//------------------------------// // Repercussions // Story: Umbrum ad Infinitum // by Pixel_Spark //------------------------------// When Sombra awoke, the first thought he had was that he had to be dreaming. But no, this seemed real enough, this was the same bed he'd been sleeping in since arriving here. He let himself relax a second, enjoying the feel of the familiar. Then his memory came skidding back into his head, and he sat bolt upright in a flash. Celestia and Discord. They'd somehow entered his dream-state and helped him wake back up, saying they were bringing him home… --I cant believe I'm alive, I thought for sure that fight was the end of me. But what now? Where am I going to go? I have to find Celestia!-- He didn't so much get out of bed as fall out of it. It felt like his body had either atrophied or he'd forgotten how to control it. He bit his lip to muffle a frustrated snarl as he finally managed to stand steadily on his hooves. A quick check from a fuzzy memory had him glancing at his right hind leg. But it didn't hurt, there was no sign of it ever being broken. His gaze travelled away from the uninjured leg, and up to his side where something shimmered- “EYAAGH!” he let out a loud yelp, and stumbled back into the side of the bed. This couldn't be real. There were WINGS snuggled up to his sides, their crystal surface catching the mid-morning light. As he focused on it, the wing he was staring at in total disbelief unfurled and shivered a little, sending a funny sensation down to his back. “You can't be here, you can't...” he croaked, throat dry. He could remember turning into a crystal Umbrum, finally sealing Scorpan away, and talking to the Prince and Princess before his injuries became too great and he asked if he could see Canterlot's stunning view one last time before his sleep in the crystal. He hadn’t known if he could even wake back up, so he'd prepared for the worst, to never see this place again. When he'd woken back in the real world, the first thing he'd been confronted with was a dual hug from Celestia and a grinning Discord. They'd been so glad to see him, hadnt they? He needed to find her. He glanced around, and spotted the same cloak he'd worn before to hide his injuries. He draped it over his back, grateful the material was thick enough to hide the wings unless you stared quite closely. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Nudging the door open he glanced up and down the hall. Nopony was there. Wasn’t there usually a guard? He stumbled out, the door clicking shut behind him. Silence rang alongside his own uneasy heartbeat as he walked softly towards the end of the hall. Silence. He came to a halt at an intersection, unsure where to even begin looking for the sun Princess. “-you OK?” the voice cut into his thoughts suddenly and he jumped, whirling round and almost losing his balance. He felt one wing try to unfurl to balance him and quickly used one hoof to shove it back under the fabric. The guards expression didn’t change, save for a slightly raised eyebrow. “I have to find Celestia...” Sombra managed to speak at last. “Follow me.” the guard said, seemingly unfazed by him. Sombra stumbled after him, literally. “Sure you're OK?” The guard asked. “For some blasted reason I’m having an issue co-ordinating my own body. Wish that I knew how to stop it from doing this, it's making me dizzy.” Sombra grumbled as he focused on the carpet, it was the only way to walk steady. “You’ve been asleep for three days!” The guard remarked “I’m not surprised-” THUD. He stopped and turned, Sombra had stumbled and flopped over onto the floor, forelegs pinned under him. “You're serious?” he asked, blinking. The guard nodded “Yes, the doctor was starting to worry you'd never regain consciousness. He was muttering about Umbrum being somewhat out of his depth they made so little sense.” “He isn’t alone in that.” Sombra remarked to the carpet “even I don’t know what I am!” “You uh..?” “Give me a moment..” Sombra untangled his legs from underneath and stood properly. “There, sorted….” The guard looked a little dubious, but settled for bringing this dazed and confused pony to the Princess. If he got any worse, she wouldn’t hesitate to call the doctor. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The guard knocked at the door of a fancy office, and Celestia told them to enter. “He said he needed to see you, your highness.” The guard gestured to the pony he was escorting. Celestia looked up, did a double take, and beamed. “Sombra! Oh thank goodness, I was wondering when you'd be up!” She trotted over to him, seeing he looked a little lost. “I can take it from here.” she told the guard. He nodded, and soon they were left alone. “It's so good to see you up. You’ve had a long recovery. After we brought you back, you passed out straight away...” “Three days, that’s what the guard told me.” Sombra said softly. She nodded “the doctor set up a drip, but you’re going to be feeling a little weak for awhile, until your body readjusts.” She looked so happy to see him awake, he felt oddly guilty for some reason “Discords been asking if you’ve, and I quote ”gotten your lazy ass out of bed yet”?” “Princess-!” He began, then cut off... She turned at his voice, letting the window curtains fall from her hoof as she paused in closing them. “What’s wrong?” she asked. Sombra looked like he was baffled by the fact she couldn’t already guess, so he threw the cloak aside “these..” She realised he referred to the wings “Yes, that WAS a surprise. They reappeared when you came back from the stasis. Are they hurting-” “They cant be here!” Sombra felt the unnamed panic rising “there must be a way to get rid of them-!” “Hold on Sombra,” Celestia rushed over, and gently set a hoof on his shoulder “don’t panic, there must be an explanation for this.” “I-it's a mistake, I must’ve messed up the spell to recover my regular form, it's the only reason...” he shook his head, an uneasy rumbling underlining his voice “I just know this; they can't be here.” Celestia looked concerned that he was this bothered by them, but when she asked why, he couldn’t seem to find the words to answer her. “Just take it easy, a lot has happened. Getting frantic will only wear you out.” She said at last. He nodded, slinging the cloak back on him. “Are you OK to walk with me?” she asked. He nodded. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- She led him out of the office, and together they walked the halls. Sombra asked a few short questions about how things were faring since the attack, and nodded as she answered them. He kept darting glances at the wings, hidden by his cloak. He seemed worried they might pop up, they seemed to be unnerving him… ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- As they rounded one corner, a pink blur suddenly shot out of nowhere and tackle-hugged Sombra. In his still jelly-legged state he lost his balance and fell over. In the commotion, his wings tried and failed to stabilize their owner, but he still wound up in a confrontation with the carpet regardless of their efforts. “Oopsie.” a familiar voice filtered through to the dazed pony. He sat up, shaking his head. “Sorry, I forget you might be a little sleepy-OOOH!” Pinkie Pie spotted the half-unfurled wings and grabbed one gently, examining her reflection in it “they’re so pretty!”. Sombra forced himself to return her smile, but soon as she let the wing go, he compressed them, hiding them back under his cloak. So much for secrecy. “Classy, Pinkie Pie...” A drawling voice sniggered. Sombra looked up, seeing the whole collection of them, the six colourful ponies. And of course, Spike. “'Sup?” Rainbow Dash waved a hoof. “Sadly not my sense of gravity..” Sombra managed at last. “Discord will be relieved to hear you’re awake..” Fluttershy smiled. Celestia helped Sombra wobble to his feet. She asked if he was OK and he nodded slowly. Everything just felt so strange… The other girls came over to tell him how glad they were to see he was awake. Spike caught Sombra's eye and waved. “I found some more comics if you wanna read 'em?” he piped up. This simple gift made Sombra feel the familiar sense of contentment he’d had in the days before his stasis. A soft smile broke the stoic expression on his face. “I would be more than happy to. Those illustrated pages did stay in my dreams for quite a while.” “You were dreaming in that crystal?” Spike asked. “Yes. It was strange, more like a second reality. But it was so empty...” Sombra recalled. “Coconuts.” Celestia laughed. Sombra sighed. “Yes, blame Discord for that one. Wait, was that how you found me, following the coconuts?” “Yes and no. Discord tracked thier migration using an ex-parrot.” “A what, pardon me?” Sombra thought he'd misheard her. “An ex-parrot. It had...ceased to be.” “I don’t understand-” “It was a dead parrot.” Celestia dead-panned, seeing the same confusion she'd felt written all over Sombra's face. “On second thoughts, forget I asked.” Sombra groaned. The girls were giggling at the whole exchange. Celestia had told them this story, how Discord had found Sombra using a stuffed ex-avian. “Only Discord...” Fluttershy said with a smile. “There are some important people that are here to see you Sombra. I was actually just about to make my way to them when the guard brought you to me.” Celestia at last cut the merriment short and turned serious. “Who?” Sombra asked hesitantly. “Come with me, it's best you see for yourself.” Celestia said kindly. Sombra felt his stomach sink, but he nodded regardless. “We'll see you later, right?” Pinkie Pie peered up at Sombra as he turned to follow Celestia to the throne room. He nodded soundlessly, and she beamed. They watched him vanish round the corridor, and Spike asked; “Sooo….he has wings again?” ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Celestia approached the wide doors, her uneasy guest at her side. Sombra seemed on edge, no doubt he was expecting something bad. “It's ALRIGHT Sombra.” she said softly. He jumped slightly, looking at her. Behind his emotional barricade, she could see the uncertainty of his future now scared him. He'd gone into the stasis accepting that was the end, he wouldn’t wake back up. “I wasn’t expecting this. I thought...” he trailed off. “It's fine, you've been through so much. Anypony would be overwhelmed. But don't forget..” she indicated the necklace “I will keep my promise to you.” She opened the doors, and addressed the two within; “My apologies for my lateness, I brought a guest with me.” ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Vorak and Haydon turned at Celestia's clear tones. And seen a second pony beside her. Tall, sturdy build with inky black mane and wary red eyes. So this was him... Celestia approached, guiding Sombra beside her. Once they were close enough, the King and Queen got to their feet and bowed regally. Still silent, Sombra managed to mimic Celestia in returning it. “We have awaited your recovery master Sombra.” Vorak addressed the pony with the utmost respect. Sombra blinked, startled by this. “This is Queen Haydon and King Vorak from the Centaur/Gargoyle empire.” Celestia introduced them. Sombra put two and two together, and his throat went dry, these had to be Scorpan's parents. “We understand this is hard for you,” Haydon spoke softly, seeing the unease in Sombra's expression “but we aren’t here to harm you. We requested we be permitted to see you once you were well enough, so we could deliver our apology in person.” “Apology..?” Sombra's voice was faint, but audible enough. Vorak had begun to wonder if he'd been rendered mute by the whole ordeal. It would’ve been entirely understandable, he thought. “Your friends came to our land hoping to find a cure for your endless slumber,” Vorak explained to Sombra “when we heard what had happened, we requested we come here with them.” Haydon's eyes misted up in memory of what the girls had told her, and she and her husband exchanged looks before both bowed very deeply before the one they’d come to see. “We hope you can forgive the crimes committed wilfully against you by our son.” Vorak said seriously “it never should have come to pass, his actions were unforgivable. Every soul has the right to a life lived absent of such fear, regardless of their past. It is a paltry offering in comparison to what you have endured, but we beg your forgiveness master Sombra.” Sombra was silenced as their words sunk in. He was the last pony on Equestria that deserved apologies, that was his personal view. After all he'd done, what right did he have to ask? But here they were, the family of the gargoyle he'd personally had sealed away, asking HIM to forgive THEM. He would’ve continued to flounder had he not spotted a single shining tear fall swiftly to the carpet from the Queens eyes. He realised this had to be painful for them, to have both their children imprisoned. This wasn’t their fault, he was certain of that. What Scorpan had done had been his decision. Yet they were left to pay the price. They didn’t deserve to bear this burden. It was this that finally gave him the strength to speak: “Any forgiveness you seek is more than granted your highnesses.” he closed his eyes as a temporary feeling of dizziness overwhelmed him, and the room faded at the edges. It felt like a weight had been take off his still aching body. He opened his eyes, catching concern for his health on Celestia's face as he looked from her to the King and Queen. Haydon clasped her hands to her chest in gratitude as they straightened up out of the bow. “Thank you..” she whispered as she brushed away her tears. “He loved you both,” Sombra said hoarsely, making them look at him “I got the feeling he wanted his family back, no matter the cost. In a way, I can understand what pushed him to do it. After all, there was a point in history where I staged a takeover to try and revive my own kind. Love can be a powerful force.” “We are grateful beyond measure to you master Sombra.” Vorak was relieved. What his son had done to this pony had left Vorak with doubts the stallion could possibly forgive it. It had to have taken real courage to forgive those that represent your worst nightmare. Celestia suggested they have some tea, that way they could talk more informally. Placed beside the cushions where the king and queen were sat, there was a large hand-wrapped package. “We spoke at length with your friends, and a unicorn by name of Rarity suggested assembling this for you from the gifts we brought.” She set the package at Sombra's hooves. Curious, Sombra opened it. Inside it was a fur-lined cloak. The fabric was patterned like pearl, in shades of silver, white and grey. Soft white fur ran around its edges