Mother came to visit today, and though much of her stay involved speaking with Princess Twilight about each other's schools, I spent as much time with her as I could. We talked about what we've been up to, her about Father and the School of Friendship, and me with my studies. I managed to slip in a few questions about Sombra, trying to hint at a project involving the Crystal Empire, but Mother was unable to answer most of them. It didn't surprise me much, though I was still disappointed.
Hopefully Father will visit soon. He lived in the Empire once and had even been a caretaker of Princess Flurry, so he would probably know something. I just have to be subtle, but since my parents already know I’m interested in magic and its history, I imagine they won’t question too much. As long as I didn’t give the impression I wanted to learn Dark Magic, that is.
Until then, I’ll just have to assume Sombra speaks the truth, though I see no reason for him to lie to me. He has nothing to gain from lying anymore.
“Why did you decide to do this?” I asked today, “After everything you’ve done, after everypony you’ve hurt, why help them?”
He shrugged, “I would say it was retribution, but I don’t know if I should consider a fate of helping others a punishment, though it’s much different than my first death.”
“First Death? You died twice? How exactly does that work?”
“The Crystal Heart is not kind to those who wrong her Empire,” He said. I tilted my head in confusion, unsure why he referred to an ancient artifact as ‘she’. He seemed to think my confusion lies elsewhere, continuing with, “I’m sure you’ve met the Lord of Chaos, correct? Well, it turns out Necromancy is Chaos Magic, and not Dark as many would have you believe.”
Though not quite the answer I was looking for, I found it important enough and quickly got to taking notes. Sombra watched me scribble, seemingly reading my notes before he decided to speak again.
“You’ve asked me many things,” He said, “Now may I ask you some questions of my own?”
“I don’t see why not, though I doubt there’s much I could answer.”
“I think you could answer plenty.” He rose from his throne, noiselessly stepping over to me before sitting down and looking at my journal again, “Why do you study under Twilight?”
“Oh!” That I could answer, very excitedly in fact, “My parents are good friends of hers, so I grew up with frequent visits to the castle. I was always so fascinated with magic, and wanted so badly to learn more. I knew, the moment I was old enough to try out, I wanted to attend her school.”
“So she didn’t choose you over any others?”
I shook my head, “Nope! I worked hard to get here, and it felt incredibly important, especially when my only other choice of a school was my parents’ Friendship School.”
Sombra brought a hoof to his face, suppressing a laugh, “A Friendship School? What sort of curriculum are they teaching, hoof holding?”
I couldn’t help but smile at his amusement, it was strangely endearing to see, “Well, there are some normal classes, but I can’t say you’re wrong. I’m sure it’s not hard to figure out why I chose Magic School.”
“When you put it that way, I understand completely, though I suppose that’s what happens when you put the embodiment of friendship in charge of a country. It’s ridiculous.”
“Hey, Princess Twilight’s a wonderful ruler!”
He shrugged, “You’re incredibly biased.”
I wouldn’t say it wasn’t true, but I still frowned. Sombra simply laughed at the look. I wanted to retort that he was a horrible ruler, but it certainly seemed that things had changed for him with his death. I couldn’t speak to the rest of the spirits personally, but I’ve caught glimpses of them, and they seem happy enough.
Eventually, his laughter subsided, and so did his smile. He turned to the stained glass windows, following their kaleidoscopic colors through himself.
Looking back to me, he asked, “May I ask another question?”
I nodded.
“I’ve not been dead for as long as my subjects, but it’s been long enough, and I’ve begun to miss what I’ve lost,” He said, voice just above a whisper, “I can no longer feel. Things like the warmth of the sun or the taste of freshly baked pastries are lost to me, and I will never have them again. Do you think you could describe them to me?”
“Oh, that might be a bit harder to answer,” I said, putting a hoof to my chin to think. Sombra nodded sadly, his gaze turning back to the window as I said, “But I think it’s worth trying.”
Making my way in front of him, I sat down, and lightly brushed his hoof with my own. As I expected, my hoof phased right through him, and I shivered as a wave of cold washed through me. I couldn’t touch him, though I could still remember when he’d touched me that first night, probably at the cost of immense amounts of energy.
