"How is your headache? I am quite worried for your health's sake." Zecora said as she walked alongside the dark stallion who still shook his head every so often to break away from a dizzy spell.
"Bearable." Sombra responded with unfocused eyes. He didn't even spare here a glance, then again, he could barely keep his walking pace steady as sudden waves of pain would stagger him. "I just need a moment."
"A moment of peace I can give. Though I must ask why pain strikes when your memories you try to relive."
"Tartarus if I knew. Let's just...keep this quiet around them hmm?" Sombra said as he gestured towards the girls running back and forth around them. With a soft smile and a nod, Zecora continued to lead the group further down the path she had carved with her own hooves.
Since she knew the Everfree better than anypony else, she took it upon herself to help them out to avoid any further run ins with monsters and beasts. Sombra was tired and in no condition to fight at the moment, not to mention that protecting three small fillies would not make things easier for him. Still, the horribly dangerous surroundings didn't seem to bother them in the slightest.
Sweetie Belle took notice of Sombra's gesture towards her and her friends. Furrowing her brows in worry, she began to think about the strange pain he had been in while back in Zecora's hut. After knowing what sort of anguish he had gone through because of the curse, the last thing she wanted was for him to be in more pain.
"You okay Sweetie Belle?" Scootaloo asked as she walked next to her friend.
"Oh, uh, yeah. I'm just worried about Mister Sombra is all."
"Why are ya worried about him? He's strong enough to beat anypony ain't he?" Applebloom said, jumping into the conversation. "If we meet any dangerous critters he can handle it."
"Yeah I know but-"
"Hurry now girls, we're almost there." Sombra called out, pointing out towards the sunlight breaking from the trees meters in front of them. Filled with a fit of giggles, the three fillies ran out ahead of the stallion and zebra, quickly getting an annoyed sighed from Sombra.
"You're a good stallion, that much I see." Zecora said with a soft smile. "Take good care of them, it's my only plea." She finished before turning around and beginning to make her way back into the forest.
"Not going to say good bye to the girls?" Sombra asked as he glanced backward.
"I shall see you all around, my good byes would only slow you down."
"Slow me...what?" He asked himself as he stood still a moment. What she meant to say eluded him, but he wasn't too keen on spending much more time on the subject. He had spent enough time within the forest as it was.
Making his way out of the dark forest, he found the fillies sitting in a circle. By the sound of it, talking about their little misadventure. It almost made him crack a smile to see them talk so happily amongst themselves like so. He sighed again, though this time, it was a much softer one, a sigh that alleviated some tension from within him.
"Sweetie Belle, you were so cool when you were fighting that cragadile. I mean, I know you were in Mister Sombra's body and all, but you fought so awesomely!" Scootaloo shouted as Sombra finally reached them.
"She hesitated in several instances, took too long to focus on her tactics, and failed to execute the quickest way to win." Sombra said quickly as he passed them, getting Sweetie Belle to fold her ears against her head when he heard all his criticisms. "But for a first combat experience, it was a good battle and I applauded you for what were able to accomplish."
Sweetie Belle looked up at Sombra and a large grin spread across her face. Never before had he thought it possible for somepony to smile from ear to ear, but now he had seen it all.
"W-What?" Sombra asked rather hesitantly.
"You complimented me!"
"Would you rather I not?..."
"No no no, it's just, well, it's the first time you've said something nice to me like that." She said, her smile lingering past the moment and making him rather uncomfortable.
"Is that right?" He said, not really looking for a reply but rather just trying to fill a strange silence around him and the fillies. Not that it was needed as soon a loud ringing of the a bell from Ponyville began to echo towards them.
"Must be one o'clock." Applebloom said as she leaned to the side to look at the town.
"Hmm, so it is." Sombra said as he too turned to look at the town. They sat in silence for another few seconds before the thought finally sunk in for him. "Wait, IT'S ONE IN THE AFTERNOON!"
"Yeah, we got that already." Scootaloo said as she shielded her ears from his shout.
Using his magic to place the girls on his back, Sombra quickly began to make his way across town in his usual manner. Sweetie Belle, already accustomed to the ride, had little trouble holding on to him, though less could be said of her friends.
"W-What's the rush for?!" Scootaloo asked out in a shout.
"It's been more than an hour!" Sombra shouted back, no longer trying to stay out of pony's sight and instead simply running down the streets as quickly as he could.
"Since what!?"
"Since you three were released for your break. You're late. Sweetie Belle is late!"
"Ah really don't think it means ya have to run across town in a frenzy, aren't ya suppose to stay a secret?!" Applebloom asked as she held on to Sombra's coat. She finally understood what he mean by 'hooves weren't made for grasping'.
"Just be quiet and hold on tight!" Sombra growled in frustration. "That's what you meant by 'slow me down.' Why do you have to be so cryptic?" He mumbled to himself as he recalled Zecora's last statement. An image of her giggling popped into his head, only making him more angry.
