Light shinned through out the school courtyard as six girls levitated off the ground. The radiance of their power blinded those around them, a light so strong it could melt evil away. Though even in it's great power, it still felt warm to the touch, gentle in it's embrace. Unless of course, you were Sunset Shimmer. She who had thrown away her morals to gain respect and power, Sunset burned in the light these girls shined on her.
"The crown might be on your head Sunset Shimmer, but you cannot wield it because you do not possess the most powerful magic of all: The Magic of Friendship!" One of the girls said as she grabbed on to her friends. All at once they illuminated even brighter and each sent out a ray of color. One for each color of the rainbow.
In a swirl of power, the rainbow raised to the sky before arcing down at the She-Demon who could only stand idle as she watched her own demise come to pass. Surrounding her entire body, the bright light of the rainbow burned at Sunset's skin. It was agonizing, but try as she might, she could barely voice her pain.
This burning sensation continued on and on as she felt her power, her magic leave her. But as a unicorn of Equestria, what was she without her magic? Her body could not take it. Slowly she began to pulverize away, the light burning her into ashes and turning her human body into nothing more than a husk of a creature. This, of course, could not be seen by those on the outside of her rainbow prison. No, everyone cheered as she was 'defeated', but really, they cheered at her death. In one last blow, the rainbow blast sent her body crashing down into the ground as Sunset's mind lost consciousness. Finally...she was relieved of her pain.
Gasping for air, Sunset Shimmer sat up. Her eyes open wide as sweat trickled down her face. Though to her, it seemed like her vision was still blocked away by something. Everything was dark. There was nothing around her, nothing above her, not even anything under her.
"W-Where am I?" Sunset Shimmer asked as she came to her feet, or rather, hooves. It was at the hard sound of her hooves hitting what appeared to be tile did she realize she was a pony again. Her human body was nowhere to be seen, then again, nothing seemed to exist in this strange void.
Agitation and panic began to set in as the mare looked around her. No matter where she turned to, she was met with nothing but the empty void of this darkness. The only sound that echoed was the sound of her hooves as she spun around aimlessly.
"Who's responsible for this!?" Sunset shouted out in anger. "Free me right now!"
"But you are free." A voice said. Sunset quickly turned as she tried to pinpoint where it was coming from, but it was no use. It sounded like it was simply coming from all around her. "Free from the prison most call 'life'."
This voice was deep and hard to the ear. It spoke slow, each word lasting just a little too long, as if it was in deep thought as it spoke. Looking, searching for a weakness to exploit. It shock Sunset to her core, freezing the marrow of her bones as she did her best to keep a strong face.
"L-Look here. I don't know who you are, but if you don't release me from this place I-" Sunset's speech came to a stop as she heard something. The sound of hooves hitting the ground as if landing right behind her. The feeling of soft warm breath on her mane as something stared down at her filled her with dread. In a quick turn, the mare jumped to the side to see who had approached her, but there was nothing. Only the same darkness that already laid around her.
"You looked scared." The voice spoke out again.
"Ha. A-As if I would be frightened by you, whoever you are."
"I'm not surprised you don't know me, I was killed a long time ago." The voice spoke again, more clear to hear, though still slow and daunting.
"K-Killed?"
"Yes of course. Why else do you think you're here?"
"What is that supposed to mean?!" Sunset shouted out as her horn began to glow. She was ready to fight if she needed to, but as she began to step back to get a better feel for who was speaking to her, she felt her body bump into something.
"It means you're dead too." The voice said in a whisper now that it could speak directly into Sunset's ear. The cold tone tore away the fighting spirit Sunset Shimmer had only moments prior. Her irises shrunk as she began to process the words she had heard and recalled what exactly had happened before arriving at this place.
"I-I'm....dead?" She asked out, still not moving away from the figure behind her who crept ever closer.
"Of course. Which is so sad considering how close you came to succeeding in your schemes." The figure spoke out as it began to walk around her. Each hoof step echoed loudly as the void imitated the sound of cold hard ground. "But in the end, when somepony bears my eyes, they're destined for death."
