Sunlight

Chapters

Chapter 1 - The Return
Chapter 2 - The Question
Chapter 3 - Getting to Know You
Chapter 4 - The Balcony
Chapter 5 - That Precious Time
Chapter 6 - Stay With Me
Chapter 7 - Together in the Sun

Chapter 1 - The Return

Sunburst panted and wheezed a little as he dashed up one of the wide roads leading to the Crystal Castle. That was made all the more difficult by the crowd of ponies desperately trying to flee in the other direction. Shouldering his way past a pair of panicking crystal ponies, he glanced up at the castle. It stood, framed against the bright blue sky, sparkling as it caught the mid-afternoon sun. The appearance was deceiving though, which grew clearer as he neared its base. As the crowd thinned, he was greeted by a line of guardsponies. They formed a line at the edge of the wide plaza that stood under and around the castle. The lieutenant on the scene waved him over, and Sunburst came to a stop beside him, trying to catch his breath.

“S… Sombra?” He asked between pants. “C… Castle?”

“Yes, sir.” said the lieutenant, glancing up at the castle. “Their Highnesses have engaged him. We’d be with them, but we have orders to keep the citizens clear.”

“Good… idea…” Sunburst said, massaging his chest. Shining Armor was right, he needed to work on his endurance. “Do you know where…?”

“Last I saw, sir, there was a running battle through the Eastside Hallway, moving away from the Throne Room.”

“Thank you, Lieutenant.” said Sunburst. “I should - that is - excuse me!”

The lieutenant stepped aside, and Sunburst resumed his headlong rush for the castle. He half ran, half pulled himself up the long stairway to the doors, took another quick breather, and pushed his way inside. Following the distant, echoing sounds of fighting, he dashed through the entryway and up the short, wide stairway that led up to the tall doors of the Great Hall. As he did, he felt very glad they’d taken the dark dreams Luna had been reporting seriously. Otherwise, Twilight and her friends might not have been able to reach them in time, and they’d have been facing this on their own.

With a great effort, Sunburst shoved open one of the heavy doors into the Great Hall, then with a yelp he dove to the floor as a painfully bright beam of violet energy hummed overhead. The door splintered behind him, and he covered his face with his hooves as fragments of door and frame rained down around him. Yep. Good thing they were here.

“Sorry Sunburst!” he heard Twilight Sparkle shout. The acrid smell of burnt wood and crystalline stone made him cough as pulled himself to his hooves and looked up. His eyes widened as he tried to take in everything that was happening.

The normally pristine Great Hall had been transformed into a chaotic storm. Lights flashed, stone cracked and wood splinters flew through the air, clattering and chittering across the floor. A pall of shadow seemed to twist the room around itself. A resounding boom sounded as a red light flared out from the center of the room, dust raining from the high rafters. On his left, Sunburst saw a gleam of violet as a magic barrier sprung up, briefly revealing Twilight, and what might have been Fluttershy, before the dust and shadows obscured them again.

Then Starlight was at his side, appearing suddenly with a flash of brilliant blue light. She was breathing heavily, sweat beaded on her forehead.

“Heeey, Sunny!” she said, grinning weakly. “Come to join the party?”

She grabbed him and pulled him behind a large chunk of fallen ceiling as a stray beam burned through the air.

“I’m glad you’re here, but stay low, ‘kay?” She held him firmly in place for a moment, making sure he’d heard her, then let go of his shoulders and disappeared in another flash.

Sunburst charged his horn, though he wasn’t sure exactly what he would do yet. He peeked around the blasted stone, trying to get an idea of how the fight was going. There was another flash and crackle of red, followed by a much brighter burst of mingled violet and blue. Something heavy crashed to the floor, then a blast of wind filled the hall, and the dust began to clear.

Rainbow Dash hovered in the air, wings beating hard as she dispersed the remaining dust clouds. Scattered on all sides, Twilight, Starlight, Princess Cadence, and Shining Armor stood, clearly winded, with horns aglow and ready. Twilight’s other friends, similarly scattered, had taken cover behind debris like Sunburst.

There, in the center of it all, stood a tall and dark and frightening figure. His coat was coal grey, his mane flowing like a shadow around his head and neck. A steel gorget and greaves shone faintly on his strong neck and sturdy legs. A short cloak, deep red and ermine-trimmed, hung about his shoulders and over his back. On his head sat a gleaming silver crown. His piercing eyes were, if possible, even redder than his cloak. His fierce snarl revealed a pair of sharp white fangs. His curved red horn was surrounded by an aura of strange, black and violet magic. Green sparks occasionally jumped along it. The unnatural shadows still clung to him, hanging around his hooves with quiet menace.

“Ah, finally. Some basic tactics.” Sombra’s voice was deep and rich, slightly gravelly. It would have been even more intimidating than it already was, if he hadn’t been breathing even heavier than Sunburst was. His red eyes locked onto Twilight’s, shining faintly. “Took you… long enough. Aren’t you supposed to be the smart one, Princess Twilight?”

Sombra seemed to fade around the edges, and in an instant he had moved across the hall. He sent bursts of red at Cadence and Shining Armor, forcing them to dodge and then shield themselves. He followed it up with a wave of shadow at those on the opposite side of the hall. It crashed and broke on the wall Twilight and Starlight hastily threw up. The king leapt from a pile of debris to the top of an empty pedestal, glaring down at them all as he panted. Then he glanced to his side, and Sunburst just managed to realize what was about to happen before Sombra struck.

Sombra threw out a last, devastating burst of power, aimed at a column that stood right beside Fluttershy. It started to lean threateningly over the quaking yellow pegasus… then settled delicately back into place with an almost inaudible clink of stone on stone.

Sombra stared at it, triumph turning to outrage and confusion.

“What was that?!” he demanded, gesticulating furiously at it. “What’s -?!”

While Sombra was getting worked up about the column, he failed to notice the concentrated blast that Twilight had aimed at him until she shouted in effort. It struck him hard in the side and threw him halfway across the room. He landed hard, a pained gasp forced from him as he landed on the sharp debris.

“Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry!” Twilight yelped. “I-I thought you’d block that!”

“Don’t apologize to evil kings, Twilight!” shouted Rainbow Dash as she darted forwards.

Sombra, injured and dazed, struggled to his hooves. Cuts and scrapes covered what parts of him hadn’t been protected by armor and cloak, and he clutched his side, wheezing. Still defiant, he threw out several haphazard attacks as he was hemmed in on all sides. Sunburst, unable to remain idle any longer, came out from behind cover and hurried forwards. He ducked a bolt and threw back a few of his own. Even Rarity, who had pulled Fluttershy back out of the line of fire, sent a couple of rapid blasts flying his way. The king managed to block several attacks, then staggered back as a glancing blow from Starlight shattered his defenses. His eyes flicked between his attackers, then he drew himself up imperiously.

“I will not be defied!” Sombra growled, his voice slurred slightly. “I am King! This is my Empire, and I won’t…”

Sombra hunched over and coughed wetly. Sunburst was shocked to see a hint of crimson - had he really been that badly hurt?

“I won’t… be… denied!” He coughed out, wincing. “Not by anypony! And certainly not by little-!”

A resounding metallic clang echoed throughout the wide hallway. Sombra froze mid-sentence. Then the Prince of Darkness, the Tyrant King, Lord and Master of the Frozen North, Emperor of the Crystal City! - crumpled. He laid on the floor, unconscious.

“Got ‘im!” said Pinkie Pie. She stood over the fallen king with a triumphant grin, spinning a heavy frying pan. The battle-damaged hall was silent for a long moment.

“That… is not how I expected that to go, to be honest.” said Starlight, looking down at the unconscious stallion with a frown. “Didn’t this guy nearly cover the entire Empire in some kind of terror-darkness last time?”

“He did seem kinda… off.” said Applejack, gingerly poking at Sombra’s cloak.

Sunburst came a bit closer now, examining the dark king. Even unconscious and laid out in an undignified sprawl on the ground, there was a certain intimidating air to the king. His sharp fangs stuck out from under his lips, and his curved red-tainted horn shimmered in the light.

“And… more talkative?” said Rainbow Dash, landing with a clink of her hooves. “Didn’t he mostly loom around hissing ‘Crystalssssss…’ last time?”

Twilight examined the unconscious king, brows furrowed and wings raised slightly. A mix of distaste and curiosity played across her face. Sunburst could tell that her personal animosity towards the king, who’d tried to hurt her family, was at war with her pathological need to understand everything that happened to pass in front of her.

“Let’s get him somewhere secure.” she said finally, looking up at Cadence and Shining Armor for their approval. Cadence nodded, looking to her husband, who’d come to her side as soon as it was clear the danger had passed.

“We’ll have to prepare a magic-proof cell.” he said, glancing down at Sombra. “A really good one.”

“I can help with that,” said Starlight. Neither Cadence nor Shining Armor protested, so she joined the Prince as he left the hall.

“It is kind of weird.” said Twilight after a moment, eyes still fixed on Sombra. “He seemed a lot more lucid this time. More focused. Hmm…”

She paused, thinking. Then she turned to Sunburst, who immediately found himself standing straighter as she focused on him. She was rather intimidating when she was in this kind of mood, especially with the added height she had been slowly gaining these last few years.

“Sunburst, can you do a little digging? See what we actually know about…” she gestured vaguely at Sombra. “Him…”

Sunburst nodded, glasses sliding down his muzzle a little. He really needed to get those tightened. “I-I’ll see what I can find, but-”

“Thank you.” she said, her train of thought clearly already moving on. “Cadence -”

As Twilight and Cadence started a hushed conversation about how to address the situation without causing further panic in the city, and the others held their own conversations, Sunburst watched the unconscious king. What did they know about him, really…?

Chapter 2 - The Question

In the grand council room, just off the throne room, ten ponies were deep in debate.

It was amazing, Sunburst thought, and hard to believe, that he was sitting here across the table from two princesses and a prince, flanked by heroes of Equestria. They wanted him of all ponies to help decide what to do with the captured King Sombra.

“He’s tried to take over twice now.” Rarity said, tapping her hoof on the table for emphasis “And he’s dangerous!”

“But is he?” Applejack countered. “He seemed a lot weaker this time… and he got even weaker during the fight. Can you really believe that somepony as dangerous as the King Sombra we faced just a few years ago was taken out that easily?”

She shook her head, her loose straw-colored ponytail swishing from side to side. “Something’s different this time.”

“Maybe.” Rarity said, leaning forwards in her chair. She wore the same expression Sunburst had seen when she was considering a tricky stitch on one of Cadence’s formal gowns. “But can we contain him? Even weakened, he’s sure to be a slippery rogue.”

“His cell is designed to prevent escape by magical means,” said Shining Armor. “And he’s woken up a couple times. Briefly.”

He glanced sidelong at Pinkie Pie, who was lounging sideways across her chair, humming cheerfully as she pretended to play her frying pan like a ukulele. “If he could get out, I think he would have by now.”

“So we can hold him,” said Twilight, straight-backed and tense. “Can we really change him? You heard him, he wants ‘his’ Empire back.”

She looked over to Princess Cadence, who was leaning back in her chair and resting her muzzle against her hoof. She rarely became so pensive, in Sunburst’s experience. They waited for her to answer. After a minute, she looked up and - did… did she look at him? It was such a quick glance, but he thought she must have. Her blue eyes had locked on his, before turning to her husband, and then Twilight.

“We have done this before.” she said evenly. “You have, rather.”

