When I Look At You

by Meteor_Mirage

Rating: everyone
Tags: King Sombra, Shining Armor, Sunburst, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Alternate Universe, Romance
Length: 21194

Called to The Crystal Empire, Sunburst is tasked with interviewing their newest arrival: Ex-King Sombra. As he tries to find out why the enigmatic villain has returned, he finds there's more to the stallion than meets the eye.

Called to The Crystal Empire by Shining Armor, Sunburst is tasked with interviewing their newest arrival from the north: Former King Sombra.

As he tries to find out the hows and whys of this enigmatic villain's mysterious return, Sunburst finds there's something more lingering beneath the surface.

And despite wanting to be left alone to rot, Sombra finds connection to a past he'd prefer to forget and decisions unable to be taken back.
---
Art by Rayne the Skunk who is a beautiful soul.

Written for the 2022 M/M contest!

Published 2022-10-31 21:50:00 UTC
Last updated 2022-12-11 18:14:01 UTC

~~A Memory in Paradise~~

A gentle snow fell on The Crystal Empire. A strong winter brought itself to the nation of the Frozen North, and brought with it a veritable blanket of frost to cover it. The chill it brought in alongside spread through the streets quickly, allowing the crystalline populace to finally be able to wear their warmest clothing to combat the cold.

And no place in the kingdom was colder than the castle in the center of the Empire.

As The Prince walked the halls of his castle, he drew his cloak tightly across his large body, cursing the cold as it still stung him through his thick, ebony fur. And yet, he maintained a pleasant grin as he passed the guards under his command, greeting them as warmly as he could before sauntering off at a quicker pace.

It was hard for The Prince to not be in a good mood, considering where he was going.

Maneuvering through his castle, it didn’t take long for The Prince to find his destination. Rounding the corner with a spring in his stride, he turned into the castle’s library.

He stalked down the aisles of books for a few moments, regarding his vast collection with pride, all the while keeping his ruby eyes trained on the stallion sitting at a desk near the library’s center.

The Prince had found his prey, and it was time to hunt.

The Scholar at the desk paid him no mind, his face too buried in one of the many books that he had piled upon the desk before him. He hummed gently to himself, his horn lighting with an icy blue magic as he took notes in the notebook he somehow managed to fit on the desk. Every now and then, usually after a bout of feverish writing, he would lift a hoof to push his glasses back up his muzzle.

It was during one of these exact moments that The Prince decided to creep up behind him. Holding low to the ground, the large stallion took slow, silent steps as he stalked up to The Scholar. He took his time, drawing the hunt out perhaps more than he should have, stalking the reading stallion all the way up to being just behind him.

The Scholar shivered slightly, the pale green fur on the back of his neck standing up to the feeling of hot breath against it. But he paid it no mind, using one hoof to rub the offending spot on his neck while the other traced words of Old Ponish in the text he was enraptured in.

The Prince rolled his eyes. He waited for a few moments, holding out for the chance that his prey would notice his predator.

But it was no matter. The Scholar was already back to feverishly taking notes and moving onto the next book to look over.

It was only when The Prince cleared his throat that The Scholar noticed the presence behind him. He frightenedly jumped from his seat in an instant, kicking his chair away as he launched himself across the table and knocking over several of the book piles he had made.

The Prince quickly rushed to check on his friend, stepping around the table and offering up a hoof to help him out of the pile of various books he was now under. A bashful smile played across his face, clearly both proud of himself and apologetic all the same.

The Scholar looked up, face screwed with anger due to being torn from his studies all too suddenly, as well as the pain of books poking into his spine. And yet, upon seeing The Prince, the anger softened to a mildly annoyed grin, and even that began to quickly turn into a gentle beam.

With a laugh, The Scholar took The Prince’s hoof.

The Face of Someone Else

The dungeons and catacombs beneath the Crystal Palace weren’t exactly Sunburst’s favored locales. The damp, dark, torch-lit stone hallways always filled the stallion with a sense of foreboding doom, whether due to the empty cells lining the walls or the sheer oppressive ambiance. This caused him to rarely, if ever, set hoof into their depths. He much preferred the library, or the throne room, or Flurry Heart’s bedroom, or just…

Anywhere that wasn’t here.

And yet, Sunburst pressed onward. Led by Prince Shining Armor, decked in full Crystal Guard regalia, and flanked by a squadron of six guards dressed similarly. All with weapons at the ready.

Were they there for what lay further ahead, or to ensure Sunburst kept marching towards it?

No matter the answer, Sunburst kept walking. Lest he get an errant spear to the rump.

What Sunburst did know, from his many hours spent studying blueprints on a construction kick, was the current destination.

The Crystal Palace Dungeons were ancient, dug and built during the reign of the Mad Tyrant Sombra as means of ease of access to his political prisoners. Lesser ponies, guards, dukes and the like, were placed in cells like the ones Sunburst was currently walking past. Small, simple, and furnished with the bare minimum. All in wait of the unknown that awaited them further within.

This hallway, and many others like it in the catacombs, lead directly to a center chamber. An amphitheater of sorts, one specifically designed to host only the most important of prisoners. With its size, importance, and inlaid magic dampening, it wasn’t any question why any writing of the dungeons referred to it as ‘The Grand Royal Chamber’.

A cold chill ran down Sunburst’s spine as he drew closer to it, especially as he began to feel the unnerve of the guards behind him grow. It seemed that the only pony who kept his sense about him was Shining Armor, portraying the fearless leader that his men had come to expect from him.

The adventuring party quickly came to the end of the hallway, and there it sat a grand set of wooden doors, golden runes burnt into oaky wood. They still seemed as if smoldering, despite Sunburst being able to tell they were as ancient as the stone around them. Ancient enough that he struggled to even read them, only able to tell they served as a lock of sorts.

“Guards, halt!” Shining cried, his words reverberating loudly along the stone halls. His men fell in line quickly, stopping in practiced formation at the moment the order was given. Sunburst, however, was quite slow on the uptake as he stumbled into Shining’s extended spear. As Shining turned, he gave Sunburst a small, gentle smile. “That means you too, Sunny.” He said with a wink.

But that smile quickly fell from his face as he turned to face his men. In its place he wore the practiced, stoic look of a commander of his people, regarding his men with a sense of pride as he stared them down over Sunburst.

Quite an easy feat, considering Sunburst’s small stature.

“Now that we’re away from any prying ears, I must remind you all that none of what you see or hear here leaves these halls.” Shining told them sternly, his eyes narrowing as he looked across the faces of the guards he brought with him. “As you’re all among my best stallions, I don’t see myself having much problems in that regard.”

There was a small amount of murmurs from the half-dozen guards, though none of dissension. Taking this as a good sign, Shining turned to Sunburst yet again.

“So, you’re probably wondering what’s going on right about now.” Shining said with a soft, though somewhat uncomfortable chuckle.

Having been confused since Shining basically kidnapped him from the train station, Sunburst nodded in agreement. “Well, I don’t assume you brought me down here for a tour, so there’s, um, clearly something going on.”

Quickly giving the side-eye to his guards, Shining gave them a curt nod before lighting his horn a brilliant purple. The spell he cast formed an opaque purple shield around the two set-aside stallions, allowing the two to have a private conversation.

It was then that Shining’s face fell, lowering his head and his shoulders falling slack as he let out a long, deep sigh. He looked down at Sunburst, a grimace strong across his face as he mulled over the problem at hoof.

“There’s been… a bit of a situation at the border. A straggler came in from further north and…” Shining paused, then shook his head. “I’m just gonna need you to trust me here. It’s not as bad as it looks like, but it’s still… it’s still pretty bad. We don’t know why or how he’s here, so I need you to help me find that out.”

Sunburst’s eyes flicked towards the door briefly before returning to Shining’s face. There was a layer of fear that lingered. One that Sunburst had only seen two times: Once when the Changelings returned to the Crystal Empire, and the other when Flurry Heart began learning how to cast battle magic.

This was surely something serious.

But, at the same time, it was surely nothing they couldn’t handle. And, as Sunburst thought that, he nodded solemnly. “Well, one little intruder can’t be that bad. Though with the, um…” He nodded behind him, towards where the guards were most assuredly still standing, with a small uncomfortable look. “With the security detail, I can’t imagine border control is the worst of our worries today.”

Shining pursed his lips, then quickly shook his head. Turning to the ornate gate, he sighed loudly. “It’s… probably best if you see him for yourself.”

With that, Shining took a moment to compose himself. The worried look on his face fell back into one of stoicism and pride, his posture straightening to a tall, domineering stance, and breathing in a long, deep breath.

Shining Armor dropped the magic shield, again regarding his guards. “Men, it is time for Sunburst and I to enter the depths of Tartarus. It is your job, nay, your guardly duty to protect this door until we’re finished. No one goes in, and no one but us comes out. Understood?”

“Yes sir!” Came the reply from Shining’s guards, each one saluting in time.

Sunburst, however, was fighting back a smirk. Whatever it was that lay within couldn’t require this level of pomp and circumstance.

Could it?

Now an unsure and confused look spread across his face, Sunburst looked towards Shining as the larger stallion turned to face the door.

Shining’s horn lit with the same brilliant purple as before, though a twinge of gold aura slowly grew from the base of his horn to overtake his natural magic with the spell cast. A beam of golden light fired from Shining’s horn, shooting out towards one of the runes Sunburst still couldn’t identify.

Slowly, and with a loud creak, the grand door opened a crack.

Shining gave Sunburst one last lingering look before pushing past the threshold.

With no shortage of trepidation, Sunburst followed closely behind.

Upon entering the room, the door closing tight behind the two seconds after, Sunburst immediately noted how the atmosphere changed. What he now knew was just a hint of fear and worry had now grown near-oppressive in nature as he looked around the grand chamber he now stood in.

It was large, larger than he’d ever expected it to be from the designs he’d researched, but surprisingly sparse in decor. Along the walls were set stone grandstands, similar to ones seen in Ancient Roan, though what audience would sit in them Sunburst couldn’t quite tell. They all pointed towards the center of the room, in which were a few implements Sunburst had only seen in museums.

Openly displayed were pillories and chains of varying length, as well as a few implements covered in sheets, all of which formed a circle around the true centerpiece of the room: A massive cage, one that could probably fit a dozen Sunbursts, in which lay an ebony black stallion almost the size of two of him.

The stallion shifted at the sound of the door slamming shut, sitting up though not turning to regard the intruding ponies. Instead, he sighed, his shoulders falling.

“You have come to see me again, little prince.” Came his deep, resounding grumble. A quiet, hushed bass that still filled the room despite its volume. “As I said before, I do not wish to talk. Leave me be.”

Shining approached the cage with surprising courage, passing a pillory that could fit a stallion his size as he did. He stood posed inches away from the bars, posture straight and calm despite the striking presence of the larger stallion. “All you have to do is answer our questions, and you’ll be allowed to be as alone as you’d like.”

The caged stallion’s ear twitched, taking patient pause for a short moment before tilting his head. “‘Our’?” He chuckled, a low rumble that threatened to shake the room. “You hadn’t made me aware I would be hosting guests.” Though the smile could be heard on his voice, he continued to refuse to turn around and reveal it.

Similarly, a cocksure grin could be heard on Shining’s voice. “Indeed, and he’s quite the expert on you. His university studies were focused on you, so this shouldn’t be too big a problem for him.”

It was at this point that Sunburst began to turn as white as his dapples. He looked between the two combative stallions a few times, the realization finally beginning to come to light in his mind. His jaw dropped, eyes widening as he approached the tall, dark stallion.

“You’re… you’re King Sombra.”

Sombra laughed, a sound like thunder crashing filling the room. “Oh, I’ve not been a king in some time. Now just a mere prisoner to the new royals.” The stallion turned slowly, finally revealing a pearl white fanged grin and brilliant ruby eyes. “Now, who might you be, little…”

The imposing stallion’s sentence trailed off as he locked eyes with Sunburst. His smarmy grin fell, confusion and concern crossing it as those ruby eyes traced across every inch of Sunburst’s face.

Fury. Kinship. Horror. Ache. Pain. Disgust. Fear.

These expressions flashed across Sombra’s face quickly as he inspected the small unicorn placed before him before finally settling on a deep, painful longing. He stared at Sunburst, stared through him as well, as he looked as if he’d seen a ghost.

Sombra extended a hoof through the bars, shaking as it reached out for Sunburst. “Icy, you… how…?”

The space between Sunburst and Sombra quickly flashed with a purple aura, Sombra’s hoof connecting with a barrier suddenly formed instead of the pony he reached towards. As Shining Armor held Sunburst back with a foreleg, forcing himself in the middle, Sombra pulled his hoof back and stared down at it.

It smoked slightly, the spell having singed some of the fur on it. Sombra held his gaze at it for a few moments, then looked up at the nerdy unicorn stallion. He blinked a few times, then shook his head.

“No, of course not.” Sombra growled, his face steeling as a scowl pulled across his face. “Of course it wouldn’t be him. He’s…”

He trailed off again, this time squeezing his eyes shut before turning himself back around, returning to his position of lounging with his back to the stallions. “I suggest you two leave.” He said, the even, yet intense tone in his voice belying it more a warning than anything.

