//------------------------------// // Chap 14 // Story: Magic Paint Brushes 2: A New Canvas To Paint On // by Ugly-Duckling123 //------------------------------// Back to Twilight and the Elements "We're very grateful for letting us help Mr and Mrs Gemstone," Twilight said when the six Elements and the girls parents were inside the cave. After finding the filly's and setting Discord the task of looking after them, they ran for the Gardens just catching their parents before they set off down into the caves. "You're... You're welcome Princess Twilight," Amethyst said a bit nervous about having one of the princesses with her to help look for her daughter. "Are you sure Ruby and Jade will be safe with Discord, Twilight?" Fireopal asked concerned for his children. "Don't worry sir," Fluttershy said sounding much louder with her voice bouncing off the walls "Discord's way better to how he was when he came back a few years ago. He'll watch over them." "If you say so Miss Fluttershy," Fireopal said shrugging handing out mining helmets after checking the lights were working. "Before we set off, are any of you claustrophobic?" he asked once everyone was ready. "Because there are some very tight and small tunnels in these caves." "Well actually..." Fluttershy began. "No." Rainbow cut her off her wings fidgeting a bit. "Ok lets go." With that Rainbow and Fluttershy waited until the others had passed before Fluttershy asked her friend why she said that. "Two reasons 'Shy," Rainbow said taking deep breaths "One, I need to get over this at some point. Two, we need to get to those kids, and if they're needed you can't use the Elements without me." "But are you sure you'll be ok?" Fluttershy asked finally following her friends into the caves Rainbow right next to her. "As long as I'm with you 'Shy, I think I can handle this." Rainbow said smiling at her oldest friend. At the front Amethyst and Fireopal were giving a brief talk about the caves. "Before the rule of King Cosmos and Queen Galaxia, just after the founding of Equestria, it was said that Princess Platinum asked her best gem harvesters, to make a pathway from Canterlot to Ponyville, through the mountain, meaning the newly founded friends can come and go see each other whenever they wished." Amethyst said standing tall as the girls looked around them in wonder. "However, when her men discovered gems so rare even the greatest gem harvesters ever could not normally find, they decided to tell Princess Platinum that the deed was un-doable and keep the discovery to themselves." Fireopal continued as they walked on a bit to get the search going. "Years went by, before these greedy Unicorns were arrested for lying to their Princess and not stating what they had found." Amethyst carried on "In those years they nearly cleared the cave dry of the gems. Apparently they were only found by one of them trying to trade one of the gems he had on him to a dark magic sales man. Although it was he who ratted the others out, when the guards came searching for him, he was nowhere to be found." she concluded. "Approximately, how long ago did this take place?" Twilight asked getting an idea in her head. "Around 1500 to 2000 years ago," Fireopal said answering the question making everyone stop saying he saw something charging up his horn. In the next part of the caves something was moving groaning from the fall the girls saw it just had. Slowly they got a bit closer rushing forward when they saw it was... "Eric!" they cried making the boy look up seeing the main six in mining helmets along with two other ponies. "Hey girls," he said rubbing his back a bit as he got up. "Thought I'd drop in to try and help find my girlfriend seeing she did it last time." he said getting a slight laugh from Pinkie and eye rolls from Rarity and Applejack. "But you're meant to be up there with Discord and Sarah looking after Ruby and Jade." Twilight said moving him away a bit from Amethyst and Fireopal eying the boy up and down. "About that..." Eric said looking over to who he worked out to be the girls parents "Ok first you have to Pinkie Promise not to start yelling and or freak out." he said shifting his eyes. Sighing Twilight did the routine and said the words to the unbreakable promise. "The Sarah in the Library is not the Sarah she says she is." he said really fast to get it out the way. "But it's ok because we have caught her tied her up and Discord's taken away her horn so... No need to worry." "What do you... How... You mean to say..." Twilight asked trying not to yell, eventually taking a deep breath and letting it out. "How long was this happening?" Twilight asked. "Jack thinks at least this morning." Eric said "Before we left he found her bracelet in the courtyard bushes so the switch must of been some point last night." "And you're sure it's safe now for the filly's?" "More sure than I was when she was roaming free. But now they have Discord and a still knocked out for nineteen and a half hours Jack." "What's with all the whispering over there Twi?" Applejack asked somehow in the middle of 'Go-Fish' with Pinkie. "Nothing," Twilight said coming back over with Eric who was introduced to Amethyst and Fireopal. "Lets just find everyone and get out of here." "Out of curiosity Darling," Rarity said speaking to Twilight "Why were you asking about when the Gem Heist took place?" "One thing at a time Rarity," Twilight said unsure how to answer the question at this point as they all carried on through the caves. Somewhere else in the network of twists and turns Cadence was coming to check up on Sarah who was just looking up to the ceiling still where she and Shining Armour had left her. "Dear," she said to get her attention. "Why are you still awake? I would have thought after the day you had you'd be out like a light." "I can't sleep," Sarah said quietly. "Not because I don't want to, but because every time I close my eyes and Sleep takes over me, I have nightmares." she explained. "Nightmares about never getting out of here, watching and re-watching Ponyville get destroyed, fears that nopony will work out the Sarah with them isn't me, that I won't be able to help protect the kids because I don't have my bracelet..." she said sighing resting her head on her knees. "And these extending ever growing more painful headaches aren't helping either." she almost screamed rubbing her head tears in her eyes. "How much do you believe in your friends Sarah?" Cadence asked reaching