Cry Havoc

Penny walked into her dorm with an exhausted sigh and closed her door. She set her backpack down next to the door and stumbled over to her couch. She flopped down with a gentle ‘pomf’ coming from her couch cushions. Letting the weight of the world sink her further into the couch, she let out another sigh as she closed her eyes.

She was on the verge of falling asleep when a crashing of pots from her kitchen startled her. She scrambled behind the couch as she saw a tall man standing in the middle of her kitchen.

His hair was slicked back and was topped by a crown featuring a solid, blood red horn sticking out. His eyes were an unnatural red and the sclera was lime green. His shoulders and most of his upper half was covered by a light red cape with a white trim.

He was staring directly at her with a stare that could only be described as disappointed and creepy. “ So this is the best they could give me? Some rundown stupid slip of a girl? Fine. Any clay can be molded.” he sneered with a deep voice while lifting a hand from his cape’s shadow.

His hand and forearm was covered by a simple metal gauntlet. He gently rubbed the bridge of his nose and stepped out of the kitchen.

The sound of metal on metal was apparent as he walked. “Alright, let’s get this over with.” He said stopping in front of Penny.

“Get away from me!” Penny exclaimed with a defensive tone. She stumbled back in fear from the strange, terrifying man.

“Oh shut up, whelp!” He shot back with an annoyed tone.

“What the hell does whelp mean?!”

He paused for a heartbeat, then rolled his eyes and snorted in an almost horse like way, “It means- Never mind. Just stand up and come with me.” He said holding out his metal covered hand. “I will explain everything on the way.”

“On the way to... I'm not going anywhere! Get out of my dorm room!” Penny ordered vehemently.

He just shook his head before he melted into the shadows and appeared next to her. She flinched by flailing her arms for a moment before seeing the man right next to her on the couch.

“You will come with with me. You have been chosen for this task and you have no say in the matter. You can come willingly, or... unwillingly." Penny jumped as the bookcase she was standing beside was crushed against the ceiling by a cluster of dark crystals, books and splinters of wood showering down.

“I would like nothing more than to call the cops, weirdo. You can’t take me anywhere.” She replied with a defiant tone she didn't feel.

The man stared before letting loose a deep, almost earth shaking, laugh. He continued for what seemed like forever before he snapped his fingers and massive black crystals shot from the ground and covered the windows and doors. Penny frantically looked around only to see every escape route blocked off by the massive crystals.

“I greatly beg to differ young lady. Now I ask again. Do you wish to come along like a good monkey, or must I... insist?” He said with a small smile.

“Damn you to hell.” She said glaring at the man.

“That’s not an answer,” he deadpanned.”You have five minutes to think this over.”

“Oh good five minutes to think over an abduction, by a crazy man, where is the phone?”

He points to a phone with a massive crystal sticking out if it. “You may call your family only. Don’t worry about the crystal. It’s just there to make sure you don’t interfere with my plans.”

“Or I could use my cell phone.” She takes her cell out of her pants pocket

“Well, that was rather foolish.” He said while grinning. He melted into a shadow again and appeared behind her holding her wrist in one hand and the phone in the other. “Quite a shame, really. You could have gotten away. I do so enjoy a chase. Sadly we don’t have the time for such amusements.”

He effortlessly snatched the phone from her hand and crushed it with obvious relish and released her hand before going back to the couch and sitting. “Now be a good girl and go say goodbye to your family before we leave. It is a kindness I offer only because the rules demand it.”

“They’re going to ask me what’s wrong and then call the cops themselves to find me. You can’t take a person’s daughter and expect to get away easily,” she said smirking while walking to the phone.

“I won’t need to. Besides if they did somehow find me I would wipe them out like I have done before. Now be thankful I am at least letting you call your family before we leave.” He said sighing and leaning back into the couch.

She walked over to the phone and picked it up but before she could dial, the phone began to ring. After about a minute the phone was picked up by someone.

“Hello?” asked a male voice. It was gruff, but not aged.

“Hello, daddy?” Penny asked over the phone.

Her dad didn't give her a chance to speak at first, "Hey sweetie. How's college? Did you make new friends? Are you running short already?”

“Everything's fine. Um..Dad, I was just calling to say I am probably going to be gone for awhile.” She said, looking over to the man who was still residing on the couch.

“Penny what are you talking about?” Her father said over the phone. His voice was beginning to sound panicked. That was when the man from the couch walked over and gently took the phone.

"Greetings." He continued like a game host that has been at his job for a long time. “I know you must be worried about your shiny little Penny. I'm not sure why she's so important to you, she's such a poor example of your species. At any rate, I can assure you I will not let my little toy to come to any harm." He said into the phone. Penny looked over the man to see if he was planning anything. All she got was an emotionless face.

“Who is this!?” She heard her father yell over the phone.

“That's King Sombra to you mortal. Don’t worry. I will take care of your daughter and make sure nothing will happen. Now I suggest you say goodbye because we have only got one minute before we have to leave.” Sombra said and handed her the phone.

Penny took the phone and her father began to freak out. After she calmed him down she said her goodbyes and hesitantly hung up the phone. Then she turned to Sombra who was staring emotionlessly at her.

“Did...Did you mean all that stuff you said to my father?” She asked. He just smiled a smile that was either evil or understanding. “You did, didn’t you?”

“Most of it.” He said before rushing forward and encasing both of them in a cocoon of shadows.

