(Sometime later)

Shining watched their most recent guest devour his third plate of peanut butter, nuts, and fruit, the only thing he had asked for after he saved them from Sombra. It confused Shining, but weirder than that was his previous request for a second plate that he has yet to touch.

"So what do you think?" Cadance whispered into his ear.

"I'm... unsure what he is," Watching their guest raise his fourth jar of peanut butter and scraping out the last of what was in the jar. "Might be a diamond dog with how much he likes peanut butter."

Cadence lightly hit her husband's shoulder as she gave him a half-hearted glare.

"Don't be rude," She turned to look at their guest that put the empty jar down, but upon hearing a knock on the door the two turned as a crystal guard peeked his head in.

"Pardon for the intrusion your Majesties but the princesses and elements have arrived," The guard reported.

Turning back to their guest who was standing back up, finished with his meal, he put his strange mask back on before he looked at Shining armor with a confused gesture.

"What?"

Shining took a step forward before speaking.

"Nothing. But I gotta ask a slight favor," Shining started before clearing his throat."I know you've already done so much for us, and you might have other plans, but can you stay? My aunts-in-law most likely have questions,"

Staring at the Captain he turned back forward before giving a shrug.

"Sure why not," The dark armored figure answered to which Shining smiled, thankful that this was going be a lot easier to explain to the princesses and a lot less paperwork for him to do.

"Alright come on this way- um.. what's your name?"

"It's Salem... Salem Grey,"

Shining smiled at his guest.

"Nice to meet you Salem,"

Cadance was about to leave with them before she couldn't help but feel a chill rush down her spine causing her to feel as if something was behind her. Turning her head to the dining room again but there was nothing there but the diner table still with the eaten remains of food that Salem had requested.

Turning to leave Cadance noticed something causing her to turn back to the dinner table noticing the second plate of food that their guest hadn't touched had nothing on it but an apple eaten to the core. She could have sworn only a moment ago that the plate had a completely untouched meal, that was until now.

Holding her head, from when Sombra hit her with a dark hallucination spell that made the princess see her worst fear.

Might be that the spell was wearing off.

Shaking her head she left leaving the dining room not noticing a black blur near where the second plate was.

(Throne room)

"That's Sombra?" Rainbow Dash asked pointing a finger at the dark pony wrapped in chains with a gag not allowing the former king of the crystal empire to snap back at the element of loyalty.

"I believe so sugar cube... I think,"

"Hey, twilight are you sure this isn't like his daughter or something?" Rainbow dash asked to which the princess of friendship was still trying to wrap her mind around what she was seeing too.

Of course, when she and her friends heard about Sombra's return back to the crystal empire attempting to take it over yet again, they were ready to fight the dark pony again but here was the dark king wrapped in chains and... a mare?

Apparently, someone beat them to the rescue and incapacitated Sombra along with turning the king into a queen.

Twilight had read about spells that completely changed the sex of a pony but only temporarily for a short amount of time but the magic would have worn off before too long. Changelings could do something similar but they couldn't change their reproductive organs, this transformation wasn't magical at all almost as if Sombra was a mare in the first place. From the looks of Celestia and Luna it seemed that they didn't see something like this either, so whoever did this to Sombra must have some sort of ability to change someone's genetic code without magic.

It was slightly unnerving at what else this being could do.

"Hey gang," Shining spoke as all eyes turned to him but only for a moment before they turned to look at the person next to him. "So guys this is Salem he helped us out and um... changed Sombra,"

All eyes were on the stranger, who stood with his arms cross feeling a little uncomfortable with all the eyes looking at him, a awkward silence began to fill the room with no one saying a word before Celestia cleared her throat.

"Greetings Salem allow me to be the first to thank you for coming to the defense of my niece and nephew-in-law," Celestia spoke with a friendly smile on her face.

"It's not a problem... just found myself at the right place at the right time," Yet somehow even after the silence broke that feeling of awkwardness grew, luckily Pinkie pie shot forward to make this less unbearable for everyone at least in her mind.

"And let me be the second in saying thank you for stopping that big meanie pants Sombra! I'm Pinkie pie by the way it's super nice to meet you Salem!" Pinkie Zipped over next to the stranger with a smile while the red-eyed helm looked down at her.

"You too... Pinkie Pie?"

