//------------------------------// // Chapter 2 // Story: Shy Can See // by Evehly //------------------------------// As per usual since showing up to the castle, Fluttershy hardly got much sleep. And of the few hours that she actually was asleep, she spent the majority plagued with nightmares. Normally this wouldn’t have been such a big deal, but today she had to be alert and on her guard for her visit with Sombra. However, she wasn’t so sure that she’d hold it out for the entire visit. Visions of all the potential horrors that could arise upon letting her guard down for even a moment chilled her to the very bone. She pulled herself out of bed with about as much grace as a drunkard. Eyes droopy, head down, and body hunched, she stumbled into the bathroom for a long shower. While she knew she couldn’t evade her visit with Sombra forever, she took as much time as she pleased in the bathroom to brush her teeth and detangle her mane. Her appetite wasn’t present that morning, but she welcomed any possible reason for her to stall for a few more minutes and headed to the cafeteria for breakfast. With a small bowl cereal balancing on her wing, Fluttershy took a seat at an empty table far from the staff ponies. Her chair was facing away from everypony else, momentarily freeing her from the slew of eyes that always seemed to stick to her wherever she went. Ever since first arriving at the castle to begin her task of reforming Sombra, almost everypony she passed by seemed to have something to say under their breath. Whether it was positive or negative, Fluttershy could never tell. But regardless of what everypony was saying, the fact that they were talking about her at all was enough to worry the pegasus. She was always so used to fading into the background and being ignored by everypony. Now it was like she was the constant center of attention. After her meal, she begrudgingly began her trip to the dungeons for yet another day with Sombra. Looking outside the windows as she made her way to her destination never failed to lift her mood at least a little bit. Clear blue sky, sunshine cascading down on the Canterlot gardens, and the distant singing of birds put a smile on her worn face. For just a moment, it took her mind off of the task at hoof and calmed her down. But as she neared her destination, the windows became more scarce, and the smile gradually faded from her lips. Darker and darker her surroundings grew as she descended the spiraling steps into the lowest levels of the dungeon. There were no windows to the outside world—just murkiness and eerie silence. The guards stationed outside Sombra’s cell acknowledged the little yellow pegasus with a nod and undid the series of locks from the door. They ushered her inside as though they had no worries about her safety and locked her in without a single word exchanged. No turning back now. Sombra remained motionless on the other side of the lifeless stone room. He was still held in thick metal shackles, still grimy and unkempt, and still laying in the exact same position that she last saw him in. Every breath out of his mouth sounded heavy and exhausted. Seeing his eyes shut made her rethink what she was going to do. She considered leaving and coming back when he was awake, but that only meant unproductive hours that she’d have to make up later. With how much she missed her animal friends already, she wanted to be done with this just-beginning nightmare as quickly as possible. Slowly Fluttershy crept towards him with as much caution in her step as a cat's. The inhibitor ring on his horn—the only thing really keeping him from making an escape—reflected her terrified face as she made her way towards him. Did he really need his magic to escape? The princess had sworn up and down that Sombra was in too poor a condition to hurt anypony, but she still had her doubts. His muscular body made him appear as though he could rip the chains right out of the stone wall without an issue. Not only that, but he still had the sharp tip of his horn and his fangs at his disposal if she ever got too close. “Um, S-Sombra?” No response. She shuffled a little closer, but she didn't dare touch him. Even the slightest touch could result in a trip to the infirmary, or even worse: the grave. “Are you okay? You're not hurt, are you?” Oh what was she saying, of course he was okay. Maybe this was just some trick to get her within reach. Then he could easily snag her, bite her, kill her…! She scrambled back and cowered against the door. Just stay as far away from him as possible. He can't get you from here, she thought. Her scramble for safety was loud enough to wake the sleeping beast. His head lifted and swiveled towards her so quick that she nearly choked on her own saliva. He regarded her presence with nothing more than an icy, dead stare. Say something, Fluttershy. You can't let him know you're scared. “O-Oh, hello, Sombra. Are you feeling well?” He simply bored through her very soul with his blood-red, soulless eyes. His stare alone was enough to take the color right out of Fluttershy's dandelion coat. “Di-Did