Twilight’s frown deepened. Cadence reached over and rested her hoof on her shoulder, and smiled softly. Something seemed to pass between them, and Twilight sighed loudly before relaxing her shoulders.

“Yeah…” she said, with the air of a lightly scolded child.

“We took a chance on Discord,” said a soft voice on Sunburst’s far left.

They all looked over at Fluttershy, who up until now had sat quietly - just listening, as she preferred.

“Yeah, we took a chance on Discord.” said Rainbow Dash, on his right. “And we could barely contain him. For pony’s sake, he was messing with reality for fun!”

“But he changed.” said Fluttershy, much more firmly. Her eyes narrowed slightly as she regarded Rainbow Dash. “Discord just wanted chaos. He learned he could be himself and have fun being chaotic without destroying everyone else’s lives.”

“And!” she said with finality, “he learned he could have friends to share it with.”

There was a long pause as they considered her words.

Then Starlight spoke, her voice was as soft as Fluttershy’s.

“You gave me a second chance.” she said simply, looking down at the table.

When no one said anything, she continued.

“You took a huge risk, giving me a chance for redemption. And… and I’m so grateful that you did.” Then Starlight looked Twilight directly in the eyes. “Why shouldn’t Sombra get one too?”

That was a difficult point to argue with, it seemed. Sunburst considered his friend, brow furrowed. Discord had been causing chaos for the fun of it. Starlight had messed with time - one of - if not the - most dangerous uses of magic.

But that wasn’t what had upset him. Sunburst was so happy to have her back in his life, and treasured all the time they had spent together. But every moment was tinged with regret. It was his fault, he knew. If only he hadn’t let their friendship drop so easily, if he’d kept in contact, if he had been there for her. If she hadn’t felt so alone, looked for something to blame.

She should have blamed him.

“So… how do we do it?” he heard someone say. Pulling himself back to the present, he looked up. Applejack had spoken. Right. Need to pay attention, Sunburst. Important meeting. Yep.

…

How could they do that, actually? Sunburst considered it for a moment.

“What worked with Discord?” he asked, looking over at Fluttershy.

Fluttershy explained, how things had played out with Discord. How trying to force him to behave had only led to more chaos. How she had struck up a friendship with him and, when he had realized that his friendship with her meant more to him than he’d thought, he’d agreed to calm it down. Mostly.

“You showed him that friends were something he valued.” Sunburst said, summarizing. “You gave him something worth changing for.”

“You did something similar for me.” Starlight said. “You gave me something I hadn’t had for a long time. You told me I didn’t have to be alone.”

Sunburst felt a sinking sensation in his chest, and looked down at the table. Then he looked up, as a new resolve filled him.

“We should give Sombra that same chance.” he said, glancing at Starlight before averting his eyes. “Everyone… everyone should have that chance…”

Out of the corner of his eye, he was sure he saw Cadence gazing intently at him. But when he looked towards her, she was looking at her husband.

“I agree.” she said. “Shining?”

Cadence placed her hoof on his foreleg. After a moment, he nodded, putting his own on top of hers.

“Me too,” he said, leaning over to kiss her cheek.

“Very well,” said Twilight, standing up with a sigh. Then she smiled and chuckled.

“Well!” she exclaimed, clapping her hooves together. “Who wants to make friends with an evil king?”

Chapter 3 - Getting to Know You

Sunburst followed behind Twilight, Starlight, and Cadence as they descended the spiral staircase that led into the underground parts of the castle, listening as they formulated a plan of… well, not attack. A plan of… Enfriending? Befriendment? He shook his head, forcing himself to focus on the actual conversation. He really needed to pay attention right now.

“Remember, we want to try and find out why he did what he did,” said Twilight. “Knowing the motivation for someone’s acting out can often help you get to the root of a friendship problem!”

“But this isn’t a friendship problem…” Starlight countered.

“Maybe not, but it could still help!” Twilight said with enthusiasm.

Starlight sighed dramatically, and Sunburst suppressed a chuckle. He was sure he saw a smile on Cadence’s lips, too.

They reached the bottom of the stairs, then after a short hallway they found themselves in front of a pair of heavy doors. Tall, thick, and crystalline, they certainly looked secure. In addition to diamond-hard doors and heavy locks, Sunburst knew there was a magical seal placed on them to prevent any outside interference with them. He could practically feel his horn buzzing from being near them. A very uncomfortable sensation, in fact, and he wondered if it felt as bad inside. Probably.

Two sentries flanked the doors, spears at their sides. The sentries checked their identities carefully - a precaution that had been implemented in carceral settings throughout the Crystal Empire and Equestria after the second instance of Changeling infiltration had been fought off. Once they had been thoroughly checked over, the doors were unlocked and they were ushered through. As soon as they were inside, the doors closed heavily behind them. Sunburst felt the magical seal on the doors reassert itself with a definite snap of energy. His horn twinged and he shivered with discomfort, then the feeling passed.

Inside was a long, low hallway lined with cells. The air was cool, but not uncomfortable. There was a clean smell, but the air was slightly stale, as if the room were rarely entered or used. It probably was, Sunburst thought. The crime rate in the Crystal Empire was almost nonexistent, and cases rarely required actual imprisonment. He wasn’t sure he’d actually ever seen or heard of someone being arrested in the Empire.

Cadence led them to the cell closest to the doors. There was a thick, low-lying bed, with sparse but relatively comfortable coverings. A single shelf, securely set into the wall, served as a table and a place to set any meager belongings that a prisoner might be allowed to keep with them. Heavy iron bars, set directly into the solid crystalline ceiling and floor, lined the front of the cell. An equally formidable door was the only way in or out, and Sunburst could tell it was just as heavily protected as the doors behind them. Luckily for any occupants, it seemed steps had been taken to prevent the presence of such heavy enchantments from causing any discomfort, because Sunburst did not feel the same buzzing, tingling sensation as he had outside the doors.

Now that he thought about it, he wondered how the guards could stand there an entire watch with it right next to them. Maybe they got used to it? Doubtful. Maybe there were other ways of compensating for the presence of an enchantment field like that? If not, maybe he could come up with something! He hated to think of anyone having to stand still for hours on end, and have their horn buzzing the whole time. It might be worth asking the guards about that when they left the dungeon…

What were they doing here again?

Right, right. Sombra. Interrogation-slash-befriendment.

He quite liked that word. Befriendment.

Focus, Sunburst!

He made himself focus on what was in front of him again. The cell, the bed and shelf.

When they came in, Sombra had been laying on his bed, looking bored and vaguely irritated. Now he had gotten to his hooves, and was facing them through the bars. He had been stripped of his armor and mantle. The side of his head and torso were both covered in white bandages, in stark contrast with his coal-gray coat. As he stood to face them, he seemed to tower over all of them - except for Princess Cadence, who looked him in the eye without any apparent discomfort. Even wounded and imprisoned as he was, Sunburst still found Sombra very intimidating.

“Ah, visitors.” Sombra said with a twisted smile. “I do apologize for the state of my quarters. But you see, I wasn’t prepared to receive guests.”

“Good afternoon.” said Princess Cadence with a polite smile. “I trust your current accommodations are sufficiently comfortable?”

Sombra let out a sharp bark of laughter.

“This is, by far, the most comfortable prison cell I've ever seen.” He chuckled. “My, how soft you princesses have gotten.”

“We try to treat our guests well. Even our unwilling guests.”

Sombra scowled at her, eyes flashing with suppressed anger. He looked between the four of them, sizing them up. Sunburst fidgeted uncomfortably under that crimson glare, one of his forehooves playing with the hem of his cloak.

“Yes, well. Enough pleasantries.” Sombra said with a hint of a growl. “What do you want of me?”

“We just want to talk,” said Twilight, trying for an amiable smile.

“You have done plenty of that already!” Sombra said with a derisive snort. “About what?”

“We'd like to get to know you a bit better!” Twilight declared cheerfully. “Understand what happened, that kind of thing.”

“Like, why did you attack the Crystal Empire? Starlight cut in. “Twice?”

Sombra let out a derisive huff.

“To reclaim what is mine, of course! This Empire, and the power that comes with it.”

“Right…” said Twilight. “But… then what? You retake your throne and power, and then you…?”

She made a circular gesture with her hoof, inviting him to continue the thought.

“I do as I please, of course.” Sombra said, with the air of one explaining a simple concept to a nagging child. “What of it?”

“So you spread terror and destruction because you wanted power.” said Cadence, raising an eyebrow. “And you wanted power, so you could… do whatever you wanted? You were king, you already had the authority to do that.”

“Well…” Sombra began defiantly. Then he stopped, his expression slowly changing from disdain to… confusion? Sunburst watched him closely. What had caused that shift?

“No one just ‘wants power,’” Starlight said. “At least, not at first. I know that much from personal experience…”

“I-I have a different question.” Sunburst put in suddenly, an idea coming to him. “I’m curious about your earlier reign?”

He smiled nervously as Sombra turned his red eyes on him. He felt a strange thrill in his chest as the dark stallion looked down at him, considering him. It felt like he was being analyzed for weaknesses - and wow was he tall! Sunburst swallowed nervously, then continued.

“Y-You didn’t originally show any interest in conquest, or anything. By all accounts, it was a quiet and prosperous time for the Empire. What, um… what changed?”

For a few quiet moments, Sombra seemed to be taken aback by the question.

“I don’t n-” Sombra started to say, an odd expression on his face. Then it changed to anger and contempt. “I don’t need to explain myself to you! A king’s reasons are his own, and if he chooses not to share them, that is his affair!”

He turned away from them, tilting his head up with regal disdain.

“Now leave me! I grow tired of this conversation.”

He waved a hoof at them, as if he were dismissing a troublesome gaggle of servants who had overstayed their welcome.

Cadence silently indicated they should go. Twilight and Starlight turned and walked out, and Cadence followed after a moment. Sunburst followed her, glancing over his shoulder as he did. Sombra was glaring at the cell wall, seemingly deep in thought. Then the guards shut the dungeon’s heavy doors, hiding him from view.

A couple of days later, Sunburst again found himself walking down to the dungeon to visit Sombra. This time he was accompanied only by Starlight. The two princesses were otherwise engaged - with matters of state, he thought - but Cadence had encouraged them to go anyway.

“Maybe you’ll have more luck without us.” she had suggested, patting Sunburst on the shoulder.

Sunburst shook his head as they walked down the stairs, wondering what could have given her that impression. She’d been a commanding presence in their last encounter. Would they even be able to get a word in without her there?

“You alright, Sunny?” Starlight asked, bumping her shoulder against his. “You look… tense.”

“Shouldn’t I be?” he asked, frowning.

“I mean…” she shrugged. “There’s a difference between tense and alert, you know. He’s not going to try and eat you, if that’s what you’re worried about.”

Sunburst snorted, then sighed.

“I hope we have more luck this time,” he said. “It didn’t feel like we got anywhere before.”

“It isn’t easy, you know.” she said, with a self-conscious laugh. “I had a preeetty hard time letting go of my anger at Twilight and her friends.”

And me…? Sunburst wondered, before pushing the thought away.

They reached the bottom of the stairs, and started down the narrow corridor to the dungeon.

“Maybe we’re going about this wrong,” Sunburst suggested. “We’ve been so caught up in what he did and why. Maybe we should just… talk to him? Like, to him?”

“Huh?”

“You know.” Sunburst circled a hoof, trying to find the right words. “We were so busy interrogating him, we didn’t just… talk to him?”

Starlight nodded. “Yeah, I see what you mean.”

