Fallen Shadow

Sombra found out that he appeared in the Everfree Forest, the most dangerous place in Equestria. He walked among scary trees, and many beasts of the dark watched him with interest. He looked like a pony but was a monster. So, the forest accepted him.

Sombra could barely survive. He ate grass, drank water, but it was not enough. He always was at the edge of starvation. Eventually, he realized that he won't be satisfied with enough food nor will he be dead without it. He stopped eating and drinking, he just existed.

He could go out of the forest but he didn't. He understood that ponies would only hurt him. He knew that he is a monster to them, no matter in which physical form. His only allies were timberwolves. They accepted him as the leader of their pack. So, Sombra became the leader of those which were hated and feared.

But first of all, Sombra blamed Cadance and Twilight for his exile and his curse. He wanted revenge, to bit in every throat of those ponies or turn them into his personal slaves. Oh, he imagined how they would serve him.

Nevertheless, he had no power. Without it, he was useless, even more than a common pony. He understood that, but it is one thing he couldn't accept.

Sombra tried to commit suicide many times, but failed nevertheless. No matter how hard he tried, he lives. Eventually, he accepted his fate and just existed, wandering through the forest.

A year has passed since Sombra appeared in the forest. He witnessed the rise and fall of Tirek. When Tirek caught Sombra, the former didn't even bother to suck out Sombra's magic, for it was too weak to be any good for the hungry demon.

Sombra witnessed the creation of Castle Friendship. He often came to the edge of the forest to look at the Castle. It reminded him of Crystal Empire. The empire that was lost to him forever. Oh, how was Sombra hungry for power, to see all the ponies suffer.

He witnessed the dream that Luna casted upon everypony in Ponyville. Somehow, Sombra took part in it too. He just hid, watching. He could become anything in his dream, yet he didn't. He knew that no matter how powerful he'll be in the dreamscape, once he wake up he will be the same shadow of his former self. And if he was seen, everypony would try to find him and being him his end.

But then, there was something that changed his fate...

Apple Bloom, the small yellow filly with red mane, walked through the Everfree Forest back to her home from Zecora's. Apple Bloom was interested in making potions, and the zembra was willing to teach. They often spent time together, Apple Bloom helping Zecora and Zecora making all kind of potions to heal ponies' diseases.

The filly often looked around as she walked along the path. No matter how often she went into the forest, it was always scary. She knew what hides behind the trees, and it scared her.

She heard a howl to the right. She turned her head and saw a pair of green menacing eyes. A timberwolf moved out of the bushes, blocking the path. Apple Bloom turned around and prepared to run back to Zecora, but saw two more timberwolves which blocked her path there. They surrounded her and growled.

Suddenly a gray skinny pony-like creature jumped in front of the scared filly. She screamed and closed her eyes.

The creature snarled at the wolves, and they retreated to the dark of shadows. The creature turned around and faced the scared filly which kept her eyes closed.

Apple Bloom opened her eyes and met creature's white eyes which had a few gray stains in them. She was petrified by the sight. In front of her stood not a pony but a skeleton of one. It had gray, dirty fur, long black mane as dirty as the fur. It also had a skeletal long tail. The creature's mouth was wide to the point where its mouth's corners were near its ears. Two sharp fangs peeked out of its mouth. The creature bore a curved horn.

The creature examined the filly with his eyes. Three minutes it stared at the filly, the longest three minutes in her life.

The creature opened its mouth and spoke one single word.

Run.

Apple Bloom turned around and ran as fast as she could without looking back.

Applejack was pacing back and forth. Her little sister Apple Bloom was late, and it worried Applejack.

"Mac, do ya see her?"

"Nope," the big red stallion replied, his gaze upon the forest.

"Do ya think she's lost?"

"Eeyep."

Suddenly the two saw Apple Bloom who galloped as fast as she could.

"Sister! Brother!" she shouted from afar.

"Apple Bloom!" the two replied and galloped to her.

"Apple Bloom! What happened?" Applejack asked worriedly.

"T-There is... There is..."

"Calm down, sugarcube, and tell us what happened."

Apple Bloom deeply inhaled and exhaled, calming herself down.

"There is somethin' in the woods."

"There is always somethin' in there, Apple Bloom."

"No, it was... Somethin' like a pony."

"A pony? There? Who was it?"

"Ah don't know... It was scary. No, he was scary. He is like a skeleton, his tail is long and skeletal, his fur is gray and mane is black. Sister, his eyes... They are white and have somethin' gray in 'em."

"Ya sure it was a pony? It looks more like a monster."

