever suits one’s fancy.” Sombra furrowed his brow at this, but didn’t have the opportunity for a remark before the chaos spirit continued. “Anyhoo, the end of our little encounter with Their Highnesses didn’t quite go exactly as I planned—”

“Did you even have a plan to begin with?” the unicorn interrupted dryly.

“Not entirely, but that’s beside the point. I was wondering, since we’re both sort of in the doghouse now, why don’t we keep each other company until you have to go topside for more ‘Interrogation With Royalty’?”

Sombra lifted his brows, giving Discord a flat look. “You’re likely to pester me out of boredom anyway, so any objections I would make to your company would be utterly useless, I presume.”

At this Discord shot out of the ceiling like a cork from a bottle and got right in the unicorn king’s face, grinning fiendishly. “Got it in one!” he exclaimed. “You know, you really ought to be given more credit for your brilliance, King Spooky-Boots! You’re so much more clever than most ponies realize.”

Sombra gave a noncommittal hum. He wasn’t sure how much of the draconequus’s comment was sincere and how much was gleeful sarcasm. Still, he had a feeling he needed to say something, lest his uninvited ‘guest’ decide he wasn’t chatty enough.

“I could say the same for you,” he returned as politely as he was able.

“Thank you, you’re too kind. And anyway, who really plans out a scheme in full detail?”

The apparent non-sequitur threw the dark king for a loop. “I— what?”

“You asked if I even had a plan to begin with,” Discord remarked, filing the talons of his eagle foreclaw with a glittering purple hoof file. “I’m not exactly fond of that ‘plan’ word, it implies too much organization, too much association with dear old Twilight.” He pause to turn and stare quite directly at nothing on the far wall, adding in a conspiratorial stage whisper, “Really, that should be her special talent, don’t you think?” Before Sombra could fully make sense of this bizarre behavior, Discord addressed him again, pointing with the file. “You see old chum, I don’t plan, I scheme. Much more available wiggle room. Plus if the scheme gets foiled, no panic or distress on my part. It’s far more practical.”

“Mm, if you say so, I suppose I’ll take your word for it,” Sombra said. “So tell me something.”

“Yyyeeesss?” his company asked in a tone of false sweetness. “How can I help you, Your Phantasmagorical Majesty?”

“Are you trying to avoid the princesses now that your scheme to ‘party-crash’ with me has completely been derailed?”

Discord’s ears snapped up and his eyes widened like a cornered animal. A second later he flung the file out of sight, a too-wide grin on his face. “A-haaa, I’m not sure I know what you’re talking about,” he answered. Sombra snorted and rolled his eyes.

“Naturally,” he agreed sarcastically. He looked away and yet again his eye fell upon the vein of light blue crystal. Of course! He’d almost forgotten thanks to the abrupt appearance of the chaos-bringer. Regardless of the distraction, the crystal still hummed and reacted to his presence. Ignoring Discord for the moment, he moved toward the vein, transfixed. He needed to know what was causing this to occur. A simple spell should do the trick…

There was a sharp, painful yank on his tail.

“Weren’t you listening to me earlier? It’s not like you’ve got an excuse like ‘oh, I don’t have ears’. Here, need me to spell it out nice and slow for you?” Discord asked before leaning in uncomfortably close and all but shouting in his ears. “I— wouldn’t— do— that— if— I— were— you.”

Sombra jerked his tail free in indignant rage, horn glowing with the dark, sparking smoke of his magic as he aimed it at Discord’s throat. “How dare you grab my tail like that?! I am a king; you ought to have learned to respect my personal space by now!”

“Yeesh, touchy,” Discord huffed, pulling back. “And here was kind old Dissy, just trying to help you out. Learn to take a favor, Spooky! Look, I don’t get the whole fixation you’ve got with crystals, but you might wanna think twice before you got casting spells in this place. No telling if Their Highnesses can detect that and think you’re up to something, after all.”

Begrudgingly the unicorn backed off, releasing his anger and his magic slowly. Really, the draconequus had a fair point. Perhaps some of the magic in these crystals came from enchantments placed there. Luna and Celestia could be looking in on them right now. He growled low, struggling to get his irritation under control.

“I hate that you have a point.”

“Yes, most ponies do,” Discord said, nodding amicably. “What’s with that, anyway, your little fascination with crystals? Aside from having ruled the Crystal Empire once and all that?”

Sombra regarded him with cautious interest. It was rare enough anypony asked him personal questions, Luna being the most recent exception otherwise. Rarer still did he ever get questioned about his affinity for crystals. He supposed nopony cared to consider that, likely because they were too afraid of him to ever give much thought to anything beyond getting away. And much as the draconequus didn’t lend himself to a serious manner, something in Discord’s voice sounded genuine when he asked about the connection. Sighing, Sombra took a second to compose himself before relaxing and clearing his throat.

“What do you know about unicorn magic? Anything at all?”

“Eh, can’t say I’ve ever really cared to know. But I figured I’d ask because nobody else seems to know why you’re obsessed with the dratted things. Besides, isn’t that what friends are for?”

Sombra gave a small shake of his head before he said anything further. Really, Discord was incredible if he already considered them to be friends! Sombra had never truly had any real friends in his life, not that he could recall, and he certainly didn’t know the first thing about being one.

Remarkable, he thought. Truly incredible.

Somewhere on the edge of his hearing, the crystals in the cavern gave small chimes, encouraging and comforting.

Audience

Author's Note

Fair warning that the Fourth Wall is down for repairs. I am not sorry.

Audience

The following day found Luna a bundle of nervous anxiety and mixed emotions once again. Thankfully she was able to maintain her outward poise, giving the impression of a collected calm she didn’t fully feel. But with so many ponies depending on her and Celestia, looking to them for reassurance, that false calm came to the Princess of the Night fairly easily.

Truthfully most of the ponies in Canterlot and throughout Equestria didn’t know quite the same level of panic at Sombra’s appearance that the Crystal Empire would, but word of Twilight Sparkle, Spike, and their friends’ journey to the Crystal Empire had gotten around. Those ponies who had visited the Empire since its return were sure to have learned of the unicorn king’s reign of terror.

After the events of last night in an effort to avoid much more unrest, Celestia was planning to make a public address to reassure their subjects that they would come to no harm. Luna wasn’t so sure how well this would work. Their niece Cadence must have gotten word somehow or else had some sort of premonition about what happened, as a messenger had arrived earlier with an urgent letter from her to Celestia. The princesses had yet to read it, but that alone didn’t bode well.

“What do you think?” Luna asked.

“About Cadence’s letter?” Celestia said absently as they strode side-by-side on their way to address those who had gathered in the heart of the city proper. “I don’t know, but I hope to read it as soon as possible once we have stepped away after this. I have hope there is no immediate danger posed, but we’ll need to be sure regardless. Still, we should speak with our subjects first.”

“I agree we should hold to that,” Luna lowered her voice to a murmur as they neared the square. “There isn’t any way that these things are unrelated. I can feel it in the very core of my being.”