and collar. A silver clasp engraved with the traditional symbol of the kingdom held it closed. “Wow..” Celestia said, impressed. “It's beautiful, I...Thank you.” Sombra said, surprised by the present. When he unlatched his old cloak to replace it with the new one, both Vorak and Haydon caught sight of the crystal wings. They were soon hidden by the new cloak, but they were curious nonetheless. “You are an Alicorn like Princess Celestia?” Vorak asked “doesn’t that infer a royal standing?” “Oh!” Haydon looked worried “I apologise for any offence your h-” “-I am not one of such importance,” Sombra reassured them with a faint smile “do not worry yourselves. The wings appeared as a by-product of my crystal form. That they have appeared in THIS form is accidental. I regretfully admit I have not fully mastered it yet.” Celestia wondered how he'd cope if this turned out not to be the case? If the wings were a part of the prophecy? The King and Queen talked about their kingdom, about their encounter with Twilight Sparkle and the others. How they'd been given the loveliest tour of the city. Sombra was curious about the place Scorpan had come from, it sounded intriguing. After a nice, long talk, the two once more thanked Sombra for accepting their apollogy, then they left. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- “That was a generous thing to do.” Celestia said to Sombra. “What do you mean?” he asked. “Even after all you suffered, you were still able to forgive them.” “They were not to blame for what happened. Scorpan had to accept the consequences for what he did. We all must..” he trailed off, the weight of his own crimes pressing into his chest once more. Under his new cloak, the wings shivered. “Sombra-” Celestia began, but he shook his head. “It's nothing,” he said at last “my concern right now is dealing with my wings. I dont understand why they reappeared?” “I will look into it tonight, I promsie.” Celestia assured him “for today, do not punish yourself, you have no cause to. Come, let us find Twilgiht Sparkle and the girls. Pinkie Pie has been planning something special for you for some time now!” Sombra wondered what she meant, but followed her nonetheless. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- “That cloak suits you,” Celestia remarked as they walked “reminds me of the crystal we seen in your dream world.” “It feels so warm...” Sombra looked happy “it was kind of them to give me such a gift. I will look after it with the utmost care..” ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- They stepped outside into the garden as he spoke, and Celestia smiled at the crowd on the grassy expanse. There was a massive table laden with all sorts of goodies not far behind them. The six young mares, Spike, and Discord all cheered when they seen Sombra! “Surprise!” Pinkie Pie blasted the party canon, sparkly confetti filling the air “Welcome back wakey wakey party!” “Finally decided to stop napping, huh?” Discord appeared beside Sombra, mussing his mane before wrapping his tail around the pony and scooping him off the ground “I was starting to think a bucket of ice water was needed!” As he spoke he was charging across the lawn to the table where all the cake awaited. He sat Sombra down at the head of the table, and Celestia joined them a second later. “Awright!” Rainbow Dash cheered “lets celebrate!” Sombra was floored by this. All this joy, this happiness….was for HIM? “Of course it is, silly Sombra!” Discord poked him upside the head and gave the stunned pony a grin “cake?”. He held up a plate, with a slice of tasty looking chocolate cake on it. Sombra nodded. “Everypony ready?” Pinkie Pie held up her glass. Sombra recognised this, was it going to- Sure enough, once they all held up their glasses, the mini clouds appeared, and chocolate milk poured steadily into their glasses. He found himself able to relax more as time passed, and the issue of his wings slipped his mind for the time being. Rarity declared how wonderful the cloak looked on him, stating it was “just darling”! ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- All too soon Sombra grew sleepy, and Celestia suggested he rest. His strength would return soon. As he bid the girls farewell for now, and thank you, Sombra wondered why he hadn’t seen the other two royals from the empire. “They had to return to the empire to sort things out, they'll be back the day after tomorrow.” Celestia told him. Sombras nerves arose once more, but he nodded regardless. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Later that evening Spike dropped by with the comics. He sat beside Sombra atop the bed, as engrossed in them as the pony was. When the little dragon began to yawn, Sombra chuckled and suggested he go rest. “See ya!” The baby dragon trotted off with a wave. Sombra felt a bit less worried. If only this happiness could last for longer. But once the empires rulers returned, he knew he'd have more to face… He curled up and soon fell asleep, a blissfully dreamless sleep at least. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The next morning he was surprised to receive an early visit from Celestia. He felt his head ache as she more or less told him there was little chance he could rid himself of the wings. All signs pointed to them being a sign of his ascension to the prophecised role of the ruler of the Umbrum. She and Discord had spent ages studying everything Twilight had brought back with her. “I'm sorry Sombra, right now it seems permanent. I dont know enough about Umbrum to risk anything.” she said at last. He nodded, unable to speak. Disappointment was clawing away at his chest. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- As he strayed absently around the palace, he was constantly aware of the weight of the crystal wings. They felt as if they were burning him, so ever-present was their weight. Maybe Celestia couldnt use HER magic....but what about HIS? He was an Umbrum afterall.... “Hayy!” he jumped as he seen Pinkie and the others gathered by the main door. He hadn’t realised he'd wandered so far. “You wanna come with us? Were going for a shopping trip then lunch!” “The restaurants here are simply wonderful!” Rarity added. Sombra smiled sadly and regrettably shook his head. “Aww...” Pinkie Pie moped “you sure?” Sombra nodded again “I appreciate it Miss Pie, but I don’t think I can leave this place just yet….” “We understand,” Twilight Sparkle spoke up, smiling gently “don’t rush it.” He bid them goodbye as they trotted out. Once more silence reigned in the hall. He sighed, heart sinking. “I can't get too attached,” he lied to himself “who knows how long it’ll be before my past catches up to me?” ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- He turned back and headed back into the depths of the palace. “Not joining the fun and games?” he looked up as Discord appeared floating along beside him. “I...no.” Sombra admitted at last “I’m not sure I can go outside the palace yet.” “You know, they all KNOW about you.” Discord told him. Sombra stopped so abruptly Discord was several meters away by the time he realised. Sombra looked white as a sheet. “W-what?” he stammered. “Celestia and all of us told them,” Discord said “they got the whole story. That you were woken against your will, and how you saved our asses. And their asses. If Canterlot ever forms an ass appreciation society, it’ll be in your name.” “I see….” Sombra squeaked. This looked like it was a tad too much for him to handle. “You'll adjust.” Discord told him, tweaking his ear. The familiar contact seemed to comfort Sombra somewhat, but he still looked dazed. “Where are you headed now?” Discord asked. “I wished to find a library, I need to do some research.” Sombra told him. “Easy peasy!” Discord snapped his fingers and transported them both to Canterlot's royal library. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- As Sombra roamed the shelves, he asked Discord why he hadn’t joined the girls? Discord shrugged, staring at his nails. “Well, Flutters is a dear, but the other girls tend to constantly keep an eye on me. The whole day would be tense if I followed them around. Fluttershy has other friends besides me, afterall..” “I see..” Sombra absorbed all this and nodded. But he was glad to have the company... “That and I figured you'd be skulking about on your own if I let you!” Discord snickered. Sombra flushed at being caught out yet again but admitted to himself Discord had a point. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- After gathering a huge stack of books he settled down to do some reading. Discord found something on the humour shelf that made him chuckle and floated in mid air reading it. He was sufficiently distracted not to see some of the book titles Sombra had picked up. Advanced transmorphing. Transformations spells in history. Books like that… He did spot one however, labelled “high-level spells: a history” “What do you need THAT for?” he asked. Sombra sighed “I had hoped to find out how my magic works, in relation to normal magic. See how I transformed into that crystal me. It seems to make no sense...” “That WAS pretty epic,” Discord admitted “you looked pretty impressive. I'd hate to be on the wrong side of you- oops.” Seeing Sombra wince, the other interpreting it with regards to his past. “Sorry. That was tactless.” The Draconequus said sheepishly. “It's nothing.” Sombra shook his head, and forced a smile whilest picking up a quill and sheet of paper. Discord wondered why he kept fidgeting his wings, why didn't he just let them stretch? Recalling Celestia's concern over how Sombra had been worrying about the things, he decided to play a tiny prank on Sombra. On pretence of drifitng away to search for a replacement book, he cloaked himself and snuck up super quietly behind Sombra. Making