Black Mirror

Scootaloo had spent the entire day in the library. While she would rather be with Applebloom and Sweetie Belle, she needed to help her new friend. He didn't know they were friends, not yet. Maybe he didn't understand friends the way ponies had it? Ateus probably dealt with things in a very different way. Her wings shuffled as she thought about that word again. Ateus.

Because of her wings, she should be an Ateus. But, Scootaloo wasn't. The Ateus ponies were from the empire. After knowing Sombra for a week, it finally clicked. He wasn't a random pon-Umbrum called Sombra. He was *King* Sombra. Why hadn't she realized this before? The empire that had hurt him so much was The Crystal Empire, but those ponies were good! Good for ponies. Whenever Scootaloo had gone there, nearly everyone was a pony. The only oddity was Spike.

Did that make them the bad guys? Did that mean that they were as bad as the Crystal Ponies now? Scootaloo didn't want to be the bad guy.

"Oh, Scootaloo, what brings you down here?" Said Starlight Glimmer. Scootaloo looked at her with wide eyes, a light bulb going off in her mind. Starlight. Sombra probably feared that ponies couldn't change, but Starlight had changed. Starlight could prove to Sombra that ponies were able to change, and it might make him ask for help. He couldn't take on an empire on his own, the last time he had done that he almost died.

"I need your help!" Scootaloo said quickly. She looked around, hoping Twilight nor Spike were near. Scootaloo would need as many allies as possible to prove to them that Sombra wasn't the bad guy. Then Celestia and Luna would come, and they would help as well! He wouldn't be alone in getting justice.

"Hm? What for?" It was about time somepony came to Starlight. Barely anypony came to her when it came to counseling, so she was very bored.

"What do you know about the Crystal Empire?" Starlight gave it a few moments. All she knew was that Sunburst lived there. That Cadence and Shining Armor ruled there. Flurry Heart was born there. There was a heart in the same of a crystal. That was it. Other than Spike saving them from a smoke monster.

"Uh, not that much. Why?" That was good. Starlight hadn't spent much outside of her little cult, so she didn't know much about what had been going on. Scootaloo could work with this.

"Because it's wrong," Scootaloo tried to imitate Sombra's tone, but she couldn't do his accent. "The Crystal Ponies are secretly evil. Well, not evil, but cruel without realizing it. Like a pony abusing a pet because they think they're lesser than them." As sad as it was, things like that happened. Scootaloo wouldn't even bother with the Pie Curse. It was a silent rule not to talk about it, especially since Pinkie had eyes and ears everywhere. "I have evidence that they're evil."

"What evidence would that be?" Starlight didn't find it too hard to believe. The Crystal Empire was apparently from one thousand years ago. Like everything else that ever bothered Equestria. Sweet Celestia, back then monsters ran rampant like a plague of fleas. Also, she had shown her cult as a sweet and innocent town when it was more on the dark side in reality. Looks could be very deceiving.

"Sombra himself." Scootaloo felt a bit stupid for not realizing it, but she could use her age as an excuse. Starlight took a step back, shocked. "A week ago, I was attacked by a manticore while on the way to visit Zecora. Suddenly he came and saved me!" Zecora played a hoof as well, but Sombra had been very close to death, so it was a little bit more impressive. "I've been watching over him in Ponyville Hospital since then... and he's hurt, really hurt." Her expression saddened as she went back to the memory of Sombra crying.

"Why haven't we heard anything about this?" Starlight was in a bind. Twilight had an extreme bias because of her brother, sister-in-law, and her niece. If Starlight chose Twilight's side and Scootaloo was right, then she would've broken a secret vow. She wouldn't be the villain again. It was best that Starlight judge this for herself, and then talk to Twilight. Probably.

"Zecora probably wanted to protect him. I've only come here to help him... If I can prove that ponies can change, maybe he won't be so determined to get revenge on his own." Revenge? Starlight didn't like the sound of that. "Thousands of others have suffered and died because of the Crystal Ponies, all of Sombra's friends and families are with them. He wants to avenge them so they can finally rest in peace. I..." Scootaloo took a deep breath. "I'm supposed to tell him there's another way, but what other way is there? If I had been born in the Empire, I'd be a slave as well because I can't fly!"

