Sunlight

Chapter 5 - That Precious Time

Sunburst shared Sombra’s tale with Shining Armor and Cadence the next day - he thought it best not to interrupt them at 11PM again. They listened attentively and without interruption as he did his best to relay everything Sombra had shared. The room was quiet for a long while after that, each lost in thought. Then they had questions, which he also did his best to answer.

“It’s a lot to take in,” said Cadence.

“No kidding.” said Shining Armor, leaning forward to rest his head on the back of his folded hooves.

“We’re going to need some time to think about all of this.” Cadence continued. “And I want to get input on this from the other Princesses. Personally, I find it encouraging that he’s opened up to you, Sunburst.”

Sunburst wasn’t sure what to say to that. Thank you? Me too?

He settled for a rather inadequate, “Yeah…”

As he walked back towards his room from their chambers, he wondered what he should do now. He thought back to his confession the previous night, and then he knew what he should do.

He decided to see if Starlight wanted to do anything that day.

She was.

They spent a nice day outside. Starlight insisted on it, saying that for a creature with a full coat he looked awfully pale. They visited the market and some of the shops for a bit of window-shopping, then brought their takeout lunch to a private corner of one of the large parks on the edge of the city. Sunburst took the opportunity, then, to tell her about the events of the previous night - minus the parts where he’d spoken about her. He also told her about his conversation with Cadence and Shining Armor that morning. She listened intently, asking lots of questions as he went, and forcing him to go back several times as he lost his place. She hadn’t said anything immediately afterwards, just sipped on her smoothie and pony-watched.

“I guess we’ll have to see what the Princesses say.” she said after a bit. “I just hope…”

She didn’t finish her thought, but Sunburst knew she was probably thinking about what had happened with Stygian. He had been too.

“It’s difficult,” he said. “Because there’s some differences between what happened to them. With Sombra, it was less deliberate, but he seems to have been more…”

“Himself?” she said.

“I don’t know.” Sunburst shook his head, thinking. “Maybe… But he seems to be coming out of it now. He said he regrets it… and I think I believe him.”

Starlight fidgeted with her empty cup. “Regret is strong stuff, isn’t it?”

Sunburst didn’t answer.

After lunch, they wandered through the streets a bit as they slowly made their way back to the castle. Sunburst had his own house in the city, but after being unofficially adopted into the royal family as Flurry Heart’s Crystaller (and go-to babysitter), he had all but officially moved in with them.

A few days later, Sunburst and Starlight were sitting in the small, unofficial dining room just off the kitchen, when a servant came to deliver a summons.

“Their Majesties ask that you attend them in the throne room at your earliest convenience.” the mare said. She bowed, then withdrew.

With a glance at each other, the two hurried up to the throne room. Inside, they found Cadence seated in the throne, with Shining Armor standing next to her. A pair of guards in polished sky-blue armor flanked the dais. The royal couple were leaning in close to each other, clearly in the middle of some quiet conversation. As he and Starlight approached, they straightened up, and Shining Armor waved them up onto the dais.

“We have consulted with other Princesses.” Princess Cadence said, indicating herself and Shining Armor. “About Sombra, and everything he told you, Sunburst.”

Cadence told them everything that had been discussed. Celestia and Luna, had some knowledge of the kind of magic Sombra had described to Sunburst, including the hooves-on experience they’d gotten during their attack on King Sombra just over a millennium ago. The Two Sisters thought his story made a good deal of sense.

Then there was the letter.

Twilight had decided to reach out to Stygian, asking to attend to her so they could consult him about Sombra. While he had been unable to come in-person, he had sent a letter for her to share. Twilight had forwarded a copy of the letter to them with Spike’s assistance:

Princess Twilight,

I am well, thank you.

I regret that I am unable to come directly, being otherwise engaged in matters that prevent ease of travel. It is my understanding that the enchantments which I have placed on this letter will enable it to reach you directly. I trust I have done them properly, and that it will not cause the excellent Master Spike undue discomfort.

I shall attempt to be brief, in order that my answer should be clear.

The Shadow is, in essence, the malevolent, loose embodiment of dark magic. It may be more appropriate, in fact, to say that dark magic exists because of it. It is much like a living thing, but an infectious and parasitic one. It must be allowed to enter in, but once that has happened it may be removed only with the greatest difficulty - as I know all too well.

