//------------------------------// // Progress // Story: Sombra's Recovery // by MisterEdd //------------------------------// Sleep eluded Sombra, the Gate of Horn and Ivory refusing to permit him access, leaving the umbrum staring up at the hotel room ceiling. His mind, it seems, was much too active to allow his body to rest, forcing him to collect his thoughts into a cohesive mass of what-if's and may-be's. As the wall-clock released a constant, steady stream of ticks, he began to contemplate over events as of late, particularly his time in the fantasy world and his upcoming visit to Ponyville. That life, one where he and Twilight were married and his parents and fellow umbrums were still alive, wasn't real and never could be. Sombra knew this and yet couldn't-or wouldn't-let it pass, instead focusing on it time and time again. It was another lifetime, a separate string of memories and sensations that were so real that he could almost swear that they really happened. The warmth of the hearth as he regaled his family with stories of his latest battle, the smell of fresh mead, and the sounds of raucous laughter from his tribe members. His parents were old and grey-maned, both guiding him through his marriage and subsequent fatherhood, the security in knowing that they were always around in case he needed their counsel. In the springtime, he'd take Agnar fishing near Sapphire Lake, where the water was so clear that you could drop a bit into it and watch it sink to the bottom. Gyda-darling little Gyda-giggled and shrieked with laughter from atop Sombra's back, begging him to run faster up until the moment they'd both tumble into the nearest pile of snow-... "Stop it," he hissed aloud. "It wasn't real. It didn't happen. So just...stop." Sniffling, he angrily swiped at his face to rid it of tears and pressed his hooves tightly against his eyes. His thoughts moved towards his appointment with Twilight, a prospect that caused him much more stress than his alternate universe recollections. Sombra wasn't stupid; he knew full well why he was so nervous but willfully ignored the answer to save himself from more undue stress. When it came to Twilight's little entourage, five out of six of them were okay with him, or at the very least tolerated him, and that was understandable. But the whole of Ponyville, a town of judging eyes? Releasing a groan, Sombra rolled out of bed and turned on the lights, wincing through his eyelids at the invasion of light. After his eyes had adjusted, he collected his bit-pouch and magically wrapped himself in his cloak, being certain to cast his glamour charm before trudging out the door. Even in the early, pre-sunrise hours, there were too many prying eyes for his taste. If sleep was going to play a game of keep-away, then he wouldn't bother trying to catch it. Instead, he wandered through the streets of the expansive city, his gaze habitually watching everything around him in a suspicious manner. The scent of roast coffee beans and oven-baked cinnamon slid into his sinuses, a sensation that was unexpected but welcome, especially given his recent insomnia. Sombra peered up and discovered that he'd rather fortunately wound up at an all-night coffee shop, the neon sign about the front window displaying the name, "Café au Hay." The place itself had a rustic look about it, appearing more as a teenager's room than a restaurant. Nevertheless, Sombra had a hankering for caffeine and sugar to satisfy. He pushed the door forward and entered. I hate acoustic guitar. Sombra decided, the telltale strumming of the instrument assaulting his ear drums as a pimply stallion with a squeaky voice crooned out a song about world peace or such nonsense. Weaving his way through the coffee shop, taking care to avoid colliding with one of the standing patrons, he stopped at the front register. A young, dark red-brown unicorn soon soon took notice of him and gave him a sleepy smile. "Welcome to Café au Hay. I'm Spice Mocha and I'll be your server. What can I get you?" "One medium coffee, black, two cinnamon rolls, and a blueberry scone. All to go." "Cool options. Hold on a sec." While Sombra waited, he was relieved to find the guitar-playing stallion exiting the stage, only for a heavy-set mare in a floppy hat and sweater to take his place, her expression one of concentration and severity. "Princess Celestia...where is the rest-tia? The sun is going down, not up. Setting, setting, but not settling!" What the Tartarus is this nonsense? The mare continued, now accompanied by the banging of a bongo drum. "Once bright, now dim. Dim as our hope! Our hope...at the end of our rope. Where is the hope?!" Sombra tilted his head. Is this drivel supposed to be poetry? "Like a star, you fell. Fell down! A shadow..." The mare hid her eyes with her hooves. "...Eclipsed the sun. King Sombra, Sombra, Sombra, Sombra..." Her hooves flew from her eyes, mouth formed into an O. "Sombra, Shadow King, oh the suffer-ring. Darkness all around us. Darkness in us." "Here's your order, sir. That'll be twenty-five bits, please." Passing