Despite this, Shining pressed forward. “Hold on, we aren’t done here yet.”

In an instant, the room grew darker. The candles flickering around the room remained lit, though it seemed as if their light refused to creep further than the distant corners of the room. The creature at the center of the cage flickered, his form shimmering in shadows and seeming to pulse and grow as the room grew darker and darker still.

“I said LEAVE!”

A guttural cry, almost beastly in nature.

The two stallions were on the other side of the door before they even knew it, panting and shaking in fear. It was an unnatural fear that filled them, one that cast a shadow over any rational thought or feeling either stallion had.

Seeing their captain rush from the room in such fear, the guards easily became whipped up in a similar fear. They broke ranks quickly, surrounding the two stallions and watching the extremely rare sight of Shining Armor showing fear in retreat.

Extremely common for Sunburst, however, who has been seen around the castle being spooked by a cold gust of wind.

Shining slowly stood from his cowering position, legs still feeling like gelatine but pushing past despite this. His guards approached to assist, but he quickly waved them away. “I’m fine. Sombra’s just up to his old tricks again.” He breathed out a slow, seething sigh through his teeth. “Practically harmless, or so my wife says.”

“Harmless!?” Came a quick, loud reply reverberating through the hall. Sunburst shot to his hooves, his fear quickly being taken over by sheer anger at Shining Armor. “How was any of that harmless? You’re keeping King Sombra in your basement, and he nearly tried to kill us!”

It was… a somewhat hilarious sight. The guards took a uniform step back to give the two room, and also to witness the full picture. Sunburst stood on the tips of his hooves, and yet he couldn’t do more than crane his neck to almost, but barely, be eye-level with Shining’s chin. And yet despite this, he scowled with a burning anger.

For his part, Shining didn’t immediately try and put Sunburst in his place. Not like he would with a guard who was stepping to him in the same way. Instead, he breathed a cool breath, clapping Sunburst on the shoulder with a hoof in hopes to calm him down.

“Sunburst, I need you to still trust me.” Shining spoke cooly and evenly, looking down at Sunburst in a way he hoped was apologetic enough. “Trust that I’d never willingly put a friend of mine in any kind of danger.”

Sunburst’s angry expression faltered for a moment, showing an honest want to believe his friend, but he quickly put up a ghost of an attempt to still appear like he was angry. He gestured broadly to the door to his side. “It was King Sombra! If that’s not dangerous, I don’t know what is.”

“He’s usually more docile than this.” Shining said, looking to the door with a steely gaze. “He’s usually just happy enough to sit and snark at me for an hour or two. Sometimes he barely even moves or talks, but today… Something about you, I don’t know, did something to him.”

Sunburst shot a hoof up to interject and defend himself, but Shining quickly used his own to gently force it down.

“I know you didn’t do anything but be your usual dorky self, but clearly there was something…” Shining trailed off, and as he did he turned to the guard still meandering with anxiety behind him. “Let’s retreat for now, men, and I’ll reconsider how we’ll deal with this problem soon.”

With their new orders, the guards spun and reformed formation, ready to lead the two unicorns back topside and eager to distance themselves from the central chamber.

And as they waited for their orders to charge, Shining looked down towards Sunburst with no small amount of concern.

“Just go home for now, Sunburst. We’ll…” He pursed his lips, eyes flicking towards the door to Sombra’s chamber briefly before returning to Sunburst’s face. “I’ll figure out how to deal with Sombra eventually, so don’t worry about it.”

Without leaving room for response, Shining turned to his men and ordered them to march, then placed himself behind Sunburst and tapped him with his spear. There was clearly no room for argument in Shining’s words, so all Sunburst could do was follow orders and slowly trudge back through the hallway.

And yet…

It stuck with him, that look Sombra gave him. The trembling hoof extended through jail bars, reaching for him yet not for him. The burning anger that followed once Sombra realized Sunburst wasn’t who he thought.

The word—the name?—that fell from Sombra’s lips: ‘Icy’.

Picking up his pace a little, Sunburst knew that he wouldn’t be going home once he emerged to the surface. No, it was time for him to visit his home away from home: The Crystal Empire Library.

It was time for him to return to his roots and research Former King Sombra.

~~Someone Who Once Belonged To Me~~

A storm raged above The Crystal Empire. A torrent of cold rain fell from the skies and, despite the change in season, icy wind still whipped at the populus who quickly seeked shelter indoors. The streets now were empty, flooded, as citizens waited in hopes that the rain would end soon. Hopes that the sun would shine bright again on the kingdom.

It seemed the only place free of the flood was the castle at the center of the kingdom.

The waterlogged Prince stormed the halls of the castle, shaking slightly as the freezing rain had yet to dry from his thick coat. A scowl pulled across his face, though it lightened slightly as he passed what few guards were still stationed within the castle proper. They quickly made themselves scarce, however, as their presence was needed to quell a problem elsewhere.

With a sigh, The Prince made himself scarce as well, picking up his pace as the scowl returned to his face.

Deep in the castle, away from prying eyes, was where The Prince found his destination. Pressing through a set of wide, heavy doors, the stallion found himself within the castle’s war room.

He let out a sigh, shoulders slumping briefly as he finally let himself relax now that he was alone.

Only to be startled, jumping slightly, by a sound coming from the table at the center of the room. The Prince stood tall again, ruby red eyes searching the room briefly before locking onto a small, pale green stallion sitting at the table. The smaller stallion shifted slightly, slowly, and every now and then emitted a gentle snoring sound as he breathed.

The scowl completely fell from The Prince’s face, quickly replaced with a gentle smirk instead as he slowly and quietly approached the sleeping Scholar. It wouldn’t do well to wake him up.

Not yet.

Standing above him for a moment, The Prince took a moment to look his little Scholar over as he rested on the battle map. It almost pained him, seeing that peaceful smile on his sleeping face. The gentle, near inaudible mumbles he gave. The small line of drool that trickled down onto the book he’d fallen asleep reading; a treatise on strategy from years ago that, in The Prince’s opinion, deserved the defacing.

It pained The Prince, as he knew he’d have to wake the sleeping stallion.

He did so gently, at least, leaning down and carefully wrapping a hoof around the slumbering stallion. Equally as gently, he slowly leaned in and pressed his muzzle against his Scholar’s cheek, providing a surely direly needed nuzzle.

The Scholar stirred slightly, bleary eyes barely opening as he returned the nuzzle quickly and without question. The moment stretched on between them for a few blissful seconds, each stallion enjoying the other’s company.

As The Scholar continued to awaken, blue eyes tracing across something that wasn’t The Prince’s jawline for the first time since wrested from his slumber, a red blush crossed his face. He pulled away quickly, letting out a loud squeak as he finally realized their canoodling was in a more public location than he was used to.

And as he pulled back as well, The Prince wore a pleased grin on his face, chuckling softly at his love’s embarrassment.

Then the first book came flying, thrown gently towards The Prince but not aiming at him.

It was easily caught, wrapped in The Prince’s red magic and brought towards him. He eyed the book with interest, knowing it to be a tome on the practical applications of dark magic and other such rituals. Normally kept under lock and key in the restricted parts of the library, and yet, somehow, free to read in front of him.

Paying it little mind, trusting his Scholar’s innocent thirst for knowledge despite its inherent danger, he passed the book back to its reader.

Only to get it passed back.

The Scholar looked to his Prince, imploring him to take it. To study it and use it in only worst-case scenarios. A weapon to stave off the worst of the war that befell them.

And the thought tempted The Prince. The thought of shouldering the burden of such corruptive knowledge, of casting one dangerous spell that would surely lead to many more in its wake.

Considered because it was his Scholar who asked.

But it was a brief flicker of a thought, cast aside with the book back onto the table. Instead, he leaned in towards the smaller stallion, giving him another gentle nuzzle. Grumbling a response as his lips barely grazed his cheek.

The Scholar pressed a hoof against his Prince’s chest, not quite pushing him away but using it as a reminder that they were still more in public than a bedroom now.

The Prince paid it no mind, taking his love’s hoof gently in his own.

Leaning up, he pressed his lips against his Scholar’s, an act that was quickly and eagerly reciprocated.

Though The Melody Plays On

It came as no surprise to Shining Armor when Sunburst approached him to visit Sombra again. Having known the stallion for years now, he knew well that Sunburst wasn’t one to drop an unresolved issue, even when asked to. It was one of his flaws, Shining accepted, but also one of his stronger points if directed well.

What surprised Shining, however, was the state of the stallion as he stumbled up to make his request a few days after The Sombra Incident. A gaunt, hungry frame and eyes that wore darker bags than usual. A mane that, while unkempt on the best of days, looked as if a nest had been built in it. Hooves littered with ink, dust, and papercuts galore.

All of this added up to a stallion who tiredly wobbled like a non-existent wind threatened to blow him over. Someone who was both looking at Shining and through Shining, almost as if he weren’t sure the stallion standing in front of him was real or not.

“There’s no records, Shining.” Sunburst said, every fricative paired with an unpleasantly hot feeling breath. “I checked every census during his reign and there’s no mention of an ‘Icy’ anywhere. Nor was there any ‘Ice’, ‘Iced’, ‘Nice’, ‘Thrice’...” He trailed off for a moment, staring off in the distance before cutting himself off with a laugh. “It’s funny. Even looking a thousand years back, only one ice-themed name ever popped up. Little ‘Ice Storm’, born just a couple years ago. Obviously she’s a little too young to have anything to do with this though.”

Yet even as he said that, his eyes narrowed slightly. After a few moments of rough, untethered thought, Sunburst spun around very abruptly. After all, it wouldn’t hurt to cover all of his bases, right?

But before Sunburst could gallop off, Shining had already gripped his tail in his magic. Rolling his eyes, he stormed off in the other direction, dragging Sunburst towards him towards the guard barracks and their showers. No matter how much Sunburst squirmed and grasped helplessly on the polished crystal floor.

Sombra could wait a little longer, as this wizard was in dire need of a shower and a nap.

Mostly the shower.

The next day, after several hours of napping on both stallions’ parts, Shining and Sunburst again found themselves in the halls beneath the Crystal Empire. This time, unflanked by any guard and unfettered by armor, the two walked side-by-side.

There was not much to be said between them, Shining preoccupied with making their way through the tunnels while Sunburst still dwelled on the events of the previous day. A distraught and embarrassed blush covering his face every time he remembered it.

But while it would surely haunt Sunburst and keep him awake at night for many years to come, it mattered not. For they were standing before the runic door, each hesitating before making their entrance.

“Are you sure you’re sure about this?” Shining asked, turning to face Sunburst with an unsure look about his face. “There’s no shame if you want to turn around and let someone else try. I’m sure Twily and her friends would love a crack at him.”

“N-no, I feel like I need to give it another shot.” Sunburst sighed, briefly looking at Shining but quickly looking back to the door. “Like I, um… Well, like I tried to say yesterday, there’s a lot that doesn’t add up yet. A lot of questions I need to ask him, and a few I think only I’d ask.”

By turning away, Sunburst missed the proud smirk on Shining’s face. Though one that settled quickly into Shining’s standard stern yet welcoming demeanor. “Still caught up on all that ‘Icy’ business, huh?”

“And a few other things.” Sunburst nodded, but a sheepish look quickly swept his face. “I mean, it’s mostly that, but I have a few other questions I could ask first. Like why he’s here, or what’s stopping him from leaving, or if he knew the war with the Windigos was doomed to fail from the start.”

The grin Sunburst gave shone brighter than the sun as he considered all the questions he could ask, hopping gleefully from hoof to hoof as he nearly blinded Shining with it.

Shining breathed a soft, sighing laugh as he saw this, shaking his head slightly before turning towards the runic door before each of them. “Well, if you’re sure…” He hummed gently, then lit his horn and fired the beam to unlock the heavy oak doors.

And as they creaked open, a deep voice oozed from through the cracks.

“The war may have been a failure, one of my greatest, but the kingdom stands strong.” The voice said soberly. “In the end, that’s all that matters. And that’s all there’s to be said on the matter.”

Both Shining and Sunburst flinched, looking at each other questioningly.

To which the voice responded. “Your voices carry more than you’d expect down here. Now, if that’s it for the questions, you both will take your leave.”

Another look shared between the two, Shining nodding briefly back the way they came. Sunburst pursed his lips, briefly considering, before shaking his head and pressing through the doorway. And dutifully behind did Shining follow.

This time Sombra sat facing the door, red eyes blazing as he took the time to glare at Shining Armor. When his eyes flicked over to do the same to Sunburst, however, they quickly trailed down to the crystalline floor instead.

“And yet you both remain.” Sombra muttered, shaking his head. “Perhaps I wasn’t clear the first time.”

The candles in the room again flickered and dimmed, the entire room growing darker as light pulled in towards the cage in which Sombra was kept. The former king’s edges loosened and unraveled into wispy black smoke, the only thing stable remaining his stony gaze on the floor in front of the two stallions.

But, as Sunburst stepped forward, the smoky stallion’s form suddenly resolidified.

