Out of the Shadows [Invite-Only; Ice Storm]

[dragonofruin]

Weeks had passed since Sombra's little audience with two of Equestria's princesses. He hadn't left Canterlot as of yet, not even to seek out the castle that apparently awaited him on this Glacial Isle somewhere in or off of the Far Badlands, with the staff he received as its key that he occasionally took out to look at out of curiosity. His stay was kept to a hotel room, where he lingered when he didn't have anything else to do except wonder where, exactly, to go next now that the princesses were informed. It just didn't feel like it was enough to have just told them about Hou Shuren, and he didn't exactly have the means to actually track that witch down to find out more regarding what she planned to do with the Remembrance Stone.

 

Except, of course, the particular group he allowed to recruit him. After his invitation to it and his brief meeting with its leader, Ice Storm, he hadn't had anything to do with them in the months that followed after. If they were meant to be some new line of defense for Equestria, then it was only right that they had some means of obtaining information and tracking anypony of interest. The only thing about it was, Sombra didn't know where to find them. He knew they were based in Las Pegasus at least, at some casino judging from the memo that he'd been sent some time ago, he just wasn't sure if he'd be able to navigate the city to find them.

Sombra grimaced. He had no liking of cities, but if he was going to start anywhere, it was going to be sending a letter.

 

After acquiring some pen and paper, he wrote one and sent it on its way.

 

Spoiler

 

Ice Storm,

 

I've little idea if I'm still apart of your group, STAR, and I'm loathe to admit I have something to ask of you and it. I need to find somepony by the name of Hou Shuren. I don't know if you've ever heard of her or have any information on her, but she's an ancient sorceress. I've only dealt with her a few times, and the last didn't pan out so well. Mind you, I just want information, not help. I would rather deal with her myself. If you know anything, or if you would even like to meet about this so we can talk more at length, then I'll need a means of finding your place.

 

~ Sombra.

 

 

[IceStorm]

 

 

Ice Storm found herself reclined back in the jacuzzi tub that was in her penthouse on the top of her casino. Today was one of her off days, and usually Raven would be up here as well, but she was working in the lab with a potential break through. She would let Raven work as long as she needed to on that and was excited for such a thing herself. At the moment, she found herself in a mountain range of bubbles with the swirling river valleys that were made by the rushing water of the jets washing around her as they massaged away at the slight aches of the days prior. She was half tempted to indulge herself today. Since no pony was around and she was at home, being a little for the rest of the day crossed her mind. It wouldn't be the first time that she'd decided let her little side show and it would be the last. She had just about made up her mind in doing so when there was a flash of magic in the air and a scroll dangling in front of her.

 

Such manners of communication were reserved for STAR officials and usually the higher ranking ones, and they were almost always reserved for matters of great importance. They would ensure the message got to the pony in question in case they weren't around a crystal to talk to them directly. She unfurled the message and who it was from shocked her a little bit. It was from Sombra. She hadn't really heard much from him since the initial interview and acceptance into STAR, but she had kept tabs on things. Apparently he had tried to conquer Equestria, or somepony pretending to be him did. Of course they would do it while she was still building her force and wasn't ready to attack yet. Still, from the brief encounter that she had with him, she knew Sombra wasn't that stupid. Even he would know the power that ponies have in a unified friendship and numbers. The more ponies that were fighting for one another, the more unstoppable they would become.

 

She read over the letter though, and was confused by the opening line. She was pretty sure that she still had him on payroll so of course he was still a member of STAR. What actually concerned her though was the name that he mentioned. She'd seen the name come across EPIC archives before, but there was little verifiable information on this pony. One thing was for sure, if this mare was trouble, they would likely have to look outside Equestrian borders for her, and any information on her. Slowly she stood up and stepped out of the bath, wrapping a towel around her before moving back into her bedroom. So much for being a little today. She sat on her bed and inked the quill before starting.

 

Spoiler

 

Sombra,

 

You are indeed a still a part of the organziation, and you should not feel shame in asking upon us for help. That is the entire point of the organization after all. It will take me a bit to go through my records and find information on her, but the name sounds familiar. If you can make it to Las Pegasus, I will send one of the casino valets to get you from the station. We will go over this information and any relevant information you might have on her in the database room on base. I know you said you would rather deal with this alone, but remember this, even the most powerful leaders know when it's time to ask for help. Some obstacles can't be overcome alone.

 

~~ Ice Storm ~~

 

 

[dragonofruin]

It didn't take long for Sombra to eventually receive a reply, and he didn't bother to count the minutes. He simply settled down on the single bed in the room and pulled a book from the pocket realm he kept anchored to a space inside his cape to read, and he only got a few pages in when a scroll appeared before him. A short one.

Sombra opened it to read, his expression impassive. Hmm.. It appeared he was going to go to Las Pegasus after all, and it was a good idea for him to have sent a letter at all if Ice Storm would be sending somepony to fetch him from the train station. Although how long it was going to take for the train to reach Las Pegasus from Canterlot was unknown to him, even with a map on hoof; he was still mostly unfamiliar with train travel and he didn't know how quickly it'd get there.

 

He grabbed another slip of parchment and sent a reply.

 

Spoiler

 

Ice Storm,

 

I'll be on my way at once, then. Hopefully the train won't take too long to get there, so you may have to wait. As for Hou Shuren, she is a dangerous individual and I would prefer not to send any peons in to face her. She's powerful and she's already brought some harm to somepony the last time I faced her. I'll discuss this more upon my arrival.