"Scootaloo..."

"I need your help, please." It looked like she was going to play counselor after all.

"If you don't sit your ass down, I'm taking my leg off and ramming it up there so far you'll have two horns!" What an interesting character, Doctor Full House. He had lost his leg somewhere, probably under the couch, and he wasn't bothered in the slightest.

He wanted to take some more blood from Sombra. Why? Because of many reasons. One was to examine it as he was the only living creature with platinum-based blood. The other was because they wanted to store it. If he needed more blood because of an injury, they could take it from the fridge. They were obsessed with learning about his species and were saddened when Sombra didn't know too much about them.

"You are a very strange stallion." The Doctor didn't seem affected in the slightest, still grumbling under his breath. "What is so important about my blood, exactly?"

"For all we know, you could cure some of our most dangerous diseases. Cancer, AIDS, politicians. The latter is a sickness where we've made no progress on curing, but we'll get there someday!" If this doctor wasn't related to Silver Stream, Sombra was going to be very disappointed.

"AIDS seems a little high on that list compared to the latter." Doctor Full House mumbled a small agreement as Sombra pointed his hoof at him. The Doctor pushed a needle through his skin and watched the blood flow. "How is it that you lost your leg?"

"When I was young, I was a retard. An average colt. Me and some cunts I used to hang around dared me to have a beer that was on fire. Like the retard I was, I drank it. I spat it out because it was piss, not beer. My house went up in flames. When we got out, I realized my baby brother was inside of that house. So I went in and got him. Passed out after we were outside, and I woke up without my leg." That was an interesting tale. It made Sombra snort. Friendship wasn't magic. Alcohol was. "Quid pro quo kid. Where's your alcohol story?"

"Hm..." There were a couple, only one of which ended well for him. That would be a good one to tell. "After a long and miserable day, one of my friends Grover and his brother Gerebos stole some very expensive alcohol from their master." They were good memories, some of the few he had. "We were smashed. Even our Wendigo friend, Urgrethaz, was pissed blind."

"You managed to get a Wendigo drunk? Do continue," Doctor Full House grinned. His stupid story about his leg was a good one, though many didn't see it that way. Nopony had a sense of humor anymore, not until now that is.

"We were at the level of inebriation that anything appeared to be a good idea. So, we went around putting itching powder in literally everything. Beds, bathroom powders, sugar, and whatever else we could find. Even the palace wasn't safe from it," he grinned. "That wasn't all of course." Doctor Full House pulled the needle from Sombra's hoof, a mischievous smile on his muzzle. "There were two pipes conveniently placed next to one another. One for sewage and one for water." His grin was all the Doctor needed to know what the stallion had done.

"Looks like I've got some work to do in Canterlot." Doctor Full House then frowned. "But I doubt that they would notice, given that they have their heads up their asses twenty-four seven."

"They'd notice. Not from the smell, but the stains on their precious coats, and unnecessary clothing."

"Preaching to the bloody choir." The Doctor only wore his white coat so he wouldn't take any germs home, and so that he wouldn't get fluids on his fur. "Damn shame you aren't a pony. We need more stallions like you these days. If you haven't noticed, Equestria is currently experiencing an epidemic where 74% of the population is female. Maybe you can help solve that." That was a surprise. Most of Sombra's friends and masters had been male.

"Is that so?"

"If you're born a male, you're almost automatically made to be a guard or farm pony. It's not often we get to be anything else other than that." It was a sad fact, but a true one. "The Y Chromosome has been getting rarer and rarer, especially in the unicorn community. I blame cutie marks."

