//------------------------------//
// Chapter 3: Fire in the Darkness 
// Story: Dark Star of Shadows 
// by Super Ponyman 
//------------------------------//

(The Canterlot Train Station)

King Sombra rushed though the skies above Canterlot, he had to make it to the train station before the sun rose. if the sun rose, his shadow form would be destroyed by the bright light of Princess Celestia's star. 

Sombra growled, "Damn it! Of all the times that wretched princess could raise her glorified light bulb, it had to be now." 

The Shadow King descended to the train platform and grabbed the conductor, locking eyes with him. "Listen closely, you are to take me to Ponyville, and leave all other passengers here." 

The conductor slowly nodded, and shouted "Train to Ponyville! All aboard!"

King Sombra smirked, "The princesses would never expect me to go by train... they would think I would fly to Ponyville with my Shadow Form. but, I will sneak into the town unseen and find the Alicorn tonight!"

King Sombra laughed, shanking the car with his voice. "Just you wait, Alicorn. You are going to LOVE dealing with me..."

(Equestrian Highway, Path to Ponyville)

Burning Star ran down the dirt roads that led outside of Canterlot, he knew where he was going, but it was now broad daylight, Celestia would scramble the guards on him soon! 

The Fiery Unicorn shrugged, "So what if she swarms the guards on me, they will all fall to my magic. after all, if I can blow apart the throne room of the princesses castle, then taking on a few guards is going to be a piece of cake for me..." 

Right on cue, a pair of soldiers ran out of the trees, spears out. 

"Halt! You are under arrest for attempting to kill Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, come quietly and we will not harm you, much." 

Ten more soldiers stepped out of the trees and into the clearing, all of them were wearing armor and carrying spears. "You have ten seconds to surrender or we will attack you." 

Burning Star looked around him, he spoke to himself,

"there are twelve guards on me... they each came out of the trees, portably to surround me so I could be slain by the ranged attackers hidden in the underbrush..." 

Burning Star spoke to the lead guard that threatened him, "A decent trap, if you were trying to catch a everyday pony."

the fiery unicorn's mane and tail began to ignite again, "BUT I AM NO EVERYDAY PONY!" he shouted as his horn began to glow. 

"Taste this! Fire Blast!" Burning Star unleashed a stream of red hot fire, hitting 5 guards square in the chest, knocking them into a tree and snapping it in half. 

The guards got up and ran for their lives as Burning Star took a step forwards, eyes ablaze with flames. 

"come on you idiots! lets rumble!" he said as he generated a broadsword made of magic fire and lunged at the remaining guards, they rushed forwards. Burning Star smiled as he swung his broadsword upwards, disarming the guards of their spears, they then fled. the magic users hidden in the bushes began to open fire with multiple lasers of magic. 

Burning Star didn't even move as he set up a ring of fire around him, incinerating the attacks. 

"You cant hide from my flames!" the fire unicorn yelled as he caused the ring of fire to rapidly expand. Within seconds, the bushes where the other soldiers were burned up, sending them running for thier lives as well. Burning Star was busy floating when a guard smashed him in the head with his hooves. The Fire Unicorn turned around and grabbed his attacker by the legs using his magic, he then slammed him on the ground before flinging him into the sky. 

After watching the guard land in the trees, Burning Star smirked, "What imbeciles. Thinking that they could go up against me..." 

he paused for a bit, "I bet the princesses are losing their patience now. They must be true idiots to think that a simple squad of soldiers could stop..."

Burning Star walked out onto a dirt road and his eyes went wide with amazement. Hundreds of soldiers from all species of pony were standing in his way. 

The Fire Unicorn smiled, "This is going to be fun!" As he Charged down the army. All through the day and into the night. the smoke and ashes rained down. The battle was a lost cause, and Burning Star stepped over the charred corpses that covered the road.

(Twilight Sparkle's Castle, Ponyville)

King Sombra exited the train and thanked the conductor, before picking up the entire thing and tossing it off the tracks, where it landed with a large crash. It was nighttime, all ponies would be asleep. 

"This is too easy, the village has no guards, no walls, no fortifications of any kind. How has this place not been destroyed yet?" King Sombra said to himself

"but, onto different matters. Time to find the New Alicorn... I will break its mind and transform it into my Weapon against Celestia and Luna. No one can stop me now..."

with that, King Sombra transformed into his shadow form and sped towards the greatest source of magic he could find, a small castle made of crystal. 

He wondered why it was small, "Shouldn't the castle of a Royal Alicorn be large and imposing, not... this." He growled to himself pointing at it with his currently nonexistent hoof. 

Sombra transformed back into his pony form and grasped the door handle, it opened effortlessly. 

"Why leave your door open during the night? Are you really that confident in your skill?" King Sombra muttered to himself as he trotted into the castle. He saw a group of thrones, each bearing a symbol of something. 

"Are there multiple Alicorns here? That would be... perfect. The more the merrier" Sombra said, slightly raising his voice before hearing a growl from upstairs while walking up them. 

As he entered what could be the Alicorn's bedroom He raised his eyebrows in slight bewilderment, next to the Alicorn's bed slept a baby dragon. 

Sombra breathed slowly, trying to step around the tiny monster. He knew full well what dragons could do,

"you have a pet dragon, you must be very strong in order to tame that... beast." Sombra edged closer to the bed and squinted, as he could not use his horn to light up the room, what he saw he was taken aback by. 

