The New Boss

by Dash Attack

Rating: teen
Tags: Slice of Life, Human, Thunderlane, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Dark, Comedy, Other, Romance, King Sombra, Crystal Ponies, Rumble
Length: 60969

A Five Score, Divided by Four side story. The son of a mob boss turns into a villain from a kid's show. Read the full description for more details.

My name is Steve Anello, son of Tony Anello. My old man runs the streets of Chicago with an iron fist. He's the big shot around these parts. However that's all about to change. Today is May 1, which means I'm turning 25. I don't know it yet, but my life as well as my body is going to be forever altered. It's going to be tough in the beginning but once I learn to control these "power's", I'm taking over Dad's operation. That is, if the rest of his boys will listen to a talking magical horse with a blood-red horn.

Rated T for language, some sexual references, and violence.

This is my contribution to Twisted Spectrum's awesome Five Score Universe.

Part Two Has Begun. Also, this story will tie in with another Five Score fic called, A Love For Madness. Read both to see events from different perspectives.

Published 2013-05-04 00:50:02 UTC
Last updated 2014-08-04 00:49:47 UTC

The Most Awkward Heist Ever Pulled

The Most Awkward Heist Ever Pulled

Look at you, the once mighty Sombra, reduced to hiding in a cave all by his lonesome self.  I'm surprised you even survived after you were blasted by the elements of harmony.  You were a fool to try and attack Ponyville. However, even a pathetic runt like you could pose trouble for me if you ever regain your power. That's why I'm going to make you someone else's problem. Five Score, Divided by...

        My alarm woke me up at around 8:30. I abruptly hit the snooze and tried to get my hungover body out of the bed. It wasn't easy, but I managed to get myself to the bathroom across the hall, despite all the pain I was in. After a quick trip to the bathroom, I stumbled over to the mirror. That's when I noticed something was off.

        In the mirror I could see that my normally light brown hair had become darker and slightly longer. The top portion of my hair was almost completely black. Then I remembered the tattoos on my sides. I lift up my boxers and sure enough a purple crystal lay on both sides of my cheeks. Who the hell did this?

        As my head cleared up a bit, I recalled a dream I had last night.  The details were fuzzy, but I remembered that someone or something had been taunting me. It was probably nothing. Besides, I had some thing more important to worry about than some weird dreams and mystery tattoos. I had a bank to rob.

        Once I was finished in the bathroom, I went to my closet and put on a pair of dark clothes. Afterwords I ran down the stairs and helped myself to some Frosted Flakes. As I poured myself a bowl, I look up to see my brother Antonio eating some pancakes that the chefs made him.

He looked up and smiled at me, "So Dad tells me you’re going to rob that bank that just opened up."

        I nod at him with a grin, "Don't worry, we’re just going to get in and get out. I promise no one will get hurt."

        This, of course, was a lie.  I had no idea what the hell was going to happen, but I had to protect my little brother from all this.

        Antonio was twelve years old, only a year younger than David’s brother Rudy. Like me, he had light brown hair and light blue eyes. Ever since Mom "ran away," I've been doing my best to make sure he has as normal a childhood as humanly possible while living in a mob family. So far I say I've been doing a damn good job. For instance, last night I made sure he slept at a friend’s house so he didn't get exposed to all the adult things going on at the party.

        "You don't have to lie to me. I just hope it's not going be like that scene from The Dark Knight where all the robbers are killing each other."

        "Don't worry. Dad might be a lot of things, none of which you can tell him I've said, but believe it or not there are some things even he won't do. They’re far and few between, but killing all his best men isn't one of them." Unless they really piss him off. Hell, two months ago he shot Ricky straight in the eyes without giving us any warning. Again, not something I wanted Antonio to ever know about.

        Unlike me and Dad, Antonio wasn't very aggressive. Whenever he was around, I felt as though this fucked up world actually had meaning to it. Maybe, it was because he was the only member of this family I still cared about.  All my other relatives were either in the mob or stayed away from my side of family.

        "By the way, did you dye your hair black last night? It looks like you forgot to do most of it."

        "Believe it or not I woke up like this.  Who knows, maybe my entire life, I was secretly Wolverine."

        "That, or you got drunk again."

        I facepalm. "That's besides the point, twerp.  Anyway, I really need to go before Dad goes all Scarface on me.

        "See ya bro! Oh, and Happy Birthday."

        I give him a thumbs up before I walk out the door and for my car.  I needed to meet the boys at the Warehouse, where a huge armored car disguised as a bank truck waited for me.

        I opened my car and sat down in the driver's seat. As I turn the ignition I look at my hair again in the mirror.  It was too slight for me tell, but it seemed my hair was more black and shadowy than the last time I looked at it. If I wasn't so nervous about what I was going to do, I would probably be a little more concerned. For now I just brushed it off for it being the mirror's fault.

        I put the car in reverse and back out of the driveway slowly. After that I put the car in drive and head down the road leading into the city.

        The Warehouse was a storage facility owned by my father to help him conduct his illegal operations.  It was here where we stored most of the records of the family’s shady business deals and transactions.  It was also where we stored a lot of our black market weapons and illicit substances.  If the police ever got wind of this place, no amount of bribe money could ever make them look the other way.

        I pulled the car up to the front and stepped inside through the entrance.  Once inside, I spotted the armored car as well as the thugs that would undoubtedly be running me through the motions today. It's a good thing Dad picked a lot of familiar faces as I looked around.  However, I notice right away that someone who should have been there but wasn't.

        "Where’s David?" I thought.  He promised he would be there. I check my phone to see if he left me any messages. Sure enough, there was a text from him that he sent at around midnight last night.

I can't talk right now. Something strange is happening to me and Rudy. I'm going to try and schedule a doctor’s appointment. What's weird is that these marks look just like the ones the ponies have on their flanks in FIM. If my bro didn't have one too, I would have thought those girls last night did it. Just stay calm and collective. But not too calm because you need to scare the shit out of everyone in bank. It's a good thing intimidation is your special talent.

        After reading the message several times, I start to panic a bit. David and his brother had marks too! And they look like things from that fucking girls show. While his comparison was probably just him being a pony fag, them both having marks alarmed me. There was no human way this was a prank, and this was too bizarre to be a disease. What the hell was going on.

        "Steven, it's 10:30 already. Mr. Anello wants us in position by 11:15."

        I shake my head and look up at the man, accidently waving my elongated hair in front of my face. It was definitely longer and blacker.

        "I'm fine Joe, I'm fine. Can you please tell me how my hair looks first?”

        Joe scratches his bald head and looks at me curiously.

        "It looks like you tried to dye your hair and forgot to finish.  Also, it your hair looks slightly longer from last night. It looks like your hair grew a little over night. It’s probably just me though.”

        "Fine, I'll worry about it later. It's just if anything about my body starts changing, can you let me know?  I know it sounds weird, but I promise if you do this for me I’ll make sure Dad gets you an extra five percent on the loot today."

        He nods. "That's an odd request, but I won't complain. I’ll do anything for a larger cut."

        I pat him on the back.  "Awesome, now tell me which gun I should bring."

        It was 11:30 and we were two blocks away from Good Fortune Bank. Then we got stuck in a little bit of traffic. There was some sort of farming convention going on in the center of town. Freaking yolkals.

        There were ten of us including myself. Seven of us including me and Joe were wearing ski masks so nobody could I.D. us, and bullet proof vests under our black clothing. Anyone who wasn't armed was either our driver and the two people sitting across from us who were wearing casual clothes. The job was to start when the bank got less crowded later. If we went in there while the bank was packed, we wouldn't have enough manpower to control the hostages and prevent them from calling the cops.

        We each carried a variety of weapons from your standard handgun to completely modded submachine guns.  As for me I was carrying a 12 gauge shotgun with freaking armor piercing rounds. While the fact that we had weapons as powerful as these scared me a little, it also made feel extremely relieved. It made me feel like we had a shot at this.  No pun intended.

        Joe put his semi-automatic down and clapped his hands. "Alright scouts, you know what to do, text us the code word when it's just 6 or eight people left. Once you give us the heads up, we'll storm the bank. Long as you guys pretend to be hostages, your involvement will be unknown.”

        The watchers head out the back. After they leave the driver takes us closer to the bank.  Meanwhile, I am pinching myself within my ski mask. My brown-black hair just keeps getting longer.  If it keeps growing like this I'm afraid that it's going to fall out. Thankfully, it's not nearly that long. Hell, it's probably not growing as fast as I think it is. I should be fine.

I lift up my ski mask and turn my eyes to the Subway cheese steak sandwich beside me. I pick up and unwrap it before taking a bite.  Now I knew this was all my imagination.  I laugh at myself for even considering this to be possible in the first place.  If I was turning into some cartoon horse, then surely my body would reject the meat in my mouth.  However, right now this steak tasted better than anything I have ever eaten in my life.  The flavor it brought was nothing but intoxicating.  I wondered if they changed the recipe.

After finishing the last bites of my sandwich, I replaced my mask and put both hands behind my head before leaning backward.  I started to think about all the gems and crystals I could steal from this bank, wanting them more than ever.  It was like having them would bring closer to heaven it self.  I begin to snooze with a wide smirk on my face.

        “Steven, wake up.” ordered Joe, “The watchers have given us the all clear, I’ll walk you through the ropes.”

        My eyes opened, and I slowly reached for my gun, but stopped to check my phone.  It’s almost half past two and I can see that David has left me quite a few text messages. Strange, there are about seven there.  I’ll have to check them later.  If I screw this up, I could end in trouble with either the cops or my father.

“Let’s do this!” I shouted like I was playing Call of Duty for the very first time before realising how dull of a game it is.

“Alright boys,” barked Joe. ”storm the building and keep your eyes on their hands. Make sure only thing they touch is their heads. That goes double for the bank staff. If they touch those panic buttons, we’re screwed.”

On Joe’s mark we rush out of the van like a freaking swat team and run towards the the front door. Joe and I slam it open and point our weapons with a shout, “Freeze! Hands behind your heads!” Joe and I have our guns trained on the people behind the counter while the others move toward the people in the lobby.

We round the hostages to the far right corner of the lobby while one of our men fires silenced shots at the cameras.  We round up the employees and put them next to the customers while a man with an automatic runs up to take care of the security.

If this wasn't such a new bank, I doubt we’d be able to pull this off so easily. However, even the the best executed plan can have a hiccup that fucks everything over. Unfortunately that hiccup was about to be me.

I stare at the cowering people as something euphoric takes hold. For some reason, their fear was turning me on. The way they stared at us, the way they stared at me. I felt like a god. A god who held the lives of many in his hands.  If I so desired I could blow one of their head off and bask in their crimson blood as if were nice hot steamy show... Where the fuck did that come from? I must be losing my fucking mind.

I tried to shake the sadistic thoughts out of my head, and began to feel extremely uncomfortable in my mask. Without even thinking I tear it off. Everyone in the fucking room starts staring at me, including my men. Even the little girl who had been cowering in her mom’s shoulders was staring at me with a shocked look.

Joe taps me on the shoulder and I turn to look at him. “Remember when you asked me to tell you if your body started to change?”

I nodded with an uneasy look on my face. I didn’t like where this was going.

“Let me guess, my hair is darker and longer.”

“Uh... yeah but that’s nothing.  What the fuck happened to your eyes, they’re smoking up, and they’re green. And it’s not your irises, though that’s different too. The white’s of your eyes are fucking green. You’re possessed!”

Suddenly, the men start back away from me. One of them ran straight out the front door with his gun. That fool. If someone see’s him, they'll call the cops.

The little girl points at me with an accusing finger. “It’s Sombra, mommy. He’s returned.  He must be working for Discord. Please tell me this a dream. His episodes were so scary!.”

Sombra, Discord, episodes? Jesus Christ this was getting weird.

You should make an example of that runt. While our power is dormant you should use thispathetic human weapon and destroy her. Make her pay for her insolence!

        I lift up the gun to blast her, but something stopped me.  Her mother grabs her child and uses herself as a shield. While my brain is telling me to follow through with everything, memories of my own mom help stop whatever was coming over me.

If not the girl, then shoot that man over there.  You must instill fear in them.  Only then will they obey us.

        I lose myself for a fraction of a second. That fraction was all I needed to turn around and pull the trigger.  I watched in horror as a man I didn’t even know fell backward from where he was kneeling onto the floor. A pool of blood began to form around him has he struggled for dear life.

“What the hell is happening to me?!” I shouted silently in my head “I just killed a man for no reason!”

I threw away my gun as my hands began to shake. Why did I do that? That voice in my head.  It didn’t sound like me, but at the same time it did. That doesn’t even make any sense. Oh God. No goddammit no no. I did not just do this. I would never... not without a reason at least.

The crowd of people were still afraid. But as I stood there with hands shaking, their stares of horror began to morph into confusion. Some of our men started pointing guns at me, shaking as they did so.

        I have to get out of here before things get even worse.

But what about the gems. We need to...

Dammit, there is no time for that!  I need to bail now.

I make a break for the fire exit. Joe sees me and shouts, “Don’t go there, you’ll set off the fire alarm!”

I couldn’t believe it. After telling me that my eyes changed color and seeing me murder someone, the only thing he cared about was his own ass. I just became a murderer; even I think that’s kind of fucked up. I push the door open and set the alarm off. I make my way into an alley and just run like there's no tomorrow.

After running for God knows how long, I felt like my gait was starting to shift. In addition, my hair, which was originally down to my neck, was now touching my shoulders.

When I felt like I was far enough away, I stopped to catch my breath. After a minute or so of panting I pulled out my phone. There was another text message from David. I slid my finger over the screen to check it.

It read “I’m not crazy, I swear. Please just come over. You're the only one I can trust and Rudy is panicking right now. Just come over and see for yourself.’

        I check his other messages. Apparently he was too afraid take him and Rudy out of the house, and he really needed my help. I figured his apartment might be a good place to lay low, and possibly get some answers as to what was going on. I pressed his number and put the phone to my ear. It didn’t take long for someone to answer.

        “Steven, thank Christ all mighty it’s you. You will not believe the shit thats been happening to me and Rumble.”

        He messed his name up again. Maybe this has something do with change.

“I’ll believe anything at this point. Listen, what ever happened to you, you're not alone. I think I might have it too, and i think whatever it is has just allowed me to do something unforgivable.”

The phone fell silent for a moment.

        “What did you do, Steve?”

        I let out a loud sigh. “Today at the bank, I shot an innocent man.  I think he might be dead.”

        “Jesus Steve, why did you do that?” He sounded angry at me.  I didn’t blame him.  I figured I might as well tell them the truth.

“I did it to make them fear me.”

The phone fell silent but David didn’t hang up. Right now he needed me, and I him.

“Hang in there, David. I’ll be there around six.”

I hang up the phone and continued to run.

Looking For Answers...By Watching a Girls Show and Going on Google.

Getting to David’s without being noticed was a lot harder than I expected.  It turned out Joe was right about my eyes.  As I ran past an old mirror that someone had dumped in an alleyway, I stop to take a look at my eyes.  Sure enough, the whites had turned bright green, and my irises were now crimson.  If that wasn’t weird enough, purple smoke was pouring out of them.

Well crap. How am I going to get to David’s now?

In the mirror I see an old a pair of sunglasses lying behind me near a some old boxes.  They looked a bit dirty, but I wasn’t going to complain.  I didn’t waste anytime picking them up and putting them on.  I took another quick glance in the mirror to check the smoke. It was still leaking out a bit, but not as much as before.  What was really strange was that it wasn’t affecting my vision at all.

I looked at my watch. It was almost five o’clock.  It’s going to take me another half an hour to reach David's apartment.  I better get there before anymore weird stuff happens.

It’s about five-forty-two when I make it to David's apartment.  That entire time, I was consumed by fear.  Fear of what David will think of me for what I have done, and what Dad’s men would do if they ever found me.  I had no doubt in my mind that once word got out that I botched heist, Dad would have his best hitmen searching for me.  That fear followed me even as I walked into the lobby of the apartment complex.

  I decide to take the stairs to get to the floor where David’s room was, hoping it would be less crowded than the elevator.  When I reached his floor, I make a sprint for his door.  It was the third door on the right side.

I knock on the door as loud as a could.

“David it’s me, Steve.” I shout.  “You have to help me, I have no idea what’s happening to me but you're the only one I can turn to.  I know you're probably scared after what I just told you on the phone.  If you think I might be dangerous, you can lock me up in one of your rooms.  Please.”

Slowly, I see the door open a creak and see a golden brown eye stare back at me.

“You weren’t kidding.” said a voice that I recognised as David’s.  “You’ve almost got a full blown mane.”

“A what now?”

“Never mind.  Listen, Rudy’s in his room right now playing on his portable game system.  I told him to play for as long as he likes today to keep his mind at ease.  Just come in but promise me you have your shit under control.  I am armed right now in case you try and do anything.  It’s nothing personal, but it’d be stupid of me to take chances after what you told me on the phone, now get inside before I change my mind.”

        The alien eye disappearance into the darkness as the door slowly opens.  I step inside and almost gasp.  There in front of me was David, but his eyes were now golden brown instead of their normal shade of light blue.  In addition, his hair was longer, and stretched out almost like a natural mohawk.  His normally black hair now a silverish white with a pattern of grey highlights.

I put my hand to my forehead to take this all in.  A part of me is relieved that I wasn’t the only one going through all this, while the other was boggled that this was even happening at all.

As I take a good look at him, I can tell that he is relieved to see me, but at the same time I can sense that he is afraid.  I’ve always been very good at telling when people were unsure or scared.  Sure enough have a small hand gun trained at me.  Hopefully I could convince him that I was safe.  Then again, that might not be such a good idea considering I don’t even know if I’m safe or not.

        “Steve I need you to be honest with me.  I know you.  You're not the kind of person who would kill someone unless you had a damn good reason.  You’re violent and you have anger issues, but I never took you for an all out murder.  Please just tell me what happened.”

        I tell him everything that happen in the bank. I leave out certain parts like how I held the gun to the the little girl and how my eyes started smoking.  I still had those dirty sunglasses on.  Last thing I want was to scare David.

        “Ok, so you're saying that a voice inside your head told you to do it.  You know you're not the first person to use that excuse.”

        “I don’t know about those people but I don’t think I’m like them.  Listen, I’m fine now and thats all that matters.  I promise when this is all over, I’ll find out who that man was and send his family some cash.”

        “And you think that will make everything better.”

        “Unless I can bring back the dead, that’s all I can do. I’m sure as hell not going to prison because of...” I flick my long hair back with my hand. “Whatever the hell this is.  David, what’s going go?  Are we turning into some weird punk rock band?”

He shakes his head and sighs. “No, I’m becoming Thunderlane, and Rudy is turning into Rumble.  I can’t tell who you're turning into unless you show me your mark. You have one your thighs right.”

I begin to stare at him and point my finger at him. “What the hell is a Thunderlane.  And how the hell to did you know about the mark on my ass.  Did you somehow do this to me.”

        David lowered his gun and shakes his head. “That’s right, you wouldn’t know.  Let me show you something.”

        He puts down the gun, pushes his pant’s down so that only the top part of his thigh is showing.  There is a larger black thunder cloud with a yellow thunderbolt on it.

After adjusting his pants, he pointed towards his laptop which is sitting at his coffee table next to the coach.  I can see that their already several internet window open. He sits down and opens up one of the windows.  He gestures with his hand for me to come closer. “Here comes the trippy part.” he says with a half smile.

        I walk over and kneel down to get a closer look.  He was on Google images looking at a picture of one of those stupid ponies again.  I was about to roll my eyes and snap at him when I noticed the symbol its side.  It was the same as Davids. A black thundercloud with a yellow thunder bolt.  I take another look at his head.  The creature’s eyes were the same as Davide’s, and his hair/mane style was also a mohawk.  That and it has the same pattern of white and grey highlights in his hair.”

        I look back at David.  “You didn’t do this yourself right. I mean, you haven’t gone to the fringe of this little pony cult of your’s right.”

        He shakes his head.

        “I’m afraid not Sombra.”

Sombra

        Last night I heard that name in a dream.  Then at the bank, a little girl called me that.  Now my best friend just called me that.

        I point my finger up him as I slowly get up from where I was kneeling.

        I began to shout. “You're the second person today to call me that.”

        “What, Steve?  That’s your name?”

        “That’s not what you called me?”

        “Did I call you something else, that’s been happening with me and Rudy all day.  Sometimes he’ll call me Thunder without ever realising it.  Can you tell me what I just said.

        Before I can open my mouth, I hear a door open at the end of the little main hallway, and in stepped out Rudy.  While, his hair was a lot longer (And a dark grey as opposed to brown) and his eyes were now bright purple, I have met him enough times to recognise his face.

        “Hold on a minute, I need to check what's up.”

        I pick up my gun so Steve can’t swipe it.  I don’t know what character he was changing into, but I was still freaked out about what he told me.  Me and him were part of the mob, him by birth and me by circumstances (Let’s just say I owed his father a deal for dealing with the creep that killed my parents.)  We both had been in some nasty gun fights before, but the people we shot at were normally trying to kill us or were rival lowlifes.  I always thought Steve to be a good person.  From the way he talks about his upbring, I’m kinda surprised he didn’t go awol sooner, but I’d never imagined he’d ever do something like this.

I walk up to Rudy and he leads me into his room.  It filled with Batman mechise.  Rudy loves Batman.  When I bought him the first season of  TAS, he couldn’t get enough of it.  When I told him that Christopher Noel shot the majority of the Dark Knight Trilogy here in Chicago, he went completely bonkers.  His obsession reminded me of my pony craziness back when the fandom ruled the internet.  Man those were the days.

I turn my head down to look at him “What’s up bro, is your system out of power.”

        He shakes his head.  “No, it’s on the charger right now.  I just wanted to know who’s over.  You didn’t tell him we turning into characters from a TV show did you.”

        I laugh.  Even when a tornado appears on his thighs and his hair starts to change, he still had a good sense of humor.  Even now he was just as nervous as me, I could tell he was taking this change a lot better.

        “Don’t worry, it’s just Steve.  It was his birthday yesterday too you know.  He’s going threw the exact same change as we are.”

        “How is he taking it?  What character is he turning into?”

        “I was just going to--”

        “No fucking way!”

        I heard David's voice cry out for the living room.

        “Just keep playing your portable.  If anything else changes, come and get me.  Chances are the same thing will be happening to me and Steve.”

        I pat him on the back and run down the hall.

2 minutes earlier

        While David is checking up on Rudy.  I might as well get’s some answers on my own.

        I drag David’s window down and open up another one in Chrome. I log on to an online dictionary and type in the word sombra.  It didn’t recognise the word, but referred me to the word sombre.  Perhaps this was the correct word.

        I click on the word and read the the definition. Apparently, its a word of french origin that is used to describe something that’s dark, gloomy, and shadowy.  I also see that it can also be used to describe depression, and that one of of its synonyms was mournful.  It seemed like everything about this word described almost every aspect of my life right now, from melancholy to depressed.  I chuckle when I look at the antonyms. “Bright, and cheerful.” I say out loud.

Something in the back of my mind told me that I still haven’t found what I was looking for.  I go to Google and type in Sombra with an a instead of an e.

Images of one those retarded ponies start cropping up, but this one looked different.  This one was dressed in battle armor, and wore a flowing red cape that one would see on a king.  He also wore a spiky crown on his head.  However, I wasn’t paying attention to any of that.  The only thing I could focus on was his green eyes and the wisps of smoke that poured out from them.  The same wisps that had been pouring out of my own eyes for the past few hours.

Without even thinking, I shouted.

“No Fucking Way!”

David comes rushing in.  He quickly glanced down at the computer, and then at me on the coach.  He looks concerned and worried, as if he had figured out something horrible.

“Before you said I called you a name.  Please tell me it wasn’t Sombra.”

I shake my head. It was.

“Take off your glasses.”

“Why, I look like a badass with them.”

He raises the gun to my head.  “Take them off or I’m throwing you out of here right now. I need to see if I’m wrong. God I hope I wrong.”

I notice that his hands are shaking.  I sigh and stand up to look at him.

“You're not going to like this.”

I close my eyes and take off my sunglasses.

“Open your eyes dammit.” he screams as if he is Jack Bauer on steroids.

I slowly open my eyes, as the wisps of smoke emerge from them.

David just stares at me and starts to back away.  His gun is raised right at my head.  Before when he had the gun, I was confident that he wasn’t going to pull the trigger.  Now, I can sense that he is more terrified than the time when him and I got cornered by the The Skulls.

        “You’re him.” He says. “Or at least you're turning into him.  Or maybe you were always him.  That explains your gem fetish.  Tell, I’m guessing the mark on this is a giant purple diamond.  The one from the season four final when he attacked ponyville.”

        “I don’t watch the show. I don’t know who or what I’m turning into but you have to...” I stop when feel like something is pressing up inside my pants. I look back up at David and see something that wasn’t there before.  His ear’s had risen up to the top of his head and changed shape. In addition, black fur was covering both of them.

        “Dude your ear’s.”

        “What about them?” he said with gun trained on me.

        “They're not human anymore.” I said. Things were just getting creepier.

        I watch him lift his left hand to one of his ears to feel it. He jumps at the touch and drops his gun. Thankfully it doesn’t go off.

        “No.  Crap, it’s happening again.”

        He run’s over to me and brushes my hair/mane out of the way. “You have them too.” he yells.

        Just then Rudy runs out of the his room and runs over to the kitchen.  I watch as he picks up a kitchen knife.

        David turns and stretches out a hand to stop him. “Rudy, put that down! You're going to cut yourself if you're not careful!”

        He turns to his brother with a look of total discomfort.  I notice that his ears have also changed, expect he was sprouting white grey fur.

“But this tail is so tight in these clothes.” Whined Rudy. “I need to make room for it.”

David takes the knife from his brother and escorts him into their bathroom.

        When they return, Rudy comes out with a short horse tale running down the back of a new cut hole in his pants.  While I stared in a look of horror and confusion, Rudy was jumping up and down like he had just won the lottery.

        “This is so awesome. You guys should check your’s out too. Man, I wish I could tell Antonio and the others about this.”

From where I stood I could sense that David was trying everything he could to look happy.  Being the older brother meant he had to remain strong for his brother.  “I’m sure we’ll check ours out later. For now just watch Batman Beyond on your computer.  I still need to explain something to Steve.”

Rudy nods and runs back to his room. Taking his time to shake his tail back and forth.  The kid was in love.

        David turns to face me with a look of concern..

I turn around to face him after checking to see if Rudy was right about the whole tail thing. I couldn’t get a good look at it right now with David right there, but I could feel it pressed up in a ball in the back. I put my hand back their and felt it.  It felt just like the tails of the horses I used to ride in summer camp.  I wasn’t sure how I felt about it though.  After everything that had happened today, I felt emotionally numb at this point.

“I’m sorry about earlier, I just panicked when I saw your eyes like that.  I’m just glad Rudy didn’t notice them.  I’ve shown him enough episodes for him to recognize who you are, or what you're turning into, right off the bat.”

I brush some sweat off my forehead. “I take it this Sombra dude’s a villain or something.  Out of all these girly ponies I’ve seen this one doesn't look cute in the slightest.”

I point my finger to my eyes.

“Not just any villain.  Sombra is one of the biggest bad in the show right next to Chrysalis and Discord.  Listen, I really need talk to my brother.  In the meantime I need you to turn on the Wii U and watch the four episodes of MLP. You need to watch the Crystal Empire parts one and two, and The Past and Present King parts one and two.

I nod. “Ok, listen, just because I’m starting to look like a saturday morning cartoon villain doesn’t mean I’m becoming one.”

          “Most saturday morning villains don’t shoot people. I’m afraid of what someone like Sombra is capable of without the filter.  I’m not sure if you know this, but in the fall 2014, the show got progressively darker.  The Past and Present King is probably the second darkest episode in the series.”

“What’s the first.”

He smirks. “The final episode, the one where the real Thunderlane dies so that his little brother can escape Discord.  The weird part was that the two of them weren’t even important characters.”

“That’s weird. I think you showed me the final about a year ago.  I think it involved that Sombra dude.  Yeah I’m pretty sure it did, I recognise him now. And he get’s killed by some snake like creature with a horse head.”

“That never happened. And I’m pretty sure I’ve never shown you the final.  I only made you watch the first two episodes before you called it the ‘gayest thing you ever laid eyes on.’”

I stare at him. “We’ll check out that episode when I’m done.  You go check on your brother, I’ll call in a pizza.”

He nods. “You're starting to sound like your old self again.  You don’t give a frick about anything.  I’m still nervous you might go psycho on me any moment.” he picks up the gun he dropped “I’m keeping this with me at all times.  Until you prove you can keep your mental state under control, I don’t want you anywhere near my brother. Oh, and keep those glasses on so you don’t scare Rudy, or the pizza guy for that matter.”

As he walks out of the room, I put my sunglasses back go to turn on the WII U. Once I hear it come to life, press the power button on the Tv and take a seat on the coach. The tail in my pants is really bothering me, but I try and to block it out.  Using the Gamepad, I select Netflix and open up My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic in the instant queue.

As I go to play the first part of the Crystal Empire episode, I facepalm myself.  I forgot to call the pizza in.  I pick up the phone and place the order. Then I hit play.  As I the show start’s, I prepare for it to swallow my manliness.

The doorbell rang at about eight-twenty.  The first part of The Past and Present King was just about to start. I pause the episode and walk over to answer the door.  As I made my way, I made sure that my freakish pony ears were hidden in shadowy black hair.

I open the door to see the pizza guy holding our order in his hand.

“That will be eleven-fifty, sir.”

As I reach it a pocket, I see a man and two women walking into the room.  One of them was a real sexy babe in a nurses outfit with a nice sweet ass.  I lose my self I begin to stare at her chest and imagine her doing naughty things to me.  Even the pizza man turns around to a peak.

The guy she was with was some muscular character with long golden hair and a hat.  Judging by the way he was dressed, I’d say he had just come back from that stupid farming convection.  Man that he must be the luckiest yocale in the world to score that hot babe.  Man I wish I was in his shoes right now.

As I pay the pizza man and hand him his tip, I think I can hear the faint sound of them going at it.  It makes me regret not giving those two girls a good time last night.  I think David said that there names were Flitter and Cloudchaser.  Those were propboly just their strper names though.

Anyway, I close to the door behind me and walk back over to the coach.  As I look back at the T.V, I notice something on the corner of the screen.  I had paused to the opening scene before the credits started. The main ponies were having a picnic by the lake.  There were two things that caught my attention right away. One was that the purple unicorn Twilight had wings now.  Next was that their was a small slot watching them from atop a small hill.  What was strange about it was that somehow I knew exactly where to find it.  The figure was so small, my guess is that one would have to study the hell out of the episode just to spot him.  Yet somehow, I was able to find him without even trying.  Plus he was on the wrong hill.

I pause for a moment and speak to myself in my head “What do you mean it was the wrong hill”

“We were watching them from the other hill. The humans got that part wrong. Continue watching, I’ll point out any other mistakes they might have made.”

It was the voice form before. The one that was mine yet wasn’t.

“Who are you.” I say out loud.

“I am you, and you me.  It will all make sense later on, just watch the damn show and witness what we were capable of. How we almost drowned the world in fear and shadow.”

I listen to the voice inside my head, hoping that these last two episodes would shed some light on this mess.  I restart the episode, and prepared to study it.

Echo From The Past

The opening scene began. Twilight and her friends were having a picnic by the lake.  The rainbow one makes a comment about how things have change since she became a princess. Twilight just shrugs and insists that everything is fine.  The orange one disagrees with her.  Eventually, Twilight gets sad and flies off.  The camera shows her flying into town as a dark figure in silver armor steps forward.  A large chuckling can be heard as the camera fades to black.

As the intro begins to play, David and Rudy come in and sat next to me.  They waste no time helping themselves to some delicious pizza.

Before Rudy can take a bite, he turns to look up at David.

“Will I still be able to eat pizza when I’m fully transformed?” he asks with worry.

        David laughs slightly; I can tell he not looking forward to his full transformation. “I don’t see why.  The ponies on the show ate all sorts of human food.  Just nothing like a steak or burgers.  If they can stomach donuts and cupcakes, I don’t see any reason for them not having pizza.”

I pause the episode just for a minute and turn around.

“Look, I need you guys to be quiet.  I think there might be a clue in here.  I don’t know this show very well, so it’s hard enough to follow as it is.  I hate to be the killjoy but can you guys be quiet till I finish these next two episodes.  We can talk during the final.”

David smirks. “So are you finally realising what you’ve been missing all these years?”

“Fu-” I stop myself when I remember Rudy is in the room, “Heck no.”

David laughs. “Whatever you say man.”

I try and hold my tongue as I begin to play the episode.

After the credits are done the scene cuts to Twilight talking to the dragon in the Library.

“They all seem so upset.” she says. “It’s been almost a year since my coronation and they still aren’t used to me being so different.”

The dragon is sweeping the floor of the tree with a broom.  As he does so he turns his head to look up at Twilight. “Do you think maybe they're a little jealous? I mean, most ponies don’t become alicorn royalty.  It wouldn’t surprise me that your presence might make other ponies a little envious.”

