The afternoon sun reached its apogee, bathing the Crystal Empire in light and brilliantly illuminating the castle, which shone like a million stars. Sombra found himself on a nearby hill and blinked, confused at his surroundings. What...what is all this? Why is everything so bright and colorful? The sky was blue and dotted with fluffy clouds, which was wrong considering that the sky around his kingdom was dark brown speckled with yellow. Something's wrong. He wandered into town to find gaggles of crystal ponies but as they were before: sparkling, transparent beings that walked around...smiling! Sombra frowned. They're not supposed to be smiling! They're supposed to be miserable!

Once he came into view, the Shadow Emperor was further confounded when a few of them turned in his direction and started to wave, smiling and greeting him with compliments and statements about the weather. He took all this in with a forced grin, still baffled by whatever the hell was going on. A clear, sunny sky? Crystal ponies acting friendly towards him? One mare even asked him to sign her son's hat and the grateful colt gave him a hug, something that Sombra was greatly unaccustomed to. Physical contact now too? What in the name of Tartarus is happening?!

Starting to panic, Sombra made a mad dash for the castle and promptly bolting the doors shut once he was inside. There. Now I have peace and quiet to make sense of this rubbish. Swallowing several deep breaths, Sombra back away from the doors and ran a hoof through his mane, feeling once more at ease and in control. He was about to head up to his bedchambers when he froze in place, his eyes practically bulging out of his skull. His heart was beating so fast, he was afraid that it might actually burrow its way out of his chest.

A mare with a light grayish mulberry coat descended the grand staircase, her body wrapped in a sparkling sky-blue gown, accentuating her natural curves and adding to her loveliness. Her mane, which was dark sapphire blue with purple and raspberry streaks, was swept up off of her forehead and cascaded freely down her shoulders and the top of her head was adorned with a pink and violet crystal tiara. A smile more radiant than the sun formed upon her lips as her sparkling violet eyes met his. She's...she's perfect... Finally gaining control of his limbs, Sombra took a few steps towards the mare that looked like,-but couldn't be-Twilight Sparkle. It can't be her, it can't be!

"Is everything alright, Sombra? You look like you've seen a ghost," Twilight remarked, her voice soft but containing a hidden strength and wisdom beyond her years.

Sombra nodded, "Yes, I think I'm alright. It's just very sunny is all. I'm not used to it."

That radiant smile appeared once more as Twilight laid her head on Sombra's chest, a sigh of content escaping her perfect lips. "I know, sweetheart. It's a big adjustment but trust me, things will only get better from here on out."

"Sweetheart?" To his own surprise, Sombra's hooves went to Twilight's back, gently rubbing her exposed flesh and earning him a satisfied moan. "Only as long as you're with me, Twi." Okay, where did that come from?

The unicorn raised her head, her violet eyes half opened as she leaned her face in close to his, her licks gently puckered up. "Of course, Sombra. Forever," she whispered as their lips met.

Sombra's eyes flew open as he jolted upright, his breathing erratic as his heart thundered in his ears. His eyes darted around, taking in the familiar sight of his red and black-colored bedroom, the drawn window curtains and drapes of his four-poster bed were a dark purple. He shook his head and rubbed his face with his hooves.

"A dream. It was just a-..." He paused, leaning up against his headboard as he contemplated what had just transpired. When was the last time he even dreamt? Hmmm. It had to been at least four or five hundred years since I last dreamt or at least that I remember dreaming. Sombra thought back to his dream, skipping past the colorful day and smiling crystal ponies to arrive at the moment dream-Twilight Sparkle descended the stairs. He recalled with perfect detail what she was wearing and how beautiful, no stunning, she looked. It's true that she wasn't was considered to be conventionally beautiful but it was more of a natural beauty, one that didn't need to be enhanced by make-up or jewels.

