“Did they ditch us again?” Soarin groaned, crossing his hooves as the other two stallions looked up from their books.
“Can you blame them?” Sunburst asked with a raise of his eyebrow. “You turned the last study session into' 'Would I ever!’ These are supposed to be productive study sessions!”
“It was my suggestion.” sighed Sombra. “You know how bad he gets with Trixie. Besides, she wanted to spend more time with Starlight anyways.”
“But studying is so boring without her!”
“That’s because we can actually study!” Sunburst rolled his eyes.
“Come on Soarin, you know these tests are important. You need to make sure you pass if you want to join the Wonderbolts! Besides, we were free to mess around a few years ago, but now we’ve almost finished here! We can’t afford to keep playing around like we used too.” explained Sombra.
Soarin simply grunted and rolled his eyes.
“How in Equestria did you manage to get this far in school again?”
“Because I'm here to help him.” scoffed Sombra. “He would have failed ages ago if it wasn’t for me giving a helping hoof.”
“Hey! Don’t talk about me like I’m not here!” objected the pegasus with a flare of his wings. “It’s not my fault it’s hard to focus!”
“Yet you were supposed to have this essay done ages ago.” chimed in Sombra.
“I-I know! I’m still getting it done though! Just really slowly! It’s not like it bothers me or anything!” The pegasus insisted, earning him yet more eye rolls from the other stallions.
“If you want to work faster just focus on it for a while! It works fine for me!”
“This coming from the pony that would stay in his room all day if we didn’t drag him out…”
Sunburst glared at Sombra, the pegasus giggling to himself and sighing as he flicked through a few pages of his book.
“Oh well, as long as I get the final product done soon. This is what will determine whether I become a Wonderbolt and all… and all our futures! After this I’ll have to go to Canterlot if I do well enough…”
“Like you’ve reminded us about countless times already… you know I’m trying to be a royal archivist right? Of course, I am aware of how serious this is!” Sunburst sighed.
“Oh you’ll be fine.” assured Sombra with some comforting brushes of magic. “Nopony wants to be a Wonderbolt more than you!”
“You say that. But there was this really devoted filly I knew back in Cloudsdale…”
“Soarin. I’m trying to give you a prep talk, try not to pick it apart like Sunburst proofreading an essay.” groaned Sombra.
“I’m only trying to be constructive!” objected the unicorn.
“Oh right, sorry. Can you carry on maybe?” he asked nervously, earning a judging glare in return. “Please?”
“Fine. Like I was saying. You can do this. It’s not like you're an idiot or anything. You know this stuff. That’s why you chose to write about Wonderbolt history in the first place. It’s particularly the only thing you ever paid attention to… it’s literally the best topic you could do it on!” Sombra explained casually, the pegasus rising in increasing joy from every word.
“Yeah! You’re right! That all seems really obvious now you say it out loud! Thanks Sombra!” expressed Soarin, wrapping a wing around the unicorn while Sunburst sighed and made another note.
“For Sun’s sake, I wonder if I’d been better off studying with Trixie and Starlight. And they probably would be using all of their self control trying not to make out with each other…” he laughed, Sombra doing the same before frowning at his own book, neither of them noticing Soarin’s confused expression.
“Huh? Starlight and Trixie? B-but… they’re both mares?” he stammered in confused shock, earning almost identical raises of eyebrows from his friends.
“Very observant of you.” said Sombra, watching as Soarin went though vastly different emotions in fast forward.
“That… that’s a thing? You can… do that? Stallions too?”
“Yes?” answered Sunburst after a moment.
“Since when!?”
“Since always!”
“Really?”
“Yes!”
“Are you serious?” asked Sombra, unsure if he should be groaning or laughing at his friend. “You’re on the edge of becoming a royal guard and didn’t even realise ponies of the same gender could love each other? It’s totally normal! Like you know the candy maker here is married to our history teacher right?”
“What!?” repeated Soarin for yet another time. “I thought they were just really good friends!”
“Oh they are. Really good friends.” teased Sunburst with a laugh. “Did you seriously not know? Oh Trix and Star are going to love this! How can you be so smart and so dumb at the same time?”
“I can confirm it’s classic Soarin.” smiled Sombra, something stopping him from laughing as loud as his friend as his eyes seemed to be drawn to the book he was reading, not noticing just how red the comment and revelation was making his friend.
“Y-yeah! Silly me! Haha!” said the pegasus a bit too quickly, barely able to stay focused on what he was doing thanks to the info that had dropped on him. “Anyways! How’s your look coming along Sombra?”
He only meant to ask so he could change the topic, already planning on asking him anyways, but part of him already regretted it when he saw the subtle pause in the unicorn’s movements.
“F-fine! It’s going fine! I already know most of the evil king stories anyway… this just gives me an excuse to research it more!”
“Did you both seriously just research your private pet projects instead of branching out?” asked Sunburst with a raise of his eyebrow. “You could have used this as an excuse to find out about that crystal magic or something!”
“I’ve told you I hadn’t found anything about that! I looked years ago since the first time I used it and everything. If there’s anything written about this kind of magic, it isn’t available here. Maybe in some better libraries in Canterlot, but not here. Starlight couldn’t even dig anything up! S-so I’m sure there’s n-nothing…”
“Are you feeling alright!?” Soarin swooped in, leaning in closer than he needed too as Sombra flushed.
“I-I’m fine… I just need a little break for a while.”
“Yeah, you’ve been working on this for ages… maybe it would be a good idea to just step away and do something else before you get back to it. You have plenty of time before it's due!”
“I suppose you're right…” muttered Sombra.
“Of course I am! Who wants to do stupid old work anyways when we can j-just hang out!”
Sunburst cleared his throat.
“Oh sorry, who wants to do stupid old work that isn’t an anti social egghead. Is that better?” he burst into giggles at the offended roll of the eyes he got in return, trotting away with Sombra in tow, a blush returning to his face as the new information he had learnt brought new context to the usual thoughts that plagued him.
—
“Good to see you!? That’s all you have to say!? I came back from Canterlot to find… to find… this! And you say it’s good to see me!?”
“Well, I’m not lying.” the unicorn smiled. “I’ve been all too lonely without you. Recently I’ve found the lack of intelligent conversation a bit grating. Though I can’t imagine why.” he chuckled, the sound making Soarin shake in growing fury.
”Cut the act Sombra! You should know why I’m here! You know what you’ve done! I’ve seen it for myself! I just want to know WHY!” he yelled, Sombra’s expression hardening as he turned to face him with a flick of his cape.
”All in due time. But I’m curious. Why are you here Soarin? And all alone? Does Celestia underestimate what this is? Has her long life finally led to lapses in her “great” judgement when she thinks one wonderbolt I happen to be acquainted with is enough to handle an invader to her empire!?” He gloated, stomping threateningly towards the pegasus, towering over him even more so than normal.
It took the pegasus a moment to form an actual reply, regaining his composure as he narrowed his eyes back. “The army’s coming tomorrow, Sombra. I’m here on my own. I set off as soon as we heard what happened.”