“But why?” she shouted as tears welled up in her eyes. “It’s not like I asked for this. I just followed my heart and used everything I learned about friendship through them.  I never asked to become a princess.  All I wanted was to make everyone proud.”

“I’m sure they don’t mean to be jealous, it’s just really hard not to be.Aren't alicorns supposed the be the pinnacle of perfection? You're not just a pony anymore. Your a super pony. Yet everypony else is just, well... a pony.”

Twilight looks down at the floor in silence as single tear drops down from her eyes and onto the floor. “I’m going to bed now.”

As she slowly trots up the stairs with her head tilted and her wings dragging on the steps. The dragon  shouts and says that it’s only 3:00.  His cries go unheard.

After a really stupid and drawn out song about Being Different, (Which David and Rudy sang word for word) - a raspy voice speaks from the corner of the room.  A pony masked by the shadow of the dimly lit room speaks to Twilight and tells her that he can make everything go back to the way it was a year ago.  He promises her that she can live a normal life again if she merely shakes his hoof.

While reluctant at first, the voice plays on her fears until she finally agrees. She lifts up her hoof and shakes on it, and the camera cuts to black.

The show cut’s to Twilight waking up in her room the next day.  A smile crosses her face as she looks back to find that her wings are gone.  She starts to skip like the pink one across her room until she catches a glimpse of her self in the mirror.  Her tattoo has vanished. She tries to cast a growth spell on a potted plant but ends up burning it instead.

She begins to panic and monologue.

“I was so stupid. Way to go Twilight,, making a deal with an intruder that suddenly appears in your house.”

She looks up at the clock beside her bed.

“Thats weird, it’s only seven o’clock, it should be light by now.”

She takes a peek out her window and see’s that Ponyville has become taken over by the a dark presence.  Ponies in the street are running away from moving shadows and ponies with eyes similar to my own.

A large ‘to be continued’ appears on the screen.

        As the cheerful theme song starts to play, I turn my head face David.  “What is wrong with this show.  How can they end it on such a dark cliffhanger and still play that happy girl music?”

        David laughs “Compared to how to the one from A Canterlot Wedding this is nothing.”

        “I think I’m starting to see why you guys like this show.  it’s still pretty girly but it has some pretty surprising moment’s. It’s still stupid though.”

He lifts his right hand forward and tilts his finger in a condescending manner.

“First symptoms of becoming a brony is denial.”

“Is that right.  Yeah, not happening.”

He smirks. “You don’t have to watch part 2 you know.”

I decided not to humor him anymore and hit play on the next episode.

This episode begins with a recap before going to the intro.  After that god awful theme song is finished, the episodes finally picks up where the last one left off.

Twilight run’s down the stairs and grabbed her panicking dragon pet. She rushes outside and see’s the rainbow pony being chased by shadows.  She see’s the other’s being chased by giant Sombra heads as well as army of possessed ponies.  She ushers them into the library and closes the door behind her.

Inside the tree her friends comment on her missing wings and cutie mark.  She tells them about the stranger, and they immediately get mad at her. They say that without her cutie mark, the elements won’t work anymore.

The evil king bursts through the door and they all act shocked that it’s him despite the fact that it was obvious. Kid show logic. Some things never change.  Anyway he starts walking around the library and gloats his evil plan.

“You thought me dead, but I am been reborn. Defeating the Crystal Queen has granted me the ability of regeneration.  I can never be truly destroyed.  All three of your princesses have failed to kill me, and now your precious elements and your Princess of Twilight is powerless to stop me.  Once Equestria is mine, I shall take back my empire and enslave the world.”

After a heated exchange of dialogue, Sombra got pissed and tried to vaporise them, but a blue winged unicorn bursts through the ceiling and shielded them with a force field.

“Princess Luna?” Twilight shouts.

“Take the elementsand run, your power is still with you Twilight, but you must recognise that -”

Before she is able to finish the darkness from outside seeps in and grabs hold of her.

Her horn begins to glow and she zaps the six main ponies.

The ponies reappear on in a throne room where the big white pony is watching.

“Twilight Sparkle!,” she shouts. “why would you surrender your power to that monster.”

The purple unicorn’s eyes start to tear and she bows before the stern looking one. “I didn’t know it was him, princess, I just wanted to be regular old Twilight again. I was afraid that my friends were jealous of what I had become.  I thought if I gave up the wings and the title, things would go back to the way they were before. I didn’t... didn’t... want... this.”

Her friends hug her and they go on to tell her how they love her for who she is, no matter how powerful or how majestic she was.  It was surprisingly uplifting but I would never admit that to David.

The scene then cuts to the villain who get’s an awesome rock song that kind of reminded me of that one song from Anastasia.  I figure that the similarities must have been some sort of homage to appeal to older generations who grew up with that movie.

After that brief moment of awesomeness, the show immediately goes back to being cheese.  The dark lord bursts in laughing but immediately stops and as his eyes get really wide with surprise.  The ponies are wearing the necklaces they grabbed earlier in the episode, and Twilight is wearing some silly tiara.

Sombra laughs and mocks them.

“Try all you want, but without your power not even the power of friendship can save you this time.  I’ve done my homework.  The Elements won’t work unless all six of you are in perfect harmony.  I took your talent, and your power.  The least you can hope for is a little spark from that pretty crown.”

“That’s all I need. You see, I’ve been doing my homework on this subject for four years now, and in that time I’ve only missed one deadline.  I don’t need my cutie mark or my wings to tell me how special I am.  Just having friends who support me no matter how successful I become is all the encouragement I need.”

A white flash appears over her flank shows that her cutie mark has reappeared.  “I realise now that my friends care about me with or without wings.  My new life might make them a little uncomfortable, but true friends support your accomplishments.  If it weren’t for them, I would still be a lonely magic student with her head stuck in a book.  I never would have been able to finish that spell if it wasn’t for them.  If anything they deserve this power more than I do, but for now I know they will happily stand by me as we blast your sorry flank back into the ice.”

Wing’s begin to sprout from Twilight's back as the bodies of the six began to fly upward.

“Impossible!” shouted Sombra. “I stole your power. Your friends are jealous of you. Your elements shouldn’t be able to work.”

Twilight smiles. “If you ever return, your welcome to attend my lecture at Canterlot University. In the meantime. Class dismissed.”

The episode’s with Sombra getting blasted and flying off Team Rocket styleinto the horizon.  The shadow’s covering ponyville dissipate, and their is much rejoicing.  After another song which is lame compared to the awesome one from before, the credits begin to roll.

        David and Rudy turn their head towards me. “So do you want to watch the season five finale now?”

        I shake my head. “Sorry, I’m ponied out right now.  Listen, thanks for letting me in earlier.  Can I talk to you in the guest room?”

        “Sure thing.” he says.

We gets up from the coach as Rudy puts on a Mario game.

I walk into the guest room with David and close the door.  I look back and at him and see that he still has the gun with him.  Did he have that thing with him the whole time we were watching?  I’m starting to feel like an escaped convict, which I guess isn’t that far from the truth.

I notice that David has cut a hole in his pant’s, where a long grey horse tail is hanging behind him. I watch in amazement as the thing actually moves.

“Can you control that thing?” I ask as I point my finger and stare blankly at it.

“A little bit. It’s like it’s a long forgotten muscle. But I think I’m getting the hang of it. These things are supposed to be really flexible. I saw an episode once where Applejack played fetch with her Dog Winona using her tail. Season 2 May The Best Pet Win.”

I try to get my attention back on David but I can’t stop looking at the freaking tail.  I started to think about mine, which was currently being suffocated by my pant’s.  I could deal with it for a while longer.  I’ll let it come loose sometime tonight.  Then I remembered why I wanted to talk to David in the first place.

“Listen, I need to crash for the night. I promise that whatever is happening to will not make me attack you or Rudy.”

He shakes his head. “I can’t risk it, I’m sorry. Rumbles the only family I have left.  God forbid I ever let anything happen to him.  You’ve already killed once today. What’s to stop you from killing again?  I’m going to have to go to sleep eventually and when I do I won’t be able to protect Rudy or my self from you.”

I have to convince him that I’m safe. I was transforming to a pony in a human world.  I was undoubtedly being hunted by my father's organization.  While it was possible that they might come here looking for me, this was the only place I felt safe taking refuge in.  At the same time, he was absolutely right.  I’m unpredictable.

Tell him if he doesn't give us refuge, we will toss that little runt out the window.

Goddammit not this again!

“David. I really don’t have anywhere else to go.  As far as I can tell, this only happening to the three of us.”

He shakes his head.  “I forgot to tell you this earlier, forgive me, but there was a lot to discuss.  It’s not just us.  There are others too, I have found blogs on some of the old brony sites about people claiming to be turning into characters.  There aren’t many, but they were all posted between last night and today.

We have become soft. This is why I cast the self guidance spell on us back in Equestria. I knew this world would make us weak.  Please do yourself a favor and kill this clown.”

“Leave Me alone.” I shout.

“Whoah.” David says with has he raise both his hands and backs away. “Take it easy.”

I turn to him.  “You're right, David. I'm a danger to you and your brother.  There’s a voice in my head that sounds just like the guy from the episode.  He’s the one who suggested I kill that guy, and now I think you're pissing him off.  I don’t want to get into it, but I just want to say I’m sorry.  Let me just use your bathroom and I’ll leave.”

David stares at me funny. “Where will you go?”

I shrugged. “I don’t know. I’ll just ask the evil pony in my head.  I’m sure he’ll have an idea. This is the worst day of my life man.”

        At that moment, I did something that I promised I’d never do in front of another person. I cried.

        “I didn’t want to kill him. Everyone including the boys were freaking out over my eyes.  The voice wanted me to shoot a little girl and her mom. I fought back and won so he told me to kill the man instead. I lost myself for a minute, but in the end it was me who pulled the trigger.  I felt really bad after words but I also felt powerful.  Everyone was so afraid of what I had become.  I felt like a god.  That’s why I hate myself.  I shouldn’t be feeling the way I feel. It’s like another side of me is that was always their is finally coming out.”

        I brush the tears from my eyes and turn to him. “If you're going to shoot, I’d suggest doing it now while you still have a hand and fingers.  Once I’m fully transformed, I’m not sure if bullets will even be able to stop me.

        David looks at me.  He is afraid of me, but his muscles are stiff.  He doesn’t have what it takes to kill his best friend.

“If you change your mind I’ll be in the bathroom.  I won’t stop you, but you probably won't get another chance.”

I open the door behind me and close it. David doesn’t follow.

        “Why is this happening?” I think to myself as I watch Steve closes the door behind me.  “I’m his best friend, I should be helping him fighting this thing.  But I can’t risk him going crazy and hurting Rudy.”

I tilted the gun in my hand and look at it. “Maybe I should do what he says.  If he’s becoming Sombra, there’s no telling what he’ll be capable of in the future.  Will modern weapon’s even work on him? Oh great, I’m starting to sound like Snake now.  Why couldn’t I have turned into future Twilight instead. Oh that’s right, I would have to lose my penis.  Thank God and Celestia that’s not happening.”

I figure my mind must be going on a tangent to prevent me from making this decision.  “He’s not going to have anywhere to sleep tonight, and he could hurt someone out there.  If I can help him get control of his insanity.  But if I can’t my brother and I could end up dead. No!  I can’t think like that.  When he’s done in the bathroom. I’ll think of something.  Like Discord said to Twilight all those years ago, ‘maybe the magic of friendship can help me.’”

        I lock the door behind me and rush over to the sink.  I take off my sunglasses and turn on the cold water.  I don’t waste any time as I cup my hands and bring the cool liquid to my face. After about a minute of this, I turn my head to look at myself in the mirror.

        “Alright.” I said to myself out loud. “It’s about time you explain everything thing to me.  Who and what are you.  Why am turning into a cartoon horse.  And why do you keep telling me to hurt people.”

        As a I hunched over stared at myself, gasp as I see it stand up on it’s own.  My reflection was moving.  I had become Norman Osborn, and he the Green Goblin.

“In order to make this easier for you, I will refer to myself as another entity. Though keep in mind that you and I are Sombra.”

“Impossible!” I said. “He isn’t real, you aren’t real.”

My reflection smirks. “Technically you're right. I’m not real. But you are, and always have been Sombra.  I’m merely an echo of your past self that you created just before your rebirth.”

“Please just speak english.  I can’t follow any of this.”

My reflection face palms himself, a reaction that I find humours.

“Very well. Let me recap  the event’s that have brought us to this point.”

“26 years ago, after your defeat at the hooves of the six, you sought refuge in the caves of the Everfree Forest.  You were weak and on the edge of death, but death would not come.  It was the curse you paid for immortality after you killed your beloved mentor a millenia ago.  Still, you felt death for the third time in your life.”

“Fast forward a year latter. You are miserably lying in your cave, devouring the head of a squirrel you caught.  Some of your magic had come back to you, but most of your power would take centuries to fully return.  As you ate your dinner, the demon Discord entered.”

“He mocked our current state, but he also feared us.  He knew that your power would return. So he told you that he would make you someone else problem.  Being the brilliant mind that you are, you were able to guess his intentions.  You knew what spell he was going to cast and you knew that you were powerless to stop it.  He was going to send you to a another realm, where you would be reborn in the body of another for twenty five years.   However, unlike the other’s he must  have sent over, you had an ace up your sleeve.”

        I hold my hand up to stop him. “Wait, as outlandish as this story is, I need you to clarify one thing.  You ponies wear clothes?”

        My reflection slammed his hands on the sink and glared at me. “It’s an optional luxury, let me finish.  You ruined the build up.”

“As I was saying just before Discord finished his Five Score, Divided by Four chant, you cast a self guidance spell on yourself so that an echo of your persona could help guide you once your true self reemerged. Now I see that it is a good thing you did because we have a lot to work on if you are going to live up to your past self.”

        “What do you mean?”

“Discord was very selective when it came to the kind of life he gave each individual pony.  He did it has almost a parody of ponies he pushed. For you he chose to make you the son of a powerful individual.  This set is a parody of my relationship with the Crystal Queen.  I was jealous of her, I learned to hate her, I eventually overthrew her, killed her, and  I took control of her kingdom.  I imaged Discord planned for us to fail, but he didn’t think of the self guidance spell.   Tonight our horn will grow back, and with it a fraction of our power.  You must strike your father down and take command of his slaves.  Once that is done, I will leave you, and the city is your’s.

        I felt a part of my self wanting to smash him, but the idea of bringing judgment upon my father and taking over all over Chicago sounded really tempting.  Perhaps I really was King Sombra all along. However, If I was to embrace the new me, I would have to do so I on my terms.

        “I like everything you suggested, but we need to set up some ground rules. For better or for worse, this second life I have lived has changed me.  If we're going to do this, we're doing this my way.  David, Rudy and my little brother Antonio are non expendable. If you even try and make me hurt them again I’m going to take a drill and lobotomy myself. Second, no more holding little girls and their mothers hostage. No needless killing, especially if it involves children. If we need strike fear, we either kill someone else or find another way. Third, you are not allowed to speak unless I want you to, is that clear.”

        He a wide evil smile comes across my reflection’s face. “Crystal clear my king.” he says“Crystal clear. I am only an adviser sent to guide you on the path you would have wanted to take.  I will aid you in controlling your magic once it resurfaces.  The rest I will leave to you. Now go make that son of a bitch pay for what he did your human mother.”

        I return the smirk which I imagine is just as wide. “With Pleasure.”

Fear and Hatred Are Also Magic

It is about ten-thirty when I see Steve step out of the bathroom with his sunglasses on.  He has been in there for nearly an hour.  During that time, I could have sworn that I had heard him talking to himself.

        I am sitting down, watching the news, when he walked over to me.

“I know what I have to do now,” he said calmly.  “You don’t have to fear me anymore.  I have myself under control now.  Still, I think you will sleep better if I’m not here.  There’s something I need to take care of.  If am still alive tomorrow, I will find a way to help you guys out.”

I look up at him curiously.  The expression on his face looks like nothing I’ve seen on him. Normally he just acts like a smart ass.  Now, he looks like a completely different person.  Though I still can’t see his eyes, the lack of emotion on his face suggests that he is in a serious state of mind. Is this still even the same person?

My mind races back to last night at the party.  I wasn’t entirely sober at the time, but I remember our little chat at balcony just before I had him over the edge.  He told me about his father, how he despised him; how he knew with absolute certainty that he was responsible for the death of his mom; how up until her disappearance, he had loved him whole-heartedly, but now resented him with every fiber of his being.

I realise now that there was a side to Steve that I never really saw before, or at least a side that he never liked to show much.  Behind the snarky mob son with an attitude, there was pain and sorrow intermingled with the the hard attitude he always displayed.  How long had he been hiding it from me, from all of us?  Was his rebellious attitude just a facade to hide the man I saw before me, or was it something else entirely?  Whatever it was, right now he looks like a soldier ready for war.

        “What’s happening to you man?  Is that still you in there Steve?”

A wide, slightly manic grin appears on his face.  “The answer is yes and no, for  apparently, my name isn’t really Steve.  Just like your name isn’t really David and your brother’s name really isn’t Rudy.  It never was.”

        “What are you talking about? If your name isn’t Steve then what is it?”

I swear he better not say what I think he’s going to say.

    He puts his hands on my solder. “It’s Sombra, David.  King Sombra.  I didn’t know it until now, but I am the evil king from your girly TV show.  I always have been.  That’s why people have always feared me.  That’s why so many people hated me in school.  Because I am fear and hate personified.  My life finally makes sense now.  The way Father looks at me, the way the kids in high school looked at me, the reason why I bought Pretty Pretty Princess.”

        “You did what now?” I say.

    “I was five and stupid.  What I meant to say was that that’s why I like diamonds so much.  The Sombra in the show had some weird crystal fetish, right?  Well, that’s why I’ve hoarded gems all my life.  I might have been born into a new world, but I am still the same pony.”

I back away from him. “Did you just call yourself a pony?  Now I know you're not Steve.”

    The longer I speak to him, the more I notice how wide his grin is becoming.  Butterflies begin to form in my stomach as the being I once called my friend smirks.

“I am still Steve, David.  Because Sombra and Steve are one in the same.  You will come to realize this in time.  Look I’m not happy about it.  It’s really tough, finding out that your whole life was a big fat lie, that your human body was never meant for your soul, and is now being reconstructed to better resemble the pony you were meant to be all along.  Well the good part about it soon I’m going to have unimaginable power?  I bet I’ll even be able to turn myself into that shadow monster from the episode.  Man that’s going to be cool.”

I brush his hand off of my shoulder, grab him with both of my hands, and lift him up against the wall.  He just smiles at me.  “You’ve lost your fucking mind Steve.  Equestria doesn’t exist!  MLP ponies don’t exist!  And you are not Sombra!  You are only taking his appearance, because the real one doesn’t exist!”

While I do my best to sound intimidating, I don’t think I faze Steve in the slightest.  All he does is laugh at me as he starts to take off his sun glasses.  I look into his eyes.  They look just like every drawing on Deviantart.  Green night pours out of his eyes, and his red irises continue to leak purple smoke.  They remind me of all the fanart of Sombra that appeared over the years.  I’m frightened to know end at how shockingly similar they had become. They made him look like pure evil.

He stops laughing and looks me straight into my golden brown eyes.  His smile droops down a bit.  His expression starts to look a little bit sad.

“I won’t deny that I must sound and look like a madman to you.  Or I should probably just start saying mad pony?  I’m gonna have to except it eventually.  I can’t continue lying to myself, saying that I’m still a human.  A part of me doesn’t want to believe it, but how else do I explain all this madness?”

He reaches into his pants and pulls his tail out. I watch has sways back-and-forth like a pendulum. “But it’s the truth.  Discord banished the Mane Six and several other ponies to this planet.  The only reason I know is because I was smart enough to cast some echo spell on myself.  That’s why I was hearing voices.  The pony I was before I lost my memory was trying to preserve himself.  Anypony in Equestria would want to make sure their identity wasn’t altered or replaced.  Little did my echo know that he really didn't need to work all that hard.  I’m still the same pony deep inside.

I am furious at him.  Everything he said was absurd. Then again, could anything that had happened to us today be considered normal or logical?  Maybe Steve really was Sombra, and maybe I was Thunderlane.  I think Thunder was a weather pony, and I’ve always been good with the weather.  Before I got in the mob, I wanted to be a meteorologist.  That dream fell under after I put a hit on the wacko that killed my folks.  I didn’t have the money, so I had to pay my debt through work.

Another smile appears on his face, but this one isn’t sinister.  This one is sincere, and almost happy.  Yet at the same time, I see a blood-red tear drip across his face. I guess practicing dark magic makes you cry blood.  Go figure.

“You better let me go before I make you.  I am still your best friend David, which means you and your brother will be forever under my protection.  What came over me today was an echo of the ruthless fearmonger I used be.  While I’m most likely still a ruthless tyrant deep down, I’m not ready to throw away my humanity.  At least not yet.  I promise that there will be no more needless killing; and by needless, I mean random people going to the bank.”

“However, before this is all over, people are going to die.  No pony ever got into power without getting their hooves a little dirty.  I am in complete control of my thoughts and my actions, even though I’m probably sounding like a space alien right now.  Plus, my horn going to grow back in about two minutes, which should give me enough magic to make you fall asleep for about six or seven hours.  You are going to either accept this situation for what it is, or struggle in vain.  Because either way, you can’t stop me.”

“Stop you from what exactly?”

“It’s about time my father paid for what he did to Mom.  I’m going to peer into his mind and find out how he did it.  Once that’s done, he’s history.  I’m going to to make him suffer.”

I look at him and see something starting to push out Steve’s skull.  Actually, it isn’t pushing out, it looks more like it is growing off of his forehead.  It looks almost like a red tooth. It stops about halfway out, but I can tell that it is an early version of Sombra’s blood red horn.

        This is bad.  I need to find a way to calm him down before he does something stupid.

        I let go of him and back away.

“Listen Steve, I’d imagine that what you’re going through is a lot more difficult than what me and my brother are experiencing, but you can’t do this.  Please just try and calm down.  You don’t even know how to use magic.  You’re probably aren’t even powerful enough to do whatever crazy shit you’ve got planned.”

“But don’t you see.  If I take down Dad, Antonio will never have worry about getting sucked into the mob, and you will be free of your debt.  I might be a bad pony, but my human father is a horrible person who doesn’t even deserve to live.  Trust me, I’ll be doing humanity a favor by getting rid of him.”

I never knew he hated his Dad that much, all because he is convinced that his dad was the one that had killed his Mom.  Then again, am I any better?  I put out a hit on my parents’ killer and ended up ruining six years of my life. Sure I got to live a dangerous life, hang around a nice mansion, and drink when I wasn’t needed. But to do that, I had shed blood.  They were common street scum, but truth be told, they probably weren’t that different from me.  Did they have younger siblings?, Were they drafted into street crime out of circumstance, or did they just make a bad decision like me?

I realize David is right. This could be a chance for me to start over.  It sounds like he was losing it big time, but for now, it seems that  he has no intention of harming me or Rudy.  But can I let him go on this little crusade of his alone?  I need to stop him.

        “I don’t care who you’re turning into Steve, but I can’t let you take him on on your own. You’re going to get yourself kil-”

        I freeze as I see the tiny curved horn on his head glow green laced with bits of purple electricity.

“David, I think it’s time you went to sleep.”

The room flashes for a minute and I begin to feel drowsy.

“Please... Steve... you don’t have to become...”

My body begins to walk towards the couch,  as a mysterious force guides me.  I figure he’s using a weak telekinesis spell to stop my body from falling.  For a mob boss’ son turned saturday morning cartoon villain, he really is a nice guy.  As I feel my body touch the cushions, I silently pray that the Steve I knew is still there.

        I know it had to be done, but I feel really bad about what I did to David.  It’s probably better this way though.

    I still can’t believe what I have done.  I thought that even with the help of my echo, I would still have difficulty with magic.  Oh, how wrong I was!  I never thought magic would be this easy.  Putting David to sleep felt just as natural to me as thinking.  In fact, that’s exactly all that I had had to do.  And to think that I’m only going to get stronger as time goes on.

I turn to face David’s closet and draw my attention towards the door knob.  I begin to channel magical energy into my horn and immediately feel it course through my entire body.  From the tips of my fingers and the ends of of my toes, magic travels through my body like a reverse waterfall all the way to my horn.  I stretch out my hand and focus my energy on the doorknob.  I smile in as the door is enveloped by a green aura with hints of purple electricity.  I turn the knob with my mind and pull my hand back and imagine myself moving the door with the Force.  I watch in amazement as the door swings open.

“Oh snap!  That was so freaking sweet.  Now let’s see that have levitation under control, teach me how to alter some of these clothes.”

The voice which I have named Echo spoke.

“Why bother? I predict that in about thirty two hours, your human form will be complete altered.  For now, my advice is to pick a disguise that can hide your equine features from human populace.”

        I sigh in agreement and begin to levitate several articles of clothing in front of me.

It is a half past midnight when I finally  arrive at the warehouse.  I didn’t feel like stealing anything else from David’s, so I decided to “hoof it” as they would say back in my old world. I’m wearing a black spring jacket and a large fedora hat that David bought for last years Halloween party.  The hat did an excellent job of helping of hiding my pony ear’s and horn, but my black mane did attract some attention from onlookers.  Besides that, my trip here went perfectly.

Crouched behind some bushes, and toss my sunglasses away.  I wasn’t planning on ever using them again after this.  Once they're gone, I remove my hat so that so it wouldn’t interfere with my spell casting.  I wasn't sure if having it on would affect my magic, but I figure I better not risk it.  Besides, my inhuman attributes will help me to strike fear into the hearts of my enemies.

I peek my head from behind the bushes.  I can see my car parked on the close by.  There is only one guard outside the building. Since this place was such a well kept secret, it didn’t make sense to have a hell  of a lot of security at night.  Tonight however, most of Dad’s boys are probably out looking for me.  I should be able to take this sucker down, as and any other poor-soul inside with little to no effort.  This will be my warm up for the battle to come.

I pick up a rock with my magic and aim it at the the light on the outside of the warehouse.  I hurl it like a olympic and watch it fly towards the light.  Not only does it smash the light,  but it rebounds and hits the guard in the head.  He stumbles to the ground and drops his gun.

That worked out better than expected.  I jump out of the bushes and run towards him.  Unfortunately he gets up faster than I thought he would.  I see his hand reach for the gun.  Without even thinking, my horn lights up and a small stream of magic shoots out.  I watch as the mans right hand is turned to stone.

        “Damn,” I think to myself. “Echo, you have to teach me how I did that.”

“Later fool!  He still has a left hand.”

I snap back to attention and kick the gun away just as his left hand is about to touch it.  I then kick him right in the face and watch him fall unconscious.

        “Ok he’s out.  Can you tell me how to undo that stone spell?  If I don’t undo it, he’ll be stuck here.”

“I thought your fathers men were expendable.”

    “I thought I told you I was the one calling the shots.  Your job is to help me relearn how to be a pony.  How and what I do with my power is up to me.  Don’t worry, I have plans for the survivors.  That’s why I need to make sure most of them stay alive.  That is, if it can be helped.”

        Echo runs me through the counterspell, and I turn the man’s stone hand back into flesh.

        I pick up his handgun and run to the door.

I pick the lock with my magic and sep inside.  As I do I see two very surprised faces which I immediately recognise.  One of them belongs to the bald headed Joe.  The other is the man in charge of warehouse: Vincent, or Viney the Caretaker as we all called him.

They both draw their gun’s and point them towards me.  They are both shaking as I step closer into the light and expose my features.

“Is that him?” shouts a panicked Viney.  “That shit ain't natural.  I thought you said it was just his eyes and hair that changed.”

“Yep that’s him, one doesn’t forget eyes like that and... sweet mother of God... That fucking fur on his ears?”

My inner villain emerges as I do the most intimidating laugh I can muster.  I must have done to much of a good job because it was enough to make Viney fire a warning shot.  That was a really stupid idea, seeing as there was enough gun power in this building to take out five city buildings in one blast.  Luckily that didn’t happen.

        “What’s wrong with my eyes?  Don’t they go good with my horn?”

Their eyes start to bug out as they take notice of the red bump on my head.

“Ok that was not there this afternoon.  Listen Steven, if you're in there, come with us.  Your father put a hit on you after I told him what you did.  He didn’t believe me when I said you were possessed by the devil.  Listen, if you come with me, I can get you exorcised by father Mario.”

I laugh.  “I’m not possessed fool!  I don’t need a man of God!  Pretty soon, I’m going to become one.”

        “What the fuck are you?!”  Shouts a hysterical Vincent.

I decide to take my new persona to the next level, if only to see how they will react.

“I am King Sombra reborn.  I was banished to this world and forced to live the life of a human.  Now the spell which brought my soul here is wearing off, and my body is reverting back.”

“But what are you?”  Shouts Joe.

I sigh and as my eyes sag down in annoyance.  “I’m a fucking My Little Pony villain who was born 17 years before my episode aired on TV.  Yeah, its lame, but at least I have super powers now.  I’ll give you a moment to laugh, but only a moment.”

Sure enough, they begin to laugh at me.  “Are you serious?” asks Joe. “Man, you must have been digging your hands into the coke shipments or something.  Here I thought you were turning into the antichrist, but My Little Pony?  Yeah, I’m not buying that.  Even if that were true, that’s not threatening.  What are you going to, care-stare us?”

        “That’s the wrong show you mouron.  Weren’t you an 80’s kid?  How could you get that mixed up?”  I smile, “Either way, your moment’s up.”  I extend my magic and levitate two M16s.  I make both of them fly toward both of their heads, flicking off both of the safeties when the guns get to point blank range.  “Now drop your weapons.”

They quickly go silent and toss both of their guns towards me.

        “Thank you.  I hope to have you both on my side when you wake up.”

As they stare at me in confusion, I flip the guns around with my magic and slam the the ends of them into their heads.  I think  I might have hit Joe a little bit too hard because his bald head won’t stop bleeding.  If it turns out I killed him, I will feel no remorse.  I know he wasn’t really going to get me exorcised anyway.  He just wanted to kill me nice and easy.

I stand up and stare at all the high tech weaponry.  I won’t need much, for I am sure my magic will take care of most of the hard work.  However, a little extra firepower can’t hurt me.  I’m not so sure about everyone else though.

        Echo begins to speak to me in my head again.

“A wonderful display of magic.  You're becoming quite the natural.  Looks like Discord’s spell didn’t erase our memory completely.  I know you are eagerto rush over to kill your father right away, but I’d wait t’ill tomorrow.  Your special talent is still hasn’t fully emerged.”

        “What’s that?”

“Everypony is born with a unique talent.  It is up to them to discover it.  Once discovered, a cutie mark appears on  his or her flank to symbolise that talent.  Ours is a purple diamond, which symbolises our love for crystals, but alsoour talent for dark magic. So far, the spells you have cast have been simple  unicorn tricks.  Once your special talent emerges, you will become one of the most powerful beings on this plant.”

“I don’t know, I just took out three armed men without even firing a single shot.  I think all I’ll need is this fire power and a shield spell and I’ll be just fine.”

On the other hand, I am feeling really exhausted.  This has been the craziest day of my life.  I think I’ll just steal Joe’s car and find a safe place to sleep.  I want to be fully awake for when I single handedly take down the Chicago mob.

I take Joe’s, who I’m certain is dead at this point, car keys.  I couldn’t take my car because my Dad would have it shot on sight.  So I decided I was going to use Joe’s instead.  I  begin lifting whatever equipment I might need for my raid tomorrow with magic.  Once all of my supplies are in the trunk I drive off.

“Don’t worry Mom,” I say out loud  to myself, “Tomorrow, I’m going to make that son of bitch pay.”

        “David you have to wake up now? Look at your feet.”

I squint my eyes as I try and wake and stare at my hooves.  I turn my head to face Rumble  but I immediately do a double take. I had freaking hooves.  Not only that, but their was a little bit of black fur running up my legs.

“Thunder,” ask Rudy. “Why are you sleeping on the couch?  And where’s Steve?”

I slowly get up and rub my head.  I recalled the events of last night.  Steve told me he was the reincarnation of Sombra, and that me and my brother were the real Thunderlane and Rumble.  He was planning on killing his own father using unicorn magic, which he apparently had now.  He was in danger.

        “I need to find Som-, I mean Steve right away.  Can you please tell me what else has changed before I head out.  I can’t let anyone outside see me.”

        “Well, the only thing I could stomach for breakfast were the veggies so I think our diets have changed. Also both of our teeth have changed too. And there's one more change I notice when I went to the bathroom this morning.  I’ll let you discover that one for yourself.”

        Boy thats going to be interesting.  I guess that explains why my pants felt so tight.

        “Ok nothing a pair of boots can’t -”

        Both Rudy and I jumped as we heard the sound of a breaking door outside.

        I ran to my closet and put on a baseball cap and some boots.  I rushed to the my apartment door and opened it.  Someone had smashed straight through my neighbor Jessica’s door.  My pony ears picked up banging from inside.

