"Will you help?" Twilight asked as she pushed the papers she had brought towards him. "I just can't make heads or tails of any of it."
Sombra quickly glanced over the writing. It was a list of items that were stolen and a description of who and where it was stolen from. It was a very thorough report of her findings. He skimmed through it quickly before sighing.
"And tell me." He began as his crimson eyes slid across the paper before looking up at Twilight. "Why should I help?"
"Umm, pardon?" Twilight asked, the question taking her by surprise.
"Take a moment to think about who it is you're asking hmm?" Sombra said as he continued to read on. "Have you forgotten that you and your friends killed me? I am dead. What would it matter to me if these robberies continue?"
"Huh?" Twilight only asked back, the entire conversation caught her completely off guard and couldn't think of a proper response. "But, you're the one who first realized something was wrong to begin with!"
"Yes. And I told you about it, no? I've done my 'lawful duty'. I am not part of this realm. My time ended, had I not been here Dice would have gone on with his thieving anyway. I simply gave you a helping hoof to give you and edge. But like I said, it doesn't really concern me. Why should I help?"
An awkward silence passed as Sombra read on. Twilight remained with her mouth open as she tried to respond. Rarity, whom was quietly spectating felt the atmosphere around them tense up, though mostly on her friend's side. Sombra was as calm and despite his talk, was reading through everything laying in from of him like if he had some intention of helping anyway. Clearing her throat, she shuffled in her seat as she drank the tea she had brought in for her and her guests.
"Morning Rarity, hi Twilight. Whatcha all doing?" Sweetie Belle asked as she ran down the stairs to their location. Getting a hoof gesture from Sombra to acknowledge her presence, he turned to another page and read further.
"Twilight is visiting in regard to an acquaintance we have in common." Sombra said as he finally put the papers down and levitated his tea to his mouth to take a drink.
"Is that polite for 'none of your business'?" She asked as she jumped onto a nearby seat. Sensing her curiosity, Sombra pushed the papers he was already done reading to her and she quickly mimicked him and lifted the paper to skim it.
"Read for yourself." He responded with a chuckle.
"G-Good morning Sweetie Belle." Twilight said as she forced a smile to try to forget the awkwardness of a moment ago. In her dark guardian's fashion, Sweetie waved her hoof in an acknowledging gesture and continued reading.
"Really Sweetie Belle, one would think you two are related with how alike you act." Rarity said as she placed her tea down and made her way to her sister. She proceeded to groom what small details she had overlooked while getting ready in the morning, no doubt she rushed her routine considering the abrupt awakening she had this morning.
"I learn a lot from Mister Sombra." Sweetie said as she was forced to put her pages down. "Like, I learned the curse word in Spanish!"
Instantly the mare shot a glare at Sombra who could only sigh and glance away from the piercing look. Not looking directly at her, he responded as he placed his reading material down.
"It's not a 'curse word'. It's a word that literally means 'curse'." He explained , finally saving him of the daggers Rarity was shooting out of her eyes. Though still not completely satisfied with the answer, she took a deep breath and returned her gaze at her sister.
"Yeah, maldición." Sweetie Belle said with a smile. Her grin made the old bandage on her cheek partially pull off, revealing her healing wound.
"Well, it's nice to see that your little cut is healed up, for the most part." Rarity said as she pulled the rest of the small bandage off her sister's cheek. "Come now Sweetie Belle, let's wash it up and put a fresh band aid on."
"Awww." Sweetie said as she hopped off the chair. "But I wanted to be part of the meeting!"
"Maybe when you're a big pony."
"I am a big pony!"
Twilight smiled as she saw the sisters walk off, no doubt it was Rarity's way of getting out of the awkward air about them. Sombra on the other hoof had a deep frown on his face as he was reminded of the cut that appeared on Sweetie Belle. Gently placing his hoof against his cheek where his own wound used to be, he turned to Twilight.
"Thought of an answer yet?"
"Umm, I can't say I have. Sorry, I just wasn't expecting you to ask something like that." Twilight said in a reluctant sigh. "But you're right. I should thank you for even helping at all. It certainly isn't in Evil Tyrant fashion to help out, but you did anyway."
"I am evil." Sombra said as he drank some tea again. It was a short statement that left more to be desired. Twilight herself wrinkled her brows as she tried to understand his weird actions, or rather lack thereof. It was the same tone he had used each other time he had proclaimed himself as such, but only not had she noticed the small details of his eyes as he said it. They seemed apathetic. Not in the sense that he was evil and didn't care, rather, that he didn't care that he said he was evil.