"In the Empire, a centaur I knew called Krazius suggested that when a pony got a cutie mark that it affected them. He thought that when ponies are born, they could do and be anything they wanted, but then that mark would appear and it'd change them. A filly he was made to babysit used to be an amazing singer, but then she got her cutie mark as a dancer, and after that, she couldn't sing anymore. It was odd as she had never danced until her mother ordered him to teach her." Krazius was one of the geniuses among the Crystal Ateus. From what others that were passive enough to babysit, they had said that similar things happened. "It almost sounds like an infection or a subtle way of controlling? They can't be natural. If those marks are truly unique, how is it that some share the same one?"

"You're starting to delve into cutie-theory. And that's a very controversial topic. However, you do make some good points, as does your friend, may he rest in peace. Is it possible that cutie marks and the lack of Y chromosomes are connected? Maybe. We won't know for sure until we do the proper research." Doctor Full House got an idea. "You don't have a cutie mark, do you?" Sombra rose a brow and showed his bare flank. "Are you able to remove them? I've heard that there's a unicorn in town who can pull off such a feat, but can you?"

"It's dark magic, so of course I can. I did it to all of the ponies who joined the Ateus' side so that they wouldn't be mistaken for the enemy."

"What happens after you've removed them?" The conversation had changed from how Full lost his leg to Cutie-Theory.

"They cannot perform the talent that the mark represented." Sombra paused for a few moments. "Well, they could, but not as good as before."

Perhaps they could solve one of the most important questions ever asked. What was a cutie mark? There were theories everywhere, but nopony had the answer. No *pony*. Sombra wasn't a pony, and according to him, could remove them. The Doctor was either going to be sacked or promoted for this, and it was going to be exciting either way.

Anxiety was an understatement. Scootaloo was very clear on what she had heard and had seen, but didn't seem to comprehend what she was saying. What Scootaloo was describing was speciesism, torture, slavery and hinted at more. She was also disturbed by another fact that the filly had mentioned. Sombra used to have wings. Although he wasn't a pony, she couldn't help but find it bizarre for there to be a possible male Alicorn.

Starlight wasn't even a qualified counselor. How was she supposed to help? It was difficult enough living with what she had done in the past, but having to hear what others had done? It would make her want a counselor. Why did Doctor Wolf have to be on vacation?

Ponyville Hospital. Starlight had never been there before, and that was probably a good thing. Now that she was inside, she felt even more nervous. It was a lot busier than shown on TV. Everypony was rushing around, everypony had a reason to be here. Starlight felt like she didn't. She didn't feel like she belonged in the school, Ponyville, or anywhere else for that matter. She didn't know where she was supposed to go or what her destiny was. Destiny and friendship was everything to ponies, and she wasn't very good with either.

"Starlight Glimmer, is it?" Starlight jumped as she heard somepony. She turned around to face a Doctor. Doctor Flatline was very happy, so much so that it appeared on his face as a smile. He didn't have to go and find her, which was a win in his opinion. "Wonderful, we were just about to go and collect you."

"Why?" She asked, confusion on her face. Scootaloo was also confused. What did Doctor Flatline want with Starlight? Maybe he had the same idea she had?

"As you're with Scooatloo, you probably know of our most interesting patient." Starlight felt even more anxious. What did they want with her? Why were they looking for her? "Come. It isn't safe to talk about him outside of the restricted ward." Starlight didn't argue. She followed the unicorn who appeared to be indifferent to everything around him. Scootaloo didn't seem concerned, but that was because she was young. She didn't understand how sensitive the situation was.

How could she? Scootaloo was barely thirteen. She hadn't even had her first heat season yet. Scootaloo was trying to be kind, trying to be friends with a lonely stallion. But this stallion was broken, if not the body then the mind. He needed more than a song and dance to make him feel better. Starlight could say what he needed, but it wasn't a musical number.

Starlight doubted that he was going to be happy to see Twilight again when Starlight finally told her. Twilight had claimed that they had defeated Sombra thanks to the Crystal Heart that had blown him up. They thought they murdered him and wasn't bothered by it. That was a little disturbing.

Maybe Sombra was right about ponies? Ponies weren't exactly well known for their interactions with other species. Ponyville outcasted Zecora when she first arrived because she looked different, going as far as calling her a witch and accusing her of cursing ponies.

