By this point in Twilight's retelling of the other day's events, the sun had risen and ponies were starting to wake and go about their day. In Ponyville's newest castle, however, Twilight's friends were riveted in her explanation as to why colt Sombra was currently residing in her home. Once Pinkie Pie finished cooing over Sombra's first word, however, the colt in question jolted awake and it was right then that they saw how late it was.
Applejack and Rarity commandeered the kitchen to make breakfast while Pinkie Pie familiarized herself with the colt in a more subdued manner. At first, Sombra was hesitant about the initially scary mare. But gradually he found himself feeling more comfortable with her and by the time Applejack and Rarity had returned with breakfast, Sombra was riding on the pink mare's back. For a few minutes, they sat there enjoying the delicious breakfast before finally, Applejack spoke.
"So, what happened next?" She asked, prompting Twilight to set down her utensils to continue.
"While my talk with Luna the night before had soothed some of my concerns, I still didn't feel ready to take this on. I decided I needed to clear my head and what better way to do that than hang out in Canterlot with my big brother. We don't hang out very often these days and this was the perfect excuse. So after sneaking out while Sombra was still asleep, my brother and I went out to Canterlot for the day. We visited old haunts, said hi to a few familiar faces and even popped in to pay mom and dad a visit. It wasn't until we sat down at a café that we actually talked about Sombra."
✴✴✴ Yesterday ✴✴✴
Twilight set her teacup down with a gentle clink and looked up at her brother who sat in the seat opposite her. "Shiny?" She asked uncertainly, getting the stallion's attention. "What do you think about all this?" She didn't need to explain what she was referring to. He knew. Shining Armor paused to give the matter some thought before finally answering.
"Honestly, I don't know what to think. I'm still trying to come to terms with all this. I expected a full-grown Sombra to attack. Not a colt Sombra latching onto you. The whole thing's just thrown me for a loop."
"I spoke with Luna in my dreams," Twilight said evenly.
"And?"
"It didn't make much sense." She growled in aggravation. Shining cocked an eyebrow. "I just don't understand why the princesses feel that he deserves a second chance."
"Perhaps they know something we don't." Shining offered and Twilight was struck with a sense of déjà vu.
"That's pretty much how our conversation went." She said. "She said that she and Celestia had reasons to believe that Sombra wasn't the monster history paints him as. And she said it with such conviction that I think she does more than just believe. Then there was something about some mistake that she and Celestia made."
"Did she tell you what kind of mistake?"
"I woke up before I could ask. And even if I did, she probably wouldn't tell me since she pretty much outright told me that there was something she wasn't telling me, but she said that she couldn't tell me."
"Hmm." Shining hummed in thought. "So there's some history that the princesses can't tell us." Another long pause as he gave it some thought. "Well then, I guess the only thing we can do is have faith in them."
✴✴✴ Present ✴✴✴
"And so Shining and I came up with a game plan." Twilight scooped a bite of pancake into her mouth and chewed. Once she swallowed, she continued. "I would take Sombra home as the princesses want. And he would of make sure to check up on me for the duration of his stay."
"And what about that history you mentioned?" Applejack asked. Twilight shrugged.
"That was the point we were unsure on. On one hoof we didn't think that the princesses would like us poking our muzzles where they didn't belong. However, since we weren't told to not look into it, Shining said that he would look around for something whenever he gets the chance. With that decided, we returned to the castle. The moment we stepped in, Sombra barreled into me with such speed it knocked the wind out of me. Turns out it was a bad idea to leave him to wake up alone."
"How bad of an idea?" Applejack asked curiously.
"Let's just say nopony will be sleeping in that wing of the castle till they finish rebuilding." Twilight sipped her orange juice as her friend's jaws dropped. "Celestia's mages told me that it was the biggest most powerful magic surge they'd seen in anypony, much less a foal. Since then he'd been randomly and uncontrollably teleporting everywhere. Once he saw me coming from the roof of the castle, he calmed down and rushed to greet me."
