//------------------------------// // Chapter 14: Kindness // Story: Shadow of a Doubt // by MayhemMoth //------------------------------// “The doctor said you need to rest.” “And I did rest,” Sombra said, trying to walk ahead of Starlight, something that was annoyingly difficult with a stiffly wrapped hind leg, “Yesterday.” “It takes more than a day to heal a broken leg,” She argued, “And if you move around too much you’re at risk of giving yourself laminitis.” “Not if you let me regenerate myself,” He argued back, rolling his eyes, “And I'm sure that, whatever this ‘laminitis’ is, would be something I could easily recover from as well.” “That’s not the point!” Starlight let out a loud and exasperated sigh, making her way in front of Sombra and putting her hooves to his chest to try and stop him. It did, but only out of his own volition, and he stared down at her in annoyance, “You need to let it heal naturally. It might not be quick, but it’s safe, and after everything that’s happened recently, I need you to be safe, okay?” “And I will be,” He assured, gently pushing Starlight’s hooves away, “But I can not tolerate sitting in a bedroom for hours on end. It’s maddening, and being able to see the room somehow makes it all the more agonizing. There’s absolutely nothing in there to keep me occupied.” “There isn’t really much of a choice for you,” Starlight sighed. A grin began to form on Sombra’s face.  “I have plenty of choices, actually. This is a castle after all, and castles have servants, correct? I can simply pester them to keep me entertained, perhaps a bit of manipulation and I can put on my very own puppet show.” “Good luck with that, there are no servants in this castle.” “Does the little dragon not count?” Starlight’s eyes widened, and she stamped her hoof with a shout, “Absolutely not!” Her horn sparked, and Sombra laughed. He immediately regretted the action, pain erupting through his chest and forcing the sound into a cough. Curling up where he stood, he waited for the pain to fade, cursing to himself for forgetting about his bruised body. Starlight did not come to his aid, already well aware of what had happened.  “That was karma,” She said. “That was a failure of modern medicine,” He shot back, “Obviously this ‘pain medication’ was designed to cause pain, not ease it.” “It would actually work if you would rest.” “I will only rest if I can do it in any room other than our own,” He argued, readjusting himself to stand in a sad excuse of a regal position, “I was actually looking for the library, Twilight mentioned having one. I thought I could spend some time there, but you seem to disagree.” “Wait, really?” Starlight’s ears pinned, an annoyed look on her face as she asked, “Was that it? Why didn’t you just ask for some books?” He let out a quick laugh, ignoring the jab of pain it caused and poking Starlight’s nose with a smile, “Because it is just so much fun to tease you.” Between that jab and the cocky grin on his face, Starlight let out an indignant huff and turned away with a pout, an action that just made Sombra all the more amused. It really was fun to tease her, and now that he could see those ridiculous little faces of hers, he wanted to do it even more. Lowering his head to her view, he said, “I promise I won’t burn any of the books.” “Is that because you’re learning to be a decent pony, or because they’re Twilight’s books and you know she’ll do unspeakable things to you if you even so much as fold a page?” “Because I respect books more than I respect any princess, obviously,” Sombra claimed, nudging Starlight with his nose in an attempt to push her forward, “Now take me to the library.” “Ugh, fine. But only because I need to get to work,” Starlight complied with a roll of her eyes, moving ahead. Sombra followed after, a grin on his face as he lamely trotted behind her.  He made sure to memorize the path they took, keeping a mental note of every twist and turn through the halls. If he were to be trapped in this castle, he wanted to know where the most important rooms were, and the library was certainly one of them. That was something that would be able to keep him occupied for hours on end, and would serve as a welcome distraction whenever he was alone. There was a bit of difficulty in the fact the library was upstairs, and Starlight had specifically chosen a room for them to share on the ground floor of the castle for Sombra’s sake. If he’d thought going down stairs blinded was bad, it didn’t quite compare to the frustrations of climbing them with a broken leg. He’d been incredibly tempted to use his shadow travel to get up there, but Starlight ended up teleporting the both of them instead. It had been incredibly jarring. Shaking his head to get rid of a lurking feeling of dizziness, He muttered, “So that’s what teleporting feels like, can’t say I’m a fan.” “You get used to it,” Starlight explained, suddenly realizing, “Have you never teleported before? I’d have thought