//------------------------------// // Chapter 11 // Story: Sombra: The Shadow Over Ponyville // by Blaster Master //------------------------------// Chapter 11 “There are a few things you should know first,” Sombra informed her, “You see, I think you should understand our interesting connection before we proceed.” “You and I are nothing alike!” Twilight snapped. Sombra stomped his hoof, silencing her. “You shouldn’t interrupt royalty when they speak, Twilight Sparkle. It is most unbecoming,” Sombra hissed with menace, “It’s interesting, you had Cadance as a foal sitter for the majority of your time under Celestia’s tutelage, yet never questioned her presence there.” “How do you know-?” “I’ve had my eyes and ears in Ponyville for weeks, long enough to know plenty about you and all your friends. What did I tell you about interrupting? Do you know why Cadance is ruling the Crystal Empire? Because she’s from the Empire of course, the last daughter of King Cadenza, rightful ruler of the Crystal Empire. Of course, I was always of the opinion that I should rule the Empire… After all… I always was better than my older brother.” “YOU LIE! Cadance would never-!” “Interrupting~” Sombra mocked in a sing-song voice, “Would never what? Have an uncle like me? Why not? After all, thanks to Shining Armor, you’re my niece now too. Are you surprised Cadance that would keep this from you? After all, think how it must pain her.” Sombra took on a mock, overly dramatic voice that sounded entirely too much like Rarity. “Her family: slain in a vicious coup d'état orchestrated by none other than her very own uncle. A fratricide and a regicide, all rolled into one! Her kingdom and her inheritance, stripped from her! Her people thrown into turmoil! Oh, the scandal! The shame! The dishonor!” “Don’t you mock her!!” Twilight screamed. She charged straight at the King, reared up onto her hind legs and struck Sombra straight across the face. He never even flinched, but when he turned his head back to her, he smirked. So she hit him again. “I don’t feel anything you do to this body, you know,” Sombra told her with infinite smugness, “All you’re doing is hurting the Zebra.” Twilight got a hold of herself, retreating a few steps. “Fine. You’re Cadance’s uncle. So what? What does it change? You still took a kingdom that wasn’t yours and enslaved the Crystal Ponies. What difference does it make?” “It doesn’t make any difference. But before we begun, I wanted you to understand the true depth of this matter, my niece. You must understand that everything that has happened, all this suffering to your poor town, is your fault.” Sombra nodded to his right. “And that all their suffering is your fault as well.” Suddenly, another patch of the area illuminated, and the sight horrified Twilight. Her five friends were all there, contained in some kind of crystal dome, lying on the ground facing away from her. “You won’t stop me!” Twilight declared, “I’ll save my friends!” “By all means,” Sombra said, stepping out of her way. Twilight was taken aback by this and it showed on her face. “What?” “You heard me. Between using my energy to keep my horn protected, keeping my control of the Zebra, keeping this illusion, and maintaining my shield I’ve summoned over your pathetic town to keep anypony from leaving or calling for help-” “WHAT!?” “-I’m afraid I just don’t have the energy to stop you from freeing your friends.” Feeling this was a trap, but having no other option, she fired a blast from her horn, and shattered the crystal wall, sending bits of shiny shrapnel flying everywhere. She expected some kind of reprisal from Sombra, but he did nothing. She expected for her friends to spring into action, but they didn’t. “Girls!” she galloped over to them, she turned over Applejack and was horrified to discover her eyes had a familiar green glow to them. It was the same green glow she had seen in Spike’s eyes when he had been trapped in Sombra’s door of terror. “Ah, of course,” Sombra mentioned offhandedly, “I forgot to mention. They may be here physically, but their minds aren’t. I’ve trapped them inside their worst nightmares. But then, you’re quite aware of what that’s like. Aren’t you?” “Applejack!” Twilight yelled, shaking her friend “Applejack, wake up!” “And this spell is quite a bit stronger than the one in my door back at the Crystal Empire. You’re not going to wake them up with a simple little shake. Of course, you could always use a mental projection spell to try to wake your friends up, like you were Princess Luna herself,” He said the last bit with a mocking sneer. “But you’ve prepared for that,” Twilight stated, not a question, but a fact “You planned for me to go into the minds of my friends, and to free them.” “To try to free them,” Sombra corrected, “Which you’re certainly welcome to. After all, it’s why you came all this way, isn’t it? You can’t destroy me alone, you can’t navigate back through the Everfree Forest alone, and you won’t leave here without your friends regardless. You’re far too noble.” “You’ve really thought this through haven’t you?” Twilight asked with sarcastic admiration. “One doesn’t become powerful by being an idiot,” he stated simply with a satisfied smile, “Make your move, Twilight Sparkle.” And so, caught without any choices, she did the only thing she could: she looked down at Applejack, let her horn glow, and a beam of white light connected her horn to Applejack’s forehead. “Good luck, my dear niece.” The last thing she heard before leaving her body was King Sombra’s pitiless laughter.