“Oh? You came here of your own violation then?” his voice turned softer for a second, concern showing on his face. “I can’t believe you're still such an idiot even after all your training! Why would you do that!?”
”Are you seriously asking me that!? To stop this! To stop my best friend being executed for being a threat for all of Equestria! To stop a tyrant from mind controlling a village full of ponies he’s known for his entire life! All of which I can not only see is happening, but from your own will! So can you just tell me what is going on already!?”
“Fascinating. I didn’t notice in our letters, but the royal guard has only made that impatience of yours worse!” he laughed, more genuinely this time. “How did you find out what happened, if I may ask? I didn’t think it was so arrogant to assume I would have a few more days before Celestia caught wind of this.”
Soarin sighed, turning away as his expression crumbled. “Trixie told us. She burst into Sunburst's quarters, he sent somepony to get me, and she eventually told us everything she saw.”
“Hmmm, did she now? I was wondering where she had gotten too… must have slipped out in the confusion.”
“She was terrified Sombra! It took her an hour to calm down enough to tell me and Sunburst why! Crystals bursting from the ground! What you did! How you controled everyone you found! Even Starlight! OUR FRIEND! WHY WOULD YOU DO ANY OF THIS!? AND WHY THE HELL AREN'T YOU ANSWERING ME!” he screamed.
“Starlight is quite safe. She wasn’t supposed to be effected by it in the first place. I want her as far away from this as she can be. She’s my friend Soarin. Do you think I’ve forgotten that?”
”What am I supposed to think!? You’ve done all this! Am I supposed to assume you still care about any of us?!” he glared in fury, Sombra matching it before turning away with a flick of his cape, his ruby eyes glowing green.
”Walk with me, Soarin. I’ll attempt to explain. If that is what you want. I suppose I... owe you that much.” he spoke softly, trotting away as the pegasus followed uncertainly, slipping through a large archway and into the pitch black darkness.
—
He should be working. Sombra knew that.
Instead, he simply glared into the crystal he had created, his reflection peering back, each time more distorted than the last. It was times like this he wondered what he was doing with himself, since it was honestly just as much of a mystery as what he was researching.
Parentless, still no cutie mark, no specific dreams of the future, nothing. Out of all of them, he probably had the least amount to lose when it came to this final exam that would help set them on the paths towards the rest of their lives. Still, whatever the future brought, he hoped Soarin would be there.
Late-appearing cutie marks were rare, sure, but Sombra wondered if his had any hope of showing up at this rate. But that wasn’t the current object of his concerns anyways, he was more focused on this crystal, or more specifically what it represented.
He had never admitted it to anypony else, but he had found something on crystal magic a while back, though it was a book on fables, so he had told himself it didn’t matter. Even when it described it being associated with the legendary evil king.
It was clearly a strange coincidence, but there was no reason to bring it up. It would just be silly, and it certainly wasn’t anything to do with the fear that struck his core as soon as he read those words. It was the same reason why he never mentioned the unusual feelings that stirred within every once in a while when researching what experts had labelled as likely being reincarnations of the evil king's restless spirit.
For a while, it seemed a bit boring for whatever reason, almost like he had read this all before somewhere, and it only got weirder when he started to think most of it was wrong...
”Heh, Starlight would have a fit if she knew I was disagreeing with princess approved textbooks...” he laughed out loud, hoping some humour would calm him down a little.
It didn’t work.
The feeling of unease continued to hang over him like a restless spirit, the inaccuracies in the texts clawing away at him, a voice calling for him from far away, steadily growing closer. It made his heart race, the unicorn having to remind himself that it was just a figment of his imagination like always, an annoying ringing that had been in the corner of his mind since he was a child.
“What aren’t you telling me?” he mused aloud, even Sombra unsure who the question was for, the sound of knocking snapping him out of the thoughts.
”Hey Sombra, are you there?” Soarin shouted.
”I’m here! Calm down!” he opened the door with his magic, chuckling as the overeager pegasus landed flat on his face.
”You know I hate it when you do that.”
”I mean, you do keep giving me perfect chances to do it...” he smirked, Soarin rolling his eyes while brushing off the dust with his wings.
”You’re impossible.” he grumbled, looking over the unicorn's back to see what he was doing. “Are you seriously working again!? You know you can rest sometimes right?”
”I know! It’s just... I want to get this finished already. I feel like I’m thinking about this way more than I need too...” he sighed, slamming the book shut and shelving it with his magic.
”You just need to worry less, Sombra. It’s all fine! You’re certain to pass anyways!” encouraged Soarin with a wide infectious grin.
“It’s not just that.... it’s...” he began, before frowning and trailing off. “It doesn’t matter, did you want anything Soarin?”
“O-oh! It’s nothing important!”
Sombra raised his eyebrow.
“Honest!” He insisted, only earning an even more intense judging stare in return.
”Ok fine! I was just... you know that event that’s coming up? The finale to our school life in Sire’s Hollow and all that?”
”Oh right, that. After the last exams if I remember right. What about it? I thought you’d want to skip it. Spend some time with me doing exciting adventuring stuff. Maybe even playing royal guards again.” he chuckled.
”Hey! We haven’t done that in years!” Soarin protested with a blush. “I just wanted to ask you something... if I was going to that, would you come with me?” he turned redder.
”With you?” repeated the unicorn in surprise. “You're not gonna to skip it? Seriously? I thought you hated things like this! Isn’t it going to be all posh and stuff?”
”W-well yeah... but Trixie and Starlight are going and I thought...”
“Oh right. You're worried about us splitting up. Do you really think our futures are going to keep us apart? Sure you and Sunburst are going to be in Canterlot. But I’ll still have Trixie and Starlight. It’s going to be fine, alright?” he said with a smile, burying his own twinges of sadness at the thought of losing his best friend.
“Well... yeah, that is part of it. But there’s more to it than... look I just...” it was weird to see the confident pegasus trying so hard to force something out, his face flushing wildly. “I... do you want... to g-go with me? Maybe! If you want?”
”Go with you?” He raised an eyebrow. “Soarin, you just asked me that, and I already said yes. Besides, we basically go everywhere together already, why are you acting so weird about this?”
”T-that’s not what I meant!” he protested with an uncharacteristic stammer. “It’s just... I didn’t mean...I meant... g-go together like T-Trixie and Starlight do?” he turned red. “Only if y-you want of course!”
Meanwhile, Sombra’s brain had short-circuited.
H-he... was he being asked on a date? By Soarin. What? This didn’t make sense! This wasn’t happening! That was crazy! This was crazy! R-right? Yeah, of course it was! Oh buck he should probably say something though, form words, he can do that, he’s done that plenty of times!
“Ummmmmmmmmmm.” was all that slipped out as he grew increasingly redder.
“I mean it's fine if you don’t want to! It’s weird right!? It’s totally weird! I d-don’t know when it started since I didn’t know this could even be a thing until the other month! I just thought I felt like that since we’re best friends but then I talked to Starlight and… I-I might have been crushing on you for years?”