The figure had now come full circle into view and Sunset had a good look at him. His eyes shinned bright red with thin pupils. The sclera surrounding said eyes glowed a sickly green as purple flames ignited from the sides. The rest of the stallion merged almost perfectly with the darkness around them, but the rugged features of his gender were still apparent in his face, more specifically, his devilish smile.
"I am Sombra, Lord of Darkness." He said as he grew closer to Sunset. Their eyes remained locked with one another, Sombra seemed to be able to peer into her soul, her very being and tear away her courage and bravado. Sunset's fear of his horrifying gaze froze her in place, her thoughts went blank and her horn stopped glowing, slowly leaving Sombra's purple flames as the only light source.
"H-Help..." Sunset Shimmer called out in no more than a whisper. The words she tried to speak were stuck at her throat as her eyes began to water. Tears soon followed as she stared into Sombra's eyes, unable to look away. "Help me..."
Sombra's flames blew out, making his entire appearance disappear as he chuckled. A laugh that resonated deeply in this dark void. "And who, pray tell, are you calling out to come help you?"
Having been freed from having to stare into Sombra's eyes, Sunset was once again able to move and breath out a breath she wasn't aware she had been holding in. Sunset tried to take in short gasps of air to try to regain some composure, but her breathing began to hyperventilate instead.
"Do you think perhaps your old teacher, Princess Celestia will come to help?" Sombra asked out from the darkness. As he spoke, a bright image appeared beside the mare. Sunset squinted as the sudden bright light stung her eyes, but she was definitely able to make out the picture.
"Princess Celestia!" She cried out as she ran to the image. Try as she might, the image never seemed to get any closer to her. It was as if she was running in place.
"Why would she help you? You betrayed her teachings and even went as far as to steal from her current pupil." Sombra said as the image of Celestia dissipated like a candle that had been blown out.
"I-I only wanted to be the best!" Sunset shouted as she looked around in search of Sombra. "I didn't want to leave her, but she left me no choice!"
"Left you no choice? HA!"
The bellowing roar of Sombra's laughter filled the void of darkness. It was loud and it pained Sunset to hear it. She tried to cover her ears but it would not deaf away his laugh, it was like if he was in her head.
"You grew impatient and tried to force what could not be. It was your ignorance that led to your own damnation. Led you to me." Sombra said as he reappeared beside Sunset. his eyes keeping his face illuminated enough for her to see him again.
"N-No! Get away from me!" The mare shouted as she stepped back slowly, her body reacting at a slower pace by his mere presence.
"You should have thought of that before you tapped into my power." He responded with a smirk, a smile that revealed his sharp fangs. It only brought more dread to Sunset as she did her best to scatter away. Turning on her hooves, the mare began to run. She ran as fast as she could. She ran as far as her hooves let her travel. She ran with all the vigor that was left in her.
Something, however, hit her. Or rather, she hit something. As if she had run into some sort of wall, Sunset bounced away in pain as she landed on her back. Grunting at the recoil, she held her muzzle as she looked over in front of her. It was a shock to see a lone mirror face off against her. Why hadn't she seen it before? And why was it there in the first place? But more importantly, why did her reflection look so...strange?
Coming to her hooves, Sunset came closer to her reflection and noticed something rather peculiar about herself. Her sclera dimmed black and her eyes ejected black flames, similar to how Sombra's own eyes shinned. This image of her frightened her. Was this what he had meant when he said, 'those who bear my eyes'?
"We're not so different, you and I." Sunset's reflection said in Sombra's voice. She soon noticed that the mirror was no longer there and that this image of her had come to life. In a panic, the mare tried to back track but fell backwards instead.
"I-I'm nothing like you!" She shouted out as her reflection began to melt away and revealed the dark stallion from before.
"Is that so?" He asked with a dastardly chuckle. "You planned on enslaving others for your personal army. Planned on returning to Equestria to fight the one who had taught you so much. And lastly, planned on ruling using a corrupted element of Harmony, the only defense Equestria has against ponies. Like. You."
"L-Like me?"
"Why yes, those who are branded 'evil' and cursed into oblivion." Sombra answered back as he began to circle around the rooted mare. "Ponies like me, a Tyrant who brought Darkness to the world, and like you."
"I...I never wanted to bring darkness to Equestria..." Sunset said in a pained voice. Her own actions soon becoming much too clear for her. "I just wanted to prove my worth."
