//------------------------------// // Chapter 19 // Story: Defender of Justice, King Sombra! // by VashTheStampede //------------------------------// Sombra jumped a little at the sudden blast of music. He was shocked at how he hadn’t been able to hear it at all outside, especially given how loud it was playing. What was more surprising, though, was Snowflake, standing in the center of the living room, eyes screwed tightly shut as he mouthed the lyrics. Quite enthusiastically, too. My, he’s rather into this, Sombra thought, closing the door behind Redheart as she entered. He was a little concerned Snowflake hadn’t noticed him yet, but then again, this is modern-day Ponyville, not the Empire under my tyranny. Unlocked doors are not a safety hazard as they once were. He looked to Redheart for guidance, but she simply shrugged, eyes still locked on her brother. Sombra’s ears flicked in annoyance as the singer on the record missed a note by quite a lot, the dissonance grating. Wait a minute, he’s not just mouthing the words, Sombra realized as a broad grin spread onto his face, he’s singing along. “You never bend, you never break! You seem to know just what it takes, you’re a fighter! It’s in the blood, it’s in the will! It’s in the mighty hooves of steel – when you’re standin’ your ground!” Snowflake was reared up on his hind legs, gesturing madly into the air as though he held a microphone in his hooves, lost in another world as he took to the stage of his mind. Sombra felt bad for how hard he was trying not to laugh – this was clearly something Snowflake had a passion for, even if he wasn’t very good at it. He did finally understand why Redheart had been so adamant about not letting Snowflake sing earlier. The song seemed to be winding down, though, a repeating fadeout of “You’ve got the touch,” and Snowflake finally opened his eyes and sat down on the couch as the song ended, a smile still wide on his face. He seemed to sense the eyes on him, though, and the smile disappeared when he saw Sombra and Redheart shaking with held-in laughter near the door. “Y-you’re home… early… how long have you been here?” Snowflake asked, taking the needle off the record to keep the next song from starting. Sombra was certain Snowflake’s face would have been white as a sheet if it wasn’t already, and seeing the big pony so nervous sent Sombra over the edge. The black unicorn, for lack of a better word, guffawed. He laughed so hard tears were beginning to form in his eyes, bending over and holding a hoof to his stomach. “I’m- I’m sorry- I’m not laughing at y-” Sombra tried to explain, his sentence fragmented and broken up by his laughter, “Okay, I’m kinda laugh- laughing at you, but I’m more laughing at the situation- the situation itself,” Sombra wheezed, “I came in at one of the chorus lines, I… I…” and he once again lost his composure. “What in Celestia’s Equestria are you listening to?” “Come on…” Snowflake practically whined, “Come on man, just… just don’t tell anypony, alright? It’s not exactly… you know…” “I really don’t,” Sombra replied, laughter reduced to a hearty chuckle, enough to get a proper sentence out at least, “I actually rather liked the song, are there more on that record?” “I- what? You liked it?” “You what?” Redheart looked at him incredulously. “Yes, it was… honestly I don’t know how to describe it, but I did like it. Is there more?” “Well,” Snowflake looked back over at the record, “This is actually the soundtrack to a movie I used to watch a lot when I was young, but there is one other song by the same guy on it. Actually, I think you’ll appreciate the lyrics to that one, too. Here, let me…” Snowflake fiddled with the needle for a moment, scrutinizing the record for just the right spot to start it. “How was your date?” Snowflake asked over his shoulder as he checked the record case for the precise point to place the needle. “It went spectacularly, thank you for asking,” Redheart replied, nuzzling against Sombra briefly. “Oh, I’m glad to hear that. There gonna be a second date?” “Oh yeah,” Redheart told her brother again, “Definitely.” “Awesome! I’m really glad for you guys. Ah, here we are…” Sombra listened to the opening notes on the guitar play, and Redheart motioned with her head that she was heading upstairs. Sombra nodded his acknowledgement and turned his attention back to the music, waiting for the music to begin. Sometimes when your hopes have all been shattered, and there’s nowhere to turn… you wonder how you’ll keep going. Sombra looked over at Snowflake, the big Pegasus holding a smile that straddled the border between smug and sad on his face. Think of all the things that really mattered, and the chances you've earned. The fire in your heart is growing. Sombra stepped over to the futon and undid the clasp on his bowtie, placing it gently in the top drawer where it had been before, and slid the bag of bits from his mane. Setting it in the bottom drawer, he stood again and looked back at Snowflake. You can fly if you try, leaving the past behind. Heaven only knows what you might find! Sombra stepped over towards the record player and the great white Pegasus standing by it, and placed his forelegs around the bigger stallion’s neck, hugging him. Dare! Dare to