Late Night Encounter [Invite Only]

[dragonofruin]

Sombra lowered the book he'd barely begun to read, a small frown on his face. It wasn't annoyance, nor could it even come close to be considered concerned. It was just -- a frown. Raven was having difficulty with her math, but how math and magic even mixed was beyond him. It must've been some sort of new development, or a new take on magic that these modern ponies have developed over the years. Whatever it was, Sombra felt certain he might've found part of Raven's problem: she was overthinking it far too much.

 

He grunted, shifting to straighten up in his seat a little and let the book he had open rest on the thighs of his rear legs. "I imagine if I was trying to figure out a stunning spell, I would want to incapacitate my target. Whether it be to knock them out, to disrupt or overwhelm their senses.. There are a variety of ways you can go about stunning a pony. Perhaps we should return to an older way of performing magic than these.. written formulas. It might help you far better; you could be overthinking it." Sombra pointed out with a small frown. If Raven was going to perform magic, there had to be a way she could work around her disability.. or use it to her advantage somehow.

 

Thinking that he wouldn't be able to get directly into reading as he'd intended, Sombra set the books aside on a small table next to his seat with a soft sigh and pulled himself back to his hooves. "I can't say how well your spells will work on me, but perhaps I'll work well as a test. Try to stun me. Think about how you want to do it, what you understand about stunning a pony, and put that intent behind your magic. You know how it runs through your horn now, despite the crack, do you not?"

[Alivda]

Raven nodded, though she looked apprehensive. She didn't like the idea of using Sombra as a target, but she had to agree that maybe the problem was she didn't have a target, something to focus on. "If... If I'm gonna test it on you, might I suggest moving away from that table real quick? Some of these books are very hard to replace..." The concern in her voice wasn't just for the books though. She was afraid of hurting him, even if he could probably stand to take a few hits. As she waited for him to move, she turned to give her notes one last look through, before deciding he was right about that as well, that she just needed to feel the spell instead of focusing on the mechanical nature of it...

 

When he had moved, Raven swallowed nervously. "Ready?" At his acknowledgement, she took a power casting stance, bracing herself against the floor with her legs spread wide. She started to draw power, slowly at first, building a charge up as the greenish hues from her shadowsun started to overtake her aura once more. It wasn't long till she grimaced in pain, a sharp hiss drawn through her teeth as the magic licked at the edges of her crack, sending shocking jolts straight through her. The magic kept building however, until with a gasp she let loose, a bolt of magic lancing out at Sombra, containing a furious cacophony of noise. She slumped as the spell leapt from her horn, having pushed herself and drawing on her frustration and anger at not being able to master such a basic spell...

[dragonofruin]

King Sombra glanced around the room and found an empty enough space near the middle to stand in, rather by the chair he'd just been occupying and the very destructible books. The stallion squared his shoulders and lifted his head, looking boldly at Raven as if daring her to hit him. "Of course I'm ready. There isn't anything you can do that can hurt me more than I've already felt in the past. Do it," he challenged her, not so subtly trying to spur her on. He knew she had a gentle heart, and those like her wouldn't hurt anypony unless pushed hard enough.

 

Not that he was pushing particularly hard, but he was attempting to encourage her in a way he knew worked best when it came to resistant ponies.

 

Sombra watched the mare summon her magic with interest, making a few notes how she planted her hooves to hold herself steady. His eyes shifted from her expression to the glowing cracks of her horn, not with concern, but with a thoughtful expression on his face. If she couldn't channel her magic correctly because it also came out from another part of her horn, then maybe..

 

He wasn't given a chance to finish his thought when the mare cast her spell. He was knocked off of his hooves and onto his back with a heavy thump, thrown by the magic. It may not have stunned him, but it was.. one way to deal with an opponent, if she couldn't manage to properly perform the spell she intended. It'd give her and whoever she intended to protect a few minutes to get away. Although, if he were a normal pony and not an umbrum, it might've had more of an effect. At this point, Sombra couldn't tell- but it was something. A start. Sombra grunted and rolled, pulling his legs close to his body so that he could properly get back onto his hooves.

