Chapter Four: Chasing Ghosts
Sounds of the Quicksilver's study's doors opening caught the attention of the blue-horned unicorn and his old companion, Ganon, as the two quickly glanced at the entrance, only to be surprised (and secretly relieved) as Sombra made his way into the study, followed by Chrysalis, with a smirk spread on her face.
"Sombra." Quicksilver gasped, "Didn't expect to see you back so soon."
"Well, that would make two of us." Sombra replied, giving an emotionless expression, "You can thank 'her' for that." He gave a glance at Chrysalis.
"Ah. I see that you had met Chrysalis." Ganon smirked, stepping forward, as he glanced at the black pony, "Exemplary work in bringing Sombra back here."
"Ah, it was nothing. I tell you, this guy has an attitude problem like none other…but god, you should had seen how he fought…" Chrysalis chuckled, much to Sombra's annoyance.
"Fought? What are you talking about?" Quicksilver asked.
"A hunter behemoth attacked us." Sombra stated simply, "Beast damn near took my life."
"A behemoth?!" Ganon and Quicksilver gasped in unison, as the older stallion asked, "Celestia, are you alright?"
"I'm fine. Just a scratch, see?" The dark unicorn shrugged as he showed off the now coagulating wound.
"Hmm, impressive…you only had been brought back to life for not even a day and you had managed to best a highly-powered demon with only a scratch." Quicksilver mused.
"Impressive, maybe…but a wound like that shouldn't be left unattended lest it gets infected." Chrysalis interjected, "Maybe I should go fetch Dr. Wiley-"
"That won't be necessary, Chrysalis." Quicksilver raised his hoof as he faced Sombra, "Sombra can easily take of it himself."
"Me?" Sombra questioned, pointing a hoof at himself, "Look, I am a king, and I am a master of dark magic, but I am not a doctor. It's not like I can make my wounds heal by myself." Sombra growled.
"That is where I beg to differ, Sombra. All you need is to concentrate, and focus your energy into your horn." Quicksilver explained.
"Why?"
"Just humor me for a moment." Quicksilver stated firmly.
Sombra let out a sigh as he closed his eyes. His horn began to glow red once more as the light flashed throughout the entire room.
"…Is something supposed to be happening right now?" Chrysalis asked, shielding her eyes.
"Just give it a moment." Quicksilver answered, not bothering to look at her.
The dark unicorn did not take note of Quicksilver's words as his face winced even harder in focusing power into his horn, to the point that the red glow of his horn began to turn blackish-green, and his cutie mark's red eye began to glow a red light of it's own…before the glow disappeared and Sombra's eyes snapped open in shock, panting slightly.
"Sombra, how do you feel now?" Quicksilver asked.
"I feel the same." Sombra stated, before glaring, "What was the point of that? I feel like I just wasted my energy for nothing."
"I wouldn't say that, boy." Ganon said with a smile, "Look at your wound."
Sombra did as such, checking to see if the magic did anything to the wound…only to see his side…completely unscathed. The unicorn practically did a double take to disprove that he was hallucinating, but the wound was gone, as if it was never there to begin with.
"What the…how…this…"
"My god, Quicksilver, you made him speechless." Ganon chortled, "Never though I see the 'King' so flustered by a Shadow Regeneration spell."
"Shadow Regeneration?" Sombra repeated, as he looked at his side once more, "That can't be right…I do not know any regeneration spells…and I happen to be an expert of dark magic! How is it that I never heard of this spell?"
"Simple. Because it is a spell that cannot be taught. It is innate power found within the blood of a select few. Blood not of any ponies. That is why we need you, Sombra…you hold power beyond belief…" Quicksilver explained.
"Again with this nonsense?" Sombra rolled his eyes, "Look, I did not come back here because I had a change of heart. Honestly, I still think you ponies are insane."
"Then why are you back?" Quicksilver asked with a raised brow, "If not to help us, and apparently not because you were nearly killed by a behemoth…then what?"
An answer did not come at first, as Sombra glanced at him grimly, but his grimace softened as he glanced away, letting out a sigh, "It's…it's personal."
"Personal? About an hour ago, you stormed out of here, wanting no part of the organization that you had never heard of before. How personal can your reasons possibly be?" Quicksilver questioned, his raised brow rising higher.
"…The behemoth said something…something that troubled me deeply."
"Sombra. The monster was a demon. Anything that comes from the mouth of a demon is usually disturbing." Quicksilver noted as he walked towards his desk.
"The behemoth mentioned my mother."
Quicksilver froze mid-stride, as he glanced back at Sombra, his expression showing surprise, much like Ganon, whose own expression matched his.
"Your mother?" Quicksilver repeated, as he suddenly closed in on him, "What about her?"
"Your guess is as good as mine." Sombra admitted, "All the beast said was something about 'the son of Shadow' and my 'whore mother'…"
"Did he now?" Quicksilver asked, his expression turning to intrigue.
Sombra noticed his change of expression, "Look…I don't know why he knew about my mother…to be honest, I don't remember her. I don't even know her name, let alone this 'Shadow'…the reason I am here is because I think you might know something about them…"
"What would possess you to think that?"
"Because you said that my past has been erased." Sombra growled, getting tired of the pony's secretive attitude, "I still think what you people are doing is asinine and insane, but right now…" Sombra's expression turned somber, and he looked at Quicksilver with emotionless eyes, "I just have no idea what is going on or why I am getting this feeling…"
"Sombra…" Chrysalis sighed.
"What about your plans on going to the Crystal Empire?" Ganondorf remarked, "Because if we tell you what we know about you…we just wouldn't want to strong-hoof you into doing something you don't want."
