Umbral Storm

“I guess I can’t complain…” I said slowly, flexing my hoof over and over in different ways as I also examined the symbol engraved. “You healed it, after all.”

Nai looked up at his brother in confusion. “I only see that symbol on elders. They always say they’ll tell us about it when we become warriors.” Nai whined in confusion.

Xyka looked frustrated as he buried his head in his wing. “Okay, but you can’t just blame me this time! It was both of our big mouths.”

I lifted my now healed hoof and placed it on their back and smiled. “Hey! It doesn’t bother me. Having a cool golden tattoo instead of a scar is fine with me.”

Xyka smiled as Nai tilted his head. “What’s a tat-ooo?”

I huffed, “Nevermind that, let’s keep going.”

With nothing more to add to the recent development, we sort of shrugged it off and took hold of the ropes again. I was now pulling Flitter with the vigor of an old dog given new legs. In a sense, the now brand new feeling limb was giving me the confidence to feel like we could make it all the way.

Walking on my hoof was easy. I no longer had a limp. Now the only thing plaguing me was the exhaustion and constant pain from my ever decreasing pool of magic. But hey, silver lining, alright?

As we strutted through the forest, I couldn’t help but keep looking down at my leg. Which glowed with a faint yellow light in the darkness, as if I had one of those glow stick bracelets. Having a weird glowy leg was hardly even on the table for my concerns at the moment, and if I was being honest, it made me feel happy.

Like a weird friendship bracelet.

Now that it was growing darker, it became much harder to figure out where we were supposed to go. Following the cliff so closely was dangerous in the descending darkness, and wandering aimlessly into the forest was a bad idea.

It wasn’t much longer before we began running into those same issues.

“I think I’ve seen that rock before.” Nai said with a sigh.

Xyka continued on with a raised brow, “It’s a rock. They’re all the same color. How would you recognize one?” He said in annoyance.

“Because! I remember it having like a pointy bit at the top and another small rock next to it.”

“There’s probably a hundred other rocks that look the exact same way!”

“That’d be a crazy coincidence, wouldn’t it?”

“Yeah it would!”

Their mildly worthless debate got interrupted as a sudden thwacking sound appeared off in the distance, a confusing one that made us stop in our tracks and listen intently.

We both looked at each other in confusion. Every other second was a singular and striking sound, reverberating through the surrounding trees, and echoing so that we could never pinpoint the direction of the sound as it bounced between tree and rock. It became consistent, and louder, growing more irritating by the second.

I sort of backed myself against Nai-Xyka as we all looked forward in confusion. Nai pulled his orb forward and ignited it to be even larger and illuminating farther as he held it up far above our heads. “Whatever you’re doing, stop!” Nai commanded.

We caught just the smallest glimpse of an umbrum behind a tree.

And we got a very visceral feeling of fear as the tree creaked back and forth. Moaning and groaning with the sound of splintering wood as it cracked underneath its own weight.

Then it toppled forward directly towards us.

“Look out!” Xyka called as he practically pushed me forward as we used all our strength to pull Flitter out of the way, just as the tree crashed where we were standing only a moment ago.

I didn’t even have time to look back and think about our situation as Xyka began yanking forward on the rope. “We need to get going now!” Xyka ordered hastily. Considering I could feel that I wasn’t contributing much to the frantic pulling, I suspected that Nai-Xyka were doing most of the heavy lifting...

We began moving at as fast of a pace as possible through the rough terrain.

It was as if the entire umbral storm had returned to us in full force again. As we saw hundreds of shadows appear amongst the treeline, exceeding our pace as they ran ahead of us.

Then it suddenly clicked in my brain as I saw the umbrum up ahead of us. “Turn! Now!” I yelled to my companions.

They trusted me, and we made a sharp turn farther into the forest. Only a moment later, a few dozen trees toppled over in the direction we were running initially.

“Nice!” Xyka called.

Nai was looking all around us in quite the panic. “Guys, they’re everywhere. Running a different way won’t save us!”

I wish Nai had been joking.

In an instant, it became nearly impossible to tell which direction the umbrum were cutting trees in. There were a few falling down every second, going whichever way the tree pleased. We didn’t have time to chart a course or redirect our path. We were being forced in whichever direction didn’t result in being pancaked.

They were going to corner us if we didn’t figure something out quickly.

“What do we do!?” I asked in terrified panic as I glanced back at Flitter.

Considering for a moment that Flitter hadn’t even woken up for an event this drastic also put an enormous burden of fear on my back, as I wondered what could be wrong with her.

We dodged and ducked every single tree that was nearby. But the umbrum were getting much more precise with their cutting and the tree started falling dangerously close, too close for comfort.

There was echoing laughter now in the trees surrounding us as the umbrum were finding some sort of malicious glee out of trying to stop us, or worse.

“Look!” Xyka yelled while pointing his wing forward.

All three of us looked up, our eyes widening as the minute promise of respite entered our heads. Up ahead, the small blue wisp that had brought us together was floating, waving back and forth as if to beckon us in its direction.

“Follow it!” I called.

Once we were near enough to the wisp, it shot off in another direction. The odd zig-zag pattern the wisp was taking us along was unpredictable, and it showed as the trees would fall so far away from us that not even the branches would come close.

“Woohoo!” Xyka whooped in excitement. “Try again filthy umbrum!”

Xyka’s adrenaline was going to get us in trouble with his insults soon enough, I felt.

The umbrum scrambled and struggled to adapt their plan to the completely unpredictable escape plan that the wisp was directing us in. They got close to flattening us a few times afterwards, but nothing was nearly as close as before.

Up ahead, I could make out a clearing where the trees gave way, and I picked up speed in anticipation of reaching it. The wisp stopped up ahead within the clearing, and we were so close to being safe within its tree-less respite.

“Just up ahead! We’ll make it!” I called through struggling breaths.

But as the treeline got closer and closer and we put our stamina to the ultimate test, our view of our wisp companion became obstructed as an umbrum stood in front of us, blocking our path. Of course, we were confident that they would move out of the way of Nai’s light, so we continued.

But as we got closer and closer, the umbrum wasn’t moving… The approaching light did not phase them whatsoever as their shadowy figure stood still, completely unbothered and seeming to smile slowly.

My eyes widened in fear. Was the umbrum going to sacrifice itself to stop us before we reached the treeline?

I quickly glanced over. “We need to go around it. Quick!”

We did just that, taking a sharp right turn to go around the umbrum, but with no guidance forward at that moment, we ran right into the path of a falling tree.

I quickly dug my hooves into the dirt as we came to a screeching halt, the tree only missing us by a few feet.

We redirected ourselves in a different direction, but before we could gain speed, another tree fell in our path, and this happened again and again.

Until one minor mistake.

Just the smallest slip up.

I stumbled and fell forward into the dirt, rolling quite a few feet away from the cart and Nai-Xyka.

My wyvern companion immediately rushed over to help me up. “Kieran!” Nai called in concern.

Once they got to me and helped me up to my struggling hooves, my eyes widened in panic as I looked back towards the cart. “Flitter, we need-” My teeth seethed in pain as I took a few steps forward. “To help her…”

At that moment, a tree fell right in our path between Flitter.

“NO!” I yelled angrily while running towards the downed tree and scrambling over it. Nai-Xyka quickly followed at my side.

When we hauled ourselves over the downed tree, I glimpsed Flitter and the cart for only a moment before the shadowy tendril of an umbrum grabbed hold of the entire cart. Pulling Flitter with it as it disappeared into the darkness beyond my vision.

“Give her back!” I screamed.

Nai-Xyka looked shocked. The umbrum had pulled her away so fast they couldn’t have possibly blasted it away with their light.

I forced myself the rest of the way over the log and started running. I know I was running into the forest with them… but I had to! They had taken Flitter!

“Kieran, wait!” Xyka called after me in a panic.

“She is not yours!” I yelled loudly with rage as I continued to run forward.

“Kieran!!!” Nai yelled even louder than Xyka. I heard the crash of another tree behind me and heard a very loud cry of pain.

The desperation in the cry was enough to make me glance back, and what I saw filled me with chills and made my blood run ice cold.

Nai’s wing got trapped beneath the weight of one of the fallen tree’s branches. And Nai was howling in pain as Xyka seethed through his teeth.

I froze at that moment.

Nai-Xyka needed my help, but… Flitter…

Nai looked up at me with pain, trying to mask it for a second, even though the pain was still plainly evident on his face. His eyes went wide, and Nai did something I really didn’t expect.

He tossed his light orb in my direction. Immediately, the sound of hissing umbrum screeched in my ears. I turned my head swiftly to see about a dozen umbrum slinking away from the light that had suddenly surrounded me like a protective barrier.

“Nai! Xyka!” I yelled as I looked back at them in a panic, only to realize that they weren’t there anymore.