“Well, I do have a few more questions.” Sunburst said as he approached the bars of the cage. With every step he took, Sombra’s eyeline drifted ever further away from the orange unicorn. “That was the deal, right? We’ll stay for as long as there are questions to be answered?”

“You’ll stay until I no longer wish to entertain your questions.” Sombra’s eyes flicked up towards Sunburst’s face again, looking at that hopeful yet somewhat afraid expression, before turning around to face away from the stallions. “So be quick about it. That time is already drawing near.”

Sunburst quickly took a breath in attempts to soothe himself. It did little to help, but he still stepped closer to the cage despite that.

“Why is it that you’re, um… here, I guess?” Sunburst asked, deflating slightly as his nerves mangled the expert question he’d drawn up in his head.

A beat of silence was followed by both Sombra and Shining stifling a laugh, the former doing worse to hide it than the latter.

Sombra turned, looking past Sunburst to give Shining a curious, yet somewhat amused look. Turning back around, he gave a short, booming laugh. “I am simply living out my punishment. And if that’s the best you have for questions, then I see no reason to entertain this any further.”

As he said this, the door behind the uncaged stallions opened with a creak. Turning to face it, and away from Sombra, Sunburst saw Shining standing by it. Shining gestured wordlessly with a hoof, beckoning yet another strategic retreat from him.

With his head hung low, Sunburst slunk off towards the door with another loss notched into his belt.

And yet, despite his failure, Sunburst approached Shining and requested to see Sombra again the next day. This time, having only done a little research and resource gathering, the two quickly made their way down to the lower depths of the castle to try, try again.

And as Sunburst studied Shining as he unlocked and opened the door to Sombra’s containment, both stallions could hear a loud, disdainful sigh coming from within.

“While your persistence is admirable, I grow tired of these constant interruptions.” Sombra told them, his voice stern and somehow more gravely than usual.

But it was no matter to Sunburst, who pressed forward anyway. With his head held high, he immediately approached the cell’s bars and opened his mouth to speak.

“And what was your name, little scholar?” Sombra crooned as he stood, now towering over as his low voice cut Sunburst off before he could start. “I don’t believe you’ve told me yet.”

Sunburst blinked, his mind grinding to a halt as his jaw hung open for a moment. “What?”

Sombra chuckled, his long and tangled mane shifting to one side as he tilted his head. “I feel it’s rude that you’ve interrupted my penance thrice now, and I still don’t know what to call you.”

Another blink, this time with Sunburst tilting his head alongside Sombra. He stammered for a moment, blushing heavily as he was torn between apologizing, excusing himself, trying to move past his blunder and continue to ask his question, and just emitting nerdy squeaks.

“O-oh, well, my name is Sunburst, um, sir.” His brain decided on, eyes locked on the sharp grin of the stallion who stood more than a head taller than him. A fact that was quickly making itself apparent in the forefront of his mind. “A-anyway… Back to what I was saying, I-”

“It’s a pleasure to finally meet you, Sunburst.” Sombra chuckled as he stared down the floor in front of Sunburst. “And you intend to interrogate me on my reasons for being?”

Sunburst pursed his lips, a flare of annoyance quickly building within him. He stepped forward, puffing out his chest and standing to his full height as he tried to stare Sombra down. “Yes, exactly, and I really don’t appreciate you-”

“Interrupting you?” Sombra finished, wearing a very pleased look on his face as he did so. “No, I expect not. And yet you’ve let me do it thrice now.” Pulling his eyes away from Sunburst’s hooves, he looked in Shining’s face with a bemused smirk. “Am I to assume this is what qualifies for an interrogation these days?

Shining Armor stepped forward with a scowl, moving from the tall door to overtake Sunburst, getting right up in Sombra’s face. “Enough playing around. We don’t want to keep you down here, despite your requests, but you need to answer our questions so we know you’re not dangerous.”

Sombra scoffed in response, taking a step back to inspect Shining Armor. “And what is this? Good guard, bad guard?” Another smirk flickered along his features, paired well with a low, rumbling chuckle. “You’ll have to do better than that, I’m afraid. Especially with our time getting so limited.”

As Sombra gestured vaguely to the door behind the two stallions, both could now finally hear the sound of hoofsteps that, while quiet, were quickly approaching.

Returning to a sitting position in the middle of his cell, Sombra offered a pleasant grin to his two visitors. “It seems as if it’s time for more gruel. Feel free to stay, if you wish, but you may not find it as appetizing as I.”

Shining Armor grit his teeth briefly, then quickly tore around and began to stalk towards the door with an angry huff. “We’re going, Sunburst. We’re clearly wasting our time again.”

Sunburst gave Sombra one last lingering look, pursing his lips as he noted how the stallion seemed far more interested in the kaleidoscopic pattern of the floor than anything else around him. As Sunburst turned around, however, the stallion spoke once more.

“Ta-ta for now. We really should do this again sometime.”

Hours later, Sunburst was pacing. Back and forth across the interior of his Crystal Empire home. Pacing, he felt, helped his brain work out all the cobwebs and the excess energy that prevented him from planning properly.

And he mumbled too, small snippets of words spoken to himself in both confusion and anger. Half-baked addendums to his plan of attack that were quickly dropped and remained forever unfinished. Plans to give up and leave The Crystal Empire with his head hung in shame, though that was quickly dropped as well.

Sunburst had a debt to pay Shining and Cadance for welcoming him into their family, and it wasn’t one he was quick to neglect.

So Sunburst sat, his legs growing tired from all the pacing, and leaned against one of his many stacks of books for support. The stack quickly fell from this undue amount of weight, sending both he and the books tumbling to the cold wooden floor.

And there Sunburst lay for a moment, groaning among the heavy tomes that had fallen all around him. There was little in him that wanted to stand back up, instead preferring to lay there and bask in his mistakes. His booky mistakes.

The hardcover that he was currently using as a pillow prevented that, however. Another groan on Sunburst’s lips, he extracted the tome from beneath him.

Only to see the familiar face of Stygian on the cover, looking wistfully to the left as an embossed drawing of The Pony of Shadows lingered menacingly behind. This was ‘Shadows in the Closet’, the second of Stygian’s best selling three-part autobiography. One that focused primarily on his time spent with the Pillars of Equestria and, specifically, one Flash Magnus.

From the wear on the book, despite how much he’d tried to care for it, one could tell it was one of Sunburst’s favorites. And it was signed too, as a gift from one friend to another.

As Sunburst looked fondly upon this gift, the gears began to turn in his head. This was furthered as a small note card he was using as a bookmark fell from the book. As annoyed as he was to lose his place, clicking his tongue as he picked it up, his annoyance was quickly quelled as he read the words written on it.

‘Don’t be a stranger. Call me if you need to talk.’

The elegant, if a bit unreadable script was followed by an intricately etched symbol that resembled an hourglass, though inlaid inside were even more intricately crafted runes.

This? This was a spell Sunburst recognized. One he and Stygian had worked on together after late-night edits on Stygian’s third book.

The idea finally solidifying in his mind, Sunburst jolted up from his prone position and rushed to a pad of paper. He quickly scrawled a note, ‘Calling now, sorry - Sunburst’, ripped it free, then lit it with a green pseudo-dragonfire that emanated from his horn.

Then he waited, tapping his hooves nervously as he hoped this wasn’t an inopportune time. It only took a few moments before, in a puff of inky black smoke, his response had arrived.

Admittedly, he skimmed it. Stygian’s flowery prose had leaked into the letter and, while Sunburst appreciated the stallion’s way with words, he didn’t feel as if he had the time for it. In essence it told Sunburst that, while his time was short, Stygian would love to help him with whatever it was he needed.

And that was all Sunburst needed to read. He quickly made his way to his bedroom, grabbing a stick of runechalk as he passed it, and sat down in front of the large, antique mirror he’d purchased long ago. He made swift work of scrawling the hourglass and its runes on the mirror’s glass, though he had to consult the note a few times as a reminder.

With that part done, all that was left was for Sunburst to light his horn, firing a small golden glow into the drawn symbols.

Slowly, Sunburst’s reflection in the mirror began to warp. As a golden shimmer ran down the surface of the mirror, the reflection shifting to something darker yet more cozy, the color intertwined with a deep blue before finally fading entirely.

Now across from Sunburst sat Stygian, the grey stallion seeming as if only separated from him by a thin pane of glass. Despite being, Sunburst assumed, hundreds of miles away in his and Flash Magnus’ shared Canterlot home.

“Did it work?” Stygian asked, his Trottish accent ringing a bit muffled through the glass. “I’d not want our hard work to be all for naught because of a pesky sound issue.”

Hearing his friend’s voice brought a smile to Sunburst’s face, immediately relaxing in his seat. “N-no, I can, um, I can hear you!” He said, leaning forward to wave at Stygian. “Hey, Stygian. It’s been a while.”

Stygian leaned forward as well, a soft grin playing across his face as he rested his chin on crossed hooves. “It has! Though it seems as if we just keep missing each other. Flashy told me you were in Canterlot just last week for some research. Of course, I was away to consult with my publisher…” He trailed off with a grumble, shaking his head. He perked up a moment later, angling to look away from Sunburst and more onto his surroundings. “But today you’re… in The Empire? Ah, it’s been quite some time since I last visited. Doing a favour or two for the royals again?”

“Oh, you know it.” Sunburst snickered, pressing a hoof to his muzzle. “That’s, uh, actually why I called you today. I’m a little out of my element here and all.”

Stygian hummed softly in response, giving a small nod. “It would be my honour to assist. What seems to be the problem?”

Sunburst pursed his lips at that question. He brought his hooves together, tapping them against each other as he considered exactly how to break the news to Stygian.

“Somehow,” he began, “Sombra has returned. And I guess my job is to interrogate him and make sure he won’t be taking over The Crystal Empire any time soon.”

Stygian took a beat before offering Sunburst a very sympathetic smile. “Well, they certainly don’t give their Crystaler the easy jobs, do they?” He thought on it for a moment, then brought his hooves to rub together eagerly. “Putting that aside, what can I do to help?”

“Well, I sort of just figured that… you and Sombra are so similar. I mean, you both were around at the same time, and you both are unicorns, and-” Sunburst stammered out before being stopped.

“And we’ve both turned into shadow monster stallions at one point in our lives.” Stygian mused, a cheshire-like grin spreading across his face. “Of course, only one of us has been redeemed so far. So it makes sense you’d ask for my assistance.”

“I was hoping to not come out and say it like that..” Sunburst said with a blush, covering his face with his hooves for a moment. “But yes, you were both, at one point or another, shadowy villains who’d dabbled in dark magic. So, any tips?”

Stygian hummed again, tapping his hooves against the surface of his desk. “Well he and I aren’t the only reformed unicorns you’ve helped along. Dare I say, you seem to have a habit in collecting us at this point.” A teasing, playful grin spread across his face. “Have you had Starlight consult on this yet, or am I the first?”

Sunburst paused, then quickly shook his head. “N-no, I’m not quite sure how to break the news to her. I’m honestly a bit afraid that she and Sombra might get along a little too well. If you catch my drift.”

“Ah, fair enough.” Stygian said with a bit of a chuckle. “Well, how is our Shadow King then? Malicious and melodramatic, I’d wager. We’ve all been there.”

“Oh no, nothing like that.” Sunburst waved the notion away with a hoof. “He’s mostly docile. Sarcastic, snarky, and very reticent to any interrogation attempts, maybe, but nothing outwardly violent. If anything he seems a bit…” He trailed off, gesturing with his hooves as he tried to find the right word. “He seems a bit resigned to this? At this point, I don’t even know if the cage was on Shining’s request or his own. He acts too comfortable to be just a prisoner.”

Stygian thought on this for a moment, stroking a hoof down his chin. “Perhaps we’re looking at this in the wrong way. If I’m honest, perhaps interrogation may not be your strong suit.” At the dour look Sunburst gave him, the stallion’s head lowering in shame, Stygian gave a sympathetic laugh. “I don’t mean it like that! You’ve still managed to get some dangerous unicorns on your side despite this. And do you know how?”

Sunburst blanched at the question, blinking for a moment before sheepishly bringing his hooves together. “My, um… My winning charm and personality?”

“Well yes, but not quite.” Stygian laughed. “You talked to us, Sunburst. And listened. And showed me that I’m more than just some shy, bookish stallion. So maybe you can show Sombra he’s more than the cage that holds him as well.”

“But- but what if this all goes wrong?” Sunburst asked. “This could all be a ploy, and we just don’t know it yet.”

All Stygian could offer was a soft, gentle smile. “As someone who’s been in his position before, all I can ask is that you trust me.”

Stygian moved to talk more, but he paused momentarily as his ears flicked towards the sound of movement deeper within his home.

“Little Shade! I’m home!” A voice came from Stygian’s side, muffled but still very audible on Sunburst’s end. “I hope you’re busy writing, sweetheart. I wouldn’t wanna have to ‘punish’ you~”

A deep red blush crossed its way across Stygian’s face, the stallion freezing for a moment before forcing a panicked smile. “Ah, well, it seems as if my time is shorter than I thought!” He quickly reached to begin to wipe the runes on his side away with a hoof. “We should do this again sometime, but for now I wish you luck!”