Sombra glanced at the old unicorn, "I realized that. That is why I am saying this: I want you to tell me everything you know about me. If in some sort of miracle that I have a change of heart, I will help you…but if not…and given that 'Quickie' here has 'recovered', I want you to take me within walking distance of the Crystal Empire and never bother me again." He looks at Quicksilver and extended his hoof, "Does that sound like a fair deal?"
Quicksilver gazed at the dark unicorn's hoof and then at Sombra, his face not shifting one bit, before giving a small smirk, "Very well, you twisted my hoof." He simply grasped Sombra's hoof, "However, I would much prefer that you refrain from using the term 'Quickie'." He let go as he stepped back a bit.
"So…are you going to tell me now?" Sombra questioned.
"Unfortunately, Sombra, your past is something that cannot be explained merely by words…" Quicksilver explained, "If you are ready to face your past…you must be willing to give us a chance to show you…"
"Show me what exactly?"
Quicksilver gave a serious stare, "Who you really are." He gave sideways glances at Chrysalis and Ganon, "Chrysalis, Ganon…ready yourself."
"Wait, what's going on? Ready for what?" Sombra asked.
No pony answered, as suddenly, Quicksilver's horn began to glow a light blue color, shedding a great amount of light, blinding Sombra's eyes as a weird tingling feeling spread throughout his entire body…
Bits of snowflakes were carried along the blustery winds as the mountainside of the northern mountains were blanketed in pure white snow.
With temperatures as low as the depths of Tartarus being this wide, expansive field of white, there was no pony to be seen for miles, not even an meager shack or hut for anypony to call home…however, there was one place of interest found in this unforgiving terrain…
Built into the side of the great peaks was what seemed to be a mansion, surrounded by looming walls, put together by a great amount of gray stone bricks, and built remarkably to withstand the tests of time. However, it had somewhat failed in completing such a daunting task, as the place itself had fallen into major disrepair, with shattered windows and parts of the mansion's roof caved in, as well as the snow and ice spreading it's dead-like within the stone walls themselves.
The snow-covered courtyard in front of the building seemed like the only place where the extension of the hoof-made creation hadn't reached, the only place within the abandoned mansion that nature reigned over horse.
This reign would had continued forevermore had not a flash of blue light zapped out of nowhere, leaving four horn-donning horses in it's place. Sombra immediately felt the sheer chill of the wintery landscape biting into his pelt, but given how he was raised throughout his childhood and teenage years in such conditions, the dark unicorn merely gave a shiver.
However, one of his companions did not share his resistance to the cold.
"Oh, C-Celestia damn it! Not-not this place again…" Chrysalis groaned as her insect-like body began to shiver, "Why are we b-back here?"
"Sombra wished to know his past, and I intend to show it to him." Quicksilver explained as he continued forward, as a fedora materialized on his head, covering his horn, "Sorry if the cold is of inconvenience to you."
"Grr…oh sh-shut up…" Chrysalis growled, wrapping her hooves around her body to warm up, before a cloak suddenly materialized on her. Quickly looking at Ganon, she gave a small smirk, "T-thanks, Ganon."
"Think nothing of it, dear child. Changelings such as yourselves are not meant for this kind of weather."
Sombra looked at Ganon oddly then at Chrysalis, "Changeling? What do you mean, Changeling?"
"What? Y-you never seen a changeling before?" Chrysalis asked, her gaze turning to shock.
"No." Sombra admitted, before thinking, "I think I might had read something before…to be honest, I thought you were a result of an accident when Faust was making the alicorns."
"Alicorns?" Chrysalis repeated, before giving a somber chuckle, "Huh…if only I was that lucky."
"Well, Sombra, this young lady here is a prime example of a female Changeling." Ganon said, prompting a blush from Chrysalis, "Changelings are very unique breeds. A mix of pony and insect genetic make-up. But what makes them truly unique is that they have the ability to take the form of any pony they desire."
"They can shape-shift?" Sombra repeated, quite amazed, "Is that even possible?"
"Indeed, it is possible."
The loud-royal like voice prompted Sombra to quickly look towards Chrysalis…only to be shocked when he saw white. He looked up at the owner of the white hide and his blood froze as his eyes met that of Princess Celestia herself.
The dark unicorn quickly jumped away, falling to the ground and backing away as he glared at the alicorn, "What the flying-"
A loud laugh bellowed, as Sombra looked back at Ganon with a shocked glance, seeing the old unicorn letting out bouts of child-like chortles.
"Oh my…oh my, you got him good, Chrysalis."
"Chrysalis?!" Sombra repeated, as he looked back at Celestia, only to see the alabaster alicorn laughing with her, except her voice had changed back to her distorted, dual-pony sounding voice.
"Oh, Sombra, you should had seen the looks on your face!" Psuedo-Celestia chuckled, "Your face was like 'HOLY SHIT!' and you scampered away like a scared foal!" Suddenly, Celestia's body went up in green flames, as the white coat and colorful mane changed back to black and blue respectively, and Chrysalis stood in the alicorn's place.
Sombra only snarled, "That was not funny! And I was not scared!" He then muttered under his breath, "You only surprised me…"
"Don't be so obtuse, Sombra." Ganon smirked, "Chrysalis's magic and shape-shifting ability had been beneficiary to our operations since the day she joined us. Needless to say, she had come a long way since her days as queen."
