Rainbow Dash's glare remained strong, practically boring a hole through the evil ex-emperor as he sat before her. He was despicable. He was a menace that should never be allowed to walk again. He was... able to make a really good pancake.
Shoveling another forkful of blueberry pancake into her mouth, Rainbow Dash was only able to resist the moan of pleasure from the delightfully sweet, yet not overpowering flavor of blueberries through the sheer hatred she had for the Unicorn in front of her. It didn't seem right to know that someone so horrible could make something so awesome. The fact that Scootaloo gleefully squealed with every bite of her own pancakes made it all the harder, while Sombra himself simply sat there, a slight smile pulling at his lips whenever he looked at Scootaloo, only for his face to go blank when he looked back at Rainbow Dash, his mouth disappearing behind a mug of coffee he was drinking from.
Scootaloo's legs kicked out beneath the table, swinging back and forth as she hummed a pleased little tune to herself as she enjoyed the pancakes, more so than Rainbow Dash because she wasn't worried about who made them. Rather, she relished the fact Sombra had made them for her, making them all the more delicious. They were filled with vanilla and blueberries and... love. The thought made her squeal, earning another look from Rainbow Dash.
"They're... not that good." Rainbow Dash muttered, trying to deflate Scootaloo's enjoyment of the food made by the tyrannical king, although her continued interest in the breakfast food was an omission of dishonesty in her statement, something that just made the filly giggle.
"You don't have to enjoy them. I merely made them because it would be rude for me not to otherwise." Sombra stated dully, the same bored look on his face as he stared at Rainbow Dash, earning a light growl from the blue Pegasus.
"I'd expect 'being rude' to be the last thing somepony like YOU to care about." Rainbow Dash snarled, only to earn a disapproving look from Scootaloo that made her shrink back a bit. Something about this whole thing was just... odd. She felt so bad for Scootaloo that she couldn't help but feel unable to act in such a way that would make her upset in some manner without regretting it, but this... this was insane!
Seemingly ignoring the harshness in her tone, Sombra replied "Contrary to popular belief, I'm quite the gentlecolt, if I do say so myself. It's merely a matter of whether you're a free pony or property to me. Suffice to say, the Crystal Ponies were the latter for me." Once more, Scootaloo gave a disapproving look to Sombra, who sighed and returned to his coffee, which made Rainbow Dash giggle this time. The flow of the conversation was so unusual, it would have been funny for an onlooker, but rather awkward for others. "Well, those days are behind me. As Scootaloo's father, my focus is on raising her, not ruling my kingdom. I'll allow those usurpers to hold onto it for the time being." Sombra added in.
"There are so many things wrong with that statement, but lets start with what I'm here for. You. Are. Not. Scootaloo's. Father." Rainbow Dash declared, emphasizing each word so that it wouldn't be mistaken for something else.
Scootaloo gave a hurt look, pushing her unfinished pancakes away from her before standing on her chair. "He is my dad though." she said, more to herself than Rainbow Dash. The insistence made Rainbow Dash question just what made Scootaloo think otherwise.
"No, he's not. I know what happened to your parents, they-"
"Died." Sombra said abruptly, making Scootaloo cringe and Rainbow Dash glare at him. He reached out, stroking Scootaloo's mane with his hoof, settling her a bit, but kept his eyes trained on Rainbow Dash. "That was what you were going to say, weren't you? Well there's no need for us to repeat that little tidbit, it's clearly hurting her feelings." he stated, nodding his head at the filly between the two, a smile slowly growing on the little Pegasus' face at the affectionate touch of the stallion.
"How... would you know? In fact, how are you even here!? I thought we took you down in the Crystal Empire." Rainbow Dash inquired, narrowing her eyes at the dark pony before her.
Giving a slight smile, his gaze drifted to Scootaloo, gently ruffling his hoof against her head to make her mane a mess, eliciting a squeal of joy from the girl. "Scootaloo brought me back." he declared, the tone of his voice still calm, but something about it seemed to indicate he was proud of her. Gaping once more, Rainbow Dash looked from Sombra to Scootaloo, the idea that the sweet little pony she called her sister was responsible for this.
