//------------------------------//
// Overshadow 
// Story: Attack on Two Fronts 
// by Shy-Brony 
//------------------------------//


February 18, 698


Sombra looked in awe at the tall, dark alicorn stallion before him. The pony didn't seem to notice him, and was busy ushering the convict's soul from his body. The moment the soul was free, the alicorn slashed at him with his scythe, setting the convict's soul on fire. Screaming, the pony vanished, his cries echoing throughout the throne room. His job done, the alicorn slung his weapon over his back, spread his wings and prepared to take off.

"Wait!" Sombra called. 

The alicorn stopped, whipping around to face the colt, eyes wide. "You can see me?" His horn glowed, and a clipboard appeared. "You're not dead... what is this?" He walked over to the Sombra, casting a long, cold shadow over the young king. "What spell did you use, boy?"

Shuddering, Sombra could barely speak. He struggled to ward off his own primal fear of the being, to resist falling to his knees and begging for his life, just barely succeeding. This is a lot scarier than I thought. Did mother face this guy when she died? Remembering exactly why he was doing this, he stood up straight, fruitlessly trying to meet the stallion eye-to-eye. "My name is Sombra. I am the rightful ruler of the Crystal Empire, and as the one who has summoned you, I demand that you grant me my wish!"

Death laughed, surprising the unicorn. "What do you think this is, boy? You think I obey anyone who happens to see my face during their lifetime?"

He faltered, scuffing the floor with his hoof. "Well... the legends say that you've helped mortals before, so--"

"Heavens, you help one family and they pass it down through generations. Really, that was almost a hundred thousand years ago!" Sighing, he looked over the clipboard again. Although... it says here that he's not due to die for over a thousand years... am I the catalyst? Clearing his throat, he looked over the cowering boy. "Well? What did you want?"

Sombra leaped up, grinning. "Really!?" He stopped, regaining his composure. "Very well. Reaper, I command that you grant me power! Power greater than the princesses of Equestria!"

Death scratched his head. "Hmm. That's a tall order. I can't do that, I'm afraid. What I can do is give you magical power equal to one of them. Choose."

"Aurora! The older one!"

"I know who she is." He lifted his scythe, holding the tip of the blade against the tip of Sombra's horn. "Clench your teeth."

Sombra tried to step back, only to find he couldn't move. His fear returned twofold. "W-what are you doing?" Any further questions, as well as any other thoughts in his head, were replaced by searing pain throughout his very core. It felt like several dozen blades were piercing his flesh, ripping him apart and putting him back together again. By the time the pain had receded, he felt like an eternity had passed. Exhausted, he collapsed onto the floor.

"That's payment," Death said, replacing his scythe. "I'm going to hold on to most of your soul for a bit. You may experience dulled senses, being overwhelmed by your emotions, and seeing the afterlife when you sleep. Also, you've been marked;it's kind of a thing we do. It'll show up in time." Once again, he turned and spread his wings. "If that's all, I'll see you later. Good luck." With those parting words, he took off, vanishing into thin air.

A tremor throughout the tower spurred Sombra to move. He stood on shaky legs, finding that he could barely feel the floor beneath his hooves. His head throbbed, and he felt a horrible burning sensation from his horn. He didn't have time to complain, however, as five giant changelings burst through the door, fangs bared. 

Trying to ignore the pain, he fired a fireball from his horn. To the surprise of everyone, it had grown considerably, from the size of a softball to a cannonball. The attack scattered the group, hitting the one slow member and exploding, sending flames and ash into the room. Everyone stared at the scorch mark in shock. 

Sombra looked at the mess, and a devilish grin appeared on his face. His horn glowed, and he fired several black bolts of magic from his horn, punching holes clean through their bodies. 

Sombra ran out into the hallway, finding both ends of the hall filled with the beasts. His grin widened, and the shadows beneath their hooves came to life, tendrils of darkness reaching up and dragging random changelings into a black abyss. The ones smart enough to fly out of range found themselves gored by crystal stalactites, while the ones that flew forward were blocked by a black barrier. On contact, electricity surged through their bodies, burning their organs. 

