Strike from the Shadows
A few days had passed and Ponyville was finally back in order after Trixie’s takeover. Not everything was normal though, everyone was still going on about the identities of two of the Kamen Riders.
Sombra didn’t mind. In fact, he had garnered quite a bit of attention at school because of it. All the other foals had bombarded him with questions about riders. It had been overwhelming at first, but with the help of the Cutie Mark Crusaders he had found a way to enjoy his newfound popularity.
The school bell rang, altering all the school foals that their recess had arrived. Sombra slide out of his seat, closing his textbook up. He resisted the urge to run out with the others, wanting to clean up his desk first.
“Ugh, come on, Sombra,” Scootaloo urged, hurriedly helping him put things into his bag. “If we’re not quick then Rumble and his pals are gonna hog the jungle gym for themselves!”
“I wanna make sure everything is tidy,” Sombra responded, giving her a stern look. “If it’s messy then I’ll have to fix it.”
“Ya sound just like yer ma,” Applebloom teased, pushing away from her own desk. “Does she make ya alphabetize yer toys?”
“No, but everything has its own bin.” Sombra finished up, zipping his bag up. “Okay, we can go play now!”
The trio of fillies cheered, rushing for the door. He smiled, following after them with ideas of games bouncing around in his head. The rest of the class was darting around the playground, several groups splitting off to play various games in the field. As Scootaloo had warned, Rumble was standing atop the jungle gym with his friends.
Sombra smiled weakly, looking at Scootaloo. “Sorry, guess I took too long.”
Sighing, Scootaloo managed to smile. “Whatever, no big deal. We can find something else to do.” Scanning the playground, her eyes locked on the field. “Hey, wanna climb that tree? Bet there’s a cool view of the town from the top.”
“I dunno, Miss Cheerilee said the tree was off limits,” Sweetie Belle piped up, following Scootaloo’s gaze. “She probably said it for a reason.”
“She probably said it because she was worried about somepony falling,” Scootaloo started, turning to Sweetie. “But the three of us have tons of experience climbing trees thanks to all our attempts to get our cutie marks.”
“I don’t,” Sombra responded, looking at the tree wearily. “I don’t know how to climb trees.”
“But ya live in a tree,” Applebloom pointed out, eyeing the colt curiously. “How can ya not know how t’climb one?”
“Well, we live inside of it, we don’t climb it.” Sombra frowned, shifting on his hooves. “Plus, I don’t want to get in trouble.”
Scootaloo rolled her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest. “Fine, we won’t do that. Do you have any ideas?”
“Are you three trying to peer pressure my cousin?” Diamond Tiara walked towards the group, a cheerful smile on her face. “That’s not something friends should be doing, now is it?”
“Oh, hey, DT,” Sweetie greeted, waving at the approaching filly. And no, we weren’t.” Ignoring the slight uncomfortable postures of her friends, she gave Diamond a smile. “Did you want to play with us?”
“Sure,” Diamond replied, brushing her mane over her shoulder. “What did you have in mind? Just nothing too dirty, I’d like to keep my mane clean.”
“Well that eliminates some options right there,” Scootaloo noted, tapping her hoof on the ground. “What about jump rope? That doesn’t break any rules and keeps us away from the dirt.”
“Jump rope is fine,” Diamond agreed, her smile growing. “Spoonie and I are champs at it! You should have seen our double dutch record! We were at least in the fifties.”
“Pfft.” Scootaloo waved her hand dismissively. “That’s nothing, I bet I could make it to over a hundred!”
Diamond narrowed her eyes, her smirk turning competitive. “Oh yeah? I bet you couldn’t even count that high! Why don’t we have a little duel? First to get to fifty without tripping wins!”
“You’re on!” Scootaloo cheered, throwing a fist into the air as her wings buzzed on her back. She made a beeline for the bucket by the schoolhouse and pulled out two strings of jump rope. “I’m totally gonna wipe the floor with you!”
Sombra smiled, puffing his chest up. “Yeah well, I’m gonna beat both of you!” he proclaimed, looking between the girls. “I might not be able to climb trees, but I can jump!”
“It’s pretty impressive you can do anything right considering who your parents are,” a familiar voice chimed in.
Diamond’s fur stood on end as she turned to find Silver Spoon standing with her hands on her hips sneering at Sombra.
“I mean, somehow a mare of good Canterlot breeding and education couldn’t figure out the simple fact that ponies are supposed to date ponies. Who knows what else she can manage to screw up?” Silver mocked, snickering to herself.
“Silver, what are you talking about?” Diamond stepped closer, getting between the two. “Twilight’s a great pony.”