His actions thus far told a different story. He's been helpful, almost honorable at times. Yet when the subject was brought up, he said otherwise. He wasn't stating a fact when he says that. He's trying to convince others he is. Perhaps even try to convnice himself.
"Ready?" A voice called out from behind them. As they turned to look, Sweetie Belle was eagerly waiting for them to finish.
"Ready for what?" Sombra asked as he stood, a soft smile upon his face that completely erased his stoic expression from just a few seconds ago. "I thought there wasn't any school on Saturdays."
"There isn't, but I wanted to go hang out with my friends." Sweetie said as she began to walk out, Sombra quickly following behind her. The routine was already set. Where she went, he went as well, no questions asked. Though this time it was less forced than before.
"There they go." Rarity said as she joined her friend at the table. "My, how different things are since Sombra had arrived."
"Yeah, can't believe it's been less than a week since he's been here." Twilight said as she slumped on her seat and used her magic to gather her paperwork. "He's so different than when we first met."
"If you mean that he's not trying to kill us for killing him, then I suppose you're right." Rarity said as she stirred her tea, remixing it since it had been sitting a while. "Though I would have Sweetie Belle to thank for that."
"Really?"
"Did you hear what happened with two nights ago?"
"When Luna was 'kidnapped'?"
"Yes. A while back Sweetie Belle had commanded Sombra not to kill anypony." The white mare said as she finally drank from her cup.
"That would have been the first thing I would have done in her hooves."
"Except that it only applies to ponies." Rarity said with a wink. Twilight's expression, though confused at first, lit up in astonishment as she placed two and two together. "Still, I can't say I truly understand him. That stallion is like a shadow filled with enigmas."
<=•=>
"You did all of that?!" Sweetie Belle shouted as she threw her fore hooves up in the air in surprise. Sombra, who was walking rather calmly while carrying her on his back like usual, twitched his head slightly because of her loud scream.
"Yes. Last night was quite the adventure."
"Why wasn't I invited?!" She said as she squinted her eyes at him, all the while she pouted for her exclusion.
"You can't exactly dream walk like Luna can, can you?" Sombra asked as he raised a brow.
"Well... no."
"Then there was no point."
Though she wasn't really satisfied with that response, Sweetie couldn't exactly complain further. He was right, she couldn't help anyway. Not that she was happy about it. It only deepened the guilt from the night prior about being unable to return his kindness towards her.
"So you're going to continue digging through your memories?" She asked softly as she pressed her head against Sombra's soft mane.
"Whenever Luna allows it." He responded with a shrug. "I hate to admit it, but it's obvious that without her I run huge risks."
"Yeah... I heard you scream in your sleep."
"Is that why you were in my room this morning?" Sombra asked as he turned his head towards her. She only nodded in response. "Perdón. I'm sure you were worried then."
The rest of the trip was rather quiet. Their destination was the Crusader's club house and they were well over half way there. The town had already gotten used to seeing Sombra and Sweetie Belle, not that they did a very good job at keeping him hidden. Still, considering that only the Element Bearers, the Royal Sisters, and the Crystal Ponies know how Sombra looked like, there was really no point in hiding him.
With a few short greetings, Sombra would use his happy persona to blend in as much as he could out of habit, certainly making the duo much more approachable. Very few ponies didn't know of Sweetie Belle since she constantly spoke to ponies she saw on the streets. Her involvement in the Cutie Mark Crusades only made her more infamous. Sombra's kind 'guidance' was a welcomed addition as far as the town's folk was concerned.
"There it is!" Sweetie Belle shouted as she pointed her hoof forward.
"I can see it." He replied as he felt the filly pull at his mane in an unneeded attempt to get his attention. "You and your friends meet here all the time?"
"Most of the time. It's where we come to think of ideas for ways to find our cutie marks!"
"Hey look!" A voice from the tree house shouted. Scootaloo had opened the window just in time to see the duo walk towards club house. "Sweetie Belle brought Mister Sombra!" She said as Applebloom joined her by the window frame. Together they waved at them and Sweetie returned the gesture.
Once close enough the filly jumped off of her guardian and ran inside to finally greet her friends. Sombra remained outside for a moment. Mostly because he wanted to brace himself for what was to come. If he knew one thing, it was that spending time with these fillies was usually a bad idea and reeked of ill outcomes.
