"People in blind love throw away common sense, conscience and comedy from the life."
- Amit Kalantri
"We really gotta stop meeting like this," Flash told Twilight. "You seem to attract a lot of trouble."
She sighed. "Occupational hazard."
The police were inspecting Sombra's lab for confirmation that his accident had been fatal. So far, they had found no traces of remains and it could only be assumed from the video that Sombra was deceased. Chief Spitfire passed this information on to Twilight, who hung her head in disappointment.
"I was really hoping he had simply teleported someplace else," Twilight said.
"We've searched the whole building," the chief said. "No sign of him. We can only assume the worst."
"Dr. Sargon was such a brilliant scientist. I knew what he was studying was risky, but its purpose was supposed to be beneficial to society. But I never imagined he would…experiment on himself." She sighed. "I wish he had talked to me, weighed his options. He might not have…"
She sniffed a little, compelling Flash to put his hoof around her.
"It's okay, Twi," he said.
Chief Spitfire cleared her throat. Flash glanced sideways to see her narrowed, disapproving gaze.
"Err, Miss Sparkle," he said, removing his hoof.
The chief turned back to Twilight. "Did he have any family?"
"A roommate," Twilight replied. "He put her as his emergency contact for everything." She hung her head. "Oh, she's going to be devastated when she hears about this. I better go tell her myself. This isn't something you can say over the phone."
"I'll come with you," Flash said, outstretching his wing.
Spitfire pushed herself between them. "I'll come with you. Miss Sparkle, can you give me a minute with Officer Sentry?"
Twilight nodded and left the laboratory. Chief Spitfire pulled her officer close so that he could look directly into her eyes.
"Protocol doesn't forbid you from having a marefriend," she said sternly, "but if it's going to distract you from your duty, perhaps you shouldn't be put on any more cases involving Miss Sparkle."
Flash gulped. "Understood, Chief. It won't happen again."
"See that it does," she said, letting him go. "But for now, I don't want you alone with her while you're on duty. And don't think I don't know about how you two met in the first place." Her eyes narrowed further. "No more flirting with witnesses, especially while taking statements. Okay?"
Flash nodded, looking as if he were afraid his boss would burn his hooves off.
"Good." She trotted out of the lab to follow Twilight, grumbling, "Stallions."
Chief Spitfire knocked on the door to Sombra's apartment. It was opened a little by magic and Radiant Hope's head poked out.
"Can I help you, officer?" she asked.
"Chief Spitfire," the chief said, pointing to herself and then Twilight. "This is…"
"Twilight Sparkle. I know. You're Sombra's boss."
"You're Dr. Radiant Hope, Dr. Sombra Sargon's roommate?"
"Yes," Hope said.
"May we come in? I'm…afraid we have some bad news."
Wearing an expression of worry, Hope opened the door further. "Of course. Come in."
With the door fully open, the chief and Twilight saw that Hope was in a wheelchair, for the very good reason that three quarters of her back legs were absent from her body. They tried not to stare for too long as they passed her. Hope used her magic to make the wheels of her chair roll forward.
"What's happened?" Hope asked, her voice choking. "Is it Sombra? You wouldn't be here unless…" As her eyes watered up, she looked between the two visitors. "Is he…?"
Spitfire glanced at Twilight, silently asking if she wanted to be the one to tell. Twilight gave her answer by hanging her head.
"There was an," the chief said, turning back to Hope, "accident in your roommate's lab. We're afraid the results were…fatal."
Hope gasped, putting her hooves to her mouth. "No. No!" She broke into tears as she buried her face in her hooves. "Sombra…oh my Sombra…"
Feeling sympathetic for the crystal mare, Twilight knelt down to her. "Were you close?"
Hope nodded. "We grew up together…in the orphanage. He was my best friend. I…I never got the chance to…" Lowering her hooves, she looked at Twilight. "How…how did it happen?"
Twilight bit her lip in hesitation. "Did…he ever tell you about his…experiment with shadow magic?"
