Dream's Fading Shadow

A Path Unseen

“Oh my god, did the one and only twilight Sparkle come to see me?” replied King Sombra, his tone dripping with mockery as he surveyed everything around him with disdain.

“I don’t have time for games right now. Will you join him, or will I have to make you?” Twilight said firmly, her eyes narrowing.

“Oh…” he responded, feigning fear. “I didn’t know you could be so aggressive. I wish I’d known that sooner…” he added in a sinister voice that sent a shiver down Twilight’s spine. Why did that tone sound so familiar?

“Oh, little one. You remember. Your body seems to remember,” he continued, stepping closer to her. “Don’t you recall all those ‘lovely’ moments we shared in your dreams?” he taunted, waiting for a reaction that would satisfy him. “I do. Every scream, every struggle…”

“Enough.” Twilight cut him off, not wanting to hear more. But her body trembled slightly at his proximity. She didn’t want to imagine what he had done to torment her back then.

“What a killjoy,” he said, sounding bored as he stepped back again. “Where’s that me who couldn’t speak? Oh, right, now he can. Why do mares always go crazy for the goody-two-shoes? I’ll never understand.”

Twilight, tired of his games, stepped forward with determination.

“Listen, time is running out,” she said.

“How original,” King Sombra retorted. “Thanks for the update; you can leave now.”

Twilight felt a twitch in her eye; this fragment was undoubtedly the hardest to deal with. Then she remembered what all the other fragments had said.

“You… you were behind all of this?” Twilight murmured. Sombra turned at her words.

“Well, well… you caught me! What are you going to do now, officer?” he replied sarcastically, raising his hooves. “Or maybe you’re curious about how I did it? It wasn’t that complicated, to be honest,” the fragment continued.

Twilight couldn’t deny her curiosity. She feared the method was so obvious, so simple, that it worked precisely because of that.

“You’ve probably figured it out by now, but this isn’t a ‘dream,’” he said, leaving Twilight even more confused. “Well, actually, it is, because you’re in our head right now. But I mean out there, in that dark place,” he added, emphasizing his point.

Twilight was somewhat aware of that. Somehow, they managed to connect their consciousness in this kind of sub-reality where Sombra’s body, twisted by darkness, could exist. She thought it was because of the Crystal Heart.

“You know, I read a book once, a long time ago. A rather boring book. But it said some very interesting things that I didn’t quite understand back then…” the fragment mused, as if recalling something distant. “It said something like… ‘Normally, when we dream, we have this "dream body"; it’s not a real body, but one we create to project ourselves in our dreams. The dream body usually represents our consciousness, and this can be easily drawn by certain energies... or something like that.’ How’s that for clever?”

Twilight’s eyes widened.

“What did you say? That book… I read it a few days ago, but half the paragraph was torn out…” she murmured. This fragment knew the rest of the sentence. What did he mean by consciousness being easily drawn by energies?

The fragment ignored her reaction.

“Well, that’s that. I thought if we used our hatred for you to create a bond and anchor your consciousness to this crumbling sub-reality while you were sleeping. Because when you sleep, that's when you're most vulnerable… I told you, very boring stuff, but it worked somehow,” King Sombra concluded.

“So, you were never really in my dreams... Instead, you connected my consciousness to that sub-reality... but...” Twilight continued, still piecing it all together.

“Ah, you’ve finally grasped it, Twilight," Sombra replied with that typical villainous air, enjoying the moment of explaining his scheme to the hero. "Since it wasn’t a dream to begin with, that’s why Princess Luna had no full access to it. From her perspective, she could only see what was on the outside—a dark, gloomy, empty place…”

“But what about the dreams within other dreams?” Twilight asked, still not fully understanding that part.

“Oh, by that time, your consciousness was already trapped in this sub-reality. No one else could enter to stop us, except for that beast. So, we had to project ourselves into those dreams somehow. That creature wasn't the only one with certain fragments of its powers, so we were also able to change our surroundings using your magic as the power core.” Sombra replied, stepping a little closer.

“By channeling our energies, we could prolong the stay of your consciousness here, making each encounter feel more real than the last,” he added with a sinister smile.

