//------------------------------//
// Chapter 3: Book of Lies 
// Story: Redemption's Shadow 
// by Whooves235 
//------------------------------//

Ponyville

The two ponies would enter the heart of Ponyville's town district, which was currently full of life. Seemed the Farmers Market was in town. Ponies of all different species and colors walk around and talk with each other, the vendors of each stand shouting out their wears and products to the ponies walking past. Honestly it was very similar to the Crystal Fair that Sombra would be more familiar with, all be it slightly smaller. Sombra was however hesitant at first but raised his head high and walked confidently. Or at least that was the expression he wanted to give, his shield against strangers.  He couldn't help but wonder if the crystal fair was as lively, having never experienced it beyond the sounds that reached his bedroom's window. A terrible feeling wrung his heart and stuck into his throat. 

Blue would look behind him every now and then to notice Sombra's facial and body expressions. He had noticed there were traces of nervousness in there, Blue even going as far as to slow down so he could walk next to Sombra, giving him a small smile to let him know he was there for him. Blue made a promise to Luna that he would do anything in his power to help reform Sombra. He did not wish to fail the princess, nor did he wish to fail such an important task such as this, and eventually they would reach the new library. Sombra took a good look at the library. It was a, if one was being generous, a quarter of the size of Crystal Empire's library. But, for such a small town, it was it was more than big. 

Polished stone with a sapling on top was a curious choice, but Sombra did not comment on it.  A feeling of nostalgia seized Sombra's mind. The hours he had spent in the library in his youth were a pleasant memory... Remembering his study was almost bittersweet in comparison. Hours upon hours were spent reading and researching ancient tomes and spells to learn more, to become something great and unrivaled... something that had set his heart ablaze for as long as he could remember.

"I know it's probably not alot compared to places like The Crystal Empire, but Princess Twilight personally overlooked the building of this place and wanted to make sure it had enough space for all the books possible" Blue said, smiling as he took the Umbrum inside, showing him the vast amounts of books, all of them organized and thoughtfully placed throughout the building. categorized by name, type, and even having a section on magic itself. 

The stallion took a moment to appreciate the quiet, serene atmosphere before walking to the closest section. History. He had for a while now wondered how much the world had went onwards... and history would hopefully shed some light on the matter. Though, if the 1000 years had been as busy as the history he remembered having learned, with the reign of Grogar, to Discord, to Tirek's invasion in antiquity, to the early medieval of the pillars... he was in for a small mountain of books. With slight hesitation, the stallion reached for the first book and opened it.

Blue would smile softly, glad that Sombra was letting himself enjoy the library, all be it with some slight hesitation. The stallion walked over to a section himself to go look for any kind of books that he was interested in. Blue didn't make it a habit of coming to the library, but when he did he had some enjoyment, and after a good few minutes of looking he would return to the Umbrum. He found Sombra in a far-off corner focusing on what looked to be a book of magic, occasionally stopping to stare at a diagram or a scribble of some kind, but it felt like Sombra was merely trying to distract himself.

Blue would walk up to Sombra, sitting down next to him as he looked at the book he was reading "Find anything good?" he kindly asked, the stallion curious about what magic Sombra was reading about.

"I... yes, I did. It's fascinating. I will borrow it." Blue had a hunch that Sombra was trying to put up a front.

Blue looked around, seeing that they where the only ponies currently here, as he turned to Sombra "..hay..do you want to talk?"

"Why would I want to talk? I have nothing to hide...I'm simply enjoying myself reading, as you requested I try to do."

Blue went quiet as he glanced around the room before noticing a book on the ground...it looked to have been picked up but quickly put down in a rather hasty regard. He picked it up before he heard Sombra let out a huff, he didn't look at Blue, instead he muttered: "... it's... about me..." he quietly said there was no pride in the stallion's voice, but a quiet upset one. Blue's eyes slightly widened as he looked over the book, as he saw the book's title: 'The Short History of Equestrian Monsters'. This could get out of hoof quickly.

"Hay, there are plenty of other books in here...they're not...all about-"

"How dare that author... release such slander...!" Sombra hissed, "I should make them eat their lying hearts..."  Blue could see the stallion's hooves shake slightly and a familiar purple mist attempt to pour out of the furious stallion's eyes. Then his horn drew a spark, and the stallion yelped in obvious pain. 

Blue jumped slightly, the stallion trying to remain calm. He knew Sombra was upset and he knew that he needed to try and help, however even though he was unfamiliar with how to handle situations like this, Sombra wasn't exactly innocent, the things he did happened. He knew that. He just needed to find a way to make Sombra understand that things are different now "Hay look, I know you are upset but think about this...the book is very old...you were still in the Empire's Wasteland when this came out, things have changed."

Sombra breathed heavily and with a wince.  "I know what I did, but this worthless piece of kindling attributes me as... as...something worse..." 

Blue frowned slightly as he genuinely felt bad. He only knew Sombra for a day and he could already tell he wanted to change. He sighed softly and looked at the book himself, turning to the page that the book was left open at. While initially the book's text was fairly harmless, if somewhat exaggerated in tone, the longer Blue read, the more outlandish the claims became. While there was truth of Sombra's involvement in slavery and some rather ruthless punishments, where it got hair-raising alarming were outlandish claims of necromantic copulations with corpses, bestial sexual encounters with predatory creatures from windigo to timberwolves to even common dogs. The stallion saw a phrase, a moniker of sorts, used multiple times: the Harlot of the North.

The stallion huffed as he suddenly wanted to understand what all this was. He was a history nerd himself, and this was the only book in the entire library that had claims on Sombra like this, he had read up on him before he moved in. The stallion would then put the book aside "I'm...going to go look for some more books ok?" Blue said.