At the end of it all, the satisfied king stood surrounded by smoking corpses. He walked through the carnage, taking the time to appreciate his new powers. Another tremor got his attention, and he walked the halls, searching every nook and cranny for the queen. For better or worse, the castle was empty. With a quick sigh of relief, he hurried to the balcony, looking out over the empire. 

From his position high above the streets, he was free to open fire on the changelings, rescuing a few ponies and aiding the outnumbered soldiers. This caught the attention of a few changelings, but rather than confront their attacker, they ran out of sight. Sombra grinned, then frowned as they arrived with backup. Dozens of them stood just directly beneath the balcony, ready to fire. He turned to run, the balcony exploding the moment he was out of their sight, the blast sending him bouncing across the floor. 






Present Day


Sombra opened his eyes, blinking away his dizziness. His head clear, he looked around before shaking his head some more. The world had lost its color, the vibrant hues of the empire replaced with grayscale. What's more, time itself was frozen, the still image of the changeling queen standing triumphantly before him. 

His anger reignited, he picked himself up and ran at the insect queen, skidding to a halt at the all-too-familiar sight of Death's scythe blocking the doorway. He backpedaled, running to the far wall and cowering like a trapped animal. "You... why are you here!? I can't be dead yet! I refuse!" 

Death waved a hoof dismissively. "Relax. I'm not here for you. She is." He moved to the side, revealing Fluttershy, who wore a strained smile. 

Narrowing his eyes, Sombra said, "How can this be? I killed you, set your house ablaze." He glanced at Death. "Why hasn't he taken you to the afterlife?" 

"I didn't want to," she said, "not just yet. Actually, I need your help."

Sombra frowned and coughed into his hoof. "Excuse me? I killed you. What could you possibly want from me?"

Death stepped between them. "You remember that deal we made? In particular, the part about your soul?" Sombra nodded. "Good! Fluttershy, explain."

She jumped. "W- what!?"

He leaned against a wall, picking at his teeth with the scythe's tip. "It doesn't matter to me whether or not your friends survive;I'm just the escort, after all. Everything else is in your hooves." 

"I see..." She turned to Sombra. "Well, I read your file, and it said you have just enough of your soul left to live;really, you're more of a zombie or demon than a pony. On top of that, Death says that the Elements don't change bearers until the old one isn't compatible anymore. Since my soul hasn't moved on, I could still use it... if I still had a body." 

"Where are you going with this?" Sombra asked.

"The way I see it, since I'm a ghost, I should be able to posses you, and that way we can use the Element of Kindness to help defeat he queen!" She bowed her head, smiling up at him from behind her mane. "What do you say?"

He stared at her, unblinking. Finally, he put a hoof to his head and sighed. "You must be joking. What exactly makes you think that would work?" 

She looked at the floor. "To be honest, nothing. But it's our best and only chance at winning this!"

"She's right," Death said. "If this doesn't work, or if you refuse, consider yourself dead. Well, more dead than usual. You don't want to go to Hell full-time, do you? Those 'dreams' of yours don't compare to what's waiting for you. If that isn't enough, helping this poor mare save her friends would earn some brownie points with the afterlife;your sentence may be a bit more lenient."

Sombra narrowed his eyes at the mention of Hell. "I don't really have a choice, then?" 

Fluttershy perked up, moving a little closer to him. "So you'll do it!?"

"I'll give it a try, at least. We don't have any other options." He sat down and spread his front legs, exposing his chest and stomach. "Come on, then!"

She flew down the hall, turning around and charging at Sombra at full speed. She hit him dead center, the impact forcing him onto his back. Death covered his mouth, chuckling at the sight of Fluttershy's rear half struggling to enter the stallion, who looked on in horror. Nonetheless, Fluttershy managed to sink into him with surprisingly little resistance. 

Sombra sat up, rubbing the point of entry. "Did it work?" he called out. 