you sleep okay?” she asked. “I personally slept pretty good last night. Almost didn't even get out of bed this morning. Heh… H-Heh…” “You look tired,” the stallion pointed out. “Really? W-Well that's—” Her sentence died far in the back of her throat at the wicked smirk on Sombra's face. His fangs gleamed in the dim dungeon light, sending Fluttershy's blood cold. “Keep your guard up, pegasus…” Fluttershy swallowed the lump clinging to her throat. “O-Oh trust me, it-it’s up. So, um… did you get enough sleep last—?” His grin suddenly vanished. “I did not,” Sombra grumbled. Just like that, the wickedness in his demeanor was gone. What remained was his usual fatigued self. Fluttershy scooted back a little ways. “Oh, I-I’m sorry.” Hearing his voice sound so strained made her feel kind of bad for starting up a conversation. The metal collar locked around his neck didn’t look at all comfortable. She started digging in her mind for something else to say. Driving conversations wasn’t at all her specialty. She was far more of a listener, if anything. But if she was going to try to help this dethroned king, she was obviously going to have to put a lot more effort in. With a quick breath to try and keep her shaky voice under control, she began. "So, um, Sombra... That's an interesting name." Seeing him raise an eyebrow at her made her think she had said something wrong. "But th-that's not to say that it's not a nice name!" she added hastily. "I like it. How'd you get it?" "It is what my mother named me. Need I tell you more?" The irritation in his tone was more than enough for her to steer the conversation somewhere else. "N-No, that’s okay. So, um, if y-you don't mind me asking, were you born in the Crystal Empire, or..?” He scrunched his muzzle up at her. “Why do you care?” he snorted. “Be-Because... I just do.” In her mind, she smacked herself for letting such a silly answer come out of her mouth. Luckily it wasn't commented on. She tried another question. “So, uh, what was your family like?” He replied with utter silence. Right, then. He didn’t want to talk about his family. Time to think of something else. She quietly observed his appearance for a moment as she tried to think of something to ask. It was hard to see past all the dirt and grime clinging to his coat, but from what she could tell, he looked like he was somewhere in his thirties—in a physical sense at least. She found her next question. "A-Alright, uh... So how old are you exactly? A thousand and... thirty-five? A thousand and thirty-six?" With how reluctant to speak Sombra had become, it was beginning to feel a lot like she was just talking to herself rather than somepony else. His eyes seemed a lot more interested in the lamp dangling off the ceiling or the webs of cracks in the walls. Let's see, what could Sombra be interested in talking about? From his unresponsiveness so far, probably not anything having to do with him. He definitely didn't look like the type of pony that'd like what she liked, either. Sombra liking animals… how silly. "I'm, u-um, a good listener—or at least that's what ponies tell me. Is there anything you want to talk about?" she asked. "No." "Are you sure? Maybe there's something you wanna get off your chest. Or maybe you have a question." Silence. She didn't want to leave just yet with such little progress. He had to have something he wanted to say or ask. "Are you super positive you don't have anything that's bothering you? You can tell me; I won't tell anypony." "The only thing that is bothersome to me is how you are stalling my execution." Does he really still believe that I'm here to kill him? It was pretty ludicrous how anypony would think of her as being capable of doing any harm, especially if it was the most dangerous pony for miles that's having such an assumption. "But I already said that I’m not going to hurt you. Nopony is going to hurt you, Sombra. I mean that." Sombra scowled. "Pathetic child..." "I’m telling the truth! Listen, I know you must be pretty upset with the princesses for banishing you so long ago, but I’m positive they did it with good intentions. I’m not saying that you should get over what they did, but just understand that if they really wanted to hurt you, they would've done a lot worse than banish you." He went back to being unresponsive, the disgusted look on his face saying it all as to what he thought about her little speech. Somehow, she was going to have to convince him, but what other way could she do that other than letting him figure it out on his own as time passed? She really didn't have much time to spare when she had friends and animals that were waiting for her. She was pulled away from her mental scramble by the sound of sickly growling. She looked down at Sombra, a little confused by the sudden noise. “E-Excuse me?” He turned towards the wall, and there was another growl. It couldn't have been him that was making that sound, could it? It didn’t sound like anything a pony would make, but then again, it was Sombra… Then it finally registered with her: His stomach. “Oh! Are you hungry?” He didn't