Phantom stars shined in a dark blue sky, whose shade was richer than any royal blue velvet, and had a cold, breathtaking depth to it. The sky cradled the world I walked on in a soothing, dark embrace and I paused to breath in the sweet, cool air that was unlike anything to be found elsewhere.
There were plenty of reasons for that. This was not the world that ponies knew and walked upon, nor was it one they could. Ponies and all other creatures, griffin, draconequus, Alicorn, and more, all dwelled within Midgard and lived in its realm and the star-filled space it occupied until they died and were sorted into this planet's dead worlds.
This place was not the realm of pure magic that only Alicorns could walk, and the demigods could glimpse when they were refashioned to mimic the Alicorns... or at least as best as they could be made to be. Though, my realm held a connection to that world.
It was a plane between Midgard and where Cady, Twilight Sparkle, and all the demigods of the Old World found themselves, a realm that I did not know the name of, but knew somepony who might. It was a world of pure magic, and this was a place caught between, a god's world to be unlocked by an ascending immortal shaping great magic upon Midgard, and only able to be traversed by other gods that are allowed access to these private places.
Tia and I have had ours since we stumbled across the Tribes and gained our cutie marks and they have been with us since fillyhood. She has a world that knows its name is Radiance, but I know nothing more than its name, and she knows nothing more of my half-world and what it contains. Discord has Chaosville, and it goes on.
I look up at the moonless sky. All these half-worlds take different shapes and are filled and arranged differently, and grander than a simple pocket dimension, yet, there were things that were not replicated in either. I knew the name of Radiance, and that there was no sun as my world had no moon.
I stood quiet among soft colored silvery-green grass and looked at a woodsy landscape that was filled with pools as the moon's surface was, marked with indents and craters up 'til recently - I should know, having walked upon its surface myself on one occasion.
The dozens upon dozens of pools, small ponds, and streams, connected and divided alike, all reflected the reflection of the sky above and the multitude of stars bursting across it with the utmost clarity. The dark branches of the exotic trees that populated this sloping plain were captured within as well, and lilies and lotus flowers disturbed only the surfaces of a portion of these ponds.
It was to a corner of this large but limited world that I retired to when the incident with the Tantabus occurred in Ponyville three years ago, and now that creation of mine was gone forever, in the aftermath of last summer.
But I did not come her to ruminate on such things as I stood here, enjoying the cool winds of a little world all my own, with me whether I was awake or slumbering.
I came here to think, that was true, and what I did now. I came here to stash small treasures - a weapon that I treasured more than a pony, a book of poems wiser than the ponies I dealt with, a chart of stars for a world no pony would ever see, an old rapier, photos of Cady and I making silly faces in a photograph booth, a favored lute, the sweater that Celestia got me last Hearth's Warming that I really did like for its adorable cobweb pattern, Nightmare Night candy, and all sorts of other mementos.
This evening - for it was nearly dusk outside - I sought an escape. I was as far away from the ponies that my job as a princess requires I deal with throughout the day when I was strolling among a paradise farther than any garden, and closer all the same, caught among the pages of a favorite adventure novel and humming as I snapped off twigs, purposely and absentmindedly, while re-reading the scene where the great horseshoe is cast into the fires of the dark flames from whence it came.
These were the occasions that I loved. Time spent with ponies made Celestia beam and kept her smiling, and time away from them was something she never thought was much to cherish, when the inverse was true for myself. I was aloof, and time with those I cared for instead of those who lived as my subjects was what I cherished.
With my date tonight I certainly wanted time to shake off any daily frustrations and allow myself to smile a little. Room to breathe was not something that could be found among ponies, especially having to sit through a summit with the bothersome and obnoxiously perky Princess Twilight Sparkle while Tia abandoned her own blood to go attend to another pony that had been in attendance, and all the while I had refrain from looking entirely unimpressed by Twilight Sparkle's chatter while I was trying to concentrate on the paperwork - that was me, after all. Princess of All Things Behind the Scenes, and it was by choice. Tia was the Princess of Smiles and Nodding and All Social Tasks, and I respected her for it, we split our duties, but many were attended to only by one of us due to our different skills and interests.
And then there was Twilight Sparkle, or as he and I had taken to calling her among his dozen nicknames of the mare he dubbed 'Purple Eyesore' most often: Twilight Sycophant. She smiled, waved, chattered, and preached on. She knew that I didn't like her and went out of her way to attempt unsubtle conversations about anything from my mild scowl, lack of 'good social habits', and even my significant other.
At the thought of her, I snorted and read on. I still had some time until I needed to raise the moon; the pocket watch that I had tucked in the pocket of my gray windbreaker gave me an extra ten minutes until I should leave and raise the moon. From there, my date could begin.
I smiled and shuffled my wings at the side. If I was to do anything in disguise during the night, I was going to have to hope that the wing-slots in my jacket could be hidden too. Hiding my cutie mark wouldn't be as much of a problem, if it was even needed at all. My jacket was large enough that any adjustments I made to my build - which would be slight, I quite like my stature - would cause the jacket to slip over the cutie mark entirely, and even now, it was already rather well-covered.
Only the shadow behind the moon and the dark dapples that were part of my cutie mark showed right now, where I stood obviously undisguised.
...
Once my horn's light had finally dimmed, I found myself standing where I had been before my retreat: in my bedroom. I did not find it unexpected, and no disturbances to my chamber would have been made in my brief absence. There were no advisors or any ponies in related positions who would need the attention of my sister and I, and I kept the Lunar Wing - the wing of the castle that housed my bedchamber and my other rooms - clean enough on my own that no maids and other staff ventured into my part of the castle. Some even complained that I kept it to cold.
Celestia was taking over the remaining nightly duties. Two goddesses who technically require neither sleep, food, nor drink meant that if needed, one of us could pull extreme hours, at least for a while. We are not beyond fatigue.
Tonight was such a night. Tia would rule and I had my time free. Ruling is my job. Celestia may put being a princess before she is Celestia, but I did no such thing. Time to do anything and everything else had to be worked in some how. I was the one who loved to live a lot in ways both big and small.
Humming to myself, I set about any last minute preparations. My room stood before me, moon shaped bed near the center with a double door that led to the rest of the Lunar Wing - my studies, armory, observatory, parlor, artifact rooms, and more. Soothing, cool colors decorated everything in styles I found enjoyable, mimicking parts of nature I found enjoyable, such as a sheet of ice or a single tree, soft carpet like the swirling ripples of a dark pool, and the lamps I had were like the glow of stars of fireflies. The whole place felt whimsical and distant compared to the styles my sister chooses to model things in, but the Lunar Wing was mine to have in the way I chose, and I took pride in it.
The only oddities to this were the curtains obscuring alcoves. They were a rich maroon with a blue one underneath, and behind them, there were tall windows, nooks to hang cloaks and jackets upon, and a few bookshelves, shaped to fit such odd spaces and crammed full of hardback books on some of my favorite things. Magical study, philosophy, plays, poetry, maps, epics, adventure novels, and photograph collections were tucked behind those curtains, and I replaced my novel on one of those shelves before closing the curtain.
The only other oddity was the gramophone that Cady had gotten me so we could exchange music with one another and I would be able to listen to music privately. I sung to it too, but never in front of anypony other than Tia and-
I heard the smallest sign of movement toward the balcony that both my sister's chambers and mine had. The doors to each were sealed by Tia and I, respectively, and we had keys to the locked doors, to be given to those we trusted. Celestia had given copies to Twilight Sparkle, Cadance, Discord, and me. I had only given out a key to one individual.
From my bed, I plucked a pale silvery green scarf up from the starry bedspread and wrapped the knitted object around my neck with a fluid toss of my forehoof, never tearing my eyes from the balcony area. Whoever got in had done so when I was not present, and slipped in quietly.
Whoever slipped in could detect magic and knew where I was, something only one individual knew how to do.
My smile grew and my watchful gaze softened. "Sombra."
I didn't have to be a magic sensing demon to know he was hiding among the curtain that framed the doors that showed a winter evening outside, just waiting for us to get lost in. A dry chuckle could be heard and he stepped out into the light - and became the third oddity in my room.
His usual plain crimson traveler's cloak had been changed into a simple trench coat that still had a small dusting of snow on it. His stature, taller than any pony or demigod, but still a little bit shorter than any Alicorn was the same. He never really needed to change it since he was usually just noted as tall. It wasn't until you measured him or noticed other signs - his demon horn and crimson irises among otherwise equine-looking eyes - that you realized he wasn't normal in the slightest. I don't know if he attempted to make a temporary, fake cutie mark under his coat or not, but he likely would be keeping it on until we were away from ponies to hide the scars on one of his flanks. I certainly didn't mind.
He smirked and I caught the slightest glint of fangs as my own smile grew some more. His fluffy ears pricked forward. Living so far up north had granted him a winter coat thicker than most ponies who lived on this mountain had, and his came with silly tips on his ears, ear fluff, and lasted longer, though it was still seasonal.
He looked me up and down, eyes darting under his disheveled mane. I had to resist stepping forward to ruffle his bangs for just a little longer. "Don't you look charming," he said, smirking and producing a key that he twirled smugly in his crimson magic.
I responded with all the dignity I cared to. "Ppht."
