• Published 2nd Nov 2015
  • 6,205 Views, 139 Comments

Umbrum ad Infinitum - Pixel_Spark



When Tirek's brother Scorpan resurrects Sombra to use him against all of Equestria, Twilight and Co must not only retrieve Sombra from his clutches, but find a way to heal the damage that's been done to the former King. Can they save him in time?

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Strange Therapy

Sombra was informed the next train out to the construction site was leaving in three days, thus he did as much as he could to help the Umbrum in his absence. They had his mother to look after them, and Cadance and Shining as well, so he knew they'd be in good hooves.

Firefly begged him to send pictures, and write them lots of letters. Due to the building sites remote nature, Celestia taught Sombra the spell to send her a scroll, so she'd be there if he needed her help.

He also finally returned the oath band necklace to her, where she returned it to its place around her neck.

"You've done so much for me, Princess.." he told her honestly "you kept your promise and gave me peace and safety, as well as helping me find my home. You've more than kept your promise!"

The band gleamed, signalling a promise fulfilled.

Celestia was happy to hear this, happier still to see how much better Sombra was faring, after everything he'd been through.

"Even if the oath has been fulfilled, I'm always here Sombra."

He nodded, and she announced she had something to give him, from her and Luna.

It was a gorgeous blanket, stitched with the monikers of the sun and moon in gold, silver and many other colours.

"I look forward to seeing your new kingdom." the sun Princess smiled.

"Me too.." Sombra said with a genuinely happy smile.

It was really coming true, his prophecy....

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The evening before he was due to leave, as he sat in his room packing his case, there was a knock at his door. He opened it and seen a certain six ponies, Draconequus, Cadance and Shining.

"The gangs all here!" Discord cheered.

Bemused, Sombra stepped back to let the gaggle of ponies in.

"We thought we'd give ya some last minute thingies!" Applejack nodded to the various boxes Twilight Sparkle was levitating in after her.

"This reminds me of a, what's the term, "birthday"?" Sombra racked his brains for a memory of his childhood.

"Partyy!" Pinkie had somehow stuck streamers and banners up inside of a split second, much to Sombra's surprise.

"Catch!" Rainbow Dash threw a box to the Umbrum, who caught it just in time!

When he opened it, he seen a set of goggles. They'd been made with tinted lenses and silver edging. Umbrum symbols were carved around the edges. Sombra read it as his name and title.

"So you can see if it starts getting REALLY snowy!" Rainbow Dash said proudly "I asked your mom about how to spell Umbrum wordlets. They're confusing, but awesome!"

"They're perfect!" Sombra smiled, already slipping them on. They fitted perfectly, keeping his mane from his eyes.

"Ooh!" Pinkie Pie bounded up as he hung them around his neck "me next!"

She'd given him an unusual looking box, decorated to look like crystal, with a simplified outline of his crown etched into it. He opened it, and seen it was stocked with many different ingredients and papers.

"This way, you'll know how to bake cake while you’re out there. Cake's important!" Pinkie Pie said seriously. Sombra chuckled, returning the hug when she zoomed over to glomp him. He was getting more and more comfortable with physical contact, even returning it!

"I wouldn't want to be without cake!" he chuckled softly. This made for a very happy Pinkie!

"Just a little something, darling!" Rarity beamed as she gave him a box. Sombra opened it, seeing it was a plush scarf, designed in a similar style to the cloak Haydon had given him.

"It's perfect, you made it so intricate!" Sombra really was amazed at her work.

Applejack had made some hard-wearing boots out of a tough type of material, with Rarity's help.

"Yer gonna wanna keep yer hoofs cosy too if you’re working all day!" she added.

From Twilight Sparkle came some books on not only the local area his kingdom was being built on, but starter guides to political law! Sombra thanked her profusely, he needed as much information on ruling RIGHT this time around as he could GET!

Fluttershy gave him some animal call whistles she'd made, saying they'd be great with getting to know the local wildlife! Alongside was a heavy bound notebook and a quill pen made from a feather a hawk had kindly donated to her. She gave a happy "yay!" when Sombra thanked her!

Cadance and Shining Armor showed him a signed document, in which they offered to provide food and supplies for the fledgling kingdom for as long as it needed it!

Sombra couldn't thank them enough, having the Empire in support of him was more than he'd ever expected!

All he had to do was sign it himself, and the promise was sealed.

"Wow, your handwriting is swirly..." Shining Armor said, as he seen Sombra's elegant signature.

"There, now you just call in when you need a hoof, and we'll get right on it!" Cadance promised.

"This is-" he didn’t know how to say it, seeing their beaming grins in front of him.

"All of it, it's wonderful!" Sombra finished at last.

"One last thing! I got the idea from that little camera-toting cutie pie, Firefly!!" Discord snapped his fingers and a photo album fell from the air into his hands. He gave this to Sombra who opened it. And laughed.

The very first picture was of everypony in front of him now, plus Firefly, Excel and his mother, all pulling the doofiest faces imaginable. Discord was wearing the banana suit again!

Sombra flipped through the pages, laughing and smiling as he seen all the photos. Pictures of Canterlot, of the Crystal Empire, and even some from the town of Ponyville that must’ve come from the six's personal collections. There were photos from the parade as well. He'd had a wonderful time that day...

"So you won't forget us while your out there!" Discord poked Sombra's head with a grin.

"As if I'd ever forget!" Sombra smiled back at him "this is perfect!"

Sombra turned the final page, and seen it was filled with messages. Not just from his new friends, there were some from the royal guard too, as well as Flower Power and Thunder Fire!

"I asked around, and ponies that'd met you soon came forward!" Discord added. One was from Golden Glitter and Speed Freak, wishing him the best and to keep smiling!

Sombra smiled VERY happily, overwhelmed by so many gifts!

"That’s not all!" Twilight added "we've been inundated with offers for supplies and whatnot, so you'll have no shortage of deliveries in the comings months!"

They proceeded to have a celebratory mini party in Sombra's room, with a shed-load of cakes!

By the time he went to bed, Sombra was full of so much sugar, he thought it'd be a miracle if he slept at all!

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The next morning his mother, Umbra, came to see him. She'd had a saddlebag made specially for him. It was a deep red fabric, with golden edging. It was big, with lots of room in the bags to hold everything he'd need!

She also had one more thing to impart:

"The Princesses told me you seem quite fond of your secondary form," She smiled, looking at the pony in front of her, and nodding at the still-crystal wings "if you want, I can fix that for you, child."

Setting the final piece of his armor on his wings, Sombra blinked;

"Make them look like feathers you mean?" he asked. His curiosity was peaked, wondering HOW it would work?

His mother smiled, seeing how fast her son's mind was racing. He was an intelligent stallion, with a gift for dark magic as well as Umbrum magic!

Close your eyes." she smiled, touching her horn to his-

Sombra felt a brief stabbing pain and let out a startled yelp. But it peaked and rapidly faded, leaving him merely a little disorientated.

He opened his eyes, seeing her stepping back and smiling. He fanned his wings out, smiling as he seen they now resembled feathery ones in this form. There was a subtle shading of red on the outer edges of the bigger feathers.

"It's perfect.." he smiled and looked at his mother "About the crystal form-"

"I understand it's hard for you," she chuckled "you've lived as a normal pony for so long! Take your time my dear. No matter what form you take, you're our Infinitum."

Sombra felt a guilty twinge as he recalled his attempts to get rid of the wings back at the start. She caught his uneasy glance and put a hoof under his chin so he would look up at her.

"It's alright," she stressed as she set her hoof down "your friend Discord told me everything about what you went through. You were afraid of how they'd regard you bearing an Alicorn's gift. But you have done so much, even under the fear forced upon you."

"I can't hide anything from him, can I?" Sombra laughed "I swear he reads me as easily as a book! A silly book. With pictures. And curse words-"

Umbra chuckled "he certainly seems to know far more than he lets on. How did you come to meet him?"

"It was Miss Fluttershy. Discord has been her friend for some time, and she helped him see what friendship could do. She gave him a chance when everypony else wouldn't, when they couldn't see past the trouble he'd caused a long time ago."

"Sealed in stone." his mother mused, and Sombra nodded.

"He in stone, I in shadows and ice. He could understand far quicker how strange the world felt when I seen it again."

Umbra nodded, and seen her son's expression shift from sadness to amusement.

"He certainly had unorthodox methods. I was so tightly wound I wouldn't even trust anypony, couldn't stand the slightest physical contact. I hated for anypony to touch me. I was being violently ill from both my memories and my paranoia. The little Princess and her friends tried to convince me otherwise, but I wouldn’t, nay, COULDN'T trust it. To me, I could only only see one way out. When they no longer needed me, I would either be locked up or sentenced to death."

