The shimmering form of Chancellor Puddinghead glided silently through the chilled air, trailing a slick mist with each bob. It mumbled, distant, intelligible whispers as it passed into the darkness of Twilight’s passageway.
Just behind, shining in the faint red hue of the ghost’s glow, a pair of purple ears flickered back and out of sight. Twilight Sparkle ducked her head, squaring her eyes as she watched the ghost traverse the distance, then watched as Princess Platinum followed suit—also mumbling some long forgotten tongue.
She held the end of her pack close at hoof, carefully checking her position, and then watching, waiting, until the last of the apparitions had disappeared through the far wall. There was an eerie dread hanging in the air. The ghosts only seemed to be growing stronger. With every century that passed, it was getting harder and harder to dispatch, something already made the more difficult by the close quarters.
The lighting dimmed and silence fell, a single beat, marked by Twilight’s thumping heart. She strained her ears for any other signs of danger and when none came, she finally let herself breathe.
A quick glance around the corner, and Twilight left to scope out her surroundings.
Nothing to the left, nothing to the right; she had the presence of mind to look up this time, and there wasn’t anything there either. The floors weren’t covered in blueberry jelly—instead a rather tattered and dusty rug faced her—and the walls weren’t seeping with molasses or any other otherworldly goo.
It was starting to look like her luck had changed, so long as this didn’t turn out to be another jaws scenario—Twilight shuddered at the thought. She could still picture it clear as day. Those horrible, gnashing teeth, and the smell—Mother of Celestia the smell. It was revolting, the absolute worst of morning-breath, like a mixture between week-old cabbages, expired milk, and rotten eggs.
Even now, she could still feel it burning her nostrils. It clung to her like molten cheese—another, stronger, shudder ran up Twilight spine. “Great, Sparkle,” she silently whispered, “You had to go and mention the—” She gulped. “—cheese.”
Otherwise known as fermented bovine lactation, in all other cases Twilight couldn’t tell whether it was better or worse to be eaten alive. Given the choices, she’d really rather not be turned into a living equine quesadilla. Heck, death wouldn’t have been so bad, tolerable, even, if only the underworld at least had the presence of mind to spring for breath mints.
She quickly reached the first turn in the passage and hesitantly glanced around the corner. The rug came to a grateful end, and her hooves began the slow, monotonous click, clack, clack on the bare stone floor.
There was a distant rumble somewhere, far off in the distance, Twilight caught herself as the ground shook. She steadied her balance and glanced up, watching the fragile creak under their weight. A silent chime of chandeliers swaying filled the air, and tinkling of loose stones echoed off far off through the caste.
One more, slightly weaker, tremor followed, accompanied by a barely-audible scream, and then the silence.
“That was...” Twilight glanced around. Nothing seemed to have changed. It was just the same old, empty corridor. Her mind went back to earlier and Twilight’s eyes were slowly drawn to the ground below her. She swallowed nervously and whispered, “...I hope the others are okay.”
The sound of gravel crunching reached Twilight’s ears, and she perked up to the sound of one last stone settling. She glanced up, and scanned the empty hall.
Doors and doors, as far as the eye could see, all of them nearly identical in nature, but every one most assuredly leading to somewhere different. There wasn’t much choice to be had, so Twilight decidedly went for the nearest one.
Her plan was simple. Twilight mentally checked through the steps as she inspected the door. There was only one place that Sombra would think to go. It had to be the centre, the heart, a focal point for the magical energies passing through the crystal lattice of the structure.
The only room she could think of that matched that description was, of course, the throne room. It was positioned roughly on the third floor, cloistered in the main body of the castle and well guarded from outside attack. That was also where she and her friends convened to consult The Map, and the resting place of her old home. It was, for all intents and purpose, the heart—and exactly the place Some would go.
The only issue was getting there.
Starlight always said that she thought the castle hated her. Twilight had always dismissed it, of course. How could the castle hate somepony? It’s not like it was alive, and that was ridiculous. No, she always figured it was just Starlight being bad at directions. She even drew up a map for her, and still Starlight couldn’t find the bathroom.
But now?
Now she was starting to have her doubts...
There was no way the house could be alive. But still the prospects all the same were horrifying. Just imagining all the things they’d done within these walls, all of the personal and secret moments she’d had when nopony was watching, all of the books she’d read and never put back, and this whole time— She glanced to the nearest wall, as if she could catch it out in its act. The walls themselves may have had an ear in, or even an eye out.
A shiver ran up Twilight’s spine. Suddenly she felt paranoid, like the walls were watching her right now. She glanced over her shoulder, to the darkest corner near the ceiling where the walls met. She thought she heard whispering, but chalked it up to her imagination.
Twilight turned back to the row of doors. Somehow, she didn’t feel any better. The old library was alive, some part told her. But that was a tree, trees are alive, they always have been. They grow, they age, they die, but they certainly weren’t ever sentient, right?
