//------------------------------//
// Part 2 
// Story: In the Shadows 
// by JLBDreamer 
//------------------------------//


In the Shadows: Part 2


Charcoal Shadow was engulfed in blackness.   The gloom was so thick that it left him gasping for air.  His heart was hammering against his ribs at a break-neck speed. 
 
“How did I get here? Where am I?”
 
“You are asleep,” a deep voice rumbled in the darkness.
 
“No!  I can’t be!”
 
The gloom retracted into a solid, billowing cloud with luminous, verdant eyes.  “Don’t worry, I’m only taking this chance to give you a final warning.”
 
“…But sir,” he whimpered.
 
The shape of a stallion’s head emerged from the cloud, and drifted toward the foal.  “Now, don’t forget your place.  Don’t force me to remind you of it.”  The smoky form curled around him.  “Perhaps, that pretty mare’s screams will remind you?”
 
“No, Master!”  Shadow gasped.
 
“That’s better.  You know things always go better when you do as you’re told, Shadow.  No one else will suffer, if you would just go somewhere far away from other ponies.”  A flame ignited in the apparition’s eyes, and with it the full figure of a stallion emerged.  He was clothed in luxuries fit for a king, with a steel crown upon his brow.  “If you persist in defying me, you will leave me no choice.”
 

***

Shadow woke. His eyes darted around the compartment.  He collapsed against the back of the seat, and saw that the only pony in the compartment with him was Fluttershy.
 
“Are you okay?”
 
Shadow nodded, and then turned his attention back to staring out the window, with half-lidded eyes. 
 
“We’re almost there,” Fluttershy whispered, reassuringly rubbing him on the crown of his head.  She was extremely concerned for his health.  He hadn’t gotten any sleep.  Every now and then, she saw his head bob down, only to pop back up a minute or two later.   

Shadow turned to face her. His heart pained him, when he thought about the threats his Master had made.  ‘Maybe I should go?  If he hurts her it will be all my fault.”
 
“Shadow, I can’t pretend to understand what you’re going through right now.  The only thing I can do, is promise that I won’t abandon you.”
 
“What if there is no cure?”
 
“There has to be.”
 
“Why?”  He pulled away from the mare.  “Maybe, this is the way it’s supposed to be.  Maybe, the only thing I’m good for, is being His slave?”
 
“Who is He?”
 
“I-I don’t know.”  The colt rubbed his temples. 
 
The mare’s heart dropped.  Charcoal Shadow’s, demeanor was different somehow. Just hours before, when they had left Canterlot, he had seemed like he wanted to fight. Now, he seemed more resigned.  ‘Was it his Dream?’

“Shadow,” she reached out placing a hoof on his foreleg, “what did you dream about?”

He shoved her away.  “Don’t ask.” 
 
Fluttershy, watched, as his eyes briefly betrayed his confusion, before he began staring out the window again.
 
“You can be mean all you want, but it won’t change my mind.  Charcoal, you are worth more than you think.  You, most definitely, don’t deserve to be anypony’s slave.  You are as deserving as anypony else, of being happy and loved.”
 
He felt empty, tired and he wanted nothing more than to cry.   He had to be brave.  He had to do what was right.  Again he felt her hoof on his foreleg.
 
“You are not that shadow.  You aren’t responsible for what it does.  That’s why, I’m never going to call you Shadow again.  You are Charcoal, and from this day forward, you are my family.”
 
When she pulled him in for a hug, her eyes welled up, he no longer wanted to fight her.  He buried his face in her fur, and the flood of tears flowed freely.   He clung to her.
 
Fluttershy held the colt, gently rubbing his back, until she heard the conductor announce that they had arrived in Ponyville.

Shado- no, Charcoal lifted his head, sniffing back his remaining tears.  Fluttershy, helped him get down off the seat, and gave him an encouraging smile.   He couldn’t help but smile back, as he followed her out of the train.
 
The two ponies stepped off of the train. Suddenly, a blinding raft of streamers struck them.  Fluttershy leapt up, falling back onto the platform. Charcoal cowered and gazed wide-eyed at the strange sight.  Before him bounced a pink earth pony, with a huge grin plastered on her face.
 
“Hi!  I’m Pinkie!  Welcome to Ponyville!   I tried to throw you a welcome party, but the others told me I shouldn’t, because Twilight’s letter made it sound like you were super-scary.  Then I told them ‘what could be scary about a little colt’?  I was right! You’re super cute, and sooooo not scary!”
 