As Twilight ate her breakfast, her friends mulled over this info. "Whoa," Rainbow whispered since she was the only pony able to make a cognizant reply.
"Of course Celestia said it wasn't that big of a deal since I was no better when I had my own magic surge. The only difference was that I was older than Sombra at the time and his magic surge was much bigger and more destructive. And yet, surprisingly enough, nopony was hurt. Sure the castle staff and Royal Gaurd were in an uproar about the whole thing, but apart from a few singed hairs, not even the ponies who were in the wing of the castle were hurt."
"How is that possible?" Rainbow asked, voicing the same question the others had. Twilight shrugged.
"Not sure since I wasn't there, but a maid, who'd been just outside the door when it happened, said it had been like the wave of magic had parted around her and next thing she knew, she'd been teleported to the kitchens. The other ponies who'd been there said roughly the same thing, though they had been teleported to random locations. One even ended up at the gates."
"Oh, my." Rarity said.
"Anyways, after I told Celestia that I would take Sombra under my wing, the rest of the day was spent filling out the needed paperwork. It wasn't until late last night that we got home. Sombra was already asleep, so I tucked him into a bed before dropping onto my own. As you can probably imagine, he didn't stay in his bed long."
Breakfast had ended, and the mares were gathering up dish's when Pinkie suddenly appeared in front of Twilight, making her yelp in surprise.
"You know what you need?" She asked with a jab to her chest. "A SPA DAY! Soooooo....." Suddenly Rarity and Fluttershy found themselves on either side of Twilight. "You'll go with Flutters and Rares here while Li'l Sombry and I hang out."
Before Twilight could say anything, the pink pony had left the castle with the grey colt on her back. A minute after the door shut, Twilight finally said one word.
"Sombry?"
✴✴✴✴✴✴
It was a gorgeous morning in Ponyville, and Cheerilee was enjoying every bit of it as she trotted through the streets on her morning walk. She took a deep breath and smiled as the morning breeze carried the scents of Ponyville.
"Good morning, Cheerilee!" Pinkie's voice called out, making her smile as she turned to the pink pony in question.
"Good morning, Pinkie." She greeted with a warm smile. Against the laws of physics, Pinkie's smile doubled.
"So are you planning on coming to Rose's birthday party?"
Cheerilee chuckled. "If you're hosting, I see no reason not to."
"YAY!" Pinkie cheered and it was at that moment that Cheerilee saw the small colt partially hidden in Pinkie's mane.
"And who's this?" Cheerilee asked. The colt let out a small squeak of surprise and pulled the fluffy pink mane closer to himself. Cheerilee only smiled.
"This is Sombra." Pinkie introduced. "He's new in town and a little shy." As she spoke, the colt in question peeked out from under his hiding place and stared up at Cheerilee with ruby red eyes. Cheerilee had to resist the urge to squeal at how absolutely adorable the sight was.
Instead, she smiled gently at him. "Well hello there." She greeted and he instantly pulled his cover back over his head. She didn't mind. As a schoolteacher, she dealt with similarly shy students almost regularly.
"So I suppose this means there's a new family in Ponyville," Cheerilee said, turning her attention back to Pinkie. As she spoke, grey ears pricked up.
"Nope! Just Sombry."
Cheerilee was confused. "What about his parents?"
"Dunno." Pinkie answered honestly. "I imagine their probably long gone by now."
Despite Pinkie's casual and almost happy tone, Cheerilee couldn't help but feel a little uncomfortable with the sudden revelation. "Oh. I'm sorry."
"Don't worry about it. He can't remember them anyway."
Awkwardness increasing. "Um, o-okay." It was at that point that Pinkie noticed the other mare's discomfort and slung a hoof across her withers.
"Hey, don't worry about it. He'll be living with Twilight, and I'm certain she'll make a wonderful mother. Not to mention we'll be there for her all the way!"
