Dr. Sombra

by Mr Inkhooves

Dream & Reality

I was given a day or so to familiarise myself with the site, along with the chance for the usual introductions: "Hi. I'm Dr Sombra!" Ughh.

The staff housing was as Cadence said, similar to a small village: neatly ordered rows of identical lodges. It wasn't bad, I must say. Cadence came to collect me one morning, I came out in a rush, fumbling with my lab coat as I did. Not that I had to, I guess I was nervous as it was the first day on the job. After wrestling the edge of my coat from the door's grip, I leant on the frame nonchalantly.

"Ready to go?"

She snorted then and I soon followed.

We walked along the path casually, the usual chit-chat, nothing special. I was unconsciously fondling the lucky charm in my pocket. Soon enough, Cadence noticed.

"Don't be nervous now Sombra. You'll be fine! Pulling out the seams of your pocket won't help." She smiled, with an amused glint in her eye.

I laughed, "I'm just playing with my lucky charm." I pulled it out to show her,with a deft flick of my hoof I threw it in the air to catch it in the other, before showing her.

It was a crystalline formation, black as jet, incredibly hardy, and the most interesting thing? Light seemed to be absorbed by it, like some endless void. I was quite taken with it. In my younger days I pinned it as an allegory for the unknown, but that was just my pretentious student-self talking.

"A crystal?" She said, staring at it, curiously.

"Yeah." I said, "Minerals interest me. I collect some others too, but this one is particularly special."

"Oh God. What riveting conversation! I like rocks. The ladies love a good rock!"

"Hmm." She said. "That's interesting" we flashed our key-cards and entered the building. I blurted out:
"Some crystals are said to have medicinal properties. That's part of the reason why I keep this one. It's supposed to help ease the mind."

She turned and laughed "Don't tell me that the brilliant Dr. Sombra owes his career to a crystal! We'll all be out of a job."

I found myself laughing back "No-one but us can know, ok?" we swore this oath through our mirth as we neared the consultation room.

I noticed Cadence's features change as we drew nearer, from a smile, to a thin, depressed line of anxiety. I noticed how quiet this area was compared to the rest of the asylum. It was in a long, brightly lit hallway, with barred metal doors inserted into what might've once been woodwork, but was now a gray mass of concrete. the contrast between the neatly carved adjacent wall wasn't lost on me.

We buzzed into the room. I was now more nervous than ever, seeing Cadence in such a state.Nevertheless, I moved into the room.

The interior was hardly any more cheery: Thick, dull walls, a dim, metal table, a mirror for observation and a single lamp, that slithered down from the ceiling to rest above head height, It looked more like something you'd see in a Police Station. This sight sapped my confidence. I didn't really register the stallion on the other side of the table till I sat down. He made no move when we entered, he might as well have been made of stone. His watery eyes were glazed, fixed on the far wall.

I coughed "Good morning Mr Armour. I'm Dr. Sombra ,I'll be working with you and Dr. Mi- Cadenza this morning." I decided Cadenza was better than repeating Mi Amore every time. The white stallion gave no response. He didn't even move, I gave Cadence a questioning look.

She looked worried. "Shining?" she said, in a kindly voice.

The figure remained mute.

"Has he done this before?" I asked, fishing into my pocket for a torch, shining it at his eyes, there was no response.

Cadence tremulously replied: "No. Usually he's as alert and as excitable as a small colt. Especially in recent weeks, since his obsession developed. Should I call the Med team in?"

I sighed. "No. I know what this is."

She was silent, waiting for explanation.

"This condition, in part helped make my reputation. The sufferer is, in a sense, entombed in a fantasy. Trapped in their own mind. These delusions you mentioned are far more serious than I imagined. I don't entirely understand how it works, but right now, Mr Armour is living a dream."

"So what do we do?" she asked, frowning.

"Well, we can either force-feed and drug him for several weeks, in the hope that he will surface, or we go for the more risky approach."

"And that is?"

"I enter the dream-state and entice him back to reality."

She looked at me like I was mad, so I explained.

"Part of why I am so successful is my discovery of a certain type of magic: Mind magic. I can influence perception along with several other senses, however, maintaining contact with the subject is crucial: twisting their view can be damaging, so I speak to them, let them face their fear or whatever it may be."

"Right." Cadence said "So what do I do?"

"You remember the crystal? I said, tossing it to her. It's spelled so that you can talk to me in the dream state, watch my progress and so on."

She looked uncertain:
"So, I'm to let you enter a patient's mind, potentially damage both yourself and the subject, on the off chance that it might work?"

I replied smoothly "That's about the size of it, yes."

She acquiesced with a nod. "Be careful." I'll have Medical on standby.

"Don't worry, I'll be fine" I said with a half grin before casting the spell.

What I didn't tell her was that I'd only done this once before.

Entering the vision was like stepping into a nightmare; an entire city aflame, screams echoing up to my perch in the sky above. As I descended in a shadowy form, my body protected by a barely perceptible barrier, A jarring, buzzing noise assailed my ears. If I could, I would've covered them. As I descended to street level, I noticed the source of the noise.

A bulbous, insectoid, pony? I shivered at the detail of the horror before me: Its eyes were normal size, yet, segmented like a fly's, they seemed to gleam in reflecting the devastation in front of it. The mouth was fanged and appeared to open into mandibles, a green ichor oozing between the serrated teeth that seemed to surround the entire interior. A bluey, lighter hued mouth. covered in teeth. I cringed "Dear God..."

