Fate’s Substitute
Chapter 2: Slim Chance

“What could you possibly give me when I’ve already taken everything?” the force of his shout was unnaturally strong, sending the sparse hair of my comb-over flying backwards. The room physically darkened and the temperature dropped a few degrees under his fierce scrutiny. His question wasn’t meant to be rhetorical; but when it became clear that I was too terrified to speak, he rolled his eyes and snorted in contempt.

Lord Sombrero let his scowl falter a bit as he closely examined my body, feigning disinterest in what he saw. He prodded my pudgy stomach with a hoof and closely inspected my hands. Even though I was scared out of my mind, I couldn’t help but snigger when he retched after taking a deep whiff of my armpit. A sharp growl by my ear was enough to shut me up.

He backed off after a few minutes of further investigation and licked his viciously sharp fangs. The fire in his eyes dulled a tad as he eyed me with a very hungry look. My eyes bulged and my muscles seized up as I finally came to the realization that this mythic equine was a fucking carnivore. He was only poking and prodding me to figure out how to best go about the task of butchering me!

Outright panic turned to fuming indignation as I locked eyes with the glowering monster. There was no way in hell I’d go quietly to the broiler. I forced myself to stay perfectly still, not wanting to raise any suspicion. I would only need one clean shot…

The devil’s salivating mouth was less than an inch away as I sat on the floor to the right of his couch, not exactly the best shooting position. His freaky telekinetic superpowers would easily stop me the instant he saw my gun, so I would need a momentary distraction.

Summoning all the strength I could muster, I lashed out and backhanded the beast with my left fist. His skull was as hard as granite and pain radiated through my hand, but the force of the blow was enough to turn his head to the side. Using the momentum from the hit, I fell onto my back and raised the gun in my right hand, taking aim at the abomination.

He recovered easily from the blow and slowly pivoted his head to face me, a dark and evil laugh rumbled forth like distant thunder heralding a storm. By the time his glaring focus had fully returned, my back was well supported by the floor and both hands steadied the revolver. My thoughts had never been so clear and the adrenalin coursing through my veins seemed to slow down time. He was only a foot away from the muzzle as I aimed right between his eyes and pulled the trigger.

He realized the danger all too late. His momentary look of confusion was quickly replaced by a truly malicious grin as the hammer rammed home. The colt kicked painfully in my hands and erupted in a blaze of incandescent fury, far more powerful than I remembered.

The evil beast tried to move his head at the last second, but the attempt was too little too late. The round struck him squarely in his large left eye with a thousand foot-pounds of force, snapping his head hard to my right. I smiled like a kid in a candy store as I watched the unicorn’s body crumple against the sofa.

‘I can’t believe that worked! No more psychological torture and no date with a meat cleaver!’ I thought, astonished that an eldritch monster such as he could be killed so easily.

“Hurray, hurray, the foul beast was slain!” I cheered and laughed to the empty room. My back complained as I stood up, but that didn’t stop me from enjoying a small victory jig.

With an ear-to-ear smile, I took a few seconds to admire the painting above the fireplace. I wondered if he ever considered a future like this; the powerful and despotic conqueror who vanquished an entire city, falling prey to a three dollar bullet? I chuckled as I briefly considered commissioning a similar painting for my own office, memorializing the slaying of this mythic beast.

I took another look around and realized something rather disturbing; the room, the painting, the furniture… this unicorn definitely liked to live large. So where were the servants and sycophants that would have heard the very loud gunshot? Where were the zealous followers, hell bent on avenging his death? It was just so oddly quiet. I gave up musing over my good fortune and focused on the biggest mystery of all.

How the hell was he able to do all of that? Was it due to some piece of advanced alien technology or was it simply the manipulation of a fundamental force we haven’t scientifically encountered yet? Surely he would have some kind of clue to the mystery on his body.

‘Maybe I should saw off his horn and see what’s inside… It would be a nice trophy at the very least.’ I callously considered, looking to further sate my desire for vengeance.

I stepped closer to the beast, his wound still hidden from view. Crouching down I lay my hand on the back of his neck and pulled his head toward me. I didn’t get a good feel for it when I backhanded him, but his fur was truly amazing. It was softer than a kitten’s fuzz and the long hair of his mane felt like fine silk, caressing my hands as I pat it. I shook my head and mentally berated myself for wanting to hug the soft and cuddly dead psychopath.

Continuing with my inspection, I could see that a plumb sized hole had been blown right through his left eye. The wound had apparently cauterized since there wasn’t any blood oozing from the hole. I leaned even closer to get a better look at the mortal wound, but I froze in place when I felt his neck muscles tense up under my hand.