Sombra rolled his eyes. "Now, I risk coming here in broad daylight to rescue my Princess Charming, only to find she insists upon greeting the Right-Honourable Lord Sombra like this? By sticking your tongue out at me? What do I look like, a damn charity?"
"Sombra the Charitable you are not. I'd like to inquire if you made plans, or if tonight's activities shall be a surprise." Just because we exchanged letters didn't mean he informed me of every detail. Sometimes it felt like a competition between us to surprise the other.
He tugged his collar further up with a flick of his magic and looked around absentmindedly. My room wasn't a strange sight to him, but he only saw it when we came and went like this. "I have a bit of a surprise ready, and you'll need your disguise for it." He observed me again. "It's good to see you already have it. After that, I thought we could go to my place."
I smiled, another chance to escape ponies was nothing I would be passing up. "Your offer certainly is a tempting," I sang, smiling impishly at him.
Sombra raised on eyebrow. "I'm a demon, I'm supposed to be tempting, and sticking around here isn't that at all. Lunar Wing or not, I don't like dealing with guards, and certainly not a day like that's too good to waste like this."
I nodded and wondered if it would be too much to get him a scarf to make his disguise feel less under dressed for the weather, but then looked at my own clothing. We had on winter-y gear, and would not draw much attention in disguise, especially with our ever-unsociable natures. Nopony would look at us twice - especially if Sombra stayed out of sight of any authorities. His smirks, distinct baritone, and general roguish looks would catch the eye of any guard who thought he looked suspicious. It wasn't that he and I were incapable of escaping them, it was just annoying. The hassle he received from everything was unnecessary.
Sombra eyed the sky outside critically. "It's four minutes past dusk."
Blinking out of my thoughts and gasping slightly, I mumbled a quick thank you to him and lit my horn. Guiding the moon into the sky was second nature to me, and something I had even done in my sleep on occasion. While the power required by me to properly raise it was unmatchable by any but my sister, who didn't find the task nearly as easy as I, even after her years managing my night, I made the task look effortless and chose to think of the simple chore as an art, while Celestia dismissed her own part simply as a duty.
Once that was done, I pulled Sombra into a tight hug. After knowing him for almost a year, it was becoming easier to tell when my hugs were too much before he started coughing raggedly, pointing out he couldn't breath, sputtering, gasping, yelping, and giving non-threatening warning growls that my goddess strength was hurting him. His ribs were getting bruised less in my tackle hugs, even if he was made of tougher stuff than ponies. This was not my usual dive-bomb of an embrace and I felt his hooves wrapping around me to return the gesture.
"How have you been?"
I buried my face in his long, dark mane for an answer. We hadn't seen each other in a week. His on-and-off job as a mercenary could take him to all sorts of parts of Equestria and beyond, and while I could always walk in his dreams if I needed to talk to him, or he needed to talk to me, it was always wonderful to have him back.
Sombra hugs me tighter and pulls me closer. "That bad, huh? The world without me is just an awful, awful place, isn't it?"
"Egotist," I mumbled, pulling the fuzzy demon stallion as close to me as I possibly could and finding it impossible not to relax, especially with the warmth of his gray coat to help.
"Shameless egotist," he corrects, and I teasingly pull a look of his mane with my magic, pulling out of the hug first. I retrieve my pocket watch, yes it seems we really should get going.
Sombra knows me well enough to not question why I ceased our hug - he can read me as easily as if every motive were inscribed on my coat as though it were some book's parchment, and I, my own autobiography.
He follows me to the balcony door, occasionally glancing about to see if I might have left anything new out before concluding that there isn't anything. While I open the door and lead us outside into the crisp air of the cold winter night that drifts about my tower and nipping my ears, I keep an eye on Sombra, always eager to observe his curious habits - I know he likes it too, and doesn't mind if I stare at him while he keeps to himself.
Currently, he has unbuttoned his coat a bit, and I can see some of the interior pockets. Yet, not all of the space within was occupied by something as simple and mundane as an unenchanted pocket that need only to have something dropped in it to serve purpose. Some spaces that had been previously empty fabric now bore large sigils and smaller script sewn in alongside it.
I knew that if he lit his horn with yet another spell largely of his own design, he could withdraw whatever he had stashed in the magical space in between. When he wore his usual cloak, he had the same sigils on the folds in its underside too, hidden from the eyes of ponies. Inside the magical pockets, he stored things like his swords, and maps.
I watched as he produced a small coin purse from a smaller sigil, tossing it casually within his crimson aura. I paused and tilted my head curiously. Sombra did not use money except on occasions when he'd purchase things for me. Other than that, I knew he most often obtained what little material goods he had any desire for by making them himself, stealing them, or an array of other means.
"And how did you come by that?" I point with a forehoof before I slip out of the shoes I usually wore. It would never do any harm to leave the durable things out here, where all that might happen is them being snowed on. My crown and necklace sat back inside my chamber.
My hooves are instantly chilled by the light layer of snow on my tower's balcony, and I grin at the almost ticklish sensation as it melts against my warm body. My windbreaker swishes in the night.
"I stole it," Sombra said, simply and without shame. It wasn't as though this was the first time he had confessed such a thing to me. Crimes that were considered petty or unusual were not things he would forgo, and I simply wasn't one to pay attention to every case of a bit missing from a pony who wouldn't be missing it either, or a jaywalker who was to get a reminder from the guards who walked the streets.
Those were not the types I need pay mind to. Sombra taking a purse of what was likely to only amount to twenty bits? It was an almost silly offense. Nopony would steal such a low sum unless they were at the point where they could not afford groceries, and there were institutions, organizations, and charities to help the few ponies in situations like that before they contacted any kind of official.
The wind swept through his mane, intertwining a few flakes in the black. I shifted and the frosty crunch of snow sounded under my hooves. Sombra and I had known the elements far too long to need garb like this on most occasions. His imprisonment had altered his once-mortal body so that it no longer felt all but the most extreme, unnatural colds, like those in the void where he was pinned by Celestia and I, in a non-physical form. His body heat was that of any other, but earthly cold had no effect on him, whereas I was simply the hardened, adventuring type. The Arctic and other extremes would call for such things - and thicker gear, as well, not this little jacket - but mountain winters in Canterlot? It was just chilly.
A mischievous smile curved onto my muzzle. Swiftly, I lashed out with a forehoof and grabbed hold of one of Sombra's forelegs. Usually, he would be wearing armored boots, but now he wore nothing but the long sleeves of his garment. A faint, muffled trill of surprise sounded in his throat and his crimson eyes widened in the dark at my sudden gesture.
"Well, cut-purse it appears that I'll have to be keeping an eye on you for the rest of the night. A criminal like you cannot simply walk free, hmm?"
I tugged Sombra's foreleg and he allowed himself to be pulled into a kiss, a sly smile on his muzzle that was still there when we parted.
"Spend the whole night with you? And a thief?" He tossed the coin purse smugly again, but his eyes never left me. "Hadn't we decide that I was 'reformed'? Isn't that the excuse that the public has been left with?"
I snorted. "If you keep saying that, you will start sounding like Discord. 'Reformed' this and 'reformed' that. The whole thing seems like an excuse to be sneaking into my sister's chambers now. You have only formed anew literally."
Shrugging, Sombra slipped the coin purse away and I was treated to the sound of his chuckle and a sardonic smile. "I wouldn't know and I really don't care to know the details of that-"
"So speaks the God of Knowledge."
The world's newest god and first rogue god makes a contemptuous noise in his throat and rolls his eyes knowingly. "Even the Smartest of the Smartasses prefers for something to be left unsaid, wouldn't you agree? Besides, I know that we have far better things to be doing than even mentioning that sister of yours."
I huffed. Celestia didn't like Sombra and he didn't like her, but I didn't mind. Aside from Cadance and I, nopony did. I know that Celestia isn't the happiest with my choice of him as a partner, but I wouldn't consider anypony else. Who was it that I could speak my mind around and laugh and cry with and confess everything in? It was Sombra, and I wouldn't dream of giving him up. Even when we were apart and off doing our own things, he never felt far away. He enjoyed the company of ponies even less than I and was the only one I felt confident in the company of. Nopony made me feel as happy as when I was alone, and Sombra made me feel like I was alone.
"I do agree, now shall we be off?" I tugged at his forehoof again.
Sombra's smile faded into a crooked smirk. He lit up his horn with crimson light and I clutched him tighter as this particular view of Canterlot vanished, and Sombra and I went with it, leaving only a set of empty royal shoes and flurries of snow stirring in the night.
Author's Note
A side story, but not a sequel to Favorable Alignment and occurring some time after Scrambled Serenity, for those who wish to know the timeline. It isn't required to read either of those stories to understand anything in this or the following chapters.
Otherwise, the sasspones are back for this three part romance.
My deep teal eyes had been exchanged for those of powder blue. My mane fell down past my withers in shades of silvery cornflower so light that it nearly looked white. While my mane did not sparkle, it was still thick and flowing, and rather long, as I preferred it.