Sunburst scrambled forward, wishing there was something he could do to stop Stygian from so far away. “W-wait! I think I still might need your help!”

“Just talk to him, Sunburst.” Stygian said as he furiously scraped away the pesky chalk. “Be yourself, and he’ll come around.”

As he said that, an orange stallion, Flash Magnus, walked into frame behind Stygian. He looked to the mirror for a moment, squinting at it briefly, before his expression brightened. “Hey, is that Sunny? How’re you d-”

Then the spell cut out. Leaving Sunburst staring in the mirror at himself.

With a sigh, Sunburst leaned back in his chair and looked up, preferring to stare at the stars on his ceiling instead of himself.

“Be myself….” He muttered, shaking his head. “Usually I save infodumping about my mother until I really get to know someone, but...?”

I Would Reach For Him

For this descent into the Crystal Empire dungeons, Sunburst neglected to tell Shining Armor he’d be visiting. Instead, he trudged through the cold, dark depths alone. Only his wits about him, lingering courage to keep him going, and a warm, covered tray that he held close to his chest.

Thankfully, Sunburst was used to the walk to the door by now. And he’d studied the spell Shining used to unlock it, meaning most of his time was spent in getting his horn to work correctly. But eventually, he fired a beam of golden light, one that only flickered a few times, directly at the runic door.

And the door slowly creaked open. Not a sound came from within the room, only a tense feeling of unwelcome that flowed out.

But Sunburst pressed on despite this, clutching his tray closer for comfort.

The specifics of Sombra’s confinement had already grown normal to Sunburst, and he wasn’t quite sure how he felt about that. The stocks, the grandstands, and the tarped off implements had begun to fade into the background to him. He maneuvered past them as if they were just normal furniture, and hoped a bit that they hadn’t seen any recent use.

No, he ignored the surroundings in favor of the centerpiece of the room. Sombra sitting in the center of the cage, his back to Sunburst as he seemed to just stare at the wall.

“You’re alone today.” Sombra grumbled, not turning to address Sunburst. “Surely you’re aware how dangerous that is.”

Sunburst shook his head, despite Sombra not being able to see it, and stepped closer to the cage. “Dangerous, but probably only because I’m technically not supposed to be down here today.”

Sombra’s ear twitched, the stallion slowly turning around so that he at least faced Sunburst. His eyes, however, still pointed at the ground. “Well, we can solve that problem quickly then. Try your hoof at interrogating me again, and perhaps we can again have this done before lunch and my next visitor.”

Sunburst laughed a bit, surprising Sombra, as he set the tray he had on the ground. “I’m not here to interrogate you anymore. As I’ve been told, I’m not the best at that.” He pulled the lid off of the tray, revealing a steaming bowl of tomato soup and a sleeve of saltine crackers. “I’m just here to bring you some food and talk. If you’ll let me.”

Sombra’s nose twitched, involuntarily sniffing the smell of something that was decidedly not the gruel he’d grown accustomed to. He leaned forward, inspecting the food through the bars with wrapt interest.

His eyes flicked up to study Sunburst’s face briefly, but they quickly fell back upon the food. “There’s a catch.” He grumbled. “There’s always a catch.”

“There isn’t much to catch on.” Sunburst said while unlatching the cell’s food hole and sliding the tray towards Sombra. “All I did was talk to the castle’s chefs and ask they stop with the gruel. Now you can expect the food to be at least a little palatable.” Sunburst watched Sombra extract a single cracker and inspect it carefully. At this, he snickered. “They’re not poisoned, if that’s what you’re worried about.”

“No, I don’t see you having that in you.” Sombra grumbled, still inspecting the bowl he had placed before him. Almost absentmindedly, he warmed his hooves by the heat of the steam escaping it. “But, despite that, this isn’t what I’d requested. I have no need for anything but gruel while locked down here.”

As Sombra pushed the tray back towards the cage’s wall, Sunburst’s eye twitched. A bit on instinct, he reached his hooves through the cell and pressed the meal back towards Sombra. “You can’t just have gruel for all of your meals. It’s unhealthy!”

“As an immortal, your standards of health mean nothing to me.” Sombra growled, pressing the tray back to Sunburst again. “Gruel quells the hunger and that’s all that’s necessary.”

This, of course, did not stop Sunburst from sliding the meal right on back. “It’s cold out, and you need a hot meal. Not just lukewarm mush.”

“I braved the Frozen North for days on my way to this empire.” Sombra said, harshly shunting the tray towards Sunburst yet again. “This cold means nothing to me.”

The two unicorns went back and forth on this for a few more moments, the tray making horrible scraping noises each time either forced it between the two of them. It was a fierce battle between two fierce competitors, neither of which seemed to want to give up any ground.

That was, until Sombra finally let out a deep, heavy sigh as he slammed his hooves down on the crystalline floor. “Fine!” He growled, finally letting the tray stay towards him. “We will have it your way.”

Sombra dug the spoon he was provided into the soup, somehow finding a way to look annoyed while eating a freshly cooked meal. He ate it without question, however, and as the flavors played across his tongue, even a stallion as stoic as he couldn’t hold back a satisfied hum.

“That’s actually quite pleasant.” Sombra admitted as the warmth of the first spoonful began to fill him. He worked his jaw for a moment, humming again as he briefly closed his eyes. “The flavor is a bit strange, however. Less sweet than I’ve come to expect, and more tangy.”

“It’s my mother’s recipe, so I wouldn’t know anything about it.” Sunburst shrugged, though was unable to wipe the pleased grin from his face. “When it gets cold, I ask the castle chefs to make a batch. Not only does it keep me warm, but it reminds me of the better parts of home.”

Sombra gave a gentle laugh. “Well then, I appreciate you sharing this with me.”

Sunburst watched for a moment as Sombra dug his spoon through the soup, parting the small red sea in the bowl but never taking more to eat. He pursed his lips, tilting his head. “You know, I don’t mind if you’d like to just dig in.” He said, gesturing both hooves towards Sombra.

And Sombra hesitated, looking between the soup and Sunburst a few times before his gaze just lingered on the soup. He stared into the deep red liquid he still toyed with with his spoon, tempted by the flavor that still lingered on his tongue.

Following his stomach more than anything else, Sombra dove in. He maintained his composure briefly, taking his soup by the spoonful like the well-mannered and regal stallion he once was. Soon, however, all his inhibitions were abandoned as the hunger for finally having something flavorful took over. He tossed the spoon aside, instead preferring to scoop the bowl up with both of his hooves, drinking down the thick soup straight from its source.

Sunburst had to fight back a laugh as he watched this. Especially as, moments later, Sombra pulled the bowl from his face and he could see a nice bright red ring of sauce around his mouth.

Snickering openly now, Sunburst reached into his robe with his magic and pulled out a small star-speckled handkerchief. He attempted to pass it through the bars of Sombra’s cage, but his magic fizzled as soon as it hit the barrier. The handkerchief then fluttered uselessly to the ground as a slight burning pain ran through Sunburst’s horn.

Sombra still picked it up regardless, a small blush crossing his face as he caught Sunburst’s meaning. “Thank you. It seems I got careless.” He grumbled as he wiped his face clean. “Forgive me for the small jolt. I’m surprised to see these old runes still work. Still, no unicorn magic may pass through.”

“It’s definitely some impressive spellwork. Painful too.” Sunburst said, stroking his aching horn. “I’ve read you were quite the mage when younger, so I assume you did all the spellweaving yourself?”

Sombra chuckled softly, shaking his head but puffing his chest out with pride. “No, no. The power behind it is all mine, but the studying and actual craft was… another’s.” Sombra’s face fell again, his attention waning on that topic and instead being drawn to the dark blue handkerchief he still held. “A very interesting pattern. Was this custom made, or are stars just where fashion has advanced?”

“It’s… custom.” Sunburst said, his face screwing a bit at the strange shift in conversation. “A friend gifted it to me, though she first got it as a prop for one of her magic acts. She actually got me quite a few!” He reached into his robe with a hoof, pulling out another of the handkerchiefs.

This was tied to another handkerchief, which was tied to another, which, in turn, was tied to yet another. As Sunburst kept pulling them from his robe, smiling bashfully as he did so, a wide smirk grew along Sombra’s face.

As Sunburst finally reached the end of his rope, a small look of unease crossed his face as the last handkerchief fell to the ground in front of him. He took a moment to check his robe, then let out a soft sigh. “There was supposed to be more, but a few must have untied while in my…” He trailed off, huffing again as he was distraught at his magical faux pas.

Still, Sombra clapped politely despite this, maintaining his grin. “Quite impressive regardless. A magician and a mage in one. I’m sure the royals are very proud to have you as their head scholar.”

Sunburst’s bashful grin returned, a soft blush crossing across his orange face. “T-thank you! I’ve definitely practiced a lot.” He paused for just a moment, scratching the back of his head with a hoof. “But I’m nowhere near their scholar. Not officially, anyway. I’m just their Crystaler which, uh, doesn’t really mean much now that little Flurry is older.”

“Very necessary during traditional events, however.” Sombra nodded. “But if you don’t busy yourself with doing the royals’ research for them, then what is it you spend your time with?”

Sunburst paused, stunned that as soon as the question was posed, all of the hobbies he could talk about seemed to briefly disappear. “W-well I, um, I mostly work at a school as a vice headmare. Other than that, I obviously do multiple types of magic. And I research on my own time as well.”

“A true renaissance stallion, then. Very impressive.” Sombra crooned, a smirk pulling across his lips. “I was a researcher too, in my youth, though my own studies ended leading me down the darker corners of the arcane. I hope you’ve been finding more levity in your own studies.”

Sunburst thought briefly on that, tapping his hooves on the cold ground briefly before looking away from Sombra. “Weeeeeeell… most of my reading has been focused on, um, you. To be specific, something you said to me the first time we met.”

Though Sunburst moved to continue and explain himself, Sombra quickly stopped him by raising his hoof. The large stallion closed his eyes, tilting his head and focusing deeply with a quiet sigh. At first Sunburst was confused, but after following suit and listening closely he could now hear a set of heavy hooffalls that, while distant, was slowly approaching their chamber.

Sunburst froze, stiffening in place for a moment before beginning to shake. He looked to Sombra, eyes full of fear. “I’m- I’m not supposed to be here right now.” He managed to whisper. He quickly stood, still staying in place but tearing around to try and find other means of egress.

Sombra grumbled, setting his job. “There’s only one entrance to this room.” He muttered, then mulled over his thoughts for a moment. Standing as well, he breathed out a soft sigh. “Be calm and hold still a moment. I have a plan.”

Despite all instincts telling him to pace and search, Sunburst somehow managed to hold as still as he could. He shook and shivered as he turned to face Sombra, but he hoped it would be enough for whatever was planned.

As Sombra took in a deep breath, Sunburst watched the stallion’s form slowly unravel. His edges blurred into an inky black smoke that wisped and wavered as it grew, though still maintained a semblance of the stallion’s formerly solid form. The only thing that remained whole was his striking ruby eyes, glaring at the door behind Sunburst.

The smoky stallion floated forward, his form easily bypassing the cage that meant to contain him, stopping just short of Sunburst. “Hold your breath.” Came Sombra’s voice, though it seemed to surround Sunburst rather than coming from in front of him. “This will be unpleasant.”

Sunburst followed orders, breathing in deeply and squeezing his eyes shut.

A warmth surrounded Sunburst. Encompassing him. He felt himself drawn against Sombra’s shadowy form, the wisps of his smoke tickling him slightly as he too became semi-ethereal. Their forms intertwined briefly as Sombra brought them both back across the threshold and through the cage’s bars again.

As their forms settled down, solidifying back into their own separate bodies once again, Sombra sighed weakly. Sunburst remained still, his eyes remaining screwed shut as he struggled to contain the breath he still held.

Sombra nudged him gently with a hoof. “It’s safe to breathe again, my friend. Please do not continue to harm yourself.”

Sunburst’s eyes snapped open, immediately drawing in a gasping breath and pulling away from Sombra. He looked around the cage briefly, feeling the slight anxiety of bars surrounding him, before his attention was once again grasped by Sombra lifting a hoof.

“Please, hide while you can.” Sombra said, staring ahead at the door while gesturing behind him towards the cell’s bed. “It may be uncomfortable, but you should be small enough to fit. I’ll try and keep attention away, however.”

Sunburst very much wanted to suggest another option, despite a severe lack of them, but was easily cut off as a pair of new voices made their presence known.

“Alright, I can only give you a few minutes. And try not to antagonize him.” Came the first, a strong and commanding voice. Immediately recognizable to Sunburst as Shining Armor, causing him to begin to sweat.

“Aww, come on! At least let me gloat a little!” Came the second, a younger and more chipper voice. Slightly girly, but decidedly masculine. “I mean, I’m the reason he’s locked up down here in the first place. You know, uh, sorta.”

Sunburst began to shake again. Not only was one of his closest friends about to find him illegally fraternizing with a stallion like Sombra, but now so was Spike, one of the only DMs left in Ponyville. Now it wasn’t just his relationship with Flurry Heart on the chopping block were he to get caught, but also the fate of Sunswirl The Warlock.