"Hurry up inside!" Sweetie shouted as she looked out the window towards Sombra. "Let me show you around!"
<=•=>
"Any luck with Dice?" Rarity asked as she walked back into the living room to check up on her friend. She was still using the entirety of the table to read over all the things she observed and took notes over.
"No..." Twilight said hesitantly as she lifted her head. As she did, the rapid fire sound of her bones popping were heard. Her eyes shot open as a nerve was pinched in the wrong place and she quickly froze in both pain and shock. This only got a soft chuckle from Rarity as she made her way to her.
"Well, feel free to stay as long as you'd like if it helps you."
"Thanks." Twilight replied as she placed a hoof to her back, trying to straighten her composure. "The new castle is nice and all, but it gets rather lonely in there when it's just me and Spike."
"What you need are servants, Darling."
"No no, I'm alright." She said as she waved her hoof to reject the mere idea. "Besides, I enjoy visiting you. You make the best tea."
"You're much too kind." Rarity said as she sat next to her friend. "But we both know you came this morning because you wanted Sombra's help."
"Can't really deny that." Twilight said, looking away in slight embarrassment. "I was really not expecting him to turn me down like that."
"He is a Tyrant after all." Rarity joked, though it soon caught a rather serious look from the princess.
"Sure, but that doesn't explain his strange behavior."
"Strange?"
"Well, when we first met he tried to kill us."
"Because we kinda killed him." Rarity excused, gesturing her hoof on Sombra's behalf.
"But then he turns around and helps when Sweetie Belle calls for him. Like, even the smallest of requests! But if anypony other than her asks something him, he flat out rejects them."
"Are you jealous of a filly?" Rarity teased with a slight smile.
"What? No! I'm just finding his behavior odd is all!" Twilight shouted in a light blush. "Besides, it's a little unnerving that we know next to nothing about him."
"Well I think Princess Luna might know a little more." Rarity said as she stood up and began to head back to her work room. "They seemed rather friendly yesterday. Considering their...rough beginnings."
"Really?" Twilight asked out softly, her friend was already out of earshot but she continued her talk. "Maybe I should go talk to her then."
<=•=>
"And with that I conclude this Cutie Mark Crusader meeting!" Applebloom shouted as she finally stepped down from the podium.
"I can't believe our sister branch in Manehattan has had so much luck with their cutie marks!" Scootaloo said in excitement as she turned to Sweetie, the only other member in the audience.
"They are in a city. One of the largest cities in Equestria to top it off. It makes sense that they would have more resources and members than us." Sweetie Belle said as she placed a hoof to her chin. "Once we get our own cutie marks there won't be any more members in need of our help."
"There's Dinky." Applebloom said as she sat down to join her friends. "And Firelock. And Pipsqueak and Aura and Key Lime and Butto-"
"We get it, there are lots of other Blank Flanks, but none of them are part of our club!" Scootaloo said in annoyance.
"Well that don't mean we can't help anyway!"
"Shhhhh!" Sweetie hushed her friends. They both looked back at her in surprise but she quickly diverted their attention to the currently sleeping stallion in the corner of the club.
With his back on the wall and his hooves folded over his chest, Sombra slept peacefully. He let out a soft snore every once in a while, but for the most part he was quiet and undisturbed by the fillies. Sweetie Belle grabbed a hold of her friends and pulled them away before whispering to them.
"Try to be a little quiet."
"Wow, I didn't notice him even fall asleep." Scootaloo said as she looked back at him. He nodded forward slowly before lifting his head back up and repeating the process in his fight to stay sitting up right.
"Guess he didn't find our meeting very interestin'."
"He just had a rough night. He was up with Princess Luna looking for clues on his past I heard." Sweetie clarified.
"You went to Canterlot last night again?!" The Earth Pony and Pegasus asked out, angry they might have been left out of another adventure. Sweetie quickly shushed them again, making them crouch and turn to look at Sombra to see if he had awakened.
"No, she did that dream walking thing she does."
"She entered Mister Sombra's dream?"
"That's what he told me."
"Think she's in his dream now?"
"Who knows." Sweetie said as she quietly began to make her way to the bag she brought with her. Shuffling though the stuff she had placed inside, she quickly pulled out a small black crystal. "But that gives me time to show you this!"
Her friends quickly surrounded her to look at the rather curious item. They tilted their heads and furrowed their brows as they tried to make sense of it.
"What is it?" Scootaloo was the first to ask.
"Hard to tell right now, but it's a necklace!"
