private A Cultural Exchange 1x1 with Sherem

[Sherem 4,807]

Sheoreth smiles more "Basic instinct, once I saw how Celestia and Luna made short work of him I realized that Sombra was not good enough, so I did all to survive on my own. And seeing that I was given the body of the wussy to inhabit. Then it was my body now, the one before it was  the previous user. In resume I go on to live and make whatever I want with my now given life and power. And when I get the full control the body, I will rain so much chaos on this world that even Discord will be jealous! oh and I don't mean random chaos I mean blood! I mean darkness to be upon all" 

he felt he was gaining control and turf on the mind war, soon to turn this entity on his favor

[Illiad Easle 2,973]

@Sherem

Slend smirked inwardly as he felt the core start to deform under Sheoreth's pressure. "Perhaps you may yet be convinced, but that prophecy is not mine to share. Regardless I doubt you could fill the shoes of Death anyway, you couldn't even tell this core was fake!"

Slend disappeared from the room, no longer supporting it it would collapse inward under Sheoreth's mental weight, it was unlikely to actually hurt the Umbrum, no more than falling on top of your own arm usually did.

Within the space of Slend's mind there were now a number of 'cores' just like the false one he had baited Sheoreth into. Only one of them could be the real one, the rest other falsehoods, tricks and illusions. Sheoreth wouldn't have much time to search them as Slend was pulling out of Sherem's mind.

"It's easiest to force a loss when you make them think they've won. It's clear you don't have much experience with other Specters, clearly Sombra was as worthless a King as you say."

[Sherem 4,807]

Sheoreth just was a bit disappointed, but he now knew that he could reach for somepony who entered their mind and also knew that while he was not able to control this Shadow, he made him frear him.

Sherem woke up gasping "I SWEAR I WILL KILL YOU SHE..." he looked around and said "Wha...? what happened? where am I?" he kept looking around in hopes to get an answer of some kind.

 

[Illiad Easle 2,973]

@Sherem

Slend was shaken by the encounter, they felt injured, and didn't want to feel that again. Nonetheless they composed themself back in their artificial body, pushing out a set of tendrils to be their 'eyes' and 'mouth'. "The diamond ale knocked you out cold, I'm surprised you woke up so soon, you must have very high tolerance."

Slend got up from their seat in the corner to move towards the door. "You're in the room reserved for the Equestrian Delegate, and you're the closest anyone's come to qualifying for the position since the room was built, hence the rather sparse decor."

Slend opened the door to head through it, "I'll let the Lord know you've awoken, Sir will want to know as well." 

[Sherem 4,807]

Sherem motioned Slend to stop "wait please, I have to know. What happened after I passed out?" he asked him respectfully. But also there was concern on his voice "and aren't I being moved to a more secure place for the meeting?"

Inside sheoreth was with an evil smile at Slend, but he was ready for anything that Midnight or the so called Sir could throw at him

[Illiad Easle 2,973]

@Sherem

Slend paused in the doorway, "As far as I'm aware, all that has transpired since the diamond ale had its effect, was that I carried you here under the Lord's direction. Believe me, this room is quite secure, as are all of the delegate rooms. But you are correct, the meeting will take place in a more secure location, and you will be moved there when the security arrives to move you there."

With that Slend stepped out of the room, closing the door behind them. Rather than physically go get Sir and Midnight, they sent out a tendril to notify them. It had been several hours since Sherem had been knocked out by the ale, so the two were surprised that he had woken up already.

Midnight did not take long to arrive at the room, and would let himself in if nothing stopped him. "I'm surprised to see you're awake so soon, the ale typically keeps creatures down for days."

[Sherem 4,807]

Sherem was out of the bed by the time Midnight got there and said "well I have developed a tolerance since I spend most of my time drinking trying to suppress some memories" then he asked "now what is to become of me now that you know all the truth about me?"

He then shook his head and said "better yet, give me your opinion. What do you see me as? some kind of abomination to be put down?" he joked with his twisted sense of humor "or even better, to be sealed somewhere far far away?"

Many things ran on the mind of Sherem, he still felt a bit dizzy, but he  was stable for any situation. But this feeling that something was inside his head other than Sheoreth had being meddling with is mind.

 

[Illiad Easle 2,973]

@Sherem

Midnight seemed saddened by Sherem's options on how to describe himself, "I see you as one in need of help, one who's been broken and needs to be put back together. We are not like Celestia, we don't push our problems away. We face them, we solve them, and we seek for the best outcome for all involved."