Spice Mocha the bits, Sombra pointed his jaw at the mare on stage. "What is that exactly?" Spice Mocha grinned. "Oh, that's beat poetry." "Yes, beating it while it's tied up in a sack," Sombra muttered and exited the establishment. Meanwhile, the mare held up a plastic facsimile of the sun, then threw it down and crushed it beneath her hind hoof. She dramatically gestured towards it with both forelegs. "If the Princess of the Sun can't protect herself, then who protects us? Who...protects...usssss...?" ~*~ It was around seven-thirty when Sombra arrived at the Canterlot Library's front entrance. Sure, he wasn't due until seven-forty-eight but returning to the hotel wasn't an option. It wasn't as though he was actually going to get back to sleep any time soon. Knocking on the left door, it soon opened and he was met with a pair of bespectacled eyes. Upon recognizing the guest, Moondancer opened the door all the way and gestured past her. "Come on in. You're early." Wiping his hooves, Sombra traipsed past her. "I happened to be in the area." "That's good. I prefer to be early myself." Latching and locking the door behind her, Moondancer seated herself at a table and motioned to the chair across from her. "Take a seat, please. This shouldn't take too long." Sombra nodded and promptly sat down. Moondancer adjusted her glasses. "Have you ever worked in a library or bookstore?" "No but I've been in several of both and am fairly competent in independent research and book classification and organization," Sombra answered truthfully. "Is that sufficient?" Moondancer thought on this. "We'll see. This job will require a lot of moving: standing, walking, crouching. Will that be an issue?" "None whatsoever." "You'll be required to spend long hours sorting and cataloging books, which many find to be a very tedious and boring task." Sombra shrugged. "I don't have a problem with tedium or boredom." Moondancer beamed at this. "Excellent. Now, you'll also be required to interact with library patrons in a pleasant, patient, and welcoming manner. Can you perform this duty without issue?" Thinking back to the stallion he'd temporarily blinded earlier, Sombra let loose a toothy smirk. "Oh, I don't think that'll be an issue." "Great, then the job is yours." She held out her hoof. "Can you start next Friday?" Sombra shook the proffered hoof. "Next Friday it is." "Oh and one last question." "Yes?" "What do you have in that bag?" Sombra peered at the paper bag next to him. "A cinnamon roll." Moondancer's eyes widened. "From Café au Hay? I love their rolls. Could I-...?" Sombra pushed the bag forward. "Knock yourself out." ~*~ With his employment at the library secured, Sombra had time to collect his few belongings from the hotel and make a beeline for the train station, a noticeable pep in his step. Oh, he could've easily mind-controlled Moondancer into just granting him the position but that would've been much too easy. Using a hypnotic spell would've actually have been counter-productive as it took time, energy, and focus in order to maintain it and if Sombra's focus was broken for even a second, then he would be exposed and promptly imprisoned. Besides, there was no guarantee of it working. Mind-control and hypnosis didn't affect everypony the same as some ponies were just naturally resistant or, in special cases, even entirely immune to it. Surveying his surroundings, Sombra entered the train car and made his way to First Class, securing for himself an unoccupied cabin. Sliding his saddlebags off, he sagged onto the seat and let out a groan. He'd never ridden First Class before and so far, it was quite nice, enjoying the peace and quiet that came with the privacy. It didn't last, however, when the door slid open and one of the conductors popped his head in. He frowned at Sombra, his face crinkling up at the sight of him. "Excuse me sir, but I'll be needing to see your ticket." Locking eyes with the conductor, Sombra's own eyes glowed green. "You don't need to see my ticket," he stated in a calm, lulling voice. "I don't need to see your ticket," the conductor repeated monotonously. "You can ride in first class undisturbed." "You can ride in first class undisturbed." "Enjoy your trip." "Enjoy your trip." The door slid shut and Sombra switched off the mind-magic, the green fading and returning back to red. Considering his low funds at the moment, he doubted that he could afford even a single ticket at the moment so this constituted a necessary usage of his mesmeric abilities. Telekinetic lowering the blinds, Sombra wrapped his cloak around himself and stared up at the ceiling, silently counting the gold dots that peppered the navy-blue paint. Slowly, his vision blurred, his eyelids drooping as he blinked once, twice, then three times. By the fourth blink, he was fast asleep. ~*~ The journey restarted the way that it always did, with Sombra traveling through the Frozen North, going through the door, walking down the long road, and arriving within sight of Canterlot. Then, with leaden hooves, he fought to move his limbs in