//------------------------------//
// Chapter 35: Sometimes Silent, Sometimes Screaming 
// Story: Favorable Alignment 
// by Ice Star 
//------------------------------//


Cadance:


"I'm sorry, Twilight," I whispered to the silent room, empty except for me. Behind the muted dull pink metal that made up the walls of Pink Sunset, there was no response except for the occasional click of 'whirlygigs'. Shiny had tried to teach me some of the proper names when we were first assigned to be on this ship. I had been too nervous to listen - well, I was nervous at the whole 'end of the world' deal with the growing sense of impending doom. But being on an airship? That was exciting.

Two days ago it was Hearth's Warming and I was so happy to finally see Auntie Luna and Uncle Sombra together and well... even if he wouldn't talk to me beyond give me a half-second of a glare. 

I run a forehoof along the edge of the table. It's the dullest silver-brown imaginable, but it compliments the relaxing pink walls nicely. The cup of tea I had been drinking seconds before sat on the surface. I tried not to count the ripples on the surface, waiting until it settled and all traces of the teacup having trembled in my magic's grip before I had set it down were gone. I thought it would be simple to have Luna and Sombra spend time with Shiny and I for a while, then Twilight and Rarity would be able to come over later and we'd compare our information and Shining and I would just have to pretend we hadn't seen Sombra and Luna until we were back in the Crystal Empire...

I thought we would be able to go home.

It wasn't Twilight's fault. Luna and Sombra stayed later than expected. Shiny and I shouldn't have offered to walk them down to the docks; it drew too much attention.

Of course Twilight recognized Sombra's voice. How could she ever forget it? How could I ever forget how Twilight looked when she saw me talking with Auntie Luna, her voice far too distinct for any disguise to work whenever she sounded so happy chatting with Sombra and me? Or Shiny's face when he saw how hurt Twily looked?

I chose to run. There would be no time for them to escape on their own ship and there was no way dutiful Twilight would let them get away or let anypony explain what happened and why she saw me talking to a fugitive...

...a mare she thought of as a sister, who would be a fugitive herself once she ran.

I couldn't make Shiny chose. If I had to, I would take Luna and Sombra to the end of the world all by myself. I know I told Shiny that Auntie Celestia, as dear as she was to me, might not be the right one here, at least on this matter. That left only Sombra and Luna doing something, I had to help them. I believe that all decisions should result in action. Something had to happen!

And Shiny did chose... somepony had to fly Pink Sunset and neither of us were sure if Sombra and Luna could. He really shouldn't have... but he did and I still couldn't shake that day's events.

"Some Hearth's Warming reunion," I mumble to myself, reaching a forehoof to twirl one of my mane's long curls... only to remember that they weren't there anymore when my hoof brushed the empty air.

I reached higher to try and snatch at the edge of my new manecut, as accidental as the events leading up to its creation were. I cringed at the recent memory of one of Twilight's beam spells was hastily deflected by a swift reaction from Sombra. The smell of smoke and my burning mane followed... and how I had stared at two-thirds of the mane I had been growing out for years lying scorched on the ground...

Choking back a sob, I tried to tease the edge of my mane a bit. It really wasn't the same. I took another sip of tea and swallowed it despite the drink still being hot.

What am I going to do now? What could Auntie Celestia possibly think after what happened back there?

When I don't get an answer from the empty room, I bury my face in my forehooves and just try to breathe. 

"Morning tea was supposed to be relaxing."

"I'm sure it was," deadpans a familiar voice. I jerk my head up at the unmistakable grumpy baritone that could only belong to one stallion... who is now sitting across from and drinking coffee in the most eerily judgemental way.

"How-"

He gives me a humorless stare. "You're not the most observant when you're busy throwing yourself pity parties."

"I see... Hi, Sombra?" I offered weakly.

He narrowed his eyes slightly. "Hello yourself."

"So..." I try to keep his hold his gaze as calmly as possible, but decide against it. "How's your morning? You don't seem like an early bird."

"I'm not." 

Yeesh, can his tone get any flatter?

"May I ask why you're up so early then?"

Sombra's expression doesn't falter. "You just did."