Cheerilee relaxed, feeling much better knowing that he would be alright. "Well, I suppose that means I should help out however I can." She said brightly. "I could come to talk to Twilight about education options."
"That's a great idea!" Pinkie Pie cried as she lept up, making Sombra squeak in surprise. Cheerilee only smiled at the pink pony's enthusiasm.
"I'll see you around then." She said as she started back down the road.
"Yep! And I'll see at Rose's party!" She said as she waved goodbye. From his place on Pinkie's back, Sombra watched the teacher walk away. As Pinkie resumed bouncing down the street, Sombra turned to her.
"What fa-me-ly?" He asked, carefully pronouncing the new word.
"What's a family?" Pinkie replied. "A family is other ponies, and sometimes creatures, who love and care for each other. I have a family. There are my mom and dad and three sisters. Applejack has a big brother, a little sister, a grandma and a bazillion aunts uncles and cousins. Rarity has her parents and little sister and Twilight has her parents and big brother."
Sombra sat a moment to process this torrent of info. "Can I have a family?"
Pinkie Pie ground to a halt with a gasp and scooped the colt off her back. "Of course you can have a family!" She said enthusiastically as she hugged him tightly. "In fact," she dropped him to the ground in front of her "from now on, you can call me Auntie Pinkie!"
Sombra looked up at her with eyes wide with hopeful joy. "Really?"
"Of course!"
Sombra moved closer to Pinkie and wrapped his hooves as far around her foreleg as they could go. "Thank you, Auntie Pinkie."
Pinkie smiled and gently pat him on the head. "You're very welcome Li'l Sombry!"
✴✴✴✴✴✴
"Can ya see em?" Applejack called up at Rainbow Dash, who shook her head before diving down to her friend's side.
"Nope. Not hide nor hair." She frowned a little. "How is it that we can't find Pinkie Pie? She's Pinkie Pie! She should be easy to spot."
"The key word here is Pinkie Pie." Applejack pointed out as she trotted down the street with Rainbow hovering by her side. "You an I both know Pinkie is just as good at disappearing as she is at callin' attention to herself."
"Yeah, your right." There was a pause before Rainbow continued. "So, what do you think about all this?"
Applejack gave the matter some thought before answering. "Honestly, Ah didn't expect any of this. Ah, 'm still tryin' ta make heads or tails of that whole thing. One thing's for certain, Ah plan on helpin' Twi out, however, Ah can. What about you?"
Rainbow shrugged. "Same as you I guess, though I plan on keeping an eye on Sombra. I'm not sure what he's pulling, but if something happens, you can be sure I'll be ready."
Applejack cocked an eyebrow. "Ah'm surprised ya haven't pounced him yet."
"Pfft, I'm not that heartless. For now, I'm giving him the benefit of the doubt. You know, innocent until proven guilty."
Applejack gave her a teasing smile. "Yer a sucker for cute aren't ya?"
Rainbow blushed. "...... maybe a little. Not enough to give him a free pass through."
✴✴✴✴✴✴
After her tease, Applejack suggested Sugarcube Corner as the possible location of Pinkie and Sombra. Sure enough, once they stepped into the bakery, they spotted the two ponies sitting in a booth with a platterful of cupcakes. As they approached, they saw Sombra leaning back from Pinkie's ear after whispering something. Pinkie of course giggled and after giving him a conspiratorial wink, she took notice of the approaching pair and waved them over with a shout.
"APPLEJACK! RAINBOW DASH! We're over here!!" The two didn't say anything in reply as they settled down in the booth and eyed the colt sitting comfortably in her lap with a cupcake. Once they settled down in their seats, Sombra put his cupcake down, reached up, and placing his front hooves on the platter, pushed it towards them as best he could.
"Cupcake?" He offered. They hesitated a moment before grabbing a cupcake of their own while thanking him.
