//------------------------------// // 18. Nightly Stroll // Story: Sweetie's Shadow // by Note Sketch //------------------------------// The ground beneath them grew closer as Sombra slowly began to descend back down. He and Sweetie Belle had taken the fastest route to Canterlot from Ponyville: climbing straight up the mountain side. It certainly was no hard task for Sombra. Even if the slope of the mountain was vertical most of the time, he could create a crystal platform to continue his climb. With nothing but powerful jumps did he scale the mountain, jumps that only added to the filly's enjoyment. "Woohoo!" Sweetie Belle shouted out in a happy squee. Sombra did his best to ignore the screaming at his ears as he braced for the hard impact below and enveloped his hooves in black crystal. His landing was not a subtle one. The stone sidewalk underneath him broke just as the crystal casing on his limbs. Many ponies turned to look at him, some even held a face of fright as they looked over his dark presence. "Doesn't that hurt?" Sweetie Belle asked as she poked her head to the side to look at him. This drew attention to her instead and upon seeing the child on his back, calmed down and returned to their business. "That's why I cover my hooves in crystal before landing." He responded as he began to walk, looking around at all the ponies who brushed off his presence now. "Yeah, I've seen you do that a couple of times but I would have guessed it doesn't get rid of all of the impact." "Smart girl." Sombra said with a soft chuckle. "No, I still feel a little pain, but I've grown used to it." "So you do that a lot?" "I do it enough." Sombra lifted his gaze to the castle in the distance, their destination. It was a short sprint from where they were, but he would rather not draw any more attention to himself. Besides, Canterlot was quite the sight to behold. Each street was decorated with strange shops and even stranger ponies. Certainly a place of great commerce. Both he and Sweetie Belle would look around at the yellow shine of the buildings as the sunset illuminated them in a soft glow. Often she would point at something and both of them would look over and talk. It was nothing of great importance. Sometimes she would ask something like why certain ponies kept their noses up as they walked to which Sombra would answer her without hesitation. Other times it would be Sombra who asked about some new form of technology or a modern item which Sweetie Belle would happily answer. Though uneventful, the walk was nice and calm. A grand change of pace compared to every other time they had left the Boutique on their own. "Oye." Sombra began as he continued to walk to the castle. "Why are you still on my back?" "Am I heavy?" She asked as she poked her head out again. "No, just curious. The reason you've climbed onto my back before was because it was faster for me to carry you when we went from point A to point B or because it would be dangerous for you to be on your own in combat." "Well, you said that you feel drained when I'm away right?" "Yes?" "So if I'm close to you, you feel strong. When I'm riding on your back I'm as close as possible to you, so you feel the strongest." "I suppose that's one way of looking at it." Sombra said with a soft smile. Sweetie Belle responded in kind and went back to facing forward as the sound of his hooves hitting the ground was all that remained to be heard. "It's getting dark." Sweetie Belle said after a few moments. "Yes, I hope it isn't too late to ask for an audience." He said as he looked up. The Castle was now only a few meters away. The grandiose building was no less awe inspiring up close than far away. They soon came to a large gate that had two guards on duty. Both of them were pegasi with spears at their wings which they were taught to use as more flexible limbs as to compete with unicorn guards. They each gripped their weapons as they saw Sombra grow closer only to stop as he reached them. "Hello, my name is Sombra." He began with a small nod in respect of their authority. "I was wondering if perhaps I could get an audience with Princess Celestia. I have a lot to discuss with her." "S-Sombra?" One guard asked as he began to sweat nervously. "Yup, the one and only!" Sweetie Belle shouted out as she pulled her head to the side and came into view of the guards. Both of them blinked several times as they tried to see if perhaps they were hallucinating. They quickly turned to one another before looking back at the duo who seemed unfazed by the display they were showing. "Excuse us for just a moment." One of them said as he grabbed a hold of his friend and dragged him to the side. "He said his name was Sombra!" One of them said in a whispered shout. "I know! He also looks exactly as Captain Shining Armor had described the Tyrant King Sombra from a few months back." "Think it's the same guy?" They each looked back to peek at their waiting guests. Seeing them look their way, Sweetie Belle waved at them with a large smile. "The Tyrant King with a filly on his back? I don't think so." One of them said as they slowly waved back at