//------------------------------//
// Chapter 18: Sombra 
// Story: Tomb of Magic 
// by Ice Star 
//------------------------------//


Sombra:


Purple Eyesore is never right, in that way she was like her so-called 'hero'. Both never noticed the storm brewing until they were caught in the rain. I'm not a mere protector and she isn't worth protecting. Thanks to Celestia's oh-so-clever idea to send me up here, I was able to travel inconspicuously... and cope with some of it all. I wanted to work through so much more of everything, put just a bit more of all that happened behind... it's not going to happen. I know there's scars, and always have, but I want to move on so badly.

Oh sure, I know she's going to find me, but I want her to. She's suspicious of me because I don't fit into her neat little game of chess. Black or white? I'm literally gray. Then again, neither does another who's quite close to her. How long will Celestia be able to project her heroes and villains mentality onto her this time?

Celestia doesn't understand that this isn't chess - she's been playing the wrong game this whole time, and she's not going to stop until she has me in a check mate that will never be. And it just so happens that this game exploits her strategy's biggest flaw: she never counts on wild cards.




...




I looked towards the sky, clouds gathering and making ready to dump untold amounts of snow here, especially now that the wards over this valley were vanishing.

It was never cold to me, not after those years in the ice.

Purple Eyesore was lying in the fallen snow, drained of power and staining the white flakes red. She was too weak to shiver and laid unconscious, the feathers of her purple wings stirring in the wind.

All I had was a broken leg that would heal eventually with one as capable as myself managing it. Though if anyone expected me to heal her, they were wrong. I could just walk away right now and that little chest of hers would stop moving in less than twenty minutes. I'm slightly surprised that I did that much of a number on an alicorn with the fraction of my power that I've been using since I've reformed. There's a dark amusement to it - I won't deny it. I don't deny much of anything.

I didn't have to be in her head to know what she thinks of me either... or another. She's got some obsessions that repulse me lying under it all. Losses she never got over. Little to no mind of her own. If Celestia had a living weapon, it'd be her. I've seen few youth that are so impressionable as her.

Or more importantly, I know how she thinks. To her everything is black and white, and if it isn't good-or-evil, it will be, she likes to make sure of that. Like student, like teacher. For somepony with two working eyes, she's about as oblivious as they come. I wonder what she would do if half her world was forever dark. Or all of it.

I grabbed Phobos, now back to normal, and stared at the black blade for a moment before sheathing it. 

I had to possess her because she is an idiot with useful reserves of power, and if I had let all my anger take hold and expended as much magic as I thought I would...

I gritted my teeth. It didn't happen.

Not yet. I still have time.

I turned and began to walk away until I heard the rustle of feathers behind me. I rolled my eyes and smirked. It took less then a second to withdraw and throw Phobos with perfect precision and then whirl around to see whose leg I impaled. It looks like life was all out of challenges for me until further notice. These gods are around nearly every corner.

Good grief.




...





Standing near Purple Eyesore was a dark gray young mare around my height. She had shorn fetlocks exposing glossy black hooves and large curved wings that I know I had seen once before and just didn't care to remember where - at least not at the moment. Her mark was a poisonous nightshade flower, and around her neck was a coil of brown thorns.

Though it was her mane and tail that were what caught my attention. Her forelock was a thick mess whose shagginess concealed more then half her face and almost looked like crow feathers. The rest of it resembled a rippling black cloud that shone with amusingly gloomy sparkles.

One of her forehooves was impaled with the crystalline blade of Phobos, which was quite possibly the only thing within fifty miles that wasn't going to irritate me. I'd bet on it.

She pulled the blade out of her leg as if pulling a knife out of butter.

"Is it socially acceptable to throw swords now?" she asked earnestly.

I stared at her.

Well, I now had evidence to back up the following theories that have come to mind so far:

1) Either she is stupid or socially awkward. Seeing as she's a god, the latter is more likely. If she was mortal, I'd be leaning torwards the former.

2) She presumably cannot feel pain or has accelerated healing. There's also a large chance that she might not care, but the apathy - or even an air of it - doesn't seem strong with this one, which is too bad.

3) Fuck Repears. This one just needs to be said. Do they honestly think they're just going to have me come along quietly when-

Once more I rolled my eyes, and then used my magic to snatch the sword away from her.

"Only for me," I grumbled.

I imagine under that forelock of hers she might have been blinking.

"My name is Thōdan but sometimes I am called Thōda and-" she said.

I continued to stare at her, judgement increasing with each second that passed. " I don't care."

"But I think your friend is hurt, you see, I only reap the souls of the dead and she isn't dead, but she's hurt awfully bad, and since I got the soul I came here for I was wondering if you needed my help-"

"How do you reap souls?"

"I suppose that the legends of ponykind focus more on the realms of Paradise and Tartarus than they do me, but, umm... I have special eyes."

"So do I."

She paused momentarily and tilted her head to indicate Purple Eyesore. "Err... Yes I've never seen a pony with red eyes in my life, but I think your friend might be dead-"

"She's not my friend."

"-and I've never been here before so I don't know what's nearby-"

"I still don't care."

"-and since I umm... don't know how to heal, seeing as I reap souls and all-"

"Can you teleport?" I interject curtly, one eyebrow raised.

She brightened. "Yes! I'm very good at it-"

"Good, then get her to Canterlot. I don't need to have the list of ponies who've died around me increase... at least not right now."

Thōdan looked down at Purple Eyesore again as if not sure she'd still be there. "What about you?"

"What about me?"

"Are you going to walk back to wherever your home is?"

Since apparently all this mare could do was waste my time, I turned around and resumed heading on my way.

"I don't have a home."

"Then were do you live?"

"I can't tell you where I do live, but I can tell you where I will live."

A 'cold' gust of wind wove its way through the valley.

"...Okay ...where is that?"

"Canterlot," I said frankly and pulled the hood of my cloak up. Behind me, I caught a glimpse of soft ebony light that lasted only for a moment. Thōdan and Purple Eyesore were gone and I was left standing alone in the snow.

I wonder if Celestia will bother to expect wild cards now?

I smirked knowing that she probably never would, that life was still a neat little game of chess to her that was as black and white as Purple Eyesore's thinking.

And of course it was just as wrong.