“Pinkie, I think he needs a little space. I’m Rarity, darling.”
 
“Howdy! I’m Applejack.” The mare removed her hat with a sweeping gesture.
 
“Heya kid! I’m Rainbow Dash.”
 
“Um, Charcoal, these are my friends.”
 
“I bet you’re surprised, that we met you at the train station!”  Pinkie said.
 
“We wanted to make sure, ya were getting along okay, Sugarcube.”  Applejack put her hat back on, and next turned to the foal.  “Ah bet yer hungry after that long ride?”
 
“They have the best milk shakes at the café.  Do you like milk shakes, Charcoal?”  Rarity asked.
 
He nodded still looking back and forth between the mares.  He was surprised they’d welcomed him so warmly.  They were so confident, and not at all afraid of him.
 
“I think getting some lunch to welcome Charcoal here is a wonderful idea.”  Fluttershy, smiled at him in a motherly fashion.

“Yeah!  Come on!  Follow me!”  Pinkie, began bouncing ahead of the group.
 
Charcoal, walked beside his guardian. He couldn’t but help but feel, as if a weight had been lifted off of his withers.


***

 
 
Twilight and Spike stood on the front step of an old, weathered house.  

“I never thought that there would be a place like this in the Crystal Empire.”  Spike hopped off of the pony’s back, and turned to look out over the vast, frozen wasteland surrounding the dilapidated property.
 
“I guess the renovations haven’t reached this far yet.”  Twilight smiled uncomfortably.
 
“You think so?” The two friends, jumped hearing the trembly voice from behind them.  Its owner was an elderly, yellow earth pony.  “It was in much better shape before King Sombra came, but it always has been a home to the poor and unfortunate.  Those of us that were born in this spot don’t want to move into the rebuilt city.  It’s not fancy or pretty here, so it might not meet the tastes of a Princess, but its good enough for us.”
 
“Oh, I’m sorry.” The alicorn grinned sheepishly.  “Spike and I didn’t mean to insult your home.”
 
“No problem, Princess.  I assume you came here for a reason, so come in and be about your business.”
 
Twilight and Spike shrugged to each other, and followed the mare inside.
 
“Thank you.” Twilight nodded to Spike, and the dragon reached into her saddlebag, pulling out a scroll.
 
“The librarian, Amethyst Maresbury, let us look through the family records.”  He produced a picture of Charcoal Shadow.  “We think, he’s your grandson.”

The mare’s eyes went wide as she took the photograph.  “So he’s still alive?”
 
“Yes.  We would be more than happy to take you to see him.”  Twilight smiled kindly at her.
 
“No.  I don’t want that.  I just can’t stomach it after what happened.”  The old mare eased herself into a rocking chair, and let the picture flutter to the floor.
 
Spike rushed forward retrieving it and went to take a seat.
 
“What exactly happened?  The records only said that his mother died in foalbirth, and his father died when he was two. It also said his only other living relative was his grandmother.  It didn’t say why you gave him up.”  Twilight, sat in a chair across from the old pony.
 
“That’s probably because I asked the guards not to mention his father was murdered.”

“M-murdered?” Spike sat forward in his chair.
 
“Yes.  I expect you realize there’s something not right with that colt, or else you wouldn’t of sought me out.  I couldn’t tell those guards what I suspected.  They never would’ve believed me.”
 
“What do you think happened?”
 
“I suppose I should start from the beginning, Princess.”
 
“Yes, please tell us everything you can remember.”
 

***



“Oh look!”  Pinkie said pointing at Charcoal.  The colt’s head had fallen forward to his chest.  He slumped, some whipped cream dribbling out of his lips.
 
Fluttershy steadied him, “The poor dear has been afraid to go to sleep.”
 
“Really?  Why?  Does he have bad dreams?”  Rainbow Dash leaned back in her seat.
 
“Well, it’s more than that.”  Fluttershy wasn’t sure how much she should say.  Twilight, had cautioned her, not to speculate too much. “You see, everyone at the orphanage said the shadow becomes most active when Charcoal, falls asleep.  We all saw and heard him while Charcoal was awake, though.”
 
“Him?”  Applejack raised her eyebrow.
 
