//------------------------------// // Chapter 7 // Story: The Shadow of Sombra // by Lupus_Umbra //------------------------------// Sombra's POV Ponyville Clinic Hospitals were nothing new to me, I've been in and out of more hospital then I care to count. All of them being very similar, a large, tall building that practically blinded people with the amount of windows it had. Not only that, but the staff was also the same, nurses and doctors all dodging past each other, trying to either find the next patient to take care of,all of them just waiting for their shift to end. Wasn't the best point of view, but it was mine. Coming to this hospital, the Ponyville clinic as Mrs. Cake called it, it was no different then what I've come to expect of hospitals. And it's because of that expectation that I was sitting on a chair outside og Mr. Cake's room door with a shocked look on my face. "This world has a actual, functioning hospital." I thought, as I watched doctors and nurses pass by me, each of them either helping a patient, transporting medication, or doing some other task. When I saw the hospital from the outside, it didn't give me much hope for there being proper medical care. But imagine my shock when I watch medical equipment like heart rate monitors, IV bags, and a tray of diagnostic gear. And was the sole reason why it had me questioning the technology in this world. With me being lost in thought I failed to notice someone approaching me. "Excuse me young man." I hear someone say, snapping out of my train of thought I looked my left and saw a nurse with light pink hair and skin so pale, I'd have thought she herself was a patient. Only reason I didnt was because of the light blue scrubs and nursing cap that she was wearing. "Is there a problem?" I asked, it was probably too rough as she flinched when I answered. She regained her composure quickly though and took in a silent breath before answering. "No, not a problem, but a question." She explained, standing a little straighter and looking me in my eyes. "There are multiple nurses that have seen you in this hallway for almost thirty minutes, and we've been wondering if you have any reason to be waiting outside of Mr. Cakes room?" I raised a eyebrow at the question, it was a bit suspicious in it's own right. Why would a nurse be concerned at why I was standing outside a room. There were multiple other people who were doing the same when I was walking by and no one was questioned. "I was asked to wait here by Mrs. Cake." I said giving her a suspicious look. "She wanted to talk to her husband before bringing me in there." I explained, that didn't seem to calm her, if anything she looked even more suspicious at me. "Well, all people who are visiting are required to have a visitor tag on them. And we couldn't help be see you don't have one." She said, narrowing her eyes slightly as he looks down to my shirt. I knew what she was referring to, I saw that Mrs. Cake had one and I didn't bother to ask for one as no one seemed to mind me walking in with her. "No one seemed to mind when I was walking by earlier." I said. "Is it going to be a problem if i don't have one?" "We would prefer that it not be a problem sir." She said, and that's when I finally saw them. A pair of guards were sticking close by the nurse, about ten feet down the hall and were staring directly at me. Both of the guards were strong looking males in gold plated armor, and both holding golden spears in a firm grip, ready to act in a moments notice. "I don't see why this needs to be a problem." I said, trying to alleviate the situation. "I've done nothing wrong, and as I said, I came in with Mrs. Cake and her kids. They know I'm out here wait for them." "What's you're name sir?" She asked, not even acknowledging what a said a moment ago. "I don't see why that's important." "Everyone here is very good friends with the Cakes." She said, her voice take on an edge."They always bring food for the staff and always brightens our days. She even had her children here. And we would hate to see them hurt more then they already are." "Then I don't know why your giving me this conversation." I said, my voice taking on a little heat as I spoke up. I've done nothing to bother anyone, and yet, she was over here making out to be a criminal. And all because I forgot my visitors pass. "As i said before, Mrs. Cake brought me here to meet her husband and asked me to wait out here to get him ready. If your really that worried, just go in there and ask her yourself." She didn't bother giving me a response, instead she just walked by me and entered Mr. Cakes room with a clenched jaw. As she walked by I started to get a weird feeling from her. I couldn't describe it, it was a small tugging that was in my chest that that made me fell as though I was invigorated. It went right along side that new, cold feeling that was in my body. The cold felt like it was running slightly faster inside my body and I had no idea what it was. I wanted to know what it was,but when the nurse closed the door, the feeling was gone. I wanted to open the door so that I can feel that feeling again to figure it out. But I couldnt do that, not with the guards standing close by and watching me. Any staff that was going. To walk by was asked to wait by the guards. Some of them looked confused, but other were watching closely, almost daring me to try something. 