Sombra sat alone, feeling small in his father's throne room. His throne room, he thought to himself, my father's death necessitated this transition. He shuddered a small shudder at the thought. He had looked as healthy as a horse just two weeks prior...to think that he could be struck down so suddenly in what seemed like the prime of his life by sepsis. Sepsis, Sombra thought, has no place in this world. Clearing his thoughts of recent events, he ran his mind over his schedule. Breakfast, check. Library time, check. Which leaves a delightful luncheon with the emissaries from Equestria proper. Well, then, I should make the arrangements.

Sombra got up from his throne and began to step off of the dais and-

"King Sombra, where are you going?" A dull voice said.

"I was going to the kitchen to make lunch for our emissaries, Political Pull." Sombra replied, shocked at the interruption.

"Maybe when you were a prince, and your mother wanted to teach you responsibility," Pull harumphed, "but you're King now. You have servants to do the gruntwork for you now."

Sombra sat back down on the throne, looking puzzled as to what to do with his time now. He then reached for a book with his magic, Musicalus Interruptus, and began reading in earnest. It would do him well to appear studious as the emissaries arrived. His waiting was rewarded when the crier announced the emissaries' arrival.

"The Princesses Celestia and Luna are here to see you, King Sombra!"

His heart skipped a beat. Princesses?, he thought, Nopony told me I would be receiving royalty! I'll have to punish those responsible for this grievous breach in protocol. He fixed his mane, and announced without looking up, "Let them in."

The doors opened to reveal two ponies with indescribable regality. The larger one, a brilliant white whose mane was an everflowing interchange of pink, green and blue, stepped in. She was followed by a vision of beauty, whose mane was a midnight blue offset by a coat of a warmer blue, and eyes, deep pools of blue themselves. Sombra, retaining his composure, quietly put his book to the side and faced these ponies. He then said, "Welcome to my kingdom, Princesses. I was not aware that you were our emissaries."

"No need to worry, King Sombra. We prefer it that way," Celestia said.

"We doth not wantest thou to goest through any, extra preparations in our honor," Luna's musical voice lilted.

"Well, then," Sombra said. Scratch the punishment, "shall we begin our luncheon? I have a soup prepared from the freshest batch of Crystal berries." He said while clapping his hooves twice. Servants rolled in three trays of a purple liquid in bowls, them levitated them over to their intended recipients. Celestia smelled the soup, a warm smile crossing her face.

"This smells lovely, King Sombra. Thank you," Celestia said.

Luna sniffed at it, then levitated a spoon over, then took a sip and recoiled. "It's cold!"

"It's supposed to be cold, it's gazpacho!" Celestia snapped. "Now have your soup and enjoy it!" Celestia then looked up at Sombra, who was enjoying his soup, "Sorry, King Sombra. We've never had gazpacho before-"

"Not a problem, Princess. Perhaps your sister would like something warm?"

"Nonsense, we couldn't impose-"

"We would like a veggie burger!" Luna demanded.

"Sister, you're being rude-"

"Nonsense, Princesses," Sombra cut them off, "I'd be more than happy to accomodate such a lovely creature," he said while clapping his hooves. A servant quickly walked up. "Get the vision in blue a veggie burger." The servant nodded and walked away. He quickly returned with Luna's veggie burger, which she hungrily telekinetically snatched up and took a bite out of it.

"Thank you, King Sombra," Luna said between bites, "at least somepony knows how to treat a lady."

Celestia sighed frustratedly as her and Sombra finished their soup, while Luna happily munched on her burger. Celestia put her spoon down and wiped her muzzle down with the provided napkin. "Well, that was delightful, King Sombra." Celestia said, "but I heard that you were a master chef..."

"Hardly," Sombra interjected, "most likely apprentice, Jouneyman if you want to push it..."

"Nonsense," Celestia replied, "your father, King Geriza, often spoke highly of your culinary prowess. In fact, he assured me that were you not destined to rule the kingdom, your home would be in one of the finest restaurants in the Crystal Empire. And on that note..." Celestia pulled a banana bunch out of one her saddlebags,"he confided in me that you've always wanted to make bananas flambé. So...would you do us the honors, King Sombra?"

"Oh, is this the show you promised us!?" Luna said estatically.

Sombra's eyes widened. Finally, a chance to show where my true talents lie, he thought as he clapped twice. A servant came to him. "Servant, bring me a cast-iron pot, an orange, a knife, a glass of orange liquer, some butter, a pinch of salt, some brown sugar, a vanilla bean, and a bottle of rum." The servant nodded and left.

They waited for a few minutes as the servant came back with the desired ingredients. Sombra smiled and nodded him away. Sombra then stood up by the tray, levitated the pan, and lit a magical fire below it.

"You know," Sombra intoned as he chopped up three bananas, and threw them in with the sugar, the butter, the liquer and the bean,"my father once explained to me that ruling a kingdom is much like cooking a meal," he said as he skinned the orange and squeezed out the juices, leaving the peel hanging in a single strip with his magic as he sauteéd the mixture.

"How so, King Sombra?" Celestia asked.

"Well," Sombra continued, "think of the subjects as ingredients. Each having its own place," he said as he sifted the bananas into the caramelizing sugar,"all the way from the doctors and lawyers all the way down to the lowly street-sweeper. They provide according to their means," he continued as he dripped the rum down the orange peel,"and we provide for them, creating a harmonious society!" he finished as his horn glowed black, his eyes taking on a flash of green, leaking black as he zapped the top of the orange peel as black fire crawled down around it, flambéing the bananas, which he drowned out with the caramelized sauce.
Luna looked positively amazed at the display."That was a most marvelous show, King Sombra!"

"Charmed..."

"Well, it was good..." Celestia mused, "but will it be safe to eat?"

"What do you mean, Princess?"

"The dark magic..."

"Oh!" Sombra exclaimed, "from what I understand, the dark magic boils off in the pot. That's how it was explained to me by my father..."

"Well, then," Celestia said, "let's eat!"

Sombra smiled as he served each of them a third of the dish. They lifted their forks and ripped off a bite, and tasted it. Luna's eyes shot up as she began to wolf down the dessert. Celestia rolled her bite around her mouth, then swallowed. "Well, King Sombra, in my professional opinion, that was the best bananas flambé I've ever had the pleasure of tasting," she said as she took another bite.
Sombra choked on his bite.

"Something the matter, King Sombra?"

"Oh, nothing. Just caught a bit of sugar in my throat," Sombra lied. Best bananas flambé? This, coming from the sun princess herself! Not to mention an avid lover of bananas herself, Sombra thought."I see that you appear to like them, Luna." Sombra said as Luna looked up from her almost empty plate, nodded, and then finished her plate.

Sombra and Celestia ate theirs with the reserve expected of leaders of their stature, finishing a few minutes after Luna had. Sombra clapped twice, and the servants whisked away their plates, along with the tray that had been used for the bananas.

"Well, then, on to business..." Sombra said.

Author's Notes:

"Geriza" is the Basque word for shadow.

And yes, that is how you make Bananas Flambe. At least in Mexico.