Rise of Darkness

Chapters

Where it began
Powers of Shadow
Night of Fate
Foreboding Castle
New Horrors
Crystalline Terror
Innocent's Requiem

Where it began

*bit of a tidbit, this doesn't take place in the Canon timeline of the show. but rather, in the continuity of my other stories, which were all written before Season 3 began. although the first half of this could be considered a prequel to the show.*

Shadows.

That's all he's even known.

For the past 40 years of his life, the Dark Unicorn known as Sombra has had the ability to use shadows. because of it, his life, and the lives of those around him, have changed forever. He wasn't always like this. He had friends... he had a family... and he was really pleasant to be around. But all that changed when he found his Cutie Mark and his Talent.... his talent over shadows. Because that, he was run out of his village. and though that, he turned into the Dark King we know him as today.

He became a monster.

but that's about to change. just outside the doors of his castle is a Pony, or rather, a Alicorn, and her friends who came to him, a 'Necromancer', for answers to her questions. Just a few more moments, and a long plan he and his compatriots have long and arduously put together is about to come to fruition.

As he waited, he went back into his thoughts and wondered how all this came to be.

"Hard to believe it was 40 years ago." he muttered. "seems like it was just yesterday..."

40 years ago...

A young Orange Unicorn Mare with a Yellow Mane ran past a tree, running away from a colt trying to tag her. "You're not going to catch me, Malice!"

"Yes i will, Sunshine!" The Green Unicorn Stallion with a jasmine mane exclaimed.

Another colt sat under a tree, reading a book intently. one guess on who this black unicorn is. A Yellow Pegasus Mare with a Egg-White mane hung down from a low-hanging branch and blinked at him. "What'cha ready, Sombra?"

"Book on how to obtain Cutie Marks." he replied. He's so cute for his age and his voice is so nice, so innocent; hard to believe he's gonna turn into a nightmarish sorcerer.

"Any good ones cause i need to find one for myself." The Mare looked back to her blank flank and frowned. 5 years and the only one of their group to find their special talent was Sunshine- she always knows how to bright up a cloudy day.

"Nothing we haven't tried before. *Sigh* let's face it." he closed the book and tossed it away. "we're never going to find our Cutie Marks."

"Now don't say that, Sombie. We'll find our talents sooner or later." Sombra gave Tulip a half-fazed look. "I bet i'll get one for being the best flier in Equestria- no, the world. maybe i'll be leader of the Wonderbolts." Now that was going too far. Tulip realized this and chuckled nervously. "well... maybe it'll be something as simple as a garden."

"There you go." Sombra used his magic to pull the book back over, remembering that his mother will hurt him if he lost another one.

Tulip landed on the ground. "So... you have someone to go with to the carnival Thursday?"

Sombra winced. "No! i don't! i forgot it was Thursday!" he face-hoofed and fell back. he exclaimed and hit his head against the tree. the carnival was a popular event in their town, celebrating the start of autumn.

Tulip pulled him up. "Well, i'm free. we could go together."

Sombra froze. holy crap, is Tulip asking him out? "um... together? like... a date?"

Tulip rolled her eyes and chuckled. "No, dingle-dork. as companions."

Companions? he didn't show it but he was disappointed. such a shame. Tulip is a pretty mare.

a pair of pine-cones came out of nowhere and hit them both on the head. "Hey, Doofus'!" Malice exclaimed. he bounced a pine-cone up and down in his hoof. Sunshine her more ready to go with her magic. "You ready to fight?"

Sombra and Tulip looked at each other and snickered evilly. oh, they're dead meat. Sombra used his magic to pick up pine-cones near him and Tulip grabbed all she could carry. "You're dead meat!" Sombra sent his flurry at them.

later that night, Sombra stayed up extra late to find his talent. he tried every single thing possible to find it. no such luck.

then came the yelling.

his stepfather was a rude drunk who's always abusive to both Sombra and his mother, most times to the point of hitting. he was especially brutal tonight, giving Sombra a black eye and sending his mother to the emergency room for some broken ribs.

"Stupid Red Vine." Sombra silently cried. "I never asked you to marry my mom." he grabbed his Captain Karol action figure. He's suppose to be a protector to all, not let something like this happen. That little realization caused Sombra to squeeze tight. "Some hero you are." he tossed the figure against the wall, causing it's head to pop off.

He used his magic to bring a book over. he jumped onto his bed and opened the book up. "If only i were stronger, Mom wouldn't have to hang around such a mean man." the book he grabbed was a Spell Book, and it was bookmarked to a page about Combat spells.

With Celestia in charge and her and her guards being more then enough for, well, anything, such a thing like Combat Magic is... not needed in this age. But Red... he hates him with a passion and 'accidentally' took this book without paying. This was the first time in a long while he got to get a crack at it.

"Let's see here... Fireballs. this basic spell can be used to launch balls of fire at your opponent, turning them ablaze." ... Sombra lightly exclaimed at the explanation then jumped down from his bed. he took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and concentrated.

"Okay...come on, Sombie... you can do a simple fire spell. Come on." His horn glowed with a pinkish-red aura. He concentrated with all his might, every single bit, but he couldn't bring a fireball to form. He wasn't about to give up, though. He tried again and again and again and again and again.

On the 10th try, something... unexpected happened.

Sombra concentrated with all his might to try and bring that fireball up but it couldn't. He was going to try a 11th time when a loud pound came from his door.

"SOMBRA, YOU GO TO BED RIGHT NOW OR ELSE YOUR ASS IS GRASS!!!"

Sombra looked to his door and snarled. "Shut up, Red Vine." He had planned for him and blocked his door with his desk. Took a long time to move it. "I can do what i want!"

Vine tried to pound the door down, only to give up in a few seconds. "Grr... IN THE MORNING, I'M GONNA GIVE YOU WHAT FOR!!!"

Sombra angrily furrowed to the door, even long after Vine left. "Damn him..... why did Mom have to marry that jerk?" He went back to try and cast the fireball spell, but his anger got mixed in, corrupting it, resulting in the most unexpected thing imaginable.

In a flash, darkness shot out of the floor and into his own body, which he didn't notice or feel. Well, he did feel something- Power surging though him. His Magical Aura turned from pinkish-red to corrupted black and his eye color switched from green to red. Again, he didn't notice any of these things.

He did, however, notice the result.

He opened his eyes and gasped when he saw his own shadow moving like it wasn't attached to him. It turned and looked directly at Sombra. The Foal gasped in fear and backed up to his desk. the Shadow rose out of the floor and took on his shape.

"What... what are you?" Sombra gasped in fear. The Shadow moved closer to him, making fear rise in him. Sombra yelled out, "Stop!" And the Shadow did. It stopped in it's tracks and just stood there. Sombra cautiously got up from the floor and slowly walked around the living shadow. "What... what in the world is that thing?!" He shockingly gasped. Where did it even come from? Nobody knows how to use magic of this caliber, not even Princess Celestia, and she's the most powerful magic user on the planet.

Wait... when he said stop, the shadow stopped. And it is shaped like him. He wonders... can he control it? Did he somehow find a way to control shadows? Only one way to find out.

"hmm.... Move forward."

The Shadow complied and moved to him, much to his surprise. "Stop." The Shadow stopped. "huh... Hop on one foot and sing 'La Cucaracha'." The Shadow complied and hopped on one foot, but it didn't sing. Guess shadows are silent. Now for something complicated. "Hmm.... spin in a circle 10 times." The Shadow complied and spun.

That's when it hit him. Somehow, he found a way to control shadows. well, his at least. He figures that with training, he could manipulate shadows belonging to other beings, maybe even inanimate objects like Buildings and Trees. It's certainly worth pursuing. Nobody's done something like this before.

"HEE HEE! Tulips gonna be surprised to see this!"

Powers of Shadow

The next day began just like any other day in Sombra's life ever since his mother married Red Vine; he'd yell, he's hit him hard enough to give him a black eye (which is odd because he has black fur), and he'd go on drinking. Why did his mom even marry that jerk? Was she that desperate when Dad died; so afraid of being alone? Whatever the case, he has to deal with it. But today, he had something to look forward too; showing off his new-found power over Shadows.

And lucky him, today was Show-and-Tell day.

"This is my new Monster High doll." a random golden colored filly from his class said to everyone in their small red schoolhouse. "I got it for my birthday and it's good. i brush it's hair, i put on new clothes. i can pretty much do just about anything with it." When she finished, she bowed. The class gave a appropriate amount of applause, as did the teacher.

"Thank you, Ms. Tabitha Lulamoon. You may take your seat." He looked at his class list and crossed her off. "Let's see.... Sombra. You're next."

Sombra got up from his desk and walked to the front. "Thanks." He turned and faced the class. "Now... what i have to show you isn't a toy. Oh, no no no. it's much more cooler then that."

Cooler? that's certainly got their attention.

"Think we can open the blinds all the way?"

Mr. Mid Day wasn't expecting that to come from Show and Tell. "Un.... sure..." He used his magic to grab the blinds and open them. The morning sun cast shadows across the entire room, which works out well for him.

"Thank you." That done, Sombra closed his eyes and concentrated, recalling what he did to make it happen last night. Some of the foals and colts blinked in confusion as to what he is doing.

Without warning, the shadows at their hooves began moving all on their own. A foal named Twilight Velvet noticed it and yelled, "What the..." before falling over backwards. At that moment, everyone looked under their desks and saw their own shadows moving as well. They bled up from the ground and took forms of their own, Sombra's included.

"S-Sombra... what is this?" Tulip nervously asked.

Sombra opened his eyes. Tulip took note that his eyes are now red, with the white part surrounding it now green. "Cool, no? I found this out last night before going to bed. These shadows follow everything i say. Watch. Hey you." The Shadow of Tabitha looked to him. "Give your owner a nice massage."

The Shadow complied, melted into the ground, and appeared behind Tabitha, scaring her. Instead of hurting her, it followed Sombra's orders and gave her a nice massage. Almost professional grade. "Oh... Oh, wow. Oh, wow wow wow, that feels good. Oh, lower. lower."

"See? I can make them do about anything. Hey, you three." The shadows of Tulip, Velvet, Malice looked at him. "Do Coltio and Mareiet." The shadows complied and performed a scene from the play where Coltio and Mareiet meet for the first time.

the schoolmates looked on in awe while Mid Day bit the edge of his hoof rapidly. How can this foal be able to manipulate shadows?

When school let out, all of his schoolmates clamored around him, asking how he was able to get that power or if he can teach them or if he can manipulate theirs.

"That was just so cool, Sombra!" Twilight Velvet exclaimed.

"That was so amazing!!"

"Do it again, do it again!"

Sombra couldn't help but to comply. He used his newfound powers to make their shadows move and do the pony version of the La Macarena, The kids cheered and laughed, Tulip among them. Sombra smiled at her without her knowing.

meanwhile, Mid Day was telling the students parents about his powers over the shadows, making them worry about their children's lives.

They should be worried about Sombra because his abusive Step-Father Red Vine, whose colors are a exact match to his name, came to get him. He noticed Sombra having fun, leading to him getting VERY ANGRY! The day he'll let that little f*&k have fun is the day he'll die. "What is this?" he asked with a hiss, approaching the crowd of fillies and colts.

Sombra got pissed off that he was here but kept it inside. His response was cut off by another classmates. "Cool, isn't it? Sombra has power over shadows! it's so cool!"

Vine didn't think so. In his twisted mind, it was a complete farce. He stepped down on one of them. "It's a Faust-Damned abomination! Now come on, We're going home!"

"No, Vine. i'm staying here with my friends." Sombra stuck his tongue out at him, angering him further. "Now please leave. I got a nice trick i want to try out."

Not on Vine's watch, he won't. "I SAID YOU ARE COMING HOME, YOU PIECE OF SHIT!!!" He bucked Sombra in the face, sending him falling into the ground. It got the attention of the rest of the parents. "I OWN YOUR ASS! NOW GET THE F*&K BACK HOME BEFORE I POUND YOUR FACE IN!!!" The children back away in fear, not wanting to get in his warpath. Some went to get the grown-ups. Only one who stood in his way was Tulip. "GET OUT OF MY WAY!!!"