"But of course. He's been working on that formula ever since…" She glanced down at her stubby legs.
"He had told me about your accident."
"What accident?" Chief Spitfire asked. "If you don't mind me asking."
"It was a bus crash," Hope said. "A few years ago. My legs were so badly damaged, they had to be amputated." She glanced down at her cutie mark, which showed the pharmacy symbol of two snakes entwining a winged staff. "I'd always been able to heal other ponies' injuries, but not even my magic could bring my legs back. When I lost my job, Sombra became determined to…"
"Lost your job?" Twilight asked.
Hope sighed. "Despite the fact that my healing magic hadn't been affected by the crash, the ponies at the hospital thought I should…take more time for recovery." She looked at them both. "Except they never called me back."
"That's…that's absurd!"
"I agree," Chief Spitfire said, taking out her notepad. "You should tell me the name of this hospital. You could have the grounds to sue them for discrimination."
"It doesn't matter," Hope said. "They wouldn't take me anywhere else. Apparently, once you've lost half your appendages, you've lost your ability to do anything."
"That's why Sombra was working on the serum," Twilight said.
"Yes, in hopes that I'd be able to move again without my chair, even grow my legs back. But what happened to him? Was there an explosion?"
"Something like that," Twilight said, closing her eyes. "He…didn't think he'd be able to find a pony test subject…willing enough, so…he tried testing it on himself." She opened her eyes. "It didn't work."
Hope started crying again. "Oh, Sombra! Had…had I known he was going to die for me, I…I would've stopped him long ago!"
Twilight lay a hoof on her shoulder. "Don't blame yourself for this. Sombra made his choice, only because he…he loved you."
Shaking her head, Hope said, "No. He didn't. Not in that way."
"The guy injected himself with a lethal serum so that you could have your legs back," the chief said. "Few ponies do that for some pony who's just a friend."
That made Hope cry harder.
"Dr. Hope," Twilight said, "if there's anything I can do…"
"Please," Hope murmured. "I'd just…like to be alone right now."
Twilight and Spitfire complied as they exited the apartment.
"We're sorry for your loss," the chief said as she closed the door. Sighing, she turned to Twilight. "To think they wouldn't let her back just because she couldn't walk or stand anymore, despite the rest of her body being perfectly capable! I mean she has magic for crying out loud! Honestly, the stuff that still goes on in this day and age!"
"Dr. Sargon had told me about the accident," Twilight said. "Had I known it was this serious, I might have done something, maybe found a suitable lawyer for them, seen if I could find her a job…"
"You couldn't've known, Miss Sparkle. One thing I've learned in my years as an officer of the law is that no matter how hard you try to make a difference in this world, there are just some things out of your control."
Suddenly, Twilight's cell started buzzing and beeping in her pantsuit pocket.
"Something's wrong," she said as she took out her phone and looked at the red screen. "There's been a security breech back at the lab."
"With my officers still there?" Spitfire asked, raising an eyebrow.
Twilight quickly dialed a number. "Spike? What's going on?"
At the same time, the chief got a call.
"Sentry, what's going on?" Spitfire said into her cell.
Two conversations happened at once, both urging Twilight and the chief to return to Sparkle Labs.
Back at the labs, all the researchers were crowding around their boss, talking at once.
"Something spilled my hydrochloric acid!"
"Something tipped over my microscope!"
"Something broke all my test tubes!"
"Something nibbled on my sandwich!"
Chief Spitfire finally intervened and moved in front of Twilight. "Back off, every pony, and stay calm. From what I've heard, it sounds like the work of vermin. Maybe some pony's lab mice got out. You're looking for an exterminator, not the police."
"I did see a mouse," said one scientist. "At least I saw its shadow."
"I saw a shadow too," said another. "But it was too big to be a mouse's! It had eyes!"
"Calm down," Twilight said to her coworkers. "Chief Spitfire is right, it's probably just a pest problem. I'll have animal control check out the labs. For now, why don't all of you take the rest of the day off until we resolve this?"