He leaned in, closing the distance until he was just inches from her face.

“And in that way, trap you here… so you could die with me,” he whispered darkly.

Twilight shuddered, a chill running down her spine, but she tried to stand firm in front of him.

Their conversation was interrupted when they both looked up at the same time. More dark fragments were falling from the sky, as if signaling there was no time to lose. Twilight turned back to him.

“That doesn’t matter anymore. You need to rejoin him to restore the original soul,” Twilight exclaimed, almost as if she were giving a command.

“No,” he responded, utterly disinterested.

“What?!” she shouted, raising her voice. There was no time for this, damn it. “Why? Don’t you want to live?”

“Live as a monster? Hmm, let me think... No. Restoring our soul won’t restore our physical body, will it?” he said, staring at her intently, studying her closely.

“Well… there’s that! But, you’d still be alive, wouldn’t you?!” Twilight replied, frustrated. She didn’t understand. The other fragment had accepted easily. Why was this one so stubborn?

“You call that living? Being trapped in a dark sub-reality, like a prison, where only you can enter… Doesn’t sound like a gift, does it?” he said, still reluctant but never losing that smile.

Twilight’s ears perked up in surprise. What? She hadn’t considered what that would mean. It was true; Sombra couldn’t leave, and she was the only one who could enter because of the connection her consciousness had already established with that place. But wasn’t that a good thing? She didn’t see anything wrong with it, but… would it deprive him of his freedom?

Twilight took a deep breath, trying to steady herself.

“I didn’t realize…” she said, struggling to keep her voice steady. “I thought… I thought restoring you meant just putting everything back together. But if it means condemning you to this endless limbo… that’s not what I intended.. that’s not…”

“Looks like you’re starting to get it,” he said, laughing. “Now you understand that you’re just like me.”

“I’m not like you!” she exclaimed.

“Oh, really? I wanted to trap you here with me, to perish alongside me. And you, who want to keep me from dying, so I could live as a prisoner, along with you?” he said, emphasizing his point.

“That… that’s not true! Stop talking nonsense!” Twilight exclaimed once more. Were they really nonsense, or was there an uncomfortable truth beginning to surface? “Anyway, you’ll be better, you’ll be fine once everyone is reunited and restored. Then we can discuss this.”

Sombra was momentarily taken aback by her words before he burst into laughter. Twilight stared at him, shocked.

“What now?!” she shouted.

“Oh, you’re so amusing…” he said, trying to catch his breath after laughing so hard.

“Do you really think he’ll be the same once I merge with him?” said the Sombra fragment with a sarcastic smile. “I didn’t know you were so naive, Twilight.”

Twilight shuddered, her brow furrowing as she gritted her teeth.

“What do you mean by that?” she demanded, trying to sound firm.

“Oh, don’t be like that,” he replied, chuckling as he stepped closer to her. “Maybe he’s part of the main body, but I will always be the dominant personality,” he added with a grin that made Twilight’s eyes go wide.

It was true. This fragment was the one most like the King Sombra of the past. If the two of them fused, would all the goodness in his personality be overshadowed by this darkness? It wasn’t certain, but the seed of doubt had already been planted.

“But what do I see here?” the fragment said, noticing Twilight’s expression. “Don’t tell me… you’re having second thoughts?” he asked, amazed, as if he couldn’t believe it.

“I don’t think… He’ll need all of his parts,” Twilight replied, a bright pink glow forming at the tip of her horn.

The fragment stepped back slightly.

“What do you think you’re doing? He won’t stop disappearing if I’m missing,” he said, regaining his stance in front of the unicorn. “Or would you risk it all just to have him that way? Like a dog that only follows your orders? A mere monster that can’t speak and only hears your voice?”

Twilight also took a step back. The magic in her horn began to dissipate. What was she doing? She didn’t know what would happen if King Sombra was missing one of his fragments. She put a hoof to her head, feeling confused. But she also didn’t want his attitude towards her to change…

They were in a tight spot, caught between a rock and a hard place, and time was running out.

What would she do now?

to be continued