Sombra is a changed unicorn, the power of friendship really did work I guess.
Ever since he was defeated, Sombra has relocated himself off the coast of Applewood, Equestria...where he built a surf shop. There he is trying to reform his old ways and live a normal-ish life.
Twilight was sitting with her friends at her new castle. Though a little hard to take in at first, the new castle had been refurbished in areas to accommodate Twilight's friends when they would visit. When villagers offered on bent knee to help, the six ponies politely refused the villager's assistance,"We're still just ponies," they would tell them,"Its not like we're royalty now."
In the days that followed Twilight spent most of her time organizing her things and trying to replace the ones lost from her battle with Tirek. The massive loss of her books from his wrath had left Twilight rather melancholy not to mention her old home being burned down. Her friends did what they could, but still had their respective jobs to do. Celestia visited every once and awhile to chat and examine her pupil's castle.
On this particular day they sat with a small lunch between them in the throne room, the crystal like walls glistened in the noon sun. Celestia informed the lavender alicorn that her brother and sister-in-law would be visiting in a few days.
"That's wonderful!" Twilight said with glee," but its such short notice...shouldn't we have the town prepare for their arrival?"
"You know how Cadence is," Celestia smiled," She prefers a quiet vacation, not a loud parade. There is something though..." her voice became quiet.
"I-Is it serious...dangerous?"
The white alicorn leaned closer to Twilight and looked around for prying eyes before she spoke," I've heard from Luna that...Sombra is still alive."
Twilight gasped," What?!"
"Shhh!"
"Oh sorry, what?" Twilight whispered," I thought we got rid of him...who else knows?"
"Only the three of us...for now."
Celestia regained her elegant composure and levitated a tea cup to her lips. Twilight racked her brain with possibilities of the information as the other princess sipped away. "Are we going to tell Shining and Cadence?" Twilight asked half hopeful.
"Of course, your friends and those two were the ones who defeated him after all...who else would we tell?" She poured herself more tea casually.
"Is he up to something...this is rather serious and your-" she cut off and Celestia stared back at her with a half eaten cucumber sandwich.
"What?" she asked like a teenager in the middle of a hayburger.
"Princess this is serious!" Twilight said through her teeth," If he tries to come back and is stronger what can we do?"
"Wait, Twilight, we don't know anything yet," Celestia shrugged.
Twilight pouted in response. The white alicorn thanked Twilight for the meal and told her she and her sister would be chaperon the royal couple to the new castle. Twilight waved good bye and watched Celestia fly off. Twilight sat and thought about the news, after awhile Spike walked by with a laundry basket. Twilight motioned Spike over and told him to send a message her friends to get to the castle as soon as possible. Spike answered the request with question, but the message was sent.
"What is it Twi?" he asked.
"Its...well somepony is back that...shouldn't be."
"Uhhh like who?" Spike folded his arms and looked critical at the alicorn.
"Just wait Spike, I'll try and explain it as best as I can when the girls get here."
The wait was short. As usual Rainbow was the first to arrive and the rest followed quickly. They all met up in the throne room. The mares were all surprised and a bit worried when they saw a look of impending doom on Twilight's face. They gathered in a semi circle around her.
"Tell us Twi," Apple Jack said," What's this hullabaloo 'bout?"
"Yes Twilight," Rarity cooed," I was in the middle of a dress...er...completely open schedule."
"Girls," Twilight said quietly," I have some bad news..."
"Come on! Spill the beans already," cried Rainbow," whats the worst that could happen?"
"Sombera is still alive," Twilight said. Her friends gasped. Rainbow's brash face now looked nervous. Twilight continued," He's somewhere near Equestria and his power is growing every minuet."
"Oh, the big-pointy-tooth-shadowy guy?" Pinkie asked.
"Yes Pinkie," Rainbow groaned,"That guy."
"I-Is he coming here?" Fluttershy asked as she hid behind Rainbow.
Twilight put a hoof to her temple,"We don't know...all we do know is that he's alive and near by. The royal sisters will be here with Cadence and Shining in a few days...we'll know more then."
"Well....ummm...what should we do then, sugar cube?" AppleJack asked.
"We...wait," Twilight groaned.
A few days had passed and the mane six grew restless. Thankfully Cadence and Shining arrived along with Celestia and Luna. They all gathered in Twilight's throne room. A formal, serious tone hung over the group. Twilight sat next to her sister in law and the lavender alicorn's friends soon arrived. Pinkie was the last to enter and was carrying a large box with random bits of ribbon and several hats.
"I probably shouldn't have brought the disco ball and punch mix, huh?" Pinkie asked as she placed the heavy box to the floor. The rest groaned in response.
"Pinkie, this is serous!" Twilight cried.
"Twilight, calm yourself," Luna said flatly," We don't need to lash out at one another."
Shining Armor raised a hoof,"Princess Luna, your sister told me on the way here that you were the one to learn of the problem at hoof. Could you tell us, if I'm so bold to ask."
Luna sighed," That is what I'm here for. You see, the late ruler of your Crystal Empire isn't in fact...late. He's still alive...somewhere close by."
"Do you know where he is?" Twilight asked," Any information is crucial."
Luna closed her eyes for a moment, as if she was 'seeing' somewhere else. She opened them after a few moments and seemed oddly relived.
"He's off the coast of Applewood, west from here. He's much weaker then he was the last time you met him."
"Good!" Rainbow smirked," We can get him while he's down, let's go girls!" She flew off her chair and over to the large door.
"Wait, Rainbow Dash," Luna said. The Pegasus stopped mid air, "Aren't you going to pack?" the midnight princess asked," You and your friends are going to Applewood, 'tis a long trip."
The mane six looked at each other with puzzled expressions. Applejack shifted her weight in her chair and spoke up to Luna,"Pack?" she asked," Pardon me yer highness, but why in tarnation would we need to pack for Applewood?"
"Oh, don't you remember our trip to there Applejack?" Rarity asked dreamily," The giant ball of yarn, the Princesses' Monument-"
"Yes 'Ah do, an the train ride, which was 'goin the the wrong direction by the way. And the...plane ride..."
Cadence looked to the royal sisters, ignoring the domestic debate next to her," So are Shining and I going along with Twilight? Sombra was the one who tried to take over our kingdom in the first place."
"Perhaps," Celestia said thoughtfully," Who would watch over your kingdom while your gone?"
"I could!" a small voice said. The assembly looked around for the speaker.
"Ahem," Spike coughed," I could...I was the one who saved it...after all."
"Spike! what are-" Twilight said but was interrupted by Cadence.
"King Spike huh?" the pink alicorn said smiling," What do you say Shining? Want a fire breathing dragon protecting the crystal ponies?"
"Ummm" Shining leaned closer to his wife," Are you sure you want that, I mean...he's still just a kid, right?"
Celestia whispered to the crystal king," Shining, my sister will watch your kingdom while your gone, don't worry. I do believe that a job like that for Spike would be good though. Besides, your subjects do admire him."
Shining looked to his wife who smiled back. They both nodded to the solar princess and she stood up.
"It's settled, Twilight. You will go to Applewood with your friends, Cadence, and Shining Armor. Luna and I will help Spike watch over the Crystal Empire in your absence."
Luna stood up as well,"My sister and I will arrange the trip, meet us in Canterlot tomorrow with everything you see needed for the trip. Until then, good bye!"
Luna and her Sister left in the large door way. The royal couple slouched slightly once the sisters left. Twilight's friends left for their houses in the now darkening evening. Cadence and Shining retired to a guest room for the evening, since they had packed for the trip to Ponyville already and had enough for a trip to Applewood. Twilight and Spike however, were not as prepared as the royal couple.
In Twilight's room, the lavender princess was sitting deep in thought as Spike dashed around the room, giggling happily. The castle was dark and seemed cavernous in the dim light of the evening. Twilight looked out the window, thinking about how to prepare for the encounter with that shadowy monster. She shuddered when she thought about what he could do to somepony's mind.
"Do you think I look good in this?" Spike asked Twilight. She turned to see him and blinked in surprise.
"The crown and boots are bit much huh?" Spike asked as he kicked off his gem encrusted boots.
"Spike, you may be going on a 'vacation' but this is serious! Sombera is dangerous and we need to be ready for what ever happens, he could be setting a trap this very moment!"
