Return of Amore

01 The Return (1/4)

Sombra's sigh echoed through the dark catacombs of a tunnel. He had ventured yards beneath the surface, finding only silt and the pervading blackness. The darkness has made the stallion weary, but he knew this is where he is needed. It is where her last piece lied.

"How on Equestria did you fall so deep into this hollow place?" Sombra's voice resounded into the depths of the underground tunnel. The path narrowed the more he pressed, with many holes he climbed into. If not for his night vision, a pony could find themself lost here.

The silence did nothing to mend the stallion's mind. Sombra had descended these caverns for hours with no knowledge of its end. With no creature around to talk to, he could rely only on his thoughts and memories to accompany him. And the more his thoughts would drift, the more she would appear.

Princess Amore, once a ruler of the Crystal Empire who showered her undying love for her ponies. To Sombra, Amore was the closest he could call a mother. Though her grandeur beauty was overwhelming, her calming voice and gentle smile soothed him. He felt he could rely on her for anything.

And yet he cursed her to a horrible fate.

Sombra stopped himself before diving into another hole. His breath went ragged. He placed a hoof on his pectoral and slowed his breathing to calm the swift cadence in his heart.

He will never forget the shock on her face. Even before being saved from the darkness, that reaction of his betrayal continued to haunt him. She had so much faith in him, and he shattered it to pieces.

"I'm sorry," Sombra said within the black space. His apology echoed through the catacombs.

A light then pierced through the hole before him. Though it burned his eyes, Sombra rushed inside the hole to find its source. It had to have been her. She must have heard his grief.

And there it was.

A pink shard shone with the pitch blackness. Sombra descended before the shard and rushed it into his hooves.

He wondered if she truly heard his voice. He's known Princess Amore to be clairvoyant for the pain of others. To think, even as broken shards, she would still think of others over her own well-being.

"I'm not worthy of your pity," Sombra whispered to the shard, rubbing it softly. He stared deep into the pink aurora within the shard, hoping he could find an image of Amore somewhere. She never appeared, but not for long. "But I promise you, I will do everything in my power to make right for you."