"Yeah, um, right. Gothca."

"This small talk isn't working and you know it."

I gulp and Sombra takes a swig of coffee. I'm pretty sure that with the steam still coming from the mug it's still piping hot - and he's drinking it like a tired jogger drinks cold water.

"Did you finally find something as bitter as you are?" Please, please take it as joke.

"It's not bitter enough," Sombra muses dryly.

"Sombra, that coffee is as black as Tirek's heart. It's about as bitter as coffee can be."

He shrugs and puts the mug down. For a few seconds all that either of us can hear is the soft clink of machinery, and I sneak a few quick looks around the quiet sitting room I'd picked to enjoy my morning tea in. There's no windows and only one door, which Sombra is closer to.

"I'm sorry, Sombra."

Part of me wishes he'd look away, just for a moment, so his gaze would be a little less intense.

"You said you had something for me?"

I bow my head and take a deep breath. "I got you pizzas when Auntie Celestia told me I was going to be tracking you, but whoever last enchanted the particular icebox I  stashed them in... didn't do a good job and they didn't keep."

"You're a disappointment."

For all I know, he actually means it now that he's mad at me.

"You and Luna certainly seem to be getting along."

"You're horrible at this."

I watch Sombra sip his coffee, and for a moment I'm able to let out the breath I had been holding when he looks away in order to devote more attention to his drink.

"Sombra, are you going to start?" I ask as cautiously as possible.

"Do you even understand why I'm angry with you?"

Inch by inch, I push my teacup over to me, trying to ignore Sombra's eyes as they follow the movements.

"I think so," I whisper, my hoof missing one tiny strike in moving the teacup along when I flinch at his reaction to my passive response: a menacing growl.

"Well then, that must be the most thinking you've done on this entire trip!"

The relaxing pink walls won't help me now so I try to make do with staring at the boring table and my forehooves. "I'm sorry."

"I don't care if you're sorry! It doesn't change the fact that you've been over stepping the boundaries only an idiot child would try to cross! You should have known better than to even think about disclosing any kind of information about me without my permission!"

"Luna was so upset, Sombra. I had to do something and Shining Armor is my-"

I felt the sharp pull of Sombra's magic jerk my head up from the nice view of the table I had. I managed a painful swallow before I tried to remain still under his stare.

"I. Don't. Care."

"But-"

"BE QUIET!"

Instantly, I was. I've played this game before with him - or a much younger copy of him - and if I was quiet and heard him out. I should be able to slip away and get Auntie Luna. She might be able to snap him out of this state.

"I put my trust in you every time I told you something about myself, that you would keep all information about me beyond a small hoofful of my present deeds confidential. Were you to do this, I would be able to have faith in you and would allow you to get away with certain things like joking with me and allowing you to call me your uncle. I see I put far too much faith in your ability to exercise social intelligence and know when not to speak."

Under his spell, it had become difficult to breathe correctly. I'm not sure if his grip on my throat was intentional, but it hurt and I needed air. He was likely too angry to know what he was doing, but I managed to light my own horn with a counterspell to release his aura and replace it with my own - unless, Elysium forbid, he decided to re-cast the spell.

I felt my own breath coming in coughs and gasps and buried my head in my forehooves and the table's cool surface so Sombra wouldn't see me cry and I didn't have to see his creepy, unnatural red eyes. Outside of my temporary shelter, I wasn't sure how Sombra was behaving. Was he furious with my behavior? I could still feel him sitting across from me and shivered at the thought. Except for the sound of my coughs and sniffles, everything sounded quiet until I heard the sound of somepony - obviously Sombra - clearing his throat and I nearly fell over when I felt something nudge me, so I stretched my wings over me like a shield.

"Will you look at me?"

What should I do? If I directly defy him, he might try to hurt me on pur-

Wait... would he really? If Sombra's temper gets worse, I could always go get Shiny or Luna. This isn't like when I was in the castle with just Seventeen and Opal Charm, there's ponies to help me.

Something pokes my foreleg again and even though Sombra's suddenly softer tone could be a trick - I had never heard him speak like that before, so it could spell trouble - I lift my head and plan to just look at the metallic surface of the table but...

