//------------------------------// // Sombra's Tender Hooves // Story: King Sombra's Greatest Weakness // by Bucking Nonsense //------------------------------// "You are certain this will be effective?" Rarity looked up at Sombra and smiled. Just an hour ago, this stallion had been the terror of the Crystal Empire, and everypony, herself included, was scared witless by his mere presence. Now, seeing him so apprehensive over a simple tube of cream reminded her of nothing so much as a scared young colt afraid of getting a shot in the foreleg. She supposed she couldn't blame him: If his hooves were as sensitive as she suspected that they might be, then just somepony touching them could be painful if they weren't careful. The fact that he had even allowed her to take a look at them, let alone apply lotion to them, was a testament to how badly he wanted it to stop. With a small chuckle, Rarity said, "Well, I can't be certain just how effective that this will be for you, but it has done wonders for me." While her friends, Princess Cadance, Shining Armor, and the citizens of the Crystal Empire watched her go to work, using magic to apply the medicine to Sombra's hooves, the mare continued, stating, "In my line of work, sensitive hooves can be a boon: I can tell, at a touch, the quality of a fabric, even when my eyes might normally deceive me. However, walking around on rough ground can be unpleasant, given such tenderness, so I always keep a few tubes of this medication with me." Finishing her work on his forehooves, she started on the back. "There are surgical procedures, medications, and nutritional supplements now that can permanently cure that sensitivity, as well as improve the solidity of your hooves. I can recommend a hoof specialist in Canterlot who can assist you in looking into those options. In the meantime, this will do as a temporary solution." As she put the finishing touches on Sombra's hooves, she said, "It's only good for about four hours, but once it soaks in, you should notice a difference." Placing a hoof on the ground, Sombra began applying weight to the extremity... His voice filled with wonder, the tyrant said, "Incredible. I don't feel anything!" Smiling, Rarity said, "The wonders of modern medicine." Gesturing over to Princess Cadance, she added, "Now, the princess will need to have a few words with you. I imagine that it'll take a little time to work out what, exactly, will be expected of you once, you reach Canterlot, but I think that you'll not find it too severe, given the circumstances..." ----------------------------------------- Six moons later... Stepping onto the train, Sombra had to admit, he felt like a new pony. It had been a rough time, in all honesty. The hoof specialist had practically thrown a fit upon examining Sombra's damaged extremities. The doctor had exclaimed that it was a miracle that Sombra could walk without screaming, and he had never seen hooves so terrible on any living pony that didn't involve sticking a limb in a wood chipper. The fact that, centuries before it had been 'officially' invented, Sombra had managed to create a primitive set of orthopedic boots that had genuinely reduced his pain level, in spite of the fact that he'd had no idea what he was doing, had shocked his hoof doctor greatly. While the design was crude, it was certainly effective, and was now on display in the Canterlot Museum Of Medical History. Still, after three operations, a strenuous regimen of both physical therapy and nutritional supplements, and enough pills to choke a minotaur, he felt like a new pony. His hooves didn't hurt anymore, he no longer needed his boots, and because of that, a great many things had changed. Dark magic is power by the negative emotions of the caster. Fear, anger, hatred, rage, sorrow, all these and more can lend power to the spells an evil wizard might use. Sombra, used to being in constant pain, pain that made him hate everything and everypony around him, that made him want to cry at the unfairness of the world, had become a virtuoso in the field. With the pain gone, his ability with such spells plummeted. He could no longer cast dark magic anymore in any meaningful fashion... a small price to pay, he supposed. His outlook on life had changed radically, as well. He'd been such a pessimist before, not to mention a sadist: He'd been in so much pain, he could not help but want to inflict the same on others, whether that pain was physical or psychological. Now, however, everything was looking much better. Of course, the counseling might have had something to do with that as well. The princesses had been skeptical, at first, regarding how the pain in his hooves had altered his personality... up until they'd seen the x-rays of Sombra's hooves. Luna vomited three times. Celestia, only once, but much more impressively. While he'd not seen the images himself, the fact that the only way they could have been worse involved literal, physical damage caused by heavy machinery spoke volumes. The psychiatrists had concluded that Sombra's villainous behavior had been caused by a 'temporary psychosis' (Strange how they insisted upon it being temporary, even though it had been ongoing for years and years, but they argued that as soon as the pain was removed, his attitude had changed, so of course it was temporary. Psychiatrists. What can you do?), brought about by long term, relentless, agonizing pain. Sombra, even when off of his hooves, had been at a pain level of four (On a scale of one to ten), and a level of eight when on his hooves, although his boots had helped bring it down to a six. When he'd stepped on that nail, he'd reached level ten, possibly even beyond that. As he found his seat, he couldn't help but chuckle to himself. Thankfully, Fluttershy had removed the nail before Sombra had reached the part about carving an apology into the side of a mountain with his face. However, while he'd not been required, by his oath, to follow through with the apologies to everypony he'd wronged, it was suggested that he keep to the spirit of that vow. In the hospital, while going through his various treatments, he'd had plenty of time to write a letter of apology to each pony in the Crystal Empire. Surprisingly, he'd actually received letters from his former 'subjects', expressing forgiveness for his crimes. Not a large number of them, admittedly, but even one would have meant the world to him now. Thank goodness for those six mares, though: Each of them had, during his treatment, visited him and helped him keep his spirits up. Especially Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie. The two of them together had done wonders, keeping him company. The only thing that had kept him sane, during all of the tedium of the constant hospital stays, was their sunny dispositions during their weekly visits. Now, however, he had to make good on his oath: He'd promised to use his powers for good, instead of evil, and the Crystal Empire was looking to expand. That