It noticed me!

It turned, jaws glistening and gave a cobra like bark crossed with an insectoid screech. The sound reverberated and the skin around its mouth contracted as It leapt in my direction.

It hit my barrier with a solid thunk and hissed in rage as it squirmed on the floor, trying to right itself.

Cadence gave a squeak of horror through our link. "What is that..thing?"

"Shining's fear made manifest." I said.

I obscured the rest from her sight. Even in a dream this vision was too real: half-chewed and dissolved corpses lined the streets, shop windows were shattered and one body lay lacerated, intertwined with a mannequin, while the creatures worried at it in a frenzy. I was revolted, but I steeled myself and looked up to see the towering minarets of a castle.

"That's where Shining is, I'll bet"

Barging my way through the streets, I made my way under the now ruined portcullis. I had to keep reminding myself It wasn't real. If I didn't find him soon, I feared the worst for his and my own subconscious.

As I bowled over one group of the loping creatures, I came to the worst sight of the vision: A grandly halled area, arrayed for a wedding: Roses spilled over the floor, a pale red, in comparison to the remainder of the floor; Wedding guests, or what had once been wedding guests...torn part. I retched at the sight of a small doll, stained red.

I was snapped back to focus by another attack on my barrier, the creature knocking it forcefully, blinking its disgusting eyes and snapping in a predatory fashion.

A scream sounded from another room, so I ran towards the noise.

Cadence's voice came to me "Sombra? What's going on?"

"Cadence. You don't want to know." I said, as I ran towards the sound, while being pursued by the horrors.

I passed through the bloody hall, to come to a throne room. Shining sat, cringing and reeling at the sea of...Cadence's around him.

"Don't you love me?" one said.

"You only care about my title, not me!" said another.

He gibbered: "No, No. I love you Cadie! I really do. Don't say that. Which one is the real you, though?"

"I am" they all said as one, advancing closer to the stricken stallion, each wearing a wedding dress and an elaborate hairstyle. Their mouths opened in the mandible fashion of the other creatures. Their voices, distorted by a series of clicking noises "Come to me, my love." Shining began to move. I couldn't get through the press. I had to do something.

"Enough!" I shouted, it projected around the room at a thunderous volume. Tiles leapt from their moorings as a shock wave passed in all directions from me. The changeling Cadence's were flown about the room, each returning to its original, twisted form.

My barrier had dissipated. I was doomed. I ran up to the throne and grabbed Shining "Snap out of it man! If you don't take control of this vision, we are both going to DIE!"

He just looked at me in terror. I'd completely forgotten my code of enticing in my rush to be free. Another Cadence, larger than the others, began ascending the steps, a loud echo of her hoofsteps reaching us.

"Oh, poor Shining... is that stallion scaring you?" she cooed.

Shining was scrunched in a ball and he whimpered "Yes..."

I calmed myself and began speaking quickly: "Listen to me. Right now you're in an asylum thanks to these vivid, delusional dreams of yours.Fight against these visions and you will be cured, but if you don't? We're stuck in a mental limbo." "That, I said moving his head. is not Cadence. the real Cadence is outside, waiting for you. If you want to see her, you need to wake up!"

He started hyperventilating and moved away from me. He curled into a ball at the foot of the throne and began rocking back and forth. The Changeling seemed to grow larger with his rising terror. It emitted a harsh, clicking laugh, grating my ears.
"Not to worry my dear, I'll remove him."

She leapt at me, her form shimmering to reveal the creature beneath; Its whole skin seemed to writhe with life beneath and small fly like creatures seemed to burst from its skin.

As the mandibles came into view I fired, burning right through the back of its throat, It choked and bucked as ichor flooded from the wound.

Then the whole world tore apart; eaten away by some invisible force. I had no idea what to do. This was not what should happen. I had slain the source, not Shining. I didn't have time to dwell on the implications as I grasped the stricken figure and cast the return spell.

I awoke with a gasp, some unknown pony standing above me. I staggered to my feet.

"The patient." I croaked

He was staring at Cadence, looking bewildered. "Where am I?" he said, blearily

Cadence went to him beaming and he seemed reassured "You're back Mr Armour." She turned to me.

"You did it Sombra!" She cried, jubilantly

"Sombra?" Shining said a frown creasing his features.His eyes widened and he snarled in an animal way.

"Sombra!" He said, hysterically, gnashing his teeth as he fought to grab me.

I held him back and managed to pin him to the wall, his insane strength batting at my own.

"Get me security now!" I bellowed.

It took four stallions to subdue him in the end. We injected him with an anesthetic and liberally applied restraints.

White as a sheet, Cadence asked "W-what happened?"

I made no reply but to sink into my chair. This was far from over.

Comments

[that1dude]

Interesting idea you've got here. I hope to see more of this soon.

[knetch]

i liked the vision of a doomed canterlot but you got to set a ground on how an asylum room can morph a patient subconscious into a castle and a city maybe with some of shining past in "real life"

[Mr Inkhooves]

3520530 I was thinking that Sombra physically entered Shining's mind and his vision is so vivid that it becomes 'real'. I thought I could get away without going into Inception levels of crazy. :P

[Mr Inkhooves]

3520446 Thanks. I'm glad you like it!