Legacies

That morning, Moonlight Dusk hung upside down in her coffin, bat wings wrapped tightly around herself. Though it was 1 AM, she still couldn't sleep. Today was just....insane. First it was King Sombra and his son entering the school. Then it was her parents trying to kill them or something. After that it was meeting Shadow Obsidian, and throwing a knife at Aqua Marina. But she was still trying to figure why Sombra didn't attack, and why in Equestria he would show up in her room. His voice still echoed in her ear: See you soon, Moonlight Dusk. It chilled her to the bone. And how soon? Tomorrow? A week? A month? Even a year?

Moonlight knew she couldn't solve this case at this hour. She was still watching the video of her throwing the knife and her parents arguing on social media. Someone had posted it, and it already had millions of views.

"You can't just throw knives at people!" Her mom screamed in the video.

"Well yes, yes she can. I'm surprised she didn't go straight for the head, actually. Her cousin Violet threw a throwing star-" Her father didn't finish his sentence before Moonlight paused the video. Violet. Violet Dusk, her cousin! Violet knew loads of different battle strategies, and was basically a military prodigy. She studied the bat-pony dictators and how they came to power, but was also surprisingly proficient in the history of Equestria's villains. Moonlight would simply go into Violet's dream and talk there. It was about time she entered the dream world anyway. She put her phone back in a special compartment in her coffin. Her horn lit up white, and soon enough, she had entered the dream world....

When Moonlight "awoke", she was floating through a blue, shapeless void filled with bright stars. Her mother appeared in front of her seconds later. "Hi Moonlight!" she hugged her. "I've missed you. Are you feeling alright about earlier?" Her deep blue eyes shone with a hint of worry. Even in the Dream World, Princess Luna was still breathtakingly beautiful.

"I'm fine. I got the majority of the school to hate me, impressed King Sombra, and Shadow Obsidian has developed a huge crush on me. Nothing's changed, unless you count the fact that I'm six knives short."

"Moonlight, you just have to stop being so aggressive. It'll probably help if you stop carrying your knives around and stop hissing. And try to hang out with other ponies," Luna suggested.

"You're the one who always uses your Royal Canterlot voice. And what if someone attacks the school? I can't just sit around and be a helpless princess and wait for someone to save me. I know I have the shadows and my pony magic, but it won't always come in handy. And I do hang out with other ponies," Moonlight told her.

"Some pony other than Shadow Obsidian," Luna gritted her teeth just thinking about him and his father. So many years of history between her and Sombra....now that he was back in Equestria, she would not stop still she had him captured or dead. And the fact that his son was hanging out with her daughter...the idea was unbearable. What if something happened to Moonlight?

"What do you have against him? I know he's the son of King Sombra-"

"SOMBRA IS NOT WORTHY OF THAT TITLE!" Luna yelled, then composed herself.

Moonlight sighed then continued. "Fine. He's the son of Sombra, but that doesn't necessarily make him evil. Shadow doesn't seem like a sadistic tyrant. He could be one, but he could also be fairly amiable. If he did try to attack me...well, now you know why I carry knives around. Even though the school took my stash, I snuck a few in. And I can turn almost anything into a weapon!"

"You're just like your father! Everything always leads back to knives and masonry," Luna groaned. Moonlight had a very strong bond with her father, possibly stronger than with Luna. Specter was always teaching Moonlight how to make weapons and flying around with her. Luna could barely keep up with them. Bat-ponies flew so fast! "Well, setting that matter aside, is there anyone you want to visit tonight? Your father is busy in the bat-pony city Tenebrisia."

"Can I visit my cousin Violet?"

"Of course," Luna led Moonlight over to a set of doors, and gestured to a purple one with a throwing star painted on it.

"I WILL NOT STOP TILL I HAVE YOUR BLOOD ON MY HOOVES!" Violet yelled the traditional Dusk family battle cry, and started throwing throwing stars at other bat-ponies. She cartwheeled out of the way as an arrow was aimed at her, then tackled and dug her fangs into a pony, sucked for 20 seconds, then looked up and grinned at Moonlight, blood covering her from head to toe. Violet always had crazy dreams which usually ended in carcasses littered all over, entrails spilled everywhere. She was even considered fairly violent for a bat-pony. And that was something. "Hey Moonlight! Glad you came to finish fighting to the death," Violet joked, then threw a throwing star at Moonlight, who dodged.

"Vi, we need to talk. It's important," Moonlight urged.

"Have you finally decided you need to learn how to slit a throat properly?" Violet rolled her eyes.

"Violet! No. Did you hear about what happened today?"

"Of course. It's all over the news. And the part where you threw the knife-that was badflank! But me and the other Dusks all wished you would've gone for the head," Violet sighed.

"Ok. Anyways, I have a question. Why didn't King Sombra attack at all except for shooting the spell at me? And why was Shadow so nice to me?" Moonlight asked.

"To answer your first question, there could be multiple reasons. Keep in mind he plays his cards well. He's probably waiting for the exact time to strike. He's been back for 13 years, but in hiding. What has he been doing the whole time? Most likely practicing his magic, scheming for the downfall of your little Pony-land, and taking care of his son. I can tell there's a strong bond between him and his son, so he still wanted to see him off. There are lots of reasons, and I'll try to look into them when I have time. It would really help if you knew where Sombra is. Where was he last seen, before he appeared at Ravenwood?" Violet tried her best to answer Moonlight's questions.

"No one knows! He was last seen in his real form 13 years ago in the Crystal Empire, then apparently dissipated into shadows and wasn't seen again until yesterday," Moonlight hissed in frustration.

"What about your creepy new boyfriend? He must know," Violet suggested.