Sombra blinked in a daze.
“I mean how could I not crush on you! I mean you’re smart, kind, and always know what to say. And you keep me from doing anything too stupid! My parents like you. I like you! Well, obviously. And y-you’re really strong and have a nice horn and I love your mane and I’m just-”
“Soarin.”
“Yeah, I’m Soarin hello!” He shouted in a panic, Sombra laughing fondly as he trotted closer to his best friend, the pegasus shaking in fear.
“Of course I’ll go out with you, you idiot.”
“Yeah, I know you would prefer to be just friends, it was silly for me to- wait what!?” he cried. “F-for real!?”
“For real.”
“R-really?”
“Yes Soarin.”
“But are you certa-”
“Oh for sun’s sake.” He groaned, deciding that actions would speak louder than words, leaning in close as their lips unexpectedly met. It was messy, utterly unromantic, and could be described with plenty of other negatives, but in that moment, it was theirs.
—
Neither of the two ponies had said a word once they had left the room, both of them trotting heavily down the hallway as if the silence was physically weighing them down. Soarin continued to frown, glancing out of the nearby translucent wall to see the town below, the guards moving around like tin soldiers in soulless routine.
”So?” he eventually asked, stopping in place as the nearby torches suddenly burned with purple flame. “Are you going to explain or not?”
”I’m... simply trying to find the right words.” he whispered with a sigh.
”The right... the right words!? What, does ‘I went crazy and took over the town’ not roll off the tongue!?”
”There’s more to it than that!” he growled. “Do you honestly think I don’t have a good reason!? That I didn’t think this though in some way?!”
Unsurprisingly, his words only made the pegasus more furious, Soarin looking ready to attack at a moment’s notice. “What could possibly be a good reason for any of this Sombra?!”
”It’s...” the unicorn looked lost for a moment, turning towards the town below. “We’ve always known I’m different from other ponies, Soarin. The lack of a cutie mark. The crystal magic. Even the orphanage had no idea about my parents. They just found me wandering the streets. I’ve always known there was something wrong with me. But why... why couldn’t it be anything other than this.”
The hurt in his friend's voice brought pause to the pegasus, staying silent as he watched his everything turn around with a sigh. “I didn’t find out why until a few years ago. A bit after you left. The reason why I was so interested in the evil king too. It’s because I’m him Soarin. I’m his reincarnation.”
”What!?” he laughed in disbelief. His blood ran colder when Sombra didn’t laugh with him. “What do you mean you're his reincarnation!? That doesn’t make any sense! You said that part was made up yourself!”
“How time makes fools of us all.” laughed the unicorn humorlessly. “No, I’m not crazy before you ask. Trust me, I almost wish I was. I can hear him all the time now. My first life. He’s offered me quite a bit of insight.”
“How is that meant to make me think you aren’t crazy!? That’s ludicrous! You can’t just say that like it explains everything!”
“It’s the truth. He explained everything to me. I don’t have a cutie mark because of him. It was a famous trait of his after all. We never could find anything on crystal magic because it’s dark magic. And along with mind control magic, happened to be my most used spells back then.”
“S-Sombra? You’re scaring me. Like… you can’t be for real right now! You just can’t! It’s a story! I-it has to be! You're supposed to be smart Sombra! You can’t believe that rubbish! That kind of magic is impossible anyways! You said it yourself!” Soarin argued in desperation.
“When was the last time I joked around Soarin?” he sighed sadly. “Whatever you think doesn’t change that this is the reality of our situation.”
“Don’t... but you're not evil! You're kind! You aren’t some evil mastermind Sombra, that just isn’t you!”
“I’m afraid it is Soarin. This fate. This destiny of mine. It was set far into motion centuries prior. All in preparation of his... my victory.” He turned to face the pegasus, his expression hardening as his eyes narrowed in determination.
“W-why... why didn’t you just tell me?” asked the pegasus weakly.
”You weren’t supposed to be involved!” he roared, the flames around them flickering wildly as his horn shined with dark magic. “You were in the safest place in Equestria! You were with her! You being there was the only reason I would risk something like this!”
”Something like what!?” Soarin snapped back. “Attacking our friends!? Conquering our home!? What a truly brilliant move that isn’t at all tyrannical !”
“This is merely self defenc-“
“Self defence!?” shouted Soarin in disbelief. “This Isn't self defence! Self defence would be showing the princess that you're nothing like the evil king! This is the opposite to self defence! Sombra, how can you not see that this is obviously evil!?”
”I AM NOT EVIL!” the unicorn yelled, stomping the ground with all his might, the very tower shaking as he took deep heavy breaths. “That’s… that’s the problem. I’m not evil Soarin. But this voice in me. Where I came from? That’s evil.”
Sombra’s voice didn’t betray any of his inner emotion now, that alone scaring the pegasus more than anything else so far.
“Then tell the princess! Tell her you don’t want to do any of this! That this spirit thing is making you!” Soarin pleaded in increasing desperation. “We can still fix this Sombra!”
Sombra simply laughed.
“The princess? Oh you would think that wouldn’t you Soarin! The precious, kind princess of Equestria would surely listen to me. Well I thought that before too! I’ve thought about it for plenty of lifetimes in fact! But when I try it, well…”
“What are you talking about!” shouted Soarin, his panic and patience running thin as he cried out in desperation. “You aren’t evil! You’re the nicest pony I know! Celestia wouldn’t do-”
“You don’t know what Celestia will do!” Sombra roared. “I want to be good. I want to be loved. To be cared for like any other pony. For a time, I was. For a time, I was happy. But then.” he chuckled, even that sounding consumed by hate and despair. “Then I find out that isn’t my fate. My fate.” He spat the world in pure hatred. “Is to be slaughtered by our kingdom's defenders. Cut down regardless of what I desire! The history books speak of tyrants. They speak of the heartless. But they speak of the others!? The children who accidentally unleashed crystal magic!? DO THE BOOKS TELL YOU ABOUT THOSE LIVES!?”
Soarin gasped, taken aback for a moment before responding. “How do you know about them then!? Did that voice tell you? For Tartarus’s sake Sombra, it wants you to hate her! It’s goading you!”
“Then why do the dates not match Soarin?! There’s no set cycle for the reincarnations without this!”
“I don’t know! I just know you’re being manipulated! Even if you can’t see it! You need to call this off! The princess is marching here tomorrow!”
“And I will finally prevail.” he growled, a dangerous smirk filling his features. “I’m certain this time.”
“A-are you even listening to me!? Sombra you need to stop! You don’t need to do any of this! Please listen! Trust me!” Soarin cried. “I don’t want to lose you to this! How much of you is even… you anymore!?”
“I am who I always was.” came the cold response. “I am Sombra. The evil king reborn. My soul kept alive through the power of a matter most dark. Once more called from the void. That is who I am.”
“You’re clearly not certain though! Are you even listening to yourself? You’re contradicting yourself every other sentence! It’s toying with you just so it can see through its delusion of revenge! Sombra please!”
