My Name Is Shade

by Dusk Raven

II: Settling

The rocking of the train car was surprisingly relaxing, and I might have drifted off to sleep were it not for two factors. One was the gorgeous landscape of Equestria, the rolling green hills and fields that followed the breathtaking mountain that Canterlot was built into. The other was the babble of conversation that surrounded me. Some of it even involved me.

“Ooooh,” Pinkie Pie squealed in delight. “I can’t wait to get back to Ponyville and start preparing a welcoming party!”

I was starting to form a train of thought regarding what kind of a name for a town “Ponyville” was, but it was derailed when Twilight added, “I’m sure you’ll love it, Shade! Pinkie Pie throws the best parties around!”

“Ah, yes,” I said. “I recall one of them from my time in your mind. It certainly was enjoyable, even if I couldn’t partake in it.”

“Like I said, I’m sure you’ll love it.” Twilight smiled. “Ponyville’s a friendly place, I’m sure they’ll be glad to meet you.”

“That reminds me…” A thought had suddenly struck me. “I should have asked Celestia about this, but what exactly are we going to tell everypony about where I came from?”

Twilight looked a little… lost at this. “The… truth?”

“I’d rather not be known as ‘that pony who used to be an evil king.’ This is all about fresh starts, remember?”

“It’ll be all right, sugarcube.” Applejack was the one to reply. “Nopony out here really knows who Sombra was. We’ll just tell them about how you’re looking for redemption. They accepted Princess Luna again, they’ll do the same for you.”

“Why, what happened with Luna?”

The ponies in the car seemed a little stunned at my ignorance. I followed my statement with “Keep in mind, I’m a thousand years out of date. Not like I remember anything anyways…”

Twilight smiled sheepishly. “It’s… a long story. I’ll tell you later. Applejack’s right, the best way to go about is to tell it how it is.”

I nodded. “Very well. I’ll trust your judgment on this. But another thing – where will I live? What role will I perform in society?”

There was a moment of silence before Rarity spoke: “I-dee-aaa! Your special talent has to do with crystals, right?” She gestured with a hoof at my flank.

“I suppose.”

“Well, as it turns out, I have an… affinity for gems, myself.” She glanced sideways at me, doing her best to look regal . “I’m sure we could work out an arrangement of some sort.”

It wasn’t quite clear to me why Spike was suddenly glaring at me, but I nonetheless responded to Rarity: “Sounds reasonable to me. Of course, I need to figure out what spells I can cast… particularly involving gems and crystals.”

Twilight’s eyes lit up. “Oooh, I’d love to help you with that, Shade! I can’t wait to see what kind of magic you can do! You can even stay at my place until you make enough bits to buy a house of your own!”

The thought delighted me, despite having to share the place with a small dragon whose eyes alone wanted me dead, only some of the reasons for which I comprehended. Still, I smiled. “Sounds good to me. Glad we’ve got everything covered in that regard.”

…

Soon I felt the train begin to slow, and soon after that we arrived in Ponyville. As I and the others stepped out of the train, I took a deep breath and looked around. It was just like when, several days ago, Twilight stepped onto the same platform, with me in her mind. Except now, we had our separate bodies, and I for one was enjoying mine.

Before I could do anything else, I was dragged to Rarity’s boutique to make myself look civilized (her words, not mine). My sideburns were shaved off, and my mane was thoroughly combed so that it fell on either side of my neck. At least, that’s how it looked eventually.

Rarity inspected her handiwork. “I still think we should trim it…”

I frowned. “This is the third style you’ve given me. I think this will do quite nicely.”

“I suppose it will. You look quite a bit younger now.” She smiled.

Twilight was standing nearby. “I agree! You look quite handsome, Shade.”

I allowed a faint smile to creep up along my face. “I’m glad to hear that. What next?”

“Well, Pinkie Pie’s party is nearly ready.”

“And as the guest of honor, I suppose I should be on time.” I began walking towards the door. “Lead the way, Twilight.”

…

The party was as bright and festive as the ponies attending it. Every shade of color could be found amongst the decorations and guests in Sugar Cube Corner, with streamers and balloons above and ponies below. Even the food was colorfully decorated, with all colors of frosting on the cakes and sweets.

Amongst it all, I stood out, in more ways than one. I was not only taller than the average pony, but also my dark coloration seemed to cast a shadow over the room. Or at least, that’s what I felt. The ponies didn’t seem to mind: on the contrary, I was surprised by their openness and friendliness. I was greeted warmly by countless ponies, more than I could remember. I couldn’t help but smile.