believe you can survive. You hold the power in your hooves! Dare! Dare to keep all your dreams alive! It’s time to take a stand… and you can win if you dare! Sombra started to cry. He missed some of the lyrics, but he didn’t care. Snowflake was right – this song was perfect. He hoped his friend wouldn’t mind playing the song again for him some time, realizing he’d missed a good portion of the rest of the lyrics in his appreciation for the white Pegasus. Heavy hooves wrapped around his shoulders, and Sombra squeezed a little tighter. A hoof lifted for a moment, but found its way back soon enough, and after a while, Sombra realized the music had stopped. That didn’t matter though. He just wanted to hold Snowflake, to thank him, for telling him, even indirectly, that things can get better, things do get better, and above all, Snowflake had told Sombra that he believed the big unicorn could get better. Sombra’s head twitched up when he felt another hoof on his back. Sniffing violently he pulled away from the mountain of a stallion and turned around to see Redheart smiling at him softly, her mane down around her shoulders. The unicorn managed to pull himself away from Snowflake and turned towards the nursemare, who in turn held her forelegs out expectantly. She let out a small grunt of surprise when Sombra latched himself around her, staggering back a step as the much heavier pony leaned into her. “T-thank you,” Sombra struggled through his tears, “T-thank you s-o much.” “Of course, Sombra. Of course.” --- Snowflake awoke early the next morning, eyes stretching open in the darkness of his room on this new Saturday morning. His alarm was ringing across the room – the stallion having learned years ago being able to shut it off from his bed was a recipe for not getting up – and he stretched for a moment before rolling heavily out of his bed onto his hooves. “Alright, alright already,” he mumbled half to himself and half to the alarm, shuffling across the room and slapping the snooze button. He rambled back to his bed and fell down on it once more, not even bothering to pull the sheet back over him. --- Five minutes later, the alarm went off again. Snowflake’s eyes snapped open and he stood quickly, stepping over to the clock and firmly switching off the alarm. He grabbed his towel off the hook it hung from, and strode into the hallway and into the bathroom. A few minutes later, his quick shower was over, and through a combination of shaking and rubbing his towel over him, he was dry once again. He crossed back along the hall and into his own room, once again hanging up his towel, and trotted back into the hall. He buzzed gently down the stairs, surprised to see the futon empty. A thought crossed his mind for a moment, but he decided it would be better to simply let his sister have her privacy rather than to give Sombra a hard time, if that was even where he was. That said, he would need to go back upstairs to brush his teeth. Finishing his bowl of oats, he set his dishes in the sink and buzzed back upstairs. Snowflake paused for a moment in front of the bathroom, cursed to himself, and let curiosity and concern take over. “Redheart,” he hissed as he knocked gently on her door. “Redheart! You awake?” “Go away Snowflake,” came the groggy reply. “Is Sombra in there with you?” “That’s none of your business,” his sister said through the door, the quietness of her voice indicating she was still tucked snugly in her bed, “but no, no he isn’t. Why?” “Because he’s not downstairs, I was just wondering if… you know.” “I’m sure he’s just gone for a walk or something. He’s not in the bathroom?” “Unless he’s gotten really sneaky in the last couple hours, no. I was just in there, I would have passed him on the stairs, or in the hall, or somewhere.” “Well, he’s supposed to work this afternoon, right? If he doesn’t turn up then you should probably be concerned. I’m going back to sleep now.” “Right. Sorry I woke you up.” “Go away, Snowflake.” Snowflake shook his head and chuckled, thinking better of apologizing again. Moving on to his original task, he walked back to the bathroom and brushed his teeth. He just about jumped out of his skin when he brought his head back up from spitting out the used toothpaste and found Redheart standing behind him, fear all over her face. “Celestia, sis, you’re gonna give me a heart attack sneaking around like that. What’s wrong, are you okay?” “Did you say Sombra was missing?” Redheart asked flatly. “I said I didn’t see him downstairs, yeah. You’re probably right; he’s most likely just out for a walk or something. You know he’s been having trouble sleeping. Go back to bed, Red.” “I’m going to go find him,” Redheart continued in a monotone, “I’m worried.” “Hey, hey,” Snowflake stepped over to his sister and placed his forehooves on her shoulders. She was looking through him, not at him. It had been a long time since he’d seen her like this. Shaking her gently, her eyes refocused and her head snapped up to him. “I’m going to find him.” Snowflake sighed. “Alright, you do that. I’ve got to get to work, though, so I can’t come with. You gonna be alright on your own?” “Yeah,” Redheart said as she turned to head down the stairs. “Hey Red? Sombra’s a great stallion. Don’t fall too