 

"I think I might know something that may help," Sombra stated and took a moment to give himself a little shake and search for his earlier train of thought. "The spell wasn't too bad, either. I think it could work against a regular pony, whether you successfully stun them or not."

[Alivda]

Raven would have normally rushed over to help Sombra up, but was in the middle of shakily getting to her own hooves. Her head was ringing and throbbing and she could barely stand. "Not exactly a rousing success though... I need to sit down." She muttered as she slowly made her way to the chair, wobbling the whole time. She had clearly spent too much energy into that spell, her frustration goading her into overcharging it. She slumped into the chair, before finally looking over at Sombra. "I take it that didn't hurt you too much then? If I can't get the power I used under control, I don't know if I'll actually use this spell..."

 

Normally she would have made some tea to help rejuvenate her, but settled for staring at it longingly for a minute. "I think that's gonna be all I try to do today, between the failures earlier, and that just now, I'm all tapped out, you know?" She let her eyes close for a bit, before a thought popped into her head. "If you need to, I can try to answer any questions about what your reading, if it's not too advanced for me, that is..." She had read a good portion of the library, seeing as most of her time was spent in here, studying and trying new spells out, but there were things that were just beyond her, things she didn't understand...

[dragonofruin]

Getting struck by Raven's spell hadn't hurt too much. It was nothing compared to what he'd endured, and by his movements it was easy to tell that it didn't bother him at all. Sombra strode back over to the seat he'd picked out for himself and sat down, his intense red eyes returning to Raven and studying how much casting that spell had affected her. It appeared to have taken a lot out of her, and he could guess the reason why.

 

"You shouldn't overcharge a spell. If you keep that up, you'll eventually burn yourself out. Where will your magic be, then?" he queried, arching a black eyebrow. His words would've been harsh if his tone was not- calm and even. "No, it didn't hurt me. You need not worry about me." He fell silent and leaned back, his forelegs stretched out across the armrests and his hooves curled over the front edges. Anything he sat in that was comfortable like this, he sat in as if it were a throne, arrogant posture and all. "I think your issue is that your magic lacks the proper focus a whole horn offers. What I can propose is this, if healing magic will no longer be effective on an old wound: why don't we craft something that will fit over your horn and help you focus it better?"

 

Perhaps he was looking at this all wrong, proposing fixes to a problem that Raven might not want to fix, but to only work around. But he couldn't know her mind, or what she would want, how she wished to go about this. The only other option Sombra could think of was to try and help Raven figure out the right amount of magic to put behind a spell so that she didn't end up hurting herself, or burning out. Her emotions, too, were probably interfering with what she wanted most and could not yet achieve as quickly as she wanted. There were a few different factors here that they would have to work on. Until then..

 

Sombra let the silence settle and picked up the book he'd barely begun to read and cracked it back open, his usually scowling face thoughtful. "I will keep that in mind."

[Alivda]

Raven blearily blinked at the suggestion of a focus. "Those... Those exist? I mean, I've heard of artifacts that help boost's one magic... Forbidden things like the Alicorn Amulet... I mean, that's just a legend, Right?" She thought about it for a moment. Normally she would have rejected it out of hand, the idea of just hiding her disability, of lying about the fact that she had problems with her casting would disgust her, but... Something about the way Sombra suggested it, or maybe the idea that she wouldn't have anymore times of hurting herself with botched casting after botched casting...

 

"Maybe... Maybe if we could make it in a different style, instead of being a horn cover, maybe an amulet or such..." She suggested tiredly. She leaned to the side of the chair, her head dropping. She noted with a slight grin as she slipped into a soft sleep the way Sombra was sitting in his chair, like an evil overlord from a bad novel. Her sleep was mostly dreamless, though she did have a few dreams of helping others, things like opening a campgrounds, or teaching others. There was one at the end, one that made her wake up crying, one of her parents... She didn't remember what exactly happened in her dream, only that it had been really bad, painful and hurtful...

