//------------------------------// // 27. Slice and Dice // Story: Sweetie's Shadow // by Note Sketch //------------------------------// "Mister Sombra!" Applebloom shouted as she threw the door to her clubhouse open. Her friend was quick to follow behind her and pushed herself between Applebloom and the door frame. "Sweetie Belle is in trouble!" Scootaloo continued where her friend left off. To their surprise, Sombra didn't say anything in response. The only reply they heard were heavy grunts and bright flashes of light. Having already gotten dark out, the flashes blinded them for a moment, but as they focused their eyes, it only made them grow with worry. Sombra was writhing on the floor, his fore hooves firmly placed at the side of his head as his entire body would flash the binding markings that kept him in this world. Each time they would appear, the curse was coming into effect by Sweetie Belle's last command. The fillies had no idea, but each time the markings flashed on Sombra's body, they witnessed his mind breaking and being put back together. His dreams were tearing his mind apart, his only salvation being Sweetie's land command: 'Sleep until you're satisfied.' "M-Mister Sombra?" Scootaloo asked, edging closer to the squirming stallion. With each step she took, the pain he was under became more and more apparent. His eyes squinted in intense strain and his teeth clenched in his mouth. "H-Hey, Mister Sombra, are you okay?" She asked as a particularly loud grunt stopped her from moving further. No response. They were frozen in shock at what they were witnessing. What finally broke them out of the daze was the crash of lightning that illuminated the room through a nearby window. Applebloom quickly remembered what they were tasked with doing and rushed over to Sombra "Hey, this is no time to be sleeping. Sweetie Belle's in trouble!" She shouted as she placed her hooves on his body. She nudged at him, but her strength could barely move him. His pained grunts masked her voice which made it harder to get through to him. It all seemed for naught. "Applebloom is right!" Scootaloo shouted as well before joining her friend in shaking him. "Come on, wake up!" As they continued to nudge him, Sombra began to break into a cold sweat and his markings stopped vanishing. They stayed permanently lit on his body as a final shout finally awoke him. In a reflexive action, Sombra wrapped his fore hooves around the two fillies in a tight embrace. "Amethyst!" He shouted loudly. The sudden tight hug stunned the girls, but they dared not talk as they felt his trembling body continue to hold them. Finally, after a moment passed, Sombra himself began to breathe easy again and slowly realize where he was. "Mister Sombra?" They asked as his body stopped shaking. "Wha-What? Oh, I've awoken." He said as he let them go and gently place them on the floor in front of him. His voice was slow and heavy in a depressed tone. His eyes seemed pale and almost lifeless. "A-Are you okay?" Applebloom asked as she took a step back to allow him to recollect himself. "Yes. I think so anyway." Sombra said as he placed hoof to his head, the headache he had experienced in his sleep, though now gone, had left a ringing in his ears as an aftershock. "Good, cause we need your help!" "What?" He said as he slowly shook his head to focus his senses. "Why? What happened? Where's Sweetie Belle?" He asked as he noticed her absence. "That's just it! She's in trouble. Dice is chasing her, I think he wanted to fillynap her!" "Yeah, we followed him all day and think he found out!" "What?!" Sombra screamed as he jumped to his hooves, his eyes instantly lit aflame and illuminated the clubhouse. "Why did she leave me behind?!" "She, uh-" Applebloom began but didn't know what to say. "Tch." Sombra scoffed at her inability to answer his question, but his actions seemed too aggressive to the fillies and they quickly flinched at him. He noticed their fear, or rather felt it. Their fright only lasted a moment when they thought he would shout at them, but that was enough to remind him of his dream and a strong guilt took him over. "Where is she?" He asked softly. "H-Huh?" Applebloom questioned as she opened one eye. "Where's Sweetie Belle?" "In town!" Scootaloo answered for her. "We were following Dice all day and he found out. He began chasing all three of us, but Sweetie Belle managed to help us get away to come get you." "I see." Sombra said as he slowly began to make his way out. Moving past the fillies, they noticed his rather lack of expression, but the large flames at the side of his eyes proved otherwise. He was simply holding himself back for their sake. "M-Mister Sombra?" Applebloom asked. "Are you okay?" "I will be." He responded as he stepped outside and turned to face them. The rain hit his flames and began to sizzle. Unlike Sweetie Belle's, however, Sombra's magic overpowered the water