Dream's Fading Shadow

Voices from Beyond Part I

Where am I...?

My head hurts...

Wait, where is my head?

King Sombra sat up and opened his eyes, but he couldn't feel them. Nor his body, nor anything. Where was he? He looked around but saw nothing. He thought it was nighttime, but there was no light, not even moonlight. He knew he was no longer in the Crystal Empire. What had happened? Hadn’t the heart shattered him into a thousand pieces? How was he still alive, if that was even the right word for it?

He examined his limbs. They didn’t respond. He tried to use his magic, but it was no use. He felt nothing. It was as if all his emotions had evaporated.

He no longer felt anger or happiness, if he ever did. Would this be his eternal fate? Was this his punishment, trapped in the same darkness that once was his power?

“It’s not so bad,” he thought. He lay down and began to sleep.

“It was all her fault.”

King Sombra jolted awake. What was that voice? Was that his own voice? But he hadn’t spoken.

“That unicorn and her stupid dragon.”

He got up again. Who was interrupting his eternal nap? Couldn’t he even rest in his own hell? This was too much.

“They ruined all our plans… My plans!”

He looked in every direction but couldn’t discern where the voices were coming from. Everything was too dark. Finally, he saw it: many versions of himself, talking amongst each other.

“And now what? Our physical form is falling apart.”

“It’s because of the heart. We barely managed.”

“W-W-We’re going to die? I don’t want to die!”

“Who invited the weird one?”

King Sombra watched with curiosity. There were many versions of himself, all speaking almost simultaneously, making it hard to understand them. What was happening? He approached them. Were they the reason he couldn’t feel anything? It seemed that not only had his physical body shattered into deformity, but his soul had too.

All the versions noticed his presence.

“Who is that?” asked one.

“He is us,” replied another.

“Us? I’m not that ugly. You compare me to that thing?” said another.

“M-M-Monster!” one of them exclaimed.

King Sombra watched with curiosity, trying to speak to them, but his voice wouldn’t come out. It seemed his physical form had become so deformed that his voice was no longer compatible with his body. He tried several more times, but to no avail. He didn't think much of it; after all, he no longer felt anything. Instead, he continued to observe the others.

“So what are we supposed to do now? We don’t have much time left.”

“How bad is the situation?”

“Bad. Devastating. At this rate, it won’t be long before our soul fades along with this body. Curse that crystal heart.”

“W-We’re going to die! I don’t want to die alone!”

King Sombra flinched. Was he going to die? Perhaps now he could feel the desperation to live? No, he felt nothing. How thrilling. But he thought maybe it was for the best; he had achieved nothing in his life, and a bunch of ponies had defeated him. Could he even live with such shame? He didn’t think it was possible. He returned to his place, lay down, and decided he didn’t care about any of this. He would sleep and wait patiently for death.

“Damn it! It’s all that pony’s fault!”

“Yes. I hate her. So smart, so brave, ugh.”

“I-I thought she was... k-kinda cute...”

“...Gentlemen, do you think the same as I do?”

All the King Sombras looked at each other and grinned maliciously. Did they all think the same thing? Yes, after all, they were the same being; despite being fragmented, each was still part of King Sombra.

Sombra flinched slightly, getting up from his place again. Was that what he was thinking? He assumed so; after all, they were the same being. If that was the case, they could somehow lure Twilight here to finish her off, getting some satisfying revenge before dying. They would toy with her, mock her, and who knew, maybe they could do something even worse to her.

He paused to think for a moment. Maybe he could... No, it wasn’t his problem. He lay back down. Why should he do anything? Especially not for the pony who had somehow defeated him! It wasn’t his problem anymore; he no longer cared. Let them do whatever they wanted; after all, they would die soon with him.

"Those fools... somehow they did it," Sombra said, still lying in the darkness. Who would have thought they managed to tap into Twilight’s dreams? Poor pony. That was all he could think. But he had no intention of intervening. It wasn't his concern.

The first few times, Twilight was tormented by his other versions in horrific, unimaginable scenarios.

Even he found them disturbing. Was this a result of no longer having emotions?

He sighed, but for some reason, every time Twilight would forget everything upon waking up.

"This ins't fun. When can we kill her?"

"We need to connect more deeply to her dreams to establish a direct link."

"D-Do we really have to kill her? She’s so beautiful!"

"She is... and stubborn," he said with malice, causing everyone to laugh.

Sometimes, this made him feel a bit sick. Was this really him? Had he always been like this? Or were these versions of himself just the worst parts he wasn’t even aware of? He sighed; as long as they left him alone, he didn’t care. Why did dying take so long?

One dream after another, they continued with the same routine. Shadow did nothing, as he had said, but one day that changed.

He was bored, yes. He, who could no longer feel anything, who awaited the sweet taste of death. He was dead from boredom. Living with himself turned out to be worse than he had imagined.

He got up. Walking forward? A saying someone had told him once; he no longer remembered. He walked slowly, like an old man, reluctant to rise. His body was terrible to manage.

Was singing something good too? Yes. So why didn't he sing? Nobody would judge him; after all, he was alone! He decided to start singing, but it didn't turn out as he expected. His voice wasn't what it used to be; instead of a melody, there were only growls, each one louder than the last.

"Who’s there?"

He stopped singing abruptly, as if an arrow had pierced his throat. He coughed, emitting a low growl. Had they interrupted his debut as a professional singer? It was a shame, so he hid, concealing his presence.

It was her. What was her name again? Twilight? Yes, that was it. What was she doing here? And most strangely of all, why wasn’t any of his versions tormenting her as they usually did? That was truly odd.

She managed to sense his presence, which surprised him. Was this the worthy student of Celestia? He had no choice but to reveal himself.

"W-What are you...?" she asked, a hint of fear on her face.

He couldn’t believe it.

Why was she asking him, what he asked himself the same question since he arrived? Was he now just a mere presence? A mere soul? Someone who couldn’t even feel pain? He wasn’t sure, but the way she looked at him, not like all his versions who mocked him for being literally deformed and horrible, but with fear and, somehow, as if there was more to him, made him feel... relieved? Was he feeling something? Or was it just an illusion?

Well, hefelt something, a presence nearby; another version of himself was close. He looked back at the pony. What was he supposed to do? He wasn't supposed to interfere, to do nothing, but...that was just the decision he made, right?

He opened his mouth and tried to say, "There’s no time, you need to leave," but no sound came out. It was the first time he felt, was it frustration? Like when you stumble while talking about something you love, that kind of feeling.

He sighed, but somehow, did he manage to make her leave? She vanished. That was strange. Could he make her wake up with what he had just done? And worst of all, why had he done all this?

to be continued.