• Published 14th Aug 2013
  • 4,088 Views, 46 Comments

Shattered Darkness - Dusk Raven



Twilight has only narrowly managed to save herself and the Crystal Empire from Sombra… but after a brush with the forces of dark magic, she finds herself with a piece of his mind inside hers.

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IV: The Noble Undertaking

The train ride to the Crystal Empire was a long and quiet one, as Twilight rode alone in her train car. Alone but for a sleeping dragon - and Shade. The two had decided that their best chance of finding any knowledge that might give Shade a new body was in the Crystal Empire, in its vast library. But the ride there was proving to be a long one.

Shade, if you don’t have any memories, why were you… like you were at the beginning? All threatening me and such?

In the instant I was transferred to your mind, I had a sense of… clarity, of purpose. I think, for that one moment, I was a perfect copy of Sombra… and then it was gone, and I was just a shadow. But I still had in my mind what I needed to do.

I… see. Twilight looked out the window at the fields of snow rolling along, idly wondering how long it would be before they reached their destination.

I… I’m sorry, Twilight.

Twilight perked up. Really? I didn’t expect to hear that from you.

Strange, I know. But… that’s what ponies feel, isn’t it? It’s what a pony like you would feel when you did something you wish you hadn’t done. It’s what I feel now.

And indeed, Twilight could feel the regret from him, though she wasn’t sure it was because he had done something bad, or done something bad for him. She needed to test him further.

And how do you feel about Sombra’s reign?

…I know only what you know, and perhaps that’s for the best. I feel… hollow. I mean… I’m not responsible for that, am I?

In another life, yes.

Then I hope to make up for that in this one.

Twilight giggled a little.

What’s so funny?

I’m just glad you’re taking after me so well. I’m… I’m glad to hear that from you, Shade.


”Twiley!” Shining Armor was waiting at the platform of the arctic outpost as Twilight stepped off the train. “It’s great to see you again.”

“Don’t worry, your rump doesn’t need saving this time.”

They both chuckled for a moment before Shining Armor said, “So, you’re here to visit the Crystal Empire’s library?”

“Yep!” Twilight beamed at the thought of immersing herself in books, especially the unknown tomes which doubtless filled the thousand-year-old library. “It’s for a research paper.”

Shining Armor raised an eyebrow. It took Twilight a moment to remember when the last time she’d mentioned research papers in his presence was. She hurriedly added, “Don’t worry, the Crystal Empire isn’t in danger or anything like that; this is personal research.”

“Of course.” Together the two set out towards the Crystal Empire. “If you don’t my asking, what’s it about? It’s quite a way to travel for research.”

“It’s…” Twilight paused for a moment.

Something tells me he’s not going to be very accepting of me trying to bring you “back.”

Did something in particular happen between him and Sombra?

Well, you- I mean, Sombra did crystallize his horn, capture him and his wife, and briefly corrupt his sister.

Ah. That would do it.

“…Okay, maybe it does have to do with the safety of the Crystal Empire. I’m studying dark magic, to try and find a way to counter it should we face it again.” Twilight figured this explanation would do. It would, hopefully, be a side-effect of her research.

“I see…” A grim but concerned look overtook him. “Just be careful, all right?” He doubtless wasn’t happy about his sister delving into dark magic… again. At least this time it would be on Twilight’s terms.

A slight feeling of… well, it wasn’t quite remorse, but Shade definitely wasn’t comfortable with the memories of what Sombra had done to Twilight. Twilight wasn’t sure if it was regret or empathy – Shade imagining the memory-wiping spell Sombra had used. Either way it was a good sign, a sign that he wasn’t entirely like the Black King that created him, whose legacy he had inherited.

The frigid air of the north ate away at Twilight as she trotted from the outpost to the Crystal Empire once more. Though it was not storming as it had been when she’d first came to this place, the cold still bit and tore at her limbs and face like a savage beast. Only the sun above gave the promise of eventual warmth.

"Sorry about the walk, Twiley. We’re working on building a train station inside the Empire but… it’s gonna take a while.”

“It’s all right, Shiny.” Twilight shivered a little.

A little walk in the cold might do you good, anyway… builds endurance.

I’ll just be glad when we’re inside the Empire.

Spike wasn’t faring any better. Twilight could feel him shivering on her back as he asked, “Are we there yet?”

Ignoring him, she continued her conversation with Shining Armor. “So, how’s life as a prince treating you? And how’s Cadence?”

“I’ll admit, I wasn’t expecting to become co-leader of an empire… there’s a lot of work to be done, especially cleaning up after Sombra. But I think we’re holding together pretty well.”