As if they were a ghost, they had just… disappeared…

The umbrum had taken Nai-Xyka too…

I looked all around me as I screamed in panic. What was I supposed to do? They were both gone! All I could hope to do is to find help and try to get them both back, but how do I do that now!?

I lowered my hoof to Nai’s orb, and surprisingly, found that it had a physical form that I could pick up. I gingerly picked up the orb, holding it against my chest in one hoof as my mind reeled in panic.

My breathing quickened, and my vision blurring at my headache of a situation.

What do I do?

What do I do??

What am I supposed to do!??

…

…

His orb is still here, that meant he was still fine, right!?

And Flitter? Would they use her against me?

…

I heard more trees cracking around me as I tried to stifle the panic attack coming upon me. Quickly deciding to run into the clearing from before, which I did swiftly without the weight of Flitter behind me.

The moment I entered the large open field, the umbral storm descended on me at full force. As a deep darkness surrounded me and swirled around me in a circle. Hundreds of eyes looking at me from just beyond the reaches of the orb as I heard laughter. They sounded happy.

They were enjoying this.

No matter where I walked, the thick fog of darkness and umbrum would follow. There was no escaping them. I could run forever and never escape from the prison of shadows surrounding me. They had my friends and…

Discord was right. This was exactly what he’d shown to me, and it was all my fault. I ignored his warning. I brought my friend into this. And Nai-Xyka felt the need to stay behind and help me as well.

“Fine, then!” I looked all around me with a look of panic and acceptance. “Take me!”

Tears brimmed my eyes as I stopped trying to run around, my legs and hooves giving out underneath me as they wobbled. “Just give them back! You can have me. Do whatever you want with me, I give up!” I sobbed through a stream of tears.

“Let my friends go.” I begged, pleaded, as my face made its way into the dirt.

They could have me, if they were going to hurt my friends. If I didn’t surrender, then I would.

“Just give them back…” I sobbed into the ground, “They’re all I have…”

Nai’s orb next to me flickered like a candle about to be blown out, and I continued to hold on to it as tears streamed down my face. Releasing a whimper of heartache as the light of the orb finally went out as it withered and died between my hoof and chest.

…

…

And everything was silent.

…

…

Why had the umbrum not attacked me yet..?

“Little one,”

It was that voice, the same one from earlier.

A touch came upon my back, a gentle touch. But I flinched and recoiled at the feeling all the same. I felt a hoof lower itself beneath my chin and gently prod at me to raise it. Though I was terrified, I allowed it. My shivering form only grew more confused as I allowed my head to be lifted with the carefulness of a mother comforting her charge.

“Open your eyes, my child.” It cooed softly.

I opened my eyes slowly.

There was a mare standing in front of me now, a gray unicorn with a mane that flowed like shadows, black and purple mixing into a smoke that swept down her form like a dress. Her eyes were a bright yet soft green, purple smoke emanating from their sides. With bright red and piercing eyes. She wore silver armor across her chest and hooves adorned with red gems that reminded me of how the princesses would adorn themselves.

She was terrifyingly beautiful.

At first, I looked at her in confusion. Was she here to save me? Was I going to be safe after all?

But something about her bright green eyes with the shadows emanating out of them immediately raised alarms in my head as I jerked myself away from her in a squeal of sudden panic.

She smiled in amusement. “There’s no reason to be frightened, my child.” She muttered .

“No!” I recoiled from her and shook my head vigorously, “No, no, no, you’re an imperator!”

She tilted her head and pursed her lips. “I can’t say I’ve heard that title before, little one.”

“An umbrum then!” I shook violently as my breathing intensified. “You’re an umbrum!”

She hummed, taking a few steps towards me, “And why is that such an awful thing, dear?” She asked with a mirthful yet quiet laugh, as if I was a child misbehaving. Her voice was smooth as silk and felt just as deadly as a spider’s web.

When she got closer, I held up my hooves defensively to cover myself. “What do you want!?”

She sighed, a smile still covering her face. “I came to thank you.”

My mind reeled as I slowly lowered my hooves and looked at her in bewilderment. Just what did I do that would make the hateful and resent filled umbrum look at me with thanks? What awful atrocity had I committed for an umbrum to show me respect? What could she possibly want?

“You did what my son could not accomplish.” She said eagerly, as if it was obvious.

“What…” I shuddered, “What do you mean..?”

She titered, “You my child! You freed us from our imprisonment!” She said happily, a relieved and gleeful expression crossing her face. “It’s all thanks to you and that brilliant release of magic you had!”

I shook my head in denial, “N-No, I… I didn’t… I wasn’t trying to!” I yelled in protest.

“There’s no need to scream at me, little one.” She said, getting even closer, “Is that any way to speak to your queen?”

“Q-Queen?” I muttered in a tiny voice as my panic grew by the second.

“What a loyal little one you are. Freeing your queen from her imprisonment by fooling with that awful royal family long enough for their daughter to unleash your magic for you to use. Brilliant.” She leaned downward as she cooed, “It must’ve been so awful being stuck with them, was it not?”

“W-Whatever I did to free you was an accident. Umbrum are bad…” I countered with shaky breaths, “You’re not my queen.”

She frowned at that, as she almost seemed sadden by my reaction. “My child, I gave you life again, and you still think I’m not on your side?”

“W-What..?” I said in complete shock as I tried to move backwards even farther, but she moved forward after me before I could get away from her, placing a gentle hoof on my back.

“Forgive me for not introducing myself.” She hummed, “I am Queen Rabia. Queen of the umbrum. And your new mother.”

I pushed myself away from her. “What? No, you’re not!”

“And why not?” Rabia asked in genuine confusion, “You’ve accomplished what neither I nor my failure of a son could achieve in hundreds of years! You freed us from our imprisonment with your immense magic! And I gave you life, my dear!”

“Stop saying that!” I yelled.

“It’s true!” She raised her voice above mine. She released a reluctant sigh and turned towards her side. “Bring him out.”

I wondered what she was saying, as the storm of umbrum parted and gave passage to another new umbrum, who bowed immediately in her presence.

“Hello, Smoke Strike.” Rabia said.

Smoke… Strike..?

The umbrum nodded in reply. It looked indistinguishable from any of the other umbrum at that moment. Had Smoke always been one of them?

Rabia hummed, “He was… a fair bit weaker than I anticipated. So he didn’t seem to become a… what did you call me again? Oh yes, an imperator. But Smoke here has fully embraced himself as an umbrum.”

She huffed a laugh. “He helped me infest that little whelp of a princess with a seed of my magic. A sort of… parasite.” Rabia began pacing around me. “With her magic, I connected myself with the afterlife, searching for my perfect little soul to burrow. Someone filled with hatred, resentment, and everything else that those wretched ponies have made us umbrum feel for a thousand years.”

My eyes reduced to the size of pinpricks as I quivered in fear.

“You see…” she began, pacing back and forth as if she were my teacher. “When somepony dies in a way that scars their very soul, it can have certain benefits. All of that rage, hatred, resentment, jealousy—it all builds upon itself.” She approached me and loomed over me like a hungry spider, “And creates this perfect little consciousness of hatred. And oh do they ever stick out! Like a beacon of despair within the afterlife.”

“All of that brought me to you!” She said happily, “My perfect little foal, full of so much hatred and malice! And so much more capable of releasing the umbrum, and much smarter and more cunning than my failure son, Sombra. Your soul was so dark! Oh my, it was just splendid to see. I had to settle on you when I saw it!” She cooed with a happy sigh.

“No, no, no! I am not your… your new weapon!” I yelled in protest.

She tilted her head. “Oh, but your job is already complete, my little shadow. You’ve used the princess’s visage perfectly. I couldn’t possibly ask for more!” She giggled happily as she reached a hoof forward and caressed my cheek. “I would have you do nothing else for me! I came to collect you and just you, my little umbrum. Mother is finally here for you. I know it’s been a long wait.”

My eyes widened even more, and Rabia placed her other hoof to her chin in curiosity as she sat down, “Judging by your expression, you don’t seem to realize you’ve been an umbrum this whole time?”

“W-What?… B-But… I…”

“Yes, it is true…” Rabia said with a nod. “You’re still trapped within the body of that little princess, imprisoned by the residual vestiges of her magic. But on the inside of your soul, below this little facade… you… are just a little umbrum. Waiting for mommy to come and pull you out. Don’t worry, I’m here now, my child.” The way she said it made a chill wrack my spine.

Wait, was that why my horn had always rejected my magic? Is that why all I could do was blow myself up with smoke bombs..?

The smoke did always look rather odd… so dark…

Oh no…

She reached her hoof out towards me, and I jerked backwards immediately. “You’re not my mother! You’re not my friend, you’re not my queen, and I’m definitely never helping an umbrum!”

My words had the opposite effect, as Rabia seemed spurred on more by my words. “Oh, your hatred is just so adorable!” She cooed, “But it’s directed at the wrong ones, my dear.”

