Chapter 9
Umbra walked along the dirt path on the outskirts of Ponyville. The sun had begun its descent. It had been a long day.
After a hearty meal at Sugarcube Corner, the very place from which he was chased out of the town, he was taken to the town hall. The six had escorted him, making sure none of the town saw him and those that did were made aware of the situation at hand. The sun was still rising with the power of the princess who had banished his father more than a thousand years ago.
After consulting with the mayor, it was decided that the town be called together for a meeting. Umbra’s identity was revealed in front of the entire town. The crowd was full of mixed reactions. A few were indifferent to the news while some were still shocked to hear that this pony, the son of the King of Shadows, was going to live among them. As the crowd dispersed, Umbra saw many ponies glaring daggers at him. It was unnerving. He didn't understand why.
After the meeting, the six mares and offered him a house in the middle if the town. Umbra turned it down. It seemed that the town, or at least some of its residents, were against having him around. He thought it would be better if he stayed just a little outside the town. They told him that the town would be more accepting of him, he just needed to give it some time. Still, Umbra insisted against it. While he didn’t doubt that the ponies would warm up to him with time, there was no need to rush it. He thought the slower, the better in this case.
Pinkie decided to walk him to his home. Umbra wasn’t certain why but she insisted. He didn’t object. They walked in silence most of the way. Umbra didn’t mind the quiet. He simply enjoyed the feeling of someone walking beside him, the company of someone he was absolutely certain he could call friend.
The two reached the familiar area along the edge of the Everfree forest. Between two trees, a small path had recently been stamped out. Umbra was about to give his thanks to the mare when he felt two hooves wrapping themselves around his neck in a close but gentle squeeze. The warmth of her embrace calmed his mind and softened his heart.
He returned the hug.
Umbra held on until tears formed at the corners of his eyes.
“Thank you, Pinkie,” he said, his voice almost a whisper.
Pinkie pulled away from her friend. She offered a tender smile, silently letting him know that everything would be okay.
She said her goodbye and walked back towards Ponyville. Umbra watched her go. He knew that she was his friend and he was hers. It meant all the world to him.
He walked into the forest along the path which lead to a small clearing just beyond the treeline. During the time since he had reached Ponyville and despite the events from the night before, Umbra had become attached to this area. It was somewhere he could actually call “home”. Earlier that day with a little help from the six and a few volunteers from the town, mostly ponies he had met before, the wrecked wagon was cleaned up and rebuilt into something he could actually stand up in.
Umbra marveled at the kindness the six ponies had displayed and wondered why they would go through so much trouble to help him. He wondered if they helped him because they pitied him or because they were his friends. Besides Pinkie Pie, he wasn’t sure if they even considered him a friend. He was willing to think of them as friends. Did they think the same?
The weight that was crushing him before had been lifted. The mask he wore just yesterday was gone; he didn’t have to hide himself anymore. He had almost forgotten what life was like without the mask. It was almost as if he was meeting himself all over again.
However, revealing himself to the town came with its own unique weight. He felt how the weight was there and like before, was doing its best to break him. After confessing who he was, Umbra realized that the weight would always be there. He learned though that he didn’t have to carry the weight alone. That’s what friends are there for. Pinkie Pie, Macintosh, Zecora, even the three fillies, each of them made his burden feel all the more lighter. Umbra knew that assimilating with the town would be full of adversity. It certainly wouldn’t happen in a day but rather the process would be tedious and exhausting. Knowing that his friends were there for him gave him the strength to go on. He was eternally grateful for that simple truth.
Hanging on the wall next to his bed, the white dagger showed his reflection. He was given the opportunity to get rid of the knife. He decided to keep it. It served as a reminder of the easy way out, what could have been done. When he looked into the blade and saw his reflection, it reminded him of who he was and where he had come from.
It worked as a pretty good mirror too.
Umbra collapsed on his new bed, after such a long day, his legs were sore and fatigued. He made a mental note to get in better shape.
His eyes became heavy. He knew what was waiting for him as soon as he fell asleep. This time however, he was not afraid. This time, he was ready.
***
The sky was exactly as he remembered it. The heavens glowed with a never ending twilight. Dark clouds lingered up above. The only difference was the addition of lightning which illuminated the sky at random intervals.
This time however, Umbra found himself standing at the base of the castle. Black fog surrounded the small clearing he stood in.
Sombra stepped out of the black mist. He stopped a few yards away from Umbra, keeping the distance far. The green flame flowed from the blood red eyes on his expressionless face. Umbra thought the flames looked bigger than he remembered. Other than that though, his father looked exactly the same as always.
