Author's Note

• IMPORTANT READ THIS FIRST -

So, in case any of you are wondering why this story is rated Teen, it's because I personally felt that some of the idea's Sombra, in particular, brings up wouldn't be suitable for young viewers, by that, I mean I don't want some younger readers to think the way Sombra acts is 'normal', so the rating is more so 'just in case'.

Happy readings!
Bram Wynter

You are a king, but not my king

You are a king, but not my king

It was dark, beyond that somehow, yet, it wasn't dark at the same time. "Dark' just didn't properly describe it. It wasn't like everything was covered in thick darkness, to my surprise, and somewhat joy, it was actually surprisingly 'bright'. Not glaring like the sun in the middle of the day, or as mesmerizing as the moon in its full glory, it was just somewhere inbetween. It was ugly, I hated every speck of it with a burning passion, a part of me wanted to blast it to pieces, but I knew not even my teacher or her sister could manage to do that. This place was 'built' to withstand any sort of attack.

It makes me regret some of my most important decisions and pains me to say this, but this is the place where villains and other such creatures go to die... I just hope, for one pony, I can make a change and help them, give him a second chance - so to say. I can't help but feel the guilt, even though I know it's silly to have those feelings. The creatures in here are guilty of many different things, many different crimes... just how many are in here is still unknown.

I look around myself slowly, trying to get an idea of where I am in The Shadow Realm. I admit it, at first, the idea of a mission excited me, but, now as it dawns on me what my mission actually means, I find myself in the crossfire of the ponies I love and would do anything to keep safe, and the ponies I hate with a burning, primal passion and would not so much as lift a hoof to help or keep safe.

I walk forward, not confidently, rather shyly. Trying to make myself look as small as possible, I tuck my wings in tight, so tight it almost hurts. I think I'm doing a good job. I don't want to give off that vibe around here, just in case somepony - or something - else that is trapped in here wants a fight or two. To my relief, there comes no such assault or threat or anything for that matter…nothing, nothing is here, and I continue to move along, walking deeper and deeper into The Shadow Realm.

Finally, I see what I was looking for. He has his back to me and I can just make out the sound of his voice... he's singing I think, if you could call it that. It was 'winding', like one moment, it would be soft and the next, an almost 'angelic' scream. I had no idea he could do that, perhaps it is something only his kind can do. A pony could never make those sounds, not without the help of technology. To my surprise, he still wears his crimson red cape and silver crown, only everything has been ruined. I snap out of my thoughts and step forward, making sure he heard my loud and obnoxious hoofsteps.

"King Sombra!" I call out to the figure just ahead of me, my voice strong and pure, as pure as a fresh rose or a summer spring.

He twists his head over to look at me and glares, his eyes still have that toxic glow to them, even after all this time, I can never shake the feeling of dread away, fear always tunnels inside of me and my mind just thinking back to the first time I had learned of the Crystal Empire and how I had found that door that could show a ponies worst fear, still make the whole body shake with a sick and twisted sort of burning anticipation. I hate that feeling. I As I come closer I can see his glare has somehow changed in what seemed like only seconds.

To say the least, it's not his normal glare, this one is much different, and yet, somehow, so ghostly familiar. He huffs and stands up so he can fully look at me. I huff back, narrowing my eyes on to him. He's little more than a shadow of himself now, his crimson-red cape has now faded to an ugly 'blunt' pink with burns and rips littering in. His mane and tail still flow through an invisible wind, yet, the action seems far less elegant now, it's much more of a little ripple rather than a crashing wave.

He's now just in front of me, my shadow blocking him. He sighs and speaks at long last.

"Come to see my death, Princess?" he asks me, looking dead in my eyes, showing nothing but...what I can only presume is his sort of 'happiness'. " I didn't think you were that sort of pony." he says matter-of-factly.

"No, sadly, I have not come here for that reason," I answer him bluntly, the force hitting him more like a small breeze rather than a gash of winter's harsh wind. "Sorry to disappoint you, Sombra," I hiss at him.

He lifts an eyebrow, probably confused as to why I did not call him by his title, but the rest of his face remains unreadable like a mask had been pasted there.

"Really?" He asks, with a hint of cockiness in his deep and dark voice. "My, it would seem to me that you have come here for a different reason then, Princess," he states firmly. I nod slowly as a grin creeps on to his face. He lets out a short, bitter sounding and 'tasting' chuckle. "Oh, you never stop surprising me, even now." he 'praises' me, I guess it was praise. Could you even really call it that, though?