Both of them looked suspiciously at the dark room and the window. Twilight stood up rather suddenly and went off to the books Celestia had sent her when she moved in. Spike trod tiredly beside her, the crown barely fitting his head. They moved with caution as they approached the tomes.
"Twi, are bringing something for the trip to read?" Spike yawned.
"Spike! This is serious!" Twilight whispered harshly," I need to bring some powerful spell if I want to put this matter to rest quickly."
Spike rubbed his eyes sleepily,"Twi, you might be taking this to seriously...I mean, what if he's been reformed like Discord was?"
Twilight took this hope to heart. She lifted a dusty tome up," Let's hope your right...but we should still be ready"
As Twilight sat on the train seat, her head swam with possibilities of what was to come. She stared outside the window with a worrisome look up at the passing landscape. Her sister in law was also in a similar state, the only sound the mares and Shining heard was the low rattling of the train. The metal snake tread across hill and valley on its grim journey to seek the dark king; Sombra.
The memories of his terrible deeds still burned in Twilight's mind. She decided to turn her fear to anger, and amplify it onto the grim unicorn upon arrival. The royal couple huddled together, Cadence rested her head on her husband's shoulder. All of Twilight's friends seemed toned down, even Pinkie Pie was mellow. A day passed of straight travel and the tension only grew, it was a sudden surprise to all aboard when the train screeched to a halt. A conductor entered the train car and nodded leave for the ponies. They all grabbed their bags and left the train. Overhead the Applewood sun shown brightly in a pale blue sky.
The train picked up a few passengers heading east and lumbered off, leaving Twilight and her friends alone in the bright, cheery environment. Around them was a slew of ponies, griffons, zebras, and even some diamond dogs. All wearing Hawaiian shirts, sunglasses and swim suits. The sheer mass of the crowd filled the area and streets leading to the station. In the distance the ocean could be seen. It had several sail boats of all sizes. Even a cruise ship was in port.
Rarity was the first to speak,"So are we staying at a hotel or are we meeting somepony who has a place for us to stay?"
Twilight's and Cadence's face went blank, did they reserve a hotel? Neither could remember.
"Spike, I need you to send a message-" Twilight said then trailed off," Spike?"
"He ain't here, 'member?" Applejack said," He's back at the Crystal Empire."
Twilight blinked for a moment. She threw her bag at the ground," Cheese and sprinkles Spike! The one time I actually need you and where are you?! Sitting on your patooky in some castle!" She landed hard on her haunches. She sat fuming as ponies stared in confusion.
"I know your upset..." Fluttershy offered," but is this the place to talk like that? And...um...those were some mean thing you said about Spike..."
Twilight sighed heavily," I...I'm sorry everypony. First things first, we need a base of operations."
She stood up and brushed herself off, clearing her throat she continued," So I'm going to need some of us to ask around for information about Sombra's whereabouts and others looking for a place to sleep."
"I shall look for a hotel," Rarity announced," I have an eye for detail. Princess Cadence, Shining Armor, will you accompany me? Having royalty would get us a nice suite!"
The royals walked along side the Unicorn and all of her luggage as she headed off into the crowd. Applejack offered to talk to the locals for information about the shadowy king. Dash and Fluttershy went of in another direction with the same mission, leaving Pinkie and Twilight at the foot of a palm tree in the Applewood station.
"Hey, Twi." Pinkie asked quietly.
"Yes? What's your plan?"
The usually upbeat mare seemed regressed somehow, Twilight had rarely seen Pinkie like this. Pinkie limply leaned over to Twilight and hugged her tight. Twilight was confused for a moment, then hugged back.
"I know how you feel, this is a very important mission," she made a reassuring laugh," Oh, don't cry Pinkie! We beat Sombra before, we can do it again!"
"No, that's not it," the pink mare whimpered.
"Not it?" Twi asked aghast," Then what is making you so upset?"
"I...I...," Pinkie began bawling,"I forgot to bring the party cannon!"
Twilight was half surprised and half relieved, that thing was helpful only some of the time. She patted Pinkie's shoulder along with a caring smile,"Don't worry...we may not be here too long. You'll be fine Pinkie Pie."
"Okay," Pinkie said suddenly," I'm gonna go to the beach and see if there's a party!" She bounced off into the crowd.
Twilight now sat alone in the train station. She sighed heavily and decided to see if there was a book store of some kind that my help her, he really didn't know what else to do. Twilight gazed at her surroundings; the palm trees lining the streets, how happy everypony looked in the sun light and the warm sea breeze flowing through her mane.
"I have to end this once and for all," she though to herself," I can't let Sombra' evil taint another innocent place."
Sitting next to a cafe was a short little griffon that , as some would say, 'flipped their lid' when she saw twilight. She buzzed over to the alicorn and promptly blocked her path. Her appearance was different then most griffons Twilight had met. Instead of an eagle front this one looked more like an albatross with a tabby cat rear.
"What is an alicorn doing here?" the odd griffon asked rudely.
"Excuse me?" Twi had been taken by surprise at the Griffon's sudden entrance.
"Royalty neeeever comes out here," she said rolling her eyes," It's to 'rustic' or 'uncouth'."
Twilight thought for a moment, should she tell the civilian the real reason for her visit? Twi popped her head to the side,"Do you have a problem with me being here?" she asked defencively.
The griffon began sweating," N-no..not at a-all," she said nervously,"Its just that...your kind never did like Applewood very much..."
"Well, I'm here aren't I?" Twilight said triumphantly," So I'll put in a good word over east for you guys, okay? Now shoo."
The griffon looked relived, and with a happy nod flew over the low skyline. Not to far down the street was a store just to Twi's liking, a book store. She trotted carefully over in case Sombra struck out from the shadows. She arrived at the entrance and opened the door quietly. The air was sweet smelling and hazy. The sun shown through the thatch curtains giving the whole room and all of it's shelves a warm yellow glow.
At the side of the room putting books on a shelf was a creature Twilight had never seen. It had the back end of a zebra and the front end of something resembling a deer. Twilight moved quietly over the counter, while the strange creature became blocked from view by a book shelf.
She reached for the bell on the counter and once she rung it, a voice came from behind the book shelf," Ja, I'll be there in a moment," With a voice that sounded similar to Zecora's, save the rhyming.
The creature moved behind the counter slowly and the entire time she did so, Twi stood frozen. Once their eyes met, Twilight flinched slightly.
"Yes? May I help you?" The creature asked with a dry tone.
"Ummm...uhh," Twilight was at a loss of words. She had never seen anything like this before.
The Book store owner raised an eyebrow,"Can you speak?"
While Twilight fumbled miss matched syllables in her nervous state, the entrance door opened. The alicorn didn't look behind her, she was already to preoccupied with the stranger in front of her.
"Hey Afua," the voice said in a peppy girlish tone," There are some new ponies in town. Two of them are the royals from that Crystal place. And Swish saw an alicorn too, can you believe it?"
Afua, leaning onto the counter, responded dryly,"I think this one here is new too. She's never seen me before."
The voice belonged to a earth pony who moved up next to Twilight," Yep, never seen her before," She grimaced when she saw Twilight's numbed face,"...is she okay?"
Twilight stopped mumbling randomly and looked at the pony. The earth pony was sky blue with short curly blonde hair. Her grey eyes studied Twilight.
"Hey, you alright?" the blue mare asked worriedly,"You aren't sick or something, are you?
Twilight leaned over to her and whispered," What is that?"
"I'm an Okapi, thank you," Afua said sharply," Brook, can you...educate her? I've got a new shipment of novels coming in and I can't chat."
"Sure can Jail Butt," the blue mare giggled," Come on pilgrim, lets go."
Twilight apologized to Afua for not knowing what an Okapi was only to be met with another annoyed look. Twilight then rushed to the door where Brook was waiting. With an awkward smile the alicorn followed Brook down the palm lined street.
"So, what brings you to Applewood?" Brook asked.
"Well..." Twilight wasn't sure if she should let anypony know about her mission," On vacation," she said.
"Ohh, sorry," Brook said," There's a big boating convention going on this weekend...all of the hotels for twenty miles are booked."
Twilight thought about Rarity, wouldn't she like to hear that? So...is there anyplace my friends and I can stay?" Twilight asked.
