//------------------------------// // Home // Story: A Bright Little Shadow // by Princess OtakuGeek //------------------------------// Cadence was surprised and intrigued. She'd read about Queen Peach Gem before. There wasn't a lot of information, but she knew that she'd been a good and beloved Queen and that she'd had a husband named Sky Flight who'd died, leaving her and their daughter Azure Sky. She had no idea that Azure had died before her mother. For that matter, she'd had no idea that Sombra was Peach Gem's successor. Now she was curious. Could other historical tidbits be found within these pages? Cadence pulled the journal closer and began reading the next entry. ✴✴✴✴✴✴ "Ahahaha, is that all dear?" Rarity chuckled a little. "Why you simply need to decorate. Make this space your own." Twilight frowned a little and almost whimpered. "It's just so daunting!" She said. "Look at how big it is! I don't even know where to start!!" Before her head could hit her pancake plate, Rarity's magic wrapped around and moved it so that the only thing that she hit was the table. Rarity smiled gently. "You can start by letting us do it for you." She said and Twilight lifted her head to look at the unicorn. "We will make this the Castle of your Dreams! While you go to the Ponyville Spa for some much-needed rest and relaxation." Her expression then became a little careful. "I'm saying this with love but, have you looked in a mirror lately?" As she spoke she pulled out a mirror and held it out in front of Twilight so she could see. "I've never seen you so...um..." "Frazzled?" Fluttershy offered. "Yes! That is absolutely the word I was going to use!" She declared a little too quickly. Twilight had to admit she was right. She looked like she was sorely missing a bath and brush. And that wasn't counting the bags under her eyes. "Well, I guess I do need a little help." She admitted, feeling a little better. "And so does my castle. And I know you'll do a great job cause nopony knows me better than you!" "We'll make this place feel cozier than hot cider on a rainy day!" Applejack added as she walked up with a smile. Rainbow Dash gasped and jumped from her seat, wings flapping and stars in her eyes. "There's going to be cider?!" She asked excitedly. Applejack shot her a flat look and she recognized her mistake. "Uh, I mean, let's decorate!" It was at that moment that Spike walked in with Sombra close behind him. "Oh no! Did we miss the pancakes!?" He rushed up and jumped onto the table to grab a couple. Sombra followed behind and pulled himself onto a chair. "I sleep like a baby under that cold cavernous ceiling!" He dropped a couple of pancakes on a plate in front of Sombra before biting into a couple of his own. "Spike! I'm so glad you're here!" Rarity exclaimed. Spike turned to her. "Really?" He asked. Rarity nodded and glanced between Twilight and Sombra, who was digging into his own pancakes. "Yes! You're taking Twilight and Sombra to the spa!" Sombra looked up at his name being called and Twilight's expression clearly said 'wait what?!'" But before she could voice these, Spike spoke up. "Great! I've been needing to get my claws done. And I'm sure Sombra wouldn't mind visiting the spa, would you?" The last part had been directed at the colt in question, who only shook his head to mean he didn't mind. As he took another bite, he noticed the looks on the other mares' face. "Oh. You mean now." He spoke around a mouthful of food. Without another word, he jammed the rest of his pancakes in his mouth, plus a couple of others before grabbing two more. "C'mon Sombra. Let's get going." He spoke and gestured as well as he could with a full mouth and a pancake in each hand. Sombra shoved rest of his pancake in a similar fashion and one more before jumping from his seat and following. Twilight turned to Rarity and spoke to her in a hushed tone so neither of the boys could hear. "Seriously Rarity?! Sombra!?" She hissed. "Of course Sombra." Rarity whispered back calmly before giving her a firm look that forbade her from lying. "You haven't just been avoiding the castle, have you? You've also been avoiding Sombra, haven't you?" Twilight briefly glanced away knowing she couldn't lie to her friend. "Only a little, but mostly the castle. Besides, Spike's taking good care of him." "Spike isn't his legal guardian." Rarity pointed out. "You're the pony he looks to for support and care and lately you haven't been there. He needs you here, now." "He's King Sombra, Tyrant of the Crystal Empire!" Twilight countered. "Perhaps in a different life." Rarity pointed out. "So far I haven't seen any sort of tyrannical actions. He's just been the sweetest little colt I've ever seen. Also, didn't Celestia send him with you so we could teach him Friendship? You're hardly going to make any progress or learn much about him if you keep avoiding him." "Hey, Twilight! What's the hold-up?! I thought you wanted this done now!" Spike called out