Magic Paint Brushes 2: A New Canvas To Paint On

by Ugly-Duckling123

Chap 22

Since Discord's student had come to see her a few hours ago, Sarah Shadows had been flying around Equestria, meaning to be spreading fear and darkness, but was too distracted on what both boys she had seen had said.

"Fight this darkness inside you. You don't belong on that side, you belong over here with us, with the good ponies, with me! You're not Sarah Shadows, you're Sarah Jones!"

"What will everyone back home think about you dumping your tile as a Warrior of Harmony to become the Princess of Shadows?"

Deciding that she needed a break, to think these conversations over, she made her way over to Whitetail Woods, landing at the borderline and walking slowly in feeling the temperature drop with each step.

When she got to the center clearing, Sarah was surprised to see a winter wonderland.

From one set of trees to the other, there were piles of snow, while even more fell down from the sky from unseen clouds. Icicles of every color imaginable dripped down from the branches of the trees, there was even a little wooden logged cabin over to the left of the clearing to have as much space to play around in, and finally, only just coming into view now she was actually there inside it, a pond covered in ice and a pair of human ice-skates sitting on a rock next to it.

As Sarah looked around trying to biggerfy her eyes to take in all the beauty this place had, a single snowflake landed on the tip of her nose and all the worry and anger and need to spread fear suddenly went away as a new need came to her... The need to have fun.

---

Over in the Castle of the Two Pony Sisters, everyone was just working out the kinks of their plan, when Jack got down off the shelf he was on and went over to the window staring out of it a grin on his face.

"Everything alright Jack?" someone asked.

"Depends if my sensors are correct," Jack said poofing up a remote and pointing it at the still up movie screen.

On the screen everybody, even Discord, watch in confusement as they saw Sarah Shadows bouncing around a snow covered forest laughing like there wasn't a care in the world, kicking up snowdrifts, catching flakes on her tongue, making snow angels and snowmen not even showing any signs that she was cold.

"Ok," Rainbow said at last "What in Equestria is up with her and why are you so happy about it?"

"She stumbled across my winter wonderland I made out of Whitetail Wood and one of my magic snowflakes got her nose," Jack began "Whoever gets hit with them, immediately feels happy and carefree, and have a wanting need for fun for at least one hour tops."

"So how does that benefit us?" Applejack asked.

"While she's like that, she'll be having too much fun and whatever to think she's Sarah Shadows. If we want this plan to work," he said looking around to everyone "We need to do it now."

---

Back in Whitetail Woods, Sarah was lying flat out on the snow, strangely unaffected by the cold, as if the snow was enchanted so who ever made this place could be here outside of that cabin for as long as they wanted and not fear about getting a cold, or frostbite from the cold.

Trying to remember the last time she had this much fun, Sarah thought she heard footsteps and crunching snow come towards her.
Sitting up Sarah was surprised to a human girl looking - minus the discorded outfit - just like that boy stating he was her 'Cousin' her face looking familiar.

"Em... Emma?" she said tears in her eyes as she got up and ran over to her getting to her knees when she got there mixed tears seeping out of her eyes.
"But... But how?" she asked shaking her head "You... On that day... On the lake..."

"It doesn't mater Sarah," the girl said flinging her arms around the older girls neck "What matters..." she said pulling away a slight look of sadness on her face "Is that you're hurting everyone with your dark magic, and scaring them."

"But that's what my... my 'special talent' is Emma," Sarah said looking away from her cousin's face unable to look into her eyes with out feeling guilty.

"Does this 'special talent' make you happy Sarah?" Emma said trying to get the older girl to see the light.

"Not exactly," Sarah said "But what other 'talent's' do I have?" she asked on her back again, Emma next to her.

"Well this might help you get some ideas," a new old voice said, getting the girls to tilt their heads to Jack up in a tree something in his hand which he threw to Sarah, coming down after it.

Opening her hands, Sarah saw a golden charm bracelet with an orange apple, a pink butterfly, a light blue balloon, a purple diamond, a red lightning bolt, and a pinky-purple six point star on it as the charms.

Feeling a connection with the bracelet, Sarah was about to put it on when the shadows around the three of them started moving on their own, clumping together until Sombra was standing in front of them.

"Sire," Sarah said worryingly, curtsying and hiding the bracelet from his sight. "Why, may I ask are you here?"