falling down on him and even began to evaporate the rain that got close to his flames. "For right now, I need you to find Twilight. Tell her what you told me." The girls nodded at him. Being content with that as a response, Sombra lept from the clubhouse down to the ground level. As he descended, Sombra let go of his restraints and his eyes narrowed in anger. His sclera started to glow green as his magic began to explode outward. The moment his hooves touched the ground, he took off at max gallop, leaving behind a large crater where he landed. The rain hit his face like bullets at the speed he was running, but he paid no mind to that. His only goal in mind was to get to Sweetie Belle's side. As he ran, he felt his body lighten up, as if weight had been lifted off his back. He quickly noticed the markings of light on his body. His magic was returning to him, it was time to fulfill the second part to Sweetie Belle's command: find her. <=•=> Sliding on the mud and slipping under a an opening to a nearby home, Sweetie finally found some shelter from the rain and time to rest from her unrelenting chaser. The sinking mud never felt so comfortable to her before, but she knew she didn't have the luxury to relax. She soon heard hooves walk close by. "Now where might you have gone little filly?" Dice asked as he looked around the empty neighborhood. His tone was sarcastic, he knew exactly where she was, but there was some sort of twisted pleasure in playing with his prey that made him tease ignorance. Sweetie Belle knew she would be found soon. The tracks she left in the mud would lead him to her. Taking a deep breath, she shifted her body around and placed her hind hooves against the wall of the opening she was in. Once she was in position, she waited for Dice to walk over. "Silly little filly." Dice said as he followed the trail. Seeing the opening the tracks led to, he kneeled down and began to peek through the hole. "You just cornered yourse-" Before he could finish his sentence, Dice moved his head out of away from the filly darting out like a rocket. Sweetie Belle had once again used her dark magic to summon a crystal that propelled her out similar to how Sombra had once used his magic to launch her at the falling plane her friends had made. She gracefully used the mud to slide her way out and once she felt herself lose some momentum, threw herself back on her hooves and continued her run away from him. Dice held onto his face, a sudden wave of pain came over him. He didn't move away fast enough and managed to get scrapped against cheek slightly. Not enough to leave a mark, which he was grateful for. However, the pain only angered him further as she once again managed to slip by him. "Chee, next time you won't be so lucky." He said to himself as he ran off, though oddly enough, not in the direction Sweetie Belle had gone. Sweetie Belle, on the other hoof, still thought Dice was hot on her trail. She pushed herself past whatever limit she had long ago and was running on will power alone. With every step she took she felt her lungs burn and strain for oxygen. Her muscles stung and begged her for rest, but she didn't listen to them. She felt like she needed to run, needed to get away. She didn't feel safe just yet. Finally her body gave out mid dash and she slipped on the mud. Unable to save herself from the fall, she felt herself come to a steady stop as he body flopped and slid on the mud. Gasping for air, Sweetie Belle remained motionless as she limbs screamed at her for not stopping sooner. The rain landed on her in a cold sting a her mind raced to curse her frail body. "Maldición." She said softly. "Why didn't I run more often?" She complained as her fears came into fruition. Dice began to make his way towards her from the front. It boggled her mind that he somehow managed to get in front of her. "All tired out?" Dice asked with a smirk. "I admire your efforts, but in the end a filly can't compete with an adult. Despite how exhausted she was, Sweetie Belle replied in the sass she learned from Sombra. "Yeah, well I'm surprised an adult took so long to catch a sweet, innocent little girl." She replied with smirk of her own, dissolving the smile on Dice's face. "I don't think you quite understand the situation you're in." He said with a scowl. "I could say the same thing about you." Sweetie said as her eyes glanced to the side for a second. Dice widened his eyes and looked in the same direction. Seeing nothing, he returned his gaze to the filly only to see her on her hooves and her eyes lit aflame once again. Using what little strength she had left, Sweetie Belle used her dark magic to throw herself over Dice with a crystal pillar. She managed to get quite a few meters high into the air, but he wasn't about to let her get away again. Jumping out towards the airborne filly, Dice reached out with a fore hoof to grasp the girl. Sweetie Belle didn't