"Queen?" Sombra repeated, as he got to his feet and looked at Chrysalis, whose happy expression quickly faded away to a somber one, "What do you mean-"
"People! This way!" Quicksilver cut off, as he called back to the three, pointing the sheathed sword-shaped cane towards the entrance of the mansion, "You don't want to spend long in this cold."
Sombra however wanted to know more, "Ganon, what do you mean by when Chrysalis was-"
"It's not my place to say." Ganon stated, his expression as somber as Chrysalis, as he walked past him, "I already stepped out of bound mentioning it. Chrysalis is the one that should tell you, when she is ready."
The dark unicorn quickly turned to Chrysalis for answers, but the changeling has already walked past him, as she and Ganon went on to join Quicksilver. Giving a defeated sigh, he went to join the three as they made their way inside the mansion.
Sombra took in the sight of the entrance hallway that led into the heart of the mansion as he and his companions walked into the corridor. He could easily tell that the place had seen better days, certainly not fitting of a noble that would had lived here. Obviously, a question loomed in Sombra's mind as he glanced at Quicksilver.
"What is this place?" Sombra questioned, as he gave a disgusted glance, "Looks like a dump."
"Believe it or not, Sombra…this 'dump' was your home." Quicksilver answered.
The dark unicorn's eyes widen in shock as he looked back at the place, "Home?" Surely, he of all ponies would had remembered living in such a place…yet, his mind was drawing blanks. "I'm afraid that I don't recall."
Quicksilver smirked, "You will. However, this is as far as me, Ganon, and Chrysalis can go. You will have to go alone."
"What? Are you sure that's a good idea?" Sombra challenged, "I mean, I was almost hunted down by a demon this morning."
"Trust me. Demons cannot lay hoof or claw in this place…not anymore at least." Quicksilver reassured.
"Sorry if I am not the trusting type." Sombra rolled his eyes as he glanced towards the end of the derelict hallway.
"It will be fine, Sombra." The blue-horned unicorn smiled, as he pointed forth with his cane (which, as he now looked at it, is a sword in a sheath…but details are not important right now), "Go ahead. This house contains secrets. I had found mine. Now…it's your turn."
"Okay." Sombra sighed, "Wish me luck…"
"I should mention this, Sombra." Ganon added in, "Even though this path is free of demons, what you will find in there might make things rough for you. If it gets too rough for you, don't be afraid to come back here."
Sombra gave a mere chuckle, "Don't worry." He cast a cocky glance at Chrysalis, "I like it rough." Chrysalis stifled a gasp as she blushed a little, Sombra smirking as the horse continued onwards into the next room, not looking back at all.
As soon as Sombra was out of hearing range, Chrysalis gave a concerned glance at Quicksilver and Ganon, "Are you sure this is going to work? Although he wants to find out…I still sense that he doesn't care."
"He's raw. Darkness still clouds his heart…much like when I first found you…Queen Chrysalis." Quicksilver stated, his expression still as stone.
Chrysalis winced at the memory of which he brought up, looking at the ground as she let out a heavy sigh.
Ganon, standing behind the two, let out a deep breath as well, the cold making his breath visible, "Yes…" He looked at Quicksilver, "When I first found you…"
Sombra stepped through the threshold into what appeared to be the foyer of the mansion. Much like the hallway and the appearance of the mansion first-glance, the place was a total wreck, as smashed and over-turned furniture littered the ground, torn tapestries scattered everywhere, and bits of snow covered the floor, courtesy of the gaping holes within the ceiling of the foyer itself. To add the finishing touch, there was a broken chandelier right smack dab in the middle of it.
The dark unicorn gave an once-over of the room, and nodded, "So…this was my home. Well…show me your secrets."
The eerie howl of wind echoed through the cracks and holes of the abandoned mansion, and Sombra's ears perked at the sound of rusty hinges squeaking in the background. The dark unicorn took a few steps forward, stepping around the chandelier, and as soon as Sombra approached the steps, his horn began to glow.
"Huh? That's odd…" Sombra stated, looking up at his horn with confusion, "Why did it-" He was cut off when his head suddenly turned towards the upper left, his horn glowing bright red. "Wha…what is going on with you?" He whispered to his horn, as he glanced at what he was forced to look at…and he noticed a door that was half off it's hinges, swaying in the winds.
Sombra look up at his horn and whispered, "You want me to go that way?"
His horn glowed brighter, like a pulse, pretty much answering his question.
"Well…you never failed me before." Sombra shrugged as he climbed the first set of stairs, and as he turned left to climb the next set, he bitterly remarked, "For the third time at least."
The dark unicorn only walked where his horn pointed him, as he pushed open the broken door and made his way through another desolate hallway.
"Celestia…if there had to be an award for the most unsettling of settings, this mansion would certainly be a shoe-in." Sombra shuddered as he looked at the holes in the walls, possibly caused by pretty big termites.
Eventually, Sombra made his way into what seemed to be another room of the mansion. Like all the other rooms, there were the usual broken windows and furniture and faded wallpaper, but there were also tattered curtains lining the windows of the place. There was only one thing in this room that didn't seem broken, and it was a painting.
The dark unicorn's eyes gazed upon the room, when suddenly, like earlier this morning, images began to flicker through his mind, so much that it caused Sombra to stagger a bit…but as soon as he recovered, he looked upon the room once more, and if like a wave of magic swept over it, the room seemed to restore itself, the faded wallpaper regaining it's vibrant color, the curtains were no longer tattered, and bookcases, filled to the brim with books, stood tall around the room. There were also four couches and two tables, and a plethora of elegant chairs placed expertly between each bookcases.
