The Broken One

“TWILIGHT”, I shouted and flung her behind me as the clone burst from the table.

I felt a sharp pain in my shoulder as a pair of fangs sank into my flesh. I roared in pain and reached behind me to grab her mane. I unleashed my inner vampony as I ripped the mare from my back and threw her across the room.

“AUDREY, GET TWILIGHT OUT OF HERE AND LOCK THE DUNGEON DOWN”, I boomed.

I crouched low as the vampony launched herself at me hissing and snarling. When she got close I rolled backward and kicked upward hard. I grunted as my feet made contact with her ribs and watched her slam into the ceiling before falling to the floor.

“Shadow, stop”, I shouted as I leapt on her back and wrapped my arms and wings around her.

The vampony snarled and snapped her jaws at me while I held her back by the throat. I tried again to get through to her but there was nothing of my wife inside. I hissed in pain as her fangs sank into my arm. I flung my arm to the side and growled when her fangs tore out of my arm.

“STOP”, I roared as I forced my aura over her.

To my surprise the vampony actually froze in her tracks and stared at me with bared fangs and flaring nostrils. Her upper lip slowly slid down over her fangs and her posture straightened as she took halting steps toward me. When she stood less than three feet away she sniffed deeply before something flashed behind her eyes.

“Back up”, I hissed.

The vampony stepped back a few steps and sniffed me again. She looked like she was trying to decide something but I couldn’t tell what. The red in her eyes slowly faded to a yellowish orange and she tried to speak but all that came out was what sounded like gibberish.

“Audrey, what is that”, I slowly asked.

It is a language that has not been spoken in nearly a thousand years. The closest dialect is old Ponish.

“Can you translate for me?”

I can.

“Why did you attack me?”

Quare petat?

“Ego veniam, magistrum. Ego sum tenere non possent”, she bowed slowly.

“Translation?”

Translation is as follows: I apologize, master. I could not control myself.

“Master”, I scoffed. “Audrey, translate this: Do you speak Common Ponish?”

Tibi loqueris Communia Ponisia?

“Quod sic”, she nodded.

I do.

“Please do.”

Placet fac.

“I am sorry to attack you”, she sighed quietly with a heavy accent before bowing. “Forgive me, master.”

“I am not your master”, I replied. “Do you know who you are?”

“My name is Umbra Flore”, she said

“That doesn’t sound like Common Ponish”, I replied as I cocked my head.

“Ignosce me”, she said quietly. “My name translates to Shadow Bloom.”

“You are not Shadow”, I snarled as I flashed over to her and snatched her up by her throat.

“But that is my name”, she gasped.

“You aren’t my wife”, I hissed in her face as I squeezed her throat. “You are nothing but a clone.”

“What”, she whispered in shock.

Without another word I teleported both of us to Shadow’s tower and turned the clone’s face toward the glass coffin. She gasped yet again as she slowly stepped up to the glass coffin.

“That is me”, she whispered. “How is this possible?”

“I replicated my wife’s body in order to figure out how to bring her back to life”, I sighed as I rested my hand on the lid of the coffin. “I thought I could do it. I failed.”

You succeeded in reviving Umbra.

“Audrey, shut up for now.”

I paced around the room as the truth of my situation settled in. I wouldn’t be able to revive Shadow without her becoming the creature in front of me. I was stuck with this soulless clone that only looked like my wife. I stared at the spitting image of my wife and felt so many conflicting emotions that my head spun.

“This makes no sense”, Umbra whispered as she brushed Shadow’s mane from her face. “Why have you done this?”

“I told you”, I snarled. “I was trying to figure out how to bring Shadow back from the dead.”

“She is not truly dead”, Umbra said in quiet shock.

“She bled to death in my arms!”

“She is a vampony”, she urged. “You are able to revive her the same way you revived me!”

“What about her soul”, I shouted.

“Vamponies do not have souls”, she replied as she looked away.

“If I revive her will she be savage like you were”, I asked slowly.

“I cannot say”, she replied as she bowed her head.

“What about her memories?”

“I cannot say but I do have some recollection of you”, she smiled slightly. “That is why I obeyed your commands.”