The first door seemed appropriate enough. It was unassuming, with no markings that she could see, nor any signs of magical tampering. Just the faintest moans from afar hinted towards the current haunting, but nothing close enough to cause Twilight worry.
Twilight gingerly wrapped a hoof around the handle, pausing long enough to test it with her horn.
Still no signs or unwanted enchantments, no eyes, no tongues, no teeth—she shuddered, and quickly steadied herself for the onslaught of otherworldly horrors, and dustpans, she was inevitably destined to bear.
For the past three hours she’d spent checking doors, secret entrances, trap doors, and sculleries, and almost none of them have ever led to their intended destination. Closets led to libraries, libraries led to closets. Some led to bedrooms and others to walls of gnashing t—Twilight wrinkled her nose. She had to stop thinking of that.
The handle turned cleanly, with nary a squeak, and Twilight grit her teeth as she flung the door inwards. It would be a miracle for her to open this door now and find—
“Twilight!” Spike shouted. He threw his claws in the air, leaping from his perch across the kitchen and dashing forwards to grab the princess in a wide hug. “Thank Celestia, I knew you’d come t—”
SLAM
Twilight froze, staring blankly ahead at the close. She silently blinked. “Spike?” Something clicked, and she scrambled to open the door again.
The entrance was flung open and, all at once, the room exploded into a loud din of a thunderous roar. A wind blew back Twilight mane and she tumbled, shielding her eyes and shutting her ears as she was met by a literal wall of flames.
They licked and lapped at the door frame, centered perfectly by the soul-piercing gaze of one, gargantuan—almost catlike in nature—magical floating eyes.
Do you have The Ring? it mentally boomed, before Twilight immediately slammed the door shut.
“Nope!” Twilight yelped. Backing away from the door, she practically fell over her own hooves as she did an about face turn and started in the other direction, muttering, “Nope, nope, you are a...” Her pace quickened, “Friendship problem for Starlight, yes.” Perfect. She didn’t want anything to with that. Nope. Nada. Zilch.
Twilight’s trot turned into a canter, then a gallop, and then full on running as she attempted to put as much distance between herself and whatever the buck that was, as was equinely possible.
~ ~ ~
Following the aftermath of their little... accident, Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie formed a little circle around the mound of grey slime, shovels in hooves as they struggled to form it back into the rough shape of a mare.
“Ugh...why won’t this...” Rainbow Dash sighed under her breath. She grit her teeth and her face turned into a frown as she scooped the thinning liquid, frantically pushing it up between her hooves to stick it back to Ditzy’s side.
Pinkie Pie, meanwhile, had her tongue stuck out and muzzle scrunched in concentration. Every few seconds she would push a lump of the pile back up the side, carefully form it into a wing, and then watch in disappointment as it slumped back to the floor. “Aw...”
This whole time, whilst the other two were focused on their reconstruction, Fluttershy clung to the blob for dear life, weeping and wailing as she apologised profusely. “I’m so, so, so, so, so, sorry, Ditzy!” she cried. Tears trailed down Fluttershy’s face as she clung to the blob, chunks and strings of slime trailing back from her matted fur. “If I’d known it was you I would never have even—”
“F-” Ditzy whined, her voice muffled as she spoke into the mare’s chest, “”Fluttershy...” With a heave, she pushed the mare away from her, gasping for breath as she rolled out from under her. “I’m—” Ditzy swooned, and she stumbled as she slowly caught her breath. –“I- I’m fine!” she insisted, rolling her eyes, “Really.”
“Oh...” Fluttershy’s ears drooped. She slumped back onto her haunches, sighing with indignation. “... I’m sorry—”
“No, don—” Ditsy rushed to Shy’s side, pulling the mare into a rough hug and cuddling into her chest. Her form quickly shifted into more of a normal mare, now with hooves and a head, as she wrapped herself around Fluttershy, stroking her mane. “Please,” she begged, “Just stop apologising. I forgave you twenty minutes ago...”
Silence fell between them. Everypony, Dash and Pinkie included, watched as Ditzy awaited her response.
Rainbow glanced to Pinkie. “Uh...”
“O-Okay.” Fluttershy squeaked, nodding slightly. She sniffed and gently returned the hug, burying her face into Ditzy’s side and squeezing the pile of jelly between her hooves.
“So, uh...” Rainbow Dash leaned back on her haunches. She paused to inspect Ditzy, looking the mare up and down before asking with a frown. “Ditzy?” she asked, “Wh-what happened?”
“Hm?” Ditzy pulled herself away from Shy, leaving a dripping green stain in her wake. The sticky tendrils of slime connected her with Shy as they both looked to Dash curiously. Ditzy’s head bobbed, and her ear began to dribble to the side. “What do you mean?” ash asked.
“I mean—” Rainbow bit her lip, forcing back the urge to grimace. A slight shiver ran up her spine as she watched Ditzy’s limbs slowly melt back into the puddle before her very eyes. “You—” She gestured with the shovel. “You know...”
“Um... no.” Ditzy shook her head, splattering shy with droplets of her slime. “I don’t, Dash.”