Changelings, Yaks, Dragons, none of them liked ponies very much. Equestria didn't know much about those three. They knew even less about centaurs and Draconeqi. They didn't even know if there were more like Discord or Tirek. Discord was very quick to trust Tirek. Maybe Draconeqi and Centaurs knew each other?

Starlight lost her train of thought when she walked into an open door. Embarrassed, the mare stepped back. Before her, was the unicorn from before and an earth pony with a missing leg. While the unicorn looked apathetic and disinterested in life, the other didn't. He looked old, grumpy and had a dark sparkle in his eyes. She felt like she was being sized up for the butcher's shop.

"This is her, eh?" Doctor Full House cackled. Scootaloo walked past him, not bothered by the stallion's weirdness. "This is the mare that can take Cutie Marks away?" Doctor Flatline nodded. "Sombra's gonna have a field day with this runt. That filly weighs more than she does! At least I can look at Scootaloo. Her color palette is burning my retina." Starlight's nose wrinkled with irritation. How dare he insult her like that! "Get in there. You'll probably do fine." Starlight walked into the room, her anxiety increasing to the point she wanted to run away.

"Ah. You're Starlight, aren't you?" The voice was deep and sent shivers down her spine. Starlight's face drooped when she saw Sombra, suddenly feeling very small compared to him. Seeing how nervous she was, Sombra tried smiling. That didn't help as he allowed her to see all of his very sharp teeth.

Starlight nodded, her moderate Persian blue eyes drawn to his teeth. They weren't the teeth of a herbivore, and it scared her. He was bigger than Big Mac, he had the most unusual eyes she had ever seen, and his mane flowed like a black flame. He was beautiful along with dangerous. When she looked away from his teeth, she took in the whole of his body.

Sombra had scars, enough to make him look like a mutant zebra. Carefully, Starlight walked behind him and saw two gnarly scars on his shoulder blades. Scootaloo couldn't have understood how much force it would take to rip a wing off. Sombra watched him, silently judging her. She was more powerful than she let on. Unicorns seem to have gained in magical power since he last knew them, which may be a problem for him.

Celestia was weak when it came to any magic that didn't involve the sun. Luna was far more skilled and talented than her sister. Luna wasn't afraid to use dark magic, not like Celestia who trembled at the mere thought of it. Sombra didn't know anything about the pink Alicorn, or if there were more than her. It would be unwise to underestimate them, and vice versa.

"Sombra, right?" Sombra nodded. "Scootaloo told me about you. She wanted me to prove that ponies were able to change." The little orange filly smiled widely. "I don't know how I'm supposed to do that, not exactly."

"The bias I have against ponies is a mere byproduct of my upbringing. I hold nothing against you, not personally." At least he didn't hate them because he wanted to hate them. Starlight could practically feel the magical power leaking from him. If he got in a fight with her, she had a strong inkling that she'd lose. "These good doctors are taking my mind off of that for now. We're going to test if cutie marks are the cause of the sudden deterioration of the SYR gene."

"What's that?" Scootaloo asked, curiosity in her eyes.

"It's the genes that encourage the development of the testicles in the male genitalia. According to Doctor Full House, there has been a significant drop in the production of the Y Chromosome. I gave him an idea a friend of mine had, and it is possible that cutie marks are the cause." Doctor Flatline nodded, looking down at Scootaloo as a lightbulb went off in his brain.

"Scootaloo, could you get a blank flank over here? It would help with our research." The filly beamed at the idea of helping and ran off, leaving the adults alone in the room. "So, Starlight, can you demonstrate the spell you use to remove cutie marks?" Starlight shivered. She didn't want to use that spell, not after last time. "We need to compare it to Sombra so we can test which way is safer." Starlight's eyes widened. Sombra could use that kind of magic as well? Was this why they wanted her here?

"I volunteer." Doctor Full House didn't believe he had much to lose. He'd lost a leg, why not his butt tattoo?