Swishing my tail, I snuck another glance at my coat, which was now a shade of wisteria so pale it blended in with the faint mist of the evening that hung about the mountain. I had not reduced my height much, but a small amount of freckles peppered across my muzzle and ears made it harder for me to be recognized. Only those who listened to closely to my voice might guess anything, but those ponies were not likely to be awake at this hour. I was the height of a tall unicorn pony mare and my magic combined with Sombra's had certainly crafted a lovely disguise. Any cutie mark I had was obscured by my jacket, as expected, but to be on the safe side, Sombra had created the false image of a buffalo dream catcher - and Dream Catcher was to be my name for the evening.
I gave a satisfactory tug to tighten my scarf with aura the same color as before - it needn't be changed.
Next to me, Sombra walked beside me in his usual guise. He had no reason to shorten himself and his stature was the same and his rugged, lean build had remained without any adjustment. His demon's horn and the fangs he preferred to keep disguised were altered and created the illusion of some of his feral-ness being softened. Sombra's black mane was the same as always, and I sneakily twirled a lock, catching him look sideways at me with deep green eyes that always looked the same - no magic could disguise the intelligence and emotion burning in my Sombra's eyes.
'Sombra', of course, because I was not to call him 'Som' in public - something I respected.
Sombra - or Wild Card, if I was to call him anything around ponies - let me see the smallest trace of a smile that could've blended in with his now-white coat in the snow on this night. The effect of my natural night vision was kept, and slitted pupils and more felid-looking eyes were kept from showing through magic with my enchanted eyeliner - there was a reason I often wore it! The thought of attempting to painfully alter something so natural to me to give me the weak vision of another species almost made me shudder - and I did.
Sombra caught the gesture, but not my expression, and thinking I was chilly, brushed up against me as we walked, staying by my side and giving my ears a few sneaky nibbles. Without his cute fangs, it no longer tickled, but I loved the feeling of it all the same and leaned down a little, gently pressing my face into the soft fur of his neck and sighing. He was warm.
The few civilian ponies that had been out this far into the night hadn't noticed us, although the few that did simply gave us passing glances. Outside of any disguises, Sombra would sometimes draw stares from sociable ponies with no criminal affiliations who thought him handsome - though once his antisocial personality was made known through an angry glare and a blunt demand to stop ogling him was wrapped up with a clever insult was dropped, their gaze would too, and another shocked pony would walk away, flabbergasted and longing to forget the encounter.
Since my return, there was the unfortunate subject circling about my what my romantic life would hold from a gossip-loving public that yearned to have some new information a reclusive new goddess with little historical record to her name. I got looks and letters - those particular letters I burned with a particular satisfaction - that I never wanted. After I made no effort to hide when I entered my relationship with Sombra, the gossip changed to things ponies thought I wouldn't read into, and rumors about poor Sombra ran wild between lines of thinly veiled defamation and slander that nopony would think to put a stop to if they were about him.
Thankfully, at least the looks had stopped, unless I had anonymity like I did now, though I received very different, often angry letters that had more to say than empty notions of courtship and attraction to a mare nopony knew. These were from the Crystalline subjects of Cadance. Those too, I made personal kindling after I absorbed their every word. I can see why Sombra enjoyed burning such things as a form of catharsis , for it was indeed cathartic for me to do this, here and now. I can't say I'll end up a firebug like him, but in this moment, where I stood on a snow-sprinkled sidewalk of the last Canterlot road before buildings finally petered out and gave away to one of the city's many fantastic and tranquil parks.
All were quite peaceful and wonderfully lonesome at these hours. Their natural beauty was one I could appreciate and admire. A thousand years ago, such a lovely establishment would have been ridiculed as an attempt to bring the 'filthy, repulsive, and unnatural wilds' to the oh-so-terribly 'civilized' post-Tribal ponies.
Old disgust at the nature of some ponies never really died, it just had little reason to re-emerge constantly. There were improvements in this age, and yet compared to what I saw now, standing on this street corner and looking at a single newsstand, whose tabloid contents had not been stored away... those 'improvements' disappeared like snow on my tongue.
That old disgust, and newer anger, swelled up again. I stood angrily, casting an intimidating shadow across the offending thing. Were my wings still at my side, they'd be flared. The instinct to still burned in me with the kindled emotion. If I struck the ground now, I knew my magic would call forth thunder. I sucked in a breath and saw the clouds above stir darkly from my presence.
I couldn't draw too much attention to us, and tried to rein in some of my emotions as I stared at the bold print on the tabloid cover. It bore a photograph of Sombra and I taken months ago. Sombra, with quiet anger in his eyes, looked away from cameras, scowling, and dressed in his usual fare. I was attempting to talk to a journalist at the time, and hid none of my disgust at what their interactions made me feel. I was never the princess who got swarmed with such things until Sombra. Celestia and Twilight Sparkle have always been the favorite princesses of Equestria's media, and they can hog all the attention they please.
In Equestria, using the image of Celestia and I for anything outside of bedtime stories derived from historical legends or innocent cameos granted with permission directly from Celestia or myself, respectively, is illegal and rarer than demigod princesses. Personality rights began with us.
I stare at bold defamation and know that claims of the possibility for accused abuse within the relationship between Sombra and I, in all but name, will appear if I skim through the pages. This is defamation. It is simple slander that the Equestiran public is all too eager to jump upon, and why wouldn't they?
I've brought this to Tia, and she reads them dutifully, almost reserved as she does so, and claims that she can find no subtext in any of these.
It hurts. I can feel my heart all twisted up with more than anger. Wind whips at my scarf, in a vain attempt to tug the fluttering garment from me. Despite the frosty air, I feel warmed by my brooding fury as I stand aggressively in front of this little newsstand, mere seconds feeling much longer as I can't tear myself away from the lies so easily embraced by everypony.
If anypony knew anything about Sombra - all the things he'd never say to anypony but me - they would hate him more, that is true, but the blind lead the blind, and gossip is the perfect fodder for them. If they knew what actually happened to him and had a shred of honesty in them - and honesty ponies are a rarity indeed - then they would realize how sick it is to accuse him of everypony of ever doing these things.
Behind all the barriers they'd never see, this has gotten to him too.
Sombra knows I've stopped the minute my stride no longer matches his and pauses. He doesn't need to ask what I see, and I don't need to answer. Things like these - horrible gossip, but namely, and more importantly the understanding between us that can go without words - are commonplace among us.
He's just waiting for me to catch up. I know that his jaw is set in anger and if I look in his direction. he'll be shaking with the sudden temper he has to work so hard to hold at bay.
Small flickers of aura in the form of flashing traces of lightning bolts as thin as threads in the dark flash about my horn, making soft crackles. This was not something I would risk anything close to a display of power on; here I needed stealth.
I walked away from a newsstand bearing ashes to join Sombra once more.
...
Sombra exhaled and it was in the form of a soft wispy fog. I was close enough to him to feel how warm it was. He had relaxed since we passed the newsstand and walked deeper into the park, frost crunching under our hooves.
Beside him, I stopped walking and gasped, my own breath exhaled in the same way. I brushed closer to him, savoring the feel of it and the warmth that came from him.
The last traces of our breath dissolved into the air after mingling with the twin trails of steam; thin wisps of it spiraled up from the small cups floating in our magical auras.
There were few places in the city still open, but leave it to Sombra to find a single business. The sign had been lit with magic, and we were able to get warm drinks from a small establishment run by a stallion named Joe who certainly looked rather tired, and I did not blame him.
Sombra smirked in the dark and sipped coffee as black as the sky. "I thought this might interest you."
I nodded mutely, smiling with a bit of whipped cream from my last sip of hot chocolate still smudged on my muzzle. My mouth was in a surprised 'o' and giddiness warmed me along with the hot chocolate.
Before us was a small pond, frozen over because of the weather. A couple nearby stands, whose surfaces were cluttered with skates, and similar structures confirmed that the pond had been used for ponies to ice skate during the day.
I gulped down the rest of my hot chocolate and tossed the crumpled cup into a metal rubbish bin nearby, hearing it plink as it fell. Throwing my forehooves around Sombra, I pulled him into a fierce hug - something caused him to emit a small murp noise upon not catching my quick movements - and placed a big kiss on his fuzzy cheek, causing the whipped cream remnants on my muzzle to smudge into his coat.
"This is wonderful! However, how did you know I could ice skate?"
His muzzle crinkled with the slightest hint of grumpy disgust and Sombra used his free forehoof to wipe the cream away. "I didn't, but I can and figured I could teach you, if you didn't know." Sombra's eyes found me, a sly gleam shining in them. "But, I see that isn't the case. Just how good are you?"
"I am adequate," I reply, nuzzling further into his fluff and reaching up a hoof to stroke his shaggy black mane, "I am delighted at the prospect of skating with you. Do you think anypony would notice?"
He snorts and nuzzles the top of my head. "Luna, most ponies wouldn't notice if you cut off one of their legs while they slept. Even if we didn't conceal our presence, we're far enough away from ponies that we should be fine, wouldn't you agree?"
My answer is to nod into his coat and to accept more nuzzling from him. Things like this - time with Sombra, time alone, the work I find myself completing, simple moments of remaining undisturbed, learning something new, helping foals along their own way in dreams, finding something old yet cherished,and everything I can explore, with or without him. These are the things that I love, and here I am standing with the stallion I love.
His coffee is spilled out onto the snow and he sighs in annoyance, but we dare not waste such a perfect night. I have yet to see Sombra, on ice, after all!
...