There was a murmur as the scientists huddled towards the exit.
"Good idea," Spitfire said to Twilight. "It looks like our work here is done. My officers haven't found anything to suggest foul play in Dr. Sargon's incident." She leaned in to whisper. "Though if this pest problem turns out to be anything otherwise, you know where to find us."
"Thank you," Twilight said.
The chief tipped her hat before departing. Spike pulled on the sleeve of Twilight's pantsuit.
"Isn't it a little weird that after Dr. Sargon's accident," he whispered, "weird things start happening in the labs?"
"Some of Dr. Sargon's mice are missing from their cage," Twilight said, "and the video said his tests had worked on the mice, and that researcher had mentioned seeing a mouse's shadow." She rubbed her chin. "Maybe Dr. Sargon's experiment really did work, at least on the mice, and they're running around in a shadowy state. If I'm right, they really can't do much harm like this. Still, we should contain them. Even if Dr. Sargon's gone, those mice might be helpful in continuing his research."
Spike shivered. "Just the thought of shadowy mice scurrying around gives me the creeps."
Twilight smiled. "Be thankful it's just mice."
That evening, Radiant Hope was in her bedroom, looking through an old photo album. The page was open to photos of herself and Sombra at the Crystal Heart Foal Center. One photo showed the two of them on the playground jungle gym. Sombra was pretending to be the prince trapped in a tower and Hope was the knight coming to rescue him. Another picture showed them as astronauts with cardboard boxes on their heads to represent helmets.
She turned the page. One side showed Sombra in a graduation cap and gown, holding up a PhD in Shadow Magic, Hope with her hooves around his neck. The other side had Hope in graduation attire, holding up her MD, Sombra at her side. He was looking down at her, his bright green eyes and warm smile showing pride. Hope sniffed as a tear dropped onto Sombra's photographic face.
"Hope."
She stiffened in her chair and looked around the room. It was nearly dark, save for the lone lamp lit on the side table.
"Hope."
Igniting her horn, she called, "Who's there?"
"Hope, don't you recognize my voice?"
She shook her head. There was a sigh. The voice was low and echoed in a way that it seemed to come from all around.
"Have I really changed so much?"
"I-I'm warning you!" Hope exclaimed with a gulp. "I may be handicapped but I still have magic! You're trespassing! I'll call the police if you don't leave now!"
"I'm not trespassing. I live here."
She froze. "What?"
"It's me, Hope. We grew up together at the Crystal Heart Foal Center. Ms. Chestnut Falls was our caretaker."
Radiant Hope did not know how to respond.
"Whenever we played castle, I would be the prince trapped in the tower, and you, Sir Lady Hope, would rescue me."
Sir Lady Hope. There was only one pony who could possibly know about that.
"S-Sombra?" Hope stammered.
There was a sigh of satisfaction and a hissy, "Yessssss."
She shook her head. "I…I must be dreaming. It's my grief. It's making me hear things. You can't be here. You're dead."
"I'm here, Hope. I'm not dead. Listen to me. My experiment, it worked. But…not in the way I'd expected."
"What are you talking about?"
"I can't explain it. You have to douse your horn and turn the lamp off."
"Why?"
"Just do it. Trust me."
Biting her lip unsurely, Hope doused her horn and switched off the lamp. She heard movement behind her. The hairs on the back of her neck stood as she felt a heavy, cold breath. She spun around and what she saw made her shriek.
A pair of glowing green eyes with blood red pupils was staring right at her. An eerie purple substance was smoking out of its corners. She could just make out the silhouette of a pony's head and, upon squinting; she noticed a sharp red horn sticking out above the eyes. A mouth opened and she saw glinting white fangs.
Hope rolled her chair back an inch in alarm. Then the eyes changed. She could've sworn she saw a flash of…sadness in them.
"Even you, Hope," the shadow said. "Even you recoil from me."