Everyone looked at Starlight, all of them expecting her to perform the evil spell. She swallowed has her horn glowed a pale blue, a magical aura starting to surround the three-legged doctor. Starlight tried to be very careful with him, not wanting to get herself in trouble. The stallion grunted as he could feel his flank burn. It dulled from a burn to a hollow throb.

Sombra now understood why Doctor Full House asked him what happened after he removed a cutie mark. It was supposed to be quick, and painless. It wasn't supposed to make them lose a couple of shades. Doctor Flatline wrote down some notes on a clipboard he got from somewhere, seemingly indifferent to the sight.

"Interesting," Doctor Flatline commented.

"You love it, I see it in your eyes!" Doctor Flatline made a small smile. He wasn't wrong. He was enjoying this. Immensely. With his magic, the Doctor took some blood with a syringe. "Bastard!" Starlight felt terrible.

Starlight hadn't wanted to use that spell ever again. Many called the magic she had used evil. How did she know this? Starlight had learned to read lips when she was younger. Starlight knew everypony disapproved of her magic, and that they were disgusted at what she could do. They secretly looked down on her just for being able to use such spells. She lived with Twilight because nopony wanted to sell her a home. Or hire her.

"For a mare only using basic magic, that wasn't bad." Starlight looked up at Sombra, surprise in her eyes. "The spell you used was created by Scorpan. One of the Fifteen Fires of Magic." Tirek's brother made that spell? Tirek could take magic, and Scorpan could take cutie marks.

Scorpan had been a strange character. Scorpan licked almost everything he found, which was very gross and annoying, he was obsessed with scarves as well as squid and had a habit of walking into doors. Sombra could never figure out why, but it was always funny. Scorpan didn't get upset over it either, he just laughed and brushed it off.

He felt a hoof against his shoulder, bringing him out of his melancholy. It was at that moment Sombra realized that tears had made darkened streaks on his cheek fur. He wiped them away, pushing the memories away. Why did Sombra pain himself reminiscing about the dead? It did nothing but add to his ache. He looked at Starlight, seeing the pity in her eyes. He hated it.

"Sombra, you're up next."

Sombra pushed the sorrow away, leaving only rage that he was trying desperately to bury. Sombra shot a very dark and pained look at the mare, causing her fur to stand on end. Starlight saw the wrath in his eyes as they started to leak purple smoke. He had enough rage to choke a Wendigo, and it scared her. She felt the dark magic surround her body, could feel the anger that was fueling it.

He wasn't looking at Starlight right now. He was looking at a different unicorn. A unicorn called Lapis Falls.

Lapis Falls was a white unicorn, the coat being very common. Her eyes were like Lapis Lazuli's, her mane like golden silk. For years, she and Sombra had been close. She was some of the very few ponies who were kind to the Ateus, who gave them affection and didn't hate them for being different. One of Sombra's closest friends, Eirene, was a Tyun. Or Panda pony.

She had been bought by Lapis Falls' family as a pet, from Dyna. One day, not long before Eirene's fifteenth birthday, she and Krazius were ordered to look after Lapis Falls' little sister, Mount Lazuli. Babysitting was one of the easiest of all the jobs they had to do. Some enjoyed the idea of just staring at a bundle of diapers run in circles for hours.

When they didn't come back, Sombra became worried. It wasn't like Krazius to not be back in time. He hated being late to the most minuscule of things. Eirene was just plain optimistic, far too optimistic. She could probably find the silver lining in the world exploding. They rightfully blamed her sheltered upbringing.

Sombra snuck out from his stable. Well, not a stable, it was more a hole in the ground. Anyhow, he ventured outside to find them. He was careful not to get caught. He had made it all the way to Lapis Falls' home, then he transformed into a shadow and slid under the door. At the time, he had recently discovered he was able to do such a thing but wasn't used to it yet. He couldn't hear anything, which was strange.

Sombra walked around. He started peeking into open doors, finding nothing. Sombra walked into the family room, finding it empty save for one thing. It was Mount Lazuli. He took a step back, his eyes wide at the sight of her. She had exploded. But how? Why? Sombra couldn't understand what could have caused this. It didn't make any sense for this to have happened! Krazius and Eirene weren't capable of this. What had killed this little foal?

