Chapter 5: Disclosure
Starlight awoke bright and cheerful, if not a bit tired from staying out so late the night before, ready to get some work done that day. It was Saturday, which meant a few more visitors in and around Canterlot Castle, but it also meant Princess Celestia would have a bit more social time. She’d likely be surrounded by ponies all day, but hopefully Starlight would get the chance to talk with her.
Per usual, she’d checked on Sombra that morning, a plate of fresh fruits and a muffin levitated beside her for his breakfast. He had still been asleep when she entered his room, sprawled out on his belly and half covered with his blanket, snoring softly and sleeping soundly, so she’d left the food on the bedside table. She wouldn’t dare wake him, sleeping seemed to be one of the few moments he was calm.
Now, she was trotting down the halls of the castle, making her way to the throne room. She and Sombra had stayed out rather late, only opting to come in when Sombra had begun to fall asleep. Both of them had been tired by then, but Sombra was a bit more worn out after his panic from earlier. He was quick to flop onto his bed once back in his room, but Starlight had stayed up a bit longer to write her letter to Twilight. She’d asked her to prepare a room for Sombra, hoping to be able to take him home to Ponyville soon. She knew it hadn’t been that long since she took him in, but she was already growing anxious from her absence at the school, and Sombra wasn’t doing very well in Canterlot.
Once at the throne room’s entrance, Starlight watched as a few ponies walked out and past her in the other direction. Hopefully this meant Celestia was free now, and not with any more visitors. Pushing open the door, she peeked in, a few ponies were still awaiting audience with the Princess, but still Starlight entered, patiently waiting for them to finish.
It wasn’t long, and soon they came to an agreement over whatever had been the topic of discussion. Celestia bid them farewell, saying, “Thank you for your time, but it seems I have another visitor to speak with. Come now Starlight, we were just finishing.”
The other ponies nodded, greeting Starlight as she came through, though Celestia didn’t speak again until the door shut behind them.
“Good morning, are you doing well?” She asked, “Sombra’s not giving you too much trouble I hope.”
Starlight shook her head, “Oh no, just a bit stubborn is all. He nipped at a guard last night when I walked him to his room, but he was pretty tired so he might’ve just been irritable.”
“Why wasn’t he in his room?”
Starlight couldn’t be sure, but Celestia seemed to sound the slightest bit upset. True to Sombra’s hopes, she didn’t seem to agree on his trip outdoors, which he’d probably be glad to hear.
“I took him to the garden,” Starlight explained, looking over the agitated Celestia unsurely, “He’s been locked up in the bedroom for days, I thought it’d be good to give him some exercise. I know his fetlock’s sprained, but I can’t keep him cooped up forever.”
Celestia still seemed upset, but nodded slowly, saying, “Well, next time tell me before you do anything please.”
Starlight slightly raised a hoof, “Actually, about that, I was thinking about taking Sombra to Ponyville?”
The Princess’ eyes widened, feathers fluffing out in agitation as she said, “I can’t let you do that. Not yet.”
“Why not? He’s not comfortable here, and I can’t stay away from the school for too long, wouldn’t Ponyville be a better place to stay while I work with him?”
“Do you truly think taking him to Ponyville would be a wise decision? He tried to enslave the entire town, you included,” Celestia stated, “Surely it’s best to keep him here a while longer?”
Starlight shook her head, “No, I don’t think it’s best. I think what’s best is whatever would make us both feel better, why would you even want to keep him here?”
Celestia was silent a moment, eyes closed in thought. Starlight began to grow a bit nervous in the quiet, but she held her false confidence. A gentle sigh from the princess and she turned back to Starlight sternly.
“I just don’t think Sombra is worth saving,” She said.
“Wait, what? You can’t be serious-” Starlight stumbled over her words, confused and panicked, “He absolutely is! Just because he hasn’t made any obvious progress doesn’t mean he’s a lost cause!”
“Maybe not, but it shows he has no intention of changing,” Princess Celestia stated, turning away from Starlight to walk back to her throne, “There are many things about Sombra you don’t know Starlight, and I’m not comfortable with the thought of him having any degree of freedom just yet. The things he’s done, they’re irreversable, and unforgivable.”
“So?” Starlight asked, “Do you think the fact he’s done bad things is going to stop me from helping him? I’m hardly better, Our Town might have been small, but I still manipulated ponies into giving up their true selves. Not to mention the whole time travel thing. I’ve only been with him for a week, and most of that time has been to let him rest and heal, I’m not giving up on him already.”