“Maybe, but she doesn’t have an ounce of sense in her,” Silver pressed, staring Diamond down. “I mean, it’s a simple matter of nature that ponies go together. Can you even imagine if she and that Wyatt guy tried to have kids?” Cringing, she stuck her tongue out and made a retching noise. “They’d be little freaks.”
Her frown deepening, Diamond marched over to Silver and dragged her off to the side. “What is wrong with you? I told you, I wasn’t doing that kind of thing anymore.”
“And what, did you think I would just follow at your heels like an obedient dog?” Silver mocked, narrowing her eyes at Diamond. “I’m just stating simple facts here.”
“Don’t make fun of my family.” Diamond’s eyes contracted, showing her anger. “Sombra’s never done anything to you. Neither have Twilight or Wyatt.”
“They make everyone in town watch their little circus act,” Silver retorted, flipping her braid towards Diamond’s nose. “Going around making goo goo eyes at each other when what they’re doing is an affront to nature.” She made sure to say everything just loud enough for Sombra to hear.
Crossing her arms, Diamond gave Silver a hard look. “So what about hippogriffs? Are they an affront to nature?”
“They just prove that persistency and stupidity can overcome anything,” Silver replied, cocking her hip to the side.
Clenching her fists, Diamond poked Silver’s chest. “If you want to be a little speciest jerk, fine, but I’m done being your friend. I’m a better pony now; I don’t need someone like you dragging me back down.”
“That’s fine, you’re barely a pony anymore as it is,” Silver replied, pointing at Diamond’s eyes.
Giving a snort, Diamond turned away. It hurt to part ways with the pony that had been her best friend for years. She reminded herself that she wasn’t that kind of pony anymore. If Silver Spoon wanted to be a bully, she’d be doing it by herself.
“Fine, just walk away!” Silver called out. “But you were saying the same exact things I just was not too long ago! How much have you really changed?”
Diamond opened her mouth to respond, the words dying on her lips as Sombra ran past her. She spun around, trying and failing to grab his tail.
“Stop being mean to my family!” Sombra boomed, rearing back and punching Silver Spoon in the jaw. “My mom’s the best! So, stop saying bad things about her!”
Silver fell to the ground, a look of absolute shock on her face. She put a hand to her aching jaw, trying to process what had just happened. “You hit me!? A little blank flank like you hit me?!”
“Y-you said bad things about my cousin and parents!” Sombra retorted, tears welling up in his eyes while he clenched his fists at his side. “My mom and dad protect ponies. Why would you say what they’re doing is wrong?!”
“What a little baby.” Silver stood up, brushing her pants off. “Can’t even accept the truth.” Drawing her hand back, she retaliated with a slap to the face. “How dare you touch me!”
Sombra’s eyes contracted into sharp slits the instant Silver slapped him and he tackled her with a roar of pure rage. He started to hit her anywhere his hands could reach, shouting about how wrong she was.
“Sombra, stop!” Diamond pulled her cousin off Silver, her own eyes contracted. “Just take a breath and calm down!”
Sombra took several ragged breaths, his glare softening as he took in what he had done. “I-I’m sorry,” he choked out, looking up at Diamond. “I-I just got so mad.”
Diamond sighed, her shoulders sagging. She turned to the CMC, gesturing to the school building. “Can you three go get Miss. Cheerilee? I’ll make sure these two don’t start at it again.”
“Yeah, we can do that,” Scootaloo assured, quickly running off to the school building with her friends.
“Just stay over there, Silver,” Diamond ordered, sitting down with Sombra. “And keep any comments to yourself this time.”
Silver didn’t bother trying to argue as she pulled herself to her feet with a slight wobble. She shot the pair a glare, which melted into a pained whimper when Cheerilee jogged over. “Miss Cheerilee! Sombra hit me!”
“I already heard the whole story from these three,” Miss Cheerilee replied, coming to a stop in front of Sombra. “Young colt, I don’t care what Silver Spoon said to you, it’s not okay to hit somepony like that. I’m afraid I’m going to have to give you detention and have a word with your parents.”
Sombra cringed but didn’t argue with her. “Okay, Miss Cheerilee...” He hugged onto Diamond, hiding his face from his teacher.
“And as for you, little filly,” Cheerilee continued, turning to Silver Spoon. “Haven’t we already had quite a few talks about your bullying?”
Silver clammed up, desperate for some sort of excuse. Withering under her teacher’s critical gaze, she finally replied with, “Yes Miss Cheerilee, you have.”
“Well then, sounds like there’s somepony else who needs a detention and a word sent to her parents,” Cheerilee replied, crossing her arms over her chest. “I’m very disappointed in both of you.”
Sombra let his head fall, already imagining what his parents would say about his fight. “I’m not a good pony...” he muttered, clinging tighter to Diamond.