Staggering backwards, I nearly tripped over a low coffee table as I shakily aimed the empty gun at what had been a corpse. Its chest rose and fell in shallow, deliberate gasps as the zombie struggled back from the grave. A low groan rumbled out as it gradually picked its head up and turned to study me, its left eye seething with the dark mist as green and purple lightning arced within. For a mortal wound, it was healing up ridiculously fast.

“You know… That hurt,” his deep, harmonic voice reverberated throughout the room with a note of amusement.

‘He can use a force tantamount to magic, speak without moving his mouth… and survive a bullet to the head,’ that was the straw which broke the camel’s back.

I couldn’t tell whether the sound of breaking glass came from the vase I knocked over or the shattering of my fragile sanity, but either way I knew I had to flee. I threw the empty gun at the unicorn and bolted for the other side of the room, desperately looking for a door or a window to escape. I briefly considered the chimney, but the fire was still roaring and I didn’t want to help him by cooking his dinner.

The gun sailed high over Sombrero’s head, completely missing its target. The beast’s chuckle turned into a full-blown laugh as he watched my panicked antics from the comfort of his sofa, his left eye having completely healed. Sporting a broad smile, he covered his eyes with a fore-leg and slowly started counting backwards from ten, trying and failing to stifle a low pitched giggle.

I was running out of breath and my endurance was flagging, there were no doors or windows in this funhouse. As the monster hit the 5 second mark, I settled for hiding behind the four poster bed in the corner of the room.

‘This is so stupid,’ I chided myself, ‘he clearly wants to play a sadistic form of hide and seek. I should just go over there and…’

“3… 2… 1 Ready or not, here I come!”

I calmed my shivering as best I could and cautiously poked an eye around the corner of the bed. Not in any great hurry, the abomination stood up and casually made his way off the couch. He growled happily as he stretched out his muscles and cracked his long neck. A sick grin was plastered to his face.

“Oh where, oh where, has my little mare gone?” he sang as he casually looked behind his sofa.

“Oh where, oh where, could she be?” closer this time, I could see his head dip down to nonchalantly look beneath a coffee table.

“With her sexy plot.” His grin grew wider.

“And her tail held high.” He sang in his harmonic voice as I lost track of him.

“Oh where, oh where, could she… be?” his voice was suddenly far too close, moist breath warmed the back of my neck.

‘Shit! He wasn’t planning on eating me… he was… he IS…’

Run, I had to run! I had to make a last ditch effort to get out before…. Even the fire looked appealing, just so long that it was away from this crazy devil. I got as far as a crouch before the familiar black mist engulfed my body and easily lifted me into the air. I struggled furiously in his telekinetic grip as he carried me back to the rug in front of the fireplace. He set me down on my feet as he climbed back onto his couch, but he didn’t release his hold on me.

“Just to be clear,” the black fog exerted immense pressure from above, forcing me to kneel before the creature. “My name is Sombra, not Sombrero. I am the shadow, not some wide brimmed hat!” his tone was low and his demeanor calm, but the fire was back in his eyes as he telekinetically pulled me face to face. “You would do well to remember that, Umbra.”

My body slumped in his firm telekinetic grip, the hours of fear and exertion finally catching up to me. It was nearly impossible to keep fighting when this mad horse had some crazy, ‘magical’ solution to every single thing I tried. Thankfully, he relaxed his telekinetic hold and allowed me to sit more comfortably, the field still surrounding me as he made sure that I wouldn’t run again.

“Wh-What…” I was finally able to work up the nerve to stammer out a question, but his horn flashed and a piece of sheet metal was riveted over my mouth, effectively sealing it.

“I’ve waited a long time for this,” he stared deeply into my eyes and caressed my cheek with a hoof, “A very long time. But, I’m a very patient pony and I’m willing to wait a little longer.”

He climbed off the couch and sauntered over to the fireplace, lazily poking the burning logs with his telekinesis, “When you pulled the trigger in your crystal prison, you meant to end your life… did you not?” I slowly nodded my head in the affirmative and looked down, not wanting to be reminded of my moment of weakness.

With a large smirk he returned his attention to the fire, playing with the flames as if they were putty in his telekinetic grip. “Even though you failed rather spectacularly, I received what I required. By willing yourself to die you gave up the rights to your soul, giving me far more control over your fate than otherwise possible.”

He chuckled, letting the solid flames dissolve back into the fire as he turned to look at me, “You should know that your life was never at risk in that prison. It was designed by ponies greater than myself to extract information from criminals in a… ‘humane’ fashion,” he chuckled. “Even if you had loaded your revolver correctly, the round wouldn’t have hurt you physically and I still would have gotten what I wanted.”

He trotted back over and sat down right in front of me on the floor. I was still looking at the ground when he gently placed a hoof under my chin and raised my head. He was slightly taller than me while sitting, but he craned his neck down so that our eyes were level with each other. “If I was to let you talk, I’m guessing that you would ask something along the lines of ‘What do you want from me’?” I closed my eyes and nodded yes.