"No! Sombra's my friend and i won't let you hurt him!"

Vine snarled like a demon from hell. "THAT LITTLE NOBODY DOESN'T DESERVE FRIENDS!!! NOW GET OUT OF MY WAY!!!" He bucked her in the face, sending her to the ground.

That made Sombra take action. Along with his pupils turning red, the whites in his eyes turned green and purple fire came out the sides. He used his powers to take control of Vine's shadow, using it to pin him into the ground. It tightened the grip on his throat. Sombra slowly walked over, pure hatred in his eyes.

"You... what are you?" Vine gasped.

The red in Sombra's eyes glowed, making the shadow tighten the grip. "You hurt Tulip... i am going to make you pay for harming her!"

The grip tightened again, making Vine's vision start to fade. He didn't want to go out like this- not by this nobody.

Tulip got up and walked over to Sombra. "Sombra, stop! You're killing him!"

He doesn't care. He wants Vine dead. He's been torturing him for months; why should Vine get to live? But he cares about Tulip too much to ignore her. He cut his connection to the shadow. It let go of Vine and melted back into the ground, allowing Vine to breath. He coughed as he took in breaths, letting him live again.

the new colors in Sombra's eyes went away. In it's place was a bad headache that made him hold his head. "Ugh... wha... what did i do?"

Vine got up with a growl. "You are going to pay for this, you Son of a Bitch!" He galloped off as fast as he could, pushing the other adults aside. They were appalled by what he did to Sombra and Tulip, but it also instilled new fear of Sombra. He can go off the deep end and kill someone if he wanted.

As Red Vine galloped away, he started thinking of a good way to get back at him. Shadows are what he controls, so he should bring Light into the equation.

"(Wonder how long it takes to get to Canterlot...)"

The following hour, Sombra went to a hill outside of town, wanting to be alone. He had almost killed someone. It was someone who deserved it but he almost killed someone. True, it was payback for Tulip.

"Somehow, i knew i'd find you up here."

Sombra was surprised to hear Tulips voice. He looked to his right and saw her walk to him. He got a mean black eye from the bucking. Sombra did too but you could hardly tell with his black fur. "There a seat open?" Sombra moved aside a bit, allowing her to sit down. She took a deep breath and sighed. "Well... this ws one heck of a day, wasn't it?"

"Yeah... i obtain power over shadows and almost kill my stepdad with it. it's scary, if you think about it."

"Yeah..." Tulip stayed silent for a moment. "Sombra... why did you attack him like that?"

He didn't have to think long for that. "Why? You saw how he acts; he's basically the Chaos Demon Discord gone bad. He's a Demon out of Tartarus! He constantly tortures me night and day. And what happened today, that was him being generous! And to top it off, he hit you! Something inside me just... snapped. I wanted him gone, i still do! Killing him would've been... freeing. Least i wouldn't have to deal with that bastard anymore!"

Tulip had a little fear in her eyes right now. "I... see. I'm not arguing with you; he deserves to be punished for hitting us both, but Sombra... you need to not try to kill anyone by those shadows anymore. It was scary, seeing you like that. With your eyes..." She stopped talking and shook her head. "no... no. Just... promise me... you won't try to kill anyone with those Shadows. please?"

Sombra isn't planning on killing anyone... unless Vine forces his hoof again. But he's not going to argue against her. He cares too much to try and defy her. "I promise i won't try to kill anyone with my powers, Tulip. With my hooves or horn is another story..." Tulip rolled her eyes with a scoff. "I'm kidding. I won't kill anyone, guaranteed. I promise!"

Tulip smiled. "Good. Now can we get going home. My mom will yell at me for being late again."

"Yeah..." Sombra doesn't want to go home. Vine will be waiting for him. "Hey... can i sleep over tonight?"

Tulip knew why he wants to sleep over. that Vine guy will be at his house waiting for him. "Yeah... i'll talk to my mom and see if you can't stay."

"Thanks." Sombra got up, only to be met with a kiss on the cheek. It made him blush a very deep shade of red. "Un... thanks, i think?"

Tulip smiled. The two headed for town, wanting to put what happened today behind them.

Night of Fate

A week has passed since Red Vine was run out of town by Sombra and his unexpected shadow powers. Nobody's seen him in that time; not even a glimpse. It's like... he disappeared.

Sombra quickly got a reputation around town as being the pony who can manipulate shadows. Instead of being feared by everyone, he actually turned into a celebrity. He's using his powers not for battle but for show, such as dances, plays, and little performances. He's even getting paid in loose change. In the week's time, he's earned up to 150 bits in total.

Word about a pony who can use shadows was slowly spreading far. It has currently reached Baltimare, where Princess Celestia was visiting to scout a potential spot for this year's Summer Sun Celebration. She's scouting herself as it had been a slow week and she needed something to do.

"It's a honor to have you in our town, Princess." The current mayor of Baltimare said as he bowed to the Princess.

"The pleasure is all mine!" Celestia said in the warm tone she always has.

"And may i said that it is an honor that you choose my city to host this years Summer Sun Celebration."

Celestia nodded to him. "I wish to see Baltimare for myself; it's been a long time since i've last been here. Tell what you need for this year to my assistant Night Light." She moved to the side and allowed a young colt with dark fur to walk up, a notepad and pencil hovering in front of him.

"Un... isn't he a little young?"

Night gave him a bit of a scowl. "I am 5 years old, thank you very much! and Auntie Celestia said i could be her helper if i want."

The mayor was unconvinced and glanced up to the Princess. "His parents were good friends of mine who... unfortunately died several years ago. I took him in and he's my little helper. He's actually proven quite useful." the mayor exclaimed in slight understanding.

"Princess Celestia!" A Guard exclaimed. He walked to her and bowed with his horn glowing. "We caught this stallion trying to break though our lines." He brought forth a stallion who's hooves were bound in rope and his breathing was rapid. "He says he has something to tell you."

"Is that so?" She walked to the stallion and lowered her head. "Speak then."

The stallion gathered his breath. "M'Lady, my name is Red Vine and i am in dire need of your assistance. It's my step-son! he's out of control. He's somehow gathered the ability to manipulate shadows."

Celestia was shocked to hear that. She outlawed Shadow Magic not long after she banished her sister to the moon. "Are you sure?"

"Why would i make this up?! He's taken over the town and he's threatening to destroy it! i've managed to escape to come and warn you that he may come after you!"

This has warranted her full concern. Any threat to Equestria, no matter how small, is worth her attention. "Where is he?"

The School-bell rang, signalling the end of the school day. the young Filly's and Colt's ran out, cheering at the coming weekend. Sombra was among the last ones out.

Tulip caught up to him. "Hey Sombra. you coming over to my house later? My little brother's birthday is today and i'm inviting everyone i can. So you coming?"

"Of course. Marrot Bass is turning, what, 1 today?"

Tulip lowered her eyelids halfway. "Your kidding right? he's turning 5."

Sombra slyly chuckled. "I know that. i was just joking with you." The two reached a fork in the road. Tulip to the left while Sombra took the right. "I"m gonna head to the store; see if i can find him a toy.."

"He'll like that." Tulip walked to home and Sombra to the store.

On the outskirts of town, Celestia and her best guards formed up. Vine and Night Light were with her. "Are you sure he's here?" The Princess asked. "The town looks fine to me."

Crap... he hadn't planned for that. "Un... un... t-t-the bastard set up a curfew. everyone has to be in at 4 or risk death."

"I see..." She turned to her men. "Get ready to go in, men."

Vine turned away and evilly snickered. "(This'll teach this bastard to mess with his owner!)"

Sombra reached the store, rear legs chaffing from all the walking and running he did today. Today was tag... he hates that game. He opened the door and headed on in. The store bell rang as he went in.

This place was basically the pony equivalent of a convenience store. Rows of quick goods like candy, veggie jerky, and crappy toys. But as he gave most of his money to his mother to help pay the bills, he has like 10 bits left, so not enough to buy a full good toy. Plus, he's a little peckish and is looking for something to eat.

"Hello there, Sombra." The man behind the counter said. "What can i do for our small town's local celebrity?"

"Eh, i'm just looking for a toy for a birthday boy. Nothing biggie."

"You need some help?"

"Nah, i got it." Sombra used his magic to summon up the shadows of himself, the clerk's, and the other two ponies inside. They gathered around him as he browsed a selection of candies. "Go find a toy; preferably something for a 5 year old Earth Pony." The shadows nodded and went to work. They freaked out the Earth Ponies who were in their before Sombra.

The clerk shivered. "I'm never gonna get used to that."

"And since you're moving to Ponyville in a couple of weeks, Cheese Cake, you won't have to." Sombra found a chocolate bar with nougat and grabbed it. "My mom is going to miss you when you guys move."

"Yeah, but Ponyville seems like the perfect place to raise Carrot Cake. It's like the perfect combination between the closeness and friendliness of a small town and the largeness of a big city like Canterlot, which is right next door."

"I heard about Canterlot. everyone there are such snobs." Cheese chuckled. "I mean it. i visited there one time. and this kid named Blue Blood... ugh... i never met anyone so snooty."

One of the shadows came back, carrying a box of Colton Logs. "Eh... he might like those..." He looked at the price of it and the rest of the toys that came. the Logs are the only ones in his price range. "Eh... Tulip might hit me for getting a sub par gift but i have no choice." He pulled out the 10 bits and placed them on the counter. He sent all he shadows except his own back to their owners. "Well, i'm out." He trotted to the door. He spoke in a snooty accent, "Open the door, Cecal." He ordered his shadow.

"Heading home?"

"Yep! I gotta get back there fast. Today's the Season Finale of the Long Ranger and i do NOT intend to miss it."

"The Long Ranger? I never heard of that."

"Yeah. It follows a big burly stallion named Silver as he rides across the desert, righting wrongs. and accompanying him is his Buffalo friend Tonto."

"Odd Premise."

"Yet it works." The Shadow opened the door and Sombra spoke in a goofy manner as the shadow seeped under his hooves and carried him out. "Hi-Ho Silver! AWAAAAAAY!" The door closed behind him and the clerk chuckled to himself.

Sombra rode his shadow home, looking at the box of Colton Logs. "Hmm.... i honestly don't know if he'll like these." He magically unwrapped the chocolate bar and took a bite. "He never showed interest in these." He passed a intersection, unaware of the Princess-led squad to his right. "Maybe i should've gotten him a toy spear."

"Sombra Colion." Celestia called out. That got his attention. He stopped moving and looked to the right, chocolate bar hanging out of his mouth.

"Yeah... that's me..." he brushed them up and continued onward.

"You are under arrest!"

That made him halt. He pulled the bar out of his mouth. "I'm what?!!"

Night Light walked in front of the Princess. "Article 66 of the 6th Paragraph of the Equestrian Charter; any and all use of Shadow Magic is illegal and punishable by 50 years incarceration... or death!"

Sombra can hardly beleive what he's hearing. Mostly because it sounds bogus. "Illegal? This isn't illegal! This is a fun time! I didn't do anything wrong!"

"Not according to what we heard." Celestia calmly exclaimed. "From our source, you took complete control of your town and put everyone under a tyrannical rule!"

Sombra scoffed. "Tyrannical rule?! What kind of a idiot told you that?"

"That..." Red Vine came out from behind Celestia. "Would be me." Sombra's anger boiled. Figures he'd do something like this. He just didn't expect him to go all the way to Celestia. "Don't bother lying. i told her everything. How you harmed me and how you put everyone under your iron hoof."

Sombra lightly chuckled. "Okay... i don't know what... IT told you..." He pointed to Vine. "But he is lying to you. I've never harmed anyone in my entire life. Except for him. So now, if you'll excuse me, i have a birthday party and a Lone Ranger finale to get to." He jumped off the shadow and trotted off.

