The Basement [Collab w/ TheExhaustedBrony]
"Please..." The little grey foal begged as his mother dragged him across the floor. His eyes shone with an hour’s worth of tears, black and blue splotches painted over his body as if it were a canvas. He did his best to put as much sadness into his expression as possible, but only succeeded in a deep grimace. With every bump of wood or dip in the floor moldings his bruises would scrape against them, and his body was filled with an indescribable pain. A million tiny infernos raged beneath his skin and threatened to send him back into the dark void of unconsciousness.
His mother ignored his every plea and wince. She just stared straight ahead as she dragged him further through the house. The chains that connected each set of hooves and kept his legs bound clinked together the entire way, each time bringing another pained wince as they drew nearer to their destination. Finally, they arrived. It was an old wooden door—chipped wood that had faded to a dull brown that reflected the contents within. His mother stopped and dropped him on the floor, causing another wave of shooting pain and a scream of pain from the small colt.
He stared into the all consuming blackness that threatened to swallow him whole and gulped. “Please, mother… Don’t do this! Why are you doing this to me? I don’t want to go back down there! I DON’T WANT TO GO BACK THERE!” A tiny kick broke him free of his mother’s grasp and flopped on his chained legs in a desperate attempt to gain his footing. He slipped and fell face first on to the floor. It was hopeless, and he knew it. The darkness was all that awaited him—his mother would not forgive him for this transgression.
A sharp tug of his mane brought him out of the daze of slamming into the floor. His body was now filled with a whole new sort of pain as he was lifted into the air, his mother using only his hair to support all of his weight. "Go. Crawl back into the darkness where you belong, you little cretin!" The unicorn mare screamed at the child and struggled to keep a grip on his mane as he twisted and turned like a mad man. He kicked and screamed as she moved him back. He knew what was coming, and he had no idea if he’d be able to handle it with his existing wounds. With one herculean heave, she sent him on a downward tumble head-over-hooves down the steeps steps..
The foal tumbled down the steps uncontrollably. Each bump hit an old bruise or created a new one until he came to an abrupt stop at the bottom and rolled over onto his stomach. Tears swelled in his eyes as he watched the cellar door close and the last light fade. All that was left to his green eyes was darkness. He’d gotten used to it by now. His eyes glinted in the small beams of light coming through the cracks in the door as they adjusted to the darkness. All around him were iron bars. The cage. Always the cage… He tried the iron bars that had slammed closed after he come to a stop, but they held tight.
He wasn't sure what hurt more; was it the physical pain of being thrown down a set of stairs or the emotional pain of being hated by his own family? He grunted at his predicament. No kindness. No compassion. Never anything from those ponies… And yet, I’m trapped with them. It didn’t matter what they did to him now. The pain all blended together into a horrid mish mash of unspoken emotions locked away in his heart.. As cough from behind the old door at the top of the stairs drew his attention. His head swiveled towards it in instinct, and his ears curled forward to hear the sound better.
"You know what the meaning of your name is?" his mother called from behind the door. "Sombra is a derivative of umbra, which means shadow. You’re not our son, you little beast. Our son is gone. You’re just a shadow of what he once was. A disappointment. Why don’t you crawl back into the shadow and return to where you came from? It’ll be easier for the both of us."
The sound of hooves clopping away from the door and slight sniffles echoed in his ears, signifying his mother’s departure. Sombra couldn't conjure up any words. Why… I didn’t ask for this. I didn’t want this! Celestia, why have you forsaken me? Why must I must subjected to this torture? He banged against the bars of his cage, causing the cage to slam into that same indent in the side of the wall that he’d beaten so many times before. The young unicorn sat in the damp and musty darkness of the cellar. He sobbed uncontrollably as he rocked back and forth. The darkness was everywhere. He might as well had been born blind.
"Please... Let me out... Someone, please..." Sombra muttered under his ragged breaths. He called to the darkness for somepony to rescue him from this hell. There was never a response, just darkness. Still… He could feel it watching. Listening. Reacting. It was, in a way, his only true friend. Sombra knew this darkness all too well. He had been cast aside, never acknowledged as a living creature with a heart. The shadows wrapped his wounds and filled him with a strange sense of comfort. If he couldn’t see them, then they couldn’t hurt him. That was how it had always worked. The darkness was always there for him, but in the back of his mind, he heard something different. A small voice.