“I mean—” Biting her lip even harder, she felt a slight pang of pain as she looked to Pinkie, as if to ask “what do I say?”
Pinkie flipped her spade, dropping another lump of Ditzy on to the ground beside her and shrugged. “Don’t look at me.”
“Well...” Rainbow looked back to Ditzy and Shy, who were starting to look concerned as they frowned her way. She gulped, “Okay, well—” Gesturing with her spade, Rainbow pointed awkwardly to Ditzy’s current state, doing her best to ignore the pooling of liquid around Fluttershy’s thighs. “What happened!?” She practically screamed. The catacombs boomed with Dash’s voice, causing Ditzy and Fluttershy to recoil away from her. She continued, “Last time we say you—you- you were gone!” She looked to Pinkie for confirmation. “R-right?”
“Yeah!” Pinkie Pie chirped. She dropped her spade as she nodded enthusiastically then looked to Ditzy with the same questioning gaze. “We even went on an expedition to come and save you!” she screamed.
“We got lost—”
“I got to look at rocks”— Pinkie produced a photo from her mane, and flashed it front of Ditzy’s eyes. She could only make out the vague shape of the words ‘for Maud’ alongside the picture of a weird rock with a face before it was gone back within Pinkie’s mane.
“We almost died!”
“Twi almost killed me, we got exposition— ” Pinkie blinked. “Twi almost killed me again!”
“And we couldn’t find you anywhere!” they both screamed in unison.
Ditsy recoiled away from this, her ears drooping as she snuggled back against Fluttershy. “Oh—” A shiver ran up her spine, or would have it she had one. Instead Ditzy seemed to jiggle as she averted her eyes, glancing to the ground at their hooves. She felt herself blush in the time between. Or at least she thought it was a blush. It was either that or she was starting to congeal between the cobblestones. “I—” She croaked then lapsed into silence, retreating back into herself. “It’s...”
“Ditzy?” Fluttershy spoke up, her voice barely above a whisper next to her, “Are you okay?” She squeezed Ditzy closer, caressing her against warm chest. “Dash didn’t mean to put you on the spot, okay?” As she comforted Ditzy, she glanced to Dash, shooting her daggers. “You don’t have to—”
“It’s okay.” Ditzy squeaked. She pulled away from Fluttershy, to look her in the eye, before turning back to face Pinkie and Dash. “I—” Ditzy frowned, and her face turned crestfallen. “It’s... not important,” she whispered, “I did what I had to in order to get back again and—” Ditzy suddenly gasped. “Oh Celestia!”
“It’s okay, Ditzy,” Fluttershy said, attempting to comfort the pile of goo. “I’m sure Twilight will be able to—”
“No!” She started squirming in Fluttershy’s grasp, pulling herself free and grappling to pull every bit of herself together again. “Fluttershy, we have to hurry,” she panted, a scared gleam in her eyes. “I almost forgot,” she gasped, “We have to find Twilight, fast!”
“What.” Rainbow and Pinkie shared a look. “Why?”
“I know Sombra’s plan!” She screamed, rushing to pull herself to her hooves. Ditzy slowly began to hover again, her glow returning as she swayed haphazardly through the air. She was practically hyperventilating as she struggled to pull herself together, making frantic progress to reform her old body. “We have to find her,” she screamed, “She’s not safe!”
~ ~ ~
The entrance to the map room thrummed with dark energy, a dull thump, thump, thump of a heartbeat, pumping with energy as the stained glass glowed a bright hot red. The only light source beside Twilight’s pack, magic hues danced, almost entrancing, over the hall, shimmering as Twilight stepped into its light.
The air hung heavy with dark magic. It buzzed in her senses, and her horn ached just from being so close. There was no denying what was beyond those doors and yet, somehow, it was completely unguarded.
Something in the back of Twilight’s mind was nagging at her, telling it wasn’t right. The path there had been completely clear, save for the few passing apparitions— Just then, the pale visage of a pegasus mare appeared through the door. Shimmering and translucent, it screamed an unheard cry as it drifted through the air, passing Twilight’s chest.
Twilight flinched. A shiver ran up her spine, and her breath ran cold as the ghost passed through her. The words ‘help me’ echoed through her mind, lost and forgotten, before they went the same way as the mare that had spoken her.
At length, Twilight gazed up at the door before her. Her face turned stern. She pulled her pack up, unconsciously checking and tightening the straps.
The logical part of her was telling her this wasn’t right. Heck, every part of her was telling her this wasn’t right. It was screaming in her mind, her nerves shaking, begging her to run away, hide beneath a pile of books and await Princess Celestia.
But no, she had to do this. There was no telling how long it would be before the other Princesses found out, and by then it had might as well be too late.
Twilight set a hoof against the doorframe. She wrapped her magic around the handle, and gently turned it down.
There was a soft click as the lock disengaged, and the door cracked slightly ajar. A stiff breeze blew past Twilight’s mane and she paused. Taking another breath, she steeled herself, and pushed on into the beast’s den.
