Shades

by Sc0ut

Rating: teen
Tags: Alternate Universe, Romance
Length: 2086

In this world, friendship never happened. It is dark, crazy and full of evil. Due to this, characters like Pinkamena aren't full of laughter. Wait and see..

In this land… Friendship never happened. The world is a dark place without laughter, kindness, honesty, loyalty, generosity, or magic. Good magic, that is. There is still love, though, in a way, because people still love themselves, their property, and a few even love their family. A young unicorn is born. Her name is Cortina, and she is the daughter of King Sombra. This is her story.

Published 1970-01-01 00:00:00 UTC
Last updated 2015-08-22 06:03:16 UTC

The Beginning

Sombra paced. Finally, someone approached him. "She is gone," the guard said.

   He turned and faced him. "What?" he growled. "There is still a baby. A little unicorn filly." The guard ran off, the coward. Then the king left to see a small unicorn filly, just like the guard said. She had a medium pink coat with straight black hair. When the filly opened her eyes, he saw that one eye was red, the other blue. He picked up the baby in his magic and left. He teleported to the heart of the Everfree Forest, where an old cave was, filled with small crystals. He decided this was the perfect place, and dropped the filly in the cave. He teleported back to his room just moments before a pony burst in and said, "The filly is gone!"

   The filly got up and walked around in the crystal cave. She lit up her horn and giggled. The cave was so pretty! She bumped into a wall, and where her horn collided, tiny black crystals grew.  She had fun now, tapping her light horn against the cave walls. Then she lit up her horn again, and imagined a big shiny crystal growing from the ceiling where she couldn't reach, only a few inches from her horn. A tiny glimmer appeared on the ceiling. Oh yes. She would enjoy this.

A year later, on her birthday.

   King Sombra teleported to the cave, where he planned to spend the entire day with his daughter, who he decided to name Cortina. He found her running in circles around a pink Crystal that had sprouted from the floor. To make room for himself, he used magic to clear out the crystals, and make the cave expand to the size of a small room, the inside walls entirely black crystals, making it seem like a geode. Cortina looked up at him, and he levitated a small box to her, who took it in her own  blue magic. She played with the box until the top came off, revealing a small red cotton cape, a white stripe around the edge. A black string tied it around her neck, and he said, "Happy birthday, Cortina."

   He spent the rest of the day with her, taking careof her, entertaining her, and teaching her things fit for a little one year old. At last, when the stars went out of sight, Nightmare moon's way of saying they could sleep, either that, or Chrysalis was taking over, he teleported away to his room, but was surprised to see a small blue crystal clinging to his fur. He put it away, waiting until next time, when he would sneak away to visit her in the Forest.

Outside

   Cortina giggled. She had learned how to craft things with crystals. She loved making things out of crystals. She created a small clasp, studded with black crystals for her cape, as well as twin swords, one white and one black. She was now six, with some vocabulary as well as some other things. Her magical talent had expanded. She just loved making crystal things. Every year, her father would come and expand her cave, and bring her gifts. He would also visit her once a month to spend the day with her. He gave her a new cloak, as her first one was too small. It was silk this time, with a golden clasp, also studded with black crystals. She created her own items. Now it was time for her to do something she was finally ready to do. She was going to go outside.

   The stairs that led to the open world were tall, too tall for a filly. She also noticed that Father used his magic to reach the top. Because she was young, she had no idea how to teleport. Maybe I can just... Change the shapes of the steps, the way Father taught me, even though that was with making items out of crystals... The unicorn filly aimed her horn at the steps and tried channeling her magic through her horn. She scrunched up her eyes and focused her magic. Unfortunately, she was unable to do anything. Then she had another thought. Dark magic... Isn't that what Father called it? It was green, purple, and black. My magic is blue, though. Or is that a different kind of magic? Cortina focused again, eyes closed in concentration. She focused, trying to channel darkness through her horn instead. It gave her an... Uncomfortable feeling. Then it came, surging through her horn. Purple mist seeped through her closed eyes, and the uncomfortable feeling grew stronger. Beads of sweat trickled down her face. Then she opened her eyes.

   The staircase had black crystal railings up to the top, and the stairs had changed shape, glittering black up to the top. She stepped out, and experienced a bright flash. She looked up to see lightning flashing across the sky. Then, halfway down, the lightning became cotton candy and smothered a changeling who was flying by. That must have been with the new rulers of Equestria. Father was one of them. The others were apparently called Discord, Chrysalis, Nightmare Moon, and Tirek. The old rulers, three alicorns, as Father called them, were named Cadence, Celestia, and Luna, who became Nightmare Moon. Then several ponies, of mixed races, saw her walking around. They wore armor bearing blue stars on the front. They must've been supporters of the former rulers, and when they saw the filly prancing in the heart of the Forest, they surrounded her.

   "Halt!" the leader said. "This is the Everfree Forest! Get back to your family before we make you! This is wild territory! Nopony goes here!" Cortina smiled. She seemed to grow just an inch taller, "Is that so?" She lit up her horn with dark magic, and a black crystal grew at her hooves, lifting her up even further. Her twin blades appeared behind her. Cortina's cloak billowed behind her. "Then you shouldn't be here either."