respond, but she took his silence as a yes. “Hold on, I'll be right back.” Fluttershy hurried out of the dungeons and made her way to the other end of the castle where the main kitchens were. She wasn’t quite sure whether she even had the permission to bring food into the dungeons, but it was worth a shot. How foolish of her to not even think that Sombra was probably starving during all that time! Chefs, maids, and other staff members were packing the kitchens as well as the dining hall. The fresh smell of breakfast and the sight of ponies digging into food-filled plates was tempting to say the least, but she was on a mission. She tried to weave around occupied tables as inconspicuously as possible. Soon enough, she found what she was looking for. A small basket of fruit sitting pretty on a counter caught her eye. Everything from apples over pears to grapes were filled up in the basket and just begging to be swiped. She quickly snagged the basket while all eyes were anywhere else besides on her, and she hurried back to Sombra. Thankfully the guards didn’t pay her any mind as she passed. She carefully set the basket down in front of him and tapped his shoulder. “Um, I’m back.” He looked back at her, then his eyes fell on the basket of fruit. To her confusion, his head fell back against the cold stone floor without even a hint of interest. Isn't he hungry? “What's wrong?” she asked. Of course she wasn't going to get an answer. What was his problem? He'd been down in the dungeons without anything to eat or drink for so long! How in the wide world of Equestria was he even still alive?! “Come on, I know you're hungry,” Fluttershy said. She nudged the basket a little closer to him. “I promise you'll feel a lot better after eating. Just a little bite? Pretty please?” “Leave,” he murmured. “But you need to eat something.” Silence was his only response. “Um... Pretty pretty please?” In but a second was Sombra facing her with a mean, cold glare. She backed away. “I will be having none of whatever it is that you are trying to achieve.” "What do you think I'm trying to do?" "Make me beg, make me grovel, whatever gives Celestia the empowerment she is after." She had no idea how he got that out of being offered something to eat. "Um, no, I'm just trying to keep you from starving." Looking back on it now, she probably should've just hurried out and came back some other time, but she didn't. she was convinced that she wasn't going to get very far if she let him order her around like that. She spoke in the kindest, nicest voice that she could to try and calm him down. “Me and the princess are only trying to help you. Like I said, nopony here wants to hurt you. Now please, if you could—” “You think that because I am in shackles you may now have the authority to deviate against my command?” He somehow managed to stand up and stagger as far as he was capable, chains rustling loudly with his movement. “If you are not here to do away with me, then..." his legs started shaking and shivering wildly, looking as though they were about to give out right from under him. "...tell your oh so benevolent ruler to bring somepony who... will, you.. you..!” He collapsed back to the ground with a hard, shuddering thud. Blood dribbled out from his mouth and stained the stone below him as he snarled in pain. The sight triggered Fluttershy to his side almost immediately. “Oh my goodness! Are you okay? D-don't move, just hold sti—please stop moving!” More and more blood was coughed up onto the ground as his body twitched against the cold stone floor. He smacked her hoof away before she could even begin to help. His bloody fangs and malicious stare told her he wasn't about to let her or anypony else touch him anytime soon. She needed to get somepony. A doctor, a guard—no, four guards... She flew out of the dungeons in record time. He needed help immediately, whether he wanted it or not. *** It was uncertain at exactly what point Sombra had drifted into unconsciousness. Memories of what had happened shortly before he lost consciousness slowly crawled back to him. What he could remember was his cell being bombarded by guards, some other unclassified pony with a needle, and then darkness. It had all happened in such a short time period. He opened his eyes to be met with a glaring bright light directly above him. Past the light was an alabaster-white ceiling, not at all like the dull gray stone he had gotten familiar with over the course of his imprisonment. Unlike the dungeons, the air was far more breathable. He no longer felt the strain that the metal collar brought with every breath. There was a voice to the left of him. There was movement in his peripheral, triggering him to lift his head to see who else was in his presence. Or at least he tried to. His weakened muscles fought against thick straps holding him down by the neck, chest, and legs. He snorted in frustration at the undesired restriction. Where in tartarus was he? A lilac mare dressed in white leaned into his vision: the same mare he had briefly seen with the guards. An annoyingly hearty smile