                                                                                                                                                                                  ~ Sombra

 

 

Sombra sent the letter off and once he tucked his book back in his pocket realm, he checked the room to make sure he hadn't left anything else lying about (which wasn't hard since he didn't have that many belongings to start with) and left to check out.

 

_____________

 

 

The time it took for the train to eventually reach Las Pegasus left Sombra with enough freedom to spend it reading, or staring out the window and watching the countryside roll by between a couple of naps. Doing so provided him a good judge of how long it took for the train to eventually reach the city, which if he had been keeping track, seemed to be two and a half days by the time it came into view. The city itself was a strange one, looking as if it was set high enough to be among the lowest cloud layer or perhaps sitting on the clouds themselves much like he'd read about Cloudesdale. He saw more of the tall, square buildings with their shiny glass windows and various signs colorfully lit up with what he could only assume were the magic-powered lights that he occasionally came across in lieu of fire.

 

The book he'd had sitting out was tucked away and the stallion sat up, patiently waiting for the train as it rolled up towards the station and finally came to a gentle jerk of a halt. As soon as the doors were open, he was quick to get up and made his way off without much issue from the disembarking crowds; his size, height, and no doubt his entire appearance made ponies part for him like a subservient wave. His eyes scanned the crowds, hoping to find the valet Ice Storm's letter spoke of waiting for him. Surely once he'd found the pony, it'd only be a matter of time that he could meet up with Ice Storm- all the while trying to bear the groups of excited ponies and all the noise this city seemed to invite. It was overwhelming, to say the least.

[IceStorm]

~~~Ice Storm~~~

 

 

 

 

A few minutes had passed by and she received another letter from Sombra. He had agreed to come to the casino. A notion that would make her groan a bit at first until she read that he would be taking the train. It's not that she didn't want to meet with him, but more of the fact that she hadn't had a good chance to relax in a bit. KNowing now that it would at least be a day or to before he got there, she relaxed. "Finally I can have some me time," she said as she opened her drawer and carried on with her plans for the day.

 

 

*** Two and a half Days Later***

 

 

 

Ice Storm was awaiting in her office once again in her armor and most of the security in the casino was in high alert. Sombra hadn't shown up yesterday like she was expecting. That meant there was a good chance that he was showing up today or tomorrow. She realized that she had no idea where he was actually coming from so she wasn't sure when his train would actually show up. She made sure to have one of her valets actually stationed at the station awaiting for him though. It was a simple shift, watch the platform for pony of importance. They show up, lead them to casino. Straight forward. She sighed finally when she got word from the valet that Sombra had arrived at the station.

 

At the train station there would be a blue pegasus mare waiting standing on the platform sporting a full dress uniform of STAR. She held her post there until her reported times each day, taking breaks only to eat and use the facilities. It wasn't until the second day that she had been stationed at the train station that the pony that she was charged with escorting from said station to the casino had arrived. King Sombra needed no introduction nor did he have a problem standing out. Literally, he was taller than everypony else around so his head and body stood out above them. She had heard stories of what he had done, but right now the only thing that she could think of was... No, you're on duty. Professionalism is important... she said to herself before approaching the stallion.

 

"King Sombra," she said to hem before raising a hoof to her chest in salute. A hoof that might as well have been a foal's in comparison. "Sergent Shock Wing of the third Platoon. I am here under the directive of the commander to escort you directly to her office without delay," The mare told him as she returned her hoof to the ground. "If you would follow me, we may proceed," she would stay but waited for the nod in affirmation before she would turn around and begin leading. She was still somewhat new to STAR herself but she also knew that he was an officer. An officer that had been in the field for an undisclosed amount of time. To turn around before given permission to do so would be disrespectful.

[dragonofruin]

His ears focused on the mare who greeted him before his eyes found her, and he eyed the dress uniform that she wore; it made her stand out from the crowds of casually dressed tourists that it made his valet unmistakable. The only thing that threw him off was for somepony to refer to him as King Sombra again. One dark brow rose in response, both to it and what he recognized as some sort of salute.

 

Sombra lifted a bare, dark hoof and gestured to her. "Lead the way, then," he answered. Once the mare strode off, he fell into step somewhat by her side without any hesitation, and with enough room between them so that if she happened to turn anywhere to her left he'd have enough time to stop to avoid tripping over her. It wasn't likely to happen anyway. He made sure she was within his view no matter where his gaze wandered to the tall buildings that they passed and the brightly flashing signs proclaiming the names of the establishments themselves, although what they held was something he had no clue of. This was a bright, flashy, and noisy place. He'd be glad just to get in to somewhere dark and quiet soon because it was already a little overwhelming for somepony out of time like himself; even the rest of Equestria was perfectly normal compared to this city.

 

Personally he couldn't see why ponies came here.

[IceStorm]

~~~Shock Wing~~~

 

 

 

OnceSombra has given her the affirmative to do so, Shock Wing turned and began leading him through the streets. Party of her could feel his eyes on her and secretly wondered if he would find her comely enough for the activities she was thinking about. Still, she couldn't let her thoughts linger too much on that. They had a job to do and he was walking behind her. Besides... Maybe after his business with the commander...

