9. More Time to Think
“So you want me to break the spell?” Celestia asked as she looked over at her two desperate friends.
“Yes! Sweetie Belle shouldn't be around ponies like King Sombra. I simply cannot sit by and watch him corrupt my sister.” Rarity said, all too eager to have Sombra leave her home, where he went or what happened to him, she didn't care.
“Besides, you said you've seen this sort of magic before. You must know how to break the spell that binds them together.” Twilight added.
“I have seen this kind of magic before, but not like this.” The monarch said as she began to pace. At the moment, Sweetie Belle, Sombra, and Luna were in another room so she could speak to the worried duo in peace. “But this is a little different.”
“How so?”
“Well, for starters, Sombra is the child’s shadow. When he is out and about, Sweetie Belle is shadow less, and when he is her shadow, they share their thoughts.”
“And that means?”
“It means that they are bound by more than just a contract of master and familiar. Sombra is quite literally part of Sweetie Belle’s being, bound to her by her will...and his.”
“Wait, I’m confused.” Rarity said as she stepped forward. “By Sombra’s will as well?”
“Whatever it was that the filly sang, it resonated deeply enough in Sombra to make him want to live again. Make him take any deal or contract that was offered. It was his will to live that allowed him to retain his memories and personality. It wasn't just Sweetie Belle's accidental spell that bound him to her, Sombra had to choose to accept the contract.”
“How does that even work?!” Twilight shouted out, unable to believe something like this would even be possible. "How can somepony pull themselves back from the dead?"
They all took a moment to allow the words to sink in, not really sure what their next course of action should be. But as they thought, Rarity furrowed her brows when something Celestia had said began to bug her. “Umm, Princess?” She asked out.
“Yes?”
“What did you mean when you said, 'able to retain his memories and personality'? Does that mean that some don’t?”
“None do…” Celestia said with a saddened tone. “Necromancy is nothing more than reanimating a dead body. A body that is but a puppet to be controlled. No will of its own, not even a voice to speak with. Some ponies had tried to bring a soul back, but those experiments always end in...tragedies.”
“So....how did Sombra come back?”
Looking over at the door that led them to the room where the rest of the group was, Celestia spoke with a tone of voice full of sorrow. “I don’t know. But that stallion is the first to be able to crawl back out of the grave. Whatever he came back for, he is willing to do anything to accomplish it…”
All of the mares remained quiet as dread began to fill their minds over King Sombra, the Tyrant of the Frozen North. He was still evil, an evil that has stood up against Gods and lived. A master of the Dark Arts, no doubt able to do more than he is letting on, yet he remains almost docile unless aggravated. Powerful yet not willing to act unless it brings him closer to his next goal. A spectator until otherwise needed. He is an enigma none of them could truly understand.
“Well, shall we return?” Celestia asked out as she tried to break the eerie mood. "I doubt my sister and Sombra have been very happy about being left alone for so long. We best go back to them before a battle breaks loose.” She said with a soft smile.
Following their monarch, Rarity and Twilight were at the tall mare’s heels as they tried to hurry along. They had forgotten how badly those dark ponies got along. But as they opened the door, they were met with quite the scene.
“This is the end, Sombra.” Luna said as she began to advance against the black king with a smile upon her face. She couldn't help but gloat at her soon to be victory.
“Be careful Mister Sombra!” Sweetie Belle shouted out as she saw what was happening. Sombra, on the other hoof, remained confident in his position and instead chuckled at Luna’s rash actions.
“It truly is the end, but for you it seems.” He replied as he moved forward, taking advantage of her sudden lack of defense. “You've fallen into my trap.”
“It- It cannot be.” The Princess said as she noticed the sudden flank from the side by her opponent.
“Oh but it can. Checkmate.” Sombra finished as he leaned back on his seat, the chessboard between him and Luna now declaring him the victor. Her mouth open in awe at her defeat, Luna lean forward to look down at the pieces in front of her.
“This cannot be! We demand a rematch!” She shouted out, angry at having lost...again.
“You know, most ponies give up after the fourth loss.” Sombra said as he took a cup of tea Sweetie Belle was offering him.
“Best six out of eleven!” Luna shouted out, not content on leaving the table until she had proven her worth as a chess player.
"Mister Sombra will just beat you again." The filly teased as she stuck out her tongue, her favorite of the two monarchs clear for them to see.
The mares who had just entered the room couldn't help but begin to giggle at Luna's expense, quickly drawing in her attention and making them all quiet down and avoid the dark mare's gaze.
In her motions, Rarity noticed something peculiar about her sister. Earlier they had all had lunch brought over, homemade sandwiches she herself made, but Sweetie Belle's were practically untouched.