Ice skating was something I turned out to be very out of practice in. Tia didn't like it, and I would have loved to go with her, but that hadn't been possible these past few years. Spending time together as sisters was hard when we had little in common and a nation to rule.
Sombra, however, was not out of practice, something that I both loved and hated.
I kept my legs steady, moving only to guide myself from one place to another. Careful movements kept me from slipping, but there was the occasional moment were I would find myself stumble from overestimating or underestimating my movements. I had placed my importance on balance - something important to a large amount of physical activities - and drifted about on the ice in small, spiraling movements compared to Sombra.
My scarf fluttered with the small twirls that I made, and settled when I paused in between them. Watching the stars and listening to the peaceful sounds of the deep night with each frosty exhale was like listening to a familiar song - and a loved one at that. My heart thudded warmly in my chest and the cold prickled against my coat - a feeling I loved. If it were just me out here, the serenity that I felt, deepening with each inhale of the crisp, cold air, would have been priceless.
Though, the sight of Sombra ice skating beat it all.
Sombra glided about with broad strokes that were expert compared to mine. He had a precision to him that I could respect, watching him literally skate circles about me.
I tried not to pout, but couldn't resist the temptation, and had to tug my scarf close to my muzzle as discreetly as possible.
He knew, of course. Sombra always did.
His loose black mane and tail flowed behind him, and I knew that he was adding those faint crimson sparkles to it on purpose - the color was just so obvious!
Sombra's eyes were often on me, locking with my gaze and never breaking contact with mine until he skated around me, and out of sight.
I watched as he moved, alternating between raising a foreleg and hindleg, and reversing the order as he glided across the ice, grinding the surface slightly. My ears pricked forward in the cold to catch the slightest sound of the ice being chipped by the blades of his skates.
He had to skate with a smug, dramatic flair, hidden from none, too. Sombra skated circles around me, smirking broadly in the moon's light.
He could even twirl as he did so, and spun around me as he went, the bastard.
Even in the blur of motion, I caught Sombra wink and me, and I giggled into my scarf. Somehow, I managed to make it sound grumpy anyway.
"Do you have any Hearth's Warming plans?" I asked Sombra. We often had long gaps between our conversations, and would even resume one from hours earlier much later without any preamble, other than perhaps a simple reminder. The other always picked things up quickly, and this never felt awkward with him, since our conversations had little boundary.
He twirled around me more slowly this time, so I could see him shaking his head easier. "I never do, not unless you want to come over."
Shuffling my hooves a little to steady myself, I pull my scarf tighter. "I'm going to be presiding over this year's Hearth's Warming pageant. The last few ones haven't been particularly memorable, except for the one where they had the Element Bearers as all the leads. Oh, I wish you had been there then," I say with a laugh. "That one was awful. I didn't want to attend because with the exception of the Element of Honesty, all the other roles... the historical accuracy is..."
I kicked at the ice slightly. "It is nonexistent. I would have rather listened to a commentary from you on it instead. Tia and I were able to have a nice Hearth's Warming in private, which is so different from the celebrations she usually has for the holiday."
Seeing Sombra skate by with such theatrics, and yet have his expression that of stoic contemplation, with those eyes of his trained on me, was a sight to behold. "Don't they have the Founding Three and their tag-alongs portrayed as happy heroes?"
I nod, and he scoffs disdainfully. "Of course they do. That's all anypony would believe." A handsome, but cruel smile plays across his muzzle. "What do you think would happen if the pageant was historically accurate?"
I sigh and manage a modest little spin-in-place of my own. "It would never be allowed to show. The holiday is to be about hope and the true meaning of friendship, instead of what Twilight Sycophant likes to preach of. It was a miracle those three - fools save for Cookie - survived. Ponies suddenly knowing a truth that's different from the simple tale they've been given since this nation was founded, and just how grim the era was... it would create an uproar."
"Eh, what can you expect from putting such a huge stake in the herd mentality like that? Vive la révolution. I'd certainly love to see what happens when ponies find out that Clover was just a botched experiment of-"
"I know," I said softly. "I know, Sombra. Maybe one day. I certainly won't be letting the pageant be a forgettable one, but I can at least try to present another version of the truth - something that ponies can still enjoy, and a story that they can find true meaning in. The Founders and their companions have always been just characters to this nation anyway. I'm at least going to write them well."
A half smile shows on Sombra's muzzle. "I have no doubt that you will."
"It'll likely be the most unpopular edition of the play ever, but it will all be chalked up to me still being 'new to the era' in the eyes of my subjects."
Sombra laughs bitterly, resuming his circles. "If it were too mainstream Pink One wouldn't attend. But..." He looked at me with that same irresistible slyness. "Maybe I'll find a way to sneak in, if it's going to be something controversial and ironic."
Without these skates, I could have jumped for joy as my heart soared. "Oh, really, Sombra? You would attend my rendition of the pageant?" I laughed excitedly, and merrily. "That would be just as good a gift as my return was, to know you were in the audience watching my work."
"If it's any consolation I'll just change one of my swords into a switchblade and stealthily fling the cheap snacks they have at somepony."
A big smile breaks across my face. Knowing that he'll be there... I might as well write the whole thing for him.
The princess presiding over the pageant has the chance to rewrite the script on her own, and adjust it for different audiences and actors. Most of the time, since it has always been Celestia, and occasionally Cady presiding, they have always just updated the old version to the play and added no original touches outside of that. The playwrights there to assist them did everything and the princess got partial credit as an author.
I will be writing the entire play myself.
"My, my Sombra, that is so barbaric of you. Your support in this coming battle is greatly appreciated, my companion." I manage to dip halfway into an awkward bow, despite my skates.
Even though it is purely in jest, I can see that Sombra is made greatly uncomfortable by the gesture of me bowing to him.
A small flick of a nod from him and how he looks away tells me to rise up, and I do, hanging my head in an apology.
No matter how dark it may be, I see his expression soften easily, and he understands. "You're going to be spending the rest of Hearth's Warming with her aren't you?"
"Tia and I always spend Hearth's Warming together... but... could I get you something?" I ask, looking up at him hopefully. "I know you aren't big on material things, but I couldn't think of not getting you something, Sombra."
"I'll be especially happy if the gift is lots of honest flattery. Maybe I'll get you something too. Something material."
"Flattery will be a bonus," I say, poking my tongue out and managing an awkward, slow half-maybe twirl. We certainly are going to have to do this more often before I can even come close to emulating him.
The look in his eyes tells me that he is very amused with my failure. "Now that would be a holiday event that I could look forward to."
I laugh lightly, and softly, but not without feeling. The way it sounds, out here in the dark, is strangely musical. Sombra has told me that my laugh sounds enchanting before. While I never didn't believe him, I don't think I ever thought of it as such until now. "You're so bitter, Sombra."
"And you're only so positive yourself, Luna. Thank goodness for that." He completes skating another smug circle around me, his usually gruff tone teasing.
Not wanting to be outshone, I finally opt to cast my thoughts of inexperience to the wind and do a proper pirouette that should show Sombra he isn't the only one who has something to be smug about.
I emit a small squeak and my rear hits the ice hard and my balance fails me in a chaotic display of willowy limbs slipping and scrambling about, all in vain attempts to cease the inevitable result.
"Ow," I pout, hunched over, shivering, and a little sore. The ice before me is covered with frantic scratches from my previous display and neat circles that look as though they've simply cut into the ice with how precise they are. Those would be Sombra's tracks. My neater ones were much thinner.
The sound of Sombra's skating ceases abruptly, and though I don't focus on him, I catch his movement change.
The past experiences of both of us had lead to Sombra and I becoming adept at becoming undetected in our movement and our senses keener than a pony, and not simply because we weren't members of their species.
I detected Sombra's movements with ease. The sounds he made, the sight of his shadow in the dark, and the way the ground felt when he moved. I know that if I were a demon, like he is, I could feel all the world's magic, including the distinct magical signatures of others.
But I cannot. I am an Alicorn goddess, not a demon. That doesn't mean I don't know Sombra. He has a feel to him unlike anypony else. Standing next to another isn't the same as standing next to him. His smile is his, and the littlest way he twitches his ears.
I'd know him anywhere. Once, I was able to feel the magic around me, and what others felt like too. That experience is beyond all dreams and nightmares, but I survived it and I remember vividly. Ponies talk and talk about made-up soul mates and deep understandings, but to feel the magic of another is to feel them in full and it is so grossly overwhelming that I can feel my chest tighten at the thought.
It might as well be soul-reading, or ghost-feeling because of all the phantom rushes to it. I look at my smiling, kind, open sister and feel a wall that is built around something, locking something away and radiating a light that I only feel... and then like a blink, it's gone. A split second-phenomena that has me asking 'What magic is this?' sometimes, though I know not everything I feel in those brief, fragmented windows of time, is there. My bright, happy, and blithe sister is not some immovable barrier.
I felt him then, and that was the most vivid impression of them all alongside my own. Sometimes when he's nearby, I still think I can feel that part of him. It is still there. 'Out of sight, out of mind' is something that's never true.
Right now, I think I can feel that magic again, an experience that's as great and terrifying as it is wonderful, though I am not meant to have such an ability and was so lucky to be able to process it even once.