to her from the doorway having almost walked out the front door before realizing he was missing a certain alicorn. He'd finished chewing and swallowing his large mouthful of food and was now eating one of the pancakes in his claw. Standing next to him just swallowing his own mouthful, was Sombra. Twilight almost stepped back at his presence and Applejack laid a hoof across her back. "Go ta' the spa with him Sugarcube." She said quietly. "Rest, relax an' get ta know him. Where's the' harm in that? You'll be just fine." Twilight gulped. "Okay." She replied. She then raised her voice to address Spike. "Yes, Spike. You're right. Sorry to keep you waiting!" And with that, she followed the dragon and colt out the door and to the spa. The second the front door shut behind them, Rarity turned to her friends with a grin. "Now then girls, what are we waiting for? Let's get decorating!" ✴✴✴✴✴✴ Upon arriving at Ponyville Spa, the small group had been escorted in and tended to. Spike had gotten Twilight the Super Deluxe Mane Blowout and Sombra had gotten the Little One Special. For a time, they relaxed and enjoyed each others company. But since Spike only got his claws done, he volunteered to run ahead and see the castle, leaving Twilight alone with Sombra. The moment she realized this, a sudden awkward silence descended. Well, it was awkward for Twilight, Sombra just sat in the spa tub and played with some of the soaps and sponges. "Sooooo...." Twilight started and Sombra paused his playing to give her his attention. "Whatcha doing there?" She asked with a slightly strained smile. Sombra didn't seem to notice her strained attempt at conversation. He was just happy to answer and pointed at a floating spa sponge with a bar of scented blue soap on it. "See this here is the moon..." He pointed at the sponge before moving on to the soap. "...and this is Princess Luna..." He then held up a pink rose-scented soap. "And this is Princess Celestia! Celestia and Luna got into a fight and Celestia were forced to banish her sister to the moon." At this point, he grabbed the blue soap. "And then when Luna came back, they hugged and made up!" He then rubbed the soaps together in an expression of affection towards each other. Twilight cocked an eyebrow. 'It's not exact, but it's surprisingly close.' She thought. 'Just add Nightmare Moon and the Elements of Harmony and there you go.' "That's pretty cool Sombra." She said. "So why is Celestia pink?" Sombra looked at the Rose bar and shrugged. "I don't know. She's just pink to me." "That doesn't make any sense," Twilight replied. "True, Princess Celestia has some pink in her mane, it's only a part of her mane colors and her coat is white so a white soap bar would make more sense." Sombra shrugged again. "She's still pink to me." Twilight almost retorted when she had a revelation that made her facehoof. "I'm having an argument with a six-year-old." She muttered as Sombra put his 'playthings' away so that Lotus could pull him out and rub him down with scented oils. As Lotus was finishing off on Sombra, Twilight could see that the dryer on her head was also finishing off. The sound of footsteps made her glance up and she spotted Spike returning. "Spike you're back!" She exclaimed and right as she pulled the dryer off, she asked, "How do I look?" "Great!" He exclaimed with a polite smile. Twilight took a moment to look in the mirror. She didn't really think it was a 'her' look, but it was a pretty fun look to have from time to time. "And more importantly, how does the castle look?" She turned to ask him. His smile became a little strained. "Um...great." He answered. She smiled and got up. "I can't wait to go home and see it!" She said as she headed for the door. Spike added a third 'great' before he panicked. "I mean no!" He exclaimed as he grabbed her tail. Twilight gave her a quizzical look and he released her tail. "I mean I'm not quite ready to go yet. Why don't we get a massage? I was hoping to get this one." As he spoke he grabbed the nearest massage brochure a pointed at the closest one. Twilight leaned in to see which one he was pointing at. "The Extra Strength Hot Stone Deep Tissue massage?" She asked. Spike flipped the brochure around to look at and gulped. "Y-yup." He answered shakily. Twilight smiled. "I think I'll just have a traditional massage." She said. "But you go for it!" "Did somepony order massages?" Aloe asked from a doorway. The next instant, the wall next to her exploded as Bulk Biceps burst in. "Yeah!!" He exclaimed. All color drained from Spike's face and he clutched the brochure like it was a security blanket. Bulk just lept over to him. "Let's do this little dragon!" And with that, he grabbed Spike with a flex of his muscles and broke the second hole in the wall on his way out. Aloe just rolled her eyes. "Oh, I hate it when he does that." She muttered then she put on a pleasant smile and gestured at the door behind her. "Come with me, Princess." Twilight