that would come easy to a Unicorn like you.” “Never bothered to learn, shadow travel’s quick and easy enough.” He took a step forward, wobbling a bit as he tried to regain himself. It only took a few steps before he was back to something akin to normal, but it finalized his opinion on teleportation. That being, he was going to never use it. Finally, they made it to the library. The entrance was no different from any other door in the castle, which struck Sombra as odd considering it should be one of the largest rooms there was, but the interior itself all but made up for that. He wouldn’t say it was grand, though the shelves towered up the wall in a great circle around the room, books crammed into each and every one of them, but it was certainly impressive. “So is this a personal library, or a public one?” He asked, gazing upwards. He probably wouldn’t be able to reach anything up there without magic, he wasn’t about to risk himself to climb a ladder. “A little of both,” Starlight claimed, “Twilight keeps a lot of her more important books stored around other shelves in the castle, and I guess Ponyville’s last library blew up or something, so pretty much everypony is allowed to borrow from her.” “The library blew up? What kind of town is this?” “There’s a reason I said dragging you around was a typical Friday afternoon here,” She said, guiding him to one of the tables around the room, “Now sit, and tell me what kind of books you like.” Sombra wanted to argue against her orders, but knew it would be pointless, obeying her commands and saying, “Anything like what you read to me in Canterlot? I’d read more of those types of books.” “Good, because we’ve got every book Stygian’s written so far.” Igniting her horn, Starlight levitated herself to look through one of the higher shelves, skimming through the books until she found what she wanted. She would teleport them to Sombra, the books landing with a solid thump in front of him. He cocked a brow curiously at this, surprised that she could levitate and teleport at the same time. “You have a very firm grasp on magic,” He said, “Where’d you learn to control it so well?” “I’m self taught,” Starlight answered, grabbing another book and teleporting beside him to set it on the pile, “No magic school and no teachers, just some thorough reading of some thick magic books, and a little bit of spite.” “Spite is a wonderful motivator, I’ve learned. Anything about Dark Magic?” Sombra asked, a small grin making way to his face. Starlight froze on the spot, a look of discomfort overcoming her. “While I’ll admit I’ve used some rather, er, unstable spells, I can’t say I’ve resorted to Dark Magic. But that’s not to say I haven’t done any other less than friendly tactics to get what I want.”  This time, she leaned over and poked Sombra’s nose, forcing a snort out of the stallion. He shook his head, turning to her and demanding, “I wish to know more about your illicit deeds.” “Sorry, but not today. I’m running short on time here, I really have to get to the school.” Sombra nodded, disappointed. Whether it was because Starlight wouldn’t speak of her crimes or that she was leaving, he wasn’t sure. There was little to no chance of his ‘demon’ returning now, and he could easily defend himself if anything did come up, but he was still more at ease when Starlight was around. He wasn’t sure why, she was no more powerful than he was, but even now that he was somewhat restored he didn’t want her to go. Grabbing one of the books, he looked over the cover before flipping it open, frowning as the words seemed to jumble together. Slamming that book shut, he looked over the others in some sort of confusion, twitching his ear as he heard the shuffle of Starlight nearby, preparing herself to leave. “Starlight, before you go, may I ask you something?” “Hmm?” She lifted her head, setting down a book she’d been looking at, “I guess so, I can spare a few minutes.” Sombra opened his mouth for a brief moment before closing it again. His question actually had nothing to do with the books, but it was still one that was in the back of his mind, ever since that afternoon with Sweetie Belle.  “You have Gala tickets,” He began, tail swishing nervously, “Are you going to the Gala?” Starlight hesitated, taking a few seconds to answer, “I haven’t decided yet.” “Have you ever been to the Gala before?” She shook her head, “It’s never been something I’ve ever been invited to, and I’m not sure I’d even like going. Too many ponies, and way too much pressure to set up the best image you can of yourself. I’d rather stay home.” Sombra nodded, flipping his book back open, the same jumble of letters meeting his gaze. He was beginning to suspect something, and he didn’t like it, but he still wasn’t going to say anything about it. He was, however, about to say something else as he saw Starlight turning toward the door. “I think you should go,” He said, “To the Gala, I mean.” Starlight paused, a forehoof