Regarding Falling Villains

by naturalbornderpy


Chapter 11: Regarding Mild Revenge and Fights in the Rain

REGARDING MY LIST OF FRIENDS

 
That evening, I was invited to the Apple family farm for dinner. Fluttershy accompanied me; I wasn’t sure if it was by Applejack’s request or her own insistence on coming. I considered my quest to get back in Twilight’s good books a difficult task all its own. Had Fluttershy made a project out of me? She already had Discord in the bag, as simple as it might have been. Was she aiming for two out of two?
                
Needless to say, I liked her style far more than Celestia’s monotonous friendship grind.
                
“Where did you say you were from?” the oldest of the Apple clan asked me.
               
“The Crystal Empire.”
                
“Sure yer not in some way related to the Apple fam?”
                
I slowly glanced at the dark color of my coat to compare with the harvest colors of the rest. Was she saying this in jest? “If I was, I’d be old enough to be your grandfather. Several times over. In fact, possibly I am your grandfather.”
                
“Then list me more than two types of apples, smart guy.”
                
I sighed. “Yellow, red and green.”
                
The family matriarch chewed on my answer. “That’s good enough for me. Let’s eat.”

The meal was a simplistic affair of vegetables and starches. Dessert was, of course, apples and apple byproducts. I should have seen it coming. It wasn’t that I didn’t enjoy food or even the preparation of it—it was only that since I’d gained my immense powers again, the need for sustenance fell away from me. I could eat and I could drink the same as any other pony, I just didn’t need to. The same went for oxygen. I’m sure if I went a hundred years without food or even a few hours without air, I might finally succumb to the clutches of death. But it would take quite some time.
                
Regardless, I told them it was good and kept my manners in mind. I only needed to remind myself this was my direct shot back to Twilight’s good graces… as thin as it was appearing. When the meal was over, the family broke away from each other. Most went in the direction of the fireplace to regale in stories and the like. Not burdened with the need to open up at the moment, I followed Applejack’s older brother outside.
                
“Eeyup,” was all the stallion said after I thanked him for his hospitality.
                
We sat out on the porch and watched as the sun dipped below the horizon. I found it rather dull in truth, but could tell the Apple family enjoyed the solace and splendor of nature more than most. I wasn’t about to cancel such plans.
                
I had spent nearly a week at Fluttershy’s and something large still irked at me. Something was still out of place that I couldn’t understand. I asked him, “Are you scared of me?”
                
“Nope.”
                
“You do realize I was once the great ruler of the Crystal Empire—feared by thousands and hated by more. Your sister and her friends were the ones that defeated me some time ago.”
                
“Eeyup.”
                
It was this simple notion that pulled at my thoughts as I spent time with Fluttershy and the rest. Just how easy it had been to slip into their world and exist alongside them. Discord had made it sound as simple as such, but I had already categorized draconequuses as liars and nothing more. Were second chances offered this freely in Ponyville, or had they failed to understand exactly what I was yet?
                
“You are a pony of few words.”
                
“Eeyup.”
                
“I feel I could tell you anything. That I could longingly look into your soul and it would be like staring into a mirror. You keep quiet because you understand the fundamentals of existence with more precision than most, and you believe if you were to speak your mind more often than you do, your own personal problems would no longer be your own.”
                
“Eeyup.”
                
I pulled out a scroll I had brought with me in a bag. “We should be friends. I’m going to add you to my list of them.”
                
“Eey—” He glanced at my list and sharp quill with alarm. It had not been the first time. “Eeyup?”
                
“Splendid,” I told him, scribbling down his name.
        
14. Eeyup Pony
                
Feeling a fraction bit happier, I scanned my thin list of names and the empty check boxes beside them. I had filled in a few of Twilight’s friends already—I’m sure they would agree to it. But more than anything, I wanted a strike by that first name.
                
1. Twilight Sparkle
                
I knew then it was only a game of persistence.
 

REGARDING MILD REVENGE

 

It was on a Thursday when it happened. I was lazily strolling beside Fluttershy as she attended to her daily chores. She had planned for a small picnic under a tree afterwards, and I spent the time before then trying to coerce whatever facts I could about a certain mare’s likes and dislikes. I knew Twilight enjoyed books, but then, so did everyone in Equestria. By the way Fluttershy stopped at each blossoming plant and flower, I took it as a sign they might enjoy horticulture as well.
                