Umbra felt tears well up, again wishing she could've been there to help her wayward son.

"They insisted they weren't going to hurt me, and that was the point Discord tried to make. But I was set against putting faith in anything or ANYPONY again. But Discord, he didn't give me a choice," he laughed at the memory "and you know what? It worked. By taking the choice out of my control, I had no option but to face up to what was being shown to me. That's the reason being tackle-hugged by miss Pinkie Pie doesn't scare the hay outta me now."

He was hugged seconds later by his mother, who didn’t say a word, just clutched him tightly.

"When I thought that I'd never see you again, I felt heartbroken," she whispered "I prayed somepony would help you, save you from that fate. You deserve happiness my child, everypony does! But please believe in yourself. What you've done this time around is amazing. You saved us all, calmed our anger. I know you worry none of this is your own doing, that it is merely the prophecy granting you this knowledge." she let him go, wiping her eyes as she set her hooves either side of his face, her deep red eyes matching his in shade.

"The prophecy granted you the POWER of the Infinitum. What you learnt, what you DID, that was all your own work, child. A prophecy can only guide you. The choices you made, the power you created, the gifts you gave all of US? All your doing, my dear. So don't feel like you have nothing to be proud of. You will become the greatest ruler in our history, I believe it."

Sombra couldn’t find a word to say, so he settled for returning her hug from earlier. She smiled proudly. Despite the fierce façade, he had a kindness that couldn't be suppressed.

Sombra let her go, wiping one hoof over his eyes, but he was smiling.

"Now, let's send you on your journey my dear." She set the saddlebags atop his back, and he levitated the massive case packed with an assortment of things, including everypony's gifts from the night before.

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She accompanied him to say farewell to the Umbrum for the final time!

Firefly cried a bit, but Sombra promised he'd send letters and pictures.

"Good luck Infinitum, our hearts will be with you!" Excel said as she hugged him goodbye, along with many others!

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Umbra walked him to the train station, where a train was being loaded with supplies, along with a couple of cars for the passengers to ride comfortably in! Alongside Sombra there were many labourers, both Empire natives and others from across the land, and even a squad of guards that were being posted there!

They all stared in curiosity as the armored Umbrum pony joined them.

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Sombra's friends waved goodbye as the train pulled away, and Sombra watched them until they vanished into the distance, then settled himself atop the coach seat.

It was going to take a couple of hours to get there, so he figured he'd get some studying in! He pulled out Twilight's book on law, and began making idle notes, thinking over how he'd react to the case scenarios in the book!

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Some time later he finally lifted his head from his book, realising it felt like half his muscles had cramped up. He stood up on the seat, stretching his forelegs out ahead of him, hearing his back click as he straightened up. Next were the wings.

As promised, Primary Flight had given him a set of exercises and advice for if his wings hurt. He stretched the massive feathery appendages to full length, giving them a slow, leisurely flap.

Next was to check them in what was technically his true form. A quick tweak of his magic and the illusion was wiped away, returning him to his crystal version. The bright sunlight streaming in the trains windows as it rattled along glanced off the crystallized pony, sending colour sparkling over the walls of the train.

It was this that drew the cars other occupants, a pair of guards and some construction workers, to look over at him. Not all of the empire had seen Sombra's crystal form, especially not this close!

"Whoa, that is somethin' else" A stallion raised his eyebrows "I'd heard rumours it looked pretty slick, but this is like a living statue."

They watched in curiosity as Sombra seemed to be checking the wings to make sure they were working.

"Is he having some trouble with 'em?" a Crystal pegasi asked "those are physical therapy exercises."

"Beats me, they look OK. Although, I heard rumours he tied them down for a long time, and it caused some minor pains."

"Why'd he do that?" another pegasi asked "I couldn’t imagine not wanting to fly, it's instinctive for a pegasi!"

"He's not a pegasi," a unicorn stallion piped up "he started as a unicorn, before the whole prophecy thing kicked off. Of course he's not used to wings! As for why he tied them up, as far as I know the whole shebang with that gargoyle guy nearly drove him to self-destruction. Add in suddenly-Alicorn! And its no wonder he's having issues. It's a lot to take in, I don't think I'd be entirely sure of myself if I went through all THAT!"

"I seen him out flying in the evening once, barrelling along at a hundred miles an hour!" A guard spoke up, sitting on the seat and leaning over the back of it to join in "I'm not kidding, he's pretty speedy! Not sure why he was in such a hurry?"

"Exploding spell." A voice added.

"Ah, gotcha." the guard nodded, then did a double take as he recognised the voice. He turned round in time to see Sombra vanish through the connecting door to the food car.

"How'd he do that-?" the guard squeaked "he was just over there a second ago!"

"We were too busy gossiping?" a mare piped up, snickering "he was probably standing there the whole time. He looked pretty amused."

"Oops." the group all looked guilty, and tried to look nonchalant as Sombra returned from his foray with a bottle of water. Seeing them all studiously pretending to study the ceiling or floor, one even pretending to stroke an imaginary beard, he couldn’t suppress a laugh.

They blinked, caught off guard by the deep, hearty laugh, surprised at his reaction. They had hoped they'd fooled him, so he wouldn’t be angry. They hadn't expected him to LAUGH.

"I'm not sure what it is that you’re doing, but it looks most entertaining!" Sombra remarked as he made his way back to his seat.

"Told you he wouldn't buy it-" the first mare hissed to the guys. Sombra gave another laugh, and curled up atop the seating, tucking his tail around him.

"Forgive my intrusion earlier, I could not help but be curious what you were discussing. I crept up as I was heading for the other car, and couldn't help overhear your curiosity about the night-flight!"

They realised he'd been as curious about what THEY were doing as they'd been about HIM, and felt a mix of silly and amused. One stallion couldn't flatten a laugh, and it escaped. Soon it spread, and they were all laughing at how silly they'd looked. So they got up and crowded around where Sombra was sat. He'd raised the wings as he settled down, keeping them up, which let the sun catch them again.

"That's so gorgeous," one mare sighed dreamily "man I wish I had wings like that!"

"Are they bothering you?" another that Sombra had overheard discussing his wings asked curiously "those exercises.."

"A therapist named Primary Flight suggested them, since the wings were bandaged or tied down for a fair amount of time. Although the reason I do them NOW, is due to a case of wing-lock some days prior."

Everypony with wings in the group winced collectively. Those that hadn't suffered it had studied it, and knew it was terrifying.

"Were you flying when it happened?"

Sombra smiled sadly "It was a malfunctioning teleport. I'd attempted to aim for the tower but due to, let's just say panic, I overestimated and overshot the target by quite some distance! I appeared higher up, and nowhere near the tower. When I realised what had happened, I panicked and my magic short circuited, dropping me out of the sky." he shivered in remembrance of that short but terrifying plummet.

"Sweet Celestia..." one pony gulped.

"It was the intervention of two weather pegasi that saved me from becoming, how did she describe it? "Pavement pizza"?" Sombra thought back to the memory, "One managed to kick a cloud into the path of my plummet, a remarkably soft landing despite the speed I was going at!"

"Wow, that was lucky!" one of the crowd sighed in relief.

"I know!" Sombra agreed "it took a while before I could move them again, they ached for a few days after, every time I tried to fly. It is easier to control my flight now, compared to the start."

He smiled a second later "Undoubtedly, it will amuse you to hear that I managed to land on my face whilst out flying with Discord. He laughed his ass off, once it was revealed I wasn’t hurt."

Snickering rippled through the crowd as they imagined the mighty stallion doing a "face-plant" landing. Every pegasi had done this at least once, after all!

"It helped, albeit in a very peculiar way, that my first flight was in the fight against that crazed gargoyle. I had no choice but to learn to use them and FAST. I guess I got the basics in a very strange lesson..."

"The battle of Canterlot." somepony murmured, and looks of curiosity spread through the ranks of the ponies. Many had come to the Empire to join the workforce, and hadn’t heard the full story. One asked if they could hear the tale?

Sombra nodded, and the audience sat quietly, listening intently as Sombra described how Scorpan had force-fed him a massive amount of power to forcefully trigger the Infinitum form.

"Much like the initial surge that sent me round the bend all that time ago, it wasn’t meant to be triggered so strongly. My head felt like it was going to explode that whole time, until the control collar broke."

He shuddered slightly, some of the colour draining from his face as he flashed back to it "I was literally faced with Celestia and all the others entrapped in Scorpan's spells, with his orders to destroy them battering at my mind. It was a miracle I was able to gain any hoofhold in my own will at all, with the sheer force of that collar crushing my mind."

