Umbra walked down the road from Sweet Apple Acres. The storm had let up but left dark clouds all over the night sky. Only the crescent moon could be seen amidst the black sky. He was grateful Big Mac had let him stay in the barn to wait out the rain, but he knew he couldn't stay forever. It was time to move on.
The unicorn looked at Ponyville. Like the night sky, it was completely dark, leaving only the silhouettes of the buildings visible. There were no lights in any of the houses or in the streets.
Umbra walked through the empty streets guided by the light of the moon alone. The town was completely silent except for the sound of his hoovesteps that echoed like a heartbeat. He searched all around him as he walked. There was no sign of anypony at all in the town.
The street opened up into a large clearing. Several carts and stands were set up in a circular perimeter ahead of him. He recognized the area as the Ponyville farmers market. Umbra looked past one of the stands towards the center of the circle and saw a small flickering light.
Looking closer, Umbra saw the light to be a candlestick jutting out of the ground. A little flame burned at its top, swaying gently in the light breeze. The flame itself was only slightly bigger than that of a match. Still, the small light illuminated a most of the marketplace. It also revealed the dark outline of a pony sitting behind the candle.
The pony wore a hood that covered all but his mouth in shadow. He sat close to the candle, his head nearly inches away from the flame. His entire body trembled and shivered violently. It looked like he was whispering into the fire which danced under his breath, almost as if he was trying to talk it back to life. Though his mouth moved, Umbra could hear no sound. Overall, the pony looked completely miserable.
Umbra walked closer to the lone pony sitting out in the open. From what he could see, the other stallion had grey fur and a white tail. Umbra still could not see his face under the hood. Umbra listened closely and heard nothing but mumbling coming from the shaking pony.
"He probably got caught out in the storm" Umbra thought to himself. "He looks thoroughly miserable."
Umbra stared at the indignant pony for a moment. He felt bad for him. It was the same feeling he had when he saw Pinkie Pie the first time. He felt he needed to do something, anything. He remembered the kindness Macintosh had shown him, how much it meant to him despite how meager it was.
"Um...hello?" Umbra spoke cautiously.
The other stallion jumped back in surprise and shouted. As he moved back, the hood fell off his head and a white mask fell to the ground. The stallion's face was the same grey as his fur and his eyes were the color of grass.
"H-h-h-ello," the frightened pony struggled to say, his body still shivering. His face wore a mixed expression of fear and sadness.
"Do you know where the rest of the town went?"
The green eyed stallion only shook his head in response. He sat back down next to the candle after he calmed himself a little bit. Umbra decided to sit down as well, he walked near the little flame and sat opposite the other pony. They both sat there and stared into the yellow flame.
"You look cold," Umbra said after a moment.
"N-no, not really cold," he said, shaking his head. "T-t-terrified."
"Terrified? Of what?"
The trembling stallion only shook his head and said nothing more. Umbra didn't want to press the topic so he remained silent and continued staring at the candle.
After another moment of silence, the shivering stallion spoke up. "Y-you're not like the r-r-rest of them."
"Well, I guess you could say that." Umbra softy agreed.
"I-I'm different too."
The stallion's comment made Umbra look up at him.
"The r-rest of the town, there's n-no way to fit in with them when you're d-d-different. They know when you're d-different, and they d-don't like it. They c-came for me, t-they will come f-f-for you too."
A short snap from out in marketplace interrupted the white tailed pony. The two stallions turned their heads towards the source of the sound. Standing next to an empty cart was a white mare. She looked much like a mannequin as she had no mane or tail. The mare faced the two with an expressionless face that lacked eyes, making her look even less lifelike. The sight of the pony sent chills down Umbra's spine.
The stallion next to him stopped shaking. He sat absolutely still with his mouth hanging open, staring wide eyed at the ghostly mare in the distance. Umbra could see something in the mare's hooves though he couldn't quite tell what it was however.
Another sound, this time behind him.
Umbra whipped his head around. A second white pony stood in front of an overturned wagon. Like the mare, this pony had patches of skin where the eyes should have been. It also had no tail or mane. However, this pony looked more like a stallion than a mare.
The white stallion also held something in his hooves that Umbra could clearly see. A polished white handle was gripped in his hooves. The handle connected to a long metal blade that reflected the light of the candle into his eyes.
