//------------------------------// // Chapter 6 Shadows: Not Alone? // Story: Supernatural: Day, Night, and Shadows // by BioQuillFiction //------------------------------// It was good to be king. Crowley thought. Underlings to do his bidding, 75% of all deals were his and Sombra’s. His favorite drink from his mortal years was still made, and held it's pleasing taste. While as a demon, mortal food tasted vastly different, good beer and alcohol somehow still tasted right. He had a new vessel, the old one felt worn and he acquired the body of a younger, rather charming professor. Younger compared to his old meat suit anyway. He considered it a bonus. The mad made a deal years back for his intelligence to get he where he was before his debt was collected. A stupid thing really. Went down in history, but it was all a lie. In truth, the man named Einstein was as dumb as they came before he made the deal. Not that it mattered now, in life his hell was his stupidity, and so it is again in death. In hell. It’s strange really the things humans sell their souls for, but who was Crowley to judge that. He sold his for three more inches on his pecker. It was a slow day, no souls were due to be collected, no reports of deals being made came in, and Sombra was in his usual place these days. His library. Over the years after learning to use his unique magic to write after learning to read, he got into the habit of stealing from libraries from all over america, as well as the world. His abilities to  step into and move through shadows was helpful in getting past wardings, locks, everything. Salt didn’t affect him. Holy water did, but not as bad as it did to demons. After world war one ended many years back, Sombra made himself a little bunker in Europe. Warded so only demons could enter, and only through smoking,or his shadow ability. Though, Sombra gave Crowley a key so leaving his body to enter could be avoided. Crowley was a demon, who had a soft spot for a demonic unicorn that Ramzi herself cared for rather than killed. As instructed, he did occasionally report any new findings to the kennel keeper, but these days that was slow, and the Keeper seemed to have already lost interest. All in all, life became a tad stale with the lack of current events. Current events Crowley cared for anyway. The only thing Crowley seemed to care for these days was some companionship. Physical at least. It was a optional treat as a demon, but felt just as rewarding as when human. Some demons held onto their lust from their mortal years, fact is most rapes are committed by demons. Crowley sighed, his mind wandering to everything but something interesting. To his right, was a demon in the body of a lawyer. Devin, his name was. “Devin, has anything new come from hell?” “No sir.” Devin replied. “Hell has been rather quiet as of late.” “Really?” Crowley said, finding that a tad off. “How so?” “Not sure. All I know is that last contact with anyone from hell was distracted sounding. Like a big plan was in the works. Think they mentioned Azazel but I’m not too sure.” “Azazel? Huh, something must be going on if he was mentioned.” Crowley thought, tossing it to the side for now. “Has Sombra come out of his little library yet?” “No sir, he has isolated himself in there for a few days now.” “Odd. Wonder what’s bugging him.” Crowley thought, warping to his “son’s” library. Using his Key to open the door, Crowley entered, and inside he spotted Sombra. Books stacked high to the ceiling dust kept out and only lit by candle light. Sombra prefered Candle light over light bulbs. Sombra was looking into books on lore, something not many demons did unless needed. The books he held though, we're different. They came from Hell’s Library. Perhaps one of the oldest collections of lore, all texts written when said information was discovered and learned. Exact copies were all that left that library. Crowley was about to speak, until he spotted the name written on the copy of the Ancient Text. “Ceratias equitum dictus. Ut ubi et quomodo, et venabuntur eos.” Translated, it means, “The 'Horned Horse. Such as where and how, and they shall hunt them.” An old book from when Latin was the only language. A book on how to hunt for Unicorns. “Oh bugger Sombra.” “But where are they?” He muttered, flipping through the pages. “Look, literally no one, no hunters, demons, or the oldest fart monsters have seen a unicorn, since Rome fell.” “They can’t have just disappeared, I’m still here for crying out loud.” “You were found in Hell Sombra, in Ramzi's cage, sucking on her tit! Plus, last time I knew, Unicorns were...Taller, less dark and their horns didn’t look like my old penis made from crystal.” That made Sombra glare back at Crowley. “There is no records even in Hell’s Library about them just… They just vanished.” “Or went extinct.” “Then explain me.” “Touche.” Crowley sighed. “Look, no one in Hell  even knows how you appeared there, most popular theory is that you just...popped out of the bitch.” “That’s not what I remember…” “Wait...you...remember?” “Vaguely. I remember snow. Lots and lots of snow...then… A city, made from crystals… then...this blue heart, a painful, burning light and then… then I remember…” “Sucking on Ramzi’s tit?” “Yeah...that.” Sombra grunted. “It infuriates me how little I can recall.” “Maybe you came from somewhere in the north, or south?” “Yeah, cause I’m a byproduct of reindeer inbreeding from old saint Nick.” Sombra said sarcastically. “I’m serious Sombra.” Crowley said, walking up to the ash coated unicorn and taking a seat on a smaller pile of books near him. “If you remember snow and a city of crystals the only likely place would be the poles, or Greenland. God I hate Greenland.” “Why?” “A story for another time.” Crowley brushed it off. “Look, how about I send some goons to explore the unexplored areas and if they find anything they will bring it to us. Hows that sound?” “I guess…” “Come on, let’s go trip some old people.” “...Dibs on the first hag!” Adam, an ironic name for a demon. But, he was too lacking in originality to come up with anything interesting. When he became a demon he was immediately assigned to be a grunt of Crowley and Sombra, the king and prince of the crossroads. It wasn’t hard work, but it was tedious. Like now, searching all of Greenland's forests for something at least akin in appearance to Sombra. He felt it was a feel-good mission. Sickening. Adam searched for three days already, day and night. The cold was bad, even with a vessel completely covered in insulating clothing, it took more of his demonic energy than he liked to keep it from freezing still. Greenland, most backwards name for a frozen wasteland he’d ever heard. As he trailed through the woods he was suddenly attacked, or so he thought. A light, so bright, so hot, it burned through his vessels clothing, body, directly harming him. Quickly, he took cover behind a large tree, the light stinging him, but not nearly as bad as it was. It lasted for several moments, then stopped. Carefully, Adam looked around the side of the tree. There, where the light came from, rested… “Holy shit… I am SO getting a promotion!” “Why did you call me here?” Crowley asked his grunts. “I call you for things, you calling me for something is not how this goes.” “Forgive us, Crowley, sir, but… Adam, found something.” Devin said, motioning to the ironically named demon. Crowley looked impressed. “Really? And, what did you find?” Adam dropped the sack he held over his shoulder. When he opened it, a frightened, small… Pegasus tried hiding herself under her own pink mane. Her coat was almost butter yellow. She was young. Far younger than Sombra, he didn’t look like that since he was physically eight or so. “You found one, I’m...impressed.” “Thank you sir.” Adam said with pride. “Take five… I’ll get Sombra and inform you of our next move.” Crowley said carefully, surprised at the drastic differences between the young filly before him and Sombra when he was given to him. While Sombra was a near rabid, violent foal, this one is scared, appropriate, but still. His grunts nodded, warping out of the room as Crowley looked the small filly over. “Well now, who are you...and more importantly...where did you come from?” The young filly just whimpered, and Crowley smelled something he knew well, even as all these years as a demon. “You...just peed yourself…” Crowley sighed, suppressing a laugh. “Not surprising… Sombra, come here.” At that, Sombra appeared from the shadows in the far most corner of the room. “Yes Cro-” Sombra stopped dead in his tracks. Upon seeing the small foal. He froze. Never had he seen something like him before… Never. “I’ll leave you two alone for now.” Crowley said, warping immediately yo speak with his grunts. The Filly and Crowley stared at one another for a time. The young one seeming to ease up a bit at Crowley’s leaving, but still a bit fearful of Sombra. Sombra had no words. He didn’t know if he even spoke or knew the language something of his own kind spoke. He’d only known the languages of old, modern english, and hell hound. All earth languages, and beast, in a way, but of a being from his own home. Never. The concept of a lack of communication filled Sombra with a mix of dread and anxiety. Reguardness, there was one thing he was certain he wanted to tell this young filly. “You should...be cleaned up.” Sombra said, the filly, to his shock, seemed to understand as she blushed, likely from realising her own accident from just earlier. “You can understand me...good, good. Let me, uh...follow me to the washroom.” Hesitantly, the little pegasus began to climb out of the urine soaked bag, following Sombra down the dark and dusty hallways. Sombra kept a look behind him, seeing the timid young one seemed scared of everything around her. Reasonable, she must have more memories of her home...where Sombra came from. A short walk lead them towards the washroom. It wa a simple room. Only Sombra really used it as Demons used their energy to keep their vessels healthy and clean, even from decay if the vessel is that of a dead human. The washroom was a haphazardly made shower, made for Sombra specifically to use with hooves, though he used his magic for just about everything, it was something Crowley had made anyway, in case Sombra was for whatever reason unable to use his horn. Thankfully, it seemed this filly would be tall enough to turn the knobs. “The, uh, right one is for hot water, left for cold, and there’s soap on the sink.” Sombra explained, showing the lowered sink, next to a Japanese floor toilet installed to make such expected tasks easier rather than a human’s toilet. “I’ll be...waiting here, alright?” ”T-th-Thank you.” If not for the dead silence within the halls, Sombra would never have heard the near mute whisper of his first contact with his own kind. Slowly, she walked into the washroom and Sombra closed the door for her, making sure it’s one, dim, yet working light bulb was on, the dim light made the room brighter, but not by that much, just enough for the unlucky draw of the demon who luck hated for picking the ticket to clean the washroom once a week. Sombra usually made sure the night before me would make it a mess. There was no reasoning behind that action, it was all for his fun and their annoyance. Once he heard the water begin to run he took a large exhale, releasing breath he didn't know he was holding onto. Dear god...I’m… I’m not alone.” Sombra restricted the urge to laugh madly, for years, his whole life, he was the only one of his kind...now, he wasn’t. “I’m...not alone.” He whispered, allowing tears to flow freely in his silent cries of joy, and happiness.