Lightning cracked overhead. The two just stood there with the long distance between them, each waiting for the other to speak. Umbra was ready to face his father, he just wasn't sure how to begin. The only sound that could be heard was that of the booming thunder in the distance. Finally after an extended moment, Sombra broke the silence.
"So let me guess," he said with sarcasm dripping from each word. "You've come to join me."
Umbra looked at him flatly. His heart beat with anticipation, ready to speak its mind. "I'm here to tell you that you were wrong."
Sombra's eyebrow arched at the statement yet he remained quiet. Umbra took it as a cue to continue.
"You told me that I would be rejected because of who I was and for a while, I believed you. I thought for sure that the ponies would hate me because I have this connection to you. I was right too! When the town found out who I was, I was chased out." A small smirk appeared on Sombra's face which he quickly hid and continued listening intently as his son spoke. "What I learned though, is that the past doesn't make who I am. The ponies can look beyond those things because of that. It's what I choose to be now that really matters.
"You also told me that my destiny is to continue your empire," Umbra said as his confidence grew. Sombra's expression became stern. "That is probably the biggest lie in life. There is no point in anyone's life where we lose control of what is happening to us. My life is not controlled by destiny. I am free to decide what I will do and what my life is about. My cutie mark shows that too.
"I don't think it means that I'm an outcast. I think it shows my independence, how I can decide who I am, what my destiny is."
Sombra stood speechless at what his son had told him. His bitter expression showed he was not amused.
"You know, those nightmares you've been having can get worse," he said threateningly. The green flames grew more intense as he spoke. "You honestly haven't seen anything yet."
"Your nightmare curse isn't all that impressive, Sombra." Sombra's expression changed in an instant as Princess Luna stepped out of the mist behind Umbra. She walked forward until she stood at Umbra's side. Glancing to him next to her, Luna continued. "I've found a small loophole in its structure. It'd be a bit tricky, but it certainly can and will be counteracted." A smirk spread across her face. "Honestly, I expected more from King Sombra."
Suddenly, a small grin appeared on his face. An amused chuckle escaped his mouth. Umbra and Luna looked at each other in confusion.
"Very well then," he said dismissively. "You have already served your purpose to me."
Both ponies stared at the dark unicorn dumbfounded.
"You were supposed to keep my memory alive thus keeping me connected to the world of the living."
He laughed a second time.
"You've presented yourself as my son to not only an entire town but to the rulers of Equestria as well." Sombra applauded him. "Well done, Umbra. Well done."
The two were at a loss of words. Neither of them expected a reaction like this from the evil King Sombra who continued to laugh in front of them.
"As my memory grows, so does my power," Sombra suddenly stopped laughing and his expression became grave. "I will return someday. There will be no mercy when I come. Until then, live your life Umbra. Live it and pray you don't live to see the day I return."
Sombra finished with an evil laugh. The world around them swirled until all became dark.
***
Umbra sat up in his bed. It was easily the most peaceful way he had woken up since he left the Crystal Empire.
He thought back to what Sombra had said. Umbra wasn't quite site what his father's intentions were or how he would accomplish them. He shook his head. It didn't matter, he didn't think I could happen.
A smile spread across his face.
He had done it.
He had really done it.
He had finally confronted his father. He was finally free from the weight that promised to crush him, free from the mask that changed who he was for everyone he met. He no longer had to live in fear of the ponies around him.
Umbra opened his front door.
He looked at the path beyond his doorstep.
It was the path to his new life.
It called for his hooves to tread.
Like a deep and rolling river, he knew it would sweep him far away.
No one could ever know where it would lead, all he could do is take it wherever it runs, never looking back.
Hill by hill, mile by mile, to the farthest shore beyond the sun, he would take it no matter how far.
Just beyond the far horizon, lie a waiting world unknown.
Like the dawn its beauty beckoned with a wonder all its own.
The road goes ever, ever on.
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3611441 Wish granted.
Love this story so far. I actually felt a connection to Umbra, to me that shows the character was well written
enough for me to want to continue reading this story. Keep up the good work
That last sentence made me think of this song
I am pleasantly surprised to find such a high like/dislike ratio on this story. It really does deserve it, though.
3652196 Ha! Someone got it!
3652051 Thanks. I was really surprised since the first chapter. It really makes my day!
3651917 That's honestly one of my favorite songs!
I think you meant "of".
...
Otherwise, nice work.
3655252 ... sigh.
Well nothing is perfect and my story certainly shows that!