[dragonofruin]

The grey stallion's head tilted. Did they? "I have little idea if they truly do. I was thinking of creating one, one that might assist your horn with properly channeling the magic you need for a spell. It may work, or perhaps we can craft something that might help you put the correct amount of magic behind the spell that you're trying to cast until you learn it for yourself, without it." He shrugged and made a note of this alicorn amulet Raven mentioned. If it was forbidden he wanted to know about it, and maybe even possess it. Out of his own curiosity, of course.

 

Sombra made a mental note to ask Raven about it later when he noticed she was looking considerably more tired than before. "Maybe," he repeated, nodding her way. Falling silent, he allowed the mare to slip into a rest she needed, and as she did he saw the small smile that'd appeared across her muzzle. The reason why entirely escaped him, and he simply chose to lift his book up again and went back to his reading. Peace and quiet had finally settled on the study, and Sombra took advantage of it to peruse this particular tome's wealth of knowledge. He would do this for some time, the silence only broken by the papery rustle of a page being turned by flickers of his dark magic.

 

Things only changed when the mare woke up. Sombra couldn't tell how much time had passed, but it'd been long enough for him to get far enough into the book. The king glanced up, red eyes alighting upon the faint glistening of tears in her eyes and a wetness on her cheeks. He'd been too absorbed in learning what he could that if she'd been making noises or crying in her sleep.. he hadn't noticed. The sight left him feeling a little awkward, torn between offering some sort of half hearted comfort or saying nothing.

[Alivda]

Raven sat there for a bit in silence, her eyes closed as she tried to steady herself. She felt much better physically, but she still felt leftover sorrow from her dream. After a few steadying breaths, she slowly opened her eyes. Standing up, she spoke softly, "I'm sorry for falling asleep like that, but that spell took a lot out of me... I'm not one hundred percent yet, and am going to go get something to eat. You're welcome to join me, or if you wish, can stay here..." She remembered that Sombra didn't need food, but would welcome his company. If nothing else, it would keep her out of her own thoughts for a bit. She offered a small smile to him as she went to the door, and headed to the kitchen.

 

Once there, she started making what would be her dinner, muttering to herself about various things, before looking at a small picture of her parents. She felt a twinge of guilt go through her before sighing and turning back to finish preparing her food. She sat down, and had a quick thought. She found a pen and notepad on the counter, and quickly started jotting down notes as she ate. She wrote about the things they might need to make a focus, such as gems of a certain quality and type, or even specialists to help...

[dragonofruin]

The king snorted softly and gestured imperiously at her with a hoof, something that said never mind it. She didn't have to apologize to him about falling asleep after her strenuous efforts with spellcasting. "If you need to eat and rest, do so," he replied aloud. His red eyes returned to the book that was lying open in his forelegs and he considered its pages for a minute, pondering. Remaining here for the time it'd take her to eat was far more tempting than sitting in the kitchen with her and half watching her eat; it was awkward, and probably uncomfortable for her to be watched.

 

Sombra shrugged and waved at her to go on. "I think I'll linger in here while you eat. I won't be going anywhere. Get your food," he bid her. If she was so heavily affected by a dream, or a nightmare, that she would wake up crying, he'd rather let her have some time to herself anyway, and not just to eat. He watched her go and returned his attention back to his book once her tail had disappeared through the doorway, out of his view. It took him until the next couple of pages to start thinking about Raven's issue again, now that she was awake, and considering the possibilities.

 

An amulet might not work. Her problem was her horn, and particularly the crack. Even if she didn't want something to cover her horn entirely.. why not something decorative, like a ring or a band? Sombra wasn't sure what sort of magic-altering items existed, beyond this alicorn amulet that Raven mentioned, or even how one could be made, although he had his own ideas. He'd made something that was a mixture of metal and magic before- his armor. It was how he could get around his lack of knowledge on smithing, which was something he would like to learn sometime. It'd be a useful skill..