“Well, it’s definitely the voice of a stallion, and the shadow was about stallion sized, too.”
 
“Spoooooky!”  Pinkie Pie remarked.
 
“Yes, that is a little alarming.  Twilight didn’t say anything about that in her letter.”  Rarity tapped the table with her hoof.  “Whatever, or whoever, this brute is very uncivilized.  Scaring a poor, defenseless foal half to death is just deplorable.”

Fluttershy dropped her eyes to the floor.  The long shadows, cast by the late afternoon sun, were spread across the ground.  Everything seemed normal, until a pair of green eyes, with red irises, glowered up at her from the shadow of the umbrella.
 
“Eeep!”  Fluttershy, squealed, and pulled the foal towards herself protectively.
 

***


The old mare stared into the dancing flames in her fireplace, as she began her tale.
 
“It all began, right after Sombra was finally defeated, and the Crystal Empire was restored.  I lived with my daughter, and her husband.  They were expecting their first foal.  We were poor, and so we often went into the surrounding areas to find wood to burn.  It tends to get cold here, since the magic of the heart isn’t as strong this far out.”
 
She paused, her chest heaving a moment, her eyes growing more distant.
 
“One day, my daughter went out with her husband.  My son-in-law said he heard her scream, and when he found her she already had passed out.  Her body was surrounded by a black, magical aura. He also found a strange, red crystal that was shaped like a horn.  He brought her home in that state.  We tried everything.  We even crushed that horn into a million pieces, but it was no use.  She never woke up.  She died right after she gave birth to, Charcoal.  Her body was shaking, and twitching at the last moment.”
 
“I’m sorry, that sounds terrible.”  Spike lowered his eyes to the floor.
 
“It was terrible, but there was worse to come.  About two years later, my son-in-law started telling strange stories.  He swore that there was an apparition in the house, and it did things.  He said it stalked him. One day, he claimed that he saw it rise out of his son’s own shadow.  We all thought it was just the stress of losing his wife, and trying to raise a foal on his own.
 
“I became concerned when, I noticed that he was beginning to neglect Charcoal. He said that his son was evil, and he didn’t even think the boy was his.  It was only when I began sitting up with him that I noticed it too.  It was a looming, taunting presence that delighted in terrorizing us.  It got to the point, that I was afraid to let one dark corner remain in the house.  The presence seemed to grow, as our own fear grew.  My poor son-in-law eventually broke down.  The day it happened, I heard him scream at, Charcoal, that he wished he had never been born.  I shouldn’t have left, because when I came home, I found them.  The colt was on the floor sobbing and poking at his Father’s motionless body.  My son-in-law’s body was twisted, and broken.  They said he was strangled to death.  They had never seen anything like it.  No foal could’ve done it in their minds, so they never suspected.  I know though.  He used that shadow to attack his Father, and killed him.”

Twilight and Spike’s widened eyes locked, with each other.
 
“You said there was a horn?  It looked like a red crystal?”  Twilight inquired.
 
“Yes, we destroyed it.  We were sure it was the cause of it all.”
 
“Well,” Twilight began nervously, “thank you for your time.  You certainly helped us out.”  The alicorn mare practically pushed Spike out the front door, with her.
 
As soon as the door closed, Spike broke the silence.  “You know, that sounds a lot like…” he trailed off with a gulp.
 
“I know.”  Twilight caught her breath, her brow creasing with worry.  “Its King Sombra.  It has to be.   I don’t know how, but we have to act fast.   We need to send two warning letters, one to Princess Celestia, and one to Fluttershy.   Then, we have to move that colt somewhere secure, until we can free him from Sombra’s control.”
 

***


“What is it?”  Rainbow demanded, springing to her feet.
 
Fluttershy, pointed towards the shadow.
 
“Ah don’t see anything.”
 
“I thought I saw something in the shadow.” Fluttershy sighed as the foal stirred groggily.
 
“Its probably, because we’re talking about this super creepy, shadow stuff.”  Pinkie stirred her shake with the straw, and immediately began slurping it up.
 
“Yeah, Flutters, it was probably just your imagination.”  Rainbow plopped back down into her chair.
 
“Did I fall asleep?”  Charcoal asked.
 
“Yeah, but don’t worry.  Nothin’ bad happened. Fluttershy  here just thought she saw somethin’, but it was probably just nerves.”
 