        Oh man what could have happened?

        I run in there and my nostrils immediately picked up a smell I was all too familiar with.  It was the scent of sweat, pleasure, and guilty pleasure, and lot’s of it judging how powerful the smell was. My pants started to feel a tad tighter, but I was able to keep myself under control.  There would be a time for that later, and now was definitely not the time.

“PLEASE HELP ME!” shouted a voice from a closed door with a chair resting on the doorknob.  It was definitely Jessica’s voice.

“Jessica is that you.  Don’t worry it’s your neighbor, David.  I’ll get you out of there.”

I run to the door and removed the chair.  I watch as Jessica get’s her self runs out. She is wearing her nurses uniform, reaches of the same smell that was pouring out from her bedroom down the hall.

“Jessica.” I say within worried tone. “What happened? Did some do somthing to you? Were you attacked?”

She pushes me away and runs out into the apartment hallway.

“Even, be a good little horse and get your ass back here.  I need you.”

I watch her run back inside and she run’s over to me.

“David, did you happen to see as strong muscular man with a golden horse tail sticking out.  Please tell me he’s still in the building.  I can’t be complete without him.”

“So there's someone else.”

“Someone else what are yo-”

She cut herself off as I watch her eyes start to travel down. It looks like she’s fixated on something behind me.  I turn around in horror to see that I had forgotten about the the hole I made for my horse tail yesterday.  It was completely and exposed.  Look back at Jessica and try to explain but she takes me and hold me to the wall.

        She starts licking my face and kissing me passionately.  Normally I would find this situation beyond sexy, but I knew that what she was doing was beyond creepy. I push her away and she growls at me like a lion. She stretches out her hands as if they were claws.

        “I was too careless with Evan. I won’t be with you.  You were always such a stud David.  But now you are a fucking animal!”

        She stretches both her hands out and ushers me to come closer.

 “Come here and give moma some suger cubes horsy.”

        “What the fuck is wrong with you lady.  Listen, me and my little brother-”

        “Oh my god, is he a horse too?  Oh my god, this this is making so fucking hor-”

        Before she could finish her sick demented thought, I charge and punch the demented bitch straight in the jaw with lightning reflexes. She slides down the wall and falls unconscious. I didn’t think I could even move that fast. She could touch me all she wanted and I’d happily let her, but there was no way in hell I would let her psychotic ass near my brother.

        I run out of her apartment and run back to mine.  It wouldn’t be long before the other tenants come to investigate what happened.  I needed to get my brother and run.

        “Rumble! Rudy! Come on we're leaving.  Grab my phone phone and my car keys now.”

        “David what’s going-”

        “Now Damnit! I’m sorry but we have to go now!”

        I almost never shout at my brother, and I most certainly never curse at him ever.  The fact that I did made Rudy know that the situation was serious. He get’s my thing in a nick of time as I start to hear footsteps in the hall.

        I grab his hand and run.

        One of my neighbour tries to grab me, but I am too fast for him. I dash past him before he can even lay a hand on me.  I rush down the stairs while Rudy hangs onto my hand for dear life.  We breaks through the lobby and head towards the parking lot.  There are several people who can see are equine features, but it was too late worry about that.  We needed to go now.

        We make it to my care and open up all the doors.  I hope into the driver seat while Rudy get’s into the back.

        “Buckle up Rudy. Things are going to get a little bumpy.”

        I start the ignition and back out. Then I slam the gas drive and high tail it out of there.

        We drive for a bit until I think it’s safe before parking into a McDonalds.

        I pick up my phone and call one of my friends currently on duty in the mansion.

“Hello David, how are you feeling today?”

“Luigi, are you at the mansion?”

“Yeah. Though the couple of the boys are away. I’m not sure if you heard this but the boss put at hit out on Stev-AHHHHHHHHHHHH!”

Luigi is cut off by the sound of an explosion and his own high pitched scream.  Before the phone goes dead, I think I can hear the sounds of gunfire.

Looks like it was too late to help Steve.

If I didn’t have Rudy with me, I probably rush over there and help him.  My only hope was that he would survive whatever he’s pulling off. That, and that the bull he spouted last night about being the actual King Sombra was just bull and nothing more.

Good? Bad? I'm The Guy With The Horn.

40 Minutes Earlier.

        I open my eyes and moan as my alarm goes off.  I levitated my phone toward me and disable the infernal noise.  The beeping finally stops, allowing me to actually hear my own thoughts.  I look at the car’s clock and see that it’s about 10:00 P.M.

Let’s see now. I’m sitting in the front seat of Joe’s car, outside of a restaurant . From here, it’s about twenty minutes to my house.

I stare at the restaurant wishing I could go in and eat something. Pancakes, waffles, sausage, bacon and steak would be nice.  Wait, why am I craving meat?  If I’m turning into a horse, shouldn’t my diet be changing into something more akin to that of a herbivore?

My eyes shift to the back view mirror and notice a few things that weren't there last night.  For starters, I see that my horn is almost fully grown at this point. My eyes shift downwards and I see... fangs!  I have fangs now. Large, pearly white fangs. Well, guess that explains why my appetite hasn't changed.  Any creature with one of these babies wouldn’t want to stick to just lettuce, tomato and onion.  No, these fangs were meant for ripping into flesh.

Before I establish whether or not to be freaked out at my razor sharp dentures, I take note of my very agitated blatter.

“Shit!” I say to myself in my head.  “I really need take a piss, but I can’t go into there without knowing what else might have changed.  Echo, teach me how to cast an invisibility spell.”

Echo teaches me the spell and I cast it effortlessly.  While my body is still visible to myself, I can no longer see my reflection. Satisfied with the results, I step outside.

I open the car  and stretch my leg to make the first step out.  As soon as my foot makes contact with the floor, an odd sound echoes into my ear.  Instead of the silent sound of a gentle footstep, my foot makes an odd clop sound.  I look down at my feet and realise that they are no longer feet, but large grey hooves.

I stare at them dumbfounded.  Although I am slowly coming to terms with the creature I am becoming, the sight of large hoof with parts of my torn shoe hanging on it startles me.  By this point, I’m not even phased by the small patches of grey fur on the bottom of my leg. The hooves are trippy enough.

I shake my head and slowly come to my senses.  Even with the invisibility spell, I’m going to need to tread carefully.  Even the lightest step on this hard pavement will make a sound loud enough for someone in this parking lot to hear.  It’s a good thing I parked near the grass.

After two long steps, I make my to the soft quiet grass and run into the woods.  When I’m deep enough, I disable the invisibility spell on the off chance someone sees me take a ghost piss.  As hilarious as it sounds of an invisible man/pony taking a piss in the woods,  I’m going to be storming the Anello mansion,  machine guns and horn blazing really soon, and I’d rather not risk making a scene right now.

As I prepare to take my leak, I notice that my private area has been altered as well.  A part of me is grossed out by the equine feature, yet at the same time I can’t help but be turned on slightly by this.  I start thinking about ponies in shackles, attending my ever will, while I have them... The fuck is wrong with me!  I hate that SMF shit.  And am I no longer turned on by human women.

I force myself to think about a young Scarlett Johansson in her Black Widow outfit while she slowly undresses.  Despite  the enjoyment I felt when ever I fantasized about this in the past, I am disappointed to find that it’s only getting me partially excited.  It’s a bummer, but it’s probably for the best.  Besides, once I’m fully transformed, where would I find a human woman who would be willing to do it with a sentient horse.  Nope, I bet there isn’t a single woman in Chicago with that fetish. Nope! Nada! Ain't happening!

I finish my piss and recast the invisibility spell.  It’s time take down my Dad Commando style.

        “What do you mean you haven’t found my son yet,” I yell at the miserable piece of shit at the other end of the phone.  I pass around the study and almost trip over one of Antonio's japanese comic books.

“We have some of our boys in the the police looking for him, as well as the rest as most of the the organisation looking for him.  We’ll find him Mr.Anello, but aren’t you worried about what the boys at the bank saw.”

“My son is not possessed by the Devil.  Even if God or the Devil existed, I doubt that anyone of them would go anywhere near my son.  He’s that pathetic.”

“But sir! Ten of us including myself looked directly into his eyes. They were was smoke coming out of it.  We can debate religion all you want, but even you can’t deny that something unnatural is at work.”

I scowl at him, for I have no way of proving him wrong.  After all, I wasn’t at the bank yesterday.  Had I been, I would have debunked this demon possession rumor in an instant.

“Just find Steve or I swear you are all going to be swimming in the bay tonight.”

With that I hang up my phone and chuck it at my armchair.

I make my way to the window and look down at my front lawn.  Despite my disbelief in the supernatural, Greek mythology has always fascinated me.  Outside sit statues of Greek parthenon surround the large fountain in the middle. The state in the center of that fountain is Zeus, the god of lighting and king of Olympus.  I know it sounds arrogant, but I always thought of myself as being like Zeus.  The only difference is that Zeus could keep his damn children under a tighter leash.

I sigh and look up at the heavens.

“Martha.” I say out loud to myself softly. “I hope you can’t here me right now.  I hope you're not looking down at us, protecting our children.  Because if you are, then I will surely be damned by whatever god controls the heavens.”

A single tear trickles down my face, but that’s I allow myself to shed.  Still, despite the lack of tears, my voice sounds like it is in shambles.

“Every time Steve tells me that I was the one that killed you, I tell him the truth.  I tell him it wasn’t me.  But it should have been me.  Instead, I let one of my flunkies do the deed for me.  At the time, I told myself it was because I had more important things to attend to.”

I lower my head down and cuff my hands over my face.

“I realise now that it’s because deep down I still love you, even though your love for me died long ago.  Not one day goes by where I don’t secretly regret what I have done.”

After a moment silence, I on cuff my hands and look back up at the sky.

“However, this time I won’t make the same mistake.  This time, I’m going to do the deed myself.”

I reach into my pocket and take out a fully long silver revolver.  I hold it in my right hands, on the off chance Martha's spirit can see it.

“Together, you and I made Steve, just like Zeus made Padora from clay.  That’s why in the end, it’s my duty to end him.  As much as it will hurt me to do this, it must be done by me and me alone.  In this way, I will punish him, but at the same time show my love.”

Out as look from the gun to the window, I see something on top of the hill overlooking the machine.  Although, it was far away, i could easily make out Joe’s car in the distance.  What I couldn't make was the long haired figure walking toward the edge of the cliff.

I see the figure been crotch down in a familiar fashion.  My as wide open as I realised what was happening.  The position the figure now took was the one that a person took just before firing a rocket launcher.

I make a break for the door and slam it wide open. As I run into the hall the hallway, I hear the sound  loud explosion come from outside.  I needed to get to the safe room.  There no way there's only one of them out their.

        With a vest full of guns, a magical horn of death, and my finger inches away from pulling the trigger of a fully loaded rocket launcher, it’s hard for me not to grin.

I light up my horn and chanel my magic into the rocket to increase it’s power.  I set my sights on a group of four guy’s with some automatics just right of the fountain. While It would have been smarter to aim at the snipers on the balcony, I rather not fire such a powerful weapon to close to the house.  My brother was still inside after all, and their no way I’m going to have this end with me accidently killing him.  I have to trust that Dad’s men will get him to safety once things start to escalate.  Right now, it’s time to get this party started with a bang.

I see one of them take one of them put down his gun and take out his cell phone.  I aim for the center of the group and pull trigger.

The rocket zooms past a the statue of Ares, and lands in the dead center of the group.

The shock wave from the explosion sends the four of them flying in all directions.  I can hear them scream as their burnt bodies soar through the air.  I cringe a bit as one of the bodies lands on edge of a stone spear held by one of the statues.

Damn! Now that’s what I call a magic missile.

        It doesn't take long for them to spot me, as I see shot’s wiz pass me.

I summon a pair of uzi’s into the palm of my hand and jump down the hill.  When I my feet reach the ground, I pull I unleash a frenzy of bullets at them.  At the same time, I create a magnetic force field around my self.  Three of them are mowed down instantly while two fall to the ground in agony.  Those still standing fire at back at me, only to have the pushed away by an unseen force.

Unforchantly the magnetic spell is too tricky to maintain, and both my guns quickly run out of ammo.  I strategically make a break for the fountain, only to have my head nearly blown off by one of the snipers on the balcony. The bullet whizzed right past  past my face and smashes right in a statue of Poseidon.

I set my legs back and sit on my flank, my back against the fountain.  Everywhere I look, I see statues crumpling from barrage of bullets piercing the statues.  I realize that I don’t have enough fire power if I want to get through this.  If I don’t get to my Dad soon, the entire organization is going to come race back here from their manhunt.

I get up and take a grenade out from my vest.  I start channeling more magic into the grenade.  I pull the pin and blindly toss it in the air with my right hand.  Using my magic, I manipulate it’s trajectory so that it landed right on the balcony.  There a loud banging sound as a green flash I peer through the cover and see the balcony crumbles on top of my father's men.

There are only about four or five guys left outside, but now the only way into mansion is around the back.

I levitate a pistol into my hand and make a run for the Athena statue on the left.  Dad’s men are still trying to catch their bearing from my last attack, for their aim is sloppier than before.

I charge up my horn and release a stream of green lighting at two frighten guards.  Their bodies start to spaz out before collapsing to the ground.  In my head I silently hope they are still alive.

As towards the back of the mansion, a tinge of guilt surges within me.  Hours ago, I told myself I was going to try and spare as many of Dad’s men as equinely possible, yet now I’m the darker parts of my persona go wild.  The overwhelming power I felt, taking the lives of my former comrades as if they were fleas on my flank was like nothing I had ever experienced.  At least in this existence.

I tell myself that need to calm down.  What I am doing right now can’t be helped.  This is war damit.  The moment I left David’s apartment, I knew people were going to die.  Now is not the time to be soft.  Now is the time harvest my hatred and exact revenge against my bastard father.

When make it to back of the house, my body abruptly comes to a halt.  At least a dozen of my Dad’s men have lined up into a firing squad. Each one holding an AK:47.

“Steve!” one of them shouts.  “My God you don’t even look human anymore.  Is that even still you.  And... Sweet Jesus is that a freaking tail?”

The man, who I recognised as one of the guys from the bank yesterday, shakes his head and does a double take.  I can practically smell the fear emanating from there bodies.  I watch as they shake from my mere presence.  As I revel in their anxiety as long lost knowledge from what I assume is from my former life resurfaces.

“Pl... Pl... Pl... Please Steve.” he say with terror in his eyes. “Please don’t ma... mak... make us shoot you.”

I break out into an insane fit of laughter and glare at them with my glowing green eyes.

“You are all so pathetic.” I say with viger.  “Now step aside mortals, for I am now your lord and master. You will all worship me or drown in you own fear.”

A stange feeling cores thought my being, one that is alien yet familiar to me.

“Echo, what’s happening to me.”

“You are becoming one with the shadows, your special talent has emerged.  You are now capable of one of the powerful forms the magic in equestria.  The hate you harbor for your human father and the fear you have sown has awakened your protection.  My purpose has been served.  Now that my persona been preserved, and my power fully awaken, you will have little need of an echo. It is a shame that will not be around to see the success of my earthly reign of terror, but I am confident at the wonders that I, or rather you, will achieve.  Farewell, o mighty Sombra.  May you unleash Hell upon your enemies.”

        I watched in terror as Steve's body disappears into the dark cloud forming around him.  I should have shot him as soon as he came around the bend, but the Boss strictly told me he wanted him alive.

        Just then then the dark cloud begins to rise up and and expand outward until it’s practically touching the room of the mansion.

        “What the hell is that?” cried the man next to me who I saw pointing up at the top of the cloud.”

        I watched in horror as a shadowy image of Steve's demonic head emerges like a snake.  Though the smog I could see I serpent like tongue slithering in anticipation.  For what I’d rather not know.

        “Man screw this shit!” blurted the guy next me. “I’m out of here.”

        He toss his gun away and breaks into a sprint.  However, he’s soon captured by a green field of energy.  I watch helplessly as his body is lifted into the air towards the creature that was once the bosses son.

        “Oh Jesus please don't eat me!” The man screams and he struggles to escape the green aura trapping him.  The creature chuckles and starts licking his floating body.

        “But you taste so good.” The creature says playfully.  “It would be selfish of you not to let me have a nibble.  After all, this is my house.”

        “Fucking shoot him now!” the man screams.

        A few more of us begin to retreat, but me and a couple of other fools stay.  Why am I not running with the rest of them?  Even I didn't know.

        We fire our weapons at the creatures neck, but they don’t do a damn thing.  Even when when one us shoots him in the head, the built phase through him.

        As the creatures green eyes begin to glare at us, the energy surrounding the prisoner disappears.  The man's body falls back down and hits the hard pavement.  I can only hope that the fall didn't kill the pour son of bitch.  The creature stretches his long snake-like neck so that his head is was in front of us.  It looms only a few inches from where I’m standing now, and it looks pissed.

        “Worthless humans!” He says furiously. “You dare interfere with my pleasure.  For that you shall all drown in shadow.”

        I crouch down and close my eyes.  Soon I will be dead, and this nightmare will be over.  Moments past and I don’t feel any pain.  Out of curiosity, I open my eyes and am shocked to find that I’m still alive.   How could I possibly still be alive?

        I look up at the creature and see that someone else is standing their.

        I call out to him and tell him to get away, but he shooed me away with his hands.  All I can do is watch as the the young boy walk closer to the smoggy creature.

        The creature, whose eyes were totally fixated on the boy, bore an expression of shame and regret.  The anger that had been on his face moments before was gone.

        For a moment all was silent until the boy final spoke.

        “Steve.” Antonio says softly. “What’s happened to you?”

        The creature turns it’s head towards us and speaks.

        “Drop your weapon’s and leave me and my brother alone, but do not leave the estate unless you wished to die a slow agonizing death.

        None of us waste anytime, so I toss my gun aside and make break for the garden.  I don’t know what's scarier.  The fact that that giant shadow was really Steve back there, or the fact I’m still alive right now.  Either way, I’m breaking into the boss’s wine cellar after as soon as the coast is clear.

Father and Son

        I watch from up high as the fools scamper off into the garden.  I then turn and gaze upon my little brother, who I can tell is downright terrified of the shadowy mass before him.  Yet despite his fear, he tries his best to look back at me, even though I could probably eat him in one gulp if I wanted too.

        I lower my shadowy head down to the ground and stare at him.

        “I’m sorry you had too see me like this.”

        My shadowy body starts to shrink as I as I try to restore my physical form.  I am now standing on two legs again, with all my clothes and weapons intact.  However, I can tell from the fear in my brothers face that I still looked like a monster.

Wanting to comfort him, I offer Antonio my hand, only to find that dark grey fur has started to form  on it.  I can only guess that whatever I did just now has sped up the stages of transformation.  By giving in to my old identity, I have caused my humanity too shed at an even faster rate.

My brother backs away when he see’s my furry arm.

“Are you, really my brother?” he says nervously.

        For a moment, the question stumps me, because even I wasn't sure anymore.  Still I try to answer him as best I can.

        “Antonio, it really is me.  It’s really hard to explain how and why all this started but you have to believe that it’s still me.”

        “Your face isn't even human.” he says. “Your voice sounds like Dr.Claw on crack.  Your eyes look like they're on fire.  Nothing about you looks anything remotely like my brother.  If you are my brother you are going to have to prove it.”

        I hadn't realized how much of my humanity this transformation had already consumed.  Apparently I now sound like Sombra .  When the hell did that happen?  It doesn't matter now.  Right now I need to focus on convincing my brother -(and myself) - that I am still his big brother.

“Your favorite anime is Naruto. When you were seven you went on my computer and found a bunch of naked women.  I gave you thirty dollars not too tell Dad and you bought yourself a video game.  And on my birthday, I made you sleep over at your friend Tim’s place.”

Antonio shook his head and gave me an uncomfortable look. “What you say is all true, but I still can’t believe it.  What have you become?  Why did you kill all those people?  How did you turn into the smoke monster from lost?”

“It’s complicated little brother.”  I said.  “But basically I’m a reincarnation of King Sombra.  He was  one of the villains in some retarded girls show that was on when you were a toddler.  A’lot teenagers and college student’s got into it for God knows what reason.  I never paid any attention to that in school.  As retarded as this may sound, that little girls show was based on a real place. A realm far different from our own.  And in that world, I was a Gannodorf like Tyrant that enslaved an entire empire.  But a demon of chaos feared me, and sent my soul into this world to live the life of human.  Now as a part of a cruel joke, the spell he cast is wearing off, and I am now becoming the pony I once was both mentally and physically.  By midnight tonight, their won’t be a single shred of humanity left.”

My brother looks at me like da fuck is he talking about.  I think to myself that someone should take a picture of his face right now and make a meme out of it.

“I just saw you almost eat a man, and even I don’t believe any of it.”

“Well believe me or not, you better get used to having an evil unicorn for brother.  Right now I need to kill Dad while I still give a rat’s flank about Mom.”

“Steve, you can’t kill Dad.” Antonio says concernedly. “Even if Dad did kill her, you’ll be no different from him if you do this.”

“Antonio!” I shout sternly.  I watch my brother back away again.  I figure my apparent voice change and my exposed fangs must have scared the crap out of him.  Convincing him that part of the old me is still alive is going  to be really difficult.

I open my mouth again and tell myself to speak gently this time.

“I’m sorry for scaring you.  I didn't know my voice had changed until you told me a moment ago.  I watched some of those old episodes, so I can guess what I sound like right now.  As hard as this change has been on me, this can’t be easy for you.  But you can’t stop me from killing Dad.  I know you were toddler when it happened, but she really was the sweetest mom ever.  Every fiber of my black heart tells me Dad did her in.  Now that I have these powers, I can finally read Dad’s mind and find out for sure.”

I kneel down and place my hand on his shoulder.

“If Dad isn't responsible, I’ll spare him.  But even if he didn't, he’s still going to try and kill me even though i’m kind of a god at this point.  I’m afraid no matter how this ends, things can never truly go back to the way they were.  Just please step aside.  This is what the human me would have wanted.”

In that moment, Antonio does something that makes all the hate and rage I feel inside numb.  With both his arms, he wraps both his arms around me.  Not wanting him to accidentally set something off, I take off my vest with my magic and toss it aside.  Vengeance can wait.  For now, I just want to feel human again.  I remove my hand from his shoulder and return his embrace.

“I love you so much Antonio.” I say as a tear trickles down my face.  “I’m sorry you had to be born into such an evil family.  What with me being a monster and Dad being the selfish cut-throat bastard.  A good kid like you shouldn't have to suffer for that.  I promise that no matter how evil I might become, I’ll always be your brother.”

“You are my brother Steve, even if you look and sound nothing like him.  I don’t care if your Orochimaru, Light Yagami, fucking Emperor Palpatine.  There’s still good inside you, and I’m going to do my best to make you see it.”

I laugh. “Your such a dork Antonio, but I’m not sure if you're right .  Even when I was human I was never good, because deep down this is who I was meant to be.  I’m just sorry you had too see me like this.”

After what felt like an eternity, we broke the hug and I got onto my feet.

“Your eyes aren't green and smoking anymore Steve.  Why is that.”

“Are they back to normal?”

He shakes his head.

“No, your iris are still red.”

I smirk at how smart my little brother is for his age.  His vocabulary really surprises me sometimes.

“I don’t know! I  Guess it’s the power of love or some bullshit like that.  Watch them start smoking again once I step inside that house.  Anyways, thanks for cooling me off back there. Now if you will excuse me.”

I levitate a pistol from my vest and slide the top like a badass.  My hand’s were starting to feel numb so I didn't even try doing it the old fashioned way.

“I’m going to search the house for Dad.  I’ll try and show mercy if I can, but either way I’m finishing what I started.  I won’t stop until I know the truth.”

As I make my way towards the back door of the house, I stop half way when I hear my brother call out again.

“I love you Steve.” said Antonio with tears in his eyes.

“I love you too bro.  Stay outside. This will all end soon.”

I continue on towards the housed and open the back door.  It is getting increasingly difficult to walk on two legs at this point.  Before now the changing bone structure of my legs was an annoyance.  Now, it was painful.  Still, I made my way inside and and head towards Dad’s office.  I figured he must be hiding in the safe room, thinking it would protect him until the rest of the crew got back.  I hope I’m right, because I’m don’t know how much longer I can stay on two legs.

So as I make my way down the hall, a man jumps out from one of the rooms and takes a shot at me.  I catch the bullet with my magic just before it hits my  forehead.  I let the bullet fall to the ground and tisk at him.

“Your lucky Antonio calmed me down a bit otherwise I would have sent that bullet flying back at you.”

I aim my pistol that is still floating close to me, at him.

“If I were you I’d consider myself lucky and go outside.  Who knows what will happen if I start getting trigger happy.”

I fire a warning shot by his foot to prove my point.

The man screams like a bitch and goes back into the room he entered from.

Alright. No more distractions.  Time to make Dad talk.

I limp to the end of the hall and unlock the door with my horn.  When I enter, I see that the bookcase behind Dad’s desk has been moved to reveal a shiny metal door.

I drop the gun and start charging  my horn. Papers and books start flying all over the room as I try and build energy.  The safe room door was made of titanium.  If I have any hope of breaking it, I’m going to need to muster a lot of power.  I jerk my head forward and release the energy from my horn.  When I open eyes the door to the safe room now has a large hole in it.  Through the hole I see a scared old man hiding behind a suit of armor.

        “Sorry old timer,” I say smugly, “probably should have knocked first.  But since I'm here, let’s talk about Mom for a...”

        I wince in pain as a bullet enters my chest.  I was too caught up in the moment to even consider that my father was armed.

        I  roar as I feel my body expunge the bullet from my chest.  Purple and green energy starts filling around my bullet wound as I feel it begin too close.  Crap, had I know I could regenerate like that I could have gotten in the house a lot faster.

        Suddenly, I feel several bullets pierce my body.  I fall back in pain as each bullet hits me square in the chest.  Jesus why did I take off the vest.”

        When the gunshots stop I watch the same thing happened again.  Like before, the bullets are pushed out of my body, and the wounds are quickly healed by my magic.

        “Why won’t you fucking die!” he screams. “What the fuck are you?”

        It takes me a moment to respond as I try and recover from the pain of having a full clip emptied into me.

        I shoot another beam from my horn and blow away the bottom portion of the door.  Now I can walk in.

        “I’m a fucking My Little Pony villain who was reborn as your son.  I know it’s retarded but that’s the situation here.  Anyways in the words of Bane it doesn't matter who I am.  What matters is what I’m going to do to you for killing Mom.”

        My father gives me a strange look.

        “Steve?”

        As I make my way in I wince in pain as I feel my  fingers start to meld into my hand.

        “Damn it, not now.”

        I watch in horror as my entire body feels like its on fire.  The transformation is speeding up.  My shirt started to fall off my body as my torso starts shifting.  In pain I get down on all fours as I feel my body shrink.  I try and walk but I trip on my pants and slip.  My jeans fly right off as my body hits the floor. My shirt slides over my head and covers my eyes, leaving me in the dark.  My Dad yanks the shirt off of my head before unleashing a series of kicks too my  pony chest.

        He laughs.  “My Little Fucking Pony huh.  If I didn't just see you turn into one I wouldn't believe it? Well I guess it  doesn't matter.  Deep down, I always knew you were nothing but a weak pathetic animal Steve.  Well, I’m not going to let some childish monstrosity succeed me.  It’s all going to Antonio, and with you dead, I can mold him into the ideal boss this organisation needs.”

        “You're the... animal.” I say has I cough up some blood.

        My Dad backs away for a moment, most likely from the shock of hearing a miniature horse speak.  However, he quickly get’s his shit together and continues kicking the crap out of me.

I try to stand up but my chest is on fire from getting shot and kicked in such a short span of time.  Also, the fact that I am now a four legged creature isn't helping either.  How the hell am I so supposed to win if I don’t even know how to stand and walk with four legs.

“Come one you little faggot horse.” he says to me.  “Get up so I can beat the living shit out your imaginary ass.”

I look up him and expose my fangs.

“Let’s see you imagine this.”

I zap him with first spell that came into mind.  I watched as images from my fathers past zoomed by me in the form of a dozen moving screens.  In one screen, I could see father's childhood years growing up with Grandpa Aldo.  On another screen, I could see him and Mom taking their vows in front of the alter.  The two of them looked so young and happy, and it was hard for me too believe that he was the same person.

The screens of my father's past zoomed past  until one of the screens grew in size and swallowed us both into it.

        This day could not get any stranger.  First, some kind of demonic horse creature melt’s a hole in my safe room claiming to be my son.  Then he the creature tell’s me he’s a character from that girl show David put on during one of my parties last year.  At first I didn't believe him, until I saw him transform into a full blown horse right in front of me.  Then, to top it all off, I witness my entire life literally zoom past me before getting sucked into a giant video screen

        Now me and the creature who I guess is Steven - how I have no idea - are in what looks like the main hall of the mansion.  I am about to start beating the him again when I see two figures going down the steps.

        I recognize one of them as my man Joe, but I don't recognize who the other person is.  As they get closer, it finally hits me like a ton of bricks.  The person standing next too Joe is actually me.  This day just can’t get any stranger.

        Joe and my doppelganger make their way down the steps too where me and the creature are.  I pick up right away that they can’t see us, otherwise the two of them would have acknowledged my existence.  As I listened to them speak, my mind begins to understand what’s really going on.

        “Are you sure there's nothing else you can say to make things better with Martha boss?” asked Joe to the other me.

        “I’m afraid not, she is dead serious about telling the cops about the Warehouse.  If they find it, they will have a enough evidence to bring me down for good.  I love her Joe, but she no longer loves me.

        I pause for a moment before putting a hand on Joe's shoulder.

        “I’m afraid I’m too busy too take care of this matter myself.  I drugged her a few hours ago.  When she wakes up, tell her that Steve will be taking over this business, and that there is nothing either of them can do about it.  If she can’t accept that, put a bullet in her head for me.”

        Joe looks at the other me in shock.  “Boss, this is your wife you're talking about.  You've been married for almost twenty five years.  Also, what about your children.”

        “Steven knows that her and I have been fighting.  I’ll just tell him that she just couldn't take me anymore.  In the end, I’ll be telling him the truth. I just won’t tell him about the ugly part. I’m one of the few people in this world the boy actually respects.  I’m certain he’ll believe me.  As for Antonio, he’s still very young.  I’ll just spoil him and make the pain go away.  Nothing a few Power Rangers can’t heal.”

        Joe shakes his head.  “Boss, please think about this.  You can talk to her and convince her not to rat you out too the cops.  You know if you give me the order, I’ll put a bullet in almost anyone.  But please think about this.  Are you sure there isn't another way?”

        “If I hadn't made up my mind we wouldn't be having this conversation right now.  I need this taken care of before the boys wake up tomorrow.  The bitch is in my car on enough dope to keep her asleep for a few more hours.  Drive her to the usual spot and shoot her in the head before she wakes up.  If you want you can wait until she wakes up and try and convince her to drop it.  However, I’d rather she not feel any pain.  You might as well just kill her while she can’t feel anything.”

        “I’ll take care of it right away Boss.”

        “I knew I could count on you Joe.”

        The memory fades away and the room slowly turns back into the safe room.

        I look to face the creature.  He is standing up on all fours now, no longer showing any signs of pain.  Large flame like streams of purple smoke are pouring out of him like flames pouring out of an oven.  The green in his eyes glow bright with passion, and his red iris glisten with murderous intent.  Despite acknowledging who he was out loud to him, not once did I really believe him too be my son.  Now after looking in his eyes, I have no doubt in my mind that the monster before me is in fact my own flesh and Blood.”

        For the first time in my entire life, I did something I thought I would never do in front of my own children.  I started to cry.

“Please Steven. Forgive me.  I was only trying to do what was best for you.  I wanted it all to go to you Steven.  That's why I made Joe do it.  Yet in the end, I know that my sins will drag me to hell, and I see no more fitting executioner than the monster you have become.”

        I crouch and beg for mercy.

        “Just please, end me now.”

        I had seen enough.

        I waited while the memory  faded and returned both of us to the safe room.

        I lifted myself up from the ground using all four of my legs, as I felt my anger heal the pain in my chest.  I turned to face my father, and focus all my hatred towards him.  The man looked at me in horror.  It was as if he saw me as a phantom, about to send his soul to everlasting damnation.  He couldn't have been more right.

 My father had believed in heaven and hell for a long time.  At one point I imagined he did, because I did see him in church a couple of times back when I was surfing through his life.  However, my father saw god as a sample of what he wished himself to be.  Too be honest, the only reason I ever believed was because of what happened to Mom.  A woman as sweet as her deserves the best, especially after hearing how Dad did her in.

But right now, the mysteries of the universe can wait.  All that mattered was the hell I was planning too  unleash on him right here.

I brush my left forehoof on the ground and gesture my head like a bull about to charge it’s prey.

Before I can will myself to make my next movie, I see Dad do something I thought I’d never see.  He started to tear up, as he stared back at me with regret.