...Sombra has a tissue box waiting for me. I had been feeling the corner of the box poking me.

Gingerly, I levitate one in my direction and begin to mop up the mess my light application of mascara had become, but I refused to look at Sombra. Something caught his attention or prompted him to move and I froze up when I caught him moving from the short bench where he had been sitting to the one I was occupying. I fiddled with the tissue in my magic's grasp until he suddenly took it away and I watched it meet a fiery fate, its ashes falling into a pile near my now-cold tea. Sombra offered me the box again and I accepted a tissue free of wrinkles and make up stains from him, using it like a cheap little blindfold to further avoid his gaze.

"I didn't mean to scare you like that."

He takes my lack of a response to mean I'm letting his words sink in and moves closer to me, so I can feel his cloak brush my coat. Slowly, I fold my wings properly and fix my posture.

"Really?" I croak, scared by how wounded my own voice sounds.

"Yes, really. It's very irritating when ponies won't look at me directly, especially somepony I like."

Instead of using my post-sob frog voice, I nod once. My head feels so much lighter without my mane and the gesture is less coordinated than I anticipated. Sombra's forehoof wraps around my withers and steadies me, since I'm shaking - mostly out of surprise, this is such a nice gesture for him and so unexpected I'm wondering if he's going to laugh and pull away, telling me it was a joke all along.

I don't think I've heard Sombra laugh before. Maybe he can't laugh. Either way, I'm sitting here awkwardly rubbing a slight bruise and occasionally coughing into a tissue while Sombra does... this. Is there a word specifically made for this kind of scenario? The ones where your crazy demon uncle shows something other than sass?

Before I can get a response, Sombra lights his horn and uses his free hoof to push away the mane on my right side to look at my throat, where the bruise is.

"I didn't intend to hurt you, Mac. I'll understand if chose to be on less than friendly terms with me after this, but would you at least let me heal that?"

I watch him gesture to the bruise and immediately think of how Seventeen tried to drive a harder bargain that had lead to the first real falling out Sombra and I had. Why had Sombra's copy of himself who barely even tolerated the space I occupied even tried to make that offer when I'm pretty sure the magical connection between Sombra and Seventeen was just enough to keep the latter from killing me on sight?

"It's because I care about you."

"S-Sombra? How did you-"

"Intuition and not much more. I can't read minds, you know."

Swallowing the remainder of the lump in my throat, I start to speak to him. "But why? Did you command the Cloning Spell-"

"Replicating Spell."

"Fine, the Replicating Spell. Did you command it not to hurt me or something?"

"To the best of my ability, I made sure it wouldn't kill you or injure you severely, mostly so you could accomplish whatever task you had at hoof."

"And the other reason...?"

"I already told you: whether you like it or not, I care about you. The empathy I extend to you isn't unlimited, and I'm well aware that you and I both know that I'm a manipulative ass from time to time, but that doesn't change the fact that I want to see you grow as an individual or will try to assist you by ensuring that you can access my creations. You're not somepony I like to see hurt or whose company I despise and even if you are a naive candy golem with sugar where a brain could be, I still like to keep you around. Now, will you let me heal you?"

My head swam with his words. "Yeah... go ahead. It's still strange to think that only a while ago I would have never believed any of this could happen."

"Any of what?" Sombra says softly, the crimson glow of his horn dimming once he's done. When he looks at me now, he looks calmer and I can't see any hatred or signs of his anger in his gaze.

"That you would be... well, you. A smart, honest, and crazy pony who would have a lot to teach me and would become my friend. If I could go tell my past self all about this, she'd never trust a word I would say and start talking about how cruel you are."

"Do you think I'm cruel?"

"I think you have a lot of emotional trauma."

"That's actually one of the nicest things anypony has said about me."

"Umm..."

"Don't think about it too hard. Are you feeling any better?"

"Yes, and-" 

"Alright, Mac. I'll be going now since I can't imagine you want to talk to me."