 

The rest of the trip went relatively quiet, mostly because she didn't trust herself to speak and not say something that she might regret later. She could see his discomfort with most of the city though and decided that it would be best to get him inside as soon as possible.

 

Other ponies around also noticed him and immediately recognized who he was, but not why he was here. He wasn't attacking anything... For most that was all they needed to see and they went back on their way. After all, you didn't ask questions in Las Pegasus. Even tyrants needed a vacation now and then. She knew that probably wasn't why he was here though...

 

Finally they reached the Fire and Ice and she lead Sombra through the doors and straight to the elevator that lead to Ice's office. "Commander," she said standing at attention and saluting. "We have arrived."

 

 

 

~~~Ice Storm~~~

 

 

 

Ice Storm could now only wait as the valet and Sombra navigated the city. Her casino wasn't exactly close to the station nor was it really a straight shot. She didn't quite understand why the station wasn't on or near the strip, considering that was the biggest tourist point, but that's how it was. 

 

When the elevator to her office opened and her sergeant reported in, she saluted back. "Thank you Sergeant Wing. You're dismissed. You may take the rest of the day off with pay," she said before the sergeant's eyes lit up and almost in a flash she was back in the elevator going down. 

 

"Glad you could make it. I was able to pick up a few things since our letters, but these discussions would be better has at our database down inside the base," she said before placing her hoof on an aether Crystal and the elevator leading to the base opening up. "We can also talk in the elevator. It is sound proofed."

[dragonofruin]

It didn't take too long for them to finally reach their destination, and they made it there without any issues or fuss. The way some ponies looked at him were something Sombra easily noticed and tried to ignore along the way, but nopony had really panicked or did really much of anything other than startle at most; their discomfort and some of their fear was something that Sombra easily picked up on. It was otherwise quiet, and now that they were indoors he could experience something like peace.

A relieved sigh left the stallion as he followed his escort towards a pair of doors that slid open quietly, revealing what was either a large box or a very small room. He eyed it dubiously before stepping in with the mare, and once the elevator began to move he leaned his shoulder against the wall with discomfort, uncertain whether it was going up or down by the way gravity seemed to pull or release his body. He didn't say a word, entirely confused by the contraption that they were in, and he glanced over to see how the valet was handling it. Relatively normal, from the looks of it, and it was likely this was just a regular occurrence for her. This space was just small enough too that he could pick up on anything as easily as breathing with as cramped as it felt to him, as large as he was.

 

The next he knew when the doors slid open the view was completely different- it opened up to a room with large windows, and a desk behind which Ice Storm sat. Sombra was quick to exit the elevator with his long stride, focusing his attention on the coolly colored mare other than giving his valet a cursory glance when she was dismissed.

 

"The.. elevator? Is that what that thing is called?" Sombra asked without so much as a formal greeting, pointing a hoof towards the other sliding doors. "I don't like it," but he would have to get in it again, he knew, if he was going to get to talk to Ice Storm about anything. "Well, perhaps you can at least tell me what you've found."

[IceStorm]

~~~Ice Storm~~~

 

 

"It's actually a security protocol," Ice Storm told Sombra as he commented on the elevator. "Ponies actually can't teleport or use magic to get into the base. It has a protection shield around it. Once inside magic works at normal and it will let magic out, but not in. It's too keep ones from accidently teleporting somewhere they aren't supposed to when they first learn the spell," she said as the elevator dropped. This one much faster than the one that was for the casino.

 

"Now, the name you mention in the letter sounds familiar. Her file had come across my desk a couple of times before while in EPIC, but she hadn't yet done anything to warrant intervention. Since you are here in front of my now seeking her, I presume that this is no longer the case," she told him.

 

"Coincidentally, no sooner did you bring this to my attention, I got this letter from an agent I have in the field in Saddle Arabia...

 

Attn : Black Ice
From : Private Lowest Class Tongue Twister
Subj : Alicorn Level Threat Ho Shuren presently in Saddle Arabia.

 

Do you know why she would be there? Or would this be a rouse to get us off of her trail? Would she even know anyone is looking for her yet?" She asked as the elevator opened up into the base.

 

"Commander on deck!"

 

"At ease, carry on," she replied as they passed through.

[dragonofruin]

Sombra made a face at her explanation and gestured vaguely in the direction of the elevators. "You do know stairs can exist," he pointed out. There was no need for magic if a pony could simply walk up the stairs, although he knew well enough why such a cursed contraption as an elevator existed with buildings as tall as these. Ponies would complain about being tired. He snorted, his nostrils flaring.

 

He hesitated at the door to the second elevator and finally stepped on, turning to face the door and pressing his shoulder to the wall as the elevator began to drop. Somehow he could feel that it was moving a lot faster than the other one, and the sensation was more eerie going down than it was going up, like his organs might've wanted to go after his spine. He wanted to close his eyes even though there was nothing that he even had to avoid looking at.

 

Sombra glanced over at Ice Storm and the letter that she pulled forth, and a short one at that. His magic was quick to pluck it from her grip to scan, his heavy brows furrowing. "Saddle Arabia? Is that where she is?" There had certainly been plenty of time for Hou to move around while he was piddling about in Canterlot. He recognized the other name on the letter, Tongue Twister. The mare he met when he was fighting Hou back in the forest, and from the look of it she was either in trouble or about to be in trouble with the sorceress if she spotted Hou.