'they must be the other ones who reported' i thought as everyone's eye's seemed to flick between me and the guards. Once again, I got that feeling in my chest, only this time it was felt like it came back three times as fast. Not only the pulling, but that cold feeling. Before the nurse closed the door, it felt like the my body had a slow river running through it. But right now, that slow river had just turned into a rushing rapid. And I wasn't a bad feeling either, it actually felt good, so good that I forgot about all the eyes on me and focused on this feeling. I put a hand to my chest and tried to see if I could enjoy this feeling more. I didn't know what it was, but I knew I wanted more, and there was something in my mind that told me where to get it. I looked up and looked at the few nurses and doctors who stayed, along with the two guards, the guards grips tighter on their spears, but I didnt care. The feeling got stronger as I looked at them, and when the feeling got stronger, a familiar voice made itself present. "Make them fear us." It said, the voice sounding more like a low growl, but I didn't argue with it. "Make them tremble before us." it said, this time a little louder. I stood up, and once again, the feeling redoubled, along with the pleasure that came with it. "I will show them that I am not not dead." It spoke once again, getting even louder then before. I felt like I wasn't in control of my actions anymore and I couldn't do anything to stop my foot from rising. I knew what would happen if I didn't stop myself, I knew that people would get hurt if I kept going, but it didn't matter to me anymore. It didn't matter to me that this place of healing would soon become a house of the dead. I need this, I need more of this...Power. ...This...fear... "I will show them the might of a king!" And with that final statement, my foot had planted its self and I got ready to lunge at them. "Sombra?" I turned around and saw Mrs. Cake, along with the nurse that had questioned me. One look at Mrs. Cakes, that was all it took for me to come crashing back into reality. And with that reality came the realization of what I had nearly done. I broke out into a cold sweat as I took in a deep breath and thought about what had nearly happened. It must have shown in my face because Mrs. Cake walk up to me and put had hand on my arm. "Are you okay dear?" She asked, the concern and comforting tone in her voice helping me calm down. "Yeah," I said, sounding more like I was letting a breath put then actual words. "I'm fine." She didnt look entirely convinced, but I wasn't look at her, I watched the rude nurse from earlier walk by both of us and directly to the guards that were watching me. She started talking to them in a low voice and I couldn't hear what they were saying but the guards seemed to visibly lose the tension I'm their body's the more she talked. By the time she finished talking, both of the guards had done some salute, and had made their way to the exit. When everyone saw the guards leaving, everyone in the room relaxed and with it, the feeling in my body completely disappeared. "Whays that girls problem?" I asked, trying to distract both Mrs. Cake and I from the current problem. Mrs. Cake looked over at the nurse who was walking back to us with a apologetic smile on her face. "She didn't mean what she did Sombra, give her a chance to explain." She said,letting go of my arm and waiting for the nurse. When she finally stopped she had a nervous look on her face. She just stood there looking for she right words, I wasnt really in the mood to wait, so i started us off. "So do you want to tell me why that happened?" I asked, finally calm enough to sound normal. Though I was calm, my temper was still there, and it almost showed in my voice. She looked up at me and and opened her mouth. "I'm truly sorry for what we did to you." She apologized, looking like she was ready to cry. "Everyone here is really worried about what Mr. Cake, and when we saw you waiting out side his room, we were all scared that you were another diamond dog here to hurt them. Just waiting for the right time when no one was looking" It took me a minute to think about it, but when I did, it hit me like a truck. The only reason that Mr. Cake was in the hospital was because a gang had destroyed their