 

He decided to remind himself to ask Raven about the alicorn amulet once she returned, and bring up his few ideas. Such a thing as what he'd proposed might be uncommon, but it wasn't going to stop him from making something himself. Partly to test his own skill, of course.

[Alivda]

Raven had long finished her food but had continued to write. She finished the list, actually kinda giddy at having a project on her hooves again. She hurried back to the study, the notepad trailing slightly behind her. She slowed as she approached though, not wanting to disturb Sombra if he was still reading. She took a quick breath before heading in.

 

"Sombra, I thought of some things if we are to make a focus, things lik supplies and possible people to consult with." Raven softly said as she entered, floating the notepad over to the desk. She found a few ledgers that detailed her family's contacts, people who they trusted for things like armor or acquiring goods. She started noting those in the ledger that came close to what she wanted. She smiled at Sombra for a second, her mood lifted now that she had a project to lose herself in again, before going back to work...

[dragonofruin]

The soft click of the door opening again caught Sombra's attention in the silence and he made an effort to pull his attention out of the book in his forelegs and onto Raven, who'd returned with what looked like a long list. An eyebrow rose questioningly, wondering if she'd even eaten at all or if she'd spent all her time writing down.. whatever was on the paper. The unicorn inclined his head and straightened up a little in his seat, closing the book once he'd marked his place and set it aside to give the mare his full attention. It'd give him some time to properly process what he'd been reading, anyway.

 

"Oh? You've been busy," he remarked. "I had a few thoughts of my own while you were gone." Sombra took a moment to sift through his mind to find them, past what he'd been so absorbed in reading. "I don't think the focus would have to entirely cover your horn. Why not a decorative ring, or a band?" Sombra went forward with suggesting it while he had the chance to. He pulled him out of the chair he'd so comfortably planted himself in to step towards Raven where she was rifling through ledgers at her desk. He leaned his head forward a little, curiously trying to get a glimpse of what she had written there. Nothing he could use, of course.

 

"What all do you have in mind?"

[Alivda]

Raven turned from the ledger. "Well, I was thinking that we may need to consult with some specialists, like which metal and shape carries the most potential for holding magical energy, or even which gemstone might be best to adorn it... I do kinda like your idea though, maybe some kinda weaved sheath or such if we can't get the band to work..." She smiled again, before handing Sombra the list. She let him look over it before asking if he could think of anything to add. She had a separate list containing the specialists she had marked down, which she didn't think Sombra might to be help with those, seeing as he hadn't been around in the modern time for awhile.

 

She had a moment of hesitation though, when she wondered why she didn't think that Sombra was untrustworthy.  He had been an evil overlords, after all...

She debated whether to say anything, before she finally spoke softy, and with great doubt in her voice. "Why... Why would you help me though? I'm... I'm just a random stranger you met..." She didn't really know where this doubt came from, if she was honest with herself, and she felt like that wasn't what she wanted to say, but couldn't find the words that she needed...

[dragonofruin]

Sombra grunted softly, a corner of his mouth twitching and looked up from the ledger Raven had been poring through. "It sounds like a good idea to investigate all the different materials to find the best for something like this. If you can't find a proper gem for it, might I also suggest crystal?" he said, taking the list she'd handed him and reading down through everything she'd written down. "A small one from the Crystal Empire may work; the crystal there is excellent for channeling magic." It just wouldn't magnify it the way the Crystal Heart did- it was something special, and during his reign, his study of the Heart hadn't really told him where exactly it'd come from or what sort of crystal it was made of. All he knew was that it'd come from the mountains to the north- from the stories, of course.

 

The king set the list aside on Raven's desk and returned his attention to the mare, noticing that she'd fallen into a silence that seemed.. heavy. He didn't find out why the change in her mood until she'd spoken up and he was caught off guard by her question. Why was he helping her? He normally wasn't very social, much less civil, with very many ponies unless he felt they weren't a waste of his time, much less his attention.