Awesome, this is one of the best fics I've read in quite a while
You sir, have done good works with this story. I can't wait to read more from you.
3658765 Yay!
All the internet fame!
This was an awesome story! One of the best I've read so far, and the first non-HiE fic I've read and liked. I wish it was longer, but there isn't actually anything wrong with it being this short, so it's just my personal preference. However, on that note...
Gonna make a sequel?
3667445 I might. There's a lot of other stuff I want to write first though.
3698504 Tons of grammar mistakes? Could you give some examples?
Just about everyone else has liked it except you. I'm open to hear what you have to say.
Honestly you're only on the third chapter. I wouldn't judge it quite yet.
Hope there's a sequel.
3730518
" I have high expectations and am a Grammer Freak"
Grammar Freak...
3698504 Critique has its place, but you're an uncouth lout for making such insulting remarks.
Detail: How a writer chooses to describe a scene is their right as the author. Besides, extra detail can often serve to devalue a story by taking the reader away from the action. Detail is fine and dandy, but not when you're writing it for the hell of being detailed. Stories aren't wiki entries.
Fear. You don't have to be bigger than someone to embody fear. Your mind, personality or past could easily define something worth dreading. Which would you fear more, for example. Someone standing over you with a club, measuring well over six feet tall, or a thin, five foot flat individual who you know by reputation to torture and sodomize their victims before slaying them by opening hundreds of tiny wounds across their body, bleeding them dry, yet without getting a drop of blood on themselves.
Lastly, don't insult an author by blatantly asking to redo their work and attempt to claim to be capable of doing better. That alone proves how far from competent you are for the task you attempt to so rudely shoulder.
3751974
http://sv.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=grammer
sure it is
3800064
Holy emoticon overload, Batman!
Well, this is a great story, fairly hard to believe its a first one though. At any rate though I want more of this story now. Also that last part of this chapter sounds kind of like a poem or perhaps song lyrics, did you make that yourself or where did it come from?
Sequel please?
3740417 WHAT IS YOURE PICTURE OF WHATEVER IT IS IT LOOKS AWSOME
X 9000 OUT OF 
FOR YOUR PICTURE I GIVE YOU
THUS ITS OVER 9000
3998570
Such an old meme
4234145
imgur.com/zrer407.gif
i.imgur.com/UJPFCFh.jpg
Three hundredth like, sweet. Nice job on the story!
Encore!!!! Encore!!!!! We demand a sequel!
Read the whole story today, I like it, it's well done. It's rare to find something quite like this, and that makes me blue.
Decided to throw in some ways for steak to be cooked.
Please do a sequel
To have such good stuff as a first story... Damn, you impress me.
Carry on, good friend, and keep being awesome,
Realrobse
This story is alright, I guess. There's a lot of telling, and some of the emotions seem flat or forced. *shrugs*
I also take issue with your portrayal of Sombra/Umbra. For someone who was kept in the shadows of his father, I'm surprised Umbra got a cutie mark in independence. How the heck would that have happened if he never had the chance to be independent?
As for Sombra... well, he's just too much of a mustache-twirling villain to be a decent antagonist. His motivations are shallow and I"M TEH EVUL GUY at worst. Seriously, give us a villain that is... well, not a stereotypical Sunday morning cartoon bad guy.
And since when have the ponies of Ponyville been anything but massive cowards? Where did this random burst of backbone come from?
Additionally, Sombra's "as long as there are memories of me, I will never die" schtick is a bit silly. He doesn't need his son for that, unless he means that the more ponies that know of him, the more powerful he is. But even then, wouldn't that mean that the newspaper about him would have given him a power boost? Why don't the Princesses know about this? Don't all the ponies of the Crystal Empire remember him? What's so special about his son remembering him/reviving the empire? Why not just walk in the dreams of some schmucky historian looking to publish some definitive books on him?
The gimmick just doesn't make any sense.
hey can i use this for a little something i'm working on
Thats it?
*groans into oblivion*
THIS PLOT-LINE IS COMPLETELY UNNECESSARY UGH
Overall, this fic was... more of a mixed bag than expected. As highly rated as this is, I expected a masterpiece... or at least a very good story. But instead, I got a story that was one part very good story, one part needless Sombra plotline. You could've accomplished Umbra's character arc entirely without Sombra's current, present influence. Yet you chose to go what I consider the lazy writing route and dump him into the story... and honestly? I think it didn't work, and I had to force myself to read the Sombra stuff. But who am I to argue with 387 people? I'll just join my ranks among the mean six (heh) who disliked the story.
You should make a sequel.
(An echo can be heard)