Cadence and Shinning armour slept peacefully. They usually did, most nights anyway now that Flurry Heart is a thing. Although she was sleeping rather nicely tonight. The moonlight only just shimmered through the curtains, occasionally being blocked out by clouds. Not like anyone would notice. However the royal family was awoken rather suddenly when a guard swung open their door. The sudden noise awakening the couple.
“PRINCESS! It’s Sombra. He’s by the heart!” His voice was panicked yet there was still a strained formality in it. The royal couple instantly leapt out of bed. Not something they usually do but anything with Sombra called for it.
They hurriedly trotted out of their room which slowly developed into a gallop. Shinning’s armour floated behind him as he put each piece on mid run. Within moments they were under the castle.
A circle of guards was pointing their spears at a tall stallion, who was staring straight at them. Although it was strange for Sombra to not be putting up a fight. He was just standing there.
“What are you doing here Sombra” Shining demanded, but he got no response. He received a cold stare from one red eye and one…blinded eye? Shinning shook off the difference a recent injury.
“Trying to steal the heart again are we? Well you’ll never have it.” Cadence added sternly. She too had noticed the blinded eye. But cadence also noticed that Sombra seemed to have a much softer jaw line, and he was much slimmer in terms of muscle. His eyelashes seemed longer, so was his mane which was in three large braids. What hadn’t changed was the elongated mouth and hind claws.
“Speak” the guards next to him demanded. He was about to speak when Sombra’s neck straightened out, a hind leg was lifted and the claws wrapped around a guard’s face. Who was shoved down on the ground by the head. The guard groaned in pain at the unexpected forceful contact with the cold hard crystal ground. Anger built up inside Cadence. Never before had someone treated her guards so poorly.
“HOW DARE- “
“Trust me dear we umbrum mares have a knack for telling if a stallion’s eyes are wandering” an unusually feminine voice told her. It was certainly a shock and the tired royalty thought their hearing was simply out of it. There was a deadly silence between the group.
“I wasn’t looking-ngh- I promise” the grounded guard temporarily broke the silence, his face still smushed into the ground. He of course, was lying. As long as his wife didn’t find out. He should live another day. If his scull wasn’t crushed first. There was another stretch of silence before another voice spoke.
“Mother…what in the North are you doing?” that was the voice they were expecting. However it was slightly quite as the actual Sombra was a good few meters away. He seemed surprised. He wasn’t the only one who was surprised though.
The guards and the royal couple turned to an almost exact copy of the pony in front of them, but a stallion. Sombra was in his usual armour and blanket. Except the armour was now made of gold and was decorated with many gemstones. They sparkled in the dim moonlight. His hair was also in braids, but a lot more. They were decorated with beads and what seemed to be a peacock feather was woven into each one.
“Your Sombra’s mother? What, how-how have we never seen you before?” Cadence asked in a very confused state. To be fair she had completely forgotten the fact that Sombra didn’t just appear out of nowhere. But she was still confused on how she’s never seen his mother. Considering their likeness she would make a good decoy.
“we’ve been gone for a thousand year’s pinkie. You definitely would have noticed us if we weren’t” Sombras mother almost laughed at her. Then something clicked in Shinning’s head. There was mention of Sombra wanting to “raise an army”. He pushed past his wife and ran towards Sombra.
“WHAT ARE YOU PLANNING SOMBRA-AHH” his anger was cut off when a feisty mother appeared in front of him. Her lips had curled back over the top of her nose and forty-two unusually long and sharp teeth were bared in his face. The circle of guard’s broke formation as the one they surrounded had suddenly slipped away. Shinning took many steps back away from the mare, who could easily break his spine.
“Brute force wasn’t working so I opted for a quitter approach. So I basically freed the umbrum right under your noses” a cocky sombra said through an even cockier smile. Shinning however wore a dumbfounded face. How did he not notice?
“I also built an entire castle and empire, may I add one that fits the definition of an empire, literally not even twenty miles away and pretty much colonised the whole of the north. Again, right under your noses.” It was an insult to injury that stung the royal couple. And while Shinning felt the need to raise a war, Cadence had a drastically different idea.
“How about you introduce us. Considering were so close. We also don’t know much about you and why you were gone for so long. If you don’t mind that is” Cadence offered. Shinning turned to her with a “what are you doing” face. Sombras mother leant down to her son and whispered to him.