graced her lips. “You woke a little sooner than we expected. Turns out our usual dose of tranquilizer didn’t last as long on you,” she said matter-of-factly. “Anyhow, you may still experience a little light-headedness and dizziness, but it's all normal.” Sombra snorted and struggled under the straps. “I wouldn't waste energy if I were you,” she chided. “You are in the dungeon infirmary, by the way. I’m sure you’ll enjoy your stay in my little domain a lot more than that dank cell of yours.” She then looked past Sombra to address somepony else out of his vision. “You can come in now.” Sombra struggled harder the further it sank into him that he was restrained; strapped down in an entirely new room with an entirely unknown mare. He gritted his fangs, grunted and growled as his muscles continued to fight against the only thing keeping him on whatever cold metallic surface he was lying on. A familiar yellow face caught his attention: the pegasus that had been relentlessly trying to converse with him for the past however-many weeks. His struggles fell to stillness upon seeing her. Though he would never openly admit such a thing, he was rather glad to see somepony familiar amidst his foreign surroundings—no matter how bothersome she proved herself to be. “Feeling any better?” the pegasus asked. “Worse.” The mare in white leaned over the table, inspecting him as though he was some sort of unique specimen. She traced along his aching body for emphasis as she made her statement. “His movements were a little too rapid back there, causing some moderate internal bleeding, damage to some of his internal organs, and some fairly nasty tearing of muscle tissue. He may look pretty far along his regeneration process on the outside, but much of what’s inside is still very fragile.” She leaned back out of his vision. “We’ll have to keep him in the infirmary until the damage is healed. You’re perfectly welcome to continue visiting him while he’s here.” “Thank you, Dr. Warmheart. Could I, um, maybe have a minute alone with him?” “Certainly.” A door had shut, and he as well as the pegasus were alone in the infirmary. He stared long and hard at the soft yellow face above him, still woozy from the tranquilizer. Silently he observed how her eyes darted nervously about the room, how her lips fidgeted on top of one another, and how her wings continuously shivered and readjusted against her body. She was an odd filly. Odd and yet so strangely familiar, especially now that she was under brighter lights. If he was any more out of it than he already was, he probably would have been convinced that he was over a thousand years younger and still within the boundaries of the Crystal Empire. The tranquilizer was playing cruel games on his mind. “You should not have bothered,” he finally grumbled. “But you were hurt. It's what the princess would have wanted me to do.” Sombra growled in frustration and turned as far away from her as the straps would allow. She and Celestia had to have had something specific planned for his inevitable trip to tartarus. Yes, that had to be it. Why else would Celestia’s minion bother to help him? "I'm sorry I made you angry," she murmured. Sombra snorted bitterly at her apology. “Are you okay?” she asked in that gentle, innocent tone of hers. “Sorry if me asking is annoying you, but you still seem… mad at me.” “Thinking.” “O-Oh…” she scuffed the floor with a forehoof. “Are you gonna be alright staying in here?” “Better than the dungeons,” he mumbled. He couldn’t see why she even bothered to ask all these concerned questions when she didn’t really care. Attempting to fill the void of silence was all she was doing. She was afraid of silence. “Well, okay. I guess I’ll… come and visit you tomorrow?” As if he ever had a choice. *** Sombra looked miserable lying there in the infirmary—even more miserable than when he had been in the dungeons. Fluttershy kept visiting him every day. At first she continued asking him questions, hoping that someday he'd answer at least one of them, but eventually she turned to casual conversation about the Crystal Empire. He showed a little bit of interest in the subject. Every once in awhile he'd say something back and maybe even ask a question, but he was otherwise quiet. It was probably a lot easier on him if he just didn't say anything, but she had that nagging suspicion that he was also still mad at her. She knew she should have just left him alone after the first time he had told her leave... It was during maybe the sixth visit in the infirmary after Sombra’s mishap in his cell that Fluttershy got news about the princess wanting to see her for a report on Sombra's progress. She was happy to have an excuse to leave the infirmary earlier than usual, but she was also nervous about what she was going to have to say. There really wasn't much to report, and of what had happened so far, hardly any of it was positive. She said goodbye to Sombra—he didn't return the farewell, as usual—and left for the princess's office. On her way there, she was mentally planning out what she was going to say. Oh yes, your