They talked all along the way to the Crystal Empire. Once Twilight reached the border, the cold melted away and gave way to beautiful fields and pleasant temperatures. It was hard to believe an island of such warmth and life could exist within a sea of frozen white – but such was the magic of the Crystal Empire.

So, what do you think of the new Crystal Empire?

I have nothing to compare it to, really, except that brief stint when Sombra returned, but… it’s beautiful. The two shared a moment of peacefulness at the beautiful vista of crystals and grass before them. It truly was a wonderful place, especially when compared to what lay outside.

“Well,” Shining Armor said, “I’ll leave you to your studying. Cadence is real busy at the moment and I should get back to her, but be sure to visit us later!”

“Of course, BBBFF!” Twilight smiled.

BBBFF? Shade pronounced the letters slowly, not used to saying them rapid-fire like Twilight had. Possibly the even the term “BFF” was unknown to him.

Big Brother Best Friend Forever.

Their connection was close now. Shade’s voice had lost the growl that Sombra had, instead becoming smooth. Combined with his deep tone, Twilight found it quite relaxing. Before the train ride, Twilight had told him about her friends and their adventures, bringing up the mental images as she retold it to Shade.

She’d stopped when she noticed the feelings of envy that came from him.

In the meantime, she parted ways with Shining Armor and trotted off to the library. Shade was becoming slightly anxious with anticipation. The key to his salvation – and redemption – could be hidden within a single book…


Twilight was in paradise. Massive shelves surrounded her, filled with countless precious tomes, their titles and contents unknown to her. It was as though they were calling out to her, begging her to peruse their pages, to discover secrets lost to ponykind for centuries. It took a bit of mental willpower to prevent from squeeing loudly.

Shade chuckled, feeling the waves of joy that radiated off Twilight. It was a pleasant laugh, not like the wicked mirth one would expect from an evil king, like what Twilight had once heard from Sombra. A fleeting thought passed from Shade to Twilight – You must be right in your element.

Actually, my element is Magic, but I do like books as well. She gave a slight giggle. Now… which of these books are on magic?

Spike piped up from his position on her back – “What’s so funny?”

“Oh, nothing. Nap time’s over, help me look for some books on magic…”

Just then an elderly crystal mare walked by, one that Twilight recognized as having been present when she last visited the library. Twilight approached the mare and said, “Excuse me, do you know where any books on magic might be located?”

“Hmm…” She paused for a moment. “Right this way, please. There’s actually not a whole lot on magic… King-” She shuddered a little at the name “-Sombra restricted access to magical knowledge while he was in power. That’s not a problem now, obviously.”

Twilight could feel the silence from Shade.

The mare led Twilight and Spike to a secluded section of the library before departing elsewhere, excusing herself with a statement of, “I have a lot of work to do… but do help yourself.”

As Spike hopped off Twilight’s back, she said to him, “All right, now let’s see if we can find anything on unicorn magic…

Twilight?

Yes?

What are we going to tell everypony about… me? About where I came from?

…I don’t know, Shade. Even though you’re not Sombra, you still look enough like him… I think, when we make a body for you, we’ll go to Celestia and explain everything. Once she sees that you’re not like Sombra, she’ll be sure to understand. Maybe she’ll even assign you to learn about friendship with me! She suppressed a giggle.

That would be… nice. Shade paused for a moment. Is she really so accepting? You seemed terrified of what would happen if she found out about me before.

I know… but I’ve got to tell her sometime. Once she knows I’m not being mind-controlled or something, I’m sure she’ll believe me. She’s never doubted me before. Well, there was that one time with the changelings, but for a moment I doubted myself there, too… well, we’ll worry about that later, for now, we’ve got books to find!


Doing a research paper can be extremely difficult when one lacks source materials. The combination of Sombra’s censorship, his unique abilities compared to the crystal ponies, and his strange fascination with crystals meant that Twilight’s research could only uncover so much. But at last, she came across something that might have been just what she needed.

I think this might be it! Twilight exclaimed at last. She closed the book she was reading. “Spike, help me put these books back, I’ve found what we’re looking for!”

With this spell, we’ll be able to create a new body for you, provided we have enough magical power and a vessel.

I can think of one… Sombra’s horn.

“Spike, take a… actually, I think I’m going to have to tell this one to Celestia personally…


“Twi, what’s all this secrecy about?”

“Ooh! Are we going to a super-secret surprise party?”