And then following that impression, I feel Sombra's muzzle nudge where my wither meets my neck. "Come on, it isn't that bad. I've fallen a lot too, and I didn't have skates when I was learning. Or a fine teacher. Tartarus, Luna, I didn't have any teacher." Sombra nuzzles me again and my delayed giggle comes out in a soft sputter. "Get up," he hisses playfully in my ear, nibbling it again.
"What if I don't?" I mumble through my scarf, reaching out with my telekinesis to stroke his mane and give him small scratches behind his fuzzy ears.
"I'll make you."
A mischievous smile works its way onto my muzzle. "How?"
Sombra pauses and nibbles my ear with a slower pace, prolonging the pause and drawing out the tantalizing bit of affection.
"I'll stop giving you candy," he whispers eventually.
My horrified gasp follows immediately. Leave it to my lover to know all my most damning weaknesses. "No, no! Please don't! I shall get up... but could you help me?"
The third time he nudges me is in agreement, and Sombra helps pull me to my hooves. To prevent myself from slipping and falling again, I throw my forehooves around his neck to steady myself, wrapping each skate adorning my forehooves in my magic and teleporting them back to where we had found them. The other two would come off later. Right now, I concentrated on clinging to Sombra, who looked at me with a contemplative, quiet, and amused stare. I had the feeling he would smirk soon if I did something he thought silly, but for now he just looked calm.
"I take it you've had enough of that for tonight?"
I nodded into his coat silently.
"Whatever happened to being a competent skater, huh?" Though he wasn't smiling, I could here his teasing in his voice.
"I'm out of practice," I mumble into his coat.
"Very."
"I want to get better though."
He leans forward to nuzzle the top of my head softly. "I'll be more than willing to help. Now that you're up, how about going somewhere warm? You're freezing."
The last part wasn't a question. That ice had been cold, not that I was surprised by such a thing. "Your place?" There was the softest amount of pleading in my tone. I just didn't want to go back to the castle yet.
I rarely did.
Feeling him nod again was a relief, no matter how expected the response was. Going up Canterhorn Mountain to the clearing where Sombra anchored his pocket dimension that was furnished with a pragmatic kind of comfort meant that I could stay the night with him. There were times when I flew up there, slipping out of the city just to see him up there, and other times we would meet up in the city.
Staying with Sombra meant tonight meant that there would be warm soup and somepony to talk to, and inevitably, to embrace.
I hugged Sombra tighter and let the sound of snow stirring in the night and his breathing fill my ears.
Author's Note
horse pirouettes would be weird
Sombra woke up screaming.
I hear it easily as the sound pierces through the otherwise comfortable slumber. I am not the almost impossibly deep sleeper that he is, and felt his body tense before he bolted up and let out his scream. Before I open my eyes, I register that his coat is marked with a cold sweat.
This has happened before. I guard the dreams of children most often, for older ponies rarely need my aid. Dreamwalking can be strange though - it is like astral projection - and sometimes I find myself wandering into the dream of somepony who simply needs me. Other times, like tonight, I do not dreamwalk at all.
I frequently have to visit Sombra's to keep his night terrors at bay. He's been afraid to sleep before, fearing that he'll dream of his ordeal in the Empire.
It's almost never anything else.
If I could be in two different dreams at once, I would. Guiding the foals of Equestria through things that nopony else bothers to see as important issues and spending time with Sombra in his, talking and preventing horrific dreams that will never go away from happening would be wondrous and efficient. I loathe choosing between them, and loathe to worry about how he fares without me, knowing that he usually decides to take advantage of his divine vitality and forgo sleep when I am unable to help him.
This is painful for him, and for me as well.
I look at him, my own eyes wide in the dark of his pocket dimension, a flat gray expanse that stretches on for some time, with the shadows of gray, crystalline clusters and the pragmatic amount of furniture and visible material possessions he bothers to keep wavering in the darkness.
His eyes are wide as well, but they see something other than what is in front of him, but are lucid and wild. The frenzy hasn't faded from him. His breathes come in heaves that I can't help but think are paining him. Sombra's mane is in a bit more disarray than usual, only being slightly mussed from sleep, cold sweat, and bolting upright so abruptly.
He looks around, but not at his surroundings. They don't register to him fully. The echo of his scream rings in both of our ears - I can see his twitching.
Carefully, I sit up a little straighter. This isn't a sick routine, but something awful I've had to adjust to. I gently wrap my forehooves around his petrified form and pull him into a firm embrace, tucking his head under my muzzle and nuzzling into his mane to pull him back just a little bit as I carefully ensure he's wrapped in only my hooves and the tangle of blankets that he has on this 'bed' of his - a bare mattress on the ground of the place, for he is as pragmatic as ever with such a choice. I have never complained about it.
He feels as tense as can be. I slowly try to rub one forehoof in circles on his withers in hopes that he'll relax a little as I trace long, slow circles deep into his fuzzy coat. He decided to forgo his cloak tonight.
His heartbeat is a panicked rattle inside of him.
"The Crystal Empire, hmm?" It's a question that doesn't need to be, but I need a small little hook to lure his mind back. He loves the sound of my voice. Even though I only say so much of importance, he never doubts it. Sombra almost drinks the sound as though it were something rich and to be savored. Tonight, I keep my tone low and soothing, and always, I am ever-patient with him.
Sombra nods into my chest, but a shudder dominates the gesture, so I hold him tighter. He moves one of his forehooves and grabs onto my forelegs - the one that is holding him - and doesn't let go.
I don't really want him to.
If I saw his eyes, I know they would be wide and frightened; they would see somewhere in between here and then; comforting shadows and warped crystalline halls.
Unfurling my wings from my sides, I wrap them around Sombra's form in a deeper, shielded embrace and feel him loosen, slacking his posture just a little.
Moving my forehoof up, I wind it into his mane, stroking it over and over again. A small noise, like a relieved, but still surprised gasp, makes it through the back of his throat and he buries his muzzle in my chest, a split second trill eking out, and then dying just as quickly while I continue to pet his mane.
Silence washes over us, cool, yawning, and calming. It is only broken by the soft flitter of paper gliders in the background. On one of our earlier dates here, I had showed him how to fold them and what nice decorations they would make before I tossed a good lot of them in his face.
He had liked them, and enchanted them to flitter around his desk in amusing little loops and patterns, like a mobile of some kind, with little paper 'birds' darting around on soft clouds of crimson aura that I could see glimmering in the darkness.
We listened to that sound for a while and thanked the stars that he hadn't had a full-on panic attack. I stroked his mane quietly, trying to get a feel on how deep it would be into the night outside. The only way to tell time here was to measure how bright the light siphoned into the pocket dimension was - it more or less absorbed light from outside so it was dark at night and a bit brighter during the day, unless he adjusted it, as he could with the temperature. Sombra preferred to keep the realm slightly chilled and with the light level of a dim, but cozy study most of the time.
Just by looking around, I guessed that it would be a barely a couple hours past midnight. I couldn't have him still like this by morning. That would be cruel.
Letting my thoughts return to Sombra, I looked down to check on him. He wasn't looking too much better, but his breathing, while still irregular, wasn't as bad any more.
I had been stroking his mane this whole time, and that had soothed him slightly, but I still felt that he was scared.
I started humming for him. Any tune that came to mind, I hummed softly for Sombra. I would sing for him at other times too, whether he was happy or needed comfort, but this didn't feel like it was a time that singing would help him.
He was one of the few who knew I could too. Celestia did, and Cadance did too, but she had never heard me sing. I liked to hide it from ponies. For me, singing was meant to be kept private, just like how I was the only one who knew of Sombra's panic attacks.
I tapped his head gently, shifting a few locks of his mane with a caress too. "Was it about..."
My melodious whisper halted. Sugarcoating and dancing around something was not something I liked to do, nor was it Sombra liked to hear - we had a mutual disapproval over such things - but Sombra wasn't in any state to be provoked or reminded of anything so bluntly when he was silent like this. If I had eased him into a calmer state, then perhaps.
I tapped him again, gently. "Was it about what was in here?"
It was the best I could think of, and to make up for it, I hugged Sombra close once more, shifting him slightly. He made a small noise of acknowledgement - it was an almost felid hum - before he nuzzled my chest again, nodding.
I stuck my muzzle into his mane and sighed deeply. "You are never going to go back to the Crystal Empire."
"...Luna, I don't think-" He swallowed sharply. "What would it even take for these to stop?" he finished quietly.
"If you dream, Sombra, there will always be nightmares."
"These aren't regular nightmares, even I know that." His voice was still quiet and I could feel him tremble a bit.
Sometimes when this happened, I would pull him close - like this, or I would be able to calmly talk him into lying down again, and I would hold him if I wasn't already doing so - and when he had too many words for all the grisly things that he kept seeing behind those red eyes of his, but couldn't get them out - or didn't want to - I would do nothing except hold him close to me and tell him a story. About anything. About myself. About some place that time forgot. About the stars.
He would ask no questions and listen quietly, resting as fear melted away. Unfortunately, there were often small hints of fatigue from whatever macabre recollections - more macabre than Sombra was comfortable with - had resurfaced with unesscary clarity until he was forced to relive them in his slumber would still be visible when day broke. Some mornings he was free of even that, and I would stay with him, content with his company as he made himself the coffee he enjoyed and I loathed. Other times, he would drift off to sleep in my hooves.