“Do they not know about our enslavement?”
“I watched Amore burn every bit of evidence and chuck it in the ocean. So most likely not” he replied to her. They continued to whisper to each other.
“What happened to Amore? That’s why I’m here anyway”.
“Oh. I took a chunk out of throat years ago. She isn’t coming back anytime soon”.
“You know what. I’m good with that. And I’m sure the others will be to”. They stopped whispering to each other. Sombra straightened up, the moonlight caught more of the gemstones.
“Sure. Meet us at the base of Mount Everhoof. Were beyond charted areas” with that both Sombra and his mother vanished into the shadows. Shinning turned furiously to Cadence.
“What did you just do Cadence!” he hissed. She took a step back in shock from the mild outburst.
“I made a peaceful offer because I don’t want another fight with him” she said as calmly as she could. After she let out a long yawn.
“I’m going to bed. We have a long day tomorrow” Cadence turned and headed back to the castle. Her husband followed her quickly realising he didn’t really have a choice in the matter now. they crawled back into bed and went back to sleep. And they silently rejoiced in the fact that Flurry Heart hadn’t woken up.
The next day came around a little too quickly for shinning and cadence. However they, or Cadence had made an offer, it would look bad to not act on it. They silently ate their breakfast. They would be leaving Sunburst in control while they were gone, despite his pleas for them not to go. They left early morning before the streets filled up. They made their way to the base of Mt Everhoof.
Sombra was already waiting for them, he was alone. Cadence put on an awkward smile, trying to make the situation a little less strained. Shinning however was glaring at Sombra.
“don’t try anything” Shinning said through gritted teeth. Cadence placed a hoof on his shoulder, telling him to calm down.
“So how long is it going to take to get there. Surly a day or two if we are going through the north” Cadence asked. Although she got an answer she wasn’t expecting, at all.
“Were not walking” Sombra told her. Without warning Cadence and Shinning felt as light as air as the world suddenly turned black. For a brief moment they felt like nothing, like they hardly existed. They couldn’t speak. They couldn’t feel. And then the world returned. They stumbled on their legs slightly. Before looking up at Sombra, and then behind him.
A whole kingdom was behind him. Many black figures travelled the circle streets. The whole placed seemed to be in a large circle of calm. The usual storms of the north simply didn’t exist. Thick snow still fell casting a white haze over the town. A ring of large hills surrounded it, on the tallest that was more a flat mountain, a fort like castle looked over them, its walls spread into a large ring around them.
“Where are we?” Shinning asked in a state of confusion. They had no clue where they are. But they knew they were on uncharted ground. They could easily be led into a trap here.
“You’re in the eye of the north, its relatively calm here, making it more habitable than the rest of the north. This is the capital. The rest of the smaller towns have calming towers, they push away the storms. A bit like the crystal heart but they don’t put us through mass apoptosis.” Sombra informed them, the last bit was almost spitted at them. Shinning was stiff jointed, he observed his surroundings for anything or anyone you could sneak up on them. But cadence was simply overwhelmed by the fact that the castle town was so beautiful.
The little A-frame houses were laid out in circle rows and in the centre there was a large market. It wasn’t quite built yet but she could imagine it full of new products. There was an ice statue in the middle of a peacock with its tail lifted up proudly. There were the occasional larger buildings, they were more square shaped. She assumed some were schools as they had large spaces of open ground behind them. the others she assumed were hospitals or other major buildings. Amongst the snowy haze she could see little fairy lights decorating the houses and shops.
There was a sudden bright blue light, a pony had teleported to Sombra’s side. The mare was a pinkish purple unicorn with a blue mane. She too had a royal blanket on but she wore much more leather and fabric. She had a verry similar crown to Sombra’s but it was much daintier. Her fur had a bright metallic sparkle to it.
“Let me guess. You’re his wife” Shinning assumed with a blunt tone. He could already tell, he didn’t need confirmation. he had noticed the wedding ring on sombras horn earlier, now he could see its pair.
“Yep. I’m Radiant Hope. I’m his foal hood friend turned wife” She answered merrily with a beautiful smile. Sombra also had a smile, a little more devious.
“she’s also a crystal pony”.
Silence.
Cadence and Shinning’s jaws dropped to the floor. How had Sombra raised the umbrum. built an entire empire, become an emperor, and marry one of their own without them noticing. When it was right under their noses.
They felt like utter idiots.