//------------------------------// // Anteras // Story: Sombra's Midnight Star // by Twilighted Rose //------------------------------// (Present, somewhere far deep underground) In a cave, deep underground, was a door that the Firstborn himself had vowed to never open. Behind this door were violet-black crystals. Amongst these crystals was a blood-red creature. One crystal was buried in its front leg. Another had sunk into its chin and shot out the top of its head. Yet another crystal had embedded itself in the creature’s gut. One would think that the poor creature was dead, but no. An evil this great could not die! The being was only asleep. Being imprisoned for over three thousand years and absorbing crystals could really knock out even the most powerful being. Groaning, it began to wake. Pain. Eternal pain was all it felt. All the power it had gathered had still not been enough to overcome the Firstborn. The beast had been defeated and cast into the pit of Void Incarnate. How the Firstborn had used the crystals it would never know. But revenge, on the other hand, revenge was something about which the creature knew volumes, and it desired this dish best served cold more than anything else it had ever known. To make the Firstborn suffer as the beast had suffered and continued to suffer. To make him bleed rivers as it had bled. Crack! It laughed, the noise an unsettling gurgle as blood flooded its mouth once more. “No matter. The crystals are finally receding. The time has almost come. Scorpio’s star is coming for the Somber One. Be wary. Be afraid, for I will have what is rightfully mine!” Ω (Past, Sombra’s Home) ΩSombraΩ “Anteras, what do you want now?” I mumbled to myself as I looked at the gold and red envelope. In beautiful, black, cursive letters my name had been penned: Seren Dywyll Somber O Gytgord. Always so formal, she was. Bahh… I’ll deal with her invite later, I thought as I carelessly tossed the letter over my head. I headed off to bed. I walked tiredly into Midnight’s room and curled myself around her. This was comfortable. I should have started sleeping in this canary room a long time ago. I promptly fell asleep with fy un bach i in my arms. Ω ΩMidnightΩ Hot. Too hot, I thought as I struggled to escape my burning-hot cage. But every time I got close to escaping, something kept dragging me back in, returning me to my heated prison. It felt like iron bars were trapping me where I lay. This was getting ridiculous. The sunlight glowed through my eyelids and woke me up. This was highly unusual. On any normal day, Sombra would have awakened me before the sun had the chance to pop over the horizon. Now to get these obsidian legs off… wait a minute. Obsidian legs were trapping me to a furnace. Hm. I twisted around to find Sombra asleep on my bed and cuddled up to me. A-ha, that would be the furnace. I reached out with a hoof and tapped the white on his nose. Up close, it appeared to be a six-pointed star. I poked the white patch again to wake him up, but his only response was a low grumble as he pulled me closer to him. At this point I began sweating like a pig. I assumed I had rivers of perspiration flowing down my back now. Forget a furnace, this Alicorn was a fricken incinerator. I was burning up, with no reprieve in sight! I moved on from his nose, instead pushing on his chest, but he moved in such a way that I could not move my limbs. Growling, I thought of an alternative plan. I took a breath and - “SOMBRA! WAKE UP! YOU ARE LITERALLY COOKING ME INTO A BURNT PONY PIE!” I shouted into his fur. “Quiet, fy un bach i, let me sleep more,” he grumbled, stuffing his face into my neck. “Besides, it’s much too early. I’m not cooking you into a ‘burnt pony pie.’” Oh, sweet Harmony, his husky sleepy voice was turning me into the furnace now. Bad, Midnight, bad. You are absolutely not supposed to drool over your boss’s voice. “Can you please get off of me?” I asked as I struggled to escape his much-too-hot embrace. “No.” “No? And why not?” “Because you nearly died today. Because I am not letting you out of my sight because you nearly died today. Now shh, fy un bach i. Let me sleep. It’s been a long day,” he said. Then his snoring started up. So I poked his noise again. “Sombra.” Poke. “Sombra?” Poke. “Sombra!” Poke. Growling, he flipped me around, smashed my back into his chest, and adeptly tucked my head into his chin. And started to purr, his wing covered the sunlight. And now I lay in pitch darkness, my field of vision absolutely devoid of light in this purring mass. Great. Just great. I was still baking into a tart little pony pie here! A remarkably sour tart at that! I renewed my efforts to escape my prison but with no avail. I was sure I was going to die of heatstroke! Suddenly, I was free! At last, freedom! I dashed out of bed and ran down the hall straight for the cellar. Oh, cool underground stones, you were my dearest friends. “You’re being melodramatic. You know that, right?” inquired Sombra as he tromped down the stairs. I just glared at him. “Well, excuse me. I didn’t want to get heatstroke. What are you? A furnace?” I asked as I waved my hooves around. “And, now that I think of it, what were you doing in my bed?” “Sleeping.” “Sleeping? Don’tchu have a bed of yer own?” I tilted my head to the side, inwardly pleased at my accent. “It is ‘Do you not have a bed of your own?’ not whatever you said. Have you forgotten your lessons already?” Reprimand or no, I felt no guilt. He was changing the subject. I stared him right in the eye. He would not get the best of me. No, he would not. No, he… would… not… win… dang it. I looked away first. He may have won this round, and the previous one, and all the times before that, but nevertheless I would win one of these days and say my piece! But unfortunately, not today. Grr… “No I didn’t forget. I also haven’t forgotten that you didn’t answer my question. Don’t you have your own bed to sleep in?” I growled back. “Well, somepony woke up on the wrong side of the bed. Hehe… Fine. I’ll answer your question. Yes, I do have my own sleeping quarters. You were attacked and nearly died, and I decided I would not let that happen again, especially not the night after the attack. From today on, you will be moving into my room. I need you safe. These arrangements are not up for debate. My decision is final.” He promptly turned around and went upstairs. All I could do was wonder - what just happened? “Wait just a cotton pickin’ minute! Sombra!” I yelled at his retreating tail. I dashed up the stairs, calling his name. But the dang stallion just wouldn’t listen. And, dang, his strides were long! As I ran down the hallway, I slipped on something and faceplanted on the floor. Let me tell ya, carpet looks plush and all, but it does not cushion your fall. “Ow… What is this?” I picked up the culprit and found a beautiful, metallic red and gold envelope. “Seren Dywyll Somber O Gytgord “ it read in beautiful curved letters. A silver wax seal with an upside-down crescent moon was on the back, an arrow going through the middle of the moon. I broke open the seal… “Don’t open it… dang it, she knows now.” Sombra had rushed back. He skidded to a halt right in front of me. “Now we have to attend whatever ridiculous event She cooked up!” I is confusion. “Use coherent sentences, fy un bach I,” reprimanded Sombra as he read the shiny letter. “I did not teach you proper Equinarige for nothing.” “Stop constantly reading my thoughts, Somby.” His ear twitched at the nickname ‘Somby.’ “Why do I have come? And who is ‘She’ that you speak of? And what event is it, anyway?” I asked, continuing to vomit up questions as I trailed behind Somby. “She is Anteras the Secondborn. The event is just a formal meeting with her. No big deal. I just have dress up to see her. And so do you. Ah, I already have the dress picked out. So let’s get a move on. We don’t have much time.” At that he went into his room, slamming the door in my face. We really needed to address his reading my mind. That was really getting annoying. I started to grumble as I paced back and forth in front of the door. I was not done with our conversation, dang it! Not by a long shot. After what felt like an eternity, the door finally opened. I opened my mouth to give him a piece of my mind. All those words flew out of my mind when he walked out of his room. I became speechless, though unfortunately not for the first time around him. He was wearing a dove grey formal jacket with silver embroidery thread and silver, rose-shaped buttons. A ruffled undershirt completed the look. He had tied his mane back with a silver-grey tie. All in all, he looked dashing. The whole outfit seamlessly complemented his red, red eyes and gave his persona an air of mystery. “Sorry, Miss Star, but you definitely can’t go like that. Hold on.” Red magic wrapped around me. And then I was blinded by a red light. Ω ΩSombraΩ I was in a hurry. I did not have time to wait for her to pick out a dress. So I did what any respectable alicorn do (a.k.a. what I would do): I magicked a dress onto her. I went with a black dress with a red-tipped ruffled skirt. I also set rubies in the pattern of my signature six-pointed star on the sweetheart-neckline bodice. The sleeves were adorned with black lace. I curled her mane and adorned her mane with rubies, too. I probably shouldn’t have put her in my colors, but she *was* supposed to be my mate. Eh… she looked far too pretty to change. And she looked good in ruby red and black. Yes, I was selfish enough to keep her in my colors after all. I wrapped my wing around her and teleported. I would deal with the black glitter on the carpet later. Fantastic… Ω ΩMidnightΩ In a cloud of black glitter, which somehow ended up in my mouth, we entered an over-the-top grand hall. The place was so huge that it made Sombra look small. And that was saying something. The floors were hewn from pure obsidian glass polished so finely that I could see myself clearly and very easily slip on a banana peel if there was one. It was like walking on a black mirror. The walls were made with what looked like uncut rubies and golden runes etched in the stone. Golden columns held an obsidian ceiling with diamonds embedded in the stone, making the ceiling look like the night sky. The hall was endless, at least to me, seeming to go on forever. Sombra made his way to the golden grand staircase just I was about to pass out. After what felt like an eternity, we finally made it to the top. I was panting when we got there, but the dang black Alicorn looked like he was put together and wasn’t winded at all. What the HAY! That’s not fair. And he was laughing at me! The nerve! “The lady Anteras, Secondborn of Harmony, welcomes you to the Council!” A gentle voice carried across the gaudy hall. "What pleasure it gives me to announce the arrival of the Firstborn and his companion on this auspicious occasion!” “It’s always a pleasure, Zephahnriel,” Sombra smiled and bowed. I, on the other hand, could not stop staring at this beautiful creature. A Kinku - with ten tails! - came walking up to us, her arms spread wide. Her fur was a beautiful shade of jade green that complemented a beautiful cream dress. A length of cream fur covered one of her green… er, no, blue… wait, green?... eyes. The tips of her tails were also cream-colored. “’It is always a pleasure, Lady Zephahnriel,’” she corrected. “By Harmony, what have I always told you about contractions? Contractions, at their core, are indolent and unflattering. Every word you utter should be given its due, at least in polite company.” The Kinku scoffed. “I will concede, however, that nicknames have their use. I call myself Zepha. I do not respond to the boorish moniker Zephahnriel.” The Kinku rolled her eyes and shook a dainty claw at Sombra in a manner that was almost intimidating. “I do not enjoy the way my full name sounds on your lips, or on the lips of any other creature, for that matter.” She glanced behind her with another roll of her eyes. “Now, Sombra, come give me a hug.” And hug they did. For some reason, I myself wanted to hug the fluffy Kinku. This was the first time I had ever seen one up close. Zepha was slightly taller than Sombra, which would put her height at, approximately, towering over me. Great, that’s what I needed. I needed another creature giving me a short-pony complex again. Sombra already did that, thank you very much. Sombra busted out laughing. Poor Zepha looked confused until I admitted, “He’s laughing at what I thought.” “Indeed,” was all she said, and her green-blue-green eyes twinkled as she turned back towards Sombra. “Sombra, you know reading minds to snigger at inside jokes is discourteous. And, dear little unicorn, please refrain from using contractions in my presence. To put it simply, ponies do not seem to understand the proper use of contractions. Furthermore, when contractions invade the speech, they will surely spread onto parchment!” An exaggerated sigh escaped her muzzle before she finally said, “Sombra, would you care to introduce me to your lovely companion?” “Ah, yes, how could I forget? Zepha, may I introduce fy un bach i Midnight Star? Fy un bach i, this lovely mammal is called Zepha, the Firstborn Kinku, the Mother of all Kinkus and the creator of Equinarige despite the fact that she is not an equine. If not for her, we would still be speaking the Welshyn tongue, the language of magic and of the ancients.” He swept his wing with obvious flair and theatrics during his introduction. I could tell he loved to show off, at least in front of this foxy lady. Fricken show pony. Zepha smiled graciously as she performed a perfect curtsey. I tried to curtsey back, but I just fell on my face. Frustrated with myself, and very much embarrassed, I lay still on the floor, regretting my life decisions. A jade paw appeared in my field of vision. I looked up to find Zepha, laughter twinkling in her eyes. “You shall do,” she said as she helped me back to my feet. “However, we shall address your etiquette in later meetings. Oh, you are perfect, indeed, for our little Sombra! And so adorable.” She squished my face between her paws while cooing at me as if I was just a little filly. Sombra snickered at my plight. Thanks a lot, you traitor. A loud boom echoed across the hall, making me jump and hit Zepha’s chin. Before I could apologize to her, a melodious voice rang through the hall. “Zephahnriel, what rabble have you brought into my hall to play with? Send it back to the streets. I will not have creatures scurrying about, destroying my house before my Sombra arrives!” I peered around Zepha to find a beautiful Alicorn. She had the exact color scheme that Sombra did, but in reverse. She was red all over except for the tips of her wings, mane, and tail. Those were black as night. The Alicorn wore a golden dress, and it looked like her dress was made of liquid gold. Her eyes were ebony in color, with a crimson circle marking the boundary between iris and pupil in each eye. Golden shoes with intricate swirls graced her hooves. I looked down to find that I wore silver shoes dressed with wings instead of swirls. Fancy. Okay… I looked back at the Kinku in front of me to find her folding her cream and gold, eagle-like wings away behind her back. I don’t know why I hadn’t seen them before, but now that I did, I simply couldn’t look away. Even though there was a beautiful Alicorn in the room (and, I guess, Sombra), I firmly believed that Zepha outshone the newcomer any day with her beauty and grace. I felt Sombra’s wing wrap around me and pull me in to his side. He growled at the newcomer as she, in obvious grace and poise, approached us. Her ebony-red eyes lit up in excitement when they landed on him. In a blink of my eye, I found her rubbing herself on Sombra, as if she was a cat in heat. Jealousy and no small amount of disgust washed over me in a blinding wave as I looked upon this repulsive display. I felt my magic flare up in my horn, ready to strike. But I stopped when I saw, by chance, the utter disgust in Sombra’s eyes. “Sombra, it is such a pleasure to have you join me. Come, dinner is served in the Onyx Parlor,” purred the Red Thing. “Anteras, I am only here for a short while,” rumbled Sombra, his voice once again turning my bones into jelly, but it wasn’t quite as pleasant now as it had been the other times. “Please get to the point of this meeting.” “I have begun to wonder, my mate, if you do not enjoy my company anymore,” Anteras said as she rubbed her head under Sombra’s chin. “You do not wear my colors anymore. One would think…” “THE POINT, ANTERAS.” “Right. The point is, that Council is mine. And you are going around and saying that you want to take over? Why now? Why, after fifty years of complete silence, do you want to control the Council?” “Because you are doing a crap job of holding the alicorns in line!” “Excuse me! I am doing a fantastic job of keeping the alicorns in line. Why I…” “Another raze happened three days ago! Over one hundred ponies lost their lives! My Midnight was attacked yesterday by two of your lieutenants! If that is an example of you holding the line, heh, then I am overdue to come back from retirement!” “He is right you know,” a deep rich voice cut in. I wiggled my head out from underneath Sombra’s wing to find a male Alicorn. Well, then. His coat of navy blue shone under a cream-colored mane, and his mane exquisitely covered one his dark chocolate eyes. Rawr. Shocking to see an equine almost Sombra’s equal. The Alicorn’s navy fur turned cream starting at the knee and running down to his hooves. His eyes twinkled in mischief when he saw me and, dear Harmony, my expression. I looked away, ashamed at myself. “Hello, little one! Well, you are a pretty little thing, and quite the pumpkin pie at that! My favorite! They call me the uh-Whit Miser!” As he drawled out his introduction, he struck a ridiculous pose. I chuckled. This Alicorn was alright. “Shut up, Da’lak’ar, nopony calls you that!” yelled a disgruntled Anteras. She bared her teeth at The Whit Miser. “Everypony does. Just not you, princess,” he stated as he strutted around the Red Thing. “You will call me that, right, sugar?” I nodded feebly, still weak from embarrassment, and other things. He wagged his eyebrows at me. Then he postured again. This time he spread his wings (whacking Anteras’s face in the process), looked to his right, and raised his left foreleg, swaying his muscular flank to face me. For some reason, he wore a golden pocket watch on his flank, and the chain wrapped around his leg. The pocket watch’s chain wove among white lilies. I could not understand why he would have a pocket watch on his flank. I had never seen anything like it before. Hm, I guess that was just an Alicorn thing. I looked away once I remembered where I was looking. “Who is this delectable morsel?” Anteras asked, rudely sticking her face into mine. “My, my, what a delicious scent you have. Good enough to eat.” Her smile showed more dagger-like teeth than I would have liked to see. A weird feeling came over me. I felt dizzy all of a sudden. I felt spiders crawling up my legs. Oh, sweet Harmony, I hated spiders! Now those bugs were crawling everywhere! Oh, get them off me! Get them off me! GETTHEMOFF!!! GETTHEMOFF!!! SOMBRA! “This is my Midnight, Anteras,” Sombra spoke, and the spiders suddenly disappeared. “She is quite precious to me.” I found Sombra’s eyes filled with adoration. It was too much. He did care. I never would have guessed it. Now I wanted to hug him. Later, though, when we got back. Anteras’s face perfectly mimicked sucking on a lemon. She did not look happy. She labored with her words. “She is precious to you?” I could be convinced it was hard for her to say that. If she called Sombra mate, then she must not like him saying that I am precious to him. Oh, well. “Very.” “Why?” She tilted her head in question. “What makes this unicorn special compared to all the rest of them? Compared to me? Am not I precious to you?” She sounded wounded while asking her question. She looked as if, had I told her the wrong answer, it would break her. Now I felt bad for the poor creature. “Anteras, you are as close to a sister to me as I am ever going to have. But I have no capacity in my heart to love you. How can one love an empty carcass? Midnight is a living soul. She is her own pony. A being like me in soul, a perfect complement to mine. A being truly capable of love and growth and maturity. She is teaching me what it is like to love somepony other than myself or Harmony. So, no, you are not as precious to me as Midnight.” A tear escaped from one onyx eye. “But, I love you.” She let her tears fall where they may. “Are you truly capable of love?” Sniffling, she wiped away her tears. She shook off the last of her sorrow and composed herself. I wouldn’t have guessed earlier that she would be distraught. Sombra was being very inconsiderate of her feelings. He should have apologized to her. “I hear you,” was all she said. Her horn flashed black. Nothing happened. I guessed it was a fluke. Then everything went dark.