~ ~ ~
The other side was heavy, hot, and humid. A veil of darkness fell as Twilight stepped into the space beyond. A dull boom rang in her ears as the door closed behind her, and just like that, she was plunged into blackness.
“Hello?” she asked. Her voice was small, almost insignificant in the depths of the void.
There was a distant rumbled and skitter of movement just out of sight. Her ears flicked, and Twilight, frowning, looked around her, straining her senses to see what could be out there—or in here—with her.
More whispers, the occasional flicker of a ghostly motion. Twilight’s ears pricked several times to somepony whispering her name, but every time she looked, she found nothing. It was like the room was taunting her. She knew he was here, she could feel it.
The room was practically swimming in magic, a bubbling froth of incantations. With every step, she could feel it growing, buzzing horribly against her horn—whispering to her.
Go back
Leave us
He has come
Each was more pleading, more desperate, some even pained, begging her. A million eyes followed her as she approached the only point of light:
A small spotlight flickered in the darkness, as a purple alicorn stepped into its centre. Her gaze stern, mane and coat matted and tattered, she grit her teeth as she glared up towards the king’s throne. “Sombra...” she whispered beneath her breath, grinding her teeth.
Some part of her knew she should’ve been impressed. Just looking over the throne with its towering, intricately, carved steps—told her he knew his ancient Equestrian history. Everything about it practically screamed early Platonequine Era. The very same design used to influence the construction of Celestia’s own throne in Canterlot, the block-step pattern of stones was always intended to lead the eye upwards, like a pyramid, towards the seat at the spire.
And right there—Twilight’s face turned into a grimace—aligned perfectly, with its back to her, shimmering red in dim light of burning candles—the seat itself.
She couldn’t see him behind it, but Twilight knew he was there. She could sense his disgusting aura, hanging in the air like black mould.
“Sombra,” Twilight whispered. She spat hit name, and the vile that came with it. And then, again, as she brought her harmony Pack to the ready. Several switches flipped behind her, and the silence was shattered by a guttural growl.
Magic sparked, gems glowed, her pack rumbled as Twilight screamed atop the dull roar of her charging pack. “Sombra!” She launched herself forwards, throwing the nozzle of her pack up, and aiming directly for the back of his seat. Her hooves steady, she trembled as she croaked, “This ends now. Bring back my friends, or—”
“Twiliiiight!!!”
Somepony screamed, and Twilight stumbled, almost face-planting on the spot. She’d barely broken a canter when the doors burst open behind her, and the room was filled with a clamour as multiple ponies, all at once, tried to squeeze their way through the narrow opening.
“Twilight!” Rainbow Dash and Pinkie gasped together, the former falling over the latter, whilst Fluttershy followed up the rear with—Twilight had to a do a double take.
Some kind of glowing green ball of snot dripped through her hooves as they both squeezed their way through into the room. “Don’t do it!” Fluttershy screamed, and the snot jiggled, turning roughly pony shaped as she leapt from her hooves.
“Stop!” Ditzy screamed, as she barrelled towards Twilight, “It’s a—”
CLICK
Twilight’s ears pricked to the sound of a switch flick. It was too distant to be clear, or even to know where it was, but there was no denying what it was. The voices suddenly turned silent, then broken into a deafening wail, like steel chains against a chalkboard, or even nails in a train wreck.
Twilight was left frozen, unable to do anything but watch as the steel bars slammed down around her, separating her from her friend and Ditzy, and most likely any chances at defeating Sombra. Her horn flickered and went out with a splutter, and the handle from Twilight’s pack clattered to the ground beside her.
Ditzy recoiled away from the cage, whimpering as she said. “—trap.”
The lights rose slowly bathing the room in a deep, orange hue. Jets of flame erupted from the corners, and with them came Sombra’s deep, melodious, laugh.
Mmhmhmhmhmm...
It was subtle and restrained; the sound of a true mastermind that sent chill up Twilight’s spine. A quick look to her friends confirmed the same. Each of them had turned a slight shade pale. Even Rainbow, in her though dousing of neon pink, was starting to look more herself as she took up a defensive position.
“T-Twilight...” Fluttershy squeaked. She retreated behind Rainbow and Pinkie, trembling as she hid behind her wings, using the mares as some kind of living shield as she looked to each of them for guidance. “W-What do we do?” She looked to Pinkie, and then joined in looking to Rainbow.
“We...” Rainbow Dash frowned. All this while, Sombra’s voice had turned deeper, stronger, more real. It practically permeated the air. Rainbow gulped. “We run,” she said, and turned tail, shouting over her shoulder. “Ditzy, where—”
Rainbow cut herself off as she came face to ankle with one of the minotaur guards, towering over her with its deep, sunken black visage. Several more emerged silently from the ground, growling, as she trotted forwards, forcing the ponies back into the centre of the room.
The doors were slammed shut behind them, and Rainbow Dash watched, her ears drooping, as two more guards came in to slide wooden beams into place, locking them inside.
