//------------------------------// // Dedicated To A Proper Grim Clinohumite // Story: Sombra Dislikes Crystals // by The Apologetic Pony //------------------------------// Robyn was thoroughly reassured by Sombra and Luna that all was well. He had a slightly awkward way of telling her that not every single one of Luna's words were true, but she wasn’t too phased. Luna wasn’t bothered either, but she’s not bothered by anything is she? She is, by just a few things, but social interactions isn’t one of them. ‘Do you want to see the place Luna has so kindly given us?’ Robyn asked, unworried, with all the drama over. ‘Yeah, it’s not far is it?’ ‘Not at all.’ Robyn said. Luna looked miffed for just an instant, though Sombra was the only one to notice. She’s not jealous is she? ‘I’m going to go back to sleep if you two don’t mind, it’s far too early for me to be up.’ ‘Did you wake her, Robyn?’ ‘Yeah at first.’ Sombra looked at his marefriend. ‘Sorry.’ With Luna off to bed, Robyn took her son to see her new home. It was rather unremarkable, at least for Sombra. He’d expected something opulent, and though it was still several rooms larger than their old one, it was just a house really. The furniture was all brand new and comfortable, but the whole space felt soulless. What in Equestria was this place before? Ask Luna. Maybe it’s because Robyn hasn’t brought everything over yet? ‘I was thinking of having it painted.’ Robyn said. ‘Oh already? I guess it is a bit grey.’ ‘Yeah, light blue perhaps.’ ‘Do you like it?’ asked Sombra. ‘Doesn’t feel like it’s been lived in before, and the furniture’s all new as you’ve probably seen, but the space is good. Really high ceilings too... It’ll be a lot better in in a month or two.’ ‘What do you think it was before?’ You know your mother isn’t Luna, don’t you, Sombra? Yeah I do, we’ve been over this already anyway haven’t we? ‘No, though not a home obviously. You should ask Luna!’ See? Even she thinks you should ask Luna. ‘Yeah, I should.’ Sombra spent the rest of the day wandering around Canterlot alone, trying to find the places he’d been to when he’d arrived too early for Luna’s lesson that one time. And he did find most of them, which was nice enough, I suppose. It wasn’t so nice realising that he wouldn’t be able to look outside his window to see if some exceedingly rare bird was there or not. You do get to look on your bed to see if a certain pony’s there. Yeah, and not remember what happened the night before... Oh shit I’m cold. He’d been sitting on a bench long enough for his sides to get a bit stiff, and it was just starting to drizzle too. No wonder you’re cold. Fortunately, it was late enough so that Luna’d be awake, probably. God your thinking is so predictable sometimes. Feeling mildly frustrated at nothing in particular, Sombra walked back to the palace, his less than dry mane drawing a few looks from the guards. He got frustrated at that too. Calm me down please, Luna. He found her standing in the garden, which happened to be the place he went to first, for some reason. It’d stopped raining completely when he got there. ‘Evening.’ Sombra said, in a low pitch. ‘Morning!’ ‘Sleep well?’ ‘Didn’t get enough of it, with taking care of you and all that, but I’m okay. I’m not my sister, so there’s nopony that’ll care too much, except maybe you?’ ‘Well no, as long you’re okay.’ ‘I’m better than okay now that you’re here!’ ‘Aha.’ Sombra let out a small sigh. ‘Thanks for the house by the way, it doesn’t really look much like a house, though. I mean the outside could be one, but it doesn’t feel like one, like at all. What was it?’ ‘What it was before it was for you? Or your mother, rather.’ ‘Yeah.’ ‘Um... a jewellers.’ ‘Are you actually that bad at lying?’ ‘I’m a social pony Som-bra, leave the rest to Celestia.’ ‘So what was it?’ I’m really not fucked to play games. Luna seemed a bit disappointed. ‘I don’t know, I just asked Tia to find a place that was nearby the palace. I assumed she’d have chosen something residential, but perhaps not.’ Sombra didn’t reply, looking at the grass. ‘Why so glum?’ ‘I don’t know.’ ‘That’s often how it goes. Lets sit down already.’ And she did, right there on the grass. Sombra was fairly amused, but it wasn’t quite enough to get him to smile. He sat down too, it was a little damp. ‘I don’t know how phoenixes manage it sometimes, Som-bra.’ ‘Manage what?’ ‘Not killing themselves.’ ‘Huh?’ ‘Some of them have been around longer than I have, and their lives must be so dull. I mean, I don’t want to alarm you, but inevitably I’ve considered it at times. Not out of sadness, but the world is just so overwhelming sometimes, you just wonder wouldn’t it be easier to not be? And then you run your horn against the brick wall of, these ponies care about me, that would hurt them terribly, I can’t do it.’ ‘You’re not...’ ‘No, I’m not considering it at the moment, Som-bra. Don’t treat me like I’m wallowing in self-pity, or that I need your help. I’m the teacher here, haha. But they’re calculations, Sombra, all the emotions, considering a rope and chair, perception of everything. Just treat them as what they are, and you win. Everything becomes separable, and changeable to whatever value you want it to be. And that’s a calculation too, just the one that involves the least numbers.’ ‘Sounds like I should get a calculator.’ Luna bit his ear. ‘Well congratulations on making me not glum, Luna, if that's what you meant to do. I’m grim now’ ‘Yeah, proper grim mate.’ ‘Are you going to write a book about these “calculations” of yours? Titled, “An immortals conclusions”.’ ‘Dedicated to a proper grim mate.’ Sombra finally laughed.