his hand cold, he stealthily raised Sombra's cloak and, chuckling to himself, placed the cold hand against the spot where the wings melded to his back. Sombra yelped, knocking some of the books flying as he got a shock. With a loud POMF, the wings snapped out to full size. Discord burst out laughing. “That is not funny!” Sombra bellowed. Discord couldn't stop himself laughing regardless. Alerted by the noise, two guards poked thier heads round the library door. They seen Sombra glaring at Discord, big crystal wings twitching. Discord was clutching his sides, giggling away. "Your face, its priceless!" The chaos lord laughed. Sombra glared. “Wings? Since when did HE have those?” one guard asked as they watched the scene. “I think it was to do with that fight, I dunno..” the other shrugged. “You boys can skedaddle,” Discord spotted them and shooed them out the door “it was just a little prank! I didn't think it'd startle him that much!” The guards knew Discord's penchant for causing chaos and reluctantly accepted this excuse, casting glances back at Sombra even so. The pony was trying to cram the wings back down under his cloak, his face flushed. “Surely having wings doesn't make him royalty?” One muttered. “Hardly likely! King of monsters maybe...” the other snorted derisively. Discord glared at their backs as they left, the urge to play a punishment prank forming- “Don’t...” Sombra's voice reached his ears, and he looked back over at him. Sombra was making an effort to shrug it off and smile, but it was obvious it’d hurt him. “You saved everypony's rears, and they have the nerve-” Discord grumbled. Sombra stared down at his books. “They do not believe a monster should possess such a thing of importance, it unsettles them.” Sombra said calmly. “Ignoramuses, what do they know about you?” the Draconequus huffed. Sombra smiled, but it was a sad sight. “They know what history has proven. Thank you for that, but I can understand their concern. Nothing about me has made sense so far. They're afraid, it's natural.” He looked downcast again, so to snap him out of it, Discord scratched behind his ear like he'd done when Sombra had suffered those nightmarish panic attacks back at the start. To his relief, it made Sombra twitch and even chuckle. “Pony ears, fun things!” Discord snickered, tweaking Sombra's. “Cut it out!” Sombra laughed softly, some of the darkness fading from his eyes. When Discord tried to tickle Sombra's wings again, ducking in and out of portals in the air so Sombra couldn’t catch him, the pony got wise to his tricks and aimed a tiny electric shock at the next portal when it opened. Like before, when he'd done it out in the gardens to get revenge for Discord stopping his escape, the shock was only enough to tickle. “Hay!” Discord glowered at his defeat, and Sombra couldn’t help a laugh of his own. After this Discord declared a truce, his sides were aching! Hearing more of the patrolling guards voices outside, Discord had an idea. “Be right back!” he cackled gleefully, vanishing. Sombra wondered what he was up to, but used this opportunity to copy the spell he was sure would solve his problems… He heard two startled shrieks outside and wondered what Discord was doing? Hearing the Draconequus' laughter getting closer, he hurriedly stuffed the copied spell into the collar of his cloak. “Oh, that was priceless...” Discord giggled. Seeing Sombra's perplexed expression he had an idea. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- He used an advanced invisibility spell to hide the both of them while he showed Sombra a prank or two. Sombra found he had to laugh a LITTLE, their reactions were somewhat amusing. In fact, it was pretty hilarious. “So THAT'S how you sound when you truly laugh!” Discord noted. Realising he'd gotten caught up in it all, Sombra coughed and stared at the carpet. He wasn't used to dropping his guard like this. It felt oddly enjoyable… “You'll get used to it.” Discord seemed so sure Sombra was going to be OK, the pony noted. He wished he had that kind of faith. But his future hung in the balance, both his and what remained of his race. He dreaded the return of the crystal empires rulers, the Prince and Princess. Vorak and Haydon's observation about wings marking royal status in ponydom came to mind and made him panic silently. That and the guards reaction not an hour ago. He was no such thing, they seen him as an imposter, a monster wearing a disguise! At that exact moment, the troubling thought took root in his mind that he couldn’t meet Cadance and Shining Armor until he'd found a way to hide them! That left only tomorrow morning... Discord seen Sombra's guilt-ridden expression and frowned. What was eating him? He asked Sombra, but the stallion said he just felt odd at being awake again, everything still felt strange. He'd be fine… ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The next day Sombra awoke early, and set about looking for a room big enough to perform the spell in. At last, with Discord's assistance, he found a room usually reserved for meetings. It was big enough for him to perform the spell in question. Before he began, he asked Discord if he could prank the guards to distract them, he wanted to try using his magic to make something, but was concerned the guards would flip out. Afterall, they'd gotten uneasy just at the sight of the wings, imagine what the magic would do? Dark magic had a tendency to be showy, and not in a pretty way. He told him he was trying to make a model of the red Umbrum stone from his past memory. He felt it would be useful to be able to show it to Cadance and Shining Armor. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- When Discord disappeared to lead the guards astray, Sombra felt a pang of guilt at lying to the friend he felt Discord had become. But this had to be done for Sombra's own safety, he didn’t know how long the wings would stay a secret, he had to reset his form to how it was before the transformation! He did duly create the crystal sculpture, but his magic was back to full flow now, and it didn’t take much. Next was the REAL task. He set the spell page in front of him, studied it until it was burnt into his retinas, then shut his eyes. The spell circle began to glow on the floor. The interlocking rings of the spell slotted into place, and tendrils of power began to wrap around his body. He'd set his cloak aside for this, not wanting to damage it. He bit his lip to refrain from crying out as he felt sharp stabbing pains in his back, spreading over the wings. The strength of the spell lifted him off the ground, holding him in its grip. One last flash of pain and he fell to the carpet, dazed and winded. Staggering to his feet, he looked at his back. They were GONE. He choked back a cry of relief. He'd done it...at last-! But barely had he taken a step outside the centre of the spell lines then he felt a jagged pain slam into his back. “No…!” he tried to peer round, see what was happening. But found he couldn’t move, the pain was that bad now. Sparks flashed over his body- The wings tore through his back once more, small at first but growing back to their full size once more in seconds. All Sombra could do was cry out in panic and agony, then everything went black. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Cadance and Shining Armor stepped into the main hall of the palace to see the guards running pell mell around the place, being chased by possessed vases and chairs. “Discord!” Cadance sighed. Discord appeared with a grin “you rang?” he sniggered. Seeing Cadance's miffed expression he sighed and snapped his fingers, making everything go back to normal, and the objects back to their homes. “Thank you.” Cadance said with a sigh. “Sorry we're a little late,” Shining Armor stretched, his back clicking into place “that’s better!” “So much traffic coming into Canterlot,” Cadance remarked “any news, is Sombra awake yet?” “Sombra? Why yes, just a couple of days ago. Not sure he's fully recovered, he seems more spaced out then normal. Cant keep his baalnce too well,” Discord sighed “ and never mind how funny he's being about those wings of his!” “Wings?” Shining Armor asked. “Yes yes, when 'Tia and I retrieved his consciousness and woke him up from the crystal stasis, we discovered something was different. The wings stuck around for one reason or another! Sombra keeps them under wraps, seems he’s somewhat disturbed by them.” “Can we see him?” Cadance asked. “He’s just upstairs actually-” Discord was cut off as all of them heard a sharp cry, full of fear and pain, echo from somewhere above them. “Sombra-?!” Discord recognised the ponies voice, and recalled his fear of being spotted by the guards. Had something happened? He tore off, Cadance, Shining Armor and three guards in tow. He reached the room he'd left Sombra in, kicked the door open, and they all stared at the sight in front of them. Sombra lay collapsed in the middle of the room. His wings were sprawled at a strange angle, and they were smeared with blood. More of it was splattered across the carpet in a wide arc. “Sweet Celestia!” one guard looked about to be sick. “Fetch the doctor!” another yelled. “Oh goodness...” Cadance ran over, shaking her head at the bloodied wings. “what happened here?” “Looks like somepony else didn't take kindly to the wings either,” Shining Armor was concerned by the sudden attack “we need to find out who did this...” Discord shook his head, hoping Sombra was alright. This looked BAD. The skin around where the wings joined was all torn up… The doctor arrived and had the same reaction as the guards. He mopped up the worst of the bleeding, but said he needed to move Sombra to medical. Discord picked him up once more, being extremely careful not to jostle him. Even as gentle as the motion was, Cadance seen Sombra flinch in his unconscious state. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Discord didnt leave the whole time the doctor was repairing Sombra's injuries. Once the work was done, the doctor asked Discord to move Sombra to his room so he could sleep. There he set up a drip and told the Draonequus to call for him if there was any progress. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- It was about an hour later that Sombra woke. Disocrd was starting to doze off. He looked over at Sombra as the pony's eyes focused on him. “W-whats, ah-!” Sombra hissed in pain as he tried to sit up. In the end Discord had to help him, he was very shaky. “What happened?” Discord asked bluntly “we found you splattered in blood. Someone tried to cut your wings, who-” "W-what?” Sombra realised Discord had the wrong end of the stick and began to panic. What was he supposed to say, nopony had-! His mind blanked in panic. “Was it one of those two that showed up at the library? That's it-!” blood boiling, Discord shot towards the door, and Sombra realised he had to stop him. He flung himself off the bed, his back complaining about the sudden movement. He succeeded in tackling Discord, dropping them both to the floor. “Oof!” Discord looked round at Sombra “what’s gotten into you? They’re the ones who should be afraid, not you-” “Nopony attacked me!” Sombra blurted out at last. “What?” Discord froze. Sombra sat up, shaking as the confession tore itself from his throat “I was trying to fix the mistake to my pony form. I thought I’d succeeded, but then it seemed to go wrong. I-i don’t understand why, this wasn’t supposed to happen, the spell was perfect! But nopony hurt me, it was my fault!” he forced this last bit out in a rush. He bowed his head, vision blurring as he felt the sickening sense of shame cripple his heart once more. “But they DID hurt you, didn’t they? It drove you to feel this way...” Discord said calmly. Sombra winced, staring at the carpet. “Why?” Discord asked softly. “Because..” Sombra shook his head “I knew the reaction would be bad. The ponies here believe the Alicorn's are the pinnacle of what’s good about their world. I’m the last one on Equestria that should have such a gift! Don’t you see?!” “Why didn’t you say something yesterday?” Discord tweaked Sombra's ears, at last getting the pony to raise his head, giving the upset pony an encouraging smile “silly Sombra.” “I thought I could fix it and it'd all be OK,” Sombra whispered. “I felt free for the time you gave me reason to laugh, but this was always in the back of my mind, has been since I woke up...” He laughed bitterly, sadness edging his voice “its ironic, isn’t it? A monster with something so beautiful...” “Wrong.” Discord poked his nose “you WERE a monster. You saved an entire city from Scorpan. Many of them seen you in your complete form. Celestia told them you’re the inheritor to an entire race. They put two and two together, I could see it. Assuming you’re the King of your race isn’t too far fetched.” “Please don't call me that!” Sombra gasped, the notion terrifying him “I’m no ruler to them!” Discord lifted the pony's chin so he was looking right at him “Yet.” was all he said. Sombra made a lost, choked noise. He didn’t understand. “You’re not a ruler to them YET,” the Draconequus repeated, letting him go “but they're YOUR people, ponies...you get me. When the time comes you'll know how to take care of them. Its the reason you were born. Its in your DNA, crystal...you get the point. I'll tell you a secret-” he scooted up close and whispered dramatically; “'Tia told me she and Luna were scared when they were little and they came to the throne! Celestia was the same, worrying herself silly over whether she was good enough to be a ruler! She'd get into such a tizzy! And look how well SHE turned out!” he offered Sombra a grin “give yourself time, you have a lot to catch up on!” Sombra felt a glimmer of hope. It must’ve shown in his eyes because Discord lifted him up with his tail and set him back on the bed. “You, SLEEP. I'll go tell the doctor, it’ll save him grilling you. In fact-” A poke on the nose and Sombra was back in the dream-land of coconuts. From there Discord didn’t go to the doctors, instead he sought out Cadance and Shining Armor… ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- “I’m not getting anything,” Shining Armor shook his head “none of them know anything about the patrols near that room-” “This is serious,” Celestia shook her head “I just hope Sombra's alright..” “If by OK you mean so on edge he’s going to fall, then he's fine.” they turned as Discord appeared. “What do you need, Discord?” Celestia asked. Discord stretched and sighed, then spoke; “I know what happened to Sombra. The truth.” All three were silenced by this. “Please, tell us...” Celestia gestured to a seat. Discord settled down and began to explain Sombra's story...