Twilight’s face turned down into a scowl. Looking away from her friends, she directed her attention to the top of the throne, and the location from which the laughter was coming. Her horn flickered, and she squinted, focusing all of her attention on that one spot.
The pieces of a teleportation spell started forming in her mind, and she mentally started collecting ht energy. It was their last chance. If she had her timing right—Twilight glanced to the nozzle, and she funnelled a small amount of magic off to levitate it back to her side.
Something caught in Twilight’s horn, and she was thrown by a pang of searing pain, like a hot skillet had been run through her forehead. “Ah!” she winced, and dropped the spell, losing any all focus as she clasped a hoof to her forehead.
“It is no use, Princes...” Through the throbbing, Twilight faintly heard Sombra speak. She blinked the tears from her eyes, and looked up to watch as the throne stirred. It slowly turned. “Those are alicorn bars, the same kind they use in Hoofatraz prison,” he said. Sombra’s voice was just as enchanting as ever, smooth and otherworldly, and yet completely different. Somehow, it felt more... substantial. “Their special properties suppress the use of magic. There is no escaping that cage, even for an alicorn such as yourself, Princess.”
As she chair swivelled, the lights of the flames caught on the shape of Sombra’s form, first an ear, and then a horn. The lapping of green magic made itself known, followed then by two bright eyes on the back of a devilish, smug, grin.
Pinkie was the first to respond. “Oh my Celestia!” she gasped.
Twilight’s jaw dropped and, behind her, Ditzy whimpered, biting her lip as she stared. “It’s...”
“It’s...” Rainbow whispered.
“It’s...” Fluttershy mimicked.
Pinkie Pie popped out from the group, bounding on her hooves as she leapt forwards, screaming, “It’s Dinky!”
Rainbow stepped back, her ears pinned down as she stared. She was unable to pull her eyes from the Dinky, as her face turned into a scowl. “I-I-I don’t—”
Dinky leaned back in her seat, her mouth turned down into a scowl. She was reclined back, her legs crossed, and her hooves templed in front of her as if waiting for something. One ear flicked, but otherwise Dinky made no other move. “There is no ‘Dinky’ here,” Sombra said.
“Well duh!” Pinkie screamed. She cantered to the front of the group, and leaned against the side of Twilight’s cage, waving a hoof dismissively. “Of course you are! Just look at you!”
Rainbow glanced beside her, looking to Fluttershy. The mare had been completely engrossed in the interaction between Dinky and Pinkie, and seemed to have forgotten her own fear. She then looked back, her eyes drawn to Fluttershy’s back, and the pack sitting there, strapped between her wings.
Sombra’s other ear flicked. His scowl turned even more into a scowl as he repeated. “There is no ‘Dinky’ here.”
“I hear you saying that, but I don’t hear you believing that!”
Rainbow looked back to Sombra, then to Pinkie, and Twilight in the cage. She glanced to the pack on Fluttershy’s back, and something clicked. “Sombra,” she whispered.
Fluttershy’s ears pricked, and she glanced to Rainbow. “Sorry, what did you—“
“It’s Sombra!” Rainbow Dash screamed, and pounced on Fluttershy, going straight for the pack.
“Rainbow Dash, no!” Fluttershy gasped, and recoiled away, putting distance between herself and Dash. She brought up a wing to push Rainbow away, and held the end of the pack in her own hoof, out of reach.
“You don’t understand!” Rainbow pushed past the wing. She wrapped a hoof around the pack, and braced herself as she bowled Fluttershy to the ground. “This is—” Fluttershy kicked out, and nearly caught Rainbow in the shoulder. She grimaced, “This is our chance! We have to stop him!”
“But—” Fluttershy twisted away from Rainbow, and pulled handled back to her own side. “But what about Dinky!? What if you hurt Dinky? It’s too dang—”
“But that’s not Dinky!” Rainbow yelled, “It’s King Sombra!”
Sombra glanced from one group to the other. Dinky’s left ear flicked, and then the other. His voice crackled as it broke, turning high-pitched like a filly as he repeated, again. “There is no ‘Dinky’ here. There is only—”
“Pinkie Pie! Rainbow Dash!” Twilight snapped, glaring to each pony in turn. Rainbow and Fluttershy stopped cold to stare, whilst Pinkie glance to Twilight with perked ears. “No antagonising the antagonist”—Pinkie sighed, as Twilight turned to glare to Rainbow and Fluttershy. “And no trying to steal Fluttershy’s pack, Rainbow Dash.”
“But—”
“No buts!”
Rainbow Dash pouted and reluctantly climbed off of Fluttershy. She crossed her hooves, and gave a sulk. “It was my pack first, you know...” she said.
Pinkie Pie glanced to the pink foal with glowing green eyes, currently watching and twitching with frustration. “...But she’s so cute,” she said, “It’s just too much fun to—”
“SILENCE!”
Dinky’s right eye twitched. Sombra rubbed it gently with a forelock, and then looked across the room with disdain. “I will not this pointless bickering”—he grit her teeth—“stand in the way of me and my goals.”
