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Shadows in Canterlot [Semi-open]


dragonofruin

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Midnight nodded. "While it is true that we can be out in the daylight, most of us prefer the darkness. Areion eyes are not well suited to bright sunlight..." He sighed and looked across the table to Sombra. "We have adapted to what we where good at, at what we are good at is the night....as for your other comment," as he glared at Sombra, his eyes filled with intensity, "Everypony has the potential for darkness within, as I am sure you of all ponies are aware of. Everypony has a breaking point...For Princess Luna, it was her night being shunned but the three tribes, as we areions where, though that is how the story goes. When Nightmare...er the event happened over 1,000 years ago, we where seen as being associated with the night and everypony associated with the night was labeled an ally of our Princess's new persona. I guess we just found it easier to vanish without a trace then to deal with fickle ponies."

 

"As for me and my own....incident, I was a victim of bad timing. A few years ago....I had finished learning all I could in our small colony and my mother had made arrangements with an acquaintance of hers for me to attend a pony school in Fet Loch. I was happy to be able to learn more and get to meet ponies from the three main races. It just so happened that when I entered town....was the same moment that Nightmare....returned in Ponyville. Needless to say their reaction to the news and to see somepony that looks like me arriving at the same time."

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The shadow king idly poked at one of the remaining pastries in the midst of his conversation with Midnight. His ears were still trained on the other stallion's voice, clearly attentive to the information about areion he was being given so freely. Their openness would baffle him if he didn't know as much as he did about the nature of ponies. Naiive. Lead to believe in such things like friends, and that the world was some gentle, carefree place where no danger existed. It was.. foolish, but the freedom they displayed with information was advantageous to him. Perhaps not this particular topic, it was just interesting to him, something to learn.

 

Sombra's gaze shifted back up to Midnight after the change in tone, and he met the bat pony's eyes evenly, unruffled. "You're so defensive about a mare you hardly know," he murmured, almost challenging. It was a bullheaded habit of his to do so, to see if he couldn't challenge ponies to really think about why they did, or thought, anything. Like this particular case, for example.

 

A dark eyebrow rose. Potential darkness. He didn't know why it struck him so.. funny. Other than a soft huff, Sombra bit back what he wanted to say about that. He felt most of what he wanted to point out to ponies would be ignored, areion or not. Instead, he chose to listen to Midnight's story, frowning faintly. "So it was a bit of bad timing, then? When ponies were still so terrified of something they thought to still be a mere foal's story? I can imagine," he replied, a hint of a smirk curling the corners of his mouth up and baring the points of his teeth. "It must've been difficult for both parties."

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Midnight sighed and nodddd. “What at first started out as an awkward day turned into total chaos. Imagine a still school aged pony making his way into a town he had never been in before and only a few of the residents even knowing his kind existed. Those other townsponies shunned me...and anything they didn’t understand for that matter.” The bat pony could still see everypony in his class scooting their desks as far aways as they could from him, and that was before the news from Ponyville had arrived.

 

“When news from Ponyville made it....the time was just before lunch. I could hear their whispers,” as he twitched his tufted ears to draw Sombra’s attention to them. “The fact that I had to eat a different meal from my classmates didn’t help ether. Most ponies in Fet Loch where earth ponies with a rare unicorn or pegasus around. Instead of the grain based diet, I had fruit, and the common fruit from my colony was cherries.”

 

Midnight would pause and motion to the shop owner. Within a few moments a red drink was placed before Midnight and Sombra. “Areion Cider, on the house,” she would say before walking away. The cider was served warm and had a deep red color to it. It was made from cherries with a hint of cinnamon. Midnight could only imagine what it must have looked like for him to be drinking a red liquid, but he didn’t really care anymore as he awaited Sombra’s reaction to the drink.

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A deep frown crossed Sombra's muzzle and lingered, troubled by something he'd just discovered about Midnight. It was an experience he knew, one that made him briefly consider his own memories with a mixture of renewed hatred and a feeling he couldn't identify. Empathy perhaps? A sigh escaped him in a heavy exhale and he slumped back in his seat, no longer interested in what pastries remained on the plate between them.

 

"I thought ponies could eat anything vegetarian. Grain, fruit, vegetables.. even dairy." he spoke up, offhoofedly addressing the matter of Equestrians' diet. He was certain he'd seen ponies eating different things during the time he'd been exploring a few different towns. The umbrum grunted softly and loosely crossed his forelegs over his barrel chest. "Regardless, I know something of the experience of which you speak. Of being shunned for not looking quite like the rest. I do not see why you would continue to treat me as an enemy, other topics aside." Sombra snorted softly and looked up, catching movement in the corner of his eye. It was the waitress mare again, bringing them cider.