"I'll handle this!" Vine said before trotting after him. He caught up to Sombra and proceeded to deal with him his own sadistic way. "I have you right where i want you, you little bastard. I am going to make you suffer so much, you'll be begging for death."

Sombra stopped in his tracks and stood there. He summoned Vine's shadow and had it wrap around his neck. "Leave me alone, Vine, or else i will kill you. this isn't a request." He looked to him with evil eyes. "This is a threat." He let Vine go and walked off.

Vine rubbed his neck and snickered evilly. "I was hoping you'd say that." He galloped back to Celestia with a perfect lie already in line. "I tried to talk him out of his role of power but he wouldn't listen! He told me that he's going to the party to kill all the Fillies and Colts there with a sword."

Something about Vine's voice is telling Celestia that this is wrong but she can't tell if he's lying either. "Very well... let us follow him."

Sombra reached the party, finished up his chocolate bar, and tossed the wrapper away. Tulip was waiting for him out front. "There you are. What kept you?!"

"Eh, i was delayed. This real jerk blocked my path and i had to deal with it." He pulled out the box of logs. "This was the only thing i could find in my price range."

Tulip grunted disapprovingly. "That's too bad. he hates Colton Logs." Sombra cursed to himself. "HE does however like swords. see." She pointed to the plastic 2 foot toy sword on the ground.

"Oh, Come on!" He used his magic to pick it up. "I could've bought him one of these!"

Vine led Celestia and the others to the location of the party and, much to Vine's luck, Sombra had a sword. What a stroke of bad luck. "See. i told you."

So he did. He is going to kill them all. "I'll deal with this."

Sombra lowered his head in defeat. "Can i put my name on it, so we can both give it to him?"

Tulip chuckled. "I figured that to be the case. look at the name tag."

Sombra did and saw that his name was also on there. "Lucky." Tulip chuckled warmly with closed eyes. He went towards the party when Tulip stopped him.

"Um... Sombra..." He stopped and looked to her. "Um... before we go in... i have something i wish to tell you."

"What is it?"

"Well...." She ran her hoof though her hair. "you see the thing is... I un... i..." Sombra cocked his head to the side in confusion. "I... i may have....."

And then things went to hell.

Sombra was suddenly and violently struck by a beam of light, sending him crashing into a tree. He hit the sycamore hard, causing it to topple over. Tulip yelled in fear as this happened. the toy sword he had fell where he once was.

A large burn mark marked him on the side as Sombra rolled off the tree. He grunted in pain as he touched the mark. She gasped in shivers as he looked to where the blast came from.

Energy sparked from Celestia's horn, giving off steam as it cooled down from the magical attack. "Stay away from her!" She exclaimed.

This whole commotion drew a crowd, most of whom are from the party. "No!" Tulip exclaimed. She tried to run to Sombra but was blocked by several guards. "Stay back!" They boldly exclaimed. "This monster will harm you!"

"Monster? Harm me? He's my friend."

Sombra struggled to get up, holding his side. It hurts so much. "Sombra Colion..." Celestia exclaimed. "...under the penalty of the use of Shadow Magic, i hereby sentence you to Death!" She used her magic to summon a spear of light. "Forgive me." She used her magic to fling it over. Sombra closed his eyes and waited for the inevitable.

"WAIT!"

The spear stopped in mid-air, just inches away from Sombra's mother's face. "Get out of the way, madam." One of the guards exclaimed.

"NO! you are making a mistake. Sombra would never hurt anyone! He didn't know that Shadow magic was illegal..."

Red Vine cursed to himself. he forgot all about that bitch. She's always been annoying. He glanced to Celestia, who was holding the spear with her magic. That gave him an idea.

"Ma'am, we've been told that that colt has taken the town under his iron rule and has everyone under the grip of fear!"

"What? No. Sombra did not do any of that..." Vine creaked on over the Celestia, acting normal. He then kicked her in the leg, making her lose her balance and making her lose her grip on the spear. "He wouldn't have..." The Spear flew... and struck Sombra's mother in the chest, right though the heart.

"MOM!!!" Sombra yelled at the top of his lungs. It was for naught as the spear killed her instantly. Her lifeless body collapsed as Sombra looked on in shock. "No.... no no no no......"

Vine chuckled evilly, this time Celestia caught it. "What did you kick me for?!"

"I saw a bug." He coldly said. He walked over to Sombra, who was still standing there in shock as tears rivered down his face. "HA! I win, you bastard! I Told you i would make you pay for embarrassing me and pay i did!" Sombra lowered his head as he choked up. "Oh, is the little baby gonna cry? Well, cry away, you bastard!!! It won't matter once i get done with you!"

Is he forgetting that Princess Celestia is right here? She's hearing everything and she's not liking what she is hearing. She picked up the sword and saw that it was a toy. "You lied to me."

"Oh, So what!? I got this bastard right where i want him now! And without his precious little mommy to stop me, i can do whatever the fuck i want to him! And there's not a thing a mammy pampy princess like you can do about it!"

Yes there is. "Guards. Arrest Red Vine. He lied to me and brought this horror upon that innocent young colt."

"You can't do nothing! I own this bastard child and there's nothing you can do about it! I WIN AND THIS LOSER WILL PAY!!!"

Sombra's heard enough. "shut up..."

Vine laughed with a scoff. "What? are you telling me to shut up? That is hilarious!"

Something inside Sombra snapped. His eyes turned completely green with red iris's and purple fire coming out of the side. "I SAID SHUT UP!!!"

Begin Song:

The Key - Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep OST

Suddenly, everybody's shadow, even Princess Celestia's, burst out from the ground and circled around Vine. Everyone yelled in surprised as that happened. This scared the bejebus out of him. "Wh--- Stop! STOP THIS RIGHT NOW!!!"

"You... you abused me my entire life.... well, now i'm sick of it! I'm gonna do what i should've done a long time ago!!"

The Shadows formed a dome over Vine, covering him and Sombra in darkness. All the others could do was watch in horror as this whole thing took place. Celestia tried to break though it but whatever this kid is... he's too powerful. she can't break though the dome.

suddenly, a blood curdling scream yelled out of the dome, scaring the kids. The dome dissipated several seconds later, revealing Sombra, the shadows... and the bloodied and mangled corpse of Vine. The kids yelled out in terror.

the shadows belonging to Tulip and Twilight Velvet wrapped around him and lifted him up several feet into the air. Sombra then turned his attention to Celestia. "You... you killed my mother..." The shadows readied to attack her and she got ready to defend. "DIE!!!!!!!" Sombra yelled and the shadows shot towards Celestia like missiles.

Tulip watched in horror. Her best friend is turning into a monster. She had to do something, anything. "SOMBRA!!!"

Tulips yelling plead snapped him back to normal. His eyes went back to normal white and the shadows went back to their owners. He was softly placed back on the ground.

His body shook in horror as he looked around as the mess he caused. His mother... dead. Red Vine... a mangled mess. His friends... afraid of him. and the Princess... hates him. HIs life... it's all gone. it's turned into a complete and utter mess that he cannot possible hope to reverse.

He looked to Tulip who looked at him with unbridled fear. "S-Sombra..."

He caused this... he caused this and now everyone is afraid of him. They won't want to be with him anymore. He slowly backed up in fear of what he had done... Then turned and ran off as fast as he could.

"SOMBRA!" Tulip yelled out. He heard her but he didn't look back. He wants to be as far away from this as possible.

Tears ran down Tulips face. Her best friend... is gone... She got angry and turned to Celestia. "I hope your happy!" She yelled. "Because of you, my best friend is gone! This is all your fault! I HATE YOU!!!"

Celestia isn't going to countermand that. In way.. this was her fault. She bought Vine's lies and brought this down on a innocent colt who was enjoying a sweet and innocent life until she came.

Twilight Velvet stormed over to Night Light and beamed him on the head. "I hope your happy!!"

Night rubbed his head and looked to her. "I had nothing to do with this! This was all that Vine guy's fault, right Auntie Celestia?" She didn't reply. She just looked on in horror of what she did. "Auntie Celestia?"

"No... No, Night Light... we are to blame for this... for believing Vine's insidious lies. I only hope that Sombra can come back."

But he won't be coming back.

Sombra climbed the hill to the north of town, panting as he reached the top. He looked back down to what his home was and sobbed to himself. "I can't go back... they'll hate me... and Tulip... she'll.... she'll be afraid of me." He wiped his eyes but continued to cry. "Good-bye... Tulip..." He turned and ran north as fast as he could.

"And Celestia... one day... i'm gonna make you pay for destroying my life..."

On this day, Celestia accidentally commented a heinous crime against a young colt who lived in a town bordering Equestria with the northern arctic regions. And unknown to her, she had unwittingly created a mosnter.

A monster... that would bring Equestria to it's knees.

End Song.

Author's Note

welp, new chapter. sorry it took so long but i had other things.

Foreboding Castle

Begin Song:

Dark Hysteria (King Sombra's theme by youtuber BassBrony)

4 days, 4 weeks, 4 months, 4 years.

Sombra's not sure how long ago he was run out of his home and became the most wanted Pony in Equestrian history, but... here he is, the most wanted Unicorn in history, on the run from Celestia herself, fleeing the country and running to the frigid arctic north. The bitter cold stung his young body and the harsh winds struck his face with snowflakes that struck like icicles.

For all the time he was on the run, his mind always wandered back to the old days, when he still had a family and pleasant friends... and Tulip. His life turned to hell when Red Vine married his mother- that much is certain. And now... now he's living it up.

He used his magic to summon his shadow. He used it to wrap about him, forming a blanket of some sorts. It wasn't effective, but it was still something. It's better then freezing to death.

He stopped walking and collapsed into the snow, crying intensely. "Mom... Tulip... i miss you guys." The crying went on well into the encroaching night.

"Why... why did this have to happen..."

Unknown to Sombra, Celestia realized that Vine had been lying to her from the start and ordered his enrollment into the Baltimare Mental Institute- His roommate is an extremely insane filly named Screw Ball; no more then 2 years old, yet she's already set five fires.

Realizing that she made a mistake listening to Vine, Celestia ordered all of her guards, even her personal ones, to go out and find the runaway colt- a task that will ultimately end in failure.

Having 'borrowed' a blanket from a village of leopards he passed by, Sombra continued on to the north and as far away from Celestia and Equestria as possible.

He continued walking until his hooves begged for rest but he continued onward.

"Sombra..."

Tulip sat by herself beneath the birch tree she and Sombra always sat under, looking at the toy sword he had gotten for her little brother. "Please.... come home...." She wrapped her hooves around the foam sword. Tears fell, staining the foam.

Sombra collapsed in the snow, his body finally giving out to the freezing cold. The blanket flickered and fluttered in the raging winds. He had finally exhausted every bit of energy in his body.

As his vision began to black, he heard the sound of clanking armor. He forced his head, believing this to be one of Celestia's guards sent to kill him.

the owner of the armor came into view... and it wasn't the guard. It was... bipedal. It walks on two legs. And based on it's body shape, it looked like a overgrown monkey without the tail. The armor itself was foreboding and completely black, with it's helmet like something from a bad dream.

"This is not your place to die..."

That was the last thing Sombra heard before sinking into unconsciousness

end song.

When Sombra came too, he expected a raging blizzard, with no hope of surviving. Heck, he'd be surprised if he survived he at all. but survive he did, and there was no blizzard. On that matter, there's no snow either.

Sombra opened his eyes and found that he was on grass with trees and wildlife like rabbits. For a moment he thought he was in the Afterworld, until he heard the sounds of a raging wind.

Feeling surprisingly spunky and full, despite not have had any food in days, Sombra walked up to the top of the hill he was on. The source of the wind was revealed instantly.

Somehow, the wind and the snow were kept at bay by a unseen force. There was a line and the snow and wind weren't able to cross it. It's... unexplanable. But Sombra, being the young foal he is, didn't care. he's just glad to be out of the cold. Well, okay, it's still cold, but at least there's no wind and snow getting in his face.