They arrived before the heavy dungeon doors. After the sentries flanking the door had searched and cleared them, they opened the doors for them. The two unicorns stepped inside, and the door shut behind them with a solid thud and a hum of magic. They found Sombra resting on his bed, legs tucked underneath him. He looked up as they came in, red eyes examining them closely.

“Hello, again!” Starlight said, smiling awkwardly at the king as he turned his head to regard her. “How’re yooou?”

“I am locked in a prison cell, trapped inside the castle that used to be mine.” he said flatly. “Other than that…”

He pretended to consider for a moment. “No, I’ve still been better.”

“Alright.” Starlight said, laughing awkwardly. “So, uhh… I don’t believe we had a chance to introduce ourselves! My name is Starlight-”

Sunburst let out a forced huff as she patted him heavily on the back.

“- and this is my friend Sunburst!”

“H-How do you do… oh, well, I guess you already… um… yeah.” Sunburst stammered, moving to offer his hoof to Sombra before dropping it again. “Sorry.”

Sombra regarded Sunburst for a moment, then a small smile lifted the corners of his lips. He got up, grunting slightly as he stepped down off the bed. He came up to the bars and offered his hoof to Sunburst. Sunburst, startled, reached out to take it.

“I won’t have it be said that King Sombra does not respect gestures of courtesy.” Sombra said, shaking Sunburst’s hoof firmly. His touch was warmer than Sunburst expected. “Whatever circumstances they may be offered under.”

Sunburst smiled nervously, but his mind was hard at work. Sombra seemed different. Only days ago he had been threatening all of them with death and darkness. Now he was shaking hooves and talking about courtesy? What had happened to the Dark King they’d fought?

“So… do you mind if we sit with you for a while?” Starlight asked, gesturing to the floor outside his cell.

They should have brought something to sit on, Sunburst mused. The floor looked really hard and cold.

“For what purpose?” Sombra asked, his expression and posture tensing slightly.

“Just to visit.” she answered. “May we?”

“A-Actually, I had some questions I hoped you could answer.” Sunburst interjected, chuckling nervously. “I’ve always found the early history of the Crystal Empire fascinating, but, well, primary sources are kinda hard to come by.”

He rubbed the back of his neck, smiling uncomfortably.

Sombra seemed to perk up slightly, but he quickly tried to conceal his reaction with a sigh.

“Well… it is rather dull down here.” Sombra said with feigned reluctance. “Some company would not be entirely unpleasant.”

Then he smiled at Sunburst.

“And I was there. I am quite the scholar myself, you know.”

They sat down, facing each other through the bars.

“So…” Sombra said thoughtfully. Where to begin…”

In the middle of a lively discussion about the expansion of the wool trade with Yakyakistan during the middle-Kingdom period, there was a loud knocking on the dungeon’s doors.

“Mr. Sunburst, Ms. Starlight!” came one of the guards’ voices. “I’m afraid your time is up for today.”

“Aww…” Sunburst whined, crestfallen. “Why does it always have to happen in the middle of negotiations?”

“Oh thank goodness!” Starlight exclaimed, jumping to her hooves from where she had slumped to the floor in abject boredom. When she saw the raised eyebrow Sombra directed at her, she sat up and grinned. “I mean, oooh nooo! Not before we find out how many bits the yaks wanted!”

Sunburst rolled his eyes at her. Out of the corner of his eye, he thought he saw Sombra’s lips twitch in a smile, but when he looked back the dark stallion’s expression was neutral again.

“A pity.” Sombra said, standing. Sunburst followed suit. “This was… pleasant. Perhaps we could continue, sometime?”

Starlight looked horrified at the idea of spending more time listening to them talk about historical trade negotiations and tariff agreements. Sunburst patted her on the back.

“You don’t have to come for that, if you don’t want to.” he said kindly.

“Oh, well…” she said, failing spectacularly at looking like she might protest. She didn’t have to finish her thought though, her expression spoke clearly enough even for Sunburst’s poor expression-reading abilities. He patted her back again, then turned back to Sombra.

“I’d like that,” he said.. “I don’t know for sure when that’ll be possible, but I’ll certainly ask.”

“I look forward to it.” Sombra said, offering his hoof again. Sunburst took it more readily now, trying his best to match the other’s firm grip.

“Me too.”

They left, and after the guards had checked for anything they might be taking out - Sunburst had no idea what that would even be - they headed back up the stairs.

“Did you notice anything different about him?” asked Starlight. “Aside from his behavior, I mean.”

“Like what?” asked Sunburst, frowning.

“I’unno. Just… something…” she said, as they started up the stairs back to the main body of the castle.

Sunburst followed her automatically as he thought back over their time with the imprisoned king. He was more polite, more communicative. An interesting change - and a nice one, too, he thought. But nothing had really stuck out to him. If not his behavior, then maybe something else. His appearance? What could have changed about that?

Then it came to him.

“His eyes.” he said, looking up to find they had somehow reached the wide western corridor.

He really needed to get better at paying attention to what he was doing. He couldn’t afford to repeat the… incident. He suppressed a shudder.

“You’re right.” Starlight said. “They were… well, normal.”

Sunburst found himself visiting Sombra often in the following days. Sometimes someone or another would join him, but he often found himself alone with the imprisoned king. Sombra was intelligent, well-spoken, and very clever. He was surprised - and delighted, though he couldn’t bring himself to admit it, given the circumstances of their conversations - to find how much they were able to talk about. History, philosophy, magic; these topics and more passed between them in the deep dungeons. Sunburst had rarely had the opportunity to give full vent to his interests with someone before. Of all his friends, only Starlight and Twilight had any interest in his more esoteric interests - meaning fixations - but they were both very busy ponies, and could rarely converse for more than a short time. Sombra seemed to enjoy the time as well, becoming more alert and engaged. He had plenty of questions for Sunburst as well, about the current state of the world, about magical and technological innovations, and things he’d seen and done.

But Sombra also seemed very tired. During many of his visits, Sunburst found him resting against the cell wall, or laying in the bed. Even after a couple of weeks had passed since the battle in the Great Hall, he still had his bandages wrapped around his side and plastered to his cheek and forehead. When Sunburst asked about it, Sombra brushed it off.

“I’m just taking a while to heal, it seems,” he said, smiling. He smiled a lot more now than he had in the beginning - though only small ones. “The doctor that… that Princess Cadence has had looking after me has assured her that I’ll recover in time.”

Despite all of the other changes that seemed to have come over him, Sunburst had seen that Sombra was struggling with the fact that someone else was in charge now. Him giving her her right title had been a big step forwards, though he still wouldn’t acknowledge anyone else as the right sovereign of the Crystal Empire.

It was evening in the Crystal Empire, though it was hard to tell in the depths below the Crystal Castle. Sunburst sat outside of Sombra’s cell, on a cushion he’d finally persuaded the guards to let him bring inside the dungeon, telling him about the time he’d traveled through the long valleys in the Unicorn Range, where the waterfalls from Cloudsdale often plummeted in spectacular displays of mist, casting dozens of rainbows in the bright sunlight. Sombra sat with his back to the wall, eyes closed, listening. When Sunburst had finished, they were both quiet for a few moments.

“I’d like to see the sun again.” Sombra said it in such a soft, unobtrusive way, Sunburst almost didn’t realize he was speaking. “And the moon. The sky. It’s been such a long time…”

“O-Oh.” Sunburst said. In what time they’d spent together, he’d never heard Sombra talk like this before. “Y-Yeah?”

“Yeah.” Sombra said, with a slight smile. He’d taken a liking to some of the more modern words and expressions Sunburst had used while talking to him. Sunburst found the stark contrast between his older, more formal manner of speech and the occasional “yeah” or “‘kay” incredibly endearing - though he’d never dare to tell Sombra that.

“Ah.” Sunburst swallowed, glancing between Sombra and the thick iron bars. “I… that is… um…”

Sombra chuckled, sitting up straighter and turning his head to look at Sunburst more directly.

“I’m well aware I can’t. I was only expressing the desire.” he said, stretching his back with a slight grimace. “Mmf. Hard wall.”

“I told you.” Sunburst said, shaking his head with mock-shame as Sombra stood up and stretched out his legs.

“Yes, yes.” Sombra agreed with a laugh, rubbing at his sore back. “I should have listened.”

Sunburst stood up as well, and then hesitated. It felt strangely awkward at this point to shake Sombra’s hoof, with how often they’d been seeing each other. It was so… formal. But he reminded himself that, as much as he enjoyed visiting the king, he was acting in an official capacity. He should act like it.

“Thank you, Sunburst.” Sombra said, offering his hoof. “I appreciate your taking the time to come see me.”

“Of course.” Sunburst said, shaking his hoof in what he hoped was a formal way. “I’ve enjoyed it.”

“I’m gratified to hear it.”

Sunburst nodded, clearing his throat.

“Well. Um.” He rubbed at his foreleg with his hoof. “Have a good night.”

“You as well.” Sombra replied. “Until next time?”

“Y-Yeah. Next time.” Sunburst agreed, unable to keep a smile from his face. “Good night.”

“Cadence…?” Sunburst asked, knocking on the door to the Prince and Princess’s private chambers. “Shining Armor…?”

After a few uncomfortably long moments, he heard hooves approaching the door and scooted back to what he thought was a more respectful distance. The door opened, and Shining Armor was looking down at him.

“Hey, Sunburst.” he said. “Is something the matter? It’s a bit late for a social call.”

“I-I know, sorry about that.” said Sunburst. “I’m sorry, I just, I was hoping I could ask you guys something?”

“Alright…”

Shining Armor opened the door further and stepped back to let Sunburst pass. He closed the door behind him and followed him into the sitting area. Soft couches and chairs surrounded a low table. The walls were draped with tapestries and other hangings, softening the hard crystal edges of the room. Cadence was waiting for them there, reclining one of the couches, next to a Shining Armor-sized gap. Sunburst realized that he’d interrupted something - and he quickly decided not to try and figure out what.

Not after… the incident…

“Good evening, Sunburst.” Cadence said, shaking him out of his reverie. “Is everything okay?”

“Fine, thanks.” he replied, sitting nervously on the edge of one of the armchairs opposite the couch, where Shining Armor rejoined his wife. “I just… I have a, well, a request. I-It’s a bit of a big one, though, so I understand if you say no.”

“Yes?” Cadence prompted.

Sunburst had the uncanny feeling he was being scanned by the Princess, with the way her blue eyes seemed to be searching his face and body language. He knew she was very, very good at reading ponies’ thoughts and feelings, and he wondered what she was seeing in him. He fidgeted a little, pulling his cloak around him.

“Um…” He fidgeted on the chair. “So, I was talking to Sombra earlier.”

“I’ve been meaning to ask you about him, actually.” Cadence said, leaning forwards. “How do you think he’s doing?”

“Oh. Well…”

Cadence and Shining Armor listened attentively as he shared his observations from the time he’d spent with Sombra, alone or accompanied. About the shift in his attitude and behavior, and what he’d managed to glean from what Sombra had shared.

“He seems like a completely different person.” Shining Armor remarked. “He was completely civil last time I spoke with him.”

“That’s not quite how I see it.” Sunburst said, tugging at his beard as he tried to process his thoughts into something anyone else would understand. “More like… more like there was something missing. He’s coherent now, he’s communicative. From what I’ve been told, he was barely even a conscious being the last time he attacked.”

“Interesting.” said Cadence.