“See?” Twilight was by my side the whole time. “I knew you’d enjoy it.”

“Whee!” Pinkie Pie bounced by. “This is so much better than the last welcoming party I threw!”

I opened my mouth to ask for an elaboration, but reconsidered. The confused look on Twilight’s face told me I was perhaps wise in not pursuing the topic.

“Oh!” Pinkie Pie said. “You haven’t had your cake yet!” She hopped over to a table at the far end of the room, upon the end of which sat a large, festively decorated cake. “I hope you like it! I was going to decorate it in your colors but we don’t have any grey-colored frosting…”

I chuckled. “Thanks for the thought, Pinkie. I don’t think a grey cake would be very appealing, anyways.” I moved towards the cake, upon which several things happened in more or less rapid succession.

As I walked alongside the table, a previously unassuming cylinder suddenly erupted with a volley of paper snakes. So startled was I that I instinctively fired a magical blast at the source. This resulted in the table breaking in two. As a result of the now-angled surface on which it sat, the cake slid towards the broken center of the table – and straight towards me, the side of the cake smacking into my face and covering it in cake frosting.

For a moment, no one made a sound. And then, Rainbow Dash burst into laughter.

I glared at her, but it was a moment before she met my eyes, her own screwed shut in mirth. When she looked back at me, though, she saw something in my eyes that made her stop instantly, and her expression turned to one of… morbid shock? Fear was too strong a word, but something told me my gaze was far more malign than I’d intended.

“Rainbow Dash.” I stated simply and coldly.

“Y-yes?”

“You’re paying for the table.” I smiled just a little.

She breathed a sigh of relief as I went on. “Well, I’d say I’m now properly decorated for the occasion.” And with that I licked around my mouth at the frosting as the room burst out into laughter.

…

The rest of the party was uneventful – cake and conversations were had, but eventually the festivities began to wind down as ponies excused themselves. Eventually, Twilight and I were among them.

After I’d cleaned myself off, we set off for Twilight’s home. She led the way, Spike upon her back and myself trailing along beside and behind her.

“So,” she said as we walked, “What exactly are you going to do with Rarity?”

“I didn’t get a chance to ask, actually. Obviously something to do with gemstones.” An idea suddenly occurred to me. “Twilight, if it’s all right with you, I’d like to use any gems you have as practice materials for spells.”

“Of course.” She affixed me with a curious gaze. “What are you going to do with them?”

“I’m going to find out.”

As we entered the library, Twilight said, “Spike, find a few good-sized gemstones for us.” As Spike hopped off her back, she began to peruse the bookshelves.

“What are you looking for?” I asked.

“Oh, anything on jewels and magic that can affect them.” She pulled out a tome with her magic while Spike returned with an armful of gems. “Don’t mind me, I’ll just be doing research on what kind of magic you’re using.”

I nodded and took ahold of one of the gems in my telekinesis, an octagonal blue jewel, and set it on the floor before me. I closed my eyes and focused on it. In the next few moments, it was as though the jewel had become a part of me, a part of my body and soul, subject to my will. I moved within it as though manipulating my own body. When I opened my eyes, I saw that the crystal had been reshaped into a perfectly spherical orb.

Twilight was flipping through pages of her book like mad. “Fascinating. You didn’t cut it, you actually molded it into a new form! I think we may have stumbled on some secret crystal pony magic…”

I chuckled. “Maybe that’s my special talent.” I closed my eyes and focused again, this time willing the crystal into a different shape. When I opened my eyes, it had been transformed into a three-pronged clawlike shape. I focused again, and this time… the crystal resembled a lowercase h.

I sighed. “I was trying to make a pony sculpture with that one. Guess I won’t be doing any fine masterpieces tonight.” I focused my magic again and returned the crystal to its original shape. “I have an idea of what I can do for Rarity… I’ll propose the idea tomorrow.” I yawned. “For now, I think I should get some rest.”

Twilight nodded before putting the book away. “Of course! Let me get the guest bed ready.” As she trotted upstairs, I took several more gems from Spike – these ones small and misshapen. With magic and force of will, I was able to turn each into a beautifully cut shape as Spike looked on in wonder. Soon Twilight called down the stairs, “Shade, it’s ready!”

I trotted upstairs, ignoring the crunching sounds behind me, and surveyed the bedroom. The guest bed stood opposite Twilight’s own, making the most of the limited floor space in the bedroom. I smiled. “It’ll do nicely.” I then moved towards Twilight and embraced her in one hoof as her expression turned to one of surprise. “Thank you, Twilight, for everything you’ve done.”