"That's my name... so where you from big guy? Do you like parties I love to throw you a 'thank-you-for-saving-the-crystal-empire-and-stopping-that-meanie-pants-Sombra-Party!' WAIT! What is your favorite flavor of cake?! Don't tell me let me guess!" Pinkie pie held her hands to her head before giving a weird stare at Salem.

"Uhh..."

"Don't tell me! It's it Chocolate! No Vanilla! No Marble? It has to be marble right? Or is it Ice Cream everypony likes an ice cream cake!"

"I... guess?" Salem answered clearly confused as Pinkie pie leaped up in down. "You don't have to throw me a party,"

This compelled Pinkie pie to gasp before getting in the face plate of Salem with a serious look on her face.

"Are you kidding!? We sooooo need to! Wait... what's your favorite color? Is it red? Come on tell me I need to know what color frosting I need to pick,"

"I don't need-"

Luna stepped forward grabbing Pinkie's shoulders.

"How about we talk about the party plans later Pinkie? But Mr. Salem tell us how did you find yourself here in the first place?" Luna's requested.

"That's a long story... don't think you would believe me," Salem answered but this caused rainbow dashed to roll her eyes.

"Oh come on Mr. Dark and Brooding my friends and I have been through a lot of doubt anything you have to say will surprise us," Salem looked at the rainbow color pony.

"I'm from another world?"

...

"Come again?"

Salem just watched as the humanoid ponies just stared at him for a moment before 'Celestia' took a step forward looking down at him. She had to be over six feet tall and was very 'healthy' in some places but he wondered if she had any back problems then again their anatomy could be very different than a normal human. She stared down at him inspecting every inch of him before walking around him causing the survivor to turn and look at her as she did before she went full circle and stopped in front of him.

"How did you get here?" Celestia's voice wasn't skeptical as he had expected but it sounded like she believed him.

"What do you mean?"

"How did you enter this world?" The princess asked with a blank look on her face.

"Enter this world?"

"Yes... how did you enter this world? Was it through a mirror?" Okay, that last question confused him slightly, was this world somehow similar to SCP-093?

"Mirror?"

"Yes did you enter this world through a mirror? Like one though a statue?" This was getting confusing, Salem shook his head.

"No, I did,"

She looked down at him still with that unreadable look on her face.

"Then how?" Her gaze was starting to feel uncomfortable, Salem hadn't been around people in a long time and these looks he was getting made him feel really uneasy.

He had nothing to hide but it just felt: weird, at least to him.

"Though a gate,"

"What kind of gate?" Celestia asked to which Salem shifted in his spot.

"A machine... one I built," Her brow raised up as she looked at him.

"Who sent you?"

"Sent me?" This time her gaze narrowed at Salem.

"You're a soldier aren't you? Who sent you the CIA? FBI?"

Her words caused Salem to flinch before looking up at her.

"H-how do you know about those groups?" Her gaze turned into a slight glare causing Salem to back up.

"So you are a human... why are you here?"

"I- What?"

"Don't lie to me," The friendly tone in Celestia's voice was replaced by a firm mother-like tone speaking to a child hiding something from their mother. "Answer me why are you here human?"

Salem stared at her still wondering how she knew what a human was and some of America's government agencies since the gate was supposed to send him to another world completely cut off from his old one. Giving a sigh since there was no point in lying to her, after all, he had nothing to hide, and honestly, he didn't want to make enemies.

"To escape,"

"Escape?" The midnight-colored one turned to him as he nodded.

"To escape what?"

"The monsters in the light," Salem answered, this caused the look Celestia had to fade by what he had just said.

"What monsters? Earth didn't have any magic,"

This caused him to look up at Celestia confused.

"How do you know about Earth?"

Celestia turned to Sombra who was not longer frothing with anger but was trying to listen in before turning back to Salem.

"Salem I've lived a long life for many years and in my travels, I came across something that allowed me to pear across realms to your world," Celestia answered. "I have spent some time on your world as well... and so has my student Twilight sparkle,"

Salem looked at who was gesturing towards the purple-coated horned and winged horse-lady, he then turned back to her.

"There are no monsters in your world,"

.

..

...

He just stared at her.

He couldn't believe what she had just said.

No monsters?

Even before the sun turned all life on earth into melted flesh, there were monsters and not just including the SCPs...

"There are," Salem argued. "Otherwise I wouldn't be here or did what I had to do to survive,"

Celestia raised her brow at that.

"And what did you have to do?" Celestia looked at him, Salem could tell she was ready to judge him if he had killed someone in order for his self-preservation but she was going to be very disappointed.