"Hmmm...there's my place...but first," Brook raised an eyebrow,"How many friends did you bring?"
"Oh...there's eight including me,"Twilight said looking at the shops and ponies they passed," Is that too many?"
"We could go down to Barnaby Beach. I have some friends there who may have some room, that is...if they like you anyways..."
"Thanks, Miss Brook," Twilight smiled,"I'm sorry, I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Twilight Sparkle."
Brook nodded,"No, please. Call me Bablin' Brook-" the blue mare stopped in her tracks. Twilight gave her a puzzled look.
"You're Twilight Sparkle?" Brook gasped," THE Twilight Sparkle?"
The alicorn lifted her wings with a bashful smile,"That's me."
Brook danced in a circle with fan-girlish glee," ohmygosh, ohmygosh, ohmygosh! You're Twilight Sparkle!!"
"You seem excited...not everypony get's like that when they see me," Twilight said sheepishly.
"Whaaaaaat? How dare they!? You're the princess who saved Luna from being Nightmare Moon, reformed the spirit of chaos...like a bunch, saved the Crystal Empire from the Shadow King Sombra, and not to mention the butt-kicker of that giant demon monster!" Brook somehow said in one breath.
Twilight blushed slightly," Oh, it wasn't just me. My friends helped me out."
Brook began pacing around on the side walk. Several ponies walking by made some judging glances,"You said eight ponies were with you," Brook inhaled sharply,"Dose that mean you and the Dream Team are here!?" she asked bright eyed.
"Yes, I guess. My Ponyville friends are here along with Cadence and Shining. Dose that count?"
Brook hopped in a circle and squealed. Twilight was used to being the 'Door Mat' princess, as some ponies said. Always going after something and doing a job for somepony else. Seeing this much excitement almost embarrassed Twilight. She tried to gain Brook's attention but the mare was to busy with her enthusiasm.
Brook gasped and grabbed Twilight's hoof quite suddenly,"Princess! There's someone you just have to meet!"
With that Twilight was dragged to a smaller street that led to the beach. The street ahead of them faded into the white sands where tents and all sorts of Equestrians were gathered. Sail boats could be seen on the hill they were on and the sound of the boating crowd was audible from where the two mares were.
Twi looked at Brook with a bashful look,"We're not going into that are we?"
Brook giggled,"No your Highness, were going somewhere else," She turned quiet all of a sudden. She had a heavy blush on her cheeks, causing Twi to raise an eyebrow,"Ummm...could you..." Brook stuttered.
"What is it Brook?"
"Well...the cove I wanted to take you is quite a way's away, and I don't want to interrupt or be rude or anything. It's just that well, you have wings and...I've always wanted to fly..." Her voice trailed away as her hoof scuffed the ground timidly.
"So, you want a ride?" Twi asked casually. Brook's ears shot up.
"Y-you mean it? I-I get to fly?!" Brook asked with a big smile.
"Sure," Twilight agreed.
She hoisted Brook with her magic as the alicorn flew into the air. Brook covered her eyes and peeked every once and awhile. Twilight pulled Brook beside her like a balloon as she circled the ships over the water.
"Bablin', you can't enjoy flying if you don't look around, come on." Twilight smiled.
A few minuets went by as Brook became accustomed to the height, she even held her forearms out like wings. Twi was enjoying the flight as well, but she soon became impatient,"Now, Brook. Where is that beach you told me about?"
"Oh, oh, my bad. I almost forgot! It's ummm..." She scanned the low buildings, dense port and stuffed streets. A few kilometers down the coast and away from the city was a large rock surrounded by tropical trees.
Brook swung her hooves it's direction,"There it is! Barnaby Beach!" She cried triumphantly.
Twilight flew over and tried to play along with the upbeat pony. Her mind was still focused on Sombra and how she planned on defeating him. Babblin' Brook spun and twirled mid-air in the magic cloud that surrounded her.
Twilight rolled her eyes with a playful smile,"So, tell me Brook. Why's it called Barnaby's Beach?"
"Oh, that's simple. That's the name of the big, blue-white shark that lives there," The blue mare said matter-of-factly.
Twilight's eyes widened. She tried to keep her voice from shouting in response,"You said...s-shark? As in a Carcharodon carcharias? A-a g-great white shark?"
"I think that's what he is, but don't worry," Brook grinned," He's got no teeth."
Twilight's nerves calmed,"So he's friendly?"
"Kinda...only me, Swish, Afua, and Summer know that he can't eat ponies. Barnaby still goes around and scares swimmers and even boaters out of that beach." Brook spoke about a great white shark as if he was a big stray dog.
Twilight noticed that they were very close to the small patch of trees...and the beach,"H-he wont try and eat me...will he?"
"Nah, and if he dose just poke him in the eye then run for shore. He hates that." Brook smiled as she floated upside down.
Twilight cautiously flew past the trees to see the beach, from what geography she knew it looked more like a small gulf then a stretch of sand touching the water. The sand was white with palm trees leaning over to the water, and in the trees was a sturdy thatch hut with several surf boards next to it. The water in the gulf-like space moved in in large, even paced waves that rolled over themselves as they graced the sands. She scanned the water nervously for Barnaby, no silhouette or fin sticking out of the water.
"Good," Twi thought to herself,"I only need one dangerous creature to worry about."
She landed on the sand and planted Brook softly next to her. Twilight looked around at 'Barnaby Beach' while Brook got to her hooves and trotted over to the hut.
"Suuuuuummer?" Babblin' Brook called,"Summer, there's somepony important here. She needs a place to crash for a bit...Summer?" A soda cup rolled past her on the empty gulf like a tumble weed. She trotted back to Twilight,"I don't think he's here. I'm sure he wouldn't mind if we hung out here though."
Twilight placed a hoof to her face,"Thank you Brook. Now that I know where my base of operations is, I need to find my friends."
"Oh, oh, oh, can I come?" Bablin' clapped her hooves in anticipation.
"Could you wait here, its still noon...I'll bring them all here before dark okay?" Twilight said hurriedly.
Brook's smile became crestfallen,"Oh...I see. I'll let Summer know about you if he shows up."
Twilight patted her on the back and thanked the helpful blue mare before she took off into the air. As she neared the city Twilight scanned the streets to see her friends. Outside of the more fancy buildings near the beach Rarity could be seen with a pink face shouting at a diamond dog in a suit. Cadence and Shining were a few feet behind her, acting as if they never knew the irate mare. Once Twilight landed Rarity turned her focus towards her.
"Where have you been?" Rarity grit her teeth," These...characters say the whole hotel is booked. Absolutely no room for any more guests, even with three members of royalty here! This is simply...uncouth." She said with a venomous look to the bouncer, who buckled slightly under her glare.
"Rarity, it's okay. I found somepony named Brook who was willing to let her stay at her place. Come on Shining, Cadence, I'll take you there."
The white unicorn flicked her mane,"I hope it isn't to close to the ocean. The sea breeze is beginning to friz up my beautiful hair!"
Meanwhile; Applejack had now given up talking to the Applewood Ponies, they simply didn't want anything to do with her. For what reason she didn't know. As she walked slowly down a stuffed street she received nothing but unpleasant looks but catching a glance of a rainbow mane lifted her spirits. She squeezed through the crowd and found Rainbow dash and Fluttershy at a street corner, they waved her over when they saw the cowpony.
"Found out anythin'?" Applejack asked the two pegsi. The both shook their heads regretfully.
"The whole place is crazy right now,"Rainbow Dash scoffed,"Something about this egghead boat convention."
"Ah know, all of these folks aren't payin' any attention to nothin but themselves an their boats," Applejack crinkled her nose at the crowd.
"So...what are we going to do?" Fluttershy asked,"Nopony will talk to us, wait..." She looked off down the street,"Is that Twilight?"
Sure enough, there was Twilight with the other horned ponies of their party. They met half way through the street and greeted one another. Applejack was the first to bring the crew on track.
"So...any new on you-know-who? We haven't found 'anythin" Applejack said dejectedly.
"Sorry, no news over here," Cadence said,"But Twi found a place for us to stay, isn't that right?"
