Sunset

A stirring sensation filled Goldie's chest as she sang. It was something that told her “Brownie is alive, he’s alright”. The darkness was cleared from her head, and the color returned to her body. It felt like she was laying in a cushion of warm clouds.

The darkness fled from the song of the ponies in the camp, scared of the light that was being emitted from them. The dark colors and clouds seemed to dissipate, and a warm refreshing rain started to fall

“Equestria, a land of friends,”

“Were ponykind do roam,”

And suddenly, something happened to all of the ponies. They started to float off the ground, with strange light surrounding them. Their manes and tails doned more colors, and their whole selves changed a bit. They become brighter and stronger.

They were almost, powering up in a way.

“Like the Mane Six!” Goldie exclaimed as she started to be lifted off the ground, and filled with light. Neon green streaks started to twist their way artfully through her man and tail, and she started having little pink and green markings on her coat, little stuff like dots in the right places. Her orange fetlocks lost the mud and grime that covered them.

Everything was full of light, even the surgical tools, and the tents.

The Crystal Empire was as dark as could be. The crystals and gems that made up the kingdom shone with an eerie black light. The whole kingdom was covered in a black, thick, and foreboding mist. Ponies walked around the streets, the citizens eyes cast to the ground. The soldiers upright and still, like statues.

The castle jutted out of the kingdom like a splinter in one's hoof. It’s original beauty and splendor was gone, replaced by an unmistakable evil aura.

The throne room was the epicenter of the castle, the root of the evil radiating around the nation. King Sombra sat on the throne in the castle. His presence was all evil, commanding and sinister. He glared at the ponies that walked around the throne room, cleaning and guarding the king. Sombra levitated a grape over his mouth, and popped it into his throat.

“It’s good being king.” he laughed, biting down on the grape.

All the sudden during his thought process, something felt weird. Something hurt him. He clutched his chest with his armored hoof.

“My lord, what’s wrong?” a guard asked, seeing the kings distress.

“It’s nothing, I’ll deal with it,” He growled, shooting a glare at the pony. The guard backed up, and resumed his duties.

King Sombra got up and trotted outside onto a balcony overlooking the city and countryside. He gasped at the sight. Light and pastel colors were coming towards the Crystal Empire, almost unzipping the darkness of the sky as it came. A warm spring rain started to fall. The rain, the light, the joy, something was wrong. King Sombra gritted his teeth and fired up his green and purple magic form his red-hot horn. He glared at the sky, and roared an animistic roar. He fired a boiling, bubbling blast of green and purple magic at the light.

In an explosion of sparks, the stream shrunk back but didn’t disappear.

King Sombra growled a dark sound from the back of his throat, as he tried and tried again to blast away the light. But it wasn’t working.

Then King Sombra had an idea. An evil, sadistic idea.

He closed his eyes and followed the path of the pastel rainbow light with his foaming magic. Then, he saw where all the light was coming from.

A little war camp near Ponyville. He opened his eyes and smiled. He fired up his horn and transported himself into the mind of a yellow coated mare who was singing. She was one of the many singing at the time. He started his magic assault, using her as a platform to every pony’s mind in the camp.

He smiled as she fell down and started convulsing. She closed her eyes, and when they opened, they were a horrifying pale green.

Goldie Sugar didn’t know what was happening. She was singing, then all of the sudden, she felt immense pain in her head and chest.

It scared her.

“You think… that your puny songs could destroy me? You are so wrong my little pony… you are so wrong.” Goldie heard that voice whispered into her mind, and she forced her eyes to close.

But when she opened her eyes, she was somewhere else.

“W-where am I?” Goldie asked. She was in a Royal hall, but it was darkened and black. There were torches burning at the sides of her, but they burned a green and purple bubbling flame. Dark mist snaked around at her hooves, like a riverbed of black water.

“You are a puny little foal!” A voice yelled out to her, and fear filled Goldie. She looked up and saw a huge face of King Sombra staring at her.