“Bah. Why did you even come here if not to support me? Did you honestly think you could stop this? A lowly pegasus? What a pathetic joke. A shame you didn’t even try and make it amusing.” the mocking comment made Soarin growl before the pony burst into a furious shout.
“You know why I’m here! What, does being an evil king give you short term memory loss or something!? I thought it was quite clear I am here to stop my boyfriend from killing himself!”
For a moment Sombra didn’t say a word, facing away from the other pony as he stared across the horizon, seeing the first traces of sunlight edge over the horizon.
“Heh. Of all the times you could have said it. You always had the worst timing Soarin. But this is new heights even for you… the lives we lead really are tragic are they not?” He spoke somberly. “I don’t think I’m wrong Soarin. About the reincarnations. Everything just makes too much sense to ignore. I don’t want to believe it, but I have too.”
“Stop being so stupid! You’re supposed to care about facts, Sombra! Sources and facts! Not just what some voice in your head is telling you! Just listen to me! I’m begging you!” Soarin cried, tears sliding down his face as a wing suddenly wrapped around the unicorn. “I-I can’t lose you. N-not like this. Not e-ever. You’re not going to do anything but kill yourself! I don’t care if you’re a reincarnation! I don’t care if you’re supposed to be some evil king! You’re not a monster! I know it! You're my everything, Sombra! Don’t take that from me please!”
“I understand. I knew this wouldn’t be easy for you. I’m sorry. The least I could do was make sure you and the others wouldn’t go down with me in case the worse happens.”
“W-what? Y-you… but you’ve mind controlled the entire town you moron! That’s directly involved… everypony.” he paused, his mind putting the pieces together, gasping as it all clicked.
“Making it so it’s painfully clear I’m the one to blame, yes. Sparing the entire town from Celestia’s injustice.”
“Just because you have a good reason doesn’t make it ok to violate their minds like this though! You don’t even need to do this! Why don’t you just listen!”
“I’ve tried to fight fate before! I’ve tried to be normal! I’ve tried to leave others out of it! And it only makes things worse! The only way to end this is to defeat Celestia!”
“No it isn’t! You’re basing this off the words of a tyrant! A lying, manipulating tyrant! What happens after Celestia, Sombra!? Do you think that will be enough!? We were taught about this in history! Ponies like him always want one more thing! It’s never going to end!” He raged.
“I am him! We aren’t different ponies! His spirit is where I came from!”
“THEN I FELL IN LOVE WITH A MONSTER!”
The sheer hatred in his friend's words made the unicorn physically pause, looking down in despair. “Perhaps you’re right. Then again, you weren’t the first. Every life there seems to be another soul damned by my mere existence. Like it or not, I am the evil king. And this destiny is the only path left for me.”
“Is it!? Is it really!? Or is that thing in you too evil to even consider giving up!”
“You still insist on that view then.” he laughed sadly. “You always were stubborn. That’s why I’m sorry for this Soarin.”
“It’s a bit late for apologies!”
“Not for that. For this. Take him away.” he said emotionlessly, Soarin suddenly became aware of the door opening behind him, turning to see two guards heading towards him.
“What!? No! You are not going through with this! I won’t let-” he didn’t even get the chance to finish, a wall of see-through crystal shooting up between the two ponies, Soarin staring at the unicorn in betrayal.
“Celestia and her army will be here soon. The safest place for you is the cells. I refuse to let somepony I care about get caught in the crossfire.” he sighed, looking right into the pegasus's eyes. For a moment, Soarin didn’t see the hardened eyes of a tyrant, but the hopeful warmth that belonged to the love of his life.
“I don’t care! I-I don’t know how I feel now! But I love you! I’m always going to love you! I should be by your side! To stop this from getting worse!” Soarin pleaded desperately, watching as the two pegasus grew closer, their wings sure to cut off any escape.
“You really are stupidly loyal. That’s why you made for such a perfect guard. Celestia is lucky to have you.” he smiled. “I missed you, you know? I wonder if this would have happened if I’d…” he paused before sighing. “No use dwelling on it now though…”
“Stop talking like that! Let me in! Let me in!” He pounded on the crystal, looking back to see the mindless guards growing ever closer. “Let me help you!”
“You know I can’t do that. I have to keep you safe regardless of what you think of me. I make a habit of that, I suppose.”
“Then what if it’s not just a coincidence!? You’ve told me about the evil king’s lovers before! Radiant, Flytrap, Yin Yang, Skyfiler, Starsong! There’s almost always someone! What if it’s more than that!? What if my soul is stuck following yours!? What if I’m supposed to stop you from doing this!?” Soarin wasn’t even sure if he believed it, determined to stop his friend as he gasped desperately.
Sombra’s eyes hardened so suddenly that Soarin wondered if they had warmed to begin with.
“Then I will have one thought to comfort me, if the end does come.”
“No! Sombra!” screamed Soarin, struggling against the ponies that were dragging him away. “There’s still time! Don’t listen to it please! Sombra! SOMBRA!”
The unicorn remained silent, the desperate shouting ending with the slam of the doors.
—
The battle had been brutal.
How long did it last this time? Certainly longer and closer than normal, one that ruined buildings, forests and even a crater in the side of a nearby mountain.
That was where it ended.
Sombra spat blood, his legs shaking as he barely remained standing through sheer will, the final blast of magic from his opponent simply too much to block fully, even with his crystal magic. The remains of his crown fell to the ground, the alicorn in front of him lowering herself to the ground, barely looking bruised from the intense conflict.
So annoyingly perfect.
“Only you this time?” He asked mockingly, his lips twisting into a smirk. “Or did she get tired of living in your shadow after so long?”
Celestia looked up for a moment, catching a glimpse of the moon, not fully lowered in her rush to reach the battle, and the horse imprinted on its surface.
“Ah. I see.” laughed Sombra humorlessly. “Might make the next try easier I suppose.”
“Is this a game to you?” he was surprised to hear her voice, so direct, so frustrated and so clearly tired. “These constant rebirths? You cause only pain. Why don’t you just stop? Put your soul to rest. End this pointlessness.”
“Ha. That’s the first thing you’ve asked me for centuries. I doubt you would understand.”
“I understand you were happy.” Celestia answered. “I understand that you had friends. I’m disappointed that it didn't factor into this. But perhaps it did? You truly are an enigma.”
Sombra laughed to himself, coughing some more blood in the process. “Oh just finish it already. It’s funny. Part of me is happy you won. Happy you stopped me before it went too far. What a tragic, messy fate we lead.”
Celestia sighed, her horn glowing as Sombra shut his eyes, ready for what he knew was coming, one final thought going through his mind before all went dark.
“I’m sorry, Soarin.”
Perhaps it would be forever. Perhaps the next life. Or perhaps she had shown mercy enough for a trial. It was funny, he realised, that he didn’t know which he would prefer, as all went dark.
Just in Time to See the Fall
Soarin trotted silently, the once busy streets of Sire's Hollow left barren, empty, and so terribly alone. He’d only landed in town a few minutes ago, yet he could already see the differences since his last proper visit as he looked around, his expression unreadable.