His voice had changed. It was so much deeper, but its solemn tone was unmistakable. Hope's heart sank in guilt.
"Is it…?" she said, rolling her chair closer. "Is it…really you?"
She slowly raised her hoof towards the shadowy face. The eyes shut for a moment as they awaited her touch. To both the figure's and the mare's disappointment, her hoof fell straight through him.
"Oh, Sombra," Hope said, putting her hoof to her mouth. "Forgive me, I just…I didn't…what's happened to you?"
"The serum," Sombra said, opening his eyes. "It worked. It made me like a shadow…more than I thought. I can do everything a shadow can. Watch."
He lunged towards her and Hope gasped as he passed through her.
"I can go through anything," he said.
The silhouette then morphed into something larger. Hope's eyes widened as the shadow of a bear suddenly towered over her.
"I can change into anything," he said as he returned to his pony shape. "Except…I can't turn back." His eyes lowered. "And I can't take shape in the light. I have to be in the shadows." The eyes looked back up at her. "I did this for you, Hope. I had to see if it worked on ponies."
She put her hoof over her heart. "Oh, Sombra…"
"But it gets worse, Hope." She didn't think it was possible, but his voice became even gloomier. "The serum…it's made my molecules unstable. Since they don't make up a solid structure anymore, they might…disperse. The mice, they…" His eyes shut. "If I don't find a cure soon, I might become less than a shadow. I…I might become…"
He choked on his words. Hope looked up at her horn.
"Sombra," she said, raising her hoof to where she thought his shoulder was. "My healing magic, it might be able to help you! I might not be able to make my legs grow back, but maybe…"
He sighed. "I doubt it can do this much."
"It wouldn't hurt to try! Sombra, just let me try!"
His eyes stared at her and then slowly shut. "I don't suppose you can make it any worse."
Closing her eyes, Hope concentrated on her magic. She thought about how much Sombra meant to her and how much she wanted to help him. Her horn ignited with blue light, which made Sombra cover his eyes with a hiss.
"I'm sorry," she said, "but I can't do this without the light from my horn. If I do this right, it'll only be for a second."
The light became brighter, and as Hope let out a grunt, the room was flooded with blue. Sombra screamed in agony. Thinking that she had made things worse, Hope quickly doused her horn and opened her eyes.
But it wasn't dark yet. Before her was a glowing ball of blue light, the form of a pony writhing within it.
"Sombra?" she called.
The shape inside the ball wailed, causing Hope to jolt back in alarm. The sudden movement tipped her chair backward, and she yelped as she fell to the floor. When she looked up, the light had diminished.
In the dim light, Radiant Hope could see that Sombra wasn't as shadowy as before. His pony shape was more distinctive, but his eyes, horn, and teeth still glowed eerily. He looked down at Hope with those sinister eyes. She couldn't help but flinch as he reached a hoof towards her. To both their surprise, the hoof did not fall through her. It was solid, but it was not the same soft, warm hoof that would gently touch her as a child. It was cold like ice, and sent a shiver through her.
However, his touch was still tender as he slowly snaked his other hoof beneath her so that he could pick her up. His horn then ignited and magic enveloped her wheelchair to raise it back up. His aura wasn't blue anymore, but dark, with purple and green bubbling around it. Hope stared at the magic in confusion, with some fear, as she was gently lowered into the chair.
She was able to get a better look at him now with the slight glow of his horn. His body appeared to have been returned to normal, save for the eyes, the horn, and his pointed teeth. On top of all that, his dark mane, while it had always been a bit wild, seemed to be literally flowing, as if it was moving with the darkness.
"It worked, Hope," he said, looking at his now solid hooves. "I can…I can touch things again." His smile wavered a moment. "But wait…can I still…?" His body morphed into the shape of a snake. He laughed as he returned to his solid state. "Yessssss. This is perfect! I can change from solid to shadow at will now!"