“Please Steven. Forgive me.  I was only trying to do what was best for you.  I wanted it all to go to you Steven.  Tha'ts why I made Joe do it.  Yet in the end, I know that my sins’s will drag me to hell, and I see no fitting executioner than the monster you have become.”

Suddenly the room flashed  as a forgotten memory surfaced into my brain.  I was in the throne room in Crystal Castle, staring at a crying alicorn mare.  In my mind, I knew her name to be Gaia.

“Please Sombra, Forgive me.  I  only wanted you to overcome your hatred first.  That's why I didn't teach you the secrets of the Crystal Heart.  Yet in the end, I have failed as both a queen and a teacher.  Your hatred  for me and the ponies of this kingdom is too strong even for  me.  I just hope that my sisters will be able to save you from your madness.

My mind comes back to the present as I watch my father get down on his knees.

“Just please, end me now.”

I flash back to the empire and see that Gaia  is kneeling in a similar manner.

“You have beaten me.  If you're going to end me, I suggest you do it now.  No doubt that the mere fear of killing me will add to your overwhelming might.  But know that I will forever look after Equestria as well this planet within the Earth.”

Again my mind returns to the present, where my father is offering himself to me like Gaia before him.

Suddenly, familiar words that I had once spoke long ago echoed from my mouth.

“I will gladly take your life, and take your empire as my own.”

In that moment. The past and present merged.  As I summon an array of black crystal swords around my father, I watch myself do the exact same thing too Gaia in the past.  I watched as both the man and the alicorn are impaled by my blades.  As one lodges itself in my father's chest, another slices off my mentor’s majestic wings.  In the end, both lay dead in a pool of their own blood.  The only difference was that right now on earth, I didn't break out into laughter.

In my former life, I slain an innocent goddess whose only crime was that she built a kingdom based on love and hope.  Now, I have slain a heartless monster, who built his kingdom with blood and greed.  Yet now, I do not feel the same satisfaction that I once felt thousands of years ago, but I know not why.

Who am I?  Am I a human or a pony?  Am I caring brother or a cold blooded killer?  Am I Steve Anello or King Sombra?

Who am I?

Suddenly I see my father's hand move slightly.  He was still alive.

I trot  to him with difficulty and heal some of his wounds partially, so that I could talk to him one last time.

        I watch his eyes open and stare at me.

        “I’m sorry, Dad, but after what I just saw I couldn't let you get away with what you had done.  My mind and body might have changed, but my love for her and Antonio is just as strong as  ever.  I thought killing you would help bring me closer, but now I feel like I am no better than you.

        “Steven...”

        He is struggling to say something, so I use my magic to help maintain his life force for a little while longer.

        “Even as an evil talking horse from a fucking kids show, you are better than me.  I see now that you are the worst of me and the best of your mother.  You have my brutality and her compassion inside you.  Even now, you're already making plans for Antonio for when I’m gone.  You were right in taking your vengeance upon me, and I couldn't be more proud of you now.  You have the balls to take what is yours, and the heart to protect the ones you care about.”

        I sat by him in the moment, as I take in this words.  Is he really, congratulating me for murdering him?  Even in death, my father is a basket case.  Yet despite the absurdity of it all, I couldn't help but take comfort in his words.  In a way, he is helping me answers the questions that have been haunting me since  the moment I pulled the trigger back in the bank.

        “Steven, never lose sight of what’s important like I did, and never lose your ambition.  You are a god Steven, and you deserve to live like one.  Take care of your brother, take care of what’s left of the organization, but most importantly take care of yourself.”

        I place my hoof on his shoulder and look down at him.

        “Your eyes stopped smoking Steve.”

        “Yeah, they go on and off from time to time.” I laugh.  “I’ll honor your last request, even though I really should have just let you die already.Thank you for taking getting murdered by your pony son so well.”

        The two of us laughed at the absurdity of my words, but I can tell he’s really not comfortable about dying.

“Goodbye Steven.”

I shake my head.

“No. Before you die, you should hear my true name.  This chat has been touching, but you're still getting what you deserve.  For now on, only the ones I truly care for may call me Steve Anello.  The rest of the human race shall know me as King Sombra.  In time world will quake before my name.”

“Well, I’ll be rooting for you in hell.”

        “I thought it didn't exist.”

        “While I’m hoping it doesn't for my sake, seeing you do all this magic shit today makes me really nervous.”

        I laugh. “Write us all a postcard when you get there, and don’t forget too wright one to Mom.”

        I release my magic and watch as my father starts to bleed again.  Within moments the life vanishes from his eyes, and I feel his body go cold in my hoof.

        I laugh hysterically this time without feeling any shred of guilt. This time, I tasted the victory that was my revenge and enjoyed every moment of it.  Now that I knew that I could still be Steve and Sombra made me feel great.  For the first time since my mother vanished from my life, I actually gave a crap about what my father said.

        After savoring my victory, I debated \what I should do about Antonio.  I’m going to need time to explain too Antonio what happened, even if the truth was ugly.  Hopefully he won’t turn into Link from the Legend of Zelda when he turns twenty-five and kill me with the Master Sword.

        I'm sure I'll find the wright words, but before I do that I need to take care of a few more thing.  I levitated my father's cell phone and hacked it with my magic.  It was a touch phone, so I had to manipulate the phone with magic in order to properly use it.  It was tricky, but I finally got it to call David’s cell.

        I put the phone on speaker so that my ears wouldn't get hurt and waited for David to answer.

“Mr. Anello.”

        “Sorry David, or  do you prefer to go by your pony name now?  Thunder something I think?  I can’t remember what it is.  Anyway, father's dead stiff right now.  I’m afraid he won’t be making anymore calls.”

        “My God Steve, what have you done.”

        “Don’t worry, I made sure he was actually responsible for my mother's death first before I did anything.  Anyway, I think I might have accidentally sped my transformation up while fighting my way into the mansion.  I kinda took the form of a shadowy monster thing.  Are you still partially human.”

Eventually I do hear his voice.

“Well yeah but barely, Me and Rum... Rudy grew what we think might be wings  not too long ago.  They don’t look or feel fully developed, but my brother is really excited.  I’m just really afraid about what this means for the future.

“Don’t worry David.  I have a plan.  How far are you from the mansion.”

“I’m in a secluded parking lot not too far from the place. We've been sitting in the car for about two whole hours waiting for whatever shit you started to blow over.  By the way, I heard you kill Luigi when I called him.  He was my friend man.”

“I got kind of trigger happy.  I felt like I was in an action movie.  I’ll admit I got a little carried away, but Antonio was able to snap me out of it.  I spared as many as I could.  Listen, you need to come over here.  I’m going to make a speech soon and I want your to be there.  I promise if anyone mistreats you or your brother I’ll  turn them into stone.  I know you're not thrilled at me for knocking you out last night, but it beats sitting in that parking lot.”

“You don’t need beat yourself up. I put a hit on my parents killer and got myself involved in this mess.  I understand how you feel.  Wait, I really shouldn't be having this conversation in front of Rumble.  Just make sure you clean the ‘mess’ you made before we get there.  I’ll drive around a bit so you can do that.”

        “Alright. Stay safe and watch out for people.”

        I hang up my phone and turn to the suit of armor in the back of the room.  Behind it was a tapestry of some sort.  As my eyes dart between the both of them, I smile wickedly.

        “I think it’s time I get dressed for the occasion.”

        I zap both the tapestry and the armor and watch as they both changed before my eyes.  The lower half  shrank and molded into metal plating on  my chest and legs.  The helmet was transformed into a familiar black crown which complimented my mane and had a nice hole for my horn.  Lastly, the tapestry transformed itself into a regal red cape that one might see upon a human king.

I teleported myself and reappeared in the spot where my Armor had be floating.  It now was tightly secure on my body.  Next I levitated my royal cape and placed it upon my back.  A nice feeling of nostalgia entered my mind as I did so.  Lastly I placed my royal crown atop my head and made my way out of the room in search for a mirror.  With difficulty I stumbled into one of the rooms and found exactly what I was looking for.

I gazed at myself as a sinister smile formed on my face.

“I know I've only just turned into a pony, but I look so fucking sexy right now.”

I pump my right hoof in the air.

“Hail to the king bitches.”

Six Plus Six, Add One More

This has been a very strange day for me.  Seeing Steve turn into some sort of monster and wasting half of father's goons was just plain scary.  Steve was always a hard ass, but I never imagined he would be capable of this.  Still I waited outside for him - and hopefully Dad - to emerge unharmed.

Finally something did emerge from the house, but it wasn’t anything I was expecting.  A four legged creature with a black crown and a red cape stepped out the back door.  The creature’s body, which was covered in an armor of some sort, was just a few inches taller than me.  However, what concerned me the most is that he had the same red eyes that my brother had when I last saw him.

The creature in the armor walked up to me and smiled.

“Don’t worry, brother.” he said. “Its still me.”

I felt like I was going too faint.

“Steve your a freaking horse.”

“Well technically I’m a pony.  And if we are going to be even more technical, I am a unicorn.  I know it sounds really gay, but I’m actually starting to feel right at home in this body.”

I stared at him quizzically. My mind just couldn’t comprehend with the fact that my own brother was now a talking horse with a horn.

“Are you going to be like this for the rest of your life?”

He sighed, “As far as I know I am.  Like I told you before, I’m becoming who I once was back in my world.  The only reason I know is because I cast a spell on myself too help me remember my past life.  Even thought that spell has worn off, little tidbits keep cropping up from time to time.  I doubt if I’ll ever remember everything, but in the end that’s for the best.”

He gave me an odd look and smirked.

“You should see the look on your face.  Looks like David after he smoked that bad joint and thought he saw Scooby Doo.  I’m still trying to make sense of the whole thing myself.  I’ll try and explain things better later on, I promise.”

I stood there a moment when I realised that Dad hadn’t come out of the house.

“So I’m guessing Dad’s... You know.”

He sighed again. “I’m sorry Antonio, but he had it coming.  He tried to kill, and he had one of his goons kill Mom all those years ago.  All this time I thought he did it himself.  I guess deep down he really did care about her and us.  Still, what he did was heartless, and I’m sorry If I was just ready to forgive him.”

“Didn't you love him Steve?”

He sighed. “Before Mom disappeared I knew nothing but love for him.  I was what you called the perfect son.  He was grooming me to take over, just as he had been grooming you now.  However, I could never forgive him for what he did.  That’s why I had to do it.”

He started to shout now, and the whites of his eyes were glowing green again. Purple smoke was pouring out as he grunted and bared his fangs in range.  Eventually he calmed down and started panting.

As his eyes turned back to normal, I saw a tear trickle down his face.

“But yeah!” He said. “Even now a part of me did love him.  I feel sick at how satisfying it was killing him.  I’m probably just has bad as him now.”

As a watched his horn start to glow purple and green, similar auras started covering my body. I got scared for a moment as I was lifted off the ground, only to be dropped into the hooves of my brother.

Was he hugging me?  My God he sure was!  I was getting hugged by a talking horse.

“Right now you're the only thing keeping me from becoming worse than he is.  I feel like as long as I have you, I can be better than him.  No matter what dark impulse creeps into my brain, I know you’ll be around to guide me back too the light.”

His horn started to glow again and he levitated me onto his back.

“I’ll walk you up to the room.  You stay there until tonight.  I need to corral the survivors and get this place cleaned up for David and Rudy.  There going through the same thing I’m going through.  There still part human, but come morning they’ll be able to fly.”

I shook my head.

“Wait!” I said dumbfoundedly.  “Rudy and David are turning into... ponies too?

As he started trotting back into the house, he stopped and turned his head to face me.

“Indeed they are, but they aren’t fully transformed yet. When I turned my body back from shadow too flesh, I somehow accelerated the changing process.  Why I have know idea.  I’m not a scientist, and I’m still learning this magic thing.  Thought I got to say I’m getting really damn good at it.”

“And they can fly?” I asked.

“Not yet, but I reckon they will once their transformation is complete.  They’ll be over in an hour or so.  Right now I need to round up the rest of the mob and get everything ready for tonight.”

He continued to trot and we entered the house with me still on his back.

“This is really strange what your doing right now right.  I mean you're my brother and you're giving me a ride on your back like an animal..”

My brother let out a deep chuckle.

“I thought it would be cute.  I’m just trying to make the best of weird situation.  Also, from what David tell’s me, the ponies of our home world aren’t animals.  They are civilized and intelligent beings just like humans.  Though I have to say, I don’t know how my former self got around without video games.”

        As we approached the staircase, I noticed that he started to slow down.

        “What’s wrong I asked.”

        He looked up at me with embarrassment.

        “I’m still getting used to walking.  I’ve only just learned how to not trip over myself. I still have some problems with stairs.”

        “If you're not comfortable, I can always get off and walk up the stairs like a normal person.  I mean I’m not five or anything.”

        “Look Antonio, I just changed species and I’m going through some personal changes right now.  At least let me show off my power and levitate you up the stairs.”

        “Please Steve. Don’t do...”

        “Too Late!”

        The same green/purple aura grabbed hold of my body as I floated off my brothers back and up the staircase.  Once my feet touched the second floor, the aura vanished.

        “I’m telling you Antonio,” Steve shouted to me from down the stairs, “This change really does have it’s perks.  These powers are incredible, and I’m only going to get stronger as time goes on.  If they scare you I promise I’ll tone the showing off down.  But you half to admit this is really cool.”

        “My god all this shit’s going too your head.”

        “I know, and I’m loving it.  Once everything's cleaned up, I’ll spends some time with you.  You can talk to me about whatever you want after that.  Me, the transformation, Dad, Mom.  I promise that know matter how much I’m change I’m still going to be your brother.  Just like Naruto would say...”

        “Don’t your fukcing dare say what I think you are going to say.”

        “That’s a promise.”

        I blinked and sighed with relief.

        “Wow thank you for not say that other catchphrase.”

        “You better ‘believe it’” he said tauntingly

        Ok now I was pisssed

        “Dammit Steve!” I shouted.

        He let out another super villain laugh and broke into a run.

        “Sorry Antonio but you set yourself up for... Oh Crap!”

Steve tripped and fell on his hooves.

“You had that coming!” I shout back.

He got it and smiled.

“I suppose you're right.  Anyways, I’ll see you in a little bit.”

He trotted off and I started thinking about the future.  I was really sad that Dad had died.  I know he really wasn’t nice to Steve, but he treated me like a prince.  Even though he was a bad man and apparently murdered my Mom, he was still my father.

Well, I’m only twelve so what should I know right?  No, I know he was bad man.  Yet despite everything he did, I couldn’t hate him.  A part of me was really mad at Steve for what he did, even if he had it coming.  I wondered if Steve even realised that he just made me an orphan.

As I thought, I noticed I was crying.  I didn’t want Steve to come back and hear me so I ran to my room.  It’s filled with anime and video game posters.  I scrunched up and put a pillow over my face.

Why did any of this have to happen.  Why did my brother have to turn into a monster?  Why did my father kill my mother before I could get to know her?  Did dad have to die?  I know Steve said he’s still the same person, but even I can tell that he changed.  I saw what he almost did to those guards, though every part of me wanted to forget it.  He was threatening to eat that one guy, hell he even licked him.  Was that creature really still my brother, or is he just a shadow of what he was?

All this unanswered question caused me bawl out and cry until eventually I passed out from exhaustion.

About an hour later, I woke up to find my brother sitting quietly in the corner on his butt.

He tried to speak softly, though his new deep voice made that a bit of challenge.

“You look like you’ve been crying.  Your pillow is all wet.”

I stared at him and tried to figure out what to say.  The last thing I wanted to do was put down the only family I had left.

“I’m really sad about dad. I know he killed mom and everything, but he didn’t have to die.  Plus, I have a hard time believing that you're still you.  It’s nothing personal, but even you admitted yourself. You’ve change Steve, and not just in appearance.”

He walked over to and put a hoof on my shoulder.

“I know, and you're right.  Dad didn’t have too die.  I killed him out of malice and anger.  And yes, I know I’m acting differently since the changes started.  I feel like I have two conflicting personalities fighting for control.  But down in the safe room, before Dad died, I realised just because I’ve changed doesn’t mean I can never be my old self.  Right now, I’m playing the part of King Sombra, and I’m plotting my next big move on the humans.  Yet at the same time, I’m playing the role of Steve Anello, the spoiled low life mob son who only cares about himself his friends and his little bro.  I know you're not proud of me, nor do I expect you to be.  However, no matter how black my heart is, nothing will come between us.”

He removed his hoof and looked at me firmly .

“Someday I’ll make this right.  Maybe not today or even tomorrow, but someday soon I’ll make this right.  Things might never be the same again, but at least you’ll be happy.  I’m sorry that all this had to happen Antonio, but what’s done is done.  Anyways,  I’m just about ready to make my speech.  If you don’t wanna see me, you can talk to Rudy.  I’m sure with what he’s going through, he’ll need a friend to support him.”

As I looked at him, I could see the sincerity in his eyes.

“Do your regret killing Dad?” I asked him.

He sighed.  “Whatever good is still in me does feel guilty for doing it, but I’m telling you that even if I didn’t have this transformation, I would have done this anyway.  Mom meant that much to me.  I went through his memories.  He had her killed without a second thought.  Hell, Joe even tried to talk him out of it.  Yet even after getting my revenge at that disgusting sack of shit, I do feel some regret.  Though I am in no way, shape, or form sorry for what I did.  He deserved everything that happened to him.”

“It still doesn’t make it right Steve.”

“When your heart is ‘black as night’ right and wrong doesn’t always matter.  Anyways, I’m sure you’ll feel better when Rudy comes over.  I still have work that need to be done.  Find me after the speech if you still need help.  No matter how much you hate me, I’m not giving up on you.”

        “I don’t hate you Steve, I’m just really confused about everything.”

        “I know you are little brother, but I promise it will get better with time.”

        Before he exited the room, he turned his head smiled.

        “Oh, I figured out how to walk up stairs while you were asleep.  Really tricky on four legs.”

        His little joke made me chuckle and perked me up a little bit, but not completely.

        As I watched him leave I lay on my bed and thought to myself.

I wonder how Rudy and his brother are handling this.

About an hour and a half drive around town I made my way through the winding road to the Anello estate.  I told Rumble too close his eyes as I made the final turn.  However, as the mansion came into view, I noticed that it looked the same.

As I drove closer, I could find one body lying on the grass.  In addition, Mr Anello’s men were all standing in position.  They looked a little uneasy, but they were still at work.  All the statues looked undamaged and besides the center stature, the fountain was the same as well.  In place of Zeus was the image of king  King Sombra standing stoically with one leg raised in the air.

Two ideas entered my mind when I saw this statue.  Either David had gone completely mad with power, or he’s become the most hardcore brony on the planet.  I thought about asking him to make me an RD statue outside my apartment, but then I remembered that I’m probably not welcomed there anymore.  Damn that psycho bitch Jessica.

I parked in my usual spot right by the main entrance.  Me and Rumble were reluctant to walk out of the car.  A familiar face walked up to us and knocked on the car window.  It was my good friend Chuck. I rolled the car window down and and covered my face with my hands.

“It’s ok David.” said Chuck.  “Steve... I mean, Lord Sombra told me what was happening.  But my God this incredible.  You and your brother are turning into miniature horses.”

        I was both surprised and relieved at his reception. I slowly lifted my hands off of my face and looked at him.  “Listen, you better protect me and my brother from everybody else.”

        “Don’t worry, all the survivors know not to harm you, but I’d keep your guard up.  A lot of us aren’t thrilled at about this whole pony thing.  Sombra said he will behead anyone who tries to harm or discriminate you and Rudy.”

Whoa, he’s really taken this whole Sombra thing to his head.  He actually believes he’s the real deal.  Certainly hope that’s not the case, because if it is, this entire city is doomed.

        “So David,” continued Chuck. “Are you ready to meet the new boss?”

        As ready as I’d ever be.

“Yeah, I’m ready.”

        “Then follow me.  I was instructed to guide Rudy to Antonio's room.  Once he’s there, I’ll take you two Mr Anello’s old office to meet Lord Sombra.”

        “Is he really making you call him ‘Lord’?” I asked in disbelief.

        “Right now he’s trying to establish order, the organisation is in shambles because of him.  Anyone he sees as loyal gets a slave collar put on them.  I tell you David you don’t wanna get on Ste... er Sombra’s bad side.  You know the front entrance to the house collapsed about three hours ago.  I saw him put it back together in two minutes.  Man my pay grade better go up for this.”

        Me and my brother made our way out of the car and tried our best to walk.  At this point in the transformation, it was really hard.  Chuck saw that were both having trouble and gave us both a hand.  He guided us up the stairs to Antonio’s room.  Rudy got so happy all of a sudden that for a moment I thought I saw the wings tucked under his shirt move a bit.  I was probably just imagining things though.

        “You two stay out of trouble.” I said.  “Just pretend like this is another big work day like we normally do.  The grown ups need to talk.

“You got it Thunder.” replied Rudy.

“Rumble I thought I told you to stop calling me that.” I responded.

“And I thought I told you not to call me Rumble.”

“Damn, these mental changes are driving me crazy.”

Chuck just laughed at me.  “Yeah, If I was turning into one of you guys, I’d probably be freaking out too. Hell I’m still human and I’m barely holding my shit together.”

“Hey don’t curse in front of my brother.  That’s a big rule with me.”

“I’m not five years old Thunder, I know what shit means.”

“It doesn’t make it right Rum... Rumb... Rudy! God why can’t I say your name right anymore?”

“I think you should come with me David.” said Chuck has he patted me on the shoulder.  “The boss seems to know what’s going on.  He tried to explain it to me, but half the stuff went over my head.  Maybe you can make sense this madness?”

“Well let’s hope so.” I said sighing.

        Chuck me escorted me down to Tony’s office.  There I saw something- or somepony- I never thought I’d see in person.  There sitting in the bosses chair was King Freaking Sombra.  Everything was there.  The horn, the armor, the crown, the smoking eyes, everything.  I was utterly speechless.

 “He’s all your’s boss.” said Chuck.  “If you need me I’ll be outside.”

Sombra smiled at me and exposed his long pointy fangs.  He levitated a glass of red wine to his face and took a sip.

“David, my best friend in the world.  Glad you could finally show up to the party.  Still walking on two legs I see.  Hell from what you told me, come tomorrow you won’t be needing leg’s to get around.  You're going be able to fly you lucky son of a bitch.  God I wish was an alicorn.  That’s what those god ponies are called right?  Memories from the old world haven’t fully come back yet.”

“Yeah, David about that. You see...”

He he lifted up one of his four hooves and cut me off.

“I’m sorry, where are my manners.  I should have poured you a drink as soon as you walked in.  Would you like some of wine?  I found this stuff in the safe room.  It’s just the right age.”

        I thought for a moment before responding.

        “I could probably go for a drink.  This day has been really crazy.”

        “I know what you mean my friend, now watch this shit.”

        I watched his horn glow purple as the wine bottle next to him lifted up into the air.  The bottle magically uncorked itself as an empty glass floated by.  I watched the bottle float up as it’s content’s were slowly poured into the glass.  The cork floated back, sealed the bottle up, and the glass came flying to my hand.”

        “How the fuck you do that?”

        He pushed his face closer to me.

        “Magic, snort snort.”

        I gave Steve a funny look.

        “Ok now I know you're not really Steve.  Steve would never make a reference to such an old meme.”

        “Well neither would Sombra. I’m just really relieved to see you David so I hope you don’t mind if I’m a little ecstatic.”

        I glared at him.

        “Look Steve, I don’t know what’s going through your head, but you need to stop.  I don’t know why we look like characters from the show, but were not them.  I mean look at you.  You just killed your father and your celebrating. You built a giant statue of yourself outside.  I heard Chuck say you're making people wear ‘slave collars’.

        “It’s just a little mind control enchantment. The voice in my head taught me that one.  It’s what I used to prevent uprising back in Equestria!”

        “You're not Sombra Steve.” I said in annoyance.

        He was really scaring me now, so I started raising my voice.

        “Steve you're not Sombra.  You just look like him.”

“Well, if I’m not Sombra, how come I had a flash of murdering an alicorn just as I was about to kill Dad?”

“You probably made it up in your head.”

He sighed. “Maybe I can’t prove to you I’m Sombra, but I think I can prove that your Thunderlane.  I’m going to use the same spell I used on Dad.  I’m sorry to do this David, but the sooner you accept the truth the better.  If I search your mind and find nothing, then I promise I’ll release Dad’s men from their service and give my mad quest for power up.  Do we have a deal?”

“No we don’t!” I shouted. “This is stupid!!”

He snickered at me. “But if you're not really Thunderlane, you have nothing to worry about do you?  Also, did you hear what I said?  I told you I would fight my Sombra persona if I’m wrong.  So I’ll ask you again.  Do you want the blue pill or the red pill.”

I took a deep breath.  Everything he just said makes sense.  If I’m right, he might give up the whole Sombra thing.  If I’m wrong, well then, I’ll know the truth.  The question is, will I be able to handle it?

It’s funny.  All these years spent obsessing over this show even as other moved on you think I’d be the happiest man in the world.

“Alright Morpheus, let’s get this over with.”

Steve chuckled as his horn started to glow purple.

“Alright Neo!” he shouted in excitement. “Let’s get started!”

I felt a surge of energy wash over me as movie video scenes zoomed past me.  I saw bits and pieces of my life play out in half a dozen scenes.  For a moment It reminded me a lot of the alicorn Twilight episode.  At first I could recall everything that zoomed past me.  On one screen I saw Rudies tenth birthday.  On another I saw myself graduating high school.

Then last panel I saw my mother holding a baby in her arms.  After that me and Steve were sucked into a giant screen.

We were no longer in the office.  We were now in a open field with bright green glass.  The sky around us was dark and strong gusts of wind were blowing past my mane.

In the distance i could see two figures speeding down towards us.  As they get closer, my jaw dropped in disbelief.  The figures were ponies, but they weren’t just any ponies.  They were Thunderlane and Rumble.

They landed a few feet away from us, and I was stunned by how real they looked.

“Well it looks like I was right.” shouted Steve.  “I lined up your memories in chronological order, and this one is the earliest memory you have before you were born.  It was buried deep down in your subconscious, but it’s still there.  Looks like I win the...”

“Shut up for a second!” I shouted “I think they’re about to talk.”

We both watched Thunderlane and Rumble turn to face each other.

“Listen to me bro.” Said Thunder. “I pretty sure I saw Dash and Discord fly this way.  If he’s responsible for all these disappearances, I need you to fly.  Fly like you’ve never flown before.  Even if I’m not there, I need you to keep flying until you're safe.  Just follow the train tracks south, you hear me?”

“But brother...”

“No.  Listen to me Rumble.  If we run into Discord and Dash isn’t with him, just leave me.”

“Thunder he’s heading this way!”

We watched Rumble point his hoof, and we all turned to look where he was pointing.  Sure enough, the Spirit of Chaos was floating slowly towards the two ponies.

“Excuse me little ponies.” Discord said.  “I couldn’t help but overhear that you are not pleased with what I’m doing.  All I’m trying to do to do is banish those who would get in my way of reshaping this world.”

He snapped his fingers and teleported beside Rumble.

“Yet everywhere I go,” he continued “Ponies are unpleased with me.  Even though they are nothing compared to me, they are trying to sabotage everything I’ve accomplished today.  I thought all I need to do was banish the element's.  But now, I see now I’m going to have to step up my game.  If you all don’t like my new Equestria, I’ll just have to send you someplace worse.”

Me and Thunderlane watched in horror as Discord grabbed Rumble by his head and  floated him up into the air.

        “Put him down you monster!” me and Thunderlane shouted in unison witch really unsettled me. However, I was too engrossed with what happening around me to ponder our simultaneous choice of words.

        “Now, I’m going to banish him right before his your eyes.” he said laughing as lightning struck a nearby tree and lit it on fire.

        He brought Rumble closer to his head and scratched his chin with his paw.

        “This time I’m going to do something different.  I’ve already genderbent enough ponies today, and I already banished enough ponies that will eventually go through age regression.  For my next trick.  I’m going to have him linger between worlds for a bit before sending him.”

        “If you touch him,” grunted Thunderlane. “I’ll...”

        “I’d keep my temper down if I were you.  You’re lucky I decided to keep you two together.  You’ll see the little twerp again in twelve years time, but if you're not good, I’ll send him to an abusive family.  Wait.  On second thought. Maybe I’ll cast the regular spell and do just that.”

        “Wait please don’t do that, I’ll do whatever you say.”

        “Thunder!” shouted Rumble. “Don’t give him what he wants.  I can handle whatever this jerk does to me.”

        “Sorry bro, that not happening.  Just please don’t do that to him. I don’t understand most of what you just said, but I don’t want my brother to get hurt.”

        The draconequus smiled devilishly at Thunder.  His eyes sparkled with sinister intentions.

        “If you care for him, beg like a helpless mare before my feet.  My mercy needs to be earned after.  Hell, if you beg hard enough I’ll make sure the two of you will meet again.  However If I don’t think you're pleading hard enough, I’ll make sure his life is a living hell.”

As I watched the events play out, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of deja vu.  Like I had seen this exact same scene before.  While Thunderlane was pleading with Discord, I turned to Steve.

“This is the missing scene that they cut out from the series finale.  You must have pulled out my memory from when I saw this scene on tv.”

“David, I’m sorry but I don’t think a kid show would be this dark dude.  I just heard him mention child abuse.  I highly doubt they put a scene like this in a little girl’s show.”

        “The why do I remember this? Why does it seem so familiar?”

        By this point, I knew that Steve was right about everything.  But a part of me still wanted to hold onto ignorance.  I didn’t want to accept the truth.  I watched Steve open his mouth, knowing full well what he was going to say.

        “Because this really happened David.  If it’s too painful to watch I’ll end the spell right now.”

        “No!” I shouted with tears streaming down my eyes. “I need to see this for myself.”

        I turned back to watch Discord and Thunderlane.  He was still begging for mercy from the the evil spirit, and was actually kissing his legs.  This was beyond humiliating, and it only got worse as the memory dragged on.

        Eventually Thunderlane told Discord that he’s done.

        The Draconequus patted him on the head.

“Thank you for being such a good bitch Thunderlane. It just goes to show that beyond all that testosterone, you're nothing but a weak mare inside. For providing me such entertainment.  I will make sure the two of you will remain brothers.  I’ll send your brother over first.”

He turned to Rumble and he started to chant.

Six Plus Six, Add One More.

Up on two legs, no longer you will you soar

In twelve years time, you’ll be reborn

The the life you will live, will surely make you mourn

When the change is complete, an outcast you’ll be

Because to them you're a freak for all their eyes to see

        When Discord had finished his shitty poem Rumble vanished.

        “It’s your turn now bitch.” called Discord.

        “David I think we’ve seen enough.” said Steve. “I’m pulling us out of the memory.”

        As the scene starts to fade away, I hear Discord say something to Thunderlane.

Five Score, Divided By Four

We were both back in the office now.  Steve eyes weren’t smoking anymore, and they stopped glowing green.  He looked at me with a worried look.

“Are you ok man?” he asked. “You look like you're about to cry.”

Sure enough I did.  I cried my freaking eyes out.  Who wouldn’t after finding out their whole life was a lie, that you didn’t belong on this planet.  That for almost eight years, you enjoyed a television show that was secretly about the world you were originally from, but never knew existed.

“It’s all a lie.” I said with tears.  “Me and Rumble, aren’t really human.  We were never really human.  My god it all makes sense.  That’s why I always came first in track.  That’s why me and my brother were so good at predicting the weather.  My god, everything about me is a lie.”

“I’m sorry this happened to us David.” Steve said.  “If I knew how, I’d open up a portal right now and kill that snake for what he did to us.  What he did to everypony on this planet.  But now, the only thing we can do is cherish all the good that came out of being human.  At the same time, we need to stick together and embrace who we really are, while still hanging onto who we are on earth.”

“I’m going to let you in on a little spoiler David.” he continued.  “Right now I’ve been scheming and coming up with a plan.  I’m going to take over this city and make this a safe haven for all those who have turned.  I wasn’t planning on telling you this because I didn’t want to scare you away.  But you know the evil I am capable of, and you also know that I look after my friends.  Are you getting it now?  I can be Steve and Sombra without contradicting the other.”

“Can you really though?” I asked.

“I know I can, and the moment I stop, you and your brother can fly away from this city.  But for now I would like you to live here with me and Antonio.  This estate is huge, and it’s very secluded.  So long as you don’t get too close to the highway, you’ll all have plenty of room.  Man I’m telling you, I’d trade these powers just to be able to fly.”

“I don’t know.  Being an evil sorcerer is a sweet deal.” I said jokingly.

“That it is.” he replied.  “But I take it you're not really cool with the whole evil thing.  Truth be told that’s why I really need you. I’m confident I can keep this new life of mine in check, but I’m going to need you to help keep me in line.  I never want to see my self hold a gun to a little girl ever again.  So what’s it going to be?  Are you in or out?”

Steve did have a point. I really didn’t have anywhere else to go.  Still, could I really go along on his power trip?

“Well, after working for the mob for so long, I guess living with a dictator can’t be so bad.  Besides, your right. We don’t fit in this world any more.  At least here my brother will be safe.”