slamming to the ground with a bit of force. “I don’t think that’s a good idea,” She said, “I don’t think the ponies of Canterlot would be happy to see me around.” “It would be worth a try,” Sombra insisted, “The Gala has always been a special event, one even I once dreamt of partaking in. I implore you to at least think about going, I’d hate for you to miss it, especially if it’s my fault you don’t.” “It’s not-” Sombra cut her off, “Don’t say it wouldn’t be my fault. The only reason those conceited Canterlot fools would hate you would be because you defended me, and we both know it.” “Yes, but-” Starlight continued to think of an argument, but the look Sombra gave her silenced her, “Okay, fine. I’ll think about it, but no promises. Maybe things will be different since Twilight and Pinkie are doing all the work.” Sombra’s tail twitched at those names, though his tone betrayed his feigned annoyance, “On second thought, maybe it’s not worth going.” “Oh, but you’d tolerate it if Celestia was planning it? I thought you hated her too?” Starlight mocked. Sombra’s eyes widened at this, but before he got a chance to retort, she assured, “I’m just messing with you, I doubt it’ll be much different between the two of them. Well, more of a party with Pinkie involved, but I’m sure it’d be… Fun?” “I’m sure you’ll find out.” “Once again, that’s a maybe,” Starlight emphasized, placing the book she’d been looking at onto Sombra’s pile, “Now if you don’t mind, I really should be going. I imagine I’m going to have a lot of students asking about you.” He nodded, waving a hoof to dismiss her and looking at the book she’d tossed him.  Starlight responded with a much more polite goodbye before quickly making her way to the school. It was nice that it was so close to the castle, practically its backyard even, since it made the risk of being late much less of an issue. She could usually wait until the last second to go, or if she was cutting things a bit too close, just teleport straight to her office. Of course, she always tried to be early just in case Twilight or her friends had something planned ahead of time, and often opted to walk so students knew she was there. Today, she was much later than usual, but not anything that would be considered too late. Class hadn’t started yet, though there were students lounging around and talking, occasionally glancing toward her and waving. There were a select few who would lower their voices when she came near, still speaking of Sombra even this long after he’d arrived in Ponyville, but they were never too scared or upset about it.  Because really, rehabilitating a villainous pony was nothing compared to everything that had happened during the school’s first year. Nearly draining the world of magic is significantly more horrifying than a one day takeover by a pony lost in history. At this point, the students were jaded. Yet even with that laid back response, she knew that after such an eventful weekend, she was probably going to see a few students in her office. She could even predict it to be a specific six, and upon turning into the hall where her office was located, they ran to her immediately.  Raising a hoof to stop them before they spoke, she ordered, “One at a time.” The students nodded, lining themselves up besides each other as they tried to decide who should go first. It took a few seconds of discussion, but eventually Sandbar stepped forward. “So, what exactly happened out there?” He asked, “Why were Chrysalis and Sombra duking it out?” “Chrysalis had been manipulating Sombra for weeks,” Starlight answered. There was no point in lying, so she was going to tell them the complete truth, or at least what she knew, “We’re not actually sure why she went after him, because she and Sombra don’t have any sort of history together.” Satisfied with the answer, Sandbar stepped back, allowing Ocellus to take his place and quietly ask, “Did you find any sign of Chrysalis?”  She shook her head, “We found some blood, but no body. I think it’s safe to say she escaped.” Ocellus let out a relieved sigh. Chrysalis might have been a rather tyrannical queen that the Changelings feared, but she was still one of them, and death was not the fate they wished upon their previous queen.  