followed Aloe, leaving Sombra with Lotus, trying to figure out what happened. Then he turned to Lotus to ask her a question. "Where are they going?" Lotus smiled sweetly. "Spike and the Princess are each going to get massages." "Massages?" He asked curiously. Lotus nodded. "Yes. Massages are where you lay down on a bed while a trained professional gently knead out your tenseness and helps you relax. It more complicated than that, but that's the basic gist of it." Sombra looked at the door and two openings. "So that big guy is a trained professional?" Lotus nodded. "Yup. Bulk may be excitable and is mostly interested in physical fitness, but I can guarantee that he is the best masseur you'll know." Sombra was quiet for a time as he stared at the holes. "Spike's message is going to hurt a bit, isn't it." Lotus grimaced a little. "Unfortunately. While I can attest to his skills as a masseur, his messages tend to be a little...invigorating. I personally wouldn't advise young children to take his messages." Sombra frowned and looked up at Lotus. "He won't be hurt will he?" He asked. "Of course not!" Lotus quickly said. "As I said, Bulk Biceps is a professional and would never allow any harm to come over his charge. Spike's just going to be a little stiff and sore for a bit. Nothing permanent." Sombra sighed in relief. "Can I get a massage too?" He asked. Lotus smiled. "Of course you may, though might I advise you take a more traditional massage like the Princess. Speaking of which, you should probably be with her. Come along." Lotus then led Sombra through the door Twilight had gone, leaving Spike to his accidental fate. ✴✴✴✴✴✴ "Owowowowowow," Spike muttered with every step, his body bent at odd angles. Sombra walked right next to him with a concerned look on his face. "Spike, are you sure you're okay?" He asked. "Perfectly fine. Ow." He grunted in a strained voice. Twilight looked at him with as much concern as Sombra was. "You wanna hop on?" She offered. "I'm sure I could get us to the castle sooner." Spike halted with a crack and glanced at the sun. He then straightened himself up with another crack and another 'ow'! "I mean, How nice is this day!" He said a little forced. "I was hoping we could take the scenic way back." Twilight looked uncertain. "I don't know..." She started. Spike made a 'come on' gesture. "Come on. Walking is good for post massage circulation." He said then he brightened as he realized something. "Not to mention we haven't shown Sombra around town, now have we?" Twilight her eyebrow a little. "I haven't heard that theory anywhere before, but you do have a point. It wouldn't hurt to show Sombra around." And so they took the scenic route with Spike pointing out places of interest to Sombra. After a time they reached the reason why Twilight had been hesitant. The remains of the Golden Oak library. While it had been some time since Tirek's attack on the library, the image of the library covered in smoldering flames was still vividly playing in her mind. She let out a sigh. "I really miss this place, Spike." She said. "We had so many wonderful memories here." "We did, didn't we?" He said and he wiped a tear away. Noticing this, Twilight's ears dropped and her expression was apologetic. "Oh, Spike. I'm so sorry." She apologized. "Of course losing the Golden Oak library was hard for you too." Twilight then pulled Spike close and they stood there as quiet tears slid down their eyes. Sombra just sat there a little confused. "So what is this place and why are you sad?" He asked. Twilight wanted to shoot him a glare for ruining the moment when she realized that he likely didn't know anything about the Golden Oak library. He'd come along AFTER she'd gotten her castle. Spike was the one who moved out of the hug to answer. "That's right, you don't know do you?" He asked rhetorically having reached the same conclusion as Twilight. "Well you see, the castle that we live in is very recent. Before that, we lived here at the Golden Oak library." As he spoke, he gestured at the burnt tree remains. Sombra studied the tree once more. "So what happened?" He asked. "Oh, lots of complicated things," Spike said nonchalantly. "But to put it all in a nutshell, there was a jerk called Tirek came and he blew up the library then Twilight fought him and he did the whole hostage thing and it looked like we were going to lose for a bit but then there was a magic box and we saved the day when the magic box grew the castle." Spike then let out a gasp after going through the story in one breath. Sombra stared at Spike for a while before just saying "oh." Then he turned to Twilight and spoke. "So you're sad because you miss this place?" He asked. Twilight wasn't completely confident in her ability to speak, so she just nodded. Sombra stared at the ruined house a bit longer before speaking again. "I don't think you should be too sad." Twilight felt a surge of anger and almost replied vehemently