Flurry Heart and the Imprisoned King

Flurry couldn’t wait to meet Sombra tonight; she had done as much research as she could on the only thing left to ask about, Radiant Hope. The only pony he gave any attention to in his journal even more than himself. She finished dinner and headed off to bed early, wanting to get down to the dungeon as quickly as possible. She grabbed everything she needed and locked the door to her room as she teleported right into the garden, just in front of the hidden passage. She lifted up the hatch and entered, unbeknownst to her that somepony was watching from afar. She reached the dead end and pushed the tile that led to the dungeon, the dungeon felt colder than usual. She ignored the cold and smiled as she ran the rest of the way to Sombra’s cell. She made it to his cell and took a deep breath.
“Sombra! I’m back and not only do I have some questions for you, I also have news for you!”
He emerged from the darkness that laced the back of his cell, sitting in his usual spot as he folded his front hoofs over each other.
“News? What is it? And stop yelling like that the guards will hear you if you do. They already suspect somepony is seeing me. If you yell like that, they’ll find you.”
Annoyance was evident in his tone. She just smiled as she sat down and pulled out her notebook and quill. She sat up straight.
“It's fine. I won’t get caught, I have an invisibility spell, remember? Okay, so first I wanted to tell you that I found a record about Radiant Hope in Celestia’s records for her school. She was taught by Celestia and Luna when she was a student at their school.”
Genuine surprise washed over him as he stared at her, it was short-lived as his usual expression came back. That frown and hardened look with deep suppressed despair buried in his eyes. This bothered Flurry; she thought he would be happier and ask her questions about what she found. She thought they had become friends or at least acquaintances.
“I see. Well good for her. She went to Celestia's school after all.”
He was monotoned as he congratulated Hope’s accomplishment. Flurry let the words hang there as she furrowed her brow.
I was hoping for a happier reaction. Maybe if I ask him about her directly.
“Can you tell me what she looked like? I can have somepony draw a picture of her.”
He raised an eyebrow, asking.
“Why would I do that?”
It was slight but she could hear anger buried in his tone.
“Cause we're friends?”
She forced the words out; they were strained and were more of a question than a statement. He snorted; rolled his eyes and began speaking.
“Fine.”
He hissed at her.
“She was a crystal unicorn with the most hideously, brilliant sky-blue eyes you will ever see. Her crystal coat was purple, a rich purple. I swear it was the most perfect blend of blue and red.”
Flurry noticed how his tone shifted from anger and rage to joy and admiration. She listened carefully to what he was saying, she wanted to know more about the pony he loved, as her magic quill recorded every detail.
“And her mane and tail, a lovely shade of light blue or more of a cerulean. Her bangs hung from one side of her head slightly covering her left eye and it covered the base of her horn. While the rest fell along her neck one piece curled up and the rest fell flat. Her tail was perfect, no curl or wave just perfectly straight to a degree. Her voice was more perfect than Princess Amores. Sweet yet hopefully always full of wonder whenever she spoke and her cutie mark. I could never forget it. I'm the reason she finally got it.”
He remarked in his usually smug tone.
“It was a golden staff that had a ball on the top of it. The ball had a pair of golden wings from it and two snakes coiled around it, a healing sign, a caduceus I believe it's called. She was gifted in healing.”
Again he spoke with pride and joy. Flurry couldn't figure out why he claimed he hated her or why he seemed to want to hurt her. Even if she supposedly betrayed him she didn't think it was out of malice. Hope most likely told her aunt what happened so they could save him.
“She sounds lovely.”
Flurry’s sounded awestrucken as she gazed at Sombra. Sombra noticed her and his face flashed red, he turned away from her slightly embarrassed. He had never told that to anypony especially not one so young. His tone was a little unnerved and shaky.
“She was a bit childish. She was-”
She cut him off as the question tumbled out of her mouth.
“What do you think happened to Radiant Hope?”
Flurry didn’t think of how to ask this question at all. Radiant Hope was obvious, somepony who was important to Sombra. She didn’t even think of that when she asked her question. She just wanted to know what happened to Hope. She knew what had happened or at least she thought she knew what happened. However, she wanted to know what Sombra thought happened to her. He stared at her, his blood was slowly boiling. Her question had struck a nerve that he had thought was long gone.