Twilight growled; a low snarl that rumbled beneath her breath. “What do you want,” she said, with bile, “Sombra?”
He smirked.
There was a flicker of green magic, almost like a flame, as Dinky’s horn flashed a light. There was the soft chime of a bell, and Dinky arrived with a flash outside the cage. Twilight recoiled away from the bars and Sombra pressed up against them to glare in the eye with a devilish smile. “Is it not clear, Princess?” he said, almost smug as he curled the corners of Dinky’s lips. “I would think that you, or all ponies, would know of my plan.” He cocked her head. Dinky’s eyes seemed lifeless, almost puppet-like to Twilight as they regarded her with a calculated gaze. “After all,” he continued, “If it were not for your actions, it would not have come to fruition as it has.”
“What do you mean? Her gaze remained stern. Twilight maintained her stance, trotting back a step to keep Sombra well within her gaze. Leaving the occasional glance to the other mares of the room, Twilight kept her wings and ears erect as she watched the kind pace outside the cage, enjoying the situation, as it were. “Why?” she asked, “What do you have to gain from this?” A whimper from Dinky’s side caught Twilight’s attention, and she quickly added: “And why take Dinky?”
“Why?” Dinky’s ears flicked back at that, and her eyes widened, almost taken aback. “I thought you knew. I mean,” he hummed, flashing a grin with Dinky’s face. “Why else would you deliver precisely what I need, right onto my doorstep.”
“Cut the riddles, Sombra.” Twilight snapped. She paced the inside of the cage. Still no clear exits and any prodding with her magic only left a dull throb in her horn. She turned back to face Sombra with a scowl. “What did you do to Dinky?”
He signed, rolling Dinky’s eyes. “Very well, fine. It is clear you are not going to make this easy on yourself: This is not something I would have chosen otherwise, but there was little choice in the matter.” Sombra frowned, and in turn Dinky’s ears drooped. Her eye twitched for a moment for Sombra rubbed it away and resumed talking. “You see, normally souls are unable to exist in this realm for extended lengths of time, at least not by themselves.” He waved a hoof, “They need... sustenance, something to maintain their state, either in the form of some permanent anchor, or a physical living being—”
“So you took Dinky,” Twilight cut in. She ground her teeth. “A foal.”
“Yes...” He nodded, hesitantly. “As I say, it was unavoidable.” He leaned closer to the bars, to the point that Twilight’s and Dinky’s muzzles could almost touch as he whispered, through grit teeth. “Ever since my defeat at the hand of your... champion”—
“Spike?” Pinkie suddenly cut in, almost shoving her way between Dinky and Twilight. She flashed a grin, and a confused look, as she scratched behind her ear. “A champion?”
— “I have—” Sombra pushed Pinkie out of the way to continue his monologue, correcting himself with a nodd. “Yes,” he said, completely serious. “Ever since my defeat the hands of your champion, Spike, I have—”
“No, seriously, Spike!?” Pinkie glanced to Rainbow, who very much seemed to be giving her the usual ‘what the hay’ look she always seemed to get. “I mean, Spike the Dragon?” She motioned it out with hoof signals, whilst looking for anypony to back her up.
“Enough!” Sombra boomed. His voice cracked and broke, like a foal, as he turned to glare down Pinkie. He cast a glance across the rest of the room, silencing the peanut committee, before turning back to Princess Twilight. “I’ve been watching your progress, Princess Sparkle...” His eyes narrowed, with the green hue of his dark magic deepening. “I saw you become a princess, how you faced off against the plunder vines, and then when I... assisted, in Tirek’s escape to test your—“
“That was you!?” all ponies sounded in chorus, to which Sombra nodded with pride.
“I was most impressed. Then the castle arrived,” and with that, he gestured to the building around them, “Such a beautiful monument of gems, a spire of pure crystals, practically made to be an otherworldly conduit. All of the pieces were in place; all I needed was a willing participant to begin the ritual.”
“You say willing,” Twilight said.
“Well,” Dinky smiled, wicked and knarred. “’Willing’ can be such a... subjective term...” he said.
Twilight shuddered at that. The mere prospect of it, left her sick to her stomach.
“Dinky,” Ditzy whispered beside them, and Twilight glanced over to find the mare, half-ghost shaking. Ditzy suppressed a choking cough as she leaned up against the cage, directing all her pleading fury to the king. “Dinky, please.” She sniffed, wiping back a tear, “Just—F-fight it, I know you’re in there. You have to—”
“There is no Dinky here!” Sombra snapped. With a flick of magic, he pushed Ditzy aside, shoving her and the other mares away from the cage. He turned back to Twilight, leaning with Dinky’s hooves on the bars to bring their muzzles closer. “Now that I have you, Princess,” he spat, “We can proceed with phase two of my plan.”
