Dark Heart

His body ached with loss and the echo of fury. Snow clung to what little remained solid of his shadowed form, trails of darkness licking at his footprints before being blown away by the wind.

He was lost, but he had been so long before he was cast out of the Crystal Empire. A white horizon stretched into a white sky; he alone stood out as a dark smudge against the snowy landscape, only knowing the way he couldn't go by the array of colors that poured into the heavens above.

A glance over his shoulder told him the crystal inhabitants were still effusing love into the Crystal Heart in celebration of his forced departure. Ribbons of ruby, gold, and sapphire light rose into the sky as physical manifestations of the sacred emotion.

All he wanted was to have that feeling for himself. Perhaps the way he had gone about it was not quite orthodox, but he was desperate.

His own heart beat and nothing more. It was incapable of emotion, so when he had come into contact with the Crystal Heart, he became obsessed with the rush it gave him. The warmth of its love was an addiction he craved down in the depths of his soul.

And he had possessed it all for his own... for a time. He was an empty vessel that could never be sated, and the Crystal Heart was not an endless font. When it was drained, it took from the crystalfolk. And when they were drained—

—he was left with nothing. A king who grew weaker and weaker until he was defeated and presumed dead.

The ache in his chest, the phantom pain of where love once resided, made him wish he was dead after all. Perhaps he would have been better off if he had never encountered the Crystal Heart, had never known what he was without.

However, he refused to die out in the frozen wilderness like a wounded animal. He was Sombra, Lord of Shadows, Harbinger of Destruction, Once-King of the Crystal Empire. And he would not die.

He knew that, if he continued to force his way south, he would eventually reach the border between the Frozen North and the rest of Equestria. There was little plan in his mind beyond getting as far away from the Crystal Heart as possible.

In time, he was certain he would forget why his chest ached. He would be able to move on and move forward, to seek out a new kingdom to make his own. He had existed for centuries prior without the Heart, after all.

As the wind howled and its icy bite nipped at his exposed face and ears, he sensed the warmth of something nearby. He squinted against the whirling snow and saw a small form moving toward him. His instinct was to prepare for a fight, but his body was too weak. He was barely able to maintain a corporeal form in this state.

The approaching creature turned out to be a snowshoe rabbit. Its nose wiggled at him, and he bared his fanged teeth in response. It only blinked back.

“I’ll eat you,” he told it. “Don’t mistake me for a soft, weak thing.”

The rabbit took a few hops closer.

He would have made good on his threat, but he honestly didn’t have the energy. So he huffed an indignant breath and kept walking forwards.

The rabbit followed a few paces behind him, hopping from footprint to footprint. Soon, he heard a second thump, thump and glanced back to see another rabbit had joined in the leisurely chase.

“I’ll eat the both of you,” he snarled without conviction.

Their beady, shiny black eyes didn’t believe him.

He felt like some kind of princess, lost after being cast out and taken in by the local wildlife. What next—would he break out into song?

The very idea was laughable. He even managed a chuff of amusement. One of the rabbits chittered, an odd clicking sound of teeth against teeth.

Three more emerged from the winter storm, and then four. They grew brave enough to hop alongside him, and one even darted between his legs.

“Enough!” he yelled, pivoting on his right leg to face his entourage. The sheer number of them trapped the rest of his words in his throat.

He was, for lack of a better word, surrounded. By rabbits. It shouldn’t have been intimidating, but there was a chill seizing his spine, and it wasn’t from the frigid air.

The instinctive sensation of being a hunted prey set him on edge. Rabbits were harmless creatures, he tried to remind himself, but the primal fear in the back of his mind continued to scream at him to flee.

As the first lunged at him, green fire enveloped it, and the rest followed suit. He wasn't sure whether he was grateful that the merciful end of his existence seemed at hand, or irritated that he would be felled by rabbits.

♥

The humid cavern was nothing like what living in Canterlot would have been like, had Chrysalis not grown so frenzied by the first taste of love that she lost all sense and reason. What was supposed to be a careful, cautious, clever infiltration over the course of several years fell apart in a matter of days.

She was loath to admit it, but she was responsible for the current state of her people: their numbers drastically reduced, their health dwindling nigh beyond repair, and their home nothing more than a series of underground caves on the border between Equestria proper and its Frozen North.

Few wandered there, which made it both a serviceable place to hide and a terrible place to find sustenance. They would survive, however. Changelings always survived.

Her people were gathered in the cavernous space that served as the central quarters, black eyes focused on her as they waited. The air thrummed with anticipation, hunger, need. She knew they blamed her for leading them into ruin.

They weren't wrong.