As soon as he saw the white dagger, Umbra's first thought was to run. When he turned around to retreat, two more corpselike ponies appeared in front of him, both similar to the other two around the perimeter.
Umbra started frantically looking all around him, while the other stallion only stared at the first mare. Every time Umbra looked somewhere, more pale and deathlike ponies would appear. There were stallions, mares, and even colts and fillies all around the two horrified stallions. None of them had eyes, manes, or tails. All of them had a long white dagger gripped in their hooves.
More and more appeared until they were completely surrounded. Dozens upon dozens of white ponies formed a perimeter around them. Umbra's heart pounded in his chest. He desperately searched for an escape but found none.
The crowd of ponies all took a step forward. The ground shook as their hooves pounded upon it.
They each took another step. Then another. The circle was becoming smaller. Each step was like the beating of a drum, pounding at the same slow rate of his heart. Between each step the white ponies would mumble together, "Not one of us."
Umbra looked at the grey stallion sitting next to him. His head slowly turned to meet Umbra's gaze. The drum pounded on. "Not one of us. Not one of us." Their blades glimmered with the candlelight, reflecting light across the ground.
Umbra looked into the stallions eyes and saw nothing but fear. The other stallion could only look back at him, begging for salvation. Umbra recognized the look written on the pony's face. It was a look of desperation and helplessness. He had felt those same feelings before. He was feeling them now as well.
"Not one of us. Not one of us." The crowd pounded onward
Panic found its way into his body and settled in his mind. The unicorn started rushing about, desperate for an escape. In his panic, Umbra's leg hit the candlestick sending it over to the ground. The flame vanished into the air as it met the dirt. All that was left was complete darkness.
Everything was black, even the crescent moon had vanished behind a dark cloud. No sound could be heard save Umbra's own unsteady breathing and the rapid pounding of his heart. He looked all around him, trying to see even the faintest light.
Nothing.
Umbra slowly shrank to the ground, making himself as small as possible. His heartbeat thumped in his ears and echoed all around him. He remained absolutely still. He didn't know what was in the darkness, if the eyeless ponies were still encircling him, if the almost petrified stallion sat next to him. All he could do was hold himself tight to the ground, keep still, and wait.
After what felt like an hour of staring into the darkness, Umbra's heart began to slow. His heart rate gradually descended to a steady rate. Each beat echoed louder and louder in the void.
Another loud stomp shook the ground.
"Not one of us."
Umbra's heart sank in his stomach. The sound of a hundred hooves on the ground continued, making the ground tremble beneath him. Each stomp was deafening, rattling his bones and making him cringe.
"Not one of us. Not one of us."
Umbra began shaking like the grey stallion did.
"Not one of us. Not one of us."
He bit down on his lip to prevent his screams from escaping. Umbra braced himself for the next stomp.
Nothing happened. The black void became silent.
Umbra trembled on the ground while trying to keep still. He searched around looking for any sign of life.
A earsplitting scream erupted from the darkness, making Umbra cringe and cover his ears. The sound of dozens of blades meeting flesh followed, silencing the cry.
"Not one of us."
Umbra cowered like a scared foal on the ground. He didn't know what to do. He was surrounded by monsters that had just killed a pony. His heart ran in his chest, unable to stop.
The clouds in front of the moon drifted away letting the moonlight illuminate his surroundings. Umbra saw nothing but the dozens of white ponies standing tall over him, staring down at him with their eyeless faces. In unison they raised their blades above their heads. Umbra could only watch with eyes as big as plates as the crowd bore down on him. The blades glowed in the dim moonlight, some dripped crimson liquid to the ground.
"Not one of us."
The knives dropped, flashing in the moonlight as they fell. Umbra tried to scream but couldn't as over a dozen blades pierced into his flesh.
"Umbra! Hey, wake up!" a thunderous voice shouted in his ear.
The unicorn felt himself being violently shaken into consciousness. He gasped loudly and opened his eyes. Macintosh's face came into view directly in front of him. His hooves firmly gripped Umbra's head as they shook him.
Umbra broke away from Mac's grip and he heavily panted. He failed to notice the other pair of eyes watching him, he was too busy gasping for breath and trying to return to reality.
"You alright?" Mac asked him with concern on his face. "It looked like you were having a seizure there."
"No...no, I'm...fine." Umbra forced out between breaths. "It was just a bad dream."