"I…I remember this place…I don't know how…but I do." Sombra whispered as he walked further into the room, as the elegant room soon faded back to it's devastated state, a hollow shell of what the room once was.
Catching the dark unicorn's attention as he made his way into the room was none other than the painting. It appeared to be an image of a stallion, his silver coat a smidge darker than his, wearing what seemed to be military regalia. His hooves were rested on a hilt of an expertly well-crafted sword, made of silver and possibly crystal by the look of it. Propped against the table in the image next to the horse was a silver shield…bearing a mark that looked similar to his cutie mark, except no color in the eye part of the sun. Sombra gazed up at the face of the stallion, only to be met with confusion.
Although the painting itself seemed to be in excellent shape, the spot of where the stallion's face should be was torn off, leaving a gaping white hole where it should had been. All that was left that Sombra could make out was that the stallion appeared to be a unicorn, the tip of it barely sticking out of the ripped hole.
"Who in Celestia's name are you?" Sombra asked no one in particular, as he glanced down to the bottom portion of the portrait, where a golden plaque was placed. On it, a name was inscribed…
'Shadow Moriarty'
Sombra glanced closer, squinting to see if he saw right, "Shadow?"
Immediately, the demonic voice of the behemoth echoed in his head, reminding him of what he had said, "Son of Shadow…"
The dark unicorn looked up at the portrait, his gaze turning to shock, "This…this is my father?"
His horn gave a glowing pulse once more, as Sombra's eyes averted down to below the plaque, a giant golden sun emblem, similar to the cutie mark he bore, and in the supposed eye of the emblem, it began to glow a dull red, much to his confusion.
"What are you trying to show me?" Sombra said aloud. Looking at the eye of the emblem, he looked at his front right hoof, and following on a hunch, he inched the hoof towards the circle.
As soon as his hoof was within millimeters of the indentation, he felt a strong force pulled his hoof into the 'eye, as pain began to surge through his caught leg. Sombra tried to pull away, but whatever force was at play, it didn't want to let go. The dark unicorn only eyed his caught hoof, as suddenly, a black-wispy tendril began to inch it's way up his leg. Sombra's eyes tracked the black vine-like substance as it made it's way towards his neck, around his snout, and eventually, it made contact with his horn.
In that moment, his horn began to glow both red and a ghastly green and violet color and the white of his eyes flickered green as his vision went white…
A voice echoed in his head,
"Remember Sombra…there will be a time that I and your mother cannot protect you…when that day come…may the argent crystalline blade of the Thestral guide your wayward hoof…"
Sombra let out a gasp as he managed to wrench his hoof free, as he took a couple of steps back, his head feeling like it had been run over by a train…soon followed by a herd of buffalo bandits, as he held it low to the ground…then he heard something stab the ground in front of him.
The stallion looked up and gaped as the sword he saw in the painting…was now thrust in the ground in front of him. Sombra quickly glanced at the sword, and then at the painting, not believing the striking similarities between the picture and the blade itself.
The sword's blade was about a hoof wide in width, and about six to seven hooves long in length. The blade's width however increases as it reaches the tip of the sword. The hilt was that of an ornate head of a horse, the blade coming out of it's maw, and two diamonds serving as the horse's eyes, but at the top of the horse's head, it was a giant red orb, gleaming brightly along with the pristine silver body of the blade. Sombra glanced at the edge of the sword, and saw ancient runes etched into the sword.
Although runes were never one of his strong points…he oddly could read the symbols as if it was plain English…it said, 'Thestral'
"Thestral, huh?" Sombra mused, as with his magic, the sword lifted from the ground and was levitated towards him for closer inspection. Purely for jest, with a single thought and a swing of his horn, he flourished it around, the swishing of the silver crystal blade ringing in his ear. "Not bad. Still…I wonder…what was that voice?" He looked back at the painting, and shook his head in defeat, no use in trying to find out now.
Sombra glanced back at the newly-obtained sword. His horn surged, and the sword dissipated into nothingness. Before Sombra could get a reaction as to where the blade had gone, he felt something cold appeared on his back, and the dark unicorn look to see the Thestral, firmly attached to his backside as if by magic.
Then suddenly…he heard…children laughing? Sombra glanced towards the doorway to the right of where he originally came in. What was that? Was there someone in this place aside from him? Sombra tried to dismiss that theory. That was preposterous. He was the only one in here…even then, what would foals be doing in this ominous place? It was probably all in his head…
The laughter echoed once more, more profound than ever. Nope, no way in Tartarus that was in his head.
"Who's there?!" Sombra called out, hoping for an answer, but the laughter continued. Determined to find out, Sombra followed the noise through the new doorway. The dark unicorn's horn glowed red once more as he walked through the hallway, and was soon coming face to face with another room.
However, as soon as Sombra made his way through the next threshold, his eyes widen in shock.
He was back within the main foyer of the mansion, on the ground floor.
"What? But…how? I…there was no…" Sombra stammered, trying to make heads and tails of this. His eyes surveyed the entire room. It was exactly as Sombra saw it when he first entered the room. The broken chandelier, the hole in the ceiling, everything was the same. The only difference he could think of was now him, holding probably a fifteen-pound piece of sharp silver on his back. Sombra only grimaced, "This…this is becoming strange."
The sounds of children laughing filled the air once more, causing Sombra's eyes to quickly dart around, trying to pinpoint the origin of such innocent-sounding laughter. However, his horn seemed to had caught on quicker than he did, as it glowed and, without his say so, turned the unicorn's head towards the upper right half of the room.
Sombra winced at the force of his horn pulling on him, but when he opened his eyes again…he had to blink them again to make sure he wasn't seeing things.