    She leaped off her crystal, and used more dark magic to sprout black wings of pure shadow. She landed in front of the first guard, her twin swords piercing his armor. They turned, at an angle, so a crack could be heard. The white sword slid out, piercing the armor on his chest. Then the two blades flew foreward, ramming the guard into a tree, and also piercing further into his armor, although no blood was seen, blocked by the armor. The blades bubbled black, and dissapeared, reappearing behind another guard, ramming him into the ground by his neck. A sickening crack was heard, and the remaining four guards stepped back, frightened by the filly and what she just did. Then both blades pierced two guards. Their backs collided as the swords slid through and out, coming out perfectly clean. The next guard was the leader. She summoned small black crystal shards that pierced his coat and the flew over, pinning him to the tree. Another crystal was levitated down his throat. She used dark magic, and a bolt hit the base of his horn, slicing it clean off. The lead guard must've tried to scream, because he was struggling quite a bit. The remaining guard had no wings or a horn. She sliced off his armor. The dead five guards all became trapped within tendrils of shadow, which contracted and vanished, taking all signs of a struggle with it. She then allowed her magic to dissipate. She smiled, before it turned into a frightening expression, full of hate and evil. Her horn lit up, and she allowed her magic to flow through this time. She picked up a spear that did not vanish, and the floating spear flashed across. An X covered his cutie mark, and he screamed. It was bleeding, running down his white flank. "Blank-flank!" Now she took the spear and carved a circle around the mark, and ripped it off. The guard was probably in excruciating pain, especially when the cold air came in contact with the muscle. Then she took another Crystal, and stabbed his esophagus.

   Once again the guard screamed, but only blood came out. Cortina enjoyed this. Then she allowed tendrils of shadow to trap the guard, before covering him entirely. It sank into the ground, leaving nothing there. The spear vanished as well. Not noticing it, her pink coat had darkened a little, becoming a little more dull as well. Her blue eye had darkened slightly too. A flash came from under her cloak, and her magic wings dissipated. She looked and saw her cutie mark: a white crystal sword, the left side red, with a background of black shadows. She smiled. Now all she had to do was find her father...

   Cortina smiled, and now attempted a teleportation spell. She felt a tingling. Then she  vanished in blue light, and reappeared. She was out of the forest. She saw the gleam of what was probably the fires of some kingdom in what she guessed was the north. The Crystal Empire was in the north. Using dark magic, she sprouted wings of shadow again and flew foreward as fast as she could. When she reached it, she landed, and her wings dissipated. Cortina threw aside some foolish ponies and marched up to the entrance. She smiled, and saw the King. He turned, and she spoke, "Hello, Father."

Like Father Like Daughter

   Cortina wasn't excpecting her father to welcome her with open hooves and treat her like a baby. After all he was one of Equestria's rulers, and they were all villains. She wasn't expecting the grey stallion before her to turn her away either, though unfortunately, she got something closer to the latter. Sombra simply looked at her, showing no emotion whatsoever as he looked over his pink and black daughter, down to her new cutie mark. Then he looked her in her mismatched eyes, still showing no emotions. "Well well well... Cortina... What a surprise..." Cortina glared. "This way," the King said, leading his daughter away. He led her to a room, and attached small chains to a wall. Then he also attached them to her neck. Sombra's hor bubbled with dark magic, as a force field surrounded where the chains were attached to the wall, as well as around her neck. The rest seemed reinforced by a sickly green glow, the same color as the shields, which the filly assumed were to keep her from breaking away. Heartbroken, she watched as her father in cased her horn in black crystals, and walked out of the room, closing the door behind him.

     Cortina stared at the door. Then she closed her eyes, muttering something. Purple mist seemed from her eyes, flowing out between her closed eyelids. She opened her eyes, which glowed pure green, not even her irises and pupils remaining their original color. The chains burst off in blue light. She light glimmered through the crystals on her horn. At last they shattered, and Cortina, sprouting wings of shadow, dashed through the door, gliding down the stairs, and broke down the door to her father's room. "I'm back," she growled, eyes clearing as she glared, purple mist trailing from the corners of her eyes.

     Sombra glared. He watched as his daughter hurst through, wings of pure shadow spread from her shoulder blades, and purple mist seeping from her eyes. Cortina flicked her horn at the guards, and they all crumpled, black tendrils holding them down and solidifying into crystals.

     "Miss me?"

     "You wish. Your own mother abandoned you. I am simply following her example."

     "Silence!" Dark magic burst through the filly's pink horn, each beam becoming a blue sword of crystal, most of which were deflected, while one hit it's target, piercing the armor on the King's chest.

Cortina fired more bolts, all of which were deflected, bouncing off of a red shield, glistening with dark magic. Cortina winced as one of her bolts grazed her shoulder, but stood to her full height and spread her wings of shadow, which flared up again. Then dark magic flowed from her horn. It filled the room, surrounding the filly as she lost control. It burst, shattering crystals everywhere and knocking back the guards, even causing Sombra to falter. The remaining dark magic swirled into a dark pink pony who glared down at him. Cortina had a Nightmare Form.