Celestia looked away, eyes closed as if in shame. Starlight continued to stare at her in confusion and worry, only moving once Celestia said quietly, “Come with me, I need to show you something.”
She made her way out of the room, Starlight following behind. They walked through the halls silently, Celestia nodding occasionally to castle staff or visitors. Starlight waved to a few of them politely as well, but mostly went ignored, to which she’d lower her head in embarrassment. It took little time to make it their destination, and Starlight stopped as Celestia did.
It was the hallway adorned with paintings of ponies, the same one Starlight had inspected curiously the first night she’d decided to help Sombra. Celestia took a moment to inspect her surroundings, until making her way to a specific painting. Starlight recognized the artwork immediately, the regal Unicorn upon the canvas painted with the utmost detail, her crystalline coat still vibrant even after countless years of sitting upon the wall. The last time Starlight had seen the painting it had been night, but now with the sunlight shining through the windows, she could see just how much effort was put into the artwork.
“This is Princess Amore,” Celestia said, staring sadly at the painting herself, “She was the previous ruler of the Crystal Empire, before Sombra.”
“She’s the Crystal Princess?” Starlight asked. Somehow, that didn’t surprise her now that she knew, “If you’ve had a picture of her in your hallway all this time, why doesn’t anypony know her name? Why isn’t she in the History books?”
“Perhaps the Crystal Ponies still aren’t ready to talk about what happened, or perhaps they need more time to fully register everything. You see, Amore’s reign ended quite tragically,” Celestia explained, turning away from the painting to look down at Starlight.
She shuffled uncomfortably at the Princess’ gaze, waiting for her to continue, but she didn’t. Feeling she knew the answer, and that Celestia was waiting for her to put the hints together, she asked, “What happened to her?”
“Sombra killed her.”
Starlight felt like a new weight was thrown over her at the Princess’ words. Reforming Sombra had already sounded like a struggle when all she knew of his past was tyranny and hate. Things she knew, things she was familiar with, but she knew nothing of murder. The worst she’d done in the past was trying to make Twilight miserable, tear her and her friends apart, but never had she considered outright killing anyone.
“Do you understand now, why I don’t think he’s worth saving?” Celestia asked.
“I do understand, Princess,” Starlight said, a bit of stubborness shining through her doubt. The thought of leaving Sombra to rot still felt wrong, and she couldn’t justify it, “But I’m not changing my mind. Not yet, I believe he can still change.”
“Starlight Glimmer,” Celestia stamped her hoof, wings flaring, “You will have no say in the matter, Sombra must be punished for his crimes!”
Starlight jumped back at the Princess’ sudden outburst. She hadn’t quite shouted, but she’d raised her voice to a frightening level. She seemed to be aware of this, ruffling her feathers in embarrassment, while Starlight contemplated her words.
She still didn’t think it seemed fair, and regaining her wits, she stepped forward and asked quietly, “For how long?”
“Excuse me?”
“For how long?” Starlight repeated, “You’ve already banished him to ice for a thousand years, and practically murdered him a few times, what more punishment does he deserve? What are you gonna do, send him back to the dungeon? Another week, and he probably would’ve died down there too!”
“Starlight, you don’t understand-”
“No, you don’t understand! ” She stamped her hoof, silencing the princess, “You’re not the one who’s been stuck taking care of him all week! You’re not the one who saw the guards kick and demean him! You’re not the one who washed the dirt and dried blood out of his matted coat! And you’re certainly not the one who’s seen him break down in panic, huddled into a corner because he’s scared out of his mind!”
“Starlight Glimmer.”
“No! Let me finish!” She shouted, the terrible feeling of oncoming tears burned her eyes, but she held them back, “Whether or not you want to believe me, I know how much it hurts to see the ponies who hurt you not being punished. I know personally just how much you want to take everything away from them and see them suffer. To beat them to the ground, over and over until they don’t dare get back up.”
She paused a moment to catch her breath, wiping away an escaped tear as she continued, “Sombra hurt you, when he killed Amore, didn’t he? So now you want him to suffer, just like you did. I know you do, and I understand that.”