store and smashed his head in. If the hospital staff truly were friends of the Cakes then they would surely know that. What they didn't know, was who had it could have been any young adult that was walking in the town. And there I was, just sitting outside, nobody know who I was and I was just at the Cakes door. "Are these Dogs really that bad?" I asked, losing my temper. She nodded her head to my question. "Yes, they are. The Cakes weren't the only who were affected." She explained, shooting a sad look to Mrs. Cake. "They've been targeting businesses all over the town. Hardware, restaurants, the stalls, nowhere is to safe. Just last week, they went after the spa run by the Blossom sisters. The word around the town is that a group went in and asked for deep tissue massages." I watched her shiver as she thought about the incident. "When they didn't get the ending they wanted, they began to destroy the spa. Thank Celestia that Aloe was brave enough to get someone to get the guards while they were massaging them." It didn't take a genius to read what she ment by them not getting their ending. The bastards went to a spa thinking they were getting a "happy ending", when they didn't they got mad. It honestly disgusted me to think about it. And with all that I did in my life and what i was so close to doing moments ago, I surprised me. "And when you saw me, you thought I was one of those Dogs?" I sighed, now all anger in my body leaving me. She nodded her head. "No one in this hospital seemed to have seen or meet you before now. So after what happend with the Cakes and you not having a visitors pass, we assumed that you had either snuck your way in here and called the gaurds." She said. "Well it's no surprise you haven't seen me. I just came into town yesterday." I said, scratching the back of my head "Really," she gasped, I nodded my head. "Oh that even worse, I hope I didn't give you a bad impression of the town. It really is a nice town when you dont have the Dogs ruining it." She said, and I smiled a bit at that. "It seems like a nice town, everything that's happend to me in this town really isn't its fault." I said, she sagged in relief and smiled. "That's good." She said, holding out a hand. "My name is Red Heart." She said, I gave he a small smile and shook her hand. I opened my mouth to introduce myself before giving it a quick thought. Remembering my name situation. 'this will throw them for a loop.' "My name is Angelus Sombra. But everyone just calls me Sombra." I said, I ignored the look that Red Heart gave me, turned to Mrs. Cake who looked just as confused, probably about my first name, and asked. "Am I good to meet your husband now Mrs. Cake? " She blinked at my sudden question before nodding her head. I took her by her and and quickly walked towards the door. "Well, it was strange, but it was nice to meet you Miss Red Heart." And with a wave I I gently pushed the door shut and turned around. When the door closed behind me I look around and saw what I started to expect of this hospital. It was a decent sized room that was so white, that you could see dust. The room had two wooden beds with clipboards on the end of each of them. On top of the bed was what looked like, some type of call button. It was plain and unimaginative, but if I'm being honest, I was a fan of this design. I looked further down the room and saw a large curtain drawn, blocking my view from the rest of the room "Ow! Pumpkin, please stop pulling on daddy's hair." Came a mans voice from behind the curtains. I felt a slight pulling at my sleeve, and saw Mrs. Cake smile at me and start to gently pulled me to the curtains like a mother trying to introduce her child to a new friend. It was weird for me because I was supposed to be a older then her by multiple years, yet she treated me like a child. I held back the urge to roll my eyes and went with her pulling. As we got closer, I hear the twins giggling, along with the father. Just before we entered, we stopped and Mrs. Cake let go, pointing towards my down at me as she let go. I looked myself up and down, I wasn't really in the best of clothes. I was still wearing the clothes I came in, a black long sleeved shirt with grey cargo pants, and black boots. I still had my cloak tied around my waist to to hid the gear I brought. It made me feel like I was wearing a dress. I didn't care about that though...not much... "why the hell is this bothering me?" I groan in my head. I'm fifty-seven damnit, I shouldn't be bother by things like this. I looked back up to Mrs. Cake and shrugged, not much I can do right now, and she did catch me when i was waking up. She quieted a laugh and pointed at my hands. They were still gloved and I never even noticed. I took them off, taking a minute to start once again at the 'cutie mark'. It was truly a weird thing. I looked back at Mrs. Cake