Celestia didn’t respond immediately but Luna could sense her elder sister was pondering this intently. Their guard procession let them toward the center of a large crowd that had gathered to hear them, and Luna felt a brief spike of social anxiety again. She would have to stand up before all of these subjects and give them reassurance that wall would be well, reassurance that she wasn’t even sure she genuinely felt herself. But as she helped her sister magically conjure a raised platform on which they would stand, the feeling diminished. Instead a sense of duty rose in its place, lending her a sort of clarity and an anchor. She could do this. She would do this, for the sake of all ponies looking to their princesses for assurance. As one the two stepped up onto the platform and stood in its center, and Luna looked out at all the waiting faces, calm in her armor of dutiful spirit.

Immediately a buzz grew in the crowd as those gathered started to voice concerns. But at a gesture from Celestia they quieted, ready to listen to what they had to say.

“My little ponies,” the Princess of the Day spoke to them, her head held high and her bearing regal. “We are here because doubtless many of you witnessed the appearance of King Sombra at last night’s Grand Galloping Gala. This came as a shock to us as much as it did to all of you. For now we would ask that you please don’t panic. The situation shall be dealt with.”

Uneasy looks were exchanged between many of those gathered. None of them had any reason to doubt their princess’s words, but this was still the fallen unicorn king they were speaking of. Luna stepped forward, ready to speak. They would need to hear from both of their rulers on a united front.

“King Sombra is being kept under guard,” she announced. “He is being heavily monitored at all times until we can conclude what to do to resolve this situation. Please do not be afraid, dear ponies. We will not let any harm come to you.”

Many still seemed uncertain but at least now some measure of relief was starting to take hold of the crowd. The two sisters glanced to one another, shared a brief nod, and looked to their subjects as one.

“Together there is no threat we cannot overcome,” Celestia promised. “With the aid of the Elements of Harmony, we will ensure the safety of everypony.”

Now they were truly beginning to take the words to heart, and Luna could feel the weight on her own troubled mind ease. Yes, Tia was right. Together they would protect Equestria, just as they always had before, and there was nothing to fear.

Yet still…

She thought back to before, reflecting upon how foolishly she had believed the tale Sombra spun about the Changelings. Sweet, cool night air and her tapestry of stars were as clear in her mind’s eye as they had been during that excursion. She remembered talking with the unicorn king, running alongside him, wearing his royal cape, laughing with him… beginning to fall for him.

She thought she’d been well on her way to getting over what had happened. But then Discord had thrown a wrench in the gala last night and that same wrench derailed all the progress Luna was sure she had made. She had barely looked at the dark king before a knot of tangled emotions suddenly burned in her chest. Progress? No, she hadn’t made any whatsoever.

Celestia had promised they would keep their subjects safe, and doubtless together they could. Luna just wasn’t sure anymore if that meant she would be safe as well.

“Lu-lu?” her elder sister whispered once they turned to depart from the gathered crowd. Luna stepped down from the platform, wondering how best to approach the subject. Celestia followed, banishing their spell, and a shower of golden sparkles blew around Luna’s legs as the platform vanished. The escort guard followed, keeping close enough to maintain order and decorum but still keeping a respectful distance.

“I am just worried, Tia,” she replied softly. “This entire thing could go quite poorly. And I do not wish to be hurt again.”

There was a pause, and she knew her sister was also worrying… worrying for her. She always had, even when Luna hadn’t believed she did. Not for the first time she wondered what her sister’s thoughts were on everything that had transpired. Celestia had been angry when she rescued Luna from the Changeling court but that was openly directed at Sombra, Queen Chrysalis less so. But did any of that anger originally stem from how the Princess of the Day must have felt about her younger sister releasing the tyrant king from his imprisonment? Was she still upset with Luna in any way?

“Sister,” Celestia murmured. “I am here for you, always. Whatever happens, I will be by your side. You don’t need to go through this alone.”

These at last were the words Luna needed to hear to gain some measure of reassurance and comfort. Her big sister always knew how to assuage her fears. Exhaling a breath gently, Luna looked up and gave her sibling a small, hesitant smile.

“Thank you. That means more to me right now than anypony can possibly imagine.”

The two had barely advanced another two strides when Celestia abruptly stopped, turning to look over her shoulder. Luna slowed down, glancing to her sister in puzzlement as Celestia frowned.

“Sister?” she asked. “Is something wrong?”

The Princess of the Day didn’t answer her immediately; her eyes flicked back and forth at the dwindling crowd behind them. Luna tried to follow her gaze, looking back. Was something amiss? Nothing appeared off.

“Sister?” she prompted again.

“It’s nothing,” Celestia replied a bit absently. “I just thought for a moment there were unfriendly eyes watching us.”

A chill ran through Luna. Unfriendly eyes? She would have to return to accompanying the night watch patrols soon and alert them to be vigilant. Of course it could be nothing… but Luna wasn’t going to dismiss her sister’s uneasiness as “nothing”.

“I suppose I’m just jumping at shadows,” Celestia finally stated, though it was evident she wasn’t wholly convinced.

“I don’t know about that,” Luna whispered as she kept pace with her. “Sometimes the darkest shadows have a way of lingering.”

***

Sombra wasn’t sure how much time had passed when the escort guard finally arrived to bring him up to his audience with the princesses. Perhaps too much time spent in the oubliette had dulled his sense of it. It could be any point in the day, or the night. The thought that they might have kept him waiting too long was irksome regardless.

There was an initial awkward pause in which his escorts shuffled uneasily and wouldn’t let him advance, and when he finally demanded in irritation what the problem was, one of the armored ponies cleared his throat and spoke up.

“It is customary for you to submit to a temporary magic-nullification spell,” he explained. “As it is for all unicorns who come forward for questioning. It’s simply procedure, sir.”

“Hmph! I thought this was an audience, not an interrogation,” Sombra snorted, bristling, but he lowered his horn an inch or two anyway. If he had been aware they would force indignities like this upon him, he might have insisted to Discord on being left in the oubliette. He was a king, and the fact everypony continually seemed to forget that only served to make his mood more sour. As he mulled over his irritation, the unicorns among the escort deftly wove together a spell directed at him and once they had released their magic, the spell latched onto him. The effect settled over the unicorn king like a heavy, damp blanket, a sensation he did his best to ignore. If he wanted to put forth the effort, he was sure he could break the spell of his own willpower, but then where would that leave him?

“Ah, the things you’re willing to do to talk to Princess Moody-Moon again,” a voice purred somewhere around his left shoulder. His gaze flicked to the side and he wondered why he was even surprised to find the draconequus grinning at him. “Really, I’m impressed! Nopony can say you haven’t got moxie, Spooky-Boots!”

The guards all made various shouts of alarm, which amounted to a rather poor harmony of “It’s Discord!” The subject in question made a small huff in response, looking thoroughly affronted.

“Really guys, you’re still doing that? Come on, lighten up a little. After all, now that I’ve made myself a main character in the story, I deserve a more positive round of recognition,” he remarked with a bit of a sniff.

“What?” Sombra said, perplexed. “What in the world are you even talking about?”

“Riiiight, right-right-right,” Discord quickly amended, flinging an arm over Sombra’s shoulders in a manner that was quickly becoming habitual. “You’re absolutely right, I’m closer to the plucky sidekick role, except I’m your wingman.”

Sombra blinked, not quite processing any of the nonsensical jargon Discord was spewing. It seemed the longer he spent around him, the less and less sense the draconequus made. Finally Sombra managed a cautious, “N-o. Arm off of me, please.”