"Sweetie Belle dear? How come you haven't eaten your food?" The mare asked as she made her way to her. The filly glanced over at her plate and looked a little embarrassed as she responded.
"I just wasn't that hungry." She said with a forced smile.
"But you haven't eaten anything since breakfast. You're usually begging me for something to snack on by this time of the day."
"I dunno', just not hungry." She responded before running off and seating where Luna was just moments prior. It was now her turn to play against him, leaving the white mare puzzled. Sombra, on the other hoof, seemed to have finished everything on his own plate, leaving nothing but crumbs on the dish he had set to the side. Squinting her eyes, Rarity took a moment to think. Surely there wasn't any correlation between that...
"Twilight?" Celestia asked out now that everypony seemed to be in a gentler mood.
"Yes?"
"You had asked me to break the spell Sweetie Belle had cast but I'm not too sure if I can really do so." She said as she grew close to her old pupil. Unknown to them, Sombra perked an ear up, eavesdropping on the conversation.
"What?!"
"This is indeed far too strange of a spell to break, especially since I don't know the details of how it came to be. I'm going to need to do a lot of research to figure out the binding's structure." The Sun Goddess said as the others gathered around her.
"Research?"
"Yes, perhaps somepony somewhere managed to do the same as Sweetie Belle. If I can find their research, or perhaps just find a similar case, I could undo what has been done."
"Is there any way I can help?" Twilight asked, her eyes almost worried. It was odd to know that there were things even Celestia was not sure about, which only increased the urgency of the situation.
"Maybe. If you could send me some details on how this binding works, perhaps figure out some of the rules the contract plays by, it could minimize the work I have to do."
"I can definitely do that!" Twilight shouted out with some glee in her eyes. "I'm a pro at hooves on research papers!" She cheered.
Sombra thought to himself as he feigned ignorance. The mares seemed to have no way of breaking the spell that he is cursed with, this was good for him. Without a means to break his connection to the filly, he was 'safe' for the time being. They would not try to engage him, not try to kill him, not even take him away. At this moment, it was a blessing to have this curse.
This gives me more time to plan things out. I had not foreseen the filly's quick reaction to any combat between me and the Princesses, so I am going to have to switch my play around. I need to find a new way to break free and get to that stone. Once I get my hooves on it they can do with me as they wish, kill me or otherwise, I don't care. I just to-
"Check." Sweetie Belle said softly. Her voice quickly bringing Sombra back to the game at hoof. A quick glance down made him realize just how badly he had been losing and was currently in check against Sweetie Belle's queen.
"What?!" Luna shouted out as she ran straight to the board. "We played against Sombra five times and never uttered that word!"
Sombra's face remained stoic for the moment. Being lost in thought had momentarily made him play badly, but the game was far from doomed it seemed. With a new smirk upon his face, he laughed out.
"Obviously the filly is better than you, but don't you fret, I won't lose." Sombra said as he moved his pawn to block away the queen's wrath. "All I've got to do is buy some time. I'll turn this game around."
Even though what he said could have been taken as mockery of her play, Sweetie Belle took his words in stride and kept a smile on her face. She responded to his pawn and continued to play. Sure enough though, Sombra began to gain the lead again. A few hard captures of the filly's bishops and rooks made it difficult for her to keep his pawns from reaching the other side of the board, promoting them and allowing Sombra to make up for lost time.
"Check." Sombra spoke out as he place his bishop in place against Sweetie's king.
"Uhhh..." She replied softly as she tried to look for a way out. "Aha." Sweetie said as she moved her queen to block for her. A strange sense of déjà vu befell Sombra as she moved her piece.
"Don't tell me you're going to castle again." He asked out as he moved his pawn into the position he wanted.
"Yup." She replied with a smile. Doing just as Sombra had foretold, Sweetie Belle moved her rook to replace her king's spot.
"It won't save you this time either child." The dark stallion said as he moved yet another piece into place. "Checkmate."
"Yeah, but it's still nice to know that even in the worst of times, somepony has your back." The filly responded with a strangely optimistic smile. Was she perhaps trying to draw a parallel to something? No, this was a chess game and nothing more.
"We must admit, thine skills at chess art masterful." Luna said in awe, unable to believe Sombra was able to make such a comeback from the bad first half of the play.
"I was a King once, I know that even in the roughest times, there is still hope, even if some sacrifices need to be made." Sombra said as he took another sip from his tea. Luna traded glances with her sister briefly as they heard him speak.
"Yes, we too know the true meaning of sacrifice..." Luna spoke almost in hesitation, making the stallion raise a brow.