“So what have you been talking about?” asked Shining Armor, leaning forward with interest. “You’ve been down there a lot.”

“Y-Yes, well.” Sunburst stammered, feeling a bit flustered. “Just… stuff. Little things, really.”

Sunburst, now looking down as he played with the hem of his cloak, found himself smiling as he thought back over their conversations. “Some of the traveling we’d done. He asked me about some of the places I’d like to go someday. Stuff like that.”

“Mmm.” Cadence said. Unseen by Sunburst, a hint of a smile had appeared on her lips. “I see.”

“It’s just, today, he said something unexpected while we were talking, about wanting to see the sun and the sky again, and it gave me an idea. Do you think it would be possible for Sombra to, um… leave his cell?” Sunburst got quieter and quieter as he continued, feeling like their eyes must be burning into him. “F-For a bit? Maybe? If that’s okay with you I mean.”

Sunburst waited for them to loudly protest, to start listing all the reasons that it wasn’t possible. The risk of escape, the danger to the ponies of the Crystal Empire. Even if he did behave himself, there was the possibility of a panic if anyone saw him! Why had he thought this was a good idea? Was he crazy?

“What do you think?” Cadence calmly asked her husband. “Has it been long enough?”

“I think so.” Shining Armor said, nodding slowly. “And there are precautions we can take, of course.”

“Huh?” Sunburst said.

“We can’t keep him locked up for the rest of his life.” said Cadence, turning back to Sunburst.

“And after all, the whole point here is to help him become a better pony.” said Shining Armor, nuzzling his wife.

“Yeah, exactly.” Sunburst said, relaxing. Apparently they’d given this a lot more thought than he had. “So… he can?”

“Certainly.” Cadence said with a warm smile. “But there are conditions. Pleasant conversation and civil speech are all well and good, but we’re going to need more proof that he’s been reformed before we let him wander at will.”

“Of course.”

“Here’s what we had in mind…”

As Shining Armor and Cadence shared the arrangements they’d come up with to allow Sombra a small measure of freedom, Sunburst couldn’t help but feel excited. He couldn’t wait to let him know.

Chapter 4 - The Balcony

The next afternoon, Sunburst stepped quickly down the stairs as he made his way to the dungeon, breathing heavily from exertion, but feeling very excited. An ironic state to be in, perhaps, when on your way to a dungeon, but he couldn’t help it. Shining Armor’s heavier, slower hoof-falls clacked loudly on the steps behind him.

“Hold up, Sunburst.” Shining Armor called after him. “Please, please don’t trip down the stairs again. I don’t need another heart attack.”

Sunburst slowed down, chastised, and took the rest of the steps more carefully.

That had only happened one time, he protested to himself.

Maybe twice…

He waited for Shining Armor at the bottom of the stairs, and they walked the rest of the way together.

Before long they had been cleared to enter the dungeon, and were standing in front of Sombra’s cell. The gray stallion had stood up when he heard the door being unlocked, and he smiled when he saw Sunburst.

“Good afternoon, Sunburst.” he said, looking down at the little yellow unicorn. Looking up at Shining Armor, he seemed unsure what to do for a moment, then he nodded slightly. “Captain.”

“Sombra.” Shining Armor replied.

“I - we, that is - have some good news.” said Sunburst cheerfully.

“Oh?” Sombra

“Shining Armor and Princess Cadence said it would be alright for you to leave your cell for a bit!”

“With some conditions.” Shining Armor added with a raised hoof. “You’ll have to wear an antimagic cuff on your horn, and a pair of guards will escort you. You must also stay with Sunburst the entire time.”

“Is that all?” Sombra asked, seeming surprised and even relieved. “I thought I’d have to go forth in irons, clanking and dragging the whole way.”

“That could also be arranged, if you prefer.” Shining Armor said jokingly.

“No, that’s quite alright.” Sombra said with a laugh. “Certainly, I accept your terms!”

“Great!” Sunburst said, grinning. “Ooo, I’m so excited! Here, let me-”

“Hold on, Sunny.” Shining Armor said, gently preventing him from moving to the cell door. “Cuff first.”

“Oh. Right.” Sunburst said sheepishly. “Sorry.”

At Shining Armor’s direction, Sombra stuck his curved red horn through the bars, allowing him to slip the antimagic cuff around it. With a quick pulse of violet magic he activated it, locking it in place as well.

“Guards.” Shining Armor called.

The dungeon doors opened, and the sentries came inside. At Shining Armor’s direction, one of them unlocked the cell with the loud sliding clank of heavy metal bolts retracting. Sombra waited compliantly as the guard opened the cell door. He stepped out, and waited patiently as the guards gave him a quick once-over. Satisfied, they stepped back to a respectful distance.

“Well.” said Shining Armor, smiling. “Have fun you two.”

With a quick half-wave half-salute to Sunburst, he departed.

“Are you ready, sir?” the first guard asked Sunburst.

“Yes, I think so.” Sunburst answered. “Sombra?”

“Lead the way,” Sombra said, moving to stand next to him.

It was the first time they’d been next to each other without a set of bars in the way, and Sunburst couldn’t help finding it a bit uncanny. Pushing past that feeling, he tipped his head towards the doors with a smile, and then led Sombra out of the dungeons. Through the hall and up the stairs, into the main body of the castle they went, a guard each before and after them.

“Where are we going, Sunburst?” asked Sombra. “In your excitement, I believe you forgot to say.”

“To the very top!” said Sunburst, pointing upwards with a hoof.

Sombra’s eyes widened slightly with surprise, but he made no protest.

Higher and higher they went. Sunburst had never actually gone so far up in the castle before now, and he hadn’t realized just how tall the structure was. He wondered how it measured up against the modern skyscrapers of Manehattan or Las Pegasus. As they climbed, the wide stairways of the first few floors quickly gave way to narrow, tightly spiraling staircases. At the base of the last set of stairs, the guards allowed them to go the rest of the way alone. Sunburst had asked to have some degree of privacy with Sombra, and Shining Armor and Cadence had agreed it was unlikely that Sombra would be able to escape from the top of the tallest building in the Crystal Empire without magic. Less than a minute later, they emerged into the open space at the top of the spire. Sunburst led Sombra out onto the high balcony, and together they looked out over the Crystal Empire.

It was late afternoon. Far overhead the sun was slowly westering, casting the lengthening shadows eastward. The six main roads that stretched out from the wide plaza beneath the castle shone faintly in deep shades of purple and violet. The busy city markets were full of ponies, buying and selling and bartering goods. Houses and shops lined the streets, mingled with the lush greenery of parks and carefully tended groves of trees. Out past the edges of the city, the green patchwork of the farmlands gave way to rolling green hills. Beyond those, where the power of the Crystal Heart faded, green gave way to stark white as the vast, untouched snowfields of the Frozen North stretched away into the far distance, sparkling in the afternoon sun. To the north, tall gray and white mountains thrust their craggy heads up into the cloudless blue sky.

Sunburst, awed by the immensity of it all, looked over at Sombra. He too seemed overwhelmed, but not in the way Sunburst had hoped. He was squinting, shading his eyes from the bright sun with a foreleg. It only then occurred to Sunburst that Sombra wouldn’t be used to this kind of bright light after so long spent inside and underground.

Sombra also looked tired. He leaned on the railing, looking down and out over the Crystal Empire. His strong frame was unexpectedly tense in the sunlight. Sombra’s red eyes flicked to Sunburst, then he turned his head to look at him more directly.

“Thank you for this.” he said, smiling.

Despite the tightness of his shoulders, the smile was as sincere as any Sunburst had seen on the dark king’s face. Sunburst looked into his eyes, which were definitely different than they had been the first time he had seen him. They were normal. Round pupils. No dark, menacing aura or evil intent. They reminded Sunburst less of fresh blood now, and more of rubies and other polished red gemstones.

His smile reached them now.

Sombra had such nice eyes…

“N-No problem!” Sunburst said, ears flicking back as he rubbed at the back of his neck, cheeks burning. Was he blushing? “I’m glad we could - that is, that I could… Yep.

They sat there for a long time, enjoying the quietness that came from being so far above the world. Time passed, and a gentle breeze brushed past them, touseling their manes and, occasionally, carrying up the faintest murmurs of the city life below. The sun drew ever westward, and now shops were being closed or packed away. Street lights blinked on across the city as ponies started to head home for the evening, or perhaps to join friends and loved ones for an evening of fun. Now the sun was dipping near to the horizon, casting the shadows long and heavy across the Crystal Empire.

Sombra spoke to him.

“I realized something, Sunburst.” he said quietly, almost inaudibly.

Sunburst turned his head to look at Sombra. He was still leaning on the balcony, still looking down at the Empire. The tension in his shoulders was gone now, replaced with exhaustion. He looked defeated. Sad.

“What is it?” Sunburst asked gently, brow furrowing. Sombra had never looked or sounded like this before.

“I thought about what you asked, the first time we spoke.” Sombra looked down at the plaza far below, where the gentle shine of the Crystal Heart was becoming visible as the evening grew darker. “I thought about it for a long time. And I realized…”

Sombra closed his eyes then, tight. He rubbed at the top of his muzzle, then put his hoof down and looked back at Sunburst.

“I didn’t have a reason.”

Sunburst’s eyes flicked between Sombra’s as he listened, waiting.

“I couldn’t understand what happened. If I had no reason, why did I do any of it?” Sombra continued, looking back out over the city. “So I thought back over everything that I had done, and… I realized what happened.”

“I took the throne of the Crystal Empire in a time of peace and prosperity. With no matters of state that needed my direct attention, I became a bit of a scholar-king - if you’ll forgive me for giving myself such a title. To feed my ravenous curiosity, I dug deep into lore that was ancient even then. I learned all manner of magics, from the most tame to the great and terrible. There was enough material to keep even the most students of magic content for several lifetimes.”

Sombra’s expression darkened.

“But I wanted more. I wanted to dig into the deepest corners and darkest depths of magic… so I did. I kept looking for the old and the strange. I found it, of course. Ancient manuscripts and scrolls, filled with knowledge of a fascinating magic unlike anything I’d ever heard of.”

He shook his head.

“Shadow Magic. Not the tame kind, playing around with physical light and its absence. The kind that can penetrate the heart and mind, and the very soul. It is a deep, dangerous magic. ‘But what was the harm?’ I told myself. ‘Understanding is a good thing! I certainly don’t have to use it…’”

Sombra let out a single, disgusted laugh.

“I was an arrogant fool. Maybe I still am.”

“What happened?” Sunburst asked softly.

“I kept going. I dug and I examined, and then I tried it - just to observe it first-hoof, of course. But it felt good. Powerful! So I made excuses to myself. A bit more can’t hurt. Just a little bit more…”

He paused, eyes looking out into the night, but not seeing the stars.

“Then one day, I wasn’t myself anymore. It was like someone else had replaced me.” He turned his eyes back on Sunburst. “The Shadow is a terrible thing. It amplifies all of your worst qualities, and twists or buries any good ones you might have. I dug too deep… and the Shadow took me.”

Sombra paused, then shook his head again.

“No, that’s not right.” He corrected, anger flashing in his eyes. “I let it take me. I let it in.”

“There are so many times I could have stopped myself, Sunburst.” said Sombra, his voice rising. “Every time I picked up those, those accursed books, I could have put them away instead, or gotten rid of them. I could have burned them - I should have!”

Then his voice fell, until Sunburst could barely hear him.

“I failed my people.” Sombra whispered. “I was a bad king.”

