//------------------------------// // Cold // Story: Sombra. Saga of Hatred // by HiddenUnderACouch //------------------------------// One final line and the tail of the bird was complete. Sombra leaned backwards and looked at the picture. It was still incomplete, with the bird still requiring the head and the upper half of the body, but the legs, the tail, and the wings were already complete. He had put much effort into outlining the figure of the creature and the details. He thought it looked pretty neat as it was, and it would look even better when complete. Sombra just couldn't wait to show it to mother and father. Their jaws would undoubtedly hit the floor in amazement. That idea made Sombra giggle. A slam of the door disturbed the young unicorn and he realized that somepony just entered the house. Probably his father, he said he would return quite soon. Sombra quickly jumped off the chair and ran to meet him, hoping to live down that bad talk they had had in the morning. Besides, even though he was busy all this time, he started to feel a bit lonely when he just looked out of the window at the birds playing in the sky, or insects that flew and crawled in the dirt. To Sombra's surprise, it was his mother with a small cup of ice-cream flying nearby wrapped in a green aura. She looked bright and happy, with the smile that made him instantly feel better. "Hello there, dear," Willemite said, approached Sombra and kissed him on the forehead. "I've brought something for you." With those words, she passed the cup of ice-cream to him. Sombra licked it –strawberry. He loved eating strawberries, and strawberry ice-cream was twice as good. He quickly started licking it, despite the cold. "Where's daddy?" his mother suddenly asked, and Sombra froze for a second. She had seemed pretty angry with Amethyst yesterday. What if she didn't want him to leave today, and if she found out, would she be very angry? He didn't know what to say and just continued eating the ice-cream. "Uh... Yes.... He just...left for a minute. He'll be back soon," Sombra said. He didn't want to lie to his mother, but he couldn't disappoint her by telling the truth. If she found out, she would cry and be mad again, and that’d be terrible. He had to do everything in his power to prevent that. "Hmm, alright. I'll make lunch while he's gone then. Have you been having fun?" Willemite asked, and Sombra sighed. Thankfully, she had believed him. "Yes, it was very fun. I saw this pretty bird, and then decided to draw it. I'm almost done," he said, following his mother to the kitchen. She quickly opened the refrigerator, which was powered by special crystals that were charged with the elemental magic of ice. Almost everything cool in Empire was created thanks to these crystals. Their ability to store and even multiply energy was amazing. "Oh, that's beautiful. I'll hang it near the entrance when you're done. You should really draw more nature, you're very good at it," Willemite said, looking for ingredients that she could turn into lunch. Soup or fried bread? she wondered idly. Behind this sudden happiness and love she felt towards the whole world, she couldn't notice that Sombra constantly blushed. Whenever she looked at her son, he tried to shield himself from her, to pretend he'd be too busy eating the ice-cream, so that she wouldn't see the lie in his eyes. Mothers always see the lies in the eyes of their children. It was just a common rule that Sombra knew since he was little. "Yeah... okay, good. I'll... be in my room for now, while you wait for dad," Sombra said, and he was glad that Willemite didn’t turn around to face him. "Good idea. And then we will all have lunch, what a great idea!" she rejoiced, making some sort of a special dish for today's meal, so Sombra didn't want to interrupt her any longer. He just finished the ice-cream and went back to his room, hoping that father would return soon and that everything would resolve without shouting today. As he closed the door of his room, he returned for a second to the scandal of yesterday. The sound of his mother’s screaming was just deafening, even in his room. Yes, he had heard every second of it, except for what his father had answered: he’d been far too quiet. Understanding nothing of the conflict, he had tried asking his mother, and yet, not a thing had been revealed to him. Maybe I'd be better off not knowing, Sombra thought to himself. While waiting for Amethyst, he decided to take a peaceful stroll towards the open window and look out to witness the beauty of the nature, and maybe look at the sunset. It usually sat on the other side of the horizon, but maybe, just maybe, the sun would choose to go down on the other side for once. The wind was quite cool as the sun was going down on the same side it always did. But this didn't disappoint Sombra one bit. He just enjoyed the view of the scenery instead. Even though it was pretty urban, unclean, and uninteresting, he still enjoyed leaning out of the window to look at the world around, like all children. The