majesty, Sombra is doing just fine. There were a couple of little hiccups—no, that’s not good enough. Well, princess, everything started out a bit rocky at first, but I think the road has smoothed out quite a bit… There it was: Princess Celestia’s office. The enormous double doors made the rest of the castle look so tiny in comparison, and it sure did its job in making Fluttershy’s wings flutter in a show of nervousness. She took a deep breath, straightened her thoughts out, and entered. The first thing that caught the pegasus’s eye was the large amount of clutter surrounding the disheveled sun goddess. Numerous ink quills littered Celestia’s desk and stained whatever parchment they touched, and stacks of letters surrounded her on either side. Perhaps this wasn’t such a good time to be giving a report to the princess. Nevertheless, Fluttershy pulled up a seat in front of Celestia’s desk and smiled as she waited for her to finish up her last bit of writing. Her face was scrunched in intensive focus as her quill seemed to go a mile a minute across the parchment. If she had never taken a quick glance up at Fluttershy, she would have never realized the pegasus was even there. Princess Celestia’s  previously concentrated expression peeled back into a warm smile as her writing came to an abrupt stop. ”A pleasure to see you, Fluttershy. Surely you already know why you're here today.” A report on Sombra's progress. She'd call her to her office at the end of every week for one. Usually she'd have at least one positive thing to say, but this time wasn't one of those times. ”Uhh, hmm... let's see...” Fluttershy tapped her chin in thought, thinking over everything that had happened. The possibility of Sombra receiving a punishment made her hesitant on what she was going to say. Getting him in trouble was what she least wanted; it would only make him hate her even more. Besides, she wasn't mad at him for what he had done. A bit shaken up, yes, but not mad.  ”Well?” Princess Celestia pressed. ”Well, he... had to be sent to the infirmary.” ”How come?” ”He was moving around too much and hurt himself.” She wasn't going to say anymore on the matter. ”But I guess one good thing is that he's recovering from it. He still won't say much, though. It's probably because of all the pain he's in, but I think he's mad at me, too.” ”And what makes you think he's mad at you?” Fluttershy could see Princess Celestia's authoritative gaze on her from behind the warm rays of sunlight spilling in through the windows. The words briefly refused to leave her throat. ”I… I don't want to disappoint you, your majesty, but it feels like I'm just running in place. I'm not getting anywhere with Sombra.” ”Give him a week to himself.” Fluttershy blinked in surprise. ”What?” The princess began sorting out a fraction of the chaos on her desk, moving what was assumed were finished papers into one pile and anything unfinished in another. ”Don't visit him for a week. I'm sure that by the time he sees you again, he'll start talking.” A panicked gasp spilled forth from Fluttershy’s slacked mouth. “Princess, you’re not saying you’re going to puni—!” “Oh no no no,” the princess reassured with a smile. “Not to worry, Fluttershy. That’s not how I go about things. We’ll just leave him be for a little while; give him some time to sort his thoughts out.” ”But a week? Are you sure?” Fluttershy asked rather skeptically. ”I don't mean to question your judgement or anything, princess, but how is not talking to him for a week going to change anything?” ”Ponies get lonely, Fluttershy.” But not Sombra. She couldn't imagine him feeling loneliness. Heck, she couldn't imagine him feeling much of anything other than hatred. ”I... guess I understand, princess.” ”Good. Now here,” a scroll was dropped into her hooves. ”Twilight sent you another letter.” ”Thank you, Princess.” Fluttershy scurried out of her office, then let a smile grace her lips on her way back to her room. She kept her eyes on the scroll as she walked, already thinking about what it might say. There was never a time when she didn't look forward to getting a letter from Twilight. After all, it was the one and only thing keeping her sane in this castle. “Oof!” Fluttershy stumbled backwards after unknowingly bumping into a mass wrapped in fabric. An apology was ready to spill out of her mouth, but whoever she bumped into spoke up first. ”Oh! Are you alright?” Standing in front of Fluttershy was the same doctor that was in charge of looking after Sombra: Dr. Warmheart. She didn’t quite look the same as she did in the infirmary. She looked, well… tired. Exhausted, rather. ”I-I'm so sorry!” Fluttershy tucked the scroll under the fold of her wing. ”I just wasn't paying attention to where I was—” Dr. Warmheart interjected her “Oh it’s quite alright, dear! Matter of fact, I was looking for you. Convenient that we’d bump into each other like this, huh?” She rubbed her weary eyes with a hoof and chuckled. “Wow, these lights sure are bright, aren’t they? I really ought to get out of the dungeons more often.” “Is it about Sombra? Is he