"Where'd ya get it?"
"I made it."
"But how?"
"Magic." She stated blunted. Seeing as it was not a very good explanation, she decided to give a little presentation and stood up.
Her friends watched her intently as she walked into the center of the room. Shutting her eyes and focusing her magic, she began to let out small purple embers from her eyes and soon a small crystal began to sprout in front of her.
"Woah!" Applebloom and Scootaloo said in awe as they crouched down to take a closer look at the crystal. "It's just like Mister Sombra's!"
"Shhhh!" Sweetie Belle shushed again.
"Sorry." Applebloom apologized with an embarrassed smile. With a much softer voice, she began to inspect the crystal again. "When ya learn to do this?"
"Saw Mister Sombra do it a couple of times and that one time he pushed our plane to the cliff, he used my horn as a medium instead of his." She replied with a proud grin.
"Medium?" Scootaloo asked.
"Umm, he couldn't use his own horn and used mine instead?" Sweetie tried to explain. "He still used his own magic, but since he was my shadow at the time, he didn't have a body to use to cast the spell. So I learned the feeling of the spell without having to cast it myself."
"So can ya do all the awesome stuff he can?"
"No..." Sweetie said, her pride dying down a little. "I don't have nearly as much magic as Mister Sombra. I can barely do this much. Still, I've gotten better each time I've used it, so I guess I'll be able to over time."
"That's so awesome!"
Sweetie belle pouted at the sound Scootaloo made in her excitement, though it seemed like Sombra was a rather deep sleeper anyway, so it didn't bother him at all. Her attention was instead focused on Applebloom who was still taking a close look at both the crystal that just sprouted and the carving Sweetie had brought.
"So whatcha gonna do with this?" She asked as she grabbed a hold of the shard carving.
"I wanted to carve a chess piece out of it, but my hooves aren't hard enough to do that."
"Duh. It's crystal. You need like a pick axe." Scootaloo said as she snatched the carving away. "Still, you made quite a dent on it."
"Where there's a will, there's a way." Sweetie said with a smile.
"Why don't you ask him then?"
"Ask who? Mister Sombra?" Sweetie asked, completely appalled by the question. "It's supposed to be a surprise!"
"No, I meant the will part."
"Will?"
"The Minotaur that brought you to school yesterday, Iron Will!"
"I think you mean Iron Wall." Scootaloo corrected.
"What's the difference?"
"Apart that his name is wrong. Iron Will is Fluttershy's friend." Sweetie Belle said as she took back her carving and placed it in her saddle bag. "Iron Wall's brother."
"Iron Will and Iron Wall are siblings?"
"Shoulda' seen that one comin'."
Giggling to herself, Sweetie Belle levitated the saddle bag and let it drop over her, quickly putting it on and begining to make for the exit. "Come on girls."
"Where we going?" Scootaloo asked as she began to follow."
"Into town, I need a chisel."
"Shouldn't we, uh, wake up Mister Sombra?" Applebloom asked as she too, reluctantly began to follow suit. This made Sweetie Belle stop in her tracks. She looked over at her guardian and began to ponder what to do.
"Well I don't want to wake him up, I mean he does seem a little tired after all."
"Ain't he gonna' just teleport back to ya if ya get too far away anyway?"
"But that would sorta hurt him..." Sweetie said softly as she continued to think. A smile soon spread over her face as she thought of a simple solution. "King Sombra, sleep until you're satisfied and then come find me if I'm not around!"
At once both Sweetie Belle and Sombra were illuminated by glowing markings of light that suddenly appeared on their bodies. It was a direct command using his title, so it override some aspects of the binding's contracts. For this one, Sweetie believed it was just the distance barrier.
"That should do it."
"What was that?!"
"I really have to catch you all up to speed." Sweetie Belle said as she walked by them and out into the field. Her friends were quick to follow but even faster to bombard her with questions. Somehow, all the attention was rather enjoyable for the filly, the smile on her face only proving it.
Sweetie did her best to answer everything, but she did more to give them the entire story of her misadventures with Sombra. All but the parts she didn't know of course. This morning was the first time she had even heard that he had memories locked away, so obviously there were more things going on than she was aware of. By the time she told the story up until current events, they had already reached town where they made their way to the tool shop.
"So he can't remember anything?" Applebloom asked as she walked to Sweetie's right.
"I don't think it's everything, just stuff from before he was king. It's was he says anyway."
