//------------------------------// // Aftermath (Tomorrow) // Story: Through a Glass Mirror // by suijin //------------------------------// Discord and Sombra sat together after the battle, looking at what the princesses had caused. The wounds of the Crystal Empire, and the rest of the world, would take years to heal, if they ever would. Ponies mourned the loss of loved ones, searched through the ruins of homes that their families had lived in for generations, and tried eating their own clothes just so they could survive. But they still had smiles on their faces, and a distant look in their eyes, as they prepared for tomorrow. The pain of yesterday would fade, and the night would give way to a new dawn. They marked this day in their minds, and tomorrow as well. Because tomorrow, that dawn would shine on free ponies. And free griffons. And free zebras. And free dogs, and dragons, and minotaurs. All species and races shared in the hopes and dreams of ponykind. Tomorrow would be better than today, and the next might be better still. Discord had a smile on his face, but not his usual grin. His was a wistful smile, as he watched all manner of creatures celebrating the fall of the sisters. Sombra had his eyes on them, but did not truly see any of them. He looked to tomorrow, and his face was one of serious contemplation. Discord didn't like serious contemplation. "Whatcha' thinkin' 'bout, buddy?" Discord put himself right into Sombra's face, yet the unicorn didn't seem to react at all. "We're going to need food. We could grow some crops, but that would take too long. The princesses likely kept their domain in good shape, despite everything else that they did wrong, so we could bring some from there. But that would also take time, and we need some way to hold off until then. I would rather have everypony avoid eating the dead; that would just feel wrong. Besides which, I don't think that our new allies would respond well to it, and..." The king trailed off as he felt the sensation of something wet running down his back. Reaching his hoof up, it came back covered in a brown liquid. "WHAT IS THIS?! WHY DID YOU MAKE IT RAIN CHOCOLATE-MILK AGAIN?!" The king was irate, while Discord held his sides, rolling around in mid-air while he laughed at his friends sour expression. "Lighten up a little! You just overthrew the two worst tyrants in the world; you should be out there, celebrating with the rest of them." Sombra thought about the spirit's words for a few moments, before speaking again. "Why aren't you? It's your victory, as well." Discord was stunned at the realization. Maybe... maybe there was a time for quiet reflection. But he still didn't think that Sombra should be sitting around and moping, or, even worse, WORKING! They might as well take some enjoyment from their victory. So Discord dragged the king down to where the other creatures sat. Sombra dug his feet in (literally) when he discovered what the spirit was planning, and desperately tried to keep away from the group. He didn't want to get anywhere near them right now, not after the display of brutality and ruthlessness he had put on not too long ago. It might have been necessary, but he knew that none of them could possibly accept him after that. So he was shocked when everyone present let out a mighty cheer at the sight of their king and savior. Many gave him hearty pats on the back, and almost all of them were thanking and congratulating him, with no sign of the fear he had expected. "You... you don't think what I did to the princesses was wrong? You aren't scared of me?" Sombra couldn't comprehend that they all really liked him like that, after what he had done. "Are you kidding?" The question was shot from an airborne griffon. "I would still be in chains, if not for you! You saved everyone, and stopped those two from keeping us all as slaves for the rest of our lives! You're a hero, in my book." Sombra was even more shocked to actually hear such words. He had been certain that he would be rejected... perhaps there was still a lot for him to learn, despite how much he already had. "But you're still scary as all Tartaurus." Everyone let out a guilty chuckle as Obsidian joined up with them. He might have been the most battered and bruised out of all the crystal soldiers, but he was still the most active, and already working to rebuild areas of the city that were destroyed. He could still spare a few moments for his friends and king, though. Sombra gave a apologetic nod to his second in command, and let a small smile work its way onto his lips. No matter how much he had to learn, he already knew one thing: his friends would make his trials easier, and his journeys shorter. With their help, he would make tomorrow better than today. Discord watched the King of Shadows, happy to see Sombra finally enjoying himself, now that everyone was free from the sisters' reign. A yell from above alerted him to the presence of Storm Feather, flying down to meet him. The pegasus appeared to have made some friends from within the griffons' ranks, as they were performing aerial maneuvers together. Despite the competitive nature of their games, Discord could tell that they were all enjoying themselves, winning or losing. "I can't believe it! This is great! No more princesses, no more tyrants. Dude, you guys are the greatest!" The pegasus practically tackled Discord into a hug, waving to Sombra with one hoof. A sudden shout of, "Daddy!" accompanied a second tackle from behind, as Screwball jumped onto the spirit's back as well. He reached behind him to pull her into a hug of his own, somehow reversing his own arms, so they were facing behind him. Storm found the sight rather disconcerting for a split second, before deciding that it was a pretty sweet gesture. After flying over to give Sombra another personal thank you (minus the hugging), he flew back up to the waiting griffons. Or at least he started to, before a shout from below caught his attention. "Hey, Flyboy! Think you can beat me at jousting?" Obsidian had a smug smile on his face as waited for the pegasus' response. Storm Feather turned around, eager to accept the challenge. "Oh, you're on!" As the two went towards a section of the city with a jousting arena, Discord once again turned his attention back to Sombra. "So, King of the Crystal Empire, think you might be able to laugh a little? Maybe loosen up more often?" "Well, I guess I could kick back every once in a while..." the king responded, kicking at some dirt. "But not laugh?" Discord displayed what was only partially mock horror at the prospect. "How can you possibly 'kick back,' if you don't laugh a little bit too?" Before the king could respond, Discord began telling a joke. Then another, and another after that. Each time, the king slipped a little bit more, struggling to keep his composure. "Alright, alright, here's a good one: What did the fish say when he swam into a cement wall?" Almost every griffon within earshot responded with a single word: "Dam!" At this point, Sombra couldn't hold it anymore. He finally burst (like a dam), laughing out loud. His laugh was deep, loud, and, above all else, terrifying. Every creature within earshot stared at the king, subconsciously trying to make themselves as small as possible. As he died down, the king didn't even have to look to know that he had spooked everyone, and he slowly walked away with his head down. "Let's... never try that again." Every single creature nearby voiced a unanimous, "AGREED!" ----- "It could have been worse." Discord was trying to comfort the king after the embarrassing incident, having vowed to never pull such a stunt again. When there were others nearby. "Oh? And how, exactly, could that have gone any worse?" "You could have laughed at the pegasus versus unicorn joke," Discord stated matter-of-factually. "Don't tell me." Sombra had no idea what he was talking about, but assumed that it was racist in some way. "Fine, if you insist. So, tell me, do you know the difference between an earth pony and a unicorn?" While Sombra was suspicious of Discord's words, he noted that he didn't seem to be talking about the same joke. "No, what?" Sombra asked his question hesitantly, a little worried about what the answer might be. "Well, it's just that one of them's more horn-" Before he could finish, he experienced the rather unpleasant sensation of having an armored hoof colliding with his face. Hard.