Sombra was quiet for a long while, looking out from the balcony into the deepening night. When he spoke again, his voice had come back up to its normal volume.

“Even now, I can't seem to accept the idea that all of this -” Sombra gestured around them at the lights below “- isn't mine. A dark corner of my being tells me it should be. I can’t seem to let it go…”

Sombra’s face was twisted with warring emotions. Anger, distress, deeply-felt sorrow and loss. And stronger than all of them, a powerful self-loathing. When, after a moment, Sombra pulled himself upright, Sunburst could tell he was trying to restore some semblance of dignity to his bearing and expression. It was a poorly constructed mask, though. The pain was still there, in his eyes and the set of his jaw.

Trembling, hesitantly, Sunburst reached over and rested his hoof on Sombra’s shoulder. He felt the gray stallion start at his touch, then relax. Sunburst tried several times to say something, but couldn’t figure out the right words. Then, with a frustrated huff, he forced himself to start talking anyway.

He told Sombra about his childhood friendship with Starlight Glimmer. How inseparable they had been, how much time they’d spent together. Then he told him about the day he’d gotten his Cutie Mark.

“I got so caught up in the excitement.” he said, pain and shame at his behavior welling up inside of him. “I left her behind, and I did it so easily. I failed her.”

He felt tears coming on, tried to hold them back. But he couldn’t help it.

“She felt so alone. I should have been there for her, I should have been a better friend. Everything she did, all the ways she lashed out, it was my fault…”

Sunburst took his hoof off of Sombra’s shoulder. He was dimly aware that Sombra was watching his face as he rubbed at his eyes, trying to wipe away the tears. He could taste the salt in his mouth, and the back of his throat burned.

“But do you know what I’ve realized? After these last couple of weeks, being with you, trying to help you, desperately trying to atone for the mistake I made with her?”

Sunburst sniffed, uncomfortably aware how loud the snotty sound he’d just made was.

“I can’t undo what happened. It’s too late for that. I apologized to her, and she’s forgiven me. But I have never forgiven myself.” Sunburst stamped his hoof against the floor, hard. “But I need to let it go, don’t I? I have to move on. I can’t fix what I did. I just… I have to make sure I do better now.”

Sunburst jumped and let out a small gasp as he felt Sombra reach out to gently press his hoof against his own. He looked up to see a small, understanding smile on that tired, bandaged face.

“I think I understand what you’re trying to tell me, and I appreciate it.” Sombra looked back over the city, now slipping into night. “But I don’t know if I can… if I’m able to do that, yet.”

Sunburst laughed weakly. “I-It takes time, doesn’t it?”

“It does…”

They were both quiet for a moment, then Sunburst spoke.

“You realize… I can't keep what you told me a secret?”

“I know.” Sombra said quietly. “I… I didn’t expect you to.”

Sunburst nodded, understanding.

They sat quietly together for a time. Night had fallen completely now. Sombra shivered next to him as a gust of chill, snow-scented wind blew through the high balcony. Maybe he was used to having his cloak for warmth, Sunburst thought. With a soft glow of yellow, he draped his cape around Sombra’s shoulders as well. It wasn’t very heavy, but it was another layer of protection at least.

“Thank you.” said Sombra, holding it in place.

“It’s strange,” he said a moment later. “I don’t remember the last time I felt properly cold… or warm. Perhaps a side-effect of… my…”

He frowned, jaw tightening as he looked down at the city lights.

“I-I could ask about getting your cloak back?” Sunburst half-asked, half-suggested. “I don’t want you catching a cold, or-”

Sombra started laughing softly, his face lighting up.

“What?” Sunburst asked, feeling his cheeks warming.

Sombra just shook his head, smiling.

They stayed up there long enough for the moon to rise, watching as the soft silvery-white light gently illuminated the city and landscape below. It looked so different at night, Sunburst thought. So peaceful, and still. No one was moving below, as far as they could see. The stars twinkled above, and were faintly reflected in faceted roofs of the crystal structures below.

Then with a sigh Sombra stood up, Sunburst’s cloak falling from his shoulders with a soft whisper of fabric against his coat.

“We should head back.” He said quietly. ”I don’t want to get you in trouble.”

Reluctantly, Sunburst agreed, and stood. With one last look out into the night, they headed down the stairs. The guards were waiting for them, and Sunburst felt bad about having them stand there for so long. He hoped they weren’t too annoyed with them. They gave no sign one way or the other, though, simply escorting them as they headed back down through the castle to Sombra’s cell.

Then they stood before the doors to the dungeon, and Sunburst felt unsure what to say or do. Sombra answered that question for him, stepping close and wrapping one of his strong forelegs around Sunburst’s neck. The guards started to move towards them, but relaxed as Sombra just gave Sunburst a gentle squeeze. Caught completely off guard, it took Sunburst a moment before to reciprocate.

“Thank you for a pleasant evening.” said Sombra, as he let go of Sunburst.

“N-No problem.” Sunburst said, adjusting his glasses on his nose. “I’m glad we could do it.”

“Good night, Sunburst.” Sombra turned and started to step through the dungeon doors, then hesitated and looked back at Sunburst. For a moment he looked like he wanted to say something, but he just nodded politely and went in.

“Good night.” said Sunburst, raising a hoof in farewell.

As he headed home that night, Sunburst’s mind was hard at work, sifting through everything Sombra had told him, everything that had happened at the top of the tower.

Chapter 5 - That Precious Time

Sunburst shared Sombra’s tale with Shining Armor and Cadence the next day - he thought it best not to interrupt them at 11PM again. They listened attentively and without interruption as he did his best to relay everything Sombra had shared. The room was quiet for a long while after that, each lost in thought. Then they had questions, which he also did his best to answer.

“It’s a lot to take in,” said Cadence.

“No kidding.” said Shining Armor, leaning forward to rest his head on the back of his folded hooves.

“We’re going to need some time to think about all of this.” Cadence continued. “And I want to get input on this from the other Princesses. Personally, I find it encouraging that he’s opened up to you, Sunburst.”

Sunburst wasn’t sure what to say to that. Thank you? Me too?

He settled for a rather inadequate, “Yeah…”

As he walked back towards his room from their chambers, he wondered what he should do now. He thought back to his confession the previous night, and then he knew what he should do.

He decided to see if Starlight wanted to do anything that day.

She was.

They spent a nice day outside. Starlight insisted on it, saying that for a creature with a full coat he looked awfully pale. They visited the market and some of the shops for a bit of window-shopping, then brought their takeout lunch to a private corner of one of the large parks on the edge of the city. Sunburst took the opportunity, then, to tell her about the events of the previous night - minus the parts where he’d spoken about her. He also told her about his conversation with Cadence and Shining Armor that morning. She listened intently, asking lots of questions as he went, and forcing him to go back several times as he lost his place. She hadn’t said anything immediately afterwards, just sipped on her smoothie and pony-watched.

“I guess we’ll have to see what the Princesses say.” she said after a bit. “I just hope…”

She didn’t finish her thought, but Sunburst knew she was probably thinking about what had happened with Stygian. He had been too.

“It’s difficult,” he said. “Because there’s some differences between what happened to them. With Sombra, it was less deliberate, but he seems to have been more…”

“Himself?” she said.

“I don’t know.” Sunburst shook his head, thinking. “Maybe… But he seems to be coming out of it now. He said he regrets it… and I think I believe him.”

Starlight fidgeted with her empty cup. “Regret is strong stuff, isn’t it?”

Sunburst didn’t answer.

After lunch, they wandered through the streets a bit as they slowly made their way back to the castle. Sunburst had his own house in the city, but after being unofficially adopted into the royal family as Flurry Heart’s Crystaller (and go-to babysitter), he had all but officially moved in with them.

A few days later, Sunburst and Starlight were sitting in the small, unofficial dining room just off the kitchen, when a servant came to deliver a summons.

“Their Majesties ask that you attend them in the throne room at your earliest convenience.” the mare said. She bowed, then withdrew.

With a glance at each other, the two hurried up to the throne room. Inside, they found Cadence seated in the throne, with Shining Armor standing next to her. A pair of guards in polished sky-blue armor flanked the dais. The royal couple were leaning in close to each other, clearly in the middle of some quiet conversation. As he and Starlight approached, they straightened up, and Shining Armor waved them up onto the dais.

“We have consulted with other Princesses.” Princess Cadence said, indicating herself and Shining Armor. “About Sombra, and everything he told you, Sunburst.”

Cadence told them everything that had been discussed. Celestia and Luna, had some knowledge of the kind of magic Sombra had described to Sunburst, including the hooves-on experience they’d gotten during their attack on King Sombra just over a millennium ago. The Two Sisters thought his story made a good deal of sense.

Then there was the letter.

Twilight had decided to reach out to Stygian, asking to attend to her so they could consult him about Sombra. While he had been unable to come in-person, he had sent a letter for her to share. Twilight had forwarded a copy of the letter to them with Spike’s assistance:

Princess Twilight,

I am well, thank you.

I regret that I am unable to come directly, being otherwise engaged in matters that prevent ease of travel. It is my understanding that the enchantments which I have placed on this letter will enable it to reach you directly. I trust I have done them properly, and that it will not cause the excellent Master Spike undue discomfort.

I shall attempt to be brief, in order that my answer should be clear.

The Shadow is, in essence, the malevolent, loose embodiment of dark magic. It may be more appropriate, in fact, to say that dark magic exists because of it. It is much like a living thing, but an infectious and parasitic one. It must be allowed to enter in, but once that has happened it may be removed only with the greatest difficulty - as I know all too well.

The Shadow finds that darkest part of you, your worst self, and takes root there. My feelings of jealousy and resentment towards the Pillars of Equestria gave it deep soil for its purposes. From what I know of Princess Luna’s fall into Nightmare Moon, she must have had a similar experience. If what the King Sombra has told you is to be believed - and I find that likely, given how well it aligns with the examples I have laid out - then he must have offered the Shadow a similar opportunity to take hold.

I realize, now, that it is quite probable that the material I found and created on this subject must have made its way into King Sombra’s hooves, and thence to Princess Luna. For that, I am deeply sorry.

Your friend, and humble servant,

Stygian

With Stygian’s testimony, along with their own experience and understanding, the Two Sisters believed he should be given the benefit of the doubt. They found Sombra’s changed behavior promising, and wanted to give him the opportunity to prove himself. After some further debate, the others - including Shining Armor in his capacity as co-regent - had agreed.

“So.” said Shining Armor, with an air of formality that was not at all usual for him. “We, as the Diarchs of the Crystal Empire, and as Sombra’s wardens, have made the following decision:”

“Sombra is to be released immediately. We have had a room set aside for him, which should be ready shortly. He will be allowed to move freely about the castle, but for his own safety, and until such time we deem it proper, he will need to remain inside the castle. He will also continue wearing the antimagic cuff, again, until such time as we deem proper.”

Sunburst was thrilled.

Sombra was moved out of the dungeon, and into a small but comfortable room in a back corner of the castle. Sombra didn’t protest any of the stipulations set out by Princess Cadence and Shining Armor. He also seemed much happier, now that he had the freedom to move around the castle.

He also had far more opportunities to socialize with the other inhabitants of the castle. After getting drawn into a heated debate on the nature of wave functions in relation to the minute variations in translocation spells with Starlight - which had ended in a draw as far as Sunburst was concerned - she and Sombra started meeting up regularly. Sunburst often found himself getting pulled into “Magic Debate Club,” as Starlight had so cheerfully dubbed it, but he found he preferred to listen more than speak. Starlight got a bit intense when she was arguing about magic or math.