"Where am i...?" He slowly started down the hill, taking in his unknown surroundings. This place just seems bizarre. How can a place like this exist in the extreme cold?

His search around gave him another unknown; a dark and foreboding castle in the middle of the territory, built into some of the mountains. With nowhere else to look for answers in this oasis, he headed to the castle.

His mind returned to the last moments in the blizzard, with that bipedal creature in armor. Did it save him? Did that unknown creature rescue him? Hopefully this castle has some answers.

The massive doors opened wide as Sombra pulled on the handle with his magic. He peered his head inside and saw that the entire place was abandoned. Everything was covered in cobwebs and the castle interior looks like it has seen better days, covered in mold.

Suits of armor lined the red carpet, leading up to a throne, which is the only part in the castle that's untouched. The suits don't look like the bipedal creature he encountered in the snow. Then again... he was near death. It could've been a hallucination. But he needs someplace to stay, and this Castle is the only shelter.

He cautiously set one hoof inside. The stone was warm to the touch. The entire hallway was warm, surprising considering the surroundings. "H-h-hello...?" Sombra nervously called. He slowly made his way in. "I-is anypony home??" No reply came as he walked in further. "I-i'm lost and i'm scared and i... i need a place to stay."

He reached the throne and ran his hoof along the rim. "I-if it's okay... i'm gonna go to sleep on t-this throne. If no one objects."

He climbed onto the throne and laid down, resting his head on his front legs and pulled his blanket over him. He closed his eyes. tears ran down them as he silently cried.

Sombra was abruptly snapped awake by monsters roaring. He raised his head and looked around. There are monsters of various shapes and sizes, all roaring out.

Frightened, Sombra hid inside the blanket, shivering in fear.

"This... this isn't right... Mom... Tulip... Everyone... i want to come home..."

Unaware of it, Sombra's horn glowed.

He wasn't aware that he had fallen asleep inside the blanket, but when Sombra came to, the monsters were all gone. He figures they're nocturnal beasts.

He pulled the blanket off and rubbed his tired eyes. "When did i fall asleep...?" he tiredly asked. He smacked his lips and got up... only to come face to face with a creature made entirely out of shadow. "Hey there." it said in a cheerful manner. Sombra screamed and fell backwards out of the throne.

"Oh, oh ow! *wince* that looked like it hurt."

Sombra rubbed his poor rump. He snarled as he looked up to the unknown creature. "OF COURSE IT HURT! i fell onto stone!" He blinked a few times in confusion. "Wait... you're a shadow."

The shadow, which was based on a creature that looks like a leopard, frowned. "You just figured that out, did you?"

"But but but..." Sombra got up from the stone floor. "What are you doing here? There's no leopards around here."

The Leopard tapped it's middle 'fingers' together. "Yeah... that's true. But i am not a leopard. well, not anymore. I died a long time ago."

"Died? That means you're a spirit?"

"Yep. Instead of going to Tartarus, i was stuck here. I'm not sure how but it happened."

Sombra went 'huh' then looked up to his horn. He wasn't aware he can some spirits of the dead. "But... if you're a ghost... how can you be a shadow? Shouldn't you be a white specter or a... blast, what's the word i'm looking for... ach, it was on my tongue but it passed."

"I dunno. Guess it's Ka."

Sombra raised a eyebrow in confusion. "Ka?"

"OH, that's right! this is your first time in the castle. Mm... well, come with me. i'll show you." The shadow slithered though the floors and emerged near the entrance to a hallway. With nothing better to do, Sombra wrapped the blanket around him like a cape, to keep himself warm, followed after him.

The hallway has a very intriguing design, with stained glass on the floor, walls, and ceiling. Cobwebs covered this place as well. Sombra looked around, amazed at the design. "Whoa... who made all of this?"

The leopard stopped and thought for a moment, placing on of his paws on his head. "You know, i don't quite know. Whoever made this left behind a lot of books, though. That's where i learned that Ka thing, along with a ton of other stuff."

"Oh..." The two started walking again. "So... the people who built this place. Do you have any clue who they were?"

"No. I do know that one of them was named..... oh, Faust, what was it...? I want to say Kosochi... no.... Amaxhi...? Nope. ... Orochi? No, that's not it. ARGH! i don't remember."

'Okay, okay, okay. sorry i asked." He remembered the line between the snow and the grass. "The constructors of this Castle... were they so powerful that they could create some magical barrier that blocked out the blizzard outside?"

"OH! yeah. they did. they created a machine that emits a shield. nothing can pass though it, not even creatures. OH... if you're in here, i guess that means the shield's beginning to wane."

"That or i was just lucky and found a bad spot."

"That too."

They passed by the master bedroom, which Sombra saw had a EXTREMELY huge bed. "So... the owners of the caste. where did they go?"

"I dunno. they just up and left. No warning; They just disappeared in the night."

"And you know this how?"

"I was dead for more then 1200 years. I was able to see things. Hearing, on the other hand, was another story. I always had something, like moss or something getting in my way."

"Ah."

The door opened wide and the duo walked in to a MASSIVE library with hundreds upon hundreds of books. Twilight Sparkle herself would have a orgasm just at the sight of all of it.

"WOW!! That... is a lot of books."

"Yeah. one of the previous owners loved to read." The leopard shadow went over to a pile and rummaged though it. "Let's see... where is it..."

While the leopard looked though, Sombra took a walk around the room. This is certainly the biggest library he's ever seen. He bets even Celestia doesn't have a library this big. "Wow..." He stepped on a book. He looked down and picked it up with his magic. He read the title, "The Lifestyles of the Harmonica inhabitants: from Ponies to Dragons, Changelings to Gryphons, and Diamond Dogs to Leopards." Harmonica? That's the name of a musical instrument; he never figured that's the name of their world. Of course, the world is based around living in Harmony and there's not really a lot of words to make out of Harmony.

He looked at the book again and saw that it wasn't really a book. The way it was written, it was more like a report. He flipped though it; it detailed strenghts, weakness's, what they eat, what their lifestyles are... It's like they were casing out their planet for an invasion. But who? and why?

"Found it!" The shadow exclaimed. It floated over to Sombra with a book titled 'Egyptian Mythology and Meanings.' He flipped open to a mark page. "Right there. read that."

Sombra took the book and read the part he pointed to. "Ka: In Egyptian Myth, they believed that the souls of the people are devided into 5 parts: the heart Ib, the name Ren, the personality Ba, the shadow Sheut..." He looked to the shadow with a grumpy expression. "Ka means death, genius."

"oops. My bad. but you see what i'm getting at, right? the Shadow is one of five parts that make up a person, according to... wherever Egyptian is. Remove that part and the person is a shell as you are taking half of him. Take the complete shadow and he might die."

"Huh..." Sombra summoned up his own shadow and looked at it. No wonder he always felt like he was staring at himself. The shadow is half of who he is... if that book is to be believed.

A loud roar echoed though the halls of the castle, sending shivers down Sombra's spine. "W-w-w-what was that?!!"

The roar came again and the leopard recognized it. "Well, he's up early. Odds are the others are as well."

"W-w-what?"

"Come with me." The shadow slithered over to the exit to the library. Sombra put the book down, pulled his shadow back into the ground, and trotted after him.

Sombra and the shadow took a lift down to the basement of the castle, where the owners of the roars resided.

"What's down there?" Sombra nervously asked.

"Oh, just some creatures the previous owners kept as pets. Nothing big; just some building sized and/or blood thrist monsters."

"AND THAT'S NOTHING BIG!!!?!!!"

"It is if they're kept in impenetrable cages."

"........................................... oh."

The lift reached the bottom floor of the basement. the shadow slithered out and to the exit a few feet away. Sombra slowly walked off and towards the door. He shakily brought his hoof up to the door and cautiously opened it.

True to the leopard shadow's word, all the monsters are locked up in crystalline cages. There were creatures of all shapes and sizes locked up behind bars. There were giant spiders, giant snakes, giant lions... basically, think of any animal and supersize it.

The place was set up like a zoo, which made him confused. Did the previous owners keep these creatures here for sport? Nobody on their world does something this sick, least no one he's heard about.

Sombra passed by a cage containing a animal he's never see or heard of before. It was a dragon covered head to toe in crystal. and it's massive, too. "What the hell is that...?"

"OH, that thing? That, my sir, is a Crystal Dragon; the last of his kind, too."

"The last of his kind?" Sombra gasped. "Is there no way for her to reproduce?"

"Her? HA! that, Sombra, is a bull dragon- a BOY dragon. and last i heard, guys don't get to carry babies. Unless medical science has advanced a WHOLE lot."

"Nope." Sombra looked up to the slumbering giant. It's so huge and looks so powerful. And the last of his kind, too.

The Leopard shadow gave Sombra a tour of the rest of the castle, showing him the dining hall, the bedrooms, even a fricken swimming pool. The place is in need of some repair but, all in all, the previous owners made this place into a luxury fortress.

"Where's your mother?"

Sombra gasped as he stopped in his tracks on his way into the master bedroom. He stood there, not sure what to say."Sombie?"

Sombra glanced away from the living shadow. "She... she's gone..."

"Oh... i'm sorry. i didn't know."

"It's okay." He knew that the shadow was going to ask what he's going all the way out here. "I was... run out of my home town. I did something stupid and they all hate me for it. So i ran and ran and ran, before i wound up here, of all places."

"What did you do?" the shadow asked.

Sombra glanced further away. "I don't want to talk about it."

The shadow hovered there for a moment. "Ok. i won't ask again. If you want to tell me, you'll tell me. But... what will you do now? like you said, you have no home anymore."

Sombra looked up to the ceiling. He had already thought about it when he first saw the castle. "Well... this castle has no owner, right? Well... i'm gonna take this castle."

"You are?"

"I have no place to live and the owners are gone, right? I don't think anyone is going to complain, will they?"

The leopard thought for a moment. "You're right. they won't. Well, you're getting no argument from me."

Sombra smiled and opened the door to the master bedroom. "Oh. what's your name?" He asked the shadow.

"My name? Oh, Faust, it's been centuries since anyone's called me by that name." the leopard thought for a moment. "Hmm..................... call me... Ishmael?" Sombra gave him a 'are you kidding' look then used his magic to bring up one of the books form the library titled 'Moby Dick'. "Oh... hehehe. Eh, i honestly don't remember. just call me Leopold. better then nothing."

"Right you are." Sombra entered the room and closed the door behind him. "See you in the morning, Leopold."

"See ya." Leopold waved.

The master bedroom sure does live up to it's name. the room itself is big enough to be mistruned for a throne room and the bed... hoh, the bed is big enough to hold a entire harem.

Sombra had never seen a bedroom this nice before and he never will again. His eyes beamed up as he ran over to the bed and jumped onto it. At least something good is coming out of all this. He just wishes he has his friends and family to join him in this giant castle.

With just him, Leopold, and the monsters in the basement, it's going to be mighty lonely.

New Horrors

Author's Note

just to let you guys know, there's gonna be a guest character for the next three chapters. she belongs to my girlfriend moonlightmare.

New Horrors

Tree branches cracked underneath clawed paws as a feminine form ran though dark woods, trying to get away from her pursuer. She looked back and saw the base trunks of trees get destroyed by tentacles from a unknown source. Once one tree was destroyed, a tentacle moved on to another, causing a never ending series of destruction.

"LEAVE ME ALONE!!!" the female yelled.

The source continued it's barrage, the tentacles clearing paths of destruction as it perused after her.

Tears of fear fell from her eyes as she saw her life flash before her eyes. This... Demon has been perusing her for Faust knows how long. This has gone on for years... and she wants it to stop so much. And her only hope is within a tower that's rising just above her.

Reaching a clearing at the base of the tower. the Crystal Dragoness spread her wings and took to the air. Legend has it that the crystal at the towers peak can leap across time. If it can get her away from that monster, she'll use it without hesitation, not matter the sacrifice.

meanwhile, with our misplaced colt....