her. "You're right. Even if it was the same guy, he wouldn't be stupid enough to came by the front gates to declare war...or whatever." Nodding at one another, they stood up straight and cleared their throats before returning to their guests. "We're sorry, but if you wish to speak to the Princess you'll have to make an appointment. You can do so at one of our many Request Offices in Canterlot. They are open Monday through Friday, nine to six." One of the guards said as he always did when somepony came looking for the Princess. "We gotta make an appointment?" Sweetie Belle asked as her ears flopped against her head. "Now now." Sombra spoke with a smile. "We mustn't go against the law here. We'll make an appointment when we want to talk to the princess. For now, let's just leave these guards to their duties, no?" "Aww, okay." With another nod to the guards, Sombra turned around and began to make his way back into town. The two pegasi couldn't help but smile as they saw them walk away. "See? That couldn't be the Tyrant King. That's just a caring father trying to have his daughter meet the princess. A good law abiding stallion." "You're right." They said as the waved good bye at the filly as Sombra turned the corner. Finally out of sight, Sweetie Belle turned to him in a confused look. "This isn't the way back home." "No, it isn't." "Where are we going?" She asked, to which Sombra turned around and smiled a devilish grin. "We're going to break the law over here." Sombra said, making Sweetie Belle smile at his specifically placed words. "What happened to making an appointment to meet the princess?" "I said we'd make one if we want to meet the Princess, I never said we'd wait to make an appointment if we wanted to just have a look around." "Oooh, sneaky sneaky." Sweetie Belle said as she braced herself for the jump Sombra was about to take. In a matter of seconds they scaled up a nearby building. Well, as nearby as possible. Canterlot Castle was placed further away from the city for obvious reasons. If a tall building was next to the Castle wall, one could easily use it to climb over. It wasn't that Sombra could not make the jump, but rather to have a better view of what he faced. "Those will be tricky." Sweetie Belle said as she point up at the pegasi flying around the castle. "They patrol to make sure no random pegasus gets too big for their wings." Sombra responded as he turned his gaze to the watchtowers were more ponies continued their vigilance. "They certainly aren't low on pony power." "How can we get in?" "If it was up to me, I would wait for a patrol to pass, climb up the wall, and turn into a shadow to remain undetected while inside." "What about me? I can't turn into a shadow!" "That's true. I suppose we could use the new benefit of our bond." Sombra said as he began to make his way back to the wall. "And what's that?" "That I'm your shadow." <=•=> With a powerful toss of his crystal, Sweetie Belle was propelled into the air in a fit of giggles. She made it well over the wall and many of the patrols took quick notice of her. "Become my shadow!" She shouted out as she grew closer to the ground. Sombra's shadow form quickly scaled the wall and slid towards the falling filly. He materialized himself just in time to have her land on his back and begin to run at full speed. The guards flew after him. Though his hooves were fast, their wings were faster. It took almost no time for them to catch up to them. Taking a sharp turn, Sombra jumped into a bush before leaping back out and continuing his gallop across the courtyard, a scene almost all of the guards were made aware off. With almost the entirety of the guards on duty on him, Sombra found himself cornered at a the outer wall. "Stop right there!" They shouted out. Sombra slowly turned around and placed his hooves up. "You're coming with us, you've got a lot of explaining to do!" One of them said as he stepped out of the crowd of guards staring at him. Much larger and built, this one seemed to be the one in charge, his smirk certainly gave it away. "Sorry." Sombra said nonchalantly. "I was told to return to somepony in thirty seconds. And that time is up." Merging into the ground as a shadow, Sombra zipped right under the guards and was out of sight before they could even blink. The once bold stallion to have ordered him to stop now stood in silence at how both confused and humiliated he was to have his prey escape him so easily. Growling slightly at himself, the other guards looked at him nervously as they began to back away from him. "What are you all waiting for?! Find him!" In a flash all of the guards dispersed to do as he had said. <=•=> "Welcome back." Sweetie Belle said as she poked her head out of the bush she had been left in while they were being chased. "Did I keep you waiting?" Sombra asked as he extended a hoof to her to help her out. "Only thirty seconds, like I told you to." She said with a grin while reaching out for his hoof. Grabbing onto her, Sombra yanked her out of the bush and onto his back. "Let's get moving. That only bought us a few minutes, if that." "I remember seeing