“Shh, don’t say that,” Diamond told the colt, stroking his mane. “Doing one bad thing doesn’t make you bad.” The ring of the bell caught her attention, gently easing him back up. “Come on, we have to get back to class.”
“Okay,” Sombra replied, dragging himself back into the schoolhouse. The rest of his lessons faded into a blur as he continued to consider what punishments awaited him at home. Diamond took the time out to walk him home, though, all he really did was stare down at the paper in his hand.
Diamond knocked on the door of the treehouse, knocking Sombra out of his stupor. A moment later and Wyatt answered the door. “Hey you two,” he greeted, though his eyes locked on the guilty looking colt. “Sombra, what happened at school today?”
“I got into a fight...” Sombra responded, staring at his hooves. His ears splayed back as he held the note out to Wyatt.
Taking the note, Wyatt read it carefully before nodding. “Alright, I get what happened. Did you apologize to Silver Spoon for hitting her?”
“...No...” Sombra admitted, rubbing his arm.
Wyatt nodded once more, pocketing the note and closing the door behind him. “Then before I can talk about your punishment, we need to fix that.” He took his son’s hand, walking down the street.
“I’ll see you tomorrow, Sombra!” Diamond called as she made her own way home.
“I’m sorry, Dad,” Sombra spoke, keeping his eyes on the ground. “I just got so mad. She was saying all these mean things about you and Mom...”
“That still doesn’t give you the right to hit someone,” Wyatt told the colt, glancing down. “It’s not your job to act on our behalf. If someone’s saying stuff about your mother and I, just ignore them.”
Sombra nodded, sneaking a glance up. “Okay, Dad. I’ll do my best to ignore it.”
“That’s my boy,” Wyatt praised, ruffling Sombra’s mane with a smile. “Still in trouble though.” After making sure he was going in the right direction, Wyatt found himself in front of Silver Spoon’s home. “Alright, make sure you give a good apology, okay?”
Nodding, Sombra took a deep breath as Wyatt reached out and knocked on the front door. There was a shifting from inside before the door opened to reveal a middle-aged stallion. His coloration closely resembled that of Silver Spoon, though his mane was a tone darker than hers.
“Afternoon,” Wyatt greeted, putting on an easy smile. “I’m sure you know about what happened at the school today. I brought Sombra so he could apologize.”
“Very well, I’ll fetch my daughter,” the stallion replied, regarding Wyatt coldly. He slipped inside for a few minutes, returning with Silver Spoon in tow. “Go on, say your piece, colt.”
Sombra took a moment to collect himself, tilting his head up to look Silver Spoon in the eye. “I’m sorry, Silver Spoon. I shouldn’t have hit you, even if you were saying bad things.”
“I was speaking the truth,” Silver responded, glaring back at him. “You just couldn’t handle it.”
Wyatt held back a frown, taking Sombra’s hand. Inhaling through his nostrils, he put on his best smile. “Alright, that’s all we came here for. Sorry for taking up your time. And I apologize for my son’s behavior, he’s normally a good colt.”
“It’s no wonder he acts like a ruffian.” The stallion snorted, putting his hand on Silver’s shoulder. “If I didn’t think Celestia would protect you, I would most certainly take you to court.”
Wyatt kept his smile up, ignoring the stallion’s comment. “There’s not exactly much you could get out of me. I’ve only been with the paper for a little under a year. I think Sombra and I should head back home. It was nice meeting you, Mr...?”
“Silver Bar,” the stallion replied simply.
“Right, good day, Mr. Bar.” Scooping up Sombra, he began to walk back to the library. “You were very brave to give an apology to someone like that.”
Sombra frowned, holding on tightly to Wyatt. “Those two are bad. They don’t deserve to be saved if a monster came after them.”
“Sombra, don’t talk like that,” Wyatt scolded, frowning more. “Just because someone is a jerk, doesn’t mean they shouldn’t be saved. Just ignore her unless you need to talk to her in class, alright?” Patting Sombra’s head, he continued. “Remember this buddy, people can change. If I didn’t save them, they’d never have the chance to become better.”
Sombra nodded slowly, turning his head to look out at the town. He thought on what his father said, trying to make sense of it. A thought occurred to him; there was somepony who had been in his situation. While his father carried him home, he made a note to have a chat with them.
Daring sighed, staring at the typewriter in front of her. Her lack of any new adventures meant anything she’d be writing would be pure fiction. Not that she couldn’t write fiction, it just didn’t flow as easily as the semi-biographical work she normally wrote.
Staying in one place for as long as she had also didn’t sit too well with her. Ponyville was nice and all, but she missed hacking through jungle foliage with her trusty machete. She was sure Ahuizotl was looking for some crazy artifact as she sat on her flank. That damn cat never did know when to quit.