chilly air filled his lungs, tickling his throat and nose as he looked out of the window, holding himself from falling. The windowsill was quite sturdy, and Sombra was strong and smart enough in order not to fall over it. Besides, the fall could earn him only a few bruises, nothing to worry about. The sky was slowly turning from blue to crimson as the sun went down, reminding Sombra of the color of those rare leaves of trees that he and his mom passed by in the autumn. He never missed a chance to grab a pile of these and throw them high above the ground, making it rain yellow, orange, and red. Willemite would always let out a chuckle when he did that and said that she used to be just like this when she was little. He really loved his mom, but she was more than just his mother to him. Willemite was always with him in his time of need, whenever he needed her, she was there, while father could leave at any moment just like today. When he asked, she always helped, always lend a hoof, always had kind words for him. They always looked so bright walking on the street together: Willemite, the happy mother with big brown eyes, and her little son, Sombra, her 'black sparrow' as she liked to call him, for the dark colors the nature had given him. He didn't know why it had to be a sparrow and not some other animal, but he didn't question her logic. It was still a compliment. The view of the sunset filled Sombra's soul with peace, an unusual guest in the child's heart which always thirsted for action and movement. It made him feel at peace as he watched the environment, feeling the cold breeze sweep through his mane. His mind was full of memories; he witnessed them one by one, smiling all the way. In such an atmosphere, he didn't notice the approaching shroud of night as it slowly filled the sky, pushing away the crimson color of sunset. So much time spent just thinking, watching the nature and breathing in the fresh air. Sombra was really surprised – it happened so rarely to him, this philosophical state. One day, he descended into thoughts on what to eat, and turned up looking for the reason of life. He could get lost in his thoughts for hours. It started to get late, and Sombra started to worry. It didn’t seem that father had returned yet, and these weren’t good news. He quickly turned away from the window and headed towards the kitchen, afraid of what he was about to see. He slightly opened the door and peeked inside. His eyes started to adapt to the half-darkness when he saw Willemite still sitting at the table, looking around happily. Even though it started to get dark, she still sat there and waited with an eager look on her face. Something had really lifted her mood up. She seemed so happy. "Please, dad, come home already. Please!" Sombra quietly prayed. If he saw mom cry once again, he wouldn’t know what he’d do then. Maybe break something. *** The darkness was reigning both outside and inside of the house. Only the dim light from outside his room seeped through the gap between the door and the floor. Sombra squeezed his blanket tighter. There was no sleep in his eyes, only endless worry. The thoughts kept him awake, and he could only watch the shadow of his mother slowly walk back and forth in the corridor, sometimes uttering some words that he could not understand. Amethyst still hadn’t returned yet, and with each second the sounds of hoof steps got more and more... nervous. Sombra carefully lifted his head from the pillow and peeked through the window. The moonlight was making everything outside look mysterious and scary, but he hoped to notice the figure of a pony approaching the house slowly. But no matter how hard Sombra stared into the nightly darkness, he could see nothing. He slowly turned away from the window and sighed heavily. He felt so guilty about lying to mother now. He should have told the truth. But he couldn't just say that Amethyst had gone for some of his own business in the middle of the day and hadn't come back. That would infuriate Willemite, and, worst of all, make her feel sad. Sombra was ready for any lie to prevent Willemite from being sad. Suddenly, he heard the creak of the door. It felt weak and far away; it had to be the front door. On one hoof, Sombra was really glad that his father finally made it back, on the other, he was afraid of what was about to happen. He closed his eyes and tried to force himself asleep, ordered himself to descend into the realm of dreams, but to no avail. All the tiredness and desire to sleep evaporated like morning mist when he heard mother's furious voice crying, "Idiot! Moron! Imbecile! Fool!" "How can you be so reckless?! How can you be so stupid?! I knew desks that are smarter than you!" Willemite's voice shook the air like roaring thunder. Amethyst responded quietly and shyly, Sombra couldn't hear him at all. "You worthless, good-for-nothing piece of trash! How could a pony like you even be born?! Just why were the gods so cruel to send me such a husband!" Willemite continued to punish her husband with cruel words. Even