an open window when we were being chased. Think we could use that?" Sweetie Belle asked as he pointed Sombra in the direction. "It will work perfectly." He said as he ran over to the new destination. Once there they looked up at the open window that was several stories high. With a quick glance at one another, Sombra and Sweetie Belle read each other's mind. She quickly jumped off his back like she had in the past only to land on an emerging crystal pillar. Sombra aimed it right and proceeded to toss her up like he had just a few moments prior. "Become my shadow!" She shouted with a laugh. In an instant she could once again see her shadow on the side of the building from the now rising moon. Sombra reached out from the wall and grabbed onto Sweetie Before throwing himself into the window with her back on his back. "That never gets old." Sombra chuckles as he felt Sweetie lean in against the back of his head. Had he had more time to enjoy the moment, he might have complimented her on quick reactions from earlier. She managed to stay level headed and even noticed the open window he failed to see. Yet the sound of hooves from the outside told him it was time to be on his way. Looking around the musty room, Sombra found the door out and immediately walked to it. Using his magic to open it and step out, he paused when he felt something touch his hoof. Glancing down, he saw a muffin come to a stop from its roll. He followed the path it had taken and found a dumbfounded Princess of the Moon looking at him with her mouth wide open. "Hey there." Sombra said as he waved his hoof before turning around and running away from Luna. She remained in shock for a few seconds before realizing that he was getting away. Shaking her head to break out of the shock, Luna opened her wings and took chase after him. "Return here scoundrel!" She shouted at the top of her lungs, the walls shaking as she spoke. "Is 'Hey there' the phrase you go to whenever you meet a princess?" Sweetie Belle asked as she looked back at the rage on their pursuit. "How else should I greet them?" Sombra asked as he jumped over a cart a maid was pushing down an intersecting hall. "How about, 'Hello your majesty'?" Sweetie said as she jumped off onto a nearby table, leaving Sombra to run on his own. She stayed there long enough for Luna to fly by and waved at her. The Princess was confused slightly by the filly, but shrugged her off and continued her chase. That is, until she heard those dreadful words. "Become my shadow!" Luna saw Sombra merge with the ground and skid under her as she was forced to came to a stop to turn around and change direction. What infuriated her more was seeing Sweetie Belle wave at her from Sombra's back with a gleeful smile. "Not really my thing to be so formal." Sombra said, answering her from before. "But aren't you royalty? Isn't that kind of their thing?" Sweetie Belle asked as she gestured him to make a turn. "Was. And yes, but I didn't grow up a royal." He said as he glanced back to see an angry mare. He chuckled nervously as he saw her grow closer. Quickly grabbing onto a door frame to come to a stop, Sombra pulled himself back and into the room, making Luna turn back and fail to see the butler carrying a tray of food. Hearing the loud crash, Sombra breathed normally as he turned around into the room he had pulled himself in but was met with eyes of astonishment. Princess Celestia was in the middle of drinking some tea when he had bursted in and gently put her cup down as she tried to process what she had just seen. Looking over at Sweetie Belle, Sombra cleared his throat. "Hello your Majesty." "H-Hello Sombra, how are you?" "A little preoccupied, but I have something to discuss with you. Are you free next Tuesday?" "Umm..." She began as she looked over to her assistant who shook her head 'no'. Sighing, Celestia looked back at him and spoke. "Not anymore. How about we get together for lunch?" "Sounds grand. Now if you'll excuse me, your sister wants my head." Sombra said as he walked over to another door, the one he had come in was now blocked by a chocolate covered Princess. "We shall smite thee for thine insolence!" "Bye Princess Celestia!" Sweetie Belle shouted as she and Sombra rushed out of the room. Luna quickly followed, leaving behind a trail of cake and icing. "B-Bye." Celestia said softly as she waved her hoof, sweating from the scene she had witnessed. The assistant walked closer a she scribbled down Sombra's appointment for next Tuesday and nervously spoke. "Should we get somepony?" "No. I'm sure they'll resolve their problems." "With the castle still standing I hope." "Me too..." <=•=> Luna's chase had forced Sombra and Sweetie Belle to run almost the entirety of the castle. They had made their way back down to the ground floor, all the while doing their best to evade the lunar wrath they might have accidentally let loose on themselves. "Over there!" Sweetie Belle shouted as she pointed to yet another random door. Sombra did as he was told and made his way to it, sliding under a table to continue his momentum. Opening it with his magic, he came to a