Author's Note

2 chapters in a week?! You betcha!
This chapter, has some harsher violence in it nothin crazy but here's your heads up anyway. Either way I hope you enjoy! Last chapter and this chapter are subject to content updates! I've just been motivated to keep this going so bear with me. Stay blessed ya'll

Life on Nocta's Shadow

Jai looked around the room and sighed. These dark stone cave walls were his home for now. The large expanse of rooms in the cave surprised him when he was allowed to stay here. The torches that adorned the walls in the hallways lit the way around. He needed to find a way back out of Nocta and back to the Crystal Empire.

“I wonder if Amore's ok.” Jai said. Thinking about his time here so far he sat at the desk in the room. The candle flame danced as he opened up his journal. He’d have to think about getting his time here published, he doubted any sane person or pony rather had been here and back, right?

“ I wonder what's going on, on their side.” Jai thought, as he began to read his early journal entries.

Day 2 I think:
I met a purple and black colored mare in the forest today that’s helping me hide. She didn’t ask me too many questions and led me to a cave. It's more house-like than I thought with different rooms and such. This mare gave me a journal to write in but when I asked for her name she just ignored me and went to find food. She said writing helps keep her sane, and said to ‘ do whatever with it’. I’m mad I was too weak to help Amore and gave up. The pain caused a lapse in judgment and I let Sombra use me. I felt gross and the consequences were the old man sending me away…again. Either way everywhere I look when I go out it's this blackish purple sky, with dark brown ground everywhere. The trees are pitch black versions of evergreens. The ground is broken in some places revealing this place is just a series of floating islands.

Day 12:
I don’t really have a choice but to hide all the time since these shadow ponies seem to sense my magic in the area when I use it. I’m still incredibly pissed at Sombra for getting us sent here. Nocta, a dangerous place filled Umbrum like Sombra who were invading us. Good News is that this shadow mare isn’t going to turn me over. I'm a little annoyed that she wont answer all my questions but at least told me the date. Anytime I ask about what kind of monsters and such I should be looking out for. She tells me to go explore and find out. I get she doesn’t really care if I die here but MAN! Ugh, whatever, I'm not dying here so I’ll just learn what I can and get back. There is no sun and yet the moon glows? I’m all sorts of confused but what else is new, besides the obvious change in scenery. I just hope it’s not permanent.

Day 33:
Sombra’s been trying to cozy up to me again since I stopped talking to him after getting to Nocta and it’s really frustrating. Considering he’s the reason I’m stuck here. The only good news is this shadow mare isn’t working with this Queen Primrose. A name I seem to be hearing a lot as I hide from Umbrum when I’m out. My benefactor says if I’m gonna stay then I need to help. Hunting is hard without magic because every time I try within minutes Umbrum are everywhere. I don’t fish well and catching birds isn’t my strong suit but I haven’t given up yet. I did have to ask why Umbrum eat meat since they are still ponies…I think? Though the response was expected, ‘You can't be picky if you want to live.’ Other than that, having to wash my clothes daily is a pain in the ass.

Day 50:
Found out today that our lovely benefactor is a blacksmith! I asked if I could watch but she didn’t say anything. I sat away from her so that the sparks wouldn’t get me and watched, she didn’t turn me away. This beats having to listen to Sombra talk about…literally anything. I wonder if she will let me borrow a sword or something. It would have made hunting a little… scratch that, A LOT easier.

Day 73:
Selene Glow, That's her name. Thankfully she has decided that I have been hunting with my bare hands for long enough. She gave me a short iron sword. There's no grip on it and it's dull as hell but I can fix that… I think. She has also told me she’s surprised I’m still alive. I just took it as a compliment and rolled my eyes. Oh I almost forgot Selene told me she would teach me shadow magic so she doesn't have to babysit. I haven’t told her I've experienced shadow magic before, but it's irrelevant anyway.

Jai turned in his chair and looked at the dull iron sword at the foot of his bed. Giving a soft smile he closed the journal and walked over to it. He thought there were so few entries for being here for 2-3 months. He’ll just add more since surviving is taking a lot of time. Writing can come later, he thought.

“You’ve been through a lot huh?” Jai asked, rhetorically. He let out a soft laugh, picking it up and placing it into the sheathe. Leaving the room Jai was met with a familiar sound.

Clang! CLANG! CLANG!

The sound of Selene in the forge room. The only part that annoyed him about listening to her work was that Selene was making better swords than she gave him. However, he was still technically a guest so it made sense why he would get a relatively dull blade. Though he had managed to talk her into giving him a whet blade. The only condition was he wasn’t allowed to use the drinking water. Which made enough sense to him.