Armed with a bucket of water, soapy rags, and a mop, Sombra is ready to start the war to get this castle clear.

"All Right!! Let's get to it!!" He announced.

a lonely wind blew across the main hall, creating a dust devil. Sombra's face instantly lowered in despair, see all of the cleaning he's going to have to do. And this is a pretty big castle; he's not going to be able to complete all this in one day. and with just Leopold, it's gonna be super tough.

"This is a suicide mission." A defeated Leopold said, running the top of his paw on the dusty floor with a puffy lip.

"And that attitude isn't going to help!" Sombra exclaimed with bared fangs.

He sighed as he held his head. This isn't going to be a easy task to do, but they have to do it. You can't live in dust and squalor all your life. "Come on..." He deprecatingly said. He grabbed the mop with his magic and flung it over his shoulder. "Let's get this over with."

The Crystal Dragoness reached the top of the tower and ran to the large sapphire orb resting in the center.

"Come on... please work..."

She reached the orb and touched it. If the legend is right, you have to concentrate with all your might on a world you want to go to more then anything else. Right now, any world that doesn't include that monster

"Come on, magic orb. Send me to a new world that frees me from this evil curse. That frees me from this monster."

The sapphire orb glowed brightly as it's color, illuminating the otherwise dark tower. The entire tower shook as the tentacles belonging to the monster struck the base, destroying the supports. The tower fell one story then leaned as it crumbled down in one direction.

the Dragoness yelled as she fell with the tower. The orb's glow reached a climax, encasing the Dragoness in it's light and bringing her into the orb. The Crystal Dragon disappeared into the orb moments before it and the tower crashed into the dark earth.

A soaking wet mop slopped down onto the floor and was moved around by Sombra's magic. 2 hours into this and they barely moved away from the area around the throne.

"Ugh.... this is a hassle." he complained. He peered over to Leopold, who wasn't have such good fortune with a broom. "Why didn't this place's previous owners do better work with personal hygiene?"

Leopold sighed as he pondered that very thing. "I don't know. One was in armor all the time and one was a Dragon."

"that answers that question." Sombra mumbled to himself. Someone in armor? must be some pretty advanced stuff if he stayed in it 24/7. And Dragon's can't catch deceases when they're adults. And if his suspicious are true from all the clues and he is from another world, then that would explain a whole, whole lot.

But it does raise the question on why they didn't put in a automatic cleaning service in the castle before they left.

Sombra stuck his mop back on the floor where, a few seconds later, it began to shake. It was barely noticeable. But over the next few minutes, the shaking grew more powerful and more violent. The bucket bounced up and down before tipping over.

Energy sparked into a single location as small as a atom just a few feet off the floor. The point of singularity expanded outward, large enough for a certain reptile to come flying though.'

The Crystal Dragoness yelled as she was launched out of the portal. Sombra yelled, seeing her be launched towards him with no control of her own. The Dragon collided with Sombra. the both of them rolled along the floor, making blubbering noises before hitting the throne. The fancy chair fell backwards, letting the two of them roll into the wall behind. Sombra landed right-side up while the Dragoness was upside-down, back feet dangling down.

"Ow...... both parties groaned.

Sombra's eyes spun like a cartoon as little birds circled around his head. "Eh... i'll take a chocolate milk with a... mayo sandwich..." He fell backwards, dizzy as hell.

His eyes stopped spinning and his head cleared up. He shook his head, blinking his eyes to help clear up the dizziness.

The Dragoness fell down onto her stomach, groaning like she was constipated. "Ow ow ow ow ow ow..." She gagged, feeling like she was about to throw up. "That's the last time i travel though time...."

Both parties got up from the floor and held their heads, each having a splitting headache. They each took a step and looked each other in their eyes; the Dragoness into Sombra's baby blue eyes and Sombra's into her emerald green.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" they both screamed.

Sombra frantically bounded for his throne and hid behind it while the Dragoness took off towards the ceiling, wrapping around a board.

"Who are you?!" Sombra whimpered, hiding under the overturned throne.

"I KNOW WHAT YOU ARE!!!" The Dragoness yelled. "AND I'LL BE DAMNED IF YOU GIVE ME TO THAT THING!!!"

"Thing?" Sombra uncovered his head and walked out from under the throne. "What thing?"

"YOU KNOW WHAT IT IS!! YOU ARE HIS PROXY, AFTER ALL!!! THE STALLION IN A TUX, A ALL WHITE BODY WITH NO FACE! TENTACLES COMING OUT OF IT"S BACK!! YOU KNOW WHAT YOUR MASTER IS!!!"

All the yelling is causing a ringing in Sombra's ears. "First off: ow. Second of all, what the hell are you talking about? I never heard of a creature like that."

The Dragoness opened one eye and looked down to him. "A-are you sure?"

"Positive. I never even heard of the creature you are describing."

The Dragoness blinked in genuine confusion. "O-okay. you better be telling the truth." She spread her wings and slowly hovered down to the floor.

Sombra watched her descend when he noticed something familiar. He realized that her body is covered in crystals, just like the dragon down in the basement. "Hey... are you a Crystal Dragon?"

The Dragoness stopped her descent and hovered in midair. "Why... do you ask...?" she cautiously pondered.

"I'm just curious. Your kind is supposed to have been extinct for over hundreds of years."

"Hundreds of years?!" she replied with a gasp. She flew up close, right into his face. "What year is this?!!"

Sombra visibly sweated from nervousness. "Un... Year 1978 of our lord Princess Celestia."

The Dragoness repeated what he said. "1978 of Celes---" She worked the numbers in her head. From her time, she never even heard of this Celestia. That must mean she is so far in the future... that the monster must be dead. Her face clearly beamed. "WOO-HOO!!!" She cheered, grabbed Sombra, and spun around in midair. "YES YES YES YES YES YES!!! I don't have to worry about that monster anymore!!"

Sombra choked as the air was rushed out of him. "Un... what?" he asked in clear confusion.

OH! that's right. this guy doesn't know about what was happening. She placed him on the ground and landed near the throne. "OH. sorry. my mistake. Where i am from, i was under constant pursuit from a monster i am sure came from hell. It was thanks to this orb that i was able to finally escape from that thing."

Sombra's lips pursed to the right. This story is pretty far-fetched. But... she is a Crystal Dragon, and under then the big bull in the basement, they're supposed to be extinct. And she came out of a mystery portal.

Leopold whisked up next to him and whispered into his ear, "Are you sure we can trust her? We barely know anything about her."

The Dragoness gave puppy-dog eyes, that melted Sombra's heart instantly. "OH, come on! look at that face! besides, i didn't see anything that disproves her story, do you?" Leopold had no choice but to believe him. There was nothing to disprove that story.

"So...... you believe me?" the Dragoness hopefully asked.

"Yes, we do." The Dragoness went 'YES!'. "What's your name?"

"Oh. My name is Aurora. Yours?"

"Mine's Sombra. the living shadow here is Leopold." Leopold nervously waved hello.

Aurora waved hello back. She then noticed the mop, the buckets, and the broom. "What are you guys doing; spring cleaning?"

"Eh... you could say that. We're trying to clean up this entire castle."

Aurora looked down at her paw and saw that it was covered in dirt and spider-webs. "I can see that." A thought entered her mind. "Can i help out? in exchange for a place to stay?"

"Sure." Sombra answered without question. Leopold gave him a leer and tapped one of his feet. "Maybe you can.... do something in the rafters or--"

"On it!" She flapped her wings and flew up to the rafters. Sombra chuckled as he watched her fly up. Leopold went back to cleaning as Sombra worked on getting his throne up.

Aurora reached the rafters and pondered on how to clear the dust and webs. Can't use fire. That's a big no-no. She decided to try flapping her wings. It works. kinda. "Why did you let it get like this?" She asked.

Sombra got the throne up and dusted off the back. "I didn't do this! it was like it when i found it."

"Found it?"

Sombra scratched the back of his neck. "Well... it's a long story."

"I'm not going anywhere. we have plenty of time, so..."

Sombra sighed. If she is going to be living here, he may as well tell her. "Well, what happened was..."

and so Sombra told his new guest, the Crystal Dragon Aurora, the events that led him to this dark castle: His demon of a step-father, his crush, his discovery of power over Shadows, his rise in popularity, his step-father blatantly lying to Celestia in front of her face, his running out of his home, his hazardous trek though the arctic north, and the discovery of this castle. when it was over, Sombra felt horrible, holding one of his legs with another.

Aurora held her paws up to her mouth, shocked that someone would put a child though all of that. "I'm sorry, Sombra."

"It wasn't your fault. It was that bastard Red Vine's fault. but... but most of all, i'm worried about Tulip. I hope she's okay. AGH, Faust, i wish i could see her again."

Just then, Leopold remembered something, something he had forgotten before Sombra brought that up. "Un... actually, i think you can."

"I can?"

"He can?"

"I think so." he hovered over to the throne. "The previous owners had something that they used to view the entire world without even leaving the castle." Sombra went 'huh'. that would explain that 'report' he saw. "Thing is.... i have no clue how to turn it on. All i know is that it has something to do with the throne."

Sombra thought about that. He hopped onto the seat and tried poking about with the arm rests. He heard something click on the right one but nothing happened. He clicked it again. nothing. He clicked it repeatedly. "Ach. nothing. It won't turn on."

Aurora landed behind the throne and looked at the backside. She noticed a cord running out of it. "Hmm... well, there is a cord. and it seems to run into the wall." Sombra and Leopold poked their heads out of from their side of the throne. "Maybe it needs some juice for it to work."

Sombra turned his head to Leopold. "There a power generator, kitty cat?"

"First off, don't call me that!" Leopold angrily said. "But...... i think there is."

"Where?"

Leopold whimpered nervously as he bit his claws.

The lift down to the basement creaked as it struggled to deal with the extra weight of the Crystal Dragon.

"THE BASEMENT!!!?!!!" Sombra yelled. "WE HAVE TO GO ALL THE WAY DOWN TO THE ZOO FROM TARTARUS?!!"

"Hey, i didn't design this place! But yes, we need to go down to the basement. Without it, we won't be able to turn on the hot tub, activate the appliances in the kitchen... no central heating..."

"I GET IT!!!" Sombra yelled with bared teeth.

Aurora scratched her head with a single claw. "Un... did i miss something?"

Sombra exhaled loudly. "There's some monsters down in the basement and it makes it... not a friendly place and i don't want to go back in there again."

That made the crystal drake nervous. "um.... what monsters?"

"I don't know; i didn't check the last time i was there. All I know is that they're all huge, annoyed, and hungry."

"And locked up in cages; remember that." Leopold added.

"Cages that are out of power!" a irritated Sombra retorted. "this is a suicide mission if there ever was one."

Aurora sputtered like a horse as she scoffed. "Oh, Pssha. we'll be fine. I got fire and Sombra's got his shadow powers. I think we're covered."

Sombra scoffed as well. "Right. Just wait until you see the monsters down there, then tell me if you're still whistling the same tune."

The lift reached the basement floor and opened up, allowing the dragoness and the unicorn to depart. The two walked towards a door and Sombra opened it. What color Aurora had in her face drained entirely until it was naught but white as she saw the vast array of monsters that call this subterranean hell home.

"HOLY CRAP!!!" Aurora yelled, freaked out by the sheer variety.

"I told you." Sombra said with a shrug.

"There's... there's so many... and so powerful... I'm not even sure where we should start."

"Let's just get this over with, please?!" Leopold pleaded.

"Okay, okay." Aurora irritatingly replied. "But how will we do it- a long, drawn out description of things, or just a quick talking only spot with zany sound effects to convey what we're doing which ends with us done?"

........................

"Whichever one is most beneficial to the author."

Hmm...........

All there of them unanimously agreed. "Sound effects."

' ' = Sombra, " " = Aurora, * * = Leopold

'Welcome to the zoo from hell.'

"Hey, where did that hand come from?"

'OW! watch where you are pointing that!'

"Should this have come off the wall like that?"

