I am not doom driven, thought Sombra when he was asked to leave the comfort of the train. I was once good, and I will endure. I must endure. If I cannot, who will know the truth? Who will know that they made a monster?
“Trottingham’s a few hours down these tracks if you’re interested in going there,” said the conductor as Sombra departed the compartment. “There’s roads to other places, but closer civilization sounds better to me. No hard feelings about leaving you out here?”
“No,” replied Sombra in an even tone that sent a chill down the old pony’s back.
“Well, traveler like you ought to be fine then. Best of luck to ya!”
Sombra watched from the very plain looking platform he now stood on as the train departed, leaving him alone with his thoughts once more. After the train faded from his sight, the fallen unicorn turned his eyes upwards. He smiled as he observed the stars slowly coming into view in the twilight hours of the day. “I love this time of day,” he said to the sky. “The colors, the good memories,” he face slowly sunk as one memory took hold, “so why did you spoil it Celestia?” The somber moment suddenly died as his face filled with anger. “How could you do that to me? Hypocrite! Deceiver!”
His teeth clenched as his fury rose to the breaking point. “Monster,” he roared. The echo of his voice made him aware of his rage and caused Sombra to go quiet. “I’m not a monster,” he said as he once more hung his head.
As night rose, he followed the tracks, just as the conductor said. At least, until a small town was on the horizon. This place is as I suspected, he thought as he examined it from a distance. Too small for my needs, ponies will know one another too well and once my identity is uncovered I will lose the chance for the solace I desire. I cannot think such things, I yearn for that solace. The belief I deserve it left me this way.
While not something he found suitable, given his former status as first a prince, then a king, Sombra did his best to form a makeshift shelter from the brush on the forest’s edge. Rest and dawn were all that were on his mind along with the need to find a place to travel to and the means to get there.
“First a plan,” he said with a yawn as he tried to get comfortable on the cold dirt. “A map, currency, and a ticket for the train would be a start. Peddle magic and hear of news.” As the few remaining thoughts coalesced in his speech the desire to sleep beat the uncomfortable shelter in the slow battle the two waged under the light of the moon.
*****
The light of the sun and the chirping of birds greeted the unicorn when he woke the next day. As he stretched and squinted at daybreak he tried to remind himself of his own, dark powers. No forbidden magic, he thought. Not even if my life is on the line should I ever use it. I cannot allow the to beast break free once more.
As he reached Trottingham, the thoughts regarding his dark magic grew from a silent promise to never use it into a voice in the back of his mind telling him to use them.
Such a small place, whispered the voice, nopony will miss it. You need things and they have them all.
Sombra shook his head. No, I cannot simply take what I want. That has caused me nothing but trouble all my life.
Yes and look where being honest got you. A shame, a disgrace, a penniless pony with nothing but hate for a past you can never change. No wonder you can’t accept it, you need the power to survive in a world that hates and fears what you are.
Sombra shook his head again and finally became aware of the ponies staring at him. He hastily used magic to pull his long mane out of his hood to try and make some excuse to sate the leering eyes. Unfortunately for him, his display managed to draw more onlookers.
“Unicorn huh,” said a mare with a pale green coat as she nervously approached him. “Have some skill to you?”
Sombra blinked and backed away a little from the earth pony. “I am merely a traveler miss. I can use my magic for some financial aid if you think I can help you.”
“Relax,” she said calmly as she pulled her white mane from her face. “I’m Minty and I’m sure I can help you. There are more than a few ponies who could use some magical answers to their problems.”
Sombra shook his head slowly. “Ponies cannot look to magic for all the answers. I do not mean to speak like a sermon, but I know that much from my own experiences.”
“Yes, but not everypony here can afford to replace a plow or reach where their roof leaks. We don’t often see unicorns and they’re usually too busy or uptight to lend a hoof to their magically handicapped brethren.”
Sombra was shocked. “My apologies, are you speaking like that because of–”
“How formal you’re talking? Not really, but I found it better to use bigger words to get unicorns to help us. You’re a traveler though, and you didn’t show up on the train, so I just figured you were like that to handle boredom.”
“I can try to act more like you, but I would not expect it often.”
“It’s fine. By the way, what’s your name?”
A half-truth is still a bad start, he thought as he planned his words carefully. Concealed from Equestria was one thing, but sharing his name had more danger to it than a shady pony ever would be. “Do you promise not to laugh?”
Minty nodded. “I’ve heard a lot of silly names and I doubt yours will make me laugh.”
“Onyx Lament,” he lied, praying the naïve mare would fall for it.
She smiled and held out her hoof. “A pleasure to meet you Mr. Lament.”
Sombra took her hoof and kissed it softly, careful to keep his identity concealed. “The pleasure is mine and please, Onyx would be better. ‘Mister’ makes me sound old.”