 

Sombra straightened up from his disgruntled slouch to sniff at it curiously, eying the rich red color of the liquid. It smelled pleasant, to be certain; he didn't have any qualms about drinking something just because it was red. He levitated his glass and took an experimental sip to try it out. He wasn't familiar with cinnamon so it was from his point of view, that whatever was in it was something he took a liking to.

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Midnight would take a rather large drink of his red cider and sigh. “Areions have a highly fruit based diet. Though we can have processed grains, things like lettuce, dandelions, and hay do not treat our stomachs well.”

 

Midnight would chuckle softly at Sombra’s comments. “Well, I haven’t going back to alert the princesses of your presence and you have not tried to killed me yet so, I would say we are at least not mortal enemies.” The bat pony would take another drink from his glass. “I do have orders however, and I have sworn myself to Equestria, so as long as you do not become a threat, I would say we’re not enemies.”

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The king made a note of the areions' diet. What he'd use the information for, he wasn't sure; it was just another interesting tidbit to file away. "I wonder why that is. Are you not as much a pony as the others?" he queried, and responded to Midnight's chuckle with a small shrug. No, they wouldn't be mortal enemies, but Midnight appeared to have decided to keep him company for a very obvious reason: he was dangerous, and Midnight wanted to keep an eye on him.

 

Sombra took more of a drink from his own cider, relaxing back into his chair again with a rear leg almost crossed over the other. "Bold of you to assume you could even get away from me quick enough to alert them," he commented with a lift of an eyebrow. The tone in which he said it suggested that he was only joking, but his expression remained as serious as ever, although remarkably less sour with the cider. "Regardless, I doubt I'll become a.. threat unless given a good enough reason to be. It entirely depends on other ponies, and the princesses treatment of me should they ever discover I'm alive."

 

In hindsight, Sombra considered that Midnight could easily report this meeting to his higher-ups, and the royal sisters, anyway, regardless of whatever amiable agreement they had here. Ponies could be notorious liars, and traitors, especially when doing anything of the sort would benefit them. They were, in a sense, no different from him. Yet, he was somehow the threat, somehow worse. He shrugged to himself. "What would we be, then? And what would you intend with me?"

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Finishing off his Red Cider, Midnight grinned. “Though I may not be as strong as the other guards, but I make up for it in speed and agility.” Setting his glass down, Midnight sighed. “Though I am sure I would be no match for your dark magic, should you deside to use it.”

 

”When it comes to my morning report....you’ll have nothing worry. I shall report that I helped a lost cosplayer...what I had mystaken you for upon our first interaction. I’m sure that plan has no quarrels?”

 

 

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Sombra inclined his head smugly, looking down his nose at Midnight with a soft snort. "Of course you wouldn't be. Even without my magic you'd likely not be a match for me. You'd tire easily, mortal." His eyes narrowed and he took a drink of what was left of his own cider, although his voice noticeably had less of a bite than usual. It sounded as though the king were joking with Midnight with his usual arrogance- to an extent. There was still some seriousness to his statement behind it.

 

"Hm," he grunted softly and set down his glass. Midnight's idea didn't seem like it'd really work. The sisters weren't exactly stupid, nor blind, no matter how flawed Sombra knew they were. "I don't believe that would be a good idea. I doubt there are very many ponies that would dare.. dress up as me, not when there are crystal ponies now coming to Equestria to explore it too. I've seen plenty of them on my travels; they couldn't escape my notice, although I've certainly escaped theirs." Sombra frowned and lifted a hoof to brush over one of his well-groomed sideburns, smoothing down the black hair thoughtfully. "Do you have to make a report at all? Can you not simply report there has been nothing out of the ordinary on it? None of your superiors would suspect it. After all, I've seen very little in the way of danger here, especially in Canterlot. No pony would want to bring the wrath of the two sisters down upon them, not in their city."

 

The shadow king shrugged and straightened up in his seat, growing restless. Perhaps now that they've had their drink, they could move on soon.

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  • 1 month later...

Midnight would sigh at Sombra's seemingly empty threat. "Perhaps, but I don't wish to find out. As for my report......I'm sure that I can omit a portion of my report, though I am not sure on how to account for this time, and I dare not lie to her highness." The bat pony would lean forward and tap the eye medallion on his armor. "This symbol of Nightmare Night....and Moon... I, as well as a few other of the Lunar Guard often wonder what is the 'True' purpose on our armor." 

 

The bat pony would stand and walk over to the counter and take out some bits to pay for their meal. Midnight would walk towards the door and motion for Sombra to follow. He would stop at the door and chuckle. "I just took an extended meal break, that's what the report shall say," as he turned around and gave the mare that had waited on them a wink.

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"An extended meal break.. and perhaps escorting a new visitor around town. It is the way of ponies to be good hosts, isn't it?" Sombra purred as he pulled himself out of his chair and joined Midnight by the restaurant's front door. His eyes had dropped to the strange eye-like jewel on the front of the bat pony's armor, curious himself if there was something to it or if it was just a decoration meant to be slightly intimidating. He found it appealing.