He gave me a warm smile and turned his head to the clock.

“Whelp, I better give my speech to the troops.  You should come with me to the garden. I want you to be a part of this.  I promise this won’t be like a one of those neo nazi rallies or anything stupid like that.”

“I’m sure it won’t.”

The two of made out way out the office and down the hall.  As we walked I couldn’t help but feel a shimmer of hope.  Sure, I just found out that I’m a reincarnated pegasus with no memory of his former life, but Steve/Sombra found a way to give me hope.  I began to think maybe he wasn’t so evil after all.  However, that trail of thought died as soon as I saw a group of men with glowing purple collars walk past us with a zombified look in their eyes.

Yeah.  He’s totally lost it...

Under New Management: End of Part I

        It’s about 5:25 PM as Thunderlane and I enter the garden.  As we walk past the long rows of beautiful flowers, we can see the small stage that I had my men set up.  It’s a small stage that my family had in storage to use for outdoor parties and social gatherings.  It isn’t anything special, but it will do I suppose.

We make our way past the rows of chairs and onto the stage.  There are four chairs on the stage: two for us and two for our brothers.  Me and Thunder took the closest seats and sit down.  Of course I have I a hard time doing that because of my giant pony butt.  Eventually I realise sitting upright like a human would leave me exposed, so I decide to screw the chair and and lay down on my belly.  Nudity might be acceptable in the pony world but I’m not going to show my junk off to a large crowd of men.  Now if their were some mares in the crowd...? I cut my perverted line of thought before I can excite myself.

        I’ve been a pony for about three or four hours and I’m already thinking dirty.  I swear, I bet when the other ponies fully transform, they aren’t going to be this horny.  Anyways, over the next few days, I’m going to have to issue an all out pony hunt for some mares.

As I close my mind of vulgarity, I watch as gangsters start to pour in from both the left and right garden entrances. On the right side I can see Antonio and Rumble being escorted by the man I had ordered to look after them.  He brings them up to the stage and they take seats right behind us.  Rumble/Rudy, can’t stop staring at me.  His eyes gleaming with amazement.

“Oh my God Steve!” He says excitedly. “ You really are King Sombra!  That’s so cool!  Are you really evil now!?  Can you use magic!?  How come you're already a full pony!?  Will I be able to fly tomorrow!?”

Hearing Rumble’s enthusiasm makes me laugh.

“Just as hyper as ever I see Rudy.  I’m glad the transformation hasn’t changed that about you.  Heck, maybe now you’ll be even more energetic than normal.  I can’t answer all your questions.  Ask your brother after the ceremony.  I’m sure he know just as much as I do about our changes now.”

“Will we ever be human again?” he asks.

I looked over at David with who seems really anxious from Rumble’s question.  I look back at Rumble and try to tell him what I really think.

“I don’t think that’s likely, but If you desire I can work on a spell that could turn you back.  Unfortunately I’d have know idea where to start on such a spell.  If it’s any consolation, I do believe that you will be able to fly eventually.”

“If that’s the case I’m never turning back!” shouts Rudy.

Antonio shakes his head in confusion.  I think a part of him might be jealous, but in reality he should be glad.  Even with all the perks that comes with this pony thing, the truth is none of us may ever belong in this world again.  That is, unless all my plans come to fruition.

As I lay on my stomach I watch the incoming gangsters.  The bulk of them are walking in of their own accord.  Others are wearing glowing purple collars around their necks.  These ‘slave collars’ as I told David are a magical enchantment that ‘the voice’ taught me.  Anyone who wears one of these magic collars becomes a mindless zombie that will adhere to my every demand.  While it does sound really cool to have my own private army of zombies, I told myself only to enslave the defiant.  I didn’t want to run an Empire with mindless lackeys that won’t go to the bathroom without being told.  For what I have in store for the city, I need strong, loyal, and obedient followers.

Finally, the guard is completely full and I decide to take center stage.  I lift myself off the ground and walk toward the podium in the front of the stage.  I lift myself onto small crate and stand on it with my back hooves.  I then place my front most hooves on the podium itself for support.  I am now standing upright, in a way that is almost human.  I feel that by presenting myself in this way, I can lessen the effects of the species barrier.

Already people are starting to stare at me with confusing looks.

“This is it.” I say to myself under my breath. “The moment of truth.  Remember, if  you screw this up, you won’t only lose the support of the mob, but your family as well.”

Alright, enough pep talking.  Time to win them over.

I levitate the podium speaker towards me and begin my speech.

“Members of the Anello organization.  I know that most of you have just come back from your manhunt for Tony Anello’s oldest son Steve.  I know that most of you are in a state of disbelief that a talking horse in royal robes is speaking right now, but if you bear with me I’ll explain everything.  Let me begin by saying that I am in fact the Steve Anello you have all known for years.  It all started seven years ago, on the night my mother disappeared.”

I tell the crowd everything.  I tell them about my former devotion to dad and how I latter resented him.  I tell them about the tattoo I found on my ass two nights ago.  I tell them all about my transformation and how I found out who and what I truely am.  At first I am reluctant to tell them everything, for I already caused my brother and best friend enough pain.  Yet every time I look away from the crowd to see them, I can tell I still have their attention.

I end my story with my fathers death, and restate his last wishes to the crowd.

“Since I am technically still Steve Anello,” I say to the crowd with charismatic energy.  “The rites to the Anello organization now rest in my hooves.  From this day forth, only people who I consider as family may call Steve.  The rest of you will refer to me as either King, Lord, Don, or simply Sombra.  In a moment, I will reveal our  organization’s new focus, but first are there any questions about anything I’ve just said.”

I see a hand go up in the back, so I point my hoof in that direction.

“You sir!” I shout.  Speak to your king.

“I always thought you were an underrated villain.” he says.  “Everyone made fun of me when I said you were cooler than Discord, but I always knew you were a badass.”

As members of the crowd gave the man speaking funny looks, I do the pony equivalent of a face palm.

Damn bronies and their impulsive obsession.  Keep it together Sombra.  Just brush it off and take his dorkish outburst for what it is.  A complement to your greatness.

“Thank you for your praise sir, but I’m afraid that wasn't a question.  Still I’m flattered. Now does anyone else have any other questions, how about you in the middle?”

“Why is my friend in the the corner drooling like a zombie?”

“Because he tried to shoot me earlier today and I don’t want that happening again.” I answer harshly.  “Sorry, that was actually a very good question.  I was going to go over this latter, but since you asked I will explain it now.  I can’t afford any of you going forward about what I’ve become or leaving the organisation.  If word got out, the government would get involved and do God knows what to me.”

“So!” I continued. “Anyone who tries to leave will be forced to wear a slave collar.  Once worn, all your freewill gets terminated, and you will become a mindless zombie that will obey my every command.  Harsh, I know, but its a necessary evil, one I hope won’t always be necessary.  If we are to fulfill my ambitions, I will need loyal men who will serve me on their own accord.”

Just then a man rose up from the his seat in the crowd and pointed a pistol at me.

“There’s no way you're keeping me here, collar or no collar.”

I sigh and make a sad face. “Then the only alternative is death.”

I let out a sinister grin.

“You can shoot me if you like but it won’t do any good.  I don’t want to hurt anymore people today, especially not in front of my human brother.  However, don’t think I’m afraid to do it either.  You have three choices, right now.  Work with me, be enslaved, or die.  If you don’t take choice number one, it will be my job to decide your fate.  You already said choice number two wasn't an option so I’m afraid that only leaves death.  Do you want to reconsider?”

“Reconsider this ass hol...!”

Before the prick could finish, I zap him with the collar spell.

The crowd watch as a glowing collar forms around his neck and secures itself.

“Go wait for me in my office.” I order the gunman.  “We’ll work out the terms of our contract latter.”

“As you wished lord Sombra.” replies the hypnotised guard as I watch him walk away.

        I take a deep breath and look at the crowd.

        Crap, I’m loosing them.  They all look freaked out right now.  That dude so going to pay for making things harder than they already are.  This next part of the speech is going to be the hardest to sell.  If I screw this up, me and Antonio will never be able to have a life together, and David and Rudy will be outcasts.

        “I apologize for doing that, but right now there can be no discord amongst us.  If anyone has any complaints, you may voice them too me privately some other time.  In the meantime, can the guy in the back I just spoke to come up here on stage.”

        The brony from before makes his way through the crowd and onto the stage.  He turns to me with and marvels at my appearance.

        “This is really amazing.  I’ve been a fan of you for so long, and to see you in the flesh.  Hell, to think Steve Anello was King Sombra the whole time.  This just boggles my mind.  I want to pet you but I’m afraid you might have my balls chopped off if I did.”

        I sigh again.  I need to earn their trust.

        “Fine, you can pet me.  But don’t be creepy about it and do it gently.”

        “Don’t worry sir, contrary to what others may think, most bronies aren’t like that.  I just want to know that you’re real.”

        I huff as I feel him stroke my back.  To my surprise, it actually feels really really good.  A fuzzy feeling washes over me as he pet’s me.

        “You almost have it out of your system?” I ask calmly. Though to be perfectly honest, I didn’t want him to stop.  Still, if I kept it up too long, it could start to get creepy.

        “I think I’m good boss.” the man says has he withdraws his hand.  “Thank you.  Now what is it I can do for you?”

        I turn my head to him.  “Please tell me your name.”

        “Zack Miller sir.”

        I then turn to the audience.  “Today, Zack here proved that what I want is possible.  While plotting my revenge against Dad, I knew I wanted to take over the business.  Some time afterward, I remembered that I’m not the only pony on this planet.  Right now there are hundreds of confused people going through what I went through.  I’m sure all of you know David Price.  Right now him and his brother are here on stage, and are the precipice of losing every last part of their humanity.  Right now there are hundreds if not thousands of other people turning into ponies.

        “As the dick with the gun just demonstrated, some humans are not going to except these changes, and may try to harm them.  But there are also people like Zack hear willing to throw away what they know to be real, and accept the situation for what it is.  Yet right now, most of them are probably locking themselves in their homes, and are just as lost and confused as I was the previous day.

        “So from this day forth, our new goal of this organisation will be to seize control of this city under my banner, so that it may become a safe haven for my brother and sisters.”

        The crowd starts to murmur amongst themselves.

        “Is that thing serious?”

        “We can’t take over a city. That’s childish.”

        “Won’t the government get involved?”

        “What about the cops?”

        “SILENCE!” I roar witch scares literally everyone to death.

        I turn around quickly to see that the three people behind me are shaking.

        “Sorry guys.” I whisper. It needed to be done.

        I turn back to face the mob.

  "Even as we speak, I am devising a plan in which we can do this.  I know this might seem ambitious, albeit impossible, but I can assure you can be done.  However, if we’re going to pull it off, we are going to need money.  We are going to take over every major television network in Chicago; by force if we have to.  We will buy out the smaller outlets using the money from our heists, but we going to have to take the bigger studios by force."

“Once the TV stations are under our control, we can control the flow of information that leaves this city.  Once Chicago is cut off from the outside world, we can start changing the city without the rest of the country catching wind.  In the meantime, I will send out a broadcast to the ponies here in the States and certain parts of Canada.  They will flock to the city, and praise me for saving them from this harsh world.

“What I am proposing is ambitious, but one that I see fully possible.  With my powers and your allegiance to me, I will provide you with wealth and power.  The ponies of this world can live in peace under my watchful protection, and live together with humans.

“Join me, and I will make you all wealthy.  Join me and we can save the ponies of Equestria.  Join me, and Chicago will become a testament to my power.”

I lean over to whisper something into Zack’s ear.

“Say long live Sombra.”

He nods at me and pumps his fist.

“Long live Sombra!” he cheers.

Within seconds, almost everyone in the crowd starts to chant my name.  I can’t believe either my ears or my eyes.  At least ninety percent of the crowd that isn’t already a slave is on board.  I can’t help but smile.  If dad is watching me from Hell, I bet even he would be proud.  And my for my mom, well at least she would be proud that I want to do good for the ponies.

As I usher my closing statements, the sun starts to set over the mansion.  When most of the crowd has left, I turn to face Antonio and the others.  They all have mixed expressions on their face.  I can tell they aren’t proud of me.

I sigh and rub the back of my head with my right hoof.

“I’m guessing you think I’m just as big of a monster as dad now huh.” I say.

“I wouldn’t cut yourself so short,” replies Thunderlan.  “I think you just got a little carried away.  Though I got to say you were wrong about this not feeling like a nazi pep rally.  Don’t worry, as far as I can tell you're nowhere near Hitler crazy.”

        “Not yet anyway.” I say sadly. “But how long until I get like that?  Like I told you before my heart is as black as night now.  Even with dad gone, all I can feel is hate.”

        “That’s not true!” shouts Antonio.  “I know if dad had your power he wouldn’t be thinking about the well being of others.  You might have changed Steve, but that change hasn’t completely wiped away who you once were.  Evil pony or not you're still my brother.  I see that now.”

        I can tell that deep down he probably still has his doubts, but his words comfort me nonetheless.  I trot over to him and hug him.  As I do I glance around at all three of them.  Antonio, David/Thunderlane, Rudy/Rumble.  If it weren’t for the three of them, the Steve Anello they all knew would have died at the bank.  Replaced with a power hungry sorcerer whose only passion in life is causing fear and bathing in crystals.  While I'm still going to do all that at some point, I’ll at least have them to keep me closer to the light.

        A small tear trickles down my face, and I pray that nobody/pony notices it.  I have to keep appearances after all.

        I break the hug and and smile at the three of them.

        “Tomorrow, let’s see if we can’t teach the two of you how to fly.  Maybe if you get good I’ll let Antonio ride you Thunderlane.”

        “Man now your guys are really making me jealous.” moans Antonio.

“Easy for you to say.” replied Rudy. “Just be glad your still going to be able to play video games tomorrow.  I can barely move my fingers.”

A part of me wants to gloat that I’ll still be able to game since I have magic, but I realised that would be kind of a dick thing to do.

        “Anyways, I’ll give Antonio a ride if I get good.” replies Thunderlane. “Still can’t believe I’ll eventually be able to do it.  Also in the future, please just try call me David. I’m not ready to give up that name just yet.”

        I laugh. “It’s a good thing we never knew each other in our past lives.  If we had, I’d  probably call you Thunder by mistake like you've been calling Rudy ‘Rumble’. Though I recall you did call me Sombra a couple of times by mistake.  That’s probably because you knew of me.”

        “Yeah that’s probably true..” says David calmly. “I  think this whole name swapping thing has been happening a lot more since you left my apartment.  I guess at some point I’ll have to call you Sombra too.”

        “If you can help it you don’t have to.” I say. “After all, I still want my Antonio to call me Steve.  Anyways, let me show you two to your rooms.  I’m going to have some of the slaves guard your doors at night until I know you’ll all be safe.  I don’t wanna take any chances of some ass attacking you guys at night.  I promise it’s just a temporary precaution.”

        “If that’s the case could you find us a room with two beds in it?” asks David.  “I’d feel safer if we were together, at least until you can get that thing under control.”

        “But Thunderlane, I want my own room.” whines Rumble.

        “I know you do,” said David.  “But not until I know it’s safe.  I did something very degrading in my past life to make sure we'd remain a family.  I’m not going to let my humiliation be in vain.”

        “I still can’t believe that we are really from that television show.” says Rumble.

        “You're not the only one.” me and David say at the exact same time.

        After a good laugh. We all head back to the house. I lift Antionio onto my back again despite his protesting.  Of course, I completely ignore him.  As we start getting closer to the mansion, he stops trying to fight my magical grip on him and starts enjoying the ride.

        As we step inside, I think about all the challenges that still lie ahead of me.  Can I really pull this off.  Can I really take over a highly populated city and turn it into a pony empire?  Could I control the flow of information that leaves the city?  Even with all my powers and my ability to regenerate, even I wouldn’t stand a chance if the army got involved.  And then there was my struggle of balancing good and evil.  Can my good intentions justify the wrongs I am going to commit?  Will I eventually lose David and Antonios’ trust should I my actions go too far?

        Eventually I just shake my head and focus on happier things, like seeing my best friend fly for the first time tomorrow.  I’ll worry about my plans latter.  After the all the shit I went through these past few days, I deserve a rest.

End of Act I

Part I Epliogue

        It has been about a week since the change started, and I have since locked myself in my New York City apartment.  When I first realized I was changing, I stocked up on food and supplies wile I could still blend.  Back then I had been human.  Back then I had been man.  Now I’m a yellow pegasus mare with blue hair and a raindrop tattoo.  I’m one of those ponies my friends used to be into.  I’m a My Little Pony.

        Back on May 3rd, my parents called to check up on me.  When I answered the phone, they didn't believe it was me.  They thought they called the wrong number.  They thought I was a girl, witch technically I was but... Dammit why is this happening?

        Anyways, since then they have been calling both my phones, and I have been too afraid to answer them.  Would they still love me now that I was like this?  Would they still think of me as their son even if I was a girl?  I guess I’ll find out in a few days.  I figure it won’t be long until they drive all the way from Jersey to come check and see if I’m alright.

        Even after a week, nothing makes sense.  A part of me wants to jump out that window and fly across the skyscrapers.  Yet, I don’t know how to fly, and even if I did people would see me.

        I’ll have to do it someday though.  Eventually I’m going to run out of food.  Hell, most the food I bought I can no longer eat anymore because my diet has changed.  If I were to guess, I’d say I have three days worth of food left.

        I lay on my bed and sigh.  In exactly five minutes and forty five seconds, it will rain.  It won’t let up until exactly 8:07 PM.  I guess I’ll go see how wrong the weather people are again this time.  Seeing how wrong they get the weather always amuses me.  After watching hours of sitcoms and cartoons, this game I have going between me and the weather channel is the only thing that entertains me.

        I press my muzzle against the power button on the TV and turn to the weather channel.

“Crap!” I shout.  Itsjust a car insurance commercial, one that I'v seen over a dozen times since I went into seclusion.  “This blows.”

Yet as watch it, I notice something new had been added to it.  I zoom in closer and everything becomes clear. In place of the stupid cereal mascot, there is the image of a creature.  The image is fuzzy, but If I'm not mistaken the creature is... No.  It can’t be.

“A Pony!”

        I watch it’s mouth start to move and I listen intently.

“Greeting brothers and sisters.  Do not be alarmed by me for I am here to help you.  If you can hear and see this message it means that you are no longer human.  You may be wondering how and why this happened.  Allow me to explain.  Twenty five years ago a chaotic spirit that goes by the name ‘Discord’ took us from our homes and sent us to live here as humans.  Each and everyone of us shares a birthday on May 1st and possibly May 2nd.  Last week we shared our 25th birthday, only to find ourselves shedding our false skin.  Each of us has forgotten who we really are and what we used to be.

“We are ponies.  A proud and magical race capable of feats that humans have only dreamed of in their deepest fantasies.  We can fly, use magic, and have a strong connection with the soil itself.  However, this also means that none of us belong on this planet anymore.  In the eyes of humanity we are a contradiction to what they perceive as reality.  To them we should be nothing more than creatures of their mind.  I assume most of you are in hiding right now, but I am here to say this:  Hide no more!  For I am offering you the chance at new life.  A life free from fear, worry, and strife with the humans.

“Right now me and my band of human ‘freedom fighters’ are working on conquering the city of Chicago.  As of right now we are in control of the information coming in and out of the city.  In a  few days time, humans and ponies will be able to live together in harmony, with me as your supreme ruler and master. Chicago will be our new home and safe haven once we finally take it over.

“Come to Chicago, and help join my freedom fighters so we may build a more tolerant society.  We are still fighting the resistance from locale law enforcement, but come to the Anello Estate located at this address, we will gladly give you sanctuary until we have full control of the city.”

Crap, can’t write it down.  Curse these hooves.

“For those of you that can no longer write effectively, we have directions to the estate on my old Facebook account.  Type the words ‘Steve Anello’ and ‘Facebook’ in Google search then click on the second or third link on the tab that pops up.  They will be right there in front of you.  Use your muzzle or hooves gently to navigate the web.  If you do not have access to a computer, I’ll repeat the address five more times so that you may find us...”

The creature repeats the address until I completely memorize it.

“Together we will build a brighter future.  A future filled with peace and security.”

        After that the commercial fizzles out.

        Just then, I hear a knock at my door.

        “Jonathan Green!” cries the voice of my pissed off landlord.  “I know you're in there.  Your rent is three days overdue.  Come out now or I’m using my master key.”

        I jolt up after hearing his voice.  However, I realise very quickly that I am not coming down.  I turned my head both ways and saw that my wings flapping.  I’m hovering two feet off the floor.  Holy shit.

        My wings freeze up and I hit the floor hard.  That commercial sounded almost too good to be true, but it beats staying here.  I run over to a corner and grab a small bag with my teeth.  I then frantically pack whatever I think would come in handy. Once I’m packed I run to the window and buck it with all my might.

        It shatters instantly.  I feel a shard glass scrape my leg a bit, but I’ll live.

        Finally the landlord busts the door open and looks at me.

        “Sweet Mary, what the hell did they put in those Cheetos?”

I start to flap my wings and try to take off.  I stumble a bit but I manage to get the hang of it pretty quick.  I guess you learn faster when under stress.

As I start to fly out, I turn to face the landlord.

“I’m sorry I’m late with the rent.  As you can see this hasn’t been a very normal week for me.  If my parents come looking for me, tell them I’m in Chicago.  Tell them I’m a girl now, and that I’m no longer human.  I know they won’t believe you, but at least they will know the truth.”

As I start flying away, the landlord shouts something back at me, though I can’t make out what.  As I fly past the huge New York skyscrapers, l feel like my soul had been lifted from it’s depression.  I find a shimmer of hope and in the end that hope gave me the courage to fly.

That’s when I realise that it’s no longer raining.

Just then I sense a change in the wind.  For the first time in a long while, my first prediction about the weather is wrong.  It looks like it’s going to be a sunny day after all.

The Beginning of Part II: Full House

The Beginning of Part II: Full House

As I fly through the streets of the city, my eyes see nothing but ruin. The sky above me is blood red and black lightning bolts pierce the sky randomly.  Below me humans and ponies are walking the broken concrete searching for any scrap of food they could find.  All the while, humans and ponies wearing red jacks patrol the streets, ready to take down anyone dumb enough to challenge their god king.

I have no control over where I’m going or where I’m headed.  It’s as if my mind and body are on auto pilot.  My mind is also fuzzy as to what is going on or what I’m even doing. When did all this happen?

While flying past thirty story pillars of black crystal I spot something in the square below.  My body immediately starts to descend downward and gently land on all fours.  In the center of the square is Sombra, standing atop a pile of charred corpses.

My eyes widen with shock at this sight.

“Steve!” I shout towards the creature on top of the body pile, “What in Celestia’s name have you done?!”

Sombra, who had been facing away from me, turns his head with a sinister grin on his face.

“They challenged my rule.” he said in his deep evil voice. “They broke my laws.  Those who go against my will must die.”

I can feel all four of my legs shaking with fear as I stare at the monster that had once been my best friend.

“I knew I should have shot you back at the apartment.”  I say.  “What happened to not harming any more innocent people Steve?  You promised to make this city a safe haven for ponies and humans to live together.  You’ve turned Chicago into Hell.

Without warning I feel my body become encased with magic as I am yanked ever closer to Sombra’s smokey green eyes.  He stares into my eyes as if he is peering into my very soul.  I do the same, yet the only emotions I can read from them are anger and hatred.

“I took you and your brother into my mansion with a kindness,” he snarls as he hops down from the pile of bodies and placed me on top.  From the top of the pile I can see him grin toothfully at me.  “Perhaps you would rather be kindle for my bonfire.  Tis a shame you chose to speak out against your king.  All well, at least you will finally get to see your precious mommy and daddy again.  I’m sure they will be very proud that their son took up a life of crime to avenge their deaths, dragging poor little Rumble into the mix as well.”

As I stare dumbfounded at my former friend I see his horn start to spark.  An intense heat overcomes my body and I begin to flail my legs up in the sky. The world starts to spin around as me as a strong odor of… french toast… fills my nose?

I open my eyes only to find a white pegasus hovering over my new bed with a breakfast tray in his hooves.

“Morning Thunder!” shouts a familiar voice.  “I knew bringing you your breakfast would finally get you to wake up.”

I take a few moments to fully grasp is happening.  It seems I’ve just woken from a nightmare only to stumble into yet another dream. I stare the pegasus flying with a look of utter disbelief.

“Rumb…Rudy” I say loudly with my jaw wide open.  “You're a pony… and your… fla… fla…”

“Flying.” the pony says with a smile. “Yeah, I woke up really early this morning and spent it teaching  myself how out in the back yard.  I didn't think I could actually pick it up so quickly.  I know you don’t like me cursing big brother, but this is fucking awesome.”

I stretch out my hand from under my bed to scold him for using naughty language like that only to be met with yet another surprise.  Instead of my normal human hand and arm, I saw in from of me was a dark grey hoof and leg.  This causes me to move back and stumble off of the bed, my belly landing smack dab on the floor.

“Och!” I yell.

“Oh come on Thunder!” Rumble says as he flies a little towards me and my fully equine body.  “You knew last night was would be your last day as a human being.  We both knew it was coming and I got to say that I’m already in heaven with this body.  I can’t wait to show all friends at school.”

“Is everything all right in their Rumble?” asks a deep voice outside the room.

I turn my head too see Steve (Still in his Sombra attire) trot into the room with a confused look on my face.  His eyes weren’t green at the moment which I leaned meant he wasn’t being sinister at the moment.  However, as a smug and devious grin crosses his face has he was ready to tell a joke, his eyes turn back to their evil smocking selves.

“Well it looks like somepony got up on the wrong side of the bed today.” he says sarcastically as I roll my eyes at him.  “Take it from me, it’s going to take a few hours for you to get adjusted to your new body.  Rumble here was a really fast learner.  He woke up at about seven o’clock this morning, asked the kitchen staff for breakfast, and then taught himself not only to walk but to  fly all in the span of two hours.  However, I can already tell we're going to have to work to get you up to speed with the rest of us.  Why don’t I use my magic to help you eat breakfast.”

A peace of french toast floats in towards my face and stops right by my mouth.

“Open wide Thunder.” Sombra says with a wicked grin.  “Here comes the train.”

I want to curse him off so bad but my little bro is still in the room so I have to find another way to vent my anger.

“Very funny Steve.” I say sarcastically with a small hint of annoyance.  “I’m sorry, but I don’t know how you two are taking this so well.  Listen, I know these are apparently our real bodies, even if my mind is still in human mode.”

“If it makes you feel any better,” Ruble says blushing “I’m still really scared of flying too high up.  I freak out everytime.”

“And take it from me, it took me awhile to re-teach myself how to walk on stairs with four legs, but today I like trotting up thirty flights.”

I give him a quizative look.  “My God.  You really are King Sombra.”

He blinks at me and tilts his head in confusion. “What makes you say that?”

I give him the pony equivalent of a shrug. “It’’s an old joke the fandom came up with.”

He looks at me.  “What’s the joke?”

“I’ll tell you about it later man.  Just help me down to the dining area so I can eat my breakfast without you playing chu-chu.”

He snickers. “Ok man, Rumble why don’t you go check on Antonio.  Just try not to be too showy with your wings.  Believe me, I’m the one with the magic powers and even I’m jealous.”

Rumble finally floats down to the ground and gives a bow.  “As you wish your wickedness.” He then turns his head to me as he starts trotting out of the room.  “Catch you later Thunder.”

As I watch my brother leave I start thinking to myself.

“This is going to be one hell of an unjustment.”

After helping David -or Thunderlane as I’ve been getting the habit of calling him to help him ‘unjust’ to his life- finish his breakfast, I spent the rest of my day chilling out.  Like Thunder, I am still getting used to this whole ‘pony’ thing.  If I’m really am going to take over an entire city and turn it into my own pony empire, I’m going to need to get better acquainted with my body.

So I alternate between helping between teaching David how too walk, playing Dead Rising 6 with Antonio, and barking orders to my new henchmen.  I figure tomorrow will be more of the same though eventually I’m going to have to start plotting.  Deep down, I know I am strong enough to pull this whole thing off, but I still don’t know the full extent of my power.

Last night after the speech I read up on my character on all my known abilities, most of which I’ve already been able to pull off.  However, there still one spell of interest that I had yet to learn.  How to alter one's memories.

If I could learn how to do that, I could make sure that word of my eventual take over won’t reach the outside world.  Once the government learns of about the ponies and what they are capable of, they will try everything they can to contain any threat we may pose.

For now, I don’t want to worry about that shit.  Right now I just want to sit back and relax with my best friend and our brothers.

It’s almost sunset, and me, Antonio, Rumble and a couple of my men are watching Thunderlane learn how to fly.

And fail miserably…

For the past two hours, we watched him crash into bushes, trees, and even the walls of the mansion.  At one point, I even saw him knock over one of my dad’s Greek statues.  At least his blunders were helping me get rid of all that Greek stuff.  Eventually I’m going to have to transmute all those statues and sculptures of me.  Maybe even decorate them with crystals!

We all watch Thunder crash into the ground one more time into a pile of dirt.  By now a good chunk of the yard is covered with imprints of the dark grey pegasus.  Rumble flutters over to where he is laying and extends a hoof.

“Need any help bro?” he asks.

Thunder mones and puts a hoof out and slowly gets himself up.  “I’m fine.” he says in a groggy voice.  “But I think I’m done for today.  Anyone want to play the new Halo?”

Antonio walks over to him and shakes his head.  “You won’t be able to use the controller.  Steve says you two don’t have any magic so I don’t think the buttons are going to work.”

“Oh.” is all Thunderlane can say, apparently too dazed from all the collisions he took to sully in the disappointment of never being able to game again.  I guess the power of flight comes with a very steep price.

Rumble floats a little bit closer to Antonio and jabs his shoulder with his hoof. “You wanna watch the The Dark Knight Trilogy tonight?  Your brother’s cronies just finished recovering the last of me and Thunder’s stuff from our apartment.”

Antonio stares up at him.  “You told me if I watch you fly around the mansion you would check Death Note with me.”

“I’m not into anime dude.” replies Rumble.

“Believe me, you’re gonna love this series,” replies Antonio with a spark in his eyes.  “Besides, we’ve already seen those movies a dozen times together.”

Rumble crosses his hooves and stares down at Antonio with disappointment. “Well we’ve never watched them back to back.”

“Ok.” replies Antonio.  “I’ll watch them with you tomorrow, but you're going to have too watch the whole series at some point.  We’ll start with six episodes a night.  Steve, David, you guys wanna join?”

I nod my head.  “You’ve wanted me to see this series for a long time now.  I think I can do that that.  Let me just see if I can find a revival spell for Thunderlane.  I think he might have a concussion or something.”

We all turn to David who is now starting at his hooves.

“I think I just grew an extra hoof guys.” he says.

The two of us laugh.  After zapping David a couple of times I am able to help clear his pain with the power of Tylenol.  Then the four of us watch this Death Note show.  What I see kinda freaks me out.  I don’t know why, but even though the main protagonist seems to have some good intentions, all his speeches about becoming god made him sound like a raging lunatic.  What bothers me the most is how unfazed he is about killing innocent people who get in his way.  Maybe the scariest part is that despite some of his revolting qualities the character of Light Yagami reminds me a little too much of myself.

Re Re Chain Of Memories

Once Death Note ended, Rumble and David went back to their rooms.  That left just me and Steve lying on the coach alone.  He turns to me with a look of concern on his face.

“Did you have a fun day little bro?” he asks with a slight hint of remorse.

I nod my head.  “It was certainly interesting.  I just still can’t believe that the three of you are ponies now.  It’s going to take a while to get used to this. And on top of that I’m still in shock over Dad being gone!”

I scoot over a little closer to him and gently place my hand on his back.  I hesitantly begin to rub it as I look into his face to see if I could find any physical similarities between him and the human Steve. Sadly, I can’t find anything, which only adds to the spiral of mixed emotions welling up inside me.

“Steve?” I ask as a small tear trickles down my cheek.  “Is it ok if I miss Dad?  I know he was a bad man, and I know he was grooming me to take his place.  I even know that he’s the reason why we don’t have a Mom anymore.  But I still love him, Steve, and deep down I think you loved him too. I know we already talked about this yesterday, but I’m still can’t get over the fact that he’s dead.”

I can’t contain myself any longer, and I start crying my eyes out.  I push my face into my brothers chest and wrap my arms around him.  He gently nuzzles me and wraps me up in his forelegs as I dry my tears with his fur.

“I can’t change the the past Antonio.  Right now I’m the only family you have left, besides our Aunt and Uncle who decided long ago they wanted nothing to do with this messed up family of ours.  If being around me is just going to cause you pain, I’ll try and locate them.  I’m sure I can find their contact information somewhere around the house.  But I’m afraid of what I’m going to become without you Antonio.”

I look up at him.  “Can’t you control yourself?  You don’t have to be a mob boss or a king.  We can just live life here.”

He shakes his head “I’m afraid it’s not that easy.  The change didn’t just change my appearance, it changed how I think and feel about things.  And right now, there is nothing I want more than to mold this city in my own image.”