“And what’s that?” Twilight raised an eyebrow, almost mockingly. “You already have a body. What’s stopping you from—”
Sombre silenced her with a wave, nodding as he silently admitted. “Yes, yes I do.” Dinky’s ears dropped, and for once her eyes looked sad, almost remorseful. “But, alas, this vessel is not enough...”
Twilight silently hoped that there was a sparkle of a heart still left in there, but all hopes were shattered as Sombra turned stern once more.
He held up Dinky’s shaking hooves for her to see. “Even now, as we speak, I can feel it breaking down, dying—“
“I’m going to kill you, you monster!”
Sombra continued, ignoring Ditzy’s struggled in the background. “She is not strong enough to channel my full power this long. If I am going to take my rightful place under this land’s crown, I need a form worthy of my might. It must be one that is strong, well-built and sturdy. It has to be carefully attuned the elements, with instincts honed by years of magical study. I need an—”
“Alicorn,” Twilight growled; her ears flat as she stared Sombra in the eye. “You need me to finish the ritual.”
His smile returned in full force, sly and wry as Sombra beamed. “You catch on fast, Sparkle.” Sombra leaned his muzzle between the bars, bringing their faces close as he whispered in a hushed tone, like any good gentlecolt. “Join me,” he said, “With your power and my wisdom, together we could rules this land like no other. You could bring a new ages to this barren land, one of enlightenment, of knowledge. I can teach you to be true leader, and with my help they will praise us like the true gods we are.”
“Never,” Twilight spat the words. Cutting Sombra off, Twilight rose to her full height, wings spread as she glared down upon the filly before her. “I will never join you Sombre. You think I’m going to fall for your lies and your silver tongue, but I’ve seen what you’ve done—”
“Have you really?” Sombra said. His eyes shimmered with light as he looked up to meet Twilight’s gaze. “The Princesses may have told you, but have you really seen me be a tyrant? Did the crystal ponies at all seem unhappy when I was there? Did I leave the Crystal Empire in ruins in my wake?”
“We—” Twilight stumbled slight. “I— No, but—”
“If you truly do not know me, then how can you pass judgment so harsh as to condemn me to—”
“It—” Twilight bit her lip. “Y-you’re getting inside me head.” She averted her eyes, and glance back to Sombra to see his gaze burrowing into her, that same smile that almost seemed friendly. “So—” She grit her teeth, and Twilight steadied herself as she turned to face Kind Sombra. “So long as I heave a breath in my bones,” she said, “You took Dinky, I have no doubt” —
“Desperation breeds necessity”
—“I will not stop until you have paid for what you’ve done, Sombra. We did it before, and we’ll do it again—”
“Your champion is not here, Sparkle, if that your threats will—”
Twilight slammed her hooves against the bars, the loud ring sounding out as she grabbed Sombra by the scruff of his neck, and pulled him up to look her in the eyes. Stern, boiling rage met calm yellow eyes as Twilight seethed. “Even if you have my in this cage,” she spat, “There are still four princesses out to fight you. We won't stop until you’re a rotting corpse in the deepest, darkest depths of Tartarus. You will pay for what you did, whether it be me, Luna, Celestia, or even Cadance, I will see you dead.”
She snorted a hot breath in Sombra’s face and he turned away, pushing back against the steel bars.
“I see.”
Sombra wipe his mouth with a fetlock, seemingly unmoved as he pulled himself away from Twilight’s hold and took a step back from the cage. He turned, seemingly in thought for a moment.
“If that is what you believe...” He brought up one of Dinky’s hooves and turned it over in the light, inspecting the softly manicured nails. “Then perhaps...” He glanced back over a shoulder, meeting eyes with Twilight Sparkle. A flash of a grin, and a malicious, knowing sparkle shone in Dinky’s green eyes as he said, “...an alternate approach is in order.”
“Sombra, what are you—” Twilight was cut off by a snap of Sombra’s hoof, and the room was filled by a quiet shuffling. Her ears perked, and Twilight felt her stomach sink as the shuffling turned to struggling.
Somepony yelped, and Twilight couldn’t turn around fast enough. She snapped her head back, and came to face the set of minotaur guards, their translucent muscles rippling and quivering, with her friends barely visible through the translucent armour.
“Mmmf!” Rainbow Dash struggled against her bonds. She pulled a leg free, then let out a gasp as the guards clamped down on her neck, hoisting her further away from the ground.
“It’s your choice, Princess Sparkle,” Sombra said, whispering over Twilight’s shoulder. She glanced back to see Sombra, as happy as ever, watching proudly. “Join me now, or your friends will suffer.”
“Let them go!” Twilight screamed. She felt herself shaking with rage, her blood boiling as she threw herself against the bars. She didn’t want anything more than to clamp down against that monster’s neck, foal or no. “This is between you and me. They have nothing to do with thi—”
“They have everything to do with this,” Sombra snapped, “Princess of Friendship.”
“I—” Twilight gulped, her throat suddenly going dry. She glanced aside, to look at Dinky. The ghost was trembling—due to cold or fear, or just the fact she was made of jelly, Twilight couldn’t quite know. “Ditzy—“
Ditzy squeezed her eyes shut, and slumped to the ground, deflating into a softened pool as she covered her face, silently weeping.