though Sombra couldn't see him, he could imagine how Amethyst would look like right now: small, pathetic, like a weak kitten that laid wounded before a raging wolf which barked at it. "You think only how to fill your own damn belly and then rob me of my hard-earned money! You are a parasite on my body, sucking out the life! I am trying to help you, you stupid buck, and what do you do in return? You try to kill me! You try to smother me while I try to feed you! How could I even marry you?!" her words were harsh, like sword thrusts through the weak armor that Amethyst had tried to put on with his weak whispers, crushing it entirely and piercing his very soul. "You are the bane of my existence. You punish both me and my son with your arrogant ego! Do you ever think about him?" she made a small pause, probably expecting an answer. "Don't you stare on the floor, you coward! Look at me, and tell me: do you ever think of Sombra, of your own son, of your pride, of your legacy?" The answer was silence. "Don't have anything to say? I do: no, you don't! You don't love him, you don't even hate him! You are indifferent to your son's fate, his life! What kind of a father are you?" "Shut up! I do care, I am worried about him! I can take everything you have to say, but don't you dare to say that I don't care about my own son!" Amethyst finally gathered his anger and courage to stand up in a fight where he was clearly not the righteous one. "Oh, you say that right now, but what will happen tomorrow? The same thing that happens every damn time! You don't care about Sombra, you don't. All you care about is getting your stupid ass to the gambling den to waste the money that is supposed to be spent on my child!" "Willemite, don't push me! This is too much! Just stop, this is enough!" Amethyst said between gritted teeth, slowly starting to boil inside. "No! I am not going to stop! I was silent for far too long! You aren't a father, Amethyst! You are scum! You are nothing! You want your son to starve to death? Fine! Go, we don't need you. I shall raise him on my own. And he will turn out a much better person than you, worthless trash, ever were, you hear me? Sombra deserves a better father than—" her words were interrupted by a loud slap. Then the sounds of something hitting the wooden floor shook the stale air. Sombra let out a quiet sob. He didn't like the sound of that at all. What had happened out there? What was happening? It sounded so scary! There was nothing but silence for a good five minutes. "Oh... I see now... I understand everything now..." the quiet voice of Willemite, not nearly as loud and threatening as before, spoke up. Notes of sadness and dying rage could be noticed in this tone. "Willemite...I— I am sorry... I didn't want to—" Amethyst stuttered in a trembling voice but was quickly interrupted. "Go away. Leave me alone." "Please, dear, let me—" "Go away from me! Don't even come near me or my son anymore, you... you bastard!" the rage and sorrow was mixed into one horrid tone that made Sombra cringe from fear and pain in his soul. "I'm... sorry... Alright. I'll sleep outside, okay? Just let me... grab a few things," Amethyst whispered, and then silence claimed dominion. Sombra didn't hear anything else besides hoofsteps and rustling. But even though it was finally quiet, he couldn't close his eyes for the rest of the night. His heart pounded fast, and his mind came up with horrible images of what could have happened between them. Fear took hold of him and never let go until the first rays of the sun fell upon his cheeks. *** Sombra was sitting at the table, trying not to smash the desk with his face and fall asleep. His eyelids seemed as heavy as metal, and the pounding in his head would not stop. The echoes of the nightmare that happened this night were still making him shudder as he reached for the cup of cold water. Willemite helped by lifting the cup up in the air and placing it right in front of Sombra. When the glowing green aura around the cup dispersed, he quickly grabbed it and poured the cold water inside himself. Even though it was quite refreshing, it didn't drive away the sleepiness. "Sombra, are you feeling alright? You look a bit sick," Willemite said, approaching her son and kissing him on the forehead, trying to check his temperature. Sombra didn't even respond in any way. "No, the temperature's normal, then why do you look so pale?" she asked, looking into his eyes, and Sombra turned away, trying to hide his face. If she even dropped a glance into his eyeballs, she'd immediately know what was going on. And then she would feel sad again. Sombra didn't want that to happen. He was ready to forget the nightmare, even if it meant holding everything inside him. "I... I didn't sleep to well... Birds sang too loudly... I couldn’t sleep," he replied, trying to keep his voice as firm as possible. His mother seemed to believe him, and only ordered him to close the windows every time he went to sleep from now on. Thank goodness Sombra managed to avoid getting read like