 

Maybe it was because this mare actually treated him like a pony rather than some sort of irredeemable monster, nor had she made any assumptions. He could say that her attitude towards him had been appreciated, if he ever dared say it at all. There was that part of him that wanted to instinctively respond with a sneer and some sort of sour remark, but Sombra found he couldn't do that either. He turned away without a word and returned to his seat, puzzling over the question.

 

"You're different from the others, I guess.." Sombra finally spoke up once he found the words, and it was done so a little begrudgingly as if he didn't want to admit anything at all. "I've certainly met a couple of other ponies on my travels through Equestria that stood out to me. The rest of them are nothing. They fade into the background so easily- not worth my time. So, I suppose that since you have so graciously allowed me into your home and given me a bed, and bath, it is only fair I make this an equal exchange by helping you with your magic."

[Alivda]

Raven sighed. "I'm... I'm sorry. It just... It just hit me what we were doing, how quickly I agreed, and I had a moment of panic... I've not been good at making decisions by myself since my parents... well, since they disappeared. Anyway, you think a pure crystal, instead of a gemstone might work better? In that case, we'll need a different specialist..." She didn't know why she suddenly doubted Sombra. He had been honest with her, had let her know things most would never find out, and yet... She knew she could trust him. If he wanted to help, she should just let him.

 

"You know, it's been awhile since I last travelled, perhaps we can head to collect some of the ingredients for ourselves when the time comes?" She was missing that sense of adventure she used to get when she travelled with her parents, always to places that seemed to need her parents' help. She softly closed the ledger after noting the someone who could set them on the right track for the crystal part of it, and headed for the nearby armchair. She flopped into it, melancholic in expression, before speaking softly once more. "If... if you don't mind, I'd like to hear more about what it was like to grow up in the Crystal Empire, though if you don't wish to tell me, that's fine..."

[dragonofruin]

The mood in the room felt as if it'd shifted to something that was more subdued, less amiable than it'd been a moment ago. Sombra's ears tilted and pinned back against his long, wavy mane in some dismay. Did her opinion of him change over something? Did he do something to cause her to change her mind about him after all? His chest rose and fell in a heavy sigh and he crossed his forelegs over it, frowning. Her questions only earned a small shrug and a raised eyebrow. A different specialist? Well, maybe. His dark magic might not interact well with a crystal from the empire, considering how it changed under his influence.

 

"You should experiment and see what will work best for you," Sombra finally spoke up again, his voice a low rumble that was almost.. resigned. It didn't matter to him what she chose to do- she at least sounded like she had something to put her mind to, with or without him.

 

Her offer to travel with her to collect what they needed did manage to catch his attention and he considered it. It would be nice to have a traveling companion, and do what he could to enchant something that'd help her with her magic.. Maybe he would. "Provided you do want me along.. Of course." Sombra accepted with a shrug of his shoulders. "I'm pretty sure I told you everything that I could think of. I'm not sure what else there is to say about the Crystal Empire and what it was like growing up there. I feel, perhaps for a crystal pony, it would've been pleasant. Everypony always looked forward to the Crystal Faire most of all. I can tell you about its history more than I can about what's already been said."

[Alivda]

"Sure, if you feel up to it, I know how the Crystal Faire caused you to hurt, after all..." Raven sat up a little, trying to compose herself a little. She didn't want to upset Sombra, or hurt him in any way, and she really needed to get out of her head some more. 

 

"Hold on a second, I'm going to make some tea." Raven started the kettle up. When it was ready, she poured a cup for herself as well as one for Sombra when it was ready, the ritual of it being more important to her than wether or not he would actually drink it. She always had cared about how others viewed her, but not like most had. She had learned how to be strong on her own after she had cracked her horn, and tried to project that strength outwards, but often worried it wasn't enough. Shaking her head, she settled back into chair, getting comfortable and ready to listen.