"Ah don't know... But he said somethin'... He told me to run as fast as Ah can. Aand before that, he stopped the timberwolves which were about to eat me!"

"Hm..." Applejack rubbed her chin. "Maybe Ah should tell Twilight. Apple Bloom, stay at home, sis. Big Mac will protect ya."

"Eeyep," the stallion replied and nuzzled his little sister. "Apple Bloom, come inside, Ah give ya somethin' to eat."

"Thank ya, big brother," Apple Bloom smiled and went inside the house.

Back in the dark forest, Sombra was pacing back and forth, encircled by timberwolves.

"Why, why did I let her go?" he asked himself, his voice weak and trembling. Sombra was on the edge of panic attack. "They, all of them, will come here! They'll find me! They'll make my curse even worse!"

He collapsed in uncontrollable sobbing.

"No, NO!" he cried. "I don't want to be trapped in ice for another millennium! No, no, no!"

He sobbed, groaned, snarled, roared, rolling on the ground and shaking. Suddenly, he stopped. He got up with a wicked grin on his muzzle.

"I know what I'll do..." he giggled maniacally. "I will not surrender my will! I will fight! Blood will be spilt!"

He started laughing maniacally.

"Yes... Yes... I will have my revenge. I will take as many of them as I can! But... No, first... Uh... Grah! I will try to escape. Grr... If they chase me and have me trapped, I will fight! Yes, yes! That's it!"

Applejack walked into the Castle Friendship and met Twilight. She was about to leave.

"Oh, hi, Applejack." Twilight greeted.

"Twilight, there is a pony in the Everfree Forest."

"Come again?" Twilight asked, confused.

"There is a pony in the forest." Applejack repeated.

"Oh... Who?"

"Ah don't know. But it saved mah sister from the timberwolves. And, if Apple Bloom was right, the pony isn't, well, a pony."

"Apple Bloom saw it?"

"It's he. Apple Bloom said it looked more like a skeleton. Gray fur, black mane, curved horn. It looked like it was a starving unicorn which somehow got in the forest."

"Starving unicorn? We must help him! Maybe right now he's dying, fighting the wolves!" Twilight exclaimed.

"Hold on now, Ah didn't tell something. The pony has skeletal long tail and a pair of white eyes with gray stains."

"Another monstrous creature?"

"That's what Ah'm asking mahself. But Apple Bloom told me he can speak. That's what worries me."

"I think we all should go and search for him. And I'll send a letter to the princesses about it."

"Ah think ya're right. Ah shall go for Pinkie Pie, Rarity and Fluttershy. Ah can't fly so ya'll have to go for Rainbow Dash."

"Agreed," Twilight nodded. "Spike!"

"Yeah?" he answered from somewhere inside the castle.

"Write a letter, please."

Princess Celestia had a dinner along her sister Princess Luna. Soon enough, Celestia will lower the sun, and Luna will raise the moon.

Suddenly, a letter appeared out of thin air.

"A letter from Twilight Sparkle." Celestia smiled warmly. "I wonder what did she and her friends learned or found out today."

She opened the letter and started reading. Soon enough, her smile faded.

"Sister?" Luna asked with worry. "What is it?"

Celestia silently passed the letter to her sister.

Dear Princess Celestia,

I think you should know what we discovered today, princess.

Apple Bloom, Applejack's sister, was returning from Zecora when timberwolves attacked her.

However, a mysterious pony-like creature saved her. And it seems it was a unicorn stallion.

From Apple Bloom's words, the stallion looks like he is starving, to the point where his ribs are visible. He also has long skeletal tale.

His fur is gray, his mane is black. His eyes are white and have some kind of gray stains in them.

And the horn isn't regular one. It's curved.

I hope we'll be able to help him.

Yours,

Twilight Sparkle

"Sister?" Luna called. "Do you think..?"

"Yes. I think it's him."

"Sombra? He was shattered into tiny pieces a few years ago. It's not possible for anypony to survive."

"If what Apple Bloom told was true, then it's him. Weakened, without much power, but certainly him. But... Something is wrong. Why would he save a filly?"

Celestia frowned.

"I think I should talk to him."

"Sister..." Luna was at loss of words. "I don't think it's a good idea."

"Evil King Sombra would never care for anypony, especially for the sister of one of his enemies. "

Luna sighed.

"Do you want me to come with you?"

"Luna, don't get me wrong, but I want you to remain here, in the castle. I don't think Sombra will be happy to see us both at this time."