"Oh, that sounds so nastyyy.." One pony shuddered. Others nodded.

"Scorpan had long since lost his mind. I know how that feels, it isn't pretty. You become fixated on what you perceive can save you, even if its likely to bring nothing but doom."

At least half the crowd wanted to hug or console him right then, he looked so downcast. But he shook his head, dispelling the memories and carrying on with the tale, the darkness fading from his expression.

He described how he'd gone on to kick Scorpan's ass, although the battle had left him broken beyond repair, forcing him to retreat into stasis.

"Did you think you'd wake up?" somepony asked at the end, looking sad. Sombra shook his head.

"No, I did not. In all honesty, I had accepted that was the end. I'd done what was needed, that crazed gargoyle was sealed in crystal and would soon reside in Tartarus. I couldn't see there was reason for me to exist once the task Celestia had those ponies rescue me for was over."

He stared into space, recalling Shining Armor and Cadance "even more so since I'd had opportunity to speak with the Empire's guardians. That was the last thing I wished for, to speak with them. It had seemed unlikely it would ever come true, or that I'd have the guts to apologise to their faces. So when they showed up, I tried my best to keep enough magic in reserve to speak to them properly."

Those that'd heard the Princesses speech knew this; how he'd had a window to try and repair himself but instead chose to say his piece to the Prince and Princess, using the dregs of power he had left to create the key he'd given Shining Armor, relinquishing any chance of saving himself there and then!

"Uhm, your highness?" a nervous voice cut through the curious crowd, and they turned, seeing a staff pony trying to get Sombra's attention.

"There's no need for formalities. What can I help you with?" Sombra said, wondering what the message was.

"Uh, there's a note I was given by the Princess-"

"Which one?" somepony pondered.

"Princess Twilight!" the staff pony coughed, "she said to ensure I gave you this halfway through the journey." He gestured to a big box he was floating behind him. The crowd shuffled back so the box could be set in front of the pony.

"Hm?" Seeing the six ponies cutie marks doodled on the box, he opened it. The first thing it did was send liberal amounts of confetti flying around the train car.

"I’m going to guess miss Pinkie Pie packed this." Sombra said, dead-pan. Then sneezed.

"What’s in it?" a curious earth pony asked. Sombra brushed the last of the confetti away and peered inside. What he saw made him laugh.

"She packed cakes!" he laughed, lifting first one layer, then two, "surely she does not intend me to eat all this myself!"

Sure enough, there was a note between the layers, and Sombra chuckled as he read it:

"I didn't know how much cake you'd like, or what kind, you forgot to tell me! So I packed everything I've ever offered you! If you cant eat them all, I'm sure you'll find others that will help!"

Silence reigned as they all took in the cake-crate.

"Help yourselves!" Sombra said in amusement to the gawping crowd "she's right, I can't eat this lot alone, and there is a lot here."

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It was snowing heavily even this distance from the Empire, but Celestia had assured him it'd calm soon and spring would come!

In preparation, he wrapped his cloak and scarf tightly around him, and summoned the armor for presentations sake. This, combined with the fluffy white cloak made for quite a regal sight!

Last but not least came the boots and goggles, the latter of which he left resting atop his head for now, keeping his mane free from his eyes.

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The pony in charge of the construction looked up as a gaggle of voices approached. Ah good, the next batch of workers had arrived!

Leaving his current group to carry on digging the latest batch of foundations, he strode over to meet them. And stopped short in surprise.

Was that a big, armored pony- sweet Celestia, why was Sombra here?! It was far too early for the re-crowned royal to be inspecting the site! They had nothing prepared to show him..

--Why did he or Celestia not warn me?-- he blanched, trying to keep a cool head as the big pony spotted him.

Sombra seen the pony Shining Armor had described as being the foreman-in-charge, and walked over. Under the cloak, the foreman could see the impressive wingspan Sombra was fast becoming famous for, the wings shifting and settling close to their bearers sides.

As he got close enough, Sombra cleared his throat, "Good afternoon, Girder, isn’t it?" he double checked the note Shining Armor had given him.

Girder nodded, standing as straight as he could, it would be rude to slouch! "Aheh...Yes, your highness! I'm the head foreman. Welcome! I'm afraid I wasn't forewarned of your arrival..." he winced, that sounded dumb. But he was unsure what Sombra was thinking, with that near-professional poker face of his.

--Remind me never to play cards with this guy...--

Seeing the foreman’s baffled expression, Sombra realised the problem. He pulled a letter from the pocket of his cloak, floating it over to him.

Girder opened it, seeing it was from Shining Armor and Cadance. As he read it, his eyebrows raised and he looked up at Sombra once he was done.

"Let me get this straight, you want to join the workforce? Are you sure, your highness?"

"There is no need for formalities, and I'm very sure. There is little for me to do in the Empire right now. The Umbrum are happy, they have somepony to watch over them while I'm away. I would rather have something productive to do than sit around the palace all day."

"Well, if that’s your choice your majesty, I ain’t gonna argue!" The foreman gave him a glance over "we appreciate any help possible, and no offence intended, but you're built like a tank. We could use the extra muscle."

Sombra smiled in amusement "seems about time it be put to some other use than just a fight!"

Girder nodded "Well, be prepared to be worked to the bone. Royalty or not, this is a big job and I don’t go easy on anypony."

"That will not be a problem." Sombra stated. Girder gave an efficient bow, then motioned Sombra and all the others to follow him, and he'd set them up with somewhere to sleep. He again pointed out to Sombra this wasn't luxury, but Sombra dismissed it, saying he was fine.

Girder did make one concession in the end, when it came to sleeping arrangements. They were all sleeping in groups in a set of prefabbed buildings that'd been set up to house the workers. He found a screen amongst the stuff that'd been brought in from the trains, and this meant Sombra had some degree of privacy.

It seemed only polite for the royal pony, even if Sombra DID keep insisting there was no need for formalities.

"OK, all set. If you need anything, your highness-"

"There's no need for formalities, really." Sombra managed a small smile. He still needed time to adjust, at least that was what he kept telling himself.

"Sire?"

"I know there are those that're uncomfortable with addressing me as such, and it seems unnecessary to force that obligation on them." Sombra said lightly.

Girder cocked an eyebrow, sensing something was a bit off with Sombra's oddly relaxed attitude "Everypony knows the story, your highness. If not by direct occurrence, then by the papers and gossip. It would be rude of us not to use your rightful title, especially after the effort you put in to rightfully gain it this time."

Sombra felt himself flush at the reminder.

"I'd advise you get settled in and have some food, we start your shift early in the morning!" Girder made a mental note of the stallion's red face, wondering what was behind it? What was the pony hiding?

Sombra nodded, heading back inside to set the saddlebags and the case he'd brought with him behind the screen. With a small smile, he settled down atop the squishy mattress. He removed the armor physically this time, as the spell only allowed him to summon it from close distance, hence why he'd worn it on disembarking the train.

He began writing a letter, describing the day to Pinkie Pie and the others, and thanking the pink pony for the cakes!

"There.." he murmured, rolling the scroll up and using the spell he'd been taught to send it to Celestia. Satisfied, he sat up, seconds later hearing a bell ringing. That had to be the call for dinner.

He got up and trotted back outside, hoping he could do some good here!

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That night, he pulled out the blanket Celestia and Luna had made for him, wrapping himself in it as he drifted asleep.

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He was awoken by a loud clanging. He shot bolt upright, struggling to make sense of his surroundings. Then he recognised where he was, and hurriedly pulled on the boots Applejack had made for him, and trotted out from behind the screen set up around his sleeping space. Many pony’s did double takes on seeing him walk by. Without the cloak covering him, the wings were ever more obvious!

The first part of the morning was spent explaining what area they were working on, and what was to be done. Curious about how much work an Umbrum could DO, Girder sent Sombra over to the group that was pulling the iron beams that would form the skeleton of the houses, as well as the foundation!

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Most could only haul about half a cart on their own, but soon after loading it, Sombra realised it felt a bit light to him. So he stacked on MORE.

Girder stared in surprise as Sombra strode calmly by with an almost overflowing cart. He unloaded it quickly, easily grabbing the bundles with his magic and setting them where needed. Then he calmly returned for more. His muscles ached a little afterwards, but the exercise felt nice!

"Not too shabby." Girder nodded as Sombra completed the last run "but there's plenty left to do!"

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He led Sombra over to where some earth ponies were finishing digging holes for support beams, to form the skeletal outline of the house.