every other time he had tried to lie to his mother. But all those times were for fun or for gambit, out of interest. Now, he was deceiving her to keep her happy, to protect her. There was nothing wrong with lying if it meant making someone he loved happy, he figured. "Still, I don't like the color of your face. You should stay at home today, alright? I'll ask for a day off today, and try to come back as soon as I can," Willemite said, and Sombra nodded silently. He wanted her to stay at home for the rest of the day, but what could he do? If Misty Pearl felt merciful today, it would happen. Sombra hoped that Star Gem would help her. "Good boy. You'll just have to wait for a little bit. Don't let in any strangers. Especially the one who's sleeping beside our door!" Willemite said, pronouncing the last phrase a little louder than necessary. Sombra wanted to stand up for his father, say that he was alright all that time alone and that nothing could have happened, but quickly shut himself up, knowing that his mother was a little bit on edge right now, and any word he’d say might drive her to the point of fury he had felt at night yesterday. Sombra was afraid to guess what had happened that night. So many scary thoughts came into his mind when he tried to imagine. Even though it was clear that Amethyst did something wrong, Sombra knew that he had to do something to establish peace between mom and dad. Amethyst had spent the night outside, sleeping just by the door. Sombra thought he heard him saying something while lying in his bed and it scared him even more. When mother left, he would let his father in. No matter what happened before – this just wasn’t right. Several minutes later, Willemite left, leaving a good pile of food for Sombra to eat while she'd be gone. It might be overkill, but she didn't want to take any chances. The face she made when passing by the sleeping Amethyst was unforgettable: an expression of pure disgust and contempt. Sombra made sure Willemite was out of sight when he approached the snoring Amethyst. "Dad... Dad, wake up. Dad!" Sombra bumped his father in the side. The blanket was barely covering him. The poor pony seemed to have been lying like this the whole night. And even though it was still quite warm, the autumn was slowly making its way towards the empire. At nights, it got a little frosty. "Huh... ugh... what?" Amethyst murmured, shaking his head and looking around confused. "Sombra? What... time is it?" Sombra innocently looked around and looked back at his father. "It's morning." "Huh, okay, I take your word for it," he said, letting out a giggle. For a moment they just stared at each other. "Dad, you should really go back into the house. It's quite... cold," Sombra said, shuddering from a sudden breeze that touched his skin. "Oh, no, no. I can't, your mother is very angry with me... Very, very angry," Amethyst replied, turning sad. "I better stay outside for a while, until she calms down." "Dad, she's not at home now. Come inside and grab something to eat. Mother said she'll be back very soon, and then we all can have a talk," Sombra gestured for Amethyst to use him as support so he could get up. "Sombra, she is very angry with me. I don't think she'll listen. But... if you think it should happen, it will. Thank you," he said, and Sombra felt something warm in his chest. He silently forgave his father for the things that happened yesterday, realizing that it was nothing to be angry about, and led him to the kitchen where the food was waiting. Amethyst had to be pretty hungry after all. *** "Son... I need to talk seriously with you," Misty Pearl said, approaching his son from behind. This startled Star Gem as he quickly turned round, looking at his father with confusion. The light of the morning sun shone though the fancy window and into the library where Star Gem, up until this point, was looking through the bookshelves and read peacefully. "Agh, you scared me there. Well, alright then. Let's talk," he replied, closing the book and putting it back on its place. After that, he and Misty Pearl proceeded to the two nearest chairs. "I wanted to talk about your... mother," the older one began, and Star Gem raised an eyebrow. Misty Pearl had never even mentioned his mother before, let alone talked about her by his own wish. This couldn’t be good. "Alright... you don't tend to talk about her too often," stated Star Gem, and Misty Pearl reacted quickly. "Because there is a reason. I don't do things without good reasons," he replied harshly. Star Gem smirked. That was the father he was used to: harsh, cold, emotionless and very avaricious. Some say that opposites attract each other. That was the case of Star Gem’s mom and dad. Misty Pearl was very cold and logical, while his wife was mostly led by feelings and emotions, and thus, was a much more pleasant company. Star Gem remembered how ardently she used to cuddle him when he was small. She would just press his head right against her chest, right into the soft fur she had, and stroke his mane and his back