“Starlight-”
She held up her hoof, silencing Celestia, “But that doesn’t stop the fact that the only reason he’s still alive today, is because of you. He might have placed the curse on the Empire, but you turned him to shadow, you prolonged his life just for him to suffer. You could have just killed him, or taken him off to prison, but you didn’t. You cursed him to spend a thousand years in an icy torment while still conscious. Don’t you think that’s punishment enough?”
At this, Celestia was silent. She had nothing to say. Starlight was foolishly bold for yelling at her, but she couldn’t deny that everything she said was true. She did want Sombra to suffer, she wanted him locked away until the end of his days, never to hurt anyone again. Even know, she feared he’d eventually hurt Starlight, as unlikely as that was in his current state. It was only when Starlight spoke again she even bothered to look at her.
“I’m taking Sombra to Ponyville tomorrow night,” She said, “For his sake, and mine. He’s scared, and the guards threaten him, and me. I think one even went into his room last night to hurt him, but he won’t tell me. He’s not safe here.”
“Very well,” Celestia sighed.
Though the two experiences weren’t quite comparable, Starlight had a point. Celestia had prolonged a pony’s life for no reason other than to punish him. It wasn’t even the first time, nor did it seem like the last. She still didn’t think Sombra should have the honor of redemption, but after everyone that Twilight, Starlight, and their friends had saved, why not give Sombra a chance too?
“Thank you, Princess,” Starlight said, “Forgive me for yelling, but it just didn’t seem right. Trust me, by this time next month, Sombra will be a changed pony. I’ll do whatever I can to make him understand.”
She desperately hoped she wasn’t lying.
Celestia nodded, regaining her composure and smoothing her ruffled feathers with a hoof. Readjusting her posture, she stood tall and regal as she said, “You plan to do this during the cover of night so as to not cause too much of a commotion, I presume?”
Starlight nodded, “Yes, and we should make it to Ponyville by morning, before school starts. I’ll sleep on the train if I have to. I figured Sunday night would be best, since it wouldn’t be particularly busy.”
“A wise decision,” Celestia agreed, turning away, “Now if you don’t mind, I have a few more meetings today.”
She turned away, walking slowly down the hall back to the throne room. Starlight watched her go, waiting for her to be out of sight before she went on her way as well. Celestia stopped at the corner however, turning to see Starlight still standing there, a bit unsure of herself.
“Please don’t make me regret trusting you, Starlight,” She said, before turning the corner and disappearing from sight.
Sombra was awake by the time Starlight returned to his room. He’d been sniffing at the food she left when she first opened the door, but lifted himself to face her with ears twitching and body rigid until she announced herself. At that, he visibly relaxed, and took to his plate.
“Are you going to the library again today?” He asked, downing an apple slice in one bite, “It’s always so boring when you leave, there’s nothing to keep me occupied.”
There was also the fear of the demon taunting him again, it never seemed to harass him when he was with Starlight, but he wouldn’t say such a thing. That was a weakness he had to fight on his own.
Starlight shook her head, momentarily forgetting it would go unseen by Sombra, “No, I’m going to stay here for today. I’ve spent so much time researching, I’ve neglected my duties with reforming you, so we’ll get started on that today.”
Though her voice was determined, her posture was all but. For once she was grateful Sombra couldn’t see her, standing nervously at the doorway, hesitant to approach him. She was still registering the fact he was a murderer, and though she was still dedicated to saving him, that was something that would be in the back of her mind as long as she was near him.
“Right, of course. I forgot about that nonsense,” Sombra groaned, grabbing the muffin to try and tear the paper away with his teeth, “So how shall you go about that? Etiquette training? Forcing me to apologize to my murderers? Locking me in a slightly cleaner cell and waiting until I regret what I’ve done?”
Starlight stamped her hoof, though gently, “Nope, we’re starting at the root of all this. First thing first, you’re gonna tell me why you want the Crystal Empire so badly in the first place.”
Sombra stopped his struggling, muffin falling from its paper and landing onto his bed. He held the shredded wrapper in his mouth for a moment, ear twitching but otherwise unmoving. Starlight stepped back at his silence, worried she’d somehow crossed the line with that question.
Spitting the paper from his mouth, Sombra said, “You know, you may be the only pony who’s ever bothered to ask.”
He hopped off the bed, ignoring the remains of his breakfast and making his way to Starlight. She stepped back nervously, bumping into the door. Sombra paused a moment when he heard the gentle thump, head tilting curiously before he stepped forward once more. Starlight was becoming uncomfortably aware of how much bigger he was than her, and how easily he could hurt her if he wanted to.