"This wasn't part of the plan Meester Jack," the Gemstone Triplet poising as Emma said hugging the boy who was holding her close to him.

"I know," he said annoyed shooting daggers at the one who caused all this.

"The better question, my dear," Sombra said looking around paying no attention to the boy or younger girl "Is why are you here in this... this dump, and not out spreading fear and darkness I a set you to do?"

"Hey!" Jack said stepping in front of 'Emma' to give her protection from the king "Just so you know it took me three years to make this place how it is. Thank you very much. And I don't take kindly to hot-head uninvited bullies spoiling it."

"So you must be that student of Discord I've been hearing so much about," Sombra said looking the boy over. "I have to say your fear was one of the best I've sensed these past few days. But now I'm sensing that that has changed has it not. You know, Jack is it?" he asked getting a nod from a ready to snap his fingers behind his back in case something goes wrong Jack.
"You know Jack, there is a way that your new fear wont come true. And I'm sure you know what that is, right?"

"Is it destroy you and that parasite who calls herself a queen?" Jack asked shifting his eyes around the clearing as he felt Emma hug him a bit more trying to find what scared her.

"Well I was thinking of you coming to join us," Sombra said his evil look on his face "That way, none of us has to be alone, we can work together, as a family," he said trying to get into Jack's head with his words. "What goes better together than cold," he pointed to Jack who admitted he made this winter wonderland "And dark?" now pointing to Sarah. "And I'm sure we can find some place for that lovely little girl hiding behind you there as well. What do you say?"

"I say you can have me, if you let both of them go," Jack said after a while "I mean I don't just have cold, remember I'm a student of Discord, which means I have chaotic powers, that will spread way more fear than mere darkness on it's own."

Sombra was thinking this over. The boy was right, chaos does seem to spread more fear than darkness, with everypony running around scared on how things are not what there suppose to be.

"Going once..." Jack said now at an auctioneer's stand a hammer in hand.

'Can there be a down side to this?' Sombra thought as the girls were shocked at what Jack had just said.

"Going twice..." Jack continued.

"Ok ok ok ok ok," Sombra said stopping Jack from hitting the desk. "I'll release Sarah from my magic, and let the girl go... But you will take her place. Lets say we shake on it, you know make it official?" he asked holding out his hoof.

"Just one second please," Jack said stepping down from the stand and moving away from Sombra to have a quick conversation to 'Emma'.

"You're not really going to do this are you Meester Jack?" she asked a shocked look on her face.

"If this is the only way to get back a good Sarah so she can fix everything, then yes." Jack said hugging her to whisper in her ear "If something goes wrong, and that bully cheats me, get out of here as fast as you can, use this to turn back into a pony," here he zapped up a necklace around her neck explaining how to use it "Just say what you wish to be. Once you're on the outside of the tree line, it will poof you up at the bridge too. And get back to the castle to tell the others, don't look back or come back to help. Understand?" he asked.

Getting just a nod from the filly in his sisters skin.

With that Jack got up and brushed the snow off. "So to be clear," he said "I'll be your new play thing, in exchange for Sarah and to leave Emma be?" Jack asked Sombra.

"On my word as King of the Crystal Empire." he said holding out his hoof again towards Jack who slowly took it an uneasy feeling in his tummy as he did so.

Seeing the smirk on Sombra's face as he said that Sarah went over what she learnt about him.

"Jack wait..." she cried but it was too late as Jack was already holding the stallion's hoof and down on his knees in pain his brown hair turning as black as Sarah's and a new outfit, a black all one hoodie, cut-off trousers and trainers took place of his Equestrian outfit.

"Now my sweet," Sombra said as he turned to Emma, "Your turn."

"You... You said you'll leave her alone," Jack said as his changes were still at play "You gave your word as King of the Crystal Empire..."

"Yeah about that..." Sombra said looking over to Jack not noticing Emma turn into a Unicorn filly and run away with tears in her eyes "I was never the true king of that Empire, was I?" he asked giving of his evil laugh.

That being the last thing Jack heard before his hair went totally black showing he was now with the Darkness too.

'What have I done?' Sarah thought seeing this unfold before her as the snowflakes power ran out and the Darkness re-rose inside her again as well.

Comments

[Luna-tic]

Dun. Dun. Dunnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn!

saw that coming a mile away.