This was truly a dire situation.

It took Sombra guiding Sunburst to the bed with a hoof to knock him from his engrossed thoughts. Lifting the heavy wooden bedframe with one hoof, Sombra gestured with his other for Sunburst to slide under. Sunburst was given slight pause by the small and dusty space for him to fit under, but followed orders despite his apprehension.

And he tried to not squeak too loudly in fear as Sombra set the bedframe down around him.

Just moments later, a magical resonance rang through the room. Strong, powerful, and protective. Sunburst heard the door to the room open, and the pair of Shining Armor and Spike enter.

“Hiya!” Spike began, quick to swagger up to the bars of the cage with a very cocky grin. He studied the caged Sombra before him for a moment, trying to seem as if a hunter eyeing his fresh catch. As Sombra was still twice the size of the teenage dragon, it wasn’t as effective a sight as Spike may have hoped.

Shining let out a laugh he attempted to hide with a cough, turning his head to the side to instead look at the wall to his right.

But Spike seemed to not notice, the cocky grin still plastered on his face. “I dunno if you remember me. I’m the guy that stopped your evil plans and saved the Crystal Empire.” He extended a claw to Sombra, mockingly offering a shake. “Sorta a big deal.”

Sombra only tilted his head slightly, staring down at Spike much like a predator would stare down his prey.

For just a moment, the wall of bars separating the two seemed much less sturdy to Spike.

“I do remember you.” Sombra said, his voice low and gravely. “You’re the little dragon who just nearly missed being impaled by my horn.” He drew his hoof up briefly, idly stroking the stump where his horn used to be, before he leaned down to get eye-level with Spike. “That may be gone now, but I’m sure we could find another way to reenact that moment. If you’d like.”

Sombra’s eyes flared, glowing slightly as a near-unnoticeable flare of his magic coated the room. Spike was the first to retreat, despite all of his bravado in approaching Sombra, hiding behind a shield of Shining Armor. Shining himself faltered, but quickly shook away any thoughts of turning back. Protecting Spike was his priority, so he stood strong regardless.

Sunburst flinched. Despite not being the target of Sombra’s ire, it still affected him regardless. He drew in a sharp breath of air, forcing down the loud yelp that built in his chest.

In turn, he breathed in quite a few of the dust bunnies that lived under Sombra’s bed. And despite how much he fought it back by shaking his head or covering his nose…

Sunburst sneezed.

Now the whole room flinched, including Sunburst himself.

“What,” Shining Armor growled, storming up to a moderately surprised Sombra, “was that?”

For the first time in quite some time, Sombra was momentarily stood speechless. He stared down at Shining Armor for a few moments, tilting his head as he considered how to respond.

“Oh, it must just be the rats. I’ve taken to raising the few that scurry around down here. Most as friends, but they are also full of nutrients.” He explained simply, a villainous smirk slowly growing across his face. “In fact, I may still be a bit peckish. Perhaps both of you would like to stay for a snack?”

Shining Armor quickly turned green at the thought, taking a large step back away from Sombra. “No, I think we’re alright.”

“I, uh, think I’m late for a lunch date with Thorax anyway.” Spike squeaked, then tugged on Shining’s tail. “We should go.”

Shining quickly found himself nodding in agreement. With a hoof, he gestured towards the door behind them. “Go wait outside. I’ll be out in a minute.” As he said this, his steely gaze continued to hold on Sombra’s face.

Spike didn’t need to be told twice, scrambling out the heavy oak doors to safety as quickly as possible.

With Spike now a safe distance away, Shining’s gaze still held. He studied the Sombra, trying to read every inch of the stallion’s expression. Slowly his gaze strayed, looking down towards the floor in front of Sombra. There, he spied a tray and bowl that had come directly from his kitchen, the bowl still full with some remnant of tomato soup.

Shining squinted, gesturing towards the bowl. “And where’d you get this? Finally given up on your gruel addiction?”

Sombra looked down at where Shining gestured to with a feigned detached disinterest. “I’m told the orange unicorn from before requested it for me. Whether as an apology or an olive branch, I’m not sure.”

Shining continued to stare down at the tray for a few more moments, after which he drew closer to the cage. Reaching in through the bars, he took the dishware from Sombra. “Well, I’m glad you’re finally eating something healthy.”

With that, Shining took his leave.

Sombra waited a good thirty seconds, letting the hoofsteps fade to silence, before turning back to the bed and releasing Sunburst from his dusty prison.

Sunburst quickly scrambled out, coughing and sputtering as he did so.

Nonplused, Sombra shook his head. “You nearly gave your position away.” He sighed, his tone teasing as he looked upon the struggling stallion.

“It’s not my fault your bed is so dusty!” Sunburst exclaimed, still sputtering some as he did. “I swear, it’s like you’ve never slept in the thing.” As if to demonstrate, he scraped a hoof along the sheets, uprooting what seemed like weeks of dust buildup.

Sombra pursed his lips, looking far away from the bed as a light blush crossed his face. “Well, you wouldn’t be entirely wrong.” He grumbled. “I much prefer the ground to that mattress, and even then it’s much too cold to sleep peacefully.”

Sunburst found himself nodding in agreement. “Oh absolutely. Even with the Crystal Heart’s protection, the winters here are terrible. Usually I need at least three blankets to even think about sleeping comfortably.” Looking around, he noted the severe lack of blankets in Sombra’s cage. A frown fell over his expression. “I, uh- I know a few spells, and have quite the library of bedding. I’ll try and bring a few down next time.”

“You seem very confident in there being a next time.” Sombra said with a laugh. “Even when this unplanned visit nearly went so poorly.”

“It actually went better than I expected.” Sunburst admitted with a shrug. “Though, uh, maybe I should tell Shining next time I’d like to visit just in case. I mean, as you said, the olive branch has been extended.”

“And tentatively accepted.” Sombra sighed. “But perhaps now you should make your leave. Before anyone wonders where you’ve gone.”

Without waiting for a response from Sunburst, Sombra once again returned to shadow and took Sunburst against him, drawing him in and carrying him back to his side of the cage. Once finished, returning to his solid form, Sombra stumbled and wavered with exhaustion.

Sunburst looked on with concern, reaching through the cage’s bars with a hoof. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine, I’m fine.” Sombra soothed, shaking his head and with it the tiredness that had begun to form. “Umbrum magic is… hard on its user. No longer am I used to it, but I’ll recover with rest.”

“I’ll let you rest then. I hope you’ll feel better soon.” Sunburst said. But he hesitated before leaving, closing his eyes briefly to steady himself before speaking again. “I just… I have one question before I go.”

Sombra smiled tiredly at his persistent friend. “Please, ask away.”

“Why do you find it so hard to look at me?” Sunburst asked after another moment of pause. “Does it have to do with what you said when we first met?”

Sombra let out a small laugh at that, just a brief exhale through his nose, but shook his head just the same. Looking Sunburst in the eyes, basking in their bright blue color for just a moment. “I don’t believe I’m prepared to answer that one, I’m afraid.” He said, then laid himself down on the cold ground. He rested his head on crossed hooves, breathing out a gentle sigh. “Perhaps another time. For now, I bid you farewell. Have a good night, Sunburst.”

Sunburst set his jaw, but nodded all the same. “Yes, of course. Rest well, Sombra.”

~~But Who Can Hold a Memory~~

The Crystal Empire was frozen. Due to the flickering, fading nature of The Crystal Heart, the streets were full of frost and snow as a harsh blizzard attacked the town. The constant assault of the Windigo had made it so the town itself was uninhabitable, the only place protected by the weakening magic being the castle it was housed in.

Some citizens, the lucky ones, had escaped when it became clear it wasn’t just a haphazard blizzard that had come to sweep them. Others were welcomed into the castle with open arms. The rest, however, the ones who hadn’t been able to do either…

The Prince tried not to think of them.

As he stalked through the halls of his castle, now again full of life, The Prince could no longer meet their gaze as they asked again how long this would last. If this seemingly endless winter had an end in sight at all.

He had no answer for them, nor a way to placate them.

He kept walking.

His walking brought him to many rooms of the castle.

The library, where some were burning books to keep warm.

The study, where his guards were attempting to placate the masses with activities to keep their minds off the apocalypse. Drawing was the most popular.

The war room, full of plans of attack torn to shreds by The Prince’s hoof.

But it was only when he entered The Scholar’s room that he found the pony he was looking for.

He lay upon his bed, his nose in a book as per usual, with his robe pulled snug around him in attempts to fight the cold that had begun to creep in as the Crystal Heart flickered more and more often. Already a frail stallion, The Scholar had no way to combat the cold himself.

And so The Prince came to him, laying beside him and warming him with both his body and a flicker of his dark, wispy umbrum magic. The spells he’d learned may have corrupted his magic beyond recognition, but at least they were useful on occasion.

The Scholar was very relenting to this warm touch, melting briefly against his love and nestling against his broad chest. Regaining composure briefly after, he squeaked a greeting to his Prince and excitedly offered the book he was reading over.

A solution, he explained, though perhaps not a comforting one.

Taking this in mind, The Prince read the book he’d been offered, another book of dark spells, and quickly found the idea his Scholar had for them.

A transfer spell, simple enough on paper, that required a user of dark magic and pure, unicorn magic to work in tandem. Supposedly it would consume the unicorn entirely, using them and their magic to power and protect a magical artifact for years to come. With enough strength that it would send the kingdom’s Windigo problem packing.

It was perfect. It was exactly what The Prince and his kingdom needed.

And yet…

The Prince looked to his Scholar in horror at the thought of trading a life, no matter how many it would save. He shoved the book back away, shaking his head and scoffing at the thought of a unicorn freely giving their life to save his kingdom.

After a moment of silence, The Scholar’s hoof running along the book’s pages, he volunteered readily.

That Heaven I'd Forgotten

The next day, Sunburst found himself approaching Shining Armor again with blankets and pillows in tow. He figured it would be best to make his intentions known this time, lest his and Sombra’s conversation get interrupted again like last time.

The problem was actually getting those words out.

Shining, for his part, tried to remain unsurprised and unphased as Sunburst approached him with the makings of an epic pillowfort. Especially when Sunburst wore a nervous look on his face.

But his stoicism quickly faded.

“Sunny, buddy, I was joking when I said you’d have to do our laundry for getting my character killed.” He said with a laugh, moving to help his bespectacled friend with the linens. “We’ve got maids who’d love to help you with that.”

Sunburst just as quickly shied away with a squeak, scrambling back and ensuring Shining couldn’t have his way with the bedding he held in his magic. “No no, these aren’t to wash! These are, um, more for delivery?”

Shining squinted at Sunburst. He eyed the stallion over, tilting his head as he gazed into Sunburst’s bright blue eyes. “Well Flurry’s room is the other way, so unless you’ll be making pillow forts with my wife again…”

Sunburst’s face flushed and he reeled back, shaking his head wildly. “Oh no, nothing like that! Never without you, I mean.” Still flushed, Sunburst cleared his throat and tried to calm himself a bit. “These are actually for, um, for our… guest. For… for Sombra.”

For a moment, Shining closed his eyes with a sigh, nodding his head. “Yeah, yep! That’s what we’re doing now. Ferrying bedding to tyrants.” Opening his eyes again, he had the stern, serious face of Sunburst to greet him. “Listen, I thought I told you to stop worrying about it. We’ve got the Sombra situation under control.”

Remembering how easily Shining ‘handled’ the situation last time, Sunburst had to fight back a laugh.

Clearing his throat again, Sunburst shook his head. “You know I can’t just let things like this go. Asking me to ‘stop worrying’ is just…” He trailed off with a sigh, pressing his lips together. “Not when he’s still down there. And with how cold it is.”

Shining set his jaw, but nodded all the same. “If you’re that set on it, then I can’t stop you. Just know that this is the last time you’re going down there.”

And Sunburst beamed at that, grinning from ear to ear as he rushed Shining to hug him with a very un-Sunbursty closeness. “Thank you! You won’t regret this, I swear!” After a moment, he quickly pulled back as he realized how unlike him the hug was. Face flushed again, he pushed his glasses up with a hoof. “Um, what I mean to say is… Thank you, Shining. I’m sure both Sombra and I appreciate it.”

Only able to laugh at this display, Shining nodded. “Don’t worry about it, Sunny. Now let’s just head down there before I regret this.” He moved to turn, but quickly turned back and eyed the ball of blankets and pillows Sunburst held. “Are you sure you don’t need any help with those?”

As Shining reached out to help again, Sunburst again scrambled back, shaking his head. “Nope! I’ve got it all covered!” He said, offering a forced smile that was entirely too wide.

Dropping the subject entirely, Shining nodded. And Sunburst breathed a sigh of relief as he did so, happy Shining never checked the blankets.

The trip down to the dungeon was quicker than ever. Sunburst more than used to the walk at this point. So used to it, in fact, that he bounded ahead of Shining, taking the lead from a pony who thought he really ought to be the one leading.

It was his castle, after all.

But Shining paid those thoughts little mind as both stallions approached the door, both hesitating before either cast the spell that would unlock it.