Finally it's my turn to speak. "Yes, I have come here for a 'different' reason, Sombra" I answer him, keeping my tone blunt and 'dead'. "I have come to The Shadow Realm to give you the chance at redemption, to be like the other former villains who have seen the errors of the ways and have changed," I state, feathering out my wings, mostly because of how tight I've been holding them shut, and partly to make the sentence look more theoretical. Sombra looks right through me like I'm nothing but a bit of sleep in his eyes. "did you not hear me, Sombra?" I ask, looking at what remained of the once fierce and hated tyrant.

"No, no...I heard you loud and clear, Twilight." he hisses as he takes a step closer. "You could even say I heard you a little too well," he muttered harshly. Slowly, but with a sense of urgency, he moves towards me, his eyes not even for a millisecond breaking contact with my own pair.

"Stay back!" I make the mistake of letting fear show, even in The Shadow Realm, Sombra still has some power here.

I retreat back only a few paces before pointing my horn at him threateningly. He only chuckles and falls back down to the ground, like he was having a fit. His chuckle floods into my mind. After a while, it's all I can hear.

Finally, Sombra stops his laughter and looked up at me, a dopey smile on his face, he sighs and says this;

"Oh, that was far too easy, Princess!" he cries as he stands once again. "Here I was, thinking; 'At long last! Somepony I can understand! Somepony worthy of my time and patience!... but, I see the 'royal family' has already put out any flair you once had. Now it's a disgrace to even still call you by your name, the name of a long since dead unicorn, who showed so much potential, yet allowed herself to be held back for far too long! Celestia murdered her student, the unicorn I knew was worthy of so much more and replaced her with a pretty and controllable model that would follow any command without question, just like a soldier, or perhaps, more accurately titled, a toy soldier." he mocks me.

I'm taken aback by this, Sombra seemed to be having 'fun', a messed up version of it, but none the less, he was playing with me, like I was some sort of toy that he could tear apart knowing somepony would fix it again for him. I shake my head, fear was the enemy here. "You're just trying to scare me. It isn't going to work, not this time, not ever," I hiss back, triumphantly. "Well, will you take my offer or not, Sombra?" I asked him, puffing up my chest, doing everything I can to make myself look bigger, but, even in this 'hollow' state, he still towers over me.

He shakes his head and his smile fades. "Well, you see, dear Twilight," He comes way too close, I can feel his breath on the tip of my muzzle and his eyes staring deeply, too deeply, - and longingly, too longingly, - at me. "as much as I would love to take you up on your offer, it simply isn't enough for a pony of my status and yours, Princess." He explains as he moves away from me. I keep my eyes glued on to him, though, just in case he tries anything at all, no matter how small.

"What do you mean 'isn't enough'?" I question him, a growl hidden in my voice. "I am giving you the chance to escape your death, yet, you're treating it like it's just a chat, I can tell you right here, right now, Sombra, this is anything but a 'chat between old friends'. But my offer will still stand, Sombra, it's just up to you to take it or not," I say, feeling a little bit more victorious than before, and for a while, I think I've done it, I think he will understand me.

The king turns around and faces me once again. He really does look a lot different now, it's like everything that was Sombra was gone. The dark king shakes his head and I can just make out what he's saying under his breath - Tsk, Tsk, Tsk. He was mocking me again, like a playground bully.

"Forgive me, but, somepony like me and a pony as talented as you, as truly gifted as you, has been given these tasks better suited for a servant!" He states, walking around me like I'm an injured animal, and he, some sort of wild beat or monster about to make the killing move.

"What do you mean by that?" I persist in my questions, much to his dismay. "Tell me!" I demand.

He groans and tsk's again, and for a moment, he almost looks regretful, but that leaves him almost immediately. "Dear Twilight, look at yourself. When was the last time you saw yourself as "Twilight" rather than "Princess Twilight"?" he askes me.

"I... we're getting off topic here!" I shout, flustered. I had almost fallen for one of his oldest tricks. "Will you take my offer or not, Sombra?" I hiss.

"It was just a question, now I see just how much damage they have done, oh, how I pity you, Twilight." He states as he holds his head high and continues to circle me.

"Damage?" I ask, blinking, surprised by his wording. "And, I most certainly do not need your pity, if it could even be called that!" I shout back at him.

He sighs once more and shakes his head, shamefulness written on his face. "When you and I first 'met', I saw a young, brilliant unicorn with so much potential, a unicorn worthy of my attention and teaching... now, I see nothing more than something they put on display for events, high up on a silver and gold platform, almost untouchable, like you are nothing more than a statue for ponies to worship and treat like a goddess," He shakes his head once more, before continuing on with his little speech. "the young brilliant and beautiful unicorn I knew as Twilight Sparkle is now gone, swept under the waves of the Sun Queen, never to be seen again." He telling a story, nothing more, I think.