Twilight and her friends walked through the forest, searching for the pony. It has been already twenty minutes, and nopony was found. Strangely, no timberwolves. Twilight could feel that they were watched, but everything was fine.

Walking out of the bush, Twilight and her friends walked in a clearing. In the centre of it, the unicorn stallion sat. And he looked like Apple Bloom's described him.

"Hello?" Twilight called. The stallion got up and turned around quickly. Fear and hate could be read from his muzzle. "We mean no harm!"

The stallion hissed.

"Please, come with us. We can help you!" Twilight took a step towards the stallion, he sprung and started running.

It was difficult to follow the stallion on the hard terrain. But he had nowhere to run but to Ponyville.

He galloped very fast, as if he wasn't just skin and bones.

Eventually, he got surrounded in the middle of the village. He rotated his head, and stood in the fighting stance. He snarled and prepared to defend himself. Six ponies looked at him with confusion.

"Who are you?" Twilight asked with worry. She didn't dare to come closer to the strange creature. "Why are you running away? We aren't going to hurt you."

"He is Sombra," a soft feminine voice sounded from above. Celestia, the Princess of the Sun, landed near Sombra. He cried in terror and hurriedly took a few steps back, then stumbled and fell.

"No! No, no, no!" he shouted.

"Sombra... I wish to talk to you. You..."

"I know what will come next!" he  interrupted and snarled with all anger and hatred he had. "I will not obey! Grah! I hate you!"

He started shouting, tears rolling down his sunken cheeks.

"I HATE YOU ALL! You are the reason I am what you see before you very eyes! Celestia..."

He looked straight into her eyes. Celestia didn't dare to look back, afraid to see and feel the hate, the anger, the terror.

"You and your sister... What you did... Grrr, it's.... Argh! Rrr... In ice, for a thousand years.... AALONE! Do you know how it felt? But before... First, I found out that Princess Amore never told me the truth! I... I had to SUFFER because of HER! Argh! Grah! Then... Then... My only, my friend, Radiant Hope.... She BETRAYED me! EVERYONE betrayed me!"

Sombra collapsed, sobbing.

"After one thousand years... After this millennium in ice and desolate cold... I WAS BLOWN UP AND SHATTERED INTO PIECES! You... You don't know how it HURTS even now! It's a pain beyond understanding... Aaaergh! Mm... Then... A few years more of being alone... And then..."

He looked at everypony with hatred.

"Then... Because I failed... My own mother... MY MOTHER!.. She... She CURSED me! Because of YOU!"

He pointed his skeletal tail at Twilight.

"YOU! And... and your stupid friend... Cadance... How I HATE her! I HATE YOU BOTH! IT IS ALL YOUR FAULT! Mother left me, cursed me, and now... Now... I am this! Too weak to even fight... No... Too weak to use magic! Too weak to have the POWER!"

He snarled at Twilight and got up. He stood on all his four hooves, his tail was pointed at Twilight.

"Now... Before I will be damned beyond belief... I... Grah! I shall take my REVENGE!"

He roared in a monstrous way and charged at Twilight. He jumped and turned around, swinging his tail, using its sharpness as a blade. Twilight managed to put on her magical shield and protect herself from the blow which could easily cut off her head.

Sombra kept trying to break the shield, hitting it with his tail. He quickly grew tired and, eventually collapsed on the ground, too weak to stand up.

Twilight took off her shield and took a step towards Sombra. He snarled and started crawling away.

"We only want to help you, Sombra," she said with worry and sadness. "I know your story. And I know how to fix everything."

"You know... Nothing! You don't know how it is to be hated by everypony just because I! Was! DIFFERENT!"

He stopped crawling, too tired to move.

"Well, this is it..." he spat. "Do it. Send me to Tartarus. Make a statue of me. Banish me into the ice. Blast me with your magic. Do it..."

"Twilight..." Celestia started, looking at the broken shadow of a pony. "I can see a broken soul, and there is nothing I can do. But I believe you and your friends can. If this story is true... Then, I was wrong. I should have reasoned with him all this time ago. I did something I now wish I didn't..."

"Celestia..."

"No." Celestia raised her hoof. "Even good ponies make mistakes. I leave him to you. Do what you can to bring him to the light."

And with that, Celestia disappeared in a flash of yellow light.

"Sombra..." Twilight walked to him and looked down at him. Sadness was in her eyes. "Come with me, please."

He just sobbed uncontrollably, looking at her with hatred. She sighed.

"I'm sorry, Sombra. Sleep."

Her horn touched his, and he quickly fell asleep. Before he did, he spat three words.

I hate you.