“Whatever you say, Spooky-Boots,” Discord said in cheery reply, before promptly frowning at the guards still watching the scene unfold. “Aren’t we headed to see the princesses? What is wrong with you ponies? Chop-chop!”

A sudden urge to laugh nearly overtook Sombra and he immediately strangled a chuckle that tried to escape him. Quickly attempting to regain his composure he glanced away, trying to hide any evidence of a sense of humor. As he did so, he noticed the glow from the crystals wink across his armor, and a thought struck him.

“Wait,” he said. “Hold on just a moment.” And without waiting for a response he proceeded to kick the armored boots from his hooves. Once his hooves were free, he struggled with the plate mail over his chest. Truthfully he couldn’t remember the last time he hadn’t worn the armor. It just felt like part of him by this point. He had just worked it loose when he heard Discord exclaim “Oooh, here!” and with a click and a pop the plate mail vanished, reappearing seconds later near his boots.

“Thank you,” he said in a quiet mumble, suddenly feeling extremely self-conscious. He nodded to the guards and they set off, traveling back up the path they had taken down here the night before. Sombra noticed his body felt much lighter than it had in ages, and indeed his strides were quicker now. Had the armor really been that much of a hindrance to him?

“So why the sudden change in fashion statement?” Discord asked, floating alongside him. At this the guards shifted, flicking their ears or glancing back briefly. They were, Sombra realized, subtly trying to listen in and see what his answer would be. He thought about it, only to come to the realization he didn’t have a reason for leaving the armor behind.

“I don’t really know,” he answered. “It just seemed like the right thing to do.”

Discord gave a hum of uncertainty but offered no further thoughts on the matter. Really it was a welcome relief. Sombra didn’t think he minded the quirky fellow so much, but he did tend to prattle on.

The remainder of their walk to the throne room went by in relative silence. Once they had ascended to the hallways, the warm glow of mid-morning sunlight filtered in through the windows. Perhaps the princesses hadn’t put off their audience with him for very long after all. This time he looked around more openly, taking what precious few moments of opportunity he had to study the various decorations. Something about the Canterlot royal palace gave off a comforting sense of peace and security as much as it emanated quiet regality. A sort of tranquil calm stole over Sombra and he slowly relaxed. It had been so long since he had appreciated any palace. What would it be like to get lost exploring this one? Perhaps he would find a library. Surely they had to have an enchanted library.

“We’ve arrived,” one of the guards announced as they approached a towering set of double doors. The procession slowed to a halt and Sombra stared, steadying himself. This was it, wasn’t it? He had no idea what lay in store for him during this audience.

But if she’s here… if she’ll just speak to me…

Then everything up to that point would be worth it, he was certain of it.

The doors opened before them and he was led into a long chamber at the end of which sat two raised thrones. The guards announced him formally, an unnecessary detail but one he appreciated regardless. The figures seated at the thrones watched with neutral expressions as he and the guards entered. Everypony immediately tensed and the sensation of being on edge was palpable throughout the throne room. In spite of this Sombra barely noticed their tension. He only had eyes for one mare present.

They finally came to a halt before the two thrones, the guards bowing before their princesses and then quickly withdrawing. Teal and magenta eyes studied the unicorn king, and he gave them a half-bow out of somewhat begrudging courtesy.

“King Sombra,” Celestia spoke in carrying tones. “My sister and I thank you for your cooperation. It is appreciated. However now that you are here, the matter of you being free of your imprisonment must be discussed.”

Instinctively he began to bristle. If they thought they were going to put him back in the oubliette, they were wrong. He was about to say as much when he looked toward Luna and found himself hesitating beneath her gaze. Drawing in a deep breath he calmed himself, exhaling in a long sigh before speaking.

“If it is all the same to you, Your Highnesses,” he replied, managing a civil tone, “I have no desire to go back to the oubliette and wait millenia again for a breath of fresh air.”

There was a long pause following in which he studied Celestia’s expression. After several long moments, she spoke again, her words carefully measured.

“You were very sincere last night in your apology,” she began, and Luna glanced away to stare off at nothing as her sister continued. “I wouldn’t have expected it of you. Still, I’m sure you can understand why we’re hesitant to trust you’ve turned over a new leaf.”

He gave a nod, looking to Luna in hopes she might speak or at the very least give some indication of how she was feeling. But his efforts were in vain, for she continued to stare off to the side at nothing, as though for all the world she wasn’t aware this discussion was even taking place. Sombra’s spirits sank, and the weight of the magic-nullification spell grew heavier upon him. Absently he felt the sharp, cold pain stab behind his ribcage again, and almost missed what Celestia said next.

“We would like however, to extend to you the chance to prove to us you’re changing.”

“And how might I go about proving such a thing to you?” he asked.

“Of that, I believe I shall leave it to you to best figure out how to prove your true intentions to us,” she answered with a frown, and if he wasn’t very much mistaken, he could have sworn she looked suspicious again. “But to this end you won’t be returned to the oubliette. At least not for now.”

Relief washed over him but it was dulled by the sting of Luna’s affected indifference. Still, he managed to regain his composure and bow his head graciously.

“You have my deepest thanks,” he responded solemnly.

“I regret to say that you won’t be allowed to roam completely free,” Celestia pointed out in a stern tone, and Sombra was briefly, albeit strongly reminded of his mother. “You will be supervised and escorted wherever you go, at least until you’ve proven yourself trustworthy.”

Once she got the sentence out, Discord finally broke his bizarre silence. Zipping right up next to Sombra, he startled everyone by announcing loudly, “Me! I wanna do it! I already called dibs.” Sombra caught a glimpse of the surprise in Celestia’s expression before the sides of his face were abruptly seized and his head yanked about to nearly bump snouts with the draconequus. “We. Are going to be. BEST. FRIENDS.”

“No,” the unicorn responded reflexively, giving Discord the most withering stare he could manage under the circumstances.

“Actually, given Discord’s recent reformation himself, perhaps that isn’t such a terrible idea,” Celestia said slowly, as though trying to convince herself of the possibility as much as everypony else. “It may help you as well as Discord to show how far you’ve each come.”

“And at any rate,” Luna murmured, drawing their attention, “somehow I think Discord will make it a point to follow Sombra around regardless. If he is going to, better to have him do so with permission, yes sister?”

Sombra blinked in shock as Discord let out a small squeal and repeated “BEST. FRIENDS.” Were they actually serious? They wanted Discord to be accountable for him? Were they hoping to drive him deliriously mad by doing so? Really, what did anypony think such a thing would accomplish?

“Precisely,” Celestia said with a grave nod. “It could do you both some good. I will be expecting updates on your progress, Discord.”

The dark stallion let out an uneasy groan as the chaos spirit nodded enthusiastically. Sombra was hardly looking forward to this. Though he tried to tell himself he could be worse off as far as being “free” went, he wasn’t sure how that could be right at this moment.

“Do you have any questions, King Sombra?” Celestia asked, and at this, Luna’s gaze slid onto him in spite of her attempts to remain aloof. He swallowed over the knot in his throat. Did he even have an answer to the question? He couldn’t think of— no, wait… there was one question he had. He couldn’t leave without asking; it would be torture not to ask it.