Getting back to the gazebo was no challenge. Sombra already knew the way and having his body back made maneuvering much easier. The problem, however, lied in the fact there were no buildings around the school meeting. He had little choice but to make a sort of grand entrance, not that he was opposed to it, but it would bring trouble later on with the Twilight.
In a powerful pounce out of the busy streets of the town, Sombra landed on the soft grass road that led to their destination and continued to gallop. Cherilee, who was busy teaching her class, soon heard the yelps and giggles of the girls upon Sombra's back and paused her lecture to peek her head to the side only to see a stallion sliding on the ground trying to come to a stop and three fillies she recognized all too well. With a sigh and a frown, she began to make her to the group that had overshot her.
"Whoo!" Sweetie Belle shouted. "Let's do that again!"
"Let's not..." Her friends said in unison, their eyes turning in circles from how dizzy they were from all the sudden movements.
"So that's where you three are!" Cherilee shouted out as she made her way to them. Sombra was currently facing away from her, so she had yet to see his face.
"Oh no...we are so in trouble..." Sweetie Belle said as she looked back at her angry teacher. Using his telekinesis to place the trio down, Sombra petted her on the head before talking.
"Do not worry, I'll handle this."
"What? How?"
"I've been through many close calls, I know how to deal with this situation." He said with a devilish smile before standing up straight and preparing himself.
"Wait, Mister Sombra, you can't just att-" She began but was cut away by Cherilee.
"What is the meaning of this? Do you have any idea how worried I was about you all? Why I almost went to your parents to...to..."
Finally turning to address the mare, Sombra shifted his expression to happy, gentle one. He held a soft smile and with the turn of his head, his mane flowed to the side ever so gracefully, gently landing on his shoulders. Cherilee felt her heart be pierced by an arrow sent by Cadence herself and hear the chimes of bells as she laid her eyes on him.
"Do excuse them, I am afraid it is my fault that they've arrived late." He said with a dramatized expression of sadness, pulling at Cherilee's heart strings.
"Y-Your fault?" She finally said through a thick blush.
"Yes. You see, I recently arrived to Ponyville for something important. While out and about, these three offered to help me find what I was looking for. I'm sorry to say that the trip across town took longer than expected." Sombra began to explain, moving closer to the flustered mare who could only stand frozen as her heart beat sped up faster and faster.
"These three offered to help you?"
"Why yes, in the most important of tasks too. I deeply thank them for their aid, but I would hate for them to be penalized because of me. Please oh please, would you not consider looking the other way this once?" Sombra finished with pleading eyes, eyes that melted the mare's thoughts into simply nodding in agreement. "De verdad? Muchas gracias señorita Cherilee."
"And you speak Spanish too..." She said in an almost dream-like state.
"Yes, perhaps while I reside at Ponyville, I might teach you the language. It is very beautiful to the ear, is it not?"
"Yes, very..." Cherille said, her eyes locked on Sombra's for a few seconds before he finally spoke to fill the silence.
"But I believe I've held you up long enough." Sombra said as he took a step back, knocking her back to the real world.
"Wha-huh?" She asked, shaking her head in confusion.
"You've a class to teach, do you not?"
"Oh! Right, almost forgot, silly me." She said with a nervous laugh. "Hurry along girls, we still have a lot to cover today. Umm, have a good day Mister uh..."
"Sombra. My name is Sombra." He said with another soft smile as he waved his hoof at her and two of the fillies following her. Finally he turned back around and with a sigh, reverted his expression to one of grimace with the only pony to see it being Sweetie Belle. "That was dreadful..."
"What was that?!" She asked playfully.
"Acting. Sweetie Belle, sometimes, to get what you want you need to use a little...charm."
"Sounds like something Rarity would say."
"Then she's the right idea. Now get going. Don't make my 'charm' go to waste, I doubt I'll be able to use it twice when the Princess finds out about today."
"Okay, but you'll have to become my shadow real quick. You know, so you don't feel like dying and all."
Sombra pondered the thought as he glanced around. There was nowhere nearby he could escape to so he could become the shadow without somepony seeing. He once again let out a deep breath and spoke while nudging Sweetie towards her class.
"No can do. Too many ponies around, it's best if I just go off somewhere on my own."
"But, but-"
"No buts. You needn't worry about me, I spent a thousand years frozen in ice, a little while with 'difficulty breathing' is nothing."
"Mister Sombra..."
"Just go already." He finished with a final push, waving his hoof bye. His reassuring smile the only thing encouraging her to go.
Sombra remained still for a while longer and got a few waves from the crowd of students after Cherilee pointed him out, forcing him to bring out his bright and happy facade. He then began to walk away from the gazebo and find a secluded place to rest.
The truth was that he could become a shadow at any moment and probably reach Sweetie Belle with no problem, but he wanted to test something. Up until now, whenever he moved away from the filly he would reach a point of exhaustion where sleep took over. And each time this happened, he would get a strange dream.