"So the Crystal Empire had a king? How'd Princess Cadence become the royal there then?" Scootaloo asked out. It was yet another question she didn't have the complete answer, or rather two answers that didn't match up very well.
"Mister Sombra said he was...um, killed. That Princess Cadence took over after that."
"Oh, that explains a few things. Who killed him?"
Sweetie Belle came to a stop and looked at the ground. She remained in deep thought, unwilling to actually let the words come out of her mouth. She didn't want to admit the facts of the matter, didn't want to believe that her sister would commit such an act.
"Rarity and the others did it." She said meekly.
"They what?!"
"Mister Sombra was labeled 'Tyrant', and he became the bad guy of the history books. Like always, Twilight and everypony else were sent to get rid of the bad guys and well..." Sweetie Belle took a few steps forward and then began to dig at the ground. "I can't believe my sister would do something like that."
"Applejack said that the umm, 'monster' at the Crystal Empire was destroyed by the Crystal Heart and the love of the Crystal Ponies." Applebloom stated, giving her sister's own version of the story.
"And who activated the Crystal Heart?" Sweetie retorted, a hint of anger and frustration in her voice. "Both our sisters knew what that would do to the...'monster'." She finished with a large amount of emphasis on that last word. It was all too clear she hated how Sombra had been addressed.
"I know you're attached to Mister Sombra." Scootaloo interrupted. "Literally actually, but Rainbow Dash and the others are usually right about these sort of things."
"Really?" Sweetie asked as she shifted her attention to her friend. "Cause I heard all the stories too. Nightmare Moon was forgiven and turned back in Princess Luna. Discord was reformed. Chrysalis was blasted away to a far away land. And Tirek was imprisoned. Why was Mister Sombra the only one to get... killed?"
Sweetie's voice began to waver more and more, and soon less words and more emotion was heard escaping her lips. It was difficult for her to believe anypony would accept that killing was a possible solution to a problem. Even Sombra himself wanted to kill somepony else more than once. Had she not stopped him, how many would he have killed? Then again, how many ponies had her own sister killed? For all she knew, she could be keeping more murders a secret. The only reason she even knew of this one was because she accidentally summoned the victim.
"A-Are you okay?" Scootaloo asked as she and Applebloom began to come closer to their friend.
"Ya sound...agitated." Applebloom said, trying to be subtle with how to describe her strange behavior.
"I'm okay...I'm okay." Sweetie Belle said as she began to steady her breathing. "I just needed to rant a little, let it out, you know?"
"How long have you been holding that in?"
"A while. I just don't want to believe that...that..." Sweetie's speech began to trail off as her eyes began to shift to the side of her friends. Because of the habit instilled into her, she had looked over at the environment around her and noticed a particular detail. "Is that Mister Rain Cloud's house?"
"Uh, yes?" Applebloom answered as she turned to look where her friend was staring at.
"Why?" Scootaloo finished for her.
"Cause this morning I read some interesting things about some new guy in town." Sweetie Belle said as she began to walk towards the house.
"The gamble guy? Yeah, word spread fast about him. What was his name, Spice?"
"Dice." Scootaloo corrected again.
"Twilight's notes said that this guy had stolen a lot of weird items around town. Mister Rain Cloud had a particularly weird item stolen from him."
"What was it?"
"An old Crystal Sculpture he had bought in a visit to the Crystal Empire. Apparently it had been bought and sold many times over, even having been part of the Crystal Empire's Castle at one point."
"That's all fasinatin' and all, but why are ya so interested in it."
"Well, you know how they say you should bring old stuff from a pony's past to a pony with amnesia? That it helps them remember?"
"Yeah?"
"I think that if we get it back, give it to Mister Sombra, he might be able to remember more!" Sweetie Belle shouted with a smile, the strange mood she had been in just a few moments ago completely gone. Or perhaps she was trying to mask her own emotions with another quest.
"So ya want us to steal somethin' back from what I'm guessin' is a professional thief just to see if it triggers a flashback to Mister Sombra?"Applebloom asked, her brow raised in a doubtful stare. "Do ya realize how dangerous that is?"
"When had that ever stopped us before?" Sweetie Belle asked with a laugh before running off ahead.
"Touché." Applebloom finished in an accepting nod. She was quickly nudged by her friend.
"Come on, AB. It sounds like fun!" Scootaloo said before she too ran ahead. Though she was still a little worried about the situation, things couldn't get that out of hoof. If anything bad happened, they could manage it on their own. Right?
...Right?