Chapter 3
Twilight and her friends were wandering near aimlessly looking for any sign of Sombra. They were following the slightest signs of shadow magic they could find. And after scaring the horse apples out of several Lunar Pegasi, and one demented unicorn who believed they were there to take his tree stump, they were no clser to finding him than they had been. They had become somewhat disheartened and were currently in Los Pegasus. They had been searching rather hard to find a place that was exuding large any amount of dark magic, before Twilight had the idea to search for the effects of the dark magic rather than the dark magic itself having decided that Sombra would be near a large group of ponies in order to harvest more fear. And having scoured the city and the surrounding the surrounding area, to no avail, they were now trying to rest. They were in a rather swanky hotel in the city, attempting to relax after a day of fruitless effort. Everypony was making their own personal displeasure known to everypony else about it, and Twilight was rapidly running patience. She was attempting to make use of her time studying on ways to block and nullify dark magic.
"Honestly, couldn't Sombra have the decency to simply attack us like all of our other foes? It certainly makes things easier when they do," Rarity said "My hooves hurt from all of this walking around."
"I wouldn't like that at all," Spike said, "I had nightmares about him. Even after Tirek and everything else we have gone through. His traps nearly stopped Twilight. He didn't DO anything... other than disable Shining Armor's magic, and he almost beat us....... If he is getting more power BEFORE he attacks, it just scares me."
"Well from what the princess said, we would be in pretty big trouble if'n he did," Applejack answered. "I mean exactly how can we stop something like him? He was smart, powerful, and for all we know he is hiding in one of the shadows in this here room. We don't have a lot to go on."
"Aj... your making Spike feel worse," Rainbow said in a strange reversal of rolls. " Don't worry Spike it's not that bad, I mean we actually know he isn't here. Right Twilight?" Rainbow said with a confident look at Twilight who was reading.
"That's right unfortunately. The spell being used to block Celestia from tracking dark magic is meant only for mid to long distance cover. We covered this city completely, and we didn't find a single trace of his magic close up. Which means he isn't here."
"But that means we need to cover every last little teensy tiny bit of Equestria doesn't it? How are we going to do that?" Pinkie asked her voice full of concern.
"Well, we might not have too." Fluttershy said quietly as she slid beneath her covers, before being scared witless by the sudden knock upon the door.
Rarity picked up most of the furniture in her magic ready to hurl all of it at the pony on the other side of the door and Twilight's horn came to life as she brought several spells to mind that would melt the face off of the intruder and she readied several shields to be cast around them. Both Rainbow Dash and Applejack were stretching themselves before tensing to strike as they saw Twilight's magic aura wrap around the handle.
Twilight slowly opened the door, and a cart was wheeled in by...
"Room service for one MISS PIE!" the azure unicorn who was wheeling the cart screamed as she was magically pulled into the room. She was wearing the standard uniform for the wait staff that was part of the norm when ordering room service. She was clearly distressed about the situation as she was faced with five mares about to attack her, and one who was currently eating from the assorted pastries lining the carts top. She immediately ran to the door that was being held shut by Twilight's magic and began to pull on the door knob frantically attempting to open it.
".............Trixie? Is that you?" Twilight asked as she looked closer at the mare delivering Pinkie's food.
Trixie stopped pounding on the door and turned slowly to face Twilight "Twilight? Ummmm... nice wings?"
"Thanks?" Twilight said, very confused before she started thinking about this seeming coincidence. "Spike take a letter, we may have just gotten some more help with our mission."
Trixie looked worried. "Mission? And what do you mean I may be able to help?"
"That was very good, Mr..... I am sorry, but I don't know your name." Cheerilee said as she and Shining Armor walked between the ponies that were gathered outside the room. Only to look up at the stallion as he raised himself from a sitting position. She had to tilt her head to look him in the eye. With Shining Armor, she only had to let look up slightly to meet his gaze. Shining was big for a unicorn. Somber was large for an earth pony.
"Mr. Somber or just Somber will be fine."
I have to agree with her Sombra. That was very good, and you seem to have even more admirers. You lovable, reformed bad guy you,
Hush you.
"I must admit it was rather well done," Shining Armor said matter of factly. "So you are this Mr. Somber I was just hearing about fro-"
"Hiya Mr. Somber! Are here to get me? Cause school isn't over yet." said the small yellow filly, with the mane the colors of the sky at sunset. Gold and purple mostly with some red and orange mixed in.
Oh my gosh... SHE IS ADORABLE!!!!!!!
Ow.
Sorry Sombra but she really is adorable. Head voice said as she gave a contented sigh while looking at the little filly through Sombra's eyes.I wish I could have children...she said wistfully.
So why don't you shut up and find a way to make a few fillies and colts in there. Just be careful you don't anger me too much if you do. I might imagine spike pits. he thought darkly, while chuckling internally.