The Shadow finds that darkest part of you, your worst self, and takes root there. My feelings of jealousy and resentment towards the Pillars of Equestria gave it deep soil for its purposes. From what I know of Princess Luna’s fall into Nightmare Moon, she must have had a similar experience. If what the King Sombra has told you is to be believed - and I find that likely, given how well it aligns with the examples I have laid out - then he must have offered the Shadow a similar opportunity to take hold.

I realize, now, that it is quite probable that the material I found and created on this subject must have made its way into King Sombra’s hooves, and thence to Princess Luna. For that, I am deeply sorry.

Your friend, and humble servant,

Stygian

With Stygian’s testimony, along with their own experience and understanding, the Two Sisters believed he should be given the benefit of the doubt. They found Sombra’s changed behavior promising, and wanted to give him the opportunity to prove himself. After some further debate, the others - including Shining Armor in his capacity as co-regent - had agreed.

“So.” said Shining Armor, with an air of formality that was not at all usual for him. “We, as the Diarchs of the Crystal Empire, and as Sombra’s wardens, have made the following decision:”

“Sombra is to be released immediately. We have had a room set aside for him, which should be ready shortly. He will be allowed to move freely about the castle, but for his own safety, and until such time we deem it proper, he will need to remain inside the castle. He will also continue wearing the antimagic cuff, again, until such time as we deem proper.”

Sunburst was thrilled.

Sombra was moved out of the dungeon, and into a small but comfortable room in a back corner of the castle. Sombra didn’t protest any of the stipulations set out by Princess Cadence and Shining Armor. He also seemed much happier, now that he had the freedom to move around the castle.

He also had far more opportunities to socialize with the other inhabitants of the castle. After getting drawn into a heated debate on the nature of wave functions in relation to the minute variations in translocation spells with Starlight - which had ended in a draw as far as Sunburst was concerned - she and Sombra started meeting up regularly. Sunburst often found himself getting pulled into “Magic Debate Club,” as Starlight had so cheerfully dubbed it, but he found he preferred to listen more than speak. Starlight got a bit intense when she was arguing about magic or math.

Sunburst knew that Sombra and Shining Armor had had at least a couple of exchanges about military history. On one occasion Shining Armor had invited him to survey the castle’s growing collection of antique historical weaponry - much to the rest of the guards’ dismay. Then, to Cadence’s everlasting horror, he introduced Sombra to Ogres & Oubliettes.

Cadence, for her part, had taken the opportunity to ask Sombra about some of the older decrees and policies still in force in the Crystal Empire. Sombra had been able to explain some of them, but others had left the pair of them sifting through piles of dusty papers and scrolls with increasing confusion. They had also discussed a few modern issues, and Sunburst knew she took it as a good sign that he was willing (and able) to concede points of policy to her.

Admittedly, not all of Sombra’s social encounters ended well. The one time Sombra met Flurry Heart, it had rapidly spiraled out of control. After a disastrous attempt to hold her that resulted in her climbing up his face like some kind of gurgling, pastel-pink spider, breathing in a bunch of paper dust from the archive, then sneezing and accidentally annihilating an sizeable armoire - leaving both Sombra and Shining Armor cowering underneath a table while Cadence coaxed Flurry down from the chandelier - they was decided it was best not to force the two of them to interact. Sombra was not, he admitted afterwards, really a baby person.

The castle guards were very wary of Sombra at first, and servants were skittish around him. But as it became clear he wasn’t going to start enslaving or terrorizing ponies left and right, they started to warm up to him. He was very courteous to the serving-ponies, undemanding, and unwilling to inconvenience them.

One evening, Sombra persuaded Sunburst to come down to the Library with himself and Starlight to poke around in the old books. In fairness, thought Starlight, it hadn't been hard to entice the yellow bookworm out of his room with that particular lure.

Almost as soon as they were in the library, Sunburst was at the correct bookshelf, reading out their titles and mumbling things to himself as he traced his hoof over the spines. Starlight laughed quietly to herself as she watched her friend start automatically rearranging a series of volumes. She looked around for Sombra, and spotted him standing at the end of a row of free-standing shelves. There was a softness to his eyes, and a gentleness to his smile as he watched Sunburst that she’d never seen from him before.