I think so, her voice sounded in his mind, as though it was his own. It's really empty in here. And so... dark. Within his subconscious, Fluttershy found herself walking through a black abyss lit by a single, faraway light. She stepped towards the light, revealing the source to be a small, glowing white effigy of Sombra, sitting upon a stone throne. She poked it. Is this it?

"What is it?"

It's a small you on a throne.

Sombra repeated the description to Death, who nodded. "That's it. Take his place on the throne and you'll have full control of his body."

Fluttershy nodded, carefully removing the soul from the throne. Outside, Sombra collapsed, and his eyes lost focus. Oblivious, she set him down, sitting on the cold chair. Sombra's eyes refocused, and he blinked a few times. He stood up slowly, stumbling like a newborn foal before falling to the floor. The effigy came to life, lifting Fluttershy from the throne and taking her place. Blinking, Sombra stood. "I don't think this will work," he said.

Death laughed before banging the scythe's shaft against the ground. "Right. Well, best of luck to you. Remember, it's all or nothing!" He vanished, and time began to flow once more. 

Not wasting any time, Sombra hurried to the fallen bearers, taking the Element of Kindness from around Twilight's neck and putting it on. His horn flashed, and they woke up, one by one. Rubbing her head, Twilight stood up, gasping at the sight of the element around Sombra's neck.

Before she could start protesting, he covered her mouth with a hoof. He pointed down the hall, where Chrysalis could be heard laughing maniacally, the noise nearly drowning out the sisters' pained screams. They moved to help, but were blocked by his barrier. Rainbow Dash pushed against it.

"I've had it with you!" she snarled. "What are you doing with her element!?"

"Silence!" he snapped. The laughter stopped, and they all tossed a fearful glance down the hall. "It's complicated, and I assure you, I will explain everything if we survive, but until then you need to trust me! Understood?"

The sound of blades dragging against the floor drew their attention back to the hall, where a smiling, bloodstained Chrysalis hovered.

"You're still alive," she said. "I guess we're both bad at finishing what we started. I won't make the same mistakes though;you'll die here and now!" Wings buzzing, she charged the group.

Sombra ducked behind the barrier, and Twilight teleported them to the other end of the hall just in time to see Chrysalis shatter the floor. The queen dug through the debris for a bit before looking over her shoulder.

He nudged Rarity and Twilight. "Please tell me you know the 'Flash-bang' spell." They nodded. "Good. On my command, we stun her, then use the elements to finish her. Any questions?"

"One," Applejack said. "How are we supposed to use them without Fluttershy?"

Chrysalis turned around and resumed her attack.

"Any questions that can be answered in two seconds or less!?" They shook their heads. "Good. Get ready." Fluttershy, that goes for you too.The second I cast the spell, we switch places.

Got it.

The seconds passed, and Chrysalis drew closer and closer.

"Wait..."

She raised her hooves, the blades dripping with acid.

"Wait...!"

She opened her mouth wide, exposing her fangs and releasing a green fog.

"Now!!"

All at once, the unicorns unleashed their spell, successfully blinding the beast; Fluttershy took Sombra's place on the throne, leaving his body an immobile lump; the Elements of Harmony activated, lifting them all into the air as their elements radiated light; the light exploded into a multicolored dome that enveloped the bearers, quickly expanding to cover the Crystal Empire.

When the light faded, they opened their eyes to a restored castle, the one abnormal feature being the weakened queen on the floor, desperately grasping at the dulled Crystal Heart. In the blink of an eye, Sombra was standing over her, his hoof pressing down on her skull. He pushed a bit harder, cracking her armor and making her scream in agony.

"I don't know why you're still alive," he said, "but I'm going to finish you, like I should have done back at the cave!"

"Wait!" 

Celestia and Luna ran out of the bedroom, fully healed, and wrenched Chrysalis out from under him. When he moved towards her, Luna blocked his path.

"We need her alive to find out where Cadance and Shining Armor are. After that, she's all yours."