okay?” “Yes and yes. He’s perfectly fine, I just wanted to ask a few questions from the pony that knows him best.” “Oh, well I wouldn’t say I know very much about him...:” “Better than anypony else!” Dr. Warmheart laughed. “Would you mind taking a walk with me to the cafeteria? I promise I won’t pester you with too many questions.” Fluttershy smiled and shook her head. “No, not at all.” Having the opportunity to speak with somepony besides Sombra made Fluttershy’s heart nearly jump out of her chest in joy! She never once thought there would come a time where she’d actually love the chance of speaking to a stranger, but after having minimal contact with anypony besides Sombra, she happily welcomed the social interaction. Maybe now she wouldn’t go stir-crazy in the castle… *** Every corner of the cafeteria was packed with ponies of all professions. Guards, maids, nurses, and not to mention Dr. Warmheart herself as she zipped past her fellow colleagues to grab a bite to eat. Fluttershy watched as she piled her plate high with hay sandwiches and salads. The doctor was a pretty petite pony, which made the scene of her stocking her plate to the heavens a comical thing to watch. “Goodness, I can hardly remember the last time I emerged from my little dungeon cave to eat something!” Dr. Warmheart laughed. Now that she thought about it, Fluttershy couldn’t remember the last time she ate anything either. So much of her focus had been on Sombra that she’s hardly even been taking care of her own self! “So… is this cafeteria reserved for castle staff only, or..?” “Aren’t you part of the staff?” Dr. Warmheart asked. “I mean, you’re working for the princess just like the rest of us.” That was true, but she wasn’t getting any sort of pay for it like everypony else. But that’s not to say that she wanted a paycheck for her work. Working for the princess was an honor within itself! Even if that work involved putting her own life in danger to reform a wicked and emotionless overlord… “I… I don’t know.” Fluttershy finally said. “Well regardless of that, here.” The doctor held out a hay sandwich wrapped neatly in plastic foil. “I think I’ll survive with just one less sandwich. Now lets see…” she took a moment to look around the crowded cafeteria. Then she smiled and gestured Fluttershy to come along with her. They weaved around staff members until they reached the very corner of the room opposite of the entryway where they were greeted with a small empty table. They both took a seat, and that’s when the questions came rushing in. “So, that Sombra stallion… what’s he like? Has he said anything to you?” “He’s alright I guess. He’s definitely not like I expected him to be. I wouldn’t say he’s friendly, but he’s not exactly the cruel dictator that everypony makes him out to be. But maybe that’s just because he’s too weak to really do much right now.” “Wait, what do you mean by ‘cruel dictator’?” Dr. Warmheart asked, both front hooves planted on the table, now noticeably curious. Did she really not know who Sombra was? “Well, he use to be the king of the Crystal Empi—” “REALLY?!” the doctor shrieked. Everypony in the cafeteria snapped their attention at them with irritation in their judgemental eyes. She quickly apologized to nopony in particular and adjusted her volume. She leaned in and spoke in a whisper. “That’s really who I’ve been working with for all this time? Like… for real?” “Yes. How did you not know?” “I mean, I was informed but I thought everypony was just joking around with me! All this time I just thought he was just some average run-of-the-mill criminal with some sort of birth defect! That’s crazy! You’re not just joking with me too, are you?” Fluttershy stomached the urge to giggle at the doctor’s words. She could understand why she thought everypony was just joking with her. It was pretty ludicrous to think that there’s a fallen king in the castle. “I promise you I’m not. I know, it sounds a little unbelievable, but it’s true. Sombra used to be a king a thousand years ago. From what I was told, he was a cruel and unforgiving leader that kept slaves.” “Over a thousand years old, huh? Well he definitely looks younger for his age.” “I thought the same thing,” Fluttershy chuckled. She unwrapped her sandwich and bit off a large piece. The taste was rather bland, but what could anypony expect from cafeteria food? Dr. Warmheart’s smile devolved into a little smirk. “Kind of handsome, too, wouldn’t you say?” That same piece of sandwich nearly went flying out of Fluttershy’s mouth. Her cheeks began to burn a rosy red from the statement. Handsome? How in Equestria could anypony find Sombra to be anything other than terrifying? Fluttershy forced her sandwich down her throat and blurted, “N-No! Not at all!” Dr. Warmheart broke out into laughter, making the pegasus’s cheeks bleed a deeper shade of cherry. The doctor shrugged once she calmed her laughter down a bit. “Maybe it’s just me. I’ve been locked up in the dungeons for too long. A couple more trips down there and you’ll start feeling the same way, I’m sure.” By Celestia, I sincerely hope not.