Sombra was used to being told no. But it was different now, as he was the all-powerful ruler of a famous empire.
He'd tried everything to get Luna back-showing her his new magic, threatening her, making her feel like he was the only one left who loved her, making her feel like there was no one left at all...but she saw through all his schemes. She was so intelligent, so stubborn.
And he loved her for that.
But he was furious at himself for treating Luna that way. Now she would never accept him, no matter what he did. You blew it.
No, you didn't. She just needs a push in the right direction. The voices in his head replied.
"Can you shut up," He groaned, pulling his blankets over his head.
Casting Nightmare Spells had sapped a lot of his energy. And doing two in such a short period of time had left him bedridden for a few days.
He hated how exposed he was. If he wanted, Napoleon Dusk could come in right now and take back the whole empire single handedly. Even "Evie" could fight her way through, and slaughter him with little effort.
Luckily, the guards, generals, and more were still mind controlled. But he had to rely on the darkness to do that for him while he was asleep. Maintaining mind control for long periods of time was an advanced skill he had yet to learn.
The thick curtains blocked out all the sunlight. He stretched, joints cracking.
"Time to get up, now," Sombra muttered to himself.
Just rest a little longer. You'll need it. The shadows argued.
His pillow was so soft....
When he finally stumbled out of bed and opened the curtains, the light nearly blinded him. "Goddammit. Stupid sunlight." Scowling, he swished the curtains shut.
He fixed his silver armor, and then donned his red cape. Now where did I put the crown? Groping around in the dark for it, he finally caught hold of the smooth crystal material.
Sombra.
"What? Can you leave me alone?"
You're in debt.
They whispered it over and over again. You're in debt. You're in debt.
"Can't you see I'm busy?"
We've helped you. It's time you pay us back.
"What?" He gasped. "You never told me that was part of our deal."
The darkness laughed. Do you think we'd give this to you for free?
"But I made a wish-"
You will repay us.
Sombra's head felt like it had exploded. He could barely think through the pain. He stumbled to the ground, clutching it, as if to make it stop.
Black crystals....black crystals...
He realized he was still holding his crown. "Fight dark magic...with dark magic," he wheezed.
The crystal points cut through skin. Sharp, sharp pain. A contrast to the pulsing dullness festering in his brain. It distracted him ever so slightly. He barely noticed the small pool of blood beneath his head....
Then the memories started coming.
Eight years ago. The slums.
"Guess what I found!" Jet asked him, trying to hide his grin.
"What? What?" Sombra attempted to see what he was hiding behind his back, but Jet swiftly blocked him.
"It's really great!"
"Even better than the dress?" Sombra verified. A few months ago, they'd found a slightly worn satin dress. They'd traded it, and both of them got second hand coats for the winter.
"Even better than the dress," Jet agreed. He opened his palm. Two glittery earrings rested side by side.
"How did you get those?"
"Amore dumped them in the trash," Jet admitted, shaking his head in disgust. "I saw her take coins from a homeless person to buy the earrings. Then, an hour later, she decided she didn't like them."
"She did that?" Sombra gasped. "But..."
"Yeah. She's so spoiled. Oh well, at least we can get dinner," Jet suggested.
*******
They rarely went to bakeries, let alone nice ones. After trading the earrings in the slum's black market, they were rewarded with a hefty amount of cash.
"Are you sure they're worth that much?" Sombra asked. "It didn't seem that expensive when Amore bought it."
Jet shrugged. "Whatever. The more money, the better."
The aromatic scents of baking pastries nearly swept him off his feet. He'd never smelled something so inviting in his life. Peering through the glass display case, he was torn between so many exquisite things he didn't know the name of.
"I haven't seen you boys around here before." the old woman at the counter chuckled.
"Yeah, it's our first time," Jet admitted.
"Well, I'm glad you came. What would you like?"
The baker came out with a fresh batch of rolls. "Really, Lenina, you're allowing slum boys in our bakery?" He wrinkled his nose.