Blushing a bit at the attention, Scootaloo wormed her head out of Sombra's reach, focusing on Rainbow Dash. "I-I think I did. I found his horn in the Crystal Empire during the Equestria Games. I didn't realize it was his... I... honestly didn't know it was his to be honest..." she admitted, looking at the ground.
Snorting, Sombra rolled his eyes, muttering "Shows how great the educational system is in Equestria if they don't teach about me in history."
Turning to Sombra, slightly angry at his statement, she shouted "Miss Cheerilee is a great teacher! We just... haven't gotten around to the Crystal Empire in history class. It wasn't really important for... a thousand years."
Pointing another accusatory hoof at Sombra, but looking at Scootaloo, Rainbow Dash shouted "But I told you about how we kicked his butt after I returned from the Crystal Empire!"
Lifting a brow, Sombra retorted "I don't recall you being the purple Unicorn mare, baby dragon, or usurper princess that defeated me." Quickly turning to Scootaloo, he said in a whisper just loud enough to show he wasn't actually trying to hide anything from Rainbow Dash "As you can see, I'm willing to admit my defeats. I may not like them, but I will acknowledge when I have been bested."
Flailing her forelegs about in the air, Rainbow Dash replied "That's besides the point! You were defeated! DEAD!"
"Just like my parents." Scootaloo mumbled, nearly breaking Rainbow Dash's heart.
Clicking his tongue, Sombra levitated Scootaloo into his lap, stroking her mane again as he shook his head at Rainbow Dash. "That's cold, even for me."
"Wha- huh- But I didn't- I mean- SHE SAID IT!" Rainbow Dash practically bellowed, but quickly recognized that it was a futile gesture.
Still shaking his head, Sombra looked back down to Scootaloo, nudging her with a hoof. "Continue with the story for Miss Dash?"
Nodding her head, Scootaloo looked back to Rainbow Dash and continued. "A-anyways, I brought the horn back home with me and... I don't really know. I spoke to it, told it my problems. It- No, he was the first one I told about my... parents... along with a bunch of other stuff. He was just... there for me when I needed somepony to talk to. Then, when I got my Cutie Mark, I talked to him all night until I fell asleep. I, um, pricked myself on his horn... and might have cried on it. Sorry, I know that's not cool." she apologized, feeling embarrassed for not seeming as awesome as she should as Rainbow Dash's adoptive little sister.
Before Rainbow Dash could assure her that it was fine, Sombra said "There's nothing wrong with crying. Only ponies with unhealthy minds don't cry when they're hurting."
Furrowing her brow, Rainbow Dash quickly shot "Like you've got any ground to say what is and isn't unhealthy."
Shrugging, Sombra's response was "I don't cry, and I'm not exactly the most... sane pony, so I think I know what I'm talking about."
Sensing the growing tension, Scootaloo quickly cut in. "A-anyways, I fell asleep after that and... I don't know. I'm not a Unicorn and I don't know much about magic, but maybe one of those things brought him back? Didn't you guys say that he was able to stay alive after being beaten by Princess Celestia and Luna in the past as smoke or something? Maybe he was just in his horn and... something made him come back?"
"A fine deduction, my little pony." Sombra said, patting Scootaloo on the head.
"You sound so creepy when you say that. Like a demented Princess Celestia or something." Rainbow Dash grunted, remembering all the times she'd heard the leader of Equestria say those very words.
Sombra gave a snort of disapproval. Whether he actually took offense to her words or the comparison to Princess Celestia of all ponies, but clearly it was something he didn't agree with. Yet Scootaloo found something about it humorous, leading her giggle for a bit before she squirmed out of Sombra's hold, leaping onto the table they were all seated at, shifting about so she could look at the two adult ponies freely.