Twilight nodded. She led them through the crowds into the outskirts of the town. Now their surroundings were more of big houses and trees then two story shops and offices. The houses became smaller and smaller as they walked further, soon only trees were around them on a sandy path. The path led to a clearing and a sign to their left which read;
BARNABY BEACH
...beware of sharks, okay?
Everypony besides Twilight read and reread the sign. They were about to protest when Pinkie's distinct laugh could be heard, along with another. It sounded like something rather large.
"...and I said oatmeal? Are you crazy?"
"Bwahahahar," the big voice chortled,"Ya know, fer a little horsey ya sure are funny!"
"Thanks B Man!" Pinkie said.
Twilight and her friends couldn't imagine what was going on so they tip-toed (or hooved, because ponies don't have toes) though the last bit of foliage to see the 'shark infested' beach. There was Pinkie sitting on top a beach ball in the water with a great white shark swimming in slow circles around her. Twilight and the rest panicked and raced to the shore to save their friend but the two in the water laughed.
"You all can't go swimming yet," Pinkie called atop the beach ball,"You don't have any swim suits on!"
"What about you?" Dash asked,"You're right next to a shark! I think you need to get out of the water instead of us getting in!"
"You should see the look on your faces!" the pink mare giggled,"Don't tell me you're scared of..." She pulled the side of the sharks mouth," Barnaby? He's just like Gummy, no teeth!" The shark groaned as he indirectly spun the ball and Pinkie in a circle.
"But he's a shark," Fluttershy said quietly," You shouldn't be playing with him, they-"
"Lookie here little little yeller thing," the shark barked. Sadly his harsh tone was ruined by the fact that he had to constantly move in a circle and had no teeth to growl through," I haven't eaten somthin' with legs in over twelve years, so hush yer grass eatin' mouth."
"Barnaby!" a mare's voice said. Twi turned around to see it was Babblin' Brook,"Now, Barnaby. What have we talked about?"
"But, Brook!" the fish whined,"They were talkin' as if I was gonna eat em!"
It took awhile for Twilight and her friends to grow accustomed to the shark, but Pinkie's enthusiasm and Brook's reassurance helped them settle down. They asked Brook about the Boating convention as well as Barnaby. The mare said it was to see which rich pony had the fanciest boat, on the other hand, Barnaby said it was all a big headache. Twilight asked her Ponyville friends to gather at the thatch hut. Brook's prying ears were politely shoved away from the A.S.M. (Anti-Sombra meeting)
"Alright, so everypony has their element right?" Twilight checked. Her friends nodded.
"I think our best option is that we should set up some sort of bait for him," Shining suggested,"We could use a growing spell on a crystal or a gem of some kind. He'd probably follow that like a moth to a flame."
"I think we should just hunt that poor sap down," Rainbow Dash smirked,"After all, he's a lot weaker then he was, right?"
While the Equestrians were debating, Brook sat near the shore and watched the sun as it began to set. The shark had left awhile ago and the beach seemed surprisingly lonely. Out of the pathway, a dark grey unicorn stallion with a dull red Hawaiian shirt walked towards Brook with a pair of grocery bags in tow. When the mare turned around to see him and her heart lit up.
The unicorn laughed, it was warm and twangy sound,"I needed some tofu for the party were going to have this weekend, don't tell me you forgot."
Brook rolled her eyes,"No...cors' I didn't...but hey, there's some ponies from out of town that you should meet."
"Huh, the whole town's crowded isn't it?" Summer said, his mood matching his name,"So how far out of town are they?"
"Well," Brook held her excitement,"It's the gang from Ponyville, and...and the Royal Couple from the Crystal Empire! Isn't it great?"
Summer broke into a sweat, he darted his eyes around in half panic. He put the groceries in front of the blue mare and backed away nervously, "I...I forgot...something...carrots! Yes, I forgot to get those...and bananas!"
Without another word, he darted down the sandy path into the trees. Brook peeked into the bags and in them she found Cider, tofu, carrots, bananas and paper plates. She looked back up to where Summer diapered to with a look of suspicion. She heard a splash and there was the shark.
"Heheheh, what a weenie!" The fish chortled.
Brook's sat on her haunches atop the sandy beach. She watched him dart away, wondering why such a mellow guy would act like that. Summer had just shown up at Applewood after she hit some rocks while surfing, he dived into the water and pulled Brook to safety on the surface. She overheard that the infamous Sombra was still alive and in the area but...that couldn't be true. Could it?
Spike sat on a long lawn chair on the Crystal Tower balcony. He had a thick pair of sunglasses and a crown two sizes to big on his proud brow. The dragon popped crystal shards into his mouth greedily like grapes as he watched the sky overhead. A small black dot came into view and he could see it was Luna as it got closer. He yawned as the midnight princess landed beside him on the balcony. She looked at him with a puzzled look.
"You are really taking this 'king' business rather well," she said.
"What can I say, I'm a dragon and we're borne leaders," Spike smirked. Luna rolled her eyes.
Luna pursed her lips,"Should we have told them-"
"That Sombra is a surfer pony now?" Spike blurted,"Nah, they'll figure it out soon enough."
"If you say so..." Luna said worriedly.
Sombra ran through the small tropical jungle with a racing heart. He diverted from the forest path and soon became lost in the trees. He sat on the sandy ground with a fern hanging over him, an umbrella in the tropical heat. He sat dumbfounded for some time, only the sound of birds singing and the roll of the near-by ocean was present.
"Oh no," he said to himself,"What's going on? I go all the way over here to Applewood to avoid those ponies and WHAT happens?" He called out to the trees,"Out of ALL of the beaches and All of the ponies, they find me." A fat blue caterpillar inched over from a fern leaf onto one near Sombra. It munched away on it's green food loudly, the dark unicorn blinked at it.
"What are you looking at?" He yelled.
The caterpillar continued eating, ignoring the dazed unicorn.
Sombra sighed,"What am I going to do? This is such a...a mess! I was living just fine there being king, the most important pony around," He glared at the caterpillar,"Then those princesses took it from me. I got back on my hooves and almost had my kingdom back, then those six came around...are you listening?"
The bug didn't seem to be paying attention to him. Sombra groaned, "They took my kingdom! Now I'm stuck here with...with," He suddenly went quiet. Another caterpillar, a smaller yellow one with bright blue stripes, inched up next to the larger one. The striped one waved to grab the other's attention, who slowly turned to see. The big one waved back and handed a bit of leaf to the smaller one, who accepted happily. The two caterpillars ate away, sitting next to each other like old friends.
Sombra slouched, almost regretful of how selfish he sounded earlier. He thought about Brook and her friends here, they all treated him like one of their own. Then Sombra thought how it was like back at the Crystal Empire. He was on top the world, the head honcho...but he was alone on top of that world. With out Twilight and her friends defeating him, he'd never meet any of the Applewood ponies.
"You know, I think we had a good talk," Sombra smiled at the caterpillars,"Catch ya later!"
The two bugs looked to each other with lazy glances, shrugged, and went back to eating away. Sombra wandered through the palm forest a bit to find his way back and after awhile he found the sand path that leads to Barnaby Beach. He felt butterflies in his stomach as he walked back,"How ironic..." He thought to himself.
"If I go directly up to them, they may recognize me for who I was," He planned out his strategy to himself, as most paranoid kings would,"Maybe if I met them one at a time...no, they'd find that suspicious. If I had Babblin' Brook introduce me...maybe. Oh, I know! We'll have a big cook-out! I'll grill up some food and grab some Pineapple juice," Sombra beamed.
Heading back into town he passed by Afua's bookstore. Inside he found Swish and the book store owner chatting away at the counter about the new novels that came in. Sombra entered, to his delight he was met with welcoming smiles.
The brash griffon waved to him,"Hey there Summer! Did you hear about the new ponies in town?"
Summers met up with them at the counter, surprised to find a bottle of what he was looking for between them,"New ponies? There has to be hundreds, did you not see the droves of ships out in the harbor?"
Afua giggled as she leaned over. Sombra saw that she had maybe a bit much of it to drink to herself,"No, no silly Summer!" Her eyes blinked lazily,"Swish was talking about the special ones! The gang from -hic- Ponyville and the Royal couple..." Her voice trailed off.
Sombra slid the bottle over to him,"May I?" he asked Afua.