Shadow frowned unconvinced.  “Well, I won’t fall asleep anymore.  I’m going to stay up all night.”
 
The mares smiled disbelievingly at him. 
 
“You don’t have to worry, Charcoal.  I told you that my friend, Discord, would be there at night. I know he won’t let anything happen while you’re asleep.” Fluttershy held Shadow’s hoof reassuringly.
 
“Discord?  You’re dependin’ on Discord?  Are ya sure ya don’t want the rest of us to come over too, Sugarcube?”

“Yeah, we could have one big sleepover!”  Pinkie bounded off of her chair.  “We can have an extra special, welcome to Ponyville, sleepover party for, Charcoal Shadow!”
 
“AJ does have a point, Fluttershy.  I mean, Discord isn’t exactly reliable even when he does decide to help.” Rainbow Dash nodded, her brow furrowed.
 
“You know, you can depend on us, darling.”  Rarity smiled softly.
 
Fluttershy could only sigh yet again.  She knew that the mares didn’t trust the Draconequus, and thought that she was being careless. She didn’t want to put the others in danger, if she could help it.  She was positive that Discord would be able to somehow control, or at least contain the shadow.  In fact, she was hoping, that he might know something about this sort of magic. 
 
“He’ll stay, once I tell him how important it is.  He’s really a lot more dependable than you give him credit for.” She could still see the doubt on the other’s faces, but she was determined to stick with her plan.  “You know, looking at the time, I think that we should get going.  I need to get my animals fed, before it gets dark.”
 
The four mares watched as Fluttershy, got up from the table, and the foal followed.
 
“Take care!”  Rarity waved, as they watched the two trot away.
 
“I really don’t like this,” Rainbow Dash said, clenching her teeth.  “We can’t leave her alone!  What if she really did see something?   Twilight did say that kid was cursed in her letter.”
 
The three other ponies nodded.
 
“We told Twilight we’d check in on her, and Charcoal, so we will.”  Apple Jack stated.
 

***


Fluttershy, softly hummed to herself.  Doing her usual chores around the house and seeing all of her animals again soothed her nerves considerably.  She could almost convince herself that it was just another normal day, but that wasn’t the case at all.
 
In her spare bedroom, there was a foal who had come home with her. She looked out her window, and watched the sun slowly sinking below the horizon.  She took a moment, letting the gravity of her situation sink in.  In a matter of minutes, the thicket and her entire house would be shrouded in darkness.
 
“Maybe I should turn on the lights.” She started in the living room with the lamp that Discord had fixed to look like himself. She smiled. ‘I’m sure, Discord will be here any minute.  All I have to do is turn on all the lights, check on Charcoal and make some dinner. Twilight might even have an answer by tomorrow.’

She trotted down the hallway, popping her head into the extra room.  Charcoal lay on the floor, his head pillowed on his hooves. A puzzle that he had started, lay untouched before him.  He had finally lost his battle to stay awake.  The sight left her with a strange combination of relief, and disquiet.  She tip-hoofed over, snatched up a blanket, and covered the young unicorn with it.  Switching on the light, she couldn’t help but glance around, noting all of the shadows in the corners.
 
She turned around, and nearly tripped over Angel Bunny.  He wildly began waving his paws.  Closing the door behind her, she listened to his panicked chattering. 
 
“Something’s attacking the chickens?” Fluttershy raced outside, hearing the alarmed cackling in her chicken coop.  The last cry that reached her ears made the pony’s chest tighten as she raced towards it. 
 
“Oh! Elizabeak!”  Fluttershy cradled the body of her favorite chicken, tears filling her eyes.  Raising her gaze, she could see the delicate white bodies of the birds strewn about, like rag dolls in the dark yard.  “Why?  How?” she sobbed.
 
It was then she saw it, a fleeting shape, ducking into the shadows.  Her breaths became ragged, and her hooves rooted in place.  She only vaguely registered, that Angel was trying to get her to release her ever-tightening grip on Elizabeak.
 
Her eyes frantically searched the darkness, wondering where it was.  ‘No.  I can’t panic.  There are other creatures here that need protection. I just have to wake Charcoal up. Then everything will be fine.’
 
“A-Angel stay close to me,” she told the bunny, gently laying her poor bird on the ground. 
 
