Starting Over 3: Return Of Spectra

(Fun Fact: Tenebra, the name of the Darkane colt, derives from the word "Tenabris" which means "Darkness".)

Spectra, Rose, Rainbow and Tenebra all head towards the cloud house of the happy family. Tenebra looked up to the house then back to Spectra.

"How do I get up?"

Spectra put a hoof to his chin and looked to the house.

"Uuuuuuummmmm......"

Spectra smiled and sat down on the ground.

"Hop on. I'll fly you up there."

Tenebra looked at Spectra weirdly and laughed.

"Every time?"

Spectra shrugged. "Until we find a better way for you to go up, yes."

Tenebra smiled and climbed on Spectra's back. Spectra threw a glance back at Tenebra.

"Hold on!"

Spectra flapped his wings and shot up into the air. Tenebra never felt more alive. As Spectra was flying towards his home, Tenebra was enjoying the feeling of flying. Being a unicorn, he would never be able to do this on his own. Spectra flew through the open door and landed softly on the cloud floor. Tenebra gingerly stepped of the back of the one-eyed pegasus and onto the floor of the cloud house with clenched eyes. He expected to fall through, but instead he found that he could safely walk on top of the cloud. He looked back up to Spectra and smiled.

"I hope you get to fly me all the time. Heh, that was fun, dad!"

Spectra raised an eyebrow at Tenebra with a mischievous smile.

"Already callin' me dad, huh?"

Tenebra's eyes widen and he looks away.

"Sorry."

Spectra chuckled and grabbed him in a hug-o-death Spectra receives nearly every day.

"It's alright, son."

Tenebra laughed and returned the hug. Spectra released him and turned to Rose, who just walked in from outside.

"Hey, Rose? You okay with sharing a room with your brother?"

Rose smiled and nodded her head violently.

"Uh-huh!"

Tenebra smiled warmly.

"Thanks, Rose!"

Rose smiled even wider and Spectra swore he heard a small squeak-like noise somewhere. Rose reached out and grabbed her new brothers hoof.

"This way!"

Spectra smiled as he watched Rose wrench Tenebra away and into her room. Spectra's vision flickered and he briefly saw himself as a young colt where Tenebra was being pulled. Spectra rubbed his eyes and looked back. Tenebra and Rose were in his vision for a brief second before his vision flickered into a room. In the room was a single bed with a weeping dark blue coated pegasus colt. The colt looked around and Spectra saw that his eyes were blood red. Spectra's eyes grew wide with realization.

"What? This is me at my foster parents house!"

Spectra's colt-self got up from the bed and walked to a loose plank of wood in the floorboards. From inside he pulled out a watermelon. Spectra smiled at the fond memory of his childhood, but realized quickly what happened next. A big stallion opens the doors with a bang and gives Spectra's colt-self an evil glare.

"Watermelon!?"

The Colt jumped up and looked to the stallion in shock.

"I-I-I-I-"

"You know you're not allowed to have good food!"

The stallion rushed over to the colt and wacked him in the side of the head. The colt fell over and held his head in pain. The stallion picked the watermelon up and threw it at the wall, splattering it everywhere. He looked to the colt and picked him up by the throat and looked deeply into his eyes.

"I don't know how you got that, but if I EVER catch you with anything but what we give you, I'll flog ya!"

The colt nodded in fear and in tears. The stallion threw him to the ground and walked to the door and looked back around the room before slamming the door shut. The colt cried in pain for what seemed like ages before he lifted his head and his eyes grew wide. A single chunk of watermelon was on the floor in front of him. He grabbed it and shoved it in his mouth. He loved the taste and texture of the fruit. It might of been only a small piece, but it meant a lot to him.

Spectra had to watch the whole thing unfold before him. He wanted to smash that stallions face in so badly. The room faded out and Spectra found himself back in his cloud house with Rainbow looking at him.

"Hello? Spectra? You there?"

Spectra shook his head and focused his vision on Rainbow. He scratched the back of his head nervously.

"Sorry. What were you saying?"

Rainbow pointed to Tenebra, who was standing next to Sparks' perch and looking up at the bird with curiosity.

"Tenebra needs a bed, doesn't he? And some other things. Take him shopping for some stuff! Oh and...."

Rainbow looks left and right then leans in and whispers.

"...get Rose's birthday presents, will ya?"

Spectra smiled and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

"Sure. Come on, Tenebra!"

Tenebra looked away from the bird and to his father.

"Yeah, dad?"

Spectra smiled. It warmed his heart to see that Tenebra has already accepted Spectra as his father.

"We need to go into town and buy some things for you. Now, I have two ways we can get to town. We can fly, or I could try teleporting us."