 

His snout wrinkled and he looked up as the elevator finally came to a halt, just as disconcerting as before. Sombra made his way off after Ice Storm, flicking an ear towards the acknowledging shout. "I don't have a clue why she's in Saddle Arabia. A few weeks ago I spoke with the.. purple princess and we managed to figure out what Hou stole from Canterlot's vaults. Something called a Remembrance Stone. Hou mentioned stealing something and I had to investigate even if it meant dealing with the royal sisters, if only to be a thorn in Hou's side for engaging me in a fight over some perceived notion of hers." Sombra looked down at the letter again before he offered it back to Ice Storm.

[IceStorm]

~~~Ice Storm~~~

 

 

 

Ice smiled at the mention of stairs. "Indeed, but stairs are not efficient. I can move ten times the amount of supplies with elevators and cranes than I can with a couple ponies and a set of stairs," she commented. Still, she supposed a set of stairs for ponies that would rather use them would be acceptable. She did have to have at least three stairwells in the casino to be fire code compliant after all. Having one that goes to the base would probably be okay as well. 

 

She remained quiet on the matter until they we in the data room, which was a massive library that had a copy of every public record ever created, and a good number of non-public ones that she'd gotten access to from EPIC. In the center of the room, was a console that had several buttons on it.  It wasn't fancy but it would cut down time it would take to find what sections they'd need. Not to mention there were already some files out.

 

"The fact that you've already come across her, in Canterlot of all places... Is a problem. Rememberance Stone... Rememberance Stone... I don't remember seeing anything on that one..." She says as she pushed a few of the buttons and then a specifics section of the library glowed in an aquamarine color. "Everything that Equestria has on that artifact would be in that section there. Magical artifacts under R and S." 

 

"My records on Hou herself is limited. She is not equestrian, so there's very little records of her. The most I know if her name and that she's from an island around Neighpon... Any information you can provide of her and what she might be after can help me decide how to go after her. Otherwise, a trip to Neighpon might be in order," she told him.

[dragonofruin]

The stallion merely grunted. If elevators were used for that, then he supposed that they had a use. He'd just rather avoid them if he could help it because of how strange he found them. He was quiet up until they finally reached their destination and his eyes went to the shelves of books spanning the walls and in rows.

 

"Actually, I never mentioned where I came across her. I only mentioned I was in Canterlot to tell the royal sisters about her," Sombra corrected. "Where I actually fought Hou was in the Whitetail Woods during whatever was going on in Central Equestria at the time that was causing ponies to migrate towards Central Equestria. I only vaguely recall the reason, but I do remember seeing some great blast of rainbow light in the sky afterward. I don't exactly know when Hou stole from Canterlot's vaults, but it was certainly before she decided to come after me for her to have mentioned it."

 

He eyed the console as Ice Storm pressed a few of the buttons on it, and the change in the lighting drew his eye to a section of books that was now lit up. It looked useful, and it at least narrowed down their search a little. "I don't really know her that well myself. We met once or.. possibly twice? back when I still had the empire under my control." There were vague memories of a warning she gave him, something dredged up by Hou's comment that came to him after their fight when he had time to think over every moment of their interaction for clues.

 

Sombra headed towards the lit up sections of books and started to peruse them, intent on finding anything of interest. "You can go to Neighpon. I would rather head to Saddle Arabia as soon as possible so I can see what she's up to there and make sure Tongue Twister isn't going to get into any trouble with her. Any more than she has before."

[IceStorm]

~~~Ice Storm~~~

 

 

Ice Storm listened as Sombra corrected her, and thankful that he did. She was a lot less concerned about Canterlot now knowing that there wasn't an evil mage there, at least for the moment. Celestia knew they had enough evil nobility to make up for that, but her and Blueblood were working on that. As it was, she listened. Whitetail Woods... That face them another lead, though if Sombra fought her there before she'd be stupid to go back.  

 

Unfortunately it seemed that Sombra only knew slightly more than what she did. Her archives might help a little bit. She followed him up the stairs to where the cases were. When he said that they should divide their efforts. If this creature was a threat to Sombra, was going after her alone really a good idea? Well... He'd fight her once and gotten away, and if Tongue Twister was around her at all that could put him in danger... What Sombra said made sense and Ice nodded.

 

"Then that is what we will do once we're finished here. You go to Saddle Arabia and find Hou if possible, otherwise see if Tongue Twister has any more information. I will lead a team to Neighpon. In the off chance that she is there, I personally would much rather not have to try to fight her on my own," she told him as she stated sifting through the books to try to find mentions of this stone. 

 

 

[dragonofruin]

"I'm sure that once you're in Neighpon and manage to find any sort of information about her, what she gets up to there, her history, anything that she's done, or even where she lived, you can send me a letter. Anything will be useful when it comes to dealing with her, if it'll give us any idea what she could be after or up to," Sombra replied, glancing over at the mare as she joined him up at the bookshelves. "Although I doubt she's doing it for any of the usual selfish reasons like some lost or sick family member. I doubt she even has so much as a boyfriend or a husband."

 

Sombra snorted derisively as he moved along the shelf, tilting books out to look at their titles and covers without having to tilt his head just to read their spines. There had to be something here, even so much as a tome on ancient artifacts or magical items. He'd seen the picture of the Remembrance Stone, so he at least had something visual to go off of if anything happened to contain an illustration on it if there was anything at all, even so much as a few descriptive lines. He nibbled on his lower lip for a moment.