“I am shadow! I am fire! I am a nightmare!” King Sombra yelled at Goldie. Tears of fear filled Goldie's eyes as her heart raced, filled with adrenaline.

“I destroy every little thing you love. I am the shadow. You cannot run from your own shadow, you foolish mare!” King Sombra yelled as he disappeared into the shadows.

Just then, Silver Scope and a bunch of the other ponies in the camp appeared, terrified.

“You all are stupid little foals! You cannot run from your shadow!” King Sombra yelled as he came out of the shadows.

Goldie gasped.

Brownie Button limped out of the shadows, beaten and bleeding.

“H-help me… Goldie…” the stallion whimpering as he limped to Goldie. He collapsed on the ground in a heap, breathing hard. Sweat soaked his mane and coat, giving him a slick, wet look. His glasses were shattered, tiny shards of glass glittering in his bangs.

“Brownie!” Goldie screamed. She tried to run to Brownie Button, but she couldn’t. Her legs felt like they were stuck to the ground, unable to move. She couldn’t move. Her heart would only beat when Brownie blinked. She couldn’t scream, cry, anything.

A wheezing sigh escaped Brownies lips. Then he stopped breathing.

Goldie was finally able to move, but it was too late.

Goldie screamed a noise that any young mare shouldn’t be able to make.

King Sombra being as huge as could be, burst out of the shadows while laughing hysterically. Goldie found herself putting herself between the shadow and her husband. It was like muscle memory to her, she just snapped to it. Protection of her family was always in the forefront of her mind.

“Aww, look at you. He's dead, but you still protect him. How cute!” King Sombra laughed with a maniacal smile.

Goldie blinked away her tears, and whispered something into her love’s ear. But to her surprise, her whisper was louder than a hurricane.

“When life feels unbearable, I remember you are always beside me, even when you are not with me at the time.”

King Sombra laughed even harder, then adopted a serious tone.

“My little pony, you are such a strong one. But that won't save who you love. You’ll only hinder them.” The shadows said, blending back into the walls with a strange, evil laugh.
Goldie stood there, shaking. Her heart beat fast, and her color faded from her coat. But a little light still kept shining in her brain. It was her love for her family.

She had scared King Sombra. Her team, her family, scared Sombra.

Goldie realized this was all for show.

“You… you don’t scare me.” Goldie yelled to the shadows, stamping a hoof on the ground to try to emphasize her point.

The shadows rushed up to her and flooded her vision.

“You think you're better than me you little mare? Well, you’re not! I’m a king and can do whatever I want! I control this country, and I wouldn’t get stopped by a little mare and her friends!” King Sombra yelled, making Goldie's ear, and heart hurt.

“We will stop you,” Goldie whispered, using the last bit of her strength she had. She then collapsed on the ground, as blackness filled her vision.

Goldie's eyes popped open, and she found herself lying on the ground in a dirty heep. She was in the camp, surrounded by other ponies that were waking up from the horrific thing that violated their brains. Ponies were helping each other up, looking at the now darkened sky, with a sense of sadness creeping into their hearts.

Silver Scope helped Goldie up, then noticed something wrong. Goldie's side had opened up and was bleeding. Blood throbbed out of her side, soaking her flank.

“Hey, Mrs. Goldie, somethings wrong…” Silver Scope remarked, pointing at Goldie's side. Goldie looked at her side and nodded.

“I know, I could feel it.” She said with a small smile.

“And anyways, what happened? We were all powerin’ up and singing, and then bam! Blackness and Sombra being a creep.” Silver Scope said, dramatically.

Goldie shook her head, and wrapped a bandage around her waist.

“I’m thinking that we may have ticked off King Sombra.” Goldie said, with a small smile forming on her golden face. Silver Scope smiled and realized it too.

“He wouldn’t have done that to us if we didn’t make him uncomfortable!” Silver Scope said, bucking his hooves in the air.

“But the problem is…” Goldie Sugars voice faded off, as she thought about Brownie Button, and what King Sombra said about him.

“Brownie…”