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Regarding Falling Villains

by naturalbornderpy

Chapter 6: Chapter 6: Regarding Terms and Conditions, White Alicorns, and Paper Crowns

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REGARDING TERMS AND CONDITIONS

Someone new had entered my rehabilitation group and I found myself forced to sit with all my legs covering every removable part of me.

Discord the draconequus sat pleasantly in his little seat, uncaring that he was practically derailing any such progress any pony had of making that day. He had never been there before and I highly doubt he was invited or asked to join. No. It was obvious why he was there, as his mismatched eyes would time and time again close in on mine. My simmering hate towards the creature had cooled immensely since our first encounter, yet I felt it only rise all over again with each invested stare.

He raised his paw into the air. “Is it time for pairs yet?” he asked our moderator, a large bluish bull that somehow kept everyone mostly in line.

“Not until three,” he told him, uncaring if he was new or not. “Until then it’s group discussion.”

Discord rolled his eyes inside their sockets until they came back around. Then he eyed the wall clock that read 2:15. With a silent snap he flipped it a minute before three. Then his eerie eyes found mine again, as I covered my snout and other valuable appendages.

“It’s three, Mr. Moderator,” he chirped.

“It is?” The bull eyed the clock and shrugged. “All right, I need a break anyways. Split up and get talking. Remember the group motto everyone: there’s good in us all, but only if we choose to find it.”

Ponies barely left their seats before Discord snapped himself behind me. Without asking, he lifted me up and set me down in another chair facing him. Even though I called Discord a walking clown on more than a hundred occasions since first viewing him, I had never been as scared sitting in close proximity to someone.

He tried to put me at ease with a smile. Baring a single fang along his thin wrinkled face, I quickly understood why villains practiced on “friendship” versions.

“Don’t be scared, friend,” he said. “I’m only here to help.”

I didn’t shift my legs from my face.

“I won’t remove any part of your body, Sombra. That was only a joke. And from what I hear you’re not very good at them either.”

He hardly knew of the powers I could wield if prompted, sitting behind a desk for eight hours a day. I could outwait him into eternity and my butt would barely cross over to numb.

His smile faded. “If you don’t talk to me I’ll just take away your legs and then I’ll have access to the rest of you. Seriously, Sombra, I’m only here to converse.”

Slowly, painfully, I relented and viewed the misshaped thing. “Did Celestia send you to me?”

“Nope. She doesn’t know I’m here at all.”

“Then why are you here?”

“To talk to you, silly Billy!” He edged his chair closer to mine. I retreated back an inch before a wall halted my escape. “Since you’re a friend of Equestria now, I figure you and I should become pals.”

“I’d rather be friends with a rock. They don’t talk as much.”

“You should meet Maud.”

“Who?”

He waved a hand. “Never mind. We’re getting sidetracked.” He hastily checked around for anyone close. Coming away with nothing, he said, “You’re being a fool not accepting what the Princesses are giving you.”

“What?” I had not seen that coming at all. “Admit defeat just like that? Who do you think I am? I’m a King! I won’t be destroyed by a few mere months of annoyance and stale rehabilitation cookies. It will take lifetimes before I am defeated.”

“Then you’re definitely a fool, Sombra,” he said tiredly. “Why fight something that won’t go away when you can manipulate it? Do you honestly think I’m all that good these days? That I’m truly a friend to anyone?” He paused to scratch his chin. “Well I am a friend to some, but that doesn’t mean I always play nice. When I was brought back from stone I was given the options of either being good or going back to my idle state. Which option do you think I’d take?”

“But they’ve given me no option at all,” I told him, uncaring that I was suddenly opening to the very draconequus that sat atop my list of destruction. “I’m to become a friend and that’s all there is to it. They won’t even let me die and go away.”

“Then become a friend, Sombra!” he exclaimed. “Become a friend and yet remain a villain. You know how much fun it is to get under Celestia’s skin?”

“I wouldn’t know of such a thing.”

He shook his head. “Then you haven’t lived, my friend. Not at all.”

It still felt like something was missing. “I heard you had the chance to doom everyone, that you had sided with someone named Tirek and then relented at the last minute. And that this happened after your reformation. Obviously there must be a piece of you that likes being friends with others—helping them when they need assistance. Why, I ask? Since this all began I’ve been trying to discover that answer on my own, but the only response I ever get is that it’s a feeling that warms your heart. I don’t like feelings, I like facts.”

The draconequus appeared serious for the first time. “Then maybe real friendship isn’t for you, Sombra. Although I might not play by the rules like others, friendship isn’t something I would trade for anything. It’s like an enema made out of sunshine that never goes away.”

“That sounds horrible.”

“You get used to it.”

Discord snatched another cookie from the communal plate and chewed a little too close to my face. I made mental note to scan for crumbs the moment I was free from him.

“But enough talk of gooey material,” he said. “I have the most interesting of notions that you might want to try on Celestia… all in the name of friendship, of course.”

Then he whispered into my ear what he had in mind.