“So it’s actually possible to bring her back”, I whispered to myself as I began pacing again.

“It is”, she nodded. “But what will you do with me when you do?”

“You’re a clone”, I shrugged. “I originally planned to dispose of you but now…”

“Dispose of me”, she gasped in horror as she began backing away from me.

“Originally yes”, I sighed as I rubbed my forehead. “Now that I know you aren’t some mindless animal I can’t bring myself to kill you.”

“You were planning to kill me?”

“Yes, keep up”, I replied. “Once I heard you speak I just couldn’t do it. You sound exactly like her.”

“What are you going to do with me”, she whimpered.

“First I’m going to feed you then I’m going to have a room prepared for you”, I sighed.

“What”, she whispered.

“You can try your luck out in the world if you want”, I shrugged. “I honestly don’t give a damn what you do.”

“I wish to remain here, master”, she said as she dipped her head and stared at me through her bangs.

“Call me that again and I will spank the hell out of you”, I growled.

“Is that a promise”, she grinned as her eyes flashed excitedly.

“I forgot that Shadow liked that”, I mumbled through my facepalm.

“I’m sorry, master”, she bowed her head.

“What did I… Fuck it, I’m not arguing with you”, I sighed. “Audrey, can you please ask Cindra to come up here?”

Your request has been relayed and she will be here as soon as possible.

“Thank you”, I sighed again. “Now Umbra, what kind of memories do you have?”

“I remember wearing a white dress”, she said slowly with narrowed eyes. “I remember breaking your jaw. There are several memories of… carnal unions.”

I stared at her as she blushed and turned her head away. I shook my head and closed the lid of the coffin. I started to say something else but the sound of the door opening drew my attention to the side and saw a terrified bug pony standing in the doorway.

“She won’t hurt you”, I smiled.

“I remember you”, Umbra said quietly before pausing but her eyes lit up as recognition clicked. “You’re Cindra!”

“Y-yes”, the shaking changeling said hesitantly.

“You work wonders with your tongue”, Umbra smiled causing Cindra to blush.

“Okay, enough of that”, I growled as I knelt down and exposed my shoulder and neck. “Hurry up and feed so that we can get you settled in.”

The vampony cast a nervous glance to the glass coffin before she sank her fangs into my shoulder. The enzymes in her saliva flooded me with a feeling of euphoria as she drank her fill and all too soon she was sealing the wound and licking her lips sleepily.

“Master, your blood is extremely sweet”, she smiled. “Have you been eating much cake?”

Cindra and I laughed but explained about my mother’s pastry obsession when she cocked her head in confusion. The three of us stood in the room awkwardly until I explained the situation to my changeling.

“Is she going to be sleeping with us”, she asked quietly.

“No”, I replied quickly, noticing the looks of disappointment on their faces. “Fine, but just for tonight.”

The two shared a happy glance and actually pranced along behind me as I led the way to the dining room. We received many strange stares as we went through the castle but I ignored them. We had almost made it to the dining hall when a bolt of magic came arcing down the hallway.

“Shit”, I shouted and jumped in front of Umbra.

My muscles locked as the spell hit me and I fell flat on my face. I heard a sharp cry from Cindra followed by a thud and no matter how hard I tried I couldn’t move.

“Jackson”, Twilight shouted as she galloped up the hallway.

The paralysis lifted immediately and I lifted my head to glare at the purple unicorn. I spent the next five minutes yelling at Twilight in the middle of the hall until she curled into a ball and sobbed pitifully.

“I was only t-trying to p-protect you”, she wailed.

“I appreciate that”, I said quietly as I knelt down and stroked her back, “but I wasn’t in any danger.”

“But she-“

“Is completely safe”, I urged quietly. “She even has some of Shadow’s memories.”

“Really”, she asked as the scientist in her awoke. “I want to ask her some questions I really want to know the answers to!”

I turned to Umbra and asked if she was hungry but she licked her lips and told me she had her fill for now. I explained that I meant solid food but she shook her head and moseyed off with Twilight for an interview I just knew would be torture as I led Cindra into the dining room.

“What do you want to eat this time”, I smiled down at the changeling.

“Twilight told me about special burgers”, she grinned.

“Well, fuck.”