and she gave me another smile, and begun to gently pull the curtain to the side. The first thing I saw was a man who look like he was being tortured and enjoying it. The man on the bed was hold the twins on both side of him. Both of them held on to some part of him and pulled. Pumpkin was holding on to his cheek and hair, while Pound had a hold of his ear and neck. All of them had smiles on their faces, but the man's looked slightly force, mostly due to his daughter. The playing stopped when the curtain was fully drawn, the children turning around and staring at me once again. The man looked up at me and gently pulled the twins away from their face. When they let go he immediately gave them to his wife, as he did, he leaned close to his wife. "I thought you would warn me when he was coming in." He said in a low voice, trying to fix himself up as he hide behind his wife. "There was a misunderstanding." She whispered back, setting the twins in the stroller and helping to fix his hair. Though it did little to make it look presentable, especially with the large white patch on the side of his head. As he getting fixed up I got a look at him. The best way to Mr. Cake was that he looked like the stereotypical ginger. He had bright orange hair that, at the moment, went in every direction. Not only that but his eyes were a pistachio green color that went perfectly with his hair. And to finish the look off, he had freckles that only went across his nose. That was all I got before both of them Cakes decided that his hair was a lost cause. Mr. Cake back himself up with the help of his wife and stood straight against the head frame of the bed and gave me a smile as his wife backed away from him. "I'll wait outside with the twins while you two talk." She said, before taking the stroller and walking out the front door. It was only when we heard the door shut when we started speaking. "Hello young man, you must be Sombra." He said, looking as if he wasn't just fumbling with his hair seconds ago. "Yes sir, that's me." I said, "My full name is Angelus Sombra, but everyone calls me Sombra." I finished, trying to think of the ways that I should act now that I appeared 15 again. He seemed to appreciate the manners and gave me a smile. "Well Angelus Sombra, my name is Carrot Cake. But everyone knows me as Mr. Cake," He said, copying my introduction. "And I have heard quite a lot about you from my wife." He said, and I raised a brow. "Really?" He nodded. "But we've been here for about an hour." That got him laughing. "I know, my wife can talk with speed of an auctioneer when she wants to." He said, the kind smile on his face widening just a fraction. "And I haven't really known her for that long." I said. "Oh she had nice things to say about you, but that wasn't all she was talking about." He said, pausing for a second before continuing. "She was talking about what you did for us." He finished. I got feeling in my chest as he said that, for a second, I feared that it was the sensation from earlier. But after a second I realized that it wasnt the same. It felt good, but it wasnt the same. The feeling that I felt earlier was a great feeling, but it was like a primal please, like a wild beast filling its stomach with great foods. The feeling I had right now was warm and comforting. Like it was letting me know that I should feel great for what I did did for them. "Oh, that." I said, the feeling in my chest slowly moving it's way to my face. Was I going to blush? "You don't have to worry about it. It was nothing." I said, beating that feeling down with all my might. "Really, now?" He chuckled. "Nothing you say?" He asked, and I nodded. "Yeah, you guys were in trouble and I saw that i could help you." I said, but he shook his head this time. "I don't think that I've met a man as young as you and be this humble." He said, bringing his head up and looked up. "Do you know what exactly you did Sombra?" "Well...I gave you guys a lot of gems." I said. "And with those gems you'll be able to pay off the damages of your shop and hospital costs." Carrot cake nodded when I finished, but he looked at me as though he was expecting more. "Is that all you think you did?" "That's all I actually did." He nodded and look away, thinking about the next words that he would say. "Sombra," he started, looking me straight in my eyes. All traces of the man who man who fumbledwith his hair gone. "when you gave us those gems you didn't just save us from those damaged and Bill's. You just save our family and our entire livelihood." I was a little lost on that matter, and it probably showed on my face. Mr. Cake chuckle once again and started to explain. "My wife and I have been running Suger Cube Corner for a very long. About fourteen years two months ago." He said, looking up and losing the serious look he had on his face. "And from the