out but holding back in case she made it worse. "I trust them with my life." Sarah said after the pain had gone. "And what about Eric and Jack?" "Well Jack's family so what ya gonna do?" Sarah said shrugging "And Eric... Even though we got off to a bad start, I will give anything to keep him near me." "Preencess Cadence, Sarah?" a small voice said behind them making them turn to see Amber, Chris and almost all the other foals and an apologetic Shining Armour. "Is everything ok? We could hear Sarah shouting from where we were sleeping." Amber explained being the self-proclaimed leader apparently. "Yeah Amber," Sarah said smiling a smile she hoped would fool the foals. "Just headaches and nightmares. I'll get over it." she said yawning slightly. "Miss Sarah," one of the foals behind Amber said raising their hoof waving it around. "Has your hair always had a black stripe like that?" "Excu... Excuse me?" Sarah asked pulling her ponytail around and seeing there was indeed a black stripe mixed in to it. Getting up and backing away from the foals a bit Sarah was muttering to herself looking to her hands feeling her fingers tingling and hands warm up along with another headache that was too painful to just ignore, making her drop to the ground gripping the sides of her head screaming, begging for it to stop. Suddenly out of nowhere a deep voice rang around the cave scaring the foals and making Cadence and Shining Armour get into their battle stances. "Well it seems that my works finally paying off now isn't it?" "Sombra, your battle is with us," Shining Armour said strongly looking around trying to deafen his ears to Sarah's cries. "It won't be in a few minutes my Young Prince." Sombra said coming out from the shadows behind Sarah loving the pain that she was in. "Why are you doing this?" Cadence asked "To Sarah, to Equestria, to these innocent foals?" "Why does any villain come back for anything Princess? Revenge." Sombra said eyes glowing red for a minute. Suddenly hoof steps and cries came out from the tunnel on the right where Twilight, the girls two Unicorns and a boy came out of freezing when they saw the state Sarah was in looking around to try and find what was making this happen to her. Then Eric found it. "King Sombra." he said hand tight around the handle of the sword in his hand. "Humph, from my Grandfather's painting I imagined you a bit taller." he said slowly sliding himself towards Sarah. "No Eric stop," Sarah said trying to get up looking at him holding her hand out tears in the corners of her eyes. But no one took notice of her her head nearly covered in black hairs. "And just who might you be Sir?" Sombra asked standing tall eyes on the boy. "I am Eric Foster. Knight to Sarah Jones," he said pointing his sword at his girlfriend who was still asking him to stay away from her. "Foster... Foster... No, no names ringing any bells." Sombra said turning his attention to Eric meaning anyone could attack him, well if they weren't all frozen stiff with fear on what he was doing to Sarah. "But I must say Sir Eric, In my eyes, you're not all that good a knight. When you first came here you were captured by my dear cousin, meaning your pretty little princess was out in those woods alone. And now this time, you were asleep when she was caught back at the castle in the woods and only noticed that that Changeling wasn't her when Discord's mixed up little student told you so." "Wait a second, wait a second," Applejack said stepping forward "You said your 'Cousin caught Eric'. Does that mean you're related to Luna and Celestia, seeing as you're saying Nightmare Moon's your 'cousin'?" "Very good ears Element of Honesty." Sombra said now looking to her "Tell me, what else did you hear in my speech?" Silence "No one? How disappointing," "Well it's kind of hard to hear you over my girlfriend screaming," Eric said a shield now in his hand in case Sombra took it the wrong way, which he did sliding Eric back a bit. "It's her whose making herself scream Knave." Sombra said stomping his hoof "If she would just accept those new powers I let grow inside her." "NEVER!" Sarah screamed surprising everyone that she was still paying attention. "Going back to what was said before Sombra." Twilight said switching her helmet for her Element of Harmony crown. "Is that why you didn't get caught when your fellow Unicorns did when you traded a gem for a book on Dark Magic?" "My my, someone's good at puzzles aren't they?" Sombra said looking smug now in a staring contest with Twilight, everyone else confused on what was just said. "MAKE IT STOP!" Sarah cried bringing everyone's attentions back to the girl who's hair was nearly all black, there were just small srands that still held blondness. Not being able to see her like this anymore Amber ran up to her knocking her down and yelling in her face to fight back tears in the young Unicorns eyes. "Fight it Sarah!" she cried on her chest "You told us Agony's nothing to worry about. You said she was just made up for that song you were singing when we found you. Fight it please!" Knowing that she couldn't keep fighting this Darkness any longer, but also knowing that once she let it out, the first thing she'll do would be attack the first thing she'll see that wasn't Sombra, Sarah turned to Eric and with a pleading face said "Get her, yourself and everyone else away from me." Nodding Eric ran up picked up the struggling, screaming filly ran back and called to the others who were in the caves to follow him and the others Eric started running down the tunnel they came out from. Once the last pony was gone, meaning there was no one there but her and Sombra, Sarah finally let the Darkness take her letting out one last scream that shook the walls as her rainbow skirted one set dress turned into a two part black one. Her knee high boots changing into dark red slip-on high heels. The feathers on her wings turned pitch black growing in size a little. Her elbow length gloves turned to just-passed-the-wrist fingerless ones. And finally her now raven black hair was loose the tiara that was on top of her head falling off hitting the floor with a clatter. Slowly Sarah got up getting her balance back she looked up with a smirk that should not belong on her face as her newly yellow eyes spied her King. "Sire..." she said curtsying to him keeping eye contact with the King of Darkness and Shadows. "Welcome to the world Sarah Shadows." he said nodding his head slightly.