[dragonofruin]

Sombra dipped his head in a small nod and forced himself to relax in his seat again. It was always so.. difficult to figure out what ponies truly thought of him, and when a good interaction ever shifted negatively.. he felt unwelcome. That whatever he'd managed to find had slipped right back to nothing. While Raven busied herself with making more tea, perhaps out of habit, he quietly sat there rubbing at one of his sideburns with a hoof, a habit of his own that he'd fallen into.

 

Once the tea was ready, the king straightened up a little in his seat and smoothed the black hair back down against his cheek while his magic handled levitating the teacup up to him. "Well," he began and took a sip. "It's more of a story, I suppose. It's an important part of the empire's history, and taught as such, but.. knowing ponies, it still has an element of a story to it because of how they like to tell it. Something hopeful. It's never been entirely clear to me where the crystal ponies might've originally come from or how much of it is true, but this happened some time before the three tribes came to claim Equestria. The crystal ponies tried to carve a home out for themselves in the icy wastes of the Frozen North and, despite the weather, they'd managed to build and start their lives."

 

Sombra paused and drank a little of his tea. "The umbrum came then and attacked, sowing as much fear and despair in them as they could so that they could feed. The crystal ponies' young princess, Amore, tried to do what she could to defend them but her magic wasn't enough on its own. So, she fled in search of something that might help her and went to the mountains. She discovered caves there, full of naturally growing crystal untouched by crystal pony magic. It was there she found it. Now, I have little idea if she found the Crystal Heart as it looks now, or if she carved it herself, the stories are always told a little differently depending on which pony tells it, but, she brought it back to the blossoming city and encouraged her ponies to find the light and love that still existed within them to banish the evil. With her own love magic, and the light of the crystal ponies, they powered the Crystal Heart and Amore used that magic to banish the umbrum deep beneath what would become the empire, so that they might never threaten them again. It was this event that would inspire them to have their very first Crystal Faire the next year, on the anniversary of their victory over the umbrum. It would be their means of celebration, to keep their unity strong, and as a method of keeping the empire safe."

 

A soft snort followed the sound of the stallion's deep voice fading quickly into silence once he'd finished telling the story, indicating that he thought it was mostly just a bunch of hopeful rubbish.. but even Sombra knew there was some truth to it, no matter how it was told. He managed to take some pleasure in telling the story himself, if only because of his love of them. "I suppose the umbrum are the reason why there were orphans in the empire at all, but Amore worked with a mare named Chestnut Falls to make a home for them. One that would eventually become my home too, but that was some years later, I believe. The Crystal Empire isn't quite so old as others might think."

[Alivda]

Raven listened to the story with rapt attention, her thoughts put aside for the moment. "So... So the Crystal Faire, as well as the Crystal Heart were weapons designed to hurt you and your kind? That's... That's wrong. Although it brings to mind the story of how Hearths Warning Eve came to be. Are you familiar with it?" She spoke with soft tones, yet her voice had an underlying edge to it. She hated the idea of people being stamped out like that, of being hunted. There may have been a way that the umbrum and crystal ponies could have lived together. Yet that was thrown away because of fear.

 

She yawned a bit before sipping her cooled tea, having forgot about it in her eagerness to listen to Sombra. "You know, if you felt like it, you could get a job as a history teacher. I mean, the way you tell these stories, if other ponies could look past the things you done, that is." The thought had just hit her, and she found herself thinking of what school would have been like with the feared King Sombra as a history teacher. Maybe the dread of failing tests would be enough to feed him, a thought that made Raven laugh...

[dragonofruin]

An eyebrow rose and Sombra shrugged, lifting his cup to his lips and drank the rest of his tea. "They were tormenting the crystal ponies," he idly pointed out. They'd had it coming. "The Crystal Heart isn't designed to hurt my kind specifically. It's designed to protect the Crystal Empire from threats. Although if you ask me, the whole using love and light to conquer 'evil' is a little.. naiive." He snorted softly and set his cup aside on the nearest table.

