//------------------------------// // Sombra // Story: A Bright Little Shadow // by Princess OtakuGeek //------------------------------// Today was the big day. The day Cranky and Matilda got married and everypony was excited and getting ready for the big day. Even from his place on the outskirts of town, Thorax could taste the excitement and love in the air. It had been a while since he'd last entered a pony settlement and after the fiasco at the wedding, he was more than a little nervous. But he was willing to try for the sake of his little buddy. Or at least he hoped he was his little buddy. He already figured that Sombra had been rescued by the ponies while he was gone, but he'd feel a little bit better if he could see that he was okay. Plus he wanted to know if the colt saw him as a friend. He really hoped he did cause that meant Thorax had made his first friend. If he didn't, well then what did that say about his chances to make friends if a colt who wasn't afraid of changelings didn't like him? A nudge at his leg knocked him from his self-deprecating thoughts and he looked down at Dinah. The manticore cub had grown a little since he'd found her and Thorax smiled as she rubbed up against him and nudged his leg with her head. At least if things didn't pan out, he still had Dinah. "Thanks, girl." He said as he stroked her soft fur. "I really needed that." Confidence restored, Thorax sucked in a breath and transformed into a light blue pegasus stallion with a darker blue and cream mane. After checking to make sure his disguise was in place and ensuring that Dinah would stay put, Thorax strolled into town as casually as a nervous changeling could manage. "Hey Sombra, is that gift ready yet?" Spike called out as he approached the colt's bedroom. After receiving their invitation, Sombra had volunteered to put together a gift on the behalf of the Sparkle household. Twilight agreed and since then the colt had been working hard, even locking himself in his room for long stretches at a time. He wasn't quite at Twilight's level of 'dedication' but he seemed to be competing for it. At this point, both Spike and Twilight were curious at what Sombra had put together as he hadn't consulted either except to ask for books. Twilight had already left to gather her friends to respond to reports of a Bugbear, so it was just Spike and Sombra in the castle. Returning to the present, there was a moment of silence before Sombra finally answered Spike's question. "Almost!" By this point, Spike was in front of his door and knocked. "Mind if I come in and see?" He asked. There was another beat of silence before the dragon got his reply. "Kind of." He said slowly. "Like I said, it's not quite finished yet and I don't want you to see it until it's done." Spike took in that sentence before letting out a sigh. "Sombra, I'm your brother. I'm not going to judge you based on what I see." He said and hoped he soothed the colt's insecurities. Finally, there was a small sigh. "Okay, you can come in," Sombra said softly, yet still loud enough that Spike could hear. Having received permission, Spike entered the room. Since he'd moved into his room, Sombra had made the room feel lived in, giving the room a unique 'Sombra' feel. On one shelf Spike could see the Idol of Boreas, cleaned, polished and shining brightly in the sun where it stood. Sombra sat in the middle of the floor surrounded by his ferrets, one of whom had a screwdriver in her mouth. Also surrounding the colt were little gears, springs and other such bits and pieces and right in front of him was what looked like a golden egg on a base. Spike turned his attention to the egg in front of the colt, recognizing that this was likely the wedding gift he'd worked so hard on. It was a pretty simple egg almost half the size of a watermelon. There were simple designs etched on the egg and the base which was equally simple with four legs supporting the egg. At first glance, Spike assumed that it was some sort of decoration, but then he saw the handle on the base that could be cranked with a hoof. "So what does it do?" Spike asked and Sombra brightened up a bit. He didn't say anything, just cranked the handle in question until he couldn't and let it go. First the music started and after a few notes, the egg split into four and Spike gasped in amazement at what he saw inside. Two birds made of gold with outstretched wings and interlocking talons twirled around and dipped slowly to the music that played. The detail on the inside of the device was almost astounding, especially on the bird's wings. Spike could practically see every individual feather. As the song came to an end, the egg closed and Spike was left stunned for a moment. "That was...amazing!" He exclaimed once he was able to speak. "Did you make that all by yourself?" Sombra smiled and nodded slightly. "I had a little help from a few ponies like Doctor Whooves, Octavia, and Vinyl but otherwise yes. I did put it together myself." He said with a hint of pride at his accomplishment. Spike's jaw dropped. "How?!" Was all he could say. "I read a lot on the subject and got some pointers from Doctor Whooves. He even let me borrow his tools." Sombra said with a bashful shrug. "I even took my own music book apart to see how it worked. But I put it back together with one small improvement. It's not much, just plays a couple minutes longer than it used to. Even then I was sort of guessing and making it up as I went." Spike was once again floored. "You made this all by yourself with some guesswork?" He marveled as he carefully handled the music box. Sombra