Smolder stepped up next, asking, “Is Sombra even a pony?” “Yes, he’s a pony just as much as I am,” Starlight answered, before looking around, “Any more questions? Preferably relevant ones, I can’t spend all day answering about Sombra’s strangeness, because I don’t think even he can answer those questions.” Silence. It would seem that for the most part, the students were more interested in the deeper questions relating to Sombra, and since seeing him beaten over the weekend was the first time they’d ever actually seen him, they were filled with questions. None of which were currently relevant. “Alright, so that’s that,” Starlight said, making her way through the group, “Maybe once he’s further along in the reformation process I’ll see if he’ll talk with you, but right now I don’t think it’s a good idea for you to meet.” “Cool. I did say we needed to teach that guy a lesson,” Smolder grinned. Yona nudged her hard. “But maybe if that day comes I’ll try to be civil. I’m still mad at him for what he did to the Tree of Harmony.” “Yona think every creature still mad about that,” Yona muttered. “And you’re probably right about that, but that’s in the past now. The Tree is back thanks to you, stronger than ever, and after the beating it gave Sombra I don’t think he’s going near it any time soon,” Starlight reminded, looking to the nearest clock, “I think you should all probably get to class now, the bell will be ringing soon.” To her relief, the students scrambled off to their classes, or at least most of them. Silverstream hadn’t moved, and it was just occurring to Starlight how she hadn’t made any effort to speak with her friends. She also seemed quite troubled. Shuffling her claws a bit, Silverstream asked, “May I come in?” “Of course.” Starlight allowed the Hippogriff into her office, closing the door behind her to ensure no wandering students would try to peek in, “Is everything alright?” “Is he okay?” Somehow, that question caught Starlight off guard. “You mean Sombra?” She asked. Silverstream nodded. “He’s fine, for the most part. His leg is broken and he’s got some pretty painful bruising, but he was up and about this morning. He even bugged me to let him into the library for the day.” “That’s good, I was really worried when I saw him like that.” Silverstream still didn’t move, anxiously twiddling her claws. She was acting nothing like the bubbly Hippogriff everyone knew and loved, so something else was obviously bothering her, and though she wasn’t being vocal about it, Starlight knew she needed to help somehow.  “Is something else upsetting you?” She asked, “I know I said I’d wait to introduce any of you to Sombra, but if it makes you feel any better I can show you he’s okay later.” “No, it’s not that,” Silverstream shook her head, “Well, not entirely that. It’s just that seeing another creature hurt so bad, it…” She trailed off, tears beginning to form in her eyes. If Starlight hadn’t been concerned before, she was now, and she was already trying to think of the best way to reassure her. Snacks were her usual go to when comforting the students, so she was already listing off in her head what she might give her. Wiping her eyes, Silverstream continued, “I was really young when the Storm King took over, and even if my mom and dad did what they could to keep Terramar and I safe, I saw a lot of hurt Hippogriffs. I didn’t really understand it at first, but when Auntie Novo gave my mom Skystar and flew off to fight, I knew things were really bad.” She began to tear up again, and something told Starlight that a simple snack wouldn’t suffice in this instance.  “I saw my uncle get badly hurt,” She said, voice just above that of a whisper, “Seeing Sombra like that reminded me of him, except he never got better.” Ever since learning of the Hippogriffs, the ponies had known they had no king, but no one had questioned why, and what Silverstream had just said explained everything they had never questioned. A part of Starlight wanted to apologize for her loss, but another part of her knew that such a thing was never actually helpful. So she said what she could. “The good news is I can assure you that Sombra will be fine in no time,” She assured, “And I’m sorry that seeing him like that made you remember that.” “It’s fine. It was a long time ago, I don’t usually get so upset about it.” “It’s also fine to be upset about it, all these years later,” Starlight said, offering a tissue, “Sadness over losing someone never really goes away.” Silverstream took the tissue, wiping away tears again, “I guess you’re right, though I do feel a bit better knowing we actually managed to help Sombra. I mean, I know he used to be evil, but it didn’t feel right to leave him.” “And you were very kind for doing so,” Starlight agreed, ears twitching as the first school bell of the day rang. Silverstream made an effort to get up, but then paused. “Can I stay in here for just a little bit?” She asked, “I don’t really want to go to class while I’m crying.” “Of course. I can write you a note when you’re ready to go, but for now would you perhaps like to play a game to pass the time?”  