meant that they would need to find a way to stretch the boundaries created by the Crystal Heart, expanding the area enclosed by the forcefield that protected the city from the perils of the icy north. As the only living expert on the Crystal Heart, as well as the only pony alive who could make crystal formations grow with magic, he would be spending the next two or three years helping the city grow, and then creating new housing for the citizens to move into. Ponies were, even now, looking to move into the Crystal Empire, now that it had returned... A lady's voice asked, "What's so funny?" Looking over to his left, Sombra saw his seatmate for the train ride, a tan earth pony with a short blonde mane, wearing a purple suit. She looked to be in her thirties, or perhaps just her late twenties and under a lot of stress. Either way, she was close to Sombra's own age, and a good deal more mature-looking than most of the mares he'd seen in the modern era... ...And Sombra did prefer a bit of maturity in his mares. "I was just thinking," Sombra said, as he eased into his seat, "about how so much can change in half a year. Just six moons ago, ponies were doing everything in their power to keep me from entering the Crystal Empire. Now, I've not only been invited back, but I get to ride there first class. Life can be funny like that. Ah, but where are my manners? I am Sombra. Who might you be?" The mare gave a small chuckle, then said, "Harshwhinny. Ms Harshwhinny. Charmed. And... you wouldn't happen to be THE Sombra, would you?" With an ironic sigh, he said, "Had I known that my reputation would precede me where ever I would go, I would have made use of a pseudonym during my reign, rather than my birth name. Yes, as it happens, I am the very same Sombra you've read about in the history books." A small smile upon her face, the mare said, "Well, some ponies become famous for winning gold medals, and others become famous for making royal blunders." The two shared a small laugh, then the mare continued, "So, what will be bringing you back to the Crystal Empire?" "I've been tasked, for my crimes, with helping expand the borders of the Crystal Empire, and with building new housing within the city, once that is done," he admitted with a chuckle. "And you?" Her expression now serious, Ms. Harshwhinny said, "I've been asked to determine whether the Crystal Empire should host the Equestrian games." After a moment, her expression softened, and she added, "It is mostly a formality, really: Celestia and Luna both made it clear that the city would be hosting the games this year. Given everything that's happened..." With a shrug, she said, "Well I don't think I would need to explain it to you, of all ponies. My job is mostly to make certain that the city is up to the task. The Equestrian Games are a very important event, with ponies all over the world competing for the gold. It is a bureaucratic, logistical, and diplomatic nightmare, even with a city that is easy to reach. The Crystal Empire is not. A great many arrangements will need to be made so that the Crystal Empire will be able to host the event." The mare's expression had, as she spoke, turned into a severe frown. Sombra, an eyebrow raised, asked, "Are you dissatisfied with your job?" The mare seemed taken aback by that, but responded quickly, stating, "I love my job! Even as a little filly, I've loved the Equestrian Games, and that has never changed. Admittedly, it is a great deal of work, ensuring that they run smoothly, but the games have been my passion for as long as I can remember." With a snort, she added, "What I can't stand is all the hoopla that each city makes over getting to be the ones who host the games. They give me tours through the 'best' parts of the city, give me a whole song and dance routine, and try their hardest to steer me away from anything that might make their city look bad. And I have to sit through all of that, dozens of times, each year that the games are held. Who wouldn't get tired of that?" With a snort, she said, "I have to make certain that the city meets very strict criteria before I can normally make my decision, but decorum demands that I have to go through all of that additional nonsense as well. I'd give anything for a chance to sit that part out, especially since the city will be ultimately be hosting the games, regardless of what I see." Sombra thought on that for a moment, then chuckled to himself. "I might have an idea you'll like, then." --------------------------------------------------- "Are they gone?" Chuckling, Sombra looked out the door and said, "Yes, they certainly are. They fell for it, hook, line, and sinker." Carrying the mare's luggage, the stallion stepped out, a smile on his face. Ms. Harshwhinny practically giggled as she followed him. "You know, I still can't believe how lucky we were that there was somepony on the train with the same luggage I have. It's an incredible coincidence." Rolling his eyes, Sombra said, "I doubt its a coincidence: Miss Peachbottom won a trip to the Crystal Empire through a contest she didn't remember entering, along with her brand spanking new luggage. The entire situation has Celestia's hoofprints all over it. It would be just like her to engineer a little 'accident', where Twilight and her friends end up confusing the two of you. I swear, the princess has some sort of obsession with putting her student in awkward situations..." Chuckling, he added, "But at least this way, you can sit out the presentation, and make your assessment the way you really wanted to. Meanwhile, Miss Peachbottom will get the royal treatment." Giggling again, the mare said, "I really shouldn't be doing this, it's hardly professional..." Sombra, his expression stern, said, "Life is far too short to be professional all the time." Sombra took a step forward, and... "Huh," he said, noticing an odd feeling under his hoof. Lifting up the appendage in question, he looked where he had just placed his hoof, and look to see... a bent nail. He lifted the object up, studied for a second, then checked the underside of his hoof, before chuckling to himself. He really had come a long way in six moons. It hadn't even scratched the surface. Tossing the object in a nearby garbage can, Sombra said, "Let's head out. I know a wonderful little place a few blocks from here where we can grab some lunch. I expect it will take, oh, an hour or two for them to figure out they have the wrong pony, so we have plenty of time." Smiling, Ms. Harshwhinny said, "Lunch sounds good. I was told that I should probably expect Cadance to be at the spa: The Crystal Empire's Royal Ceremonial Headdress is quite a hassle to apply, and tradition demands that she wear it when she 'officially' greets me." Chuckling to himself, Sombra said, "I wish I could see their faces when they figure out that they've got the wrong pony..." He'd promised to be good. He'd never promised to be nice... and a practical joke like this one was just too good to pass up.