A new voice Umbra hadn't heard before spoke up. "Must've been some dream."
Umbra looked up towards the unknown pony. An orange mare with a Stetson hat sat across from him. He couldn't make out the details of her due to the lack of light.
"Umbra, this is mah sister, Applejack," Macintosh introduced. "Applejack, this is mah new pal, Umbra. He's new in town."
"That name." Realization dawned on him like the rising sun. "She was one of the mares in the Crystal Empire." He needed to get away from her now.
"Well howdy!" she said to him while stepping closer and holding out a hoof.
"Too late."
"Ah'm Applejack! A pleasure to meet ya!"
"Um, thanks." Umbra tried his best to stay in the shadows of the barn. Hopefully, it would be enough to prevent the mare from recognizing him.
He extended his hoof to meet hers. His whole leg, shoulder and all, suddenly shook violently as Applejack took hold of it. The mare's strength was unmistakably clear to him. When she released her grip, Umbra could still feel it shaking as if she had never let go. A pulsing soreness replaced the vibrant feeling as it faded.
Umbra tried to make himself smile but ended up with a strained and crooked grin. Macintosh and Applejack didn't seem to notice thankfully. "I've got to get out of this."
"Have ya tried our famous Sweet Apple Acres apples yet?" the orange mare questioned.
"Uh, yeah. M-Macintosh gave me some earlier after I helped him out," Umbra said while a hoof tapped uncontrollably on the ground.
"Oh, well, what'd ya think?"
"They were uh...great?"
"That's good to hear!"
A long silence entered the barn. Applejack smiled at Umbra who was trying his best to hide himself, awkwardly fidgeting under her eyes. Macintosh all the while raked the loose hay on the ground into a pile. Umbra silently begged him for some assistance, something to get him out of there. Mac didn't notice a thing.
"Well Ah gotta head down to town hall. The mayor wants an interview or something." Applejack said, breaking the silence. "Hopefully Rainbow can clean up this storm quickly."
The orange earth pony trotted over to the barn door. She opened the door revealing the afternoon sky completely covered in dark clouds. It was as if the sun had already set. The ground was wet and muddy from the rain that had stopped falling.
"At least it stopped rainin’."
Applejack happily trotted out of the barn, closing the door behind her. She left Umbra alone with Big Mac, somepony he could trust.
A heavy sigh escaped Umbra's lips. The threat of being compromised had left. He was safe at last, or at least he thought he was. He didn't know exactly what the mare saw. All he could do was hope she didn't recognize him as Sombra.
"I'm gonna check on the house, make sure there ain't any damage from the storm," Mac broke the silence. "You're welcome to stay as long as you like."
Umbra pondered the offer, he could wait for the storm to clear up but that would come with the possibility of running into Applejack again.
"Thanks, but I should probably get going."
The large earth pony nodded and turned to walk out of the back door. Pausing in the doorway, he looked back at Umbra saying, "Oh if ya run into Granny, ya might want to be careful. She's been mighty cranky today."
"Uh, okay. Thanks again," Umbra replied. "Who's Granny?" Macintosh nodded a second time and stepped outside, closing the door behind him.
As the door shut, Umbra let out a sigh of relief. Finally he was alone again. He didn't feel like he had to hide who he was when he was alone. He could finally take off his mask.
It was difficult trying to put on a convincing act whenever he met somepony. He didn't enjoy lying to everyone, not to mention the risk of saying something wrong. The weight of his mask became all the more apparent with every new pony he met. He wasn't sure he could keep it up forever.
Umbra reflected on his last dream, remembering the fear he felt. The swarm of ghostlike ponies, how they made him jump each time they took a step. The sound of the blades slicing through flesh, how it made him cringe and feel sick to his stomach. That last shock of being surrounded right before their blades plunged into him.
He remembered the grey pony who was killed in front of him. Umbra still felt sorry for him even though he was just a dream. He wished he could've done something though there was nothing to be done. He had felt the same sickening feeling of helplessness before.
Only this time, Umbra didn't have to watch the pony die.
This dream was different from the last. He didn't realize he fell asleep this time. His exhaustion just took over and forced him into sleep. It didn't help that he had minimal rest and nearly no food to help him stay awake. It was becoming increasingly difficult to do just that, stay awake. He didn’t know how he was supposed to do that when he could slip so suddenly like he did. It made Sombra’s nightmares seem all the more frightening to him. He didn’t know how much longer he could handle them. He didn’t know how much longer he could carry the weight on his own. His mask was slipping.