Rabia’s form faded away into the shadows that surrounded me as she disappeared. Her shadows swirled around me like its own mini tornado as I heard her voice around me. It was everywhere, yet I could feel the voice in my head at the same time.

“What have they ever done for you? Hmm?” Rabia tilted her head and fixed me with a pitying look.

“The little princess who brought you here. Too naïve to realize that her actions and words have consequences. She used you to play the role of a big sister and threw you out like trash when you wouldn’t be a little doll for her.” Rabia rolled her eyes dramatically.

She began mimicking Flurry’s voice.

“I wanted to fix everything that was still wrong…”

“I didn’t make you do anything!” Flurry’s voice shouted.

Rabia’s voice came back, “She pretends like she was perfect! That nothing that happened could’ve possibly have been her fault. Do you know what the little brat has been saying since you’ve run away?”

Without missing a beat, she switched back to Flurry’s voice with harsh fitfulness befitting a foal complaining. “Even if he never came back, nobody would care.”

“Momma, can you stop trying to find him? It’s not worth the trouble.”

“He’s probably living in the sewers like the annoying mistake he was.”

No… Flurry wouldn’t have said those things about me. I shook my head, “She wouldn’t… she couldn’t be talking like that about me…”

“Oh, but she could, my child.” Rabia interrupted my thoughts. “And that perfect mother of hers? That wretched princess of love that does nothing but spout false promises and exude fake love? Do you know how little she cared for you?”

I looked down at the ground as tears started brimming my eyes again, not wanting to accept the words coming out of her mouth as I held in a sob. “No…”

Cadence’s voice assaulted my ears angrily, as if she was ranting to one of her servants, “That little! Urgh!” she grunted in annoyance. “Why couldn’t he just wait for me to get home and calm him down? Then I wouldn’t have to have an Equestria wide search party for the little brat.”

“No, no, I don’t care if he was heartbroken by you, Flurry. You chased our little puppet off and now we have to start over again!”

No, she wouldn’t… This couldn’t be real…

“No, Bristle, I do not care if you find him anymore. If you do, he'll just get thrown in the dungeons anyway.”

“I’m glad he’s gone. His constant complaints about his gender were so unbelievably exhausting.” Cadance said with a frustrated sigh.

I started sobbing into my hooves as I wanted to cover my ears and drown her out. “Please stop…”

“Of course, my little shadow…” Rabia cooed as she materialized back into her own form again, laying on the ground next to me and pulling me against her barrel. “But now you see, when you arrived, you were already so perfect, my child. They were all disgusted by you, continuing to hope you’d stop seeing them with deserved hatred.”

She leaned in and whispered in my ear, my head swimming with a heavy fog of confusion, “Mommy will get you a new body more befitting of my perfect little prince. And then mommy will show those ponies not to mess with her little shadow, hmm? How does that sound, Kieran?” She said my name extra softly with the smoothness of silk.

“B-But… Nai-Xyka and Flitter… you took them!” I said, remembering my friends that were injured by her umbrum. “You hurt them!”

Rabia sighed, a hint of annoyance on her face as she looked out towards the surrounding storm of umbrum around us. “I can release them, and promise to leave them be for now. If it would satisfy you.” She waved one of her hooves towards the wall of shadows and umbrum.

Another gap opened in the umbral storm, and I could see Flitter lying untouched on the ground. And a few feet away was Nai-Xyka, who was kicking and struggling against the shadowy tendrils wrapped around their limbs and muzzles.

“Wait, let them go!” I stood up, debating running toward them or not.

Rabia sighed and waved her hoof yet again, and the umbrum holding Nai-Xyka dropped him to the ground. They picked themselves up with a moan of pain as they looked over at me. “Kieran..?” Nai asked carefully.

…

“What are you doing with an imperator?” Xyka growled dangerously, “Get away from our friend!” He shouted.

Rabia laughed mockingly. “I will not be getting away from my foal, little whelp.”

It was then that I realized the voice that we’d heard earlier that was mimicking his father had been Rabia. The way she put the same tone into the way she regarded him was far too similar.

Nai-Xyka both looked shell-shocked as they looked at me with wide eyes. They must’ve noticed that I was currently being coddled by the queen of the umbrum herself, against my own wishes. I could see the hint of betrayal cross over Xyka’s face as he put two and two together. “You’re… an umbrum.” He said darkly, “that’s what we’d been smelling this whole time. I knew it smelled familiar… Like darkness…” He chuckled darkly as his head fell to look at the ground.

I struggled out of Rabia’s grasp as I stood up in a panic, “N-No! Xyka I… I’m not… I’m still your friend!”

I looked at Nai, and he looked away from me, too. “I don’t know…” Nai’s face was full of worry and guilt.

“No, no!” I said desperately. “They don’t control me! I’m still me! She isn’t my-”

“What he’s hesitating to say is that your worries are misplaced. Umbrum aren’t that bad, little wyvern, and if that should be a problem then I have no worry of denying you of being friends with my little shadow.” Rabia interrupted me as I looked up at her in annoyance.

Xyka’s mouth formed a growl, but stopped himself and turned their back on me. “Should’ve known,” Xyka scoffed sadly as his head fell farther.

…

“Just go die or something, you filthy umbrum.”

…

…

I held my hoof out in shock as a fresh wave of tears overtook my eyes. The umbral storm closed off before I could say anything else as they once again disappeared into the wall of shadows.

Rabia’s muzzle came upon my side again and nuzzled me. “Aww… I’m so sorry that you scared them off, little one. It looks like the ones you thought were friends really hated you as well, deep down. But it’s okay, mommy is still right here. Mommy still loves and cares for you.” She cooed.

“Nai… Xyka..?” I huffed sadly, still sitting there in disbelief. I shouldn’t feel surprised by his words, but the coldness that Xyka had regarded me with had really stung deeply.

“I will still release them, dear, but it seems they will want nothing to do with you.” Rabia said soothingly, rubbing my back, “A shame… This is the reality for us umbrum, always hated, always outcast. But not by our own, no no, we stand by each other, my little prince.”

I choked on my tears as I struggled to come to terms with what she was saying and what was happening. “If you say you care, why should I believe you over everyone else?” I asked.

Rabia clicked her tongue, “When your magic shockwave broke us out of our prison, we were elated to come find you, my dear. We could’ve taken over the crystal empire right then and there while they recover from their destruction. We came to collect our own instead, to ensure your safety, and you’ve made quite the journey.” She giggled as she caressed my cheek. “But it’s over now. You don’t have to worry anymore.”

I pushed myself back and away from her. “No…”

…

“No, this is wrong…” I said while shaking my head. “Umbrum are hateful, evil beings. They hurt others for fun, others that never deserve it. Sombra enslaved an entire kingdom of innocent ponies!” I protested loudly as I glared up at Rabia.

She began pacing back and forth, eyeing me with scrutiny. “I find it adorable you speak of revenge as if it’s evil, my little one. When you arrived in Equestria, you were just as resentful as us all! Those little pranks of yours didn’t go unnoticed!”

“And how do you know about that?” I asked slowly, with a quiet tone. “If you were imprisoned, then how would you know?”

She scoffed. “You think I would allow you to just run free after I give you life?”

“You were watching me?” I said with mild surprise, though it was becoming more of a blanket of acceptance of this crazy situation.

…

…

I shook my head and stomped my hoof, “If being an umbrum is like that, then I want nothing to do with it!”

Rabia’s face fell into a stoic expression that was unreadable to me. But I’d be lying to say it didn’t frighten me. She gestured up and around us with her hooves. “And what, you’d rather pretend to be a fake pony princess than be with us? Your own kind? Where are those precious pony princesses that they all worship right now, little one? Don’t you think they’d have found you by now? That they cared about their newest ‘family’ member missing?” She scoffed in admonishment. “They gave up on you! Don’t you see that? They want nothing to do with your dark little heart!” She said with a short growl at the end.

Immediately afterward, she composed herself and cleared her throat. “I think you are just struggling to face your reality. Left alone in darkness, and reborn in it all the same. And those who still praise the light, harmony and ponies? They will never love you, and they do not suit you at all.”

I sobbed sadly, “I don’t want to be a dark creature hated by everyone. I want to be in the light…” I cried to myself softly.

Suddenly an epiphany suddenly overtook the queen of shadows. “Perhaps… you’ve just forgotten where you came from? That must be it.”

She disappeared into the shadows again, leaving me to grapple with what that meant.

I suddenly heard a voice, a familiar one.

And one that I never wanted to hear again, not since I got here…

“They don’t care about you.”

No…

No, no, no… why could she use his voice?

…

Why?...

…

“Or are you really so pathetic you’d rather pretend and be naïve?” The voice of Damon met my ears again. Making my body quiver as my mind tried to close itself off to deal with the shock.