Silverstream nodded, so Starlight went over to one of her shelves and grabbed the game box on top. She set it on her desk, opening it up to show the Hippogriff the contents inside before setting it up. It wasn’t one Silverstream was familiar with, but it was always fun to try new things, and she figured Starlight would tell her the rules. Finished with the set up, Starlight asked, “So, have you ever played Dragon Pit?” Fluttershy had planned out everything, she’d even made a list of supplies by Twilight’s suggestion, but despite her efforts it hadn’t been enough. Her animals had decided to have a snack before lunch, costing her this afternoon’s project, as well as ruining their own appetites. She had wanted to scold them, but knowing the circumstances behind the snacking, she let it slide. She’d just be sure to up a certain bear’s feed before the days started to get too cold. Thankfully, Twilight had allowed her to take some of her own things to complete the project, and with a quick request for her students to gather some pinecones during their freetime during lunch, she rushed over to the castle. The pantry had more than enough for what she needed, and she filled her saddlebags with as much as she could, making a mental note to pay Twilight back for this later. She had pulled out her list, rechecking everything as she read it over, “Peanut butter, peanuts, sunflower seeds, grapes.” Yes, that had been everything. Or at least, everything she could get from the castle. There were a few things on her list that wouldn’t be found in the average pony’s pantry, and though she had some of that at home, it was a bit far to go on such short notice. Not to mention, Starlight had asked her to do something as well. Something she was a bit anxious to do. She’d been staring upstairs for a while now, actually. Starlight said she’d left Sombra in the library that morning, and it was likely that he was still in there, but Fluttershy was incredibly anxious about the fact he might not be. His leg might have been broken, but he was still mobile, and worst of all, had all of his magic at his disposal now. And after what had happened in Canterlot on that fateful day of his third, and hopefully final, defeat, she wasn’t sure she was ready to encounter him face to face and all alone.  But she was going to. Because she’d promised Starlight that she would, since she was still busy with students during lunch. Taking a deep breath, Fluttershy made her way up those stairs and straight to the library. The door was cracked, evidence that Sombra might have left the room, or more reasonably, that Starlight simply hadn’t closed it before leaving. Leaning slightly against the door, Fluttershy listened for any sign of Sombra within. She heard nothing, not even the sound of a page being flipped, so inching closer, she peeked in. As she should have expected, Sombra was in there, but he wasn’t reading. He was lying head down on the table, unmoving with his body twisted at an awkward angle, his mane and tail limp against him, books scattered all around. For a moment, she thought he was sleeping, but then she remembered he’d been horribly injured a couple days ago, and a much more horrifying thought struck her. “Oh no!” She shot in, dropping her bag as she rushed to the fallen stallion’s side, “Sombra! Are you okay, I-” She screeched as he shot up with a cry of his own, and the two of them smacked heads together painfully. Fluttershy was knocked to the ground at this, while Sombra was slammed back into the table, quickly covering himself as a stack of books rained over him. Despite that, he was the first to lift himself, looking down at Fluttershy in frustration. “Don’t ever do that again,” He demanded. The Pegasus didn’t respond, still lying on her back, unmoving, annoying him further, “Get up. I know my horn didn’t impale you.” She scrambled to her hooves with a quiet squeak, “I’m sorry! I know you got hurt a few days ago and with the way you were laying I thought that maybe you-” He cut her off, “I’m perfectly fine, just with an added headache now.” Along with the aching bruising within his body. The position he’d fallen asleep in hadn’t helped with that at all, and his stomach felt even more tender than it had been earlier. Or maybe that was just the fact he hadn’t eaten since that morning, and his breakfast had been nothing more than a few pieces of fruit and a muffin. Starlight was never very good at portioning out meals it seemed, she always gave him less than he’d normally eat, but considering she was used to feeding ponies of her own stature it really shouldn’t surprise him. As if to mock him, his stomach growled. He growled right back at it’s betrayal, readjusting himself in a position that made it hurt less.  “Are you sure you’re okay?” Fluttershy asked. Sombra glared at her, and she squeaked again, her wings and coat fluffing in an instinctual attempt to look bigger, “I mean, Starlight really wanted to know if you were okay. I just needed to make sure.” “You can tell her I’m fine,” He said, dragging one of his books over and opening it up again, “If she were truly concerned, she would’ve checked on me herself.” He turned away, staring down at that random page, the jumbled words within mocking him. Furrowing his brow in frustration, he began to tap his hoof impatiently. Fluttershy still lingered nearby, picking up the things she’d dropped as he feigned reading. It was incredibly hard to focus on the book, for both reasons he was too ashamed to admit and that gnawing hunger. His stomach growled again, and with a snarl of annoyance, his head slammed onto the table. His ear twitched as Fluttershy paused her tidying, but with a quiet hum she got right back to it.  