Shocked at what he said I push myself away from him.  I ask him quietly, “Are more people going to die?”

“If someone tries to stop me, I will not hesitate to put them down.  Yet at the same time, I’m afraid that I’m going to take things too far.  Become an even greater monster than Dad ever was.  I’m not a hero Antoine, but I don’t want to be a villain.  I just… I just want to finish what I supposedly started back in Equestria.”

“And what exactly does that mean?”

A small grin forms on his face. “I want the people of Chicago to tremble at my might, but more importantly, I want to turn Chicago into a safe haven for the pony race.  If history has taught us anything, it is that human beings are stubborn to new ideas.  Once the people of earth learn about ponies like me, there will be mass hysteria.  For all I know, ponies are already being gathered and sent to labs to be tested on.”

He jumps off the couch and looks back at me with conviction.  “Old Sombra enslaved the Crystal Empire,” he said,  “and murdered it's queen because he believed that he could make it strong.  The others couldn’t see what he was capable of, so he devoted himself to the dark arts and rose against the Crystal Queen.  Now, a thousand and twenty-five years later, history is repeating itself.  However this time, I have something which he probably didn’t have before.”

“What’s that?”  I ask curiously.

His eyes, which was glowing green again, slowly turns back to red as I watch his horn light up.  Magic encompasses my body and pulls me towards him.  When his magic lets me go, he stretches his forelegs and hugs me even tighter than before.

“He probably didn’t have a family worth fighting for.” He replied sadly.

When I hear him say that, all my fears vanish as if they were never there to begin with.  Even after all he’s done and everything he’s talking about doing, he still considers me his family.  I realise I’m probably one of the few reason’s he’s still clinging to his old life.  While this does comfort me, this means that I am also the only thing keeping my brother from transforming into a complete and utter monster. It dawns on me that Steve needs me more than I need him right now.

Having realised this, I grip my brother even tighter and rest my head against his fur as if he were a large dog.

“I promise I won’t leave you Steve, no matter how crazy you get.”

He chuckles at what I say and raises his hoof to give me the pony equivalent of a noogie.

“That a boy!” he says as he messes my hair up with his hoof.  “Now that you're feeling better, you should probably go to bed.  I hope you enjoyed your day of hookie, but tomorrow I’m having Moe drive you to school.”

My eyes widen at this statement and I glare at him “You really are evil.”

He cackles evilly and exposes his face.

“I guess I could let you stay home, but there was something I just remembered about my old life...”

Even though his facial structure had changed, I could still tell my brother was planning to play a joke on me.  Normally this would be a normal thing between us, but now he had magic.  Still, I decide to play along with his game.

“What did you just remember” I ask with a suspicious tone .

He laughs again as his eyes revert back to green.  “I used to eat little ponies who played hookie in the Crystal Empire.  You don’t want me to turn back into my shadow form and gobble you up.”

I know he was just teasing me, but my mind starts to think back to how he almost ate one of Dads security guards.  I mean, we just got finished having a brotherly moment…

I jump back in surprise when I realise Steve’s body has just completely vanished before my eyes. I look down at the ground and see dark smoke rise from the the floor and coiled itself around me.  As I watch the top of the dark mass take the shape of my brother head, I decide I don’t want to take any chances.

I turn around and make a break for the door, and as I glance back I can see the dark mass chasing after me.  I can hear Steve snickering up a storm at the mean joke he had decided to play on me.

“You suck Steve!” I shout as I run up the stairs. All the while, my heart is pounding harder and harder. As soon as I reach the top of the stars, I turn back to only see that my brother had turned back into his physical form smiling at me.

“I’m sorry I did that,” he says sheepishly, “Fear and anger give me power, and from what I could sense, you were downright terrified.  I’ll try and control myself better next time, but only if you go to school tomorrow.  Of course, if you still need time to recover from all that’s happened, I’ll make up a legitimate sounding excuse for your teacher.”

Despite my frustration, I laugh and smile back at him. “I knew you were kidding, but still that was beyond freaky. Please try not to do that again.”

He chuckles. “So long as you stay on my good side you’ll be fine little man.  However, misbehave and you might make me hungry.”  He lifts up his right hoof and gives me a mock salute. “Night Antonio.  No matter what happens we're going to get through this together.  Also, I think you got me hooked on that show, let’s watch it again tomorrow after you do your homework.”

I nod and head to bed.  As a walk into my room and tuck myself in, I do something that father would scold me big time if he ever caught me, not that that can happen now.  To be honest, this might even be the first time I’ve ever done something like this.  I cup my hands and ask God to watch over Steve, and to give me the strength to guide him should he ever go too far.  I close my eyes and drift off to sleep, hoping that my prayer goes through.

When I awake the next morning, I begin day three as the King of Fear and Hatred.  I choose one of my long time friends in the gang to drive Antonio to school.  I would do it myself, but I’m afraid someone will spot me behind the wheel.

Outside, Thunderlane is still trying to figure out how to fly (and failing miserably).  I hear him crash into the side of the mansion for what feels like the eleventh time this morning, and  decide to do some research into my old life.

I go up to my room and start up my desktop computer.  When it’s all booted up, I find that using a computer has never been easier.  I can type on the keyboard with just a thought thanks to my magic powers.  This magic really is freaking awesome, and I pity all the other ponies who don’t have it.

While looking in Google images, I stumble upon an active brony site called derpibooru.org.  I figure I can find some cool pictures of myself casting some spells which I could later use to conquer the city.  Upon entering the site, I immediately type my name into the the search icon to pull up all the fanart.

The pictures I see range from gorgeous to downright shitty.  As I browse through the images, I find that I’ll have to create an account in order to view certain images tagged “mature.”  Wanting to take in all that this site could teach me about my self, I reluctantly create an account called KingSombra57 and type in my name again.

As soon as the page loads, I immediately regret my decision.

“What the fuck is this shit!” I shout at the screen.

The seach results are filled with homo erotic fanart of me and what I guess are various stallions from the show.  I upon seeing them, I feel like my eyes shrivel up.

“What kind of sick perverts would make this?” I scream at the top of my lungs.

To my dismay, one of the guards outside my room decides to be a hero and find out what all the fuss is about.  I hear the door open behind me.

“Boss is something the…”

As soon as he catches a glimpse of the computer screen filled with images of my “royal scepter,” the guard becomes silent as he slowly shuts the door.

In that moment I made a solemn vow to hunt down and kill every last artist that ever drew gay porn of me. However, after typing a more direct search, I found that the hilt list would be too big for even somepony as powerful as me to carry out.

Realising I need something to help relieve me from those images, I take a few moments to save a few pics of myself doing some of the various mares from the show.  I found that a lot of these “bronies” seemed to like the idea of me and Twilight being a couple.  That gets me thinking back to all the trouble I must have caused her back in Equestria.  If I ever get the luxury of meeting her on earth, whoever she may be now, I should probably apologise for the inconveniences I have caused her and her friends.

Once I stock my favorite pictures with enough perverted images (not involving me with a stallion of course) to help ease my mental anguish, I adjust the filters yet again and continue researching magic.

After a couple of hours of browsing site after site, I realise no amount of research is going to help me learn how to master my powers.

I slam my hooves on my desk and grit my teeth.  There has to be some way for me to remember these damn powers.  If only that stupid echo in my head hadn’t left me.

I rest my head on the desk, frustrated beyond belief that I had wasted this entire day looking at porn rather than doing something practical.

“Come on!” I tell myself. “Two days ago I was casting spells like there was no tomorrow.  Heck the echo didn’t even teach me that one I cast on my father’s mind.”

I lift my head as an imaginary light bulb floats above me. The spell I used on Thunderlane and Dad!  What if I could use it on myself, to travel back to the life I can’t remember.  I need to relearn all the secrets so I can build an empire in which the pony race can thrive. The idea is so brilliant, I was ashamed I hadn’t come up with the idea until just now.

Without a moment's hesitation, I hop off the chair and begin to charge the memory spell.  I have no idea if this is going to work on myself, and I can feel myself sweat a bit underneath my fur.  However, if I have any hope of taking the the city without the feds finding out too quickly, this is a risk I must take.

“Here goes nothing!”

I cast the spell and images of my life on earth fly past me like holographic tv screens.  Watching David failing at flying, hugging my brother, getting shot by Dad, taking shots at my birthday party, all those events fly past me following others.  It’s all going by too slowly though.

Not wanting to linger any longer than I have to in memory lane, I charge my horn and crank the juice up on the spell.  The video screen starts travelling past me at light speed, to the point where I can't even keep track of what memories I’m looking at.  Metaphorically, I slam the brakes on my spell, only to be blinded by a flash of of light.

“Good evening Sir Sombra.” Greets an elderly mare with a coat of crystal, “How many I help you this fine day?”

“I’m fine madam,” I say, giving her the most innocent smile I can muster. “I’m just here to do some magical research for her majesty the Queen.  Do you know where I could find the forbidden archives?”

Her welcoming smile quickly turns into a grave look of concern.  “Nopony is supposed too even know that exists, I couldn’t possibly...”

“It’s a matter of grave importance!” I interrupt, lying nonchalantly. “The queen believes a great evil is about too threatened the kingdom and has asked that I search the archives.  She believes that the key to stopping it should be hidden in there. She asked that you keep this a secret, or else bad things will start happening in the empire.”

I smile upon seeing my fib sent her into a fit of worry.  She hands me the key to the archive and starts telling me where it’s hidden.

“Put that key into the keyhole in one of the books in history wing, shelf Z.  Please be quick your grace.  They say the contents of anyone of those books could drive a pony mad.”

“Don’t worry,” I say as I levitate the key and put it in my saddle bag, “I promise I won’t be long.”

I trot towards my destination, snickering at how gullible the old hag was.  It seems all these years of loyal service are finally paying off for a change.  Once I read through those books, I know I will be strong enough to slay the alicorn.  Thought I love my mentor very much, if she were to continue her rule, we the Empire would remain weak. With Gaia gone, I can finally show them  that this isn’t just a city of earth ponies, but a nation that should be feared and respected.

But should I do this?  I am her faithful student, whom she trusts more than even her own sisters.

I shake my head. No! My mind was made up the moment I set hoof in this library.  There is no turning back now.  A revolution is on the horizon, and my anger and hatred of her has reached it’s peak.  I must erase any and all sentiment I may feel towards her so that the Empire may thrive.  I am the strongest unicorn this realm has seen since the days of Starswirl.  It is my god given right too too take what should have been mine all along.

When I reached the location that the librarian mentioned I begin my search for the keyhole.  Once I spot it, I eagly place the key into the slot and watch as the bookcase opens the doors to a chamber.  Inside, torches magically light up the room to reveal a dozen shelves covered with dusty tomes and cobwebs.

My eyes marvel at the sight of them all, and I ponder what precious knowledge each one contains.  Could one of them contain the secrets of immortality?  Or perhaps one contains a passage on bringing the dead back to life.  Maybe there could even be one that can alter a ponies thoughts.

I feel as if the books themselves are feeding my imagination, and given how supposedly evil they are, they may very well be doing that.  Even knowing this, my resolve stays firm.  Power, is strength, and with it, the world will forever know my greatness.

I put a magic bookmark for later as my mind returns to the present.  Unlike all the other times I have used this spell, I saw my memories from my own perspective.  Every other time I cast it, I always saw the events as an observer.

Well now that I have a “Pensive on Demand,” I can finally learn some wicked cool powers. However, in the the back of my mind I dwell on the warning the librarian had given me about the books driving ponies mad. Well, turning into a pony has already made me clinically insane, so I guess a little more madness can’t hurt, can it?

Always Let Your Conscience Be Your Guide

That night, when I was done chilling with my brother, I took another journey into my memory.  Like a first person cutscene  in a videogame, I sere through the eyes of my former self, but have no control over my body.  Together, we read through the dusty tomes of the forbidden archive.

Even though the books are in some alien language, I am able to understand their context as if they were in English.

Already, I am learning some awesome spells that will most definitely come in handy.  To my surprise, I find that some these spells are ones I either learned from echo or casted by accident.  When a spell of interests crosses my eye, I immediately do my best to memorise it, so I may practice it in the present.

After about of hours of memory hopping, I start noticing foggy and incomplete fragments.  One minute I'm reading Raising the Dead For Numbskulls just before everything around me starts to get foggy.  The next I find myself reading the third chapter of Mind Slaves and You.

But raising the dead is no interest to me, at least too my present self.  I’ve seen enough horror movies and enough of Antonio's anima too know that no good could ever come from a spell like that.  As Dean Winchester once said in an episode of Supernatural “What’s dead should stay dead!”

Eventually, my past self stumbles into a shelf knocks over a picture book.  The moment I saw the cover, I knew this particular book would be essential to filling my goal.  The book was titled Controlling Memories.  Past Sombra eagerly levitates the book forward and the two of us waste no time in memorizing it’s contents.

To my dismay, the book contained mostly spells I’ve either already learned or had no interest in.  When I eventually find something of interests, excitement overcomes my consciousness.  The book gave me instructions on how to erase or suppress memories, but also how to implant and create them.

When I get to the chapter about how to restore and repair memories, the room around I am transported to another seen in the life I can’t recall.  While that spell would have made thing a hell of alot easier, perhaps it was for the best that I don’t know that spell.  If I ever got all my memories back, what would become of the part of me that was Steve? Would I still have feelings for my brother? Would Thunderlane still be my friend?

These thoughts scare me, and so I decide to return to the present.

When I return, I look at my alarm clock too find that it’s four o’clock in the morning.  I must have been inside my own head for hours.  Before I could pass out, I levitate a notepad and pen and write down everything I could recall from my “pensive” session.  When I finish, I hop onto my bed and abruptly pass out.

It’s day three since me and my brother went full pony, and finally is still difficult for me. Sombra’s backyard is a complete mess thanks to my constant failure. There are imprints of myself scattered all over the ground, one of which I’m lying in right now.  I’ve already broken at least three statues after crashing into them.  If I keep messing up like this, the Anello’s might have a higher landscape.

As I groan in self pity, my brother flies too me see if I’m ok.

“Are you sure you don’t want my help bro?” he asks.

I sigh. These past few days, I’ve been telling him I wanna figure it out on my own.  It’s embarrassing when your little brother is better at something than you, especially if that something is flying.  My legs wobble a bit has try to get back on all fours. I look up at my brother and grin.

“Just a few more tries Rumble.” I say as try to shake away the pain from latest landing.  “I was up almost two minutes.  Besides, if you recall from the show, I was once a wonderbolt hopeful.”

“Yeah, but did you get in?”

“That’s not important.” I say with as I give him an annoyed glare and unruffle my wings.

“Come on Thunderlane,” he pleads as he brings his four hooves together like a begging human. “Please let me help you.  I think I know what the problem is, but you need to let me help you.  It doesn’t matter if I learned how to fly first.  What matters is I can help you, but only if you let me.”

Before I can give an answer, I can hear one the gang members call out my human name.

“Mr.Price, the boss wants too see you.” he she shouts from about a yard away from the machition

I turn to Rumble and give him a silent apologetic look.

“I’ll let you help me next time Rumble, right now I need too see what Sombra wants.”

Rumble nods at me. “Thanks Thunder, also tell Steve to hurry this whole take over thing up so I can go hang with my friends again.”

I chuckle at how simplest he made Steve/Sombra’s goals sound, as if it were a simple choir that had to be done, and not a hostile takeover with an unknown outcome.  As I start to canter towards the man that called my name, a shiver runs down my spine. I think back to that scary creepy dream the night I lost my humanity.  While the dream was probably just symptom of my concern for both him and my brother, the fact that it could potentially come true unnerved me too no end.

Six days ago, Steve was just a rich punk with a smart alchemy attitude. Sure me and him got into some nasty gang fights, heck we each killed at least one or two rival gang members in a couple of fights. Like when the Bluebloods tried ambushed us during a drug deed outside the city, I shot a guy right in the face.  But after everything he’s done throughout the course of a few days, I can’t say for sure what road my dear friend is headed.

Before I step in, I look up at the man who I realised as my friend Garry.  He looks at me dumbfounded brushes his hand against my muzzle as if trying to figure out if I’m real.

“Is that really you David?”

I nod. “I’m mostly going by my true name, Thunderlane, but yeah it’s still me.  At least I think so.  I think the only real major change is that I’m pushing myself a’ot more than I used too.  Besides that, I don’t think this pony thing changed me too much.”

He nods.

“Man you must be living the dream right now, being in that body after being such a huge pony fan.”

“To be honest.” I say as a sag my head down a bit.  “Not really feeling too good about it.  It’s like don’t even belong on this planet anymore.  Everything's smaller, my mind’s been alternated, I can never eat a hamburger ever again.  The wings are nice but everything else… I just wish I could be human again.”

He nods at me in agree ment before before stroking his chin with his hand.  “I hear man. This is a really odd situation you and the boss are in, but what exactly do you mean by ‘mental changes’?”

“Like I said before, I like that I find that I can push myself more than I used too.  I used always liked working out and challenging my body, but now I feel like I can take on more punishment than ever.  It’s like I’m more motivated than ever.  Also, me and my brother have been subconsciously calling each other by our pony names since this whole mess started.  We still remember our old names, but after awhile, we just decided the pony ‘autocorrect’ wasn’t worth fighting.  Deep down we’re still the same err… ponies we were back when we were people, If that even makes any sense?”

Garry laughs as he leans his head back.  This doesn’t last long, because he immediately snaps right back to attention and looks down at me.

“Sorry!” he says, “but Lord Sombra is waiting for us in the conference room.”

“Do you even know what any of this is about?” I asked with a hint of concern.

“He’s about to go over his plans for his city wide takeover with the rest of the gang, and he’s requested that you speak with you before doing so. Sorry that’s all I know.”

“Thank you the heads up Garry.” I say to him.  “I’ll head over now, listen, were still friends even though I look and sound nothing like my old self.”

“Most likely.” he said as he scratched the back of his head. “Listen, I’m gonna need sometime to adjust to the fact that people are turning into cartoon horses.  Part of me feels as if I’m in some sort of dream, even though I’m awake.  But yeah, if you're still the womanising, sex crazed, party loving dude undeath all that dark grey fur then were fine.  Just get your ass down to the conference room before Sombra putts one of those glowing purple colors on me.”

I nod and trott into the house, wondering what exactly Steve could possibly want with me.  Hopefully nothing sinister.  My body starts to shiver as I get closer trot through the halls.  One would think after living with Sombra for a couple of days, I would have become less nervous of him.  I still don’t know how deep his sanctity has fallen, and I’m still waiting for the moment when he turn on me or my brother.

I shake my head as if to fling the thoughts out of my skull.  Sombra is still my friend, and I promised I’d stick with him.  Plus, this mansion is the only sanctuary me and my brother have.  I need to trust that the old Steves personality is melded in with whoever he has become.

Eventually I come to the doors of the conference room, which were wide open.  I peaked into the room and scanned the large circular table in the middle.  Sheet of paper and glasses of ice water could be found next to every seat.  At the very very end of the table, sitting a large spinning chair, was Sombra himself, still wearing his his royal attire.

Despite the butterflies in my stomach, his friendly smile makes me feel welcome, to the point where even his fangs were no longer threatening.  His eyes were plain red right now, with mean  he must be happy too see me.

“Please come in.” he says humbly.

I trot over and take a seat next to him and turn my head to face him.

“Gary tells me you're going to be starting your war planning today?” I ask as I watch him take a sip of water.  “I thought you said, ‘I didn’t want to be involved in any of this.  That my debt to the organisation was over’.”

Sombra closed his eyes and sighed. “You know longer have to get your hooves dirty for this family anymore Thunderlane.  Wait? Would you rather me call you David.  Since I didn’t know you in my other life, I can still call by your human name.”

“Whichever you prefer man.” I tell him as I force myself to smile.

“I guess I’ll just call you Thunder for now, anyways we should probably get down to business.”

He magically spins his chair so that his chair is facing me. He’s sitting in human like position, tapping his front hooves together as if he were given an evaluation or job interview.

“I promised you will no longer have to engage in anymore violence.  Me and you survived some pretty nasty fights with the rival gangs, and killed a ourselves a fair share of people.  The business messe with you head, makes you do things you never thought you were capable of.  However, I what I am about to ask you does not require anything dirty, and could ultimately save countless lives.”

Save lives, what the heck is he talking about?

I lean my head closer and straighten myself up in the chair, making sure my wings are folded so that they don’t get bent.

“Can you please just tell me what’s going on?” I say, almost yelling. “You're starting to scare me.”

There was nothing but silence for about a minute or so.

“David,” he said softly before raising his voice “I need you watch over me and make sure I don’t turn into a complete monster.  I afraid that my darker side may cause me to do terrible things during the take over.  I want the people to fear my power, but I also want their respect.  Also, I’m afraid of losing everything that made me human.”

My jaw literally drops as I see a stream of tears flow down his muzzle.

“I still see that little girls face from the bank David.  I can still hear the that man’s cries of agony when I blew a hole in his chest. Plus, the power I feel from my rage and the fear it creates is intoxicating.  It makes me feel like a god man.”

“I really do want to help all those other ponies out there, and want to create a world we don’t have to hide in this house.  As far as I know, changing back is impossible, but I for one am not going to live my life in solitude.  Today, when I start going over the plan, if I suggest something that sounds Chaotic Evil , I need you to call me out on it, ok?”

While I was relieved he was actually worried about going too far, his request was a little unsettling.  It made me feel a little uncertain about the future, but it also made me a little more hopeful.

I reach stretch out my hoof and smirk at him. “Hey, didn’t I already be too be your Jiminy Cricket a few days ago? Don’t worry man, so long as me and my brother are out of harms way, I’m going to stick with you.”

“That’s good too hear.” he says chuckling.  “From now on you're going to be my royal adviser.  Your job is too make sure my darkerself doesn't screw this utopia up.  Right now, I am in complete control of myself, but I find that depending on the situation, I can really get carried away.  It happened in the bank and during my assault on the mansion.  I’m scare myself David, but either way I’m going through with my goal.”

“I’m not a therapist thought.” I said, “What makes you think I can keep you from going overboard?”

He places a hoof on my shoulder. “Because right now, you're the only friend I have who knows me, both human and pony. Steve and Sombra.  You know me and Sombra’s personalities, you have to connect with both, or our lives could be destroyed.”

“Ok, I’ll do it, but only if you get yourself a therapist to deal with your messed up dual personality disorder.”

For a moment, I thought he was going to disintegrate me for saying that, but too my surprise he actually starts to nod in agreement.

“I will, but first, we have an evil plan to conduct. The rest of the my inner ‘circle of darkness’ shall arrive here soon. Tomorrow night, we begin phase one of my plan to not only save the other ponies, but form a kick ass empire to boot.”

As he smiles happily to himself, I watch purple smoke rise up from his eyes once again.

Cops, Robbers, and King Sombra

After my private chat with Thunderlane, my Circle of Darkness and I discussed my master plan to claim the city of Chicago.  The meeting was quite entertaining, and I was surprised when some of the men were starting to show enthusiasm to the whole dark empire thing.  I’ve never played D&D, but I could tell what we all looked like.  It was definitely a sight to behold.

Of course some of the men were very skeptical about certain parts of my plan. They started  saying things like, “can you really manipulate peoples’ memories so they Facebook what’s happening” or “how the hell are you going to blockade the entire city?”

Of course, as soon as they said such things, I started to suffocate them with my magic and smiled, having planned exactly what to say if a situation like this ever arose.

“I find your lack of faith disturbing!” I said. The CSI Miami theme played in my head at how awesome this was.  Having made my point I released my hold on their necks.  The other members who hadn’t spoke out broke out into a fit of laughter, and one of them even referred to me as “Lord Vader!” Even Thunderlane got a good chuckle out of it, though I think he was worried that I was actually going to kill them.

We spent the rest of the Thursday and all day Friday preparing for the operation.  It was mostly boring stuff if you asked me. Enchanting weapons, setting up communication jammers, though I have to say, making my emergency broadcast message was a lot of fun.

It is now night time, and my human lackies and I are about to hit the all the precincts in the city.  As I start to trot out the door though, I hear a voice call out to me.

I turn around and see Antonio with a frightened look in his eye.

“What’s wrong bro?” I ask, not caring how funny to say the word “bro” with my deep Dr. Claw voice.

“Remember, the day after your birthday, when we had breakfast together?” he asks. “I had pancakes and you had Frosted Flakes. I remember because that was the last time I was able to recognise you.”

An unpleasant feeling wells up in my gut upon hearing that.  Back then I probably still looked human.  In Antonio’s eyes, that might have been the last breakfast he had with his brother before I changed, both physically and mentally.

“What about it?” I ask, a little bit harsher than I intended.

Antonio sighed. “That day you made me a promise that no one at the bank would get hurt.  You killed a man in cold blood. That’s what everyone says.  It’s just, seeing you getting prep to go out again… Please just tell me, why did you do it?”

My black heart freezes, as guilt consumes me.  It never even crossed my mind that he knew, even though the incident in the bank was general knowledge. Yet all this time, he chose not to bring it up, even when I spent all this time with him over the course of the week.

Caught off guard, I try to keep my composure as I think back to that fateful morning. My brother was right. I vaguely remember making a promise that the bank crew and I weren’t going to hurt anyone, yet I’d been the one who pulled the goddamn trigger. How the hell was I supposed to justify that to my little brother, let alone look him in the eye...?

I close my eyes and sigh.

“A voice in my told me to do it, and I obeyed,” I say with shame. “I hate myself for what I did. I believe there is a spell that could bring that man back from the dead, but I’ve seen Pet Cemetery one two many freaking times to even risk re-learning it. I can’t undo what I did, nor can I give you an excuse for my action.  The echo from the past may have suggested it, but I was the one who shot him. But I can’t let what happened stop me.”

Tears start to well up in my eyes, as my legs tremble. I tilt my head down, my eyes open wide as guilt floods my body.  I could live with others knowing about my greatest sin, but not my brother. The shame of it all is just too much too bear.

“Steve,” he says. “Promise me you won’t kill anyone. You still don’t have to do this.”

I shake my head. “What you ask is unrealistic. While I can promise that no civilians will be harmed, people who rebel will be putting themselves in danger. And they will rebel. I’ve enchanted everyone’s gun’s so that they maim instead of kill, but even then they are still potentially lethal. While my goal is to have the takeover go without bloodshed, the plan would have to go perfectly, and I don’t see that happening.”

I pause has I try and muster a look of resolve.

“I still have to do this though. If I don’t, the only alternative I’d have would be to isolate myself in this mansion for the rest of my life.  At the same time, I need make up for the failures of my old life, and build a kingdom that is built not just fear, but respect.”

“But you don’t have to!” he shouts.  “You're not that stupid pony from that show. You're my goddamn brother.”

I feel anger swell with in me, but I restrain myself.  The last thing I want is to let my new persona cripple my relationship with my brother.

“Listen!” I say sympathetically. “I’ve got myself under control. If any of the boys harm anyone I’ll punish them. Everything will be alright little Antonino, so please go to bed and have faith.  I’ll be back in the morning.”

He nods and starts to head towards the stairs but not before looking back at me.

“I know the old Steve is still in there. Do what you have to do, but don’t do it if means becoming a monster!”

I nod and try to shake the guilt off as I hop into one of the armed cars heading to the main police station.  As the vehicle starts to move, I could here the other trucks heading out, each to different police stations.

As the the truck comes to a halt I turn to face my men.  All of them wore gas masks and advanced protective armour, both of which I enhanced with magic. Most of them had weapons from the warehouse, minus the one hacker with the laptop. Even though our goal was to ensure zero casualties, we looked like a fully threatening  force.

“Listen up boys!” I shout as they all turn to face their ruler. I smile out how obedient and loyal they are becoming.  Even Dad never ushered this level of respect.

 I smik as I continue to speak. “When the others radio in, we begin the operation.  I want the demo team in position and your guns should be less lethal thanks to the my magic, but once you see your target’s fallen down, stop shooting. Once all the precincts are taken, we move to the TV Studio, and from there, Williams Tower. Are we clear?”

“Yes boss!” they say in unison.

I turn to the guy with the laptop. “Arnold,” I say, “how many cops are on duty tonight?”

“It’s crowded sir,” he says as I see sweat drip from his eyebrows. “The eastern side is definitely the most crowded.”

“Is the jammer working?” I ask.

“As of 10 seconds ago yes,” he says with an arrogant smirk.

Excellent! Now all that’s left is…

The radio next me goes off, as one by one all the other groups report in.

I feel a swarm of butterflies start to flutter inside my stomach, as I think about everything that could possibly go wrong.  One screw up and it’s all over. As overpowered as I am, I know deep down I’m not invincible. If I mess up a spell, if I take too many bullets, if the police contact outside help, if the other teams fail?  The possibilities swirl through my mind like an out of control blender. Once I gave the order, there’s no going back.  Should I call it off, live my life in hiding and just stay in that machine?

No! It’s not just for personal gain. I need to do this for the other unfortunate ponies, so that our kind can thrive in this alien world. Plus, I’ll be damned if I spend the rest of my life in hiding. Once they see what I’m capable of, the masses shall worship and obey me.

And with that final thought, I lift the radio closer to my muzzle as I prepare to push the domino that would set everything in motion.

“Round them up boys.” I say softly, all the while smiling sinisterly with anticipation.

The men open the the back of the truck and we all storm out.  My henchmen break into three groups, with the bulk of them following me towards the front entrance while the others go for the emergency exits. I gallop up the steps, swinging the doors wide open with my magic and rushing inside the lobby, my army following behind me.

Almost all the officers are caught off guard as we pile in. I stun most of them with my magic before they could react, and my men fire short bursts to stun anybody I missed. The secretary managing the front desk screams just before I blast her with a knockout spell. She comically stumbles backwards onto her rolling chair and lands with her feet in the air.

Once the lobby is clear, I hear gunfire coming in from the center of the building.

“The others are in!” I say as the thrill of battle courses through me. “Stay behind me and I’ll protect you as best I can while you cover me.”

“You got it Lord Sombra!” one them says.

I quickly back out of the exit with a wall of dark crystals before leading my men into the fray. With the exit secure, we charge past the desk into the center of the station and head into a large room where most of the cubicles are.

Almost a dozen officers start to fire at us. Going on defensive, I focus my magic on stopping as many bullets as I can, while my men fire at the police. Unfortunately, I overestimate how effective my magic could be against this many bullets, and more then a few hit us. One lucky bullet actually hits an unprotected part of my body, while another bounces off my armor.

Both shots send me stumbling backwards, as I duck behind a desk and wait for myself to heal.

“Shit!” I yelled to myself. “I really fucked this up.”

I watch helplessly as my men start to drop like flies on the floor. Some of them moan in agony while other lay motionless on the floor. Damn cops!  A part of me in that moment almost wish we could just kill them, but I remind myself of my promise to Antonio.

As my wound closes, I jump up from cover and harness my energy into one of my new spells. My rage seems to amplify the spell, causing dark magic to wash across the floor like a tsunami. As the spell washes over each cop I see them drop their gun as their eyes begin to glow green.

Yes! The spell is working!

I raise my hoof and order the surviving members of my gang to cease their fire.

As smoke pours out of this one black cops eyes, I watch hims scream stumbling backwards, in terror.

“Alice, no!” he shouts. “Please don’t take the kids. I promise I’ll stop drinking! Please God don’t take the kids!”

I turn my head and watch as a second officer gets onto his knees.

“Bobby please stop. I’m sorry I got you killed. They told me they weren’t going to kill you. I would never have sold you out if I knew. Please don’t come any closer. I don’t want to go to hell.”

Me and the men stare in awe as the entire station turns into a state of utter madness, as fear and and hysteria take over. And through that fear, I feel my power surge.

“Corral them all into this room!” I order. “Secure anyone who wasn’t affected by the spell.”

Again, like obedient soldiers, the mobsters are quick to obey my commands. As they round up the remaining cops, I take the time to mend the wounds on both sides.  Despite my lack of knowledge of medicinal magic, I am able to save about five of my men from keeling over.  The cops sustained very minor damage, and unlike us, suffered no casualties.

When my men tell me the station is secure, I undo the fear spell and summon a circle of black crystals around the cops. From within the circular cage, the police stare at me through the gaps. They are appear terrified and confused, struggling to make sense of the situation. Their bewilderment amuses me greatly, as I  break it a soft fit of laughter.

“I apologize for the inconvenience officers.” I say, causing many of them to gasp in shock. Again I chuckled. “Yes I can talk.  Anyways, I have a very busy night planned for myself, and I figured it wouldn’t be right to leave you all here without first telling you why.”

“You!” one of the cops in back shouts. “It can’t be you. You're just a cartoon!”

“Ah!” I say. “Someone who recognises me. Step forward.”

The officer who spoke timidly huddles closer to me on his knees. He has a short mustache and brown hair.  If I were to guess, I’d say that the man was about thirty something.  His body jitters as I stare at him in silence.