That was when he popped by.
                
“Fluttershy! Fluttershy! You wouldn’t believe what that buffoon did at Sugarcube Corner the other day! I mean, that’s just too—”
                
Discord stopped in his tracks a few steps outside Fluttershy’s kitchen, a lemon square already half eaten in one hand. His fiendish grin oozed from his face like melting wax.
                
“What’s he doing here?” he asked her, irritation already plaguing his voice. “Thursday afternoons is our time together, Fluttershy!”
                
Oh. Oh my. Is that how it is?

Suddenly I saw my “friend” in an entirely new light. He must not like competition. He must not like it at all.
                
Fluttershy sat down pleasantly enough on the spread-out blanket and patted near her side. “There’s plenty to go around, Discord. And since Sombra has been my guest for the past few days, I’m inclined to include him, too.” She turned up to him. “I thought you said you liked him?”
                
Discord looked repulsed. “I liked watching him… fail, if that’s what you mean. But…” That was when his pupils shrunk significantly. “Did you say he was staying here?”
                
Fluttershy set the lettuce sandwiches and accompaniments down around her. “Yes. I said he could as long as he behaves himself, and he’s… making progress. Sombra’s only going through a rough time at the moment.”
                
I should have felt rather exposed being discussed in such a personal way only feet from view, but the expression on the draconequus’ face was enough to want to lay down and bask in.
                
“You’re allowing him to stay in your home?” he nearly shouted, his eyebrows leaving his head a few inches. “You never let me spend the night, Fluttershy!”
                
She told him delicately, “That’s because you have grabby-hands, Discord. Sombra has hooves and he keeps them to himself.”
                
The draconequus steamed and turned several colors of the rainbow. “What is this… I don’t… why does he…” He grabbed at his sizzling head. “I can’t even finish sentences right now!” Taking a breath, he fell to his knees and added a faint shimmer to both eyes. It would have almost been convincing if it hadn’t been so damn overwrought. “But Fluttershy! I wanted to spend time with you! Not mean ol’ Sombra-face over there. He’s not even reformed; he’s just… leeching off you.”
                
The yellow pegasus crossed her forelegs and shut her eyes. “Then that’s too bad, mister. Anyone staying under my roof will be treated as a guest, and asking them to leave simply because someone doesn’t like them would be no way to treat them. Sombra’s doing his very best and I’m sure if you got to know each other, you’d discover you have a lot in common.”
                
Any cuddliness in Discord blew away in the wind as he watched me slowly saunter over to the picnic blanket. Once I sat down next to Fluttershy, I patted the remaining area with a grin. It was my “friendship” face, too. By that point, I’d almost gotten used to it.
                
Acting like a colt presented with bad medicine, Discord eventually took a seat and looked anything but cheerful on that particularly warm and sunny day. He stared at me as if his thoughts alone could set me on fire, chewing loudly with complete disregard for food particles thrown about the wayside. I ate with poise and dabbed the corners of my mouth with my napkin. I had been a King for more years than I could remember. Manners were like invisible armor to me.
                
He growled in my direction, “You were supposed to implode and go away, dark pony—a series of quick laughs followed by a quick exit. I don’t remember giving you permission to live with my friends. I thought you were only after Twilight.”
                
I smiled faintly. “Plans have… changed on that front. I will talk with Twilight, but only when the time is right.”
                
He sluggishly propped his head on a hand. “Any idea when that’ll be, so you can go do things away from here?”
                
I ignored his question and focused on something else: revenge, as mild as it would be.
                
“Fluttershy, dear,” I asked pleasantly. “Could I have some pudding now?”
                
“Of course, Sombra.” From her small picnic basket, she unloaded a covered bowl of the chocolate dessert. She place a sizeable portion into a clear cup and hoofed it over to me.
                
I levitated a spoonful to my mouth methodically. “This is very good, Fluttershy! Discord, why don’t you have some?”
                
The draconequus appeared to be counting how many breakable bones were in my body. I almost wanted to hug him, he was making me feel so mildly wicked. He said gravely, “I’m suddenly not hungry anymore.”
                
I sneered at him. “That’s too bad. Because it’s really good.” I upended my spoon right before my mouth so a sizeable blob fell to the top of my muzzle. I crossed my eyes to stare at the spill. “Oh Fluttershy, dear. I seemed to have made a mess of myself. Would you be so kind? I always have trouble getting at all those spots I can’t see.”
                