"Yes," Hope said, putting her hoof to her head. "But that spell…it took a lot out of me, Sombra. I've…I've never done anything so…" She closed her eyes as she started to develop a migraine. "A spell like that, I don't know how long it'll even last."
As she said this, one of Sombra's front hooves seemed to fade away.
"Oh, that's alright," he said with a shrug. "You can just keep doing the spell when…"
He trailed off when he saw how tired Hope looked. He couldn't keep draining her like this.
"No," Sombra said, tapping his chin with the hoof that was still solid. "There must be some other way…oh, if I only had my lab!"
"They…cleaned it out earlier today," Hope said, pointing to a cardboard box on the dresser. "They gave me some of your personal items, but any chemicals and equipment, they kept. Said it was property of Sparkle Labs."
Sombra growled in anger. "How dare they?! What gives them the right to take my research from me?!"
"They thought you were dead." Tears came to Hope's eyes. "I thought you were dead!"
"Well, I'm not! And if I'm ever to save myself from this state, if I'm ever to help…" He trailed off as he locked gaze with her. "You must get them back!"
"I asked for your notes! I…I wanted to keep something of yours, but like I said, it's property of Sparkle Labs!"
Snarling through his sharp teeth, Sombra glanced sideways out the window. Maretropolis was dark, save for the city lights. Plenty of shadows for him to hide in. He then looked down at his semi-solid form with a sinister smile.
"Well," he said, chuckling throatily, "there are…other ways for us to retrieve what's ours."
Hope's eyes widened in horror. "Sombra, you can't mean…"
"It's my research!" he shouted, thrusting himself towards her. "If they won't hand it back to me like any decent pony, I'll just have to take it back by force! And," he said, gesturing to himself, "with my new form, no pony will even know it was me. Besides, as far as any pony else knows, I'm dead. And you," he cupped her chin, "have to make sure it stays that way."
She gulped. "S-Sombra, please, there has to be some other way we can…"
"There is no other way! Please, Hope, I need you! You're going to have to help me put the antidote together! Every second we spend talking about this, my molecules become even more unstable! Do you want me to fade away into nothing?!" When he saw how frightened he was making her, he took a deep, calming breath. "I don't want to have to resort to…unrighteous means, but I have no other choice. But I promise you," he put his hoof over hers, "once this is fixed, I will never do anything like this again."
Hope looked at his other hoof, the one that was transparent, and cautiously raised hers towards it. She put it through his hoof, feeling nothing but cold air, imagining that they were truly touching.
"Alright, Sombra," she said in determination. "Whatever you need, I'll help you." She glanced down at her stubby legs. "Just like you tried to help me."
Even though night had fallen, the exterminator was still investigating Sparkle Labs for vermin, as it was a very large facility. She wore a radiation suit in case of any chemical spills, as did Twilight and Spike, who followed her closely.
"Well," the exterminator said, squinting at a sparking wire that had been chewed through. "There are definitely signs of mice activity." She faced Twilight and Spike. "Now, how exactly do you want these pests taken care of?"
"We'd prefer it if the mice weren't harmed," Twilight said quickly. "While we do use mice for occasional experimentation, we try our best to keep everything humane, if you know what I mean."
"Of course," the exterminator said with a nod. "Well, I can set a few traps around." She held up her hoof before Twilight could protest. "Nothing harmful, just a few cages with bait. I'd recommend keeping this place under temporary quarantine for now. With all these toxic chemicals you've got scattered about, who knows what the little rodents will get into?"
"You have no idea," Twilight murmured. "Hopefully we'll have caught all the mice before…"
They all jumped when a sudden crash was heard.
"What was that?" Spike asked, hiding behind Twilight's leg. "The mice?"
"Has to be," Twilight said. "I'd sent every pony else home. We should be the only ones here."
She froze as a low, angry growl was heard. It certainly wasn't that of a mouse.
"You sure?" the exterminator asked shakily.
Then came a metallic clang.
"That came from Dr. Sargon's laboratory," Twilight said, heading for the door. "Come on."