Sombra's ears twitched upwards when he heard someone coming. Hoping it was Eirene or Krazius, he quickly turned around. He didn't see them. He only saw Lapis Falls, tears flowing from her eyes. What had happened? Why was Lapis crying?

"Lapis?" Sombra stepped towards her, not knowing what to do. "What happened? Why is..." Sombra turned towards the family room, his eyes back at Mount Lazuli's cadaver. Why was she dead? What could have done this? Many of the Ateus had rightful hatred towards the ponies, but he didn't know of any that'd take their rage out on a foal not even a year old. It didn't make any sense.

There was a sudden pain in his back and chest. Slowly, Sombra looked down, seeing a crystal sword poking through his ribcage. He was horrified. Blood dripped onto the floor below him, both from the blade and his mouth. It tore out from his body as quickly as it had gone in, fear and confusion clouding his vision. Or were they tears?

"Why did it have to be you?" Lapis said with sorrow as his legs started to give. "Why not one of the bad ones? Why not a changeling? Why did it have to be you!" She shouted as more tears fell onto the floor, mixing with his blood. He didn't understand what had just happened. Why did Lapis stab him? Why was she upset over it? None of this was making any sense!

"Why...?" he choked out, his body shaking as it begun to regenerate. Lapis kissed his cheek, tears dripping onto his muzzle, joining his own.

Lapis didn't say a word. Her horn glowed a soft orange, creating a bubble around the stallion. She lifted him off of the ground and walked into the basement. Sombra wanted to know why she had done it. Why had she stabbed him like that? He was getting more questions than answers, and it frustrated him.

When Sombra saw the basement, he regretted ever coming. It was a scene from a horror book that Gerebos would steal. There was blood covering the stone walls and stone floor. In the middle of the room was an altar, and there was a worrying engraving in the middle of it. A unicorn skull on fire. The symbol of Tophet, The Tartarus God. There was fresh blood on it.

"Equestria and the Crystal Empire have gotten out of control Som. We need to get the gods involved. We need them to save us from ourselves. Ateus' are different from ponies. If enough of them go before Cadaver of Judgement and Tophet of Tartarus, they'll help us." She'd lost it. Lapis Falls had lost her mind. If the old gods even existed, they had better things to do than dirty themselves with a xenophobic empire of equine. "They'll listen to you Som. You're special. The only one of your kind. Maybe this is your destiny?"

"This is pure madness!" Sombra exclaimed. "Listen to what you're saying Lapis. You're talking about sacrificing our friends to gods who may or may not even exist." Lapis Falls looked away from him, sorrow staining her face. "Put me down, and let's talk about this." Sombra was far more powerful than Lapis, but she was his friend. He didn't want to make this awful situation any worse than what it was.

"Even if they aren't real, it's better to be dead than be here!" She shouted back at him. "This isn't living, Sombra! If there aren't any gods, then I'm saving you from this painful existence. I'm going to save all of you! Free you from your shackles and your pain!" Lapis Falls didn't want to do this. But Sombra was going to be in a happier place. She may go to Tartarus for this, but at least she would be proud that she saved her friends from suffering.

Sombra's horn glowed with dark magic, popping the bubble. He fell onto the altar, then slowly rose to his hooves. He didn't want to hurt her, but Lapis wasn't backing down. She honestly believed that she was helping. Sombra grimaced when her horn glowed brighter, magic starting to hum in the room. She fired a beam of energy, and Sombra easily dodged it.

"Is that what happened to Lazuli?" Sombra said, his voice colder than the weather outside. "Did you try to save her as well? What about Krazius and Eirene, have you saved them? Have you killed them?" He wanted the answer to be no. He desperately wanted her to say that it was someone else who took that little foals life.

"I..." Lapis faltered. "I didn't touch Krazius. I didn't get to save him because you arrived."