He had tried to mentally prepare himself for his arrival on the flight here. He knew what he would be met with, but no amount of that could properly prepare him for the sheer fear that had engulfed his childhood home. There were eyes on him, it didn’t take his years of guard training to notice that, the ponies nervously shaking as they watched him from the safety of their homes.
How many of them recognized him, he wondered? Had his time in Canterlot changed him? Or did they still see him as the foal playing dress up and going on his imaginary crusades?
When this started, did they think the same about him?
—
Soarin had decided he didn’t like Sire’s Hollow.
It was a thought he had stubbornly held onto ever since he had gone around looking for a new home with his parents, and it had only grown stronger when they decided that they loved it. He continued to be sure of this in every step of the moving process, no matter how nice the school was, or how pretty the scenery was, or any of that! It wasn’t Cloudsdale, so he didn’t like it.
All the adults called him childish and stubborn, saying he just needed time to get used to his new home. Which was silly! He still didn’t get why they had to move out of the skies in the first place!
He was still thinking things like that on his first day of school, crossing his hooves in the shadow of a tree he found in the gardens, silently fuming to himself. The town was a nice place, but it just... didn’t feel like home! It was too close to the ground, and the grass wasn’t anywhere near close to being as soft or fluffy as the clouds outside his old home.
It was stupid really, they should have changed it already.
Everypony in the school was nice from the looks of it, but he wasn’t sure he wanted to get close to any of the others. Even if he enjoyed himself, it felt like giving in, accepting the change, something he wanted to fight as much as possible.
“Adults are stupid anyways...” he grumbled to himself, his small wings crossed behind his back to match his hooves, making his displeasure as clear as possible. It was break at the moment, but he was determined to stay where he was for as long as possible, even beyond if he had to! That would surely prove the adults wrong for once.
“U-um... excuse me?” a quiet voice asked, Soarin turning as the other foal squeaked nervously, hiding his face behind some of his long black mane, his warm red eyes mostly staying shut. He was a unicorn, like a good amount of the town from what Soarin had seen, although this one seemed far less comfortable dealing with him than the other children.
“Hey.” he grumbled, unsure why somepony had even tried to bother him when he was doing all he could to look as unapproachable as possible. “Are you trying to be overly friendly too?”
”O-oh, I just...” he trailed off, muttering under his breath, whatever he said being unintelligible to the pegasus, who looked at him questioningly. “I just... sit here. On breaks I mean. It’s just nice... you know?”
“But... don’t the others play over there?”
”Yeah...” he sighed. “I don’t do well with other ponies though. So I usually just stay over here.”
”By yourself?” asked Soarin in confusion as he trotted closer to the unicorn. “But aren’t the others really friendly? They seem nice to me.”
”I suppose... but it doesn’t matter! They all think I’m weird... probably since I haven’t got my cutie mark yet...” he whispered, looking down and sighing as Soarin blinked in shock.
”But don’t you get lonely?”
“A little... a few of the others at the orphanage seem to like me a little more at least...”
”Orphanage?” he repeated, trying to recall where he had heard the word before and gasping. “You mean you don’t have a family?”
”Y-yeah... I guess even my parents thought I was weird...”
Soarin blinked. It hadn’t occurred to him that he wasn’t the only lonely pony in the school, or how much he was overreacting in the first place. At least he had his family, this unicorn didn’t have anypony. He stayed quiet for a moment, trying to find the right words to say in response to what he’d been told.
”Well... I don’t think you look weird!” he exclaimed, the unicorn looking up in shock as he outstretched his wings to try and look more inspiring. “I mean, everypony here seems odd to me! It’s all pegasi in Cloudsdale! And you don’t seem any different to anypony here I’ve seen! So… you’re just worrying about nothing!”
The unicorn blinked, his eyes wide as he looked up at the pegasus in awe. “Y-you think so?” he asked in disbelief.
“I know so!” Soarin answered with a wide smile, the earlier stubborn thoughts forgotten now that he was focused on this new mission.
“D-do you promise?”
“Yep!” came the joyful reply. “I promise you can be friends with them all! Just like how I promise to always be there to help! So come on!”
“Ok!” answered the foal with the biggest smile he had so far, although an aura of unease remained. “J-Just... can you stay with me? Just to help, I mean... if you don’t mind...”
”Sure thing! Let’s go and meet the others now! I need to introduce myself anyways, you should come with me!” he offered, the unicorn blinking in shock once more before his eyes sparkled in joy.
”O-ok! I’ll try not to be too nervous... thank you... S-Soarin was it?”
“Yep! Fastest pegasus in Cloudsdale! Well... fastest stallion at least.” he boasted, before pausing in thought and turning towards his new friend. “Oh, I almost forgot to ask. What’s your name?”
“Oh... my name is Sombra!” he said, his eyes somehow shining even more as Soarin’s heart beat grew faster, in what he decided must have been from meeting his first new friend.
Maybe, just maybe, he could learn to like Sire’s Hollow after all.
—
“No… that isn’t important…” he muttered to himself, the thoughts dismissed as he walked down the path, his head held down, helmet removed in case the situation called for it. No matter what had happened to him, what was going on, there was no way in Tartarus that he wouldn’t recognise him. It was something that he had to believe.
Dark clouds were gathered above him, blocking the settlement from the light of its ruler or her opposite, the constant reminders of hope snuffed out by the unnatural weather. Even if he didn’t have any background information, he could tell it was wrong, his feathers standing on end at the sight of them as he shivered instinctively.
He didn’t see anypony until he reached the very end of the street, an armoured guard that had been standing as still as a statue suddenly turning towards him, holding out his hoof to stop Soarin in his tracks.
“Halt. State your business.” the orange stallion spoke robotically, his words emotionless as he stared with glowing green eyes.
“I’m here to see your king.” he answered, his eyes narrowed as he stared back into the bottomless pits of green. Soarin remembered Flash Sentry, his kind blue eyes, the kind of pony that would have done wonders in the Canterlot guard. Flash had laughed at his offer to join, saying he wasn’t the fighting type, and he had always respected him for that.
Now here he was, paraded around like a puppet through the home he loved so much.
“None may see him. The king is not due to make a public appearance until tomorrow morning. Please return to your home.” Whatever spell had taken hold of him attempted to make his answer sound cheerful, but the attempt only made it more unnatural.
“I’m not waiting until then!” he growled, anger bubbling to the surface as his wings spread out in fury. “Take me to Sombra! I need to see him!”
“Please return to your ho-” the pegasus began before pausing, blinking as it answered a voice only he could hear. “I understand, my liege. Come with me.”
He began to trot away, Soarin following close behind, knowing their destination, seeing it tower over the entire village. He did his best not to look at it, trying to keep his feelings together, what was happening suddenly feeling so much more real now that he had said the name out loud.
He’d been trained to keep his cool in almost any situation. But this? There was really nothing that could properly prepare him, and as much as he hoped, prayed to the sun and even the moon that this couldn’t be happening, it was starting to set in just how foolish that was.