“Please,” he said as gently as he could, hearing his voice quaver. “Will you speak to me again, Princess of the Night?”

Luna finally turned her head to face him, her gaze piercing into the very core of his being. Once again a long silence descended, and the rest of the world and everypony in it vanished from sight. There was only her and the distance that stood between them. A small eternity passed as he waited, hoping she would answer in the affirmative. Finally her shoulders shifted as she drew her wings more tightly against her sides and addressed him.

“I must resume my duties this evening and accompany the Night Guard as they make their patrol around the palace grounds and the city gates,” she declared coolly. Without waiting for a dismissal she rose from her throne and descended, striding across the floor. As she neared him, she added, “Typically I follow my own route along the areas we usually patrol, by myself. I pass by the entrance to this throne room when I head out to do so. I will wait outside these doors for five minutes. After that I must carry on and do what is required of me.”

With a tiny sigh, Sombra hung his head and whispered a quick word of thanks. He had been hoping for more. At the moment though, he was willing to take anything, however minuscule, she would offer him.

The Dreamscape

The darkness turned into a strange, slow freefall, warm summer winds rushing around him. Sombra attempted to balance himself and keep his hooves disentangled, but the motions did little other than give the impression of treading in deep water. Confused and mildly alarmed, he moved faster and yet continued his fall in the same manner, his efforts making no change. Looking below, a faint glow emanated beneath him just as a soft, rhythmic rushing sound filled his ears. He drifted further and further down towards the glow, until he slowed almost to a halt, a dark object floating to rest beneath him. With surreal delicacy, his hooves touched down on wooden planks that rocked gently under his weight.

Soft laughter echoed around him and rippled outward. Sombra pricked his ears forward, trying to discern from the sound where Princess Luna was. But he only saw soft, tiny lights glittered like a shower of stars, raining down around the boat he stood in. With a start, he recalled Luna’s earlier remark about often considering the dreamscape as a vast river, and wondered if it was manifesting for him this way in response to the princess’s thoughts.

Or was it due to the force of her will it manifested so?

It seems I still continue to underestimate you, he thought, gaze following the ebbing waters of the luminescent river in awe.

“Your honesty is refreshing. While I normally dislike being underestimated, I believe I shall take that as a compliment.”

A shiver raced along the length of his spine as he turned and saw her gliding alongside the vessel, the tiny starlights shimmering in the folds of her wings.

“I—” he faltered, stunned.

“Apologies, Sombra,” she said with a sincere nod, “but I hear most every thought somepony has in the dreamscape.”

That explained her initial remark. He nearly responded, but her confirmation of where they were prompted him to turn his attention once more to the winding path before them. In the distance, he thought he saw vague shapes of many other boats carrying ponies, just visible in the glow of the dream river.

“You amaze me; I never should have doubted your knowledge of this place,” he remarked. Squinting at the vague silhouettes, he asked, “Am I seeing your subjects?”

“Yes,” Luna replied, “and no. They are sleeping, and they are dreaming. You are seeing the shadows of their dreams around them. This is why they appear faded, just out of view.”

The current of the dream river did not appear to flow any faster, but Sombra had the impression it somehow was, for they drew closer to the other boats and the glow of the river danced and rippled around them. The nearest gondola carried a young unicorn mare with a gleaming white coat and a carefully styled mane. Ghostly images flickered about her vessel, and Sombra caught glimpses of bolts of fabric, elegant clothing, and other ponies praising and admiring her work. Glancing away he caught sight of another boat nearby, carrying a unicorn filly with dreams of adventures with two close friends, the scenery changing all around them as they played.

As he studied them, a thought occurred to the unicorn king. “Surely I won’t disturb them as we pass?”

“No, they are unaware of our presence among them,” Luna answered in a cautious voice, looking away from him to stare at nothing in particular. He thought there was something in the way she spoke, something that was off, but his attention became caught by more shapes ahead of them. They were encountering more and more of the small gondolas, and the ghostly shapes of many dreams were filling the air like so many shadows trying to be seen.

Cakes and baked goods, sweets of every kind imaginable. Winning contests, being in a spotlight. Time spent with close companions, friends, warm and happy moments with lovers. The changing of seasons and what unique joy each different pony felt about those seasons. For the way the entire kingdom of Equestria was settling down and resting in the warm embrace of sleep and the nighttime, somehow it still managed to be so painfully bright to look upon.

Sombra recoiled, abruptly aware of how apart from it all he was. A sudden desire to wrap himself in several shadows and take an incorporeal form was overwhelming. Why was he here? Why was she showing him this? Any of this?! He had no place among those things. He never had… hadn’t he?

“Sombra?” Luna’s voice sounded distant, muffled. The ghost-silhouettes of the dreams blurred in his vision and he closed his eyes, trying to breathe deep and steady himself.

“Why are you showing me this?” he whispered, his own voice sounding faint in his ears. “Why did you bring me here?”

It was too bright, too happy, too peaceful. The gentle laughter of dreamers mocked him, mocked him in a way he couldn’t explain, and he shut his eyes even tighter, flattening his ears against his skull.

Stop, just stop.

“Sombra,” Luna murmured coaxingly. “Open your eyes. Please, open them.”

Hesitantly he shook his head—or tried to, for the next moment he felt the wooden berth of the boat shiver and ripple beneath his hooves. Gasping, eyes flying open, he looked down in time to see the gondola vanish and a path of shimmering golden dust materialize before him. Luna was already walking down the path ahead, but she paused and looked back over her shoulder, beckoning him to follow. Dazed, he started walking after her even before he realized he was doing so. The shapes around him seemed to slowly fade into existence, their forms like trees, and briefly he recalled mentioning something about the dreamscape being a dark, shadowed forest in all his imagining.

Was the dreamscape fluid? Did it change based on what somepony dreamed? The idea made the temporary panic flee his mind, but it was already starting to creep back in on him. He tried to push it back, trying to focus on what was changing around him when the thundering of galloping hooves behind him sounded in his ears. A chill wind brushed his sides, frost crackling up his armor, and a powerful sense of alarm seized hold of him.

“Sombra?” Luna’s voice was worried, frightened, but she was nowhere to be seen and the thundering hooves grew louder and louder.

He broke into a gallop. The path of golden dust kicked up around his legs as he ran…but no, it wasn’t dust. He ran through a trail of dead leaves, and every step crushed and crunched as he raced away from the pounding hoofbeats that gave chase.

Faster, faster!

The path changed again and turned silvery-white, glimmering defiantly against the growing stretch of shadows that followed the unicorn king with every stride. He had no time to wonder why, for his legs gave way and betrayed him. He fell and slid on the ice, unable to catch his breath as he was pulled down a steep incline.

“Sombra!”

Control. He had to fight for control. Desperately he tried to shift his legs, to slow the descent—

—and found he could not move them. He was sliding at dangerous speeds, unable to move or control his body, and he was without Luna to aid him. He glanced downward to the end of the path, hoping he would see some sign of her.

There was something waiting for him, patiently watching his helplessness and growing terror, but it wasn’t the Princess of the Night. A gigantic spectre, robed in a tattered death-cloak, stared from a face unseen in the darkness of its cowl as the ice bore Sombra to it.