"I know you guys have some differences, but both of you mean a lot to me. It'd be really great if my super awesome adoptive sister and my totally cool new dad got along. It'd make my life, like, twenty percent cooler!" Scootaloo exclaimed.
While Sombra lifted a curious brow at the unusual choice of words from the filly, Rainbow Dash had to bite down on one of her hooves. She didn't agree with things, particularly Scootaloo's views on what was good here, but she was using cool math. Numbers didn't lie, not when it came to coolness, not that she'd ever tell anypony that, especially eggheads like Twilight.
"Scootaloo, I... I came over here because I heard about your parents and wanted to offer you a place to stay. You don't have to be with Sombra here, you can-"
"But I WANT to stay with him! He's my new dad! I... haven't felt this good in my own home for years." Scootaloo admitted with a slight whimper, now getting a confused look from Rainbow Dash.
"Years, but... I was told it was just a few months ago." the blue Pegasus muttered, not fully grasping what it was that made Scootaloo say that.
Looking back at her, the orange filly replied "I... I haven't been with him for even a week, yet... it's felt like more time than I've had with my other parents. I mean, they loved me and all, and I loved them, but... they were always working, and when they weren't working, they were tired and sleepy. We didn't get to do a lot together... but since he's been here, I've felt so much more... noticed. I know you'd do the same, but he's just been... he's been my dad. He's been the parent I've needed."
Needless to say, Rainbow Dash was flabbergasted. She always considered Scootaloo a smart filly, if a bit energetic and prone to losing focus, but what she had just said was really profound. And yet it made sense. Nopony could say they knew what Scootaloo was going through unless they had gone through it themselves, and while it was hard to want to leave the filly alone in a position that needed guidance, Rainbow Dash was glad to say she didn't have to suffer in the same way.
But the issue was, as much as Scootaloo trusted him, this was still Sombra, KING Sombra, the pony who enslaved an entire empire, then cursed it for a thousand years when he lost a fight against the Princesses. Who came back to take back the kingdom he lost, as well as take down her and her friends. This was not a good pony, and he certainly wasn't good father material.
Once more, her eyes fell upon the grey coated stallion, glaring at him as she stood her ground on the matter. "You don't know him like I do. He's tried to rule over ponies twice now. He's hurt our friends before. He's been banished to the Frozen North by Princess Celestia and Princess Luna because he's evil."
While Sombra grimaced slightly, at which piece of information Rainbow Dash wasn't completely sure, but Scootaloo's little pout quickly showed her displeasure with the statement. "Well... what about Discord?"
"The Spirit of Chaos?" Sombra pondered aloud, looking at the filly with a raised brow.
Ignoring the Unicorn, Rainbow Dash replied "What about him?"
"Well, the Princesses banished him before as well, didn't they? But then he got reformed, right? Now he has tea parties with Fluttershy. So why can't he be reformed and look after me." Scootaloo inquired.
Once more, the orange filly had Rainbow Dash stumped. Every fiber of her being wanted to scream that Sombra was different. He was a mad tyrant who enslaved all of his subjects and tried to do worse, while Discord was just a goofball. A goofball that could warp the very fabric of reality so that the sky was indigo, birds could swim through dirt, and make two plus two equal fish, but a goofball who just didn't know better. Sombra knew what he had been doing and didn't care how it affected others. The only thing that drew her back from retorting was that Discord was initially against being reformed, only giving Fluttershy enough time to succeed by the threat of the Elements of Harmony. Sombra was already all for raising the Pegasus.
Seeing the conflict on Sombra's face, the stallion took another sip from his coffee, then set the mug down and turned to face his entire body at Rainbow Dash, the very action causing her to tense, something he took notice to. "I can tell you're not going to let this go, and I suppose I cannot blame you given my... track record. That being said, how about we come to a... compromise?" he offered.