fast, though.” The nursemare’s eyes hardened for a moment, but she merely nodded and descended the steps, walking quickly out the front door. Snowflake groaned and followed her out of the house, turning towards the orphanage as he watched his sister disappear towards the hospital. --- “Mornin’, Miss Horizons!” Snowflake said as he entered the building. “You’re late,” she greeted back, poking a head out from the room to the side. “Ah, whoops, am I? Sorry, I had-” “Late-er. Than normal. Is what I meant. To say. Sorry,” Brighter added, stumbling over her words. Snowflake laughed. “It’s fine. Yeah, I just had to talk to Red for a bit, since Sombra wasn’t in the house this morning. After what happened with… you know, she’s been kinda edgy about that sort of thing. I can’t blame her, honestly. Sack of horseapples didn’t even leave a note…” “I still can’t believe he did that,” Brighter growled as she stepped fully into the living area now, and Snowflake followed her, “Gah, now I’m in a bad mood. Celestia, just thinking about him makes me so angry,” Brighter stamped a hoof against the ground for emphasis, eliciting a small chuckle from Snowflake. “What?” “You’re pretty cute when you’re mad, that’s all. Sorry for laughing.” “Oh you’d better be,” Brighter said, a touch of playfulness airing back into her voice, “Or you’ll have to… repay me.” “Repay you… how, exactly?” Snowflake asked with a suggestive waggle of his eyebrows. The gold unicorn’s horn started to glow. “Repay me by…” a sudden flash of light, “Cleaning the bathrooms, they need it,” she finished, all sultriness gone from her voice in an instant. A mop and bucket had appeared in the air next to her, and began to float towards Snowflake, encased in her green aura. “You can get it done faster if you do it before any of the foals wake up.” “I- okay, yeah, I kinda deserved that one. I’ll get right on that,” the Pegasus said to her, a lopsided, toothy smile spreading across his face. “Thanks. I’ve got a bit of paperwork to do, so I’m gonna be in the office if you need me. See you later!” “See ya.” --- Sombra sat quietly beside a stream near the edge of town. The nightmares – no, the memories – had been back as bad as ever last night, and he rose before the sun. He’d be lying if he said the weeks with only a few hours of rest a night weren’t taking their toll on him, but he tried his best not to let it show. His dark coat helped hide the bags under his eyes, but frankly he would have preferred that to be the attention-grabbing part about them. The stream was shallow and clear, but offered enough of a fragmented reflection for the former king to see himself reasonably well. He bore a tired frown and his eyelids drooped, but he did his best to hold his head high and greet anypony who passed him cheerfully. That had been thankfully few ponies, given the time of day it was, and Sombra had been left with his thoughts in the twilight morning hours of Ponyville. They flitted back and forth between contentedness and depression, the black stallion determined not to let himself be good enough for anyone. No, Sombra thought, I must remember Twilight’s words, and the words of that song. Out of the darkness, I stumble into the light. I can leave my past behind. I am not that pony anymore. I have friends, I have ponies who care, maybe even one who loves me. “Sombra? Sombra!” Speaking of whom. “Sombra?” Redheart called as she ran across the bridge, her head swiveling rapidly as she searched. She seemed afraid, almost… panicked. “Redheart?” Sombra called out questioningly, “What’s wrong? Are you ok? Why are you up so early?” “Sombra!” The earth mare cried as she saw him, and ran over to her unicorn coltfriend, throwing her forelegs around him. “Good morning to you as well, miss Redheart,” Sombra said, tentatively returning the hug. “What’s the matter?” “Please don’t disappear again,” Redheart said, face pressed against Sombra’s neck, “Please don’t ever disappear again.” “Ah, well, I’m very sorry, I didn’t mean to cause any undo distress. I couldn’t sleep, and I needed to take a walk. I’ll leave a note for you next time, how does that sound?” Redheart’s face rubbed against his chest in a manner Sombra assumed would have been a nod if she’d been detached from him. “Do you want to go home?” This time she shook her head. “Do you mind if we lie down?” A moment’s hesitation, then another shake of her head. Gently, Sombra leaned backwards, eventually settling onto his back with Redheart lying next to him. He looked down at the white mare snuggled against him, reveling in the contrast of the cool grass and air against the warmth of Redheart’s body. She shivered for a moment, and Sombra pulled her tighter. She stiffened for just a moment at his sudden movement, but relaxed again soon enough. I can win if I dare. --- Snowflake wiped his brow as he finished scrubbing the floor of the little colt’s room. Somepony had had an accident last night. He exhaled contentedly, surveying the now shining bathroom floor. He plopped the mop down into the now-empty wheeled bucket. He pushed it towards the door, took one last look over his shoulder, nodded to himself, and pressed back into the living area. Brighter Horizons was standing in the center of the room, looking