Rest And Reconciliation
Sombra woke up feeling strange. It took him a moment to even get up from the bed, as his body didn't seem keen on obeying his wishes.
Sombra raised a hoof to his face to rub his eyes, but he stopped when he felt resistance. As soon as his vision adjusted properly Sombra saw that his leg was attached to a series of tubes pumping mystery chemicals into his veins. Sombra tried to remove them, but they were taped to his leg and without his magic Sombra was unable to remove them.
The tubes Sombra was hooked to led to a metal stand with clear-plastic bags hanging from it. Sombra eventually noticed a tingling-burning sensation in his extremities, leading him to believe that whatever he was being administered was some kind of medicine. Whatever it was it had dulled a lot of the sensation in Sombra's body, leaving him with just enough to function.
Sombra's eyes widened, suddenly recalling the battle with the orthros that had injured him so badly.
Sombra reexamined himself, rising up a bit further. Sombra winced, looking down to see that his mid-section was heavily bandaged. There were also several sets of stitches over various wounds, and some bandages on both Sombra's left legs.
All things considered, Sombra remembered being considerably more injured than he was at present.
Looking around, Sombra realized he was in Spike's bedroom. More specifically, Sombra found himself in Spike's own colossal bed instead of the uncomfortable air-mattress. There was a dragon-sized patch in the carpet in front of the bed that had been pressed flat, leading Sombra to believe Spike had taken the floor so that he could rest in comfort.
click
Sombra turned to see the bedroom door opening, seeing a familiar figure entering the room. It was Spike, who seemed greatly relieved to see Sombra awake.
"Glad to see you're still with us. You've been asleep for two whole days. I've been sticking close to you, waiting for you to wake up. If I didn't know you were immortal I'd have worried you were a goner." Spike said in relief.
"Two days? I knew I had healed, but so much in two days?" Sombra asked in disbelief.
Spike nodded, walking up to the bed.
"Zecora made a potion that super-charged your immortal-magic-healing-factor or whatever it is. Since your body can heal itself from just about anything Zecora just needed to make it faster. She wanted me to tell you that Dootha's unaffected by it too, meaning we've still got time." Spike explained confidently.
As Spike got closer Sombra noticed that the sparse configuration of scales around Spike's eye gave way to darkened and bruised flesh that was quite swollen.
Spike noticed Sombra staring, causing the dragon to chuckle awkwardly.
"Heh. Yeah, I didn't get away clean either. Got my first black eye ever, and my left side is bruised all to hell. It's kinda hard to tell with the scales and all, but moving is kinda painful." Spike admitted.
Spike groaned as he dropped low to the floor of the bedroom and began searching for something beneath the bed. Sombra thought Spike looked rather ridiculous, as the comb atop Spike's head prevented him from looking under that way. Instead Spike's neck and head rested on the bed near Sombra while Spike's arms sought something aimlessly.
"Bingo." Spike exclaimed after a few minutes.
Spike backed up, and from under the bed he pulled what looked to be a folded up series of wheels and metal bars.
Once Spike unfolded it Sombra could see it was a sort of chair with wheels, a padded seat, and arm rests. Spike wheeled it up to the bed and let Sombra get a look at it as he affixed the metal rod with medical bags to a place on the back. Once finished, Spike carefully lifted Sombra and placed him in the seat of the wheelchair.
"You, my friend, need some sun to help you heal and relax. Zebra's orders. I need to train anyway, and earth magic needs dirt and rock to work with." Spike cheerfully informed Sombra.
With Spike's strength it wasn't all that hard getting the incapacitated Sombra up the stairs.
Before heading outside Spike wheeled Sombra into the living room to pick out a book while he made them both some sandwiches to eat outside. Some, meaning two for Sombra, and around twenty for Spike. All packed into a convenient basket, accompanied by a few bottles of water.
Once they were ready Spike grabbed a few other things with his tail and rolled Sombra outside.
Spike set up a small table next to Sombra, and sat the basket down atop it. Spike gave Sombra a pair of sunglasses in case the light got too much for him before Spike finished.
"Okay, you all set? Need anything?" Spike inquired before beginning his training.
Sombra looked around, making certain he had the book, his sandwiches, the sunglasses, and his water bottle.
"I believe I'm alright, though I am noticing It's suspiciously quiet around here. I assume Lyra is away?"
Spike nodded, smiling at Sombra.
"Yeah, she's helping Mom with a project actually. She's staying in my old room in the castle until they figure it out." Spike revealed.
Sombra seemed immediately skeptical, having met both Lyra and Spike's mother. Even he could see the two had very little in common.
"What sort of project could Lyra assist your mother with?" Sombra asked in disbelief.