They all raced out of the lab they were in and to the door with police tape over the front. Twilight used her magic to pull the door open, ripping the police tape. The lights were out, but there was something glowing in the corner of the room. Twilight ignited her horn, filling the room with pink light. She and Spike let out a shriek and the exterminator fainted.
For a brief moment, they saw the dark silhouette of a pony, its bright green eyes shutting immediately and its hoof rising to shield them from the light. Something about the figure was misshapen. Its mane seemed to flow in all directions, and the bottom half of its body didn't resemble a pony's at all, but was merely a puff of smoke.
On the floor was broken glass, and a rack of test tubes filled with liquid appeared to be floating within the figure's body.
"Who are you?!" Twilight demanded.
"What are you?" Spike asked, gripping onto Twilight's leg.
The figure roared as it morphed into a cloud of darkness. Twilight's jaw dropped as the thing slinked over to a nearby microscope and seemed to merge with the object's shadow.
"What the…?" she said.
She was so amazed, the light of her horn started to waver, allowing the strange shadow to move out of the microscope's shadow, slink along the wall, and then, like a dark mist, disappeared through the bars of an air duct.
"W-What was that?" Spike asked, shivering.
"I don't know," Twilight said, looking at the broken glass on the floor. "But that certainly wasn't a mouse."
Twilight sent the exterminator home, as it was clear this was more than a mere rodent problem. Now she and Spike were in the surveillance room, watching the camera footage of the recent robbery.
"It's amazing," Twilight said in awe. "He simply picked up the test tubes, became a sort of anti-matter, became one with a shadow, and then went through the vent as if he were nothing but smoke!"
"He was like a shadow," Spike said, still rattled about the incident, "with no pony casting it!"
"Shadow…" She gasped. "Spike, do we still have the camera showing Dr. Sargon's last moments?"
"Err, yeah," Spike said, picking up a video camera on a desk. "We'd put it here so we could compare it with the surveillance footage, remember?"
"Play that last bit of film again. Maybe there's something we missed."
Spike opened the camera and clicked on the most recent entry onscreen. It was the same as before: Dr. Sargon injecting himself with the serum, him crying out in agony, and then disappearing in a flash of light.
"It's pretty straightforward," Spike said.
"But we didn't watch this all the way through," Twilight said. "Remember? The camera was still recording when we arrived."
"Okay, but I don't think we're gonna…wait!" He paused the footage. "What is that?!"
Twilight squinted. "I don't see anything."
"Hang on a second."
Spike pulled open the desk drawer and took out a cable. He connected one end to the camera and the other to one of the monitors. The image from the camera had now been enlarged on the larger screen.
"There!" Spike said, pointing at a filing cabinet in the corner. "Right there! Look at that filing cabinet!"
Twilight leaned towards the screen. "What about it?"
He indicated either side of the cabinet. "It has two shadows!"
Upon looking closer, Twilight let out a gasp. "You're right, Spike! Can you put this in slow motion?"
Nodding, Spike typed a few commands on the keyboard and the video played again slowly. After a few seconds, there was some movement onscreen. One of the cabinet's shadows appeared to be stretching up along the wall, towards the same ventilation shaft the thief from earlier had vanished into.
Then there was a flash of color.
"Pause!" Twilight shouted.
Spike paused the video.
"Now make it bigger!"
He zoomed in on the stretching shadow. While the image was slightly pixilated, they could just make out two tiny green specks that resembled a pair of eyes.
"Spike," Twilight said, turning to him solemnly, "I'm not so sure Dr. Sargon is dead."
"This was all I could get for now," Sombra said as he dropped the test tubes on the bed before Radiant Hope. "But we don't need my notes now that we have the serum. From this we can create an antidote." He looked at Hope. "I can barely carry these test tubes within my being. I'll need you to put the antidote together."
"I said I'd help, Sombra," Hope said, "but my expertise is on healing magic, not shadow magic. I won't know what to mix together."
"I'll tell you what to do." He winced as his front hooves started to fade further. "Hope?"