Slowly, Fluttershy advanced toward the open door of her house.  Though the sun was nearly gone, she would be in a well-lit room once she got inside.  Her steps quickened.  Having made it over the threshold, she exhaled.
 
“Are y-you still with me, Angel?”

Angel touched her leg silently in reply.  She moved forward, carefully counting all of the animals slumbering in their beds.  Each one that she confirmed was fine added strength to her strides.
 
Out of the corner of her eye, something darted.  She turned to look.  The couch was casting a shadow against the wall.  She probed its depths and suddenly, she saw it again.  The chilling green eye locked with hers.
 
She took off in a gallop, racing toward the hall, Angel latching onto to her tail.  The shadow pursued, leaping along the wall from one spot to another.  At last, she reached the hall, but a shadowy tentacle cut her off.  She had neglected to turn on the lights in the hall, in her panic to follow Angel outside, and the apparition now melted into the darkness of the hall.
 
Fluttershy peddled backwards, biting the tip of her hoof.  She was cut off from Charcoal.
 
A menacing laugh now echoed in her mind.
 
“What do you want?”  She gasped.
 
‘Equestria.  Revenge.’ The eyes seemed to ignite with an eerie green fire.
 
“W-Who are you?”
 
The shadow in the hall grew towards her.  The mare skittered backwards until her back hit the bookcase on the other wall.  She and Angel hugged each other as she flattened up against the shelves.  The shadow touched hers, and she felt a chill run up her spine.
 
‘You don't remember me? Oh, that stings!’  Suddenly, a disembodied stallion’s head burst up in front of her in a shape that jogged her memory.
 
“K-King Sombra?”
 
‘Finally, you realize. I have nothing against you personally, but I imagine those that I wish to hurt will be devastated to hear of your demise.  My Slave will be much more compliant as well.’  A snake-like tongue emerged licking his lips as he oozed towards her.
 
Suddenly, Angel Bunny leapt at the shade. Fluttershy made a break for the hallway.
 
A shadowy tentacle slammed the rabbit across the room, and against the wall.  The animals all awoke, and a cacophony of chirps, and squeaks, arose as Sombra surged forward.  He made the mare's own shadow leap up and grab her legs.
 
Fluttershy wailed as more and more shadowy tentacles entwined up her limbs and around her body.  Her teal eyes were now wide with terror.  ‘I can taste your fear.  It’s intoxicating.’  A shadow wisp caressed her cheek, before snaking around her throat, leaving her gasping for air.  The laughter echoed in her brain as it grew hazy.  Those horrible eyes, the bleeding darkness, they were the only things she could see as spots blinked before her eyes.
 
Sombra cackled. The animals fruitlessly tried to come to the pegasus’ aid, adding the intoxicating bouquet of hate to her fear. The pony’s struggles slowly became weaker.
 
He then felt something tapping his shoulder and turned to see a tall, serpentine shadow with a pony’s head and horns. It punched him, knocking Sombra into a wall.  Reflexively, he melted into a billowy cloud and wheeled around to see what dared attack him using a shade.
 
A strange chimera had caught the pony, and was glaring evilly at him.  He had seen its likeness before, he realized, but he couldn’t quite place it.  It grinned at him.  “You know, its not often that I don’t have to hold back.  I’d run if I were you.”  It then produced a pair of sunglasses from thin air.  An industrial sized light appeared behind him, and leapt to life.
 
As a creature of shadow, Sombra’s entire form burned.  Every shade he could use as a weapon vanished.  He wasn’t yet strong enough to brave the light.  Howling in rage, he darted back into the hallway.
 
“Oh, it’s not going to be that easy to get away from the Lord of Chaos!”
 
Another light appeared in the hall, then another, following his progress. Darting under the door, he reached the safety of his host and dove into the shadow of the foal.
 
“Here’s Johnny!” Discord kicked the door in.
 
Charcoal shot awake.  His eyes widened as he took in the sight before him.  A glowering, mismatched monster was stalking toward him carrying Fluttershy.
 
“Who are you and what did you do with that Shadow thing?”  Discord demanded.
 
Charcoal didn’t answer as he stared at Fluttershy cradled in the creature’s arms.  The colt’s ears flattened and without a word he burst into tears and raced past Discord. 
 
Fluttershy’s gasp drew Discord’s attention.  “N-No. Don’t hurt him.  It's not his fault.”  Discord’s face fell as the pony lost consciousness.