*We're all gonna die. i'm sure of it.*

"Hey, where'd that Mantis come from?"

'OW! let go of my tail!'

"HEY! Don't touch me there!"

*I don't remember there being a giant centipede*

'YE-WHOA!!!'

*Why is there a banana peel?*

'INCOMING!!!'

"Bad Mantis! Bad Mantis! Bad bad bad! stop grabbing my tail. stop grabbing my tail!"

*This is just priceless*

'DRAHHHAHAHAHAHAH!!!'

"POWER GENERATOR! YES!"

End random craziness

Sombra fell over on the throne, exhausted by their escapade in the basement, his hooves aching for cold water. Aurora felt the same as she rubbed her wings. "That... was... hell..." They both groaned.

Since Leopold was just a shadow, he doesn't get tired. Thanks to that, he worked on getting the power to the throne. "Well, at least we got power to the castle."

"Yeah, but we almost died in the process!" Sombra yelled.

"Well, be glad we're out." Aurora groaned.

Leopold stuck the plug into the throne. It sparked and hummed as it started to glow a very faint light red. Electricity surged though the fancy chair. Without warning, a series of screens appeared in midair, each one showing a different part of the world.

"Whoa!" Sombra exclaimed in surprise.

Aurora looked on in amazement. She had never seen anything like this before. Such advanced technology, it's astonishing. "Wow..."

"Wow is right..." Sombra agreed.

They are seeing events happen all over the planet right now, such as a disagreement between a Gryphon and a couple of Diamond Dog sellers in a town Sombra doesn't recognize, to a Leopard explorer being caught in a spiky booby trap inside ruins.

Leopold hovered to the top of the throne and rested his front paws on it. "If i remember correctly, the previous owners said this was in real time. So what we're seeing is what is happening in the world right now, at this very second."

"Huh." Sombra looked up at the screens and wondered if it can focus. "Hey... can these screens focus on a single person."

"Yeah, i think. i saw the last guys do it before."

There's only one pony who Sombra wants to see. He concentrated as hard as he could, hoping this was the right way to it. It was. One screen enlarged as the other 18 shrunk. Center stage in the screen was a young filly the same age as him. She was picking wildflowers on the outskirts of their home town.

"Tulip..." He held his hooves over his hurt heart, closed his eyes, and silently cried.

Aurora saw that he was hurt. "Your girlfriend?"

"My best friend. Thanks to my monster of a step-dad, i was forced to flee. Faust, i miss her. i miss her so much. I miss everyone so much."

The Crystal Dragon patted him on the back. "I'm sorry, Sombie. i was ran out of my village too. By a actual monster, no less. So i do know what you are feeling."

Sombra wiped his eyes and looked up to the screen. Tulip had finished picking the wildflowers and walked off to her home.

Unknown to the denizens of the castle, their little escapade down in the castle basement woke up the oldest, largest, and most powerful creature. The giant and horny monster snapped his eyes open, sensing a young, fertile, and ready to breed female of his own kind in the castle.

Now it has a reason to escape this cage now.

Crystalline Terror

"zzzzzzzzz... zzzzzzzzzzzz.... zzzzzzzzzz..... zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz....."

Butt raised into the air but covered by the blanket of the master bed, Sombra snored loudly, even as the sun's rays poked though the window and struck the cotton fiber.

Snickered came from the closet as a certain crystal dragoness had a string wrapped around her front right paw. Inside the closet with her was a equally giddy Leopold. "This is gonna be epic." He snickered.

"I know. i know. i know. oh, shh shh shh shh shh shh."

Aurora waited for the perfect moment, a moment where she can dump the bucket of water hanging over the top of Sombra's bed, tittering on the edge.

"Come on, come on, come on..."

Sombra yawned and flipped over, causing the blanket to fall off the bed, exposing his teenage body to the dragoness' evil trick. That was the opening Aurora wanted. "GOTCHA!!" She pulled on the string, causing the bucket to tip and fall.

The freezing cold water hit Sombra's chest, making him burst awake. The bucket fell on his manhood, making him howl in pain. Leopold and Aurora fell out of the closet, laughing their asses off.

"Un-pleasent." Sombra squeaked with his voice raised up several octaves. And he was having such a nice dream too. The dream was when he was run out and found this fortress. He fell out of bed and onto the floor, holding his manhood.

10 years have passed since Sombra was run out of Equestria and he found refuge in the castle located in the arctic north. 10 years since he met Leopold. 10 years since he met Aurora. 10 years since he found this fortress and became it's king.

10 long years...

Sombra has grown up a lot in those 10 years. His body and mind have matured as he was into his teenage years. His mane and tail grew much longer and his horn grew longer. To his surprise, it turned red and curved up. during these 10 years, Sombra improved on his shadow magic significantly. Now, he's able to summon shadows and grow them to ENORMOUS heights, to be as big as this castle or the one in Canterlot.

Aurora did some growing too. She grew from being a scardy-cat afraid of her own shadow to being a take charge, no nonsense Dragoness. She also became a gardener, creating several small gardens outside the castle. She enjoys the view of the blizzard raging outside the shield. It shows how much weather can change a location, and the castle and it's surrounding greens are proof of that. She also became.... un...... mm.... for lack of a better word, horny.

In fact, She and Sombra became friends with benefits. Hey, he's a teenager, she's....... the dragon equivalent of a teenager. They have urges. you know what that's like. You've been though puberty before.

And Leopold is... still Leopold.

Sombra yelped in pain as he put a ice pack down on his wounded pride. "Oh. Faust. it stings so much!" Sombra kept squealing until the stinging sensation went away.

"Oh, quit being a baby." Aurora said as she rifled though the fridge, trying to find a fresh can of soda pop. "Thanks for the pop run, by the way."

Several years ago, Sombra discovered how to teleport using his mastery over shadows. With it, he teleports to the nearest town, Baltimare, and 'procures' some non-essentials that they find that they miss. This includes a brand-spanking new Gbox game system and some games, and some various goodies such as chips, soda, and the like.

"Let's see how you feel when your sensitive parts hurt like there's no tomorrow." His voice had gotten deeper as the years progressed, yet his eyes still possess that same childlike innocence.

"Yeah yeah yeah, blah blah blah. 'I'm in pain.' Well, suck it up."

Sombra stuck his tongue out while going 'blah.' Aurora grabbed it and pulled it as hard as she could, making him yelp in pain. She pulled until she could pull no more then let it roll back into his mouth like a curtain.

Sombra fell back on the snap. "Why do you hurt me...?"

Aurora flew over him with a playful smile. "Because i care, that's why."

"You have a funny way of showing it."

Aurora rolled her eyes. she stepped down on Sombra's rear hooves, lifting him up like a rake. She gave him a quick peck on the cheek, making him blush. "Better?"

"A tiny bit." Sombra smoothly said. "I think i need another kiss to be sure."

Aurora smiled and gave him another peck.

"If you two are going start another make-out fest to where she'll be calling out some deity's name, you mind waiting till night?" Leopold said as he read a magazine. "It's bad enough that i have to hear it though the walls."

"Oh, shut up." they both said.

"Why don't you make me?"

Sombra obliged and messed with him using his shadow magic. Leopold yelped as he was picked up and moved around and around against his will. "Hey! Hey! Put me down! Put me down!" Sombra and Aurora chuckled.

Deep in the recesses of the castle basement, inside the former master's personal zoo, a large and crystalline menace slept. Ever since the female of his species arrived, he had been binding his time, waiting for the opportune moment to break out and claim the very fertile female dragoness for his own. He knows she is extremely fertile; he smells her pheromones.

Creepy, i know.

"YAAAH! HYAH!!!"

Spider-Pig fired a sludge of web hit a monstrous lizard creature in the face, blinding it for the moment. "Nice try, Dr. Colters, but we can get you help. We can find a cure to help you with this... lizard thing."

Lizard looks at his new form and smiles evilly. "Not a chance, Spider-Ham. I like this new power. It makes me feel... better. And i am not going back to having lost one hoof ever again! You made me lose it! now... let's see how you like it when you are missing a hoof! RAAAAH!"

Lizard attacked Spider-Ham, swiping a claw at him. the masked porker jumped away. He fired a string of web towards a nearby building and swung away, avoiding another attack.

The entire exchange took place on a screen that hovered above the floor. Sombra, Aurora, and Leopold watched as the battle unfolded. They checked out this new show out of curiosity and now they are huge fans. That's one of the amazing benefits of this screen; it can pick up TV signals. There's a lot of show's they like... although most intersect with each other, and they don't have a recorder. It can get pretty hectic, especially when Aurora's soaps come on.

"Oh, he's gonna become bacon this time." Leopold commented.

Sombra scoffed. "Please. nothing can kill him. Goblin couldn't. Doc Ock couldn't. trust me, Hammy is gonna get out of this in one piece."

".....un-huh. hmm.... well, whatever you say. Not."

Aurora rolled her eyes. "Oh brother. here we go again."

"You know who can't be killed? Luffy from One Bit. Guy takes a powerful blow to the chest; still alive!"

"WHAT?!" Sombra exclaimed. "No no no no. Master Stallion from Marelo can't be killed! He's got some of the best luck around."

Aurora rolled her eyes again. Whenver the boys get like this, it's always time to leave and go somewhere else far away while the boys duke it out. "Okay, boys. I'm gonna go and get some more popcorn. You two keep arguing about... boy stuff." She walked off towards the kitchen.

"As i was saying, Master Stallion cannot be killed, no matter how hard you try..."

"No, Luffy can dish out any and all punishment, and take a lot of damage too. Just watch. i'll find a episode of One Bit and show you."

"No no no no." Sombra took the remote and held it out of reach of Leopold. "If we're gonna change it, we're gonna put it on Colt Wars. not that One Bit crap." the shadow leopard jumped on the stallion and wrestled him for the remote.

Aurora reached the kitchen and began rifling though the cupboards, trying to find another bag of popcorn she can pop with her fire. "No. no. no. no. NO! Darn it. No popcorn. i can't believe that we ran out." She sat down and crossed her front paws in a huff. "Guess Leopold's gonna have to make a run to Baltimare."

She heard her stomach growl. She rested her head on a nearby trash bin and closed her eyes, rubbing it. "I know, i know. i know you are hungry too. I only wish Leopold didn't spill all the popcorn." She got up off the floor and headed back to the throne room. "Come on. maybe we can get your dead uncle to go on a food raid for your momma."

When she returned to the throne room, she saw the boys wrestling. She exhaled a disappointed sigh. "Brother..." She walked on over, hoping her presence would get their attention.

It did not.

When that didn't work, which she knew wouldn't work but just felt like it, she used per powers over crystals to separate them. "OY! If you two ladies are done nagging, Leopold needs to go into town and get some more popcorn. we're all out."

"What?!" Leopold shouted. "Impossible. i only got that...... 4 weeks agooooo......." He lowered his head in shame. "Okay. i'm going." He begrudgingly left for the exit, disappointed that he has to go out in the cold again.

"And get some oranges this time! I have a craving for them!"

"STUFF IT!"

Aurora closed her eyes and giggled. Sombra looked to her oddly. "What cravings?"

She had been dropping hints all month about her body's changes but he still hasn't picked up on it. guess it's true what they say; teenage boys think about only one thing. She's pissed that she is the one who introduced him to the fun time in bed. "Oh... nothing. just felt like oranges lately."

"Oh. Well.... okay then."

Aurora chuckled and ran her tail across the bottom of his neck. "that's un... not the only thing i have a craving for." She said seductively. Sombra blushed fiercely. He gulped nervously as Aurora took her tail out. "I'm in the mood for something black, sweet, gentle, and is big."

"A ba ba ba. bababbabbababababaabbabababbbbbb"

Aurora chuckled seductively yet again. She stopped in front of him and looking into his eyes with a longing. "Yes, big boy... now please hurry. i'm not sure how long i'll be having this urging for long."