“Sure, Sombra.” Fluttershy reached for a nearby napkin and began dabbing the ends of my dessert-covered nose. While she was focused on me, I was focused on Discord.
                
If his hate could have been bottled and sold as a hot sauce, it would have been pulled from the shelves right after the first shipment. He mouthed the words, “I hate you,” and I only smirked in return. We were well on our way to a lifetime of happiness and joy, I could tell.
                
Fluttershy pulled away and I stuck my tongue to my snout, pretending to dab at something. “I think you missed a spot.”
                
“Let me see,” she said, reaching back in.
                
While Fluttershy touched my muzzle, I playfully licked at her hoof. She laughed. “That tickles, Sombra!”
                
I felt the earth shake and turned to the draconequus. His face was the color of lava and his eyes were a window into a sea of fire. It was almost mesmerizing how many different ways he could visibly become annoyed.
                
That’s it! That is it! THAT IS IT!” he yelled, snapping himself to a standing position. “You want to play it like that? You really do? Well, fine, then. Let’s go.” A second snap from his bony fingers caused the container of pudding to fly right above his head, only to crash back down with a very satisfying splat. Somehow his eyes were the only thing not completely covered in the sticky dessert. “Now who’s messy, Sombra! I’m sure Fluttershy will need more than a single napkin for me!”
                
In an instant Fluttershy shot up between us, forelegs dividing the two of us. She stared at Discord disappointedly. “That’s no way to treat friends that are trying to better themselves, Discord. You of all creatures should know that.”
                
He narrowed his eyes. “He tried to eat your pets!”
                
Fluttershy hesitated. “Well, that was when Sombra was still adjusting to his surroundings. He isn’t perfect, but he’s trying. You were never perfect either, Discord. You still have your ups and downs from time to time. But that’s what friends are for—to forgive and to look past the small faults.”
                
The draconequus snapped away every inch of pudding covering his body, leaving him with a buffer-like shine. “I don’t think so, Fluttershy. You’ve played wet nurse to Mr. Brood for long enough. You need to show him the door.”
                
The gentle pegasus crossed her legs, a stern expression locked in. “Sombra will only leave when he is ready. He is a guest and at the moment he’s a far more pleasant one than you.”
                
“I… what…” Discord grasped at words that never made it out. With quivering jaw he turned to me, fresh wrath etched in his eyes. “If that is the way you feel, Fluttershy, I will not impose on you further. I will only give you this small piece of advice. Before you get your heart set on this dark creature, you should know what type of animal he truly is. The moment you are of no more use to him, he will be off without a parting word. Why else do you think he’s stuck around for so long? Because of you? Or because of your connection to Twilight?”
                
With growing apprehension I watched as tiny gears began to click in the back of his head. If this sight alone wasn’t enough to give me pause, his vacant expression and soft voice thereafter sealed it.
                
Before he left, he said, “Don’t be surprised if you wake up one morning and find this villainous pony nowhere to be found. Not having had a single friend in his life, I can’t imagine he’d be the type to leave a note.”
 

REGARDING FIGHTS IN THE RAIN

 

The pounding rain cemented my mane against my shoulders and face, a few wayward drops stinging the few thin cuts around my chin and chest. I dropped closer to the ground and barred my sharp teeth at my opponent, a low throated growl already building up from my torso. My limbs ached and my head was pounding from the constant use of heavy magic… and yet I was having the best time of my life.
                
“You ready to admit defeat, Sombra?” Luna called to me, her mane somehow impervious to the wind and rain of her own creation. “Or are you merely waiting for the finishing blow?”
                
I barked a single laugh into the pitch black sky. “Last time I was brought down was because I was outnumbered and caught unawares. This time your sister will not come to your aid, Luna. All that awaits for you tonight is one final dream; one which I promise you will never wake from.”
                
Luna and I had been bantering and sparring for close to an hour now. Having not completely worked out each delicate kink in my arsenal of dark magic, my overabundant use of it was close to taxing. I could only hope she’d want to call it a night soon.
                
Earlier that morning, I had received a hoofwritten letter at Fluttershy’s. It read:
                
“Dear dark King Sombra,
                
Considering that your reign of tyranny still stands, I have come to the conclusion that one final climactic duel should be arranged. Midnight tonight in the heart of the Everfree Forest. The light from my moon will guide your way and the edge of my blade will silence you for good.
                