"And why shouldn't they be allowed in here?" Lenina argued.
"They might steal," the baker argued.
"I don't think it's fair to make assumptions," Lenina replied.
The baker threw up his hands exasperatedly. "Whatever. But it's not my fault if they run away with our treats." He stomped back into the kitchen, slamming the door behind him.
"I'm sorry, boys," Lenina sighed. "Don't take it to heart. He's just....prejudiced."
"We can leave if you'd like," Jet offered.
"No, no. I just want you to know that your money doesn't determine your worth. It never will. Just remember that. You're so much more than what you have, and what you can do."
Jet nodded, giving Sombra a reassuring squeeze.
"Now why don't you pick what you'd like?"
Fifteen minutes later, they sat on the roof of an old building.
The sticky-sweet apple crostatas were perfect. They were tan and crispy on the outside. The chewy dough complimented the tender cooked apples. Light brown flecks of cinnamon dusted the pastry, giving it spice.
Neither brother talked, too engrossed in this new pleasure. Down below in the square, uplifting music was playing. Neon fairy lights were draped around the buildings surrounding the square. Couples and families danced and laughed.
Jet licked the cinnamon from his fingers. Sombra couldn't help but feel warm and fuzzy...what was this feeling? Today was a good day. His dad, though drunk as usual, had been fairly happy. And since it was the weekend, he didn't have school
A particularly radiant couple twirled across the square effortlessly, leaping and sashaying to the music.
"I bet we could dance like that," Jet quipped. "Come on, let's practice."
Sombra wiped his hands on a napkin. "I can't dance, Jet."
"Hey, I'll teach you."
Sombra took his brother's hand.
"So first, you're gonna step. One, two, three four...."
Sombra tentatively followed his brother's footwork. "Then, five, six, seven, eight...'
Somewhere along the lines, he had gotten confused and messed up the steps. Then Jet was spinning him around, "What? I need to be prepared for the ladies." They were spinning so fast, so fast-
Crash!
They both fell onto a giant crate, breaking the wood planks. Soon they were rolling around laughing, and brushing sawdust out of each other's hair.
"I think we're pretty good dancers," Sombra joked.
"The best. Hey, maybe someday you'll get to dance with a princess. How about Amore?" Jet snorted.
"Ew no!" Sombra argued.
"Well, there are those other two in Canterlot..."
"One of them, then. Probably Luna cause we're the same age. I can't dance with a fifteen year old! I'm ten!"
It was one of the happiest moments of his life. One of the beautiful aspects of the Empire. Maybe it wasn't as terrible as he thought. People could be kind, if he gave them a chance. He'd never forget Lenina.
But the way the baker treated you...looked at you as if you were scum. So many of them do. Jet didn't take you to the square for a reason. The darkness pushed back.
And suddenly the memory was gone. In its place was this unexplainable bitterness Sombra couldn't comprehend. He clenched his fists as black crystals sprang up across the room.
Don't you want to get revenge, don't you want to hurt someone? We'll help you, Sombra. The people are planning on rebelling, and then they'll kill you and take away your rightful place.
So this was what dark magic did. Trapped him in an unbreakable cycle. He needed to maintain his fragile power, but he needed the help of the darkness to do that. And then he had to pay them back. Pay them back in...memories.
He couldn't remember what he'd just been thinking of, but it'd been good. And why was he suddenly so agitated? He had this desire to kill. He was losing pieces of himself. Pieces he couldn't get back.
What have I done?
Luna. He had to go see Luna. She knew how to help. She was the only thing keeping him sane.
The crystal crown still lay on the floor next to him, so he picked it up, stroking it lovingly. It was so strong, yet so delicate at the same time.
It makes you look like a ruthless king. She loves you when you're powerful. The darkness advised.
He saw the way his slaves gazed at him in fear in the halls. The way they would hurry away. Even Celestia had looked at him in fear.
And he liked that.