He wondered if he should go find the kitchen to get something to eat, or wait for Starlight to return. The latter felt like the more reasonable action, the kitchen was more than likely downstairs, and he didn’t even know where it was. He hadn’t explored the castle, and had only been able to memorize the rooms he’d already been to, namely his bedroom and the washroom, neither of which would help him right now. “Do you like peanut butter?” His head raised slowly at Fluttershy’s voice, the Pegasus holding a jar and some bread in her hooves. He eyed it warily, not entirely sure what she was really offering him. “Peanut... Butter? Is that the new substitution for dairy butter?” “Oh, right. You might not know what it is.” She unscrewed the jar, taking a spoon from her bag with her teeth, sticking it into the strange butter within it, “It’s a sweet and salty spread we like to eat. It goes well on sandwiches, in cookies, and with bird seed.” Sombra cocked his head, glancing down to the peanut butter and then back to Fluttershy, “So it’s bird food?” “Not usually, but that was what I was going to use it for,” She said, quickly clearing off the table, setting the jar in front of him, “Go ahead, try a spoonful!” He continued to eye her warily, but the quiet grumbling of his stomach convinced him to do as he was told. Levitating the spoon, he continued to stare down at the peanut butter, warily glancing between it and Fluttershy. The gentle look in her eyes was enough to convince him that yes, this was in fact food, and with another grumble of his stomach he took a spoonful. “Wait, maybe not that much-” He stuck the spoon in his mouth, ignoring Fluttershy. A new and surprisingly tasty texture made itself known to him, and with the smack of his lips his eyes widened in surprising enjoyment. Then he smacked his lips again. And again. And then he began to panic. Fluttershy ran out of the room as he began to paw at his mouth, and despite his urge to yell at her, the peanut butter just made everything muffled. His horn sparked in anger, internally chastising himself for accepting food from one of Twilight’s friends, and even more annoyed at the fact he’d actually enjoyed it for a moment. At least the continued action of smacking his lips relieved some of the stickiness, though he still struggled to shout the unsavory words that made up his current feelings. To his surprise, Fluttershy shot back into the room a moment later with a glass in her hooves. Sombra glared at her as she offered it to him, hooves covering his mouth as he refused to accept anything else. “It’s just milk,” She said, her voice gentle, yet trembling, “It’ll help, I promise.” Despite his better judgement, he snatched the glass from her and downed its contents. The suffocating stickiness was gone almost instantly, and upon lowering the glass he looked at Fluttershy in confusion. “Peanut butter is a little bit sticky, so it’s best not to eat so much at once,” She explained, “But if you do, a glass of milk should make things better.” Finally able to speak again, Sombra glanced down at the jar with his ears back, turning back to Fluttershy and saying, “It was good. I demand more.” For some reason, Fluttershy giggled at this, grabbing the bread and peanut butter, along with a dull knife. She used the knife to spread the butter over a couple slices of bread, slapping the two pieces together and offering the sandwich to Sombra. “It’s good with jam or jelly too,” She said as he took it, “Though I wouldn’t know what kind of jam you’d like, so I hope just peanut butter is okay. Unless you want me to get some?” He shook his head, swallowing his mouthful and saying, “I like crystal berry jam, but I doubt you have any of that here, so I’ll just take this.” Fluttershy put a hoof to her chin in thought, “Twilight might have some actually, do you want me to check?”  Sombra gave a hesitant nod, and the Pegasus took off again. He finished the sandwich he had quickly, licking his lips as the peanut butter stuck again, but in a much more manageable way. He hoped she’d bring more milk, he needed something to drink after that and he’d already emptied the first glass. Or maybe he’d just go to the washroom, he could drink out of the faucet if needed, as undignifying as it was. He didn't mind as long as no one was looking. Fluttershy was taking longer to return this time, so Sombra levitated one of the many books on his table and flipped through it for the umpteenth time that day. He’d been looking through all of them, again and again, and still hadn’t managed to understand anything. These books were wrong and different and he didn’t like it one bit. His ears twitched as he heard Fluttershy approach, and he quickly pushed the book to the side. She’d brought a jam jar, and a bottle of milk. Setting them on the table, she got to making another sandwich. “Turns out Twilight does have crystal berry jam,” She said, spreading it onto a slice of bread. Sombra sniffed the air as she did, the sweet and nostalgic scent of the jam making him feel excitedly anxious.  