Up on the second floor, running along the side paths of the foyer, there appeared to be two young unicorns, both colts by the look of it, both shrouded in a cloak of eerie gold, so much that Sombra couldn't make out their coat colors. However, he could see that their barely-developed horns (both of which seemed to have a blade-like curve to them) were glowing and along with them, two wooden toy swords. The two colts were deep in the throes of play-fighting, as their wooden weapons clapped against each other.
The dark unicorn had no idea what he was seeing. Ghosts? Illusions? A hallucination? The more time he seems to spend in here, the stranger things become…as he looked at the two colts, he could not help but focus on the one on the left…he looked…familiar…but he doesn't know why.
His contemplation was interrupted when he heard them laugh again, namely, the colt he was focused on.
"Hahahaha, wooo!" The young colt cheered in a chipper tone as he swung his sword.
Then the other colt spoke, his voice a bit deeper than the one, but nonetheless cheerful, "This way, Sombra!" The dark unicorn nearly froze.
The young colt gave a nod, "Ok!" He then let out a playful roar, "Raaaaa! Hahaha, can't catch me!" With that, the colt on the left ran through the nearby door…literally. He just phased through it, and soon following him, the other colt did as well.
Sombra felt his mind go blank, as he asked himself, "Sombra? Did I hear that right?"
Without another thought, the dark unicorn made his way back up the stairs and to the door of which the two colts had disappeared through. Not willing to check to see if the door was locked, he blast the door off its hinges with his hooves, and made his way into the new hallway.
Through it, he instantly saw the two colts running down the hallway.
"Wait! Stop!" Sombra called out to the gold-covered colts, but his voice seemed to drop on deaf ears, as he continued following the foals.
However, he soon came into another room. Sombra stopped as soon as he did, staring at his new surroundings, forgetting about the colts for the moment. It looked like he had ran into a bedroom, although like the rest of the place, it was in pretty bad condition, with the same hole in the roof producing snow, and shattered windows letting bit of light into the room.
Sombra glanced to his right and saw a small bed, next to what was left of an old dresser and a cabinet...then to his surprise, he saw the two colts laughing still, as one of them crawled underneath the bed, soon followed by the other.
Looking at the two children playing, his sight began to flicker, as images appeared in it's place. However, one image soon became clear to him…the young colt that he was focused on…then it hit him.
"…That was me!" Sombra stated, as if he just solved a hard problem, approaching the bed, "I remember this!" He came to the foot of the bed…and then noticed something on the floor. Lowering his head to the floor, he saw a wooden shield. Picking it up with his hoof, he immediately saw the insignia on it…the same black sun as his mark.
As his red eyes stared at the insignia…another image flickered through his mind…
"How much of your foalhood do you remember?"
It was in the middle of what seemed to be an endless ocean. Broken rubble and pieces of buildings were suspended in mid-air all around in a big circle.
Four chains, made of crystals as black as night, extended from four spires, erected in a diamond-like pattern.
Their reach extends about a mile long, as they all meet up at one point…or one pony.
A singular pony was limply hanging, the chains coiled tightly around his four hooves, spreading them wide. From below him, four more chains were sprouted from a lonely piece of land, connecting to a collar that was bound on his neck.
At first glance, it seemed that the pony was dead, proven more so by the scars on his body and the stillness that the body itself assumed.
However, without explanation, one of the chains that lead up to his collar suddenly snapped, the shattered links falling to the ground.
The pony, somehow sensing the change in his entrapping chains, merely look up, his filthy wet black mess of a mane covering his eyes. The eyes then began to glow…an oddly red and green color…
"Sombra…" A feminine voice called out…
"If you are ready to face your past…you must be willing to give us a chance to show you…"
"How is it that you know my name?"
Sombra took a few steps back, dropping the wooden shield. He shook his head to clear that perturbing image from his mind…
"What the…what the hell was that about? Who was that?" Sombra thought, that hung horse image stuck in his mind.
He wasn't given much time to think about it, as his horn forced him to look towards another door, much to Sombra's annoyance as he glanced up at his horn.
"You know, I can find my own path. I do not need to be dragged around like some rag doll." Sombra growled, as he started heading into the next hallway, "I wonder what else this place has in store for me…"
So Sombra made his way through another set of hallways, in the process, he began noticing that all of the hallways had begun to look alike.
"Faust…I would enjoy killing the idiot that designed this place. How is it that this place is so big on the inside then it is on the outside?" The dark unicorn fumed, as he soon came to a fork in the hallway, "Because this is getting…"
He stop mid-sentence, as suddenly, running in front of him, a fully grown mare appeared. This female had the same golden glow as the two children did…but what shocked Sombra, aside from her sudden appearance, was the fact that she was an alicorn. There was no denying those long wings folded into her back and the clear horn jutted out of her forehead.
"SHADOW!" The mare screamed, causing Sombra to step back in surprise, "They're here! THEY'RE HERE!" Fear was obviously found in the alicorn's eyes, "They've found us!" Then she suddenly ran off down the hallway.
"What...what happened here?" Sombra asked, "And who are they?"
However, the mare's voice echoed through the hallway, "We got to get out now! Hurry! Come on, quickly!"
Without a second thought, Sombra followed the path that the mare taken, and soon, he found himself…back in the main foyer once more, except coming from the original entrance of which he took in the first place.
"Okay, I am starting to see a pattern here." The dark unicorn growled, as he looked around…before he heard the mare's voice again, prompting Sombra to look up to the top left of the foyer, as he saw the alicorn ran through the upper hallway.