And that right there is why I can't. I am pretty sure I am here to help you, I don't know why... but I feel like I am. Besides, I want actual children. Not figments of my imagination.
Sombra was now at a loss for words. He had assumed Head Voice was a figment of his imagination. Or an artificial construct made by the merging of his essence with that of the wave of magic from the Crystal Heart, and that she was his body/minds way of coping with it. The fact that she had an imagination... was mind boggling.
Now seems you were the one to shut up Sombra.'
Indeed.
"No I am not here to pick you up little Sunshine. Well not yet anyway. I had Gilda run some errands so you won't be bored and I can begin your tutelage in the prestigious art of Thamaturgy." Sombra said to his new charge. He had to admit she was rather cute. Something about her simply melted his heart. And though he was unaware of it, he started to like her.
"Any way Mr. Somber, I need to talk to you for a minute," Shining Armor said, in as authoritative a voice he could muster. "You see it would seem that after your LUCKY win against-"
"Luck has nothing to do with how I win," Somber cut him off, "Unlike the guard who were near completely useless during the changeling invasion at YOUR wedding, I happen to have a few things called skill, intelligence, and power."
Treble Clef snorted attempting to hold her laughter back, before failing miserably. Soon most of the ponies around Shining Armor were laughing uproariously. While he could only blush and try not to tackle Somber through the wall. His temper was rising quite quickly.
"Then perhaps you wouldn't mind giving them a demonstration tomorrow? Of an actual duel between unicorns?"
"Gladly, boy. You believe that Equestria is the end all be all when it comes to magical power. I am rather excited to prove your beliefs wrong." Somber said calmly, before giving an evil looking grin towards the young guard captain.
Treble Clef couldn't believe her luck. Somepony was going to fight Shining Armor for her. Her eyes flashed green for a moment.
Finally, my revenge will be assured.
Angel Wing was sitting in her bed at the Canterlot Academy hoping that all was well back at her home. She had settled into her old routine for the classes quite easily, but that wasn't the biggest surprise of the day. When Angel had gone to reapply for her scholarship, it seemed she no longer was allowed to have it. She had broken down and begged, the clerk was however unmoved.
"Please, you have to help me somehow! I can't just go home now, I have finally found a way to make this work! My daughter is waiting at home with the only pony I have met in the last seven years who was willing to help us, just waiting for me to go home and tell her we don't have to struggle to get by anymore. Please, my coltfriend left me right after I found out I was pregna-"
"Well that is hardly the problem for the Canterlot Academy of Medicine now is it? We don't want you to be here if you can't pay. It isn't our fault you decided to become a whorse for some stallion that didn't like you at all. Now remove yourself from the premises or I will have you escorted out by the guards."
Angel collapsed like her dreams, bawling onto the floor unable to keep her emotions in check as her heart was crushed yet again, as everything she had spent her time hoping for was taken from her in a matter of moments. The things that had kept her going were now gone. She had her special little filly, and that was all. Somber probably didn't like her either, he was more than likely filled with pity for her.
"Stupid whorse, GUARDS GET HER OUT OF HERE N-"
"WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS?"
Angel turned her head slowly to see Princess Luna through her tear filled eyes. Luna bent down and looked at the pegasus in front of her. Her Cutie Mark making it clear that she was destined to be in a medical practice of some sort, a big pink heart with a red cross on it, that seemed as though it was rushing towards something on her flank.
"What is going on here? Why isn't this mare in her classes yet? I come down here to cheer myself up, and see the wonderful young minds hard at work trying to make Equestria a better place. And what do I find? A former secretary berating a mare who wants nothing more than to help ponies and make life better for her daughter. You may leave. GUARDS!
In a flash Luna's personal guard were at her side joining her in scowling at the secretary. "Remove her from these premises. If she resists, use force and throw her in jail."
"Y-y-you don't have the authori-"
"Actually I do have the authority. I FOUNDED this institution before I became Nightmare Moon. Now, remove her."
"No."
Startled Luna turned towards the mare who had spoken. She struggled to her feet, and momentarily lost her balance before one of the Lunar guards moved to steady her on her hooves. She gave the guard a smile as thanks and turned to face Luna.
"Don't fire her over me. I can get by. She probably needs this job as well, and I'll bet she has had a hard life too. She probably didn't mean any of it, right?"
The secretary stood off to the side flanked by Luna's guards. Her own eyes now filled with tears, as she walked forward to Angel. She wept as she put her forelegs around Angel's neck and held her close whispering thank you, and I'm sorry, repeatedly while Angel sat and comforted her.
"Very well. She will retain her position, provided she doesn't treat anypony like that again." The secretary continued to bawl like a foal on the floor. " Now as for you Miss..." Luna faltered.
"Wing, Angel Wing."