The okapi nodded,"Knock yourself out. I know I -hic- might."
Sombra drank some of the 'juice' ,"Ahhh, thanks. Anyways, so I was meaning to ask you two something," The two friends rose an eyebrow in unison. Sombra continued"I was having a cook-out at the surf shop and I was wondering if you two wanted to join in. Interested?"
Swish laughed,"Sure, I'm game! As long as you're not cooking, you'd burn a salad!" She stuck her tongue teasingly out at him.
Sombra grumbled as Afua giggled. Sombra pouted at the okapi and held the bottle close to him,"I was going to grab some more of this but you, Afua, are just drinking water. You've had more then enough."
Afua groaned,"I'll tell you when-"
Swish threw a hand that covered Aufa's mouth,"Don't. Even. Finish. That."
After grabbing a few things, Afua stumbled along with Swish and Sombra as they left the book store. The three walked (or tripped) through the lively streets. As they walked the sky over head was turning a sunset orange as a average summer night began. The mellow glimmer of the street lamps along with the humid air and cicadas buzzing made a simple yet elegant setting in the outer Applewood streets. Sombra led Afua down a sand tributary trail off an asphalt road while Swish carried two bottles of Sourbite brand pineapple juice. Enjoying the summer evening they ventured on to the shark's cove.
Sombra strutted through the jungle until he reached Barnaby Beach. He was met with what he had expected, an ambush. The Ponyville Crew stood in a semi circle around him, Afua and Swish. Each pony with their elements glowing and the royal couple stood ready at the rear. Sombra looked to each of them with an horrified look, almost frozen stiff from surprise. Swish nearly dropped the juice and Afua...well she didn't react very much at all.
"Wait, wait...settle down girls," Cadence said,"Sorry mister. We mistook you fore somepony else."
Rainbow Dash slapped her forehead,"Oh COME ON! This is so obviously him, he's the same color and everything!"
"Yes, very obvious," Twilight said critiaclly,"Almost...to obvious. You're Summers correct?"
Sombra smiled, hiding his relief,"Yes, yes that's me. I see that some very special ponies have chosen my place to stay, you're all welcome here," He walked through their formation leaving Afua with them,"Could you get her a chair for her, I need to get cooking."
Twilight flew up to Sombra,"Cooking POISON I suspect!"
Swish laughed,"Some would call his cooking poison," She showed the Ponyville Crew the bottles she was carrying,"Ever try some of this?"
"Sourbite?" Fluttershy read,"Is it any good?"
Afua giggled,"You -hic- bet it is!"
Rolling her eyes, Swish helped the okapi to a lounge chair near by the surf shop. At the end facing the beach, Babblin Brook stood behind a bar waiting as Sombra walked up. The unicorn blushed a little,"Sorry Brook, about running off earlier."
Brook waved a hoof in the air, shooing away Sombra's meek apology,"Don't worry Summie! I started up the grill a little while ago, you know what? I thought it was kinda funny you leaving for some more food, like we totally have so much here! Unless you were packing for extra company, which we have but anyway..." the mare said rambling. Sombra nodded his head motioning her to come outside, Brook continued talking about bits of everything as she went. Once next to Sombra, she felt his hoof over her shoulder. Brook went quiet in an instant.
"Brook, could you get some of the tables out back?" Sombra asked,"We've got a lot of company and I'm sure Applejack and Rainbow Dash will help."
Babblin' Brook had a sullen look,"You don't want me to help out with the food?"
"Later Brook. Now go on, we don't want our guests to get sand in their food!" Sombra inched the mare along until she walked on her own. Out on the beach sat The Ponyville Crew, Shining Armor, Cadence with Swish and Afua. Babblin' Brook called Applejack and Rainbow Dash over, who happily agreed to help out. Meanwhile Swish sat and chatted with the rest of the guest while Afua slowly sobered up.
"It's funny," Swish smiled,"I met you earlier Twilight, but I had no idea I'd be eating dinner with you and your friends. It's pretty awesome...hanging out with a Princess, ya know?"
Twilight nodded humbly,"I'm just glad we could find a nice place to stay." Twilight sat in the sand with her friends, enjoying the late afternoon sea breeze. The idea of the dreaded King Sombra was a faint image in her mind. Sombra was a faint part of all of their minds. Where ever he was, it wasn't here...or at least his dark power wasn't.
Cadence smelled the air, it lacked the tantalizing smells of grilling. She looked wryly to Swish,"I Summers really as bad of a cook as you said earlier?"
Swish laughed,"No, I just like messing with him. He takes pride in the food he makes, you ponies are in for a real treat tonight!"
Cadence put on a pleading look toward Shining Armor,"Honey, could you check up on our host?"
Shining kissed his wife,"My pleasure."
The girls kept chatting while Shining went to the surf shop. His masculine senses kicking in at the idea of the grilled food. He walked up the the bar table and looked inside the front part. A storm door was rolled up above the counter and part of the bar itself was a half-door and at the back wall was a wood door leading to the rest of the house. Inside were Hearths Warming lights and dull yellow light bulbs strung through the rafters with a ceiling fan. On the back shelf was a variety of items; swimming equipment, trinkets, post cards, and what seemed to be prized the most was the slew of surf boards. Some were just propped up on the wall not even hung, there were so many.
Shining Armor was wondering where Summers was,"Summers? You in there?"
The welcoming, twangy voice of Summers came from inside,"Yes Your Highness? I'm in the kitchen." Shining was about to ask if he could come inside but Summers interrupted him," You're royalty, right? Don't bother asking if you can come in."
Shining shrugged with a smirk and opened the half door, stepping inside. He went through the wooden door and found a surprisingly beautiful interior. The main part had a light blue carpet on top of a pale brown floor and a ladder leading upstairs. Near a window to the left was a worn, but comfy brown couch and a cracked surf board coffee table. There were several paintings and framed photos on the walls. Most of the photos were of Babblin Brook holding a surf board and a trophy. The painting were the works of an amateur background artist. In the corner, close to the door leading to the kitchen was a polished drift wood log painted to look like a live tree. Shining admired the look of Summers' home, soon the sounds of a busy chef broke his trance.
Shining called from toward the kitchen,"Are you doing okay in there? Need any help?"
The royal pony heard a charming laugh,"Your Highness doesn't need to help me. I really shouldn't even be talking with you so causally..."
Shining walked into the kitchen with a stern look. Inside he found Summers washing an assortment of fruits and vegetables being washed in a massive sink. The kitchen itself was made of several different kinds of wood with cabinets and baskets on the walls along with an old looking fridge. Shining moved up to Summers with his look still stern, the grey unicorn kept his gaze from the royal's.
"I...I'm sorry, I just finished some sauce for the food. I'm washing the rest now," He glanced up,"I'm not being unacceptable am i?"
Shining blew a frustrated breath,"Are you afraid of ponies who live in a castle, Summers? You're acting so strange."
Sombra busied himself thinking,I would never have been so...casual when I was a king. It's as if he doesn't even know what royal life is like! Sombra smiled widely,"No, I'm just not used to royals being so...laid back."
Shining punched Summers' shoulder brotherly,"Just forget I'm from a castle. Oh, and call me Shining."
Sombra felt conflicted. A deep part of him thought this was a ploy, a trap to get him weak so they could stamp him out once and for all. A newer sense in his mind thought,Alright, let's start up the grill, Shining!
Practically forcing himself to move, Sombra put down what he was doing,"Hey man, could you finish chopping up those bell peppers? I'll grab us something to drink."
Shining went to his requested task without question. Sombra opened his fridge with butterflies in his stomach,"You a cola kinda guy?"
The royal looked up from his sloppily chopped peppers,"You mean soda? Not since I was frat pony at CU. My wife's been pretty strict on what we all eat," he chuckled.
Sombra walked back over to the counter with two beet bottles in a red magic cloud, one floated over to Shining,"So Mr. Armor..." He was about to ask about why the Ponyville ponies were here but he already knew that. He looked at the food,"Help me bring this out to the grill, alright bud?"
Shining nodded and lifted half of ti with his blue magic cloud, while Sombra grabbed a the rest with his. Shining followed Sombra out and to the back end of the house, where a large rustic grill with platters on each side sat sweltering. Sombra put his food on a platter and with his magic, stuck different fruits and vegetables on kebab sticks. Along with this he popped the cap off his soda and took a swig.