slowly and carefully. Every time she did that, she would also sing a lullaby or just try to imitate the purring of a cat. It had always lulled Star Gem, at least. "Yeah, of course. So, is there something you wanted to tell me? Or do you have questions? Because I would rather go back to reading, honestly," Star Gem said, without fear of offending his father. They didn't get along that well anyway; why start trying now? "I wanted to ask you: how do you remember her?" Misty Pearl went on, completely ignoring the rude suggestions of his son. Star Gem quickly delved into his mind, digging up the best things he remembered about the mare of his heart. Tender, soft, beautiful – there just weren't enough words in the dictionary to describe her. A mare with eyes as deep as two huge oceans and with hooves so soft and comforting that they felt like two small pillows. Her mane was often used by Star Gem as a bed, for when she fell asleep, she would sometimes spread it all around. The colt would find his mother asleep, and just lay down beside her, wrapping his weak body in her curls. Star Gem would never misbehave, for seeing his mother sad was like a slice through his heart. Whenever there was a possibility, he made presents for her, sometimes bringing her the things he would find on the street and considered valuable. She would always accept it with a smile, no matter what junk he brought. He had tried bringing gifts to his father once, and earned such an annoyed and disappointed look that he had never tried that again since. Father and mother – for most families, it seemed alright for them to sleep in one bed. But Star Gem always considered it wrong. He and mother spent so much together, playing, walking around, drawing, or learning to read and write, and yet, he didn't get the chance to be with her all the time. Whenever he had to go to bed, he almost cried, for it meant being separated from his beloved mother for the whole night. That was just plain unacceptable! He always wanted to sneak into his parents' bedroom, push Misty Pearl out of the bed, and lay down beside his mother. He also dreamt of kissing her. Even though she kissed him a lot, it didn't make Star Gem feel complete. Being on the receiving end of the kiss was good, it felt great, but the most beautiful thing in the world was sharing, and he wanted his mother to feel that joy too. Just an innocent kiss on the cheek, gentle caressing of her mane and that was all. That was everything that was needed to set up a good mood for the day for Star Gem. "I remember her fondly. Why do you ask?" he answered his dad's question, unwilling to share of his memories in detail. "Hmpf... Just fondly? Are you sure?" Misty Pearl asked, starting to sound irritated. "Of course I am sure. I'm not stupid. I know how I remember my own mother!" Star Gem said quite loudly. His father sighed heavily and cleaned the sweat from his forehead. "Yes, you two shared a special connection. Why was I asking, you say? The anniversary of her death is at hoof — prepare for a visit to the memorial. Just wanted to inform you," Misty Pearl concluded and left the library quickly. Star Gem sneered cynically. His father was such an unbelievable asshole. He had never loved his wife and his children. They all looked like big piles of money to him. Even during the anniversary of her death, when Star Gem and Night Spark tried to maintain some sort mourning, he always left the house to party with his friends. It just so happened that mother had died in her bed, alone, while Misty Pearl went away to visit his aunt for her birthday. He never missed it because she was very rich, and even after such a tragedy happened, he continued to leave Crystal City at the same day. The fact of him reminding Star Gem about the anniversary was basically his way of saying: "I'm leaving for the birthday, kids! Have fun!" And even this cryptic talk about how Star Gem remembered his mother could hide nothing; Misty Pearl was jealous. Jealous, because mother had loved her son more than her husband. He had never treated her right, never bought her presents – so what else did he expect of her? Star Gem knew his mother had always loved him and Night Spark, but, somewhere deep down in his heart, he knew she had loved him most of all. They had shared so many moments together that it was difficult to remember. But there was one special moment that Star Gem would always keep in his heart. He had been about seven years old, just lying in his bed. It was almost midnight, and he was about to close his eyes and sleep, when she entered the room and carefully and quietly laid down right beside him. Star Gem was greatly surprised. He wanted to immediately ask her what was going on, but kept quiet. He decided to watch and listen silently for what she was going to do. She laid down right behind and hugged him, carefully, afraid to wake him up. Her soft fur tickled Star Gem's belly, and he barely held back from giggling. Then she got so close to his ears, he could hear and feel her breath on his cheek. It was