He sighed, "To be perfectly honest, while killing you may be a viable option, it isn't one we're looking to consider at the moment. But it does make it easier that you would accept that decision should it be made."

Midnight turned to go out the door, before motioning for Sherem to join him. "Come, it's time you met Sir."

Midnight would lead, and Slend would follow behind, as they traveled through the castle. The room that Sherem had stayed in was in a hallway along with a series of other rooms which seemed identical, at least from the outside, each one bearing the name of a nation in the world, as well as a few individual changeling hives and thestral clans. It was likely that Sherem had not even heard of most of them, as few had many dealings with Equestria, being either too small or too far to warrant such relations.

At the end of the hall, which he could tell was deeper into the mountain, they turned to the left, coming upon a door which Midnight opened and led them inside. Within the room was a small audience chamber, about a quarter the size of the audience chamber in Canterlot Castle. At one end was a large, yet plain, throne, upon which sat what could only be Sir.

Sir had the vague body proportions of a minotaur, but with longer legs, and a more proportional chest. He didn't appear to have any horns, as none protruded from the black armor that covered his entire form. A red glow emanated from the holes in the helmet, giving the appearance that he was nothing but fire inside his armor, nonetheless the smoky black shadows that emanated off of him revealed his true nature: He was a shadow scepter King.

Sir motioned for Sherem to approach, and spoke with a rather refined tone contrary to his rough appearance, "Come, I trust you've found our accommodations comfortable?"

[Sherem 4,807]

Sherem knelt to him and remained so while he spoke and said "It was more than anypony like me would deserve your grace" he was still in a kneeling position to him "first of all I must thank you for taking your time to address a problem as me"

As he kept the same position lowering his head he said "I understand your kingdom is at odds with The kingdom of the two sisters, so I will not act or be any kind of delegate for their kingdom now"

[Illiad Easle 2,973]

@Sherem

Sir nodded, "Nor would we ask you to be. We'll host Equestria's delegate when Celestia sends them. Having been summoned on our part hardly makes you a fair representative of Equestria. While she and we may have personal squabbles, our kingdoms have no qualms at the moment. Equestria and Archback are hardly extensions of their rulers after all."

Sir motioned for Sherem to arise and approach. "Now, as it comes to helping you resolve your problem, there is little I can do without your total cooperation. The specter that possesses you was only able to enter when you surrendered to Sombra's torture after all. By willingly surrendering to me I will have the power to force them out."

Sir rose from the throne, his full height standing taller than Midnight by a full head and a half. He approached Sherem to close the distance between them, crouching onto one knee to be at eye level, he extended a hand, the palm of which swirled with dark magic, where Sherem could grasp it with a hoof. "Do you surrender yourself to me?"

[Sherem 4,807]

Surrender to Sir, he surely commanded an aura of respect and fear in the feelings of Sherem, but he could not deny that there was more inside that rough exterior. If it was true that by surrendering to Sir he could be free of Sheoreth it was worth the chance and said "I don't know if Surrendering would be the appropriate word your grace, but if it is a question that says "that I plead for your help and I put my life in your care" I will say yes your grace" he again knelt but not because of protocol or formalities but out of his own feelings.

"I beg you to help me with this shadow in my head, I have already suffered 1000 years with him inside and I feel the grip of madness tightening in my mind ready to claim what is left of me, if you have a chance to separate us, I will put my sword and my life on your judgment and skill. Though it is clear I do not deserve any kind of mercy at this point" his head and horn touched the ground in his bow. There was sadness desperation and resing in his voice.

[Illiad Easle 2,973]

@Sherem

Sir nodded, "That will do." He motioned to Midnight and Slend who set about sealing the room as Sir proceeded.

Sir moved his palm, still containing the concentrated dark magic, to touch Sherem's head just above his horn. Simultaneously, thick shadowy tendrils extended from his back, touching Sherem on the magical foci of his body, namely the tip and base of each of his wings, the tip and base of his horn, his marks, and his hooves.

Within Sherem's mind would be something similar to when Slend had entered earlier, only it was clear that Sir had a much better mastery of it than Slend had. Sherem would feel like he was being pulled through Sir's gauntlet, like he was water being sucked up through a straw. Sherem would find himself in a plain white room, decorated sparsely with a pair of chairs, one designed for one of his body type, the other suited to hold what was presumably Sir, only without his armor.