“Let me answer your question this way then. Do you agree that I can basically do anything with your body, and you’re powerless to stop me?” I tried to look away, hot tears forming in my eyes. He brought his hoof back up to gently guide my gaze back to his. I nodded yes so I could just look away again.

He smiled at my affirmation. “So I have your body. I also own your soul and your hold on the threads of fate, whether you believe that or not. It’s not something you humans can sense… or most ponies for that mater.” A vicious scowl marred his face as he looked away for a second.

“Then the only thing left for me to take is your mind.” I didn’t want to look up to see his gloating face; I already knew I was a fucked. He continued, “I could easily use my magic to make you into a willing slave, but there’s little challenge to that and I know you’ll come to accept your future on your own.”

‘I’m so fucked… literally,’ I thought to myself as I continued to stare at the floor, which was slightly wetter than before.

“Whether it was true courage or just righteous indignation, I was impressed by the look in your eyes when you turned your gun on me. Because of that, I’ll give you a chance to change your fate. If you succeed, you’ll never see me again,” my eyes nervously held his steely gaze as he offered me a chance at salvation.

“If you prove to be weak minded and succumb to fear or hatred, a part of you will transform into the mare I wish you to be. You’ll be free to go home if you can go three days without completely transforming.” He levitated a necklace bearing three large gems over my head. “But, if you fully transform before the three days are up… your plot will be mine!” he licked his lips and leered at me.

“The pink gem on your left is the transformation crystal. Whenever it’s activated by a sufficient amount anger or fear, it will begin to glow brilliantly and you will feel the physical change. You only have so many transformations before you turn into a fully functional Earth Pony, so I’d make sure to keep a lid on those emotions… if you can. Your soul will also morph to fit your new body, but that will be a lot more painful than the physical transformation,” he looked a little distant as if he was affected by the thought of physical pain, but that had to have been my imagination. “When the gem turns white, the process will be complete and irreversible. Though I could use a glamour spell to make you look human at any time, you will always be an Equestrian from that point on.”

“Personally, I give you less than a day before you’re my sexy broodmare,” he said as he perked back up.

‘Shit, he wasn’t kidding…’ I could barely believe my ears. I fumed at the thought of loosing my manhood… and species for that matter.

“The clear diamond on your right is the crystal prison that you were originally trapped in. I know how attached you were to that place, so I’ll let you carry it around as a reminder that I can always send you back.”

My fists balled and I started shaking in anger, ‘I’m going to find a way to murder you, you furry, sadistic, son of a…’

White hot pain lanced through my heart and I felt a strange buzzing sensation on my lower back. I watched as the red ruby in the center of my necklace glowed just as brilliantly as the pink transformation crystal. After a few moments, the strange sensation stopped and I nervously reached back to check the area.

I had a tail… a pony’s tail to be exact. Tears fell and I choked back a sob as I grabbed the thick bundle of hair and pulled it to my front. The long hairs were black in color with light blue highlights, silky smooth to the touch. They would have been amazingly beautiful if I weren’t so freaked out that they were attached to me.

Sombra’s deep chuckle returned, “Well that didn’t take long. A fine coloration if I do say myself. It certainly fits my dark and brooding nature very well.”

My fear or another transformation grew by the second as I watched the pink gem glow brighter and brighter. The more scared I was of the gem glowing, the brighter it got. I had to end this dangerous feedback loop or I’d turn into a pony because I feared turning into a pony. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, willing myself to calm down. After a few moments I thankfully watched the glow from the transformation crystal diminish. My escape from this hell was just that simple; all I’d have to do was keep calm.

“Good, you’re learning. Though I still doubt you’ll make it more than a day.” His sadistic grin was back.

His horn glowed and the metal on my mouth disappeared. I was about to say something rather unflattering about the necklace and where he could put it, but I was rudely interrupted.

“You have one question you may ask me, so choose well. After that I’m sending you back to where I found you.”

Hundreds of possible questions fumbled around in my head. Why would you do this? What the fuck are you? What kind of pact with the devil have you made? Why isn’t there a door in this room? Are you a spy? And so on and so forth. But the one that I settled on was the most concerning to me.

“What is the red ruby in the center of the necklace for?”

The sadistic humor drained out of his eyes as they took on a cold and somber feeling, “That… you’ll have to find out on your own…” he closed his eyes and his horn was surrounded by the dark mist once again. Reality began to ripple and warp around me, but as the distortions intensified I thought I could hear Sombra say one last thing, “As will I…”

Author's Note

And the second chapter is done. The third one should be out as soon as I finish editing... which always seems to take the longest.

o/