warm, a bit wet too. "My dear, sweet child," she whispered, probably thinking that Star Gem couldn’t hear her now. "Are you the only stallion who loves me?" Star Gem froze. He didn't understand what she meant at all. The only stallion who loved her? There was his father, what was she talking about? "Why am I cursed this way? Why am I stuck with a husband who pays no attention to me whatsoever? You're the only one I can talk to, Starey," she called him like that very often, sometimes forgetting that Star Gem was growing up and was no longer a small child. "You're the only one who listens." Star Gem listened carefully. His mother hadn't bothered him with her problems ever before. Did that mean that she came at night, like this, and this wasn’t the first time? "It sucks that you don't understand me – you're still too small for this. But in just a few years, you'll make mommy happy. Am I right, my precious?" she said a tone that made Star Gem feel very weird. She had never talked like that to him before. Her voice sounded so different all of a sudden. Every word, every letter was dragged out, crawling closer and closer unto him. Finally, Star Gem's back was completely covered by her and she playfully bit his ear like a small mosquito. He couldn't understand what she was doing, but it felt so funny, making him all fuzzy inside. "Just a few years, Starey. Just a few more years," she whispered quietly. A few minutes later, she left him, left him with this fuzzy feeling still raging inside of him. What and why were the questions that were whirling in his head at that time. He wondered what his mother had in mind, and what did she mean by waiting a few more years? Unfortunately, he was forever left to guess. Next year, before Star Gem turned eight, his mother gave her soul away unto the gods. It was painful to watch. She became so lifeless and motionless; she rarely blinked; her voice became quiet and sad. She withered slowly right before her children, but Misty Pearl didn't start to pay more attention to her. In fact, he even stopped noticing her. Star Gem remembered the day she died. She had called for him, and then, without saying anything, kissed him on the forehead. After that, there had been no more warmth from her body – only deadly cold. Now that he was a teenager, Star Gem could understand what his mother wanted from him that night, but he fiercely believed that to be the spawn of his imagination. For him, his mother was always a symbol of purity, too divine for such thoughts. Though, on the other hoof, he still thought quite a lot about the way he was supposed to make her happy. Now, many things had changed. So many years had passed since his mother had passed away. But finally, Star Gem had found a mare that was so alike to her that it felt like a gift from the heavens. He would do everything in his power to make his new mother happy. *** Willemite put the book on its place and sat down to catch a breath. Using magic after being awake for half of the night exhausted her to the point of sweating and panting heavily. The bruise on her neck pulsated with pain the moment she touched that part of her body. She still couldn't believe that this had actually happened. This had gone too far, Amethyst had gone out of control. He had hit her! Well, that she could handle, but that wasn't just a moment of rage. It was a signal. A signal that he could hurt those he loved. If he could hurt her, was there a guarantee that he wouldn’t hurt Sombra too? She didn't know anymore. She couldn't trust him. Maybe it would be better to just leave him behind and move on to find a new house, in another city as far away from here as possible. Yes, a great idea. She could probably just grab Sombra, and as much money and valuables as she could carry, and leave this dreaded town and her dreaded husband behind, but... Sombra couldn’t grow up without a father. This just wasn’t right – separating a son from his parent. Willemite clenched her teeth and swore silently, cursing herself and her jackass-of-a-husband for making her do this. Why couldn’t she be stronger and just leave him behind like the useless trash that he was? Maybe because she still loved him, even after all the horror she had gone through. Or maybe she was doing it because she was a responsible parent and didn’t want to separate Sombra from his dad. Thankfully, Misty Pearl had allowed her to leave earlier today; she just had to sort the books out and she could go back home. Willemite sighed as she placed another book on its rightful place. On one hoof, she wanted to get home, on the other, that meant seeing and talking with Amethyst again. Ugh, why does it all have to be so difficult? Suddenly, the sound of soft steps reached her ears. The wooden floor in this library was quite old, and even if someone took great care to remain sneaky, one careless step and the creaking sound would rock the whole room, which, when lifeless, seemed to contain dead silence with only dust floating in the air. Willemite quickly turned around and was relieved to see