before Spike stopped her with a silent plea to give him a chance. Twilight took a breath and spoke in a calm neutral tone. "And why do you think that?" "Because you're alive." Twilight was floored by his answer and Sombra continued. "I don't know much about this 'Tirek', but judging by this library, it seems like he was very powerful and merciless. I'd say you and whomever he took as hostages are very lucky that they're alive." "How do you know about the hostages are alive?" Spike asked amazed. "Simple. Twilight and nopony else I've seen look to be in any kind of mourning." Sombra answered like it was the most logical thing ever. Twilight, however, said nothing as Sombra's words had hit her like a brick. He was right. During his attack, Tirek had been completely merciless with no regard for the safety of the ponies. They were lucky they'd gotten out of the whole thing with only minor injuries, even from the pegasi who'd been airborne when they lost their magic. She herself had an extremely close call when she'd pulled Olwowiscious out of the library before it went boom. This didn't make the pain of its loss better by much, but it at least made more bearable that she and her friends had survived. A touch on her leg brought her to the present and she found herself looking into Sombra's red eyes. "And besides," he continued, "home is where the heart is. A house is a house, but a home is where your heart is. As long as you have your heart with you, it doesn't matter where you live, whether it's a castle or a cave. But that doesn't mean it isn't going to be an adjustment." Those words struck a chord with Twilight and memories rushed through her mind at a mile a minute. Memories of happy times with her friends. All the fun times and smiles. Parties, adventures and Friendship Reports to the Princess. It was all still there in her heart. And even more importantly, her friends were still here with her and were willing to make even more memories with her. And at that moment, a little of her sadness for her loss was lifted. It was still painful, but now it was bearable and before she could realize what she was doing, she'd pulled Sombra close and into a hug that he was more than willing to return. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but thank you for that Sombra." She said. "That was very kind of you. How in Equestria did you get so smart?" "I don't really know," Sombra said with a shrug. "The words just came to me and they seemed right." Twilight stared right at Sombra as if doing so would unravel whatever secrets were in him. After a time, she finally stood and gave him a small smile. "Well, where ever they came from, they really helped so thank you. Come on you two, let's get going." She let both Spike and Sombra onto her back and with Sombra, in front of Spike she raised her wings and prepared to fly. She'd never flown with two passengers before, but she was willing to try. Unfortunately, before she could get off the ground, Spike grabbed her wings and instead of flying she fell flat on her face. Fortunately, Spike kept Sombra from tumbling forward and meeting the ground in a similar fashion. With the colt in his arms, Spike jumped off of Twilight's back and set Sombra on the ground. "Spike!" Twilight cried after recovering from the tumble. "What are you doing?!" "Um...I just remembered what we need." Spike said. "Oh. Okay. What is it?" Twilight asked as she stood up. "Beds. I have my own room now and I'd like my own bed and Sombra needs a new bed." Spike explained. Part of it was a genuine concern since Sombra's bed was much too tall for him. He still remembered when he fell off the bed when Spike had woken him up from his nightmare. The next morning he nearly freaked out when he found that Sombra had gotten a small bruise from that fall. Since then part of the reason why he slept with Sombra as often as he could wasn't just to comfort him, but also to keep that from happening again. Twilight quirked an eyebrow. "I thought you said you sleep like a baby in the castle and doesn't Sombra already have a bed?" Spike folded his arms and gave her a deadpan look. "Yeah Sombra has a bed, but like I said it's much tall for him. I mean you know it's too tall when you have to help him every night." "Good point." Twilight conceded. "But what about you? Your exact words this morning were that you sleep like a baby, remember?" "Pshha, everypony knows that babies are the worst sleepers." He said casually. Twilight sighed. "Fine. Let's get going." She said and they started on their way to the market. ✴✴✴✴✴✴ After a bit of pickiness, Twilight was finally able to put in an order for his new bed. Now here they were in the children's section and for some reason, Spike was even pickier about Sombra's bed. "What about this one?" Twilight suggested as she gestured at a bed that was shaped like a sailboat. Sombra's eyes brightened and he rushed over to jump on it. "Spike! Spike! Look at this one!" He