I don't think things were looking up anytime soon.
"You're awfully stupid to run off like that," was the first thing I heard from him, and he never even looked up from the book he was reading to say it. His tone was even more apathetic than I thought possible. Sombra had a habit of sounding like he didn't care about what others thought of him - which was mostly true - but Seventeen sounded like he had never cared about anything and never would.
"Well you're awfully mean to hit me," I replied, hanging my head. I hated hiding behind my curls, but it's all I had to make a barrier between us right now.
He flipped a page from his corner, surrounded by more books then I recalled bringing in here, all of which were stacked around him like pillars. "So you've taken to mimicking now? I praise your sense of originality, truly astounding. If I were to rate it, I would give a 100 out of 10. How artistic you are. Poets must be inspired by you and you alone. Might you be the Princess of Art? Look how damn excited I am. Maybe I should become a writer and write of nothing but how wonderfully clever you are. It isn't like I sleep, so I think I'd be pretty good at it."
Seventeen said this all in near perfect monotone.
"You're a terrible critic," I mumbled.
Another page was turned. "Really? I'm just a terrible critic? I'm not a tyrant, a Tartarus-bound monstrosity, a freak of nature, a pariah, or the sort who makes sadists look like pacifists, just to name a few. Actually, I think I'll go on, it's not like you can stop me. So what else am I not: am I not a monster? A usurper?! An uncontrollable ball of wrath?! An alcoholic?! You think I don't know this? I know what everypony thinks about me, and hardly a word of it's true, for the most part, and a complete lie at the same time."
"I need your help," I said quietly.
"With what? Opal Charm?"
I looked at him, dumbfounded. "How is that Opal Charm? I saw her in the Crystal Heart."
Seventeen still refused to put the book down. "Opal Charm never went anywhere. She attached herself to this castle when she died, even if she was too afraid to even attempt to haunt me. Somepony already beat her to it. I don't know what you saw of her, but it certainly wasn't the real Opal Charm."
"You killed her, that's why."
"Onyx did. It's nice that you want to blame your life problems on me, but we both know somepony else is far guiltier than I am of that particular offense," pausing, he added, "It's as though you could say he deserves it, pink princess." The way he said 'deserves' was so mocking... did he think anypony could just get away with anything?
"Well, how am I supposed to tell the difference between you and this Onyx?"
Seventeen rolled his eyes. "It's simple: I don't smile, grin, laugh, smirk, half-smile, of my own free will. Although, I shout quite often. I'm a miserable wretch with a temper and he'll hurt anything for fun."
I stomped my hoof. "Liar! I've seen you smirk before, you did so on our journey, as well as act like a cynic the whole time, but you actually enjoyed things. You hated it whenever I pried... b-but you never hit me, a-and you weren't so angry all the time..."
Seventeen finally set the book down. "This is news to me, if it's news at all and not just a tale you made up," he glared harshly at me here, "I'd also watch you who called a liar."
I plopped down in front of the door. "I can't believe you're Sombra at all. Sombra is a stubborn, arrogant, and adventurous pony. You're just a contemptuous and sociopathic brat with an oversized crown."
He hurled the book at me, but I expected it. What I said was one of the rudest things to ever leave my mouth, but it was true. He deserved it. "You think I enjoy any of this?! Do you think I ever had a choice?!"
The book missed its mark, despite what looked like an accurate toss. I picked it up and looked at the cover of one of my favorite paperbacks, now battered and bent from being thrown by him. I shoved it aside, feeling dejected.
"You didn't even say you were sorry for hitting me," I mumbled.
He snorted. "Me? Apologize? Just for hitting you? Wow, such a crime!" he said bitterly, "Just ignore the pile of bodies behind me, after all, it's not like I've done worse. Is kicking puppies worse then regicide now? Am I supposed to feel guilty for all this? Woe is me, the mass murderer who is suddenly just going to have a change of heart and repent uselessly for how I've butchered the innocent!"
I got up, sick and tired of listening to him. So I got up walked over to him in a few quick strides and smacked him across the face.
"I didn't feel guilty for that either, Sombra." It was a lie, but he didn't need to know that. He didn't need to know that calling him by Sombra's name hurt too.
He looked at me with unrestrained fury. It was fury that hid something below its surface: shock, and even fear. He looked numb with a storm raging behind those red eyes. Sombra looked afraid, and his freaky red eyes were so lucid, staring past me like he was seeing somepony other than me hit him. Involuntary shaking was gripping him, and seeing him like that, this brutal killer so frightened, made me feel almost as afraid as he looked.
Just as quickly as I had hit him, I left the room feeling like the very monster I had accused him of being.
He may be unbreakable, but I sure wasn't and galloping away wouldn't let me escape anything.
...
The door never closed. Instead I heard the sound of metal boots as I walked faster, hurrying down a hallway, which was dangerous considering another one of my spooky 'friends' was still in my house, but I just wanted to gallop away from all this
Somepony grabbed me by the wither roughly and fear gripped my stomach. I didn't even have to guess at who it was, the cold, angry voice did told me everything. His tone was stiff and gruff, like he was trying to hide something broken under a cracked snarl.
"Pink One, you shouldn't be running around with-"
Seventeen didn't have time to finish and I didn't have time to listen, because I had given him a swift kick in the stomach that he never saw coming before running away, turning from hallway to hallway as fast as I could. He didn't help me at all. I would be on my own in terms of what to do, and where to go, but I could handle that.
I may not know the Empire as well, and I may not even have my own magic, but I'm not incapable of getting it back. In fact I just may have the best non-magical 'weapons' known to ponykind: charisma and patience, both which would be useful against Opal. I also had plenty of tricks up my sleeve as the saying goes, or rather in my pocket. As well as knowledge of the mountain where I would need to go.
I stopped, and looked around. I was close to the throne room which was as good as anyplace to look.
I would need to get to the next eye fast, as travelling on hoof was not an option. There was also the matter to getting there without being seen, which would be the result if I flew.
Lastly, I had to pacify any threats.
Well, you know what they say, I thought, if you can't beat them, join them...
...or at least make them think you did.