She closed her eyes as he leaned forward, whispering to her in a deep and threatening voice, his warm breath brushing across her face, “And I’m afraid I’m not quite willing to answer.”
Then he laughed, an amused laugh, not a cruel one. Starlight’s eyes shot open in surprise as he cackled, head held high as he found entertainment in something she couldn’t quite understand.
“What’s so funny?”
“You are!” He chortled. His voice had lost it’s deep and threatening tone, replaced with a more gleeful pitch, “You think I can’t smell your fear? You’re absolutely reeking of it right now, there’s no way I was going to pass up a chance to get a rise out of you. Did you miss the part where I said I was bored out of my mind?”
He laughed again, practically hopping on his hooves as he turned his back to her. Starlight’s horn sparked with magic.
“You scared me on purpose? What is wrong with you?”
“You’re really asking me that, have we not already established I’m a lost cause?” Sombra asked, grabbing his dropped muffin to take a bite out of it, “Why were you scared anyway? The guards didn’t act upon their threats, did they?”
Starlight couldn’t help but notice his amusement had seemed to fade, a slightly different, yet still threatening, tone in his voice. Was he concerned for her?
“No, the guards haven’t even talked to me today,” She said. There was no way she was going to tell him the truth, at least not yet, but it seemed to be enough of an answer. Sombra visibly relaxed, and went back to eating.
“Why should I tell you anything? You work for the Princesses, whatever I say, you’ll tell them, and in the end it will all just end up being used against me.”
“I’ve been trying to help you,” Starlight huffed, stomping over to Sombra and jabbing a hoof into his chest, “Everything I’ve done hasn’t been for their sake, it’s been for yours, and you should appreciate it. Besides, Twilight said Luna’s already invaded your dreams, they know all they need.”
Sombra laughed again, “Your beloved Moon Princess can’t pierce my mind, I’m afraid.”
He finished off his muffin, leaving Starlight confused as he turned away, licking the crumbs from his lips. Grabbing the blanket off his bed with his teeth, he yanked it off and shook it, smacking Starlight with it a few times in the process. Intentional or not, it was the last straw in Sombra’s defiance that Starlight could take, and in an instant she ripped the blanket away with her magic. Sombra was pulled with it, falling to the ground as the blanket was torn from his mouth.
“Could you please act your age for one minute?”
“I was simply ridding of the crumbs,” Sombra spat back. Scraps of fabric clung to his fangs, and he rubbed his mouth with an arm to try and rid of them, but to no avail, “Act my age you say? Hmm, how do most Unicorns act when they’ve made it to a thousand? I suppose I’ve gotten the whole crawling with maggots part over and done with.”
Starlight cringed at the memory of his infected wound, but didn’t show the disgust in her voice as she demanded, “What do you mean, Luna can’t get in your head?”
Sombra sat up, spitting again, finally loosening the fabric in his teeth enough to wipe it from his mouth, “My magic is manipulative in nature, I can control a pony’s mind, delve into their deepest fears, and bring them to life in the same vein as one would create a nightmare. Keeping someone out is just as easy as breaking in, once you know what you’re doing. The fact the Princesses thought it a good idea to harden their efforts only makes it all the more entertaining.”
He tapped his mask, a fang bearing grin upon his face. As much as he hated not being able to see or use magic, the thought of the Princesses struggling to control him through it gave him some degree of joy.
“Keep the spooky act up and I’ll make sure it stays on longer,” Starlight stated. Sombra’s grin faded to a scowl. “Y’know, you never did answer my question. Why do you want the Crystal Empire?”
“Why do you want to reform me?”
“Answer my question first.”
“No.”
It was an endless struggle. Sombra was defiant, and quite frankly, immature. Starlight wondered how he’d even managed to take over anything with an attitude like his, but she supposed a knack for manipulation could get one far. After all, it worked for her, right?
“Do I need any reason other than the fact that seeing you wallowing in your own filth in the dungeon made me pity you?”
Sombra nodded, “There’s more to it than that, plenty of ponies saw me in those chains, yet you were the only one who decided I was worth wasting time on. Not even the appointed Princess of Friendship showed a shred of remorse for what she’d done to me.”
“She did feel bad Sombra, just because you couldn’t see it doesn’t mean she didn’t feel it,” Starlight said sternly, though afterwards she sighed, “You’re not going to tell me anything, are you?”
