Casting the realisation that he was probably going to have to visit Tinker’s again aside, Sombra looked for another book.
They’re not going to have it are they? I don’t even know if one exists, but there’s no way it’s just what she says it is...
Sombra spent a good while looking for anything that could possibly be related, before deciding against seeing Luna entirely. I can ask her later, there’s still some stuff I can do, and Tinker’s comes first anyway. Y’know, if he’s even there, if he’ll even open the door. Celestia doesn’t know does she? No, she’d have said something. So that means, yeah, Tinker’s first. God I don’t even know what his Dad’s called.
With a steel resolve Sombra left Canterlot Palace, as if it was more important than it actually was. Doesn’t feel like it is. He saw Robyn briefly as he went back to the house to get some bits for the bus, but they didn’t swap many words.
‘Knock knock goes the door, haha.’ said Sombra, knocking on Tinker’s door.
The door inched open, Tinker’s eye poked out, and then there was a draft of air.
‘Fuck off.’ Tinker grumbled through the door.
‘I’m not here to make amends, Tinker, as much as I should be. I want to talk with your father.’
‘Do you want me to indulge you and ask what for? You know I’ll say no.’
‘Sure indulge me, for old times. Let’s pretend I’m a civilised stallion.’
‘So for what petty reason could you want to talk to my father, Sombra?’
‘He wrote a book that’s relevant to me, while he was working under Luna I think. I want to ask him some questions about it.’
‘You getting along with her just fine still?’
‘Yeah, just fine.’
‘I guess it’s the cutiemark one you’re talking about? He only wrote one anyway.’
‘Yes. There’s something I want to know about mine, specifically.’
There was a prolonged silence before Sombra stopped waiting for Tinker to make some sound of disapproval.
‘So that’s all, I guess you’re not letting me in.’
‘He’s not in.’
Good for him. Well this has been a wasted couple of bus tickets, as expected, but what can you do?
‘Bye.’ Sombra said, leaving one of life’s many closed doors behind.
The door didn’t talk back.
But there was still more to be done. Sombra picked up a small, dull gemstone on his way home that had some long, unmemorable name. So if I can break this, I can stop worrying. Robyn wasn’t there when he got home, so he got round to trying to break the stone with magic alone.
It seemed like there was no time at all between then, and now, as he walked into Canterlot Palace again, with a bag over his flank this time. He was focused, and a little breathless.
‘Good afternoon, Som-bra! I heard you came over yesterday.’
‘Yeah there are some things I want to ask you cus’ of a book I found, but first, could you try to break this for me?’
He hovered the dark gemstone in front of her.
‘It looks quite pretty, are you sure? Fluorite I believe?’
‘Yeah, it’s not expensive. Use your own aura, please.’
‘I didn’t expect it for you to ask me to do it by hoof.’
Luna expected Sombra to fire back, but he didn’t, leaving her lingering before she tried to break the crystal, but she gave up quickly.
‘I’m not breaking that, though a different aura might do the trick, one not as focused as mine, or as weird as yours.’
‘Try and break this, please.’ Sombra said, taking another gem out of the small, brown bag.
Luna tilted her head in concern, pausing before saying,
‘Okay, my aura?’
‘Uh-huh.’
She tried, seemingly a little harder this time, but she couldn’t break this one either.’
‘No that’s one you’ve made I think. You know I can’t break those with my own.’
‘Yeah, you’re right about that. Could you do me one more favour before I tell you what I’m thinking?’
‘Sure, but I better have a nice long snog afterwards.’
Sombra had to smile at that.
‘Shoot.’
‘The one that’s mine, could you try and break it with some generic, unicorn right out of school aura?’
‘Sure.’
Sombra had been expecting more resistance given how little information she had, but she seemed to be just fine with it all. You shouldn’t underestimate The Princess Of The Night, Sombra. Yeah, that’s why I haven’t told her anything, isn’t it?
Luna tried, but gave up quickly again.
‘There are a lot of auras I could be trying with Sombra, just because I can’t break it with this one, or my own, doesn’t mean that there isn’t somepony with an aura other than yours that can break this thing.’
‘Try again, please.’
Reluctantly she did, for longer this time, but still failed.
‘Again.’
‘It’s not going to work, Som-bra.’
‘Again please, it means a lot if it’s really not going to work.’
With a slight puff of the cheeks, Luna tried again, scrunching up her face in concentration.
‘You can break it, Luna.’
And finally, with great effort, she did.
‘So what does that mean?’ Luna coughed.
‘My cutiemark isn’t what you think it is.’