"I never thought much of them, but with all of this going on..." Sombra said to himself as he found a quiet spot under the shade of a tree. "Perhaps those dreams are memories. The ones I can't recall."
Laying down on his stomach and crossing his fore hooves, Sombra slowly closed his eyes as the vision in front of him began to blur. The sap of his energy was well underway. He could feel himself growing weak, but instead of thinking about that, he instead forced his mind to think of the memories of his past.
<=•=>
Sombra saw strange waves of light. A dream was beginning to form, but being that he was forcing it into creation, it was unstable compared to the others he's had. Slowly things began to take shape. First the room, a small cabin of sorts. Then the furniture, a table, some chairs, vases, and other decorations. Finally a pony.
"Daddy daddy!" She shouted as she ran to him.
"Hola Mija, how are you today?"
"Better now that you're here!" She shouted in excited as Sombra carried her with his magic, causing her to giggle.
"Oh? And why is that?"
"Because you said that when you came back you would teach me about magic!"
"Did I really say that?"
"Yes you did!"
"I don't think so."
"Uh huh!"
"No no, I think you're mistaken."
"Daddyyyyyyyyy" The filly whined, pulling at Sombra's short mane and spiral horn in frustration.
"Amethyst, don't do that to your father, you wouldn't like it if he pulled your mane back would you?" A voice called out from around the corner. The fillies immediately jumped off of Sombra and began to make her way to her mother.
"Daddy wouldn't do that to me, he said he'd never let anything hurt me."
"He did, and you father doesn't lie does he?"
"Nope. Never."
Sombra chuckled as he heard his family talk, it was almost as he wasn't there at all to them. Making his way towards the other room to continue his conversation, he looked around the room to see some strange changes. Claw markings and broken vases laid on the ground, quickly making him speed up his pace.
"Amethyst? Rosa?" He called out as he jumped around the corner. He was met with a growl from large red eyed beast.
Terror began to take hold of him as he saw the sharp fangs drool with blood, a fright that soon left him when he caught glimpse of a limp body behind the animal, quickly fueling him with rage.
"What have you done!?" He asked with a growl of his own. Unknown to him, his mane was long once more and his horn a red spike. "I'll kill you for that!"
In a quick pounce, the beast began his attack, but before Sombra could react, he felt something tug at him. A voice.
"...ter...ombra...."
"Huh?"
<=•=>
"Mister Sombra?"
Quickly jumping back to the land of the living, Sombra jolted his head up in surprise. He looked around quickly before finally focusing on the fillies in front of him.
"Oh, hello Sweetie Belle." Sombra said through short breaths and an elevated heart beat.
"A-Are you okay?" Sweetie asked, concerned by Sombra's strange actions and the tears that were still staining the fur on his face.
"Yes, I'm fine. Why do you ask?"
"You're crying."
Taking a moment to wipe his eyes, Sombra was shocked to find tears. He rushed to groom himself to be more presentable before speaking again, something Sweetie Belle patiently waited for.
"I do not know why I shed these tears, but do not worry. I am indeed alright." Sombra said, trying to reassure the filly, only it wasn't working. Sweetie Belle frowned and looked at him once more.
"Did you have a bad dream?"
"You could call it that."
"Wanna talk about it? Rarity says it's good to talk about bad dreams. She says it helps you get over them."
"I'd rather not, it isn't something to talk about with a filly." He said while looking away, unwilling to make eye contact with her now that he saw such a strange resemblance between her and the filly he saw just moments prior.
"Then you should talk to Rarity or Twilight about it."
"I doubt they'd listen."
"I'll make them!" She shouted, determined to get her point across. Sombra couldn't help but chuckle at her words, easing the awkward situation from before. Now he had the time to notice the rather large saddle of books she had on her back. Laying back down, he gestured to them as he spoke.
"What are those for?"
"Oh, Miss Cherilee wants us to do some homework. All of today's work...and all of the work from the days we missed..." Sweetie Belle finished in a depressed tone.
"That's a lot of work."
"Yeah...It'll take me all night to finish! You don't think you could charm Miss Cherilee again into extending the deadline...could you?"
"Then you'd have tomorrow's work to do as well." Sombra said with a smirk. "Besides, after what happened today, I think the Princess will have my head."
"You mean the running through town? Don't worry, something weird is always happening in Ponyville, no pony will have given you a second thought!"
"Not sure if I should be happy or concerned..." Sombra said with a stoic expression. "Anyway, get on my back."
"Huh? Why?" Sweetie Belle asked as she did as she was told.
"What do you mean 'why'? So we can go home and you can do your work." Sombra said as he stood up and began to walk down the road to Rarity's Boutique. Though the giggle he got in response wasn't something he was expecting. "What?"
"You sound like if you finally feel like the Boutique is your home."
"Well, I suppose it is since that's where I live at the moment." He answered in a hesitant voice, not sure where she was going with this.
"So we're family now!"
Rolling his eyes, Sombra ignored her remark and continued to walk down the road. Somehow, it seems that the filly has became that much more 'sufferable'.