"No no no…how did they find us?" The mare fearfully whispered as she phased through one of the side door.
"That voice…" Sombra noted, as he took the stairs back up again (maybe those fools were onto something when they thought he liked stairs) and walked towards the door the mare had disappeared through, "I know that voice…"
With a simple buck of his front hooves, he smashed his way through the door. Walking past the newly-made splinters of the doors, he made his way into the next room…and to his bemusement, he found himself in a room similar to the one where he acquired the Thestral. Same rectangular shaped room, same tattered curtains, same shattered windows…same everything. Also, like the first room, this room contained a painting.
Sombra approached the painting as he did with the first one…and was awestrucked. While the painting of his 'father' had the face of the unicorn torn off, this painting had remained unscathed. It was an image of the mare that led him here. She was a beautiful mare, her coat as silver as his, her wings long and wide, her mane smooth, and running down the back of her neck and a bit of it hanging between her eyes…and her eyes…were like his…the most beautiful orbs of rubies that he had ever seen. In her hooves, she had a blue rose…a flower that is beside beautiful, a great rarity.
Recognizing the similarities between her and the mare in his vision…his eyes squint to see if he wasn't seeing things… "Is that…Mother?" His question seem to had answered itself, as he noticed a necklace on the mare's neck…it was that of a black sun…
The black sun…his mark…the image of him…as a young unicorn colt, cuddling up to the mare from the picture. He could see the warm smile on her face, looking at her child with the utmost love, wrapping her long pegasus-like wings around him. Then he heard a voice…
"I love you, Sombra."
Sombra's eyes nearly became misty as he saw the picture. He glanced downward and like with his father's portrait, he saw the plaque, whose inscription was as such:
'Zelda Moriarty'
"Zelda…beautiful name." Sombra admitted, when suddenly, his horn glowed once again. Remembering a past instance, Sombra stared further down, and saw the same sun emblem as he did before, except the light that was being emitted was blue in color.
Looking at his hoof knowingly, Sombra held his hoof towards the 'eye'…and like before, except without much force behind it, he felt his hoof attached to the eye once again. There was no pain or tendrils like last time, but his horn glowed bright red and he felt his eyes flicker green once more as everything went white…
Again, he heard a voice…although there was something…rather motherly about it this time around.
"Be safe, my child…it is a cold world out there…allow me to gift you with warmth, even when I can no longer shelter you with my wings…"
Sooner than it was caught, his hoof was released, allowing Sombra to step back as he glanced at the painting. Sombra only let out a heavy sigh…when he felt something fell on the back of his neck. Quickly grasping it with his magic, Sombra pulled the object in front of him to see what it was…only to frown in melancholy.
In front of him dangled a scarf, blood red in color, woven perfectly and without stitches.
Deep in his mind, Sombra knew he had seen this piece of clothing before, but he felt his mind drawing blanks once more.
"Hmm…warmth…how thoughtful." Sombra whispered to himself, as he wrapped the red piece of cloth around his neck, tying the tails of the scarf into a knot. Running his hoof along the smooth threads, Sombra gave a quiet huff…then suddenly, he heard something.
The stallion looked towards a nearby doorway, and feeling the need to investigate, he walked into the next hallway, which began to slant downwards…when he heard a harsh voice bellowed through the air.
"You! Get after her!"
Sombra stopped, not recognizing the voice at all…but it sounded like orders he had once given to his soldiers when he was taking over the Empire…as well as the soldiers that he 'bended' to his will when they were apprehending rebels…but who are they-
His thoughts, for the umpteenth time during his trek here in the mansion, were interrupted when he saw the golden illusion of his mother running past him. By instinct, Sombra glanced behind him to see what the mare was running from…but there was nothing, no illusions of Faust-knows-what. The dark unicorn only stared back at where her mother had fled, when he heard another order,
"Down there! Cover the doors! MOVE!"
Despite not seeming to be in any danger, Sombra began moving at a quicker pace through the hallway the direction his mother had went, not liking the tone of the voices (ah, cruel irony…how he hated it). Then he heard the voice of his mother…
"UH! Get away from me! GET. AWAY. FROM ME!" The alicorn's voice bellowed throughout the hall, dripping with panic, anger, and desperation.
"What happened here?" Sombra whispered, "Who is responsible for all of this?"
He looked up at his horn, "Any idea?" No answer. "Thought so. My mother was an alicorn…and my father was a unicorn…and I have no idea what's so special about him or the sword on my back…this is so confusing."
He looked ahead and saw the mare phase through another set of doors, and his horn glowed as soon she did. He came up to the door and did what he did with the last two sets of doors he came across…he smashed it with his hooves.
"You know. I am starting to get sick of knocking down these doors. My hooves are getting splinters." The dark unicorn huffed, "Damn my lack of patience for checking doors."
He walked into the room behind the door, and gave an amused huff. He had found himself in a library. As expected, the place was a total wreck, with broken shelves and tattered rugs. There were books, of course, although barely enough for a library of such size he was in, and although he is not an expert on books, he could sense that they were ruined and aged beyond recognition.
"And what would a mansion filled with these odd illusions be without a ruined library?" Sombra chuckled to himself, "I wonder if I will find a secret passage by pulling a book." He let out another laugh, before something caught his attention.
In the middle of the library, next to a ruined pedestal, he saw a shattered vase, but among the remains of the broken porcelain, he saw a flower. Normally, he wouldn't give it much thought…but the flower itself wasn't wilted, which perturbed the stallion. Everything he had seen up to this point had either been torn, smashed, and shattered beyond recognition (the two paintings exempted), yet this one flower is still alive, in the middle of a mansion that possibly hadn't been visited in years.