REGARDING WHITE AND RED ALICORNS

Although she had been drinking from a cup of tea when I presented the notion, she didn’t do herself the injustice of spitting it onto her desk. Instead she silently choked on the tepid liquid while she tried to regain her normal regal composure.

“You… you want me to pardon you?” she asked plain-faced, setting her tea cup far, far away. “For… everything?”

“Yes.” I nodded, then gave her my friendship face. It was hurting less and less to do. “I think it would be rather friendly of you.”

At first I had balked at Discord’s little half-baked plan, but days later, when nothing of interest was in the works, I relented and asked to speak with the Princess. I only wished I had done so sooner—the draconequus had been right when he said annoying Celestia was an easy and fun way to pass the time. Only now I was curious as to where the conversation might go.

“Sombra, you…” the tall alicorn choked out, “…you enslaved an entire Empire; you tortured countless innocents and murdered untold more. You relished these facts—facts that you’ve done nothing but boast about since you arrived here. That seems like a lot to merely sweep under the rug.”

I lowered my friendly face. “I thought I was becoming a friend to Equestria, Celestia. Isn’t that why you keep bringing me back and making me work here? Attend those little meetings in the means to share feelings? How can I truly feel welcome if you continue to hover all of my misdeeds right atop of my head? Doesn’t a fresh start to everything sound best?”

Celestia shook her head. “You haven’t shown a single, solitary sign of remorse for what you’ve done, Sombra. Any type of pardon should only work both ways.”

I honestly hadn’t thought of that. Yes, I had talked a big game once I’d been brought back from the dead, explaining my villainous work to all that would listen. But in the last few weeks such discussions had all but disappeared. It was only when in rehabilitation that items of my deplorable work came to light. Still, what Celestia was asking of me was enough to twist my guts into a knot.

Celestia leaned across her desk, that simple smirk back on her face. She thought she had me. She really did. “Are you sorry for what you’ve done, Sombra? That’s the only way I’ll know if you’re truly deserving of a pardon.”

Bleugh…” Something from breakfast tried to reenter my mouth. I swallowed thickly and couldn’t meet the alicorn’s eyes. “I’m…” I managed to emit, jaw quivering while both eyes twitched. “I’m… sorry.” I nearly whispered the last word.

“What was that?” she asked.

“I’m sorry!” I shouted back, wondering if that truly was the first time those two words had toppled from my mouth in that particular order.

Her mischievous grin only widened. “For what?”

“But—” I could tell from her expression she wanted to do this the hard way. She wanted me to exit her room in a huff and call it a day. She was tempting my bluff and yet wasn’t counting on one major thing: that I had absolutely nothing left to lose. I said timidly, “I’m sorry for enslaving ponies and for hurting them. And for those rare occurrences where I found the need to… end some of them. I guess I got a little carried away while I was King.”

Celestia leaned back in her seat, happy from the outcome. “It pleases me to hear you make such progress, Sombra. As far as I am concerned, I will no longer bring up your troubled past when I regard you.”

Now it was my turn to lean closer to her. “That’s very kind and all, but I wanted a pardon from you. An official one. In writing, if you please.”

With her mouth shut tight, the air escaping her lips sounded distinctly like a boiling kettle. “You really want a pardon for every crime you’ve ever committed?” she said awestruck.

I nodded. “Yes.”

“Really?” She was almost pleading.

“Yes. I think it’s the only way to rebuild my new life as a good-natured simpleton. We’re friends, aren’t we, Celestia? Isn’t this something friends would do for one other?”

Specks of red dotted her cheeks and she eyed the nearby window wearily. She knew if she jumped out from it, I wouldn’t be able to follow. But it wouldn’t stop me from trying this all again some other time.

Half a day later I sat in my usual seat behind my desk and spun to stare at the new plaque that adorned my wall. After getting some assistant to draft up the official pardon, she begrudgingly signed her name on the dotted line (not before excusing herself to another room to, I believe, hyperventilate). Needless to say, I had come away with what I had wanted—aggravating my own tormentor by manipulating her own game, only far better and harder. It was only when I crossed my forelegs behind my head and stared at that framed document that the reality of what I’d just done finally sunk in.

“I’m officially not a villain anymore,” I said meekly.

REGARDING PAPER CROWNS

A reoccurrence was happening in the castle and I looked forward to it more than I thought I would. I was scheduled for a whole week on midnight duty and couldn’t be happier. Not only did that give me ample time and room from annoying everyday visitors that frequented the castle, but it also gave me time to study and write, as well as visit with a purple alicorn that was spending the week here.

Sometime between midnight and one she would trot into the foyer, sometimes nearly prancing in her step and sometimes moving lethargically. It was during those times I could tell she had been crying—and desperately I tried my best to get her to smile again. Since I had learned all too well that my sense of humor wasn’t completely up to par, I usually tried to strike at her intellect by reading from the latest book I had procured.

“You should think about going into voice work, Sombra. You’re not bad.”

I looked up from the page I was on. “What’s voice work?”

“It’s when they record ponies talking and then play it back. Some ponies narrate an entire book onto tape and then others buy them to listen to. If you read out mysteries or thrillers, I think ponies would really dig it.”