have enough magic to throw herself far enough away and was soon close to being grabbed. Just as lightning struck to light up the scenery, Dice felt an overwhelming amount of heat in front of him. It took a moment for him to realize what was happening but the glowing crimson eyes inches from his face that froze the marrow in his bones from fright made things clear. Sombra had finally arrived and with him, the fury of a thousand suns. The fire escaping the sides of his eyes burned and fought the rain falling down to the point that everything felt hot instead. What he had come to see what a simple scene. Sweetie Belle exhausted and pushed her limit and the pony responsible. Taking the hoof Dice was reaching out with, Sombra threw him to the side and used the momentum of his motion to lead into a kick with his hind legs. Using the strength that Sweetie Belle's command had unlocked for him, Dice was sent flying toward a nearby home, breaking it entirely and burying him in the rubble. Not wanting to let any harm come to Sweetie Belle, Sombra moved his body to the spot where she would land and caught her on his back. "M-Mister Sombra." She said softly through her tired pants. "Are you alright?" "I am now..." She said as she allowed her body to go limp on his back. She had pushed herself to the extreme and was finally able to rest a moment. "That pony won't be happy about their home." "That's the least of my worries." Sombra responded as he turned his head and began to nuzzle against the drained filly. His affection was short lived as he felt a hate filled glare directed towards him. Jumping aside, Sombra narrowly avoided the dagger swung at him. To his surprise, Dice had somehow managed to get out of the rubble, circled around him, and draw a weapon. What was more peculiar was there wasn't a scratch on him. "That was impressive Sombra." Dice said as he jumped back to create some distance between them. "I can't believe you got here so quickly." "You'd be surprised what I'm capable of." He replied with a stern glare. His eyes once more lit aflame and his sclera shined green. Though Dice played of a calm demeanor, Sombra's death stare horrified him. Yet now he understood why Sweetie Belle knew the magic she did. "Be careful Mister Sombra." Sweetie said as she pushed herself upright against his back. "He's really fast." "Filly you don't know the half of it." Dice smirked. "Ponies like us hold all sorts of secrets, right Sombra?" "You think this is a game?" Sombra said as he stood a step forward, making Dice take one back in turn. "Mister Sombra?" Sweetie asked softly, not getting the attention of the stallion she was riding. The pure rage he was experiencing bled out of him in the form of a frightening aura that she could almost not bear to look at. Sweating at Sombra's lack of interest in playing their personas, Dice used his magic to draw the dagger he had closer to himself in a defensive stance. For a moment, Dice looked to the side and back at his opponent. Sombra noticed his gesture but chose to ignore it, he knew that the instant he looked away he would be attacked. Sweetie Belle noticed his subtle eye movement as well and decided to see what he looked at. Looking over at the rubble left from Sombra's initial strike, she noticed some of the debris shift around like if something had moved. Jumping forward with his blade out in a stab, Dice lunged towards Sombra who moved to the side to avoid the attack. This caused Sweetie to break away from her gaze on the rubble and instead return her focus back at their opponent. Again and again Dice would swing his blade out and Sombra took extra caution to stay out of its way. Never before had he been more conscious about what sort of damage he might sustain in battle now that he knew that it would transfer over to the filly on his back. He needed to win the fight without getting hit even once, which now proved to be more difficult that he thought. Moving left to right to avoid the flurry of slashes at him, Sombra was backed into a constant retreat as he looked for an opening to take advantage of. Quickly reaching into the pocket of his vest, Dice pulled out a small sphere he threw at the ground. It exploded into a smoke cloud that engulfed them and blinded them. Not willing to be taken by surprise, Sombra erupted his dark flames and pushed away the smoke screen in one swift wave of energy. To his dismay, Dice was gone. "Where'd he-" Sombra began but before he could finish his sentence, he felt a pair of eyes glare at him from behind. Both Sombra turned to see Dice thrusting his dagger at them, more specifically, the filly on his back. She too had turned to see what was behind them and was stunned in shock. Sombra didn't hesitate and neither did the curse. He spun in place and used his fore hoof to push the dagger away, however, he got cut in the process. "You're making this too easy!" Dice said as he jumped