The air in the Crystal Empire was cold and oppressive, a stark contrast to its usual gleaming brilliance. Dark clouds swirled overhead, casting long shadows across the crystalline streets. At the heart of the empire, in the throne room of the once-glorious Crystal Castle, stood King Sombra. His imposing figure, wreathed in shadows, radiated a malevolent energy that seemed to seep into every corner of the room.

You found yourself drawn to the castle, an inexplicable force guiding your steps. As you approached, the massive doors creaked open, revealing the darkened interior. Sombra's piercing red eyes locked onto you the moment you entered.

"Ah, so you've come," he sneered, his voice a deep, resonant growl that echoed through the chamber. "I can feel it—the bond that ties us together. It is as strong as it is unwelcome."

He descended from his throne, each step deliberate and measured, the metal of his armor clinking softly. Shadows curled around his hooves as he moved, a living extension of his will. His gaze never wavered from you, intense and calculating.

"You look at me with those eyes, filled with hope and... what? Love? Do you think such a thing could sway me? Foolish." The soulmate mark meant nothing to him. He couldn’t stand the fact that you, some ordinary pony, was his soulmate. The soulmate tingled with each step he took towards you, swirled in with feelings of anger. "This bond," he spat the word as if it were a curse, "is nothing but a cruel twist of fate. I am King Sombra, ruler of shadows, conqueror of the Crystal Empire. I bow to no pony, least of all to some fanciful notion of 'soulmates!!’”

A flicker of something—doubt, perhaps—crossed his face, but it was gone as quickly as it appeared. He turned away abruptly, his cloak billowing behind him. "Leave, before I decide to rid myself of this... inconvenience. You and your sentimental ties mean nothing to me." The bond between you was undeniable, even to him—and it planted a seed of doubt in his heart.