"So Shining, who dose the cooking at the Crystal Palace?" Sombra asked casually.
Shining opened his bottle as well,"Well, we have ten different chefs...did you want me to count the kitchen staff too?"
Sombra chuckled as he put the first few kebabs on the grill,"You know I could teach you, though you probably have better chefs at your place," Sombra grinned while the food's juices sizzled on the hot iron grate.
Shining shook his head,"Thanks but I'd never catch on, I was never good at cooking food. Eating food, on the otherhoof, that I CAN do," the two stallions chuckled.
Out on the beach The Ponyville Crew sat with their Applewood friends on the lounge furniture Babblin' Brook brought out. Twilight was talking with Swish and Brook about their plan to conquer Sombra. It involved several complicated trap mechanisms, to handle his kind of magic, a slew of crystals and the possibility of Cadence being thrown again. The food was done but Sombra was reluctant to go out. Shining saw this.
"Hey Summer, you alright?" Shining asked.
Sombra sighed,"Well Shining...I'm afraid. Afraid to go out there..."
"Why, don't tell me a big unicorn like you is afraid of a few mares!" Shining smirked.
Sombra shook his head,"No, it's not them...it's her," He pointed to Bablin' Brook.
Shining rose an eyebrow,"Why in the world would you be afraid of her?"
Sombra seemed hesitant,"Can you keep a secret, stallion to stallion?"
Shining cast a shady glance to the mares,"Sure, I won't tell a soul."
Sombra rubbed his face,"Well, I did some bad things when I was younger...made some enemies. I'm not the same pony I was before but..." His voice trailed off.
Shining was intent on finding out,"But what Summers?"
"I'm afraid she'll think less of me if she ever finds out who I was," Sombra sighed,"I don't want to see her hurt..."
Shining nodded,"Spoken like a true gentlehorse. Don't worry about it," he patted Sombra's back,"You'll be fine!"
Sure, you say that now, Sombra thought to himself,but what will YOU do?
The two stallions walked out to the group of mares with the freshly cooked food in tow. They all eyed it hungrily and once it was served, dug in. Summers sat at the head of the table and just smiled and listened to everypony else's chatter. He was mostly interested in hearing Bablin' Brook talking about her ventures of surfing to the Ponyville ponies.
"...then there was this HUUUUUGE wave, I mean gigantic and you know what I did?" Brook asked the ponies. They all leaned in, intent on the conclusion," I rode that sucker like no tomorrow! I felt like I was flying it was so tall! It got real close to land and once it touched down I landed in a palm tree, you should've sen it!"
Swish groaned,"Brook, you tell that story ALL the time. It was ME who rode that wave, not you!"
Brook shooed her away,"Shh! Not so loud!"
Summer smiled. He went back to tuning out the whole event and just sit and think, How am I getting out of this one? He heard something but didn't pay attention to it. Suddenly something shook his soulder, it was Babblin' Brook.
"Umm hey Brook! Is the food good?" Sombra asked.
The sea blue mare nodded,"It's awesome Summie, but Twilight wanted to ask you something. You were totally spaced out so I woke ya up!"
Summers gulped,"Yeah Twilight?"
Twilight looked over from where she and her friends were sitting,"We didn't get to talk much Summer. Can you tell us a bit about yourself?"
Sombra hid his face with a hoof. He was panicking,"Well...I um...I'm not from around here I moved from a place with crystals...er...thistles, yeah thistles..." The Ponyville mares listened seemingly unaware of Sombra's poor cover story,"When I moved here, I saw that Bablin' Brook was surfing and decided to watch. She got hit by a big wave and didn't come back up to the surface," Sombra's nerves calmed slightly as he told the truth.
"I threw off my cape and jumped into the water. Swimming really far down I grabbed Brook. She was unconscious then and would've been in been BIG trouble if I didn't save her. After that I just stayed here, isn't that right everyone?"
Afua, Swish and Brook all nodded in agreement. Rarity seemed puzzled,"Darling, what were you doing wearing a cape out in this weather?"
Rainbow Dash folded her arms,"Yeah, and why did you slip out crystals?"
Sombra's eyes darted around. Twilight had a malicious look,"You're not who we thought you were...you're Sombra aren't you?!" She cried.
The Applewood natives gasped as well as the royal couple. A lump grew in Sombra's throat. He was expecting to be blasted away or taken to tartarus with Tirek but Brook slammed her hoof on the table,"No way! Sombra was a cold, evil and awful king. Our Summer is one of the nicest stallions you'd ever have the pleasure to meet! Just 'cuz he's red and black dosen't mean he's evil, shame on you!"
Twilight's face was pale from embarrassment,"Oh...oh I'm so sorry...It's just that we were sent here to find him. I suppose I was just a little on edge... that's all. Sorry Summer."
When Twilight said Sombra's fake name, it felt like a stab to him. He wiped some sweat away,"No, no it's alright. I...I'm very tired. I'll just be heading off to bed, there's hammocks upstairs when you ladies get tired," He got up quickly and headed for his house,"Goodnight everyone!"
Applejack watched him leave,"Is he always as jumpy as an flea bitten jack rabbit?"
Afua giggled,"No...maybe it's because of all of the new mares in town, eh?"
Brook pouted,"Go to bed Afua," she yawned,"Oh Celestia it's getting late. I'd better go on home, see all of you in the morning!"
Swish helped Afua to her feet,"Uh...we'd better get going too. See you all later."
The Applewood dwellers left back into the sandy path through the palm trees. Only the sound of the ocean and the flicker of some tikki lamps took up the tropical night.
Fluttershy put a hoof to her lip,"Kinda felt like Canterlot wedding for a little bit...scary."
Meanwhile inside the surf shop, Sombra lay in his straw bed panicking. He missed a one way trip to being in irons by the skin of his teeth. Only because of Bablin' Brook...
It was early morning over the little cove Sombra called home. The guests from Ponyville were fast asleep in hammocks he had set up for them scattered about his house. Since Shining and Cadence were sleeping in his bed, he lay on the couch. Unlike his guests the dark colored unicorn had trouble sleeping. He wasn't sure if Twilight was waiting him out on his secret or simply didn't know. He had made a life for himself out here, then her and her friends came along and compromised it.
As Sombra weved through the hammocks he found Twilight's. She lay snoring but an interesting book was in her lap. It was one of his boating catalogs. He snatched it up with his magic quickly, lightly groaning at the idea of Twilight reading about his fantasies.
He hopped off the couch and headed outside. As he opened the front door he bumped into something; Babblin' Brook.
"Oh sorry Brook, I didn't see you there," Sombra smiled sheepishly," Why aren't you back home? It's late." The sea blue mare didn't say anything. She just stood there awkwardly, as if to ask something but to afraid to ask. Sombra pursed his lip,"If your still hungry there's leftovers, want some?"
Brook half opened her mouth,"Sure."
Sombra smiled,"Alright, I'll go grab something." He waved to her as he headed back inside.
On his way to the kitchen he dodged the sleeping mares in their hammocks with only bumping into them once or twice. He grabbed a sandwich and two sodas and carefully trekked back out. He found Brook sitting on a lawn chair out in front of the surf shop, an empty char next to her seemed to beckon Sombra.
Sombra sat down next to Bablin Brook handing her the sandwich,"Here you go," She took it but didn't take a bite. She just looked at him and smiled.
Brook looked up at the starry night sky,"I...what I came over for was to make sure you...er...and the girls were okay. When I heard that King Sombra was still alive...I...I was worried."
"You were worried about me?" Sombra laughed.
"It's not funny! He's serious business," Brook said," You know what he did right?"
Sombra rubbed his neck,"More then I should."
"What's that? Did you live in the crystal empire?" Brook gasped.
Sombra choked on his sandwich,"No way! I've...I've never been there."
Brook giggled,"You're a bad liar, but I'll believe you."
The two ponies looked up at the early morning sky. The sun began rising, gracing reds and yellows across the tropical night sky. Babblin' Brook didn't eat a bite of her food, she looked far to worried.
Sombra bit his lip,"What would you do...if someone you knew did a bad thing?"