“You know what happened, she went to Celestias’ to stop my reign of darkness and after the Empire and myself were gone. She went back to Celestia. Went to Celestia’s school and she fulfilled her destiny and became a princess loved by all. While I was forgotten to time.”
He seared with rage but slowly his voice became hollow as he uttered his last sentence. He averted his gaze from Flurry. Flurry noticed that he suddenly became uncomfortable about what had happened to Hope. Flurry thought to herself.
He seems so sad, he must have loved her deeply. Hmmmm, well now's my chance to tell him what somepony should have told him long ago. That any fate can be changed.
She breathed in, steadying her nerves.
“You know she probably wouldn't have gone to Canterlot without you. You two were best friends and I don't think anything would have separated you two. Not even a chance to become a princess would have taken that away.”
He shook his head, trying to dispel her words.
“Doesn't matter now she became a princess and fulfilled her destiny just like how I fulfilled mine. The Crystal Heart showed us that we could never be together because of our destinies and it was right.”
Oh Sombra…
Flurry could tell in his last sentence there was no rage or anger in his words, just sorrow and desperation. She could tell he was heartbroken about what had happened, but she wanted answers even if it hurt the pony she considered a friend. She forced herself to ask.
“So, why did you want to hurt her? I mean from reading your journal I learned about her. And every time you wrote about Radiant Hope there was never any malice, anger, or rage as you wrote. It seemed that you always held her in high regard even after she left you. You even wrote.”
She pulled out his journal and read aloud.
“‘She was the most amazing pony, I’ve ever met.’”
He looked down at the ground unsure of how to answer her. Hearing his own words thrown back at him didn’t help either. He was a monster yet he couldn't hate Hope whenever he thought of her, he couldn't bring himself to despise her. He looked up from the ground gazing at the Crystal Princess, lost in thought about her question.
“You loved her, didn't you? I can tell by the way you wrote about her, I have a talent for feeling others' love although, heh, unlike my mother I can’t spread love.”
Flurry’s voice pierced through the darkness of the dungeon; her question was the only thing Sombra heard. It assaulted Sombra’s ears like a swarm of wasps.
“You loved her didn't you?”
He shook his head violently trying to get her voice to vanish.
“No, that's not true! She was going to leave me. Besides, how could anypony love a monster? How could a monster love somepony!?”
He arose as his voice cracked. He held his tongue trying to keep whatever emotion was bubbling up suppressed. Flurry could only look at him as he glared hatefully at her. Emotions he tried to hide from her were as clear as crystal in his eyes. She could see the grief and anger over what had happened along with the remorse and heartbreak that came with his current situation. She knew or guessed that Hope loved him but now thousands of years later she was gone and he was stuck here with his mistakes. She swallowed hard, trying to ease the pit that was forming in her stomach. She didn’t want to tell him but knew that she was the only one who would be able to tell him what had happened to Hope.
“I’m sorry to tell you Sombra but during my research on the Equestria Princesses.”
She paused as she swallowed back tears.
Maybe this was, supposed to happen and that's why the Crystal Heart showed them their fates?
She didn’t want to do this.
“Radiant Hope, never became a princess.”
“Wha?”
“After the Crystal Empire vanished. She did study with Celestia and Luna as I mentioned earlier but left sometime after. No pony knew why but I’m guessing it was because of you.”
She chuckled a little trying to lighten the mood. Sombra looked at her.
“Me?”
His ears flattened, Flurry felt the pit in her stomach grow deeper. She wanted to stop talking and leave it at that but doing so would make her a coward. She pressed on.
“Yes, I-I think she loved you. That, she didn’t see a monster she only saw you for the pony that you were and not what you became. I think she left to try and figure out what happened to you. The records I found in the school archives think so too. After all, fate is never set in stone.”
“Haha…”
Sombra fell on his hunches letting out a broken laugh, Flurry held her stomach and gritted her teeth as she listened to his broken voice.
“What you're saying is crueler than a destiny you can’t escape from. It's crueler than this prison that I’ve been trapped in for sixteen years! That I, I of all ponies hurt Hope without even trying. YOU LIE!”
Black crystals appeared again taking up the entire entrance to his cell. Flurry backed away at his futile attempt to harm her. Her horn lit up.
“I’m not lying! I would never lie about something so important to a friend!”
She yelled out as she blasted the crystals away. She gazed at Sombra who was sitting in the cell, tears streaming down his face as he gazed at her. A frown was fixed across his muzzle. Flurry stepped back stunned, asking with concern.