"Let's see if that magic of yours can get those beams into the holes." the foreman nodded at the beams Sombra had been towing for the last hour. Sombra looked at the beams, then studied the layout of the holes. An idea occurred, and the surrounding ponies seen his eyes light up. He turned to Girder, and they had a whispered conversation.

"Alright everypony, move back!" Girder shooed everypony away to a safe distance as Sombra walked to stand in the middle of the floor plan for the home. He unfolded his wings, their massive span getting a few raised eyebrows. He closed his eyes, his magic springing to life. The seven beams needed for the first set of holes floated free, surrounding him in a circle, ends pointed down.

"What’s he-?" one pony whispered, then she got her answer a second later:

With one powerful beat of his wings, the Umbrum Alicorn flew up into the sky. The beams followed, and he aligned them with where they were due to go. He raised them higher, then abruptly slammed them downwards.

With a series of earth shaking thuds, they slammed into the holes down below, even embedding themselves a fraction deeper through sheer force of delivery. He landed on the ground, looking a bit flushed, lifting that much hadn't been easy.

But it worked, the beams were firmly in place! All that was needed NOW was to fill the holes in with cement.

"Impressive," Girder acknowledged. He hadn’t thought it would work. But Sombra was clearly stronger then he'd guessed, both in physical strength and his magic.

"Should I do the rest?" Sombra gestured to the second half. Everypony in the crowd nodded silently!

So he went through a second round, delivering the beams into the pre-set foundation slots. By the time he was done, ponies from other teams were gathering around, drawn by the display.

Girder noticed he looked a little out of breath after the second time.

"Give it a rest for a few, your majesty" he remarked "you've effectively finished the entire task in a fraction of the time, you can take a break!"

Sombra nodded, wheezing something about formalities, then ambling off to get a drink.

"Never seen anything like it!" Girder remarked to one of the junior foremen "I knew he was powerful, but I didn't think he could string together a spell like that!"

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The days that followed were hard, heavy work, but Sombra didn’t complain. It felt good to be doing something worthwhile with his new abilities. He'd repeated the trick with the support beams several times, cutting the work time into fractions! His muscles cramped and ached as he collapsed onto his bed after the end of the third day, but he felt happy!

Girder was surprised but quite impressed by how much Sombra could do. The pony really threw his strength into the tasks he was given, determined to put his size and strength to good use!

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He was a LITTLE concerned Sombra was overdoing it, as he seen him wince a few times over the course of one of the days!

Not long after setting down behind his screened off little sleeping area after his shift, Sombra heard someone calling his name! He got up and trotted round the screen.

"Girder wants to speak with you!" The messenger told him, and Sombra thanked him before going in search of the foreman.

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"Got a surprise for you, your highness!" Girder brought him to one of the warehouses, nudging open the door. Inside was a big metal tub, filled with steaming hot water.

"You've been pulling more than double yer weight these last few days your highness. No way is that easy on your body. These tubs are usually used to mix chemicals, but I had this one cleaned up and disinfected. Hot bath'll do wonders for muscle pains!"

Sombra stared, surprised by the gift.

"So take your time, here's the key for the warehouse so you can have some privacy, just drop it off with any of my subordinates once your done!"

Sombra couldn’t help but smile "Thank you.." He said sincerely.

"No problem your highness!" Girder nodded and left Sombra to relax.

The hot water was total bliss, as Sombra had been getting used to slightly cold showers so far. He uttered a deep sigh as the heat of the water sank into his bones. He was reminded of that spa hidden inside Canterlot Castle that Celestia had shown him!

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Two days later, girder caught him as he was leaving the dining hall after breakfast. It was snowing, so Sombra had put on his cloak for extra warmth!

"Scout groups found a cave out on the outskirts. Far as we can tell it's empty, but there's a lot of heavy rocks that need removing so we can use it as a storage area. Reckon you're up for more haulage work your highness?"

Something in Sombra went a little cold at hearing the word "cave", but he dismissed it rapidly, nodding. Then he set off with the directions in hoof.

Girder frowned, just for a second he thought he'd seen the pony look worried, but it'd vanished in a second. Maybe he was imagining things?

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As he was turning back to his clipboard, another group came up to him.

"What’s the beef?" Girder asked casually.

"Uh..well, we have a few questions about his highness..."

"If this is about gossip over the reason he's here, I'll be blunt. He didn't want to sit on his ass in the Empire, prefers to have something to do, which I can respect. If you have a problem with him, say it or stow it, clear?"

The group nodded, then another piped up "Well, there’s a slight problem...a-about Sombra that is..."

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Sombra ran it over and over in his head. It was just a cave. Just. A. Cave. He pushed aside the fear of his nightmares and forced himself onwards. All too soon the cave loomed out of the early morning snowstorm, and he felt a chill settle in his gut. He slowed to a halt outside the cave, heart racing. The dark mouth of it filled his vision, seeming to stretch forever.

He had to force himself to keep going, walking into the dark maw. He lit his horn so he could find his way and followed the painted arrows on the walls towards where he could hear voices. At last he emerged into a big open space, which had about a dozen ponies milling around.

"Ah, I take it Girder sent you?" Sombra blinked as one of them approached. Ignoring the feeling of the walls pressing in, he nodded wordlessly.

"You alright? You're white as a sheet! You're not claustrophobic are you?"

"N-no! No, it's fine." Sombra told himself not to be a fool, and squashed the fear down once more. This was ridiculous.

The pony cast him a dubious look for a moment, but at last nodded and beckoned Sombra to follow him.

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He showed Sombra the rubble they needed moved, and suggested he borrow one of the carts from the main building area. With his capabilities, they'd have it cleared in no time. Sombra nodded, he could relax once he got started on the work, he was sure-

There was a loud clang somewhere behind him. Sombra jumped, any remaining color draining from his face as flashbacks of chains clanking assaulted his mind. He seen it was just a pony dropping a pickaxe back onto a pile of them, and
forced his racing heart to slow down.

"Look, if something's the matter?" the pony he was shadowing was genuinely concerned.

"I...I just need some fresh air. I'll go fetch that cart. Its nothing to worry about, I'm fine." Sombra fumbled for the words, before heading for the way out. But inside, he felt like he'd been transported back to those early days.

Phantom itching began around his legs and neck, where the chains and manacles had rested. His stomach heaved and he picked up the pace, grateful nopony was working in the tunnel, or they'd have seen a distinctly queasy Alicorn go haring by, looking freaked out.

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Sombra bolted outside into the snow, casting about- there! He spotted some hardy looking shrubs and dove behind them just in time, as the force of the traumatic memories had him emptying his stomach. He coughed heavily, vision blurred.

A mix of sickness and shame battled deep within. He should be over this by now, shouldn’t he? Why did a simple cave make him feel like this? It hadn't been the cave itself that'd been so scary, but the brute holding him hostage!

Why didn’t his brain believe him?

His wings shook and trembled as he stood there, hunched over, waiting to see if the nausea was gone. A few shaky seconds more and he was able to take a deep breath. Lucky for him, there was a small creek running near the cave. He stumbled as he walked over to it. Even though the water was semi-frozen by the cold, he was able to break the ice with his hoof and take a good long drink. He felt a little better, a bit calmer...

"Sir?" he jumped, spinning round to see one of the workponys from the cave, wearing a jumpsuit and hard hat hovering a short distance behind him.

"Boss sent me to see if you were OK? He thought you looked a bit ill."

He took a look at the royal pony. Sombra's ears were drooping, he looked pale, and he was shivering from something more then cold. These looked more like convulsions from panic.

"If you're claustrophobic, the boss says he can get Girder to transfer you elsewhere. I got a cousin with that issue, it's rough on him-"

"Its not...not the tight spaces." Sombra shook his head, wondering why he was spilling this to a total stranger. But right now, containing it felt like more than he could handle.

"I..." he closed his eyes "you no doubt know the story of how I came to be back here again?"

"Yeah, I read the papers. That gargoyle guy woke you up because he needed dark magic."

"The cave he kept me chained up in, that one in there felt just like it. I thought the nightmares had stopped, but in reality I fear I've just been too busy to dream of them."

"Oh man, I'm sorry." the pony looked sympathetically at the scared royal. He could see Sombra was rubbing one hoof at his neck, leaving a red mark-

"It's gone.." he said kindly, walking over and pulling the pony’s hoof away from his neck "Nopony's gonna force you through that again, no way, no how."

Sombra nodded, setting his hoof down. The snow clung to his mane, even as it seemed to never cease movement. His wings shivered and pressed to his sides as he stood there, staring at the water, at his pale reflection.