back and ran off. "You'd attack a little girl?!" Sombra shouted as he took chase. "Are you okay?" Sweetie asked as she looked at the cut on Sombra's right fore hoof. It wasn't too deep, but it was already bleeding out. "I'm fine." He replied dryly. He didn't really spare her a second glance, Dice's attack towards her had angered him to the point of blood thirst. Yet it was this very anger that, for the first time since they've met, frightened her. Following Dice around a corner, Sombra was brought to a halt when he noticed his chase simply vanish. He looked around for a brief second before he once again felt the killing intent focused on him. Looking up, Sombra saw Dice diving down at him with his dagger. This time, however, Sombra cast his dark magic and raised a crystal spike underneath him. Narrowly avoiding his own creation by pushing himself onto his hind legs, Sombra felt a sharp sting across his entire body. The Pain of Disobedience surged through him as he looked at Dice fall to his own demise. Luckily for Sombra, Dice responded by using his dagger as an anchor. By stabbing the spike on the side, he grabbed into it with his hooves and slid down the crystal creation, carving a large indention into it. Sombra's pain disappeared just as fast as it had arrived and now Dice was free to attack. Sombra awaited for a witty remark, but was left puzzled by his opponent's silence instead. Dice pulled out the dagger from the crystal and moved slowly to the side in a predatorily circle, taking a more forward battle stance against him. Sombra responded in kind and lowered himself in a slight crouch. He unknowingly let out a soft growl as he and Dice began to circle around. Sweetie Belle, still quiet by how ferocious Sombra was acting, spectated the battle. She felt in danger, but knew that being on Sombra's back was probably the safest place at the moment. Instead, she focused on his teachings: Keeping her eyes open. She took in all the little details about Dice she could notice. Though she wanted to make note of perhaps his style of fighting, her eyes were drawn to his dagger. The maneuver he performed to avoid getting skewered by Sombra had left a quite a scar on the blade. Finally, breaking out of their dance of death, Sombra and Dice moved towards one another. Sombra's pupils thinned even further as he cast out his magic to engulf his fore hooves in crystal; extending three long claw like hooks at the end to have to fight with. His opponent reacted accordingly and came to a stop just out of reach of Sombra's initial pounce. Striking with his dagger left and right, Dice blocked the almost savage strikes of Sombra. With every swing of his fore hooves Sombra grew in momentum. Soon, his rampageous strikes began to overwhelm the gambler. Sweetie Belle looked in horror as she saw her guardian attack so wildly. His snarls and growls only made himself look more and more feral by the second. With each swing of his claws he would feel the growing surge of pain flow through him as he was getting closer and closer to killing his foe. Finally, before Sombra had the opportunity to crush Dice with his continuous strikes, she shouted out. "Mister Sombra, stop!" Her voice echoed as Sombra was forced to a sudden stop by the curse. Taking the chance presented to him, Dice pulled out his smoke pellet again and dispersed the cloud of thick black smoke. "Why'd you stop me?" Sombra asked with the same stern voice from before as the smoke cleared and the curse began to allow him to move again. "You were going too far." "You want to protect him?" Sombra questioned as he looked around for Dice. He knew he would be long gone, but perhaps he had left tracks for him to follow. "No, but I don't want you to kill him..." Sweetie Belle said, her voice soft by how dry he was acting towards her. "He tried to kill you" Sombra said after spotting the tracks he was looking for. He took to the rooftops and began to follow Dice's trails from a higher point of view. "W-Why are you acting this way?" "I'm trying to keep you safe!" Sombra responded as he ran on the rooftops. His eyes were set on the trail that circled around to the opposite side of the home he was on. "You were about to kill him! Killing him would make you just as bad as Dice." Sweetie Belle shouted as she tried to hold onto Sombra as he ran to the other edge of the roof. Before he could look over the side, they were met with a smirk and a blade. Reacting as fast as he could, Sombra jumped back to dodge the swipe of the dagger's edge. Dice climbed onto the roof with an unusual smirk on his face considering the beating he had just taken. Still, Sombra's only concern was that his target was once again in his sights. "Sometimes Sweetie Belle." Sombra began as he crouched down and prepared his attack. "To do some good you have to be the bad guy." <=•=> "Twilight! Twilight!" Applebloom shouted as she banged her hoof on the