"So uh, what were you two talkin' about?" Applejack asked. Pinkie Pie shook her head.
"Sorry Applejack," she said in an overly serious tone. "But that's classified information." She then turned to Sombra. "Sombry, these are a couple of my friends I was telling you about. I'd like you to meet, Rainbow Dash and Applejack."
Sombra smiled and waved in greeting. "I'm Sombra." He introduced himself.
"Pleased to meet you." Applejack nodded in greeting.
"Hey." Was all Rainbow Dash said.
Sombra smiled in a way that only a kid can. "Auntie Pinkie make good cupcakes. Gonna help me make cupcakes too." He announced proudly.
"That's right!" Pinkie said with a grin to end all grins. Or at the very least, come close.
"Auntie Pinkie?" Applejack asked.
"Pinkie said I'm family," Sombra explained. "Said I could call her Auntie Pinkie."
Applejack smiled and chuckled a little at how adorable the little tyke was. "Well now sport, if y'all have jus' Pinkie as yer Aunt, yer gonna get cavities real quick. So.." in a fluid movement, she scooped her prized hat off her head and plopped it on his. "How's about you call me, Auntie Applejack?"
Sombra pushed the vastly oversized hat up so he could look up at the farm pony. "Really?"
Applejack scooped him off Pinkie's lap and held him up. "Why not?"
Sombra smiled and held out his forelegs for a hug, which Applejack was happy to reciprocate. Rainbow Dash gagged a little at the sugary sweet scene when she suddenly found herself pulled into a big group hug by a smiling Pinkie Pie.
"Well then what are we waiting for?" She asked. "Let's get baking!"
✴✴✴✴✴✴
Rarity sighed in contentment as she slid into the pool of warm water. "So refreshing." She said. "This is why I enjoy coming here every week. I always feel refreshed and rejuvenated."
"Mmhmm." Fluttershy agreed. "Always makes me feel so relaxed.
"You girls are right." Twilight sighed. "I really should do this more often. I can already feel my worries melt away." As soon as she said that however, her relaxed smiled melted into a frown and she sighed. "What do I do?" She muttered more to herself as she sank into the tub. Regardless, her friends still heard it.
"Make sure he eats his greens, give him a bedtime and make sure he goes to bed at that time and possibly enroll him in school unless you want to homeschool of course." Rarity offered casually.
Twilight cocked an eyebrow at her friend. "You can't be serious."
"Oh but I am." Rarity answered.
"Why?"
"As I recall, Celestia called you to reform him and the whole amnesiac colt thing was a surprise development." Rarity explained. "The way I see it, there's no reason to abandon that original objective."
"And if you'll recall I was against the whole idea in the first place." Twilight deadpanned.
"Yes I know, but look at it this way. He looks up at you. Or at the very least feels like your 'safe'. I say that it's the perfect opportunity to teach him to be a better pony. Children learn from examples set by their elders you know. Who knows, maybe his elders a thousand years ago weren't the best influence."
Twilight turned to Fluttershy. "And what about you? What do you think about this?"
Fluttershy shrank a little inside herself at being the center of attention, but she still held her ground. "I think we can do it. I mean, we did it with Discord and he was an adult. Why not a colt Sombra?"
"I suppose you're right," Twilight admitted hesitantly. She was still a little cautious about him, but with her friends around her, she was confident that she could give him the benefit of the doubt. "So what time do you suggest should be his bedtime?"
✴✴✴✴✴✴
As Rarity slipped into the mudbath, she felt something brush against her leg. After a bit of sifting around, she found a folded sheet of pink paper that was remarkably clean, considering. Curious, she unfolded the paper and let out a sigh when she read what it said. When the others looked at her curiously, she passed them the note for them to read.
Come to Sugarcube Corner when you're done!
-Pinkie Pie
✴✴✴✴✴✴
"So the others are meeting us here?" Rainbow asked. "How do you know that?"