He was about to say he was OK, the pony could get back to work again, when they both heard distant screams. Sombra tensed up, wings raising in preparation of trouble. He and the work pony shared glances, then they both raced back towards the mouth of the cave-

In time to see the work ponies spilling out, eyes wide with panic.

"What's happening?" Sombra asked, then he seen what was standing in the cave entrance. It was a HUGE timber wolf. This thing was easily twice the size of an average one. He could only guess at how it'd gotten that way. It let out a furious roar, eyes fixed on the ponies that'd stumbled upon its hoarding place. It'd been keeping food and anything it found out in the area safe in there...

Seeing it ready to lunge for the workers, Sombra fired a bolt of magic at it. It stopped, looking for the culprit, but they were obscured by the increasing snow.

"Sir?" the pony looked up at Sombra.

"I'll take care of it." Sombra promised. He shut his eyes, summoning his armor as he'd done before. The pony stared in shock as the silver armor shimmered into being, fitting Sombra like a glove! Then Sombra switched into his crystal form, the wings snapping out with a whip crack!

"Get yourself and the others to safety!" He told the helper pony, who nodded and slipped away, wishing Sombra luck, he'd need it!

Sombra ran forward, and yelled at the timberwolf:

"Over here you brainless brute!" he hollared. The thing whipped round, eyes narrowing as it seen this pony. It roared, lunging for him. Sombra flew up out of its reach, firing at it once more. In this manner he was able to lead it away into the storm, so it couldn't harm the other ponies.

"Is he crazy?" somepony yelled.

"Even if he is, he's the best chance we have of beating that thing! You've heard what his magic's like!" another blurted.

The pony who'd been speaking with Sombra before the attack was concerned the stallion would get lost out there. Then he had an idea-

"We need to get back to town, I think there’s some flares there! If we send out a few, he should be able to find his way back!"

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Sombra had to put his wings to good use, ducking and weaving out of the timberwolf's grasp as it reared up and swiped at him. But while his attacks WERE damaging the thing, blasting chunks out of its limbs and making it hard for the monster to move, it wasn’t enough.

He had to try something else. What if it was destroyed from the INSIDE? He seen the glow of fire within its gaping jaws as it roared at him, the sound snatched away by the storm.

Losing the wolf temporarily in the snow, Sombra closed his eyes, creating a big ball of magic. He compacted it as much as he could, like that spell those lunatic cult ponies had tried to blow up a street with!

There, it was done! But it wouldn't stay compressed for long, he'd have one shot at best-

He collapsed to the snow, feigning exhaustion and defeat as it came pounding over. Hiding the ball in his hoofs. He held this position on the ground as it sniffed him, eyes fixed on its serrated teeth, the sharp jaw...

Then, as it opened its mouth to no doubt rip him limb from limb, he pushed his body up and fired the ball of magic straight into its throat. It stumbled back choking, and the claw it'd raised continued on it its momentum as, in its last moments, it swiped the pony aside.

The blow caught Sombra by surprise, flinging him away. He felt his body hit a solid expanse of rock, which drove the air from his lungs, and he collapsed at the base of the stone.

An explosion shook the earth, and he seen bits of timberwolf bounce close to where he lay. He sighed in relief, then got to his hooves. It was gone.

He took a few shaky steps forward, before realising he didn't know where he was. He'd run far during the battle. His stomach sank, and panic clawed at common sense. He tried to fly, only to experience a jagged pain in his right wing. He looked down at it, seeing there was a massive crack, a VERY deep one, cutting across it.

The armor was dented badly, cracked in one place. It hurt to lift it, so he let it trail in the snow as he began to hesitantly trek back in the direction he THOUGHT he'd come.

On the verge of getting truly panicked, he seen a blazing red light fly up into the sky, just visible in the storm. He started to head for it, hope keeping him moving.

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More flares lit the sky at intervals. He tried to fire a bolt of magic himself, but pain and cold were making it impossible right now. So he just kept moving...

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"Nothing! Where is he?" Girder was getting worried. If he- was he referred to as a Prince or King by his race? He couldn’t recall, but he was sure the Umbrum favoured a King from their legends. He hadn't gotten round to asking Sombra. Calling him "your highness" seemed to do just fine so far..

Back to the original thought, if the pony was lost, he'd face a very angry set of Umbrum's!

"There!" Another stallion was peering into the snowstorm from the edge of the construction radius. Sure enough, a faint shape was staggering towards them, but it didn’t resemble a pony. It looked odd, hunched over, something dragging to one side.

A couple of ponies, panicking on instinct, grabbed hammers and stepped forward, but then the snow cleared enough for them to see-

It was Sombra. The crystal Umbrum was hard to spot in the blizzard, the armor covered in snow. He stared at the hammer wielding ponies all staring at him in turn, and just collapsed to the ground. His ears were ringing...

Somepony was shouting something, and trying to get him to his feet. He gasped in pain as the broken wing was moved, and the pain briefly gave him clarity to listen to the pony trying to help him.

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He limped inside the building he was led to, the canteen, managing to slither onto a seat at the nearest table. He rested his forehoofs on the table, letting his head rest between them, closing his eyes. It was warm...

"Hay!" A hoof hit the table in front of him, startling him awake.

"Focus, your highness!" It was Girder, trying to keep him awake "we can't let you go sleeping in case your concussed. You've got a cut on your head there. The Doctor will be here in just a moment."

He gave the stallion a sympathetic glance "what happened out there?"

"It..." Sombra struggled to focus on him, his vision going in and out of focus "it didn’t like being disturbed. It tried to claw me to pieces. In the end...I shoved a magically compressed spell down its throat and blew it up."

"Wow..." Somepony said at the back "that's one way of dealing with it!"

"Well good riddance to it, that damn thing nearly clobbered a dozen workers!" Girder nodded. Seeing Sombra about to doze off, he thudded a hoof down on the table again, seeing Sombra jolt awake once more. He truly felt bad for putting his highness through this, but a concussion could be a dangerous thing.

The door was flung open and the on-site Doctor barged in, wiping snow off his glasses.

"What's- oh my!" he stared at Sombra "the Umbrum King? Okay..."

He ventured over, looking apologetic as he realised his patient was in a bad way "I hate to say this, but I have no clue how to deal with a literal crystal pony, your highness."

Sombra managed to sit himself up enough to focus on the doctor "to be fair," he croaked "that's still being catalogued..."

He had a brief spark of an idea "If...I can reinstate the illusion form...it might..take the form of an injury you can treat."

"That'd be a capital idea, but wont that hurt?" he trailed off as Sombra shut his eyes, struggling to dredge up enough magic. With the cold no longer an issue, and just his pain, Sombra was able to piece together the necessary spell to regain what he called the "illusion" form, aka the one that made him appear as a normal pony. There was a static charge through the room, then a swift flash of magic.

Sombra collapsed to the table once more, the pain rearing up again. But he'd done it. He now resembled the normal form, with feathery soft wings. The next step was to remove the armor, which felt like the most painful, protracted experience Sombra had ever had. Girder and the Doctor helped as much as they could, but it took a few minutes to remove the armor plates.

"Okay..." The Doctor quickly got to checking the more familiar "traditional" wing in front of him. It soon became apparent that a massive gash in the crystal translated to a badly broken bone.

Sombra drifted in and out of consciousness as the Doctor braced and bandaged his wing, then cleaned up the other cuts Sombra had sustained. He was able to determine Sombra wasn’t badly concussed, as he was able to answer the Doctor's questions clearly, his memory wasn’t jumbled up.

He seemed shaken up and exhausted beyond measure, so the Doctor escorted him to the sleeping quarters, steering the wobbly stallion to his private screened-off bed, and made sure he had water and pain relief pills. At long last, an incredibly sleepy Sombra finally dozed off.

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The Doctor walked back to the gathered crowd in the canteen.

"His highness alright?" Girder asked. The Doctor nodded.

"He'll be fine, I've never treated him before, but I get the impression he's quite resilient. one word of advice though, I wouldn’t let him do any heavy work until that bone has healed past a certain point. Especially not flight, that wing will be unusable until its fully repaired."

Girder nodded "under the circumstances, that won't be an issue. We'd be dealing with a lot more loss if he hadn't intervened."

"I just wonder why he didn't mention he was claustrophobic.." the pony that'd been worried about Sombra's rapid evac from the cave earlier spoke up. The Doctor opened his mouth to query it further, when another pony interrupted;

"It isn't claustrophobia." he said softly. Everypony looked over at him, so he cleared his throat, feeling he needed to tell them the truth.

"He said the cave reminded him of the one that crazy gargoyle kept him chained up in. That's why he booked it outta there, it brought back some bad memories. By the time I reached him, I think he'd been pretty ill already, he didn't look so good." he described Sombra's state of shock, and the doctor nodded.