“Come on, Dad. Just show up already, I want to get moving again.” She glanced at the door, hoping that just maybe fortune would smile upon her and he’d come seeking her out. Slumping in her seat, she let out a groan. “Yeah, as if I’d be that lucky. Even if Dad was coming to Ponyville, he’d never figure to look for me here. I’ve been using my pen name this whole time and he left way before I came up with it.”
So into her cynical thoughts, Daring nearly fell out of her seat when a knock echoed through the room. “What was that saying? Speak of the devil and he shall appear.” Picking herself up, she made her way to the door. “Come on, Daring. Even if it is your old man, he’s just another asshole who walked out on you. Don’t fling yourself at him like some overly attached filly.” Taking a deep breath, she opened the door and was ready to give her father a piece of her mind. “Oh my gosh Dad I’m so happy to see you! I forgive you for leaving!”
“Um... Hi, Ms. Yearling,” a young voice replied, sounding more than a little confused.
Daring’s eyes snapped open and she looked down to find the foal that Twilight and the kid had adopted. A pathetic noise escaped her throat and a blush threatened to overtake her face. “Uh, hey kid. What are you doing here?”
“I wanted to talk to you,” he responded, not bothered by her outburst. “Is that okay?”
Daring looked back at her typewriter, frowning for a split second. “Sure, come in and take a seat.” She moved away from the door frame so the colt could come inside. “I wasn’t doing anything anyway.”
“Thanks.” He stepped inside, taking a seat on a chair. “Thank you for talking with me, Ms. Yearling.”
“Don’t mention it,” Daring waved off, closing the door. “Can I get you anything? I think I’ve got some oj if you’re thirsty.” At his nod, she stepped over to her fridge. “So, what brings you to my lovely little rental home? Your mom get you hooked on Daring Do?”
“Well, yeah,” Sombra admitted, quickly thanking her for the glass of juice. “But that’s not why I’m here.”
Taking a seat at her desk, she gestured for him to continue. “If your mom isn’t using you as a tool to get an autograph, why’d you decide to stop by?”
“I wanted to talk to you because we have something in common,” Sombra started, pausing to sip his juice. “Both of us were adopted by a human.”
“Ah.” Daring nodded her head, her mind working to fill in the story. “Kids picking on you huh? Kids can be some of the cruelest ponies around.” She tapped her head. “Something about not having a developed sense of empathy.”
Sombra nodded, staring down at his cup. “Yeah, I got into a fight at school with a mean filly. She said that mom and dad were doing something wrong by being together. Dad made me apologize at their house and then her dad threatened mine.” Sombra squeezed his cup, trembling slightly.
“I didn’t have a mom growing up.” Daring took her glasses off, putting them on the desk. “It was just me and my dad. Sometimes we’d have companions for a few months, but most of the time it was just me and him.”
“So why did other foals pick on you?” Sombra questioned, looking up at her with a tilted head.
“My dad isn’t like most people.” Leaning back in her seat, Daring closed her eyes, allowing memories to flow over her. “Your dad’s a dork, but at least he’s a dork ponies can relate to. My dad wears a cloak and keeps his face covered with a mask. Just imagine someone like that going to school meetings. The other foals always had something to say about why he was so secretive.”
Sombra’s eyes lit up, picturing her father. “That sounds so cool. It’s like you were raised by a superhero!” Pausing, he chuckled. “I mean, I guess you were, huh?”
Cracking a smile, Daring nodded. “Yeah, I guess I was. Tell me, did you get any good hits in?”
“I ran and punched her in the jaw to start,” Sombra admitted, shrinking in his seat. “Then she slapped me and I got so angry that I tackled her and started hitting her like crazy. Diamond had to pull me off her.”
“I take it you got punished?”
“Yeah,” Sombra replied, taking another gulp of his juice. “Mom and Dad grounded me. I’ve been doing double my usual chores, I can’t have dessert after dinner and I can only read one comic a day.”
“Yeah, I figured they’d be a little soft.” Daring got up, stretching her limbs off. “Dad was a little weird with discipline. Get into a fight? Twenty laps around the block. Get sent to the principal's office? Half an hour at the punching bag.”
“Um, that sounds less like a punishment and more like a workout routine,” Sombra pointed out, giggling as he pictured a cloaked figure blowing a whistle and leading Daring through her “punishments”.
“I think that was his way of showing me that there was a better way to deal with my emotions than misbehaving. Plus, you ever try to smart mouth after twenty laps? You barely have the energy to stand.”
“Could you show me some of that stuff?” Sombra asked, giving her a pleading look. “I never want to get that angry again. And I don’t want Dad to apologize to jerks for me anymore.”