This was not going to be like that. Whatever he saw and felt again - or who in this case - was absolutely nothing that would let his mind be eased so. Any solace he had this night was shattered, and he was not going to be going so easily into sleep's embrace - which was mostly just mine - so easily. Not when he was in this state.
Sighing again, I unwrapped my wings from him by letting them slide off Sombra, caressing his coat fondly. Wordlessly, I nudged his cheek after shifting so that I could. Sombra nudged back and agreed to stand up, and together we stood.
His side was pressed next to mine, each contour of his body complimenting my own, and I draped a wing of midnight blue feathers over his back, gingerly running the feather tips along a few of the scars on his flank.
Before we could say anything to one another, Sombra's posture shifted, and he slumped ever so slightly, leaning into my side. I watched as he blinked, closed his eyes, which for a moment no longer gave away how shaken up he was, and then yawned, opening his mouth wide so that the sound of it escaped, and filled my perked-forward ears. His fangs, never hidden when we were alone, gleamed in the dark and his muzzle crinkled.
The fangs I had seen always belonged to creatures like dragons, wolves, and wyrms, and as such, they were a familiar sight for me. Forest beasts and other such creatures filled my past more than anypony but Sombra was likely to know, for we told each other nearly everything, and that was no hyperbole.
Sombra's fangs were the most different of them, and while they caused him anxiety that he only confided in me - I never thought they made him anything like a monster - I thought that he looked handsome with them, and every time he smiled or I caught a glimpse of them when he smirked or laughed was testament to this.
Between the two of us, I was the morning pony, and his yawn showed. When his eyes opened again, he looked a little worn out, but that same fear was still plain to me. The sight of it caused worry to gnaw at my stomach.
"You don't want to talk about this one." It wasn't a question, merely just me letting Sombra know that I knew what he wished.
The nod he gave, before nuzzling my neck slowly and burying his face in my mane, was just clarification.
"Every time I close my eyes, it's all back there. I'm never going to stop remembering, and-"
"But at the same time, could you bear to forget?"
Sombra draws a shaky breath, and still speaks with the resolve I know him to have. "Never... I need to know what I've been through."
"You have eternity for it to hurt less."
"Eternity's still a while," Sombra mumbled into my mane.
I turn around so that I can nuzzle him. "It always is," I said simply. What elaboration did he need? Even when he was mortal, I knew that Sombra thought in some other ways - he had a mind that could survive eternity, and most of all the truth, both without the mollycoddling that other unnecessary things in this world had. His banishment too, might as well have been a kind of morbid test to prepare him for the present... and see if he would last.
And the present still troubled him, because it was intertwined with the past.
"Maybe..." he began, before something overcame him and I felt him shake and his breathing catch. "Maybe one day..."
"Maybe what?" I say carefully, with a tone overflowing with the special compassion and patience I had just for him and whenever he was hurt, and remained hidden otherwise.
"...It won't have the same effect on me; it won't hurt this much."
What he went through behind the walls of the Crystal Palace was nothing short of horrific, unforgivable, and now, it was literally unforgettable, something Sombra was both knowledgeable and willing to accept.
He was prideful, and he'd fight being brought down by such a thing endlessly, even if there were bad times like these and worse episodes.
I found it impossible for me not to admire him for that.
"Do you want to go for a walk?" I asked, voice low. They could often ease his mind off things and provide the comfort of solitude instead of the curse of unneeded company. We both enjoyed them and he would find it easier to speak to me on the rare occasions his superb communication faltered. It was one of the few ways he was able to manage the temper that he directed toward everypony other than us, so I knew he wouldn't be angry either.
He pushed his head further into my mane in a purposely clumsy sort of nod. I felt the warm breath of another one of his yawns travel down my neck and rolled my eyes. He was rarely fatigued, but these night terrors always took so much out of him.
Now, it was only a question of where to go. "Should we go outside then?" I suggested gently. The cold wouldn't bother him and if he feels better, I might find him tossing a snowball at me as a surprise. He loathes walls and messes of corridors - anywhere he can't leave easily or vanish in, which was one reason why his pocket realm had no walls or rooms.
He burrows his muzzle further into my mane and I can feel him start to nibble the wavy dark locks that sparkle quietly in the dark, highlights of purple showing a little more easily than the blue. "No, I'd rather..." Sombra swallows again. "Could we go somewhere more distracting...?"
My mind wandered as I thought where I could take him that would be enough of a breath of fresh air, and gently steer his thoughts in a different direction, calming him.
Eventually, an option came to mind. Sombra had his god-world too, and while it was a place I had not ever seen, and had heard little of, we were close enough that I do not think he would mind showing me his own world. I had always thought of showing him Solace, so why would he not wish to show me Everything? Yes, Celestia and I had never seen the world of the other, but Celestia was my sister, and as close as we were, the bond I shared with Sombra was different. He was my lover, my coltfriend, extremely significant other - either would do.
"Would Everything be an option, Sombra?"
His name was an anchor, and when he heard it, his mind would stop wandering for a little while. It was the switch that brought him back from wherever he was within himself and focused the look in his eyes. It was above any seams and tied him together, luring him back and causing his ears to perk forward from where the heard the echoes of something from darker places.
"I..." He pauses in thought and hesitation that he rarely demonstrated. Sombra nestles his muzzle into my mane a little more, mumbling small non-threatening growls and other soft demon vocalizations.
His thought drifts, I can feel it.
"I know it isn't in my head, Luna. It happened and-"
He receives another nuzzle from me. "I know, Sombra." There is his name again, pulling him back from whatever he had been mulling over. How many confessions had he made like this? Where he was spilling morbid wonderings from ages ago that lingered on, the horrors he had to undergo, moments of the madness he refused to deny, and experiences he dreaded repeating and every other fear or catalyst that lead some violent actions, caused by the temper that never vanished, and wouldn't fade - not that he wanted it to, he had a surprising degree of mastery of it.
Even he confessed once more that I knew nearly everything about him, and yet there was always more to know about Sombra.
I hummed in his fuzzy ears briefly. "Would that be a good place to go, Sombra?"
He finally retreated from the thick wave of my mane, which still cascaded down my side. Sombra blinked, but did not look far away. He never did, most of the time it was just remembering and fighting an old recollection. He was always here.
"I..." He paused this time, and it was shorter. Sombra simply wanted to clear his throat as much as I wanted to wrap him in my forehooves and usher him out into the mountain air, where my night still waited. I wanted to throw a snowball right in his face because we loved to do that and he always had something witty to say.
He really never left. Whatever pony - it was likely a pony, after all - started such a notion that somepony like Sombra would 'leave' during such experiences or that they would grow less lucid and fade... they are frankly nothing more than an imbecile of the highest grade, and part of me only wishes that I could be surprised. Sombra isn't some dual-faced raving lunatic, but many threads woven together. He does not change in an instant. He does not change at all, really. Sombra is like the serpent in Crystalline lore, though he does not destroy himself through self-devouring. He is constant, and every part of him relates to the other.
"I have been working on something there... and I would like to show it to you." One forehoof kicks the ground slightly and those crimson eyes that have seen so, so much never look away from my face, taking in every detail. There's his adventurous spirit in there, as undeniable as ever.
Smiling, I don't look away from Sombra. Why would I? "I would love to, Sombra."
A split-second ghost of a small, smirk-y smile appears on his muzzle, and even though it vanishes again, I know that he will work through this.
Lighting his horn with a deeper crimson aura, Sombra takes a few steps forward and nuzzles my cheek, a slight purr rumbling in his throat. I feel his forehoof pull me close to him, into a hug, and I move with him.
And then, we are gone.
...
I feel far warmer than I should. A simple hug shouldn't have me burning up like I had a mild fever. With my eyes still squeezed shut, I wrapped my forehooves around Sombra, pulling him close to me. All around us, the air felt like wind when I flew on a blustery day and battered me. This would not feel so bad, except that this place - Sombra's little world - did not feel very little at all, but like some yawning hole, which is not what I imagined everything would be, nor did I count on this feverish feeling.
Opening my eyes to find that I was clinging to Sombra was not unexpected at all. But, to find myself enveloped in a veil of multi-hued flame was certainly quite a surprise.
I quickly looked at Sombra, who returned my gaze levelly, and then proceeded to blink owlishly and react appropriately when one finds themselves engulfed in magical fire.
"This tickles."
Sombra smirked slightly, the glow of his horn fluctuating as it bore multiple spells within the dark. "Is that so? I wouldn't know."
"Sombra," I asked curiously, untwining myself from our hug, "why aren't you on fire?"
"I don't need to be."
Another blink from me. "Pardon?"
"I'm not an Alicorn like you who can handle certain extreme conditions. We're in a flipping black hole; it's freezing."
I nodded in understanding. Sombra being trapped in the ice of the Arctic left him unable to feel cold, and the sensation of this abyss would be lost on him.
Blinking in the glow of Sombra's horn and the fire around me, I let my gaze sweep over my surroundings.
Stretching before us is indeed an abyss devoid of all but shadows, Sombra, and myself. I stretch my wings and rustle my feathers a little, and found that the fire clings to my form and follows my movement without needing Sombra to control it. How useful.