"PTSD, somehow I'm not surprised. If half the rumours about what he went through are true its a marvel he's still functioning. It's only natural for similar situations to trigger his emotions. I'd advise against letting him go anywhere near a cave FULL STOP." he spoke this to Girder, who sighed.

"I shoulda seen it, I thought he looked a bit freaked out when I said it to him, but he seemed to dismiss it so fast it didn't register with me. I'm guessing he didn’t want to cause a fuss."

"It can be hard to deal with when it rears its head," The doctor nodded "some days can be alright, some nights will be peaceful, but it can just as abruptly show itself again. Depending on what he went through, it could be a long time before he'll feel safe in a cave. I'd recommend letting him rest for a few days, and go easy on him with the workload. I've noticed he's particularly popular with the heavy lifting."

"He's good at what he does doc," Girder agreed "but don't worry, I'll find something less physical for him to do."

The ponies dispersed, discussing Sombra's history since being revived. They only knew what the official reports had said, not how the pony himself was coping.

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Sombra woke up sluggishly as he heard a faint clanging. Wait, wasn't he supposed to be at work?

He sat up, and felt several sprained muscles complain, and his right wing-

It all came rushing back and he winced as he recalled fighting the giant timberwolf. And getting smacked around by it. He looked down at his wing, seeing it'd been supported and bandaged nicely, and there was a note detailing how and when to take the painkillers, and not to FLY.

"No chance of that." Sombra sighed as he got up. By the time he'd taken the medicine, everypony else had already long since cleared out of the sleeping quarters. He put his cloak on, noting it hadn’t sustained too much damage, just a tear here and there. He'd ask Rarity when he seen her next.

With the warm cloak wrapped around him and his boots back on, he ambled slowly outside and spotted Girder just ahead of him.

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Girder turned as his name was called, and did a double take.

"Your highness! You should be resting!" he could see Sombra still looked pale.

"But I'm able to walk, and the pain isn’t that bad. I-"

"I know you don't want to be sitting on your ass, you said as such when we met. But after yesterday, the Doctor has stated he will flay me alive if I have you hauling anything heavy!"

Sombra sighed worriedly "so much for doing something useful."

"It wasn't your fault what happened, your majesty. Heck, I owe you a great deal for saving the guys in that cave. I understand you're trying to make up for lost time, but please don’t run yourself into the dirt. I don't want a whole empire of upset Umbrum's on my tail. You're doing far better than you think."

Sombra looked stunned, caught off guard by how easily this pony, like Discord, had seen through him.

"Am I that easy to read?" he pondered.

"Yes and no," Girder chuckled kindly "You have a poker face a Las Pegasus pro would be envious of, most the time. But I've been working with all different types of ponies in this job. I've seen 'em all, learnt to read 'em all. You've got the air of somepony that’s trying to avoid the spotlight and put his nose to the grindstone. I can respect that, it's not far off my own way of working. Just get things done."

A nod from Sombra as Girder motioned him to follow, so they could continue talking.

"But you gotta think about how they seen all this shenanigans. They seen what used to be a former foe of the Empire pop up out of the blue under Celestia's care, turn into a crystal Alicorn and kick a gargoyle up the wazoo to save Canterlot. It was a lot to take in. Then finding out you were the prophecised guardian for an entire long lost race, it's quite a life you've led in a few short months! True, nopony knew what to make of you at the start, how you'd act, it was a little uncertain for awhile."

"I feel like I'm still catching up." Sombra sighed.

"Again, understandable. I heard about the coronation at the stadium, how you tried to duck the issue for awhile."

Sombra gave an embarrassed cough "I was afraid of a storm of ire and fury when the outside world discovered it. But it made the Umbrum so happy, I had to do what was going to make THEM happy, even if I wasn't ready for it yet."

"That why you keep telling everypony to drop the formalities, huh? Listen, I've had a couple of the guys approach me, saying they're a little concerned."

Sombra's stomach dropped, this couldn’t be good...

But, much the same as the case with the palace guard telling him him he wasn’t under arrest, he'd misread the situation.

"They said they don't know how to properly address you, your highness. Firstly, they're not sure what the official title IS, the newspapers mention the Umbrum traditions are a little different. Secondly, the times they HAVE addressed you as such, you insist there's no need for them to call you that. They raised concerns it seems to pain you to hear that phrase."

Sombra reddened slightly "It was perhaps my misunderstanding that it would be easier for them if they didn't have to feel obligated. I know this whole business has been harder then most for the Empire ponies especially-"

"Actually sire, they're the ones raising it for the most part."

Sombra blinked, caught off guard yet again.

"I'm serious. I'll level with you, your majesty. Seems to me like you’re more afraid of them than they are of YOU. I understand you're anxious not to put a hoof wrong with them, but I'll repeat my earlier statement "you're doing better then you think". They asked out of concern of being interpreted as DISRESPECTFUL. Do you understand what I'm getting at?"

Sombra didn't know what to say, so he nodded, still slightly flushed.

"Now, what do the Umbrum's call you? The papers referred to you as the King, is that the official term?"

"According to tradition, yes." Sombra had asked his mother about it "I did ask the Memory Keeper if perhaps we should adhere to modern traditions and get it more in line with the terminology used now. But..."

He recalled the talk with his mother, who'd understood his concerns but asked a favour of him.

"-She said she understood my misgivings, but that the Umbrum's have carried this tradition since the dawn of our kind. They've always had a Queen or King, and given how long they've been locked away, the worlds changes are overwhelming. They need something familiar to hold onto. So she asked I keep it as tradition dictates, and keep the title intact."

"Ah, I see," Girder studied Sombra's thoughtful expression was they walked. He seen how steeped in thought Sombra was now, dark red eyes full of a small amount of unease, brow furrowed. It was getting harder and harder to pair THIS Sombra with the one from the Empire's history books. He was calm, well mannered, and far more intelligent than Girder had ever thought. It was funny to think he was an entirely different species, he looked like a normal pony, bar a slightly sturdier build and the more colorful unicorn horn.

"Well, I will inform them of that, it'll answer their question. Now the other matter, about them referring to you as "your highness" or "Your majesty". It seems you don't always respond when addressed, like you're spacing out, or it's awkward for you."

Sombra sighed, going even redder, plainly embarrassed by how he'd been caught out "I thought informality would be better. It seems I either go too far or not far enough!"

"It's understandable, and these concentrated efforts of yours seem to have played a part in charming them to you this time around. But you need to ease up on yourself. You don't need to keep trying to prove it to them. They understand, your highness."

"I see. I think I understand better now."

"So please don’t feel awkward acknowledging your sovereignty. They mean it as a sign of respect, that's why they came to me, they were hoping I'd put forward the idea to you to make it easier."

Sombra couldn't help a small smile at the stallions persuasive manner. He nodded, accepting the point.

"If it makes it easier for them, then it is no problem."

"Thank you, sire." Girder nodded, relieved Sombra had accepted what he'd proposed.

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"Here we are!" He indicated where he'd been leading Sombra. A short distance away were the ponies Sombra had helped by distracting the timberwolf. Along with a second team all wearing hard hats in red.

"The cave team," Girder explained "since the attack, we've been much more careful, sending in the guards along with the best trained unicorns."

"An excellent idea," Sombra agreed "Has there been any-?"

"No sire, we think this one was alone. There's no other signs, and we've made remarkable progress with the Attack and Recon Search Effort teams.

Sombra blinked, as he processed this acronym. "ARSE?" he queried after a few seconds pause, trying not to snicker.

Girder rolled his eyes, "ARSE, your majesty. Childish, I know. I didn’t come up with it. I think somepony is yanking my chain." Sombra laughed, it WAS amusing. Something he imagined Discord approving of. He made a mental note to write the Draconequus a letter later that night.

One of the group spotted Sombra talking to Girder, and nudged his friend. From there it spread like wildfire, and soon they were all gazing curiously over at the royal pony.

"Well, we've been spotted." Girder looked up at Sombra "can you spare a moment more, your highness?"

Sombra nodded, gesturing to the bandaged wing under his cloak "of course, there's not much I can do until this heals sufficiently, so I'd be glad of something to do."

"Excellent, sire. Follow me!" Girder smiled and headed over to the group.

They all turned to face the King as he approached. Catching Girder's subtle nod, they addressed him in unison;

"Greetings, your highness!"

Sombra felt the familiar jolt of nerves, but recalled Girder's explanation just a few minutes ago. So he quashed the urge to insist they not use formalities, instead switching tack to greet them politely and gratefully.