Upon finishing, he sits up and proves he is serious by starting to walk toward the door, but before he could get too far, I had the nerve to reach out and grab him. I really only meant to grab his cloak, but instead I ended up grabbing Sombra himself and pulling him back into his seat, so he was once again sitting right next to me and looking very disgusted at the fact that I had touched him.

"Sorry... it's just that I wanted to talk to you some more."

His left eye twitched, and he looked at me like I had just told him that I thought country music was an appropriate genre for jogs. Or life. 

"Are you sure about that?"

"Absolutely! Please sit and talk with me."

"Talk with you about what?"

"Fine, if you're going to be that way then just reply when I ask you something."

"Whatever."

"I really had only intended to help you when I shared your letters with Luna and told Shiny about where you came from. He's not going to blame you for anything about what happened before the Empire returned, but he's certainly going to be less accepting of what happened with Twilight-"

"She had it coming."

"This right here is the only thing he's going to be less than pleased with. That and maybe I'm pretty sure you're an anarchist who is a menace to society."

"I completely agree with the last part, though I will neither confirm nor deny the first."

Though the the beverage is far from warm, I levitate the mug of coffee Sombra had been drinking from the table and take a long sip. His glare tells me that he allowed this to happen solely because I was upset and that my wings aren't as attached to me as I would like to think.

"I'll be lenient with the letter sharing with Luna, but don't you think you could have crossed more out or something? I just..."

"Wanted to tell her some of the things you wrote to Luna yourself?"

"Yes. She's stubborn enough that she might have removed any obvious alterations, such as lines that had been crossed out, but I would have appreciated it if you had done so anyway."

"Okay, Sombra. I understand that much but... can you forgive me?"

"Can you understand that I'm not one for any kind of information about me being revealed like that? I'm not one who ever wanted to be remembered by anypony... Luna being the only obvious exception. You weren't exactly a surprise - not in the slightest - but making an alliance with you was something I planned for. I just predicted it to be more along the lines of a temporary pact."

"I'm glad we didn't part back at Canterlot after our first adventure."

"I agree. Your company is certainly some kind of entertainment for me, and I really do appreciate some of the things you've done for me... but do you understand that I never wanted to be doing any self-disclosure with anypony other than Luna? When I thought you were ready to hear about where I came from - a relatively unplanned move on my part - you weren't. It was a test, and you didn't exactly pass with flying colors."

Gods, even regular black coffee isn't supposed to be this bitter! What does he do to it?

I put the mug down and forced a swallow. "How has it been going with Luna, if I may ask?"

Sombra blinks. "It's... really something."

"C'mon, I know you can say more than that!"

"I've never been able to talk to anypony like I talk to her."

"Wow... That's certainly great to hear! The both of you have been very subdued, but I can feel that you two really care about one another."

"That's a certainly a mild way of putting it," Sombra mutters, poking my discarded tea cup with his hoof.

"Are things alright now?"

Sombra's ears prick up and he decides to meet my gaze, though he looks bored. "Between us?"

"No more kerfluffles?"

"The crystal ponies have certainly gotten to you, now haven't they?"

"I'm sorry."

He shakes his head in mock disapproval. "I'm too late, aren't I?"

"You betcha!" I glance at the clock hanging on the wall, hands moving in silence. "Hey, Uncle Sombra, do you want anything to eat? I know you're not a big eater but I promised Shiny I was going to make dinner today."

"I'm not hungry but-"

"Do you know if Auntie Luna would be hungry?"

"Do you want me to go and ask her?"

"No, I want you to help me make a proper dinner! Yesterday, Luna told me you can cook-"

"I only make things for Luna."

"Alright, then go ask her. If she says yes, meet me in the ship's kitchen. You know where it is, don't you?"

"I'm aware of its location and I suppose that this one time could be an exception..."

"Good, then go!"



...



Sombra poured the thawed contents of the bag of frozen vegetables into the pot of boiling water with as much enthusiasm as the average goldfish shows for arguments on the nature of life. I look up from the instructions printed on a discarded package. I hadn't really been reading them since I knew how to cook vegetables - there wasn't any way that my mother would have let be enter school as a filly without being able to come up with eight uses for olive oil in one minute. I wasn't sure how Sombra knew how to cook.