that it was Star Gem who carefully treaded through the floating dust. "Oh, it's you, Star. You... startled me a bit there," she said, smiling. "Heh, sorry. Didn't want to do that. Do you need any help?" he asked, coming closer to Willemite. "No, I'll be done soon. Sorry, I have to leave early today, so yeah—" she trailed off, not knowing what to say. She moved a little bit away from him, feeling shy because of the blue stain on her neck. She played with her mane a bit, trying to hide it behind the cascade of green hair, though the attempt was to no avail. "That's alright. We all need some days off... What is that?" Star Gem said in a voice where the rising anger could be read. He caught just a glimpse, but there could be no mistake. It was a bruise. "I said, what in the living Abyss is that?" he asked again as he approached Willemite and revealed the bruise. His face at that moment was a mix between anger and confusion. A cocktail such as this was never a pleasant sight. "Umm, it's nothing. What did you see there?" Willemite said, trying to play innocent, and failing horribly. Her big eyes gave her away immediately. "Please, Willemite, don't do that. Just tell me who did this?" "How do you know that anypony did this? Maybe I just fell down on the street!" Willemite parried with an unprofessional lie. It was difficult to believe someone who spoke in that kind of a voice. "Who did this? Just tell me. I'll make sure they suffer!" Star Gem growled, which started to scare Willemite. "Star, please, as much as I trust you, this is family business. I wouldn't like to wash my dirty linen in public. This isn't your problem, alright?" she tried as hard as she could to keep Star Gem away from her family problems. The boy was young and hot-headed. She dreaded the crazy ideas he might come up with. "But I am your family, Willemite! I want to help you. Please, mother, let me help you!" Star Gem said loudly, and Willemite was frozen in space and time for a second. What did he just call her? "Did.... I heard you...right?" she said, making long pauses, still trying to gather her thoughts. "Yes, you did. I want to help you, mom. I'll do anything for you." "Star Gem... I'm not... I am not... your mother," Willemite stuttered, slowly backing away from him. Her plan of escape failed when she realized that she was cornered. "By birth, maybe not. But in spirit, you are. I mean, you look so alike! This mane, though of different color, is just as soft and long! Your skin is tenderer than the best silk! Your eyes are just as deep and pure as hers!" he said, caressing her cheek, as if trying to prove those facts to himself by touching everything. Willemite pressed her back against the bookshelf, trying to distance herself from the boy. But her body failed her as she lost balance and fell right on her behind, basically sitting down right in front of Star Gem. He looked at her with a strange fire in his eyes. "It was your husband, wasn't it?" he questioned, and Willemite only swallowed nervously. With every second this situation was getting more and more scary. She felt the cold running on her skin, making her tremble. She said nothing, afraid that he would read her easily again, and just turned away and closed her eyes, hoping that this would give him a signal that this was enough. Star Gem looked at her. She reminded him of a scared kitten that hid in a dark alley. She closed her eyes and tried to look away, afraid, terrified. But of what? He would cause her no harm, he was sure of that. Maybe these were the thoughts of her tyrannical husband that had dared to raise his hoof on her. This was just unforgivable. How could he harm such a pure and innocent pony, like Willemite? He had to be a true monster to do something like that. Willemite let out a quiet squeak, as these memories were gnawing at her soul, he thought. She needed to relax, and Star Gem knew a perfect way to help her. No longer should anypony hurt his beloved mother, for he would take her to heaven, grant her bliss and protection from the whole world. He carefully moved her head with his right hoof, so that she would be facing him, and then kissed her, kissed her just like the adults do it, no more kid's stuff. His mother needed tender, love and care. She had told him to wait just a couple of years, and these years of waiting were long past. It was time for him to make his mommy happy! Star Gem's grip was firm as he wrapped his hooves around Willemite's body. She couldn't even flinch. She was older, but the boy was far stronger than she in the physical way. His young muscles could easily rival that of her husband, surely. Willemite tried to scream and beg for release, but he squeezed her so strong that she started to suffocate. When he weakened the grip, she tried to start talking, but he quickly ensnared her mouth in a sultry kiss yet again. He pushed her against the bookshelf even harder, and that filled Willemite's soul with fear and horror. Her mind was far too full of pictures of her possible future. None of them was bringing her any