We travel over a large stretch of desert towards the Minotaur lands in the west. I turn around to see the Crusaders sleeping, with Louis turning into a blanket to keep them warm, and to sleep himself. The only one awake other than me is Sombra, and his eyes seem droopy, “I don’t know how, but sleep seems like it’s getting more appealing now that I’m not filled with dark magic. I always thought sleep was wasteful, a way to pass a good few hours without accomplishing anything. Such a waste of good time. You could use that time to laugh and enjoy your life, to learn and train, but we forsake those hours with our body’s incessant needs.”
I look on over to him, “You’re immortal, you have plenty of time to do all of that.”
He nods, “Si, but these ponies I surround myself with now? Their time on Equis is a blink compared to ours. Those three foals, they will pass only a hundred or so years from now. Even from our short time together, I can feel a connection with all of them. Friendship, but almost some type of advanced friendship that reminds of being hit by Los Elementos. To see them pass will be devastating to all of us.”
I breathe in a bit, until I eventually decide to reveal it, “Sombra... they aren’t going to-“ I take a deep yawn, and can feel myself stumble around. I can barely see a field of mana that we pass through. I collapse to the ground, and can see Sombra do the same as I let go of my control over the bone hands. I yawn, and whisper the final word into Sombra’s ear, “die.”
———
I start to stir in a bed, and my eyes slowly open. I see all six of us locked into some sort of cell. I can see Sombra awake as well, and he looks towards me. The others stir, and he looks at the Crusaders before cutting back to me. His eyes ask a silent question, ‘They won’t?’
I silently nod back, and I can see his expression of joy become a lot more stressed and forced, and it seems like a weight has been lifted from him. The others all wake up, and take in their surroundings as well.
I look out the cell to see rows upon rows of shelves, all filled to the brim with books. It’s a sight that would make Twilight weep in joy. Some strange creature of stone walks up to our cell, and opens it. It looks at us with the same empty expression, and motions us to follow it. Everyone looks at me, and I nod, “Let’s see where he’ll take us.”
And so we all walked out of the cage, and I can feel my magic very weakened. I look at the others, and their sluggish movements would say the same happened to them. Only Sombra walks normally as his body seems to absorb the shadows casted by the torches and bookcases that line the walls.
The creature leads us into what appears to be a dining room. A large table sits in the center of the room, surrounded by walls filled with even more books. A unicorn sits at the head of the table, a dark and very unkempt one. His eyes are dark black, and are busy reading from a book. He wears a hat which seems to be a black hole, seemingly absorbing all the light around him with it’s stark darkness, and only a single decorative bell is at the end of his hat, jingling only due to the fragments of bone inside. His coat is the color of the leather bound book he flips through, although most of it is covered by a battered cape that seems to represent a supernova with a dark red surrounded by very dark purple. The most defining thing about him would seem to be his beard, turned a very dark grey from improper care, and it is very unkempt and greasy. It’s clear this is not a pony who cares for himself or what others may think about his appearance, or his smell. The smell of ink surrounds him, almost overpowering the smell of the feast on the table.
He looks up, and smiles with dirty, stained, yellow teeth, “Ah, you finally woke. Good, good! Come, take a seat, enjoy the food. It’ll replenish itself anyway.”
I hesitantly take a seat, and the others follow suit, “I am Ra-“
“I know!” He cuts me off, “I know, I know, do not think I do not know. Do not dare patronize me by thinking I do not know who you are. I’ve studied five of you, throughly, with the exclusion of the shadow king. I know everything there is to know about you. Apple Bloom, farm girl born a month before her parents died, you hate bananas. Scootaloo, orphan with delusions of grandeur, adoptive sister of Rainbow Dash, listens to Neighkleback. Louis, King of the Blue Hive, MD from Baltimare University, had an addiction to pain pills fifty years ago. Ravens Breath, mysterious Necromancer who stood up to Celestia and saved the Crystal Empire from shadow. Sweetie Belle, sister to Rarity, embarrassed to be caught singing even though you’re good, love-“
She interrupts him now, “Shut up! You don’t just get to insult us all like that!”
He glares at her, “Oh, I suppose you want my name instead of me spilling your secrets?” He turns to all of us, “I forgot my name back before. Now, I go by a simple name based off what I am. I am Starburst the Caped. I know everything there is to know. Why aren’t you eating?” He slams his hoof on the table, “Eat!”
Sombra glares at him, “Why? Have you poisoned the food?”
He shakes his head, “No! What do you think I am, a fool!? I know everything, poison was a bad option. You need to be alive for the magic to come out. Need energy, good eating, food inside, grow magic. I need to sate my hunger as well, all of this magic here has got me starved! Did you know two hundred twenty books in here were made by the same author? Eat!”
Sombra stands up, “No, we’re going to leave.”
Starburst slams his hoof down once more, and stands up from his table, “No you are not! I will slay you and take your magic that way if I have to!”
Sombra lights up his horn, and glares at Starburst, “Mi nombre es Sombra, Rey de la Oscuridad, y no permitiré que lastimes a mis amigos.”
Starburst tilts an eyebrow, “Ah, you speak Sponish? Where are you from, Haysolona or Maredrid?”
Sombra narrows his eyes, “Soy de Maredrid, aunque sé que ya no está. Pero esta pequeña charla no te salva, Starburst, nos iremos.”
Starburst laughs, “And how are you going to get past me?”
He uses his magic to levitate all the books in the room, “You forget, Starburst. Knowledge is power, especially if it’s a hardback!” And with this Sombra pulls all the books down from their shelves, and hits the Watcher with the swarm of old books.
They all hit, but seem to dissolve on touch with Starburst. He looks up, and shouts out in rage, “Those were centuries old! You incompetent fool!”
“Perhaps it’s time for you to fully become a bookworm!” He then moves all the dust from the books into a dark mist, and floats it over to Starburst. “Careful, you might become a smoker!” Sombra then commands the dust mist to flow into Starburst’s nostrils.
Starburst coughs roughly, but he doesn’t accomplish a thing, “I know! I know how to beat this!”
Sombra grins, “Did I hear you say ‘beat’?” He grabs a chair with his magic, and smahes Starburst in the head with it. He then turns it around, and slams it directly into his spine, “Careful, that chair will mess up your posture!”
Starburst coughs as he lies on the ground, “Why are you laughing!? Why are you joking!? You’re killing me you sociopath!”
Sombra bashes him in the back once more, “Thought I already would’ve. Tough crowd, I’m telling you, slapstick doesn’t seem that effective.” He smiles down at him, “Come now Starburst, with all that knowledge, I think your close to bursting!”
He then draws out all the dust and smoke from inside Starburst’s body, drawing it out of every pore on his body. He screams in pain, “Please kill me!”
And so Sombra summons a crystal spear, and cuts off Starbrust’s horn, “So many mares around, I think you might get horny!” And then stabs the horn through one of Starburst’s eyes, “Man, forgive me, that was such an eyesore!” He then takes his spear out again, and stabs him through the head. He smiles down at the body as Starburst fades away, “Well, looks like even with all that knowledge, your head was empty in the end.” With the end of the show, we all hesitate for a second before applauding, and he bows, “Thank you! Thank you! I’ll be here all week! Actually, no I won’t, we’re leaving.”
I walk up to him, “Sombra, sometimes you disturb me, but that was beautiful.”
He smiles back at me, “As is my goal. Come now, we’ve lost time.”