"I met him yesterday!"

"Ha, just messing with you," Violet chuckled.

"Look, even if he knew, he wouldn't tell anyone. And I doubt he knows. If he did, Luna would be trying to torture information out of him in his dreams," Moonlight replied.

"Makes sense. I'll write this down when I wake up. Anything else that might help?"

"Here's something that no one knows. When I had finished unpacking, Sombra literally appeared in my room and said, "see you soon, Moonlight Dusk," then grinned at me and disappeared. That's what I'm confused by," Moonlight shuddered at the thought.

"I'm not sure. He always manages to take you guys by surprise. There are at least 3 possible options: Number 1, he's planning a big attack on your school or something and you'll be there. Number 2, he'll just target you and possibly the other legacies. Number 3, he just said that to get you scared so you'll run to your parents, and Equestria will be in a frenzy. Then, while everyone's preparing for so called "attacks", he runs in and takes over," Violet explained.

"Good thinking. Do you think he may attack at big events as a warning to Equestria?" Moonlight asked.

"Yes. Are there any big celebrations happening soon?"

"Nightmare Night is coming up, and later on in the year, Hearth's Warming Eve. Do you want anything specific to my school?"

"Obviously," Violet rolled her eyes.

"Within our school, the big events are the Nightmare Night celebration, Magic Tournament in November, Survival Tournament in December, and the Winter Talent Show. Then we go home for a few weeks for break. In March there's Battle of the Bands, in April there's the School Musical, in May there's the Spring Gala, and in June is graduation," Moonlight listed them off the top of her head. "Sombra would probably attack us at the Spring Gala, because all the grades will be there, so he can threaten to kill us there unless our parents hand over Equestria."

"Yeah. And keep in mind Shadow could always be spying on you guys. You can hang out with him and try to find out some information, but he'll probably be doing the same. Don't let your guard down," Violet warned her.

"I won't. But why did he only appear in my room? Illusion would've either gotten it on camera or told someone by now, and none of the legacies have told me about this," Moonlight pondered, wondering if there was something she was missing.

"Maybe he only told you because you're a bigger part of his plan. I'm not sure," Violet scraped some dried blood off her cheek.

"Thanks, Violet. This has been helpful. I should go to sleep now, so, I'll see you tomorrow night," Moonlight bid goodbye to her cousin, and opened her eyes.

She was back in her coffin. Moonlight quickly kicked open the coffin door and grabbed her notebook and a pen, hastily writing down the dream's dialogue and making a list of possibilities. Moonlight then sent a quick text to her father, got back into the coffin, and waited for sleep to claim her. The next time she opened her eyes, she was in the heart of the Dream World, and little did she know that this night would change her life.....

Everything was black. Moonlight was floating through a never-ending , shapeless abyss of darkness. "Hello?" She called out, her voice echoing through the void.

"Hello, princess," A low, dangerous male voice replied.

"Who are you? Show yourself now!" Moonlight hissed and revealed her fangs, even though she knew exactly who it was. She automatically reached for her knives, then remembered they weren't there.

"You know exactly who I am, Moonlight Dusk," Sombra appeared in her and revealed his fangs, then melted back into the shadows.

"Why are you in my dream? What do you want with me?" Moonlight yelled into the darkness, not quite sure where he was. He was practically everywhere.

"There are a lot of reasons, Moonlight Dusk. But you need my help," He reappeared, then made an attempt to grab her, but she leapt out of the way and started running, even though she knew she couldn't get away. Then she realized there was no floor and started falling through the abyss. The floor decided to reappear in a vague outline in a front of her, and she managed to tuck and roll a few times. But, she still heard a sickening crack and pain exploded through her shoulder.

Sombra laughed sadistically, his laughter chilling her down to the bone. It was something she would never forget. I will not let him hear me scream, she told herself. But the pain was almost unbearable. She suddenly felt shadows sink through her skin, and reset her bones. The pain was gone within a second.

"I do not need your help. What I need is a shadowbending mentor, or at least a book!" Moonlight tried to watch what she said, as not to infuriate him, lest she get hurt. But then she realized where she had slipped up: she had shown him her weakness. She had just given away what was so important to her. But was it that much of a secret? No.

Moonlight unfurled her bat wings and flew through the void, only to crash into an invisible barrier. Stars exploded in her vision as she descended. Dark, shadowy hooves caught her, now holding her in place. She struggled, trying in vain to use her shadows, but Sombra's overpowered hers.

"There's no escape, Moonlight Dusk. Let the shadows embrace you. You are the darkness, the darkness is you," his voice seemed to whisper in her ear. It was like he was standing right next to her. Maybe he was.

"I can't! There are no mentors, no spellbooks, and it's dark magic by pony standards! And using dark magic is a crime! It's hopeless. I'll never, ever, be able to become an amazing shadowbender," she paused to take a breath. "Unless....."

"Unless?"

"No! Mother would find out! I would be sent to Tartarus, you can't be my mentor!" But Moonlight knew that he very well could be.

"I see potential in you, Moonlight Dusk. You are talented, and powerful. You would be an exceptional pupil,"

Moonlight sighed. She was making deals with the devil. But she promised herself she would not let the darkness control her. She, Moonlight Dusk, Princess of Shadows, would be their master. "I guess it's the only option." A few minutes of silence passed, before Sombra spoke.

"Ravenwood library has a book on shadowbending."

"Where?" Moonlight asked.

"You are an intelligent young mare. You'll find it," Sombra reassured her.

Moonlight felt an icy chill down her spine as she felt his armored grey hoof on her shoulder. His cape brushed against her as he bid his goodbyes to his new student.

"I believe our time is up. Until tomorrow, Princess of Shadows."