She returns

• Crystal Empire, hours after the council meeting -

The gentle clack of hooves against thick crystal floors did nothing for the dark gray stallion's headache. His armor polished to a shine, his coat brushed clean, his cape rested on his back shifting a little here and there as he made his way back to his room. Glancing out a nearby window, a soft smile formed on his muzzle as he stopped to make his way over to it. He rested his front hooves on the windowsill to admire the Aurora Borealis outside, a gentle snow falling as he stood there with a content smile. The Empire was a beacon of power and prosperity that shared its light with the rest of Equestria with love and hope being its catalyst.

He rested his head on his hooves, watching snow slowly fall. It was a beautiful place to live, one that he sacrificed his own well being to protect. he looked below to the ponies still out and about, some pegasi coming back from patrols, earth ponies bringing in some last minute crops of sweet berries or unicorns helping them and chatting with smiles on their faces. His eyes were better suited for the daytime, but he could see perfectly well in the darkness, crystals reflecting the soft glow from the aurora to give him a perfect view of everything within the city's borders.

When his breath came out in white puffs, he withdrew from the window and headed on to his room, nodding to the two sentries guarding it. “You’re dismissed for the night, sirs. Go get some rest.” They nodded back and left the doors as he entered the dimly lit room, the doors making a soft clack as they shut behind him. After making sure his spells were still in place and untampered with, he turned to the room with a content smile.

To the left of the doors sat mannequins, one larger and taller than the other, their featureless faces facing towards the opposite wall. Next to them rested an elevated stand for shoes, a pair of black slippers sat where his horseshoes normally would as he walked towards the dresser to remove his crown. He paused to look at himself in the large mirror surrounded by dark purple crystals, his reflection staring at him with a gaunt expression, bags under his eyes made him look older than he was. He isn't sleeping well again and medication just didn't do anything for him, unfortunately, so he would endure this headache until he passed out.

The crown, a dark steel thing with sharp points at the top was laid down on the wooden dresser, a soft tink echoing in the empty room. He stared at it for a long moment, as if it held some sort of answers as to why he felt this way or why the headaches came more and more frequently or why he felt helpless towards cadence and her depression. He picked up the crown slowly, looking at all of the dents and reformed metal bits, each re-forged piece after throwing it across the room on more than one occasion before screaming till his voice was hoarse. His brow furrowed as he thought back to the time he threw it and nearly hit cadence in the eye, apologizing profusely and even went as far as sleeping on the couch for a few nights.

The crown, his burden, his promise to show others that he was a leader. A hero. A hero… He glanced at the mirror, his heart sinking deep inside his chest. A black creature stared back at him, its hateful eyes staring into his soul, but he dared not to move as it followed his movements. His heart started to race as it seemed to come out of the mirror, laughing as it reached to grab him before it was gone and he was alone, the crown dropped to the floor.

He stood there, heart racing and breathing ragged as he stared at the mirror, his coat seeming paler than it should be before shaking his head and setting the crown on the mannequin's head. He really needed some sleep.

The bed sat against the far wall, a canopy bed that held up red curtains trimmed with gold tied to the posts with yellow ropes. A single rug in the center of the room helped to soften any hoof steps as he approached the bed, removing his armor and regalia, the dark purple and black magic carrying the items to a mannequin. On either side of the bed was a simple nightstand, a lamp turned off, on the left side as he approached it to flick it on.

“Sombra? You alright?”

An angelic voice called from the side room, an office with a floor to ceiling bookshelf, a simple writing desk and a soft cushion to sit on. Cadence came out of the office with a smile on her face, her normal regalia similarly set on a mannequin beside his own as she came up to brush her muzzle against his neck. He nuzzles the back of hers with a relieved sigh.

“I thought you were in a meeting…?” He asked.

He watched her move from him to the dresser, fixing a picture with her light blue magic, the smile wavering on her face a little bit. He looked her over carefully, never taking his eyes off of her beautiful pink coat, her hair done up in a messy bun with a length of ribbon, her wings drooping a little at her sides. She had gotten better over the last few months, a few bad nights here and there, but she was getting better. He talked with his mother in law about it over tea one night and she recommended a therapist to help, a marriage counselor of sorts, but he trusted the empress to know how to help his girlfriend. He tried to join some of the sessions, but his busy schedule coupled with mismatching duties made it difficult at times so he opted to let cadence go alone. He hated seeing her so down, but this was for the best… Right?

“I finished a little later than I would have liked, but I'm here now…” She answered, nuzzling into his neck with a light purr as he brushed his hoof against her cheek and planted a soft kiss right at the base of her horn. She giggled a little, a beautiful sound even if it wasn't her normal laugh, he still enjoyed hearing her joyful sounds.

“Have I told you that you’re the most beautiful mare in the world…?” His gentle kisses trailed from her horn to her cheek then to her chin then back up to her nose with a smile on his muzzle before lifting her chin gently with a hoof to look into her beautiful eyes.

Her cheeks were flushed now, the faintest of smiles on her face. "N-no… but I like hearing you say it…" She couldn't stop him from playfully nibbling at her sensitive ears, eliciting a moan from her, cheeks reddening as he purred. Her wings twitched as he moved from her ear down her neck, nipping and nuzzling her as he went slowly down to the base of her wings, her watching him with red cheeks. "D-don't you dare~" She said breathlessly, a partial moan coming out of her before it turned into a squeak of surprise.