Babblin looked up at him with a puzzled look,"A bad thing? Well as long as they knew what they did and were sorry for it...I wouldn't mind," She bit into her sandwich casually,"Why do you ask?"
Sombra saw her mood was brightening. He rubbed his neck,"I've..I've always kinda wanted to just sail away. Ah nevermind," He looked over his shoulder,"Well the guests and I are all okay. You should get home and sleep."
"Aww...can't I just sleep here?" Babblin' Brook yawned.
"I...well there's the couch..." He was resistant since that's where he was sleeping. Brook patted him on the shoulder and lumbered inside the house groggily. As Sombra watched her walk away gears began turning in his head. He hurried inside with a plan. A plan that would put his past to rest...at least he hoped it would. He saw that she flopped onto the couch, out like a light.
Sombra carefully tread through his house as not to wake the nine other ponies. He gathered up several things, materials and trinkets you'd see on a half baked high school play. Bundling it all up, he crept back outside. With a silent giggle of delight, he darted off.
It was afternoon in the quiet cove. The Ponyville troupe had completely forgotten about the threat of Sombra. It was simply to peaceful for him to be anywhere. Swish and Afua came over to visit, both wondering where Summer went. The rest of them wondered too, they thought he was with the okapi and griffon. They weren't worried though, he wan't one to get into trouble.
Pinkie Pie was playing with one of Sombra's surf boards. The rest of the girls were talking with Swish and Afua about how it was to live in two different cities. The griffon caught wind of Pinkie and fluttered over with a wry grin. She grabbed another surf board, its racing stripes accenting her sea gull feathers.
"Ever been surfing Pinkie?" she asked.
The pink mare grinned,"Nope!"
"Then let's give you a lesson, eh?" The griffon laughed.
The two ran for the beach and the perfect waves. Rainbow Dash saw them and flew after them, Applejack trailed behind RD. The farmer grabbed a board for her and the pegasus. The rest of the girls watched surprised and amused. Shining Armor stretched up and yawned,"Ahhh...I could go for some lemonade right now."
Babblin' Brook smiled," Summer had some lemons inside. I'll go make some!"
Shining Armor chuckled as he watched her run into the surf shop. He leaned over to his wife and she laid her head on his shoulder. The white stallion breathed in the tropical air,"This is amazing, isn't it Cadence? We came here to find Sombra and we got a vacation...it's as if he isn't even here!"
Cadence sighed happilly," It really is wonderful to finally get some peace and quiet."
She groaned as she heard shouts coming from the nearby surfing class. Shining Armor couldn't help but laugh.
In the shallow water Swish was showing the mares how to paddle up to waves. Pinkie took to it like a fish to water. Applejack had some trouble with balance, her only distraction was that she was too busy laughing. Rainbow Dash couldn't stay on her board for more than five seconds. Rarity and Fluttershy cheered their friends on from the shore. Rainbow Dash's wings would throw her off balance as she tried to surf or she'd try to stand up to early and fall off. Swish egged her on about it, once she called her 'Rainbow Splash' the cyan mare grinned devilishly.
"You want a splash?" She said," I'll give you a splash!" A small wave of water was pushed as she rocketed into the air.
Swish shielded her eyes looking up to the sky. Rainbow Dash was a tiny speck up in the blue expanse. The griffon turned to the other two mares,"I didn't make her upset...did I?"
Pinkie Pie put on an umbrella hat and handed a pair of snorkel goggled to Applejack," Nope. You better get ready for a wave though."
Swish laughed," A mare making a big wave in the ocean, this'll be a sight."
Applejack slid on the goggles and snorkel," Yall'd be surprised. I learned mah lesson at that cannon ball contest..."
They looked to the distance, there was a low screech like a jet. Suddenly a wave of light flew out, blinding all who saw it. A mushroom cloud of rainbow smoke plumed into the air and the sound of rushing water was heard. The shock wave rattled the swimmers bones and blew leaves off the palm trees. Swish began paddling out to sea," Alright, Rainbow Splash! Let's go!"
The wave came closer and closer, growing in size as it barreled forward. They saw Rainbow Dash flying up along side it. Swish neared the wave and dived under the wall of water. The ocean rushed passed her and she popped out on the other side. Her and her board were on top of the huge wave, she was almost dizzy from the height. To her left Rainbow Dash was flying casually, arms folded behind her head with a wide grin.
Twilight gawked at the huge wave. A thrilling surge flowed through her as the wave was dying down and ready to contact the beach. Applejack and Pinkie Pie waved and danced about in the wave's shadow. Cadence and Shining Armor put on shades while Twilight clenched her eyes shut.
CRASH!
The wave barreled over the beach and into the small rain forest beyond it. As the expanded tide pulled back it left ponies beached and giggling. Swish was now in a tree as well as her board. Applejack had to help Pinkie Pie get her head out from being stuck in the sand and Fluttershy did her best to calm Rarity down who had gobs of seaweed and lobsters in her freshly permed mane. Twilight bounced around like a toddler while the royal couple (surprisingly) still sat in their lawn chairs as if the wave never hit them. Cadence spit out a jet of sea water with a disgruntled expression.
Afua was the first back to reality," Oh no! Summer's house!"
Everyone stopped moving and looked to the place where the house stood. To everyone's shock the house...wasn't a house anymore. It was a messy shamble of derbies and furniture. Rainbow Dash cupped her hooves over her mouth in shock, fluttering back down to earth she approached the ruins. She knelt down next to them with a look of disbelief. The rest of the party eventually walked up and made a semi-circle around the ruins. Swish put a hand on Rainbow Dash's trembling shoulder. The cyan mare looked up at her, she looked up at everypony.
"This is all my fault!" Rainbow Dash whimpered," What are we going to do?"
"It's not your fault, it was an accident," Twilight reassured," I should have put a shield spell over the house...we all could've done something..."
Shining Armor bit his lip," This is a real disaster," He winced as Cadence punched his arm. He still continued," No need for panic, we've got two princesses here. I'm sure we can find all the help we need to fix this house."
Applejack picked up a piece of broken timber," Fix? Sugar cube, we need a replacement."
"Oh dear...what will Summer think?" Fluttershy whispered.
The group fell silent. What would he think? This is his home, as far as Summer's Applewood friends know it's his only home. They didn't know of any of his family to move back with. Afua's place was cramped as it is, Swish lived in a one bedroom apartment as well as Babblin Brook. A dark cloud fell over the party, a cloud of worry.
As they sat and thought a voice called from the bay," Hey! Was there some kinda hurricane today?"
They all looked behind to see the bay's shark; Barnaby. His head poked out of the water and a concerned look was on his gruff face. Pinkie Pie was at the shore in an instant.
"Oh it's awful! Awful! We were playing out by the ocean, Swish was teaching us how to surf and then she called Rainbow Dash Rainbow Splash. Then-she-flew-up-in-the-air-and-before-we-knew-it-there-was-a-big-rainbow-explosion-that-made-a-giant-wave-that-crashed-into-the-beach-but-we-were-having-lots-of-fun-and-didn't-notice-that-Summer's-house-until-it-was-to-late," She took in a long gasp of air," It was a mistake, honest!"
Barnaby pursed his toothless lips. He looked at the puppy-dog-faced Pinkie Pie then back at the others. He sighed," I've been friends with Summer the longest...I'll talk with him. I don't know what were going to do about his house..."
They all sat in silence. In the distance out in the water Twilight spotted something. She looked harder and saw a boat. A bright idea burned above her and she jumped up.
"Everypony," She announced,"I have a plan!"
"Well, what is it?" everyone else cried in unison.
"Babblin Brook, is that boating festival still going on?" Twilight asked.
"Umm, it ended yesterday," She saw a crestfallen look,"Almost all of them have left..."
Twilight turned hoof and galloped in the direction of town," Follow me while there's still time!"
Barnaby watched the party rush off on an unknown quest. The shark sighed and shook his head. He wasn't sure how 'carefree' Summer was going to take the news of being homeless.
Barnaby circled in the water for several minuets until he heard a deep laugh coming from the woods. Being a shark things rarely frightened him but he payed attention to the shore. After some more laughing and coughing a figure jumped out, clad in a red cape with cotton ball trimming. It was 'Sombra'. He had a cardboard crown and a smile like an uncle trying to look spooky.