Taking advantage of his anxiety, I slam my hoof down and snap my maw at him like a rabid dog. Afterwards, I leave my mouth open, exposing my fangs and tongue. To say he is scared shitless would be an understatement, the amount of fear that emanates from him far exceeds anything I have felt before. It makes me crave more.

“Tell me officer!” I say menacingly as my craving for fear intensifies, dark impulses clouding my mind. “Did you watch my show when you were in college? Go ahead, tell the precinct what a faggot you were. I bet you masterbated to them didn’t you!”

What the hell am I saying. I know I’m an asshole but I even when I used to poke fun at David I was never this mean.

But even as I start to question my behaviour, I find that I’m too caught up in the moment to stop.

“Tell them who I am!” I scream as if Lucifer himself had claimed my body. “Tell them who their new god is. Say my name bitch.”

“Sombra.” he says softly.

“Louder!” I yell.

“Sombra,” he said, a little louder this time, but still too soft for my liking.

“LOUDER!!!” I roar.

The man loses, as fear and terror pour out of his being like a shaken soda can.

“SOMBRA!” he said “KING SOMBRA! Please don’t kill me. I have a wife and kids man please!”

A faint voice echoes in my head. It sounds like it’s telling me to stop, but it’s being pushed back by the overwhelming sense of power that his fear brings me. That’s when I think back to all the other times I felt this euphoria that my hatred and people’s fear of me brought. I want to indulge in it, but I hold myself back. While I knew that it would make me stronger, enough was enough.  He had given me enough. If this continued, not only would I look more like a villain in the eyes of the public, but I might lose control.

I shake my head as if coming out of a trance. While I knew I could extract more fear out of him, this one man had already given me more than enough.

“I apologize for scaring you,” I say, in a much calmer and less threatening tone. “I get a little carried away sometimes. You may go back now.”

Not needing to be told twice the cop makes his way back.

I then turn my attention to the group at large.

“I’m running short on time so I’m giving you the abridged version,” I say. “I’m taking over the city and turning it into a kingdom so that my kind may find refuge. You are all welcome to keep your jobs and uphold the law. However, only those who pledge their allegiance to me may do so. If you do not wish to serve me, I will not force you. However, any attempts at rebellion will be dealt with. You killed several of my followers today, and I have made sure to spare all of you. Please don’t make me regret that decision. For now, you shall stay here until further notice. Any questions?”

The cops begin to all talk at once, making it almost impossible to hear what any of them are are saying. If worst comes to worst, I’ll just have to put slave collars on them, but I can worry about that later.

Just then, I hear my radio go off. I levitate it closer to my face and speak.

“Are the other stations secure?” I say sternly.

All the other groups start reporting in. Things didn’t go exactly as planned. It seems taking over all the police stations was too ambitious and an overall unrealistic goal. However, it seems like we got most of them, with only two of them still standing. As far as I can tell, the only fatalities were from our side.

While this might pose problems later on, the dominos were already in motion. I had made my choice 45 minutes ago when I gave the order to attack, and now there was nowhere left to go but forward.

“Alright everyone,” I say. I want two volunteers to stay behind and watch the cage. “I don’t think they can escape, but I wouldn’t feel right leaving them alone. The rest of you are coming with me to the TV Station!”

As I finish, I hear my men applaud me and shout and chant my name. A sense of victory washes over me. I was able to resit my dark impulses to some extent, and just took out a police station Terminator 2 style by not killing any cops.  In this moment, I feel like the city is already mine.

End of Part II: The New Crystal Empire

I open my eyes slowly as my mind starts to reboot. I’m lying in the back seat of my father's limo. Still a bit woozy from the spell,  I lean up into a bipedal sitting position and turn my head towards the window.

“Jesus Christ!” I shout. At least, that’s what I tried to do. With how dreary and fatigued I am it came out more like a groan.

Still, the city looked like Hell had taken a massive shit on the city. All around me, I see people looting and breaking into stores, while others are brawling in the streets. Anyone not taking part in the madness is running in confusion, looking for some form of authority to bring order to the chaos.

This was never part of the plan. Just how long was I out for? This isn’t good. I need to put a stop to the anarchy before I lose control of the city.

With boiling rage, I shift my attention to whoever was driving the car. I bring two of my hooves to my mouth like a microphone and shout at whoever was in the front seat.

I feel the car swerve a bit as a result of me startling the driver.

“Boss!” he yelled. “You’re awake. I'll get you to city hall right away. When David dropped you off, he ordered me to keep you safe. I’ve been driving the car for four hours praying for you to wake up and organize this shit.  The city is a fucking wreck. The police force is in shambles, all the exits out of the city are blocked off, and everyone who tries to make an outside call blanks into a daze. This wasn't part of the briefing. Whatever happened to selling drugs and robbing banks?!”

“Can it, ape!” I snarl with anger in my eyes. “You will not second guess my reign now! Not while the city is practically in the soles of my hooves. Double-time it to city hall and call in as much backup as we can spare. Also, call our friends at the media and tell them the King will be making a public address to the city.”

“But I don’t think I can go on with this for much longer!” the man shouted. “There’s people outside acting like the world is ending, and for all I know, you're a horse of the apocalypse come to usher in armageddon. Perhaps all that talk about you being possessed wasn’t made up after…”

His eyes widen as he catches a glimpse of my horn glowing from the rear view mirror. He gulpes as I feed on his fear not only of me, but also the chaos outside. Bits of my strength are starting to come back with every drop of sweat that falls from his skin. Surely, this fear will provide me with enough strength to at least seize power. Of course, too much and I’ll lose my sanity again. I’d better calm this whelp down a little.

“Don’t be afraid.” I say calmly with a devilish smile. “I will save the city from its own destruction. However, question me again, and I will take your free will. I may have made an obligation to my human brother to be merciful, but how I show that mercy will be entirely up to me. A thousand years ago, you may not have been so lucky.”

I pause for a moment and widen my grin.

“So please” I say softly. “Do try to be more grateful.”

I see the driver nod his head as his shoulder jerks a bit in his seat. He activates his bluetooth and makes a direct call to one of my higher-ups.

“This is Marcel!” the driver says. “The King has awakened. He has issued the following orders!”

“People of Chicago!” I cry out to my subjects from atop the steps of city hall.   “I urge you all to remain calm, for I’ve come to bring order out of chaos.”.

A forming crowd of people is staring as they try and get as close a look as my line of bodyguards would allow. Just as ordered, I see a camera crew in the distance, with my mafia standing by to ensure their safety. While the crowd is miniscule compared to what I would have preferred, there is no more time to wait. It’s time I declare my rule.

I looked down at the bewildered crowd and smirk.

“Even without magic, I can read all of your minds.” I continue with a natural flare of charisma that had eluded me during my human life. “Currently you're asking yourselves, who is this sharply dressed creature speaking down to you? Is he an alien? Is he the one who put up the strange wall? Why are Anello thugs surrounding him?”

From the way their eyes focus on me, I can tell I have their attention. The fish have taken the bait, and all that remained was to reel them in for the catch.

I let out a hearty chuckle, before continuing. “While I’d love to answer all those questions, I’m afraid I don’t have the time. So here’s the short version.”

I take a moment to clear my throat before I begin.

“I am a King from another world. Me and a handful of my kind were cast out from our world by a perverted and corrupt god who sought to reshape our world in his own twisted image. Our souls were sent to this planet, and we were reincarnated as humans, with only vague memories of who we once were.”

I pause to take a breath, before continuing.

“But now our human bodies eroded, and with the help of magic, I have restored bits of my past memories. However, the rest of my kind is now scattered, confused, and have once again been forced into exile. An exile crafted not from the cruel and calculating claws of a god, but from humanity, and its prejudice for all things alien.”

I can hear whispers amongst the crowd, as more and more people flock to me like Jesus atop the hill. I then remind myself that this was the first time in over two thousand years, of humanity that something as biblical as me had graced their eyes. This comparison, as twisted as it was, invigorated me to continue.

I narrow my eyebrows at the crowd with a look of disgust. “Because of human ignorance!” I proclaim scornfully. “My people are now in hiding, and are now forced to hide themselves in a world that had been their home only a week ago. That is why I have taken the liberty of conquering this city, and turning Chicago into an Empire where ponies may live without fear of human ignorance.”

The crowd started to get restless and panicky. Someone in the crowd aims a pistol at me and starts firing like a maniac. Effortlessly, I catch his bullets in my telekinetic grasp.

I toss the bullets aside and turn my gaze to the shooter. “A commendable but ultimately futile attempt, my friend. You might as well have been trying to kill the President of the United States. However, to show to you I am a merciful leader, I’ll just give a strike and let you be on your way.”

When I finish, I see the assassin raise his gun. In response, a few of my men raise their guns at the crowd, ready to mow down any civilian between them and the gunmen. I had only a moment before everything fell apart. In one swift motion, I levitate the gun out from under the assassin's hand, flip it so that it faces his knee, and pull the trigger.

The man falls down, hollering in pain. Some people in the crowd rushed to help him, but I deter them once I start training the gun at anyone who tries.

“Where others would have killed this man for turning down my mercy!” I cry out in anger.“I instead spared his life, but at the cost of his leg. During my rule, I will be a just king to human and pony alike. However, those who test my strength and my generosity may find fates worse than execution.”

The crowd drops dead silent upon hearing my threat, allowing me to continue.

“From this day forth, The Anello’s Family Mob and the CPD shall be two halves of the same coin. The police will continue to serve and protect and uphold the law, which, for the most part, is the same. I urge authorities to round up anyone who’s still causing trouble during today's unfortunate riot.”

I feel myself sweat a bit as I come to the more awkward part of my speech. They say, however, that honesty is the best policy, and people need to know why I have mobsters protecting me.

“Might as well tell the world who I was before all this,” I continue, “And why the mob is with me today. As a human, I was born into this world by the name Steve Anello. Having reverted to my true form and character, I have delivered justice onto my father Tony Anello, making me the active Don. Having gained the allegiance of my father’s organization, I have decreed these men to be my personal security force, as well as my royal police force.”

The crowd goes ballistic, as people begin to shout amongst themselves.

“That creature is the Anello boy!” someone calls out.

“Forget all this magic bullshit,” another shouts. “Are we really going to let thugs run the city?”

“Steve Anello? Isn’t he one of the main suspects in that incident in the back?”

“His father's kept me in debt for thirty goddamn years!” continues an angry-sounding man at the front of the crowd. “If what this monster says is true, then there’s no goddamn way I’m letting him stomp on me like that son of bitch Tony.”

“All my life I wished ponies were real” Some dork in the middle calls out. “And the only character I get to see in person is King Underdeveloped. “What a rip off.”

I shoot some weak bolts of lightning out of my horn, in hopes to get the crowd’s attention back. I watch as majority of them shriek and duck for cover. When the commotion stops, they all look up at me as I make my disdain clearly known.

“The amount of interruptions is beyond insulting!” I scowl. I take a deep breath to calm myself down before continuing. “My point is that their loyalty lies with me. Who or what any of us were before today is irrelevant. This is a dawn of a new beginning for every living creature inhabiting with this city. However, neither the Crystal or Roman Empires were built in a day. It will take time before my prosperous vision for the city becomes takes effect.  But I foresee that come Tuesday, you will all find that things will not be as terrible as you’re all probably imagining. Before I leave, I request that all of you stay tuned to the local news for updates. Also, any ponies are instructed to report to the Anello Mansion, where you will be given asylum until we can find proper residential areas for you all to live. With that said…”

I stomped my hoof vigorously and cheer at the top of my lungs “Long Live The New Crystal Empire!”

I take a moment to wait for an applause, but am disappointed when none is given. Even though the crowd was a lot calmer than it had been before, I could tell from their silence that these humans hated me. Every negative emotion they harbored towards me provided minor substance to my body, yet it left me with a void of satisfaction. A thousand years ago, I would have put every last one of these ungrateful whelps in chains. Oh how lucky they are that three deaths and twenty five years of humanity altered my governing methods. If none of that ever happened, these apes would be begging for my mercy.

I order my men to form a perimeter around me and order them to escort me back to the limo. Thankfully, my earlier conflict with the gunman has distilled any further attempts of resistance.

I return home to a warm welcoming celebration. As the doors to the limo open, those who had supported me welcomed me back and praised my victory over the city.

“Hail to the King!” one of them cried. “Long live King Sombra!”

I lightly smile back at them, as I silently laugh to myself. I doubt any of them cared about my overall ambitions or my plans for a pony kingdom on earth. They were happy because my victory meant giving the wealth, power, and authority I promised them.  Then again, maybe some of them did? I wasn’t a mind reader, though after that last spell I doubt that power was beyond taken care of.

“Thank you for your support.” I say as I stroll past them towards the door. “Keep an eye out for any ponies that may show up. I have some royal obligations I need to take care of.”

I stroll through the door, and make my way up the stairs. I rush to my brother’s room and knock on the door.

“Hey squirt!” I cry out. “I’m back.”

I watch as the door creaks open and my brother and gives me a quick hug.

“I saw your speech on the news.” he acknowledges as he starts petting my mane as if I were a well-behaved dog. “You could have killed that man back there, but you restrained yourself.”

I casually step into his room and smirk. “I did my best, but I really did want to kill that man. I held off for you and Thunderlane, and you know what, I feel good for doing it. I feel like freaking Batman right now.”

Antonio brought his hands up and ushered me to stop. “Please!” he pleaded. “Don’t say the ‘b-word. Rudy might have changed a little when he became Rumble, but his obsession with you-know-who still rivals no other.”

I lift a twelve inch model up from his desk and show it him. “Says the kid with a three hundred dollar Attack on Titan model” I say with a condescending smirk.

He opens his mouth to reply, but no words come out. He crosses his arms in defeat.

“Anyways, you probably shouldn’t thank me just yet.” I tell him as my smirk fades. “I passed out after I made that giant wall, and during that time there was rioting. That wasn’t part of the plan.”

Antonio sighed and lowered his head slightly.  “That’s sad,” he murmurs, “but at least it was unintentional, right?”

I think back to my conversation with Thunderlane on top of the tower, when I told him I was ok with minor casualties. I was really only catering to the humans so they didn’t throw a fit and usurp me. Hell, my whole platform is to take a stand against humans who would do my kind harm, while building a monument to my greatness. Yet why are all these deaths eating away at me? Once again, I blame Discord for the unquestionable psychological damage he’s caused me.

“It’s true!” I tell him. “The riots weren’t part of the plan.” I conveniently leave out the detail about anticipating car accidents on the tower. Telling my brother my conflicting feelings about human life would only serve to harm our already damaged and awkward relationship. I could live becoming a villain in the eyes of my subjects. That is, all except one.

I see one of my minions standing outside the hallway from the open door, waiting for the right moment to get my attention.

I look up at Antonio and give him a warm smile. “Duty calls.” I shrug.

Antonio nods. “Thank you for showing me that you still care, Steve. I still really miss the old you, but I’m really glad you’re still in there. Please forgive me for doubting you.”

For the first time since my transformation became complete, I feel tears fall from my eyes. They weren’t just small tears either, nor did I try and fight them, as I probably would have done so under any normal circumstance. All I could think about was how much I failed poor Antonio by trying to keep my human self alive for him. It was a valiant, but an ultimately hopeless cause.

“I’m sorry for taking your brother away.” I regretfully say, trying my best not to get too emotional. “I’m sorry for trying to convince you I was still him. The truth was I hadn’t realised how much of myself had changed until just recently. I truly thought I could balance two personas, but I think we both know now that was never going to happen.”

I turn my head to the guard and tell him to wait a moment. He nods, and I run over to my brother, looking very out of character with my tear-stricken face.

“The only thing I know for certain that hasn’t changed is that I love you. Other than that I don’t even think like a human being anymore. Everyone else seems beneath me, human and pony alike. I never used to think like this, at least not until the change.”

“But what about all the things that haven’t?” Antonio protested. “You might be a colder person, but you never were the most empathetic. I remember how you talked to Dad and the others. You were snarky, crude, and disrespectful. Plus, even though you despised Dad, you still dropped college to work for him.”

He lets out a long sigh and shakes his head. “Look, I didn’t mean to make you upset before. All I’m saying is that some of this stuff could just be enhancements of your old personality. Dad spoiled me a lot after you turned on him, but I don’t think even he would spare lives on my behalf. You may not be a good guy Steve, but you're not wicked. I see the good in you big brother, all you need to do is recognise it.”

With my mouth closed, I give my brother a warm smile as a way of saying thanks. He graciously returns the gesture and nods. We silently break contact and go our separate ways. I follow the guard through the hallway, as my brother’s faith in me wipes the guilt of my sins away.

We we enter the main hall, I look down from the railing and see four ponies standing patiently downstairs. My mouth gaped wide open. I turn to the guard who escorted me.

“I figure this is the urgent matter.”

At long last, I had found other victims who had been dragged into this madness. Upon making my descent down the stairs, I sense a large spike of fear emanate from a member of the group, while the others just stared at me with cautious but curious eyes.

Meanwhile, I stare with at them with equal interest, though two of them I eyed more intently than others.

One I first recognised from my trips through memory lane as being a ‘crystal pony’, the inhabitants of my old kingdom. What really perplexed me about him was the fact that not only was he a crystal pony, but a pegasus as well. Based on my research of the past, I was under the impression that the crystal ponies were all earth based. Apparently there were a few residents my former self had overlooked.

The other oddity in the room was of a grey furred pony with long leathery bat wings. It was he who gave of the strong aroma of fear. As I got closer, I could see the yellow-eyed creature take a few steps back. If I were to guess, I’d say he was a former fan of that show, and probably knew of the terror I was capable of. To see such a frightening creature shiver sent a tingle of pleasure down my spine, but I made no effort to exploit it.

The other two were unicorns. One was yellow with a with a shooting star on his flank, while the other was a cream colour with a donut mark.

Overall, they were an odd bunch, but one I intended to treat with the utmost hospitality.

“Thank you all for coming on such short notice.” I say trying to sound as welcoming as possible without sounding evil. “I hope you all made it here fine.”

“You’re King Sombra!” The bat pony stutters. “You enslaved all those ponies in the show.”

I chuckle. “Like I said on TV kid, this is all about new beginnings. I take it you must be familiar with that show from the early 2010’s. That’s good because outside of what I learned from magic, I know next to nothing about Equestria.”

“Hold on a minute bub!” the pony with the donut marks shouts in a stereotypical brooklyn accent. At least it beat all the forced Italian accents I had grown accustomed to.

“Is something wrong?” I ask facetiously.

“Are you saying that all that stuff Nick or Shadow Wing over here been saying is true? We really turned into characters from this show made for LITTLE GIRLS?”

“Dammit, Narissa,” the yellow unicorn moans. “Even as a dude, you are so freaking whiny.”

The chubby unicorn turns and scowls at his friend.

“I just wanna know what ruined my life, Comet!” he yelled, raising his hoof like a fist. “And I told you, the name is Joe. Every time you assholes call me by my own name, you remind me how much harder this whole ordeal has been for me. I lost my identity, my boyfriend, and my tits! I just want to know why!”

The cream-colored pony slumps to the ground and starts breaking into tears. The crystal pegasus takes a step forward and makes eye contact with me.

“Please forgive Joe.” he says. “We were all lucky to be single when the change happened. Poor Joe here lost both his humanity, and his sex. There used to be five of us you see, but only four of us turned. The one who didn’t was Joe’s boyfriend. He couldn’t take seeing his girlfriend turn into a male pony, so he fled.”

Wow! Holy awkward scenario, Batman! This chick, or… dude, or whatever had it rough.

“The worst is these damn male hormones!” Joe blurts out. “I don’t find him attractive anymore, despite all those memories and times we shared!” He gets on his knees and starts to beg. “Please just tell me why this happened!”

I nod my head. “I have no doubt you all must be very confused. I’ll get my brony friend Thunderlane and we’ll try and fill you in on what we know so far. Also, I have proposition for you all, but that can wait after you’ve all calmed down a bit.”

“Proposition?!” Shadow Wing says, flaring his bat wings and glaring at me with hostility. “I told you this guy can’t be trusted. He’s not going to give us a new home. Not for free anyway. Just like in the episode, he’ll enslave us and make us dig for diamonds.”

I burst into laughter. “Maybe in the past but certainly not today! Today you are my guest, and what I offer you is simply optional. I expect more ponies to show up, and chances are some of them will take my offer. However, my promise for housing will still stand should you refuse. We’ll talk about it after dinner once you’ve all calmed down. The chef will be making spaghetti and meatballs.

“But ponies don’t eat meat.” Joe blurts! “We’ve tried.”

I shrug. “The meatballs are for me and my brother. For some reason I didn’t lose my appetite for meat when I changed. One of the perks of practicing dark magic, I guess.”

I let out a uneasy chuckle as I stare at the uneasy faces of my guests.

“Anyways, how about we take a tour of the mansion to pass the time. That should give us an opportunity to better know each other outside of what we know from that silly girl’s show.”

I hear the batpony mutter something as he turns his head away from me. I guess becoming a pony hadn’t diminished this fellow’s love of the show. The defensive nature of fanboys never ceases to surprise me. Obviously it will take all my charismatic power to win these ponies over.

Over the course of our tour, I make it my goal to learn as much about this odd bunch of ponies. We eventually meet up with Thunderlane and our brothers. After joining up with us, I instruct Antonio to lead the tour and I drag Thunderlane to the side for a brief moment.

“What do you want man?” he asks, a little annoyed by the secrecy.

“For one,” I whisper softly. “I want to thank you for getting me off that tower alive, but I also need you to tell me what you know about our guests. Who were they in the old world and such?”

Thunderlane does his best to tell me what little he claimed to know about a few of them. For ones he knew very little about, I had to check via my phone. Even then, I could barely find anything useful about their Equestrian lives. I sigh in frustration over the lack of information. How am I supposed to sway these ponies if I don’t know who they were back in our world?

“This will have to do I guess.” I grumble. “Let’s head back before they get suspicious. We’ll be eating soon.”

“Italian food again.” Thunder said smugly.

“You can blame my father for only hiring Italian chefs.” I groan. “The man was such a living, breathing stereotype. Feels like my whole life has been The Godfather meshed with My Big Fat Greek Wedding.”

We laugh and sneak our way back into the group. The others asked where we had gone but I told them it was a private matter.

Eventually, the seven of us find ourselves in the dining room and we all sit at the table. Spaghetti hits the table shortly thereafter, and the others break into conversation. As I watch them talk and laugh with Thunder and the boys, I levitate my wine glass and take a sip.

I need to review everything I know about them. Both as humans and as ponies. If I am to convince them to join my cause, I need to know who they are.

Let’s see if I got this correctly. The one that used to go by Narcissa is Donut Joe, an extremely minor character that had very few appearances on the show. He ran a donut shop in Canterlot, and may have been a secret agent. In this reality, she was Narcissa, a culinary arts major with a minor in Business who hoped to one day open her own restaurant. Prior to the change, he/she had a boyfriend who fled sometime during the final stages of the alteration.

His human-born brother is the yellow unicorn named Comet Tail. Thunder and I looked him up on my iPhone. He was a background pony with an official Hasbro name, and his trading card suggests he can use magic to run at high speeds.  As for his human self, Trevor, he was just a simple guy who worked at a local gym and ran track.

The bat pony goes by Shadow Wing, who, prior to last week, was an indie game animator named Patrick. He mentioned he was also a Dungeon Master, and that their former group of five met through Dungeons and Dragons. Out of the four of them, he was the only fan of the show, yet he knows nothing about the character he turned into. Nothing, except his new name. The best Thunder could tell me was that he was probably part of the Lunar guard, due to the weapon cutie mark, and the fact that he was a batpony. Besides that, his Equestrian identity was unknown.

The last one, Platinum Lance/Bill was part of the National Guard and a longtime friend of Patrick/Shadow. Unlike Shadow and Comet, Thunderlane was able to recognise him as the crystal pegasus from season 4. Even though his name was never made official in the fandom, he was really a bodyguard to Princess Cadance, the mare who overthrew and nearly killed me.

Okay, I think I’ve got it all sorted out in my head. Time to give them the pitch.

I lift up my wine glass and fork and tap it against the floating wine glass. The room goes silent as everyone’s eyes fall on me. I smile, as I once again feel like the center of attention.

“You all seem very relaxed now.” I say. “Much more relaxed than when you first came in. If you don’t mind, I would like ask each of you an important question.”

I clear my throat, and slowly turn my gaze to my each of my four guests.

“First, I think you all deserve to know the truth, at least from what I know. Thunderlane will correct me if I get anything wrong.”

I tell them everything I knew about Discord and what I saw him do to me, Thunder, and Rudy through both my dreams and my memory spell. In addition, I share bits and pieces of my story, making sure to leave out the ugly parts so that I can gain their sympathy. Finally, I tell them about my glorious plan for the city, and how I hope create a world where ponies might become a part of Earth.

“It will be gorgeous!” I cry out. “With human ingenuity and pony magic, this world shall know prosperity. However, for this to work, I’ll need ponies who are willing to join my cause and serve under me. We also will need magic with which to protect ourselves against the humans.”

I turn my head to look at Platinum and Shadow. “The two of you can serve as captains of my Royal Guard. Order must be kept or the ponies that immigrate may be killed by humans who either see ponies as aliens, or wish to take a stand against my reign.”

The two glance at each other, looking very uncertain about what to do.

I then turn to the two unicorn siblings. “I wish to teach you all the art of magic. While I cannot teach you dark magic due to its soul-corrupting properties, I’ll be willing to teach what I can so long as you help me build the cities defenses. We need a method of getting ponies into the city, and need to establish a safe way to get supplies in and out of the city. We also need to create a barrier against bombing raids and infiltrators. I am powerful, but even I have limits. With enough magic at our side, we can literally do anything that we want to do.”

“Time out a second!” Thunderlane says as he put his hooves to his chin. “Holy freaking crap Steve, you didn’t.” Thunderlane burst out into a fit of hysteria.

I glare at my friend as I feel a boiling rage form in the pit of my stomach. “May I ask what you find so humorous?” I say in annoyance. Why is it every damn person in this city feels like they can interrupt me?

Platinum’s lips puff out a bit before his mouth explodes into laughter. I watch in disgust as chunks of spaghetti fly out across the table.

“Oh my God I just got it.”

“What’s so funny?!” I shout.

“Your name used to be Steve, right?” he asks.

“Yeah, so?!”

“So…!” he whispers into Shadows ear, who then covers his mouth with his hoof. The crystal stallion then turns to me and starts to sing. “So now it’s time for so long.”

“But we’ll sing just one more song.” Shadow continued.

I felt like my father had come back and shot another bullet into my chest. Everyone except the kids starts singing. My entire sales pitch, the one I had been planning since these ponies got here, all ruined by an ironic and unusual reference to a children’s show that every person born in the 90s remembered.

Despite how mad I am, I find myself laughing along with them at my own expense. Even though I had about had it with irony at this point, at least this hiccup was my own. Unlike all the others this past week, it wasn’t part of one of Discord’s twisted machinations. Plus, acting like a hothead is not going to win them over.

“That was very funny,” I say with the hope of getting the conversation back on track. I turn my attention back to the unicorn siblings. “What I meant, was my new Chicago needs unicorns to help it sustain itself. All of you are free to refuse me, however, before you give me your answer, I want you to think about where each of you were two days ago. Did you any of you have any hope, or even a plan? Right now there are an untold number of ponies who are suffering like we’ve suffered. They will continue to suffer unless we can provide them with a new beginning. I may have been the bad guy back in Equestria, and I’m sure as hell not a hero. I might be power-hungry, but I am hellbent on using this power to give our kind the second chance it deserves. Like I said earlier today, what matters now is the future.”

Nopony spoke. The room falls  into silence. I look into their faces, yet try as i might, I can’t tell what they are thinking.

Platinum hops off his seat and walks towards me. Is he plotting to kill me? I ready my horn just incase, but I make sure not let my magic show.  He trots right beside my seat and looks into my red and green eyes. I see him raise his hoof in the air. He’s going to strike me. I prepare my magic to zap, when I notice his hoof is moving towards me. No. Instead he puts his hoof right beside his head. He’s saluting me?

“I don’t care if you're not a saint.” he says. “You are the first pony our group has met in this city, and the only person with any sort of plan other than hiding. I can’t speak for my friends, but I for one would gladly help you out if it means making a difference to all the other poor souls out there.”

Shadow stands up, staring at his friend with a look of uncertainty. He turns to me, and I watch as he too gives me a salute.

“I still don’t trust you.” he says. “You were one of the most evil villains on the show excluding Discord and that one movie villain Tirek. No way they could have gotten away with that DBZ-like fight scene on a kids show. Anyways, my point is, if you want my full loyalty, you’ll have to earn it. If I don’t like what you’re doing, I’ll quit.”

I applaud him with my hooves.

“I appreciate both of you for giving me the benefit of the doubt. I hope after a few weeks, you will all come to know me as your King. With your help I know we can reshape this city into something wonderful.”

“Are you guys serious joining this shady character?” Joe protests. “This isn’t going to end well. I don’t want any part of it.”

“I don’t know about you bro.” Comet replies. “But I for one would like to learn how to use some magic.”

“Also!” I add. “Did I mention that if you all do agree to become my students or members of my guard, I’ll let you live in the mansion. I’m not sure you’ve noticed, but this is a really big house.”

Joe’s face lit up. “I’ll do whatever you ask of me, your grace.”

Hee. Hook, line, and sinker. All four of them. All I need to do now is show them how awesome a ruler I can be, and I’ll earn their loyalty. What would happen if I could build an entire army, I wonder?

I shake my head. I’m still a long ways off from having anything like that. However, once the new ponies start arrive, I’m sure more of them will join my cause. At long last, Chicago is now my kingdom. By the end of this weekend, I’m confident the city won’t even look the same.

Part II Epilogue

Part II Epilogue

Monday May 11, 2020 10:25 PM

I’m sitting on my fancy throne of black crystals that I crafted in my dad's old art gallery. It was a room that people rarely entered. Probably because dad’s decorating made the entire mansion look like a museum, even with all the redecorating I’ve done. His strange obsession with ancient Roman and Greek gods got old really quickly to anyone who visited regularly. To come here would be a sensory overload of my old man's fetish.

To make the room more suitable to me I ordered some fan art from an active pony artist, and enhanced the pictures with magic to make the them look hand-painted.  Pictures that were once made with computer software now looked as if they had just been painted by an artist from the renaissance.

Currently, I’m focusing on a picture of me standing atop a black pillar, as a purple dragon and the Crystal Heart fall towards me. After rewatching the episode so many times, I knew this to be the moment before my great defeat at the hooves of the princess whose name I couldn’t recall. From what little I knew of the past, I knew that this moment in my old life almost marked the end of me.

I heard the door creak open and the sound of galloping hooves against the tile floor.

“You’re late, Thunder,” I said as I turned my head to see that the pony was indeed who I was expecting. “I wanted that report hours ago.”

“Some new ponies showed up about two hours ago,” he protested, his voice muffled by the clipboard. “I wanted to help them get settled in to the apartments so the data could be accurate.”

I yawn and yanked the clipboard out of his mouth with my magic. I scanned the sheets to make sure everything is in order.

“Hm...” I said as I skimmed it over, “248 new ponies came today, meaning we now have 2,345, one-third of which are immigrants. Still amazes me that we had that many ponies hiding here all this time, and at the rate they're coming in we’re going to need to set up new housing. Kicking a few humans out of their homes was a necessary evil, but one we cannot afford to repeat. New homes need to be built.”

I then bring my attention to the very bottom, which kept track of the number of ponies that have joined my guard.

“Oh wow! Over 700 ponies are now part of The Guard. Hopefully that will help keep the more violent resistance in line. Even with the press under my control, we can’t afford bloodshed on either side. If ponies or mafia die, it will rally the people against me. If protesters die, it will rally the people against me. I'm going to need a waiting list to teach the unicorns magic. I have too many applicants who want to learn.”

“I’m still amazed you were able to organize them so quickly.”

I shrug. “I figure it’s innate experience. The skills we acquired back home are buried in our minds, even if we don’t recognize them. Anyways, I have one more thing to check before I head off to bed.”

I flip to the second page where the remaining data was.

“Perfect!” I say, smiling. “The cargo train which we set up should arrive early tomorrow morning with the supplies we need, with the train we set up for ponies arriving back in two days. So long as we keep sending checks to the train station, traffic into the city should be controlled while the outside world remains oblivious for a little while longer. Plus, with that new spell I set up yesterday, I’ll be alerted whenever someone or somepony enters the city.”

“You mean the one you set up around the Crystal Heart, that told you that Twilight Sparkle had found-”

“Does it even matter?” I say. “Look, just because the show consumed my life, doesn’t mean I’m a raging fan, or even a minor one. I’m not trying to bring you down buddy, but geeze dude, it’s just a show.”

He gives me a sarcastic look. “Sure,” he says, nodding his head  “That’s why you watched the Princess Twilight Sparkle movie last night.”

“Only to see how powerful that Tirek guy was.” I say. “Shadow told me he was the most powerful villain on the show after Discord and myself, and ten times more aggressive. If he somehow made it into this world, no force on earth would be able to stop him. Not me, not the mane six, not even Discord if he ever shows his ugly face on this planet. I’m not even sure nuclear weapons can stop that monster at full power.”