Chrysalis closed her eyes and breathed in. She summoned up all the energy within her and felt it scraping like needles in her bones. The wave of pain was soon washed away by pleasure as she did her best to draw on the memory of that blast of pure love.

Though it had cost her the lives of many changelings—and though it had been the moment that sealed their doomed fate—when the bubble of love struck her, ecstasy filled her veins from the sheer magnitude of it.

She felt the air around her shift, and she breathed out. Weak tendrils of love connected her and her people, who greedily devoured every bit of it they could.

It was enough to survive, so long as she could continue to remember. And the memory was already fading.

There were rumors of a sect that sought to take her throne. She couldn't blame them, considering the state they were living in. However, she doubted anyone would have been able to keep their wits about them after tasting Shining Armor's love.

The last of the love she could muster slipped past her lips and she clenched her fists, digging her nails into the flesh of her palms to keep herself awake. Her body wanted to crumple in on itself, but she willed it to remain tall, to look the part of queen.

"I love you all," she announced, her voice sounding stronger than she felt.

"And we love you," they droned back. She could taste the insincerity like soured wine.

She walked away, sweeping through the greenfire-torch-lit tunnels to her makeshift room. There, in the relative privacy an open space could provide, she collapsed, her glamour falling away.

Her ebony skin had long since grown wan and was stretched tight over her atrophied muscles. Everything she was, she sacrificed for her people who would, sooner or later, turn on her. The emptiness in her chest was clawing its way to the surface, and it was so tempting to give in and give up.

Hurried footsteps echoed from the tunnel, and Chrysalis dragged herself upright and tried to regain visible composure. She needed more time to recover. She couldn't be seen like this.

"My Queen!" the young changeling exclaimed, his excitement preceding him like a gust of warm air.

It gave her a small but magnificent rush of energy, and she was able to put on a proper face just before he ran into the room.

"Yes, my pupa?"

Hatch beamed up at her, and her heart nearly stopped. He was flush with pure emotion. For a moment, the briefest desire to drain him of it gripped her, but she shoved the horrible notion down.

"The guards discovered a man dripping with love and have brought him here, my Queen!"

She felt want and need burn in her chest. "Take me to him," she said, breathless.

With a quick bow, Hatch turned on his heel and marched back the way he came, head held high with purpose. It had been so long since anyone had looked so pleased.

The air grew cold the closer they drew to the cavern's entrance, but there was something else. Something sweet. Something—

Just as she turned the corner, she was startled out of her thoughts by a man who could hardly be called such. His body was obscured by shadows that twisted and shifted, as if trying to latch onto the shape of him.

“What is this?” she growled out, the sound harsher than she meant as she tried to push past the wonderful haze that clouded her mind.

The leader of the guard—Maxilla—replied with an incoherent few clicks. She was thoroughly drunk; as Chrysalis looked at the entire group, she realized they all were.

Chrysalis took slow, measured breaths to expose herself only a little bit at a time as she examined the man held aloft between Maxilla and another guard. Love and hate radiated off him in ephemeral plumes. It was as though his heart was a porous thing, letting every emotion escape from it.

She reached out a hand and ran her fingertips across his skin as dark as a moonless night, yet tinged with a warm hue where her own was cool. Then she gripped him, hard, digging her nails into his jaw.

His eyes flashed open and he took a shuddering breath in before trying to jerk his face free of her grip.

"Who are you?" they demanded of one another in near perfect unison.

Chrysalis narrowed her eyes. "You are in my domain. I ask the questions, and you provide the answers."

The man's lips peeled back to reveal sharp, fanged teeth. After a momentary pause, she gave an open-mouthed sneer to flash her own.

"Who are you?" she demanded again.

The black curls of his hair seemed more like wisps of smoke as he gave his head another futile twist. "Sombra," he spat, as if the name were venom against her.

She gave a derisive snort. "And what are you?"

Though he was hunched and weak, she recognized the way he set his expression: it was a mask of calm, controlled nobility. "An umbrum, and I demand that you let me go. I have no quarrel with you or your people."

Chrysalis's gaze flickered over him. The love was gone, as was the hate; he was a void, a veritable black hole of emotion. Even the air around him tasted empty. He was still a delicious sight, a perfect specimen of raw masculinity where he wasn’t melting into shadow.

"I've never heard of your kind," she finally said, unable to keep from biting her lower lip as she slipped from an interrogative mindset to something darker.

"Nor I yours." Sombra didn't even blink as he glanced at the two lovedrunk changelings who still held his arms. "I'm not familiar with... shapeshifters."

"Changelings," she corrected as she let go of his jaw and straightened up. "And as their queen, I bid you welcome. Maxilla?"