But this wasn't about him. This was about getting Luna to love him. And both times, she refused him when he was powerful. When he defeated her.
He had to take a different approach.
Do you really want to visit her now? When she could easily overpower you? You're weak right now.
He could always ask them for help again. But whenever he did that, he would become even more corrupted, and do things he regretted.
Without his accessories and terrifying abilities, he looked almost like his past self.
It was something Sombra detested. Vulnerability clung to him like a wet coat. Though that was exactly what he needed.
Risky as it was, he would still go visit Luna.
When he got there, she was sitting against the bars, back turned to him. Sombra winced when he saw the dried blood caking parts of the cell.
You did this to her.
A part of him felt...proud. He'd manage to defeat all the crown princesses of Equestria. He hadn't let his weaknesses get in the way of achieving what he'd needed. Not even love could stop him.
But you hurt her in the process.
"Are you going to stand at the door and look at me forever?" Luna asked sarcastically.
Sombra paused. "No."
He tentatively paced across the dungeon. Luna refused to look at him. He ground his teeth. It would be so easy to control her.....
No. That's wrong. You can't treat her that way.
And with a swift gesture, he opened the bars.
Everything was frozen. He was standing there staring. She leaned against the wall, still not facing him. So they were trapped in an eternal cycle, both searching for answers.
"Luna." his voice cracked. "Please."
Her body visibly stiffened when she heard the vulnerability in his voice.
She turned around, eyes red-rimmed.
"Dark magic.....you were right.....it's manipulating me. I...I didn't want to hurt you," Sombra admitted, holding back tears.
"Now do you see its consequences?"
He nodded. He had seen all he needed to see.
"I told you. I warned you about it before. Then why didn't you listen to me?" Luna demanded, fists clenching and unclenching.
"I have dreams too, ok? Do you know what it's like to lose everything?" As if responding to his anger, jagged black crystals sprung up at his feet.
"But you didn't! We still had each other. You still had Chrissy, and Evie-"
Chrissy. Oh no. He'd almost forgotten about her, with everything going on. What had become of her? Where was she?
"There's something you're not telling me," Luna pointed out. "What is it?"
Sombra shook his head, trying to get rid of the horrid images that flooded his mind: her shrill screams as she cried for his help. Her grief-stricken face when she saw her love littering the ground.
"What is it?" Luna demanded again.
"You're not in a position to be asking things from me," He stalled. The last thing he wanted to do was tell her what he'd done. Then she'd never love him.
"And you're certainly not in a position to be treating your so-called queen like a prisoner," She spat. "Shouldn't you be out conquering nations? Staging executions? Instead you hide in your castle. "
How dare she call you a coward. She couldn't do half the things you did. Punish her for that. The darkness seethed.
"Luna, I need your help," he burst out. "I don't want to lose more of myself."
"And I need yours," she mused. "Canterlot is completely unguarded. The Dusks are still a threat."
Silence was the only noise to be heard for a little while. Even the sounds from the outside hushed.
"I'm sorry. For everything. Can we start over?" Sombra proposed. If she accepted, everything would go perfectly.
Teardrops fell from her eyes. "How can you say that? How can you wipe things clean? Look at what you've done. Not just to me, but to everyone else."
Using his thumb, he gently wiped the tears from her cheeks, trying to ignore the blood and dirt as well.
"But we can start a new chapter. Make things right," he took her hand in his. "Be like we were before."
Luna shook her head. Lightly, furiously. "We'll never be able to go back to what we once were. We've changed too much for that."
You can control her. Remember that, Sombra.
"But we can change again," Luna finished.
"Together?" He whispered in her ear.
"Together."
Sombra knew Luna wouldn't truly forgive him for what he'd done to her. She was too smart to blindly trust him.
But two could play this game.
Hey guys! Do you think the darkness will fully corrupt Sombra? What do you think Luna's plans are? If you enjoyed it, please feel free to vote and comment WHATEVER thoughts you have about this chapter.