“Still have to leave for this?” Jai asked sarcastically, lifting the sheathed sword. Selene didn’t even acknowledge him and continued to swing the hammer in her magic. Rolling his eyes, Jai continued to the cave exit and opened the door.

“Bring something to eat back,” Selene called after him. Jai shut the door behind him and headed into the dark forest. He used the loop on the sheathe then fastened it to his belt and closed his eyes. Shadows slowly danced around his feet as he focused on expanding them outward. He learned from Selene that this was how she was able to keep him away from the scouts.

“This is just as gross as I remember,” Jai said, as a wave of nausea hit him. As useful as shadow magic was, he absolutely abhorred it after the incident that got him sent here.

“What do you mean gross? You should be proud to say the least, not every pony can learn shadow magic, and even less use it this well,” Sombra said, with a hint of approval.

“Please save the flattery for someone who cares. Stay out of the way and shut up,” Jai said. As he finished speaking his shadows caught onto something. Opening his eyes he set out deeper into the forest.

Jai hadn’t expected to fall down a ravine while trying to get food. Then again a lot happened against his will here in the past couple of years. It didn’t seem like anything was going right for him, especially now that he’d been away from Selene and her protection for a long period of time.

“If there’s a god, I’m SO kicking his ass when I see him.” Jai grumbled, putting away his canteen. He whipped out a rag from his back pocket and wiped sweat from his forehead . Jai had seen better days, that's for sure. His caramel colored skin was covered with cuts and bruises. He had been lucky enough to not have his jeans ripped too bad, and his brown boots were holding up alright. Though that hardly mattered since he’d fashion knee guards from the armor of Umbrum he’d ambushed. His shirt had long since passed on and instead he had made his own makeshift chest plate as well. He wore it under his beige sherpa jean jacket, and boy did that thing need to be replaced.

“HE’S SOMEWHERE CLOSE!” A voice yelled from somewhere in the dark of the forest. Jai rolled his eyes and got up. He pulled out his dagger and picked up a broken spear on the floor.

“Round 300 or whatever, fight” He mused, as the street fighter announcer’s voice rang in his head. Torch lights approached him slowly, 3-5 maybe. Preparing for five Jai steeled himself and took a deep breath before drawing his sword and coating it in shadow magic.

“THERE HE IS ATTACK!! Primrose wants it ALIVE” The voice screeched. Chaos ensued as 2 of the Umbrum lunged at him. Jai sidestepped and stabbed one in the neck and pushed him into the other. A bolt of magic whizzed by Jai’s left cheek cutting it. Wincing Jai slashed the air sending the shadow magic in the direction the magic came from. There were 3 left and he’d have to gamble with this fight, he hadn’t prepared much else and his sword was beginning to chip.

“god-damn can you just let me rest for 10 minutes?” Jai whined. They only glared at him before 2 rushed him screaming. The Umbrum in the back was preparing another spell and Jai had to do something about it.

“Hope this works,” he thought. He coated a dagger he’d picked up with gold colored magic. Jai mumbling a silent prayer threw it between the 2 rushing him and hit the archer square in the forehead with the blade. She groaned and fell, this distracted one of them which was good enough. Using his sword Jai plunged it into the eye socket of the closest Umbrum. The scream of pain was ear splitting but he couldn’t stop fighting yet.

“Yeah you gon’ learn today.” Jai said, removing the sword from the squirming monster. The last Umbrum recoiled in fear watching him get closer to them.

“Gah! You wanna live? Just go, and if I see you in this area again I’ll end you” Jai said, trying to hide his fatigue. Standing up he took a deep breath and held his arm. The engravings hurt more than they used to when he used his magic. Ignoring the pain the best he could, he took the rations they had on them and went to find a new spot to rest. He heard the hoof steps from the Umbrum growing fainter and fainter as they went their opposite ways.

“You are getting better I would say. More violent too…I like it boy,” Sombra said, giving a smile that would make the Cheshire cat a run for his money.

“ Ugh, at this rate my arms are gonna melt off before I get back to the empire. How long has it been?” Jai asked. Sombra hummed in thought as he looked up for a moment and then back to the human.

“Well…I’d say a 2 weeks give or take.” Sombra said nonchalantly. Jai sighed, but said nothing and kept walking. Until the ground beneath him began to shake. He looked up and his heart sank through the island.

“SO NO-ONE WAS GONNA TELL ME ABOUT SHADOW DRAGONS?!!” Jai screamed. There was a lot that didn’t go right, getting a job, making friends, finding food, or getting chased by shadow ponies. What he really was not ready for was for his poor directional skills to lead him into a dragon. Thankfully when you’re running for your life, things like the pain in your arms seem to not be at the fore-front of your mind.