Daring thought for a moment, bringing a hand to her chin. “I dunno kid, the sudden addition of a kid sidekick usually doesn’t go well for a story.” After a moment, she winked at him. “Good thing we’re not in a story, isn’t it?”
Sombra’s face lit up and he hopped out of his seat. “Thank you so much! I’d ask Dad to do this, but I think he’d go too easy on me.”
Scratching her chin, Daring considered his point. “Yeah, the kid’s a big softie. I doubt he’d want to push you through your second wind.” Grabbing her glasses, she slipped them back into place. “Alright then, you ready?”
Sombra gave her a thumbs up, grinning from ear to ear. “Okay! Let’s get going, coach!”
“Alright then, come on.” Pulling her cloak on, Daring took a moment to make sure her disguise was in order. “Ponyville’s got a pretty good gym, we can start there.”
Sombra followed her out the door, buzzing with excitement. He idly wondered what all Daring would teach him. Maybe she’d teach him fighting moves? Not that he intended on starting anymore fights.
“So, having anger problems are we?” Daring asked, leading him down to the street. “Your mom told me she’s having them. Probably should have asked what the consequences of that ritual were before you just did it.”
“If it meant being part of Uncle Spike’s family, I think we were ready for anything,” Sombra answered. “And that was the first time I’d really gotten angry since the ritual. Though Mom says learning and reading helped keep her emotions in line while she was with Miss Zecora. So maybe I just need my own thing?”
“Saying that and realizing the consequences affect your life negatively is called hindsight, kid.” Daring frowned, looking down at him. “What’s your name, anyway?”
“Oh, I’m so sorry. I should’ve introduced myself,” Sombra apologized, chuckling nervously and rubbing the back of his head. “My name’s Sombra!” A thought occurred to him, making him ask. “Wait, if you talked to my mom about her anger problems, shouldn’t you know my name?
Daring let out a barking laugh, giving him a hearty slap on the back. “Sombra, I tune most of what your mom says out. Half the time its gushing over my work, or her rambling on about her own story ideas.”
“Mom gets excited about books,” Sombra defended, giggling to himself. “She’s like the smartest pony in the world.”
“Maybe she is,” Daring agreed, pushing open the door to the gym. She stopped at the front desk, putting a few bits down. “The kid and I are gonna be here for the afternoon.” Not waiting for a response, she strolled into the gym itself.
Sombra looked between the desk and Daring for a few moments before dashing into the gym proper to follow her. Once he caught up with her, he craned his neck around to examine the various pieces of equipment.
“Wow, this all looks neat. So what are we doing first?” he questioned, tilting his head up at her. “The punching bags? Weight lifting?”
“You’re too young for weightlifting,” Daring told him. “If I let you do that then you’d do some serious damage to your muscles. The first thing you need to do is stretch. Gets your body nice and loose. Then we can do some cardio. The punching bag can be saved for last. If you do a good job with everything else then I’ll show you how the form of a real punch.”
“I can stretch,” Sombra assured, beginning to stretch his body out. “See?”
“Not bad, kid,” Daring told him. “Now extend yourself so you can feel it. If it starts to hurt, pull back a little. That’s when you’re doing it wrong.” Stepping a bit away, she started to demonstrate, doing a few stretches herself.
Sombra took a moment to examine her posture. With a few shifts of his body, he followed suit. He took her advice, stretching to the point where it just started to be uncomfortable without actually hurting. With a quick word, Daring instructed Sombra through his stretches, leaving them ready for their workout.
“You’re quick on the uptake, kid,” Daring praised, getting them a couple water bottles. “Guess your mom’s rubbing off on you.” Setting the bottles down, she looked him over. “Alright, we’re gonna start something simple and go from there.”
“I’m ready for anything!” Sombra chimed, pumping his fist. “What’s first, coach?!”
“Good enthusiasm,” Daring stated, motioning him towards the track. “But let’s see if you can keep it up after a couple laps. Come on, show me what you got.”
Taking a deep breath, Sombra moved to the starting line and started his lap. Remembering his mother’s story from the Running of the Leaves, he paced himself, jogging at a comfortable speed. Still, the excretion was totally new, meaning he could only get up to about ten laps before needing to stop.
Tossing a towel at the colt, Daring came up to his side. “Ten laps, that’s much better than I would’ve thought a little unicorn like you would’ve done. Looks like I won’t need to start from scratch. So, how do ya feel?”
“Tired...” Catching the towel, he patted at his now moist fur. “How can ponies do that for hours?”
“Because they’ve trained for a long time,” Daring told him, chuckling as he cleaned himself off. “Give it time and you’ll see how high your endurance can go. Just think, your dad probably had even worse endurance than you do right now before he started going through Flash Fire’s crazy boot camp.”