Sunburst knew that Sombra and Shining Armor had had at least a couple of exchanges about military history. On one occasion Shining Armor had invited him to survey the castle’s growing collection of antique historical weaponry - much to the rest of the guards’ dismay. Then, to Cadence’s everlasting horror, he introduced Sombra to Ogres & Oubliettes.

Cadence, for her part, had taken the opportunity to ask Sombra about some of the older decrees and policies still in force in the Crystal Empire. Sombra had been able to explain some of them, but others had left the pair of them sifting through piles of dusty papers and scrolls with increasing confusion. They had also discussed a few modern issues, and Sunburst knew she took it as a good sign that he was willing (and able) to concede points of policy to her.

Admittedly, not all of Sombra’s social encounters ended well. The one time Sombra met Flurry Heart, it had rapidly spiraled out of control. After a disastrous attempt to hold her that resulted in her climbing up his face like some kind of gurgling, pastel-pink spider, breathing in a bunch of paper dust from the archive, then sneezing and accidentally annihilating an sizeable armoire - leaving both Sombra and Shining Armor cowering underneath a table while Cadence coaxed Flurry down from the chandelier - they was decided it was best not to force the two of them to interact. Sombra was not, he admitted afterwards, really a baby person.

The castle guards were very wary of Sombra at first, and servants were skittish around him. But as it became clear he wasn’t going to start enslaving or terrorizing ponies left and right, they started to warm up to him. He was very courteous to the serving-ponies, undemanding, and unwilling to inconvenience them.

One evening, Sombra persuaded Sunburst to come down to the Library with himself and Starlight to poke around in the old books. In fairness, thought Starlight, it hadn't been hard to entice the yellow bookworm out of his room with that particular lure.

Almost as soon as they were in the library, Sunburst was at the correct bookshelf, reading out their titles and mumbling things to himself as he traced his hoof over the spines. Starlight laughed quietly to herself as she watched her friend start automatically rearranging a series of volumes. She looked around for Sombra, and spotted him standing at the end of a row of free-standing shelves. There was a softness to his eyes, and a gentleness to his smile as he watched Sunburst that she’d never seen from him before.

“Aha! There you are.” Sunburst exclaimed, sliding a slightly worn book off of the bottommost shelf. He ran his hoof over the cover, then opened the book to somewhere roughly in the middle and took a deep breath. Starlight slapped her hoof to her face with embarrassment as he let out an overly expressive sigh. “Aaah…”

Sunburst carried the book over to one of the oversized hassocks scattered around the room, and clambered on top of it with his book. He made himself comfortable, hind legs sticking out a bit to one side, cloak draped over himself like a blanket. In moments he had his muzzle buried in the book, and he was lost to the world. Starlight found a comfortable nook to recline in, and propped her current read up against a pile of other books on the table.

Starlight heard Sombra’s heavier hoof-falls on the floor, and looked up. After a few minutes of exploring the library, and skimming some books that took his fancy, Sombra had wandered over to Sunburst’s hassock. He put a hoof up on it, and when Sunburst didn’t protest, he climbed up next to him, his surprisingly graceful movements reminding Starlight for a moment of a black, oversized house cat. He laid down next to Sunburst, watching him read.

“What're you reading?” he asked Sunburst, leaning in closer to get a better look at the book.

“It’s ‘The Trials of Sieur Camargue’” Sunburst said, marking his place before flipping the book closed to show Sombra the cover. “It's about a knight-errant of Equitaine, and his pursuit for honor and glory both on and off the field of battle. It's a kind of Chivalric romance.”

Sombra nodded, eyes tracing the patterns of embossed scroll work and foliage decorating the deep burgundy-red cover.

“Are you very far in?” he asked.

“No, not really.” Sunburst admitted. “I'm afraid I haven't made much progress with it.”

“May I?” Sombra asked, reaching out for the book.

“Sure.”

Sunburst passed it to him, and Sombra opened it. After leafing through the first few pages, he cleared his throat and started to read. As he spoke, Starlight found herself drawn into the story. He had an excellent voice for it, at once clear as it was deep and rich.

Sieur Camargue had taken up his father’s lance, sword, and armor, and was cast adrift on the road. Trials were set before his hooves as he wandered the countryside of Gaskiny. Old beggars revealed themselves as fair lords or maids. Fae creatures bewitched or ensnared the common folk, or bandits beset the roads and set fear into their hearts. Afraid though he might be, the low-born noble set both wits and steel to work. No magic sword had he, no enchanted mail nor unbreakable lance - Starlight couldn’t help a small gasp when it shattered against his fell foe’s chestplate! - but he pulled himself up, and fought on despite injury or the shadow of despair.

As Sombra read to Sunburst - Starlight was increasingly certain they’d forgotten she was there - Sunburst adjusted himself, scooting closer to Sombra so he could follow along. She shook her head slightly, smiling knowingly at the pair. The dumb stallions really couldn’t see it, could they? She thought about giving them some privacy, but she couldn’t tear herself away now that they were really getting into the story. Besides, she reasoned, it would be rude to leave without an explanation. So she settled in and listened.

Not all was well, though. Sombra’s injuries would not heal properly, despite the efforts of the Crystal Empire’s best physicians. When they’d last taken the bandages off, the cuts had started bleeding again immediately. The various other scrapes and contusions that Sombra had received during the fight also showed little progress. It was as if Sombra’s body simply wasn’t healing itself, and they couldn’t explain why that was. They had confirmed that any internal injuries were stable, and with the aid of magic and medicine alike they had been able to stave off the worst of the pain. Sunburst had listened to all of their explanations with growing concern.

Sombra was sitting in his room one afternoon, just starting to seriously consider taking a nap, when he heard a light, quick tapping on his door. Getting up with an effort, he went over to the door and opened it. On the other side was Sunburst, and next to Sunburst was a frighteningly large pile of books and scrolls.

“Sunburst?” Sombra said questioningly, looking between his friend and the gently swaying tower beside him.

“Hey, Sombra!” Sunburst said, doing a little wave with his hoof. “I figured if the doctors didn’t know what was wrong, maybe a collection of the finest medical material might have the answers!”

Against his better judgment, Sombra stepped out of the way as Sunburst started levitating sections of the pile into the room, setting them down wherever he could find an empty surface.

“I’m sure they’ve already checked for… all of that.” Sombra said, watching as his small room became increasingly cluttered. He suppressed a chuckle when he realized how much it resembled Sunburst’s.”

“I know, I know.” the small yellow wizard said, herding him towards the couch. “But it never hurts to double-check!”

Sombra couldn’t convince him otherwise, so Sunburst proceeded to spend hours trying to diagnose him. It rapidly became clear that he planned to look at everything, but as the day wore on nothing fit. No ailment of any kind, magical or mundane, matched Sombra’s symptoms.

“Oookay.” said Sunburst as he pulled a new book out of a pile, very nearly collapsing the whole thing. “Let’s try this one!”

“Did you not go through that one first?” asked Sombra, lifting an eyebrow. Sunburst looked exhausted, but he kept plowing on.

“Triple check!” he said with a slightly manic little giggle. “Now, I’m going to need you to cough while I-”

“Alright, we’re done now.” Sombra said, gently taking the book away from Sunburst.

“But we need to figure out what’s wrong!” Sunburst protested weakly, as Sombra led him to the bathroom.

“No, now we need a break. You need a break. Now take a shower.”

Sombra took away his stethoscope and pushed him into the bathroom, then pulled the door closed with a definite snap. Sunburst groaned. Sombra waited until he heard the water start running, then he went to his door and stepped out. He flagged down a passing servant.

“Pardon me, I’m sure you must be busy,” he said. “But do you have any idea what Sunburst likes to eat?”

“I’m sure the kitchen knows, sir.” The servant replied, adjusting the stack of clean linens he was carrying. “I can ask them to send something up, I’ll be passing on my way back down to the laundry room.”

“If it isn’t too much trouble.”

“No trouble at all, sir.” The servant leaned in and whispered. “Is he going into another research death spiral?”

“It would appear so, yes.” Sombra sighed.

“I’ll make sure they include extra water and greens, then.”

Sombra thanked the servant, then stepped back inside to wait. He expected Sunburst to finish his shower long before the food arrived. He must have underestimated how badly Sunburst needed one, then, because he emerged only minutes before their dinner arrived. As promised, it was accompanied by what looked like two gallons of water, and a hefty portion of green-leaf salad.

They ate a quiet dinner together at the table, using what space Sombra had managed to clear while Sunburst showered. He missed being able to use his horn for things like that, it made it so much easier to move fine objects like paper. He sighed ruefully, then soldiered on, utensil-less, with his food.

Sombra had made it clear he would not further discuss medicine in any capacity that night, so at first Sunburst was quiet. Hoping to get Sunburst’s mind off of his condition - and his own, if possible - he asked Sunburst about the Kite Festival that Starlight had practically abducted him to attend. He had been able to observe it somewhat from the windows, but the better viewpoint in the high balcony had been unavailable. Sunburst lit up as he started describing all of the different kinds of homemade kites he’d seen, and the one that Starlight had entered, and all of the colors as the bright sun shining on and through them.

Sombra smiled as he watched Sombra talk. He’d never felt so at ease as he did around this little saffron-yellow stallion, with his white blaze and flowing orange mane. Sombra chuckled as Sunburst pushed silver-framed glasses back up his muzzle, and when Sunburst gave him a questioning look, Sombra shrugged, resting his head on his hoof as he listened.

After dinner, Sunburst started clearing up the mess of books he’d made in Sombra’s room. Sombra did his best to help, but without magic he could only move one book at a time. As he dropped the latest book onto the pile, he found Sunburst had fallen asleep with his head on a small stack of books. Sombra gently scooped him up onto his back. Doing his best to ignore just how much that hurt, he carried the smaller stallion over to his bed. Luckily, he’d been given a lower-lying bed to accommodate both his injuries and preferences, so it was easy for him to slide Sunburst onto the bed without waking him. He drew the covers over Sunburst, then went back to cleaning his room. When he’d done what he could, he checked on Sunburst again, then he made up the couch for himself and turned out the lights.

As he lay there in the dark, he could hear Sunburst’s steady breathing across the room. He closed his eyes and listened for a while. Then he drifted off to sleep.

Chapter 6 - Stay With Me

It started out as such a nice day.

After taking a slow morning together, Sunburst was walking down the hall with Sombra. They were headed nowhere in particular, rambling on about something or another. Sunburst had just finished sharing an amusing story he’d heard sometime back in school. When Sombra didn’t respond, he glanced to his side and realized that the tall gray stallion wasn’t next to him anymore. He stopped, looking back to see where he’d gone.

“Sombra?” he asked, watching his friend with growing concern.

Sombra had slowed to a stop a dozen paces back. He was clutching at his head with one hoof, looking dazed. Then his eyes screwed shut as he started to tremble. Sunburst felt a strange dread and menace in the air around him, and for a moment he felt as if a dark shadow were passing overhead. Sombra fell sideways, legs collapsing underneath him.

“Sombra!” he shouted, running to his friend.

With a yelp, Sunburst sprang towards his friend. He just managed to catch him, but he let out a strained grunt as he did. Sombra was much too big for him to hold up on his own.

“‘m sorry.” Sombra mumbled faintly, weakly trying to pull himself off of Sunburst. “My legs, they ju… jus…”

He seemed to lose consciousness for a moment, his eyes becoming unfocused.