"The purple princess.. Twilight, was it? She told me what the Stone does. She said that whoever holds it can see the memories of who it belonged to, and that it had other abilities but none that anypony has managed to figure out. Since Hou isn't in Equestria I can only guess it's nopony there whose memories she might have seen in it. I would've thought perhaps Celestia, but.. apparently not, unless there's something else she's going after in Saddle Arabia." Sombra frowned at the bookshelves, as if he was disappointed in them for not giving him what he sought. "I think that the Stone is still dangerous in her hooves. We don't even know who it originally belonged to, whose memories it could be. That would give her too much information."

 

 

[IceStorm]

~~~Ice Storm~~~

 

 

 

Ice listened as she and Sombra both began looking through the books that she had on magical artifacts. She didn't find anything under 'R' or 'S' herself about it. She found a couple stones of power that were rumored to hold some power, but nothing that would be considered dangerous. Or at least, not that she would consider dangerous. The other was just a rare kind of rock that was magically infused so that it was super strong. Neither of which were anything that they were looking for. She got an idea and went to the O section which was just a few aisles over. "Obscure... Obscure... Obscure... Aha!" she said levitating the book out of the shelf and then blew it off. "Obscure and potentially powerful amulets and artifacts," she said before briefly looking down at the book and saw Volume II H-P "Oh, oops, not that one, that's Volume II. That one only goes to P," she said as she put that book away and got the one that was next to it out.

 

There were actually more names under the letter 'Q' than she thought there would be. It was more than none, but all of them were neigh unpronounceable to her. What in Tartartus even was a Quigglelaselupeginia and how did they come up with that name? She sifted through the pages until she finally got to R. "Aha! Here we go, The Remembrance Stone... Hmm... there's not a lot here... only about a half a page and then a picture..." she started.

 

"The Remembrance Stone was a powerful artifact which date of creation, and primary purposed was lost with time. It was discovered in an ancient temple by archeologists, but even their dating techniques were not able to pinpoint it's creation date. It is said that this stone has the ability to store the memories of it's own on a near permanent level..." she started with a shudder. "I already don't care for it... I have enough of my own memories I'm trying to forget, let alone have somepony else's on top of that..." she added before continuing. "It is believed that this stone houses other effects that deal with memories as well, such as altering or even implanting memories that never existed to begin with. These effects are hypothesized but are not proven. It's last known location was the Canterlot Royal Archives for Dangerous Artifacts. No further knowledge is available on this artifact..." Ice Storm read aloud.

 

"Hmm... that raises a lot of questions in of itself. What's more concerning... is that every record of Hou that I've seen as being ancient... it's entirely possible she was around when this was made... It's also entirely possible she might be the one that made the stone, and if that's the case, it can be immensely more dangerous in her hooves. This is a major problem and one that we don't have a lot to go off of in trying to fight or solve... What do you think?" she asked Sombra. This was her first time dealing with a potential enemy of this magnitude. It was going to take a lot of strategic planning or there is going to be a lot of needless casualties. There's also always a possibility that no matter what path that they choose to take they could be walking right into a trap... What if she already had the stone and she is already manipulating things from afar? She needed more information, and she needed it now...

[dragonofruin]

Under any other circumstance, Sombra would've liked to have simply sat down and read through some of these books at his leisure to learn more. It was too bad that he had the annoyance of Hou Shuren's existence to deal with. A soft sigh escaped him as he shoved the next book he peeked at back in its slot and turned to Ice upon hearing that aha! of triumph when she found something of use, and he was quick to make his way over. It sounded like she found some information, albeit.. vague.

 

"For it possibly being Hou's invention, I doubt that. I'm ancient as creatures go and it's not as if I made any old powerful magical objects." Sombra snorted. "Besides, the Remembrance Stone would be useless to her if she made it and it contained her memories. The only reason she might have wanted to steal it back was to keep anypony else from seeing her memories and discerning any of her weaknesses. If she's gone to Saddle Arabia I'm sure it's for one of her nefarious reasons. Whether or not it has anything to do with the Stone remains to be seen. Who knows what else she's gotten her hooves on?"

 

Sombra peered at the book. "If the Stone can alter or implant memories, then its even more dangerous in her hooves. She could twist anypony into some simpering, loyal pawn to do whatever she wants with its powers. Just like using mind-control magic, although how permanent it could be I dread to know." He huffed and sat down, frustrated.

 

"I don't know. I'm sure if I head to Saddle Arabia as soon as possible I might have a chance of gathering some information. Tongue Twister might be able to fill me in on any observations she makes once I find her, provided Hou hadn't spotted her and crushed her on sight. Speaking of, what means would allow me to get there quickly? Teleporting is already out of the question since it would take far too much power to go that distance, and I'm sure even any gateway would take a lot of magic."

[IceStorm]

~~~Ice Storm~~~

 

 

 

 

Ice Storm nodded as Sombra mentioned that he was also an ancient creature by most regards and that he has never made any artifacts like this, so the likely hood that this was made by her seemed unlikely. He also mentioned that it probably wouldn't do her a while lot of good it it just stored her memories. The other two effects though would be devastating in her hooves. 