“Really?” he questioned, looking up at his coach hopefully. “You think Dad had it tough with this kinda stuff too?”
“Oh, he probably had it a lot worse than you do,” Daring assured, passing him a water bottle. “Your mom is going to too, once she gets in Flash Fire’s hands.”
“Thanks, Miss Yearling,” Sombra said, taking a long swig of water. “That makes me feel a lot better. If Dad can get past being bad at this, then I can too, right?”
“You know it,” Daring promised, putting her water bottle down. “Now, you ready for the rest of your workout?” At his nod, she moved him through the next exercises. Watching him work, a strange feeling passed over her, something she hadn’t quite felt before.
It was a bit like pride, that much she could tell, but there was something else to it. A desire perhaps. Interrupting her train of thought several times, she called out ways he could fix his breathing or form to help his endurance. Eventually, she came to a sort of conclusion.
‘Oh crap, am I starting to want kids of my own?’ she thought, trying not to let worry creep into her expression. ‘Faust damnit. I didn’t need this. This is why I live in the woods; biological imperatives be damned.’ Daring nodded to herself, quickly telling Sombra to start doing jumping jacks. ‘That’s right, Daring Do is a solo act and always will be. I mean, who would I even find that I’d actually want to spend my life raising little headaches with?’
Annoyance etched itself onto her face, a brief image of Ahuizotl crossing her mind. ‘That right there is why fans suck. I have half a mind to just never talk to anyone but Velvet again. I do not and never will have feelings for that three-handed cat-monkey.’
“Miss Yearling, can I stop now?” Sombra asked, his voice coming in as a ragged pant and his fur was covered in a sheen of sweat. “I’m starting to lose feeling in my arms.”
“Yeah, take five, kid.” Daring pulled her glasses off, cleaning the lenses. Not that they were dirty, just something to focus her thoughts. “While you’re catching your breath, how about we talk about that anger problem?”
Sombra slumped to the floor in a sitting position and grabbing his towel. He started to dry his fur off, getting his breathing in order. “Isn’t that why we’re doing this stuff? To keep my anger from blowing up again?”
“Yeah but you can’t really do jumping jacks or run laps everywhere now can you?” Daring slipped her glasses back on, taking a seat next to him. “So, we need to give you something you can use anywhere.”
“I guess I could do jumping jacks anywhere, though I’d look a little silly,” he admitted, drinking greedily from his water bottle. “Okay, what’s the thing? Is it like a different kind of exercise?”
Going for an analogy, Daring pulled a piece of paper from her pocket. “Think of your anger as a piece of paper; something you aren’t satisfied with. What you do is, crumple that paper up, in your mind and count to five. On five, you just toss it away.” To finish the analogy, she casually tossed the piece of paper over her shoulder and had it land in a trash bin. “It sounds dumb, but I used something similar when I was younger.”
Sombra watched the paper fall into the can, thinking on what Daring had just said. “This is that visualization thing, right? I think Mom has talked about that before.” Looking up at her, he studied her face. “Did you have an anger problem too?”
Daring laughed, shaking her head. “Nah, kid, my thing was fear.” Closing her eyes, she thought back, hearing her father’s voice upon her ears.
Daring Do stood a step away from the edge of a deep gap, staring at it in hesitation. For summer break, her father had decided to take her exploring into some of Equestria’s more untamed corners. In front of her the path ended, most likely washed out by a recent storm. Her father stood on the other side, patiently waiting for her.
“Uh Dad, should we be here?” she asked nervously, taking in their surroundings. “I-I mean, the weather here acts all on its on, it’s just not natural.” Looking from the gap to him, she continued. “Why can’t I just fly over?”
Her father chuckled, shaking his head. “Your wings are an advantage, an advantage you might lose at some point. I want you to be able to take care of yourself, no matter what.”
“Isn’t that why you’re around?” Daring questioned, looking up at him with pleading eyes. “Parents are supposed to take care of their foals, right?”
Pausing a moment, Agito removed his mask and pulled back his hood. “Of course it is, but a parent can’t look after their foal forever. Someday you’ll be your own mare, someone who can stand her ground no matter what the world throws at her.” With a slight smile, he spoke. “Listen closely, okay?”
Daring nodded emphatically, leaning in close to be sure she took in his every word.
“I know you’re scared and that’s fine. Everyone gets scared. Now, let that fear do it’s thing. Let it course through you, but only ever give it five seconds. No more and no less.” Stepping back from his side of the gap, he nodded at her. “Count to five, D.D, and when you get to five, jump.”
Following his directions, she slowly started to count. With every number her anxieties seemed to quiet down little by little. When she finally reached five, she crouched down and jumped forward as far as she could manage. She felt the familiar pull of gravity over open air before her hooves once more connected to the ground. She beamed in excitement, looking up at her father.