Sunburst, whose own legs were fast proving unequal to the task being set for them, did his best to gently lower Sombra to the floor. As he lay there, taking shallow breaths, Sunburst again crouched down and touched his side. To his horror, he found that Sombra’s bandages were wet. Then, worst of all, he heard Sombra let out a faint whimper. He’d never heard a sound like that come out of his friend, not even when Flurry Heart had shoved her sharp little hoof directly into his eye.

“Help!” Sunburst shouted, standing up and looking around. There had to be someone nearby, surely. “Someone help, please!”

Even before he finished calling out, he heard the clatter of hooves running towards him, and looked up. The guard that came rushing around the corner quickly took in the scene, then hurried over.

“H-He just fell over,” Sunburst stammered out before the guard could ask. “I-I don’t know what happened.”

As the first guard examined Sombra, other guards and servants who had heard Sunburst’s shout started to gather to them. Then Shining Armor appeared, pushing his way past the scattered crowd of onlookers. He saw Sombra on the ground, and hurried forwards. He went to take Sombra’s pulse… but he couldn’t seem to find it.

“Get the doctor.” Shining Armor said to a guard, who dashed off immediately.

“What happened?” he asked, now talking to Sunburst.

“I don’t know, he just…” Sunburst faltered, then told him what he’d seen and felt before Sombra collapsed. Shining Armor’s frown deepened.

The minutes seemed to stretch into hours until the doctor arrived. She quickly sat down next to Sombra, her face becoming increasingly drawn as she examined him. Her horn lit up intermittently as she worked, removing and then immediately replacing his wet bandages, as well as checking for internal injuries.

“I can’t stop the bleeding.” she said after a few minutes. “There’s something preventing me from actually doing anything to him.”

Sunburst’s mind was buzzing. That sudden feeling of fear, the sensation of a shadow passing by. No, not a shadow. The Shadow. Dark magic made manifest, parasitic, jealous. It was feeding on Sombra, even now. That was why he couldn’t heal, why he was… was…

Sunburst felt his heart rate spike, and felt his vision going fuzzy around the edges. His nose felt weird, and the back of his neck hurt. He felt really hot all of a sudden.

No. Not now.

Sunburst forced himself to take slow, deep breaths.

I have to focus. I need to be here.

He needs me.

Sunburst started running through everything that had happened to, or because of, Sombra. He’d read about Shadow Magic in those books, then started using it until the Shadow took over. He’d enslaved and terrorized the Crystal Empire. He’d hidden the Crystal Heart.

Interesting. Why?

The main reason, he knew, had been to keep its presence and power from giving hope to the Crystal Ponies. But why not destroy it, then? They knew that was possible - thank you for that extra trauma, Flurry! - so why not just smash it, and get rid of that threat to his reign of terror? Because he had still needed it to keep the Crystal Empire from being reclaimed by the Frozen North. So he kept it out of sight, but still within easy reach.

Why out of sight? Again, to keep it from being a beacon of hope to the enslaved. But it was out of his sight too. Was it, maybe, to keep him out of its sights? What if the Shadow had been protecting itself from the Crystal Heart’s power? Terrorize the Empire, weaken the Heart, hide the Heart to protect itself from it…

Protect. The Crystal Heart’s primary function was protection. It kept the endless winter of the Frozen North out of the Crystal Empire.

It protected the Empire from evil.

What could be more evil than the manifestation of dark magic?

Sunburst snapped back to reality and jumped to his hooves. He looked around him, hoping against hope to find the pony he needed was here.

She was.

“Starlight!” he shouted. “Starlight, I need your help!”

“I’m here, Sunny.” she said, rushing to his side. “What do you need?”

“We have to take him to the Crystal Heart.”

She was silent for a solid fifteen seconds. “What?”

“It’s the only thing we haven’t tried!”

“But is it safe to bring him right to it?” asked Shining Armor. Sunburst realized that, despite all of Sombra’s apparent progress, there were still lingering questions about his sincerity and trustworthiness.

Shining Armor wasn’t the only one with lingering doubts, it seemed, because several loud protests came from the small crowd around them. The doctor was equally unhappy, but with the idea of moving Sombra so far in his rapidly deteriorating condition.

“Sunburst, are you sure that’s a good idea?” asked Shining Armor. “I… it’s just…”

“Shining Armor, please -”

“It is.” A calm, authoritative voice said from behind them.

The crowd quieted down, parting to allow Princess Cadence to pass. Shining Armor looked at her questioningly. Cadence looked between Sunburst and Sombra, eyes somehow both soft and piercing. Then she looked back at her husband, and nodded. He seemed to understand something Sunburst did not.

“Alright.” he said, nodding back. “Sunburst, Starlight, help me here. Doctor, do you have a stretcher we can use?”

“Guards, clear the plaza.” Cadence commanded. “Everyone else, make a path.”

They carried Sombra down through the castle and to the wide plaza beneath the castle. The Crystal Heart was suspended mid-air between the two spires that rose from the ground and descended from the castle above. The glittering crystal cast a faint glow around itself, even in the powerful mid-day sun. But the sunlight seemed to fade around them as they went, and a strange, directionless fear grew in their hearts. The closer they got to the Crystal Heart, the stronger the feeling of dread became. As they laid Sombra down near the pedestal, it was as if there was no sun, and no moon, nor stars to light the sky. A faint red tinged the darkness around them, but it felt less like a color than an inexplicable absence, a stark, ravenous emptiness. Only the Crystal Heart beside them seemed to cast any light.

“What’s happening?” Starlight asked, stepping closer to Sunburst.

“I don’t know,” he said. “I-I was kind of hoping being near it would be enough!”

Being close to the Crystal Heart did seem to help somewhat, because Sombra stirred on the ground. Sunburst got down next to him, checking his heartbeat. It was so weak, it was getting hard to hear it. His own heart was pounding in his chest, but he paid it no mind. Sombra’s eyes were half-open, and he let out a quiet cry of pain as he tried to move.

“Stay still.” Sunburst told him, touching his shoulder before looking around them.

“What do we do now?” Starlight asked, voice rising in volume as the darkness seemed to creep inwards. “Why isn’t the Crystal Heart doing anything?!”

“It’s tied to him, I think.” Sunburst said, reaching out and touching Sombra’s chest. “That’s the problem, isn’t it? It won’t let you go…”

Sombra was barely breathing now. Weakly, he raised his hoof and laid it on Sunburst’s. He opened his mouth, trying to speak, then curled in on himself as a racking cough left him whimpering in pain.

“Should he touch it…?” Shining Armor asked hesitantly, stepping towards the Heart.

Before he could go any further, the shadows around them seemed to loom inwards. Out of all of them, only Cadence and Sunburst seemed to be unaffected. Sunburst could understand why Cadence might be alright - or at least, be able to look like it. What he didn’t understand was why he suddenly felt no fear at the sight of dark magic taking form. He felt Sombra’s hoof touch his own again, and looked back down at his friend. Sombra’s red eyes gazed into his own, struggling to stay focused through the pain.

“There’s no Crystalling to empower the Heart, no festival to charge it up.” Sunburst whispered, taking Sombra’s hoof and squeezing it against his chest. “What can we do?”

“I… I don’... don’t think… there’s… anything you… can do.” Sombra’s words came with great difficulty, interspersed with faint, gasping breaths.

“You can’t go now.” Sunburst said, leaning over Sombra. “Please, don’t go…”

“It’s okay… Sunny.”

Shadows swirled around them, and streaks of dark not-lightning-not-red seemed to shoot through them. The very air was alive with an aura of fear. Within the darkness around them, they could feel an undeniable, intense hatred of light, and life, and love. How it wanted to rip and shred and empty out the world, how it hated all those things that kept it at bay. The Crystal Heart protected them from the worst of it perhaps, a dim but unshaken light in the dark. But it did no more. It just hung there, suspended between the needle-sharp spires. Why did it do nothing?

“Y-You’ll be okay!” Sunburst sniffed, feeling his eyes growing wet.

The Shadow has its claws in Sombra, and even the Crystal Heart couldn’t seem to keep it out. He watched, felt it even, as the Shadow in Sombra’s heart became a thing of pure torment, like red-hot iron nails buried deep in the flesh, or the sharp pain felt from a sudden flash of bright light in the eyes. Sombra cringed feebly, trying to hold down his cries of pain.

“You can’t… please…” Sunburst was crying now, desperate and afraid. “Please…”

He felt more than saw Starlight step next to him. She reached down to hold his shoulder. Trying to comfort him, maybe.

“Please, please, don’t go.” Sunburst said softly, choking back the tears. “We’ll go anywhere you like!”

Sombra, wracked with pain, was struggling to stay conscious. Trying with all his failing might to keep his eyes on Sunburst. He didn’t want to look away. He couldn’t.

“I… I would like… th… that…”

Sombra started to slip into unconsciousness, his vision dimming as a sound or feeling of rushing water seemed to press in on him. He knew, faintly, that he was on the very edge of death now. The crushing weight of the Shadow was bearing down on him, and he’d lost too much blood.

Sunburst couldn’t even cry now, it hurt too much. Nothing felt real. He didn’t feel real. Something had broken in the world, and everything felt like a strange dream, numb and flat. Holding his head carefully, tenderly, Sunburst leaned down and pressed his forehead against Sombra’s.

“Stay with me.” he whispered.

All was Night.

…

But Day must always follow.

Sunburst looked up, shielding his eyes as the Crystal Heart, spinning and slowly picking up speed, burned with increasing brilliance. The shadows around them seemed to harden in response, and a crystalline ringing filled the air. The Heart thrummed with a deep bass note and light flared from its very core. The dark presence around them seemed to waver, then the Heart thrummed again. And then again, growing louder until it seemed to vibrate in their chests. There was a sound like the blowing of a distant horn, and the shadow started to break up and burn away. Fractured tendrils writhed and faded away, as if they had never been.

Sunburst looked down at Sombra, a mix of honest fear and desperate hope filling him almost to the bursting. Before his eyes, Sombra’s wounds began to close, and his injuries to heal. As the last traces of his hurts faded away, there was a new lightness to him that defied explanation.

The Crystal Heart slowly dimmed, until it again shone faintly in the mid-afternoon light.

Sunburst bent down and pressed his ear to Sombra’s chest. He found a steady heartbeat, and soft, normal breathing. He let out a sob of relief. He sat up, then tenderly placed his hooves on either side of Sombra’s head.

“S-Sombra?” he said quietly.

Sombra stirred, took a deep breath, then his eyes flickered open. For a moment he struggled to focus, then he locked his eyes on Sunburst.

“How… h-how are you feeling?” Sunburst asked, suppressing a fresh wave of tears and bad thoughts. Not now. Not now. He was needed here and now.

“I… I feel… better…?” Sombra said, barely above a whisper. “But… ’m s… s-so… tired…”

“Shh…” Sunburst hushed him softly, stroking the soft fur of his healed cheek. “I-It’s okay now. Sleep. I’ll be here.”

“I… know you will...” Sombra reached up and took Sunburst’s hoof in his own. “Sunburst, I…”

“It’s okay.” Sunburst said, leaning in closer. “It’s okay.”

“I know.” Sombra murmured. “You’re… here…”

Sunburst, trembling, leaned down and kissed Sombra’s forehead. The gray stallion smiled and tried to laugh. With some effort, he squeezed Sunburst’s hoof. He tried to speak, but he couldn’t seem to get the words out. He was so tired…

“It’s okay.” Sunburst said again, still caressing Sombra’s cheek. “Sleep.”