“Can you feel me?” I asked.
“I feel something, but I’m not sure how to describe it. It’s incredibly faint.”
“Is it warm?”
“No,” He shook his head, before tilting it to the side, “Maybe? I have not felt another pony’s touch in over a thousand years.”
I set my hooves within his own again, ignoring my involuntary shivers. Sombra looked down at me unsurely, and maybe even with a bit of worry, but otherwise stayed put.
“How much energy does it take to touch me?” I asked.
“More than I should be expelling for trivial fun,” He said, though he removed his hooves from my own and shut his eyes. The lights going through him faded, obscured by a faint but noticeable shadow, and certain parts of him had begun to reflect off the well polished surface of the floor. “Is this enough?”
Bringing my hoof forward, I tested to see if he was corporeal. This time, my hoof rested upon his own, though the freezing feeling of his body remained. Then, without warning, I did something to him that I’d only ever done with my family or teacher.
I wrapped my arms around him. It was incredibly cold, and with my head against his chest I could hear nothing. It was just as he’d said before, he had no heartbeat. Despite that, I didn’t let go.
“I don’t know if you can feel what I would, but this is what the sun feels like,” I said, “Comfortable and warm. Can you feel it?”
For a moment, he was unmoving in my grasp. Then, ever so slowly, his own cold arms would wrap around me, and his muzzle would rest upon my head.
“Yes,” He whispered, “I think I can.”
It surprised me just how long we stayed in that hug, for as uncomfortable as it was to me, I felt as though Sombra needed it. Even without death, he’d still spent a thousand years imprisoned, and we both knew it had been too long since he’d felt the warmth of another. It made me realize it had been a while since I’d hugged anyone myself, even after my Mother’s visit, so I took a mental note to do so the next time I saw her.
I waited until he pulled away from me, groaning quietly and shaking his head before saying anything else. He looked as though he’d used up too much of his energy again, so I spoke loudly to ensure he understood me.
“I might have to do some thinking to figure out how to describe anything else.”
He nodded, putting a hoof to his head as his body faded. I gave him a moment to regain himself before speaking again.
“Does it bother you that everypony who’s alive still thinks you’re a monster?” I asked, “Because it sounds like you’ve changed so much, and if you’d like, I could try and tell Princess Twilight about it.”
“Do you really think she’d believe you?” He asked, shaking his head, “I may play tricks on her occasionally, but she has no idea I’m still here. I would hate for her to think you’ve gone mad.”
“But Equestria is all about helping others change, if you could just make one appearance for her, I might be able to convince her that you’ve changed.”
“No.”
I flinched at his tone, though he hadn’t yelled, “Sombra, please, all the History books say you’re horrible, and that you died a monster, if I could just-”
“I said no,” He insisted, “I am a monster to the living, and I will never be anything else. It is the dead that I rule over now, and it will be the dead that see me as who I am. I do not wish to change that.”
“Sombra…”
He shook his head, “Little Luster, as much as I appreciate your company, I have no right to be interfering in your life as I have been. Tricks and hauntings are one thing, but befriending someone who still has a life ahead of them is well beyond what I should have allowed. I do not want anypony else involved in this.”
I opened my mouth to say something, but nothing came out and it simply hung there. King Sombra, the pony that had once enslaved the Crystal Empire and Canterlot, had just referred to me as a friend. Was this what friendship was? It seemed much different when Princess Twilight described it, but of course, she was only friends with the living. I couldn’t be sure if that changed things, but I somehow assumed they did. Not that I had much experience to go off of.
“I understand,” I said finally, though I didn’t think I truly did. Sombra seemed satisfied enough, and he rose to all fours and returned to his throne. He looked tired.
“Thank you,” He said, plopping down into his seat and fading further, “Now if you don’t mind, I need to rest. I imagine it would help for you to do so as well.”
Nodding, I grabbed my things, thanked him for his time, and left. I knew I would return again, and I hoped Sombra would still appreciate my visits even if I wasn’t too sure if I could consider him a friend myself.
I may have to think about this.