moment we opened shop, we dreamed about it doing great. We had no back up plan for if this failed. We needed this to work out, we spent early morning and long nights to make the shop what it is today. After a while we saw that the shop was bringing us a great profit, me and my wife decided that we would do what we always wanted to do." He then looked behind me and towards the door, I got the message the moment he finished. "You started your family." I stated, and he nodded. "That we did," he said. "We had more then enough money to make it work and my wife and I were happy that we could do it. Even two kids didnt put a real dent in out plan. We were happy that we could enjoy our work and time with the kids" His mood then grew dark. "But then the Diamond Dogs came and did what they did." He said. "When I woke up last night, I thought that we were done for. That all of our savings would go into both me and the shop and we would have to start over again. Only this time we had two babies to add on to that work load. And all because I couldn't protect it." He said in a soft voice, sounding as if it would break if it went any higher. "The doctor had to give me medication to help me sleep last night after they found out I was better after all they did to help me, but even then it was only for three hours before I woke again." I said, composing himself and brought a small smile once again. "But then my wife comes in here and tells me that a young man covered everything and that we don't have to pay a single bit out of pocket. I felt the biggest relief after hearing that. It's because of you Sombra that I can leave this Hospital with a clear mind. That I can go to my broken shop and know that it will all be fixed. It's because of you that we wont have to worry where our next meal will come from." The looked at me on one last time and this time, he looked like I was ready sleep for twenty years. "So please Sombra, even if you don't believe what I'm about to say, just know that I mean what I'm about to say. Thank you Angelus Sombra, you've help us more then you can ever possibly imagine. If you ever need help, don't hesitate to come to us. We will do everything in our power to help you." And with that Mr. Cake pulled himself forward and put his head against the pillow. It took last then ten seconds before I started to hear snoring coming from him. I didn't stay long after he fell asleep, after all that he just said there was a lot going on in my chest and body. That please, warm feel came again and this time I felt it through my whole body. As I felt these emotions going through my body, I felt something wet come down my cheeks before I opened the door. I put a hand to my cheek and pulled away. It was a tear 'What the hell is wrong with me?' I thought as I rubbed my hands to my cheeks and wiped them all away. Cry was something I never did, not even in my previous life with all the beatings and the wounds I had. It was something I just thought wasn't possible for me. I put it in the increaseing list if things the happened in the last hour and a half. I was exhausted and i didnt know how much more i could do this. When I walked out I saw Mrs. Cake, along with some of the other nurses, playing with the twins. She saw me and started to approach me, when she finally stood close enough, I told her how her husband was sleeping and probably wouldn't wake for while. "Well I'll just stay here then and sit close until visiting hour are done." She said. "Didn't you say that you needed to go to the library today?" She said. I nodded. "Yeah, I'm probably going to get some books and read what I can." I said. "Do you think you can tell me where it is?" "Oh dear, all you need to do is find the big tree that's in the town." She said. "Is the library close to the big tree?" I asked and she, like her husband, chuckled. "You can say that dear." I nodded and turned to say take my leave. "Sombra before you leave can, I ask one more favor from you?" I turned back around and gave her my attention again. "Sure." I said, wanting to leave so I can sort the mess in my head out. "They are going to discharge my husband tomorrow, do you think that you can meet us both at Sugar Cube Corner again?" She requested. "Sure." I said again, no giving her request much thought and tried to make my way out. Though not before Mrs. Cakes signature hugs. "Thank you Sombra," she said pulling away and to me. "Have a good day." I dont even know if i gave her a response, I just took my leave and tried to make sense of everything that that was happening to me. It took me ten minutes to find a exit on my own and the moment I did, i immediately started to look for this giant tree that Mrs. Cake said. I found it close to the center of the town and made my way there sighing as I made my way there. "I don't think I can do any more of these meetings today."