“See?” Agito kneeled down, pulling her into a hug. “I told you you could do it.”
“You were right!” she agreed, eagerly returning the gesture. “It was scary at first, but as soon as I jumped it was fun!”
Standing back up, Agito put his hand on her head. “Good. I can’t have my little girl being miserable on our trip now can I? You ready to keep going?”
“Yeah, I’m ready, Dad,” Daring assured him. “Where are we going again?”
“Where the wind takes us.” Winking, he slipped his mask back on, taking point along the trail.
“Wow, so even you were a fraidy cat at one point,” Sombra noted, snapping Daring out of her reminiscing. “Dad was right, ponies really can change.” He burst into a series giggles when Daring ruffled his mane. “S-stop!!”
“Yeah, yeah, I used to be a scaredy filly, just remember to keep that to yourself, kid. Now, are you ready to have a go at the punching bag? That’s really good for venting aggression on.” Leading Sombra over to the boxing area, she found a pair of foal-sized boxing gloves and tossed them to him. “Put these on and I’ll help you lace them up. After that, I’ll teach you my famous right hook. You can even ask your dad about how effective it is.”
Once Sombra had his gloves on properly, Daring showed him the mechanics for a proper punch. He tried it out on the bag, slowly at first until Daring urged him to really go at it. A grin wormed its way onto his face, each impact he made on the bag soothing him.
General Shadow stood at the top of a cliff, looking out at the city of Griffonstone through a pair of binoculars. As expected, what he saw was buildings in ruins and griffons that couldn’t get along. Hardly something that one would deem worthy of joining the ranks of Dai-Shocker. But, the Great Leader had given his orders and Shadow would complete them to a “T”.
“Worms are free to be released,” Shadow said, turning back to a Combatman behind him. “Make sure they cause as much damage as possible.”
The Combatman saluted and gave a quick shout in affirmation. He darted down the trail, leaving Shadow alone. He returned his attention towards the city, waiting for any changes. After a few minutes, he got what he wanted. Buildings started collapsing and griffons shrieked in terror as they had no idea what was happening.
With a wave of his hand, he dimensionally stepped down into the crumbled city. “Fear not, citizens of Griffonstone, aid has arrived.” Weilding a customized blaster, he fired at a few rehearsed locations. Each shot found its mark, several bodies hitting the ground.
The destruction suddenly stopped, the panicking of the griffons following suit seconds later. A couple of the bolder members of the crowd approached the downed bodies, finding that they were all unicorns.
“Do not despair, the attack on your city has been repelled.” Shadow lowered his weapon, looking amongst the griffons. “I do hope none of you were injured.”
“Yeah, none of us seemed to be the target,” a young, buff hen with a fringe of white feathers capped with purple on her head noted. “So, what freakshow did you run away from?”
Shadow ignored her insult, gesturing towards one of the bodies. “As you can guess, these are no ordinary ponies. They belong to one of Equestria’s secret organization, trained to terrorize neighboring nations.”
The griffoness started to laugh, nearly falling over and clutching at her sides. “That’s rich, Bubble Boy. That dork Princess Celestia would never do something like that. Besides, why would they wanna attack this dump?” She waved at the ramshackle buildings that had been mostly rubble even before the attack.
“Just because you haven’t made use of this land, doesn’t mean others wouldn’t. Equestria plans to expand, taking as much as they can from their neighbors.” Shadow nudged one of the bodies with his foot. “This is just the beginning. What do you think will happen when they learn their first strike was defeated?”
The griffoness quirked a brow at Shadow and leveled a critical gaze at him. “Uh huh, that’s about as convincing as Grandpa Gruff’s old toupee.” She pointed at an elderly griffon in a hairpiece to emphasize her point. Despite this, most of the crowd started to murmur amongst themselves and move towards Shadow.
“I’m not letting some pony take what’s mine!” one of the more heavily built males shouted. “I dare them to try!”
“Yeah! I got my stuff fair and square!” a lanky griffoness agreed, flaring her wings out. “I’ll claw out the eyes of any pony that tries to steal it!”
The original griffoness clicked her beak, the crowd around her quickly riling into a full blown mob. “Great, something finally happens around here and it’s the worst thing ever.” Thrusting her hands into her pockets, she watched the creepy figure in white smirk ever so slightly as the crowd listened to him go on. “I should probably bail; nothing good is gonna go down here,” she muttered, heading for her home.
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Okay, General Shadow, not sure who he is? But creepy as all Hell, just in a few words. Also, Sombra? Lovable little scamp, I can sorta see him being the next Decade or maybe even Zi-O. Adorkable little kid, and I have to say Wyatt's learning how to be a father fairly fast. Maybe a bit too fast, but that's just me. Maybe some people pick it up better than others.