"Uncle Sombra?"

"Yes?"

"No 'Yes, Best Niece'?"

"Quit pushing it and just ask your question, Adequate Niece."

I giggle and set the empty packaging down. "How did you learn to cook?"

"Chemistry."

"You're kidding?"

He doesn't look up. "No, I'm not. I figured that cooking couldn't be that different. One day I bothered to do more than simply boil, thaw, or heat something for me to eat. Plus, I'm good at making poisons, so I can't see why I couldn't make something that wouldn't kill me."

His blunt tone has become a little less surprising as I've gotten to know him, but I still find it funny how he'll deliver some statements without anything to soften they way he speaks.

"I don't suppose that there's any spooky demon magic behind your cooking ability?"

The next bag of vegetables that he tore fell to the floor, the contents spilling out and rolling across the metallic surface while Sombra's widened eyes stared straight at something only he could see.

"Don't ever say that to me again."

Biting my lip, I lift a few frozen peas off the ground. "Are you alright...?"

"It's not right when you say it," Sombra mumbles, looking away.

"Sorry, Uncle Sombra. I just thought that-"

"Only she's allowed to say it."

He storms out of the kitchen still mumbling something about demon racism while I keep levitating the assortment of vegetables from the floor. I may never hear or see much of those two being particularly affectionate, but Sombra letting Luna do that? It says a lot about how much she means to him and with them sharing a bond like that, all of us might be able to pull through this.



...



Everypony - Sombra excepted - stared at the large meal laid out on the long table of the Pink Sunset's dining hall. Light from the evening sky dimmed as Luna finished raising the moon from inside the ship, her eyes clearly locked on a nearby plate of corn bread. When she was done, she slid into the seat next to Sombra, who was busy levitating crumbs and tidbits from different plates into the floating bubble of his pet fish to see what it would eat and ignore.

The two chairs at either end of their side of the table sat empty, and this was mirrored on the side Shiny and I occupied too. Once Luna sat down, everypony started eating. I hummed a little, spooning some tomato soup from the ship's pantry into a smaller bowl, sprinkling a little bit of cheese over it, just how I like it. While I was blowing softly to cool it down while watching Sombra debating whether to dump a spoonful of mashed potatoes into coffee - which appeared to be the only thing he wanted to try.

After Shining Armor watched Sombra decide that this was a good idea and of course nothing could go wrong, he gave me an apologetic smile and swiped a few pieces of corn bread before getting up and heading out the door and returning to the pilot's part of the gondola. I nodded in understanding and watched Auntie Luna gingerly relieve a large bowl of some of its salad.

"Auntie Luna said that you were a vegan in her letters, is that true?"

Sombra looked up at me briefly, but I didn't see much interest in his expression. "Do you have a problem with that?"

"No, it's just that I recall Twilight mentioning that you ate a slice of apple pie. Regular apple pie."

"I did, once. There wasn't anything else for me to eat. It was disgusting and far too crumbly." He focuses on something outside as if to signal the conversation was over.

Most ponies - myself included - might be made a little uncomfortable by a lack of conversation at a family meal like this. I would have expected two ponies who care about each other so much to say something.

And then I remembered that these two are antisocial weirdos.

They are likely drawn together because they are antisocial weirdos.

I don't even bother to sigh or attempt to find out if one of them will answer any questions about what happened between the letters I wrote to them. There isn't much of a point in trying to converse when I swear the quick glances that these two give one another between sips of coffee and bites to eat is some kind of language only they know.

So I just sit and watch them, sipping soup and trying to pin down some exact meaning behind their movements. It's awfully boring but I can't manage to think of anything else. I haven't seen these two in almost a year, and here they are, almost non-verbal. Neither of them shows much interest in acknowledging my presence either and they carried on with their quirky little routine until Luna had cleared a third of the table and finally excuses herself with a nod and says a quick 'thank you' to me.

Sombra watches her slip away, eyes communicating something only she knew the answer to. It isn't long before he finishes the rest of his coffee and rises from his seat without a word.

I'm left staring at half a bowl of cold soup and wondering what they said.