“Nope,” Sombra shook his head, hopping onto the bed to lay with his forelegs crossed, “You're not getting a peep out of me until I’m no longer a prisoner.”
At this, it was finally Starlight’s turn to laugh. Sombra’s ears perked, fangs bared in a snarl as he thought her mocking him.
“Well, do I have good news for you, we’re leaving Canterlot tomorrow.” She said.
“And where exactly are you planning to take me?”
“Ponyville,” Starlight answered. Sombra's perked ears pinned against his head, mane and tail flaring out momentarily as he hopped out of his bed.
“You dare remove me from one Princess’ castle just to move me to another’s?” He demanded, “And to the one that tried to kill me no less? You’re a fool if you think I’d let you!”
He spoke loudly and threateningly, but Starlight held her ground. This was the same way he’d acted upon her meeting with him in the dungeon. Legs sprawled out defensively, head lowered and teeth bared, nostrils flaring. She wouldn’t lie, it looked threatening, but she knew better. Sombra was scared. Then again, why wouldn’t he be? Twilight had hurt him the most out of any of the princesses, except maybe Cadance. It might’ve seemed a bit hypocritical, but Starlight couldn’t help but sympathize with him.
“Sombra, I’m doing this because it’s safer for you, okay?” She said, bringing up a hoof to set it upon Sombra’s cheek. He flinched back the moment she brushed against him, so Starlight pulled her arm away, “I know you’re not telling me everything, but I still don’t think Canterlot is a good place for you to be recovering. You might not think much of it, but it’s not good to stick around a place where everyone’s threatening you all the time.”
“The threats make me know I’ve done my job properly,” Sombra claimed, “They know better than to act on them. They know I could beat them.”
“Are you really sure about that?” Starlight asked, making her way beside him to gently press against Sombra’s bruised ribs. He didn’t flinch back this time, though his head shot up with a sharp inhale, “Because this seems to prove otherwise.”
She removed her hoof and stepped back, Sombra lowering himself to the ground and setting his own hoof over his aching side. His apparent rage had faded just as quickly as it had appeared, mane and tail going limp as he slumped against the bed with his head lowered.
“I don’t know why that still hurts, everything else feels fine,” He said, head turning slightly toward his side despite his current blindness.
“You were kicked by a rather angry Earth Pony, with every intention of hurting you,” Starlight said, sitting herself beside Sombra, “He probably hit hard enough to crack a rib, which is why it still hurts so much.”
“Should’ve tried harder,” Sombra snorted irritably, somehow managing to sink even lower against the bed, turning himself away from Starlight, “All this did was assure me he’s going to be the first pony to join my army when I’ve got my magic back.”
This time around, his threat only seemed half hearted, and Starlight didn’t see the need to fight with him for it. He was stubborn for sure, but his arguments seemed to be more out of hiding his true feelings than anything. She’d seen the same with a few ponies at the school, though their issues were always much less serious than Sombra’s.
Starlight sighed, thinking her choices through. Surrendering him to Celestia was not an option, he’d either end up dead or suffering from even worse mental instability. She wasn’t sure exactly how to go about reforming him either, he was certainly a different case compared to the Changelings and Stygian. There was no selfish queen raising her hive on the wrong sustenance, and there was no friendship problem, at least as far as she knew. There was just a stubborn former despot, sick and hurt, trying desperately to cling to what little he had left. Starlight wanted so badly to know why he was the way he was, but it was quite apparent Sombra was not the backstory telling type.
How was it again that Twilight got her to see the brighter side of things?
“Maybe we should wait until a little later to get to the whole reformation thing,” Starlight suggested, setting a hoof on Sombra’s shoulder. He jolted in surprise at the touch, but didn’t pull away, only folding his ears back a bit in uncertainty, “If you’d like, I could read again? It’s a thick book, but if we get back to it now I could probably get pretty far before I return it tomorrow. How’s that sound?”
Sombra hesitated, unsure about Starlight’s actions, but he nodded, “That sounds nice, I suppose.”
“Great! I’ll have to head to my room real quick to grab it, but it won’t take long,” Starlight smiled, hopping up from beside Sombra. The hoof over his ribs moved to his shoulder, where she’d just held her own hoof, “Might even find a few snacks. So find a comfy spot in bed and wait for me, alright? I’ll be back in a moment.”
