Porcelain Heart

Chapter 4

Sombra wakes with a groan. He doesn't want to do the test. He didn't want to in the first place.

He gets up and prepares himself. He decides he'll do a simple illusion. He heads down and stands in the mines as the people come. They avoid his gaze. He stands in the middle of a flat room, the others file in around the walls. He summons his magic, not using it just yet. He removes all or any emotion from his face. Some of the slaves tremble, some look completely prepared, and others just stand there, ready for their fate.

A guard announces they're all inside. Sombra nods. "Let it begin," he says flatly. A few slaves wimper. A blast of purple magic flares to the roof of the room, heating it up instantly. Nopony shall die, nopony shall be harmed. Just a... test.

Most of the prepared-looking ponies shrink back a little.

"Who cares for a little magic duel?" Sombra says.

Silence.

He nods, and sends a very dreadful looking dragon illusion up, and judging by all of the slaves reactions, they don't know it's a illusion. They scream, faint, hide behind others, or stand still in shock. Sombra guides the dragon lower, the reaction becoming more frantic. He brings the dragon to himself, and the room seems to freeze as the dragon looks quite poised above him. He sends it straight into the slave herd.

Half shriek and dive out of the way, revealing... none other than the mare from the infirmary. Her eyes widen, and she closes her eyes, no choice but to receive her fate. Sombra can't help it, with all his strength, he pulls the magic away, dragon disappearing. The two share a stare for a minute, the longest minute of both of their lives. He tears his gaze from hers, clearing his throat.

"You passed," he says, voice rough. He leaves moments after.

~•~•~•~•~

Solstice Love sits in her cell. She stares at the wall in awe. She knew better than to come here after work to hear the ridiculous taunts of the stallions. What happened to the one who attacked her?

She sighs, lying to face the wall, but sleep never comes.

~•~•~•~•~

Sombra paces in his chambers. The look of fear in her eyes, the way she stood, completely defeated. But... why did he pull his magic back?

He sighs, and continues pacing. A knock at his door makes him stop, and compose himself, well mostly. "Enter," he says.

A guard comes in, with the stallion that attacked Solstice Love in tow.

He's forced to the floor, and spits on Sombra's wooden floor. Sombra fumes. "She started it, you're just too blind to see it," he says simply, spitting a larger wad.

Sombra fumes, and sends the guard outside. "You're going to pay for what you did to her," he snarls into the stallion's face. The stallion doesn't react. Sombra's horn flashes purple. Then, the stallion tries to back up, but Sombra's magic holds him firm. He goes to scream,  and Sombra shoves his magic down the stallion's throat. This one wouldn't do. He'd have to die.

Sombra hadn't ever used punishment for anything, just made the slaves guards or something. But, this time, he was drawn to shove his magic deeper, deeper than ever. There was a slight grunt from the stallion, but he was still awake, breathing somehow. He shoved it deeper, and even deeper, then the stallion made a gagging noise. Sombra delighted in this noise, even though he normally wouldn't. He would never touch his Solstice Love again.

His?

The stallion collapsed, and Sombra kicked him. The guard came in at his summons, and Sombra told him that this should be announced to the slaves. The guard nodded, and left promptly, body on his back.

~•~•~•~•~

Dead. The stallion that attacked her is dead. Killed by Sombra. Her ruler. Why?

The taunting stallions have no longer bothered her. They don't even go near her.

~•~•~•~•~

Mid-meeting, after Sombra's mind had wandered, and he didn't bother to stop it, he realized something. He needed her. As his. Now. He loved her. More than he'd ever loved anypony. Had he ever loved anypony?

Finally, after what felt like forever to him, the meeting ended. He left, and sent some guards to retrieve her not too long after.

~•~•~•~•~

"Solstice Love?" A guard calls, from outside her cell.

She stands. "Yes?"

"You are to come with us."

She obeys. They lead her to a sort of surgery room. She hesitates. "What's going on?"

They ignore her, and lead her to the table in the middle. She lays on it, and is strapped down. She would ask what they're doing, but she's gagged. She feels a knife slice her ear, and she screams, half of the sound swallowed by the gag.

She doesn't struggle, but she thinks that she's being tortured, for fun. Sombra walks in, freezing at the sight.

~•~•~•~•~

The tears in her eyes, the pain. He freezes the guards. He sends a message to their heads. They are to stop. She stares at him wide-eyed. He sees the calloused hooves and wings. He walks up to her. "You are to be mine now," he murmurs, not sure how he feels about the words coming from his tongue. "You are to no longer work in the mines, you are to be with me. Whenever I want you, you come. For whatever reason."

She seems to understand, because she nods, tears gone. She flicks her ear they cut, and he vows to himself she'll never be hurt again.

Sombra turns away, afraid his face is showing too much, how much he cares. "You'll have your own small chambers, and when I ask for you, you come. You submit. Understood?"

She waits a full minute to answer, and its the most agonizing minute of his life. "May I ask a question first?"

He pauses, but still won't face her. "What?"

She hesitates. "Do you love me?" she whispers.

He ignores her. "Do you agree to these terms?"

She doesn't sound annoyed or anything. "Okay," she murmurs. He walks out, and guards go in behind him.