Twilight blushed lightly. “It’s no problem, Shade. It’s what any decent pony would do.”

“You’re not just a decent pony, you’re a terrific pony.” I kept smiling. “Well, good night, Twilight.”

“Good night, Shade.” We each settled into our respective beds, even Spike who’d come up from below. I closed my eyes and soon drifted off to sleep.

Author's Note:

Trying to figure out how to apply cake to Shade took a while.

Don't be fooled by the rapid update - my muse is fickle, and every chapter threatens to be the last. Well, that's a bit dire, but suffice to say it may take a while to write the next chapter. I just had most of this one pre-written, is all.

Comments

[Father Figure]

I liked the portion involving cake, it was a good bit of fun, and gemstone molding, I would've never guessed, but it's neat!

[djthomp]

I like the crystal shaping, that's a sensible direction to go with what Sombra's special talent could have been.

[Lag Incarnate]

I'm really liking this Shade fellow, and I'm sure Spike's starting to warm up to him as well. Just a little.

[Dusk Raven]

3504320 I'm... glad to hear it?
3504363 3504409 Well, I figured Sombra's special talent was CRYSTALSSS, and I'd already established that Sombra/Shade knows a bit of gemcraft. Come to think of it, there's a lot of things his special talent could have been, I just went with what seemed the most obvious.

[Platnium]

More please, if thats okay with you

[shinigamisparda]

I see shit hitting the fan not too far into the future, especially considering the cover image. I eagerly await.

[LunarEclipse53]

Please more... I love this story... LUNA COMANDS YOU TO MAKE MORE!!!

[sombratwi]

OMG! Second best fanfic EVER! No offense.

[fluttershyfan3030]

I am curious do you plan to do a ShadexTwilight ship if so that would be awesome I see tell-tale signs of it. I hope you do this would be the perfect way for Shade to intergrate into Ponyville society

[Crystal Static]

I wouldn't mind more, assuming that you bring this back from the grave...

~Crystalline Electrostatic~

[OceanRider]

please continue

[Luna Lily Ruby]

It's a true pity that this is cancelled. If you ever bring this back and continue writing this wonderful fanfic, I'll be one of the first to read! I'd also like to offer help, if that's what you'd require to have this put back onto 'incomplete' status. If you don't continue, I totally understand. I'm in the middle of quiet a few books and fanfics myself... It's hurting my brain, as I'm sure you've experienced that feeling!

[Dusk Raven]

7641991 The reason I initially stopped writing was because I ran out of steam and couldn't think of how to proceed. The reason I officially switched it to "Cancelled" status was because I couldn't even remember where I was going with it in the first place - that and embarrassment over my mishandling of the previous two stories. I suspect me reading the comics where Sombra appeared contributed to this as well, as I liked the comics' backstory for Sombra more than what I had came up with by that point. Oh, and barely anyone commented on the lot of the stories so I wasn't getting the feedback I really wanted.

I remember a few things that I wanted to have happen, especially the antagonist and some idea of the conflict, but I'd be perfectly willing to pass this blackened torch on to someone else if they really wanted it.

[Luna Lily Ruby]

7642369
Hm... I do see your point. I may want to countinue this if you're really sure you don't want to. Although I'll have to think about it, as I have about six unpublished stories and fics on this site, another two on a different site, two completely different colabs, one story that I already put out here, one fanfiction for a different fandom and two books I'm in the middle of writing... I suppose what I'm saying is that Im really busy with writing. So once all of my projects are wrapped up or cancelled, I'd be more then happy to take the torch for this wonderful fanfiction. Of course it's up to you, so... Also I'm NOT trying to brag. *hides behind hands* I'm sorry! I sound like a horrible person!

[Dxinsider]

I just found this story and I am sad that there wont be anymore to it.

[S_h_a_d_o_w]

I loved this story so much definitely wanted to fav, it's a bit sad its cancelled but I enjoyed what we had of it!!
- TLB 💜

[Fluttershylover3]

So sad its cancelled as its a good series

[Fluttershylover3]

3496996
The library is a Tardis xD

[Dieadmirer]

I'm inloved with this story! Why didn't I noticed this story before?! And why did this Wonderful sorry cancelled? This is just a bit.... disappointed but the story is very very AMAZING!

[Dusk Raven]

10997948
Quite simply, I ran out of muse.

Also, I'm still amazed people like this little series...

[ChaosDeathBlade]

10998922
I mean you could always continue it sometime, but good story though