“Nobody ever cares about us, Kieran. Nobody accepts street rats like us. All we do is get in their way.”

My body fell into the dirt as I covered my head. “Stop it!” I yelled.

Damon’s voice laughed. “What? You think the truth will change just because you screamed and cried about it enough?”

The voice sneered as it got even closer to me. “I left you to die because you’re weak. You got in my way. You mean nothing to me. And now you think these ponies are going to think differently?”

“NO! NO! STOP TALKING!” I covered my ears as I tried to drown the voice out.

“Though I have to thank you for taking that shot for me. It saved me a lot of pain. Can’t say I didn’t feel some remorse running from your body. But hey, it’s a jungle out there, kiddo.”

“STOP!” I yelled, standing to my hooves and growling with intense anger and hatred.

Rabia’s voice appeared next to me, “Perfect. Wonderful. Hold on to that feeling right now, Kieran. Let it consume you, let your hatred fill every limb of your body until nothing remains but shadows.” She laughed.

She appeared on my side, letting her mane envelop me as she looked down at me eagerly. “Only mommy loves you. Nobody else will accept you ever again, sweetie.”

Her words were like a dark, thick haze, one that enveloped my mind. Making painful aches wrack through my head as I kept hearing his words and reliving old memories.

For a few moments, I tried to resist the growing urge of emotion. But it soon gave way to her suggestions, to let it all flow through me. The memories of my past life invaded my head, only making me get angrier and more resentful by the second. It felt like I had no choice, like I had to remember. The anger came so easily with it.

It felt so incredibly easy to hate…

Maybe everyone deserved what they had coming to them? Maybe it would feel good to stand with the umbrum as their prince and look down on the pitiful ponies with resentment and hatred?

I could stand at the top! With an infinite amount of power, I’d have a mother that’s proud of me for doing what I’m best at and making everyone else miserable! How bad could it possibly be? I would be a king one day!

Maybe everyone else just needed to know what it felt like to be hated! To have no family left and be alone!

Maybe I…

I…

I felt tears running down my cheek and quickly wiped them away.

How dare those awful ponies make me cry? Who did they think they were treating me like I’m some sort of toy for their disposal? How dare they think they can keep me from figuring out just how important I am!?

…

NO!..

No…

…

I shook my head

…

No.

How dare I even think of believing a word this umbrum had to say?

…

The umbrum tore apart Nai-Xyka’s family.

Flitter was in a critically injured state because the umbrum wanted me so badly.

The umbrum enslaved the crystal ponies for hundreds of years.

…

…

This is exactly what the umbrum wants. They want me to give into hatred and become their little puppet to use against everyone else. They want to use me more than anyone, more than any lie that I told myself in the past about Cadance and Flurry.

No matter what she says, Rabia is not above using me. Not above faking words to win me over herself.

I could now see the extent of where my path with her would take me. The dark and dangerous, the uncaring, the lonely path of hatred and solitude of deciding to give up on everything and simply hate just because it made me feel slightly better at the moment. And it disgusted me.

The umbrum are darkness, evil, and death.

I don’t want to be any of those things anymore!

I will NOT be a puppet!

…

I had so much to return to now…

Cadence was proud of me… for just being me, and nothing else.

Shining was proud of my bravery…

And Flurry was proud of my resilience.

…

Luna appreciated my honesty.

Sage appreciated my innocence.

Flitter appreciated my naivety.

Nai-Xyka… appreciated just having someone around who understands their feelings when they’re going through their darkest moments.

The darkest moments that were forced upon them by the umbrum and their vile acts.

By Rabia.

…

Rabia is darkness and evil.

And I am not.

…

I am not hers.

…

…

I stood up, steeled my expression, and turned around to meet Rabia’s gaze again.

She stared at me in anticipation as I raised my head to look at her. I released a long sigh with a small laugh of acceptance at the end. Rabia’s face crept with a smile that struck me as particularly evil, as if she thought she’d convinced me of her ways.

I scoffed at her, and spoke low, “I’m never going to be one of you. And you’re insane if you think I’d ever consider you my mother.”

…

Rabia’s expression immediately deflated into a rising anger that she couldn’t contain within her anymore. Her expression darkening as her mane flared with shadows, and her eyes billowed with purple smoke. Her hatred was as plain on her face as the mask she’d been wearing had thoroughly failed her.

“You sniveling little brat.” Rabia spat venomously.

It was then that I remembered I was still… well…

Facing down a literal queen of the umbrum…

She stomped a hoof forward as she loomed over me. “I offer you everything! Power, family, a new life, and you deny me!?” she said in disbelief, as if I had attacked her.

I simply nodded. “I’d rather be hated and abandoned by everyone than be evil and try to exact revenge. It just sounds so tiring, y’know? And it’s just… not right…” I said with a quick sigh.

I tilted my head back to look up at her looming over my comparatively small stature. “And I know you aren’t telling me the whole truth. You fully intend on using my alicorn body to rule over Equestria, don’t you? You’re probably not strong enough to even take over the crystal empire or any other kingdom unless you ‘corrupt’ me. Is that right?”

Rabia grunted and closed her eyes momentarily as she began shouting, “You had the perfect life set out for you. All that I asked of you is to be my good little foal, but no! Apparently that’s too hard!”

I suddenly found myself within her magic aura, gripping tightly around my neck as she choked me and lifted my body into the air. I pulled at my neck in desperation as I struggled to get any air, but it was magic that was far too strong for simple hooves to pull at, and I was completely helpless in her grasp.

“I have no qualms with throwing out that disgusting excuse for a soul inside of you and replacing it with one of my loyal shadows! You are NOTHING!” She screamed at me. “You’re just as much a failure as my son, Sombra! Thinking that you can rise above your maker like the hero of your own story book! Both of you are pathetic! Neither of you have, and ever will, mean anything to me! You’re just pawns that don’t understand your place!”

Gasping as I continued to struggle to breathe, gasping for breaths as my lungs screamed, I finally gave up on trying to fight back as my limbs went slack. I stared up at her with a tired expression and smiled as wide as possible, “Y-You’re… right.” I choked out, “But a-at least I-I’m… happy.” My vision began blurring because of the lack of oxygen.

Deciding to accept whatever my fate may be and closing my eyes so that I didn’t need to see anymore. Whatever she was about to do to me, I couldn’t stop. But I can make peace with knowing I never gave in, and tried my hardest at every step.

Well, you know… After the part where I figured out that I was wrong about everyone…

…

Nai-Xyka… I’m sorry that you’re going to fail your oath.

Flitter, I’m sorry I didn’t get you home.

Cadence, Shining, I’m sorry I never understood your words even though I needed them the most…

And Flurry… I’ll never call you big sister. But… I believe you, finally.

You never meant for any of this to happen, did you?

It’s okay, I forgive you.

…

Please don’t cry when I’m gone

…

…

Don’t… Don’t cry…

…

…

It’ll be over soon.

…

…

…

“Get away from my son!” I heard a voice shout.

I felt myself suddenly hit the ground as Rabia screeched in pain. I took large gasping breaths as I heaved and coughed. My eyes opened slightly just in time as I watched the fading light of a large beam of energy fading away. And Rabia stumbling backwards. She looked up with hatred and malice towards somebody new in the area.

It was only a few seconds later when I saw white legs in my vision, standing above me in a protective stance.

I looked up through blurred eyes, “Sh-Shining?” I said in complete disbelief, releasing a fit of coughing immediately afterward.

He took his eyes off her for only a single second to smile at me, before he lowered his stance even more. His horn alighted with an overwhelming surge of unicorn energy. He bared his teeth and glared dangerously. “Don’t you dare touch him, shadow.” Shining reiterated with a spiteful voice.

Rabia grunted, before scoffing and beginning to pace back and forth a few feet away. “The lustrous prince of the crystal kingdom,” she spat with hatred. “What brings you all the way out here? Did you get bored of playing prince in that ruined castle of yours?”

“I think the answer should be glaringly obvious.” Shining replied simply. “Or were you locked up for so long your mind wandered away from you?”

Rabia laughed, a loud mocking laughter as she fixed him with a fiery glare of judgement. “So you can collect your puppet for yourself? Is that what this is?” She laughed even more. “And what makes you think he wants anything from you, hmm?”

I immediately raised my hoof above my head, “I uh, do actually…”

“Quiet child,” Rabia hissed at me before looking at Shining with a smirk, “You really think you can win against me?”

“I don’t think I can win.” Shining sneered back, “I have to win.”

Without even giving her another second to monologue more, Shining’s horn erupted with a large and bright light that immediately illuminated the battlefield. Causing every umbrum to hiss and retreat in pain except for queen Rabia. Who just growled and rolled her eyes. “That won’t work.”

“Well, it does its job!” Shining replied swiftly, casting another spell that immediately confused Rabia as nothing happened for a second. Suddenly, the ground underneath her cracked and levitated before being hurled. The boulder of rock and pony sailed backwards into the forest with the force of a small meteor impact.