He rolled his eyes. "Just kill her when you're done." He grabbed the Crystal Heart. "In the meantime, I'll put this back." Before anyone could react, he teleported, taking the heart with him.





He reappeared at the very top of the crystal tower, where an odd sight greeted him: Princess Cadance, calmly comforting her husband, who was crying into her chest and desperately begging her forgiveness. 

He cleared his throat, getting their attention. "So you're alive after all?"

"I could ask you the same question," Cadance said. "I saw you helping my aunts, but I'm surprised they didn't destroy you as soon as you weren't needed."

"You're too kind, usurper. Speaking of the princesses, they're waiting for you downstairs. I suggest you and the knight go see them, lest they turn my empire upside-down looking for you."

"It is not your empire," Shining said, standing up. "And you're lucky I haven't killed you on the spot!"

"Such arrogance," Sombra scoffed. His horn lit up, and the couple vanished in a flash of light. He lifted the heart to the center of the room, then releasing it. It fell to the floor with a heavy clunk. He sighed. "It's as I feared, then." He walked to one of the windows and sat down, staring out over his home, which was slowly returning to its normal, calm(albeit wary) state. 

Fluttershy emerged from his body, hovering beside him. "Are you alright?" He didn't answer. "If you want to talk about it..."

He was quiet at first. Then he said, "I'm probably going to die."

"What!?"

"You don't real think the princesses will let me go after this, do you? The best I can hope for is banishment; that worked out pretty well the first time."

"Maybe if you prove how useful you can be, they'll let you off easy. Since I'm dead, maybe you can help defend Equestria?"

"I'd rather not be on a leash, least of all as an attack dog."

"Oh..." She stroked her mane, eyeing the stallion. Sitting there in slowly freezing armor, looking out at the empire, he didn't really look like a tyrant or conqueror. Honestly, he wouldn't look out of place in the Royal Guard, perhaps as a high ranking soldier, or even a captain. He could be anypony, and he has more than enough time to change his ways...

"Sombra? You know what I think?" He didn't answer. "...I think you're not really that bad of a pony. Or not as bad as you're made out to be, at least."

He looked at her. "You're kidding. Or insane."

"No, really! A bad pony would have killed my friends the second the queen was defeated. A bad pony would have spend the entire trip here taunting the princesses for failing to protect the empire, especially Cadance. A really bad pony wouldn't be talking to a mare he killed; he'd be reclaiming his empire and resuming his despotic, tyrannical rule over the place he once called home!" 

He stared at her for a long time. Finally, he said, "Firstly, those things you listed are maniacal, not just bad. More than that, they're stupid. Secondly, assuming you're right, what's your point?"

"Yes, Fluttershy, what, exactly, is your point?" Death asked, grinning draping a leg over her shoulders. She froze at the contact, and Sombra glared. He shook her a little bit. "Come on, don't leave him hanging. He won't see you again, after all."

"W-well," she said, "my point is that I have a new purpose." Death's grin fell, and Sombra raised an eyebrow. She took the silence as her cue to continue. "I've decided to redeem Sombra!"

Sighing, Death removed his leg and stepped back. "What are you plotting?"

"When I looked at his file, it said he was bound for Tartarus. I'm going to keep that from happening by helping him perform acts of kindness throughout Equestria!"

Sombra gave her a long, hard look before sighing and closing his eyes. "It won't be that easy, will it?"

"Of course not," Death said. "Sorry, but even if he acts like the second coming of you until the end of time, the best he'll get is reincarnation." He looked between them. "If that's alright, then..."

"Fine," Sombra said. 

"Of course," Fluttershy said.

With another sigh, Death ran past the two, leaping out the window and soaring over the empire, quickly disappearing from view. They stared after him for a moment, then Sombra turned to Fluttershy.

"So what now?"

"We'll have to reintroduce you to my friends, of course. And when you think about everything that's happened tonight, I think that'll be the easy part." She smiled at him, and turned back to the window, looking up at the moon. 