It had been too long since he’d eaten something familiar, and as much as he enjoyed some of the new foods Equestria had to offer, he couldn’t help but crave that familiarness every now and then. Just smelling the jam and watching Fluttershy spread it reminded him of similar situations from so long ago, when his caretaker would do the same.  It wasn’t as painful as previous memories, but when Fluttershy offered him this sandwich, he had to pause midway. “Why are you doing this?” He asked, “I tried to hurt you. Why are you being nice to me?” Fluttershy sat beside him, asking, “Why not? You’re hungry, aren’t you?” He nodded, gingerly grabbing the sandwich and looking down at it. The smell of the jam and peanut butter was surprisingly tempting, despite how strange of a concoction it was. “Well, yes, but that still doesn’t answer my question. You shouldn’t trust me, so therefore you should ignore me.” For a moment, Fluttershy was silent, twirling her mane. Sombra gazed down at her, but she looked away. She didn’t trust him, and why would she? Fluttershy should’ve known more than anypony that he was dangerous. Despite that, she looked back to him and whispered, “I trust you.” “You’re lying.” “Maybe a little,” She mumbled, though her volume grew as she said, “But I trust Starlight, and she trusts you. So that means, even if it’s scary, I trust you not to hurt me.” “You’re far too trusting,” He said. Fluttershy went rigid at this, a worried noise escaping her, though Sombra did nothing to even scare her. Instead, he bit into his sandwich, the familiarity of the jam and the newness of the peanut butter making the simple little sandwich surprisingly delicious, and upon swallowing he said, “But you’re right. I won’t hurt you.” Fluttershy breathed a sigh of relief, practically melting to the ground. Sombra snorted amusedly at this, turning away to finish his sandwich. He ate this one slowly, wanting to savor it for as long as he could. The jam made him feel far too many feelings of familiarness at once, and he had to forcefully hold himself back from getting emotional at the memories that were resurfacing.  It was strange, how such a simple thing could unearth so many memories. It was also incredibly annoying. He never thought he’d be so relieved to finish something so simple, even if he’d been savoring it a moment before. There was only so long he could take those memories, they always started frustrating him. Wiping the bread crumbs off the table and onto the floor, he leaned his head against a hoof and stared at the stack of books before him. He’d wait until Fluttershy left to get back to those, though it didn’t seem like she’d be going anywhere soon, because after hearing her whisper something inaudibly, he turned to see her releasing rodents from her bag. He shot back as they ran toward him. “Why do you have vermin in your bag?” He asked, ears pinned in disgust, “Don’t tell me they’d been feasting on the very food you gave me?” “They’re mice, not vermin,” She claimed, the mice chittering back at Sombra in something he could only assume was anger, “And they’re cleaning up the mess you just made.” True to her words, they got to snacking on his crumbs, but their innocent behavior didn’t make him any more willing to return to his seat. No, instead he limped away, choosing instead to browse the bookshelves. Maybe there would be something he could understand buried in the shelves somewhere, chances were a room this big should have some books in different languages.  But of course, he was stuck looking at the bottom most shelves, and he quickly grew frustrated by that.  “Why did you even bring food and mice into the library?” He asked, boredom strong enough he was willing to start a conversation just to end it, “I imagine Twilight wouldn’t approve.” “Don’t worry, it’s no problem, Twilight is used to me bringing my animals over,” She said, the mice running up her foreleg, “And she gave me permission to take some things from her pantry since Harry got a little hungry and decided to have a snack. Checking on you was Starlight’s request.” Sombra blinked, ears twitching as he said, “Hairy? That’s a rather unfortunate name for a pony.” “Oh, Harry’s not a pony,” Fluttershy giggled, “He’s my big ol’ fluffy bear!” “You have a bear too?”  