A compromise? The Tyrant King of the Frozen North was offering a compromise? Something about that made him all the more fishy to Rainbow Dash. Had he been sneering, berating her, and declaring how only he had the true power to raise a filly right or something like that, maybe she'd believe this was straight forward, but for the Unicorn capable of fighting two Princesses armed with the Elements of Harmony on his own to offer a compromise instead of making demands, something sly seemed to be going on here, but she wasn't sure what it was.
Sensing Rainbow Dash wasn't going to say anything, Sombra continued. "I will remain acting as Scootaloo's father, as I have been for the past week. I'll do everything a responsible parent should, but since you, and likely your friends, distrust me with her care, you will keep an eye on me. You can take turns or whatever you decide, but you can scrutinize my caring for Scootaloo until such a time where you all feel I have 'reformed' in your eyes. If at any point you and your friends believe I am incapable of fulfilling the job, and give proper reason for your judgment, then I will relinquish my role as Scootaloo's father."
Scootaloo, who had been looking between the two, slightly worried at the direction things had been going, smiled brightly at the suggestion. Staring at Rainbow Dash, she hopped up and down on the table, until Sombra used his magic to properly place her in a seat, making her giggle. "That works, doesn't it? I mean, he's been helping me out for a week already, so I know you guys will realize in no time that he's a great dad, I just know it!" she squealed, pounding her little hooves against the chair.
Rainbow Dash chewed on the inside of her cheek. The offer was... reasonable. Way too reasonable. The girls were going to want to look after him anyways, but it seemed obvious he wasn't going to do anything evil while under their watch... but if they were watching him the entire time, he'd never do anything bad. When would he start up his evil plan? How could he when he had the Elements of Harmony looking after him? But more importantly... how could he while he was looking after Scootaloo, if he was truly going to do so.
Sighing, Rainbow Dash hung her head for a moment, then peered up at the grey Unicorn through her rainbow mane. "I need to talk to the others about it first, but... I guess it works out."
Another ear splitting shriek from Scootaloo had Rainbow Dash and Sombra wincing, but the latter smiled, pleased that his offer seemed to be going through and, more importantly, it had brought a smile to Scootaloo's face.
"Hey, Rainbow Dash, ya in here? We got worried 'bout ya runnin' off an-" Applejack's voice could be heard, drawing the attention of the trio to the entrance to the kitchen. Not only Applejack, but Twilight, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, and Rarity had followed after Rainbow Dash to check in on Scootaloo and trying to figure out how to help her out, but at a significantly slower pace.
The moment they rounded the corner though, the groups' eyes widened significantly as they spied the same unexpected pony that had sent Rainbow Dash into a frenzy... and reacted similarly!
"SOMBRA! Let my friends go and surrender!" Twilight shouted, firing a bolt of magic at him while Applejack ran forth with speed that rivaled Rainbow Dash's.
Once more, Sombra found himself lifting his barrier, sending the bolt of magic resounding away, freezing over a plate in the sink, while Applejack was sent tumbling back in a manner Rainbow Dash was all too familiar with.
"Must we really go through this agai-" Sombra started, only for Rarity to fire her own magic bolt, along with Pinkie Pie delivering a war cry as she delivered a drop kick to the barrier. The appearance of the attack was impressive, but once more futile as the magic bolt burst into light while Pinkie Pie was sent crashing into Applejack as she tried to get back up.
"Guys, hold on a second, he's no-" Rainbow Dash started, finding it weird to actually defend the Unicorn, but was interrupted as Fluttershy even tried to help out, flying forward and... tapping a hoof against the barrier. Not very impressive, but it seemed to reply more like a static shock that made her squeak, her fur poofing up in a way that was rather adorable to see on the timid pony.
Instead of trying to argue against them attacking, Sombra merely ran a hoof over his face, groaning slightly as they repeatedly attacked him, just to get nowhere. His attention was only drawn away by Scootaloo giggling, giving him a smile and pointing at her plate, now empty spare for some leftover syrup and crumbs, as well as Rainbow Dash's half-eaten plate. Shifting his gaze between the plates and the offending ponies, Sombra shook his head and got up.
"I suppose we'll be needing more pancakes."