Tenebra looked to his father with suspicion.

"Have you ever teleported somepony before?"

Spectra chuckled lightly. "No. But there's a first time for everything, right?"

Tenebra looked to be in deep thought. After a while he nodded.

"Teleport."

Spectra rubbed his hooves together and did a mock evil laugh.

"Mwhahahaha!"

Spectra put his hooves down and tapped the ground. His eye patch glowed dark red and in a bright red flash, Tenebra and Spectra were gone.

-----Ponyville, Sometime Later-----

Tenebra and Spectra were walking through Ponyville buying items for Tenebra. They bought a nice bed from Rarity. She gave it to them free of charge when she found out that Spectra was taking care of Tenebra. Spectra tried to pay her, but she insisted. He was carrying the bed behind him in a dark red aura with the eye under his eye patch glowing dark red. Tenebra occasionally looked to the eye patch, but quickly looked away when Spectra noticed. After the 4th time, Spectra chuckled lightly.

"Do you wanna know why I'm wearing an eye patch?"

Tenebra nodded nervously. "It's been on my mind."

Spectra nodded and stopped. Tenebra looked up to his father as he removed the eye patch. Tenebra gasped when he saw his eye.

"What happened?"

Spectra frowned and put the eye patch back on.

"I had to stop somepony. So, I used a lot of magic against him. It's a story that I'll tell you when you're older."

Tenebra nodded and the duo continued walking.

"Speaking of magic, Tenebra. I'll get Twilight to teach you the teleport spell she knows, okay? Make it easier for you to come home."

Tenebra nodded. "Okay. Hey dad, I heard its Rose's birthday soon. When's my birthday?"

Spectra hummed in thought for a few seconds.

"How about two days after Rose's birthday?"

Tenebra smiled and nodded. "Okay!"

The two walked towards their cloud home before three ponies in grey clothing appeared before them and bowed to Spectra.

"Master, we have a report."

Spectra waved a hoof. "Report, then."

"Requiem, King Cruor's right hoof pony, is approaching the town. We do not think he means well."

Spectra nodded. "Deal with him. If you fail, I'll take care of him."

The Triad jumped up and nodded. "Yes, master."

The Triad then disappeared and Tenebra was left in shock. Spectra laughed.

"Get used to seeing them around."

Tenebra didn't respond. He instead continued walking with Spectra towards the home.

-----Cloud House------

Spectra and Tenebra were setting up Tenebra's side of the room. Rose had to move all her stuff to the other side, but she didn't mind in the least. After setting up a Wonderbolts poster, Spectra and Tenebra shared a Bro hug.

"Yeah! Now this is a room!"

The room was surrounded in posters of the Wonderbolts. The bed Spectra got Tenebra was shaped to look like the stadium in Canterlot. Spectra also bought Tenebra a Soarin plushie to sleep with at night. Spectra smiled as Tenebra ran onto his bed and jumped up and down on it.

'Kill them.'

Spectra frowned. He banged his head with a hoof and watched as Rose and Tenebra started jumping on each others beds.

'Kill them.'

Spectra shook his head violently.

'Kill who?'

Spectra didn't know why he was consenting to the voice inside his head, but he was.

'Your foster parents. Kill them.'

Spectra's mind was suddenly impacted with memories of his foster parents. He slowly walked out of the bedroom of his children and walked up to Rainbow.

"I'm going out."

Rainbow cocked her head to the left. "Where?"

"Out."

Spectra tapped a hoof to the ground and Rainbow was blinded by the bright red flash.

"Master! Master!"

Rainbow looked out of the window and saw the Umbra Triad looking up at her. She flew down and saw that they had a cage with them. Inside was a muttering unicorn.

"What's the report?"

The unicorn of the Triad pointed to the unicorn in the cage.

"I've analysed what he is doing with my magic. It's not good. Come."

The unicorn moved with Rainbow closer to the cage. Rainbow heard some words.

"Kill them....kill...kill."

Rainbow looked to the triad member.

"What's he doing?"

The unicorn shook his head.

"He's sending thoughts to our masters head. He is currently thinking what he is saying. His name is Requiem, by the way. Lean in closer, he won't attack. He's in a state of semi-trance."

Rainbow nodded and leaned in a little closer. What she heard made her gasp.

"Kill your foster parents. Kill them."

She recoiled and looked at the Triad member.

"Oh no."

The triad member nodded. "We found that he is also doing the same to Shadow Nova. He is on his way to Trottingham to kill his real parents. Why Requiem wants him to do so is beyond our understanding. Now, we must stop our master. Where is he?"

Rainbow's eyes widened as she realized where Spectra must've gone.

"He's in Manehatten."