Fear clutched at his chest with icy talons, yet almost instantly a burning spike of anger shot through him. Anger at his fear, anger that he should be made to feel fear, anger that he couldn’t fully understand all the reasons he felt it. But there was no time to think or act as the death-spectre’s cowl loomed larger and larger, ready to swallow him whole.

“Wake up, Sombra!”

He slid and slid, and the shadows raced to his side as oblivion yawned before him in hungry anticipation.

Waves and lightning.

Something jolted his ribcage and his eyes flew open, a ragged gasp tearing free of his mouth as he woke. Shock still had a hold on him, and his senses slowly filtered back in, delaying his ability to process anything.

The waking world was still dark, but he couldn’t see starlight anywhere. Water bubbled and trickled somewhere nearby, reflecting a light that wasn’t the moon. The soft blue glow of Luna’s magic was the only illumination he could immediately see, casting a gentle light about her worried face.

“Sombra?” she prompted warily, a skeptical frown coming over her face.

After a few seconds his mind cleared, and he remembered the stroll through the palace grounds and gardens, the secret path she had shown him, and seeing the spring she called the origin point of the dream river. She had bespelled him to sleep, to show him something, but the dream was slipping away from him rapidly, and what fragments he was able to hold onto left him confused. What had she been trying to show him?

“How often do you have bad dreams?”

“Dreams?” he asked. “Surely you would have surmised by now I dream rarely, if ever in this hollow existence I have. Why?” He moved to stand, and met resistance at his sides. Puzzled, he looked about to see what was surrounding him, and the light from Luna’s horn danced off enormous, jagged black crystals that towered above them both. Sombra’s mouth fell open as he eased himself up, edging out of the nest of crystals that had arisen around him.

“Because,” Luna replied solemnly, “I believe you just had a very bad one.”

Sombra could only stare and feel the crystal formation give off a low, angry buzz. In spite of his previous statement he was inclined to agree, and as he thought that, another tiny shiver of fear ran down his spine. Instantly a second revelation hit him, and he turned to look the mare in the eye.

“Hold on,” he said slowly. “Princess, your words just now… Do you mean you could not see my dream?”

Author's Note

This chapter went through four freaking drafts before I was satisfied. Did a fair bit of research into dream interpretation and symbolism to try to help myself pick the imagery I wanted to convey, and asked around for some advice on writing dream sequences in a story. I think in the end it paid off. I'm really happy with this chapter. Big thanks to Ice for Beta-reading!!

Nightfall

It seemed a small eternity until nightfall, with the afternoon stretching on in a lazy, endless way. Part of Sombra wondered if perhaps Princess Luna wasn’t trying to delay on the promise to talk to him. Eventually however, the sun did sink below the horizon and dusk unfolded in the sky over Equestria. He watched out of one of the windows, heaving a sigh as the sky began to darken to a plum color. Was he relieved or anxious now that the time had come? He couldn’t really say for certain; perhaps it was a combination of the two. The anticipation of speaking with her was almost as awful as the anticipation of not getting the chance to speak with her.

With a deep sigh, he abandoned the fur-lined cape for the evening, donning a hooded traveling cloak in its place. A message had been sent to him earlier during the day, encouraging the switch for the night stroll in order to minimize the amount of ponies who might recognize him and cause a stir. He had almost gotten indignant on the topic— why should only he go out in disguise?— but decided against it in the end. There was wisdom in the decision and besides that, he had no way of knowing whether or not Luna might not also disguise herself. The last thing he wanted was to jeopardize this opportunity.

He slipped the cloak over his shoulders and pulled the cowl down as far as it could go before his horn protruded beyond its hem. Turning to give himself a once-over in a mirror, Sombra relaxed a little. He was certain that he would mostly go unnoticed by all except the most vigilant of ponies. Stealing another glance at the darkening sky, the unicorn king breathed deep and exited the room he’d been waiting in to hurry to the doors of the throne room.

His passage remained unhindered the entire way there. True, on occasion he would catch glimpses of other ponies at the end of distant halls or inside rooms with open doors, but he moved unbarred and nopony tried to interact with him at all. A part of him wondered if perhaps this wasn’t somehow Luna’s doing, if she had made it so this was possible. In the event she didn’t drop some sort of hint about it, he resolved to ask her directly. Of course the other possibility was that Celestia or Discord had prevented anypony from getting in his path, but somehow this felt less likely. Sombra had enough measure of the draconequus’s personality by now to know Discord wouldn’t help him without making sure the unicorn knew who was behind that help. And as far as Celestia was concerned, well…

“You hurt somepony who deserved better than this callous betrayal. I think at the very least you should know what that pony thinks of you.”

The elder Alicorn’s soft words, barely masking the upset she felt on her sister’s behalf, still rang cold in the unicorn’s ears. Much as he was loathe to admit anything that could be seen as weakness, he came to the conclusion Celestia was the last pony he would ever want to cross. He barely recalled much interaction with the Alicorn sisters when they had first wielded the Elements of Harmony against him over a thousand years ago and at that time, he thought very little about the two princesses.

Controlling upstarts. They’re seeking to expand their own rule as well! And now they’ve come to claim my Crystal Empire!

Such had been his thoughts at the time.

And then upon his interactions with Princess Luna he realized both princesses were trusting and forgiving to a fault.

“I was a fool,” he whispered into the soft light that illuminated the halls with its glow. Seeing the double doors to the throne room ahead, he trekked toward them, stopping to sit and wait when he was within a few strides of their shadow.

I was a fool to assume anything about either of them.

He waited, consumed by the silence and his thoughts. Strange, really. He had done the same when he was in the oubliette, and yet this was different somehow. Was it the atmosphere of this place, all of the positivity in the air?

“Halt! Who goes there?”

He looked up to see two armored night guards approaching from around a bend in the hall. Neither appeared to have recognized him yet, and he hesitated at the thought of lowering his cowl. It would be the simplest solution, it would reaffirm his rank above mere commoners…and yet he had the strong impression he shouldn’t do it.

If this is a test, I’ve no intention of failing it. Not with the chance to speak to Luna still before me.

Thankfully introductions were made unnecessary the moment the guards’ catlike eyes spotted his curved horn.

“Oh,” one of them spoke sourly, scowling. “It’s you.”

He bristled beneath the cloak but bit his tongue.

“Her Highness will be along shortly,” the other guard informed him. “She mentioned you would be accompanying her for the initial patrol tonight.”

Sombra relaxed fractionally and gave him a small nod. He managed a curt “thank-you” in response for the sake of displaying a courteous and grateful air. It was difficult not to feel they were slighting him and not hiding their suspicion as they continued on their way, but that couldn’t be helped. After all when he came into power, wasn’t this what he had always wanted? Power through the manipulation of everypony’s fear and hatred?

“I never knew how lonely it would be,” he whispered to himself into the stillness.

“What is lonely?”

He spun around in surprised, stunned to find Luna approaching him. Her hoofsteps were so soft to the point they couldn’t be heard on the carpeted floor and the glow of the lights softened around her, giving the hall a comforting atmosphere. For a few seconds Sombra found he couldn’t think to formulate a response for her. The way she appeared in this moment was as breathtaking and beautiful as when he had seen her raise the moon, and he wished to capture the moment in his mind forever.