 

"Well, that would depend on what the device considers it's owner. Is it the creature of the artifact, or a pony that possesses it for any length of time? However I see your point. It's highly unlikely that she's the one that made it," she said shuddering when he mentioned dreading to know the permanent implications of such a thing. It was easy to present that unless the hold was broken or re-altered... That would likely be very permanent.

 

Then Sombra mentioned about getting to Saddle Arabia as soon as possible to try to figure out anything that's going on there. He asked hey what the quickest means would be to get there. "Honestly, the quickest way would probably to be to board one of my airships. It can cover more ground in less time without extra stops. I can probably have a ship fueled and ready to go in a couple hours. Probably going to have to get one ready for myself as well for Neighpon. I don't want to use the Battleship for a recon mission. Not to mention she's not due to dock from testing until three days from now, and they'll have their final tests to run to make sure everyone functioned properly. I did get to see it's primary Aether cannons fire... That was a glorious sight..." She said with a smile.

[dragonofruin]

Sombra made a noise in his throat, pondering it. "It could easily be whoever created it is its owner, although who that is we don't know. Hou definitely will if she's figured out how it works and got a look into those memories." He frowned and tore his eyes away from the book to look up at Ice Storm. He rumbled softly.

 

"An airship? I think I've seen a few of those at the docks in Canterlot. If you think it'll be the quickest path to Saddle Arabia, then an airship it is. It'll have to come with a pilot because I've never been on an airship much less steered one. Hell, I haven't even been on so much as a boat." He wouldn't set hoof on a normal boat either, knowing how easy they were bound to tip over. All his time living in the Empire and he never once learned to swim or had a chance to. There were a couple of small lakes within the Empire's borders, but he never had a reason to actually go anywhere near them. As for the battleship, he was curious about what that entailed and if it was an airship too. It had to be, if Ice Storm mentioned not wanting to use it just to go to Neighpon.

 

"I can imagine," Sombra replied a little dryly. "I'm sure I'll eventually get to see it in action if I survive dealing with Hou in Saddle Arabia." He doubted he would fall so easily, but Hou had made it very clear how she'd gotten by and gotten so powerful over the centuries and that involved souls. He knew as much after her threat before their fight really got started- she would've consumed his if he hadn't annoyed her so much that she lost her appetite. He quietly scoffed to himself, remembering a thought he had during that meeting.

 

Disregarding that, Sombra was left unsure what to do next if Ice Storm was going to have an air ship prepared for him to head to Saddle Arabia. He looked to her, quizzical.

[KaityKat]

Myth carried an empty glass bottle in her magic, it bobbing slightly more than it would for most, and lazily spinning about in the air unable remain upright. She caught sight of a pony focused on her work and she approached her from behind "Hey, do you know where commander Icy is? I have a question for her." She asked. The pony looked up and frowned "I'm not sure, but I think I heard somepony say something about her visiting with somepony in the data room? It sounded important, tho, so..." myth smiled and waved as she spoke on her way out "Thaaankiiiees!" she stopped just before turning the corner "Uh... which way is the data room?" She asked, smiling awkwardly.

 

====

 

The pony pointed at a door after having lead Myth down the hall a ways "That's the data room. Now, I need to get back to my work, can you take it from here?" myth smiled "Thank you so much! I really appreciate it!" the pony nodded and left Myth standing outside the room.

 

Myth looked at the door, and suddenly, she was washed over with a little feeling of dread. She frowned. She wasn't sure what that could be from but she did need to talk to Icy. "B-besides," she reasoned aloud to herself "if Icy is feeling this, too, then I should really go in and help her." 

 

She took a deep breath and pushed the door open. 

 

Inside, she saw bookshelves. "oh great" she thought sarcastically "a library...." she walked through the corridors of shelves, glancing at the books that all might as well be empty to her. She followed where dreadful feeling was coming from, hating herself for getting closer to its source. lHer frown turned into a wide-eyed nervousness that escalated into full on panic. As she approached, she began to lose focus in levitating the bottle, and she grabbed it in her teeth as she began to notice the room get considerably darker. "I-is this... a new kind of magic?" she asked herself "I-I... don't know if I like this one..." she gulped as she approached an isle that seemed to have a higher concentration of this darker magic. As she neared, she could hear ponies talking there was Icy, and a stallion who's voice she didn't recognize. They didn't seem distressed at all. In fact the stallion's voice seemed kind of bored.

 

She stopped just around the corner to steel herself, and then quickly turned the corner speaking to Icy. "H-hey, Icy, I'm sorry to interru-" she stood mid sentence and dropped the glass bottle, and it shattered on the floor.

 

In the isle, across from Icy was the most terrifying thing Myth had ever seen. It was like a black hole. It radiated dark magic like a sun radiates light. It was a horrifying monster that towered over Icy. It's blackness only interrupted by two glowing green eyes that poured out a purple mist almost like a burning fire that oozed a feeling of dread that permeated Myth's body until she was the poor quivering mess she was. She turned her head stiffly toward Icy without breaking eye contact with the black hole. "I-I-Icy.... w-what is that..... a-and...." she gulped "w-what is it d-doing here?" she began to back away slowly, fighting her urge to run as fast as she could, her knees shaking almost noisily as her blood ran cold and she lost the color in her face.