Sunburst turned to Shining first, a strangely embarrassed look on his face. “Would you mind, um, waiting out here? I sort of get the feeling he doesn’t like you very much.”

“Oh, and he likes you so much more?” Shining asked as he rolled his eyes. Shrugging soon after, though, he nodded. “If it helps with whatever you’re trying to do, then I’ll wait for as long as you need me. Just, you know, if you need any help with him…”

“I’ll get you right away.” Sunburst finished with a soft smile. After which he quickly turned to face the door again. “Now, let’s get this started. My horn is getting a bit tired.”

Sunburst wasted no time in unlocking the door with his magic and sauntering in. It was only after he crossed the threshold that he realized he’d just cast a spell he shouldn’t know in front of the pony who hadn’t taught it to him. One he’d only learned so that he could see Sombra alone.

Turning to Shining, expecting the worst, Sunburst only saw a pleasant smile on his face.

Shining waved Sunburst in with a hoof. “Go on then. Don’t keep him waiting.”

Sunburst turned again, slowly, but before he was able to take another step:

“Oh, one more thing.”

Sunburst turned to Shining again, this time greeted by a semi-stern expression.

“No hiding under the bed this time, alright?” Shining asked, his face flickering a smile for a moment, but still managing to remain stern.

Without waiting for an answer, not really needing one, Shining Armor shut the door between them. Sunburst’s face flushed, only able to stare blankly at the oaken door for a few moments.

A laugh then echoed through the room, deep and boisterous, that drew Sunburst’s attention to the center of the room. There, Sombra laid lounging, a mirthful grin pointed towards Sunburst.

“Welcome back, Sunburst.” He hummed as he stood and stretched his back out, emitting enough pops and cracks to make Sunburst cringe. Paying no attention to this, he maintained his grin towards Sunburst before his eyes flicked up towards the ball of bedding Sunburst held in his magic. “And you brought gifts too. My, what an honor.”

Sunburst blushed again, but this time smiling brightly. “Y-yep! I wanted to get these to you sooner, but I didn’t think I could make it down again without being spotted.” He turned slightly, leaving a lingering gaze towards the dungeon’s entrance.

Sombra laughed again. “Well, it seems that was the least of your worries.”

Sunburst sighed, letting out a small whimper as he did. Quickly shaking himself from his shame-filled stupor, he approached the cage with as much mirth as he could put forth. Sitting before the imprisoned former king, he began to unweave the ball of bedding he held in his magic, beginning to pass it through the bars.

“I hope you weren’t too uncomfortable last night.” Sunburst muttered as he offered a dark red, magically heated blanket. “The temperature just keeps dropping this winter, and I hadn’t even considered you’d be cold too. I hope this will be enough.”

Sombra wasted no time in accepting the blanket, wrapping it around himself despite its size more befitting a stallion as small as Sunburst. The enchantment imbued, however, was strong enough to let its warmth course through him. Despite himself, Sombra groaned happily, rolling his shoulders as the heat finally helped him work out a few kinks.

And it was music to Sunburst’s ears, his bright grin growing as he continued to pass bedding.

“I actually slept like a foal.” Sombra said with a gentle smile. “Quite an uncomfortable one, a foal with back problems perhaps, but a foal nonetheless. It seems the secret is absolutely wearing myself out through overuse of magic.”

Sunburst’s face fell at this. “Oh, um, sorry about that.”

“Oh, I couldn’t possibly blame you for that, my little friend.” Sombra chuckled, shaking his head. “I overestimated my abilities, and paid the price. Very simple.”

“You only had to do that because I forced your hoof.” Sunburst sighed solemnly.

A silence fell between the two as Sunburst continued to unwrap his Ball of Bedding. After a minute or two of Sunburst’s offerings being passed to Sombra, the stallion on the other side of the bars finally had his full gift of four magically enchanted blankets and four of the fluffiest pillows Sunburst could find. All of which freshly washed and dried by Sunburst’s own hooves.

With that, Sunburst’s delivery of the plushest of bedding was complete, and he was left with the two paper bags that he had hidden in the center. He floated them to the ground, one in front of each stallion.

Ignoring his plush bedding for a moment, Sombra inspected the bag Sunburst placed towards him. Through the bars, he saw a plain brown bag with red accents, emblazoned with a golden stylized ‘H’ on the front. Nothing about it exactly stood out to him, but…

The smell it exuded caught Sombra off guard. The oily, greasy scent that seemed to fill the room was off-putting, and yet strangely enticing. A smell that made Sombra both want to recoil while also enticing him and making him want more. It was a predicament that brought him towards the bars of the cage and towards Sunburst.

“And what do we have here?” Sombra asked curiously, tilting his head as if it would help him see into the bag.

“Oh! It’s, um, I guess you could say it’s part of the gift.” Sunburst said chipperly, reaching into his bag and extracting a paper-wrapped object, displaying it to Sombra. “I brought us some Hay-Hut for lunch! I know it’s not as fancy as my mother’s soup recipe, but I hope you enjoy it. It’s, well, actually kind of one of my favorites.” He finished with a giggle, pushing Sombra’s bag as close as he could towards him. “Try it! I feel like you might like it.”

Sombra pulled the bag across the threshold, intending to inspect it closer. He pulled his own fragrant, paper-encrusted object and inspected it. “But what is it, exactly? The way you’ve offered it to me, hiding it in so much lovely bedding, makes me think none of this is exactly above board.” Looking up towards Sunburst, Sombra smirked. “Am I an accomplice to one of your food crimes, Sunburst?”

“W-what? No! Of course not.” Sunburst squeaked, looking towards the ground as he tapped a hoof on the ground. “Maybe a little. I’m not really supposed to have this much fast food. I couldn’t explain that half was for you, so I had to hide all of it. Otherwise Shining would have given me another lecture.”

Sombra hummed with interest, setting down his lunch for a moment to lean in with interest. “Oh? It sounds as if there’s more story to it than that.”

“Not very much, really.” Sunburst grumbled, crossing his forelegs in front of him. “Shining just feels I should be eating less fast food. Which, I mean, sucks because it’s so easy to eat while studying.” With a huff, he pursed his lips. Then he relaxed, giving up quickly with another grumble. “But… he has a point. It’s probably not healthy all the time, but at least we can enjoy some as a treat, right?”

“Of course. It’s always good to indulge a bit.” Sombra nodded, reclaiming his meal from the ground as he did so. There, he continued to inspect the paper wrapped object, picking at it with a hoof as his face grew concerned. “Is the, erm, paper a part of the meal? Has the rationing gotten this bad again?”

Sunburst stared at Sombra for a few moments, wanting to make sure the stallion was serious. Seeing the look of confusion maintained on Sombra’s face, he couldn’t help but snicker a bit. “Oh no, it’s just a wrapper. Here, let me just…” He leaned in towards Sombra, reaching his hooves through the bars and quickly peeling the paper in Sombra’s hooves away, revealing a hayburger. “There! Just a standard Hay-Hut hayburger. I wasn’t sure if you’d want any toppings, so I hope you don’t mind it plain.”

“I… suppose I don’t.” Sombra muttered, inspecting the burger closely as he wondered what exactly could be added to the oil-battered hay in order to make it more appealing.

Before he could endeavor to take a bite, his eyes flicked up to Sunburst who was already ready to chow down himself. And then they fell to the bars set between them, separating the two stallions. A small frown drew across his face.

“This is certainly an awkward way to have lunch with a friend.” He said, gesturing towards the bars. “Would you, perhaps, like to join me in here?”

Sunburst blinked. But quickly he shot up, a wide grin crossing his face. “Yes! Of course! I would love to join you for lunch.” As he drew closer to the cage, stowing his burger away and bringing his bag with him, a gentle blush crossed his face. “I-I mean, if you’re alright with that, of course.”

“I wouldn’t have suggested it were I to not want it.” Sombra said with a soft smile, standing and extending a hoof through the bars. “Please, join me.”

Sunburst wasted no time in grabbing Sombra’s hoof, quickly feeling himself being pulled in as Sombra reduced to shadow. He held his breath, squeezing his eyes shut, and quickly found himself reconstituted on the other side of the bars.

Sunburst looked down at the bag of food he still held, an expression of concern briefly crossing his face. “For a second, I was worried I’d get spliced by holding this.”

“Thankfully I’m much more careful with my magic than a foal taking their first teleport.” Sombra hummed softly, then began to spread out one of his new blankets between the two of them. Satisfied with himself, he sat down on the plush blanket and motioned for Sunburst to join him. “Come now, let us eat.”

“Yes, let us.” Sunburst smiled warmly, eagerly joining Sombra on the blanket and setting out his food.

Sombra was quick to take a tentative bite of his burger, grumbling happily as the interesting flavor of greasy, oily hay coated his tongue. He nodded, pulling back with a satisfied smirk. He moved to speak, to compliment the masterwork of the chef that had brought him this, but was quickly distracted by Sunburst.

For his part, Sunburst was just gleefully indulging in his favorite kind of junk food. In one hoof he held an already partially consumed hayburger, while the other periodically dipped into his feedbag. There, Sombra spied him pulling out small morsels of hay and quickly popping them into his mouth.

It took a few moments for him to notice Sombra staring at him. He smiled, blushing a bit as he pulled a half-full sleeve of the hayfries from his bag. He offered them over to Sombra. “Do you, um, want some? You should have an order in your bag too.” Unable to resist himself, he took another hoofful for himself. “They’re pretty tasty, if I do say so myself. Definitely one of my favorites.”

Sombra hummed again, reaching a hoof into his own bag to find his own share. He carefully extracted a hayfry, briefly inspecting it before deciding to trust Sunburst’s palate and pop it in his mouth.

He laughed as he chewed it, a salty and greasy, yet not altogether unpleasant flavor filling his mouth. “I don’t quite understand the obsession with hay you modern ponies seem to have.” He gestured with his burger briefly, then lifted it to his face. “Why, in my time, if you wanted a savory burger like this, you would have just used meat.”

Sunburst jumped a bit at that, much to Sombra’s pleasure, and covered his mouth with a hoof as he cleared his throat. “Well, um, I suppose I can check with the more… gryphon-centric restaurants next time.” He said, his face going as white as the splotch on his muzzle.

A satisfied grin pulling across Sombra’s face, he began to chuckle softly. “I appreciate it, my friend.”

The two stallions fell into a comfortable silence after that, each of them enjoying both the food and the company they kept. As they ate, Sombra couldn’t help but stare at Sunburst again. This time, instead of inspecting the wizard’s choices in food, he just stared and thought.

How long had it been since he could relax like this? No worries about ruling, no wars, no misguided attempts to reclaim a kingdom that never truly belonged to him. No, just a common pony eating with another. Company that, for once, he truly wished to keep.

Despite himself, Sombra was brought back a thousand years ago, his brain reeling with thousands of memories with Him. His Scholar, his Lover, his Muse. Some good, some bad, but most all memories full of love and affection for the pony who once was his.

Finally looking up his tasty sandwich and noticing the intense staring, Sunburst’s face flushed heavily. “Oh, um, do I have something on my face?” He asked, reaching into his bag to retrieve a napkin and wipe his face down.

And he did, a few splotches of ketchup staining the corners of his mouth. But it wasn’t as if Sombra had even noticed.

“When I look at you,” Sombra softly said, his eyes never leaving Sunburst’s, “I can’t help but see my Icy’s face reflected back.”

Sunburst stared back for a few moments, tilting his head in confusion. Then his eyes lit wide with recognition. “Icy…” He muttered gently in response. “Do I… remind you of them that much?”

“Enough to send me for a shock on seeing him, you, after a thousand years.” Sombra laughed, a soft, nostalgic smile pulling across his face. “You’ll have to forgive me for my lack of composure then. At the time I thought it some sick trick Shining Armor had pulled.”

“I don’t think any of us are that cruel.” Sunburst said, shaking his head. Looking back up at Sombra, he gave a sympathetic look. “But, if you don’t mind me asking, who was he? I’ve hunted and searched for a pony with a similar name, but I came up with nothing.”

“No, I’d think not. I erased his name from any documents long before you were even born.” Sombra sighed mournfully, looking away from Sunburst finally and instead staring at the bars of his cage. “Ice Crystal was a stallion very special to me. A companion, a confidante, a study partner…” He trailed off, his voice catching briefly in his throat. “A lover, at times, but most importantly a friend.” Looking back to Sunburst, he offered a half-hearted smile. “Were it not that his lineage ended with him, I’d think you his descendant.”

“Oh I’m… I’m so sorry.” Sunburst reached a hoof out, attempting to comfort the pensive stallion. “But why erase him? Why not celebrate his life instead?”

Sombra laughed sharply, almost sounding like a scoff, as he gave Sunburst a serious look. “Because it was my horn by which he was slain. A life to save a kingdom.” He sighed, shaking his head. “Unable to forgive myself, I ensured that only I would be able to remember him. Even as the centuries passed. That is, until you…”

A silence again fell between the two stallions, this one much less comfortable than the last. Neither could bear to look at each other, Sombra looking towards bars of his cage while Sunburst’s eyes fell on the oak door he’d entered from.

It was Sombra who broke the silence this time, leaning back in his seated position.