“I told you, I’ll explain everything once we meet with Celestia.” Twilight wasn’t completely listening to her friends as they walked down the hall of Canterlot Castle (except for Spike, who’d opted for riding on Twilight’s back, which Twilight bore without complaint despite adding to the weight of her saddlebags). Instead, she was mentally speaking with Shade… perhaps the last mental conversation they’d have.

So… the time has come.

Yes.

You’re sure about this?

Positive. I know Celestia will accept you, Shade.

And you have a contingency plan, besides.

It doesn’t mean I don’t trust you. It means… I have to be prepared for whatever may happen.

I know...

At last they entered Princess Celestia’s throne room. The Princess sat on her throne, as radiant as the sun she embodied, outshining the two white guardstallions that sat on either side of her throne. She smiled at her little ponies as they entered and bowed before her. “It’s so wonderful to see you all again.”

Twilight rose. “I’m pleased to see you too, Princess… but there is something we have to discuss… something I have to tell you all. Something that’s been… on my mind ever since we got back from the Crystal Empire.”

Her friends all looked quizzically at her, while her mentor merely raised an eyebrow.

“I’m sure you’ve noticed me acting a little… off. Well… it’s because of Sombra. When his body was destroyed, I was locked in a mental battle with him. With nowhere else to go, his mind found shelter in my body.”

Twilight ignored the various sounds of surprise from around and behind her. Instead her gaze was focused on Celestia, whose visage remained neutral. A good sign.

“At first he… well, he was the Black King, effectively. But as time went on, our minds became closer, and he started to feel everything I’d been feeling. He…” She turned to face her friends, smiling. “He felt what it’s like to have friends. And as it turns out, he has no memories of what happened before he entered my body.” She turned back to Celestia. “All he wants now is to have a form of his own, and a chance to experience life as a pony again, with a fresh slate. Without the taint of dark magic or Sombra’s reign.”

Celestia nodded, her expression changed almost imperceptibly to one of mild surprise. “Do you trust him, Twilight?”

“We’ve grown close enough that neither of us can decieve the other. But all the same… I came here because I want the Elements of Harmony present… just in case.”

Celestia spent a moment in contemplation, then rose from her throne. “Very well. I shall retrieve them. You’ve worked out a way to restore his form?”

“Yes, I have.” She opened her saddlebags with her magic and levitated out the curved spike of Sombra’s black-and-red horn. “WIth Princess Cadence and Shining Armor's permission I took Sombra's horn back from the Crystal Empire. If I channel enough magical power and his consciousness into this horn, with this spell I’ve researched he’ll have a proper body again.” She placed the horn in front of her.

Celestia nodded and left the room, heading for the chamber where the Elements were stored. Except for the guards, Twilight was now alone with her friends.

“You know,” Rainbow Dash said, “You could have told us something was up.”

“I would have, but at first… I was afraid of what you all would think. I mean, having an evil king in your head is a serious thing. Besides, he’d threatened to do things to my mind if I told, or if I tried to remove him.”

“And you trust him, dear?” Rarity looked appalled.

“He’s changed, Rarity. He really has. I can feel it.” She could - she could feel the remorse, slight but growing, at Shade’s previous actions.

Celestia returned, Elements of Harmony grasped in her telekinesis. She placed the tiara on Twilight’s head and affixed the necklaces to the other bearers.

“You’re sure about this, Twilight?” Spike said nervously.

“I’m sure.” Twilight focused on the black-and-red horn lying before her. Nothing else mattered, nothing except her, the horn, her magic… and Shade.

There’s no telling what you’ll have to do to gain control…

Don’t worry. I can handle this. And Twilight…

Yes?

…I want you to know, in case I come back changed, that you’re a wonderful pony, and that it’s been an honor to be with you.

Twilight smiled. She then closed her eyes and prepared the spell she’d learned in the Crystal Empire’s library, as well as the mind-link spell Sombra had once used on her. A surge of violet energy left her horn and was channeled into Sombra’s… and as she did so, she felt a dark presence pushing back at her mind.

She gasped and opened her eyes. A trail of darkness was climbing up the string of purple energy connecting the horns. A moment later, however, she felt a surge of strength - coming from Shade. A red pulse of energy flared up and passed into the horn, pushing back the darkness. Twilight closed her eyes again and, with Shade’s support, transferred his consciousness into the horn before giving a sigh of exhaustion and collapsing, the magic link breaking.

Author's Note:

After a long hiatus and depression phase, I give you... chapter four! I had an idea for a sub-plot, but I threw it out as needless padding and kinda cliche anyway... though that doesn't mean it won't make a return later. Only one more chapter and then I can be done with this thing... I apologize for seeming rushed, but I just want to get this idea through with.