Soarin willed himself to keep moving, to stay focused and not let emotion take over, but try as he might to ignore them, the empty streets he walked through would forever remain alive with memories.
—
“I told you I don’t want to get my hopes up!” insisted Sombra as he trotted towards the building, Soarin floating by his side. “Just because ponies from other towns come here doesn’t mean they'll be my friends!”
”I still think you're overreacting buddy.” commented the pegasus, smiling in his trademark annoyingly carefree manner. “We had lots of friends back in the schoolhouse! You just needed a good wingpony to get to know them!”
”Yeah, I know... they didn’t feel like friends though! More like... ponies I happened to know? Like I talked to them, I’m nice to them, they’re nice to me, but we weren’t really friends, you know?”
”You do know you are describing exactly what a friend is, right Sombra?” Soarin raised an eyebrow before bursting into giggles at the offended glare he got in return.
”No it isn’t! They’re totally different!” he argued back with a scowl. “If they didn’t feel right then they couldn't be that important to me!”
”Ah yes, since the unicorn that didn’t have a single friend until three years ago is suddenly an expert on it.” joked the pegasus, smiling as he looked around the bustling town.
”Said unicorn also heavily regrets letting that happen. You are insufferable.” he grumbled. “You always want to get involved, make it almost impossible to study and have the uncanny ability of spreading chaos wherever you go!”
”Awwwwww, thanks Sombra!”
“I’m not going to dignify that with a response.” sighed the unicorn with a flick of his mane, the action seeming incredibly theatrical.
“When are you going to cut that? My mom gets me to do it every few months.”
”Finally we have discovered the one advantage of being an orphan.” he rolled his eyes. “But no. I’m keeping it like this. I like it.”
”Suit yourself.” he shrugged, blushing a little, his eyes drawn to the flowing locks before he shook his head to help regain focus. “You shouldn’t change it. It looks... nice.”
“T-thanks...” he flushed a little, before narrowing his eyes. “Oh for... you know I can’t handle compliments you jerk!”
”H-hey! Not my fault you're so easy to tease!” came the unconvincing retort from the pegasus.
“Whatever. You just like it so I can play princes easier in your games.”
”Well, I need somepony dashing enough to be worthy of my rescue!” he laughed happily. “So you’re the only pony for the job really.”
”I thought the royal guard had to save anypony.” Sombra smirked with a raise of his eyebrow. “You won’t last long there if you decide to just not help the ponies you don’t like.”
”I know, I know! I’m not an idiot! It’s just nicer to practise by helping your best friend rather than somepony you can’t stand, you know? Should make it easier in the future when I’m an actual guard. Maybe even a Wonderbolt!”
”If you say so. I would have thought you would get actual training once you joined though.” commented the unicorn with a small smile. “Then again, you always wanted to be prepared.”
”Exactly! It’s smart! And totally not a waste of time! Your talent must just be knowing me perfectly!” Soarin beamed, pleased to see it was only making his friend even more flustered.
“T-that’s silly! I’m sure my special talent isn’t as specific as that...”
“You never know!” Soarin teased with a grin. “It’s either that, being a dashing prince stand-in, or reading too much!” he laughed, the two of them finally reaching the entrance. “But don’t dismiss it so fast! You are amazing at it after all. You're like the best friend a pony could ever ask for! And that’s why you’re going to make tons of more friends!” he beamed, the unicorn giving an uncertain smile back.
”You promise?”
”Oh come on, Sombra! When have I ever broken a promise?”
—
Focusing on the past was really the worst thing he could do in a situation like this, but Soarin was unable to stop himself from reminiscing on his foalhood. He had to keep moving though; the real Flash Sentry was kind and understanding, but he had a feeling what he was following wouldn’t be so patient.
He could see more armoured ponies now, their motionless forms almost blending into the background as they stood still. He would have preferred it if they were faceless, if they were the mindless puppets they acted as, instead of old friends, acquaintances, or even one of his old teachers.
The only small relief was that he hadn’t seen certain faces amongst the crowd, but without proof, he could only hope that his parents were safely in their homes, or that whatever did this had retained enough of themselves to leave one of their closest friends out of this terror.
Of course, he hadn’t seen Sombra either, but he knew that was going to change soon.
”Follow.” repeated the guard once more, the soulless, enchanted eyes glaring right at him.
”I’m coming, Flash. No need to get testy.”
“Do not make snide remarks to royal guard ponies.”
”Why shouldn’t I?” he growled, only the countless hours of training in Canterlot keeping him together.
”It was a new rule our liege set only today. During his message to transfer you to his presence. He anticipated you may act in a manner similar to this.” the sentry stated, the words finally enough to chase the pegasus to freeze in his tracks.
“H-he… said that?” he repeated with a growing dread, the feeling festering in the very depths of his stomach.
“Affirmative.”
He felt sick, unwell, his legs shaking as Flash continued his pre-set journey, the other pegasus taking a moment before following. He took some deep breaths, looking up into the unnaturally black sky, lightning striking as the shadow of the twisted structure was lit up, as if it was poisoning the skyline with its unnatural existence alone.
He needed to keep moving, to somehow try and stop this before it was too late. That was the entire reason he was here. The reason he had gone behind everyponys’ backs on the naive hope that this could be prevented from spreading any further.
But faced with this, the sinking feeling that it was already past the point of no return was only growing stronger. Because, like Flash and the guards, it would have been so much easier if the evil king who conquered this town was only a mindless, snarling beast that had no idea of its actions.
It should have given him hope to know that he wasn't completely gone.
But instead, as he stared into one of the many crystals awkwardly sticking from the ground, he felt his heart sink deeper into the pits of despair.
—
“This probably isn't the best idea.”
“Oh come on Sombra! It’ll be fun!” reassured Soarin, the unicorn glaring at him judgingly while one of their companions sniggered.
”Not just any fun! Great and Powerful fun! This stunt will be the greatest Equestria has ever seen!” Trixie cried to the heavens, earning more judging glares from the adults walking past while Sombra smiled at them unconvincingly in an attempt to ward off their anger, their other friend sighing as she looked up from her book.
“I seriously doubt that a couple of foals and fillies could make something greater than any other pony has in history before now.” commented Starlight with a raise of her eyebrow. “Sunburst really did have the right idea sitting this out. If only I had the foresight to join him…”
“Oh come on Starlight! You don’t need to take the fun out of it! You make it sound like this is just some children playing around!”
Sombra stared at them judgingly.
”It doesn’t matter who it is that performs this task!” Trixie waved her hoof, attempting to enchant the audience of ponies around her with a smirk that made Starlight suddenly raise her book. “What matters is the legacy left behind by such wonderful and marvellous activity!”
”Yeah, well if it’s a bill, I’m not helping pay for it this time.” Sombra snarked, trying not to laugh at the offended looks from his friends as Trixie’s attitude did a complete one eighty.
