Total darkness, he never liked. Always terrified him, which ironically battles his origins.
It has been two days since Pinkamena furiously threw him inside his room, locked from the rest of the world. Adding to his injuries, his stomach didn't stop making noises from hunger, and his whole body was still hurt from her thrashing.

He could barely move, and from his attempt to move, he could tell he had some broken bones, let alone using his magic to heal himself. She was smart during the night before the beating, and this time, disabling his body to not move and glue strongly the magic ring on his horn so he couldn't take It off. Physically and magically disabled, all he could do was mumble his pains from moving in the dark, touching the walls, roll on his mattress trying to find a comfortable way to sleep, which was rare for obvious reasons.

The hunger and injuries were driving him crazy, and to had more, Pinkamena occasionally would bang strongly on the door during the night, making him panic while trying to sleep, showing off her cruelty.

*What have I done to deserve this... why... why..?* - Mane thought.

"You simply ruined a psychopath's work..."

He raised his head, making his neck and spine hurt a lot, and even in the dark, he painfully looked around trying to hear where the voice was coming from.

"Come on... don't you recognize my voice?" - Somepony mocked. - "Did your sanity got so low that you don't even recognize me?"

He stopped to think, fighting against the headaches of sleep deprivation, but he managed to recognize:
"S-Sombra..?"

"Ugh! Finally!" - The ghost revealed his green and red eyes, along with familiar the purple flames. - "Ahhh... darkness... home sweet home..."

"P-please... help me..." - Mane begged.

"Mane, Mane... I thought we discussed the rules before... I can't help you directly in real life. I'm DEAD! And It's one of my down sides as your Guardian Demon..."

Mane stood silent, trembling from fear, pains and cold. Just listening to his supposed "guardian".

"Seems the change you made on her doesn't help when she gets mad, uh?"

"I-It seems... I'm so c-cold..."

"Well, knowing you, you don't mind the cold temperatures, but that yesterday on the river was beyond your limits. And wow! What a trip down, am I right?!"

Mane begged him to stop, but he didn't listen.

"Also, the fact you're cold, It's because I can see the amount of blood you just lost... don't worry, your bone marrows... from what is left of them... they can still produce more of your blood type."

"S-Sombra please... shut up..."

"Alright I will..." - And the ghost assumed a more serious voice - "Tell me Mane... did you expect her to forgive you?"

"What d-do you think-k... of course no-not..." - Mane answered somewhat angry.

"I guess this is what would happen to me, if Celestia had more pity on me..."

"I-I'll ask you the s-same... did you expect-t her to-" - He got interrupted, starting to cough and he could feel the metallic flavor from his blood. - "...did you expect her... to f-forgive you, after what y-you have done..?"

"You know Mane... after all these year in Tirek's Hell, I've managed to feel what I've done to all those in the Crystal Empire. And I somewhat learned my lesson." - Said Sombra in a sad tone.

In the short silence, Mane started to hear Pinkamena walking around the hall, and suddenly stopped.
Mane remained silent, as well Sombra even if she couldn't hear him. And from surprise, she loudly banged the door three times, stronger than the other nights, making the injured stallion flinch on the mattress resulting in some slight pains on his back. Then, she walked away mumbling something.
The ghost of King Sombra didn't move, and looked at Mane in the dark, and he was crying from fear of her, expecting one day she would bash the door down with an axe to finish him down just to get It over with.

-Hey... um..." - Even if he was the demon ghost from the past, he tried to find some words that could comfort him from his situation.

"Wha-what..?" - Mane whispered, looking at the direction of his voice.

"She's beautiful." - He tried.

"I don't k-know how such beauty can b-be this cruel..."

"You know... someponies can hide many things that others wouldn't expect from them. But seems she never hid them."

"It looks so... except on the gala..."

"We Five saw her all the time, she did a really good job... And this reminds me... YOU! You almost got in bed with Princess Luna!"

"Al-almost..."

"Needless to say, you two had a very happy past when you were younger."

"She was like the mother I n-never had..."

"Hey Mane... despise your situation, but I hope this helps. Your mother was just beautiful... just like Luna and Pinkamena."

"R-Really..?"

"Really..."

The words from his death familiar made him cry, not from sadness, but for the rare occasion, of happiness. He never got to meet his parents, being his uncle who took the parental role. His tears touched some bruises on his face, making them hurt but he didn't mind.

"Sorry I can't do anything..." - Sombra apologized.

"It's o-okay... It seems my time arrived..."

"Last thing you can't lose is hope."

"Well, I-I lost mine last night..."

"Then you're pretty much death."

"I just wish It-t could be f-faster."

"I guess... I would be passing the same if I was on Canterlot's catacombs. But instead, Celestia executed me right there on my own palace. With the holy Solar Flare at everyponies eyes."

"I remember I-It... as if It was y-yesterday..."

"I'm sorry again you had to watch It. You could have just turned your eyes away..."

"You know how suspense situations a-are..."

"Just like the battle I had with them..." - Sombra looked around the small room, he could see in the dark except Mane, who could have done his night vision spell, but the ring was glued firmly to his horn. - "Mane, I must go now... I'm sorry..."

"Just go then... m-maybe in some days, or hours... we will be together again..."

"Bye, just don't lose your hope..." - And with this last words, Sombra vanished.

He was alone again, in the hated dark. Pinkamena passed by the door, without doing nothing. He meditated on his hurt head the last words from Sombra. He curled on his mattress, making several parts of his body hurt, finally getting a position It wouldn't hurt anywhere.
He was right, he couldn't lose his hope. He didn't come that far to die there, but in his situation, all he could do was wait for a miracle, or the creepy mare to forgive him.

Waiting was the key. But time passes way slower when you are hungry, and his stomach returned with the noises.
Mane Shaker slowly turns his head and opening his mouth, he tries to bite the mattress. No use, his skull was too hurt, plus the taste of cloth was not the most pleasing even if starving.
He gave up on the attempt and rested his head back on the pillow.

"P-Pinka..?" - He called.

No answer. All he could do was wait...