"Miss Wing, the Crown will pay for your education, and you will be given the best room I can find." Luna said as she smiled wistfully at the sight before her, internally weeping alongside them both, the sight of the emotional situation nearly getting the better of her.
It was Angel's turn to be startled, she tried to stammer out a rejection of the hand out, only to be stopped by Luna once more.
"Nonsense, Miss Wing. You are fully deserving of the scholarship I am providing you with, you have put off your own destiny long enough. And all for a foal that you might have given over to the services of Equestria. No, you will not pay a single bit for your courses. You are the model of the morals and values I want more of my little ponies to have after all. This is NOT a hand out, rather it is a hand up. I want Equestria to have more mothers like you. And I fully intend to thank this stallion that has taken in your foal personally."
Angel had wept, just broken down and cried at the kindness she was receiving from the Princess of the Night. Luna had held her and simply let her cry herself out. Before Luna left Angel had given a description of both Mr. Somber and his home, so Luna could indeed thank him, pony to pony.
And now here she was sitting in the very best room the Academy had to offer, in utter comfort all thanks to her being a good mother and her current romantic interest. She blushed when she caught herself wishing he was here to hold her now. Luna had departed earlier today, and she would be at her home in a matter of hours. A sudden violent shiver traveled down her spine, and she was suddenly filled with fear for her little filly. As though something was happening that she had no control over, and couldn't hope to stop.
Please Somber, protect my little Sunshine.
News of Shining Armor's upcoming duel had reached Celestia just as she was enjoy some time with her niece. Cadance had of course facehoofed at the news, and began ranting about how he was always charging in blindly ready for anything while actually being unprepared for it. Then Celestia had told Cadance of Sombra's return. The effects were immediate.
"So, Sombra is back and Shining just accepted a duel with a stallion who beat a griffon. And the Changelings have ousted Chrysalis who was last spotted in the area of Baltimare and-"
A scroll popped into existence in front of the two mares, Celestia barely able to catch it before it ruined the cake they had been sharing, while another scroll popped up above the teapot which Cadance caught. Cadance and Celestia shared a look of mild contempt as they unrolled the scrolls. That was of course before Blueblood walked in. He had been rather subdued as of late, hardly leaving his room. As far as Celestia knew he had caught himself calling a nurse in the infirmary a "filthy mud pony" and he was rather distressed by this turn of events. He took his seat, sighing loudly as he looked at the two princesses.
"What is it now Blueblood?" Celestia asked as she read through the report from her sister about the incident at the Academy of Medicine.
"The Gala," he replied, "That gala where everything went wrong, that was the start of the worst of my behavior. I treated that poor mare terribly. And I have come to a decision, I am going to be a better prince for Equestria. I just don't know how...."
Celestia looked to her nephew, and smiled. "I am glad you have seen the error in your ways, nephew. And as for being a better prince-"
"Hmmm... so many things are centering around that area... I wonder." Cadance mused aloud inadvertantly cutting off Celestia "I mean we assumed he would be closer to the Empire, but when you look at the whole picture...."
The door to the throne room burst open, and Celestia was startled from her reverie, only to face yet another development that boded ill for her little ponies. Yet as she looked she could feel her heart twist as the pain of this particular loss was still unhealed.
"Princess, I want to come home."
"Sunset..."
"Are you really going to duel the prince Mr. Somber?" Sunshine asked her cute little mane bobbing as she walked beside him. "What if his mom finds out? I got into a duel once and when my mom found out she grounded me for week, and she said that it is naughty to fight other ponies, so are you gonna be a bad pony now?
"The way we are doing this doesn't make us bad, little Sunshine. We are doing this to show all of how to protect yourselves, and other ponies."
'And so you can beat up a prince, and prove to me that you are unchanged even though most of your actions today say otherwise,' Head Voice said smiling smugly.
Very well, you leave me no choice. I will tell you. But first, what is the best way to cause fear?
'How should I know? Though it would be far quicker to just drop this diguise and go on a rampage.'
Possibly, but then everypony that I would have to fight would all race to the Empire to defend it, or they would all come here to fight me. I am very powerful, but I am NOT omnipotent, I would lose quickly without doing much damage at all. Back to the question on fear, the best way to make a pony feel fear... is to give them a hero, to give them hope, to fill them with the white light shining from him, show them love and kindness.... and take it all away. To show them the light they loved was blackness, the kindness and love, were cruelty and indifference in disguise. That their hero was in fact the villain.
I have no words for how unspeakably cruel that is. Perhaps you haven't changed...yet. I will hold onto hope.
Sombra shook his head. And why would you do something as stupid as that?
Because it is all I can do. I can keep trying and hoping. Those are the most important things anypony can do.
Perhaps you are right. Sombra thought as he looked at the young filly in front of him. Her eyes cought sight of a butterfly and she gave a cry of delight as she chased after it. And as Sombra watched the display of innocence, he couldn't help but smile softly.