"Of course."
She ignited her horn and attempted the healing spell again. By the time the magical sphere had come and gone, Hope was exhausted.
"Before…" she said, panting, "we do…anything else…" She slumped forward in her chair. "I need rest."
Sombra quickly caught her before she could fall out of her chair. It was like being held by a cold wind.
They both turned in alarm as a knock came at the front door.
"Should I answer it?" Hope whispered.
"Silence," Sombra said, placing his hoof over her lips. "Maybe they'll just leave."
They waited, and the knock came a second time.
"What if it's the police?" Hope asked. "What if they've come to ask about you breaking into the lab? They'll be suspicious if I don't answer."
He realized she was right. "Then answer it, but tell them nothing."
"Of course," Hope said as she used her magic to open the bedroom door. "But stay in here. I'm going to turn a light on."
She shut the door and then switched on the living room lamp. The knock came again.
"I'm coming!" Hope shouted, wheeling herself to the front door.
She magically unlocked and opened it. Twilight Sparkle stood there alone, a serious expression on her face.
"Miss Sparkle," Hope said, trying to hide her nervousness. "W-What brings you here so late?"
"Dr. Hope," Twilight said, noticing how tired she looked, "sorry to wake you. May I come in please?"
Biting her lip, Hope glanced at the door to the bedroom where Sombra was hidden. If she didn't let her in, Hope might make herself look suspicious.
"O-Of course," she said, wheeling backward to allow Twilight in.
Twilight glanced around as the door was closed behind her. She appeared to be searching for something.
"Have you received any…unexpected visitors?" Twilight asked. "Threats, maybe? Strange packages?"
"Whatever do you mean?" Hope asked, cocking her head.
Twilight turned to face her. "There's been a break-in at Sparkle Labs. Some pony went and took test tubes containing the formula that had…killed Dr. Sargon."
Hope forcefully widened her eyes to appear surprised. "Oh dear. Why would any pony want that awful formula?"
"That's the thing. We think Dr. Sargon's serum was…successful."
"Successful?" Her eyes flitted towards the bedroom. "H-How could it have been successful? It killed Sombra!"
"There have been…disturbances throughout Sparkle Labs. We went through all the security footage and found strange…figures shaped like mice."
Hope blinked. "Mice?"
"I'm sure Dr. Sargon must've mentioned that he'd tested the serum on some lab mice."
She gulped. "He, um, may have mentioned it."
"Yes, well," Twilight said, shifting uncomfortably, "it seems the serum had turned the mice into…shadows, and the security footage suggest that…well…" She looked at the crystal pony seriously. "I don't know how to tell you this, Doctor, but there's a chance that Dr. Sargon is…alive."
Hope gulped. "H-How can that be?"
"A pony-like shadow was spotted swiping the test tubes. We think…the serum might have turned Sombra into pure shadow, just as he had intended."
Glancing back at the bedroom, Hope said, "You d-d-don't say."
"But it might be worse than we thought."
"W-Worse?"
"The mice that were turned into shadows? Their molecules must have been unstable, because according to the security footage, a few hours after being injected with the serum, they sort of…" Twilight bit her lip. "Evaporated."
"Evaporated?" Hope said, her throat closing.
"Yes," Twilight said as she began pacing back and forth, "and, if I am correct, the same will happen to Sombra. However, since his mass is significantly larger than that of a mouse, he might last longer, but not forever. If we don't find him soon, he might evaporate into…"
She trailed off when she saw the stoic expression on Hope's face. Twilight squinted suspiciously at her.
"Why does none of this information seem to surprise you?"
Sweat began trickling from Hope's brow. "I-I'm j-j-just…in shock! Yes! I mean…earlier you told me Sombra was dead and…now you're saying he's alive?"
"Maybe," Twilight said, still suspicious. "If he hasn't evaporated yet."
"A-And," Hope said, moving her chair forward an inch, "if he is alive, h-how exactly would you cure him?"