Shining immediately bent down and bit down on my scruff, pulling me up in his grasp as his head swiveled, looking for an immediate escape route. My eyes widened as I caught sight of both Flitter and Nai-Xyka who were barely recovering from being released from the shadows. “Shining! My friends!” I called out with a pointed hoof.

“On it.” He mumbled out the side of his mouth.

He galloped forward towards them. Nai-Xyka saw our approach as Nai head-butted Xyka, “I told you he wasn’t on their side!”

“But he was getting a big hug from her!”

“Have you ever heard of self preservation tactics!? He was probably about to attack her or something! Read between the lines, jeez.”

As we grew closer to them, Shining slowed down. “Hop on!” He commanded them.

Xyka saluted immediately. “Yes sir!”

The wyvern immediately grabbed hold of his side and hoisted themselves onto Shining’s back, where they perched like a bird. Shining quickly reached full speed again. I briefly wondered in panic what we were going to do with Flitter. Since she was the same size as Shining…

Shining proved my worries irrelevant as he just lifted her entire body with his magic aura and continued galloping at full speed without missing a beat. Which certainly works…

It wasn’t long before we heard a scream of absolute anger from behind us, and immediately the umbrum recovered and chased after us, lurking right behind us and at our sides as Shining pushed himself to move even faster.

The shadows chasing us now were darker and thicker than any fog that we’d seen yet.

“Nai-Xyka, any light left?” I called out to them.

Nai replied, “None!”

Xyka huffed, “A little!”

“If any of them get too close, blast them away!” I said.

“Okay!”

I waited in anticipation as I watched the umbrum follow at our same pace, only barely was Shining ahead of them. “Do you have a plan?” I asked upward towards Shining..

His determined and focused expression faltered for a second. “Mmmmm….” Shining hummed nervously, “I didn’t think this far.” He mumbled through clenched teeth.

Can’t fault him, honestly.

I was still in disbelief that he was here, and that he’d actually saved all of us. My eyes shined with excitement as I looked up at him. He was a hero!

Suddenly we came to a large drop, not quite a cliff face, but an extremely steep hill. “Hold on!” Shining said mostly for Nai-Xyka, as he carefully slid down the large gravel hill with a couple of rocks firmly attached to his hooves with magic.

Nai-Xyka giggled and cheered in excitement as I simply prayed that Shining didn’t fall face first and flatten me.

When we reached the bottom, Shining entered another dead sprint into the forest. He had gained a bit of distance in the shadows since the speed of sliding down the cliff awarded him so much distance on our pursuers, and he and fully planned on using it to his full advantage.

What he didn’t expect was for them to cut him off up ahead.

Shining came to a screeching halt as the wall of shadows approached from in front and behind. With little clue of how to run past them with all of his current cargo.

He looked in both directions. On one side was more forest and in front and behind us were dozens of umbrum steadily approaching. But to our left, a small cliff, and at the bottom, was a large swamp that seemed to stretch for a few miles.

Shining made his decision quickly.

Looking to our left, Shining only gave us one small warning of his idea. “Hold your breath!”

I did as commanded and took a large breath, and immediately afterward Shining dived into the swamp’s murky water on our left.

I immediately closed my eyes as I trusted Shining in his idea. Surely they couldn’t follow into the water if they were made of tangible shadows? Sort of like a smoke? I think Shining was hoping for the same thing.

I kept holding my breath, not sure if I’d ever get to resurface for another one. But Shining’s firm grasp on my scruff had me confident that he was fine, and by extension, I would be too. Just when holding my breath was becoming too much, and my body screamed at me to take another, we emerged with a large splash. I immediately took a large gasping breath, and by the sounds of it, so was everybody else. I coughed out water and breathed deeply over and over.

Suddenly the area became illuminated with the faint purple glow of Shining’s light. We were in a small bit of land that was underneath an overhang of roots and dirt that sprawled above the swamp and formed a small cave. Shining quickly lowered me to the ground as he laid down to collect his breath.

Nai-Xyka jumped off him and shook their bodies free of water.

Seeing Shining laying there, and all my friends here and safe.

…

I couldn’t help it. I moved forward between Shining’s hooves as he parted them preemptively for me, and I immediately buried my head in his chest. “Sh-Shining…” I whined with tears in my eyes.

Immediately, his front legs embraced me as he pulled me closer. “I’ve got you, I’m here.” I cried into his chest for a long time as he simply continued to stroke my mane and back soothingly.

I pulled back from sobbing into his already wet fur as I looked up at him, “H-How did you know?”

He hummed as he thought to himself, “A long story.” There was a pause as he scanned the room a bit. “Though by the looks of your friends… I’d say you probably have a similar answer.” He chuckled deeply, the feeling of which sent a wave of warmth and comfort straight through me. It almost made the freezing damp cave not feel so bad.

He leaned in and nuzzled the side of my face again. “I’m so glad to see you’re alright. I thought I was about to lose you to her.” He said softly and comfortingly, his voice almost breaking at his own words. Even just the feeling of his slightly unkempt beard brushing against my face made me feel warm and safe after so much horror.

“I’m still here.” I muttered quietly. “She… she… tried to change me.”

“But she didn’t. She didn’t break you,” Shining said as he pulled back and looked into my eyes. “You were too much for her to control with words.” He smiled widely. “I’m so proud of you.”

The entire dam broke inside my eyes as I shoved my head back into his chest and bawled like a baby. But I really didn’t care. I’m a foal, right? I’m allowed to bawl my eyes out.

Especially if my… dad… was saying those words to me.

“I-I missed you.” I sobbed.

“So did all of us back home, buddy.” Shining remarked, continuing to hold his hooves around me in a comforting hug. “It’ll all be alright now,” he promised me.

We stayed like that for a while, as I cried my eyes out into his chest. All the while, he held me close and rubbed my back while nuzzling my head. It was such a comforting and warming embrace I had to question how I ever thought this could be fake? This was who I belonged with, not those shadows.

Our embrace only broke off when Shining released the tightness in his hold. I looked up at him to wonder why, but he gestured with his head for me to look behind me. And when I did, I saw Nai-Xyka standing there, looking ashamed of themselves and on the verge of tears.

“Nai? Xyka?” My head fell sadly, and I looked at them with sympathy.

They stepped forward immediately, and Xyka bowed his head so close it almost touched the dirt. “I’m so sorry!”

Nai’s head followed. “We’re both sorry.”

I opened my mouth to say something but Xyka immediately looked up with regret and sadness, “I… I was so scared thinking you were an umbrum that we didn’t even second guess it.”

“Well…” I rubbed my hooves nervously. “It’s not a lie. I don’t think she was lying, anyway. I… I think I really am part umbrum.” My eyes found there way to the floor again.

…

I sighed sadly, “If you still h-hate me, I… I understand.”

The silence followed swiftly by Shining nuzzling me again from behind. “But you’re not like them,” he reminded me soothingly. “You're so much better than them.”

Nai sighed, “If… if you really are, then so what!” He finally said, putting his clawed wing to his chest.

I looked at him in surprise, even as Xyka immediately nodded with a puffed out chest. “You didn’t ask to be part umbrum. You actively dislike them, therefore you’re still our friend!”

I began tearing up again. “Thank you…” my voice broke slightly.

I again couldn’t help but lean backwards into Shining’s chest and soak up his affection once more. Shining chuckled and nuzzled me more. “You’ve had quite the change of heart I feel, Kieran.” He smiled widely down at me.

I looked up and couldn’t help but smile back, “I don’t know… I think I just needed friends.” I said before looking between Nai-Xyka and Flitter, who was still unconscious. Which was now worrying me more than ever as my wing folded sadly.

Shining followed my gaze, leaning in and inspecting the leaves wrapped around her leg and sniffing. He released a hearty chuckle afterward. “Well, she’ll be out for a while.”

“Huh?” I asked swiftly, whipping my head upward to him.

He nodded, “This plant you used… While it is a very good antiseptic preventer, it has a few… drawbacks.” He tried to contain a bit of his laughter. “It’s both a hallucinogenic and also has anesthetic properties. But most importantly… if it gets in the bloodstream, it can knock someone out for a couple of days.”

“How’d you know all that?” I titled my head while looking wide eyed.

He ruffled the top of my mane. “Part of being a guard is knowing how to be outdoorsy, kiddo.” My eyes glanced back over at her with a mixture of relief and worry still.

He huffed and nudged me with his muzzle. “She’ll be fine. She’s just having a really, really long and confusing nap.” He explained easily to me.

“Oh… okay.” I said unsurely, but feeling much better about how she’d seemed completely out cold like a rock for a few hours now. “Nice going sniffing it out, Nai.” Nai huffed with amusement.