"I'll ask you again, Sombra - will you leave The Shadow Realm with me and start your path of redemption, or will I have to leave you here to rot among other creatures?" I say, feeling a little bit of power sink into me.

"Do you even hear yourself anymore? Because all I'm hearing is regurgitated words from Celestia and Luna. The Twilight I knew would never refer to ponies like me as 'creatures', she would still see and treat us as equals," Sombra stated.

"Will you take my offer or not?" I shout at him, rearing up and slamming my hooves on the ground. I suddenly don't see Sombra anywhere, he's disappeared, like a ghost or phantom. "Sombra?" I call out, partly concerned for him and for myself, who knew where he was or what he was capable of. "If you were trying to build suspense, Congrats!, you've done it, Sombra!" I applaud the empty space the lingers all around me.

"Oh, how I miss the days when I could so clearly understand you," A voice hissed and whispered behind me.

I flinched and turned around, only to be greeted by nothing.

"Now, it's like we can't even speak the same language, Twilight, surely you, of all ponies, can see what they have done to you. They have murdered you, left you for dead, buried you in an unmarked grave, Twilight. They have hidden your body and brought in somepony else to portray you for some soap opera!" Sombra says harshly.

"Don't speak words you know are not true!" I shout angrily at the emptiness, taking to the air and looking around madly.

"You and I could have been such an unstoppable pair, Twilight, we could have taken over Equestria and all the other lands, creating a world safe for our young and subjects." I blush madly as I shake my head.

"I would sooner rather die in agony than bear you young!" I scream into the emptiness my horn ablaze now.

"Would you?" He asked, his tone turning almost kind and friendly voice. "What if your precious teacher asked to you, said the fate of Equestria and the other worlds rested upon you realizing your fate is set in stone to be with me, Twilight?... what would you do then?" He questions me.

I feel myself begin to pant and feel sweet form on my brow. I groan and rush madly at the emptiness, hoping to hit anything. I scream until my voice throat hurts and my wings feel like they are on fire. I slump back down to the ground and try to catch my breath. I casually look down at the floor, which has a strange mirror-like quality, there I see myself. My mane ruined and face bright red and my eyes...oh no, no, no, no this isn't happening! I shout to myself in my mind.

"I can assure you, Twilight, this is very much happening. You've opened your mind to myself and endless possibilities, you are not long trapped under the chains of the sun queen, now, you are free to learn the true meaning of power, no longer will you be a mere chess pieces in the queen's game," He materializes next to me as I continue to look down at my reflection, yet, I can't move away from him... I don't want to move away. "Now, my dear." I feel him nuzzle my cheek with his own. "You can be a queen, with a king by your side."

"I," I say. "I... I can't." I managed to say as the dark king continues to nuzzle me.

He suddenly stops abruptly, leaving a harsh feeling on my cheek. His growls and pushes me to the ground, where I can finally move again. I race up into the air, putting a little distance between myself and him, who looks up at me crossly and like he's disappointed, I think.

"I could never stand by your side... we both know that Sombra," I say as I magically open the portal back to Equestria.

"Wait, Twilight, you said you would take me with you." Sombra realizing I'm leaving and races forward.

"I gave you the chance, Sombra, and what did you do with that chance?" I ask him. He looks down at the floor.

"I was only doing what was right for you, and myself. I can no longer stand by and see another young and talented unicorn go to waste, Twilight, please, listen to me...I can show you more, teach you more than Celestia could ever hope to dream. Twilight, not only by choosing me will you gain a teacher, but you will gain somepony who could understand you and help control you." He stated as I come down to his level, only to get a better look at him.

"Why would I need somepony to 'control' me?" I question.

"It was the wrong word to use, but, think of it, Twilight, just for a moment, Queen Twilight does have a nice ring to it," He smiled at me. He's desperate, to say the least. "A-and I, as a king, could do so very many things for you. You could rule by my side, you could learn by a king's side, you could do anything with a king by your side," he says firmly.

"Why could you not rule by my side?" I question him again.

"Twilight, you are thinking too much about small, meaningless words, You never know what is going to happen in the future, Twilight, But, I can tell you this," I take to the air again as Sombra lurks closer. " I will be your king!" He hisses as I move to the portal.

Before I leave, I turn around, just to see him watching me. I quickly hover down to just above his level.

"And I can tell you this, Sombra...you may be a king, but you are not my king!" I hiss as I fly through the portal, all while Sombra screams and curses behind me.

"TWILIGHT!" His final scream just escapes the portal and floats past my ears.