And Sombra slept.

Chapter 7 - Together in the Sun

Sombra’s first impression was sunlight. Even without opening his eyes, he knew what it was, could feel it on his face. Morning light, uniquely warm and gentle. He shifted, feeling something soft over him. Blankets. His mind started to wake up a bit more, and he took a deep breath. The air was cool and clean, and smelled faintly of flowers.

As he woke up further, he remembered what had happened. But instead of jolting upright or panicking, he felt an unexpected sense of peace. He still remembered the terror of it, of standing at the very edge of death, and the Shadow over all… but it seemed to have no more power to torment him.

Then he heard a soft snoring. He opened his eyes, blinking in the sunlight streaming in from his room’s tall window. It was open, allowing a gentle breeze into the room. Shifting in the bed, Sombra looked down at the foot of the bed. Sunburst was laid against the side of the bed, his head resting on the covers.

Sombra smiled, and felt a growing warmth in his chest. Carefully, he sat up, then leaning over he gently shook Sunburst’s shoulder.

“Zzznnnkk. Whassit?” Sunburst snore turned into a snort, and he pushed his head off the bed with an incoherent mumble. “I di’n’ take the last cinnamon roll, promise.”

Sombra couldn’t help the little sound of mirth that came out of him. Sunburst turned his bleary eyes on him, still trying to wake up the rest of the way.

“Where’s mine, then?” Sombra asked, grinning at Sunburst. He felt so happy right now, he couldn’t explain it. So he decided to enjoy it instead.

“Huh?” Sunburst said, dazed. Then his expression cleared. “Oh, Sombra! Oh, oh thank Celestia! You’re awake!”

He rushed forwards, hugging the bigger stallion tight. Sombra wrapped his arms around Sunburst, rubbing his back.

“How’re you feeling?” asked Sunburst, pulling back, but keeping his hooves on Sombra’s arms.

“I… I feel good.” Sombra said, looking down at himself. The bandages were gone, his coal-gray coat unbroken by cut or bruise. “I feel better than I have in a long time… than I ever have, maybe.”

“That’s wonderful.”

Sunburst beamed, ears perked up and eyes shining in the morning light. He started rambling off about the healing process and the Crystal Heart, and Sombra couldn’t help himself. He gently placed a hoof on Sunburst’s mouth, stopping him. He took Sunburst’s head in his hooves, and tenderly kissed his forehead. Then he pulled him back into his embrace and started rocking back and forth.

“Thank you… so much, Sunburst…” he whispered into Sunburst’s ear.

Sunburst felt his breath catch in his chest as Sombra pulled him in, resting his head on top of his own. As he leaned against Sombra’s strong neck, he felt tears in his eyes. Sombra felt warm and alive, and he smelled like wood and warm spices. Sunburst leaned into Sombra’s embrace, all of his lingering fears slipping away.

“I love you.” Sombra whispered, pressing his muzzle into Sunburst’s mane. “I love you, Sunburst. So, so much…”

“I love you too.” Sunburst whispered back, burying his muzzle into the crook between Sombra’s neck and shoulder. “I wanted to say it, w-when… but I was scared, I-I didn’t…”

“Shhh…” Sombra shushed him softly, leaning down to rest his forehead against Sunburst’s. “It’s okay… everything is okay now.”

“I-I know.” Sunburst said, tearing up. “I’m sorry, I…”

“It’s okay.” Sombra said again, caressing his cheek as he nuzzled him. “I’m here. I won’t leave. I promise.”

Cadence waited a respectful amount of time before going in. She couldn’t help a small, satisfied smile as she saw the two together. Everything had worked out as well as she could have hoped.

When Sombra saw her, he kissed Sunburst’s cheek, then gently extricated himself from the smaller stallion’s arms so he could face her. Sunburst let go reluctantly, but he kept his hoof on Sombra’s.

“How are you doing?” she asked him, examining him.

His body had healed as well as any doctor could have hoped for, but the royal physician would quite probably commit regicide if she didn’t keep this visit brief and exertion-free. She was livid after being overridden about moving Sombra, and had declared in no uncertain terms that Sombra needed time to recover, “magic healing rock” or no.

With a great effort, he shifted and made to get out of bed. Well shoot, Cadence thought. She’d have to double her guards for the next… forever.

Sunburst tried to stop him, but Sombra, bracing himself against Sunburst’s shoulder as he swung his legs down said, “I’ll be okay. I need to do this, Sunburst.”

Sombra stood, shaky but resolute, and looked Cadence in the eye.

“Princess Cadence.” he said, bowing. It was the first time he’d addressed her with her title without any apparent hesitation.

“I, Sombra, 17th king of the Crystal Empire, do hereby renounce my claim to its throne, crown, and all its dominions, now and forever.”

Cadence was taken aback by the frankness of his statement, but she nodded.

“Sunburst, do you bear witness?” she asked, adopting a more formal tone and posture.

“O-Oh, um.” Sunburst looked at Sombra. Sombra nodded, resolute. Sunburst nodded. “Yes, I bear witness.”

“We hear and accept your renunciation, Sombra, in the presence of a witness.” He bowed, and she nodded back. Then she smiled. “I, however, do not accept the renunciation of all nobility.”

He looked up, eyes searching hers. Then a small smile came to his lips.

“Thank you, Your Majesty,” he said softly. “I… I would also beg your pardon, for all the difficulty and distress I have caused you, your family, and your realm.”

“That, too, we grant.” she said. Then she dropped the formalities, and spoke as quickly and quietly as she could while still being heard. “Now for the love of Celestia, get back in bed! You look like you’re going to fall over, and Princess or not the doctor will kill me if that happens!”

She helped Sunburst get Sombra back into bed. Once she was satisfied his accommodations were in good order, she promised to visit him again soon, then departed. There was a look of smug satisfaction on her face as soon as the door closed behind her.

Ha! Nailed it! Go Cadence!

After the door had closed behind Cadence, Sunburst turned back to Sombra with a troubled look. He bit his lip, hesitating. Then he spoke.

“I don’t understand… why did you give up your title? Now that you’re… well, you again, you do have a legitimate claim. I’m sure you could persuade-”

“It isn’t mine anymore, though.” Sombra said softly, with a little shake of his head. “That time has long since passed.”

He held out his hoof, and Sunburst came over to him. Sombra scooted over, making space for Sunburst to climb up and sit next to him. Sombra leaned forwards to touch his nose to Sunburst’s. He chuckled quietly, and Sunburst couldn’t help the smile that grew on his own face.

“Besides…” Sombra murmured, leaning in closer. “What need have I for an Empire… when I have you?”

The doctor kept Sombra confined to bed for a solid week before she was satisfied he had fully recovered. He had protested, saying he felt great, but she had brandished her stethoscope so menacingly that he didn’t dare argue with her again.

When the prescribed week was finally up, it was impossible to keep him in bed. He could be found all over the castle, walking, talking, and listening to everyone. There was a joy on his face and a lightness to his step that no one could remember ever seeing, even by those who had known him before he had fallen under the Shadow. He was further delighted to learn that, during his weeklong recovery, Princess Cadence and Shining Armor had released a statement to the Crystal Empire, detailing Sombra’s return and affirming his reformation.

The day after he was allowed up and about, Cadence and Shining Armor came to visit him in person.

“We release you from our custody.” Cadence said, as Shining Armor removed the antimagic cuff from Sombra’s horn.

“But not from our friendship.” Shining Armor added, offering Sombra his hoof. Sombra took it, grasping it firmly. Then he leaned in, and mock-whispered, “Remember, Ogres & Oubliettes, every Friday.”

“We’ll see.” Sombra chuckled. His horn flickered, then glowed with a steady dusk-red light. Several knick knacks floated up off the desk and floated in the air. He let out a sigh of relief, and put them down.

“Remember, you can keep your room in the castle as long as you need or want.” said Cadence, moving towards the door.

“Thank you.” Sombra said, bowing his head. “For that, and everything else. You have done so much for me.”

“It was our pleasure.” she said. “See you later.”

Sombra watched them leave. As soon as the door was closed, he turned and strode through the room, levitating furniture and other objects as he went. It had been driving him crazy these last few weeks, not being able to move anything on his own. Now that he could, he was going to reorganize the room to his liking.

As he was considering where the table and chairs ought to go, he heard a gentle tapping on his door.

“Come in!” he called, not turning around. Maybe longways, in line with the right wall? More space that way…

“Oh, it’s off!” Sunburst’s voice came from behind him. Sombra glanced back at him, smiling.

“Yes, finally,” he said, walking around the table and chairs. “Here, which way should I put this?”

“Oh, um…” Sunburst stepped further into the room, looking between Sombra and the room full of floating furniture. “I… I’m sorry, I really don’t know.”

“Mmm. Well… I like it this way.” Sombra decided, lowering the table and chairs into place.

“I have to admit, I never thought of you as an interior decorator.”

“Certainly!” said Sombra, nuzzling Sunburst’s cheek as he passed him on his way to the space the bed had occupied. It hovered at a concerning angle overhead. “Who do you think picked out the hallway carpets?”

“Can I talk to you for a minute?” asked Sunburst. He glanced up. “Without the, um…”

“Of course.” Sombra lowered everything to the ground, and turned to give Sunburst his full attention. “What is it?”

“So… you’re free now.” Sunburst smiled. “You can leave the castle, and everything.”

“I am.” said Sombra, smiling back. “And I can.”

“Let’s do it, then!” said Sunburst, bouncing on his hooves. “Right now.”

“Right now?” asked Sombra.

“Right now!”

Sunburst herded Sombra out the door. Together they hurried through the castle corridors to the Entrance Hall, and thence down the castle’s front steps. Sunburst didn’t stop until he was out from under the castle’s shadow, standing in the broad daylight. Sombra followed more slowly. Eyes closed, he lifted his face to take in the sunlight and listen to the city. Ponies were milling about on the edges of the plaza, shopkeepers were calling out, and buyers haggling. Birds sang, foals were playing, and the kindly west wind sighed as it flowed through the trees and among the shining buildings. It carried the smell of flowers, of cooking food, and of perfumes. And, faintly, from the distant white fields, the smell of clean snow under the noontide sun.

As Sombra breathed in the free air, he was at peace.

When he finally opened his eyes, he found Sunburst waiting patiently next to him.

“What do you want to do now?” Sunburst asked, stepping closer.

“There’s so many options… I just don’t know.” Sombra grinned. “We can do whatever we want.”

“We?” asked Sunburst. He felt like his heart was climbing out of his chest.

“We.” Sombra repeated softly, taking Sombra’s hoof.

“We can do whatever we want, now” Sombra said. “What would you like to do, beloved?”

“Beloved?” Sunburst said, with an amused snort.

“No?” Sombra said with a raised brow. “Very well, I’ll keep trying.”

“Okay.” Sunburst giggled.

“Okay.” Sombra said with a soft smile. “What would you like to do, Sunburst?”

“Well, um…” Sunburst said, ears falling slightly as he stumbled over his own words. “H-how about… dinner? I know this nice restaurant down by the city park. I think, I mean I… I hope you’ll like it?”

He took a deep breath, steadying himself.

“Would you like to have dinner with me, Sombra?”

Sombra leaned down and started nuzzling and kissing Sunburst’s cheek. Sunburst laughed, blushing and flustered by the tall gray stallion’s brazen display of affection.

“I’d love to, Sunburst.”