[dragonofruin]

The soft and distant sound of the door to the library opening drew some of Sombra's attention in the brief lull in conversation, and one ear turned in hopes of catching anything else of interest. It was most likely one of the ponies in this base coming in to do some work, or research.. Just knowing that ponies might live and work here left Sombra feeling strangely alien in this place even though it was Ice Storm herself who'd invited him and others into this organization. He just wasn't used to being a part of anything, and as he hadn't really done anything in or for STAR, he wasn't sure how much a part of it he was; it wasn't as if he was the kind of pony one would contact.

 

His thoughts came to a halt to better focus on the hoofsteps, noting that they were coming this way. It wasn't much longer before the pony themself rounded the corner and the crystalline sound of shattered glass punctuated the beginning of an apology.

 

Sombra's eye twitched and he eyed the stranger, a brightly colored mare with an unusual look to her eyes that made him wonder if she was blind. If she was, it didn't explain why she reacted the way she had saying things like that.. and it...

 

It was language that he was familiar with from his time in the empire, when fellow orphans and certain crystal ponies referred to him as if he was a thing, and not a pony like them. To a very small extent, they were right in that he wasn't a pony, but they didn't know that.. To hear that sort of language again here and now was enough to stir some of that old anger that only masked a distant hurt. His lips peeled back from his sharp teeth and a brief, soft growl rumbled up his throat.

 

"I'm not a thing, you know." His voice was a deep, rumbling baritone and it was edged with frustration. "I have every right to be here as anypony else."

[PyroBlaze]

Feather Blitz was not the kind of pony that often spent time in this room, or libraries in general, but today she had felt like spending a bit of time reading. She was lounging in the upper areas of the room, reading a Daring Doo book and largely ignoring the conversations going on around her. That is, until one started with one being afraid and one angry. She blinked a bit, looking over at the scene to spot Icy talking with two unfamiliar ponies. Well, one looked kinda like how Sombra was described and depicted, but she couldn't be sure. She closed her book, rolling off her perch and catching herself with her wings to fly down to the three and stop nearby. 

 

"Hey Boss, what's going on around here? You three need any help?" She asked, directing the first part to Icy. She wasn't quite sure what was going on between those other two unicorns, but when she spotted the broken bottle on the floor, she zoomed off and came back with a pony to clean up the glass.