"Cause Dashie," Pinkie said perkily as she helped Sombra pour cupcake mix into the pan. "I sent them a note."
✴✴✴✴✴✴
After they'd finished with their spa treatment Twilight, Fluttershy and Rarity trotted to Sugarcube Corner. Most ponies would ask questions about the note's form of delivery, but the citizens of Ponyville had long ago gotten used to Pinkie Pie and had basically just accepted it. 'Pinkie will be Pinkie' was the town mantra and nopony would have it any other way. And in any case, trying to figure out Pinkie Pie would just drive you mad.
As they trotted into Sugarcube Corner, Rarity quickly spotted Rainbow hovering outside of the kitchen doors staring in. Rarity trotted right up to her friend and addressed her.
"Rainbow Dash, what are you doing?"
The pegasus let out a yelp and shot upwards. Unfortunately being indoors meant that there was a limit to how far up she could go. A limit that Rainbow Dash was quick to hit. Literally. Rarity winced at the hard impact that followed.
"Ow." Rainbow groaned, rubbing her head as she dropped to the ground. "At the moment, getting a concussion."
"So sorry." Rarity apologized as she gave her friend a hoof up. "But what on earth were you doing peeking into the kitchen?"
"Well, somepony had to stand guard in case Sombra did something funny." She answered.
Rarity rolled her eyes and walked up to the kitchen doors. "Really darling, aren't you being a little overdramatic?" She walked into the kitchen, took one look and let out a gasp of horror.
"And I'm the one who's overdramatic?" Rainbow asked teasingly with a grin and chuckle at her friend's expense.
Rarity wasn't paying Rainbow any mind. Her attention was fixed on the horror before her. Sombra's grey coat was coated with a thick dusting of four and sugar alongside smears of cupcake batter. His mane was disheveled with frosting, sprinkles and assorted candies attached. And perched on his muzzle was a generous dose of frosting and batter. Immediately, Rarity seized the colt in her magic and pulled him closer to examine. Sombra only giggled as he found himself floating in the air.
"Sweet merciful Celestia, what on earth happened?!" Rarity exclaimed at the mess.
"Auntie Pinkie and Auntie Applejack showed me how to make cupcakes!" He answered happily.
"Is that so?" Rarity glanced at the ponies in question. "Well, I do believe it's time Auntie Rarity introduced you to the joys of soap and water."
Brooking no argument Rarity turned and began trotting upstairs with Sombra in tow, still floating in her magic. She only lowered him to the ground when they reached the bathroom. As she drew the bath, being careful to get the temperature just right, Sombra approached and gently touched her hoof to get her attention.
"Are you really my auntie?" He asked.
Rarity smiled warmly at him. "But of course!" She said gently. "Some pony needs to look after you and Celestia knows that Pinkie Pie and Applejack can't do it alone."
Sombra surged forward and hugged her leg. Rarity's first instinct was to pull her leg from his grasp since she hadn't washed him just yet. But when she heard him whisper "thank you", she just didn't have the heart and hugged him back, regardless of the mess.
✴✴✴✴✴✴
"So, how was your day?" Twilight asked as she scrubbed down the counter.
"Well, we taught Sombra how ta bake an decorate cupcakes." Applejack answered from her place at the sink.
"And what do you think about him?" Twilight asked.
"He's absolutely ADORABLE!" Pinkie exclaimed. "We met up with Cheerilee and afterward he asked what a family was! And I said that a family is other ponies and creatures who love and care for you. Then he asked if he had a family and I said that he could call me his Auntie Pinkie! And then we came here to have some delicious cupcakes and Rainbow Dash and Applejack joined us and then we all baked cupcakes!"
"He seems ta be on the' level." Applejack said once she could get a word in edgewise. "So ah decided ta give him the benefit of the doubt and became his Auntie Applejack. An besides, ifn' he ain't telling the truth, what better way ta keep an eye on him than ta keep close?"