Thunderlane cringed a bit and looked up nervously at me. “The scary thing is for someone who isn’t a fan, you're absolutely right. Even with the power of four alicorns Twilight couldn’t stop him. Let’s hope that never happens.”

At long last, the Crystal Heart is mine.

As the pillar of Crystal brings me closer to the Heart, I lick my lips so that I may savor my victory. Then out of nowhere it vanishes, along with the purple dragon. I turn, around and look desperately before it. Then I hear a commotion coming from the crowd.

“Behold... the Crystal Princess!” Somepony shouts.

I hear a loud thump which draws my attention. A pink alicorn is standing in the streets near the center of the city... The missing dragon on her back, while the heart floats above her head. Meanwhile, my slaves stare at her in awe like she was some divine savior.

“The Crystal Heart is returned.” she proclaims to the crowd. “Use the light and love within you to ensure King Sombra does not!”

I watch helplessly as she tosses the heart into the center of the city. Two small spikes form above and below the heart, as it begins to float in place. The next thing I know, the crystal ponies begin to glow, and every street in the city lights up until it all forms an image of a snowflake. When the light fades, the heart begins to spin violently as a giant wave of magic emerges from it and cleanses the city of my influence.

I cry out for them to stop. No! I beg them to stop! But it was useless! The next thing I knew, all the positive energy from the heart watched over me, as it tore me apart from the inside. The light eating away at my evil like a swarm of piranhas, ripping their teeth not only through my body, but from my very soul.

All I see is the image of my old mentor. She stares at me, with an expressionless gaze, as if knowing her presence would be enough to mock my defeat. I feel myself get angry, but this only causes the light to course through my body faster.

I feel my mind start to fade, and I know death is finally upon me. I think of my mentor, my former Queen, and how I murdered her so that I could make the Empire strong. Up until now, I never felt any regrets for my betrayal. Only now at the moment of my demise, do I feel that I may have been wrong.

My eyes open wide as my body begins to tremble. From afar, I feel a presence entering the city, its power far succeeding anypony I have thus encountered, causing my body to spasm. I start to roll my body, only to fall off my bed and land on the floor.

Platinum Lance barges in, the sounds of his newly forged armor announcing his entrance.

“Your majesty!” he shouts gallops towards me and helps me back onto my hooves. He gives me a moment to catch my breath.

“Are you alright?” he asks anxiously. “What happened to you?”

I continue to tremble as I try to tell him what was happening.

“The… new spell I cast,” I mutter. “It alerts me when... new souls enter the city, as well as their magical potency. Right now somepony… has just passed through the barrier. Somepony from my past. An alicorn!”

“You mean like one of those pony princesses Shadows rambles about from the show?”

I nod back at him just as the convulsions stop. With those gone, I sluggishly pick myself up off the ground and turn my head to Platinum. “You need to intercept this pony. She came damn near close to killing me before, so we need to get the edge on her while we have the chance.”

I turn my head to my alarm clock and see that it’s seven-thirty in the morning. Seven-thirty? My mind goes back to Thunderlane’s report. I turn my head back to Shadow.

“She’s on the cargo train that just arrived in the city!” I yell frantically. “Assemble a team and bring her to the estate. Use force if necessary, but do so only if provoked. If she’s not here on a mission against me, I might be able coax her to join us. Until her motives are clear, you are all to treat the princess with respect, but make sure you let her know who is in charge.”

The crystal pegasus lifted his hoof and saluted. “It shall be done your grace. Just tell me more about her powers so I may pick the right men and stallions for the job.”

I take a deep breath, trying calm my anxiety. “First off, don’t bring Shadow. I can tell he still doesn’t trust me, so I don’t want the sight of this princess to give him any funny ideas.”

“He’ll turn around.” Platinum insured me. “He just needs to get to know the current you. Deep down, I know he agrees with what you're doing. He just not sure how evil you still are, even if you have changed a little.”

I smile at him for reassurance, but quickly bring myself back to the moment at hand.

“Right now I sense she is malnourished, but her body is still a fountain of divine power. Bring plenty of gunmen and unicorns, and increase pegasi activity in that area. I doubt she can fly in her state, but we can’t afford her to escape.”

Knowing that we both had sacrificed precious seconds in planning, Platinum bolts out the door without making a formal goodbye. I admire his loyalty, and for not being a complete suck up. That made him all the more trustworthy in my eyes.

With a flicker of my horn, I suit up into my classic royal attire and place my crown on my head. It will be a while before the Princess is escorted here, and I might as well get myself ready. A part of me feels angry, and anxious to get revenge. However, thanks to Discord’s memory wipe, the bitterness I felt was somewhat tame when compared to my excitement. Despite our ugly history, the opportunity of bringing an alicorn to my cause filled my mind with thoughts of grandeur. Yet all this depended one simple question, that I repeated to myself out loud while I trotted down the halls.

“Will Princess Cadance be my friend, or will she be my foe?”

The Beginning of Part I: The Purple Diamond

The Beginning of Part I: The Purple Diamond

I sat in Dad's office expecting a lecture.  As I waited I decided to take a look around.  It was filled with stupid Italian sculptures that you'd expect to be found in a museum or something. Huh, what a joke.  It seems like every time I came here there was one more stone penis to look at.  Man, what people call art, I call "gay as all hell."  Of course if I ever told him that he would probably put a bullet in my school despite the fact that it was my birthday.

        I'm being serious when I say this.  He literally would shoot me if I said that.  He's that kind of man.  You see, you don't get to be the Don of a large crime syndicate with out developing a pair of balls.  Yeah, my Dad was a genuine Italian mobster straight from the movies.  He even had the most cliche gangster name in the book, Tony Anello.  As funny as I'm making this sound, he was the real freaking deal.  If there one thing he hated more than anything it was disrespect, even from his own kid.

        I turned around and saw my good for nothing scumbag of a father walk into the room with two of his boys.  One of them was my friend David Price.  He was good man, despite his obsession with that old girl's show.  What was it called again?  My Little Horsey? I don't know but besides that he was an awesome guy to hang out with when any of us weren't getting shot at.  His little brother Rudy was also really good with my little brother Antonio.

        So, anyway old man Steve sat down in his big red chair and started staring at me like I'm the biggest disappointment in the world.  I swear my old man tries too damn hard to be Marlon Brando.

        "Stever." he says with his hands clasped, "At nine o'clock tonight, you will be twenty-five years old.  Since you graduated college, you have been a hindrance to this family and this business. You have been reckless and disrespectful.  Your mother would be very disappointed of you."

        I laugh hysterically and smile at my asshole of a father "Yeah, I don't think she’d be too thrilled either.  Seeing as how you killed her and threw her body into the harbor."

        This got him very angry, but he didn't do anything because he knew I was right.  I was a lot smarter than I let on sometimes.  About seven years ago when I was eighteen, Mom got into a very nasty fight with Dad.  I could hear them shouting while trying to get through my college work.  I forget what they were fighting about, I just remember it being about something stupid again.  However, what was stupid for me obviously wasn't always stupid for everyone else, because it was serious enough for Mom to threaten Dad.  She told him that she was going to tell the police where the "Warehouse" was.   The next day, Mom was nowhere to be seen.

        Of course , Dad would have you believe that she just ran off.  Yeah, she ran off without filing a divorce.  God I hate that lying sack of shit.  As if it wasn't bad enough that he killed her, he didn't even have the balls to own up to it.  I wonder if he tell's himself the same lie he tells me.  It's because of him Antionio will never remember what she was like, how beautiful she was, how caring she was.  As much as I hate bring it up, it feels good to see that scared look on my Dad's face whenever I do.  He really opened the door for it this time.

        "Goddammit Stevie, will you stop blaming me for that?  I didn't fucking kill your stupid whore of a mother."

        I just smiled as I leaned back in my chair. "Whatever you say pops, can we just cut to the chase.  Some of us actually want to celebrate my birthday."

        Daddy got really pissed and slammed both his hands on the desk before pointing at me. "Listen to me, tomorrow you're going to learn to take this business seriously.  We're going to go with these gentlemen to pull off an armed robbery at that shiny new bank, if you know what I mean."

        I looked at him in surprise. I must have really pissed him off.  He’s never sent me on the real dangerous jobs before.  Sure I've gotten into a few nasty turf wars and deals gone bad since I've been working for him, but  this was the first time he's ever asked me to do something this big.  Luckily for him, this is the sort of punishment I've been waiting for.  So long as the cops don't shoot me, I'll be one step closer to proving to him I can run this joint when he croaks.  God, I wished that would happen already.

        I know that was a terrible thought, but I'm kind of a terrible guy to begin with.  While it didn't help that my Dad was the biggest jerk-off this side of Chicago, I wasn't really any better.  The only difference is that I was willing to admit it whereas he would pass himself off as a selfish prick.

        I let out another laugh. "So you think by putting me in the line of fire you will put me in my place, huh.  Well at least I'll be able to raid the safety deposit boxes so I can add some more to my gem collection."

        My Dad laughed, "Consider that your birthday gift, Steve, but you're going to have to get them yourselves. Were going after the cash, not the boxes.  You're going to have to go down there yourself, without backup.  Sorry, but looks like you’re shit out of luck. Besides, don't you have enough fruity jewelry back in your room?"

        Dad was right. I had a whole hoard of stuff back in my room.  Ever since I was a little kid, I've been obsessed with diamonds and crystals.  I loved the way they sparkled with life, how they shine and glistened in the sun.  I even had my Dad bye me that stupid Pretty Pretty Princess game back just so I could have some jewelry of my own.  I never wore any of it, I just liked the way it looked.  However, nothing from my childhood could compare to the hard surface of a real crystal.

        "Meh, I can take it."

        "Suit yourself, the family will be in better hands with Antoine anyway. Now get the heck out of my office and go celebrate your stupid birthday.  You better not disappoint me, son, because if you fail and the cops don't shoot you, I will."

        I give him the bird as I stepped out.

        That night me and some of the boys threw me a huge party here at the mansion.  I figured David played a big role in setting it up.  Poor guy.  His birthday always get's overshadowed by mine.  Sharing your birthday with your thirteen year old brother was one thing, but sharing it with your boss’ son was another.  Maybe I'll watch some episodes of the god awful show with him later.  Despite how much he hated the ending, he was constantly watching reruns on Netflix.

        Anyway, the party was pretty lively.  There was lots of booze, lots of heroin, and plenty of hot, sexy strippers.  I gotta say it was one hell of a party.  As much as I hated my Dad, his lackeys were alright.  They weren't the sharpest tools in the shed, but they were alright.

        I was pouring myself some vodka when I heard a familiar voice

        "Yo, Steve! These chicks are smoking hot!"

        I turned around to see David, with two topless babes in his arms.

        "This one's name is Jill. She really wants to give you a present, if you know what I mean."

        "This might sound weird and out of character, but I'm kinda not in the mood for sex right now."

        David let out I laugh that I swear remained me of Tommy Wiesuo from the room.

        "Whoa, that would be a first.  Is it about the job tomorrow?  Hey man, I'm nervous too, but I've done banks before.  Maybe not as big as the one we’re going to tomorrow, but believe me when I say this.  I've got your back."

        I smile a little. "It's a little bit more than that. Listen, can you meet on the balcony upstairs when you’re done with these ladies?"

        He shrugs. "Nah man If you need me I'm there. Bro's before hoe's, no offense ladies."

        "None taken." replied the the sexy brunette to David's left.  "We've been called worse."

        Me and David made our way to the the second floor hallway and opened the screen door.  We stepped outside to the cold night air. it was about 8:10 right now, just five minutes before the time David was born.  I leaned up against the balcony and looked up at the stars.

        "Steve, are you sure this isn't about the job tomorrow?"

        I shake my head. "That's part of it, but it’s a little bit more.  I used to love my old man. He was my idol growing up, David.  But this job, this lifestyle, it's gotten to his head.  Ever since he killed Mom, and don't start saying he didn't because I know he did, I've been a real asshole to him and him to me.  You know this was the first time he's spoken to me in weeks and we live in the same freaking house."

        "Why don't you just quit? Leave Chicago and start over."

        I let out a loud sigh. "I can't Dave.  I can't leave Antoine alone with him.  If I leave, father would groom him to be the head of the family.  This lifestyle isn't for him.  As a big brother yourself I think you would understand.”

        "Yeah I know what you mean, ever since our parents died, it's just been me and Rumble.  I don't know what I’d do without him."

        I look at David quizzically. Did he get his own brother mixed up.?  As I stared, his eyes started to bug out.  At first I figured he was just really high, but then he grabbed my shoulder and held me over the edge of balcony.

        "David what the hell are you doing!?"

        "Tell me what you and that snake have done with Rumble or so help me I'll send you straight to Tartarus where you belong!"

        "Jesus Christ! It's me, Steve! David! Snap out of it man!"

        I looked up at David as a prayed for my life. He just blinked and shook his head.

        "Dude what just happened."

        I grabbed onto the railing for support and kicked David backwards in the chest.  That sent him falling to the ground. I lifted myself up from the edge of the railing and turned to face him.

        "What the hell did those strippers put in your drink man?"

        David shook his head. "What are you talking about?"

        "Are you being serious? You just threatened to kill me and now you don't even remember.  You were going to toss me over the edge!  And who the flying frick is Rumble?"

        "I don't know. But that name sounds familiar.  Listen, I need to go check on Rutty.  It's his birthday too and I promised I’d be there to celebrate it with him back at my apartment.”

        I took a huge deep breath. I was still in shock over what just happend.  Thankfully, David was able to snap back into reality. Still, I was really afraid he might tackle me any minute.

        "I completely understand man.  Maybe we can talk about my messed up family life some other time.  I'll see you tomorrow at the meet up."

        "Yeah, thanks man. Oh, and happy Birthday."

        "Happy birthday to you and Rudy too."

        After that heartwarming scene of counselling and attempted murder, I decided to retire to my room.  The party was still going on, but I was done.  Too much crap was dropping into my lap way too fast. I needed to relax.  I decided to just take a quick little nap on my bed.

        I opened the door to my room.  It was covered with posters of various metal bands and horror movie posters. Next to my bed was my private safe where I kept my hoard of diamonds and crystals like a dragon hoarding treasure.

        I hopped onto my bed and got out my iPhone.  I figured I could listen to some music. I sat there and played about two songs before looking at the clock. It was 8:55 P.M. In five more minutes I would officially be twenty five years old.  I figured I might as well celebrate even though I was still feeling really shitty.  I opened my unfinished bottle of vodka and stared at the clock.  When it finally hits nine, I'm going to chug this sucker down and go to bed.

         I stared at the clock, waiting with anticipation for the time. It was 8:59 P.M now, only seconds to go.   "Just pretend that once it was nine my life would be forever altered.  I would be able to collect all the crystals I wanted, and father would finally put a bullet in his head.  I would take care of the business, and keep Antoine as far away from this business as possible.  Best of all, I would have all the crystals I could ever dream of.  And all of dad's goons would become my slaves. Wait What?"

        The clock struck nine.

        I must of blanked out for a second. Damn why do I feel so cold all of a sudden?

        I looked around and got a sense of my surroundings. Everything I knew about this seemed wrong. For starters, I was buck ass naked and on the floor. Second, it looked like I had subconsciously decided to open my safe full of gems and bury myself in them.  Only I knew the combination to that safe, so I knew it couldn't have been an intruder, but why the hell would I do this? I mean, yeah, I liked shiny rocks but not enough to bathe in them, though the idea didn't seem to sound as strange as I would imagine.

        Wait, yes it did! What the hell was I thinking?

        Thirdly, I was apparently out of it for about 10 minutes.  The last time I checked it had just turned nine.  It was now nine ten.

        The last thing I know I couldn't have done myself even if I was possessed.  Some asshole must have took advantage of my drugged out stage and tattooed a purple diamond on the sides of my ass.

The Dark Never Bothered Me Anyway (Yes That is a Frozen Reference)

With law enforcement out of the picture, the surviving members of my crew and I drive our truck to the one of the biggest TV stations in the city. Since the station has ties to other networks, I figured that I could sneak my “advert” to channels across the nation once we claimed it. As I look out the window towards at the tall structure, I feel a spike of adrenaline surge through my veins, as I anticipate my victory.

There are just a few more things that need be taken care of before charging in. While the building obviously wouldn’t be as heavily armed as the police station, that doesn’t make it any less dangerous. Since this was a TV station, going there means risking my exposure to the rest of the world. So I waited for Arnold to do some Watch_Dogs stuff on the building while the others scattered more jammers around the area. Hopefully between Arnold’s hacking and the jammers, it would be enough prevent word of my existence from making the eleven o’clock news.

Finally, like music to my ears, my radio goes off.

“All jammers in place sir,” a voice calls out from the speakers. “They are working beautifully.”

I glance at Arnold and wait for him speak. He takes a minute to respond as finally realises that I’m silently asking for a status report.

“The power will be out in approximately 45 seconds!” he assures me. “Though I’d hurry. Once it’s out it can turn back on at any moment, but it should provide you and the others enough time to do your thing.”

“I’ll just have to be extra careful now won’t I,” I say with a cocky grin.

“Anyways boss,” he ask calmly, rubbing his hands, “you are going to give me a high level position in this ‘kingdom’ of yours aren’t-”

“Is the money not enough?” I say with annoyance as I give him my “I find it very unprofessional that you're asking for more than what we have already agreed upon, let alone a position in my new empire” look.

“I meant no harm by it Your Majesty,” he says, as he draws back a bit. “It’s just when you first hired me a few days ago, I had no idea what you were or what you were planing. Seeing as your takeover would have been a complete failure without me, I figured a little extra was in…”

I can feel the smoke pouring out of my eyes as I cut him off again, this time a lot more sternly.  “The operation isn’t over yet fool. If I’m feeling generous I’ll add another thousand to your check, but if you ask anymore I will either put a collar on you or kill you personally.”

He bows his head, though I can’t help but feeling he’s doing it to mock me. Nevertheless I turn away from him just in time to see the lights in the building go out.

I’m amazed at how fast I’m able to react as I hop out of the car and gallop towards the building. Using my magic, I swing the doors open and zap every human I see, forcing them to lay on the ground. After a quick sweep of the first floor, I hear a large group of my men enter the lobby.

“Perfect timing gentlemen,” I say with the elegance of a Bond Villain. “Everything is proceeding a lot more smoothly this time. Your orders are to secure the exits. Without guns or cameras, these human peons pose no threat to me.”

“Are you sure boss?” one of them asks.

“I want this takeover to look as peaceful as possible,” I partially lie. “The key words here being ‘as possible.’”

In reality I am still shaken up for partially losing it at the station when I tormented that cop.  Even with Echo Sombra gone, in the end it’s like he never left. I am still just a time bomb waiting to go off. Still, I figure if I went in solo, I will evoke more confusion out of the civilians than fear, but still just enough fear that they would obey me.

I look up at the group speaking up, being mindful to hiding any trace of my thoughts or concerns.

“Hand me an enchanted pistol,” I command, “I’ll need it so that I may convert my energy for the spells I’m going to cast on the city. I’ve exhausted too much power already on the cops.”

“Just do what you gotta do your highness,” one of them replies as they reach out and present me with a 9mm handgun.

As I levitate it towards me and place it in my saddlebag, I start flashing back to my raid on the mansion when I was shooting guns with power of my horn. Even though it hasn’t even been a full week yet, it almost feels like it happened months ago. I turn away and head for the stairs,  silently asking myself why any of this had to happen. Why did my whole life have to change so fast, even if some good things came out of it? Was it worth losing my humanity, or to have a brother who’s afraid of me? To turn into a rejected Kingdom Hearts villain?

My mind races as I trot up one set of stairs and reflect on who was responsible. In the end everything ties back to the true evil in all this. The one who yanked me from my reality and bound me to this life on Earth. The one who gave me the greatest mother on the planet, only so I could experience the pain of her death at the hands of my father. All this just to parody my actions in a life i can’t personally recall myself.

Yet even if he didn’t intend it, I was given a little brother, and a friend who would stick by me even through all this. I no longer care for humanity, but it is thanks to them that I won’t forsake my old life, at least not entirely. But all that doesn’t really matter at the moment. The dawn of my new empire is coming and in less than three hours, Chicago will be mine.

Just as I’m about to reach the top floor, I pull out my pistol and buck the door wide open with my hind legs. Not the most elegant way to make a royal entrance, but I can worry about etiquette later.

I immediately see a group of people heading in my direction, mostly to see why the power was out and why none of their phones were working. Through the light of my horn, they see me, a well-dressed equine with a gun floating beside his glowing horn. I take advantage of their confusion and fire a few warning shots in the air. They immediately duck and cover, but they keep their eyes trained on my body, as their minds struggle to comprehend the reality before them.

I smirk and walk towards them, let out a soft snicker as I try to mess with them.

“Greetings,” I say in a friendly yet somewhat sinister tone, “I am your new boss. As of right now, you all work for me.”

“What the fuck are you?” a tall blond woman shouts in fear.

I feel a familiar feeling of intoxication as she screams, but I chose to ignore it and fire another warning shot. The sound of the gun silences the crowd.

“I’m a dark unicorn with a gun,” I say sarcastically. “If you require more of an explanation you’ll have to wait for my formal address to the city. In the meantime I have something for all of you.”

I open my saddle bag and levitate the disk containing my commercial toward them.

“I want you to play this commercial on all local channels and mail copies to other branches of your network. If it appears blank, it’s not because it’s damaged. It wasn’t meant to be viewed by humans.”

“So you’re an equine?” a dorky looking pencil pusher cries out. “Oh my God I knew this would happen.”

“I sincerely doubt that,” I huff as I narrow my eyes at him. “Look, all that matters is that I am not human and I am very powerful. If you think lifting this gun with my mind is all I can do, you’re wrong. In addition the entire first floor of the building is under my control, your phones are jammed, and my men have pretty much taken out the law enforcement. My only demand is that you air the commercial and shut down your news programs until I state otherwise. Are we clear?”

I see all them nod their heads.

“Just please don’t hurt anyone,” a thin man in the back says, stuttering. “So long as no one gets hurt, we’ll do what you want. But human or not, you can’t possibly hope to get away with all this. If everything you say is true - and I highly doubt it - what’s to stop the FBI or the National Guard from stopping you?”

A long grin crosses my face as a small helicopter lands outside.

“That soon won’t be an issue.”

“I knew we should have taken the stairs!” I yell as looked down at the city from my dad’s private helicopter. I can feel my black heart beating steadily. I had taken rides in this thing several times in my life, except back then I had hands to catch myself if it were to fall. And in few minutes, that could easily happen.

In order to cast the spells I need to complete my mad plan, I need a clear view of the whole city. That’s why I chose the Willis Tower as the casting point. But unfortunately, I forgot one crucial detail when I decided to arrive by helicopter.

There’s no goddamn landing pad.

“Are you sure it’s not too late to just take the stairs?” I said giving the man next to me a nervous look.

“Boss!” The man replies. “Willis Tower is 108 stories, and has been second largest building in America even before 9/11! Why would you even consider taking the stairs?!”

“I don’t really know!” I cry out. “Exercise I guess. Ever since I got more proficient with my powers, I’ve been feeling kinda lazy. Plus,” I gulp, “I don’t have hands to help me grab on to something if I slip or miss the jump. Just thinking about hopping onto a roof makes me…. uncomfortable.”

“It’s ok to admit you're scared boss,” he says. “You're still the er… stallion with the plan. If anything, I find it a little reviving. Makes me feel like I’m not working for the Empire from the Star Wars movies.”

I chuckle, “I’ll put a collar on you or worse if you tell anyone about this.”

“Understood sir,” he says with a nervous chuckle, as he tries to determine whether I was messing with him or not. “Anyways, it’s almost time. We are approaching the top of the tower.”

The helicopter rises as I turn to the cockpit window and watch as we slowly creep up the side of the building. I think to back to when I was in third grade, visiting this place for the first time, back when it was called Sears Tower. Again, I was a different person back then. A kid who loved his mother and father, and had everything in the world.  My life just keeps changing. I went from being an alright kid, to a selfish douche bag with father issues, to a dark pony overlord.  Whoever came up with phrase “life is full of changes” obviously wasn’t fucking around when he made it.

Finally, I can see the roof of the tower, and watch as the copper gets to a safe enough distance.

“We’re here boss,” informs the pilot. “You can open the door for him now.”

I gulp as the guy in the back with me opens the door, and I feel a gust of wind blow through my mane.

“This is it boss,” he shouts. “Do what you got to do.”

I stare at the roof, readying myself to take a leap of faith. I hurl myself forward, and watch as  my body speeds towards the edge. I smile, as it appears that I’m going to make it. Big mistake. My front slams against the edge of the roof, leaving my lower body dangling. In a panic I try to latch onto the side with my hooves, as if they were human hands. Of course, this is a fruitless effort, as my front hooves slide off the the side and my body starts to plummet to the ground.

I close my eyes, and wait for the end. I survived bullets to the chest, but instinctually I knew that no magic in either world could ever save me from this. As my body flips around to face the city lights blow, I close my eyes and wait for the end.

Just then, I feel something furry grab ahold of me. In shock I open my eyes ands gasp for breath. I look down at the city and realise that I am flying. But how was this possible?

“Jesus, Steve,” cries the a familiar voice of my saviour. “Even as Sombra you still need me to drag your ass out of the fire.”

I look up and sure enough i see the face of a white afro looking down at me as we hover in the air.

“Thun-... David,” I say, in disbelief. “You’re fucking flying man and…” I quickly look back down at the ground. “You just saved my life. Holy shit this is incredible, how did you...”

The sound of his hearty laughter cuts me off. “I spent the entire day practicing while you guys were prepping for the operation. Turns out I just was flapping way too hard. These wings are a lot stronger than they appear. I wanted to surprise you here since I knew this was your last stop.”

“Well consider me very surprised and very relieved,” I say as I take a long deep breath.

“Don’t even think about,” he says. “You’ll give yourself a heart attack. Now let’s get you up to that tower. You're starting to feel kind of heavy.”

Thunderlane carries me back to the top of the tower and gently drops me onto the roof. My heart is beating so fast all I can do is pant. When I’m done catching my breath I stare up at Thunder and smile.

“Thank you so much,” I say. “I still can’t get over what just happend.”

He lowers himself onto the roof and gives me modest smile.

“Just looking out for you, like you said.”

“Correction,” I reply, “I told you to make sure I don’t go full megalomaniac, though I can’t complain with you saving my flank either.”

He chuckles and trots over to me.

“So this is it huh?” he says. “This is where you are going to see just how powerful you really are. Are you sure you can cast these kinds of spells on the city?”

“I have absolutely no idea,” I say. “Though if my memory diving sessions are correct, I’ve cast much more powerful spells when I was in my prime. Still, if I botch this up, I could really end up hurting myself.”

“And you sure that this won’t hurt anyone?” he asks me with a concerned expression on his face.

I shake my head. “I can’t guarantee that. Someone might get into a minor car accident, but I’m hoping to avoid fatalities. I made a promise to my brother before I left I would avoid taking anymore lives.”

Thunder gives me a confused look. “What about for yourself? You told me you still feel guilty for killing that man at the bank.”

“Well, I do,” I assure him. “But only because it was a meaningless death. I can accept casualties if they are unavoidable.”

His mouth opens wide. “Holy crap, it’s worse than I thought.”

“What is?” I ask, curious.

He shakes his head. “It’s nothing, just please try not to hurt anyone.  Direct or indirect, you do not want anymore lives on your conscience.”

“Very well,” I say as I silently decide to drop the issue. Clearly my words obviously caught him off guard, but it was the truth. I really don’t have any problem if people die or not, so long as it serves a purpose. And besides, it would only be human lives. It’s not like any of my kind would get hurt.

I pause for a moment, as I realise that that really is how I feel. But if that’s true, why am I trying so hard to save lives? Was it all just for appearances to make my regime look good? That could be part of it, but think the biggest reason is that I want to keep Thunderlane and Antonio on my side. I just didn’t realise it till now. And here I thought that the human part of me had won out over my Sombra persona. I guess in the end, some things don’t change.

Regardless, I still have a promise to keep. Hopefully, luck will allow me to keep it.

I turn my head away from him and focus on the city. I gather my attention and focus on the bridges, the highways, the train tracks, the harbor, every possible exit out of the city. With a clear picture of the city parameters in my head, I concentrate and feel magic surge through my horn.

As my mind starts to have second thoughts about whether I should have saved him, I watch Sombra's horn light up with dark magic. The smoke from his eyes is practically gushing out of him now. My heightened senses as a pegasus attune me to the disruptions in the wind. Above us the night sky turns an ominous shade of brown, reminding me of the climax of the Season 3 premiere.

I feel the building shake, causing me to stumble back a bit in surprise. Was Steve causing an earthquake? I struggle to catch my balance, and out of the corner of my eye I see something black rise from the from the bay. Nervously, I turn around and see that whatever was coming out the lake was so pushing out of the ground and growing.

I spin around in a circle, watching has this black sparkling object grows taller and wider, in a complete circle from the outskirts of the city, to the edge of the bay. We were too far way to make out from what it was, but it was clearly a wall of some sort.

My eyes widen just as a black wall pierces the Chicago skyway, one the main routes out of the city.  In a panic, I flap my wings and speed towards the bridge, not really caring if I get spotted or not. Still, as i get closer, I make sure to keep my distance so that I’ll at least be hard to spot.

From above I watch the black mass grow, recognising it some sort of expanding cluster of crystals that was only getting larger and thicker with each passing second. On both sides of the bringe, I see rows of cars stopped in there tracks, and confused and frightened people exiting them.

From a safe distance, I survey the area, I and am relieved that no people seems to be badly injured except for a few people. It seems that this black form of crystal formed slowly enough to allow people time clear the area. Not only that, but upon taking a quick look underneath, I found the crystal wall was forming so that the structural integrity of the bridge wasn’t compromised.

While I’m satisfied that no one is dead or dying on the bridge, I can’t relax just yet. Not until I do a quick flyby through the whole city.

It takes me twenty whole minutes to complete circle the wall, and I am happy to see that there aren’t any bodies or severely injured people. However, it scares me that Sombra was willing to go through with this even with that risk.  Had my talk convinced him to lower the speed of the spell, or should I have let him fall to his death? Either way, I’m going to have to keep a closer eye on him from now on if I am to remain his Jiminy Cricket.

As I fly back towards the tower, I can sense that the distortions in the wind have only gotten worse. Despite being almost one hundred feet tall, the black wall was still creeping both upwards and outwards.  I should ask him later that he has some kind of illusion spell in place, because there is no way one on the outside is going to overlook this.

Perching myself back onto the roof, I find that Sombra position hasn’t changed since I left.  However, I can tell is that he is breathing heavily, his face scrunched up like he is trying to hold back some intense pain.

Pushing my frustration at him aside, I gallop towards him to see if I can snap him out of whatever trance he might have put himself under.

“Steve, stop the spell!” I scream into his ear. “Your giant wall thing’s already the size of a building. End the spell before you end up killing yourself.”

After a moment of silence, I’m afraid he didn’t hear me, but once I see his horn start to dim a bit, I let out a great big sigh.

He turns his head to me and opens his eyes, which are no longer glowing green. He smiles at me as his breath start to ease up a bit. His leg wobbles a bit as he tries to take a step forward, but he fortunately keeps his balance. Finally, I see his mouth start to form words.

“Wall… high enough?” he says softly, to which I respond with a light chuckle.

“Yeah, any higher and you’ll put a damper on this wonderful view..” I say. “But how the hell are you going to keep the rest of the world from finding it. I’m sure someone probably uploaded a video to Youtube.”

“Don’t worry. I didn’t just cast one spell, I cast three, each of which will not only keep Chicago off the radar, but prevent any information leaks of any kind. The best part is one of them was a spell I created myself using the knowledge I was able to salvage from the past. By altering my memory spell a bit, every human behind the wall will immediately forget about it the moment they try to call someone or upload evidence of ponies, magic, whatever. I got the idea from some description of some obscure passage from the fourth Harry Potter book, if you could ever believe that human me you used to be into that sh...”

He stumbles sideways mid-sentence, but I am able to reach out and catch him just before his head hits the ground.

“That’s the…” he pauses for a moment take a deep breath, “second time you’ve saved me from falling.”

I place a hoof on his skin, and feel that is temperature is high. “You don’t look good man. Save your energy.”

“No,” he says. “I want to tell you. It’s brilliant. Anyways, I remember from the books that the wizards used some spell that made normal people remember appointments if they got too close to that stadium where the World Cup was being held. So after some reasearch and a few test runs on some of my men, I created a spell that works just like that.  All I had to do was adjust the memory spell I already knew, and bam, I created the perfect security meas…”

Just like that, I watch him pass out while I’m still holding him. He’s lucky to even be alive.  Does he even still have magic left in him? Worst of all, how the heck am I supposed to carry his heavy flank back to the nation with all that armor on his body?

I let out a deep sigh and look out at the black wall jutting out of Lake Michigan.  If that wall is any indication of the future, things are only going to crazier.