Who was I?

Kage was in a dark room, he had no idea where he is or how he got there. He looked around but found nothing but darkness.

"Hello?"

"Crystals" hissed a new voice.

"Hello?" Kage quickly turned around, only to be met by a shocking sight. Standing in front of him was another stallion who looked exactly like him, only his eyes where glowing green with appeared to be dark shadows coming from it, and his horn is red and curved.

"It's about time we finally meet, face to face." stated the smug stallion to Kage.

"W-who are you?" stammered an intimidated Kage to this dark stallion.

"I am you, or at least I WILL be you, thank you for finally waking me up."

"What?"

"Oh my, you really don't have any idea who I am do you?" this stallion said as he walked around Kage, checking him out. "My name is Sombra, former and rightful ruler of the Crystal Empire, and that is who you used to be and will become."

"Why would I become you?" asked Kage incredulously, "We are nothing alike, you're nothing but a manifestation of the voices in my head!"

"That's partially true, but I, or should I say, WE, used to be more than that, I was flesh and bone with everything a pony could ask for, wealth, power, respect, concubines, EVERYTHING!" Sombra let out a chuckle.

"So what do you want then!?" snarled Kage.

"To become the most powerful pony in the world, everypony will fear me and respect me, no one would dare challenge me And to throw in some revenge against those who defeated me the last time". Sombra began running a hoof along the side of Kage's body. "They thought they actually killed me, but they only killed my physical form, all they did was delay the inevitable." Sombra grinned.

Kage just stepped away from him. "You are not me and you will NEVER be!" he angrily snarled at him. "Now go back to wherever you came from and leave my head!"

"Can't...it's my head too." grinned Sombra. "And for every passing day from now on...I will gain more and more control until you are nothing but a prisoner in your own mind! And when that day comes, all the ponies in Equestria will bow down to me...and maybe get a nice queen in the process." Sombra then eyed Kage's body. "Wouldn't be that hard. My, I miss having that body. All in due time I suppose."

Sombra gave a sinister and evil laugh. A laugh that sent chills down Kage's spine.

"Time to wake up, we have much work to do. And with your connection to Celestia's student, we can manipulate our way to sunbutt's throne."

"You wouldn't!" the stallion exclaimed in shock at the monster.

"I can...and I will" Sombra laughed.

"NOOO!!!"

Kage shot up from his bed awake, breathing heavily. He quickly got up from his bed and into his bathroom to wash his face in cold water.

"Calm down there Kage...that was just a bad dream, a horrible, horrible, dream." he mumbled to himself. He looked up to check himself out in the bathroom mirror, only to scream in shock at the reflection.

"No!" Kage exclaimed at his reflection; a green-eyed, red horned more intimidating version of himself, Sombra.

He closed his eyes, praying that it would go away. Once he calmed down several minutes later, he looked back at his reflection, only to find it normal again.

"I must stop him!" he muttered. "Before it's too late!'

At the palace, Celestia was busy reading over the latest government documents. As she reached halfway through the stack, she gave an exhausted sigh and stood up to take a break.

She trotted over the window to see Twilight's friends playing outside in the gardens, while Twilight was by herself, under a tree, reading with a sort of distant expression.

"Oh Twilight, if only you knew what I went through when I was younger, maybe then you wouldn't make those same mistakes. I got my heart broken once before and that nearly cost me the kingdom. Love can be a dangerous thing when you're in a position of power if your not careful." she mumbled to herself while feeling sorry for her faithful student.

Outside, Twilight was reading her assigned book about the historiography of Equestria.

"Hey Twi!" yelled Dash. "Wanna play some hoofball me, AJ and Pinkie are playing, want to join to make it an even four?" the cyan pegasus flew up to the alicorn holding the ball.

Twilight looked up. "I'm sorry Dash, but I have to finish this book by tomorrow." she gently declined.

"Okay." Dash shrugged. "Suit yourself." she flew off back towards AJ and Pinkie. "Okay guys! It's two against one!"

The lavender alicorn looked down back at her book. "I have to figure out a way to get his memory back. The sooner I can help him, the sooner I can stop thinking about him" she thought. "Because, sure, he's mysterious, handsome, muscular , surprisingly intelligent, mostly likely an amazing kisser and probably has an impressive packag-WOAH THERE! WHAT AM I THINKING?!" she exclaimed in her head. "You barely know this stallion, yet, why won't I stop with the dirty thoughts? Is this how Rarity thinks when she meets a stallion? I hope not."

At the Crystal Empire, Cadance was lying, in discomfort, on her bed. "Ugh...why can't this happen ONLY in the mornings like its name implies. Must be nature's way of getting back at me for having too much sex with Shining, regardless of whether he was up to it or not." she sighed.

Suddenly, several of her guards busted in to the room. "What's going on?" asked Cadance, confused at the intrusion.

One of the guards threw a dark, shadow colored crystal on her bed. "We found this at the palace gardens your highness, we're also getting reports of them appearing in some location within the city."

"What?!" the alicorn princess couldn't believe this.

"Also, the crowd outside the gates is getting restless."

Cadance quickly got out her bed and ran over to the nearest window facing the front gates. She peeked out to see that crowd was indeed more restless and louder than yesterday.

"WE WANT ANSWERS! WE WANT ANSWERS!" the crowd chanted.

The princess felt guilty for keeping her subjects out of the loop. "Tell them truth, tell them that Sombra is back and that I was wrong in announcing his death."

"But ma'am...wouldn't that make things worse?" exclaimed one of her guards.

"JUST DO IT!" just spat an irritable Cadance. The whole Sombra thing, coupled with her pregnancy was really taking a toll on her mind and body.

The guards saluted and bowed before they trotted off to carry out their orders.

"I swear, Sombra is doing more damage by NOT being here." she muttered to herself as she continued looking at the crowd below.