"And you have. Surely you knew this would happen if you trailed down the path of evil." Sombra said as he came back around and in front of the mare who could only watch as he began to encroach on her. One by one, small purple flames ignited around them. Each one began to take the shape of somepony Sunset knew. First it was the girls that had blasted her here in the first place. Then behind them formed a line of others from her school. They all had a spiteful and angry look directed at her. Their glare was full of malice and it pierced into her heart.
"I-I-I didn't want it to be like this..."
"But it is."
"I can fix this!" Sunset cried out as she came to her hooves. "Give me another chance!"
"And why do you think I have the power to do that?" Sombra asked with an unwavering smile. His eyes still resonated dread, but this time Sunset didn't back away.
"I don't know if you can. I don't know if anypony can..." The mare said as her ears flopped against her head. "But I can fix this. I can turn myself around."
Again Sombra chuckled. "You think others will forgive you for what you've done?" He asked as he gestured his hoof to the images still staring at Sunset. Their anger had not diminished in the slightest.
"I...I have to try..." Sunset Shimmer replied as her head propped down. Staring at her hooves, she saw tears begin to fall towards the ground. "I can't leave things like this. Please...I need to fix this..." She said through soft whimpers.
Silent reigned in the darkness as one by one, each flame blew out around them. Soon, it was just Sombra and her left in the void. Sunset's cries began to echo as her sadness intensified with each passing moment. Sombra's smile finally gave in as he looked down at her. Again he chuckled, only this time, it was soothing to the ear. It was like a soft hum that brought stillness to Sunset. Looking up at him, the mare's tear drenched eyes were met with a gentle smile that stopped her weeping for a moment.
"So be it." Sombra said as he raised a hoof. Slamming it down on the ground, the black void around her was swiped away as she was pulled back into another realm. Pain once again surged through her body as Sunset found herself staring down into the dirt in a large crater. Her body was no longer burning, but still gave off vapor and steam from having been regenerated by some outside force.
"You will never rule in Equestria. Any power you may have had in this world is gone, and tonight, you've shown everyone who you really are. You've shown them what is in your heart." A voice called out to the once again human Sunset Shimmer. Struggling to look up, she could still feel the tears trickled down her cheeks from her encounter with Sombra...and his message.
"I-I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." She said softly. Her voice still able to reach the crowd forming around her from how quiet everyone was. "I didn't know there was another way...."
"The Magic of Friendship isn't just in Equestria, you can seek it out, or you can forever be alone. The choice is yours." The girls said to her once more.
The pain in her body was still stinging her, but in spite of all of that, Sunset still forced her limbs to move. Slowly she climbed out of the crater. She was given another chance. She was given another opportunity to fix her mistakes and she wasn't going to waste it. In one last tug of power, she reached the ground level and looked over at the ones responsible for her death. And deep in her heart, she thanked them for it. It had allowed her to meet Sombra who helped her see what she had turned into. A monster.
Author's Note
Still in darkness, Sombra began to walk away. The echo of his hoofsteps was all that could be heard, but he knew better. He wasn't alone. He never was.
"We think thou might have grown soft, Sombra." A mare's voice spoke out.
"I blame you Luna." He answered without paying much mind to where the voice was coming from.
"And We kindly accept such an accusation. It means We have been a good influence."
"I still think your decision of sparing my life will bite you in the plot one day Princess." Sombra spoke out as he stepped through an invisible passageway. His hoof landed on a hard wood panel as he was welcomed into a dark room with a mare waiting for him, seating down on one of the two chairs.
"If thou continues to be so helpful, I doubt that'll happen." Princess Luna said with a wink before gesturing the stallion to seat down and have a cup of tea.
"You can at least act threatened."
"Not when We are around the one stallion who would do anything to protect Us." She responded with a faint blush. Almost annoyed by her comment, Sombra sat down and took his cup of tea with his magic.
"It was only that one time, forget it ever happened." He said before he took a sip. All Luna did was smile before drinking from her own cup. Silently they stayed there, sharing a soft moment of peace until one of them had to be called away. Most likely, it would be Sombra again who would need to set somepony down the right path once more. The question was...who?