“And thus, another reason I belong in this cage I’ve built.” Sombra softly sighed, a hoof trailing along one of the metal bars. “Pain seems to follow where I tread, so tread I shall no longer.”

“No.” Sunburst said simply, shaking his head.

Sombra blinked, pausing for a beat. “No?”

“No. Absolutely not.” Sunburst said as he stood from his seated position. He approached Sombra, his face falling a bit serious and sullen. “I don’t care about the mistakes you’ve made in your past. How much you’ve, admittedly, massively screwed up. There’s not a bone in my body that’ll let me leave you in this cage.”

“Why? Because you’ve been tasked in ‘saving’ me?” Sombra said, a smug smirk forced to his face.

“Because you’re my friend!” Sunburst near-shouted, briefly losing composure and having to take a shuddering breath to regain it. “And I refuse to leave a friend of mine in a cage in some dark dungeon. You should be out enjoying your former kingdom, seeing how it’s grown since you seemingly saved it. And… and I’d love to join you for it.”

“That does sound lovely.” Sombra sighed through pursed lips. “But I doubt your little prince would allow it.”

With a sighing huff, Sunburst sat back down in front of Sombra. “I’ll ask Shining. There’s enough rooms in the castle, I’m sure you can stay in one. And I’m sure he’ll allow excursions if you’re supervised by a guard or something.”

“Perhaps…” Sombra hummed, trailing off to bite his lip with uncharacteristic nervousness. “Perhaps you could request that Shining place you with me instead of some guard. So that we could explore this empire together.”

A flush crossed Sunburst’s face, staining even his white dappled muzzle a deep red. “O-oh, I mean, I suppose I could.” He squeaked out. “I-if that’s what you want.”

“It seems like exactly what I need.” Sombra said with a grin, tracing a hoof towards a near-empty bag of fast food. “And maybe, if you’d allow, I could treat you to a meal as thanks. Something a bit more healthy. Homecooked, even.”

Sunburst’s face remained flushed as he giggled softly. “It’s not that bad.”

“I will admit, it’s growing on me a bit.” Sombra hummed, picking at his hayburger with a hoof. “Though perhaps it would have tasted better with the paper covering.”

“I can speak from experience that it doesn’t.” Sunburst admitted with a bashful smile before awkwardly standing from his prone position. “But, um, I should probably go and ask Shining. He’s probably wondering where I’ve gone.”

Standing as well, Sombra joined Sunburst near the bars. “Allow me to let you out.” He said, placing a hoof against Sunburst’s back.

Both ponies quickly reduced to shadowy wisps, something that Sunburst was becoming more than comfortable with. The feeling of being pulled in towards Sombra, held closely to him as they moved through the bars. The warmth that left as soon as it came as Sombra left him on the other side of the bars.

“Hopefully for the last time.” Sombra sighed tiredly, laying down upon the blanket that covered the cold floor. Grabbing one of the soft, cushiony pillows, he laid it beneath his chin. “And for now, I will utilize the gifts you’ve given me to their fullest extent.”

Sunburst couldn’t help but smile when he saw Sombra shut his eyes. Deciding to leave the tired stallion to rest his eyes in peace, he quickly but quietly made his way out of the room.

As he passed the threshold, ensuring the oak door closed quietly behind him, Shining Armor gave him a curious look.

“That was way longer than I expected.” He said, giving Sunburst a quick once-over. “I was starting to get a little worried about you. What happened in there?”

Ignoring Shining’s question for a moment, Sunburst let out a sigh. “So,” he said, already giving his best pleading look, “I have a huge favor to ask.”

Because I Miss Him So

Days later, after hours of speeches from Shining Armor espousing the virtues of forgiveness and second chances to his citizens, Sombra was finally able to leave his basement dungeon and join the rest of the Crystal Empire.

For his first few days topside, Sombra was only able to roam the castle’s halls accompanied by Sunburst as requested. For a while, he felt comfort in spending time with the stallion who’d raised him from self-inflicted perdition. But as the library trips, the dining hall conversations, and the hurried and awkward midnight farewells, while all still lovely, seemed to begin to blend together, Sombra felt a bit… bored.

He’d been promised a chance to see the kingdom he’d once held so dear, revamped and changed to fit this modern age. Instead, he was greeted with the same architecture he’d grown accustomed to a millenia ago. Even as he took glances out of the windows he’d been told to keep away from, lest he scare the citizens, he couldn’t see much, if any, changes.

That wasn’t to say he wasn’t enjoying himself, but as the days ticked on to weeks, Sombra found Sunburst growing more and more distant. Their days spent together in the library quickly became days Sunburst needed to study alone. Lunches and dinners together became awkward as Sunburst quickly clammed up when asked what he was doing all day. Their farewells grew earlier and earlier as Sunburst left the castle to do more at-home studying. Somewhere Sombra as of yet could not roam.

This left Sombra in the much less capable hooves of… the castle guards.

That wasn’t to say that they were bad, per say, but they certainly weren’t nerdy wizards with a penchant for fast food and late-night conversations about spellcraft. No, now it was back to ‘healthy’ food and very stilted, if not all-too-aggressive conversations that lead Sombra to the conclusion that they didn’t like him very much.

On one particular day, Sombra milled through the library like usual, hoping to catch Sunburst on his way in or out. Two guards, whose names Sombra never learned, followed him closely behind as he absentmindedly milled through the royal couple’s new additions of trashy, though appealing romance novels and more modern wartime treatises.

Who knew Shining Armor was such a romantic?

As Sombra slowly realized that the lack of Sunburst wouldn’t soon fix itself, the hour growing late enough that he figured he’d just gone home, he let out a small, distraught sigh. Turning to the guards behind him, Sombra disheartenedly requested to be escorted back to his room.

While they rolled their eyes, both were happy to allow Sombra to retire early and get on with their own business.

They hurriedly lead Sombra back to his room in the back of the castle, one taking the front while the other ensured he couldn’t escape from behind. Sombra had no want to escape, mind you, head bowed as he trudged along between the two of them.

Abandonment had never felt so painful.

The guards dropped him off at his room, quickly absconding and leaving him alone in his mostly barren abode. The only things he had to call his own were a bed, a side table on which sat a clock and a lamp, and the pillows and blankets Sunburst had gifted him not too long ago.

Pushing them to the bottom of the bed as he sat upon it, Sombra sighed as he briefly contemplated returning to his dungeon below the castle. Not much had changed, in his opinion. He was just able to walk around more and see more of the sun.

The hot, bright, and unforgiving sun.

His contemplations were quickly cut off, however, as he leaned back against his comfortable mattress, truly the only reason he found left to stay above ground. It was, however, a mite bit more uncomfortable than usual. Something was poking at him under his back and, reaching beneath him, he quickly managed to extract the offending object:

A note, delicately folded and emblazoned with Sombra’s name in fancy script.

“I apologize for being so distant lately. Please meet me by the Crystal Heart at 8 so I can explain myself. - Sunburst”

Sombra found himself having to read the note a few times, smiling a bit at the blunt, yet caring delivery. Looking to his bedside alarm clock, he saw that 8 o’clock was only two hours away. Giving a slight and gentle yawn while pulling one of his many locations towards him, he figured a small nap wouldn’t kill him.

He’d need to be at his best for Sunburst.

An hour and a half later, a mostly awake Sombra walked back through the halls of the castle, happy to have, for now, escaped the watchful eyes of his security detail. His mane was a bit tostled and his eyes a bit baggy, clearly craving the extra few minutes of nap he could have gleaned before his rendezvous with Sunburst.

But, as he made his way into the castle’s courtyard proper, he felt his suffering had been made all the more worth it.

Sunburst stood in the center of the courtyard, his back to Sombra as he stood in awe at the warm, comforting glow of the Crystal Heart. The kingdom’s crystalline protector stood proudly in the center of the courtyard, its pedestal placing it above either stallion’s heads.

Seeing Sunburst’s distracted state, Sombra smirked slyly as he knew exactly what he needed to do. Imbued with a stealthiness that came natural to him at this point, he slowly creeped up behind his friend. He got just a few steps behind Sunburst before looking up towards the Crystal Heart as well.

“He’s quite beautiful, isn’t he?” Sombra said, his smirk growing wider as he saw Sunburst jump slightly.

Swinging around at the sudden sound of the voice, Sunburst was briefly shocked to see the looming figure standing before him.

And then he smiled, looking back towards the Crystal Heart with Sombra. "Indeed it is."

Sombra extended a hoof, feeling the crystal's warm magic playing upon his coat. "So beautiful, even, that I once attempted to hide the crystal's magic away, fearing that it's purity would harm me." He said, then trailed into a soft chuckle. "Of course, I was proven right a millenia later when it caused me to explode."

Sunburst nodded briefly before processing, blinking a few times before his head snapped to look at Sombra again. "You exploded?"

"I got better." Sombra crooned, a bit too appreciative of the reaction he'd garnered. "It takes quite a lot to kill an immortal shadow, you see. All it really accomplished is knocking some sense back into me."

Sunburst blinked again, then nodded slowly and soberly, looking back towards the Crystal Heart. "Well, if it makes you feel any better, the Crystal Heart exploded too."

Now it was Sombra’s turn to nod soberly, attempting in vain to keep a shocked and concerned look from crossing his face. “Oh… did it now…”

Not quite noticing Sombra’s dour reaction, Sunburst nodded happily. “Yep! Though, much like you, it also got better.” He smirked, snickering briefly into his foreleg. “Little Flurry may have, um, shattered it completely, but my friends and I were able to piece it back together before the Frozen North encroached too far in.”

A grim expression briefly flashed across Sombra’s face, though it quickly faded as he looked deep into the Crystal Heart. He nodded softly and sagely, a gentle smile creeping across his face. “Then I thank you for protecting the kingdom as you did.”

A gentle silence briefly fell between the two stallions. For the shortest of moments, each was much happier to simply bask in the pure warmth with the other.

But then Sunburst let out the softest of sighs.

“I, um… The reason I called you out here tonight is…” He trailed off slowly, tapping a hoof against the crystal floor of the courtyard beneath him. His eyes briefly flicked towards Sombra, but instead they remained pointed towards his hooves. “Well it’s- it’s twofold, really. The first is that I’m, well, horribly sorry that I’ve been so distant lately. I’ve been trying to work on a project, something related to something we’ve talked about previously, and it got a bit away from me. I didn’t want to spoil it until it was finished.”

Though Sombra was still a bit miffed at the loneliness his friend had instilled in him, there was nothing he could do to not smile gently at the stallion’s blushing, pleading face as it looked up at him.

“It’s quite alright, Sunburst.” He said, lifting a hoof to softly pat him on the back. “Just, next time, please inform me if it happens again. However, if you’ve called me out to talk now, then that must mean…”

Sunburst beamed, his eyes bright and warm enough to threaten to replace the Crystal Heart. “I’ve finally finished my research! I actually have a book I found that I’d like to show you. If you don’t mind.”

“I don’t mind at all.” Sombra smirked, finding Sunburst’s smile to be very infectious. He gestured a hoof back towards the doors of the castle. “Well then, shall we retire to the library and peruse all of your hard work?”

Sunburst was briefly given pause, scratching at the floor again. “Well, um, you see… all my research is still located at my home, and it’s all a bit too… personal to bring here, I’d think. The book especially.” After a moment, he brought himself to look up at Sombra again, a pleading look on his face. “Would you still, perhaps, want to join me for… ‘perusal’?”

It took all of Sombra’s effort to not immediately agree, instead remaining with a soft smirk as he nodded slowly. “Well, if Shining is okay with it…”

Turning fully to look at Sombra, Sunburst beamed again. “He is! I’ve already asked him and he says it’s fine, so long as we don’t get up to too much trouble. And provided you don’t scare too many citizens.”

"Unless the citizens are frightened by charming, debonair stallions such as myself, we should be fine." Sombra said, flashing a smirk that contained more sharp teeth than usual.

Sunburst gave Sombra a serious look. "Sombra, please…"

Sombra chuckled, still finding a bit of humor in the situation, but placed a hoof on his own chest. "I promise to be on only my best behavior for you, Sunburst."

"I'll certainly hold you to that." Sunburst smiled, not quite the beam he had before but still something warm and kind. He gestured with a hoof towards the eastern distance of the Empire. "Now then, shall I lead you to my, erm, abode?"

"Such a gentlestallion." Sombra said, bowing gratefully. "Please, lead the way."

The walk didn't take long, only a few blocks of leisurely strolling and light conversation. What did end up taking the most of the stallions' time walking to Sunburst's home happened to be the citizens they passed.

Most were happy to smile and wave at Sunburst, their resident wizard and Royal Crystaler, but froze as soon as their eyes transitioned to the larger stallion keeping him company.

And no manner of polite greetings or attempted warm, though still a bit fangy smiles from Sombra could unfreeze the fearful ponies. All that seemed to help was Sunburst dragging him away, squeaking out gentle apologies as he did so.

Finally in front of Sunburst's home, Sombra had to internally admit he was a bit… disappointed. He’d seen the homes of many mages before him, ones that walked on giant chicken legs or castles that floated through the sky. Even his own castle, despite its stationary nature, had an opulence and grandeur befitting his station. But this?