If Sherem had heard of humans, from the sparse legends of their existence in Equestria, it would be clear that Sir was, or had been one at one point. He was dressed in a somewhat formal attire as he motioned for Sherem to take the seat offered. If Sherem spared a glance toward himself he would see that his appearance was however he pictured himself internally, rather than his physical form.

Sir would speak, "I hope the trip wasn't too jarring, but I had to pull you out so you would be safe as I purge your body of your unwanted guest." Sir would motion to a nearby wall, which would turn into an image of legions of copies of Sir as he was in his armor pushing through whatever landscapes Sheoreth tried to conjure from Sherem's memories to prevent his progress towards the crystals which bound the two together. "While that is happening, we might as well talk. Your guest is powerful, so it may take some time to wear down their defenses."

[Sherem 4,807]

"he is powerful indeed your highness" he then looked Sir more closely "I have heard of minotaurs but you look more like one of those creatures that appeared on the sky when a portal to another world opened up" he was talking about the time some strange magic opened a rift on the sky where they say creatures that walked on two feet and with more clothes on them. Princess Twilight wrote about that kind of world but he was not able to recall all the details about that.

He sat on the chair that was fit for him and said "I already told Midnight everything about me and sombra who was the one that put this Umbrum inside my head" the memories around them expressed all around them about the times he was tortured in the crystal spire (palace) and he was visibly getting uncomfortable and sad at the same time. But surprisingly enough they saw a mare that walked along the fields of the crystal empire. The unstable memories of Sherem made a mess of everything around them

[Illiad Easle 2,973]

@Sherem

With a wave Sir dismissed the image of the ongoing conflict inside Sherem's body against Sheoreth as he saw that it disturbed Sherem to watch. "Midnight has relayed to me what you told him, and I found it quite informative. We are not so different you and I, despite our outward appearances. As you say, I am not a minotaur, nor am I from this world originally. As to those seen in the portal, while I may once have had a passing resemblance to them, they are of a yet different world, at least so far as I can tell."

Sir steepled his fingers as he continued, "One thing I found quite apparent from our brief encounter, and from what he told me, is that you blame yourself for the fall of the empire. Is that not true? I imagine such insecurities like: If only I had been stronger, smarter, braver. If only I had seen it coming sooner. Have passed through your mind? Perhaps they are part of the tools this Umbrum as you call it uses to wear you down."

Sir waved towards the wall again, revealing an image similar to the one they had just seen, but this time it was a clashing force of beings similar to Sir as he was now. Sir was riding atop Midnight as they rushed forward, felling countless of an uncountable hoard of foes. "I was once in a position similar to yours, I had a kingdom to defend from a great darkness. For you it was a close friend, for me it was my own brother."

Sir sighed as he dispelled the image. "He defeated me, and cast me into the space between worlds, dooming me to endlessly remember my failure in defending the kingdom. But then I fell through, ended up here with Midnight again at my side. For a time I was still wracked with the remorse of my defeat, but with time I gained a new calling, to prevent that darkness from ever coming again."

He looked more directly at Sherem, "Tell me, what will you do when you are freed? What noble purpose will serve as your personal redemption?"

[Sherem 4,807]

He looked down as he felt the burden of those words because it hit too close to home "You're right, every night I have looked at the sky and every day when I work in whatever I'm assigned I blame myself for failing Princess Amore...and the crystal empire" he looked at Sir in the eyes and said "you know that burden that never leaves you and then you're resigned to live with every waking day you walk in the world"

He then though about Sir's other question and said "Your grace, I had surrender to my destiny to carry this psycho in my head until I died, I might have lived and will live longer because I'm an alicorn...but after The princesses both saved me at the crystal empire I figured I would carry that for the rest of my life. I never thought that I should have a family or somepony special to be honest. I resigned to live alone, so I don't have real answer your your last question your grace"

[Illiad Easle 2,973]

@Sherem

Sir smiled kindly, his chair sliding closer to Sherem's so that they were adjacent rather than across the room from each other, "I understand, it took me some time to overcome the burden myself, throwing myself into another noble cause helped me to progress, and I think it will help you too."

Sir leaned back but maintained his view on Sherem, "Part of what binds your guest to you is this burden you speak of. You've chosen to carry it, and it can't be put down unless you want to. However, with help, I can imagine the noble sacrifice that holding them would bring. So long as they are bound to you, they cannot infect any others. Nonetheless, this burden should not control you."