Sombra stumbled back, a horrible feeling of dread overwhelming him as he realized just how many creatures this mare had on her side. And wasn’t she the one the Lord of Chaos liked too? As if aware of the power she held over him, Fluttershy just continued to giggle, completely unaware of his horror as her mice ran circles over her back and through her mane. “He’s the sweetest thing, and such a cuddler, though he is the slightest bit grumpy right now. Winter’s coming, and he’s gotta fill up before hibernation,” She explained, directing her mice back into her bag and looking back to Sombra, finally noticing his terror, “Oh, he’s quite nice, don’t worry! He’d never harm a pony.” “I very much doubt he wouldn’t attack me if he loves you so much.” “I can promise you that as long as I tell him not to hurt you, he won’t,” She assured. Sombra seemed doubtful, tail swishing as he said, “I don’t trust you.” Though she figured she understood why, Fluttershy still asked, “Why not?” “Because I don’t trust any of you. You, your friends, or the Chaos Lord,” He said, an edge of panic in his voice, “They’re powerful, and I tried to hurt you. So that means I shouldn’t trust them not to hurt me in revenge.” She noticed his anxiety. The way he held himself, the way his tail swished and his nostrils flared. He was stuck between fight or flight, and it was all too familiar to her, because it was something she had known for so long. “No one’s going to hurt you Sombra,” She assured, taking on the same gentle tone she used when dealing with distressed animals, “Not as long as you don’t try to hurt any of us. Even if you’re not our friend, you’re still Starlight’s, and none of us would ever do anything to hurt her like tha.” Sombra let out a quiet laugh, “Only as to not hurt Starlight’s feelings? I assume that means had she not been involved, you’d have had them beat me to the ground.” Fluttershy shook her head, “Just because you wanted to hurt me, doesn’t mean I wanted to hurt you back. Hurting somepony who’s mad has never helped us before, and it certainly wouldn’t help now.” “Not even if they deserve to be hurt?” For a moment, Fluttershy didn’t respond. She seemed to stop and think, her eyes widening in realization. “You… You don’t think you deserve to be hurt, do you?” She asked. Sombra didn’t answer, looking away. “Sombra, why would you ever think like that?” He stayed silent, slipping to the floor in an attempt to look small and unnoticeable. Fluttershy pushed away any feelings of fear she’d had before and made her way toward him, ignoring Sombra’s quiet growls. He may not have been one of the animals she so often treated, but he was still just as much of a living thing deserving of kindness as they were. She made it quite close to him, reaching a hoof out in an act of gentleness, but stopped mid way as he leaned away from her.  She knew very well that she couldn’t comfort or help him, not right now, but she knew one pony that might. “Do you want me to get Starlight?” She asked.  Once again, he said nothing, but a flick of his ear at the mention of Starlight’s name confirmed what Fluttershy wanted to know. Sombra might not trust her, but she knew that he trusted Starlight, and even if she couldn’t help him with whatever it was that was bothering him, her presence would hopefully be enough to reassure him that he didn’t deserve to be hurt. “I’ll go get her.” With that, Fluttershy left. Sombra continued to sit unmoving, growling to himself for his stupidity of showing weakness. He shouldn’t have spoken to her, he should’ve stayed silent, but he hadn’t, and his wavering emotions had gotten the best of him again. Why did this keep happening? Why had it been so much harder to control the way he felt? He was supposed to be a king for shadow’s sake, not some pathetic colt who couldn’t control his emotions and memories! Why did they keep trying to boil over, driving him to a limit he wasn’t supposed to have? His horn bubbled with magic, a near irresistible urge to blast something welling up inside him. If he couldn’t control his emotions, why not let them out in one big burst? The only thing stopping him was the confines of the library, and the knowledge that Twilight would butcher him again if he were to lay waste to her books.  Crystals began to form on the ground around him, his secondary option of creating a crystalline cocoon to hide in. It didn’t solve anything, but hiding from his feelings was the next best thing he could think to do. If nopony could see him, then nopony would know he was pathetic and weak.  And he nearly did. He was mere seconds away from hiding himself when the door slammed shut, and a laugh filled the room.  “Oh my, when I heard Starlight was reforming you, I expected something a little more exciting,” A voice said, familiar, mocking, and infuriating to listen to, “But instead, I’ve been horribly disappointed.” For a moment, Sombra thought he was actually hallucinating like Starlight had assumed, but then the speaker appeared in front of him with a pop of magic. His fear vanished as the other appeared, replaced with pure rage, worsened as he was magically yanked over to face the very monstrosity that had invaded the library. “Hmm, you’re pretty average without all that armor,” He said. Sombra snarled, bearing his fangs as he spat, “And you’re positively repulsive up close, Chaos Lord.”