Sombra approached the plant, and became even more confused. The 'flower' in particular was a rose…a blue rose. He had read a lot of books on botany, and he had heard of roses being of an azure color, but they were always chalked up to be nothing more than legends. Now, seeing one in a place such as this…this had to be more than a coincidence. Then he thought back to the portrait of his mother. She had a blue rose in between her hooves…could it be that she had tended to this flower?
"A blue rose…what significance did you have to this place?" Sombra whispered as he picked the azure-petal flower for closer inspection.
Then…an image flashed through his mind once more.
"Sombra…it really is you."
The endless ocean…the imprisoned, hanging between four spires, bound by chains…the suspended pieces of concrete surrounding the prisoner…
The prisoner still laid motionless, hung by the chains that keep him there. His ribs poked through his pale gray body, showing obvious signs of starvation and thirst. Yet, somehow, he showed evidence of life.
His collar was still attached to him, three of the four chains still holding strong, even though they had lost one of their own.
However, this did not remain, as suddenly, one of the links shattered, without any reason as to why, sending it's remain hurtling towards the land below him to join it's fallen bretheren.
The stallion, once again, took note of the destroyed chain, and in a sense of déjà vu, he glanced up and his eyes, still hidden by his caked mane, glowed a fierce red and green once more…and it went white yet again.
"What…who are you? Why are you chained?" Sombra had managed to get out.
"Sombra…" There was that voice again…
"Crystals…"
Sombra recoiled, taking a few steps back. He then looked back to his hoof, only to see that the blue rose had vanished. He frowned in confusion, did he imagine that rare piece of plant? Or was it another trick that this mansion was playing on him?
He came here to find out about his past…only to have more questions asked of him. Why was his mother, Zelda, an alicorn? Who was his father, Shadow? And why do demons like the behemoth hate him? Who was that boy that his younger self was playing with? What of the sword and the scarf that was bestowed upon him mysteriously? And what had happened to his parents to begin with, let alone this place that was his 'home'?
"Damn it. I was supposed to find out who I am…" Sombra growled, as he then yelled out to the air, "Well?! I was promised answers from you! I told you to show me your secrets! I am King Sombra, and I demand…" His anger began to falter, "No…beg...of you to tell me. Why are you showing me these images? I just WANT ANSWERS!"
He pounded the floor with his hoof, causing a small crystal spire to form around it, letting out an angry roar. His roar echoed throughout the entire mansion, and only silence was given in reply to his outburst.
Sombra let out a heavy sigh, as he yanked his hoof from the black crystal as it shattered to nothingness. What was he doing? Getting angry and yelling at a house for not spelling things out for him. Had he really stoop this low and became that pathetic?
His horn gave a faint glow, as it turned Sombra's head towards yet another hallway.
Stifling a groan, the dark unicorn walked towards the threshold, not knowing how much of this fool's errand he is willing to take. Maybe this path will take him back to the entrance, and he can give that unicorn a piece of his mind before forcing him to take him to the Empire…and he can go on to achieve his rightful dest-
CRACK!
Sombra glanced downwards, and saw what seemed to be a photo frame.
"…Great." The dark stallion mumbled.
Delicately, he removed his hoof off of the picture and using his magic, he levitated the photo up to his face, wondering what it could be of…only to be dumbfounded…
The picture itself was in black and white, but color could not make a difference as to what it was of. He instantly recognized his mother, donning her necklace, her smile hauntingly bringing warmth to his heart, and next to her, the face concealed by the crack of the glass, the unicorn that could be none other than his father, wearing nothing this time.
However, they were not alone. Sitting in front of the two lying adults were two young colts, exactly like the ones he had seen earlier. The one that sat in front of his father was a unicorn with well-groomed white (or is it silver?) hair with a dark-colored…blade-like horn. Next to him, lying in his mother's hooves, was…
In that moment, Sombra's entire mind and body froze, as he saw none other than the young child-like figure of himself, giving a smile that not even he remember giving. And soon enough, his past, everything that was said to be lost to that fever he suffered from, had begun to piece itself back together.
Sombra only said to himself, trembling lightly, "I remember…"
The image of his mother and him as a child cuddling together flashed through his mind.
"I remember my mother…her name was Zelda Moriarty."
Then his cutie mark came to mind.
"Her necklace…it matches the mark on my flank…it was a mark that signified the excellence I shown in magic…just like her."
Another image revealed itself. It was his foalhood self, wearing that same red scarf, lunging mid-air with the wooden sword in his magical grasp, right at the other colt, with a blue-colored horn and a black sun cutie mark like his, except with a blue eye instead of red, play-fighting in what was a snowy meadow…
"I had a brother too."
He must had won, as it showed the younger him, lending a hoof to the colt, lying on the ground defeated, a smile not leaving his face.
"We were a family…"
His family stood together atop a hill watching the sunset, his brother's hoof wrapped with his father, whose other hoof was wrapped with his mate, whose own hoof was wrapped with his own. The sunset however began to turn into a stormy, twirling cloud of lightning.
"I never realized…never known that my family was in constant danger."
Soon, the cloud turn into a face of a hideous beast, the face contorted in that of unprecedented rage.
"The demons…they found us."
Suddenly, he saw the doors that grant access to his home here, in this ancient mansion, burst open, revealing a tall unicorn, bald and with a knife-like jagged horn…
"When they broke in…I saw him."