the opposite direction, traversing the hills and snow until he arrived at the umbrum village, the calamitous screaming and clashing of metal setting his teeth on edge. An orange glow emanated from within the village's walls, which had stretched to titanic size since he'd last laid eyes on them. The gates swung open like the maw of some great behemoth and the spell over Sombra's limbs was broken. Without a moment of hesitation, he charged forward. He galloped as fast as he could but the village's center spanned for miles, the huts bowing outward and yanking out of reach. Sombra felt his heart painfully throbbing, his lungs burning from the effort and the heat from the fires causing him to sweat from every pore. Roaring flames threw shadows everywhere, each one depicting the conflict or the fleeing civilians. Ignoring the wetness on his cheeks, Sombra charged up his horn but the corona dwindled to an impotent spark. He tried again and again but his magic continued to fail him. "Why isn't it working?!" "Sombra." He turned to find Princess Luna standing behind him, her face one of mournful sympathy. All around her, the shadows maintained their fighting, bellowing and swinging their weapons but she kept her gaze on Sombra. "This needs to end." Tears stung Sombra's eyes. "No! I can help them!" "Sombra..." "LET ME SAVE THEM!" "You need to see the truth, Sombra," Luna murmured gently. She waved one wing outward, creating a gale of wind that it swept across the dreamscape, brushing away the shadows as though they were kites in a hurricane. The huts collapsed and burned, the blazing fires sizzling out until all that remained were streaks of smoke. Silence enveloped the area, leaving only the sound of Sombra's light whimpering audible as he sank to his knees and forehooves. Snowflakes descended upon the scene, steadily coating the scorched ruins. "What have you done?" Luna approached Sombra but stopped four feet away. "The Dravite Hill Incident...it happened a long time ago. It's ancient history." Sombra leapt to his hooves and faced her. "IT'S NOT TO ME!" He took in a serious of small gasps, the tears continuing to fall and freezing upon the snow-littered ground. "I was there!" He beat his hoof against his chest, his voice becoming strained. "I watched it happen!" He sobbed, eyes glassy and bloodshot. "'Ancient history?' I see it when I close my eyes, I live it when I sleep!" Luna's expression never changed. Sombra paced back and forth, then he snarled, "I LOST...EVERYTHING!" By then, Sombra was too tired to continue yelling, his throat scratchy and raw. Instead, he sat on the ground, feeling all of that rage and heartbreak building inside of him and then dissipating. Rocking back and forth, he became lost in his grief, crying harder than he ever had in his entire life. Something soft and fluffy brushed across his shoulder and foreleg and he found Luna draping her wing over him. Lacking any kind of a reason or forethought, Sombra rested his head on her chest and resumed his weeping, with Luna shushing him and caressing his back. After an extended period of silence, Luna lifted Sombra's chin up, wiping his face with her primary feathers. "Sombra, listen to me. There was nothing...that you could've done. You were just a colt. It's not your fault." "But..." Sombra sniffed. "Why me? Out of everyone there, why did only I survive? Why did...?" "Why did what?" Breathing deeply, Sombra whispered, "Why did I deserve to live? What made me so special?" Luna nodded in understanding. "I don't know why but against all odds, you ended up surviving. You shouldn't feel guilt for that. You've carried around this burden for so many years, all of this sorrow and resentment but you've forgotten to feel joy for the life that you've received, even if it's not the best. It was terrible what happened to you. I can't even begin to understand going through something like that. But you have to let the weight go, otherwise it will crush you." Sombra released an unsteady exhale. "I...don't know how." Kissing his forehead, Luna smiled sweetly. "It starts with forgiving the pony in the mirror. Work your way up after that. I did and you can too." The umbrum opened his mouth to speak, closed it and turned away. He faced Luna again and managed: "Thank you, Luna. You didn't have to do this...but you did anyway." Chuckling lightly, Luna bowed her head. "It's my sacred duty to ensure good dreams for all of my subjects, to help them relieve them of their waking worries and soothe them during their sleep." An epiphany struck Sombra, something so obvious that he wanted to hit himself for never considering. "Do you do this for everyone? Every single night?" "Of course. Even if my subjects never meet me face-to-face, I can take solace in the fact that I aided them in some way, be it small or big." Sombra beamed at Luna but then peered at her severely. "Don't ever tell anyone that I did this." And with that, he wrapped his forelegs around her. Luna, though startled at first, reciprocated the gesture. "I wouldn't dream of it," Luna ironically sighed.