 

"What is this.. Hearths Warming Eve? I'm not familiar with it at all, and I believe it's your turn to tell a story. I already have." His forelegs were loosely crossed over his middle and he slouched back in his seat, letting himself relax entirely and get comfortable. He needed to if he was going to properly enjoy a story, but it wasn't as if he'd ever let Raven or anypony else knew of his secret love of stories. It could be seen as a weakness, or something else: an embarrassment. For him. Sighing softly, he returned his attention to Raven, just in time to hear her suggest that he could be come a history teacher.

 

Initially, he wrinkled his nose and scoffed, but the more he thought about it, the more it seemed somewhat.. appealing. A history teacher? As much as he didn't like the idea of such a title, he would be able to tell ponies of the truth rather than the overblown, fairy-tale like stories they'd been fed all their lives. Like the matter of the Crystal Empire's history. "Hrm," the king grunted. "I'll consider it. Now, tell your story about this.. Hearth's Warming Eve."

[Alivda]

Raven nodded, settling in to tell the story. "Honestly, what I know of the story is from the play they put on every year here in Canterlot. Basicly, the story goes like this. Before Equestria was founded, the three tribes lived in fear and mistrust, always blaming their problems on the other tribes. This created the perfect atmosphere for the Windigos, mythical creatures that fed on fear and hate, spreading snow and ice as they did so. The tribes eventually decided that since the old lands were too iced to be of use, they would go their separate ways and find a new land to settle. Coincidence brought them back together in Equestria, where they resumed fighting, bringing the Windigos back. It was only when the assistants to the leaders made friends with each other that the Windigos were defeated by the power of the Fire of Friendship. We celebrate the day of this victory by giving gifts to remind those in our lives how much they mean to us, which supposedly rejuvenates the Fire."

 

Raven didn't really put much stock in this, not that she didn't celebrate the day in her own way. Her parents had always seem the day as a day to give even more than they usually did, and she had adopted that mindset as well. Telling the tale made her take notice of an interesting pattern, however. "I just noticed, it seems that a lot of our holidays celebrate some kind of obstacle that was overcame. Even the Summer Sun Celebration, which is supposed to be a day of showing how much we appreciate Princess Celestia, became a celebration of her imprisoning Nightmare Moon... What's that really say about us...?"

[dragonofruin]

The flow of the story Raven told had a similar vein to the one the crystal ponies told about the Crystal Empire's very beginning. A struggle for survival, conflict, a great evil, and overcoming that evil by some sort of powerful magic that was seen as good. Something that might be seen as light magic. Sombra's scoff was far more audible this time, matched by a roll of his eyes after he heard the term the Fire of Friendship. He'd heard something of the stock ponies put in friendship in Equestria, but this sounded far more ridiculous. He had to wonder if it was true at all, or if something else had been involved in the windigos defeat.

 

Speaking of, these windigos intrigued him. They fed off of fear and hate? It sounded similar to the umbrum, but Sombra couldn't allow himself to make any assumptions about it. Emotions were powerful things, as well as dare he think- magical. In a sense that they seemed to have an element of magic to them for them to be tangible enough to feed from, and corrupt certain alicorn princesses.

 

"I wonder how Princess Luna feels about that, knowing that there is a holiday for her sister that celebrates her own imprisonment. If I were her, I would be quite upset, but then again.. I have never experienced what she has. I couldn't know the emotions of an immortal alicorn." Sombra shrugged and closed his eyes. Strange, pony cliches aside, he could admit to himself that he'd enjoyed hearing a story told by another pony he found tolerable, even pleasant. "Regardless, I suppose it says quite a lot about ponies. Not only are they predictable, but they're naive and they seem to place a lot of importance in concepts in order to feel like they've done anything beneficial at all."