"I'm not sure. Until we find a cure, we should be able to contain him in one of our magical containment units."
Hope stiffened. "Y-You mean…a cell?"
Twilight shook her head. "I wouldn't call it…"
Her wheelchair started moving rapidly towards Twilight. "You would lock him up like some animal?!"
"No!" Twilight said, backing away. "It would be just to neutralize him until we find a…"
"You think he's some monster, don't you?! Well let me tell you something, Sparkle!" She pointed her hoof into the business mare's chest. "Sombra may look frightful, but he's no monster! He's still the stallion I know and love!"
Twilight blinked several times as she stared down at her. "How do you even know what he looks like?"
Hope froze. "I-I…I just assumed that…from what you said that he was…"
Her quick glance at the bedroom did not escape Twilight's notice.
"Dr. Hope," Twilight said slowly, "is Dr. Sargon here in this apartment?"
Hope backed her chair away. "N-No! I mean…why would you think?"
"Of course," Twilight said, advancing upon her. "Dr. Sargon's molecules are unstable. He can barely hold anything in his hooves, am I right? He needs some pony to mix together the formula, and who can he trust better than his best friend since foalhood?"
Hope shivered under Twilight's gaze. Then she caught sight of the lit lamp and had an idea. Using her magic, she turned the light off, allowing Sombra to enter through the slit of the bedroom door. Twilight spun around as Sombra's deep laugh echoed throughout the room.
"Very clever, Miss Sparkle," he said.
"I didn't tell her anything!" Hope insisted. "She figured it out!"
"I know, Hope." A pair of glowing green and red eyes appeared behind the mare in the chair. "You did nothing wrong."
"Dr. Sargon," Twilight said steadily. "I can help you. I can take you back to the lab and…"
"And put me in a cage!" Sombra shouted, his toothy mouth opening wide. "Like some freak show!"
"No, Sombra! We only want to help you, make you normal again!"
She jumped as the shadowy face appeared before hers.
"And who says I want to be normal again?" Sombra said with a hiss.
Hope blinked in confusion. "Sombra?"
"Do you have any idea how…how liberating it is? To be free to go wherever I please? I wouldn't give up this form for the world!"
Hope couldn't believe what she was hearing. "But…you said…"
He turned to her. "I still need a cure to stabilize my molecules, so that I can be in this state all the time without having to worry about disappearing! That's the real reason I brought the serum here!"
"Dr. Sargon, stop!" Twilight exclaimed. "This is insane!"
"Dr. Sargon?" Sombra said with a chuckle. "How droll a name for a being like me. I'm more than just a shadow. I'm the King of Shadows! And you, Hope," he said, cupping his friend's chin, "can be my queen."
Hope's lips quivered. "W-What?"
"Once the serum is perfected, not only will you be able to walk again, but we can do anything! We can live and move freely in the shadows! We'll be above all beings!"
"S-Sombra, I…" She gulped. "I didn't sign up for…"
"Leave her out of this, Sombra!" Twilight shouted. "Can't you see she doesn't want this?"
"Don't tell her what she wants!" Sombra bellowed, turning on her again. "Only I know what's best for her!" He studied her a moment. "Still, while Hope is talented, she does not have the chemical expertise necessary to complete the serum." He floated closer to Twilight. "You, on the other hoof…"
Twilight stepped back, unafraid. "You can't do anything to me! You're just a shadow! You can barely hold anything in your hooves!"
His sharp teeth glinted as he smiled. "Ah, but you see, Miss Sparkle, while I'm not completely solid, I still have a few…tricks."
In one swift motion, he whooshed over to Hope. She let out a shriek as she was suddenly encased in complete darkness. When Sombra moved away, Hope was no longer in front of Twilight. She gasped in fright. Sombra rose up above the unicorn, grinning down at her.
"Your turn," he said lowly.
Before she could be enveloped in his darkness, Twilight pressed on her commlink and shouted, "Power Ponies, help!"