"Lyra has a theory on why Dootha was so fixated on the empire. She may not look it, but Lyra graduated Celestia's School For Gifted Unicorns with honors in the same class as my mother. Lyra's a complicated pony with simple needs, so she didn't have any interest in becoming a scientist or a professional mage or anything like that." Spike explained.
Sombra was certainly caught off guard by the explanation, though more by the subject of the project than Lyra's intellect.
"Then your mother knows about Dootha? About me? and your heritage?" Sombra asked, confused.
Spike's smile faltered, and Sombra could see the answer in Spike's eyes. Spike breathed a heavy sigh, as though he would much rather have avoided the subject.
"Well... Apparently Celestia and Luna were busy while we were out visiting the dogs. Mom, the other elements of harmony, my aunt and uncle, and several select individuals from all over were told about Dootha, and us. They were also made to swear that they would have no direct involvement with Dootha.
"Mom wasn't happy about it, at all. But I talked things over with her while Zecora healed you. She's still cooling off, and Lyra had some ideas about Dootha and the empire that Mom thought had merit. So now it's just us for a couple days while they science it up." Spike explained.
"What do you mean select individuals from all over?" Sombra wondered.
Spike hesitated, even going so far as to wring his tail in his hands. After a moment, Spike looked around as if nobody was listening in.
"Well... back in the day, Dramaal would call a meeting of all the most powerful or influential creatures every few years to talk, and state grievances or major problems. Whether they be about another race, natural disasters, plague, or whatever.
"The world leaders and immortals are going to call the first meeting with every cooperative member in over a hundred-thousand years. In about six months, and Celestia and Luna want me and you to be there. All so they can see how much of a chance we have against Dootha." Spike admitted.
Sombra visibly paled at the thought of being judged by the most powerful beings on Earth. Such a group would surely have preconceived notions about Sombra, even if they believed that he had been possessed. It was a less than favorable situation, considering Sombra had yet to even learn meditating as of yet.
"I cannot say I am fond of the idea. I doubt that we will be very formidable in comparrison to Dootha in a scant six months. A year was quite a stretch in itself." Sombra griped.
"Yeah, me either. I'm not sure how ready we can be by then. I haven't even eaten the amber yet." Spike relented.
Spike reached into the bottom of the picnic basket and retrieved the object that had nearly gotten him and Sombra killed. Spike stared at the gem in his palm, and frowned at it. Spike could feel the magic inside it, strange and familiar at the same time. It was absolutely necessary if Spike was to be able to fight Dootha, even if Spike hated himself for taking it from Rover.
Spike closed his eyes and threw the gem into his maw, crunching it to nothing in seconds that felt like hours. It tasted like dirt, and grass, and rock. It tasted like earth, which Spike supposed was fitting. In every sense of the word it was unsatisfying.
Spike opened his eyes, and opened and closed his hands experimentally. The magic didn't feel much different from what fire normally did, just maybe in a different shape. That made little sense to Spike, but magic was often strange.
Spike dug his claw into the ground in one swift strike, and for a minute nothing happened. Spike tightened his focus, and eventually pulled upwards with his earth-filled claw. Instead of just a hand of dirt, an almost perfectly circular cylinder of earth about three feet tall came with Spike's claws.
When Spike removed his hands the cylinder crumbled, but Spike had a somewhat pleased expression on his face.
"It's a start. I'm gonna go see if I can't do better by day's end. You alright?" Spike asked Sombra.
Sombra nodded, and Spike went further out into the yard to avoid any unforeseen magic accidents.
Sombra started in on his book, a weighty tome consisting of the last thousand years of world history. The Crystal Empire was largely left out for obvious reasons, but the other nations outside Equestria had changed much since Sombra's time. Sombra had no recollection of ever going anywhere other than the empire, but he had had a large world map in his bedchambers.
Or at least Dootha had. Sombra wasn't really sure what he remembered was actually his memories or memories seen through his eyes that happened during Dootha's control.
Many countries had either grown, shrunk, changed names, or dissolved entirely. The general shapes of the continents were still the same, but the borders had all changed considerably. Equestria itself had consumed a number of smaller nations and had more than doubled in size. Apparently every nation that had attempted to wage war on the nation had unconditionally surrendered within weeks.
I suppose controlling the sun makes Equestria rather hard to go up against. Sombra thought to himself.
Within a few hours Sombra had absorbed about as much history as he could take, and instead began watching Spike train as he ate his lunch. The first sandwich was ordinary enough, but the second was quite possibly one of the best things Sombra had ever eaten. There was lettuce and tomato, but the truly remarkable part was a third ingredient Sombra was unable to identify.