Looking forward to our final encounter,
                
Princess Luna.”
                
I originally absorbed the note as well as could be expected and then went ahead to the forest—mostly in the notion of swaying her away from attacking me. Reaching the middle of the thick greenery, a circular storm cloud closed in over an open clearing, soaking everything under it. I could tell she had been patiently waiting for me.
                
In better suited armor than before, she unveiled herself and struck her glowing sword on the ground. She shouted with her royal voice, “Now ends the bloody reign of King Sombra!”
                
It had been so long since my official title had been used it caused my hairs to stand on end. Dreaming of my old cape and crown, I hardly noticed the mare lunge forward to attack, sword poised at the ready.
                
One quick slash was all it took.
                
“Ow! Why did you do that?”
                
I gripped the bleeding cut on my chin as I retreated from her, sealing myself away in a protective red bubble.
                
Innocently, Luna raised a leg to me. “I thought you were ready! I even taunted you and everything! It’s not my fault if you’re slow.”
                
I shot daggers at her. “Slow?” Then something much larger pulled at me. “What is all this? I’ve done nothing wrong and I’ve been pardoned of my crimes. You have no right to attack or harass me. Actually…” I showed her the bit of blood on my hoof. “You could get into a lot of trouble for this!”
                
Safely inside her helmet, she rolled her eyes. “Sombra, if I truly wanted to, I could kill you and lay your stuffed carcass across the Canterlot fireplace and no one would even mention it. There are perks to being an alicorn, if you hadn’t known.”
                
I didn’t have anything to add to that.
                
“But that’s not why I brought you here,” she continued. “I wanted a fight on the day you were released from my sister’s holding, and now I’m going to get it—big speeches and all. And before you worry yourself too much, this isn’t to the death. It is but for merriment.”
                
I still didn’t know what to make of all this.
                
Then she said those damn words. “Unless you’re too old.”
                
Close to sixty minutes later, the sweat around my mane had grown chilly and the churning fire-like blades I had created and then recreated from scratch wavered substantially with each of Luna’s crushing blows. If I had known what was actually to transpire that night, I might have prepared better. As it was, I had been left completely deflated.
                
“Yield, dark creature!”
                
Again and again her sword clashed into mine, each hit causing me to stagger back until my leg struck a rock below me. Twisting in mid-fall, my weapon winked out from existence and Luna’s own came down one final time, resting comfortably against my wet throat.
                
Luna held a sly smile. “Yield?”
                
My chest felt on the verge of collapsing and my heart beat away like a jackhammer. I think I was pretty close to seeing spots. Even feeling like that, I hastily glanced from side to side for potential viewers. None found, I whispered to her, “I yield.”
                
“Good. Now, time for refreshments.”
 

REGARDING COMPLICATIONS

 

“Does your sister know you’re out here?”
                
We sat together in the thick grass next to a small luggage compartment she had stored out from view. Carefully and methodically, she unhooked each tiny and dented piece of armor to be set back inside it. I didn’t mean to stare, but I had been curious as to whether I’d given her a fair fight in return. By the way her coat glistened in the light from the moon, I could tell I at least hadn’t made it that easy.
                
Far more prepared than I’d been upon entering that circle of strife, Luna levitated over a small bottle full of sparkling clear liquids. It tasted like water, but colder than it should have been. It also had the knack of clearing away any tiredness or pain I had been experiencing. I hoped it would do the same to the small cuts I had received, otherwise I was sure a stern lecture from Fluttershy would be on the way.
                
At my question, Luna shot me a glare. “I don’t need to ask my sister for permission to do what I please. I live my own life away from her and she does the same. As long as the night remains tranquil, I am free to do as I wish.”
                
I decided not to press the subject. “Does Celestia ever say anything about me? Does she know of my current whereabouts?”
                
Luna held a small look of chagrin. “She… knows you are still around, but, truthfully, you are no longer her greatest concern. You have—oddly—surrounded yourself with the Elements of Harmony, so I believe her reasoning is that anything ‘villainous’ you might try will be halted without hesitation. But she, like most of us, still wonders the purpose of you staying here.” She laid her weary head on a hoof. “Now you have the ability and freedom to go anywhere in this vast world, and yet you chose to stay in a town only a stone’s throw from where my sister kept you. You have not pledged your allegiance to either good or evil, and from what townsfolk have said, nopony knows exactly what you’re up to.”
                