nodded. "Yeah, but it's not done yet." He said and Spike's eyes almost bulged out of his head. "Not done yet, what more could you possibly need to do?!" He exclaimed. "It's perfect the way it is!" In response, Sombra pulled out a paper that seemed to serve as his blueprint for the device. "Look here," he said as he pointed at a certain point in the drawing. "The wings are supposed to move while the birds dance. I'm just missing a couple of pieces and it'll be done." Sombra paused for a beat studying his blueprint before turning to Spike. "How pressed for time are we?" "We really should be getting ready if we want to make it on time," Spike answered and Sombra hummed in thought before gathering up the music egg, tools and a few bits of machinery and putting them in his saddlebags. "Alright then, here's the plan." He said as he secured the saddlebags on his back. "We're going to go to the clock shop to pick up the cogs I need and install them there before heading to the town hall. You'll have to bring the box and wrappings." Spike saluted. "Yes, sir!" He said then cracking a grin when Sombra smiled. "Well, let's get going then." After gathering the packaging, the duo left the castle leaving just Owlowicious, Onyx, Tiger's Eye, Smokey Quartz and Moonstone alone in the castle. Looking at each other they silently asked each other 'what now'? The Doctor looked up when the bell over his door rang, indicating that somepony had entered his shop, and smiled when he saw who had trotted in. "Sombra my boy, good to see you again." He said with a grin as the colt approached the counter. Ponykind was quite fascinating and very different from humans. They treasured friendship and other such bonds between each other above all else and were always creating. True there were some bad ponies just as there are always bad humans but otherwise, it was very refreshing to live in a relatively calm and peaceful world. He'd even started a family again. As his thoughts started to drift to his wife and children, a slight thud on the counter drew him back to present and he looked down at the golden egg that had been dropped rather gently onto the counter. "No time Mr. Whooves, I need a couple of cogs to finish this in time for the wedding!" He blurted out in a rapid-fire manner and the Doctor blinked. "So this is your gift for Cranky and Matilda eh?" He asked and Sombra blinked. The stallion took a moment to examine the device before him and hummed appreciatively. "Its mechanics look rather impressive, would you mind if I saw what it does?" "Yes," Sombra said with a nod. "We're pressed for time as it is and it's not done yet. That's why I'm here in the first place." "Very well." The Doctor conceded, he could always scan it with his screwdriver later. "Why don't you come into my back room and get you fixed up and sent on your way." Sombra smiled. "Thank you so much, Mr. Whooves." He said in relief as he led them to his back room. "Please, call me Doctor." He said before following the colt and dragon. Thorax trotted around nervously as ponies bustled about busily and tried, rather unsuccessfully, to ask somepony where Sombra was. Unfortunately, everypony was a little too busy to pay him any mind and Thorax wasn't brave enough to raise his voice and call attention to himself. "Um...hey I'm kinda looking for somepony." He called as a grey pegasus with a blonde mane approached at a fast pace. "Can't help." The pegasus answered. "Need to get flowers for the wedding." "Maybe I could help." Thorax offered as he started to follow the first pony who'd talked to him. The pegasus looked to think about it before nodding. "Alright then. A second pair of hooves couldn't hurt." The mare agreed. "I'm Ditzy by the way. Ditzy Doo Whooves. Nice to meet you." "Oh, I'm uh...Forest Stream." Thorax said, coming up with a name on the fly. "Well nice to meet you, Stream." Ditzy greeted. "Now follow me, I have an idea." One would expect that Sombra, Spike, and the Doctor would've had to jump through several hoops to get the music egg finished, yet nothing of the sort happened. The Doctor had just what the two needed and in less than twenty minutes the parts were installed and all that was left to do was pack it in its box and wrap it. A task that was also accomplished fairly quickly. And so within the span of half an hour or so, Sombra and Spike were out the door and on their way to the wedding. After sending the two on their way, the Doctor flipped the sign around to closed and locked the doors so that he could begin his own preparations. Popping into his own personal laboratory to make sure everything was in order, the Doctor did a double take when he saw that his flameless fireworks were missing. The only clue to their whereabouts was a note taped to the container. Pulling it off, the Doctor began to read. Hey honey, I'm borrowing your flameless fireworks to use as flowers for the ceremony. I know that doesn't sound safe and it probably isn't, but this is an emergency and you know how badly I feel about mixing up the dates on the invitations. Don't worry, I'm taking all the necessary precautions that I can and praying to Faust and Bonnie that everything will be fine (some back up wouldn't hurt). Anyways, your suit is in the closet and make sure Dizzy and Dinky are ready as well. Love you and I'll see you at the ceremony! The Doctor took all that in for a moment then sucked in a breath. "Well alrighty then, sounds like another exciting day in Ponyville." He said with a fond sigh. Even if he wasn't traveling much anymore, life in Ponyville was an adventure that he enjoyed every day. "Better