Sir nodded, "I imagine you haven't thought much for the future. But this is a place of freedom, why don't you imagine what else could be in store for you? Forgetting about your guest, what do you want for yourself out of life?"

[Sherem 4,807]

Sherem looked at him again and said "Your grace I'm sorry but I don't have that answer, all I ever wanted was to serve equestria as a knight" he said and sensed the madness his mind and soon they both saw him come in a cloud of darkness of my mind.

Sheoreth appeared between the clouds and looked furious but as well hysteric with laughter and looked at Sir and said "so, you are the so called Sir, that Slend one said you were powerful. I'm ready to put it to the test" he soon take out his dark tendrils and said "Thing is I had enough of meddlings all around this world" and other tendrils trapped Sherem inside a dark tree as he screamed

"you wanna know something funny?" he said as he drew his sword "Though we are in your court, madness gets inside everything and it follows me around like the plague" he had an unsettling smile in his face "now, show me a good time "your highness"" he said with his crazy eyes as he walked towards Sir.

Edited March 13, 2020 by Sherem

[Illiad Easle 2,973]

@Sherem

Sir simply raised an eyebrow with a faint smile as his chair slid silently backwards, maintaining the exact distance between him and Sheoreth no matter where or how Sheoreth moved. "Indeed you are mad, coming here. Leaving the body undefended. Were I of a mind to I could simply enter it and leave the two of you trapped here in my personal prison of armor. However, I am not of that mind."

He gave a wave of his hand, his forces within Sherem's body redoubling their efforts in the absence of Sheoreth to stop them, quickly destroying all but one of the binding crystals by attuning them to his own resonance. The last one he held as a cage. If Sheoreth retreated to the body they would close in and bind them there, without the power to control any more.

His plan fulfilled, Sir stood. "Now we fight until you submit."

The whole time the contents of the room remained constant to Sir's chair, but when he stood the walls retreated, leaving the three of them on an empty plain unimaginably vast. Sir's form shifted into one more fitting for a King Specter, a large mass of darkness with a blazing cold star in the middle. Sir's tendrils would lash out at Sheoreth, each that struck him not doing physical but rather mental damage, driving Sheoreth further into madness. Even the gods of madness knew that too much madness would render anyone harmless, too insane to form sensible thought, much less turn thought into meaningful action.

"You'd've had a better fight had you stayed outside. You fell right into my trap."

Unless Sheoreth did something particularly clever, Sir would be able to deflect him with more solid tendrils, or by changing the plain to block them.

[Sherem 4,807]

Sheoreth could not deny that he hadn't anticipated this kind of play. But then again, he always relished some kind of challenge. He would put to the test all the powers of this Sir and he would take the energy in him to control the body completely, once and for all "It is clear you had plan for this kind of move" he pointed his sword at him and said "however, just one mistake of my part will not grant you the full fight" 

Then Sir could feel like something darker was coming inside this space he had control of "The thing is that everypony works by some or other set of rules. But for a mad pony we can ignore all of that" more tendrils came from him and inside the body he left the moved the consciousness of Sherem "since you said it yourself, that you are not of a mind to kill this wussy he will be doing the favor to hold on my body and if you try anything funny he's gone and I become the owner of that body" 

 

[Illiad Easle 2,973]

@Sherem

The mass that was Sir stopped striking when Sherem was pulled back out and sent back to his body, into the hold that Sir had left to Sherem. Where Sir's mental forces would be able to free and move him to the seat of power in his own body.

Sir simply laughed, "You are but a child, a fool. Did you forget that your presence here is by way of my own conduit? Did you not notice that your presence here has only lasted because I have tolerated it?"

If Sheoreth had not moved their whole consciousness into Sir, they would feel the connection between the two being pinched. Nothing else would move either way. Sheoreth couldn't leave, and Sherem couldn't be brought back into Sir, unless Sir allowed it.

"I'd get comfortable if I were you. You're going to be here a long time."

[Inside Sherem]

Wherever Sheoreth had placed Sherem's consciousness Sir's mental forces would begin to converge, battling whatever defenses Sheoreth had put in place to keep Sherem contained. They would call out, "We live to serve you noble Sherem, you will be freed if you fight. Break off the bounds that bind you."