kind of hope. There was no way she could escape from her crazed self-proclaimed son. His tight grip was far too strong, and the insane feelings inside him drove him to take action. She could only close her eyes, and pray that the pain wouldn’t last too long. *** Pain. Unending pain. That was all Willemite felt when Star Gem finally moved away from her, panting heavily. Pain and shame. These feelings, like curved knives, were slicing through her heart and right into the soul. Her limbs felt weak and numb, she could barely move, only slowly drag herself forward towards the opened door. She had no idea of what just happened. It was so blurry, so twisted. It all mixed into one dark picture of pain and sin. And every time the remaining parts of her logic explained the situation, she just wished it was nothing but a bad dream, a fever. This was impossible, unconceivable. How could Star Gem do something like this to her? He was sitting nearby, panting heavily and swiping the sweat away from his forehead. Willemite only managed to catch a glimpse of his eyes, but it was long enough for her to see the happiness on his smiling face. Terror, confusion, panic. These feelings now took hold of her, as she crawled away from the lunatic. Suddenly, after taking a deep breath, he started to speak. "Wow... this was something unreal... Whew... Sorry if it felt a little uncomfortable. But... I am not experienced in this at all. In fact, it was my first time ever. The first time is always rough, I heard... But I hope you can teach me a thing or two later about this business. I'm sorry again, if I caused any trouble... I just wanted to make you happy again," he said, making pauses and sighing from time to time. Willemite was scared by his talk at first, and then her tormented body started to fill up with adrenaline as hatred started to boil in her. Insane. That’s what he was. Totally, completely insane. He did all this to her, and now he thought that it was okay, like this was how it was supposed to be? He thought that he did everything right? Made his 'mother' happy and proud? Made her feel good and comfortable, and he was sorry if anything went wrong, causing her trouble? "I...ha...te...you," she managed to gargle out the words, as the wad of despair and hatred in her throat didn't allow her to speak clearly. "You...f...freak." But her moans of hatred were far too quiet for Star Gem to hear, with his ears far too busy with listening to the sound of his own voice. He continued his insane speech while Willemite crawled further and further away from him. Was this how her life would end? No, probably not. She could live through this physically, but not mentally. She had died the moment Star Gem lost control of his desires. Her soul had died, and the body was sure to follow. As she crawled out of the door, onto the flight of the stairs, the hatred let go of her, and then sorrow came. There was only one picture forever imprinted in her head: Sombra, her only son. The poor boy didn’t know anything; he was still waiting for her. How could she leave him behind? With her love for her little son as her only beacon of hope, Willemite arose from the floor and tried to walk down the stairs, paying no attention to the sudden scream Star Gem let out when he noticed that his victim was walking away. She gathered up all her strength and made a step, towards her son, towards her true destiny, and towards her only friend. The fall... It was quick... Painless... These seconds that Willemite spent falling down the stairs were the brightest moments for the past thirty minutes. The freedom of the fall, the freedom of flight – it was clear to her why wings were so desired by many. They just want to avoid the landing... The pain Willemite felt when her spine connected with the sturdy wood of the stairs was nothing compared to what Star Gem did to her. But at least the fall was merciful enough to finish her off. She rolled over on the carpet, leaving a trail of blood from her mouth and split skull. The life, along with her blood, was quickly drained from her body, flowing out onto the beautiful piece of art that was this carpet. "Sombra... forgive... me—" she quietly uttered, and with every word she spoke a new stream of blood disembogued from her mouth, quickly soaking into the carpet, leaving big crimson stains. She couldn't say anything else, and as the life was about to abandon her fully, she opened her eyes widely, hatred boiling in every fiber of her being. So much deceit, so much lies! Nothing but lies! Those she trusted had hurt her and killed her. Now, she would be gone, leaving behind the only good thing she had ever created: her little son Sombra. The only pony who had ever understood her. The only stallion who was her true friend. Before succumbing to death, Willemite gave birth to the last thought in her head, the thought that should be her tombstone, her last gift to this world. This thought was a simple wish, a thirst so common in many ponies, the easiest one in the world, to be frank. The thirst for vengeance.