"Had to make a hard choice..." Salem lifted his hand to his helmet breaking the seal again. "Survival is a cruel teacher you either die or-"

Pulling off his entire helmet Salem looked up at Celestia with his own eyes.

"You Adapt,"

The look on Celestia's face caused her expression to change completely from that of almost disappointment to complete shock. He didn't even need to look at the others, they most likely weren't expecting to see his 'ugly mug' then again Ted could only do his best with the material he could find.

During his time in the abandoned site, Salem had collected a few SCP objects...

Using some of those objects on himself was painful.

Sometimes even downright suicidal.

But it was for his survival, he had used the files left behind for the 'Olympia Protect' as a template to help with his transformation.

The hours reading the files and the notes from that sick bastard Herr Chirurg... and the pain from the improver.

In the end, it was worth it.

Celestia took a step back at the face before her, she had expected to see the face of a human but instead, it was something else. This was no human it was... something completely different, where bare flesh should have been was a bunch of mismatched colors fur patches from black, grey, and to a deep crimson tiger pattern even his two pointy ears were mismatched. His eyes were completely yellow and almost looked like they were glowing, in all honestly he didn't look like he was ever a human and more like some kind of vulpine some kind of other nocturnal creature.

It was safe to say she was in complete shock by the reveal...

And it didn't take a genius by what he meant.

"You did this to yourself?" Luna asks just as shocked as her sister.

Salem nodded, Luna, looked at her sister before they turned back to the 'human'.

"Why?"

"When the light betrays you... and you learn to accept the dark and the change that comes with it," Salem answered still holding his helmet. "Guess you can say to hide from the monsters I had to become a monster myself,"

...

"Might as well lay it all out for you," Salem asked to which the group nodded, but Celestia held out her hand.

"Perhaps you can explain this to us on the train,"

"Train?"

"Yes we would like to hear your story but I'm afraid Sombra here has a ceil waiting back at Cantorlot and well... I wish to confirm your story through a magical item of mine," Celestia answered. "If you would,"

Salem looked at her for a moment with a natural expression before looking at Luna then towards the left at nothing before staring at the side of the room most likely thinking before nodding.

"Why not? I have no place else to be," Salem answered placing his helmet back on before Celestia smiled putting her hand on his shoulder.

"Thank you, Salem..." She then began to walk right beside him as Luna turned to the spot he was staring at, nothing was there sure but something told her that he wasn't just looking away to think but rather he was looking at someone.

Following her sister with the others in toe and Sombra in chain wrapped to a trolley being pushed by some members of the solar guard. As the doors opened Salem stumbled backward away from the sunlight and bumped into Luna, the group looked at him again confused.

"Is something the matter darling," Rarity asked while Salem looked at them before looking at Celestia who was standing in the sunlight.

"N-no I'm fine," Luna holding Salem's shoulders felt him shake slightly before turning to apologize to her and step out into the sunlight where the night princess could feel the all too familiar emotion she dealt with every night in the realms of dreams.

Fear...

This begged her to ponder: 'Was he afraid of the sunlight?'

Author's Note

ALRIGHT!

Here you guys go!

Sorry, I would have written this sooner but I was catching up on 'One helluva broken day' which had more chapters when I last read it.

Also, I'm kinda aiming for a different approach for the ponies than normal if you couldn't tell as well. This story is supposed to be kinda that 'hurt-comfort' sort of thing and well a form of healing through friendship. Don't worry it's not going to be like a classic MLP lesson in friendship but more of a supportive sorta friendship.

It was kinda hard to find a name that fit 'Salem' so I went for a more similar name I had been planning to use if I ever got a cat (male) and added the last name Grey beside it sounded like it fit. Along with that Salem is not a fox... or a wolf... he's a chimera that I based his look on this image of a 'demon dog-rat' furry picture my friend sent me over discord.

(Note: Salem isn't a soldier of the foundation)

Though I will explain why he looks mismatched and tell you what SCP caused him sorta 'fur' look. 'Ted' or SCP-2295 uses any available fabric to repair damaged organs and seeing how the skin is the largest organ that the human body so it does count (it was proven in the official test long). Along with that most of the foundation, staff lives on site and Salem could have found some soft fluff blankets to give Ted during his change.

What else was in his change? I can't tell you because that is what Ms. River's song would like to call: 'Spoilers'

Well besides SCP-2295 what other SCPs did any of you spot out?