Sombra's face contorted into a dark glare, the image of that unicorn etched deep into his mind, not forgetting those demented eyes of his…
His mind became flickering like crazy, but it would not stop him from remembering what that black unicorn had done…
The black unicorn had his mother laid out on a table, held against her will, as the monster of a unicorn dug his teeth into the alicorn's chest and…with one tug of his jaw, Sombra saw him…ripping out her mother's beating heart, blood gushing everywhere…all in front of him.
Obviously, despite his small stature, the younger him had tried to stop him…but he was being held captive as well, by a demon…a stallion without eyes and a demented grin stuck on it's face.
"She…she sacrificed herself so that we could escape."
The young Sombra stood there, in the midst of all the carnage that the demons had caused, trying to hold the cold limp body of the now-heartless alicorn. His eyes…they became filled with hatred and anger, his ruby eyes burning bright.
"I will NEVER forget what he did to her."
Suddenly, the image flashed to outside the ruined mansion's gate, where he stood by his father, holding his hoof.
"My father…Shadow Moriarty took my brother and I away. Separated us. Hid us safely away in places they would never look…wipe our memories and replaced them with new ones…all so he could protect us."
Sombra stood there in the library, as the photo frame dropped to the ground, breaking off a corner of the frame, his eyes becoming misty as the dark stallion shuddered heavily.
"That is why I could never remember…not until now…" He stated firmly to himself, before wincing his eyes to keep in the tears.
Not bothering to look at the picture frame again, Sombra stepped out into the hallway…when he heard the wind howling once more, feeling cold air brush against him, prompting the unicorn to shield his eyes.
"Grr…god damn wind." Sombra cursed.
"Sombra?"
Instantly recognizing the gruff voice of a certain old unicorn, Sombra lowered his hoof and silently gasped in surprise as he found himself back in the entrance hallway where he had begun. In front of him was none other than Quicksilver, Ganon, and Chrysalis, their eyes trained on him with concern.
"Are you feeling alright, Sombra?" Chrysalis asked, "You looked like you saw a ghost."
"Three actually…" Sombra replied as he approached the trio.
"So…did you find what you were looking for?" Ganondorf asked.
Sombra gave a faint nod, "Yes…you might say that."
Quicksilver glanced at Sombra peculiarly, "And what exactly may that be?"
The dark unicorn looked at his fellow unicorn with the blue horn. It took him a moment to gather his thoughts (which is probably a heaping mess right about now), and taking a deep breath, he looked at Quicksilver like he would had looked at someone he hadn't seen in a long time.
"You are my brother." Sombra noted, the term 'brother' somehow foreign to him.
Chrysalis's eyes widen as she quickly looked at her leader…then at Sombra…then back to her leader, her jaw gaping, "Brother?"
"Twin brother to be exact." Quicksilver explained, his grim glance turning to that of hidden joy, placing his hoof on Sombra's shoulder, "I had been wanting to meet you for a long…long….long time."
"I don't understand…how can you two be brothers?" Chrysalis asked, "I mean…I don't seem to see the resemblance."
Quicksilver gave a smirk at the changeling, "It's quite uncanny, really…but it is true. Observe."
The blue-horned unicorn flick back his left front hoof, pulling up one of his coat's tails. Sombra stifled a surprised gasp as he saw the same black sun on his flank, with a blue eye right in the middle.
"You and I had earned our cutie marks at the same time. We both had shown unmatched potential in the power of magic, powers that unicorns at our age could not achieve without years of practice." Quicksilver declared, "I believe our mother knew this moment come…that we would be together again."
"Indeed." Ganon added, "It is concreted by the fact that your father had left a charm on this place…the illusions, the spacial paradox of the mansion…he had enchanted this place in hopes that you two would come back here."
"…What did happen to our father?" Sombra asked.
Quicksilver's expression returned to grim, "I don't know. All I can feel in my heart and soul is that he is gone…never to return."
A pang of pain struck Sombra's heart chords as he heard those words. Sombra turned his back against the three, as he felt something leaving his right eye, trailing down his right cheek. He reached to feel the cheek with his hoof, and felt a bit of wetness. Did he…did he just shed a tear?
"Well, we showed you your past…do you what you will with it." Quicksilver stated, keeping up the appearance of doing business.
The dark unicorn, being brought back to his senses, quickly wipe the tear away as he placed his hoof back on the ground. Sombra turned around to face the three ponies once more, surprising Ganon and Chrysalis as they saw anger in his eyes. Not the kind of anger that Sombra had been giving off last night and this morning…but an more furious and more calm of anger that make him…intimidating.
"I want to know more." Sombra declared, "Where we come from, what happen to our lives…" His eyes burn brighter, "Furthermore, I want to know the bastard responsible for all this."
"Sombra…" Ganon whispered.
"Does this mean you will join us?" Quicksilver questioned, "Because once you get in, there is no backing out. As a member of 'Wendigo May Cry', your loyalties lies with us and to the ponies of Equestria. You must stick to our goals till the bitter end…do I make myself clear?" He extends his hoof to emphasize his question.
It did not take Sombra even a moment to know his answer. Right now…his destiny to rule the Crystal Empire…it didn't seem to matter. All he could feel was one thing…revenge…not one against the alicorns, the filly and her dragon…but the one who had ruined his life from the start. The sick grin on the black unicorn's face…it angered him to no end, knowing that he was still alive. In the name of his mother…an alicorn…he would make him pay.
Sombra mashed his hoof with Quicksilver, looking his brother dead in the eye, giving a simple nod.
"Whatever it takes."
Quicksilver returned with a smug grin.
"Then let us be off….we have work to do."