After a moment, I felt Shining lift my left hoof up with his own. His expression was a mix of confusion, but with a wary smile. “Now, would you mind telling me why your arm is glowing golden…” He muttered questioningly, “And has two dragons and a heart on it?”

I giggled and looked down at it. “I don’t know. Ask the two culprits over there.” Shining shot a scrutinizing gaze up at the wyvern pair.

Xyka immediately stood their body at attention as he brought his wing up in a salute, “Um, it is a sacred… uh… oath of protection, we think… sir.”

“You think?” Shining repeated his words with his eyes squinting even harsher than before.

Nai stammered, “I-I-It is! An oath! We promise!”

“At ease soldier,” Shining said with a small huff of laughter, “Can’t say I know anything about you, your people, or your special form of… magic.” He said, while giving the symbol on my arm another glance.

“But as long as it isn’t anything that’s going to hurt my foal, then I’m okay with it for now.”

Nai nodded and bowed his head thankfully. “We wouldn’t think of hurting Kieran, sir!”

“Not even like… ten minutes ago when you thought I was evil?” I asked with folded hooves and a mischievous grin.

“Not fair.” Xyka immediately defended with a pout, and then withered under my gaze and pointed at Nai. “It was all his plan, I swear!”

“Was not, you were all like ‘grr, go die umbrum!’ and I was still on the fence.”

“Nuh-uh.”

“Yah-huh.”

…

…

There was silence between me and Shining as we simply sat embraced while listening to the two brothers bicker for a little.

Surprisingly, after a little while, the small blue wisp from before floated into the small wet cave we were in. Immediately, all our heads turned on it.

“Hey… you again…” Shining said in surprise.

Me and Nai-Xyka looked up at him in shock, “Again?”

He nodded. “Yep, it led me to you.”

I looked back at the wisp and squinted my eyes. I was now growing very suspicious of what exactly the little blue wisp was. Even though I honestly had no clue whatsoever. The wisp started gesturing for us to follow it yet again.

Shining released a deep huff as he looked at us with a shine of confidence in his eyes. “Ready to get out of this forest?”

“Yes, please.” I groaned.

“Let’s try it.” Xyka said, following Nai, nodding his head.

Nai-Xyka began stretching their limbs as Xyka laughed, “Don’t worry about carrying us anymore. We can keep up, and then some.”

“I’m sure you can.” Shining said with a nod and a smile.

“What about Nai’s broken wing?” I suddenly remembered.

Nai shook his head. “It’ll be fine. It didn’t break, but that tree branch hurt really, really badly.”

I sighed in relief and nodded with a smile. Shining stood, he bent over, nuzzling my face harshly as I laughed, “It’s the last stretch. Let’s go home, shall we?”

Home… I would actually get to go home. For the first time in what felt like my entire life, I had somewhere I could go to and call home, and nobody would lie or pull the rug out from underneath me. I nodded as he grabbed my scruff and lit his horn. Making sure Flitter was securely within his magic’s grasp.

He commanded us to take another deep breath, and we did as he brought us up and out of the water and onto shore. It took the wandering umbrum in the area too long to react before Shining had already started another gallop, following closely behind the blue wisp again.

It had seemed like we were in the clear for now, even though a few umbrum noticed us. They were so far behind Shining that it would be a joke to outrun them now.

The only thing that remained was the storm overhead, thundering and flashing in its foreboding eminence as it harbored the shadows nearby. It was no wonder that the umbrum rode the storm around to get to places, along with its darkness. It made for very theatrical entrances for villainy.

Regardless of what felt like a free escape. The wisp was still leading us in a rather roundabout way. And so far, it seemed we were all in agreement that the wisp hadn’t led us astray yet. Even if the odd sharp turns were a bit jarring.

Though I wondered if the flashes of light from Nai-Xyka zipping around would draw any extra attention onto us.

Familiar wisps that could only entertain a description of city lights dawned on the horizon, through a gap in the treeline. Glimmering like a beacon of hope in the middle of chaos and terror that surrounded us. I pointed up eagerly, “We’re almost out!” I nearly felt like cheering.

Though was wondering how things would pan out… Were we just bringing an umbrum invasion into Ponyville instead?

Each time Nai-Xyka zipped up, I could see their eyes twinkle a little more at our prospective salvation.

“Oh!-”

“We’re really-”

“Close!” Nai said between each zip.

But something still felt odd.

Where was Rabia? She’s an ancient unicorn who knows dark magic with countless spells under her disposal. Surely she could keep up with Shining..?

We cleared the treeline out of the Everfree. Xyka whooped and hollered in excitement as the few umbrum who had been chasing us stopped. Not passing the border over the Everfree as they stared after us.

“Yeahaha! Take that, you dumb piles of smoke!” Xyka mocked loudly.

I looked back and couldn’t help but feel uneasy. Why were the umbrum not chasing? It was nighttime. Why did they not look upset about missing out on their prey? They just sat at the treeline with a cold and calculated look of anticipation.

There was booming thunder above us as my hair stood on end. A chill wracked my spine without reason, the smell of ozone heavy in the air around us as my mind practically screamed at me something was wrong.

My head spiked with pain again as I heard the same deep whispers. After a second, something in my mind clicked, but I didn’t quite know what.

“Sh…Shining? I think there’s something-”

My eyesight went completely white as the sound of an explosion rang out. Immediately it sent Shining to the ground. He had the instinct to grab hold of me with his front legs as he cushioned me from the impact of hitting the ground.

My mind went fuzzy, my brain blanked.

My ears rang loudly.

I smelled something burning, it smelled organic.

…

I first tried to open my eyes, focusing on trying to force two images into a single image. My hearing slowly recovered, and all I could hear was somebody shouting desperately.

Had we gotten struck by lightning?

I shook my head with confusion, trying to move my body as I realized that Shining’s grip around me had almost entirely given.

I stumbled to my legs, immediately falling into the grass before attempting to pick myself up again.

The first sight my eyes got was one that immediately made me gasp in horror. Shining was laying there, convulsing with static as he groaned in pain. “Shining!” I yelled desperately, as I almost laid a hoof on his side before thinking otherwise, “Shining! Are you-” What use was there in asking if he was okay? He clearly wasn’t!

I felt panic overtake my chest again as I breathed deeply and exhaled with far too much speed. What do I do? How do I help him?

Flitter’s body laid next to him in much the same situation.

Who else would find themselves injured because of me?

“K-Kieran!” I heard a choking gasp of desperation.

I immediately whipped my head in Nai’s direction. And my blood completely froze over as I felt a tightness grip my chest. Rabia was standing there, with a few dozen umbrum behind her. And she was holding Nai-Xyka in her magic and choking him tightly. She made it very clear how tightly she was doing it as Xyka clawed so desperately at his throat that he was making marks on his scales.

“Stop!” I yelled desperately.

Rabia only raised a brow and tilted her head as she continued to walk toward me at a leisurely pace. “And why would I do that? This little wyvern has put a dent in just about every single one of my plans.” She squeezed even tighter for a moment as she seethed through her teeth.

“Just a little light that needs to be snuffed out, just like their father.” She hissed.

My panic reaching a newfound height, I could do nothing but stomp my hoof desperately as I started crying, “Why are you hurting them? They haven’t done anything to you!”

Rabia rolled her eyes. “I just told you. And now, I’ll show you if you want to see for yourself so desperately.”

She stopped for a second to levitate Nai-Xyka in front of herself. Both wyverns cried desperately as their faces were turning bright blue and purple. “If I get rid of these two, then half my problems go away, don’t they? And maybe you’ll understand the futility of your actions.”

I saw the magic intensifying in her horn as both wyvern’s heads became rigid. She was choking the life out of them, and I couldn’t stand the sight.

“Stop that!” I screamed, before suddenly throwing myself forward and running towards her.

Was this Rabia’s last desperate attempt to fill me with hatred? To make me hate this world? If so, it was an awful choice. All it was doing was making me resent her with every fiber of my being.

She laughed. “And what are you going to do?” She mocked me cheerfully.

I don’t know what was filling me with this amount of energy. How I’d even scrounged up enough inside of my tiny worn out body to even stand on my own two hooves. Let alone blitz towards her at my maximum running speed as I released a tiny war cry full of all of my rage and resentment and desperation in that moment.

But I had somehow found it.

And I had to make it count in any way I could.

I had no plan, not even a vague inkling of understanding of if there was something else I could do. But to sit and watch her take one of my friend’s lives was not on the table. If I was going down, it was with her going with me.

As I got closer, Rabia only looked at me with more and more amusement as she cooed mockingly, “Aww, is my little shadow angry at mommy?” She scoffed and held Nai-Xyka above her head, “Well, just know you could’ve avoided ALL of this with a simple agreement!”

When I got near her, I felt something in my mind telling me to jump. I didn’t really know what it was, but I figured that pony instincts could take over for something at the very least.

