Dream's Fading Shadow

Voices from Beyond Part III

The expression on the pony's face as she saw the stars seemed to warm his chest in a way he didn’t fully understand. He felt a warmth, as if simply watching her admire the starlit sky brought him a new sense of well-being. But she always had to ask so many questions. Although he usually ignored her, this time she said something unexpected.

"Did you do this for me?"

Sombra turned toward her quickly, opening his mouth as if to excuse himself, but then closed it, remembering he couldn’t speak. He wondered why he had done all this. For her? Why had he tried to change something just to see her reaction? Maybe he was tired of the pony's annoyed expression and wanted to see something different—perhaps a smile.

At first, he succeeded. But when she touched his hoof with hers, which was distorted by the darkness, he began to recognize it as a part of himself. Despite the darkness, it felt warm, surprisingly warm. It was a pleasant sensation.

He looked at her, confused. What was he feeling right now? He felt an internal warmth, nervousness, and even feared that his hoof might fog up. The pony’s expression was a mix of sadness and frustration, frustrated by the lack of answers to her questions.

Sombra pulled his hoof away.

"What were you thinking?" he asked himself, somewhat disappointed.

"You’ll never make her smile." He thought about what he could do to change the situation.

Speaking wasn’t an option; he couldn’t, nor should he. How would she react if she knew it was Sombra, the villain she had defeated with her friends, the same being who had tormented her through her dreams?

If he felt anything after Twilight left his dreams, it was an overwhelming exhaustion. He felt drained, as if every second had depleted all his energy. He longed to sleep, wondering if it was a side effect of the impending death he faced.

Finally, he allowed himself to rest. In a restless dream, he thought he sensed the pony beside him. Had he become so obsessed with her?

When Sombra woke up, he found Twilight next to him. She looked nervous, even frightened. He tried to approach her, concerned for her well-being.

"No, stay away!" Twilight exclaimed, a mix of disgust and fear in her eyes.

Sombra stopped in his tracks, feeling a sharp pang in his chest. It was like a small prick when she looked at him like that. He knew what was happening. One of his versions had reappeared. It was strange that they hadn't been around for several days. But why did it bother him so much now?

He did what he always did to wake her: in silent words, he thought:

"Time's up, leave."

And she vanished. Even with the little emotion he had left, he was concerned about whether she had woken up safely or if she was still frightened, sighing with worry.

That same situation happened again on another occasion. One of his other versions began to torment her in some way. Now they appeared in dreams within her dreams? The situation was very confusing. Why were they doing this? Why had they found another way to get into the pony's mind?

The situation was dangerous. If they continued to communicate, the connection would strengthen, making every sensation in the dream more real—including death. If the connection prolonged and Twilight died in the dream, she would also die in real life. Sombra knew this, and at first, he did nothing to prevent it, but now...

"Have you developed a taste for her too?" said a familiar voice, his own voice, but fragmented and distant.

Sombra growled. He didn’t like these fragments of him invading his space.

"Oh, come on. Why be so aggressive? We're all the same guy," said the fragment with a mocking laugh.

Sombra growled again.

"Still not planning to speak? Or is it that you can’t? How pathetic. And to think you're the main body," the fragment continued. "You can't stop us from dragging her with us, no matter how much you try to shield her from us."

"What is he talking about?" Sombra thought, still growling. What did he mean by that? He wasn’t protecting her, was he?
Then he remembered the times he had been with Twilight and how none of these fragments had intervened. Was he unconsciously protecting her, restricting these fragments' access to the pony’s dreams?

And that was why he felt so tired. Fending off all the other fragments of his soul was draining his energy, and it was also sapping Twilight's energy. He was startled to realize that if this continued, she would eventually run out of energy, just like him.

"Finally realized it, huh?" said the fragment with a mocking laugh. "Looks like you're the most sensitive of us all."

Sombra stood frozen, unsure of what to think. He remembered the few moments he had spent with her and how those moments made him feel warm inside.

Everything seemed uncertain, but one thing was clear. He wouldn’t let them continue tormenting Twilight. This had to stop. If he was going to die, he would take all his fragments with him, not Twilight.

With fury, he took a step toward his fragment, glaring aggressively. But as he took that step, he staggered. He still felt very weak; all his energy had already been spent. He squinted.

"Ha! Looks like you’ve finally run out of juice," said the fragment, smiling as it looked at him on the ground.

"It’s about time. Can we proceed with our plan now?" said another King Sombra who had suddenly appeared.

"I-I don’t want... Twilight to leave u-us," murmured another Sombra weakly.

"Relax, guys. Everyone will get their turn," said the fragments with malicious smiles.

Sombra, on the ground, couldn’t help but close his eyes, fearing the worst. That the other parts of him kept tormenting her in dreams, intensifying the connection, and worst of all, that she would remember every part of it upon waking.

Once his other fragments disappeared from the place, he slightly opened his eyes. His crimson eyes suddenly turned green. He still had a bit of his energy left, and he would make the most of it. If he couldn’t prevent those beings from encountering her, he would limit their time. By forcing her to wake up after that time had passed, it was the only thing he could do for her now.

to be continued.