Rainbow smiled, no longer feeling betrayed. The others had finished cleaning the kitchen and moved to sit at a table when Rarity led a clean and brushed Sombra back downstairs. Out of nowhere, Pinkie appeared right next to him holding up a blue pastry box. Sombra took the box, trotted up to the table and held the box up towards Twilight.
"Here. I bake and decorate cupcakes for you." He said. Surprised, Twilight wrapped the box in her magic, pulled it up and opened it. The baker's dozen cupcakes were by no means perfectly decorated. There were parts where there was too much or too little frosting, but they were still beautifully decorated cupcakes.
"Um, I don't know what happened, but I think something bad happened and I'm sorry if I did something bad." Twilight blinked and almost all of the girl's jaws dropped.
Pinkie Pie smiled and leaned towards Twilight. "See? He said sorry." She whispered. "So can we keep him?"
Twilight momentarily cocked an eyebrow at her friend before turning back to Sombra. She bit her lip. She still didn't completely trust him or forgive him for the Crystal Empire, but some part of her just didn't want to say no. Especially when he was staring at her with those big, red eyes. Her horn lit up and picked him up in her magic.
"I guess I can forgive you a little." She said. Sombra didn't seem to hear her grudging tone. His face brightened and he snuggled closer to her as she put him on her lap.
"YIPPEE!" Pinkie Pie cheered and snatched one of the cupcakes from the box. "Welcome to Ponyville, Li'l Sombra."
✴✴✴✴✴✴
In Canterlot Luna stared at one of the stained glass windows. The one depicting Spike saving the Crystal Empire. It had made the dragon so proud to have a window made just for him. What he didn't know, however, was that the artist had wanted to add Sombra being blasted apart by the Crystal Heart.
Luna frowned at the memory of that first design that he had shown her and her sister. He was a good pony and had thought it would be a good way to display the victory by showing the tyrant being destroyed. But for Celestia and Luna, Sombra was more than a tyrant. He was a friend. A friend who had suffered because of their mistake. So naturally, they turned down the original design. After they'd turned down a couple more designs, the artist got the idea that they didn't want Sombra depicted in the window. It was too painful to even think about his destruction. They didn't want a reminder immortalized in glass.
Even though he didn't understand why the artist removed Sombra from the glass altogether and finally presented a design that both he and the princesses agreed on. As Luna sat lost in her thoughts, she didn't notice her sister's approach till the elder alicorn placed a hoof on her back. Luna only glanced at Celestia as her sister sat next to her while she rubbed her back. For a time they sat there like that quietly as their minds drifted to the past.
"Why sister?" Luna finally asked.
Celestia gave her a look of sadness. Luna didn't have to explain. Celestia knew what she was asking. "I'm sorry Luna." She said quietly. "I know how close you were to him. But you know that it is much healthier for him in the long run if he stays with Twilight. He's already become attached to her anyway."
Luna bowed her head and leaned into Celestia's barrel. Celestia responded by holding her close with one hoof and wing. "It is not fair," Luna said, her voice sounding on the brink of tears. "Why him?!" She shouted at the ceiling as though she were challenging the universe to answer. "Out of all ponies, WHY HIM?!"
Luna then fell back to her sister's barrel and began crying while Celestia ran her hoof through her mane. "I do not know, Luna. I do not know." Was all she could say.
✴✴✴✴✴✴
It was late in the evening when Twilight finally went home. After enjoying Sombra's cupcakes, they'd all helped Pinkie Pie set up for Rose's party. At some point during the party, Pinkie introduced Sombra to all of Ponyville and they'd all instantly fell in love with him. As the party wore on, Sombra grew more and more tired until finally he collapsed under a table and fell asleep. By that point, the party had already begun to wind down and ponies were going home, so it wasn't anything unusual when Twilight slung him onto her back and left. She herself was feeling a little tired, so once she tucked him into his bed, she threw herself onto her own and drifted off to sleep.