stop when he realized it led further down. "What are you waiting for?" "This will lead to the basement." "And?" "You really want to go down into an old castle's basement with one of their monarchs on our tail? They might have a dungeon or a torture room or a minotaur down there." "Sombra!" They heard Luna shout as she entered the room they were in. Sombra and Sweetie glanced at one another and realized they no longer had a choice. Rushing down, Sombra began to feel as though things had suddenly taken a turn for the worst. He continued down into what seemed like a wine cellar. Much larger than any he had ever seen before, but the thing that ailed him the most was the eerie feeling he had. The sudden grasp at his mane told him Sweetie Belle felt the same. Finally they reached a dead end, though it was still quite a ways until they reached the wall, Sombra was more concerned with shifted tiles and crooked torch holders. The strange air current in the room just screamed secret entrance at him. Secret entrance, or trap door. Finally he reached the wall and turned around to face the mare. "Princess Luna, I know that this little event worsened that already bad thought of me you have, but please, let us talk this out." "Thou shalt have plenty to speak about when bound in chains." Luna growled at him. "Sure. Chains, cells, magical barriers, no me importa . Let us just get out of the basement, alright?" "Ask and it shall be so." Luna said as she finally let herself fall onto the ground. For once since she had seen Sombra, she would give her wings some rest. But as soon as he had seen that she was landing, Sombra shouted out. "We have to be careful in case there's a-" It was too late. As soon as Luna place her hooves down, she accidentally stepped on a tile that sunk in. The ground beneath them opened up making them fall in. Sombra reacted as quickly as he could. Spinning to grab onto Sweetie Belle, he wrapped his fore hooves around her as he began to aim himself at the wall. Using his magic to conjure a small spike and hold himself in place, he looked down at the filly on his free hoof. "You alright?" "Mhm." "What trickery is this?!" Luna asked as she flew close by. "No trickery, you activated a trap door. Now let's climb back up before something else-" Before Sombra could finish his sentence the loud gears turning silenced him. High above them the door that had so graciously let them in close back up, leaving them in darkness. "...Happens." Sombra said in an annoyed tone. Igniting his dark magic to spark his eyes in a blaze, he created a light source for them, though Luna wasn't too thrilled about it. She too activated her magic to light her horn and help out though they still could not see the bottom. "Think there are spikes down there?" Sombra asked out. "Highly doubt it." Luna responded. "There is but one way to find out the answer, however." She said as she glared over in Sombra's direction. "Me? But you've the wings. You're in less of a bind if there are spikes." "Thou art but a shadow." "I can't say that's not true." "Then make haste, or would thou rather stay in place whilst we await for somepony to venture into the same trap." Sombra and Luna glared at one another, their eyes locked into unspoken frustrations. Finally after getting a glance at the filly in his care, he sighed. Sombra tossed Sweetie Belle over at the mare who clumsily caught her from the surprised action. "Take care of her." He said before letting go of the spike. Both Sweetie Belle and Luna looked at one another before glancing down at where Sombra had fallen. A long moment of silence continued as they waited for something a sign of some sort that either he was dead or not. It lasted for a good minute before Luna caught sight of the smiling filly and she finally put two and two together. "Sombra resides in thine mind, correct?" "Yup." Sweetie said in a muffled laugh. "He said he fell too far down, ended up coming right back up to me." Letting out a long sigh of irritation as she was forced to fly down herself anyway. It had been true however. She slowly descended for quite a while for she could see the ground, or rather a contraption of sorts that served as the ground. Quickly breaking free of Luna's hooves, Sweetie Belle landed on the large wooden panel. "Come out!" She shouted, making her shadow move from under her and emerge as Sombra once more. "You know, I was going to come back out on my own." Sombra said as he popped his back. "Makes it easier on my bones too." "Yeah, but I wanna leave this place. You can probably break us out right?" "Do not speak such things. Sombra shall not use his dark powers in Our presence!" "Oh come on!" Sweetie shouted back. "Though I do not agree with her reasoning, I do believe it is best if we keep from breaking things." Sombra said as he stepped between the angry duo. "This place seems to be part of a large machine. Who knows what would happen if we bash the wrong wall." "Precisely. Thine magic is much too arcane. Its effects could be devastating." "Arcane?" Sweetie Belle asked as she climbed back onto Sombra. "She means mysterious or unknown." Sombra