I was confused. “What exactly would they ‘dig’? I had always been told my voice was droll and listless.”

“Maybe your old voice, like when you first got here and wouldn’t say more than a few mean words to anyone, but I think your voice has softened since then.”

“And that’s a good thing?” It didn’t seem like it.

She nodded. “I think it is, but there’s something I wanted to show you.” She got up from her chair sat next to mine and trotted behind the desk and out from view. I heard her pull a few items out of a bag. “I overheard awhile ago you ask for a red blanket because you were cold. Since no one really believed that, they gave you that pink one instead. That’s why I found you this.”

Onto the counter she laid out a thin red blanket with a string threaded through near the top. With her horn she lifted it over my head and tied it across my neck. The material would never match that of my original cape, I knew, yet I still welcomed such a gift. It felt good to have something around my neck and draped over my back again. And it also felt odd.

“And of course I wouldn’t forget this.”

Twilight lowered a simple paper crown to my head, fitting just so. I almost felt tingles from the very sensation of having any such circular crown atop my mane.

“I made it from some of your old crosswords, then sort of layered them together. It isn’t as elaborate as your old one, but I thought if you wanted to wear this at night when no one’s looking, that would be all right.”

I could hardly speak it was all too much. “I…”

The alicorn spun my chair to face her, regarding my new clothes like some painter with a blank canvas. When she noted my expression she grew concerned. “Are you okay, Sombra? I thought you’d like it?”

Something was pulsing around the corners of my eyes. I couldn’t understand any of this. “Why are you so nice to me?”

She said openly, “Because we’re friends, Sombra. And because I think there’s some good in you and it only needs the opportunity for it to show. I doubted you before but now I consider you a friend, and a very knowledgeable one at that.”

For weeks and months I had staved off the affection of others—turned into a makeshift rock when my rehabilitation group yearned for a welcoming embrace. How odd it was to find myself wrapping both forelegs around that tiny purple alicorn and holding her tight. She stiffened at first (I know I would have done the same), before gently returning the gesture. If there were to be a single page in this journal that I’d consider ripping out and eating to save face, it would probably be this one. When I not only stopped being a villain but also hugged the very pony that had defeated me during my less than triumphant return. It should have all felt like darkness and misery abound. Only it didn’t.

I finally parted from her and found a mildly flustered alicorn in front of me. Unanswered questions had been pulling at my thoughts for far too many days now and I decided then that no other opportunity would prove better. I still had very little to lose.

“Why do you cry at night, Twilight?” I tried to ask delicately. “If you aren’t visiting the castle to spend time with Celestia or Luna, who is it you’re here to see? And why do they make you feel that way?”

Twilight only grew more flustered. “I told you before I didn’t want to talk about it.”

“But now we’re friends and now I want to know.”

She closed her eyes and exhaled loudly. I wasn’t sure if she would continue or not. “My colt-friend lives and works here. He’s part of the guard. I’ve been seeing him for awhile now and lately we’ve been getting into arguments. I think it’s the distance that doing it—straining our relationship. I want him to come live in Ponyville and he wants me to come live here. Here’s enough good reasons for both, but I could never imagine being so far away from my other friends. I think I’m making too big a deal about certain things. A piece of me naively thought that first relationships were meant to work and carry on forever, even when there might be some signs otherwise. I’m think I’m still new to this whole thing. Not everything’s like a storybook.” She thought for a second. “I still love him… I’m sure I do. Things are only a bit complicated right now.”

With careful intent I had listened to each word. The truth was close to what I had originally surmised and now I knew with certainty. Twilight had opened up and told me a lot about herself then—laid herself bare. What I took away from it was that someone had hurt her. Someone had made her cry. And had done so more than once.

“What is his name?” I asked, most likely a little too directly.

“I won’t tell you that, Sombra.”

I took a step towards her. “Tell me his name, Twilight.”

She rubbed a hoof through her mane. “It’s none of your concern, Sombra, and I should have kept my mouth shut about it. They’re my problems and I’ll solve them like I do every problem. But I should go. It’s late enough as it is.”

Hurriedly she made her way to the base of the stairs before turning around. “Were you going to attend the Gala next week, Sombra? I’m sure Celestia will push you to go no matter what.”

“Are you going to be there?” I asked.

“I’m a Princess, remember? It sort of comes with the territory. My friends will be there too, though.”

“Even the pink and yellow one?”

She eyed me quizzically. “What do you have against Fluttershy?”

I paused. “I heard she does things—unnatural things—to villains. Take Discord for example.”

Twilight closed her eyes for a moment. “You’re sort of weird sometimes, Sombra. But I guess that makes you more interesting than most.”

Right after that she hurried up the stairs, leaving the King of red blankets and paper crowns to contemplate about a particular nearby stallion.

Author's Notes:

Now only one chapter remains. I'm sure the conclusion will not piss off a single solitary person...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JfUM5xHUY4M

Next Chapter: Chapter 7: Regarding Endings Estimated time remaining: 5 Hours, 50 Minutes
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