“Power,” he finally replied. “There is something about power that is lonely, I believe, looking at it all in retrospect.”

Teal eyes studied him carefully, her expression guarded. “Interesting,” she remarked noncommittally, and after a small pause she started to stride past him. He hesitated, not sure what to make of her statement, but he made to follow and kept a respectful distance behind her. Luna led him out of the palace through a side corridor down a hidden passage that opened out to a stone path through the royal gardens.

Outside the air was fresh and comfortable, not too warm but not chilly either. The world was colored with the deep blue shades of early nightfall and a soft, yellow-white moon was beginning to creep toward the top of the sky on its evening journey. The glow of moonbeams lent a quiet illumination to the garden, giving the flora a cast Sombra realized few ponies ever had the chance to witness. He slowed his stride, taking the opportunity to look out at the flowers, the ivy, and the carefully-tended topiaries.

“This is how you see the world,” he said to Luna, keeping his voice quiet. Her ears flicked back to hear him, and she too slowed down as she regarded the elegant grounds. He risked a glance and could have sworn he saw a small, tender smile flicker over her face.

“It is how I have always seen the world.”

“It is very beautiful, Princess.”

She returned his gaze and her smile slipped. It was as though she had just realized he was still walking with her—no, walking behind her—and wasn’t entirely pleased by the fact. Another cold, sharp jab in the hollow behind Sombra’s ribs hit as she turned away again, readjusting her wings beneath her cloak. She picked up her pace once more and he hastened to follow, determined to keep the chance to speak with her. Gradually the path through the gardens narrowed, walled in on either side by high hedgerows that appeared to close in on him more than the halls inside the palace had done. At the end of the path the stonework fell away and opened up to the border edge of a forest. Two more guards were patrolling around this point but they halted to acknowledge the approach of their princess.

Again Sombra slowed his pace in uncertainty. He was positive that Luna was willing to talk but the prospect of holding a private conversation with her while any guards were lingering around to overhear was less than comforting. He wanted to request they be left alone and given the respect they deserved, but he was given the impression demanding this openly would destroy the chance for conversation.

“Your Highness,” the guards intoned in sync as they bowed to Luna. Both raised their heads and cast suspicious glares Sombra’s way. He suppressed an abrupt surge of irritation. He wasn’t even doing anything, for pity’s sake! Thankfully Luna must have noticed something was wrong, as she looked from her guards to him and back again, lowering her hood.

“At ease,” she commanded them patiently. “King Sombra is my guest for the evening. I would speak with him as I walk.”

The distrust in their eyes never so much as wavered.

“Of course, Princess,” one of the two finally said in deference, bowing and stepping aside. His companion followed suit, allowing Luna and Sombra to advance unhindered, but the unicorn still felt their eyes on his back as he entered the forest behind the princess.

“They are suspicious of me,” he grumbled.

“Then walk up here next to me,” she offered, slowing down again in order for him to keep apace. “We can—and will be seen to actually be talking, so perhaps that will cut down on the unpleasant staring.”

He walked up next to her, the two of them falling into an easy, comfortable gait as they strode together. It occurred to Sombra this was not unlike before when they had journeyed into the Badlands together, and while he still felt a measure of guilt over his actions, he also realized how much he enjoyed this sort of companionship with the princess of the night.

“So, King Sombra,” she prompted. “What did you wish to speak to me about?”

“Uh…”

He hesitated. He had wanted to talk, yes, but hadn’t expected being put on the spot. Was she testing him or just being impatient?

“I…I confess I hadn’t given too much thought to regular conversation.”

“And why is that?”

“I believed it would require more time, effort and apologies before you felt comfortable with mundane subjects of discussion,” he confessed.

She seemed to ponder this point as she led their way through the densely-clustered trees. “That is not an entirely unfair concern to have,” she admitted. “I have been...uncertain regarding speaking with you.”

He nodded in defeat, hanging his head a bit.

“I believe this is good and necessary though,” she added. “We need to be clear on what happened if we ever hope to heal these wounds.”

“Be clear?” he echoed. “What do you mean by that? We are both keenly aware of what last happened between us.”

Luna came to a halt and looked him in the eye, her expression bitter and guarded.

“We both know what happened, I’m sure. But what I need to know, Sombra, is why it happened.”

“Why?” he repeated softly. He wanted to say he wasn’t sure what she meant, but the words wouldn’t come out. Instead a very condemning voice in his head sneered, No, you know exactly what she’s talking about.

Her eyes darkened, her face going colder.

“Why did you do it?” she murmured. “Why did you betray and attack me? Why did you just turn me over to Queen Chrysalis like a cheap bargaining chip?”

He backed up a step, stunned. “I…”

“Be honest,” she commanded. “Be warned that if you lie, then any chance you have at my personal forgiveness is lost.”

His body trembled, shaking ever so slightly under the weight of her threat. He could tell the truth—and if he wanted things to improve, he needed to—but would it be enough for her? The alternative was to lie, to make his reasoning seem more acceptable perhaps...but was it worth never being forgiven? Never being able to see or talk with her again?

Perhaps it’s time to try the truth then, he thought in resignation. Shame crept in and he wanted to lower his head, but with a great effort he held her gaze.

“I had assumed you had figured out what my plan was,” he said simply. “I knew you wouldn’t approve of attempting to launch an attack on the Changeling court and when I spotted you using your magic on the lake, I knew you had to be contacting somepony to help. If you were to delay me and launch a preemptive attack with the aid of your elder sister and the Bearers of the Elements of Harmony, then Chrysalis would have been none the wiser. You would have maintained your fragile illusion of peace with her court and imprisoned me once again. In the end I would have been back in the oubliette and forgotten again, never to rule or even see the outside world.”

Throughout his entire explanation she listened in stony silence. A chill ran through Sombra despite the warmth of the evening. Saying the words aloud, they somehow sounded even worse than they had in his head. But it was nonetheless the truth and she had wanted the truth from him. She had all but demanded it, so could she really blame him for what he said in honesty?

She won’t blame you for what you said, the nasty little voice at the back of his thoughts remarked. But she can certainly blame you even more for what you did. The truth is such a double-edged sword sometimes.

“I see,” she observed, her tone like frost. Sombra winced, but she wasn’t finished. “Let me guess—it was a logical line of thinking you had.”

He clamped his mouth shut and looked away, focusing his gaze on the trees nearby. Logic. Of course she would have remembered that from the story he told her before about his connection to the Crystal Heart. His words being thrown back at him stung, burrowing deep and gnawing at him like blood-sucking parasites. Working his mouth soundlessly for a moment, he finally nodded.

“Yes,” he confirmed. “Turning against you seemed the logical, tactical thing to do.”

Luna’s teal eyes narrowed, and a long silence passed between them both.

“I am sorry,” Sombra finally said, voice breaking a little under the strain. “What I did to you...was abhorrent, and it was wrong of me.”

The hard lines of her face seemed to soften at his apology and her ears pricked forward as she relaxed. She didn’t speak but the tension between them had somehow eased drastically. After a few more moments she resumed walking, tilting her head to indicate he should follow her, and he silently exhaled in relief. Perhaps she had accepted his apology?