make sure I bring my screwdriver." "Um, are you certain that this is safe?" Thorax asked uneasily as he glanced down at the rainbow-colored 'roses' in his arms before glancing back at the blonde mare that was stacking them. "Of course I'm certain." Ditzy asserted as she grabbed another firework and finished the stack before moving on to the next. "My husband wouldn't create something that would purposefully harm anypony. You'll be just fine you big baby." "I'm sorry, it's just I hear 'flameless fireworks' and 'unsuccessfully tested' in the same sentence and my fight or flight instincts kick in," Thorax explained and Ditzy nodded. "It's an understandable reaction." She conceded as she finished the last stack. "But rest assured that I have taken every precaution I can to ensure that nopony will be hurt." Of course, she decided to not mention just what sort of precautions she'd taken as it was not normal for pegasi to be able to use magic. Thorax relaxed, partly because he was no longer holding an armful of explosives, and turned to Ditzy. "So, how can you help me out?" He asked and Ditzy nodded. "Sure, what do you need?" She asked. "I'm looking for somepony." He answered and Ditzy smiled. "Well, your in luck because you are talking to Ponyville's Number One mailmare." She said proudly with a puff of her chest. "Aside from Pinkie Pie, I'm the second pony who knows practically everypony. Now, who are looking for?" "A colt named Sombra," Thorax answered and was internally delighted to get a grin in response. "Sombra eh? I know him pretty well." Ditzy said with a nod. "He's been visiting my husband's shop a lot lately and been talking with him about mechanics and stuff like that. Anyways, he lives with Princess Twilight in that big castle you see in town." "Thank you so much for your help," Thorax said and dashed out of the building just barely catching Ditzy's reply. "Your welcome and thanks for your help!" She called out as his disappeared out the door. With the 'pegasus' gone, Ditsy turned to the 'flowers' they'd set up and smiled. 'What a nice changeling.' She thought to herself. Thorax pondered how he got in this situation. After finding out where Sombra lived, Thorax had paused a moment to get his bearings before making a dash for the castle in question. Unfortunately, he was only three blocks down the road before the universe deiced to foil his plans. It started with music that made Thorax pause to listen to figure out what was going on. He only had the chance to ponder why the music was getting louder before an apparently mobile DJ booth with multiple ponies riding on it rounded the corner. Before he could get out of the way, the booth barreled towards him and 'scooped' him up and the next thing he knew, they were barreling back the way he came. Then just as he was processing this, he found himself flying through the air towards town hall then crashing into a seat, dizzy and disoriented. By the time he regained his bearings, the door was locked and the ceremony was underway. Figuring that there was no escape, Thorax settled into his seat to enjoy the ceremony. It was midway through the Mayor's speech that he noticed that the fillies and colts were giving him more than a little space while they stared at him. Looking down at himself to see why they would have such a reaction, Thorax discovered that at some point his disguise had dropped, revealing himself in all his changeling glory. Mortified didn't even cover how he felt at this moment. Terrified for his life was more along the lines of how he was feeling but there was little he could do without drawing more attention to himself than he already had. At this moment, almost everyone else was focused entirely on the Mayor and the happy couple but if he tried to replace his disguise, then he'd draw their attention for sure and then it would be game over. So all he could do was sit in his seat as calmly as possible and wait for the perfect opportunity to replace his disguise. Or at the very least slip out a door or window and escape back into the Everfree to try again. He almost yelped when he felt a tap on his shoulder and whirled around to face ruby red eyes. Sombra smiled at him and settled into a seat beside him. "You came." He whispered. "I was kinda surprised to see you here, but you came. So how's Dinah? I've been a little worried about her and wondering if she was okay." "She's doing good," Thorax whispered back, relaxing a little and almost forgetting his situation. "Manticores are pretty resilient and you'd be hard-pressed to find anything that can do any real damage to them. Even the cubs are pretty sturdy." "That's good. So how about you?" Sombra asked. "How have you been?" "I've been pretty good," Thorax answered. "I actually came into town to see you an make sure you were okay. I figured that you'd been found and rescued, but I wanted to make sure." "I'm fine, promise," Sombra assured Thorax with a pat. "The Crusaders found me first but then we were chased by Timberwolves and then Twilight showed up. She incinerated the Timberwolves and a large strip of the forest to protect me." Thorax looked down at the colt's beaming face. "That's great kid. Sounds like she's a real mama bear sort of pony." "I know." Sombra agreed. "It's reassuring to know that she really does care even if she doesn't say it." It was at that moment that the newly married couple shared a kiss and an explosion made Thorax jump a little. As he looked up to watch the flameless fireworks exploding indoors, the changeling recognized this as the perfect opportunity and immediately replied his disguise and