She scooted against the grass until her back leg rested against mine. Even from that small touch, I could tell how warm and well toned the alicorn was. She asked me delicately, “So what is making you stay here, Sombra?”
                
I had been asked the same question in a multitude of ways since leaving Canterlot that it barely registered as a question at all. The answer always remained the same. “I want to talk with Twilight again.”
                
Luna stared up at her moon, perhaps mentally adjusting its whereabouts. “You want your friend back.”
                
“Yes.”
                
“And what if she does not wish to be your friend anymore?”
                
“Then I will keep trying. I have lifetimes to speak with her again.”
                
Luna paused. “And when you do become friends? What then? How does this story end for you?”
                
“I….” I thought I had known the answer before I even opened my mouth. How odd it was to find someone genuinely curious about what I had set out to accomplish, only to then ask what I planned on doing when it was over. Yet, truth be told, even I hadn’t thought that far in advance. The first part was close to impossible as it was.

“I don’t know what I’ll do, Luna. I think when the time comes, I’ll have a better understanding. My months spent in Canterlot were haphazard at best, and near the end, the only thing pulling me along were those small pockets of peace I spent with Twilight Sparkle. Unlike everyone else in that dusty castle, she did not force herself on me. Everyone else there… they only saw me as a stepping stool, as if by becoming my friend, they thought their lives would change for the better. Not a single one of them cared about me at all. Twilight had nothing to gain from spending time with me—only I did. And as grating as I must have been to her, she still stuck beside me.”
                
For the first time since our fight, Luna appeared downcast. Gently rubbing one hoof against the other, she said, “Before I depart for the night, Sombra, I will ask you one final question. Is it more than friendship you want from Twilight? Is there more that you want from the girl?”
                
“We would need to exchange basic words first…”
                
“Then say you did,” Luna cut in sharply. “Say your friendship with Twilight Sparkle was suddenly mended and all was right in Equestria. Would you court her?”
                
It felt as though my heart seized into a brick, causing my limbs to grow numb and my brain to follow suit. For every hour of every day I had thought about my one single goal—to speak with Twilight again, to mend the bridge that I had so horrendously destroyed. Thoughts of events past that lone outcome had scarcely come into play. And now someone was asking what I had planned to do. Someone who, I believed, had a motive all their own.
                
Deep in my musings, I hadn’t noticed the mare flood my vision, her eyes locked onto mine. She asked stoically, “Do you love her, Sombra?”
                
At first, I wanted to say yes as much as I wanted to scream no. Luna had no business in my life and until that night could have hardly given me the time of day… unless I was planning on taking back the Empire, that was. Still, I told her the truth.
                
“I think I could.”
                
Luna forced a smile. She tried to add casually, “You know, compared to you, she’s just a foal. She might live forever, but she will always be a child next to us.”
                
I told her, “I think in her short amount of years on this rock, she’s already much wiser than me. Although, in truth, I’m finding that easier and easier to believe.” I hesitated before asking, “Would you put in a good word for me? If you see her in Canterlot?”
                
“I would do so gladly, Sombra. But I haven’t seen Twilight Sparkle anywhere near the castle in days.”
                
“Isn’t Sentry still in recovery there?”
                
She didn’t answer my question. Instead, she looked up at the moon as hints of light touched the corners of her eyes. She said softly, “I should go. But this night has been enjoyable, overall.” She turned back to me, a hint of longing in her stare. “Only know, Sombra, that there are more options available to you in this life. You may not be villainous any more and you may not be on the side of good, but there’s something interesting about you all the same. Speaking from one immortal to another… it’s nice not to be so alone.”
                
Placing a hoof on my shoulder, she leaned in and kissed me on the cheek. In the several seconds she remained there, blood rushed to my face—hopefully concealed by the darkness of the shade.
                
“Thank you for tonight, Sombra,” she said quietly. “I haven’t felt this youthful in a very, very long time. We will do this again soon.”
                
She got back to her hooves delicately and lazily sauntered to her little compartment of armor. In all my time working overnight in Canterlot, I had never seen the mare stroll in such a manner, flicking her tail energetically from side to side.
                
Once she was in the air and out of sight, I continued to sit on the chilly grass with damp coat, struggling to wrap my mind around everything I had bore witness to. Eventually, I came to a bitter conclusion.
                
“This will not end well.”