“I didn't think you would be this upset? Are you okay? Can I help in any way?.. Please.. Please don’t cry.”
“Huh Haha. Tears of rage and regret my dear. I regret what happened a thousand years ago but alas we cannot change the past. However, I am angry at you for giving me the most devastating news of my life! But more importantly I am angry and full of regret… Regret at myself!!!”

“Yourself?”
“Yes, Myself.”
He whispered, he seemed to be gazing at her and yet somehow wasn’t as he spoke.
“Myself, for loving a crystal pony. I was born a monster yet lived like a pony and loved like a pony. Haha, I thought I crushed these emotions long ago yet some girl… No, some princess was able to reinstall them into me. What monster could love somepony; who was so bright like Radiant Hope? I was a fool for starting to like you.”
“Sombra?”
Flurry met his eyes and saw insanity or at least temporary insanity filled them. Her heart sank and it felt like her stomach had fallen out. All she could think as he started to ramble to himself was.
Is this what isolation does to somepony? Did, did I do this? Was he so set on believing in their destiny that hearing all that broke him? That Hope isn't a princess? Oh no, how can I help him?
His words snapped her back to the reality she had created.
“She isn’t dead. Noooooo! No, no, no, no, no! Grogar confirmed that for me when he came to offer me a spot in his scheme. He said ‘Sombra you failed yet again. However, I can still use your help. I can even give you back what you lost.
He was imitating Grogar’s voice as he switched back to his broken tone.
“I laughed at him knowing what I wanted, I couldn’t have. Hope, Hope, Hope. I never wanted the Crystal Empire, it wasn’t really what I wanted, I just didn’t want to suffer anymore. And I told him that too.”
He started pacing back and forth.
“I even told him what I wanted died long ago since what I wanted wasn’t in the Empire when it was cursed. All he said to me was ‘She’s not dead.’ He even gave me a smug smile, bastard. Haha! HAHAHAHA! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!”
His laugh was broken and sickening. Flurry shivered as tears formed in her eyes. This laugh was worse than the one she heard before.
“I just figured he meant she was a princess, busy and important. That she had long forgotten about me. Which was why she never appeared before me when I came back. But instead, she was just gone, gone, gone. No more. She was bye-bye. Dead as a doornail!”
He started to laugh hysterically again as he sent another wave of crystals at Flurry a few did pierce through the shield but again he failed to harm her. Flurry was surprised to see more crystals appear. One aimed at her heart stopping short through the barrier. Flurry stared at his face in horror. If looks could kill she would have been dead by now. He was looking at her so intensely. His eyes filled to the brim with bloodlust and a dash of insanity flashing in them. A sickening smile was plastered to his face and his ears remained flattened to his head. Flurry wanted to help him. She caused this and all she wanted now was to help fix it. She heard him say that Hope wasn’t dead but before she could offer to find her. Flurry’s mother and father came rushing into the dungeon witnessing Sombra’s mental breakdown. He kept rambling on as Shining addressed him.
“Sombra, I swear if she’s hurt in any way! You’ll pay for this with your life!”
Anger was plastered to his face, as Cadence grabbed Flurry and dragged her away from the deranged king. Flurry looked back at Sombra. Sombra noticed Shining at the front of his cell, he seemed to come back to his senses somewhat as he watched Flurry get dragged away by her mother. Flurry started to struggle against her mother.
“Let me go! I have to help him!”
Cadence let go only to grab her in her magic.
“Flurry, what were you thinking!? Talking to that beast!?”
Flurry ignored her as she struggled yelling out one thing before they vanished.
“SOMBRA!”

Back in the prison cell Sombra heard her cry. He just looked out past Shining Armor; his senses fully returned. He then gazed at Shining Armor. Shining was still much shorter than him, his face fell flat as he looked at the black crystals aimed at the spot Flurry usually sat in; her notebook and quill were still there writing.
Did I do that? I had to of done that those are my crystal’s and shes gone. I made a mistake… Back to isolation.
Words failed him as he just looked at the spot Flurry had been in, till his breath failed him. He grabbed at his throat as he fell to his hunches and gasped for air as Shining choked him until he passed out. He let go of Somber’s throat as he grabbed the notebook and quill in his magic and headed out of the dungeon after his wife and child.