“Aha! There you are.” Sunburst exclaimed, sliding a slightly worn book off of the bottommost shelf. He ran his hoof over the cover, then opened the book to somewhere roughly in the middle and took a deep breath. Starlight slapped her hoof to her face with embarrassment as he let out an overly expressive sigh. “Aaah…”

Sunburst carried the book over to one of the oversized hassocks scattered around the room, and clambered on top of it with his book. He made himself comfortable, hind legs sticking out a bit to one side, cloak draped over himself like a blanket. In moments he had his muzzle buried in the book, and he was lost to the world. Starlight found a comfortable nook to recline in, and propped her current read up against a pile of other books on the table.

Starlight heard Sombra’s heavier hoof-falls on the floor, and looked up. After a few minutes of exploring the library, and skimming some books that took his fancy, Sombra had wandered over to Sunburst’s hassock. He put a hoof up on it, and when Sunburst didn’t protest, he climbed up next to him, his surprisingly graceful movements reminding Starlight for a moment of a black, oversized house cat. He laid down next to Sunburst, watching him read.

“What're you reading?” he asked Sunburst, leaning in closer to get a better look at the book.

“It’s ‘The Trials of Sieur Camargue’” Sunburst said, marking his place before flipping the book closed to show Sombra the cover. “It's about a knight-errant of Equitaine, and his pursuit for honor and glory both on and off the field of battle. It's a kind of Chivalric romance.”

Sombra nodded, eyes tracing the patterns of embossed scroll work and foliage decorating the deep burgundy-red cover.

“Are you very far in?” he asked.

“No, not really.” Sunburst admitted. “I'm afraid I haven't made much progress with it.”

“May I?” Sombra asked, reaching out for the book.

“Sure.”

Sunburst passed it to him, and Sombra opened it. After leafing through the first few pages, he cleared his throat and started to read. As he spoke, Starlight found herself drawn into the story. He had an excellent voice for it, at once clear as it was deep and rich.

Sieur Camargue had taken up his father’s lance, sword, and armor, and was cast adrift on the road. Trials were set before his hooves as he wandered the countryside of Gaskiny. Old beggars revealed themselves as fair lords or maids. Fae creatures bewitched or ensnared the common folk, or bandits beset the roads and set fear into their hearts. Afraid though he might be, the low-born noble set both wits and steel to work. No magic sword had he, no enchanted mail nor unbreakable lance - Starlight couldn’t help a small gasp when it shattered against his fell foe’s chestplate! - but he pulled himself up, and fought on despite injury or the shadow of despair.

As Sombra read to Sunburst - Starlight was increasingly certain they’d forgotten she was there - Sunburst adjusted himself, scooting closer to Sombra so he could follow along. She shook her head slightly, smiling knowingly at the pair. The dumb stallions really couldn’t see it, could they? She thought about giving them some privacy, but she couldn’t tear herself away now that they were really getting into the story. Besides, she reasoned, it would be rude to leave without an explanation. So she settled in and listened.

Not all was well, though. Sombra’s injuries would not heal properly, despite the efforts of the Crystal Empire’s best physicians. When they’d last taken the bandages off, the cuts had started bleeding again immediately. The various other scrapes and contusions that Sombra had received during the fight also showed little progress. It was as if Sombra’s body simply wasn’t healing itself, and they couldn’t explain why that was. They had confirmed that any internal injuries were stable, and with the aid of magic and medicine alike they had been able to stave off the worst of the pain. Sunburst had listened to all of their explanations with growing concern.

Sombra was sitting in his room one afternoon, just starting to seriously consider taking a nap, when he heard a light, quick tapping on his door. Getting up with an effort, he went over to the door and opened it. On the other side was Sunburst, and next to Sunburst was a frighteningly large pile of books and scrolls.

“Sunburst?” Sombra said questioningly, looking between his friend and the gently swaying tower beside him.

“Hey, Sombra!” Sunburst said, doing a little wave with his hoof. “I figured if the doctors didn’t know what was wrong, maybe a collection of the finest medical material might have the answers!”