“I—” Twilight looked back to Sombra, Dinky’s face looking her in the eyes, that same, confident smug grin. “No, I—” She stepped back into the centre of the cage, and looked back over her shoulder, spotting the pack still sitting there. Her brow creased. “But, what if...”
“Your time is running out, Princess.” She heard Fluttershy, or Pinkie—no, Dash, only she could squeal that high. “Make up your mind now,” he growled.
“I...” Twilight took a deep breath, steadying her nerves. She mimed her calming technique, and turned to face Sombra, holding her stance. “I-I—” Her throat turned dry as Twilight croaked out the words, “I’ll do it.”
Sombra’s smile widened, but Twilight halted him with a raised hoof. “But on one condition.” She motioned to Ditzy, then the guards behind her. “You let my friends go free, unharmed. All of them.”
Sombra gave a slight nod, and held a hoof to Ditzy’s chest. “You have my word,” he said, “Princess. Your friends will remain unharmed.”
“Dinky too.”
“She too.”
Twilight breathed a sigh. Somehow, that didn’t make her feel any better, but there wasn’t any going back—let alone any options. She carefully reached down and unclipped the fasteners around her pack, flipped it’s switches, and flinched at the sound of the pack’s whining tone change.
“Mmm—” Rainbow Dash squirmed behind her, and managed to free herself part way, before the guards dropped her and her friends. “D-Don’t do it—” Rainbow dropped to her haunches, coughing and rasping as she held her throat. “T-Tw,” she croaked out.
Twilight turned her nose away from them, her ears flattening as she ignored Rainbow’s words. She undid the last strap, and shivered as the pack slid from her back.
It dropped to the ground with a metal THUNK, and Twilight pushed it back, hoofing the pack to the far side of the cage, closest to Rainbow Dash.
“Rainbow Dash,” she began, slowly walking towards Sombra. She held her head low as she whispered the words. “You have to promise me—” She heard a muffled noise from Rainbow’s side, the only confirmation she could get. Rainbow Dash barely managed a nod, her face grim and watching with teary eyes. “—whatever happens. I do not want you to interfere.” Twilight set eyes on Sombra as she spoke. “Drop your pack. Do as I do.”
“Bu—“
“No questions.”
Rainbow scrunched her nose. She looked to Pinkie and Fluttershy, both just as confused her. “Uh...” Gulping, Rainbow pulled her wings to her side and let the pack drop loose beside. “...Okay?” Her ears flattened.
“Okay...” Twilight nodded, satisfied. She stopped in the middle of the cage, and turned her attention fully to King Sombra. “What do I do?”
“Approach the bars,” Sombra whispered.
They both stepped closer, Twilight leaning down to bring herself closer to Sombra’s face, and Sombra himself rearing to look Twilight in the eyes. They both lapsed into silence; their eye drifting closed as Sombra closed the distance and touched their horns.
Ditzy’s ears perked. She looked up and around, before retreating away to join Rainbow and the other. “Wh—” she whispered, watching Sombra and Twilight with one eye as she settled down next to Rainbow. “What are they doing?”
“I don’t know...” Rainbow whispered back.
There was a flicker of magic, barely visible. It was so slight, Twilight almost missed when the tingling in her horn began. She flinched, but felt herself pulled forwards by some unknown, magnetic, almost, force holding their horns together.
The tingling turned to a slight burning.
The magic lapped at Dinky’s eyes. The room flooded with magic, pulsating and sickening. Rainbow felt her feathers tingle, and she heard Fluttershy whimpering next other, tears in her eyes as they both watched.
Dinky’s ears drooped slightly. Her whole body slumped forwards, pouring her weight into the bars as the magic lapped and flickered from her eyes. It almost jumped the distance between them, momentarily joining Dinky and Twilight before the bridge broke.
The glow on Dinky’s eyes faded, and she turned limp.
“Dinky!” With a gasp, Ditzy leapt into action. She crossed the distance in a flash, and rolled to the ground, catching the foal in her arms, and cradling Dinky to her chest, cushioning the fall with her entire body. “Dinky, Dink!” Ditzy screamed, tears streaming from her face. “Ditzy, wake up, are you there?”
Ditzy’s brow creased. He mumbled something, and squirmed slightly in Ditzy’s hold. “M—” Her eyes fluttered open, bright and sparkling, as she rubbed the crust from her eyes. “M-Mommy?”
“Oh Dinky,” Ditzy cried. Hugging her foal to her chest, she felt Dinky shiver, a slight whimper racking her body. They both wept together. “I’m so glad you’re safe...” She was smearing green slime all over Dinky’s coat, turning it matt and sticky, but she didn’t care. She had her. “It’s all over now, w-we’ll get you home, a-and c-cleaned up and—”
They were interrupted by a soft, feminine, somehow malignant, giggle. “Oh, now I wouldn’t say that,” Twilight said.