It was a Alicorn Mare, probably no older than his student Dark Star, she was lavender colored, and had a bright purple mane and tail with a pink stripe running down the sides, King Sombra put his hooves over his mouth to prevent himself from laughing.

So he screamed in laughter in his head, "THIS IS THE POWERFUL ALICORN I WAS PROMISED! She is but a filly..." King Sombra smiled his trademark evil smile,

"But, that makes this so much easier..."

he read the name on her dress that was hanging on the hangers in her closet.

"Twilight Sparkle... oh how scary." he said as he touched his horn to hers, entering her mind.

"Prepare to face me, Twilight Sparkle."

Twilight Sparkle stood in a throne room of a castle, she was looking around, all she saw was darkness. 

"Hello?" Twilight said in a confused and slightly frightened tone.

"Somepony? Anypony there?" Her voice echoed back to her, then a deep baritone voice pierced the darkness. 

"So, we meet at last..." Twilight Sparkle stepped back as a plume of black smoke emerged from the black iron throne. "Twilight Sparkle." Said King Sombra, letting his voice echo in the room. 

Twilight Sparkle stepped back in horror, eyes wide with terror as the feared Shadow King, Sombra, appeared and sat on his throne. Staring at her as if she were a stack of freshly made Hay Fries. 

She finally squeaked out a response, "how? How are you back?! I saw the Crystal Heart shatter you to pieces..."

Twilight grabbed her head, rubbing her eyes. "This is just a bad dream, a flashback, nothing more!" 

King Sombra smiled, showing his sharp teeth. Twilight Sparkle knew that smile, those teeth could tear her chest open. "I assure you princess, this is no bad dream." 

Suddenly, Sombra charged up to Twilight Sparkle and stared into her eyes with his, his eyes bleeding Purple smoke and sickly green in color.

"What do you want Sombra? Surely you have caused enough destruction and spread enough fear, why come to visit me in my dreams?" 

Sombra laughed, deep and scary. "Why do you assume that I am here to cause trouble for you? I am also here to congratulate you as well, I never thought you could become an Alicorn..."

"Stay back you monster!" Twilight took a few steps back, trying to look brave by flaring her wings out the way her friend Rainbow Dash did. 

King Sombra chuckled, "If you plan on trying to intimidate me Princess, it will not work. I am the embodiment of Fear and terror, you cannot scare me..." King Sombra said as he stepped closer to Twilight, she could feel his breath against her fur. 

Twilight looked at him. He was massive, taller than Big Macintosh, and nearly as tall as Princess Celestia. She looked like an ant compared to him, and he knew that. 

"Why did you come to my dreams? Go haunt somepony else's dreams!" Twilight waved her hoof and turned around, going towards the door and what she could assume the light of day. When Sombra stepped in front of her. 

"I've come for you for one reason Princess, you would prove useful in my future endeavors, you're quite a rare breed."

Twilight looked even more scared and confused, "What do you mean?" Sombra put his steel-toed hoof against Twilight's horn.

"What I mean is that you are both an Alicorn, which was already a accomplishment for you, but you can use dark magic..." King Sombra leaned in and touched his horn to Twilight's horn. Immediately, a dark haze began to fill Twilight's eyes,

"And I am a dark magic Trainer that you will be practicing with for a long time..."

Twilight Sparkle was wise enough to notice what Sombra was doing, he was trying to brainwash her!

"Don't try it King Sombra! I... I... uh," Twilight Sparkle's normally purple eyes turned green. 

"Become my slave, Twilight Sparkle!" King Sombra roared as his shadow form began to engulf her in reality. She was losing the battle for her free will. 

Burning Star wasted no time finding the home of the Alicorn, it was a castle about a quarter the size of Sombra's Castle Nevermore. He didn't even knock, he just blasted down the door. 

This woke up Twilight's number one assistant, Spike. He heard the crash of the large doors splintering and ran downstairs, seeing the large unicorn standing in the meeting room looking at the Cutie Mark Map, history books and records of previous battles and incidents strewn about everywhere. 

Spike put on the bravest face he could an shouted at the large pony. "Hey! Who do think you are trying to break into the home of Princess Twilight Sparkle!?"

Burning Star turned around an roared, "Out of my way, Dragon!"

Spike was flung out the door arches by Burning Star's magic, and he rushed upstairs, only to see the shadowy form of Sombra standing over his prize, The Alicorn. 

King Sombra disconnected from Twilight's horn and turned around to see Burning Star standing in the doorway looking angrier than a bull. Twilight woke up from her trance just to see A jet black unicorn toss Sombra out the window with his horn.

Twilight heard her savior say to her, "You ok?" 

Twilight slowly nodded, noticing that her savior was glowing slightly. Burning Star jumped out after Sombra, hoping to find him. 

Sombra went invisible and ran for the shadows, he knew that he was running low on dark magic. 

"I'll retreat for now..." Burning Star started off towards the Everfree Forest, knowing that the Alicorn would follow him. 

Twilight shouted, "wait! Who are you?!" Twilight shouted out her window. 

then she noticed words scorched in still burning fire carved into the ground. She also saw fiery hoof prints in the ground.

"Catch me if you can, Alicorn!"

Your Savior,
Burning Star