[IceStorm]

~~~Ice Storm~~~

 

 

 

Ice Storm nodded when Sombra said that it could very easily just be the creator that would be counted as the owner of the amulet. Sometimes trying to over think something caused just as many problems as not taking something seriously enough. It would open the door to spend too much time worrying about what ifs rather than getting things done. That was her biggest problem with EPIC and was why she founded STAR to begin with. Still, now that she was an Equestrian Endorsed branch of the military, there were certain ways things had to be done. When she heard him comment on the airships himself and say that he would probably have to have a pilot, seeing as he's never even been on a ship before... she nodded to him.

 

"Of course, these ships are too big to hoof on their own anyway. Though none of them have the aether core in them that I've designed in it. Both of those are actually escorting The Shadow of Ice and I have one more in production to guard her stern. However that might stretch our resources a bit too much. I might have to wait a year or two in order to build the last one I need to create the last one to complete the main STAR fleet. It's still going to be your fastest option," she said before she heard a familiar voice and then stopped dead in her tracks... "Oh no..." she said when she heard Myth's voice. It wasn't that she wasn't glad to see her, but she knew that things would not start off well with her and Sombra... and right on cue.... she heard the shatter of glass.

 

"Easy you two, we don't need a fight or any more of a mess than we have now," she said in reaction to the glass bottle, now standing in between the two of them, mostly so that Sombra's magic wouldn't overload Myth anymore. "Mythic Vision, This is Vice-Admiral Sombra. He's one of STAR's officers," she said turning to Sombra. "Sombra, this is Sergeant Specialist Mythic Vision. She is an Aetheric expert who sees by reading the magic auras around her. Otherwise she is completely blind. Your dark magic is likely giving off an aura that is shaking her to her very core. However I can assure you," she said turning back to Myth. "You have no reason to fear him. What we do have reason to fear, is rogue mage in Equestria that stood hoof to hoof with him in a fight," She started before she heard another voice. This one was was of another recruit that had joined recently and had been doing more field work than anything else. Her name was Specialist Feather Blitz and had an uncanny knack at sabotage. She quickly flew out and then returned with another to clean up the broken glass. When she asked if there was something that she could help with, she responded.

 

"Actually, I could use both of your help. Within the next couple hours I'm going to be getting two of our airships ready to mobilize. On of them will be heading to Saddle Arabia with Vice-Admiral Sombra, and the other one will be going to Neighpon... I myself will be on this mission. I will need a team to accompany me in this. In the mean time. Do either you remember anyone or anything from your time before joining STAR about a sorceress named Hou Shurgan? This is a very dangerous pony and needs to be stopped as soon as possible," she said looking both to Myth and Feather on the hopefully, yet doubtful chance that they had any information on her whereabouts.

[KaityKat]

Myth whimpered began tearing up when the blackness spoke, she was about to run when Icy put herself between her and the black hole, snapping her out of the fear she was spiraling into, she locked her eyes with Icy and her fear began to subside as she listened very carefully to her words. "Y-y-yeah.... vice... Vice Admiral.... Ssss.... Vice Admiral...." she breathed deeply and tried to focus on Icy "S-Sombra... I-I... I'm sorry.... I just.... his magic.... I-I've never.... s-seen anything like it.... s-so much.... fear.... hatred... s-so... dark...." as she spoke, she continued to expend a great deal of effort to focus on Icy, which seemed to work to at least her be able to speak. Even if she couldn't speak directly to him, she could get her thoughts out by talking to Icy. she breathed deeply while she tried to calm down "I-It's not his fault.... hi-his magic....  n-not his fault.... I- I'm sorry...." her eyes darted from Icy back to Sombra and then quickly back to Icy as she kept breathing and focusing on the words Icy said.

 

Myth breathed in and spoke through her exhale still laser focused on keeping eye contact on Icy "I'm sorry, I don't know anything.... c-can I... g-go... I... I'm sorry t-to.... him."

[dragonofruin]

The mare's terror was already palpable, and he could feel it just pouring out of her in waves as she faced him (with her visible blindness he couldn't exactly call it looking). This pony was terrified, and if he were to give in and feed off of that fear after so long only stealing scraps from ponies he might have inadvertently scared, it would be a feast- but she might also see or sense it and it'd only make the situation worse. It was the sight of those tears that kept him from it, at least before Ice Storm moved to place her body between him and the one she introduced as Mythic Vision. It was quite a name, and for somepony who could apparently see through her sense of magic. No wonder she was so terrified of him..

 

"Does she see what I really am, then?" Sombra quietly asked, his voice like velvet. He felt it was best to reign in his brief little flare of anger, because he was sure the mare would just break from her fear of him. It was good that he had the form of a pony, then, he'd read about old accounts of the crystal ponies first encounter with umbrum and how they were said to be terrifying to behold.. Even now, he hated to feel that sort of shame towards his existence.

 

He was snapped out of his thoughts by arrival from another who dropped down from somewhere above, and it startled him a bit; Sombra thought they were alone in here. The pegasus, whose name he hadn't gotten yet, looked quick to zip off to no doubt fetch somepony else and it was either for the situation at hoof or perhaps to have something done about the broken glass.

 

Sombra made a note to figure out who they were. At the moment, Mythic was stammering and struggling just to speak in his presence, and he got to hear a few apologies in the midst of it. Not his fault. Well, that was.. a first. Nopony ever admitted that what he was wasn't his fault. He relented, settling back into a more relaxed posture. He'd try to take it easy on the poor pony and not scare them any more than he had. "It's not a problem, now." He paused, licking his lips as he sought to think of something more to say. Ice Storm already said a lot of it. "I'm not here to hurt anypony, as long as they don't try to hurt me." His gaze flicked up towards the pegasus again.

 

"I don't think we need any help, although she might," Sombra answered, gesturing towards Mythic.

[PyroBlaze]

Feather frowned a bit as she looked back and forth between the unicorns around her. Apparently the stallion actually was Sombra, so that was kinda cool. Mythic’s ability sounded cool too, but she would probably prefer to keep her sight how it was. Feather moved over to Mythic, giving her a pat on the back and a smile that she could hopefully see. 
 

“Yeah, if Ice trusts him, there’s no need to worry. Besides, I’ll protect you, Vis.” She said confidently, nodding to Mythic. After a moment, she realized that neither her or Icy had introduced her yet, so she took care of it while rubbing the back of her head a bit and chuckling. “Name’s Feather Blitz, by the way. I do work in the field. Nice meeting you both!” 
 

When Icy began talking about the missions, Feather gave the mare her full attention, though the name made her tilt her head in thought. It seemed kinda familiar, but she wasn’t sure from where. “Might’ve heard of her from Mom’s old work buddies, but I think those were just rumors. Don’t know anything about her though. I’m always down to help on a mission, I’ll go wherever you want me, Boss.” 

[IceStorm]

~~~Ice Storm~~~

 

 

 

Ice Storm could hear Mythic Speaking to her. Her speech was broken and she could hear the fear in her voice. She was trying to regain control of herself and it was working for the most part, but It sounded like everything had hit her a bit too hard too fast. It wasn't Sombra's fault, and even Mythic Acknowledged that. This entire situation wasn't anypony's fault. It was just an unfortunate incident. When Sombra asked if she could see what he was then, Ice had to think for a second. "I honestly don't know," she said quietly to him. "But it's possible," she said as Feather Blitz seemed to be trying to comfort Myth.

 

Unfortunately, the scare that Myth had to endure was all for naught as she didn't seem to remember anything about the pony in question at this moment. IT was possible that it was a defense tactic, the fear that she felt was overloading her so remembering things like that could be clouded, or she could just simply not know. Ice Storm wasn't going to push it and probe. "If you wish, then you may return to your quarters, but I would like you on this hunt with me Mythic. Your ability to see magic will help us in the field find things that we wouldn't normally see," she said before turning to Feather Blitz as she spoke.

 

Feather said that she'd only heard of her from some of her mother's old work buddies and she long believed that the mare was a myth. That she herself didn't really know much of anything about her. Ice Storm nodded. "Well then, I guess that means that we're going to Neighpon then. I'm going to have to make a few arrangement for us to head out. We'll have to speak with the Royal Family and let them know of our arrival as well as what we are investigating. Hopefully we don't get caught up too much in bureaucracy, but if we do, I have a plan for that," she said with a smile. She did have more than once ace up her sleeve in this instance.