Blackness was the only thing surrounding him as Shadow continued to walk through the blackened world surrounding him. He had no idea where in Equestria he was, and a large part of him that it probably wasn't even Equestria anymore as the uneasy feeling continued to rock him to his core. "Hello?!" He screamed out as his voice continued to echo in this abyss. "Anypony here?!" No response came as he continued to trek through this place, everywhere he looked he saw nothing but the same darkness surrounding him in this world.

The uneasy feeling he had felt now turned to one of slight fright as he continued to trot. As he did, he could feel something or somepony watching him in the distance, waiting for something. His fears were confirmed when he could hear slight hoof steps echoing in the distance, stopping him dead in his tracks. "Who's there!!?" He called out to the darkness, the only response he was given was a gravelly laugh that quickly turned into a crazed and sadistic laugh mocking him in the darkness

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=f3BPx2lt6E0

The laughter continued as Shadow's fear continued to grow, mocking him for his fear until it finally stopped and replaced with the same deafening silence as before. However that two was replaced quickly as an all too familiar voice let out a blood curdling scream.

"SHADOW!!! HEEEELP!!!!"

"ARYNNAE!!!!" Shadow screamed as he ran as fast as he could towards her voice, taking flight towards her and continuing his fast pace. As he heard the sound of metal impacting flesh, however, he stopped once again dead in his tracks.

"no..." He said quietly, picking up his speed again until eventually finding the body of a white mare with a blond mane. "No no no no no no..." He said, landing and approaching the body. Kneeling before it, he slowly turned it to see a beautiful mare, a large blood pool under her and blood staining her once white mane, now turned into a tangled slightly grey mess. "No no no no, please Arynnae!" He shouted, taking her head in his hooves and attempting to keep her with him, "please..."

Laying his head into her mane, Shadow Rift's developing tears fell from his eyes and into her mane. "Not again... Please Arynnae... please..." He whispered, his tears breaking through his eyes like a dam as he attempted to apply pressure to her fatal wound, her blood only mixing into Shadow's red hoof. "I'm sorry... I'm so sorry Arynnae... I failed you..." He said through his tears, the sadistic laugh returning with the same mocking tone as before.

"Yes you have..." Said a deep, slightly regal voice as the form of a large stallion came from the darkness, staring over Shadow Rift with a large smile as sadistic as his laugh. "How does it feel Mister Rift... To know that every pony you surround yourself with is destined to this fate?" The Stallion over him said in a mocking tone, "To know that you are utterly helpless to watch these ponies fall before you?" The stallion got closer to Shadow as he spoke, his silver chest piece shining onto Shadow Rift, "to know that you have failed them?" Placing a hoof on top of Shadow's head, the stallion continued once again. "And to know..." He said, slowly making his way to his ear, the same mocking smile on his face making its way to his ear, "It's... All... Your... Fault..."

Pulling back his head, Shadow's gaze came to rest on the former king of the crystal empire, a large smile plastered on his face and a green shadow coming from his eyes. "Such a shame that such a beautiful mare such as her, fell because of an animal like you..."

"No..." Shadow said, barely above a whisper as he slowly began shaking his head. "She will fall like the others before her. And you?" A chuckle came from the king, "Will be completely powerless to stop it. Those who you surround yourself with are destined for a fate such as this..." He said, his hoof dragging along her wound and blood building up on it, "It's just a shame that this one will wind up the same..."

"No... She can't... I won't let it happen again! I WON'T LET IT HAPPEN AGAIN!!!!!" Shadow scream at the once again laugh king as he dissipated into the shadows surrounding them. "I WON'T LET IT HAPPEN TO HER!!!"

Author's Note

Based on a real life nightmare I had. It didn't end pretty for me... It's short I know, but I'm not going to go into too much detail about it