No, that’s doubtful, he said to himself. Likely she hasn’t but at least it appears as though she’s considering it.

“Follow me,” she urged. “There is something that I feel you must see.”

Now that was strange. Was she trying to divert the subject? Did she not care about his apology? Or had she been planning something all this time? He followed with a mild sense of trepidation.

“You want to show me something? But why? What is it?”

“How often did you commune with your subjects, Sombra? As a prince or as a king?” she queries, keeping her eyes forward.

“My subjects? Hardly ever,” he answered with a puzzled frown. “They were beneath me, unworthy of having me walk among them like an equal. Why do you ask?”

“Because that is all the more reason why it is important that you see what I wish to show you.”

***

Night had fallen, the palace had been locked shut shut to the rest of Canterlot, and the vast majority of daily duties had ceased. Normally Celestia would have taken this time to relax and for the most part, she did feel a measure of calm at the end of this day. Still, that sense of calm was tempered by familial worry that refused to completely leave her.

How is their talk going? she wondered.

King Sombra’s purported regret was an uncertainty in her mind, though he did genuinely seem to want to speak with Luna. If he did regret what he had done to her sister—and Celestia had little doubt showing the witch-king unicorn Luna’s writings about him played no small part in that matter—then that called into question the claim that the Crystal Heart was in fact, his own heart. Surely he couldn’t feel such strong emotions or conviction if his heart had been removed? And yet…Cadence’s letter.

Celestia moved her horn in a quick, circular motion and the letter in questions appeared before her, held aloft by her magic. She unfurled the parchment, looking over its contents again with a worried frown.

It was small, barely noticeable Cadence insisted, but undeniable: the Crystal Heart was chipping away in tiny fragments here and there. She and her husband Shining Armor had cast an interwoven nexus of spells to contain any fragments that chipped off, and a powerful barrier kept anyone but Princess Cadence from getting too close to the Heart. Still they were worried, and a low key uneasiness was building in the ponies living in the Crystal Empire. Truly, who could blame them? Celestia looked away from the words on the paper, glancing out her window and looking up at the soft, glowing moon.

There is no possible way these two things are unrelated. But what could be done to restore the Crystal Heart? What happens if Sombra learns of what is happening to it? Does he already know? Surely he must if his claim is true.

The thought had crossed her mind before that the dark unicorn might know what was happening to the enchanted talisman that safeguarded his former kingdom. Perhaps he even knew how to save the Crystal Heart and restore it to its former state; he was reputed to be knowledgeable about crystal magic, possibly more than anypony ever had been. Whether or not he would be cooperative, even if he did know, was another matter entirely.

Thinking back to Twilight Sparkle’s account of what happened the first time she went to the Crystal Empire, Celestia recalled Twilight saying there were all manner of dark spells, curses and trap enchantments in her way to prevent anypony from getting to the hidden artifact. King Sombra had not wanted the Heart found and had gone to great lengths to safeguard it. They couldn’t be sure his stance on that hadn’t changed.

Yet they kept coming back to the point he said the Crystal Heart was his own heart. What did that mean for the land he once ruled, the land that depended on the talisman’s power to protect it? What did it mean for him, with what that hinted about his past? What was more, if Celestia recalled her sister’s words truly, then Luna believed the witch-king was afraid of reuniting with his heart. Yet what would he think if he knew of Crystal Heart’s deterioration? Could he be behind it or was it something else, something to do with the hint of change inside Sombra?

Celestia sighed heavily and released her magic, returning the letter from her niece back to where she kept it hidden. Too many questions and so far, no answers. When Luna returned, the two of them would need to set aside time and brainstorm on the matter. For now though, the princess of the sun needed a small distraction to take her mind off of worry.

“The cure for this,” she said to herself aloud, “is some tea and a snack cake.”

Strolling to the door, she exited her chambers with a casual gait, nodding to the guards outside patrolling the halls.

“At ease, my little ponies,” she said warmly.

“Do you need anything, Your Highness?” one asked, trotting toward her. “How can we assist you?”

“Don’t worry,” she assured him. “You have nothing to be concerned about. I was just planning to head down to the kitchen for a small snack.”

“But Your Highness, wouldn’t that spoil your supper?”

Celestia tried not to look too startled by this observation and she chewed her lower lip. She’d been so lost in thought she’d forgotten supper would be within the next half hour. Oops.

“Oh! You’re absolutely right. Thank you; I shall have to tell the cook to delay my supper. It had slipped my mind just a bit.”

“You’re welcome, Princess,” the guard said humbly. She smiled, thanking him again, and strolled down the hall to head toward the palace kitchens.

Gradually she started relaxing again, but it was to be short-lived. She had made her way down two more halls when a sense of unease slowed her hoofsteps. Coming to a half, she looked all around her, trying to find any sign of something out of place. Nothing seemed unusual.

Yet the sensation of eyes on her back was difficult to ignore.

Quietly dubious, she started walking again and stayed nonchalant for the sake of appearances. But she was alert now and waiting for a sign of her suspicions to be confirmed. The corridor appeared perfectly normal, and down adjacent halls she saw different palace staff ponies going about finishing their duties. Nothing suggested any sinister motives were being hidden out of sight.

“Perhaps it’s just my imagination,” she murmured with a sigh.

“An imagination can be quite wild if you don’t stifle it, you know,” a familiar voice remarked. She paused and looked around, unsurprised when she found a small draconequus figure waving at her from a woven tapestry it clearly didn’t belong in.

“I’m not sure why you think I stifle my imagination,” she countered.

“You don’t use it, Celestia.”

“Not the way you use your imagination, no. Everypony is different, and just because we don’t implement them the same way, it doesn’t mean I’m stifled and don’t use my imagination.”

The minute figure in the tapestry sat down, propping his face up on his fists as he pouted. “I hate it when you use logic in our discussions,” he grumbled. “It gets cardboard.”

She tilted her head with the hint of a smile. While she still wasn’t entirely happy with his decision to free Sombra without warning or permission, it was always difficult for the Princess of the Sun to stay upset with Discord. He was a charming rascal and she couldn’t deny that. No matter what, he always seemed to pull a smile out of her when she least expected it.

“I’m amazed you’ve not gotten used to it by now,” she teased. “I thought you would after all these years.”

He popped out of the tapestry, the embroidered appearance unraveling itself to then reform into a full-sized version of the draconequus. Crossing his arms as he stood, he regarded her with the self-same pout that was gradually growing more and more transparent.

“Well, I can always hope you’ll shake things up every now and again to be more fun and follow my lead,” he retorted.

The smile slipped from her face as his words reminded her of her uneasy feeling from before. Glancing away to look behind her, she scanned the stretching expanse of the halls. THe sensation of eyes on her back had lessened but it still prickled at her spine, especially as she thought on it.

And still nothing.

“Celestia?”

She turned around again and was touched by the amount of tender concern and worry that she saw in Discord’s eyes.

“Hmm? Perhaps one day,” she responded. The attempt to remain casual and distract him didn’t work; his gaze turned skeptical.

“Is something bugging you, Sunshine?”

This time her smile was full and genuine, born from a warm, happy sensation in her chest at his use of a nickname. She rather liked it. Perhaps he would keep using it in the future.