"It is inevitable if you wish to survive. With living comes strife."
"What's the difference between living and surviving?" Sweetie Belle asked out, not exactly following what Sombra had meant. Looking down at his reflection in his tea, Sombra sighed before speaking.
"Filly, in this world, to live is to suffer. But to survive, you must find meaning in that suffering. Things will not come easy, sometimes things will seem impossible to get through, but like you saw just now. It is never too late to turn things around in your favor." Sombra finished as he took another drink, closing his eyes as he did.
When he opened his eyes, he noticed that the room was terribly quiet, especially considering it was a room full of mares. Looking around, he realized he was now the center of attention.
"...What?"
"Oh, nothing, that was just...very nice advice to give to Sweetie Belle, that's all." Rarity said with a small blush, not sure as to how to act now that she had seen a rather mature side of Sombra.
"Mister Sombra has been giving me all sorts of lessons about life!" Sweetie shouted out in a prideful manner.
"Is that so?" Celestia asked as she threw a sly glance at him who brushed it off. "Well in anyway case. It would be best if we took our leave. We'll be in touch, right Twilight?" She asked out and was met with a nod from her ex pupil.
"W-Wait, what about King Sombra?" The white mare of the group asked. "Is he going to be stay here?"
"Unless you wish for us to take Sweetie Belle, Sombra will have to stay in your hospitality for a while longer. Would that be too troublesome for thee?" Luna asked.
"Uh..."
Sombra scoffed as he realized he didn't seem to have a choice in the matter then again, he wasn't exactly against staying in this house away from the princesses. It would certainly be easier to think of a way out without having somepony looking over his shoulder at every moment of the day.
"Come on Rarity." Sweetie Belle pleaded. "Didn't you tell me you were the Element of Generosity? I'm sure we could generously give Sombra a room to use."
"I-I'm certain we could, yes." Rarity responded half heartedly, only getting a chuckle out of Sombra.
"Element of Generosity eh?" He said to himself. "This certainly makes things more interesting. Let's see where this takes us." Sombra finished as he reached over with his hoof at the white king on the board. It had remained untouched since his triumph over the filly and every piece was still in place. Though he had yet to do as he usually did when he won. With a gentle nudge, he tipped the white king over making it fall. "Very interesting."
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The stone?
...The stone!
encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTrDtLMY03MoCG-PJ94_iiB0wrSXzEHKtPKwpQb2ZCWy4F6OGuQ
We need a 10 year old wizard!
5146465
Yes!
Wait, what stone? The crystal heart?
5146465
Would a young unicorn filly of indeterminate age suffice?
Another fantastic chapter!
I still just cant believe the speed and the quality you´re making! Its amazing!
And you said you were dyslexic? Well, Eat your heart out dyslexia! Note Sketch will not be defeated by Irony!
I have nothing to say... I am dazzled and I cannot find mistakes at this moment... So... uhm... Mustache?
5146542 Yeah, you wouldn't believe how many times I had to reread the chapter
And this is before my editor gets a look at it
I'm surprised that Sweetie didn't get her cutie mark as a skull hinged on a note or just a microphone with holes in it.
5146465 Bah, I prefer The Secret of the Immortal Nicolas Flamel series.
I couldn't even finish the 3rd Harry Potter book before I got bored of it. I think I got to cjapter 6 or 7.
5146465
5146510
I'm guessing that the stone, whatever it is exactly, is somehow connected to this mysterious filly we've seen a few hints of who Sweetie reminds Sombra of. Probably Sombra's daughter, or something like that.
But it's probably not the Crystal Heart, the Philosopher's/Sorcerer's Stone, or any other powerful magical artifact. Or if it is, it's magical properties probably aren't the reason why Sombra wants it. If it were, he probably wouldn't say that he doesn't care what they do to him after he gets it.
My god, the speed that these chapters are coming out with and how good they are is reminding me if Imploding Colon's Austraeoh series. This is in no way a bad thing; that's probably my favorite collection of fics on this site. Allow me to present you with a simple equation:
This fic > Austraeoh.
And although this comment is slightly cumbersome, it does get across how I feel about this amazing fic.
5146515 Probably not, unless she accepts the possibility of being used as a means for a two faced creature of the darkness to extend his unnatural life!
I loved the chapter.
He's also been teaching her torture methods, combat tactics, and how to be a ruthless overlord.
...Oh! And chess! He's also been teaching her chess! We can't forget that!
hmm what stone is Sombra after hmmm
is it the Crystal Heart?
or is it TOM!!
whatever it is we will see in the future.
Loved the chapter and I hope to read more soon! I loved the Chess match between Luna and Sombra it was funny!