Sombra nodded again, but this time said nothing, only cowering against the bedside as he heard the door open and shut, leaving him back to the silence. It would only be a brief absence, she’d said, but he couldn’t help but be anxious. Starlight on the other hand, had left with strengthened determination, trotting down the halls confidently as she began to plan out the next few days in her head.
She was going to have her hooves full, that was for sure. Understanding why Sombra did the things he did would take some time, but she was willing to wait. He was already beginning to doubt himself, and as pathetic as it seemed, Starlight knew it was a good sign he had the ability to change. If her own experiences were anything to go by, anxiety and regret would come soon enough, or even months from now, but it was a start.
Sombra didn’t know it, and neither did Starlight until just moments ago, but reformation was already in progress. Little by little, Sombra’s emotional shell was beginning to break, though she hadn’t quite noticed it at first. Between the hint of concern for her, and the fact he’d let her touch him for the most part, it seemed he wasn’t quite as coldhearted as everyone thought.
As far as Starlight had been told, Sombra had never been offered another chance. He’d only been beaten, over and over, coming back angrier and more desperate for revenge with every return. It was rather familiar, actually. She’d done something similar after all, going through the trouble of trying to destroy Twilight’s life because she had something she didn’t.
Of course, Starlight still didn’t know Sombra’s motives. Surely there had to be more to all this than power. She was sure she’d learn over time, but right now was less about that, and more about getting Sombra to trust her. As it was, she was the closest thing he had to a friend, and she’d use that status best she could to get him to see the error of his ways.
After all, what better way to reform cruelty, but with kindness?
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Oh ho ho, this is good. I can’t wait for when she finds out about.....her.
This sooooooo great!!! Keep it up! I don’t care how long, just keep doing your thang😄!
Great stuff. Definitely looking for more.
Okay... can I call Celestia a stubborn bitch in this fic? Because she's a stubborn bitch. This is what I loathe about the Alicorns; they play with mortal ponies lives. If she wants to punish someone, she can punish her sister. Let's blast her a few times and see what happens. Don't worry, she's an alicorn, she'll regenerate.
9966224
You know, I really was not going for making Celestia so hateable, I figured her reasons would seem somewhat justifiable, but I suppose there's good reason to be against it. But hey, leave Luna out of this, she's got some sympathy for Sombra!
Celestia should blast Discord instead. I'm sure he'd be fine.
Key word, manipulated. Manipulated and enslaved are very different. Granted, on a first glance the difference isn't totally noticeable, but it's there.
10038527
If it's any consolation to that, canon kinda cheapened the whole 'enslavement' thing with Sombra when it turned out he was just using mind control the whole time. I mean, it certainly still traumatized the Crystal Ponies but I feel like it makes a big difference.
10038939
it’s not daily lashings, beatings and such, so there is that, and it’s not the brainwashing in cults
I love how you had to include comic canon to even somewhat justify Sombra "deserving death".
It really goes to show you how screwed up the show's justice system is. This really is a fix-it story. This is why I have to give the show the full benefit of the doubt that there's something planned in the franchise meant to explain that Sombra has never actually been dead when I'm writing my theories, I feel like I'm filling in plotholes sometimes. At that point, you're right about how it really isn't an alternate universe...thus why I'll forever refuse show canon as the "true canon" if the Season 10 comic weighs in on fixing this mess. 
10293689
I mean Sombra's done some nasty things, enslaving & brainwashing a whole empire, but when you compare his crimes to certain reformed characters, it kinda doesn't necessarily seem worse than what certain others can do. So murder is the breaking point for Equestrian crime I guess. Especially when the pony you murdered is close to Princess Celestia in some way. But yet again, this is basically 'head canon' territory but hey it's interesting to think through.
Also I just really love Sombra's comics and I couldn't ignore them.
But yeah, I really hope the S10 comics can do something to make certain parts of S9 enjoyable, because right now I'm still at the point I refuse to rewatch certain episodes...
Personally, I think you did the right thing by lengthening a big plot point like that, after all, I would definitely say that this is a story that benefits well from the "slow-burn" method.
11506914
This story has pretty much spent it's entire existence getting drawn out, and I mean that in the best way possible. There was no way either of these two were gonna fall in love like that, they're both too stubborn and distrustful like that.
It's been fun to write them slowly getting closer.
Now if only the story would get written faster.