Against his better judgment, Sombra stepped out of the way as Sunburst started levitating sections of the pile into the room, setting them down wherever he could find an empty surface.

“I’m sure they’ve already checked for… all of that.” Sombra said, watching as his small room became increasingly cluttered. He suppressed a chuckle when he realized how much it resembled Sunburst’s.”

“I know, I know.” the small yellow wizard said, herding him towards the couch. “But it never hurts to double-check!”

Sombra couldn’t convince him otherwise, so Sunburst proceeded to spend hours trying to diagnose him. It rapidly became clear that he planned to look at everything, but as the day wore on nothing fit. No ailment of any kind, magical or mundane, matched Sombra’s symptoms.

“Oookay.” said Sunburst as he pulled a new book out of a pile, very nearly collapsing the whole thing. “Let’s try this one!”

“Did you not go through that one first?” asked Sombra, lifting an eyebrow. Sunburst looked exhausted, but he kept plowing on.

“Triple check!” he said with a slightly manic little giggle. “Now, I’m going to need you to cough while I-”

“Alright, we’re done now.” Sombra said, gently taking the book away from Sunburst.

“But we need to figure out what’s wrong!” Sunburst protested weakly, as Sombra led him to the bathroom.

“No, now we need a break. You need a break. Now take a shower.”

Sombra took away his stethoscope and pushed him into the bathroom, then pulled the door closed with a definite snap. Sunburst groaned. Sombra waited until he heard the water start running, then he went to his door and stepped out. He flagged down a passing servant.

“Pardon me, I’m sure you must be busy,” he said. “But do you have any idea what Sunburst likes to eat?”

“I’m sure the kitchen knows, sir.” The servant replied, adjusting the stack of clean linens he was carrying. “I can ask them to send something up, I’ll be passing on my way back down to the laundry room.”

“If it isn’t too much trouble.”

“No trouble at all, sir.” The servant leaned in and whispered. “Is he going into another research death spiral?”

“It would appear so, yes.” Sombra sighed.

“I’ll make sure they include extra water and greens, then.”

Sombra thanked the servant, then stepped back inside to wait. He expected Sunburst to finish his shower long before the food arrived. He must have underestimated how badly Sunburst needed one, then, because he emerged only minutes before their dinner arrived. As promised, it was accompanied by what looked like two gallons of water, and a hefty portion of green-leaf salad.

They ate a quiet dinner together at the table, using what space Sombra had managed to clear while Sunburst showered. He missed being able to use his horn for things like that, it made it so much easier to move fine objects like paper. He sighed ruefully, then soldiered on, utensil-less, with his food.

Sombra had made it clear he would not further discuss medicine in any capacity that night, so at first Sunburst was quiet. Hoping to get Sunburst’s mind off of his condition - and his own, if possible - he asked Sunburst about the Kite Festival that Starlight had practically abducted him to attend. He had been able to observe it somewhat from the windows, but the better viewpoint in the high balcony had been unavailable. Sunburst lit up as he started describing all of the different kinds of homemade kites he’d seen, and the one that Starlight had entered, and all of the colors as the bright sun shining on and through them.

Sombra smiled as he watched Sombra talk. He’d never felt so at ease as he did around this little saffron-yellow stallion, with his white blaze and flowing orange mane. Sombra chuckled as Sunburst pushed silver-framed glasses back up his muzzle, and when Sunburst gave him a questioning look, Sombra shrugged, resting his head on his hoof as he listened.

After dinner, Sunburst started clearing up the mess of books he’d made in Sombra’s room. Sombra did his best to help, but without magic he could only move one book at a time. As he dropped the latest book onto the pile, he found Sunburst had fallen asleep with his head on a small stack of books. Sombra gently scooped him up onto his back. Doing his best to ignore just how much that hurt, he carried the smaller stallion over to his bed. Luckily, he’d been given a lower-lying bed to accommodate both his injuries and preferences, so it was easy for him to slide Sunburst onto the bed without waking him. He drew the covers over Sunburst, then went back to cleaning his room. When he’d done what he could, he checked on Sunburst again, then he made up the couch for himself and turned out the lights.

As he lay there in the dark, he could hear Sunburst’s steady breathing across the room. He closed his eyes and listened for a while. Then he drifted off to sleep.