turned back to Sombra. "I should get going." He said. "I've left Dinah alone for most the day and I really should get back to her." A look of disappointment crossed Sombra's face when Thorax said that and he stopped the changeling's retreat with a question. "Will I ever see you again?" Thorax turned back to Sombra. "Do you want to see me again?" He asked and Sombra nodded. "You were really nice to me when I was lost in the forest and we are friends aren't we?" Sombra asked and Thorax felt his heart grow light with hope. "I-if you want me to." He said meekly, hoping that this wasn't a dream. Sombra smiled. "It want you to." He said and Thorax almost cried. "I'll warn you now, I might have to leave some time to find someplace else with more love." He said and Sombra nodded. "That's okay." He said. "If you need to go somewhere else to eat, I won't stop you. I'll miss you, but I won't stop you. Just remember to keep in touch and that I'll always be your friend." "Sure thing kid," Thorax said as he ruffled Sombra's mane. "Sure thing kid." "Boy am I glad that's over." Cranky grumble and he and Matilda settled down in their house. After the ceremony, there were a lot of congratulations from everypony and he was relieved that they finally had a moment to themselves. Matilda hummed in agreement. "I'll admit it was a little stressful at first, but it was well worth it and the reception was fun," Matilda said. "But it is nice to have some time to ourselves." "True, so what do you want to do?" He said with a slightly seductive purr. Matilda giggled. "Nothing naughty just yet." She admonished then gestured to the pile of wedding presents on the floor. "I just wanted to see what everypony got us." Cranky groaned. "Isn't it a bit late to be opening presents and preparing thank you cards?" He asked as he wrapped his arms around his wife and buried his muzzle in her neck. "Let's do that tomorrow and just spend some time with each other tonight." Matilda giggled at her husband's suggestion. "Fair enough, how about a compromise." She suggested and Cranky's ears perked up, indicating that he was listening. "We'll spend the night together, just the two of us, without anypony to worry about after we open one or two presents. Deal?" Cranky grumbled a bit but nodded. "Deal. And since your the one who wants to open presents, you get to pick what you want to open." "Why thank you, Doodle darling." Matilda cooed and pressed a kiss to his muzzle just above his lips. As Cranky blushed, Matilda surveyed the gifts trying to decide which one to open. Finally, she settled on a blue bow with a gold ribbon and pulled it over to read the tag. "This one is from the Sparkle family." She said as she read the card. "'Wishing the both of you a Happily Ever After' and they all signed the card." "Wonder what the Princess of Friendship got for us." Cranky hummed in half-hearted interest as she passed the card to him. As he read the card, he noticed that Spike had written a little note that read 'Sombra made this gift almost entirely by himself'. Expecting something childish, he and Matilda were surprised to find that it wasn't the case. Inside a box filled with tissue paper was a large golden egg with a four-legged base. Etched across the base and egg were simple but beautiful designs of flowers and their initial thoughts were that it was meant to be for decoration purposes. Then Matilda spotted the handle on the side of the base and began cranking. When she let it go, music started playing and the egg split into four and opened, revealing two golden birds on a rod. The birds were facing each other and had their claws intertwined with each other's as they danced to the music. It was a relatively simple dance, dipping and twirling as they moved in a circle while their wings flapped slowly but Cranky and Matilda couldn't help be awestruck and when the song ended and the music box closed, they stayed silent for a few more minutes. "A kid made that?!" Cranky finally exclaimed, snapping Matilda out of her own stupor. "You'd be amazed at what fillies and colts can do, especially here in Ponyville," Matilda said kindly. "Clearly Sombra put a lot of effort and time into this gift. I must make sure to thank him in person." "Yeah, no kidding." Cranky agreed. "I remember when I was his age the most impressive thing I made was a macaroni can for my mom's pencils." "I'm sure it must've been beautiful." Matilda said as she set the music egg on the table then turned to Cranky with a seductive leer and said in an equally seductive voice, "Now, I believe that enough presents for tonight, what do you say we both go and enjoy each other's company in the bedroom?" "Honey, it's like you've read my mind," Cranky replied in kind and the newly wedded couple moved their evening activities to the bedroom, leave the music egg on the table gleaming in the moonlight. And there's another chapter done. If you're expecting a lemon, sorry but your out of luck. I don't write lemons, so you'll just have to use your imagination. It not as long as my previous chapter and it's not my best work but it's what I've got and I hope you enjoyed it. I've been trying to introduce some character to Sombra because I've had someone point out that he's dangerously close to becoming a Gary Stu character and I liked this idea for Sombra. This is also my first time experimenting with adding links to my stories and I hope you guys liked it. Let me know how I did. Anyways, onwards to the next chapter! Hopefully, I'll get it out soon. Thank you all for supporting this story, I love you all and I'll see you in the next chapter!