castle's door. "Open up!" "Think she's even in her castle right now?" Scootaloo asked as she slumped on the ground, tired from her run over. "Maybe we ran across town twice for nothing." "She has to be." Applebloom responded as she continued to throw her hooves onto the large doors. "Now get off your butt and help me knock!" "Argh..." Scootaloo groaned as she lazily stood up and joined her friend. "Twilight! Open up, we have a problem!" For a few more minutes they persisted on practically beating down the entrance of the castle before the doors finally opened. Placing a hoof to her mouth to yawn, Twilight opened the doors with a groggy look in her eyes. "Hello? Applebloom, Scootaloo, what are you two doing here? Hurry inside, it's raining." She said as she moved aside to allow them to enter. They declined her offer and instead began to scream out everything that had just happened. "Sweetie Belle's in trouble!" "Dice has her!" "Maybe not, Mister Sombra went to help her." "They're in trouble!" "Probably. I mean, Mister Sombra is pretty strong. He might have everything under control." "But he asked us to come get you!" "Yeah!" Shaking her head to jolt herself awake, Twilight soon lost the groggy feeling when she processed what the fillies had said. "WHAT?!" "They're in town!" "Yeah! Come on!" <=•=> As Sombra and Dice interchanged attacks, Sweetie Belle remained silent with Sombra's words still echoing in her head. Up until now, Sombra's advice and speeches had helped her overcome a problem. They've been a comfort for her in her time of need. This time, she couldn't bring herself to accept what he had said. "To do some good you have to be the bad guy?" She asked as Sombra jumped off the roof and onto the ground level. "Is that more advice about life?" "Not the time Sweetie Belle." He responded as he stepped out of the way of yet another smoke pellet. The smoke screen had worn out its novelty and had become little more than an annoying hindrance to Sombra. Already knowing that Dice would use his rather super natural speed to circle around and attack, he turned around with his crystal claw and went for a powerful strike on his blind spot. Sure enough Dice was already incoming to attack as well, yet there was a small 'hesitation' on Sombra's part to pull through with his strike. Sweetie Belle only took notice when his fur lit up on the binding marks. Inches from landing the hit in Dice, she realized that Sombra was once again trying to go against the curse. If he managed to land his attack, he would gravely injure Dice. Not wanting that to happen, Sweetie Belle threw herself over Sombra's shoulder and grabbed onto his crystal hoof. Using the momentum of her swing to kick Dice as he came close to them, she managed to steer him away from the lethal blow and land a few feet away. "Sweetie Belle!" Sombra shouted as he saw her and Dice land rather close to one another from her maneuver. Dice had already tried his hoof at killing her before and he soon feared the worst of it. "You should stay out of the way." Dice said as he came to his hooves, sparing a quick glance at her before he walked over to Sombra to resume their battle. In a lowered stance, Sombra began to circle around like a lion about to pounce, his hooves still incased in crystal claws. Dice too began their dance as he used his magic to keep his dagger close to him, ready to react to Sombra's attack. Now as a spectator from the side, Sweetie Belle watched on as they traded blows once more. Sombra's savage strikes would swing back and forth as his opponent did his best to block them. She had seen this before. As Sombra grew ever closer to overpowering him, Dice released a smoke screen to blind him. She expected to see him dash out and circle around to strike from the back, but she was met with a different scene. A silhouette dived in from the side, clashing with Sombra's claw and dispersing the smoke from the powerful impact. Left confused, Sweetie looked on to see Dice and Sombra struggle against each other as the screech of Dice's dagger against the crystal casing echoed in the air. Narrowing her eyes to look at them closely, Sweetie saw Dice's dagger, in almost perfect condition. She finally understood what was happening. "Having trouble Sombra?" Dice asked with his annoying smirk. "Can't keep up?" "I'll crush you!" Sombra shouted as his eyes blazed in a stronger heat from before. His smile never leaving his face, Dice crouched to allow their power struggle to end before reaching into his vest again. Before he had the chance to do his usual trick, he felt himself being pushed aside by a rather strong kick to the face. Sombra looked surprised as he saw Sweetie Belle fly through the air and land her attack to send their opponent a few feet away. Though what shocked him the most was the flames at her eyes. Looking to the side to see where she had come from, he saw a crystal pillar she had