The changeling commander blinked a few times at the sound of her name. "Yes, my Queen?"

Chrysalis tried to calm the racing of her heart. "Take him to my room, and ensure that he is bound to stay with us."

Maxilla's lips parted in a toothy, eager grin. "As you wish, my Queen."

♥

Sombra couldn't be certain, but he believed he was in danger. These creatures—these changelings had looked at him with a wicked hunger. And now he was left alone, bound by a strange webbing that was a laughable attempt to keep him contained. He waited nonetheless, however, because he wanted to know more.

The self-proclaimed queen was taking her time. Was this a power play to make him nervous? To keep him on edge in anticipation?

He scoffed. She would have to work a lot harder than this if that was her goal.

Eventually, he heard slow, leisurely steps approaching the entrance to the so-called room, if it could even be called that much. He inclined his head and schooled his expression to something haughty to make her think he was indignant at his capture.

When the queen stepped into view, their gazes locked and it seemed that time stood still. Neither moved, breathed, or even blinked. Her expression was as unreadable as he knew his own to be; all he could do was watch as she took in the sight of him.

He felt her gaze like heat under his skin. Everywhere she looked burned from her focused attention, so he did what he could to return the favor. Dark cerulean hair cascaded down her back and reached past her hips, which weren’t quite round or plump. He drew his eyes over them nonetheless, following the sharp curve that led down to her long, long legs.

The slight, serrated rasp of her voice broke the silence. "I apologize for my delay. I had to distribute your bountiful offering among my people."

Sombra's brow twitched into a brief furrow. "Offering?"

She sauntered forward to close the gap between them, the tattered black dress clinging to every movement her angular frame made. There was a fragility about her, as though a single touch might scatter her to dust, and yet she moved with confidence and certainty that made it hard to take his eyes off her.

"My people feast on love,” she explained, drawing his attention back to her rather than her appearance ass he crouched down in front of him, “and you were practically drowning in it when my guards brought you."

"Love?" He huffed, trying not to flinch as she drew her long fingernails through his dark sideburns. "I sincerely doubt that. My people do not feel, love or otherwise."

Her eyes flashed as she grabbed his face, but this time didn't dig her nails in. "I beg to differ."

Sombra paused to consider the sincerity in her voice and broke his gaze from hers to think. "I was—perhaps—dreaming, just before I woke up in capture."

The grip on him loosened and she caressed his cheek with the back of her hand. Her eyes followed her own touch, as if entranced. "Then tell me of your dream."

How could she possibly understand? Just before he woke up to the blinding pain of her clawing at his face, he had been back in the Crystal Empire, wrapped in the warm embrace of the Crystal Heart's aura. Love had been flowing all around and through him; into the hollow, empty core of him; filling him up and making him whole. There was no way to put such a miracle into something as mundane as words.

When he focused on her, her eyes were half-lidded and her lips was parted to let out the softest of moans. He had never seen an expression quite like it, and it tugged at something deep within him.

"Marvelous," she whispered in reverence. "How do you do that?"

He blinked. "Do what?"

She ran the very tips of her trembling fingers across his face, down his neck, and along his shoulders. It was a soft, almost worshipful caress, and he found himself leaning into it.

"You are effusive with love,” she replied, lifting her eyes to meet his. The “Do you really not feel this?"

"I feel nothing. I remember when I did, briefly, but that's all it is: a memory."

She took a shudder of a breath. "Don't say it like that. A memory can be a powerful thing." With a sudden movement, she stood and turned to walk away. "Whatever you require to be comfortable, just ask and I will ensure it is provided."

"Provided?" he repeated, his lips starting to curl into a frown. "Unless you plan to remove these bonds, I'm a prisoner, not a guest."

She stopped at the mouth of the room. He watched the lines of her shoulders drop, briefly, before tensing back into rigid posture. "I will see what I can do, but I can't afford to lose you. I'm sorry."

There was slight tremor in her voice, and he didn't know what to think about that. He had no plans on being some sort of food source for an entire species, however, so he closed his eyes and let himself fall into shadow.

Or, at least, he tried.

His eyes snapped open and he looked down at the webbing that clung to him. It wasn't just binding his physical body in place—it was attached to him, reaching deep inside him and sticking to his core.

"Clever girl," he muttered, uncertain whether he was more impressed or irritated.

♥

Chrysalis made it only halfway down the tunnel before she had to duck into a side room. Her head was spinning and she was so full that she thought she might be sick. It was bad enough that he was drowning her in such potent emotion, but she wanted to touch him so badly it hurt.