called as he bounced on it. Spike abandoned the latest rejected bed and walked over to examine it. Twilight held her breath as the dragon began his examination. "A sea theme huh?" He hummed. "Doesn't really match the castle so...nah." "Okay, Spike!" Sombra said brightly as he lept off the bed. Twilight had to stop herself from venting her frustration in a yell. Instead, she banged her head against the nearest piece of wood, which was a bedpost. For the past hour, Spike had been rejecting bed after bed for reasons that varied from, 'it's not comfortable enough' and 'it doesn't match the decor' to 'it's too high' and 'it's not safe enough'. It had been getting later in the day and there had been a point when it looked like he was going to approve a bed but then it turned out to be 'too squeaky'. As Sombra pointed out yet another bed that had caught his eye, Twilight heard a sudden voice calling her name. "Twilight!!" Twilight turned to see Cheerilee trotting up to her. "Cheerilee!" Twilight greeted as the school teacher approached. "Hey! What brings you here?" "Picking up some new quills," Cheerilee answered with a pat on her saddlebags. "What about you?" Twilight grimaced lightly. "Getting a comfortable, child safe, perfectly matching bed for Sombra." She said with a touch of exasperation in her voice. "It's a lot more complicated than I thought it would be." The two mares stood and watched the boys as Spike rejected YET ANOTHER BED!! Cheerilee chuckled good-naturedly. "Kids can be like that." She said. "And speaking of Sombra I have been hoping to run into you ask when I can come over to discuss education options for him." Twilight suddenly groaned and slumped to her haunches with a wide-eyed look. Cheerilee looked at her in alarm. "Twilight! Are you alright?!" She asked with concern. "I'm...fine." She mumbled numbly. "It's just I suddenly realized I'm supposed to take care of him and I'm sorely unprepared. I hadn't even thought about schooling and apparently, I didn't have the right bed for him! For all I know I don't have all the right amenities for him!!" Once she was finished with her outburst, she dropped to the ground the rest of the way and buried her face in the floor. Cheerilee sat down calmly and began rubbing her hoof up and down the princess' withers. "Hey, it's not the end of Equestria." She said gently. "You may not have everything now, but that doesn't mean it's too late. A bed is a very good first step. And if you take this one at a time, you'll be making more steps. And I'll help you along the way when you need it." Twilight looked up. "Really?" She asked. Cheerilee nodded. "Yep." She said with a hint of pride. "You see, I'm not just a school teacher, I also know about foal care and raising. I had friends who needed help raising their own foals due to circumstances. Enough said." Twilight nodded in understanding. She then pulled out the quill and paper she always carried with her and looked at Cheerilee with all the focus of a student. Seeing that she had the alicorn's full attention, Cheerilee nodded and began. "Alright, let's start with the basics." She said. "As I said, a bed is a good start, but for his room, you'll need other things that are just his size. Dressers, a nightstand, a desk and chair, bookshelves, a toy chest, an art stand, some shelves, hooks, and stools are great starts." Twilight nodded took notes studiously. "You will, of course, want to fill the bookshelves with books." Twilight frowned in confusion and looked up from her notes. "But I already have books at the castle." She pointed out. Cheerilee nodded patiently. "I know, but how many of those books can a six-year-old colt read?" An expression of dawning spread across Twilight's face. "Ah, so you mean children's books and stuff like that." Cheerilee nodded. "Yep. Fairytales and some educational books. I can make you a list of recommendations for that and I know a great bookseller who can get the best children's books." Twilight nodded and scribbled more notes. "Another thing that you'll need is toys. I'd recommend not getting toys that would choke a child if they put it in their mouth, but from what I've seen so far, it doesn't seem like Sombra is in the habit of putting things in his mouth." "And thank goodness for that." Twilight sighed. Cheerilee nodded with a smile. "It's always a good idea to get plushies, games and other such things." She continued. "Art also helps them be creative. That's why I told you an art stand is a good addition earlier. You'll need crayons, drawing paper, chalk for the blackboard side, whiteboard markers for the whiteboard side, markers and perhaps later you can add paints and a painted board but for now, that should help kickstart you. Now..." Cheerilee started as she stood up. Twilight took the hint and put her paper away so she stands up. "I can help you pick out a good bed and some shelves and a dresser for tonight," Cheerilee said as she led her in the direction