used to propel herself into the kick. "You can use dark magic?!" Sombra asked out in confusion. His answer came quick as Sweetie Belle forced an even stronger flame from her eyes and her horn was engulfed in a dark aura. Doing as she had seen Sombra done a couple of times, Sweetie surrounded them in a thick black cloud of darkness, cutting off sounds going in and out. "What's wrong with you?!" She shouted as she struggled to keep her magic going. "You're not acting like yourself!" "Sweetie Belle-" "Why are you fighting to kill? It isn't like you!" Silence. Sombra had no response. Though shock still plagued his system, it was Sweetie's tired pants that made him listen to what she had to say. She was under a lot of strain, yet she still found the strength to scold him. "I can't accept that this is you. You aren't fighting like you used to. You're trying to use brute strength to overpower him. What happened to analyzing your opponent? What happened to waiting for the right chance to wrap things up quick and simple?" "I just want to keep you safe." Sombra said as his eyes began to dilate back to normal. "You're the one that taught me how to open my eyes..." She said as she grew even weaker from her large magical strain. Even so, she slowly began to move closer to Sombra. "So why did I figure it out before you?" "Figure what out?" Smiling, Sweetie came to Sombra's side. Getting the hint, he crouched down to help her climb on top of him. "If I told you, you wouldn't have the chance to learn on your own." Sombra chuckled at her antics. She was turning his lessons around on him. Recalling his dream, he was pulled out of his rage and back to reality as he gazed over at Sweetie Belle. Tired once again, she rested her head on his soft mane before the shroud of darkness banished and they were once again met with their old friend. "What was that?" Dice asked mockingly. "Trying to-" "Close your mouth!" Sombra shouted, intimidating Dice into staying silent. A brief moment passed and Sombra took in a deep breath. "And open your eyes." He said to himself. Sombra's posture had changed entirely. No longer crouched down like a beast trying to devour its prey, he was upright in his usual prideful demeanor. His eyes shifted from place to place as he took in all the small details and recalled everything that had just happened. By the time Dice was regained the composure to move again, Sombra smiled as he came to the same conclusion Sweetie had. "I see. So that's how things are." He said with a grin. Suddenly, his eyes erupted in flames as he threw himself forward in a quick dash. Dice moved to the side and reacted with a quick slice of his dagger. Sombra gracefully avoided the incoming strike, being only centimeters away from getting cut. It allowed him a close look at his dagger to prove his theory. Still, knowing how he was performing his feats meant nothing of he couldn't stop him. Sombra continued in his advance but remained without returning an attack of his own. Dice became more and more frustrated from being constantly pushed back by his opponent and quickly devised a plan to stop him. Jumping back only to push ahead in a strong thrust of his weapon, Dice carefully aimed his blade at Sweetie Belle who just now gathered enough energy to lift her head. With the tip of the blade getting close to her, she oddly enough didn't fear the incoming attack. She felt safe. Now that Sombra was back to his normal self, she didn't have anything to fear anymore. Dice's smile disappeared as he stopped moving. The dagger had been shot out of his magical grasp by Sombra's dark energy bolts and his hind hoof had been engulfed in a crystal casing, keeping him grounded. "So you're the one trying to attack Sweetie Belle." Sombra said as he watched Dice struggle to free himself. "What's your name?" "Trying to make fun of me by pretending to forget my name?" Dice asked with fake courage as he pulled on his hind leg. "I told you when we met. I'm Dice." He said as the rain masked his nervous sweat. "Mhm." Sombra said with a smirk of his own. Reaching out with his hoof, he encased it in crystal and began the motion to strike. Sweetie Belle looked at him, she thought perhaps he was still trying to kill him, but she didn't feel any blood lust from him. Allowing him to carry on with the motion, Sombra swung his hoof out but was interrupted by a strong swing of a damaged dagger. The strike at his hoof was so strong it shattered the crystal casing. He didn't care much for having his attack be interrupted. He finally drew the other guy out. "So what's your name then?" Sombra asked as he saw a pony identical to Dice protect the one trapped. Using his dagger to break the casing Dice was trapped in, the newcomer brought it back around to point at Sombra in anger. "Name's Slice." "Twins huh?" Sombra asked as he saw Dice rush to pick up his own dagger. "Well, things are about to get interesting."