"Fine...just don't dwaddle" Sombra said, waving a hoof of dissremark to the stallion.

Blue sighed as he got up, and then walked through the history section some more, to try and find out what "Harlot of the North" truly meant. The stallion did find more books, of varying factuality, but in many of them, the moniker repeated. And knowing that Sombra knew of the moniker himself, it probably had some basis in truth, rather than one conducted by later-era scholars. The tamest of takes he could find on Sombra focused on politics and trade deals mostly, as well as war efforts, and made only a passing mention of Sombra's royal guard and his penchant for plenty of lovers. Though Blue could only hope the claims of him killing those he grew bored of was over-exaggeration. He eventually would return to Sombra, who had just been looking out of the window to the library into the town.

Blue walked up to him, sighing softly "..so..I did some research and...well alot of the stuff they say about you I... don't really believe they're all true..." He said "But...I can tell that one thing in particular is bothering you..."

"Between outlandish claims of bestiality and necrophilia, you think I'm bothered? I couldn't possibly!"  The stallion growled, the sarcasm all but dripping. 

"I know those things are fake beyond belief" Blue said "But...I'm just...confused about what "Harlot of the North" truly means...I've seen it pop up alot.." He said, slightly nervous to utter the phrase, as he knew how delicate the situation was.

Sombra took a moment as he softly sighed. "It... political propaganda has always been part of any ruler's life, that wasn't what bothers me. You don't even know how outlandish the claims could get, provided you were far away to not face the ire, of course. And yes, having... several lovers is a prime target for such slander." The stallion closed his eyes and wearily rubbed his temples, his next words were a mere hushed whisper: "I... didn't want to be alone. But there is another fact that I learned in my time ruling. I wasn't... I was only worth as much as my station. So many of my lovers had ulterior motives. I..." The stallion leaned back, eyes still closed, as if lost in memories long past.

"...some of the lovers enjoyed my status, what it gave them. Some enjoyed the power. Some enjoyed the thought of being a kingslayer, a hero of the people." The stallion's voice took a mocking tone for a moment, before returning to his serious, hushed tone: "...do you understand how tired it can make you? How... little ones understand their worthiness for love? And my enemies, hell, even some of my lovers... I was an easy, disposable... I was a whore. Except I didn't get paid in anything other than betrayal and treachery." The stallion snarled remembering something. "What good is love when all it gives you is misery? A grand gesture of empty words from ponies that have ulterior motives. I treated them right! I did right by them, because for each one, for each one, I foolishly thought it was going to be different. The only thing different was the application of the dagger."

Blue just sat and listened. Nodding as Sombra talked, honestly a lot of the information hurt to take in, seeing a stallion talking about how hurt he was, how much he was hurt. Blue truly began to understand now...understand Sombra as a pony. Blue just continued to listen, making sure his body language showed Sombra that he was fully fixed on what he was talking about. After he was finished Blue would speak quietly "I'm so sorry Sombra...none of that is fair on you. You don't deserve that kind of treatment from ponies" He said, Blue looking over him as he spoke to read his body language "It's true...I don't understand what it's like to be in your shoes, I don't know what it's like to have the power you did and constantly get attacked by ponies you trusted. But...what I do understand? Is that you are not all the things these books say about you."

"While I... appreciate it... You are wrong. I did not want to cause pain. I wanted the crystal ponies to suffer for my pain. It... at the time, it made me feel better. I wanted them to hurt just as much as I did, no, more, so my pain was lesser. So I could be the one lording over them. That I could be the one they knew they hurt and now got the brunt of it as payback." Sombra growled, thinking back, but slowly his voice faded to a whisper: "But it never lasted long, the feeling of triumph. In the end, I would always be... nothing. Just... I would be nothing to them. I overtook the empire because... because I thought it would force them to acknowledge I existed. That I was worthy of something, that I was capable, that I was more than a blank flank with no future that no pony wanted."

Sombra paused, looking tired as his magic flared up in response to his emotions, and the spell on him sapped him more and more of strength. Blue could see the stallion's flowing, magically ethereal mane drop almost unceremoniously, form into thick dark curls that framed his face in an untamed mess. "I know what it's like to not be noticed." Blue said "When I was in the Guard Training as a private I was always teased because ponies thought I was dumb, they made fun of me, called me weak, harassed me. I never got a break from it." He said sighing "When I became General I felt the power, I could do to the ponies who treated me like trash what they did to me...and I did do that...I earned a reputation as the strictest General in the Night Guard."

Sombra bit his lip, about to say something, but decided against it. "Hm... I am surprised. You do not seem the type."

"Well...I take my job really seriously. In the end of it all, while I do enjoy getting back at the ponies who caused me pain...I have worked on doing that less, and focusing more on my duties."

"I ended up... retreating, I suppose. I spent more and more time alone in my study or my..." The stallion paused, then continued: "It felt... safer. Painful but safer. I couldn't be hurt if I didn't... have contact. And once I mastered the mind control spells I... I felt like I could make myself feel safe. Though, only those I was in close contact with, the very few. I mastered them, but controlling more than a hoofful at the time was tiring." Sombra said, looking back outside the window, retreat in his voice as he softly spoke.

Blue nodded "I can understand that...the ability to make yourself feel safe is a powerful feeling." He said "You may have done bad things Sombra...but I think that you are truly trying to change for the better, I can see it."

"You might be the only one..." With a heavy sigh, the stallion stood up. "... I wish to go back to your residence now, the... trip took more out of me than I expected."

"Alright, we can go. Let's go check out this book first" He said smiling, looking to the stallion with understanding eyes. Sombra nodded, slowly trailing behind the stallion. He paid no mind to the librarian, who was trying their very utmost to not stare mouth agape, and after checking out the book, Blue would give it to Sombra, then he would lead the Umbrum back home.