[Sherem 4,807]

Sheoreth was getting on his nerves but he knew that he had to fight him or he would loose the hoofhold of that he managed to build when he faced Slend. Soon Sheoreth threw his sword at Sir with all his strength inside this mind world. "the funny part is that you call me child, when you are the one acting childish, why would you not give it's rightful body to the better of the two of us" he smikred

[back in the body of Sherem]

Several traps where armed in the same way that the letter Sheoreth once sent to Midnight, rigged and once they would activate, a spring of madness would hold the victim of the trap. And also he had it turn into a labyrinth with the complexity of several mathematical processes 

 

[Illiad Easle 2,973]

@Sherem

[In the body]

Sir was not wholly immune to the effects of the traps, but was sufficiently distanced from the forces so as to not suffer permanent damage as he cut off the forces caught in the traps from himself, leaving the traces of consciousness to dissipate under the weight of the madness the traps imposed.

The labyrinth wouldn't delay the forces long as they moved, flowing like water through the paths, trying each choice as they appeared, fractally expanding and dividing. All the while they would call out to Sherem, "Break the bounds that bind you! Free yourself and you will be freed!"

[In the mind]

Sheoreth's efforts were more akin to an impotent rage, as soon as the sword left Sheoreth's grasp it fell to the floor as if magnetized, if Sheoreth tried to pick it up he'd find it now weighed hundreds of times more than it had, and grew heavier by the second.

Sir simply laughed, "You are a child, despite having as much time as me to master this form your madness kept your mind that of a child. Undisciplined, Unfocused, Impotent."

Sir's form coalesced back into his human form, and he clapped his hands together.

The plain they occupied was instantly replaced by a perfect darkness, a perfect silence, a perfect empty of all but Sheoreth.

Then a voice spoke to him, it was Sir, but in the perfect silence his voice became deafening. "Welcome to the ♾, the bounded infinite, the empty. I was sent here once, and now you'll be here, absolutely alone for as long as it takes to break the cage Sherem occupies, and prepare it to hold you. We'll see how long you can survive against yourself."

The perfect silence returned. If Sheoreth tried to make sound it would be consumed by the darkness, as it it penetrated his very being. In fact, if Sheoreth paid attention, it would almost feel like he was being stretched to fill the void, himself being broken down to be evenly spread throughout the space. 

[Sherem 4,807]

-In the body-

Sherem was being consumed in a cocoon of darkness and madness, the guilt, the anger, his hate for himself was too much to bear for him. Even Sir could feel how this emotions and feelings where weighing on him hard. Blame, sadness, loss all banged his head and at the same time the traps that Sheoreth fashioned made those who fell in them feel it more

-In the mind-

"Ah darkness, what I am as well" he said to himself even though he could not hear himself due to the current circumstances, but in this darkness he was also familiar with the penance and suffering and madness gave him some degree of comfort in this dire situation "Do you think loneliness could make me falter? oh no, and even when I can't hear my voice I know you can hear my thoughts in this state. So then if we are gonna talk diplomacy, let me know first? what do you gain helping the wussy?"

[Illiad Easle 2,973]

@Sherem

[Body]

Sir, now not too occupied with Sheoreth, was able to boost his forces with his own memories, his own regret from his own kingdom shattering loss turned hopeful through his redemption. He pushed that hope through his forces, weakening the traps that held them back, and hopefully extending the aura of hope to touch Sherem himself.

"You failed then, but you are not yet defeated. So long as you fight you are not defeated. So long as you live you can still make right. If you give up, only then will you have failed your princess, only then will their sacrifice have been in vain."

[Mind]

There was no response, only a perfect silence. It wasn't a normal darkness in the bounded infinite, but rather an absence, a void. The longer he spent there the harder it would become to form coherent thoughts, he would feel as if his internal thoughts were growing quieter, slower, as his mass was physically spread to fill the void. Sir only responded with a thought that did not pierce the silence, but stuck in Sheoreth's thoughts, "Friendship is the most valuable thing an immortal can possess. Solitude is an immortal's greatest fear."

[Sherem 4,807]

[Body]

Sherem heard the voice of Sir giving him strength, giving him propose and reason to justify his existence again. He was able to start to break the encasement that Sheoreth put on him with light that rivaled the same of Celestia, after all Sherem was attuned to the sun magic

[Mind]

Realizing he had fallen into the trap now, it would be pointless to fight all this darkness back, but this didn't meant he was totally beaten. He know he would return, he had always returned in the end and gave one last effort to give thoughts that he could feel and say "maybe you once knew, but no it's not friendship that matters, it is power by any costs that carry our survival around this world the day will come when I make you remember that law of nature of all living creatures"