[Alivda]

Raven frowned a bit, shaking her head. "I believe the holiday is now considered to be a day of reunion for the princesses, though to be honest, I'm not sure how many even knew Luna was Nightmare Moon anymore. Her banishment was a thousand or so years ago, time always gets a little fuzzy when dealing with large amounts. I only know because one of my favorite books as a foal was Predictions and Prophecies, which is quite interesting for how many of them have came true..."

 

Raven indicated the book, her curiosity at that fact being true making her want to read it again. She finished her tea, a tired look crossing her face. Maybe tomorrow, it had been a long day, after all. "I'm going to turn in, would you like me to take a look and see if I can't find that enchantment on your room?" She asked as she started putting some of the things she had gotten out throughout the day back up, before heading to the door. She noted to herself that the phrase 'your room' sounded and felt right when connected to Sombra, a thought that if she wasn't so tired would make her stop in her tracks...

[dragonofruin]

"The ponies may have forgotten, or perhaps it was never made very clear to them. I know how elusive princesses can be about letting others know the truth." Sombra snorted softly and moved one of his shoulders in a shrug. Ultimately it didn't matter to him, and he'd never really know all the details about the situation unless he talked to the royal sisters themselves, and he knew that they wouldn't want to talk if he showed up.

 

His eyes slid past Raven towards the book she'd indicated and he marked its location on the shelf. One of her favorite books? It didn't sound as if it'd have much in the way of anything useful, and he never put much stock in prophecy, but it might prove to be an interesting read if what Raven said was true. Unless the stories within were only framed as predictions or prophecies while still being very much true. Sombra mused over the possibilities while he sat there, his head propped up by a hoof in such a lazy way that it was becoming more familiar in the position of his body.

 

He only moved when Raven announced she'd be turning in, alerting him to how long they must've been sitting here, talking and exchanging parts of history that might as well be stories. Sombra glanced towards the windows to see where the sun might be in the sky, if it was still in the sky at all. It.. was starting to get dark. A little early for bed, but nonetheless. "Feel free, I suppose. I might be able to work my own magic on it and the windows to keep it dark during the day," he replied, pulling himself to his hooves to follow her out of the study.

[Alivda]

Raven thought as she headed for Sombra's room. Wasn't there some heavier curtains laying around somewhere, from when she was younger? Sure enough, she found some in a closet on the way. She slipped in and changed them out, pulling them tightly across the windows. Smiling, she started humming a lullaby that her parents had him to her. It was simple, a three note melody, but soundded ageless. She continued humming as she headed for her room, and collapsed into the bed, warm and snuggly...

 

When she woke the next day, she met her uncle for breakfast, explained her errands she had to run, then head to her bathroom to wash up and style her mane, so as to put on the expected look of a noble. She then headed to the study to gather some of her older children's books for donation, as well as the list of things they needed for her... adornment.

[dragonofruin]

On the way out, Sombra couldn't help eying the book Predictions and Prophecies and considered snatching it to read. He quickly decided against it and chose to shadow Raven through her home back to his room; he was content to let her lead while he was still learning the layout of the house. There was always time to read that book, among many others, so long as Raven tolerated him in her home and he'd rather not upset her, nor make her suspect he would steal. Thieving wasn't entirely below him.. he just wouldn't do it here. He had no reason. Perhaps he had some respect for this pony.

 

Sombra ambled over towards his bed and leaned against the foot of it, watching Raven changing out the curtains for thicker ones that looked like they'd easily keep out the sun. After she left, he moved over to them to make minor adjustments, making sure there were no cracks in between the lengths of cloth. He hardly stopped there, choosing to spend more of his waking time trying to find the enchantments in the room as well as see what all there was. This investigation was put aside only once he'd grown bored and turned into bed, where he was glad to settle down in with his discarded cape draped over the bed's foot.

 

The next morning didn't see Sombra awakening so easily as the previous. The king was content to remain curled up in the comfort and warmth of the bed, entirely unaware of Raven's usual, morning routine.