*Gunshot*

Sombra shot towards the master bedroom, leaving a trail of dust behind him. Aurora chuckled again and spread her wings. "I have him wrapped around my tail." She flew after him with a smirk.

The giant Crystal Dragon sensed that this is the time to move. It will claim the female for his own or die trying. He moved his tail to the lock. the tip morphed into a key shaped for that particular lock. He put it in and turned. The lock came loose and the cell opened.

He will claim his female. But first... it must feed. And loe and behold, there's a swarm of other animals down here, ripe for the picking. He opened his mouth and bared his hungry teeth before lunging towards the nearest animal.

The master's bed's blanket was tossed onto the floor in a filthy manner. one of the posts on the bed, holding up the part that can hold a bug net, was cracked. the silk net that surrounded the bed was ripped. The mattress was horribly ripped as well. and the two occupants of the bed rested under the sheets.

Both Sombra and Aurora panted very heavily after spending 4 hours.... eh... calling out to Faust. Yes... yes... calling out to Faust. that's my story and i'm sticking-- ah, who am i kidding? They did it. Yep. they did it.

"Oh my........" Aurora breathlessly exhaled. She had been trying to regain her breath for over 10 minutes. "That was... that was..."

"the most intense we ever did it? oh... hell yeah." Sombra smiled, feeling like a man.

Aurora saw that and rolled her eyes, though she's surprised she has the strength to do it. "Yeah... i wouldn't be surprised it... i got pregnant from all that."

Sombra laughed softly. "Pregnant. yeah right. There's never been a pony-dragon hybrid and there never will be. It's... physically impossible. How would the two genes meet? Besides, i'm not father material."

Aurora felt disappointed and a bit depressed. "o-oh... i-i see." She rubbed her stomach with her left paw. Regardless, she still has to tell him. "Listen, Sombra... i have--"

Suddenly, the entire room shook violently, causing the bed to shake, something it's very familiar too. And it wasn't the room, but the whole castle too. The shaking went away as quickly as it started.

"Was that a earthquake?" A shocked Aurora gasped.

"Impossible. we never had any." Sombra said. Guess that's why the previous owners built the place here. "Better go see how the animals are doing." He slid out of bed and grabbed his ruler's cape with his magic. He made it out of the blanket the leopards gave him when he was a colt. "You ok to walk?"

"Yeah, i think i can." She slid out of bed too, but when her feet hit the floor, they turned to jelly. "W-whoa." She blushed embarrassingly. "Hehe. i think i'll stick to flying."

Leopold groaned with a growl as he made his way though the freezing cold. He may be a shadow, but he still feels things. "Ugh... i'm gonna hit that girl when i get back."

The elevator descended down into the basement of the castle fortress. When that earthquake hit, they were worried about the animals down there in the 'zoo' established by the previous owners.

"I hope they're all okay." Aurora said, worried for the animals she had been caring for.

"Yeah, me too." Sombra said. "I wonder how this earthquake shook them up."

"I hope they aren't too shaken up."

The elevator reached the bottom. The doors opened up and the two headed for the exit. "We'll see when we get there." They reached the entrance to the 'zoo' and went inside. What they saw when they entered made them sick to their stomachs.

The entire floor was covered in blood. Every animal in the place was brutally killed and torn apart in a violent and gruesome manner. Not one animal is alive, and if they are, they'll be dead soon anyways.

"Oh my Faust...." Sombra gasped.

Aurora held her mouth in horror. "What... could've done this?"

The answer came when slobber fell from above, hitting the spot between them. They both jumped at the suddenness of the slobbers appearance. They then stiffened in fear and looked up to the ceiling. What they saw made their faces drain of all color.

Begin Song:

Escape - Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes soundtrack

Above them, clenching to the wall, was the Crystal Dragon, the bull. Hanging from his teeth are the remains of one of the animals. It swallowed the rest of it's meal and hissed. His mate has finally arrived and he will have her.

"Sombra...." Aurora asked in shivering fear.

"Y-yeah....?"

"I-is that the... giant C-C-Crystal D-Dragon that was locked up here?"

"Y-yep. and he does't look happy. If anything, he's still hungry."

"That's what i thought."

They looked at each other and got the same idea. "RUN!!!!" They ran back for the elevator. The Dragon fired down a fireball. it hit in front of the elevator, creating a wall of flame that blocked access. Sombra and Aurora screeched to a halt, turned the other way, and ran for their lives.

The Dragon spread it's wings. Finally... after what felt like an eternity, He will have her! Giving them a ample headstart; he likes the thrill of the hunt, He pushed off the wall and flew after them.

"THAT THING IS GOING TO KILL US!!!" Aurora bellowed.

"I NOTICED THAT!" Sombra yelled back.

The Dragon flew over them, creating enough wind to pick them up and send them flying forward a few feet. Their feet touched the ground and they kept on running.

"Do we even have a exit stragety?" Aurora pleaded.

Sombra thought back to all the times he came down here. "Yes, there is. There's a door at the back. Leads to what i think is a hanger. We can get out there."

"A Hanger?"

"Someplace they use to store ships; don't ask me, i didn't build this place."

The Dragon came around for another pass. this time, it's mouth was open and a fireball appeared in it. It reared it's head back and fired it towards the pony.

Sombra noticed it and shouted, "OH CRA------"

abtiejn.jgo;utjeith3pu512i3012unvnerw[5pq2jdjci2o814-92[auna1u193u4h f -935u958qiu4hnkfdqu59u5bfkajdf

--- btoeugttahnc03=194

01011010101010101010101010111100000011010101010101010101101001100101101010101010100010101101011100001111.

Sorry... screen seems to be flaring up. I knew i should've upgraded the cameras, but noooooo. the executive decided to not to, saying these cameras are good enough. i swear...

there we go. we got another in the air. Hopefully our heroes aren't shish-kaboped.

*back to the show*

Soot covered his body, Sombra ran out of the 18th fireball. He thought Aurora was going to distract him. Not the best at what she says, apparently. It doesn't matter. He reached the emergency exit. He hit it with his shoulder, busting it open. He turned and called out, "AURORA!!! IT'S OPEN!!! HURRY UP AND GET OVER HERE!!!"

Aurora heard him and spun around a stone pillar. The giant dragon hit the same pillar, sending it crashing into the floor. "Finally! some breathing room!" She cheered. The Dragon burst up and ran for her on his hind legs.

"Oh, Come ON!!!" She flapped her wings as hard as she could. She kept up faster then the Drake, which is good.

Knowing he won't catch her in time, the bull powered up another fireball and launched it towards the exit. Aurora dove for the exit, the fireball right on her heels. She reached out for Sombra and he reached out to her. The---

abtiejn.jgo;utjeith3pu512i3012unvnerw[5pq2jdjci2o814-92[auna1u193u4h f -935u958qiu4hnkfdqu59u5bfkajdf

--- btoeugttahnc03=194

01011010101010101010101010111100000011010101010101010101101001100101101010101010100010101101011100001111.

oh god dammit!!! Ugh... sorry folks. we're gonna have to upgrade the equipment for next episode. sorry about this. ugh... this is the last time we buy used.

oh right, how did it turn out? Um... well, they made it though the door and Sombra closed it just in time, but not before he got a burn on his chest. nothing horrible; singed fur, that's all.

i swear that next episode won't be like this. in fact, it will be a bit epic and... well, something bad will happen. now, if you will excuse me, i'm going to go fire our cheapskate producer.

Innocent's Requiem

Author's Note

I hope you guys have tissues because this chapter is going to be TRAGIC!!! and i mean tragic; i'm talking about Titanic tragic.

Innocent's Requiem

The giant bull Crystal Dragon opened it's flaming mouth, speeding and sounding like a rampaging locomotive. Sombra and Aurora struggled hard but they were thankfully able to close the steel door. The bull struck against solid bedrock. It was knocked out as it sled to down to the floor. The ceiling caved in and buried him under miles of rock.

The duo on the other side of the door didn't know that. They just heard a whole lot of noise and felt a lot of shaking. Once the shaking stopped, they caught their breath.

Sombra flipped around and bonked the back of his head on the door. "Holy shit, that was close..." he breathlessly said as he slid down. He noticed a small ember on his chest. He brushed it off. The ember had already singed his fur, but he's just glad it wasn't his life.

Aurora is not going to argue with that. "This was a very close shave. But what caused the Dragon to go berserk and kill everything down in that zoo and try to kill them too. It doesn't make sense. It didn't do anything before now. Why attack now?"

Sombra looked up and down her body. "I can think of one."

Aurora saw him looking at her then looked at herself. "Me?"

"Why not? You are the female of his species. I'm guessing he was waiting while he regained his strength. And boy, did he regain it."

"Well, he's in for a shock." Aurora said in anger. "I don't go 'down' that easily."

Sombra ain't gonna argue with that. "That you don't. but... that doesn't help us get out of here."

"Yeah..." He got up off the floor, exhaling deeply. "Come on. Leopold showed me all the exits to this place."

"I know. i was here too, remember?"

They walked off as the Bull rammed against the wall again. "GIVE UP ALREADY!!!" Sombra yelled. "Sheesh..."

The two of them walked into the hanger. The place, used by the former occupants for their ship, was big enough to house a a large ship as big as a library. It is barely a hanger now, though. now it's just a huge cave with metal doors, a HUGE metal gate, and bits of machinery lying about.

"I still can't get over how big this place really is." Aurora said in wonderment. "It's just so... huge. The last tenents must've had some pretty advanced tech to build this place."

"According to Leopold, they were. Did you forget what he said?"

"Yes yes yes. i forgot, so sue me." The ground shook as the Bull hit again. "Let's just focus on getting out of here. Fast."

Sombra looked around to find the exit to their predicament. "I think the back door is.... there."

Aurora spread her wings and took to the air. "Well, come on, let's go. Let's get the hell out of here." He galloped towards the exit but stopped after 3-4 steps. She noticed this and stopped. "What's wrong?"

"What will we do when we get out of here? We can't go to Equestria; i'm universally hated or feared there. And i'm sure that we'll be run out of every other kingdom and empire thanks to wanted posters and rumors. I'm a pariah everywhere i go."

She landed and patted him on the back. "Hey, you don't know that. Equestria's out, sure, but you can't be sure that all the other kingdoms and empires will do the same thing. She got in front of him and looked him in the eye. "you never know till you try."

Sombra looked at her with disdained eyes. "Are you sure?" She nodded in confidence. He sighed depressingly and got back up. "Alright. I trust you." He headed to the exit. Aurora smiled and flew after her boy toy.

The Bull rammed the wall a 10th time and this time felt some pain in his side. He growled in anger, furious that they might have a way out of the trap. Instead of focused on the wall all the time, he turned his attention upward, towards the ceiling. He may have a way out after all in order to claim his prize. He spread his wings and took to the air. It hissed as fire formed in his mouth, leaking out like slobber.

Begin Song:

Slice Open Destiny - Nobunaga the Fool soundtrack

In a remote part of the castle, not that far from the Olympic-sized pool, a brick was nudged out of place. The wall surrounding it shifted and opened up, revealing a secret passage way. Aurora and Sombra ran out, panting for dear life.

"My Faust, that was claustrophobic." Sombra panted.

Aurora licked her lips and looked back to the door as it closed. "Least we're out of cramped passageway number 84 and in the actual castle."

"Yeah yeah yeah." Sombra got up off the floor and cracked his back. "I'm just glad to be rid of the insane Dragon."

Suddenly, the floor underneath them shook and shuddered. The Bull was not giving up. Instead, he was digging his way up. "OH, GIVE UP!!!" Aurora yelled at the top of her lungs. "I"m already taken! I'm gonna be a mother, for pith's sake!"

Sombie was not expected that last part. She looked to Aurora in shock, who had just realized what she had said. "A mother? Aurora, you're... i'm... we're..."

The Dragoness' ears drooped. "I meant to tell you. I just found out myself several weeks ago." The ground underneath them shook again, more violently this time. That made her nervous and him angry. "How about this; we get out of here, and i'll tell you everything. deal?"