I smiled at Sombra, who surveyed the void-scape with ease. He finally looked more focused and his usual demeanor was returning.
"So what is it that you have hidden in here?" I ask, giving him a playful look. "An armory?" I asked, my tone almost hopeful. I adore armories, and found that you could learn a good deal about somepony from the weapons that they owned - just as there was art to wielding them and crafting them, there was an art to selecting them as well.
If Sombra can hide anything in a void with neither a solid place to stand - I thought we might be floating, or somehow standing on nothing at all - or anything truly above us, surely an armory is likely?
Sombra's eyes searched the shadows for something even my eyes could not see, and he does not look at me when he replies. "No, I can't say I have an armory drifting in here, but there's something I've been waiting to share with you... I was thinking of showing it to you when I was finished, but that's not the case any more."
"Hmm, complete or in pieces, I enjoy surprises and am certain that yours will not suddenly disrupt that. Whatever could you possibly mean by drifting?"
"I haven't tethered it anywhere yet," Sombra says simply. "We might have to go hunting for it," he mutters, sounding distracted.
I clapped my forehooves together and beamed merrily at him. "Hunting sounds splendid! I used to hunt for the wolves I kept ages ago, for they usually bonded with me when they were too young to hunt."
He smiled a little but said nothing.
"Do you know the scope of your realm?"
"Not yet, but I can feel that it's big." He tilted his head to the side and flicked those fluffy ears. "It's somewhere nearby..."
Minding the flames quietly, I listened to Sombra mutter. He was trying to sense things with that strange sense he had, and me moving about in a plain that was more abundant than Midgard would likely disrupt him.
Sombra lights his horn eventually, and the glow of his deep crimson aura casts eerie patches of shadow on him and I that waver as the light shimmers and ripples. His irises flash with the same light, and when I squint in the dark, I am sure that I can see something - from here they almost look like rows of that reddish magic - scrolling across his eyes faintly.
Next to Sombra, the ground trembles faintly - and in this abyss, such a sound has an ominous quality to it. My focus drops with it, and I watch as flecks of the fathomless darkness, start to... flake away, and revel that below them - my heart leaps at the sight and I gasp in wonder - washes of splendid color like the heavens themselves, visible only for a moment before everything was restored, and I saw shadows again.
Yet, I was still left breathless at the sight something that I now knew was pinned below all this shadow - there was a duality to Sombra's world.
Sombra was still concentrating, so there must be more to come with his horn still a-glow. All I needed to do was be patient.
His entire form shone with the faintest crimson aura, flowing from his horn all around him, pulsing once and then vanishing. Then, from under his hooves, traces of the strange, shifting script that his magic will often take the shape of.
While the script itself was rapidly-shifting and ever-changing, as well as chaotic, it remained in columns as it flashed across the ground and shot off into the darkness.
The flames clinging to me flickered with the same anticipation tat shone in Sombra's eyes, thought they obviously lacked his calculating quality that was brighter than any of the embers dancing around me.
His ears pricked again, sensing something I couldn't. "It's over there."
I couldn't see anything, but I trusted Sombra, and instinctively leaned toward him when he moved to place a kiss on my cheek.
"Follow me," he said, using only the way he flicked his gaze to indicate direction.
I nodded, smiling slightly. What reason was did I have not to go with him?
He smirked as I leaned forward to - so I could nuzzle him, and then I pulled back.
Lighting my horn felt strange here. My magic did flare, but it was also swept up in the cloak of flame, causing it to have a turquoise stripe in it, weaving through the multi-hued light.
My aura was fainter here, but still visible in the dark as it collected around Sombra's muzzle, mostly near his chin.
Sombra's smirk widened as I scratched under his chin, causing a small, rumbling purr to emit from him, that is, until he leaned in again to nuzzle me. I halt my magic and watch as he takes off first, chasing whatever shadows his magic has detected.
Spreading my flame-covered wings, I follow.
...
I don't know what it is I expected to be found in here, but it wasn't whatever was lying before me. Sombra is always filled with surprises, so I knew that must be hiding something great, though I hadn't the faintest inkling to what it could be... not until now.
I knew not how long we had been moving, only that it was a shorter gallop than I expected through the unknown stretches of Everything.
Looming right in front of me was something other than Sombra and I among this black expanse. Like the light I saw shining below the abyss-like surface of Sombra's plain - how fitting it was that everything would lie below the surface - this structure radiated the same burning wash of colors... though in a far more concentrated way.
The luminous glow was not a harsh one, and though bright, it was restrained compared to the wild display from before.
But the structure itself? Sombra stood the the shadow of it - the penumbra, if I am to be precise - and I eventually landed beside him, awestruck at just what was lying before me.
'Twas a partially completed building built of so much magic, I swear that my coat buzzed with it! I had seen nothing quite like it before. The closest thing that came to mind was the forsaken ruins that gaped in the Everfree like a broken scab... and some place I had not been since my reunion with Celestia - even thinking about it now warmed my chest.
And then I thought of the true castle below it - the Everfree Palace, the foalhood home of Celestia and I, burned to rubble and disconnected corridors because of her own magic and fire.
This structure was closer to that. Even the skeleton I saw was no skeleton - it was not the remains of something great, but the foundations. To my left, it looked quite intact, even if it was not complete, with an almost full wall rising, and carrying over to the barrier in front of me: a proud structure that almost seemed arrogant in how sturdy, grand, and erudite it looked. Were this anything like an ordinary place to be besieged, it would hold fast and not fall, and the presence that this place had seemed to communicate the same... as though some impossible knowledge had been left in it.
It might not be nearly as impossible though... but were that possible it would not be in a way ponies expect, of course. Most of Sombra's creations - the ones he has told me about - have some kind of a connection to him that allows them to be faintly aware of something.
If I remember exactly how he put it: because he is a demon, his body and soul born from dark magic while the soul of his caster - curse him - is fused within his body, but not his mind, he is able to create things with a very faint connection to him and some level of awareness of him, for he is not a pony and is not recognized as one by magic, but as the demon he is. Sombra is the master creation and example of magic's greatest taboo: to have true life born from magic is the darkest art of all, and Sombra maintains influence over lesser artifacts and nexuses that are created and managed by him.
This amazing place likely has some of him woven into it - intentional or otherwise - in more than just an aesthetic way.
Tearing my eyes away from the fantastically constructed, if incomplete, building before me was difficult, and I didn't want to do so.
Despite being worked from magic, it was clearly quite solid, and I knew that if I were to lay a hoof on its surface or walk upon the floors of this mighty hall, it would not feel like the rest of this place - where I almost felt suspended out here, standing, yet feeling nothing under me. For somepony who didn't know flight or magic, it would be terrifying.
"Som," I whispered, unable to hide any breathless awe, even I wished to. "What is this place?"
He didn't move, but his eyes found me. "You like it?"
I nodded, dumbstruck. "Oh, Som, it looks like something out of a wondrous dream... Please, tell me what it is. Could we go inside...?"
I felt his muzzle against my check as he nuzzled me, and I rustled my feathers, stretched out a wing, and wrapped it around him like a feathery cloak.
"We're going to. As for what it is?" He smirked enigmatically. "You'll see."
"But Som," I protested, pouting. "Why must you be so mysterious?"
He grins briefly, and a bit awkwardly, flashing his fangs in a momentary smile. "Do you think I plan on telling you?"
I sighed and re-examined the incomplete building. What magnificent things could lurk inside something like that? I paused to think of how marvelous it would look when it was complete before tugging one of Sombra's forelegs gently. "May we enter it now?"
Nodding slightly, Sombra stepped forward to the thick magic-wrought double doors that would have dwarfed even my sister, if she were here. He lit his horn and cloaked the wide, polychromatic doors in his aura before pushing them open - and from within, light and sound poured out, acting as a stark contrast to his dark and constant appearance as it poured around him. His focus diverted to something inside. Sombra waved a hoof in my direction, and the small gesture did not go unnoticed by my perceptive eyes.
I felt my heart pound with excitement and another gasp get itself caught in my throat as I slipped my hoof into his, looked upon him, and stepped inside.
...
The thunderous echo of the doors closing behind me reached my ears and the rush of air from their movement caused my mane to billow forward for a moment.
I stared, slack-jawed at everything in front of me as my ears rang with the sound of my skipping heart.
As great in size as this building was on the outside, the interior was even more vast. Whether that was simply an effect of the gaping incomplete-ness this place had, the objects within, how surprised I was, or something else entirely - and there was still the chance that Sombra had worked even more magic to contain all this.
The same rather radiant design was implemented here, magic made even more physical held the furniture that Sombra brought within. His pocket realm had gray crystalline tree-like structures to hold many of the books he kept - volumes both new and old, stolen or obtained through favors. He repaired them and kept the tattered ones from being damaged further. Restoration and preservation were just as important to him as obtaining volumes.
He'd keep books on nearly anything, even out of date editions that most wouldn't look twice at, and while I had taken a good look at numerous books he had in his pocket realm and browsed their pages, bookmarked with photographs of landscapes, himself, Cadance, and I, seeing both new tomes and the things I lent him, Sombra kept far more down here.