It was just a house. A comfortable and cozy one, perhaps, but a house all the same.

Not too bothered by the optics of his house, Sunburst quickly scrambled up the steps that lead towards his door. He pushed it open and entered, motioning for Sombra to join him inside.

An invitation Sombra was very eager to accept.

The inside of Sunburst’s home was much more impressive to Sombra, though not quite as cozy as he’d expected from the outside. It was a bit cramped as books lined the walls and were set in piles on the floor. Interspersed between piles and on bookshelves sat numerous ancient items of varying quality.

Picking one up, a small crystalline snowglobe, Sombra cracked a smile. It all seemed quite a bit nostalgic to him.

As Sombra perused the sights of the room, Sunburst hurried around to his piles and did his best to spruce them up.

“S-sorry about the mess. I didn’t think it’d gotten this bad.” Sunburst said hurriedly, a blindingly red blush on his face.

Sombra quickly waved Sunburst off with a hoof, still enthralled by the falling snow in his Orb. “It’s alright, Sunburst. I actually quite like your decor.”

An appreciative grin flashed across Sunburst’s face briefly, but he quickly turned away to face the archway leading to another room. “Well, um, it should at least be a little cleaner in my bedroom… If you’d like to join me.”

“Your bedroom.” Sombra repeated, raising an eyebrow. “I know you’ve already purchased me dinner before, but perhaps this is going a bit too fast?”

Sunburst tilted his head questioningly for a brief moment, but his eyes quickly grew wide with realization. “N-no! That’s, um, not what I… It’s just where I keep my research.”

Sombra couldn’t help but snicker at this, but trailed off to a soft hum soon after. “Then please, show me all of this ‘research’ of yours.”

Eager to leave this embarrassing situation behind, Sunburst led Sombra into his bedroom. While it was a bit more sparse of books and artifacts, they were still littered in an aesthetically pleasing fashion around the room.

“Please make yourself at home.” Sunburst said, gesturing towards his bed, the only seating in the room, before beginning to search through a nearby bookshelf. “I can’t exactly remember where I put my book.”

Sombra was again happy to follow orders, sitting down on the bed and enjoying how much more plush and comfortable it was compared to his own. He made a mental note to one day request an upgrade from Shining.

Another thing he found himself enjoying was the show that had begun before him. As seconds ticked on to minutes, Sunburst’s search for his missing notes became more and more frantic, the stallion dashing from bookshelf to bookshelf. He ducked low to search the lowest shelves and climbed his stepladder to search the highest ones, but no matter what he seemed to always come up with nothing.

After another few minutes of searching, a disheartened Sunburst meekly returned to Sombra, sitting down beside him on the bed.

“I, um, can’t find the specific book I’m looking for…” Sunburst said softly.

“So it seems.” Sombra said, his brow furrowing a bit but remaining mostly unsurprised. “Perhaps you could explain this ‘book’ and its ‘contents’ to me. In intimate detail.”

A jolt of fear ran up Sunburst’s spine at the prospect of explaining himself. But, with a quick look towards Sombra to guide him, he quickly nodded. “Well I’m not the best at explaining on the spot but, uh, it- it had to do with you.”

“As I’ve gathered, considering my presence.” Sombra nodded along. “But which part were you interested in particularly?”

“Your… personal life mostly. A, um, very specific aspect of it, to be particular.” Sunburst stammered, with each word somehow growing more flushed with a bright blush. He swallowed hard, then covered his red face with his hooves. “Oh Celestia, this is so embarrassing.”

“Sunburst.” Sombra said, softly and yet commandingly enough to draw the flushed stallion’s attention. He stared deeply into Sunburst’s wide, blue eyes and offered an encouraging smile. “I believe I know where you’re going with this.”

Sunburst blinked. “You… you do?”

Sombra gave a soft, sensible chuckle. “I have a very good idea, my dear.” He crooned, inching just a bit closer to Sunburst. “I mean, inviting me to your lovely home, into your lovely room, to peruse this missing ‘book’ on your bed.” He leaned in towards Sunburst, placing a hoof on his lower thigh. With the other, he gently lifted his chin. “Would you like me to kiss you, Sunburst?”

Sunburst froze for a moment, shocked, as his eyes grew wider and wider still. “I, um, I- I…” He stammered for a moment, his eyes falling to Sombra’s smirking lips.

He only gave a slight pause, after which a small, meek nod.

Sombra gingerly leaned in towards Sunburst, wrapping a hoof around his waist to draw him close. Their lips met, briefly at first, but as sparks flew and Sunburst began to press back against Sombra in earnest, their brief, chaste kiss began to grow a bit more intimate.

In an act of dominance that surprised the both of them, Sunburst brought a hoof to Sombra’s chest and pushed gently against it.

Happy to relax and follow orders, Sombra fell back against the bed at the push and growled eagerly against Sunburst's lips as fell with him. His hoof hooked the back of Sunburst’s head, mussing his mane but pulling him even deeper into his embrace.

But all moments, no matter how lovely, must come to an end. Groaning softly, his lungs burning from lack of air, Sunburst was forced to pull back from the kiss. As he panted for breath, he stared in awe down at Sombra.

Wide blue eyes met half-lidded ruby ones. Sombra’s long, glistening black mane pooled around his head enticingly, and for a moment Sunburst felt the burning urge to lean back down and resume. And as Sombra smirked up at him, he very nearly dove back down for seconds.

But, as Sombra shifted, pressing back against one of Sunburst’s pillows and gearing to pull him back down himself, he leaned much too hard into something hard and sharp that was lying on the bed. He grunted, pulling back and away very quickly.

Both paused briefly, with Sunburst reaching down towards where Sombra was laying and picked up a small book, inspecting it with a curious, yet embarrassed smile on his face.

“Oh!” Sunburst squeaked simply. “So that’s where my book went.”

As Sunburst pulled away to rifle through his book, Sombra was left with a mixture of feelings. Foremost of them all confusion.

Sombra sat up and inspected the paper Sunburst had found beneath him. “Your… book?” He asked, looking at it from over Sunburst’s shoulder.

It was, in fact, a book. Quite a small one, the cover made of aged, weathered leather.

“Alright!” Sunburst grinned after reading a few pages to confirm. “Now I can finally explain myself.”

Sombra squinted, blinking a few times as he tilted his head. “"I… don't believe I understand."

Sunburst laughed a bit at that, offering his paper over to Sombra. “Well, as I was saying before we were so, um, distracted…” His face flushed with embarrassment, but he maintained quite the cocky grin despite it. “I was doing quite a bit of research on your past and, um, Ice Crystal.”

But Sunburst’s blush was nothing compared to the bright, deep red blush that began to form on Sombra’s face. So bright, in fact, that it was impressively displayed on his dark black coat.

“I… I thought that was simply a way to get me alone and tempt me with your- your wiles.” Sombra muttered, his ears pinned back for a brief moment.

Sunburst giggled again, scratching behind his head with a hoof. “Well, I mean, you were the one who asked to, um…” His smile grew a bit more bashful, pursing his lips slightly. Looking down at the book briefly to distract himself, then quickly offered it over to Sombra. “Here’s, um, the brunt of my research. Believe me, you definitely didn’t make it easy to find anything on Ice Crystal, but what I did find was an old diary in the castle’s archives. The diary of one Topaz Bond, a guard who was under your command as king.”

Sombra inspected the aged, weathered leather booklet, flicking through a couple of pages of notes on the day-to-day duties of his guard. It was quite a boring read, but very accurate from what he could remember. Looking back up at Sunburst, he gave a cautious, curious look. “A fine guard, if a bit spacy at times. But what does he have to do with anything?”

“He was very meticulous with his note-taking, including quite a few about a ‘Sir Crystal’.” Sunburst explained. “There isn’t much to go on, but he definitely enjoyed writing about the two of you together. Up until he left not long after the Crystal Heart became active again, of course.”

Sombra’s expression gradually darkened, but he shook his head. “It was a shame to lose him, but he had better prospects elsewhere. Artistic ones, I believe.”

Sunburst hummed softly in agreement, then reached to the book in order to turn a few pages to where the note taking was replaced with drawings of varying size and quality. “He clearly did love to draw. Snowflakes, architecture, portraits-”

“He drew a caricature portrait of me once, and I nearly exiled him for it. I wish I still knew where it was.” Sombra’s mouth briefly flicked up in a nostalgic smile, but quickly became dour again. “I apologize, I interrupted you.”

“It’s alright. The portraits are really the important part here.” Sunburst said softly. Gently pulling the book away from Sombra, he turned the pages to the last one with writing on it. “Topaz’s last entry was on the day that the Crystal Heart was miraculously repaired under your command.”

He turned the small diary to face Sombra, so that he could see the few words his guard had written so long ago.

‘To remember him by.’

Sombra took a sharp intake of breath, turning away from the diary as he spied the date. “The day Ice Crystal left us. I remember it well.”

“I’m sorry, but bear with me here.” Sunburst said softly, reaching out a hoof to place it on Sombra’s shoulder. This drew his attention back as Sunburst turned the page, and as he did a folded up piece of well-preserved paper dropped from the diary.

Sombra was quick to pick it up, a curious look on his face as he did. He unfolded it slowly, carefully, to protect the aged paper from tearing.

And then he froze.

Drawn on the page was the portrait of a bespectacled stallion with a pale green coat. His short, wavy white mane looked a tangled mess and dark, tired circles were very apparent under his bright blue eyes. But despite that, he smiled a warm smile that lit up his face.

Sombra just stared at it for the longest time, at first not believing the paper was real but soon just staring in awe at the handsome portrait. As he held it tightly in his hooves, they began to shake ever so slightly.

But they were quickly steadied as Sunburst gingerly brought his own to them, holding them softly as he too stared down at the portrait. “He really does look just like me, huh?”

“The spitting image.” Sombra said with a soft, sad laugh.

There was a brief pause between the two stallions as both stared down at the portrait. Sombra was the first to look up, his eyes misty and full of appreciation for Sunburst.

Sunburst only had a brief moment to look back before Sombra lunged forward, wrapping his hooves around him and pulling him tight against his chest.

“I thank you, Sunburst.” Sombra said, his voice soft and shaky as he held his Sunburst tightly and tears slowly began to fall. “Deeply. Truly. From the bottom of my heart.”

Sunburst was quick to reciprocate the hug, rubbing one hoof along the small of his back to provide comfort while the other wrapped tightly around his waist. “It was left for you. All I did was track it down.”

Another silence fell between the two embracing stallions, only ended after a few moments as Sunburst slightly pulled away to look Sombra in the face. “So, now that I have a visual reference, do you think you could tell me more about Ice Crystal?”

Sombra stared at Sunburst for a solid second before a wide grin pulled across his face. “Oh my, where to start…”

~~When I Look At You~~

The Wanderer trudged his way through the Frozen North, an eternal blizzard biting at his ebony black coat. He had no idea how long he had been walking, time losing all meaning as the pure white landscape extended endlessly around him in all directions.

As he walked the featureless wasteland, occasionally he lost consciousness and passed out into the thick snow below. The feeling of his consciousness fading was his favorite part, hoping each time that this would be the end, and he would finally depart the living world for good.

And yet, as he awoke buried under a painfully cold blanket of snow each time, the immortal Wanderer knew that even this wasn’t something the cruel fates would gift to him. Even death was too good for the crimes he had committed.

So he wandered the desert on, hoping and wishing for a change of scenery that may protect him for even a short few moments. He had found a cave once, an untold amount of time ago, and it had served to shield him from his attackers for all but a brief moment of comfort.

His attackers loomed overhead, Windigos, whipping up a mighty blizzard just for their prey.

They too were tortured, hungry and made even more starved by a prey they could fell but who kept getting back up each time. Their anger at The Wanderer forced them to attack despite this, old furies growing new again as both were trapped in Sisyphean endeavors with no escape in sight.

As The Wanderer grew numb to the cold and blinded by the snow flurry, all he could bring himself to do was think.

Think about the mistakes he’d made in his life. A list he could spend centuries going over.

About the ponies he’d mistreated and left behind.

About his former kingdom, fallen by his hoof and raised in his absence to a seemingly grander station.

About… him.

It wasn’t fair, The Wanderer cried out to the gods against deafening winds, that he be again and again and again given life while his Lover was forced to give up his one chance. Just to save a kingdom that The Wanderer would soon crush under a tyrant’s hoof.

Not fair that, even in this purgatory state of seemingly eternal wander, he was allowed to see the sky and feel the ground beneath his hooves.

Not fair. Nothing was fair.

As The Wanderer fell with this thought, hoping yet again that this time would be his last, he could spy a light in the distance.

And then warmth.

A familiar glow bloomed in his chest as he forced himself back standing. Staring towards the distance before him, he could faintly see a beacon of frosty blue light shooting into the night sky.

It called to The Wanderer, urging him towards it with an energy he’d not felt in a millennia though not one he’d ever have forgotten.

As The Wanderer trudged towards the beacon of light on the horizon, finally a goal in mind after so long alone, he gave a small smirk.

Finally, he’d been called home.