Those that'd spoke to Girder, working as part of the ARSE team, were surprised to not get told off for using the formal greeting. A glance at Girder's calm smile made them realise he'd obviously aired their concerns with the stallion, and he'd accepted their request. A unanimous sigh of relief rippled through them, and many relaxed now that load was off their back.

"Is everypony alright after the attack?" Sombra asked. The pony at the front of the group nodded. Sombra recognised him as the one who'd come after him when he'd bolted in terror from the cave.

"Everypony evacuated unharmed, your highness, thanks to your help! We'd have been full of more holes then fine cheese if you hadn't fought that thing! It was outta control, I've never seen a timberwolf act that way!"

More nods accompanied this statement.

"I did wonder about that." Sombra thought back to the fight "it did seem far more powerful then any I've read about. Miss Applejack detailed an incident of those things attacking her and her friends. They're usually pack animals, aggressive but not like THAT!"

Somepony gave a low whistle.

"Indeed," Sombra surmised "quite an odd occurrence. I sensed fragments of magic inside it, but degraded. My guess is it came across either a failing magical ward, or mayhap ingested an amulet by accident?"

"Sounds legit." One of the unicorns nodded "that thing had strength up the wazoo!"

"How is your wing?" another pony asked Sombra "I heard it was broken?"

Sombra nodded, raising his cloak via magic to show the bandaged appendage "sadly yes, it will be a while before I can fly. But it's nothing to be concerned about, once my magic is fully replenished and the Doctor says it is safe, I can work."

He dropped the cloak back down "The last few weeks have been full of explosions, chaos and fighting. I'm used to it by now."

Many assumed he spoke of the battle of Canterlot. That had been an EPIC big fight, with the Umbrum Alicorn going up against a magic infused gargoyle!

"Alright you lazy lot. Lets not take up any more of his majesty's time-"

"But I have precious little to do with it since the Doctor doesn't want me working!" Sombra objected. "Is there not SOME task I can do?" he honestly looked a little bummed out.

"And I have a duty to return you in one piece to your Umbrum's, they will not be pleased if their King winds up in hospital because of my carelessness!" Girder retorted.

"As you wish." Sombra chuckled, seeing what he'd done. By slipping the fact of his being referred to as "King" so easily into the conversation, it'd let the curious ponies get their answer without any awkwardness.

"Very well," Sombra gave a nod "I'll return to the sleeping area. This will be a good time to study the books Princess Twilight gave me."

The other ponies bowed and said goodbye, with Girder shooting him a grateful nod for honouring his request.

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As he'd promised himself, he wrote the letter to Discord and sent it via the spell. Then, feeling surprisingly tired, dozed off.

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He dozed on and off throughout the day, hearing the occasional pony enter the sleeping quarters and leave again shortly after.

When he heard the bell ringing for dinner, he was surprised to see the Doctor walk in the door to the sleeping quarters.

"Ah, your majesty! I was just coming to check on you. How are you feeling?"

"Better," Sombra smiled weakly "aside from aching all over."

The Doctor checked his injuries, satisfied the bandages were supporting his wing properly.

"I meant to say it yesterday, but I’d advise not changing forms if you can help it."

"Best to let it heal, I understand. Even I do not fully understand this Infinitum body. A lot has changed, its not just a pair of wings that's new."

"It's an impressive race, your Umbrum's," the Doctor said admiringly "made of what I can only IMAGINE is a super tough crystal! As their leader, your composition must be something exceptional. Not to mention a MALE Alicorn, nopony's ever seen one before!" he shook his head, eyes bright as he talked "I know it must seem impertinent of me, your highness, but-"

"Let me guess; You'd like to study me, perchance?" Sombra sounded amused.

The doctor flushed.

"It's alright," Sombra said kindly, and when the Doctor looked up at him, the stallion directed an honest smile towards him "I don't bite, not any more."

The doctor coughed and nodded, looking embarrassed as Sombra spoke again;

"As I have learned from Princess Twilight, studying is vital. There is a lot I don't know about my own species. A great deal of it was- IS still buried deep inside. I have been so far been unable to regain everything after the events of the revival and capture."

"I won't ask you to relive any of that, your highness!" The Doctor said hurriedly, looking aghast at the thought "nopony deserved what you endured!"

"I'm slowly coming to terms with it..." Sombra stared into the distance, "truth be told I hadn't had time to think about it until the cave incident."

The Doctor frowned as he noticed Sombra agitatedly rubbing a hoof along his neck, in a motion that to him outlined where a collar would be.

--I heard it was brutal, that he was treated like an animal. It's all very well his saying it taught him a valuable lesson, it still did considerable damage by the looks of it.--

Seeing Sombra was still rubbing at his neck, he snagged the pony's hoof with one of his own and firmly lowered it.

"You've nothing to be afraid of here. Nopony blames you for feeling uncomfortable about the cave. Don't force yourself to get over it, just take it a step at a time. I'm sure in time..."

Sombra nodded, feeling himself flush at how easily he'd let the memory bother him.

"Pardon me for being so intrusive your majesty, but, have you had any sort of counselling at ALL? Since this all began?"

"Yes, and no.." Sombra chuckled wryly "I've had six colorful ponies slowly getting closer day by day, and a Draconequus that just barges past every defence I put up, and tells me I need to stop hiding!"

"And have you spoken of the nightmares or panic attacks to these friends?"

"Well, " Sombra frowned "in a manner of speaking. Discord knows more of it than most, were it not for his interference I probably wouldn't even be able to stand anypony touching me. He may not be qualified, but I'd be far more fractured if he hadn't barged into my protective bubble and popped it!"

He gave a short but happy laugh, as he thought back to the pranks and silly arguments, and all the other time's he'd gained pleasant memories from Discord and the other ponies.

"Even when I was at my worst, when I tried to destroy my own wings, they refused to give up."

"You tried to- my goodness!" the Doctor paled "Your highness...why?!"

"I was pretty shocked to be alive once more after I fell into the crystal stasis. I thought the Canterlot battle was the end of me. I did not process at that time that the wings that'd been unleashed after this form was awoken, might well be permanent. I reasoned they'd merely been an aid to win."

"But they stayed?"

"Indeed. When Discord and Princess Celestia woke me again, the wings were there. I tried everything, reasoning I'd screwed up somehow on waking back up. I used a transformation spell to try and reset my physical form. And for all of 5 seconds, it worked. Then they tore through, and I was wrapped in bandages for a few days while they healed."

"Could you not accept them?" the Doctor guessed. Sombra shook his head.

"What frightened me the most, was what would happen if anypony seen them. The traditional Alicorn's that exist now, are beloved creatures of hope. To see a monster bearing an Alicorn's form would be abhorrent. At least, that’s what I convinced myself."

The Doctor was silenced, Sombra's story hitting him hard.

"So I tried to change it back, convincing myself all I needed to do was reset the spell that governed what is now called the "illusion form."" He gestured to how he looked now "I failed to factor in that the "crystal form" and this one were linked. Discord said they found me covered in blood, a total wreck."

He trailed off, shuddering slightly, recalling Discord's upset expression on discovering Sombra had done this to himself.

"After that, I tried tying them down, but the pain became unbearable. The few times I flew after that, I wasn’t very steady. Even now, although I can fly as well as a normal pegasus, I still try to sit on my instincts sometimes."

He sighed, staring at his hooves "although far smaller now, a part of me is relieved I have an excuse not fly for awhile, it makes it easier. Foolish as that may sound."

"Not really." a voice piped up, and it wasn't the Doctor's. Sombra felt a jolt of shock run through him and the unconstrained wing fluffed up, attempting to curl around its bearer, trying to shield him.

He attempted to wrestle with the errant wing, as his gaze fixed on the ponies gathered beside the screen that marked Sombra's private space. He hadn't heard the door open, but clearly dinner was over.

The injured wing throbbed painfully, wanting to be free like its twin and he bit back a snarl of pain, begging it to relax.

"Easy.." the Doctor mirrored Sombra's thoughts "just relax."

At last both wings were under control and some of the color returned to the exhausted pony’s face.

"Sorry, we didn't mean to eavesdrop. But when we heard about the wings.." The pony speaking was himself a pegasus, and felt a massive sympathy for the struggling Sombra.

Sombra could feel his face was going pretty red, but he couldn't look away from the impromptu crowd. It felt so odd to have something so personal laid bare. He'd expected them to dismiss it, have a chuckle at his pathetic fear.

"You don’t gotta worry, eh?" the mare from the train ride offered a smile "ya feel like there’s a lot riding on ya if you don’t get this right this time around, huh?"