”WHAT!? Sombra no! We will need those numerous and appreciated funds of yours in case something goes wrong!” She paused, clearing her throat as she pointlessly attempted to regain her focus. “I mean, not that's going to happen! I have nothing but faith that we will be able to successfully scoot through the streets supported by nothing but Soarin’s wings and my great and powerful magic! Tell him Soarin!”
”What!?” asked the pegasus, the question drawing him away from the wheel he was checking. “Why do I have to do it?”
”Since Sombra always listens to you! It’s like how Starlight always helps me out since she’s my best friend in the world!”
”Against my better judgement...” muttered the unicorn from behind her book, a small flush in her face. “I-I would rather be doing homework today anyways!”
“Come on, Sombra! Please? Please? Please? I’m your best friend! You can’t abandon me if things go south!” Soarin pleaded, the other stallion laughing at his attempts.
”Let’s see how things go first. Then I might consider it when things inevitably go that route.” he rolled his eyes before gasping in shock as the pegasus suddenly wrapped a wing around him.
“Great! You’re the best Sombra!”
“Y-you’re impossible…” he muttered, blushing from the praise while Trixie giggled.
“Come on Soarin! We need to get started with this already!”
“Coming Trixie!” the pegasus grinned, dashing to the scooter while Sombra and Starlight sighed in unison.
“Both of them really are impossible, aren’t they?” Starlight groaned, watching them start to scoot away, leaning back against the fence as the calming sound of the river’s flow echoed from behind them.
“Definitely. You would think I would be more used to him after knowing him for years…”
“Ha! I don’t think anypony could get used to Trixie. She was my first real friend after Sunburst. Best friends according to her.” she laughed fondly.
“Well you pretty much are best friends. Even if Soarin would much rather do something this crazy with her…” Sombra winced, watching as the duo almost rammed into their old teacher who was out doing some shopping. “Then again, I’m more relieved than anything that she has somepony sane that hangs out with her…”
“She’s not so bad… she’ll have moved on from this in a few minutes. Then I can focus on trying to get her to actually. You know. Work.” she lamented, smiling a little as the unicorn and pegasus cheered in excitement. “She’s like a cat. A very excitable cat that needs to get a lot of energy out of her system before she actually does anything.”
“I think cats would be easier to deal with.” he laughed, Starlight joining in for a moment as she sighed happily.
”She might not say it often, but Trixie really is glad she met you both. She wouldn’t have dreamed of being this in the open before. I actually had to persuade her to even show up to school! More ponies being nice to her really helped.”
”I wasn’t the best before Soarin. Kept to myself and only talked to other ponies if I had to, then that headstrong pegasus just had to transfer and throw everything off balance.”
“Tell me about it. But we wouldn’t have it any other way, would we?” Starlight smiled, Sombra giving a smaller one in return as the duo began to dash back towards them.
”Of course. But... one second. You two! Slow down before you hurt yourselves!” he barked in concern, cringing at the bumps in the path that lay ahead.
”Pfff, don’t worry so much Sombra! We’ll be fine!” Soarin shouted back.
”Indeed! There is nothing to fear! For the invulnerable and unstoppable Trixie can-“
It was then that the scooter hit a very large bump in the road, sending it tipping forward as both ponies were sent flying, Starlight and Sombra’s eyes both widening in shock.
“AH QUICK! SOMEPONY SAVE THE VULNERABLE AND VERY FRAIL TRIXIE!”
”PONYFEATHERS!” screamed Soarin, covering his eyes with his wings as the two unicorns watched in shock.
”SOARIN!” cried Sombra, panic gripping his soul as he shut his eyes to avert himself from the sight. The context suddenly didn’t matter, just that his friend was in danger, his horn suddenly aching as, unnoticed by everypony, dark smoke slithered free, clouding around the horn as magic sparkled within.
The ground rippled, Starlight gasping as crystals burst free from the soil, coiling upwards into a curve, the rocks growing in seconds until both ponyies hit its curved surface, sliding down before harmlessly landing at the other's hooves.
Everypony blinked.
”What just happened?” Starlight broke the silence first, her mouth regaining the ability to form proper words.
“I-its a miracle! A great and pow-“ began Trixie uncertainly before giggling at the judging stares she got in return.
”You saved us Sombra!” Soarin beamed, wrapping the surprised unicorn into a hug with his wing. ”That's supposed to be my job, you know!”
”Y-yeah... I guess I did!” Sombra laughed uncertainly, feeling almost everypony eyes on him, feeling his horn out of instinct to find nothing out of the ordinary. “Good thing I t-thought quickly then!”
“Yeah, that was amazing! Thanks a ton, I didn’t want to get stuck, injured or anything... you know I hate being helpless!” he laughed, him and Trixie quickly getting over the shocking experience.
“The Great and Powerful Trixie thanks you for the assistance. Although she could have easily gotten out of it herself.”
”Trixie!” hissed Starlight, clearly still on edge from the experience.
”Fine... Trixie gives her great and powerful thanks to you, Sombra.” grumbled the unicorn as Starlight ceased her judgement.
”Now that I’ve handled miss ego over here, we can move onto more pressing matters. I’ve never seen magic like that before! Who taught you that Sombra!?” asked the unicorn.
”I-I don’t know! It just... came to me. I must have seen it in a book somewhere...”
”Really?” Starlight raised her eyebrow. “That’s... curious. I’ve never seen anything like that in any of my books...”
”Nuh uh! I know that look! You're not going to Starlight over this!” cried Trixie, continuing before the unicorn could even defend herself. “There’s nothing strange about a spell that saved our lives! Besides, there’s no way you’ve read every book on spells already!”
”I-I suppose not...”
”Then there’s nothing to worry about!” Soarin shouted, too distracted by joy to think any harder on the topic. “Let’s go celebrate! Our treat!”
”Y-you really don’t have too...” he blushed, the group of ponies that had watched them starting to walk apart now whatever happened was over. “I-I just wanted to help...”
”We know you silly! That’s why we have to celebrate!”
”Yeah, obviously! Although you might want to get rid of those rocks first...” added Trixie, Sombra blinking as he turned back toward the crystals.
”Oh! Right... forgot about that...” he tilted his head, looking at the shiny surfaces in front of him as he racked his brain for a way to get rid of them. “Maybe if I...”
He stomped his hoof into the ground, the action causing the crystals to dissolve into nothingness.
”Oh wow! Awesome!” beamed Soarin.
”Fascinating...” mused Starlight.
”Boring! Can we move on already!?” complained Trixie, the question prompting them all to burst into laughter as they trotted away to do something more relaxing. Sombra trailed behind them a little, looking down at his hoof with curious, narrowed eyes before finally following.
—
They had arrived.
Flash hadn’t said anything, but Soarin knew that the confirmation was unnecessary, the sight alone enough to confirm his suspicions. In some ways, it was just like what he had seen before, only even more extreme, the towering structure looking like it had burst free from the town centre, a spawning, shining castle of purple crystal.
”Enter.” spoke the sentry, Soarin silently trotting through the large open doors before they slammed shut behind him, leaving him in darkness. For a moment, he wondered if it would stay that way before purple light flared into existence, lighting the way for the path ahead.
It wasn’t like he had any other choice than to follow, the pegasus’s hoofsteps echoing through the vast fortress. He could make out little of his surroundings, only the almost claustrophobic crystal walls closing in on him.
Every instinct was on edge, knowing with every step he took he was getting closer to Sombra, closer to finally knowing the true story. Or at least, confirming what he had been told back in Canterlot.
He only hoped he could get there in time. Before it was too late.
He silently continued for a few minutes, waiting for any sign he was getting closer, anything even remotely welcoming in the hostile environment. After a while, he finally encountered something different, a door that led into another tower, one that was filled with steps that climbed for miles and miles.
“Sombra always liked stairs.” He chuckled humorlessly, before starting to climb.
—
“The evil king? Isn’t that just some bedtime story for foals?” asked Soarin, leaning back on Sombra’s bed while the unicorn rolled his eyes.
”Yes, there are plenty of legends around him, Soarin. But it is also very well known they are based on reality! Like an actual pony. How do you have no idea about this?”
”Hey! Not my fault nopony told me!” the pegasus protested, Sombra raising an eyebrow as he ceased writing and turned to face him.
”We were reminded about it several times at the schoolhouse. Such as when we did a literal group project on him.”
”Ohhhhhhh... I... um... totally remember that?” he laughed nervously.
“You really are impossible sometimes.” Sombra muttered with a fond smile. “Do you really remember nothing from back then? The lost empire? The power hungry ruler? That Celestia herself had to fight alongside her other to defeat? Not even the legend that inspired the stories!?” he questioned.
”Um... well... you know history was never my favourite subject... that’s why I needed your help in this research task to begin with! I still don’t know how this is going to help me when in the royal guard!”
“Oh sure, go ahead and ignore the mistakes made in history then. You know it’s to stop ponies stupidly repeating things right? I’m not even surprised you're asking for my help with this though.” chuckled the unicorn. “So you know what topic I got, do you know anything about yours?”
”A little! It’s on General Firefly. You know, founder of the Wonderbolts and all that.” he spoke in pride. “There’s a big statue of her in Canterlot in their headquarters. She was the first and most loyal of all of Celestia's army! And so founded a private guard for the princesses made of the best of the best! The same guard I’ll be standing alongside one day!” expressed Soarin confidently.
“Huh, that’s more than I thought. You really know all that?”
”Well, yeah! Normal history is boring, wonderbolt history isn’t! It’s basic maths!”
”None of what you just said involved numbers.”
“Big words from the pony that has a history project on somepony with no name!”
”He did have a name, moron.” Sombra chuckled, the laugh sounding a bit darker than intended. “It was just struck from all records after his death. That wr- the princess is the only pony on Equestria that knows it now. Besides, it adds to the spookiness of the legen... story I suppose.” he said uncertainly, the rest of what he said coming out deathly serious.
”Spooky.” remarked the pegasus in curious concern. “What’s the story again?”
”Oh that. They say, before he died, that with the last of his strength and intense magical ability, he laid an eternal curse. Powered only by his sheer hate for those princesses, he swore that his soul would never rest until he got his revenge. That no matter how long it would take. I-he would get his revenge.” he stuttered.
”Huh.” Soarin blinked before tilting his head. “If he was that powerful shouldn’t he have won though? Like why couldn’t he have cast a better spell?”
”It was a different kind of magic... I think. But yeah, since then, there’s been a ton of threats facing Equestria. Not all of them are related to this. But every few centuries there always seems to be ponies that s-share some similarities. So the legend goes that the evil king is reborn every three hundred years or something.” he shuddered.
”Are you feeling alright, Sombra?” asked Soarin, putting his hoof on his friend's back, flinching before recovering from the shock.
”I’m fine, this project is just... putting me on edge I guess. I felt uneasy looking at this before but... I don’t know, it just... feels different this time.” he sighed, shivering before slamming the book shut.
”You’ve just been cooped up here too long.” said Soarin with a warm smile. “Come on, let’s get some fresh air. I’ll even get Trixie to get Starlight and Sunburst out so we can finally get all you eggheads outside for once!”
“Yeah… guess you’re right… I have lost track of time looking at all this…” he agreed, before narrowing his eyes. “Wait a second. I just realised something. If you knew that much about Firefly, why ask me for help to begin with?”
“O-oh! That!” Soarin laughed, his eyes darting from side to side, Sombra thinking he could see the beginnings of a blush fill his features. “No reason! J-just wanted to see you… for help! See you for help!”
It was strange to see the pegasus so embarrassed over nothing, the unicorn blinking before laughing to himself and flicking his mane. “You’re adorable sometimes. Come on, let's go and relax for a bit.” he laughed, already feeling better from his friend’s support, not noticing how the red lingered on the pegasus’s face as they left the room together.
—
The amount of steps was, quite honestly, completely ridiculous.
He had climbed them for what might have been over fifthteen minutes at this point, yet the darkness above him continued to conceal his destination. He didn’t stop though; he knew he couldn’t until he saw that this was over for good.
He only had dim purple flame to light his way, the bad visibility being the only thing stopping him from simply flying to the top as fast as possible. But with every step, he knew he was getting closer.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity he reached the end of his long journey. The hours spent sneaking away in the shadows of Canterlot, flying in search of his childhood village before trotting down literal memory lanes, all leading to this single moment.
The door wasn’t even that different to a normal one, just much larger, the crystal towering over him as the purple gleamed in the torchlight.
“Ok, maybe it is a bit different…” he muttered, taking a deep breath and shutting his eyes in a final attempt to reassure himself. It was still possible this was a misunderstanding. That this was somehow not as bad as he or every other pony had been led to believe.
Then, he opened it and walked inside.
The room he was met with was in sharp contrast to the dimly lit hallways of the rest of the castle, almost every inch of it bathed with an intense glow that illuminated from above. But his eyes barely noticed that. As always, they were drawn to him right away.
He stood in front of a throne of crystal, his mane as long as ever, a red regal cape flowing from the metal neck brace, his hooves covered with metal boots. But it was the eyes Soarin noticed first, those innocent red eyes from so long ago hardened into blood-tinted rubies that contained none of their former kindness.
For a minute, the two ponies simply stared at each other, not saying a word as the heavy silence surrounded them.
“Sombra.” Soarin broke the silence first, the word slipping out breathlessly, emotions born from exhaustion, shock and terror, the unicorn staring back without a word. There were so many things he could call Sombra throughout his life, companion, best friend, partner.
Now he would find out if tyrant and enemy would join them.
The king chuckled.
“Well, it's good to see you… Soarin.”
Author's Note
My (very last minute) entry for the m/m contest! This turned out way longer than it had any right to be, so I split it into two chapters for an easier reading experience. As soon as I saw the m/m contest I knew I had to do something for Sombra, and while listening to a Zelda fan song I struck on the idea of portraying his immortality in a unique way. I really hope this story turned out good though! I hope everypony enjoys! (Also all the thanks to my friend for editing most of this so last minute so it was ready for today. Can't do this without you.)