Pragmatic, sturdy, and heavy shelves lined a good portion of his multi-tiered and many-halled library - nay, I almost want to call this a sanctum of knowledge, for it is so grand - and sat upon ethereal, shimmering balconies, some of which appeared to dissolve into thin air where they remained incomplete, their edges wavering.
Of course, they were crowded with all kinds of books. I recognized parts taken from airships, stones painted with the patterns of the buffalo, and other exotic and bizarre trinkets being used as labelled bookends.
Long tables, similar to the bookshelves in design, were arranged nearby, so that they were close to the shelves bursting with tomes, scrolls, and written works that Sombra did not care to leave out in the open. An array of scrolls littered their surface, some of them spread open with a similar, but still sparse amount of knickknacks.
Other objects litter the surface: the gears and other parts of a dissected machine that I recognize as a crystal projector, a globe depicting only one hemisphere, a small selection of crystalline objects, and six blades, including Sombra's usual sword, Fate. Between these spreads are various tools and magical instruments. I even spot a few notebooks.
The ceiling only partially covers the wondrous contents - and I see I was right to describe such a structure as 'erudite', for it is a fitting description. Any great sorcerer would envy both building and contents. The gap and lack of completion on one side allows the shadows to pour in from where they crouch, creating an interesting contrast that emphasized the interior of the library.
"Som..." I breathed, eyes wide and unable to look at anything enough. "You... You made all of this...?"
"Almost all of it," he corrects as he looks out at the vast rows of accumulated knowledge like one might stand dramatically atop a mountain and think themselves profound.
It was not a bad look for him either.
I nodded silently, letting my gaze sweep across everything. This was all so personal and precious. Would he let me examine anything he had here? I desperately wanted to. The old itch that came with seeing all this wonderful material, arcane or otherwise, never ceased to stir something in me.
Why, I noticed that above his tables, soaring above pencils, pens, stacks of paper, and other things were the same gliders he kept in his pocket realm... the ones that I had made for him. I heard them flittering and almost ran off to chase them, or to run off among the stout work tables and ogle at what looked like the parts of a magnificent telescope waiting to be assembled.
"This place... it's brilliant..."
"I'm aware," he said rather quietly - but that did not stop me from almost being able to hear the smirk in his voice and how much pride he took in his creation.
I took a few steps forward so that i could stand beside him and brush the tips of my feathers through his mane. "I can only imagine the power you had to expend to craft this... and it still is not done, hmm?"
His ears twitched and I watched him relax as I kept stroking his mane. "Far from it," he muttered, stepping closer to me so that our withers brushed. "I've been working on it for a while... and planned to surprise you with it eventually."
My brow knitted. "But would this not take far longer to complete? Decades, perhaps?"
"Yeah," he breathed. "I just estimated I would be farther along when I decided to show you."
I gave Sombra a sideways glance. "This is already impressive in its current state. I can assure you that nopony alive, even were they divine or demigod, could manage something like this." Nibbling my lip I scanned the shelves again. There were likely a few books I could gift to him from the Archives if this is what I thought it was in terms of how he would use it. "The patience for it... the power to have these kinds of skills... I would love to know exactly what you did to make this, and if you plan on sharing the wealth of your house of knowledge."
I catch the ghost of a half smile mark his face briefly, even if his eyes are not on me, I catch a little laughter in them. "Only with you. I plan to keep this for centuries to come and see just what I can populate this place with." He gives me a quick nuzzle on the neck and pulls away quickly, a split-second dry chuckle echoing throughout the halls. "Nopony else will ever see what I have here unless I want them to."
A coy smile curls onto my muzzle. "Oh? Well, I am most pleased to here that, my love. Anything the Archives can spare will soon adorn these shelves that you shall protect so fiercely."
Without another exchange between us, I throw my hooves around his neck and pull him into a deep kiss as I savor the warmth of his presence and how the contours of his form feel against mine. Sombra is surprised, but obviously pleased, and eagerly returns the gesture and another nuzzle that clearly communicates: you are always welcome here.
Though his embrace was something I was unlikely to shirk, I nudged him away, still eager to view the library with him.
Floating above the library's center was the column of script that we had chased here, looping and twirling in the air as it burst as bright as fireworks, only with a notable lack of sound. It made for a lovely sight that only encouraged my giddy smile to grow.
I was about to exclaim 'look' and had waved my forehoof in Sombra's direction-
-and felt it collide with his muzzle, causing him to make many disgruntled and startled murps.
"Oh, Som! I'm sorry! I did not meant to-"
He glared at me a made a series of grumpy demon noises.
Now, it was my turn to stare. "Err..."
Scoffing, he rolls his eyes with faux annoyance and pulls my fire-shrouded form into the warmest hug I have ever known, and most of it has to do with the fire.
...
A cool wind stirred my feathers, and I sighed at the caress. The night still hung over Canterhorn Mountain as Sombra and I stood hours later in the dark before the dawn, watching the shadow of snowflakes stir in the vast darkness shrouding Equestria.
The fluttering of a cloak that couldn't be from could be heard nearby. No sun was even close to hanging in the sky, but Canterlot cut a darker shadow against the air of my night below us, waiting for the moon to poke out below the cover of the clouds so the few ponies who might still linger at this hour would have illumination other than the enchanting glow of the hoofful of lanterns flickering in the streets.
Tia would be sleeping soundly in her chambers, and I, the morning pony of us both would have to wake her eventually. She disliked the cold and always tried to get as much time with the blankets in the winter-time. Cold hooves were such a travesty to her. I swear, if I had not known her as my dear sister, who walked the world beside me when I was young, I would think her soft for how she wishes to live.
At least Sombra has a reason to want to stay burrowed in blankets. If he is exposed to the morning light of the sun in any fashion, and stirs because of it instead of collapsing deeper into his unnaturally deep slumber, it will hurt his eyes.
Snow and dew clung to the mountain grass that brushed up against my legs, dampening them.
Another sweet, cool breeze howled in the dark, and I saw Sombra in the dark, tilting up his head to enjoy it flowing through his shaggy coat. With a small flash of my magic, no brighter than the glow of a firefly, I flicked at the tips of his ears and heard him chuckle, shifting slightly. Snow crunched as a result.
I let out a heavy, contented sigh, like that of a pony who has stuffed themselves at Hearth's Warming and greatly enjoyed the experience - only this was better.
To stand alone, together with Sombra in the cold hours before the dawn, to blink and see shadows still when I opened my eyes, and to know the energy that the chilly air that I gulp eagerly, like one might down homemade cider, gives as it brushes my lean form is more satisfying than any feast or trivial company.
Looking at Sombra again, who looks positively enchanting all wrapped up in the rich shades of shadow, I know that I am going to have to leave. Eventually.
Eventually.
Swallowing slightly, I dismiss the thoughts and wander over to Sombra, who like me, stands like a phantom in this night. My head comes to rest against his wither, where I slump as we sit down together, the both of us wishing the night shall not pass - something that causes my heart to ache a little.
If I look up at him, I can see how focused he is on what stars that he can see, and the calculating shine in his eyes makes it clear to me that he is counting them. Wordlessly, I move one of my forehooves with quiet precision and gently grab onto one of his, and while he does tense slightly at the touch, he relaxes seconds later - something he only does with me - and lets me guide his hoof up to the ghost of a star that only my night-touched eyes have spotted.
"There," I whisper, sitting up a little and letting my breath warm his ear, "is one you missed."
Nodding, he wraps that foreleg around me. "Thank you," he says quietly, letting the sound blend with the silence instead of breaking it.
I nod into his wither, he need not specify what he is thanking me for. I know.
"Always," I whisper back, clutching him again.
When morning comes, I do not want to leave, but this is never our last night.
Sombra and I sit together and observe the sights and sounds of the continuing night before I get my reminder: a faint touch of alien color on the horizon.
Color alien only to the night. My next sigh is a heavy one, and it is half-buried in Sombra's cloak and fur as I wish to root myself into the mountain we gather on, where I storm watch and star gaze with him, just for a little while.
"You can lower the moon from here," he reminds me, and never unhelpfully. His eyes are still on the sky because we have been through this before. My sister waits in Canterlot, it is as simple as that, and with my sister is the job I have been working hard at, though Celestia deems it required, while I deem it something I do of my own free will. One day, I could walk up to Sombra with nothing on my back and tell him that we are leaving, because I know he stays only for me. We could disappear into any lonesome place - some place far more isolated than this - and we could see everything and I could feel the wind.
Most days I want to.
The thought of seeing ponies already has a coil of exhaustion working itself through me, but I pull myself up anyway, and Sombra rises with me, running his hoof through my mane.
"What's your plan?" he asks quietly, leaning close to me so he can nibble my ear, causing me to bite back a short squeak many who know me not would deem 'uncharacteristic' of me. Ha.
Averting my eyes from the first rays of dawn, I light my horn and feel the sky, as I do every dusk and dawn.
"I think I shall stay a while longer."
Author's Note
Thanks for reading~!
If you'd like to read more in this continuity...
~There's a group for it here.
~The first arc of stories featuring Sombra starts with this one.
~A shipping drabble staring these two can be found here.
Psst... if you were interested in that bit Luna mentioned, about Sombra's creations having a tie to him and just wanted it worded differently, he's basically similar a horcrux that can create smaller horcruxes without needing to do the soul-splitting thing, since he's different from a lich/similar creature.