Despite the furious red her cheeks had turned, Minty clung to every word. “Of course Onyx. Can I help you find some work around town?”
“Actually, I’d like to know what has happened recently. I heard about a place to the north along the train.”
“Oh that’s the Crystal Empire, supposedly it’s been around for a long time but nopony ever heard of it for centuries. The Equestria Games were held there last year, all the top athletes and famous ponies were there. Oh, and my friend Quiz Bowl was up there too but she came up as part of the Ponyville pep squad. I wish I could’ve gone with her, but our fields weren’t doing so well so I stayed here.”
“So do you need my help?”
Minty nodded. “If you know a thing or two about irrigation we could use a hoof there. That aside, is it true unicorns can enchant things to make them better?”
“It takes a focused mind to enchant things. I might be able to repair and harden them, but I would definitely require rest after a few.”
“And something about irrigation?”
Sombra shook his head. “I knew ponies who knew a thing or two, but I don’t think I can help you much in regards to that.”
“Well the tools would be a wonderful start. Flax is out of town and he’s been trying to fix that house of his here in Trottingham for years. I heard he and Wheat Grass have a new place so he wants to sell it. I’m sure they can pay you what you need if you can help them.”
“Will they be returning soon?”
Minty began to lead Sombra away from town, towards a large field filled with ponies working hard with all kinds of fruits and vegetables. “They’ll be back in town tomorrow. I know it isn’t much, but Trottingham isn’t like Manehattan or even Ponyville so we can’t really offer much in the way of payment.”
“You mentioned Ponyville before, where is it?”
“About four hours south by train, but it’s a winding track with more than a few bridges. It could take days to reach on your hooves.”
“What’s it like there?”
“Last time I was there it was really peaceful but I don’t know about now. There was this monster that came through Trottingham a few months back, stole the inborn magic everypony has, but we got it all back a few weeks later. There was another one too, but it didn’t do much of anything. According to Quizzie’s reply after I told her about it, that monster went all over Equestria taking magic from everypony it could.”
“Then I was lucky I was on my own.”
Minty nodded. “You’re a really lucky pony Onyx, it was–”
“Disconcerting? Perhaps that isn’t the right word. Appalling perhaps?”
She stopped and shuddered. “Both and more Onyx. Are you talking from experience?”
“It’s… not something I’d like to talk about in detail. It was humiliating,” Sombra sighed. “No, it was humbling but in a very tactless way. I thought I knew what it meant to have power but then I encountered something far beyond my abilities. I was defeated, but I began to learn that power isn’t everything. Without control, power can turn you into a monster.”
Minty smiled. “And one such monster managed to miss you and the biggest lesson you learned right?”
“The only lesson that I think matters to me anymore. Power, regardless of its origins, is dangerous and can be used improperly. Now, what of the other monster; the one that did nothing?”
“Quizzie said it spends time in Ponyville sometimes, might want to make your way there and talk to it yourself.”
“It stays there? It’s not on a rampage?”
“Quizzie said it was tricked but that’s it.”
Sombra nodded and grinned. “I’d like to begin now, what does everypony need?”
*****
After a long day of repairing plows and figuring out how to better irrigate the fields near Trottingham, Sombra had realized how the common pony lived. The names of ponies he helped still escaped him but the bits were good, the praise was a different beast altogether. As the sun began to set Minty led the former king to a house with ladders and large piles of lumber nearby.
“I’m sure Wheat and Flax won’t mind if you stay here,” Minty said as she retrieved a key from under a rock next to the door. “You’ll be helping them tomorrow after all.”
Sombra smiled weakly, knowing his face had always been a mystery to the mare. “They won’t mind Minty? I’m a stranger to them,” he shook his head, “I’m a stranger to all of Trottingham.”
“Trust me, they’re really lax about this stuff. No, more like they’re lax about everything so don’t worry. If you want to seem less intrusive then I’ll leave them a note.”
The pleasant mare opened the door and Sombra walked beyond the threshold. A quick appraisal of the house revealed that several spiders had decided to take up residence in addition to a fine layer of dust on everything.
“There’s a bed upstairs or cushions on the first door to your right if you’d prefer that.”
“Minty,” Sombra said as he went upstairs, “I mean no offense but there’s a bit of a smell.”
“Well, they worked on all natural spa supplies so I’d wager that’s from some experiments. Just get comfy and be ready for them in the morning ok?”
The former king removed his hood as soon as his head was obscured from her sight. “Bright and early then?”
“Bright and early,” the mare confirmed, “just don’t be put off by how they dress or act. They’ve been out of town for a year or two but I remember they dressed a bit strange even back then. Good night Onyx.”
“Good night,” replied Sombra with a yawn.
After he heard the door close and lock, Sombra looked around and found a very musty bedroom. With one more yawn he drew the blinds and fell asleep, kicking up a cloud of dust as he hit the bed for a long deserved rest.