Dream's Fading Shadow

Silent Words

It had been several days, and Twilight kept dreaming about him. The beast appeared only rarely, and every time he did, he was asleep. His body seemed on edge, as if he had no energy left. Was he alright? Twilight couldn’t tell, as she couldn’t remember the last time she had seen him in a dream. It was as if all her dreams were being dominated by the tyrant.

What was strange was that in each dream, the dark unicorn acted differently. Sometimes he was cruel, other times an obsessive idiot, at times a provocateur, and sometimes he seemed sweet, though this sweetness only masked his true nature. Which of these behaviors represented the real King Sombra? And what was the beast’s connection to all of this?

“Will I ever see him again?” Twilight wondered, staring at the ceiling of her room as if expecting cosmic answers from it.

She was utterly confused. On one hand, she wanted to see the beast again. But on the other, she couldn’t understand why she kept dreaming about King Sombra. Was it a curse? Yes, it was definitely a curse! A curse that made her think about him even when she was awake. Not that she wanted to, of course! No misunderstandings here!

Twilight tossed and turned in her bed, trying not to let her own ridiculous thoughts drag her down. She could almost hear her friends laughing at her for being so melodramatic!

But was she really being melodramatic? She didn’t think so! I mean, who wouldn’t throw a fit over this? Everything had been so weird lately.

How long had it been?

She shot up from her bed, realizing it had been a week and a half. A week and a half?! It felt like an eternity! She realized that so much time had passed, and she still knew nothing!

Twilight decided it was time to give it one last try. This would be the final attempt! If it didn’t work, she wouldn’t sleep again—no matter how impossible that seemed.

Twilight climbed into bed, her mind racing with anxiety. She grabbed the bottle of medicine Applejack had given her, hesitated for a moment, and then downed the entire contents in one gulp. As she lay back down, she wondered if she’d wake up at all. Sleep pulled at her, mingling with the fear of the unknown, and she drifted into darkness, hoping for the rest she so desperately needed.

She was now near the Castle of the Two Sisters, a strange location for a dream; it was the only thing she could think of. Oh well! She’d just have to wait and see what happened...

King Sombra didn’t take long to appear. Right behind her, he startled her, causing her to jump.

“You...!” Twilight exclaimed, embarrassed. She hadn’t seen or heard him coming. So stealthy as always! “Let’s see what kind of personality you’re bringing this time.”

“Personality? Oh, dear Twilight, haven’t you heard that we’re all three-dimensional?” he said with a smile, walking until he was right in front of her.

“I don’t want any of your games right now.” She looked away. “You’re going to explain everything to me, whether you’re real or not!”

King Sombra tilted his head in confusion.

“Not real?” he asked, before starting to laugh.

“W-What are you laughing at?!” Twilight exclaimed, embarrassed. She hadn’t said anything funny.

“Oh, Twilight,” he continued. “Do you want me to show you something real?”

“What?”

She couldn’t finish her sentence as she felt the pressure of the unicorn’s mouth near hers. It had happened again! She had let her guard down and was now paying for it. She quickly pulled away, wiping her mouth with her hoof. Sombra just looked at her with amusement.

“How about that? Did it feel real?” Sombra asked, eager to see the pony’s reaction.

Twilight couldn’t deny it. Everything felt real, even the heat in her face right now.

“Don’t do that again…” Twilight said, with a slight blush on her face as she took a few steps back, distancing herself.

“Where are you going? Are you going to leave me here? Stay with me,” he said quickly, walking towards her as she continued to back away.

“What?” Twilight asked, nervously. This was the first time she’d seen him like this; he seemed a bit anxious. Why did he sound like he was begging?

“Please stay with me…” he said, as he continued moving closer to her. “Twilight, you need to stay. You will stay, won’t you?”

“Stay…?” Twilight repeated, feeling uneasy about his behavior. Despite the other King Sombra’s being somewhat obsessive and commanding, this one unsettled her for some reason.

“I can’t stay…” she added.

“You must stay, please… there’s no time left…” he continued, his urgency growing. “You have to stay! I’ll make you stay!!” he sped up towards her.

Twilight closed her eyes tightly, as if it were a reflex. Was this the end of the dream? When nothing happened in the following seconds, Twilight opened her eyes and was surprised.

It was the beast! And it was standing in front of her, protecting her from King Sombra.

For the first time, she saw both beings together in the same place. Could this confirm that they were not one entity?

They stared at each other intently.

“...Well, look who finally decided to show up,” King Sombra said with a mocking grin. "I honestly hoped you’d never wake up."

The beast emitted deep, resonant growls but did nothing else; it merely continued to watch Twilight from time to time.

King Sombra, observing the creature's behavior, began to laugh with disdain.

“Oh, I see. You don’t want her to see you, do you?” He moved closer to the beast, his smile never fading. “You don’t want to show her your true form, or are you afraid to reveal your real self?”

An even louder growl reverberated through the air, but it stopped as Twilight flinched.

“Such a coward,” King Sombra said with a hint of disappointment. “I expected more from you.”

Twilight was utterly confused. Were they actually conversing? The beast didn’t speak, only King Sombra did, but the creature’s growls seemed to carry some hidden meaning.

“Wait, what’s going on here?” Twilight asked, her voice tinged with bewilderment.

Her question hung in the air, ignored by both beings, who maintained an extreme level of tension. Twilight feared they might clash at any moment.

Suddenly, both looked towards something in particular. Twilight followed their gaze but saw nothing specific.

“You know there’s no more time,” King Sombra said, while the beast continued to growl, offering no further response. “The window for communication is closing.”

King Sombra then turned his gaze back to Twilight, his expression growing serious, and then looked at the creature again.

“This is our last chance to—”

But the creature interrupted him. In the blink of an eye, it grabbed Twilight and vanished from the place. Twilight felt dizzy, confused by the sudden action.

They appeared in the usual place, the same dark spot as always. Twilight sighed in relief; she never thought she would feel such happiness seeing that place. The beast gently set her down on the ground and crouched to be at her level.

“What’s happening?” she exclaimed, tired of the confusion and demanding answers. This was absurd; something was going on, and she didn’t understand it at all.

The creature watched her in silence, with an almost unsettling calmness, and even seemed to offer a faint smile.

“What... what is happening?” Twilight repeated, this time more calmly. “Do I mean nothing to you? Aren’t you going to tell me?”

The creature moved closer, facing her directly. It opened its mouth, and Twilight braced herself to hear the usual silent words, but this time was different.

“Time's up.”

to be continued.