“In my defense, the landscape has changed just a lit-” Sombra began, but was cut off by a dragon's roar.

“Don’t care!” Jai panted, running through the forest towards a mountain. The closer he got to the mountain, the closer the rampaging dragon got to him. Using what little magic he could muster at the moment he enhanced himself to get to the base of the mountain. There he spotted an opening, his only hope at survival.

“This place and its convenient cav-” Jai said as he entered.

“I hate to break it to you but boy…we’re falling. It was a sinkhole.” Sombra said, sighing.

“SHERLOCK I SWEAR IF I LIVE-” Jai screamed falling into the dark…then.

SPLASH!

The only stroke of luck he had in the past 2 weeks was that instead of falling to his death. He fell into an underground lake. He really couldn’t complain, other than the fact that he couldn’t breathe. Frantically swimming up he breached the top of the lake and gasped for air. Jai was over falling from great heights, like really, really tired of it.

“Small island due north,” Sombra said. Jai, struggling with all of his clothes and his waist bag of essentials swam to the piece of land at what seemed to be the center of the lake.

“So let me get this shit straight… You’re a talking sword and you aren’t cursed?” Jai asked. He was being chased by a Dragon when he fell down a hole. He thought he was going to die cursing Sombra’s awful name but now he was talking to a sword.

“Yes. For the 8th time, yes. Now pull me out of the ground please” A feminine voice said from the sword. Jai was sitting with his legs crossed and jacket off while it dried. The short sword had a brown leather handle, but the metal was black with a reddish tint to it. The hand guard was circular though which threw him off a bit.

“Before I do, Tell me about the hell I'm in please? This clearly isn't a stroll in Kansas unless I’m on drugs” Jai asked. The sword went silent for a moment before speaking to him.

“I do not know what this Earth is, but sure. This specific place is just below the Umbrum city, Tempest.” The sword replied. Jai thought back to seeing the Umbrum wandering in the forest so the sword wasn’t lying about that.

“Ok two more things, what do I call you? And do you know how to leave Nocta?” Jai asked. The sword went silent again.

“Dusk was the name I was given by my creator, and yes… although I’ll need a lot of magic to do so, I think” The sword replied. Jai sighed getting up and tying his jacket around his waist.

“Well I’m Jai and uh what happens if I pick you up?” Jai asked, looking down at the blade.

“A weapon that won't break when you hit some pony” Dusk said. Jai raised an eyebrow, folding his arms.

“Did you just say…Some pony?” he asked. An awkward silence overcame them as Jai just stared at Dusk.

“I did, yes, I speak the Equish language.. ” The sword stammered out. Jai just threw his hands up exasperated.

“Equish, English don’t care, just didn’t expect to hear you say it,” Jai said. He grabbed the sword handle and closed his eyes waiting for something bad to happen. After a brief moment of waiting he heard another robotic-like voice.

“ERROR: Contract conditions unfulfilled :ERROR”

“The hell does it mean contract conditions are unfulfilled?!” Jai exclaimed.

“What are you talking about? I didn’t say anything. Am I teaming up with a weirdo after Celestia knows how long?” Dusk despaired.

“So you didn’t hear that, so I’m crazy. Great…” Jai said, exhaling hard.

“Told you I wasn’t cursed.” Dusk said smugly.

“Whatever I have enough in my head already. Between a talking sword and the boogey man of Equestria I’m doomed” Jai lamented.

“The boogeyman?” Dusk asked, concerned.

“He means me...,” Sombra said, irritated.

“ I thought you were gone, I was happy for a moment Sombra. Know anything about a weapon contract” Jai said, turning to the small shadow pony.

“I don’t know what that means either, although you're not crazy yet since I heard it as well,” Sombra admitted. A sigh of relief came from the human as he was just grateful he wasn’t losing his marble yet.

“S-sombra? The. Sombra” Dusk stuttered. Jai just nodded and put Dusk on hip opposite his other sword.

“I’ll catch you up when we get out of here, now how to do that…” Jai said, scanning the lake with his magic.

“Only way out is up Mr. Jai,” Dusk said.

“Thanks now to expose my location yet again and run from a dragon,” Jai said, heaving another sigh. This was going to be a long way back, he felt it and expected it this time.

“D-dragon!?” Dusk exclaimed. Sombra and Jai just ignored her. Jai, using his magic, launched himself back the way he fell.

“God, I am staying true to my words, you better run” Jai mumbled as he saw the bright moonlight from the ‘Daytime’ moon.