He could worry about it later though. Right now, all he wanted to do was leave, to be alone.
Umbra stood up and walked up to the barn door. As he reached to push it open, the door suddenly swung away from him, making him lose his balance and stumble forward. Umbra stumbled directly into a green, elderly mare that stood outside. A stack of books fell to the ground as he bumped into the earth pony. After nearly knocking her over, Umbra quickly took a few steps backwards and apologized. The old pony looked up at him crossly.
"Who in tarnation 'er you?"
"I-I'm Umbra. I just um...moved here...i-i-in town I mean," he lied with a small, fake grin.
She narrowed her eyes at him, "Well Umbra, you sure ain't makin a good first impression runnin into ponies and what-not." She looked at the pile of books at her hooves. "Doggone ya even made me drop my books!"
"Oh I'm sorry. Here let me get that for you." Umbra levitated the books back to the old mare.
"Hm...how's-about we make a deal?" she suggested. "If you can return these to the library, I'll forgive you fer what ya did."
"Uh-"
"Great! Off with you then! Wouldn't want these to be overdue now!" she cut him off, not giving him any chance to object. She shoved the books into his hooves and pushed him out the door. He turned around to say something only to have the barn door slam shut in front of him.
"Wasn't it just an accident though?" Umbra thought. It would give him an excuse to leave. The old pony, didn't give him much of a choice anyway. Thinking about it a little more, he realized he was actually thankful for the old mare. She gave him something to do, something to keep him active, something to keep his mind off of his problems.
***
The sky had gone from a dark black to a light grey, from storm clouds to a thin overcast. With mud on his hooves and a stack of books on his back, Umbra walked through the streets of Ponyville, content as if he really belonged there. Not worrying about where he was, the other ponies in the streets or what they thought of him. He felt normal.
"Just down this street and to the right"
However long and painful, the tour that the young fillies had given him earlier proved useful. He knew where most of the significant landmarks were and how to get to them. He reminded himself to thank the three whenever he next saw them.
The dark unicorn rounded the corner. A large round oak tree sat in the clearing ahead of him, multiple windows visible within the leaves. A chimney and balcony also protruding from the tree's branches. Golden Oaks library, if he remembered correctly from the tour.
The top half of the door was open, lowering his head, Umbra peered inside. From what he could see, there wasn't anypony inside.
He slowly pushed the door open which creaked as it moved. After clearing the low door frame, Umbra raised his head and looked about the library. The circular walls were lined with shelves, each stuffed with nearly every manor of book. A round table sat in the middle of the room, a large bust as its decoration.
The library itself seemed a little small for the size of the town to him. He wondered if it ever got busy.
"Good afternoon." Umbra jumped and searched for the voice.
A purple unicorn sat on the ground along the wall. With her back to him, she had her head buried in a large book on a stand. Surrounded in a lavender aura, a feather levitated next to her head, scribbling notes on a paper next to the book. Umbra watched as her head rapidly switched from book to paper, paper to book, then back again.
Without turning to look at him she said, "Sorry I'm a little busy right now. Are you returning a book?"
"How'd she know?" Umbra pushed the thought aside and answered with a hum..
"Okay, you can just leave it on the table. I'll take care of it." Again, the mare spoke into her book as she talked to him. It seemed a bit rude but he didn't mind, he had met enough ponies today.
Umbra quietly stepped over to the table. He levitated each book one by one onto the table. Before setting it down however, he scanned over each book, looking at the cover and title.
The first book was a simple children's book for beginning readers. It was full of short, simple words and pictures at every other page. He hoped it was for Applebloom's and not for Granny Smith's use.
The next was an informational book, Pineapple Farming: for DUMMIES. It made sense that a farmer may want to expand their crop, but tropical fruit? Umbra didn't think the apple farmers would be able to pull it off in this climate, even if the fruit had "apple" in the name.
Umbra levitated the last book off his back and moved it in front of him. Without a Home, was the title written by an author he had never heard of. The cover showed a beautiful, lush forest full of trees and wild vegetation. In the distance, a single earth pony could be seen walking through, its head hung low.
Both curious and intrigued, Umbra flipped the book over to the synopsis. He read the summary in his head.