It was salty and savory with a hint of something smoky. It reminded Sombra vaguely of hay-bacon, a foodstuff Spike had introduced him to on his first morning back. Though in comparison, the hay-bacon was something of a poor imitation. Perhaps a different brand, or flavor.
Before long Spike came over for a drink, having worn himself out a little while turning increasingly large chunks of earth into loose dirt. After Spike had drained his bottle of water he grabbed a sandwich and devoured it whole. Though after a moment a frown graced his lips.
"Oops. That was one of yours, Sombra. All veggies. My bad, I'll make you another if you want." Spike apologized.
Sombra paused for a moment, going over Spike's words in his head.
"I... I have already eaten two." Sombra stuttered, understanding the implications.
Spike patted Sombra on the back, hoping to console him.
"B.L.T. Bacon, lettuce, and tomato. Pigs aren't a sentient race, and that bacon was made from a wild boar anyway. You didn't do anything wrong. It's my fault, for putting all the sandwiches in the same container." Spike attempted.
Sombra realized that if Spike was eating it the meat couldn't have come from anything that could think. Once the wrongness had passed, Sombra could even admit to himself that the sandwich had been delicious. The concept of meat-eating seemed rather unthinkable from a pony perspective, but Sombra readily admitted he was far from normal.
Sombra had never put a lot of stock in his appearance, but he had a mouth fit for a carnivore. Strictly vegetarian creatures had no need for canine teeth like his.
"I think I might actually enjoy the taste of meat, and my body seems equipped for it as well." Sombra revealed, opening his jaw and showing his fangs to reinforce the claim.
Spike rubbed his chin, looking Sombra over.
"I guess Dootha's influence hits a guy hard. Though it will be nice to cook some of the stuff for more than myself. Who knows? Maybe you'll bulk up a bit with all the protein." Spike joked.
Sombra rolled his eyes, but there was a tiny smirk on his face.
"Perhaps. Though I can't imagine I would be of much more help against another giant dog, even with more bulk." Sombra pointed out.
Spike frowned, hating to hear Sombra devaluing himself. Spike couldn't claim to be innocent of it, but he knew Sombra wasn't in a position to be blaming himself for things he had no control over. Spike had actually been looking for a big enough way to show Sombra his gratitude for saving his life, and now Spike a way.
"Sombra, you're more help than I could ask for. Without you, I'd have been dog-food. You're my friend, and to prove it I'd like to show you something." Spike told Sombra, looking him right in the face.
Sombra was a touch surprised, and for some reason he felt a little warm in his face.
"Er... Define Something."
Spike noticed Sombra blushing and smirked just a little, in an embarrassed kind of way.
"My hoard. A dragon, even a first-blood, or a dragon that overcame greed has one. Whether or not they realize it. You asked about it the other day, and since you saved my life and got hurt in the process you can be the first to see it. If you'd like." Spike elaborated.
Sombra was unsure how to answer exactly, but he realized that this was likely an incredibly rare offer. Even Spike who was hooves-down the kindest dragon ever hadn't yet shown his hoard to anyone. Turning down such a show of gratitude would likely hinder the relationship between Sombra and Spike, who as of yet was Sombra's only real friend.
"I would be honored. Where exactly is it? If no one else has seen it yet I imagine it is hidden? Will my lack of mobility be an issue?" Sombra accepted, attempting to be courteous.
"Eh... It is, but it isn't. It's hard to explain. But it's in the house, no dragon would ever keep their hoard very far away from their lair. I'll show you after dinner tonight. I'll even make something special to celebrate your... dietary discovery." Spike replied, relieving Sombra's concern.
Sombra nodded, finding himself happy that he was being trusted and treated well.
Contentment was something of a new sensation for Sombra, but he was strangely accepting of his current situation. No longer having motivation to conquer or accumulate power was certainly a change, but it was easy enough to get used to. That, and the magical pain-killers Zecora had loaded him down with were quite potent, making little worry Sombra for very long.
"Now then, if I don't get back to training I'll be caught unprepared when Zecora inevitably asks me to turn a mountain into a mole-hill. If I fail her tests she makes me read like, a hundred ancient scrolls on magic and spiritualism." Spike sighed.
Sombra gave Spike a small, but genuine smile as he returned to his book.
After a few minutes and making sure Spike was otherwise occupied, Sombra took another sandwich.
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Now when they have romantic dinners they can share the same meal. So can the effect Sombra's odd body other ways, I think Twilight wants grandkids one day.
aww... why cant i upvote this more?!?!?
Sombra being able to eat meat (and enjoy it) makes sense, at least for now. A good chapter to transition from the intensity of the last one.