He frowned. "What is that...?" A small light shined in the skies above the empire, circling the tower at high speed. With each pass, he tried to get a better look at the object.

Fluttershy dashed from window to window, noticing a distinct, multicolored trail. "Is that... Rainbow Dash?"

Rainbow, having slipped away from the others, scanned the peak of the tower, a small, jagged crystal in her mouth. Unsurprisingly, Sombra proved to be very hard to find when surrounded by his namesake. After some circling, she found an opening: a window on the other side of the chamber, one that gave her a clear path to the back of his neck. Looping around once more, she charged. 

Fluttershy's eyes widened, and she flew in front of him. "Behind you! Look out!" He couldn't hope to turn fast enough, and she stood in between the two, spread eagle. Rainbow flew faster, crossing the room in a second. Fluttershy squeezed her eyes shut.

Nothing happened. 

The dagger fell to the floor.

"Fluttershy?"

Opening her eyes, Fluttershy found herself face-to-face with Rainbow Dash, her face frozen in an expression of disbelief. 

Dash laid a hoof against her cheek. "No way..."

Just as confused, Fluttershy sent a questioning glance towards Sombra. He was looking over his shoulder at the two, his horn glowing. She smiled gratefully. 

Rainbow copied her, and her rage returned full-force. She pushed against her friend, hooves swinging in blind fury. "That's it! I'll kill you, you hear me!? Kill you!"

Fluttershy struggled to hold her back. "Dash, please! I need you to listen!"

Snarling, Rainbow shoved her away. "Yeah? To what? Your lies? Anything to make me drop my guard?"

"You've been reading too much Daring Do, Dashie. I wouldn't want to hurt you, and neither would Sombra." She turned to him, a not-so-sweet grin on her face. "Right?"

"Of course," he said. "Believe me, you're in no danger. I've been honest with you so far, haven't I?"

Rainbow grit her teeth, but before she could argue further, the remaining bearers appeared at the top of the stairwell. Sombra's horn brightened, and they gasped, flocking to Fluttershy and bombarding her with questions. 

Rather than answer, she merely grinned and wrapped her friends up in a group hug. "Oh, girls, I'm so glad to see you again! And I have great news: I can come back and stay with you, just like before!"

"That's incredible!" Rarity said, returning the hug. "But how? We saw your home, we saw... well..."

"We saw your corpse," Applejack said, earning her a look from Rarity. "What? No point in beatin' around the bush."

"More importantly," Twilight cut in, "how come we haven't seen you until now? And how were you able to use your element if you're dead?"

Breaking the hug, Fluttershy gestured to Sombra. "It's kind of a long story, but I was able to use his body as a medium. And from now on, I go where he goes, so try to be nice, okay?"

They grumbled halfhearted agreements, along with a single apology lost in the noise. Pinkie Pie, on the other hand, eagerly trotted over and hugged him tight, earning looks of shock from everyone, especially Sombra. 

"Welcome to the family!" she said, smiling up at him. She let go and began pacing, then bouncing around the room, somehow avoiding the gaping windows. "Ooh! We'll need a homecoming party! Or maybe a victory party! And we can't not throw a 'Fluttershy's Back as a Ghost' party! Or even--" 

Sombra's horn flashed, and silence filled the room. Pinkie's mouth kept moving, and she continued to bounce around the room, but didn't make a sound. He turned to the mares. "So, is there anything left to take care of?"

"We'll need princesses' approval, for one," Twilight said. "I'm sure they'll understand if we explain." A gust of wind blew through the windows, causing everyone to shudder and huddle together. "First things first, though, why don't we all head back downstairs where it's warm?"

Voicing their agreement, they all headed for the stairs. Sombra lingered for a moment waiting until the others were out of sight.

"Before these negotiations happen," he said to Fluttershy, "I need to go to my room. Something's been bugging me for awhile now."

"What's that?"

"I can't shake the feeling that somepony's been reading my journal." Shaking his head, he sighed and headed for the stairwell. "I only hope I'm wrong."