Sombra was still in shock, but he shook himself out of it and nodded. "Deal." The two made a beeline for the exit.

Elsewhere, in the arctic tundra, having been sent out by Aurora for some supplies to satisfy her cravings, Leopold sensed something was amiss. A loud terrifying roar echoing over the tundran wastes didn't exactly help either.

"Oh no..." He said with worry. "Don't tell me that thing got out!" He booked it back to the castle, moving as fast as a shadow can.

The renegade Unicorn and the weathered Dragoness ran as fast as they could though the castle, hoping the Bull dragon won't pop up anytime soon from the ground beneath their feet. It took them a while to notice, but they eventually felt that the monster wasn't causing the ground to quake anymore. They skidded to a halt and looked down at the floor.

"He isn't attacking anymore?" Sombra asked.

"Maybe he gave up." Aurora suggested.

No he did not.

The ground shot up from under them as the Dragon burst up from the floor, roaring as loudly as it could, with it's mouth bared wide and it's teeth flashing in what little sunlight there is. He lunged all the way up though the ground and crashed though the ceiling. Finally out in wide open skies, the Bull stretched his wings to it's maximum limit and flew as high as he could. It unexpectedly struck the shield, something he wasn't expecting. He turned his attention back down to the castle, towards the only two occupants.

The two of them saw the drake looking down at them, making Aurora gulp in fear. "Oh, crap."

Sombra turned and yelled, "RUUUUUUUN!!!" The two ran away from the hole in the ceiling as fast as they could, and just in time as a fireball came down from above, hitting where they were causing a huge explosion. The shockwave from the huge kaboom shattered all the glass and left a deep crater in the middle of the castle.

Fire rose up from where the fireball hit and emanated from walls. Sombra and Aurora had ducked for cover, almost being hit by a falling support beam that's aflame.

"Yeowza...!" Aurora exclaimed, looking up at the beam that almost hit them. "That almost hit us!"

Sombra gave her a stoic look. "Really?" He said sarcastically. "I didn't notice. i thought it was a giant bouquet of flowers!"

"You mind not being a prick? last i checked, we're fighting for our lives!!!"

The massive Bull Dragon slammed down into the ground with enough force to make walls crumble. It roared loudly, with enough force behind it to make stone crumble.

"AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Sombra and Aurora crawled out from under the beam and ran for their lives, running into a hallway too narrow for the beast to give chase. The Bull saw them run into the hallway. He leaped after them but was too late to stop them. He reached his paw in to grab them but they were too far in.

Sombra breathed a very intense sigh of relief while running. "OH, Thank Faust for thin! I like thin!" He looked back to Aurora, who had gotten a very mean scowl going. "Un....... but i think i can grow to like thick women as well."

"Nice try, Braniac."'

They ran into the main hall, where the chandeliers were starting to shake in a violent manner. Large, loud booms came from above, giving them the idea that the monster was walking on the roof. "Oh, he does not give up!"

That he does not. The roof gave in under his weight, letting him fall in. He crashed into the floor with enough force to make the walls crumble at his awesome might.

"Rrrrrg. he's not gonna let us go this easily, huh?" Sombra's horn began to glow. "Very well then! Looks like we have no choice but to fight!!" Aurora got into a battle stance.

The Bull Crystal Dragon roared loudly in defiance. these little gnats are gonna fight him? He's honestly eager to see how these little nothings will fight.

Fortunately, Sombra moved first. He used his shadow magic to manipulate the Dragon's shadow, bringing it to life. The Shadow of the Bull roared in the genuine articles face before headbutting it. The Bull roared and headbutted back.The shadow flew back and began flapping it's wings in the direction of the Bull, creating a large and powerful gust of wind.

"Why didn't we just think of this in the first place?!" Aurora proclaimed over the sounds of the wind.

"Too much craziness!"

The Bull roared and fired a fireball at the shadow. it worked against the wind and hit, causing it to explode and disintegrate. As it dissolved, a larger version of Aurora's shadow came flying in, claws brandished for the kill. She swiped at the Bull, leaving a noticeable mark on it's cheek. The Bull snarled at the shadow beast, only to be quickly tail-whipped in the head.

The shadow Aurora was copying the moves of the real aurora, who was performing all the moves the shadow would later copy. The Shadow pinned the Bull down and sprayed Shadow Fire into it's face, leaving very real burns.

At the same time, Sombra powered up a magic spell that is sure to get rid of their pest problem once and for all.

The Bull overpowered the Shadow and flipped over backwards, taking the Shadow and pinning it on the floor. It inhaled and breathed a fireball that destroyed it. It then turned it's attention to the two nuisances.

Thankfully, Sombra's spell had just finished powering up. "You have caused us trouble for the last time, you annoying lizard!!!!!" He let loose a insane beam of pure energy light out of his horn. The beam tore though the floor, leaving a trail as it made a beeline towards the Drake. The Bull reacted and fired fireball after fireball towards the beam. The fireballs bounced off.

The beam hit, causing pain and untold devastation to it's body. It roared in pain as it faded away into nothingness. The beam blasted out of the large castle gates. A few seconds later, the beam stopped, leaving nothing but devastation and carnage in it's wake.

End Song.

Sombra panted heavily, exhausted by that unexpectedly powerful attack. But it is so worth it to finally be free from that annoying and destructive Bull.

Aurora ran past him, stopped 20 feet away, and spit to the wind. She wiped her mouth and shouted, "AND DON'T COME BACK!!" She panted and turned to Sombra, who looked at her with a mixture of shock, longing, and fatigue. She sighed, knowing the inevitable question. "I know what you are going to say..."

"Your... pregnant?"

"Well, we never used protection. Are you really surprised?"

"... I think the better question is, are you sure you want to do this? Motherhood, i mean?"

Aurora paused on her reply. "Honestly? I'm scared. I've never been a mother before, and you've never been a father. But at the same time, i'm excited. I mean, being a mother? That's a challenge in of itself. Plus, i'm kinda curious about what a Dragon/Pony hybrid will look like. ............... But, i'm not gonna force you into this. If need be, i'll give it up for adoption."

Sombra didn't reply right away. Instead, he just looked his ruined castle over. That Bull caused so much destruction in such a short amount of time. "We have a lot of repairs to make. I guess we can throw in a Nursery."

That made Aurora happily gasp. "Does... does that mean?"

He nodded. "Yep. We'll gonna be unwed teenage parents to the world's first Dragon/Pony hybrid."

All Joking aside, Aurora was happy that he wants to go though with this. So happy, she's crying tears of joy. "Sombra... thank you!"

He smiled and turned away. "Come on. We got a lot of reconstruction work to do."

"I know, and Sombra?" He turned back to her. The fire behind her made her scales glisten. It was almost like a trance. "I'm really glad you're the father. I can't imagine anyone else having a child with." Sombra smiled warmly and loverly to her. She smiled back in the same exact way. This feels like a fairy tale ending to a long tale of suffering and hardship. It feels like nothing can possible go wrong now that can ruin their perfect.

And then something goes wrong to ruin their perfect moment.

Blood splatted out in all directions as all Sombra could do was look on in stunned fear. The shocked Aurora, bitten down on her stomach by the Bull, who was horribly scarred by the beam, flailed her around like a ragdoll. After what felt like a pained eternity of that, the Bull bit down harder and flailed one last time. The front half of Aurora was sent flying into the only wall that wasn't destroyed while the back half was swallowed by the Bull.

"AURORA!!!!"

Sombra ran over to her side as fast as his legs could carry him. The Bull snarled and roared into the air, letting him go about his business.

He reached Aurora's bloodied and mangled body. Tears fell like a waterfall as he fell to his knees. Blood and Yolk seeped out of where Aurora was bitten in two. "No.... no no no......"

Using what strength she had left, Aurora weakly lifted her head and looked to her man as her vision started to turn to black. Seeing the tears fall from such a shocked expression meant only one thing.

She's going to die.

"S-Sombra....... how bad is it.......?"'

He doesn't want her to be afraid in her final hour; he wants to give her some hope. "Y-y-you're going to be fine. You and our child; you both are going to be just fine."

Aurora looked away and lightly scoffed with a smile. "Tsh... you always were a bad liar... but........ i guess that's what i loved about you........" She rested her head on the cold floor and closed her eyes for the last time.

Sombra felt completely helpless and useless as he watched the only companion he had for years die right in front of him. He felt something die inside his heart. He grabbed Aurora's head and held it close to his heart as he cradled it. "no.... no no no no no no. no, this isn't happening. this isn't happening." He struggled to hold the tears and emotions back but it was no use: they burst out in a violent torrent signified by a single anguished cry to the sky.

"AURORAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

He continued to cradle her head, saying her name over and over.

Begin Song:

Eren's Berserk Theme - Attack on Titan soundtrack

He was snapped back to reality thanks to the roar of the monster that did this. That horrible thing took what was precious to him and destroyed his home. He's going to make that monster pay. He carefully and gingerly set Aurora's head down and slowly got up.

The Crystal Bull Dragon noticed him get up and scoffed with a snort. He turned to face him and get rid of the last nuisance. It prepared itself for a easy fight.

"You............ you took her from me." Darkness seeped out of his body and into the air, slowly covering him in a aura of death. "You took the only thing that mattered to me!" His tears flowed upward and turned into the purple wisps of fire coming out of the back of his eyes.

Aurora's blood and the yolk of their unborn child reached his hoofs and seeped into his body without his knowing. Pure power, fueled by his sadness and his rage, coursed though his entire body.

"I WILL END YOU!!!"

Suddenly, Dark Crystals shot out of the floor, systematically heading towards the beast. The Bull barely had time to react. The Dark Crystals speared though his legs and his wings, causing untold pain.

Sombra turned and slowly made his way to the monster with his head lowered. "I am going to tear you apart scale by scale, cell by cell, molecule by molecule until you are no more!!"

The Dark Crystal Spears spread the Bull's limps out in all directions until it gave the appearance of a Crucifixion. The Bull roared in agony, praying for the pain to stop.

"I will carve out your soul and make you watch as i devour it, leaving only your consciousness as a side so i can make you watch!"

Large, 100 foot crystalline wings painfully erupted from out of Sombra's back, but he didn't care. He no longer cares about anything anymore. To him, Pain is a afterthought; a feeling that's just there. A Crystal rose from the ground, carrying Sombra right into the beasts face.

Sombra used his hoof to pick the beasts head up and looked him in the eyes. The Dragon's eyes went wide in terror as he stared into Sombra's. All semblance of childlike innocence was long gone, and in it's place is pure hatred with no conscience to hold it back.

"I will send you to the darkest, deepest pits of despair and turmoil, from the likes of which there is no escape."

Thousands of Crystal Spears appeared in midair. they all launched towards the beast, piercing it's body. The Bull roared in pain and agony, wishing for it to end. A much larger and more deadly crystal appeared underneath. It rocketed upward, piercing the Bull in the stomach.

The Bull roared in pain as it was raised up into the air in such a painful and brutal manner. 200 feet into the air, it exploded in a violent torrent from where only red blood was left.

End Song.

Back in Equestria, Celestia screamed as she bolted upwards out of bed. She stopped screaming and panted in a cold sweat. Thunder boomed and lighting cracked outside, grabbing her attention. Something horrible has happened. A innocent soul has been extinguished and something more sinister was left in it's place.

The Crystal carrying Sombra lowered into the ground, placing him back on solid Terra Firma. The wings disappeared, as did the rest of the crystals. Hallowed breaths are the only thing that exited his mouth.

"Holy......" Sombra callously turned his head and saw Leopold hovering their with a stunned and horrified expression on his face. "M-my Lord Sombra..... what happened here....?"

".......................................... What happened?" He coldly and heartlessly said. He looked up to the sky. "Life... life happened..." The blood that was once the Bull rained down. Sombra closed his eyes and let it wash over him. The innocent, fun-loving, happy-go-lucky, cheerful Sombra is now gone.

and something much darker and sinister was left in it's place.