"That would be an understatement." Sombra said softly, having finally reconnected his brain to his mouth.

The ponies, noting the King wasn't shutting down and pushing them away, decided to go for broke. Another stallion spoke up, giving a nervous bow and hoping the royal pony wouldn't take offence "The papers printed the whole thing courtesy of the Princess, but it'd mean a lot to us to hear your story."

Sombra was surprised, but figured now was as good a time as any, lest he wall himself up again. Discord had pointed out time and again he needed a lot of pushing to even set one hoof out of his comfort zone!

So he gave a wordless nod, then realised it'd make more sense if he spoke:

"What..." his voice was halting at first, then seemed to steady " what did you wish to know?"

And the queries piled forth.

"Do you have family among the Umbrum?"

"Only my mother. Given she used an ancient Umbrum ability to create me using her own magic back then, she is my lone "parent"."

"Wow, they can just spontaneously have kids?"

"Only in the rarest situations. With all the others captured, and she running low on power, she chose to invoke the ancient rite and was able to create an Umbrum before she fell into stasis. After that, she had to rely on the prophecy coming true, it was the final hope."

He sighed, staring at the blanket under his hooves "and I nearly cost them their freedom."

"Didn't she give you any hints on how to do that prophecy business? Seems a heavy load for a kid to carry."

Sombra shook his head "I grew up at the Crystal Empire orphanage, with no idea I wasn't a normal pony. Although I suspected in the manner children do, that the other kids knew something was off about me. They acted as if I didn’t belong there, and in a way they were right. It took until breaking point, before I fled the empire on a strange sort of auto pilot, ending up at the mother crystal."

"Then what?"

"She managed to trigger the memories necessary to reveal everything about what I was. But she hadn't expected my emotional state to be so damaged when I finally returned to her."

"What happened?" a mare asked, frowning sadly.

"As a little foal, I'd wanted to see the crystal faire. But when the orphanage director brought me to the Heart, I became very ill, suffered headaches so bad I thought I’d gone blind. One occasion, the Princess was there and I asked did she know why it hurt. She didn't speak for the longest time, then she shook her head. But she said if I took care, I would be able to overcome it someday. I was curled up on the ground, crying from fright as I struggled to see. She patted my mane, said she was sorry for what I was suffering. I didn't-"

He sighed "I didn't understand her back then. But looking back now, those headaches were a red flag for the damage the heart was doing to me. I didn’t KNOW the Hearts magic was corrosive to my kind. Perhaps my mother hoped that her exposure to it rendered me immune. While it bought me some time, a short childhood, it eventually got to me. And the Princess, she KNEW what I was."

Confused and startled murmurs raced around the crowd.

"Why would she let you suffer that way?" one of the Crystal Ponies asked.

Sombra looked over at him, his expression steeped in a mix of guilt and worry.

"I don't think she intended to deliberately hurt me. I guess her words were her way of saying if I could just bear up against the pain, I might have stood a chance of developing the immunity as I grew up. But it didn’t work out that way. When I discovered the orphanage director was being transferred elsewhere, I felt like I’d lost the only one who treated me like I was a normal pony. An upset child is a force that cannot be underestimated. I ran from the Empire, instinct kicked in and I ran to the mother crystals resting place."

"And she told you the truth?"

Sombra nodded, "she unlocked the knowledge of the Umbrum's. On top of losing the closest thing to a parent I'd had in the Empire, I was told I wasn't a normal pony, I was something else. Something powerful. I realised then, with that short burst of clarity, that the Princess had lied to me, she'd LET me go through all that agony, offering no other choice. That was when I let my anger get the better of me. I overrode the instincts she'd imprinted on me, and unlocked my full capabilities right out of the gate. That's how I was able to alter my base form from that of a child, to a full grown adult. I decided I'd BE the monster the kids at the orphanage derided me as. The mother crystal, she tried to stop me, saying she was sorry."

The crowds were mostly sitting on their behinds now, engrossed in the heart-wrenching story. This was what had led to a reign of tyranny, and going by the King's expression, it'd hurt him just as badly getting there. He'd chosen to give in to his anger, unable to come to terms with having his life torn apart and shaken up.

"After that, well, you know the story. I ran back to the Empire, running high on sheer power. I blasted the Empire's forces out of my way and zeroed in on the heart. The Princess tried to stop me, perhaps knowing further exposure to the heart would be my undoing, but I banished her from the Empire and took the heart hostage. As soon as I attempted to absorb its magic, all semblance of sanity was smothered under an avalanche of darkness. The rest, history knows well."

He looked up as a hiccup met his ears. He wondered why somepony had gotten the hiccups, had his story startled them that badly?

"I apologise if this was too sc-" that was when he realised they weren’t hiccuping, but crying. Quite a few of the ponies were actually quite teary eyed, one mare was using her friends coat tails to dry her eyes, to the other pony’s lack of notice.

"I-" Sombra felt a kick of guilt again and struggled to his hooves, wincing as his cramped muscles and sprains flared afresh at the unexpected movement, "ah-! -Apologise if I brought up such a personal part of your history-!"

"Hold the reins there!" The same mare dropped her friends coattails and walked over to look up at the guilt-stricken Sombra. The Umbrum Alicorn looked worried, body language and the look in his eyes showing the extent of his personal guilt. He still carried the weight of his actions, and it was taking its toll on him.

"That's not why we're sad. We've grown past that part of our past, and now we know WHY you showed up out of nowhere, we can understand. We never knew you were living among us for so long, we didn't connect an unhappy child with an invading unicorn."

She continued as Sombra made to speak "-no, you CAN'T keep carrying the blame for this. You've been doing it for too long now. IT has to stop. The Princess could have told you she knew who you were, maybe it would have helped avoid what happened, had she considered this was too much for you to cope with. Your mother had no option but to awaken your true nature, she was hoping the rest of your race could be freed if the war could just be explained. That's a heck of a burden for one pony, let alone a FOAL, to labour under all alone."

She looked sympathetically at him "I was at the stadium when the Umbrum mare asked all of us in the crowd to persuade you to accept your own birthright. That you chose to tell them the truth rather than just take the job proved to all of us your apology was genuine. You don't have to keep punishing yourself forever, it will do no good."

"But if it should ever even come CLOSE to happening again-"

"It WON'T," Another pony stepped forward, eyes teary too "We can see it in your eyes, in your actions thus far, that you wont LET it happen again. You can trust yourself, you know. We do!"

More nods and smiles. Again Sombra was struck by how everypony else that got to know him was able to see what he was capable of. The guard that'd responded so easily to seeing the crown on Sombra's head, and had flatly told Sombra he'd get used to his job. Discord had been doing it since day one.

--It IS in my nature to look after the Umbrum, isn’t it? I have the power to guard them, give them attributes and gifts as part of the Infinitum position. But my mother said the power means nothing without the pony's decisions behind it.--

His vision blurred, a funny shiver running through him. Something was changing...

--I CAN be their King...-- he thought, there'd been supporters outside of the Umbrum the whole time. Celestia, Discord, the girls...even the guard had begun giving him respectful nods if they passed him in the hall.

He flashed back to that morning when the crown had first been set upon his head, how right it had felt. But he'd been too scared of screwing up, and had foolishly refused to trust in himself. A habit he was still feeding to this moment-

--If I keep doing this to myself, then I'll be hurting the ones that depend on me. I have to...have faith in myself.-- The feeling finally loosened its grip on his brain.

With this revelation came a sudden fit of dizziness. The crowd uttered gasps of concern as Sombra abruptly seemed to space out then crumple to the floor, forelegs bracing just in time to avoid face planting onto the wooden floor.

The mare closest opened her mouth to ask was he alright, when a flash of light at Sombra's side caught their eye.

"Uggh....what happened?" Sombra finally managed to clear his head, persuading his vision to focus. The Doctor, who was closest to the strange light, tilted his head and did a double take.

"Your majesty...look!"

"Huh?" Sombra blinked sluggishly, then peered round to where the Doc was pointing. And stared.

"What in-?!" He abruptly yelped as if it was just sinking in, and leapt shakily to his hooves, canting round to again glance at his flank. This meant that the crowd got a look too.

..at what was undeniably a CUTIE MARK.

Author's Note:

I LIVE!!! :pinkiehappy:

*cough* Sorry...i always do that...

But seriously, things got bad, depression and sickness and insomnia....UGH. Insomnia suuuucks...:twilightangry2:

I know some may be wodnering why its taken so logn for Sombra to get over all this, but from experience i know it can take forever to get over big mistakes...:fluttershysad:

Anyway...enjoy! :scootangel: