//------------------------------// // Quartz Has No Guise // Story: Sombra Dislikes Crystals // by The Apologetic Pony //------------------------------// ‘What?’ Sombra stumbled over his words. ‘Are you picking a fight?’ ‘No, no, I was joking honestly.’ ‘Oh, that’s alright then.’ Tinker said smiling. Sombra was left in the dangerous position where he didn’t know if that had just been another joke or not. It was rather intimidating. Tinker’s house was full of happy creatures, haired and feathered alike. Everyone made sure to keep each other laughing and the guests were gifted overly enthusiastic welcomes, Sombra included. There was a griffin lounging about, for reasons unclear, but she seemed friendly enough. She just grunted when Sombra said hi. It wasn’t a dismissive grunt though. Once they’d settled into his room, Sombra asked when Tinker’s Dad was going to come round. ‘Few minutes, I dunno. Want some drink in the mean time?’ ‘Woah, they let you have that stuff, Tinker?’ Tinker raised an eyebrow and tilted his head, puzzled by Sombra’s surprise. ‘What? It’s just beer, dude. It’s nothing else, relax. Your oldies stuck up about that sorta thing or something?’ ‘Sorta...’ ‘Enjoy then, I know I did.’ The can was chilly in his hooves. ‘Watcha waiting for? Drink it.’ Tinker said. Still hesitant, Sombra put the metal to his lips... and spat the beverage out, now lewdly smeared across the marble floor. ‘Shit huh? Sorry, didn’t think it wasthat bad.’ The colt was too embarrassed to be taken aback by the cuss. Inconveniently enough, somepony opened the door before they’d managed to clean the floor. ‘What’s this Tinker? Have you been shoving poison down our guest’s throat again?’ ‘No no, it was nothing like that.’ Sombra said. ‘You can tell me you know, he’s done it before.’ ‘No really, I was just curious. He didn’t force me or anything like that.’ ‘Promise?’ ‘Promise.’ ‘Father, this is the colt I was talking about.’ ‘Oh so you’re the one?’ the parent asked. ‘You make me sound special.’ ‘Well if Tinker over here is telling the truth then you are special. What’s the name?’ ‘Sombra.’ ‘Just Sombra?’ ‘Yeah.’ ‘Dramatic. Come see me soon, Tinker’ll take you.’ Tinker said nothing. ‘Wont you, Tinker?’ ‘Yes, father.’ he said, making his reluctance gratingly apparent. The door closed shut. ‘Seriously, man how do you drink that stuff? No offense but...’ said Sombra. ‘Well you know what they say.’ ‘What do they say?’ ‘A drunk mind speaks a sober heart.’ ‘...That’s stupid.’ ‘Fuck you.’ ‘Yeah right, now you’re just pretending to be drunk.’ ‘You got me.’ Sombra asked about why he was going to see Tinker’s father specifically, and Tinker went on to explain that his father had vigorously studied the conventional magic arts. ‘Didn’t you notice his cutiemark?’ ‘Not really.’ ‘It’s a wand. Which is strange really since we don’t need wands for magic. Never gotten that. Can I ask you something?’ ‘Sure.’ ‘What’s yours? I mean, it looks kinda cool and all but I don’t know what it is.’ ‘Oh you mean my cutiemark?’ ‘Course I mean your cuteimark, dummy.’ ‘I don’t know.’ ‘Eh? How does that work?’ ‘Well you don’t know what it means do you, and neither do I. I was only eating when I got it.’ ‘That’s weird.’ ‘It’s called Undefined Talent Syndrome.’ Tinker giggled. ‘What?’ ‘Sombra it’s just that you’re such a nerd!’ ‘I am?’ ‘Totally, dude. You know whatever that name thingy was and you hate beer and you’ve hardly drunk any booze at all!’ This time Sombra was the colt blushing, though Tinker didn’t seem to notice. ‘Don’t get me wrong, it’s cute but like, you might wanna be aware of it. Lots of mares are into nerds!’ Tinker finished his beer before finally taking Sombra to another room. Tinker’s father was a fairly pale stallion, who seemed to be an easy going fellow, more so than his son. ‘Ah there you are! What took you two so long?’ ‘Beer.’ Tinker said. Following his father’s instructions, Tinker left the other two alone in the cramped, paper ladened space. The father, (whose name Sombra still didn’t know) tentatively asked Sombra to perform any kind of magic he wanted that didn’t involve manipulating his own aura. ‘You think I know a spell that can change my aura? That’s professor level stuff!’ ‘Only trying to cover all the bases.’ Sombra easily urged a few sparks into existence. ‘Sorry, I’d prefer something a bit more prolonged. I want to examine your aura you see, and a few milliseconds isn’t long enough for an old stallion like me.’ He put on some glasses. ‘You’re not old.’ ‘Why thank you!’ He smiled as he said it, making Sombra think that leaching praise was his intention from the start. Only one easily prolonged spell came to his mind: levitation. Feeling bold, he magically yoinked the glasses off the muzzle of the stallion, into space. ‘Thankfully my eyesight isn’t bad enough for me to tell that it is a... unusual colour for an aura, Sombra. I’ve seen many in my time, but none of them any darker than rouge.’ The glasses twitched in the air. ‘That’s what everypony says, that it’s too dark, that it isn’t meant to be black. And the unicorns say it feels different, magic wise.’ ‘Now now I wouldn’t say it’s too dark like it’s a bad thing. You’re clearly perfectly healthy. But, Sombra, can I ask you something a bit personal?’ ‘Err, sure.’ ‘Do you like using your magic?’ The glasses began to slowly rotate. ‘I think I’m... indifferent towards it. I’ve never really thought about it.’ ‘I see. It’s only because there may be some truth to your aura being different beyond a superficial level. There are two.. how can I say? I’ll call them distinctive features. There are two distinctive features I’m seeing here, Sombra, not that I mean to say that they’re bad, of course! I’ll try to keep this brief, I know tend to bore people if I go on for too long about these sorts of things.’ ‘No no it’s alright, take your time. I’ve been curious for a long time.’ Sombra let the glasses fall back onto the face of their owner. Tinker’s father went on to explain that while Sombra appeared to be performing just a simple levitation spell, it lacked many of the signature features of a levitation spell. It didn’t use the same amount of energy, judging by Sombra’s effortless upkeep of the spell for over two minutes, and reversed the normal order of the processes of the spell. The magic lifted the glasses before it strengthened itself, instead of the standard vice-versa. ‘So what, it’s just a different way of doing the same thing?’ ‘I’d think so, but there’s something else, which may well be just me. I hope you don’t mistake me, you’re aura and levitation method are very interesting to me, but I find myself somewhat repulsed.’ ‘Repulsed?’ ‘ As in... Again I mean this with the utmost respect, but it scares and disgusts me. I find something unbearably thick and heavy about it. Do remember that it’s my personal impression, there’s no apparent objectivity in this point.’ ‘But you’ve seen hundreds of auras before haven’t you?’ ‘I’m only proficient at studying, not performing. And I’m only one unicorn.’ ‘Are you two done with your orgy yet?’ Tinker interrupted, peeking his head through the door. ‘Where did you get that one from, my son?’ ‘Where did I get it from? Hah! It’s oldschool, Dad!’ ‘We’ll be a few minutes.’ Tinker took great effort in closing the door as slowly as possible. ‘Pedophilia humor is oldschool? I really must be getting old!’ ‘Is he always like that?’ asked Sombra. ‘Only when there’s guests around, he wants to irritate me.’ Sombra chuckled. ‘Is your cuitemark magic orientainted?’ ‘Gosh I’m sick of explaining it.’ ‘I’ll be quiet then. I suggest you see somepony more qualified than me; I can get you in touch with one if you want.’ ‘I’ll think about it.’ ‘Haha alright then. Just let me or Tinker know if you do. Very pleasant meeting you, Sombra.’ ‘You too, mister...’ ‘Oh how rude of me!’