"Ugh, why am I even thinking about this?!" Sombra yelled aloud, tossing the covers aside to don his crown and armor. The familiar cold weight of the armor reminded him of what he was and, more importantly, why he was that way. Throwing open the door, he walked out onto the balcony to survey his kingdom, focusing his gaze on the direction Canterlot was. He gave the princesses two days and he hoped for their sakes that they made the right decision.

YOU DO REALIZE WHO YOU SOUND LIKE, RIGHT? A CERTAIN PATRIARCH AND EX-UMBRUM RULER?

"Oh, shut up!" Sombra growled, wishing that the Darkness had a throat so that he could throttle it. He sighed and banged both hooves on the balcony's railing. "I am...nothing like Erebus. Long may he rot in Tartarus."

OH REALLY? BECAUSE FORCING A MARE TO MARRY YOU AGAINST HER WILL SOUNDS AN AWFUL LOT LIKE-

"ENOUGH!"

The railing cracked beneath Sombra's hooves and he disgustedly withdrew them and turned away, cursing himself for losing control of his emotions. When Celestia and Luna used the Elements against him, they inadvertently blasted away his rational mind along with his body, leaving him an incorporeal mass of raw emotions, mainly hatred and vengeance. Those emotions kept him going for a thousand years but since reclaiming his physical form and rational mind, he found no further need for them. So what in the hell was that dream about? Shaking his head, Sombra re-entered his bedchambers and seated himself at his writing desk. It doesn't matter. The sooner I take a queen, the sooner my true rise to greatness begins. Better hurry and make your choice, Twilight Sparkle.

The prisoners all raised their heads as a familiar dark figure made his presence known, their hearts filled with fear at whatever tortures their host had planned for them. While it was true that he did nothing to them, aside from keeping them chained and locked up, it was a likely possibility he did this to lull them into a sense of false security. They'd heard tales of King Sombra's cruelty and figured that it was only a matter of time before he broke out the whips and pliers. Instead, the umbrum stood there silently glaring at the octet.

"Ugh, if you're going to torture us, just get it over with!" Rainbow Dash yelled. "At least then something exciting would happen!"

"What are you talking about? Sitting in my own filth with an unwashed mane is torture!" Rarity whined, her legs kicking futilely as she hung from her wrists, her mane drooping down her face in stiff clumps.

Applejack groaned, "Rare, Ah love ya an' all, but please...shut up!"

"Hey, lay off of her!"

"Ya can shut up too, Spike! Stop defendin' her!"

"All of you shut up!"

They all stared at the now-fuming Sombra. He pointed a hoof at Applejack. "You."

"M-me?"

"Yes. You're the Element of Honesty, right?"

"Yessir."

"So tell me, what does it mean when, after centuries of empty sleep, you suddenly...dream?"

Applejack tilted her head, unsure if she herself was dreaming. "Uh, well, usually tha's a sign that, uh, a big change has happened in yer life. Ya did just get yer body back and took back yer kingdom after all."

Sombra tapped his chin thoughtfully. "That is true. Perhaps it was nothing." He turned to leave when:

"Um, Mister Sombra? Wha was yer dream about exactly?"

He spun to face the orange earth pony and snapped, "None of your damn business!" Without another word, he shifted into a stream of darkness and slithered back up the stairs, leaving the group very confused.

"Well somepony woke up on the wrong side of the bed!" Pinkie Pie remarked.

Author's Note

Phantasm (n.)-1. An apparition or specter
2. A creation of the imagination or fancy; fantasy
3.A mental image or representation of a real object
4. An illusionary likeness of something

The only reason I bring up the defination of this chapter's title is that it has more than one meaning. Not only does it refer to the fantasical nature of a dream but also the fact that it can mean a ghost, in this case, a "ghost" of what Sombra's future could be and a mental representation what he truly desires but denies what it is.

Also, whenever I hear the word, I'm reminded of the movie and its original film trailer.

R.I.P. Angus Scrimm (1926-2016) 😢

I already had a chapter dedicated to Twilight's feelings so I wanted to show what Sombra was going through as well.