"It is me, the terrible King Sombra!" He shouted"Tremble before me and I will spare you!"
Barnaby stifled a laugh. His humor ended when he saw Sombra's face. The unicorn was completely dumbstruck at the sight of his ruined house. He slid off his costume and stumbled over to the old shop. His hooves picked up broken piece after broken piece. The wave decimated his house and everything in it.
His face darkened," How did this happen?"
Barnaby tried to piece his words together as gently as possible "Well you see...that Rainbow Dash mare-"
"They knew it...they knew it all along, didn't they?" Sombra gritted his teeth," They pretended not to know...when I'm gone one moment they destroy my home...again..."
"Now hold on a second. Do you think those ponies would do something like that?" Barnaby chided," They're good kids, you've been clean for months now-"
Sombra stood back up. A stony expression on his face," I was...wasn't I? Where are they now?"
"They left-" Barnaby only had a moment to speak.
" Left? They LEFT, huh?" Sombra narrowed his eyes and looked back to the shark," Did they leave to grab the Crystal Heart and destroy me once and for all?"
Barnaby rolled his eyes in frustration," You're not listening! They went to town to get something for your house, to help you!"
Sombra's face softened for only a moment," Like I said...something to finish me off once and for all."
The unicorn turned and galloped over to town, ignoring his friend's shouts. His old dark smile returning to his lips...
Sombra's eyes were lined with tears. His throat was dry as he ran through the trees that led to the town. He ran into the street like he was in The Running of the Bulls. In the sky above he saw a Pegasus with a rainbow mane, his eyes glowed with his old dark magic. Ponies in the streets saw this black unicorn run like a mad man, there were mixed looks of worry. Rainbow Dash turned over to where the docks were. Sombra shadowed her direction.
While he was running his heart beat painfully. He had moved into a humble home and turned away from his old habits. In a few days the same mares who destroyed his old one. He felt betrayed and cheated. After all he tried to become clean, the same thing happened. He was getting closer to the dock with every step. In a few moments he was just a corner away from it.
He slowed to a stop and hid behind the corner, ears tuned to listen. He planned out what was going to happen. Those mares would be trying to escape him. He'd turn out and laugh his deep dark laugh. They'd cower in fear, lips and knees quivering. He'd strut up, trapping them in a crystal cage. He'd gloat at how they had tried to destroy him again, but it was them who'd be destroyed.
However, his ears picked up a very different sound then mares trying to escape...
"Please, you don't understand!" Twilight cried," Summer's house was destroyed in a tidal wave, you have to help us!"
A sailor pony grunted,"Sorry mam, can't help you. This boat ain't for sail. Don't know a 'Summer' anyway."
Sombra slowly peeked out to see them. He saw Twilight and all of friends all talking, even begging, sailors or merchants. They all asked for a boat to buy. They seemed desperate. Sombra walked out, not as pompous as he had imagined. He moved closer to the docs, his mind conflicted.
He heard Babblin' Brook call out to them, saying something about finding a boat. He winced, they had her in on his assassination? His slow pace picked up as the mares all ran to one of the piers. The sailors they had been talking to looked at Sombra with cautious eyes.
Sombra saw the mares were all gathered at a pier where a single mast sail boat. To be truthful, this boat had seen better years. The salty old pony who owned it was barraged with offers from the mares. Sombra moved closer.
The group quieted down. Twilight bit her lip,"An accident happened. Summer...our friend's house was destroyed."
"How much you offerin'?" The sailor asked.
"Anything," Cadence said," We'll pay anything!"
"Hmm..." The sailor mused," Why so desperate?'
Rainbow Dash's eyes were watery," It's my fault, we need a replacement quick. Can you please help us?"
Time for Sombra stopped. Hearing their confessions cut him deep. His stomach churned remembering how he was thinking earlier. His knees wobbled until he was too weak to stand.
Babblin' Brook looked behind her for a moment. She saw Summer sitting there, distraught and eyes full of tears. Babblin' gasped,"There he is, look!" She cried.
The group turned to see him. Before he knew it all six of the Ponyville ponies rushed to him. It was piratically a dog pile. They were blubbering apologies for breaking his house. Sombra was to happy an relived to speak. Babblin' stepped in.
"Girls, girls! Give him some air!" Cadence' said. The mares backed away and she looked at Sombra with a pained expression," We...we wanted to surprise you. Your house is gone and it's our fault...it's alright if you don't forgive us. We understand."
Sombra choked down tears,"M-me forgive you? There's nothing to apologize for," he chuckled weakly," I'm just happy that you're still here."
"We couldn't leave you," Pinkie Pie said," You're in an slight split personality crisis along with emotional and economic meltdown. Not to mention all of your property and valuables have been smashed to pieces. Besides, you're our friend!'
Applejack had an idea, she pulled Twilight to the side and whispered to her. Twilight nodded and looked to the rest," Since we're responsible for this mess, it's only fair that we fix it. By ourselves with hard work."
Applejack smiled at the idea. The rest nodded, unaware of the actual plan. The mass of ponies removed themselves from the docks, rather embarrassed at the scene they made. As they awkwardly walked away Twilight grabbed Summer and his Applewood friends for a meeting.
"Say girls, you don't have any plans this month do you?"
They collectively shook their heads. Swish rose her eyebrow,"What do you have in mind, princess?"
Twilight made a similar look," I need you three to keep Summer away for awhile. We're going to give him a surprise right and proper."
"How would we do that?" Afua asked," Summer may sneak off and peek."
Cadence slid in," Let's call it a vacation. Don't worry, my husband and I will make the reservations," She giggled. Shining Armor squinted over at them.
It had been a few weeks since the Ponyville Ponies had first arrived at Applewood. Over in a familiar cove a eleven busy creatures were hard at work building something. Twilight had memorized every book on the subject she could find. She and the rest were hard at work nailing the frame work and wooden planks into place. They worked all day and long into the night over their project.
With a few calls Cadence had arranged a cross country train trip for Summer, Afua, Swish and Babblin'. It was long enough to give the rest enough time to finish their project. After all the wood work was done and coated, Applejack and Rarity went off to gather supplies for accenting the bare wooden vessel. They came back with a distantly similar set of supplies.
Rarity had several mover ponies carrying felt cream colored furniture and birch wood counter tops. Applejack carried several cans of barn red paint like a show pony.
With what they had and could find, they fashioned their project into the best it could be.
The touring group came back at the perfect time, the last nail was set the night before. The four tourist came near the site. Summer had a blind fold on and a huge grin while the others giggled around him. When his Applewood friends saw it they gasped and giggled with excitement. The suspense was making Summer giddy.
The Ponyville Ponies lined up in front of their project. Babblin' grabbed Summer's blind fold and untied it. Summer blinked his eyes to adjust to the light. When they did he stared at what was before him;
The six mares were standing in front of an adorable ship. With red planks and white trim like a barn. The mast had a flag with a heart flapping in the tropical breeze. It had little silver portholes on the sides of it round body. The cabin had an open door leading to a room furnished like a dream home. Near the bough of the ship was written S.S. Crystal Heart in fancy text.
They all stood eager for Summer's reaction. The troubled unicorn was overwhelmed. He hugged the nearest pony, Babblin Brook, and laughed.
Later that night there was a party on the ship. It was to celebrate the return of Summer and his friends and to toast to the maiden voyage of the ship. Swish, Afua and Babblin' retold their cross country trip to the Ponyville ponies and acted out all of their little adventures. At the helm of the ship overlooking the happy group, was Summer and Twilight. They both had a small smile on their faces.
"This is all so much to take in," Summer said humbly," I don't know how to thank you."
"It's no trouble," Twilight said slyly," Your highness."
Summer's eyes went wide," Y-you knew?"
Twilight sighed with a look to the night covered ocean,"I think we all were aware of it, you're kinda hard not to recognize."
Sombra frowned," And you still do all of this for me?"
Twilight flicked her hair," Summer, I've met several evil ponies in my times as princess. In each one of them there was some good, my friends and I just had to find it."
Sombra looked to the princess with a confused look. Twilight continued with a smile," You however, didn't need the same treatment as Sunset Shimmer or Starlight Glimmer. You already reformed. I didn't need to find Sombra because he doesn't exist anymore."