So when I got near her, I crouched abruptly, putting as much strength into my back legs as I could muster, and pushed off. I must’ve broken the young foal's distance jumping world record. I jumped so hard that my legs almost immediately felt like they turned to jello at the moment.

This wasn’t just an issue of hurting my friends. She had manipulated me from the shadows from the very moment my hooves made landfall in Equestria. If anybody had been puppeteering me on strings, it was Rabia. And I had recently grown a fond hatred for the idea of being controlled..

Something about my perpetual feeling of inadequacy I’d developed in my time on Equestrian soil had changed. It made me grow more appreciative of those who choose to extend a helping hand to anyone they could, Cadance and Shining. Sage and Heath. Then Flitter and Nai-Xyka. They were all so incredibly nice, even patient in light of my inadequacy.

“Let. Them. Go!” I yelled as I sailed through the air towards her.

Suddenly, the small sigil on my left hoof lit up with a brilliant glow of light. The heart in the center and the two dragon heads burning as bright as one of Xyka’s light beams.

“What?” Rabia said with a dumbfounded expression.

Suddenly my two front hooves made an impact with Rabia’s chest, and though it had no effect on her physically, the magic around her horn almost immediately dimmed out of her horn until it was nothing but a flickering wisp of purple light. Struggling against her desperate attempt to light it up again as I fell ungracefully into the dirt in front of her. Nai-Xyka’s body fell directly next to mine as I panted heavily with confusion.

What was that? What did I just do?

Rabia must’ve been wondering the same thing as she grunted in rage, her horn flickering with light and then snuffing itself out over and over. “What did you do!?” she screeched at me, stumbling backwards in panic, as if the act of being near me was affecting her magic itself.

“Give it back!” She screamed at me. “I’ll stomp you and your pathetic light wyvern into the ground right now unless you give it back!”

Now her umbrum were surrounding me with similar expressions of anger. I had hurt their queen, and they were not pleased. Rabia stomped back towards me, as her horn flickered to life again, finally. And she made a hesitant expression of relief as her creepy smile crept back onto her muzzle. “It’s time to go, little shadow!” She said with impatience and anger as she flicked her hair back with a hoof. “Mommy’s got places to conquer, after we replace that soul inside you!”

Rabia’s horn lit up as she neared, only to get hit rather harshly by another beam of magic. My tired, wilted body looked up to see Shining sprint towards us in a haze of protective dad rage. His horn alighted with a brilliant display of just how much magic he had.

He first lit another burst of light, making her umbrum shriek and retreat again. And then cast another beam of concentrated magic in her direction. This time, though, Rabia simply blocked it and forced it in a different direction as her horn flared with dark magic.

Rabia’s mane flowed with darkness as she readied her own horn, her eyes turning crazy as her eye twitched at the sight of Shining. “You got hit by a lightning bolt, yet you still squirm like an insect!” She screamed as she readied about as much magic as she could muster. About four rings or sigils of magic appeared over her horn as she pointed in our direction, and my eyes widened in fear.

Shining slid to a halt over me and Nai-Xyka’s battered bodies and immediately lit his horn with another spell. Just as Rabia released a beam of dark looking magic that looked as if it could topple an entire army.

But Shining’s magic had erected a bubble around us, a barrier of magic that was heavily accentuated by the giant magic shield that was right in front of Shining’s horn. Her beam connected with his shield and immediately sent a brilliant clashing of dark red and purples in all directions as Shining grit his teeth and dug his hooves into the ground below us.

Shining grunted with stress as the beam continued to berate his shield intensely. All the while Rabia couldn’t help but begin chuckling and then grandly laughing as if she was enjoying his struggle. “Pathetic! All of you ponies are so pathetic. It makes me sick! Don’t you feel it, Kieran? Don’t you understand how much stronger hatred is? How much more free you feel!?”

Shining didn’t have any words to say. He couldn’t even if he desired to. He was too busy gritting his teeth, his face blanketed with an expression of struggle and concentration as his hooves ever so slowly began getting pushed through the dirt beneath us. Yet he stood as still and sturdy as a rock.

I couldn’t so much as move my body at that moment. All I could feel was Nai-Xyka at my side slowly stirring from having momentarily blacked out from their lack of breath. The first thing they did was gaze up in wonder at the ensuing battle before leaning down over me. They laid their body over my back protectively. I don’t know if it was an attempt to shield me from the potential attack, or if they just thought my body would be a soft pillow.

Either way, their warmth and protection made me tear up as I watched my father struggling against all odds to lay this nightmare of mine to rest. And all of it was to protect me… And maybe it was just because Cadance and Luna back home were distraught, if everyponies words were to be trusted.

“You can do it…” I said meekly, looking at Shining’s struggling face and expression. Even as the howling cackle of Rabia’s laughter and the sound of her beam attempted to drag away all the attention.

…

It didn’t matter who I used to be anymore. It didn’t matter if I was never a pony. It didn’t even matter if Shining was doing this to protect Equestria more than any motivation involving finding me.

He still needed me to believe in him, something I had sorely lacked since we met.

“You can… do it!” I attempted a bit more to rise above the clashing battle, as my voice barely failed to rise above the noise. My entire body burned and my throat screamed at me in protest for straining so hard.

Shining’s shield rippled with cracks all over, the shield in front of him breaking as I noticed his horn beginning to give. The barrier crackling and rippling more and more and threatening to shatter.

Rabia’s beam only continued to strengthen as she leaned her head forward in anticipation. Shining gritted his teeth as his shield began to splinter and dissipate back into magic particles while it disintegrated, his horn wavering in its glow like a flickering candlelight in a summer breeze.

I shook my head desperately as my heart pounded in my chest. I wouldn’t be able to forgive myself if Shining failed here. And Shining wouldn’t be able to move on, thinking he could’ve done more if Rabia managed to fulfill her wishes. I had to do something, anything. Anything at all!

“Sometimes the only thing you need is a small spark of hope deep inside your soul, and it can ignite the passion in everyone into a wildfire.”

“It’s a funny feeling, like an enchanting feeling on the wind rather than actual words.”

“Never know if you never try.”

I begged and pleaded to anything around me, to help him, to save him. I forced my two front hooves under me and looked up at Shining desperately. An abundance of particles of all colors combined and swirled into Shining’s barrier from just about every direction like a tidal wave of magic dust, and they all swarmed around me like a storm of magic fireflies, reaching up to my horn and lighting it up with a brilliant golden glow. At that moment, the symbol on my left hoof lit up again, and a burning ignited in my chest. I shouted from deep within my soul.

“Dad! You can do it! I believe in you!”

…

Shining immediately dug his hooves into the dirt harder, his expression of concentration and desperation turning into a determination as he glared forward deeply, his eyes sparkling with a newfound inspiration.

A set of brilliant golden wings flared out of Shining’s back, and his barrier thickened ten times stronger than it had been before.

The strength of the shield immediately absorbed Rabia’s attack as her eyes widened in horror. “What? NO!” Shining’s barrier fortified itself with the most overbearing and ludicrously extravagant shield possible. Which completely seemed to nullify Rabia’s attack as if it was being sucked into a black hole of magic energy.

When Rabia briefly stopped her barrage in confusion, Shining released a cry of rage in retaliation as his barrier formed a beam that looked exactly like Rabia’s, and shot it back at her with more than double the strength and size. It immediately enveloped the shadow queen as she released a scream and cry of pain.

For a few long and arduous moments, Shining redirected her attack at her with full force. Until her cries of pain had faded and all the magic his shield had absorbed had depleted.

I looked up in wonder at Shining. He was standing there gloriously with his horn lit with what seemed to be a tremendous boost in magic power. And it was easy to see why as the golden set of wings on his back continued to glitter and shimmer as they flared on his back.

Had I… done that?

Or had Shining ascended?

What was going on?

…

When Shining finished his retaliatory attack, his shield and bubble immediately disappeared and shattered around us, and his horn flickered into silence after the constant strain. Shining panted heavily as the golden wings on his back turned to dust and got swept away in the wind.

When the dust had settled after a few moments, Rabia was thrashing about, screaming and grunting with anger and malice. The horn on her head was gone, as most of it lay in the dirt in front of her. She grasped at it desperately in her hooves as she released a cry of anguish. “You… you!” She screamed, looking up at all of us with the last of her hatred.

Suddenly, the facade that she had been wearing this whole time gave way. No longer attempting to look like a unicorn queen, instead she looked like the grotesque, horrific monster that umbrum truly were. Her ghostly form and ghastly teeth forming a terrifying maw of anguish and now pure hatred as her form expanded and grew to form a monster of terrifying scale.

“I despise you all!” She announced, “Get them!” She commanded her surrounding umbrum with desperation.

Rabia’s magic was gone, and now that Shining’s magic had depleted, we were also in just as much trouble.