Hello, child. This situation is quite sad, but I can help you. I can set you free… All you have to do is listen and learn. I promise. Then you’ll have the power. Then you’ll be in control. All you have to do is listen, and do whatever I say… Sombra smiled in the darkness. His eyes glinted brighter in the darkness, as the final lights went out.
The stallion walked down the stairs to the basement, keeping his eyes open warily. I only need to get in, grab my hammer, and get out. That’s all. No need to be in here any longer than I need to be. As he touched the ground, the cold floor sent a shiver down his spine. He looked at the cage. There he—no, there it was. Sleeping. Snoozing peacefully. The stallion did his best to tiptoe around the cage and over to his tool bench. Each light knock of his hooves against concrete set his heart racing and brought him to a cold sweat. He did not want to accidentally disturb what unspeakable horror it housed.
He shuddered to imagine what might become of him should he be noticed. He fumbled around the tool bench, desperately searching for his hammer while making as little noise as possible. His random hoof movements caused several items to knock together, loud ‘clinks’ echoing every time. Each time, he would stop in his tracks and turn his head slowly to that… demon. The demon that resided in the cage. That demon that hadn’t eaten, drank, or been tended to in years, yet still continued to live and breathe. His hooves eventually came into contact with a small wooden rod and picked it up. Its top-heaviness confirmed that he had found what he needed.
Oh, sweet merciful Celestia. Thank you so much. The stallion’s tense shoulders slumped in slight relaxation as he turned to the cage again. Good. Still asleep. As he turned, he could see the faint light making its way through the crack in the bottom of the door. The stallion took one step and heard the sound of metal on glass, followed by a loud crash. As he looked down in terror, he noted the broken glass and nails scattered across the ground like a small blanket.
The stallion felt as if a bucket of ice was washed over him. The monster trapped down there with him surely heard the noise. The stallion heard the cage rattle, and the ragged, raspy breathing of the being in the cage. He froze in place, hoping that the darkness would hide his presence in the basement.
"Father?" a soft voice called out from the darkness. The stallion struggled with himself. The voice seemed vulnerable. It seemed sad. It almost seemed… pony-like.
Don't look at it. Don't turn around. The frail voice continued to ring in his head. The room was silent except for that same ragged breathing. So shallow. So… empty. As if something else was behind it.
"Father, is that you?" the voice called again. It was begging now. Pleading with him.
The stallion did his best to ignore the child and he walked towards the exit. The cage behind him rattled and shook with a righteous fury. A horrible scraping and smashing sound broke the silence as the rusted cage battered an old indentation in the wall beside it. A decade of rust scraped against the floor, the sound of nails against a chalkboard filling the entire room. Don’t listen. Ignore it. It’s not real. He’s not your son anymore. That thing is not your business. Leave.
"Father? Why did you do this to me? Where are you going? Don't leave me alone!" The banging and rattling increased in intensity. The stallion did his best to keep moving towards the door, looking down and making sure that he wasn’t stepping on any nails. “Papa. Please. Don’t leave… It’s dark. I don’t like it…”
He stopped in his tracks and turned to face the darkness before him. His voice escaped in a sad, defeated whisper. “You. You’re not my son. He never called me papa. Don’t you dare.” He sighed heavily as sobs and cries of sorrow and anger echoed throughout the old basement. I shouldn’t have stopped. I have to leave. Now.
The stallion was about a foot from the door when he heard something else that he’d never heard in decades. The sound of metal chains hitting the floor. Then the sound of decades of rust swinging outwards. The thought of the door opening caused him to freeze up in fear. Who could have possibly opened the door? There's nobody in here except me and him. The sound of another set of hooves clicking against the floor sent another wave of fear down his spine. They were soft and silent. They creeped up next to him and came to a stop. A familiar, ragged breathing blew steadily across the back of his neck.
"Hello, father. It’s so dark in here…”