His teeth found her wings and caused them to spring open against his face as he chuckled. "Guess I deserve that one." He ran a hoof along her soft feathers, seeing a few bent out of shape and clicked his tongue at the state of them. "Honey."

She huffed and shifted her weight a little. "I-I've been busy…"

She had been busy, but not doing what she was supposed to be as a ruler. Her days recently were spent looking into fertility spells or reversal spells, charms, potions, anything that could give her hope of ever having a child. Most of which was a fruitless endeavor or some legend someone started to give mares false hopes and dreams, some of which included ancient magic that would do more harm than actual good. She had sent letters to her mother about those in the hopes of finding some way to get rid of or at least stamp out those ridiculous claims and notions.

Sombra pulled a loose feather. “Ouch!” She winced and looked back at him with the offending feather in his teeth and an apologetic look before he spat it to the side. “At least warn me before you do that…” She cooed as he brushed his hoof along her wing, smoothing the feathers back down as she lowered her head with a purr. After a bit of coaxing from her boyfriend, they found themselves laying by the fireplace, her head resting on his back and his on hers to snuggle.

The fireplace crackled softly, spitting sparks from the wet log as it hissed, sputtering like an angry snake. The odd couple nuzzled or spoke softly, not really exchanging anything of importance, just enjoying each other's company after a long day. Cadence shifted to rest her wing over his back as she lifted her head up to look towards the balcony doors, a thought forming in the back of her mind. it was a silly thought, not even worth her time, but it was still at the forefront of her mind nonetheless.

“Somby… Can I ask something?” A noise from the stallion and she giggled. “You’re a dork.” She nuzzled his back and watched the fire. “You know I love you, we’ve been dating officially for a year now?” Another grunt. She watched him as the words formed on her tongue and before they could be taken back, they spilled out from her muzzle.

"Are you happy with me…? Even if I could never…?" Shame is what she felt right now. She knew this was something she had to let go but she just couldn't, and the fact that her boyfriend was so forgiving and loved her so much hurt even more. Maybe a pang of guilt at saying those words but that's how she felt; her therapist would be excited to see her being more honest and open with her feelings. But it left a bad taste in her mouth like bile as her lip quivered, tears welling up in her eyes.

He shifts and rests his hoof under her chin, lifting it to look in her eyes with a sad smile.

“Hey, hey… That has never, ever mattered to me, you know that…'' Tears streamed down her face as she let out a strangled sob before burying her face in his chest to cry. Hugging her as best as he can while laying down, he nuzzled her neck with soft cooing and words of affection. It was all he could do to try and calm her down. This had been something that the therapist said would take time for her to accept, much less get used to. He would never dream of leaving her, it would cross his mind in his nightmares, but he strived to make her happy even if he knew the harsh reality that she would outlive him.

Nuzzling her neck affectionately, pulling back just enough to look into her eyes. “I know you do, my love…” He plants a kiss on her forehead as he grabs the tissues in his magic and lets her wipe her tears away, blowing her nose as he waits. This was hard for him to watch her go through on her own; no matter how much support he could offer, the shoulders to cry on or to be a punching bag, she had to grieve on her own terms. He had to be a pillar for her to lean on and a King to his people, a task that was not easy for anyone to do but he would try.

“Lets get some rest, huh? I'm exhausted and I bet you are too…” She nodded against him. He glanced to the mirror, the fire playing with shadows and he could swear he saw eyes reflecting back at him. Another demon to take care of, but she was more important right now.

* * * * *

He sat up with a start, flashes of his nightmare at the very edge of his vision as he looked around the room in a panic before a wing draped against his back and brought him into the soft fur of his lover's chest. She cooed at him, softly whispering sweet nothings by his ear as he trembled.

Recently, he had been having terrible night terrors, bad dreams that forced him to wake, getting him little rest in return. Cadence rubbed his back gently, nuzzling into his mane and kissing the nape of his neck as he slowly relaxed, little tremors wracking his body.

“The nightmares are getting worse… I'm afraid, my love…” His throat was hoarse, she brought a glass of water for him to drink which he downed quickly, letting out a breath as she took the empty glass. “This cannot continue like this…” He nuzzled into her chest, breathing in the scent of vanilla and lavender, his favorite place to be when he wasn't working or at a meeting with his generals or an issue with the borders or some sort of nonsense. She was his beacon of hope, his shining light in the darkness and her love kept him from sinking into madness many times over.

He knew how strange his magic was; it came from a dark place, a race of beings that no longer existed and he hated the history behind it, but it was a part of him, whether he liked it or not. When he met Cadence, a newly ascended alicorn, he was hesitant to train her. While it was true he was a very skilled unicorn who was responsible for the prosperity and safety of the empire, he was still dangerous, a fact that made him even more hesitant when he started to develop feelings for the young mare. He was easily a few years or more her senior and yet they had grown into an unshakable bond that soon turned to a want to be closer and eventually they became more on one passionate and romantic evening.

He could still smell the roses… He still heard her breathless moans… Still felt the first time they…

“Sombra…?” She lifted his head up to look into his eyes as he smiled softly. Her eyes, beautiful pools of magenta, her hair kept in a messy bun, her soft pink coat… He loved her so much. He leaned in and gently kissed her. It was a soft kiss, not heat or passion, but one of trust.

Of pure love.