Shining, through all his panting and struggling to stand, still took a defensive stance over us as he readied himself to fight back.

“I will end you all!” Rabia spat.

…

“I think you’ve had more than enough chances.”

Everyone was confused, Rabia, Shining, Nai-Xyka, especially me.

Suddenly, the sun crested over the horizon, with very little regard to the unfortunate night and moon, who only moments before were resting comfortably in the sky. The sun didn’t care for things such as the morning being interrupted, as the natural order of the world had to be forced into a stasis.

Every single umbrum around Rabia screeched in pain as Rabia’s eyes turned to pinpricks of fear. Rabia’s limbs lit up with a bright cyan, almost white. As she was restrained by magic chains and held up in the air.

A shadow soared over our heads, right underneath the newly erected midday sun, as the very visage of Princess Celestia landed in front of us in all of her brilliant, splendid glory.

My jaw immediately went slack in surprise and wonder, as Celestia turned her head slightly and gave us all a very caring and mirthful smile. “Hello, my little ponies, and wyverns.”

Nai-Xyka, similar to the rest of us, sat enamored. And Xyka’s head tilted in complete mesmerized wonder, “P-P-P…. Princess Celestia.” He stated shakily as if he was meeting his favorite celebrity.

Well, he probably was.

Celestia giggled a bit, before turning her head and taking a few steps towards Rabia while giving her a sharp glare. “You won’t be doing anything more, witch!”

Suddenly, a rainbow streak shot across the sky, going from cloud to cloud and evaporating as much of the clouds overhead as possible. Another yellow pegasus joining her up above and gently nudging clouds away much slower than her companion.

Another set of three ponies came rushing in from behind us. An earth pony who looked western, an earth pony jittering with excitement but with a glare on her face, and a unicorn who looked dressed for the completely wrong occasion.

I didn’t really need to question it twice. These were the heroes of Equestria, Twilight’s friends.

We were safe.

“Lookin’ a little worse fer ware there, aren’t ya Shinin’?” Applejack said as she came up on our side.

Shining smiled in relief and nodded. “I can still move. Mind helping Flitter over there?”

Applejack tipped her hat. “Sure thing!” She looked down at me and Nai-Xyka and gave a wink before walking over to Flitter and hoofing her onto her back easily before trotting back into the town with a clear path in mind.

“Oh, darling, are you all alright?” Rarity asked, especially as she looked down at me and Nai-Xyka.

Pinkie gasped, “Oh my gosh! You guys look like you just hauled your friend miles through the Everfree forest while being chased by umbrum and a really really mean queen who is extremely obsessed with acquiring Kieran’s body and corrupting him so that they could take over Equestria and bring an end to love and friendship as we know it!”

Nai and Xyka both looked at her in wonder as Xyka turned his head towards me, “Man she’s good!” He suddenly whispered.

“I refuse!”

Everyone turned to see Rabia screeching and thrashing in her binds as much as possible, as she struggled against Celestia’s immense magic. “You can't KILL ME! I'm a shadow! I'll ALWAYS return!”

She suddenly looked in my direction as she glared harshly, “And you'll even let this traitorous BRAT live amongst you!?” She screamed in my direction.

"Silence."

...

Celestia said the word coldly, as her voice rang through the area loudly like she had yelled it. But she hadn't done so much as speak…

“Your deeds against Equestria have gone long enough without punishment. This most recent attempt has been nothing but a clambering desperation of naivety that only an evil soul could justify the worth of. You had nothing but a rudimentary plan of corrupting Kieran.” Celestia scoffed with disdain.

Celestia then held her head high and gazed down on Rabia with a deep scowl. “But you’ve underestimated your target. You were too weak to do anything yourself, so instead you attempted to use my nephew as one of your pawns.” Celestia’s eyes glowed with a terrifying and cold, yet bright golden gleam.

“Your nephew?” Rabia spat in a crazed laugh, “He wouldn’t even exist if it weren’t FOR ME!” she screamed in protest. “I MADE HIM!”

Celestia smiled sweetly. “And I thank you for that. It will go down as your one and only accomplishment in your… What was it again? Three attempts at taking over Equestria now?”

Cold Celestia, cold.

“And I would have succeeded if-”

“But you didn’t,” Celestia interrupted harshly, her voice now raising until Rabia’s words sounded like little more than the sniveling attempts of a foal trying to counter their mother’s argument. “You have not, and will never, succeed. It has become clear that a simple imprisonment will no longer work for someone so full of hatred as you.” Celestia’s horn glowed with pure white energy as her expression steeled with a choice already made within her mind.

“No! You can’t!” Rabia screamed more, thrashing in her binds.

“You have been judged. A heart full of darkness and hatred. I understand you and the umbrum now. I could lend another thousand years and you would never possibly see reason. There isn’t anything I could possibly do to rid you of the corruption in your emotions. It’s over, Rabia.” Celestia announced as her wings flared outward and her horn’s magic shot upward into the sky in a brilliant display of power.

“NO! NO-”

Rabia’s screams drowned out as a giant beam of light coming directly from the sky descended upon Rabia and her remaining withering umbrum like a judgment of the celestial body itself. Rabia’s voice could not reach us for long afterwards before fading away into the light.

Nai-Xyka shot up in excitement, as Xyka pumped his wing upwards in victory and whooped with joy. “WOO! Yeah! Taste the sunlight, kjøtir!”

Nai hit the back of his head, “You know momma hates that language.” He interrupted him with a growl.

Nai and Xyka almost immediately afterwards collapsed into the ground, their body making a thudding noise as I looked down with worry, though I could not move my body other than the most simple motor functions. “Nai-Xyka…” I rasped out worriedly as I nuzzled my head against their back.

Shining just chuckled, before getting to his feet with a struggle as Rarity and Pinkie both joined at his sides to support him. Shortly after, Shining gently collected me with his magic and pulled me up into one of his front hooves. “Kieran… that was you a minute ago wasn’t it?”

I looked up and gave a slight shrug and a smile. Shining just shook his head in slight disbelief, a small chuckle escaping his lips as he leaned forward and set his head against mine. Looking into my eyes with pride and love, “I’m so incredibly proud of you Kieran.”

I giggled unsurely. “I don’t even know what I did!” I replied.

Shining smirked at me. “You saved my life is what you did. And… probably Nai-Xyka, Flitter, yourself… It’s something that not many can claim to have accomplished. Be proud of yourself Kieran.” His expression shined with an overbearing amount of pride as I really let his words sink in. “At least as proud of yourself as I am of you.”

My face must’ve turned bright red as I pulled myself closer to him to hide it. “Thank you…” I muttered, my head a mess of exhaustion and relief.

I watched suddenly as Nai-Xyka’s body below us was enveloped in Celestia’s magic and then felt my struggling body get wrapped in it all the same. Shining gently let go of me and looked on in confusion. She brought us both over to her and onto her back before giving Shining a brief smile of reassurance.

I immediately sank into her ultra soft fur. Reminded me of Cadance…

“You shouldn’t bear the extra weight, Shining. You’ve already expended more magic than most ponies should in such a short time.” She explained with a smile as she came up on his side.

“I think you might be right,” He said with a sudden sigh, as he reached his hoof up towards me and stroked my mane gently. “You can rest now Kieran, you’re in safe hooves.”

“Okay… dad…” I replied quietly, getting another beaming smile of happiness from Shining as he gave me a succinct last nuzzle.

Shining nodded towards his companions, as Pinkie and Rarity recovered from daw-ing at the interaction before helping him to walk at Celestia’s side. Soon enough, Rainbow and Fluttershy swooped down to hover above the princess.

“We saw a few of the umbrum escape through the trees, Princess. Should we go after them?” Rainbow asked with unease.

Celestia continued to trot onward. “Worry not. The umbrum without a queen will be no issue. We will send patrols over the Everfree to search for their remaining.” Rainbow saluted and sped forward, as Fluttershy hovered next to her friends and examined Shining with curiosity. Especially as she kept looking between his back and her own wings in concern, as if Shining had temporarily stolen them from her.

“I wouldn’t be so hasty to write them off, Princess…” Xyka coughed quietly, “Without a queen or not… the umbrum are… resilient. Their hatred has no end.” Xyka finished with a loud sigh.

Celestia stayed silent for a minute, before humming curiously, “I would inquire, young wyvern. But please, rest. You have played your role in helping my nephew exceptionally.” Celestia said sympathetically, “Your troubles are over now, little ones. Rest now.” She reassured us while shining a smile back at us. My eyes met hers and I could feel a great calmness wash over me.

I could tell Xyka had passed out like his brother had not very long ago, as his head slumped against her fur, and I couldn’t help it as my vision began blurring. I slowly ended up lowering my head until I fell next to Nai and Xyka’s with a great feeling of relief washing around inside my chest.

And now that the adrenaline was wearing off…

I realized just how awful I felt.

And quickly passed out.