in the window to the communal bedroom for the foals. “Brighter? You ok?” Snowflake asked, moving the cleaning supplies into the utility closet next to the colts’ room. “Bri-” “Do you know why I do this, Snowflake?” Brighter asked suddenly. “Do you know why I run an orphanage?” “I always figured it was your special talent.” “My cutie mark hardly looks like an orphanage,” Brighter said, still looking at the sleeping foals. For the first time in a while, Snowflake took a really good look at it – half of a golden sun peaking out from behind a line that seemed to represent the horizon. “It’s not exactly uncommon for cutie marks to only be metaphorically related to their special talent. I mean, I’m not exactly a professional weight-lifter.” “That’s true, that’s true,” the golden unicorn replied with a ghost of a laugh, “You’re right, though, my cutie mark is hardly literal. It symbolizes new beginnings, days full of possibility and wonder, and my own ability to imbue hope into ponies. That’s part of why I chose to open an orphanage. That’s the nice reason, the reason I tell ponies I don’t know as well. The selfless reason. But that’s not the only reason.” “This isn’t really something you need to be telling me if you don’t want to,” Snowflake said to her as she finished, “I mean…” “Please, Snowflake. You’re a friend, and… well, actually a great deal more than a friend to me. You’re likely to be in my life a great while longer, so I suppose now’s as good a time as any to tell you.” Snowflake blushed a little and looked down, then looked back to Brighter and nodded. “Do you have any idea what my second reason might be? My selfish, horrible reason for wanting to run an orphanage?” “I can’t say that I do.” “I’m infertile, Snowflake. I’ll never have foals of my own. All the fertility treatments and medicines and magic in the world can’t fix something that was never there to begin with. So what I can’t do on my own… these foals never got the chance to have a parent, and I never got the chance to have my own foals,” Brighter’s voice was quivering now, threatening to break free of the constraints of composure. “I… I’m sorry.” “N-no, it’s-” Brighter sniffed and wiped her eyes with a forehoof, “it’s fine, really.” “No, it isn’t. It’s not that I’m sorry for your unfortunate condition – while I am, that is not the point I’m making right now – I am sorry that you have yourself convinced that this desire is selfish.” “W-what?” “It’s not selfish at all,” Snowflake insisted, striding over and taking one of her hooves in his own, “You are giving these children a chance at something they wouldn’t have had otherwise. If you happen to fulfill a lifelong desire of your own in the process, that’s just a bonus.” “H-how do y-you always know ju-st the ri-ight thing to say?” Brighter laughed a little through her tears. “You a-always…” “Like you, my cutie mark isn’t exactly literally related to my special talent. Ponies look at me and see the dumbbell and the massive muscles and think, ‘Ah, he’s a weightlifter, makes sense.’ Those ponies would be wrong though. It’s not physical weights I lift, it’s emotional ones,” Snowflake paused for a moment as Brighter pulled away from him to give him a look of incredulity, the faintest breaths of laughter shaking through her crying, “Hey! I’m serious. I’ve always been a good listener, and saying the right thing just comes naturally to me. I’m not just ‘saying the right thing’ here though. It’s the truth. You’re not being selfish for doing this, it’s one of the most selfless things you could possibly be doing, and that makes you all the more wonderful for doing it.” The golden-maned unicorn sniffed heavily a couple times and pulled away from him, an unsteady smile spreading on her face. “And what are you talking about, not having kids? Brighter, you’ve got more kids than most ponies ever will.” “Stop it, you’re gonna make me cry again,” she pouted playfully, still holding him. “I’m serious, Brighter. You’re a mom, to all the little ponies here. They love you dearly. Book Worm, when he left the other day? He told me he wasn’t just crying because of how happy he was. He said to me that part of it was because he was so sad he’d probably never see you again. Saying you’ll never be a mother is nonsense, Brighter. You already are one.” Brighter buried her face in Snowflake’s broad chest once more. “Stop being so perfect,” she whined. Snowflake felt the area around her face begin to grow damp once again, and brought one hoof around his marefriend’s shaking shoulders. “He’s right you know,” came a little voice from behind them. Tag-a-long rubbed an eye sleepily, and smiled up at the lovers. “Honestly at this point I kinda don’t want to get adopted so I can stay here with you, Miss Horizons. You’re pretty much my mom. I don’t think at this point I’d ever really accept any other pony.” Brighter turned around, tears in her eyes. A sudden flash of determination burned in her heart. “You’ve been here far too long,” she said to the filly. “You’re getting adopted. You are. Right now.” “But- I just sai- who?” Tag-a-long stammered, looking to Snowflake for clarification. The giant Pegasus just shrugged, just as lost as she was. “Me,” Brighter answered, a resolute smile on her face, “By me.”