said as he began to walk down the only tunnel available to them. "Oh I get it now. Ponies are afraid of what they don't understand, right?" "Exactly." "Art thou trying to imply We are afraid of Sombra?" Luna shouted as at the filly, though her rage soon left her when she found herself alone. "W-wait for Us!" Quickly catching up to Sombra who was still leading with his flames, Sweetie Belle waved once more at Luna who only eyed her suspiciously. "Doth thou always wave at ponies?" "Only when it's for a hello or goodbye." "Was that a greeting or farewell then?" "A hello." Sweetie Belle said with her never ending glee. Sombra on the other hoof still held a serious expression as he looked for a way out. Those two simply contradicted each other in every possible way. How was it they could get along so well? "Say Luna, you know the castle right? You know how to get out?" Sombra asked as he walked. "No. We have yet to explore the entirety of the castle. We've made excellent progress. However, this underground passage is something We were not aware of." "You don't know your own castle?" Sweetie Belle asked. "This isn't Princess Luna's castle." Sombra said softly as he inspected a wall. "I mean, it wasn't for a while, but now that she's back with Princess Celestia, they share the castle right?" "The castle isn't Celestia's either." "Correct. As the Royal Alicorns of Equestria, we had our own castle in the Everfree forest. This one was given to Our sister...after We destroyed ours." "You mean when you turned into Nightmare Moon right?" "...Correct." Luna said as she rubbed one of her fore hooves. Ashamed to even admit it, she took a step back and lowered her head. Sombra, getting what he needed from the wall, looked back and found her in a moment of weakness. "It's hard isn't it?" Sombra asked as he began to walk again. "When ponies have a certain mindset of you because of your actions but they don't even bother to hear your side of the story." Luna remained silent as she finally realized what it was he was hinting at. Looking up at him, she waited for him to continue whatever he was going to say. She expected him to call her a hypocrite, yet he remained quiet. After a moment, he began to walk down the tunnel again. Hesitantly, Luna followed with a heavy heart. The quietness around the two was eerie. Neither spoke, just walked side by side. Sweetie shifted her gaze back and forth between the two. Perhaps the one feeling the most of the awkwardness was her. "So...umm." Sweetie began. "Yes?" Both Sombra and Luna answered, though after a brief glance at one another, returned their gaze at the path ahead. "You're both royalty right?" Sweetie Belle said as she thought of a random question to keep the silence from returning. "And you're both from a thousand years ago. So why does only Princess Luna talk in that loud self plural voice thingy?" "I already told you, I wasn't born a royal so I was never taught the Royal We." "It was a formal tone of speaking for Us. We spoke in a thundering roar to show our omnipotence and grace. That...might no longer be the case at the present. We- I am still having trouble adjusting, though I am making progress." "You might not have noticed, but she only spoke in the Royal We when around me." Sombra said as he came to a fork in the road. "She was simply trying to intimidate me like Royals did back then." "Thou art- were a villain." "I never once questioned it Luna. I knew full well what your intentions were." Sombra said as he placed a hoof to his chin. He remained still as he tried to decided which one would be the best route to take. Sweetie Belle pointed to the left tunnel, likely a random pick, but he rolled with it and began to walk towards it. "Thou doth not resent Us?" Luna asked, though after a soft glare from Sweetie Belle, rephrased herself. "I mean, you don't blame me?" "No. I don't blame anypony for what decision they make. Obviously they thought it the best thing to do at the time." "Mister Sombra is very understanding." Sweetie said as she shifted her position on Sombra's back to face Luna. "I think you might like him if you give him the chance." "Is that so?" She asked as she looked back at him. She was still having trouble trusting him, but up until now, he had yet to fight back even though many could simply call it self defense. "But just so you know, if you want to date him, there's a long line." Sweetie Belle said, instantly making Luna blush at the thought. "What art thou saying?!" She shouted as she looked away. The filly pouted slightly at hearing her use the Royal We again, but calmed down when Sombra turned to talk to her. "Don't worry, I think it's her way of coping with certain situations." "Thine implications deserve punishment of the worst kind!" Luna shouted out again making Sweetie Belle giggle. "She's right you know." Sombra said with a smile. "There are few things worse than being bound to a relationship to her." "Thou art an insolent fool!" Luna shouted as the feathers in her wings ruffled up. Sweetie Belle couldn't help but laugh. Things suddenly weren't so awkward anymore. For her at least.