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Penny woke up feeling like she had just been thrown into the snow then tossed into a hot tub. She shook her head and slowly opened her eyes. Things looked differently. Not just the fact that it was now morning again, but everything looked more.... Cartoony. She looked around and everything had a distinct outline of color. She looked down at her....Paws?

"WHAT THE H-’ “BARK!!” She barked. Penny began to panic. She tried to stand up, but fell face first into the dirt. She stopped moving for a second before attempting to stand again.

She stood up shakily on four paws instead of just two. She tried to smile when she finally stood, only to find her face not moving the way she expected. She still felt the smile, it was just... completely different. Then she attempted to take a few steps forward. The first few were difficult, but she soon got the hang of it and was trotting around happily.

A familiar metal clanking behind her brought her attention to her hind end. She turned to see the tall man that had taken her before. He was smiling again and this time it was a somewhat happy smile.

His voice dripped with saccharine sarcasm, "Very good, you have figured out how to walk.”

Penny stared at him before turning around and the feeling of something laying firmly against her head plus her lips curling back made her question what exactly he did to her. A low throaty growl escaped her as she began to bark at Sombra.

“Now now. Come here and I will show you something.” Sombra said. Penny just continued to growl and Sombra rolled his eyes and melted into shadows again before appearing behind her and placed something around her neck.

Penny snarled angrily, "WHAT THE HELL DID YOU JUST PUT ON M-”. She blinked and tried to look at what he put on her. Sombra just giggled before shadows formed around him and began to change his shape. When the shadows left his body, he was a horse. A very strange looking horse.

“Um...What?” Penny said as she looked over him. His coat was dark grey and his hair was still the same. Although his crown didn’t have the horn attached to it, rather it was attached to his forehead.

“Okay I know you have many questions, so I might as well answer them while I am here.” Sombra said while taking a seat on the grass.

“Yea! I want to know what you did to me!!” She yelled at him. Sombra smiled and formed a mirror out of his shadows showing her what he made her into.

“...I'm a husky? why would you need a husky for?” she asked as she observed herself. She was a solid snow white husky with simple light blue eyes.

He smirked at his superiority, “Oh that’s quite easy to explain.” He turns away from Penny, sure he was in no danger whatsoever, “You are in the realm of Equestria. In this world ponies, mere shadows of myself of course, inhabit this world as the dominant species. As well as ponies there are a variety of creatures such as griffins, minotaur, dragons...”

“Great, I'm in the land of make believe...” She whined her head hung in defeat.

He walked up and bopped her on the nose. “Manners, Miss Penny. Manners.” She sniffed at the sudden contact and rubbed her nose with her paw. “As I was saying. There are a variety of creatures, far more than I mentioned, but you will meet them all while on your journey. Now, anymore questions?”

“Yeah. Lots. Like, I want to know why you brought me here?”

“I suppose this is simple enough request. A powerful entity, a god if you will, known as Discord created a game where each player has their own champion. This champion’s duty is to further the personal agenda of the player throughout Equestria.”

“A group of other gods, including myself, decided to join in on this. They didn’t see me as an equal, at first, but after showing them a little force, they were happy to have me among their brethren.They did impose a few limitations on my gameplay, no doubt and they got to pick who my champion was and what I turned them to. In other words, you and a dog. So, each god had to pick a human and then change them. This game has certain rules, but I can’t tell you exactly what the rules are because that is a limitation over me. Does that explains some things?” He finished in a rather bored tone.

Penny seemed to consider this for a moment. “I guess so, but why did they get to pick who you got and what they get turned into?”

He sighed, and his expression became annoyed, “Because some of the other players complained that I had forced my way into the game. Thus, I had to follow their suggestions or I couldn't play the game.”

Penny snorted derisively, “Are You really that desperate to play a game?” A second thought occurred to her, “So, what, exactly, do you get if you win?”

His smile was cold and calculating, “Oh nothing. Simply... whatever I wish.” He said in a nonchalant tone.

“ So... what do you want to get?”

He snarled at her angrily, “What do you think, you insolent whelp? I want my physical body! I want my Crystal Empire again!”

Penny was determined to not be intimidated by her abductor and tried to sound cool and sarcastic. “So now theres a Crystal Empire? What else is there that makes no sense, besides everything so far?”

“Well.... there’s the Griffon colony, The borders to the Minotaur territories, and the land Zebrica.” He said tapping his hoof as he counted off the names.

“Where are we right now?” Penny asked.

        “Well, right now you’re in the town of Appleloosa.” Sombra said getting even more bored.

“I take it by your bored expression that we’re in a country town, most people I know look bored when talking about the country, but I like it enough. Now a good question I have is, how am I talking? Because before, I just barked.”

“Actually, I’m bored because nothing interesting has happened yet. And about your speech? The collar I put on you allows you to speak because of the crystal on it.” He said tapping said object on her neck. “The collar will also be your way of spreading my influence, so I can gain more power, and you have the power to use shadows, much like the dream god’s champion is able to use dreams to his advantage, you can use shadows and darkness as your advantage, along with fear, always fun to use fear out of darkness.” He said with a small sadistic grin.

“OK...guess I’ll have to get used to darkness then.” Penny said with a bit of unease at the manic grin on the evil sub-deity’s face.

“Yes, I suggest you do. The other pieces have been here nine months already. Now, I have to go. Have fun!” Sombra said with a grin before turning into shadows and disappearing, leaving Penny alone in the dry field of Appleloosa.

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