of the boys. "The rest I think you can get later with your friends when it's not late." Twilight nodded agreement. "You're right. We need to get back to the castle anyway. Thanks for you're help. You probably had other plans besides helping me out." Cheerilee shook her head. "Not really and even if I did, nothing could stop me from helping somepony in need. Now let's see what we can do about your bed." ✴✴✴✴✴✴ With Cheerilee's help, they were able to find a bed that satisfied all the parties involved. Cheerilee assured Spike that it was perfectly safe and would match the castle perfectly and Sombra liked it even more than all the other beds he'd seen. With both boys satisfied, Twilight FINALLY placed an order for it and to her good fortune, they would be able to deliver it tomorrow afternoon. They then placed orders for a set of dressers and some shelves and hooks and a few stools. All due to arrive tomorrow. As they'd gone, Cheerilee informed Twilight that there were important toiletries (toothbrush, toothpaste, and shampoo) that they needed. When they finally started home, Spike was carrying some pillows and Sombra had a bag of his toothpaste, shampoo and the toothbrush that he'd picked out himself. As Cheerilee returned to her own home she passed by where the Golden Oak library had been. Emphasis on 'had'. The earth pony mare did a double when she saw that where there had once been a smoking corpse of a tree, there was now only a hole in the ground. She took a moment to stare at the large hole where there'd been a tree and wonder where it'd gone before continuing on her way. ✴✴✴✴✴✴ "Hey girls! We're home!!" Twilight announced as she led Sombra and Spike back in the castle. The girls instantly rushed them. "Welcome home!" They all said together. Twilight glanced around the hallway expecting something new. She was surprised, and a little disappointed to see that there was nothing new. "Oh...I love what you've done with the place." Twilight said with a smile as she tried, and failed, to keep the disappointment out of her voice. "You decided to preserve the integrity of the original design." "Oh come on!" Spike exclaimed. "It looks just the same! Do you have any idea how hard it was to keep her from coming here!! I don't think I can let myself be massaged for a week!!!" "Wait, you were trying to keep me from coming here?" Twilight asked and Spike suddenly remembered who was there. "Not entirely," Spike answered truthfully. "I did genuinely think Sombra needed a new bed. Otherwise, yeah." "But we asked him to do it." Rarity quickly stepped in before Twilight could say anything. "You see, there was a minor hiccup and it took a teensy bit longer than we thought. But we did learn a very valuable lesson." Applejack pulled off her hat and stepped forward to continue. "We figured out that what really makes a home feel like home isn't what it looks like. It's the memories you make when you're there." "So we've made something that celebrates the memories we've made with you since you moved to Ponyville." Rarity finished and they led them to the throne room. Once they opened the doors, Twilight, Spike and Sombra's jaws dropped at the gorgeous chandelier that was now hanging over it. "The ornaments on the chandelier each represent all of the fun times we've had together," Fluttershy explained as she flew up. Pinkie Pie grabbed a yellow gem so Twilight could see the familiar picture within. "This one shows your Welcome to Ponyville party at the Golden Oak library!" She informed her. Fluttershy tilted a blue gem to reveal the familiar scene from after the Gala. "And this is the time we shared donuts after the Grand Galloping Gala." "We were hoping that looking at your beautiful old memories would help inspire you to make new ones," Rarity added. "And the best part is its made from the roots of the Golden Oak library!" Applejack added. "So you'll never forget where you came from." Twilight walked towards the chandelier staring up at it in awe. At that moment there were no words. They were all here. Memories of all those good times. Her heart was here. And she wasn't the only one admiring it. As her friends had been explaining, Sombra had trotted up and directly underneath it. When he noticed her approach, he paused and turned to her with a grin and wide sparkling eyes. "Look Twilight." He said. "Isn't it beautiful?" She was quiet for a moment before answering him with tears brimming in her eyes. "Yes, it is." She then turned to her friends to show her tearful smiling face. "And its exactly what the castle needed." Twilight ran into her friend's hug with Sombra close behind. "And I am ready to make new memories here. After all, home is where the heart is. And my heart is right here." Applejack raised an eyebrow. "Interesting sayin'. Where'd ya hear it from?" Twilight glanced down at Sombra, who was hanging onto her leg and she let a cryptic smile spread across her face. "Oh, just heard it from somepony."