"Despair, isolation, and loneliness are all that he has ever known. Unable to deal with the horrible wrongdoings of his family's past, solus roams about the uninhabited lands of Equestria alone. In his travels, the stallion finds a small town with a seemingly friendly residency. Will Eduardo be able to live among the new ponies or will his past prevent him from fitting in? Only through-"
"Hey Twilight!" a loud and young voice shouted from the open door at the top of the staircase, disrupting his thoughts.
"Twilight?" The name sounded familiar.
"Do you want these copies of the encyclopedia of magic-neurobiology to the right or the left of the second volume of thermonuclear astrophysics?"
Where had he heard that name before?
"That shelf is ordered by the date of published release! You know that magic-neurobiology was only pioneered after the first Equestrian Revolution!"
"So...to the left?"
"Yes, Spike!"
At the mention of the name Spike, the pieces of the puzzle fell into place, realization overcame Umbra like a landslide of mud. He knew he needed to leave.
He placed the last book on the table. "Uh, thank you," he said to Twilight who still had her book to her face.
"No problem. Come ba-" Twilight paused mid-sentence. She had lived in Ponyville long enough to recognize most of the ponies voices. However, she never heard that voice before. The unicorn peeled away from her paper and looked behind her. Only an open door was left from the stranger.
She arched an eyebrow and walked to the door. Looking outside, she saw there was nopony in sight.
"Is everything alright?" Spike asked from the top of the stairs.
Twilight sighed. "It was nothing. Did you remember to get my copy of the first edition of Quantum Mechanics?"
A loud groan signaled he had not.
***
Umbra hurried away from the library, cantering his way down the streets.
"That was too close," he thought. Had he known that one of the elements of harmony lived at the library, he would have never agreed to take the books there. He had already risked enough by talking to Applejack in the dark let alone introducing himself to two others. It was by luck alone that Fluttershy and Pinkie didn't recognize him while only a darkened room prevented Applejack from getting a good view. He only hoped Twilight hadn't seen him.
Umbra decided to turn down an alleyway, hoping to hide himself in the shadows. It was dark between the buildings. Dark enough where Umbra didn't see the garbage can toppled over on the ground. Without warning, his front legs tripped over the can, sending him forward until his head smashed into the ground.
***
The once grey sky had returned to the dark black as it had before, only this time it wasn't from the storm. The brilliant showcase of stars, almost like a painting, hung overhead. They swayed and swirled across the sky, brightening his path and calming his mood.
Musing at the surreal image above, Umbra continued his walk. The stallion managed his way through the center of Ponyville and found himself at a large circular fountain which sat in the middle of a clearing. The only sound was that of the water gently pouring through the white statue.
Umbra walked to the edge of the water and looked in. He could see the sky reflecting off the water, the various coins within the pool looked like shining stars in the sky. His own reflection appeared at the water's surface and he stared at it. Two red eyes stared back at him. They were accompanied by a long grey horn and a long gash in one of the two ears.
It looked drained, beaten. His face worn, eyes heavy, bearing memories, scars that few had ever experienced. The stress they had gone through was written upon every bruise, every bag under his eyes. He knew it wasn't over. He knew it wouldn't end. Only when his true identity is revealed would the burden be eased. But the lifting of one would just lead to the imposing of another.
"Would it really be that bad?"
He thought about the many ponies he met throughout the day. None of them seemed to mind who he was. Even though he was lying, they all treated him with kindness and hospitality.
"Would they do the same if they knew I was Sombra's son?"
As he stared at his wavy reflection, Umbra noticed a dark outline next to his head. Ice cold breath ran down the back of his neck. It sent shivers down his spine, each breath making his muscles tense. Something was standing behind him.
Umbras heart began thumping heavily in his chest. He quickly spun around to see what it was.
Nothing. Only an empty park stood behind him.
He could still feel where the cold breath ran down his neck. There had to have been somepony behind him. He scanned the park a second time. Nothing moved, even the leaves on the trees remained still.
Unsure of what to think, Umbra turned back to the fountain. A tall, dark unicorn stood at the other end of the pool. This unicorn had wings. Wings and a mane that contained the heavens.
She looked at him, dead in the eye, her eyes narrowed. In a loud and forceful voice, she spoke.
“It’s been a long time since we’ve met.”