5146721 Do you think that the Crystal Heart is actually somepony's power/life force/soul solidified? Maybe the Crystal Heart is merely holding the possible filly daughter of Sombra in stasis because she was dying? We can only guess...
They all took a moment to allow the words to sink it
he wasn't exactly against stay in this house
1. In.
2. Staying.
5147234
That;s possible, I suppose. But even then, I think it would be odd for Sombra to refer to the heart as "the stone." Why wouldn't he just call it "the heart?"
I can somehow imagine Sweetie Belle snuggling warmly with a disgruntled Sombra in many scenarios
5147234 you mean like a soul gem
This story has 1000 likes at this moment. I just like to see all the zeros... Its a nice round number! lol... Congrats on that!
Also I love this story thus far, its diffrent and fun to read!
5146754
She does happen to be a magic user of approximately ten years of age though...
Hmn, a stone. Possibly the item that Sombra was demanding from Celestia and Luna way back when?
5147394
THE CUTENESS LEVEL
i260.photobucket.com/albums/ii3/cdcracing/over9000.jpg
5149759 Right
I was just thinking earlier today about how we were about due for an update on this. It's a slower chapter today, but with some good information and hints for the future.
And this:
static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/symbolism_5839.png
Oh, this story gets better and better!
5147394
5149759
i.imgur.com/JOFcXxJ.jpg
Here, have a sketch
5147353 Or maybe not a heart I first speculated but a key of sorts. I was thinking it over comparing this story to canon concerning the crystal heart and including what 5147402 said but the one thing that didn't click with me was that it had acted something like a conduit instead of a container and I started doubting any kind of soul, no matter how strong could do either sustaining an empire and essentially acting as their defense mechanism. Once again, only speculation
5150619 Well well!
Never thought you'd go out of your way like this. It looks so adorable
5150619 hhhgbbgnnnn.d,dqwnufgjdicjvfeiugnetgrg
*dies of heart attack of cuteness.... Head smashes into keyboard
*CorruptedNightmare comes in the room
okay...WHO THE FUCK KILLED THE564MUMBLE!!!!!!!!'!!
Amazing new chapter, note. I love it!
I can
_______________
5154707
What does your avatar say?
interesting little end game thing he has there, tipping the white king...
5156352 midnight scarlet is best pony
5157648
Who's Midnight Scarlet?
5157657 Her OC i believe
5157661 me. Duh. My OC is me.
#seeusername
5157670 Yeah, that's what I meant to say
Perhaps a better word would have been to say 'her ponysona', but I meant to say it was you.
5157670
I noticed that when sombra eats Sweetie Belle isn't hungry. Thus proving the theory of Sombra being a part of her.
I also think that Sombra's plan won't work and they'll just stay together
It's always annoying when people throw glances at me. It's seriously rude, and brushing it off is such a chore. The glances are stickier than glue, sometimes, so merely brushing them isn't enough at times.
5330085
Hey, it could always be worse. Glances are better than glaives or lances. Unless it's some kind of glaive-lance hybrid... but that'd be next to useless...
6167189 what nah glainces will be the next big weapon that is totally practical!
Interesting interpretation of living and surviving. I always heard it as the other way around where surviving is maintaining your existence and living is finding joy or meaning from that existence.
I had a small fanboy moment when you chose to quote Nietzsche here. I do believe Sombra can not fully represent what Friedrich said about the human condition however. Nietzsche idea of the Übermensch, or the ideal man, is something Sombra wants to be and perhaps he did in his previous life, but is incapable of due to the story. There is reason one of Nietzsche most famous quotes is "God is dead" and it has more to do than just a declaration of Atheism. It is a political that humans no longer need god to find meaning in their life, they are now capable of creating their own meaning through constant self-improvement. But one of it's requisites is absolute and total free will. Sombra is not a libertarian, rather he is a soft determinist and he is forced into the role. If he was not shackled to Sweetie Bell, then there would be no more Nietzschian thinker than him.
7132550
There are two possible interpretations here. Either you are thinking of:
1. Absurdism, which is basically to say 'consequences be damned' and live the experience for what it is. The tale is Sisyphus is a great allegory for that type of thinking.
2. Existentialism, where humans are put into an inherently meaningless world but seek to find meaning in it, that being whatever they feel gives their life purpose. Professional gaming, being a doctor, becoming an athlete athlete, serving in war for a cause you believe in, doesn't matter what the action is, as long as it is meaning giving to you.
Obviously this is a very watered down version but I encourage anyone to read more about philosophical quandaries such as this.
Sombra the Philosopher everybody!
5146465
He was eleven.