“Please don’t worry about it,” she answered, shaking her head. “I’m uncertain what is bothering me and as I said, I believe it may just be my imagination playing tricks on me.”

“That’d be a sight!” the draconequus snorted. After a second’s hesitation, the concern was still in his gaze and he queried, “Uh…are you sure you’re okay? We’ve known each other for centuries now and you don’t spook or get set on edge almost ever. Seeing you like this…”

The corners of her mouth quirked and morphed her expression into a playful smile. “Are you worried about me?” she suggested, holding back the urge to chuckle.

He shrugged in reply, beginning to walk casually ahead of her. “Maybe, maybe not,” he retorted noncommittally. “You should know I don’t really take kindly to anything else bothering you more than I dlo.”

“Oh, is that so?” she prompted.

“Tia dear, I’m the spirit of chaos. By right, nothing else in all of Equestria should give you as much grief as me.”

She shook her head and rolled her eyes. Spontaneous and unpredictable though he was, there were at least some things about Discord that didn’t change, and for those she was grateful. She resumed walking the hall, listening to him avail the high points of his ‘vexing nature’ and wondering whether it would still be worth delaying supper or just taking her meal in the kitchens.

Although…

She glanced behind again, the smile vanishing. Only the warm glow of the lamps on the walls flickering and dancing marked the length of the corridor. The feeling of being watched by unfriendly eyes had all but faded completely. Discord hadn’t been wrong in his observation: she rarely allowed anypony to witness her worry. The fact that she had felt this sensation out in Canterlot square wasn’t as concerning as feeling watched in her own palace. That was alarming and if it continued, she and Luna would have to be on high alert at all times.

Please, let it just be a product of my overactive imagination.

***

At first the unicorn king couldn’t believe his eyes. What appeared to be a stream of pure light the color of so many intertwining sapphires and aquas glowed before them as the trees fell away and opened to a glade. The air was clean and beautiful here; still and quiet, but in a harmonious, calm way. Yellow-green spots of light flickered, vanished, and reappeared all over the glade as fireflies added their own glow to this ethereal place.

“What is this place?” he asked in a whisper. Strange though it was, he felt it was best to keep his voice lowered here. Luna approached the small spring in the heart of the glade from which the stream of light poured forth, opening her wings wide as she moved. The hues of the stream danced like northern lights in her teal eyes and a soft, protective sort of look stole over her face.

“This,” she answered quietly, “is the dream river.”

“The dream river?” Sombra echoed hesitantly, stepping forward. “I thought you said before there was something else… Did you not speak of something called the dreamscape?”

She didn’t look at him but her brows rose slightly while she looked over the spring. “The dreamscape, yes,” she confirmed. “Both exist and meet and entwine, but they don’t serve the same purpose or are the same thing, if that’s what you were wondering about.” After a second her gaze moved to him with a measure of appraisal. “I am surprised you remembered my mention of the dreamscape at all.”

He shifted his weight from hoof to hoof self-consciously. “To my recollection, it came up frequently during our initial discussions when you graced me with your presence in the oubliette,” he replied. “Did you not suspect that I was passing through the Shadow paths into the dreamscape to threaten the safety of you and your subjects?”

The look she gave him was positively icy, and he regretted having reminded her of their initial talks.

“Yes,” she finally answered, her voice surprisingly neutral. “Some of our interactions in my nightmares were a little too real for my comfort.” She glanced back to the spring that originated the dream river, keen to put the subject of their early interactions aside. “But in any event, the dreamscape is wide, vast enough to encompass all that live in Equestria. Loosely it is all connected and I am able to venture through its passages in order to ensure the safety of everypony in their sleep, though few of my subjects’ personal places in the dreamscape ever overlap or interact with one another.

“The waters that flow from this spring have been enchanted with the magic to touch all those parts of the dreamscape and therefore allow everypony to dream. I sometimes consider the dreamscape to be as one large city of the night with many various canals or channels, and each dream rests in their own gondola. As such, the dream river is the current that carries them all through their canals, while I travel throughout it to ensure all are safe.”

Sombra frowned as he listened and tried to picture what she was suggesting. It was a struggle for him. He had rarely left the Crystal Palace to explore different places in his youth and so the very concept of canals instead of streets proper was only something he’d read about in books. The idea baffled him and such, here he was left puzzled. A headache threatened to build around the base of his horn and he gave the dream river a disbelieving stare as he tried ignoring the building pressure in his skull.

“Your explanation is nothing short of perplexing,” he grumbled. “I always thought the dreamscape to be more of a dark and shadowy forest of unrivaled size.”

For some reason Luna’s smile resembled a bit of a smirk when she responded to him.

“Very well then. If you prefer that analogy… If we look at the dreamscape as a forest, then everypony is a traveller in it. The dream river then, is like a path laid out before them and they each have a guiding lantern as they take their own paths to dream.”

“So what are you in this analogy?” Sombra inquired, unable to stifle his curiosity.

“The spirit that protects the forest and all who pass through it,” she replied, and this time the playful smirk was evident. “I doubt I could be anything else.”

Her smile was charming and vexingly infectious. He felt the corners of his mouth starting to turn upward and fought the urge as best as he could. Simultaneously he was acutely aware of the hollow sensation in his chest. There was no pain this time, only the feeling of emptiness. Again something about this was alien and yet vaguely familiar.

Am I feeling the absence of my own heart?

“Fascinating,” he murmured, more to distract himself from his treacherous thoughts than anything. “May I ask why you wanted to show me this?”

“Actually this isn’t what I wanted you to see,” she returned evenly, catching him unaware. He blinked, staring in surprise.

“No? Then pray tell, what is the benefit of bringing me here and telling me about the dream river?”

Luna raised her head high and her gaze pierced him for a small eternity trapped in a breath, searching him at his core.

“Because it will be easiest to bring you into the dreamscape with me from here.”

Sombra’s mouth fell open as he tried to process her statement. Shock and disbelief warred in his mind. No...no surely she hadn’t been considering taking him on one of her dreamwalks? Was this the very same mare who had been distrusting, who had been suspicious that he had been entering the dreamscape to terrorize her subjects?

“You...want me to accompany you into the dreamscape?” he faltered, taking a couple of uncertain steps back. Luna never wavered in her patient scrutiny of him, keeping her gaze level as she nodded an affirmative.

“It would mean a great deal to me if you did,” she appealed, keeping her voice soft.

In that moment the unicorn realized something inside him was melting and he couldn’t stop it even if he had wanted to. Relaxing, he approached her again, bowing his head this time.

“Then I am honored to accept your gracious invitation, Your Highness,” he said. “How shall we accomplish this, then?”

As he raised his head to meet her gaze again, she lifted her eyebrows.

“Do you trust me?” she questioned. Before he fully thought it through, Sombra nodded. Once upon a time long ago, he wouldn’t have trusted anyone. He hadn’t trusted anyone and to some extent, he still didn’t. Here and now though, he knew he trusted Luna.

So much is changing so fast.

“Then what I need for you to do,” Luna declared, lowering the point of her horn and aiming it at him as it shone with magic, “is sleep.”

Questions were on the tip of his tongue but a powerful drowsiness overcame him, and the glade vanished in the embrace of the comforting, familiar darkness of deep sleep.