A changeling looked at her in surprise, and she did the only thing she could: she pulled him to her and stroked his hair. The all-consuming love laved against him in slow, gentle waves. When he started to give off a hum of pleasure, she purred deep in her chest to soothe him to sleep.

While she set him into his nest of webbing and leaves, she let out a sigh of relief. They had been starved for so long that she didn't know what to do with such a feast of emotion dropped in her lap. All she knew was that she couldn't risk falling into a frenzy like before.

First thing was first: she needed to prepare secure but comfortable quarters for him. She gathered her most creative subjects and, after a long debate, they settled on a room with its entrance covered in web. There would be gaps to pass him food, whatever that would be; none of them had ever heard of an umbrum before, and none had a clue as to what they ate, but they would find a way to get it.

She had her best spinners set to the task while she returned to her room to check on their guest. "Knock, knock," she called as she stepped through the threshold. "Answer me this: what do you eat?"

Sombra's eyes were closed. He was sitting perfectly still, looking almost content in spite of his present state of capture.

He was also empty, again. There was nothing in the air. As curious as it was, she was grateful for it; she still hadn't fully come down from the high of the earlier feast.

She seated herself on a rock carved into a chair, crossing one long leg over the other. "If you don't tell me, then I'll presume you don't eat at all. It would certainly save my people the trouble of having to hunt or gather."

One eye opened to peer at her. "I have no intention of staying here."

"And I have no intention of letting you leave." She feigned interest in her fingernails. "Little grows here, so it would be easiest if you preferred meat."

He frowned and opened the other eye. "Your plan is to, what? Force me to relive a memory that I don't want to so that you can feed on the emotions I can't even enjoy for myself?"

She shuttered her eyes and didn't meet his gaze, lips drawn tight into a thin line. "I am a queen, first and foremost. I must see to the needs of my people." Though it hurt, she looked at him, baring her regret on her open expression. "If there were another way, I'd take it. Please let me make this easier for you."

There was a long pause as his gaze raked over her. She shifted uncomfortably under the weight of his stare, feeling it pierce her through and through.

"What?" she finally snapped, clenching her hand against her thigh.

"Is this what you really look like?" His eyes met hers again. "I can't trust someone who hides from me."

Chrysalis sucked in a breath and bit the inside of her cheek. As she released it, green flames flared over her form and she dropped her eyes in shame. Though the recent rush of love had brought some depth of ebony back to her ashen skin, she knew her face was still too gaunt, her limbs too thin. She hardly looked the regal queen she once was.

He made a small sound that was almost surprise. When she glanced up, she saw understanding wash over his features. "You're starving," he said more as a statement than a question.

Self-conscious, she returned to the appearance of who she used to be. She couldn’t stand the pity in his gaze. "I'm desperate."

"So am I," he almost whispered as he leaned toward her, flexing against his restraints. "You said you distributed the love among your people. Can you distribute it to me?"

She blinked a few times, certain her face showed her surprise. "I—I've never tried such a thing." Slowly, she rose from her seat. Her eyes darted over the open sincerity in his expression, trying to suss out the trick or trap. "You want me to give back what I've taken from you?"

His head twitched with the faintest nod, attention rapt. "Please."

There was no clear, obvious risk. Tentatively, pulled from the pool that buzzed with fresh energy, and released it on a slow exhale. As she let go of the tendril, she felt it tugged—yanked toward him and watched his eyes flutter closed. He leaned back against the wall, his breathing erratic as the love slipped through him and fell back to her.

"I'm sorry," she mumbled and planned to say more, but the intensity of his sudden stare cut her train of thought.

"Sorry?" He licked his lips. "That was exquisite. It was divine." Somewhat awkwardly due to his bonds, he tried to shift to be closer to her. "Again. Please."

Chrysalis slowly lowered herself to the floor in front of him, touching his face, feeling where he was more solid than he was before. Love flowed from her fingertips and brushed over his warm skin. She watched in awe as he gave himself over to the feeling, despite how fleeting it was.

He hummed, but the sound was different from her changelings'. It was a low and deep noise that reverberated all the way from his chest to her fingers as they stroked his cheek. "More."

"No." She jerked her hand back and met his gaze with a frown. "You must agree to stay. I will give you as much as you want if you do the same for my people."

"Yesss," he replied without hesitation, half-lidded eyes searching hers as he leaned in for her renewed touch. "Anything you want. Just, please. More."

Chrysalis tried not to look as excited as she felt. Instead, she offered him a gentle smile and cupped his cheeks in her hands. "Then let us seal our agreement." She closed the distance between them, pressing her lips to his, breathing his own love back into him.