 

They could always investigate it later, now that Midnight had a magic user for a companion, however temporary it was. Now that they'd made their nice little meal break stop, it was time to move on- hopefully towards the Canterlot Archives, or whatever other library the areion was intent on bring him to. Sombra's eyes followed Midnight's little wink towards the waitress and snorted softly, sounding slightly amused by the gesture. Turning away, he pushed the door open with his magic and slipped back out into the night. It was a relief to get outside again under the open sky; it'd take him some time to get used to being indoors again, but for how he was content with the outside, knowing that he wasn't trapped anymore.

 

"Is this what you refer to as the night life, then?" Sombra asked, frowning faintly. Sweet pastries, and cider in some restaurant.. it didn't seem as different or as exciting as it implied. "So.. where is this bookstore or library that you mentioned earlier? It's a destination I've yet to see."

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Midnight would exit the shop onto the star lit streets of 'Old Canterlot'. Grinning, he would look to Sombra. "We're not that far from the Old Canterlot Library and you'll be revealed to hear that it, like much of this part of town is open till sunrise. The areion would begin to hover before making his way to a large, old looking stone building with stained glass. "They don't build them like this anymore," he would say, landing on the top of the few steps that lead up to the tall doors flanked by a torch on each side.

 

"Welcome to the Old Canterlot library and archive. It's hard to believe that this building was left abandoned for so many years before the areions took the initiative to restore and reopen it." The bat pony would sigh, thinking about how such a grand old building, and it's contents where almost lost due to neglect by the 'nobles' of Canterlot. "If only I could have had access to such a grand collection of books growing up..."

 

Midnight would open one of the large doors just enough to poke his head it. "There are some prominent bookworms in Canterlot that on occasion will stop by," he would say pulling his head out of the open doorway. "One of which I do not think you would want to be seen by, but it looks as if just the usuals are here tonight. You should be safe to enter."

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The Old Canterlot Library. Another part of the old Canterlot section? This question was unwittingly answered for him by the stallion leading the way. He merely grunted about the more nocturnal habits of this particular section of the city because of its areion population.. His red eyes briefly glanced up when his bat pony companion in question chose to hover, leading the way by wing rather than on hoof.

 

Sombra quietly followed Midnight across the aged streets of Old Canterlot. The old library that was their destination soon loomed into view, overshadowing most of the other buildings. The worn stone it was made of and the simple torches set in iron holders on either side of the tall wooden doors said much of the building's age, even to a pony like Sombra who'd never been in Equestria before until a couple months ago. The architecture was wildly different from the part of the city he'd already been through, where he'd first run into Midnight, but the only facts that were still a mystery to him was how old this part of the city was, and how far back these buildings dated in Equestria's history.

 

He strolled up to the doors after Midnight, pausing behind the smaller stallion while the areion peeked inside. "Which pony?" he queried. There were a few ponies he could readily name, or at least describe, that he didn't want to be seen by; the royal sisters were at the top of that list. The rest was anypony who might be closely associated with them, who might have some idea of him and his history- such as the princesses' pawns they'd set within the empire upon his first return.

 

"If you say so," Sombra muttered on the way past Midnight to take his own look into the library. He wanted to see for himself before he went sauntering in in his usual fashion.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Midnight chuckled upon hearing Sombra ask who. “The Princess of Friendship is who I’m referring to, Twilight Sparkle. She was one of the ponies sent to the Crystal Empire when it returned.” 

 

The bat pony would open the door and point extend a hoof forward. “After you....hm, what would you like to be called as to not draw attention to yourself?”

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One of the shadow king's eyes twitched at the title. Princess of Friendship? He would've scoffed, if not for what Midnight next mentioned: she was one of the ponies sent to the Crystal Empire when it returned. He visibly stiffened, one side of his snout wrinkling in annoyance. So this Princess of Friendship was a part of that group of mares that'd escaped him on their way through the barrier.. Which one, though? None of them had looked like a princess..

 

Sombra inhaled softly and closed his eyes, releasing it. Calming. Some of his annoyance faded and he shrugged. "I don't know. Somber? Anything that isn't a frilly, obnoxious pony name that I might still recognize if you ever wanted my attention," he replied a little dismissively, moving forward and stepping in through the door that Midnight had so graciously opened for him. The umbrum disappeared into the soft gloom of the library, heading past the small entrance area for the tall bookshelves, past a small scattering of ponies seated at worn wooden tables with their heads down and their noses almost buried in their books.

 

Giving them only a cursory glance, he focused his attention onto the shelves and began to browse, hoping to find anything that'd catch his attention- anything that he'd find useful.

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