Lapis had killed her little sister and Eirene. She thought that she was doing the right thing, but it wasn't. Lapis looked at Sombra with pity. She was pitying him! Why? Because he wanted to live?

"You..." He was seething with rage. "You have no idea how stupid you are!" Years and years of rage started to bubble to the surface like lava in a volcano. Instead of smog, purple steamed from the magma pits that were Sombra's eyes. His horn shone even brighter with dark magic, hot tears streaming onto the floor. "You have lived a life of luxury! Don't you dare preach about saving us when you have no idea what you're even doing! The Ateus have gotten as far as we have from living, not from dying!"

"I don't want to see you hurt anymore!" Lapis Falls cried. "I don't want to see Ruby Court or Queen Amora hurting you..." His anger only got worse when she said *his* name. "They keep hurting you Sombra. They hate you more than they hate the rest of the Ateus. Why...?" She sobbed, shaking with grief and sorrow. "Why do you want to live through this? Why do you want to hurt yourself even more? It isn't fair! Why won't you let me free you from your agony!?"

"Enough!" The power from his voice alone slammed Lapis against the wall, causing her to cry out in pain. Sombra stepped back, falling off the altar. Concern overpowered his rage, and he rushed to make sure she was alright. He didn't mean to hurt her. Sombra had not meant to let his magic overpower him. "Lapis?" Lapis looked up at Sombra, more tears in her eyes. She mouthed the word sorry to him, and Sombra didn't know why until it hit him.

Lapis Falls blasted Sombra point blank range when his defenses were down. The beam of pure energy went straight through his chest, destroying his lungs and hearts. He collapsed immediately, shaking violently. She wanted to kill him. Lapis Falls slowly got up and hugged him, her breathing ragged while he couldn't breathe at all.

"I'm sorry..." Her horn sparked as she prepared the spell again. "I just don't want you to be in pain anymore..." He was in a lot of pain, pain that she caused. Sombra didn't want to die. Not like this, not while somepony was pitying over him. He didn't need her pity. He didn't want her pity. He tried to talk, but he couldn't. "Don't talk. It's only going to make it harder." She tried humming to him, stroking his mane, terrifying him even more than before.

Then she was pulled off of him. Sombra looked around, desperate to find who had come to his aid. Sombra's eyes met Krazius'. His black sclera and glowing blue pupils would be scary if not for the kind face he always wore. His pale orange face had the soft smile that could warm even a corpse. Sombra never thought he'd be happier to see Krazius until that moment.

"Hang in there Som, I'm getting your fluffy backside out of here." Before Sombra's vision faded to black, he felt the centaur slowly pick him up. He called Lapis' name but didn't get a response.

He never saw her again afterward...

He shook his head as the flashback ended. He hated those. They made his life very difficult. Lapis Falls, a mare he hadn't thought about for a very long time. Lapis had good intentions, but some of the evilest actions had been done, with good intentions. Krazius didn't tell Sombra much about what had happened. While it was annoying, Sombra respected his need to let the situation sink in.

When an Ateus went through something traumatic, everyone let them collect their thoughts. They didn't leave them entirely alone, not when they could be suicidal. Sombra kept an eye on Krazius for a little while, but he never really recovered from that experience. Everyone, including Sombra, thought that Krazius grieved more over the loss of Eirene and Mount Lazuli than whatever happened to him. He was selfless like that.

"Hey!" Sombra took in his surroundings. He was in the Everfree forest, a very fitting name. "I'm talking to you!" Sombra turned around to face a strange sight. A light blue pegasus with a rainbow mane. How? How is that even possible?

"I didn't know that gay flags had evolved?" The mare scowled in anger, suddenly in a fighting stance. It wasn't practical, and Sombra was sure that it wasn't even a stance. It looked like a silly pose from something the mare had seen. "Listen, I am not in the mood to deal with... whatever you have got going right now. I need to be alone for a little while. Preferably while my retina doesn't vomit at your bright colors."

"Hey! I just spent three hours looking for you, and this is the thanks I get?" The stallion paled.

"What...?"