Oh pfffft. That's everybody's answer to insults. "Just ignore them. Just ignore them. Just ig-" HAS THAT EVER HELPED IN THE LONG RUN?!
Great Silver Spoon is a female dog. I hope she gets knocked down several pegs by the end of the story and gets some humility in as well.
ok, i dont have the biggest opinion of daring in canon, but here she just Cool. nice work!
Normal in Ponyville? Good joke
Actually, pretty much
Truly, a wonderful kid. God, I hate this little shit.
Wait, a year? That… that is a lot of time…
Agreed, there are expectations but, well…
You were not
Could we not go there?
EEEEEEEEE!
9092060
He is one of the more competed generals of the Showa era. Comes from Kamen Rider Stronger.
General Shadow
9092069
Somewhat, technically, but no. Sometimes you need to make them learn the hard way, but now wasn’t the best time.
9092657
Only in self-defense, otherwise you just create more problems for yourself in the long run since you would be the aggressor now.
9092748
True.
Oh great. Well, at least Gilda isn't that dumb.
A couple of issues with this chap.
1: Silver Spoon seemed WAY out of character here, given what's happened in the show. Though that may just be me.
2: "Just ignore them." .......Sorry, but no. That never works. Ever. I could go on a long rant on that bull*yay* answer to bullying......so I will.
Bullying is not something everyone can just ignore. It doesn't always make the bullies get bored of you, in fact, most of the time, it lets them know you are a pushover and that they can continue harassing and bullying you. Ignoring makes you a pushover. Violence only understands violence, and assholes only understand assholes.
Now, I don't expect Sombra to be at the mental age to come up with clever enough comebacks, but he shouldn't ignore this. No one should. This is something you go to the teacher and/or any other adult staff. (In real life, this never works in my experience, but Cheerilee is a fictional character and a nice teacher.) Yes, he shouldn't have hit her, but he shouldn't ignore her either.
If the bullying persists despite adult interference, you have to take matters into your own hands. I'm not saying "MURDER MURDER BLOOD GORE YAY!" You have to find some way to get back at the bully that matches their current level of bullying. (Ex: if they punch you, you most definitely have to punch them back.) Get dirt on them. Expose them. Make sure they have as little friends and influence as possible. Prove that you aren't somebody to be ****ed with.
In short (too late, I know): Ignoring is never the answer. EVER! This is a cliche kindergarten answer to bullying made up by people who have never been bullied and don't understand the effects it really has.
Rant over.
Overall, an enjoyable chapter. I look forward to the next one, as always.
9096907
I want to point out that Wyatt is 18, his advice isn't going to be all that great.
9097265
Still, if you're going to tackle a subject like bullying, you need to take it seriously. It's not as simple as "just ignore them" like any Pre-K picture books would tell you.
Plus, it wasn't presented like he didn't know how to give advice about that. Really, it seems like he's already been a father for years and that he was completely serious about it. (Due to the rushed pace of this fatherhood arc and Celestia just dumping Sombra on him and Twi. Btw, kudos for addressing that issue.)
If you're going to give a cliche answer as "IGNORE THEM" and actually take it seriously, sorry, but there's gonna be at least a little backlash. That's not how the real world works and while Equestria, while more friendlier than Earth, still has as many stupid and asshole people.)
This isn't meant to insult or offend anyone, this just needed to be said.
…..I think the author has the making of a parental figure
9096907
Honestly, I really agree with you here. I honestly hate leaving anything negative in the comments of story's do to my own personal insecurity surrounding conflict, but I need to speak up here, I was heavily bullied as a child, to the point I honestly feared for my life at one point I thought they would go that far. I was the quiet kid with the mental diagnosis that had to take his meds at lunch so everyone knew. I was an easy target, a four eyes, a freak who needed meds to function, and ignoring them NEVER ONCE WORKED. If anything it made it worse, it was a game to see how much abuse I would take before I snapped, and every time I did the ridicule got worse. They would only stop after I got violent, and even then it would just go from in my face to behind my back for a month, and to this day I'm scared of myself, of the violent me deep down that I know is still there under the surface, waiting for me to let it out. I bit part of a kids fucking ear off for God's sake, I'm a pacifist because I'm honestly terrified that I'd kill someone if I wasn't. Bullying effects people for life, and I know it's a hard subject to handle properly, and here, it wasn't. And I just can't not say anything. this story is great, I honestly love it, but as someone who went down some really dark paths as a kid that I'm lucky to have made it out of, I just can't leave it at "Just ignore them and they'll stop". Because I lived through it for 15 fucking years, and they won't just stop if you try and ignore them.