King Sombra x Fluttershy CHAPTER 1

 It's a late hour, the sun long set and all is relatively quiet around King Sombra's kingdom, a glorious empire built of striking crystals, once bright but now black. It's strange but glorious architecture consisted of practically only these crystallized material, and so do most of its inhabitants, the Crystal People. Once proud and beautiful, just as their homes became dark, so did they.

 As the clock hits nine, a light snowfall begins to drop in on the castle, covering things with frizzes of white, standing out from everything else. I'm inside of the center of the kingdom—in the castle, in my master's quarters. Far from the elements, it's warm there—both in temperature and in emotion.

 King Sombra is rested in a velvety red chair by a lit fireplace, tinted and outlined in golden thread, as he reads some book which I can't pronounce the language that the title is in. I rest on my knees beside his feet, my head half-rested against his thigh as I stare into the flames and remain silent. He doesn't really acknowledge I'm there, which isn't surprising. He's said himself that I blend in with the furniture, but I more get the sense of being a pet, like a dog or cat…It's a feeling I'm used to, whether I like it or not. In the very least he wasn't using me as a footstool today.

 Of course thinking that makes me remember all my animal friends, makes me remember Angel. I wonder how he's doing back in Ponyville? I try not to worry…It's just so hard…

 Glancing over at the nearby calendar, I give a light sigh, closing my eyes. Has it really been a year, now, since King Sombra's return to power? Since he re-enslaved the Crystal People as well as much of Equestria in itself? Since he forced my half my friends into exile, the other half into labor? It seems like it's been so much longer that my "footstool" behavior became literal…

 I blink as I feel King Sombra's hand gently pat my head, though it seems to be absentmindedly. It was a rare thing for him to do that—in fact usually he hit my head more than he patted it. A lot more. I wonder what the occasion is…

 My lord closes his book, placing it on the end table beside. He stands, and I quickly copy him.

 "Come, it's time to sleep…"

 I slowly nod my head, and I follow him off…