• Published 8th May 2015
  • 4,331 Views, 399 Comments

Spike's Shadow - DraconequusMaximus



Sombra has once again returned, but is now powerless. Spike is assigned to be his parole officer, but Sombra soon finds himself hopelessly entangled in a much darker part of Spike's life even his friends and family didn't know about.

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Whatever The Future Holds...

Things were quiet in the guest chambers of the crystal palace. Not a soul dared bother the dragon brooding within, after he had explicitly asked the guards and staff not to disturb him. But none of them knew the reason, and rumors of the crystal savior's apparent depression had already reached the farthest borders of the Crystal Empire.

Spike was always a hot topic among the ponies of the city-state, but it had been ages since he had been in the empire, and now this.

None of them dared deny his request, but all of them worried.

The real issue was unbeknownst to everyone but Spike, Cadence, Shining Armor, the other princesses, and Daring and company. Though Rampart and Amore' seemed to know what was going on, even if the adults hadn't seen fit to tell them. Sombra had been gone two days without contact. Something that had never happened, except for when he had been unconscious.

Spike was laying about in his chambers, out in full size, a large map of Equestria unfurled before him.

From his bag, Spike took a small leather pouch, emptying the contents out onto the map.

There was the skull of a raven, a chunk of clear uncut quartz, a few wooden dice, a silver coin, a white feather, and a few other curiosities. It was something Zecora had forced him to craft, bag and all, during the early days of his training. There were a number of uses for each and every item, old-world magic from Zecora's time. Spike had been made to memorize every single function and spell.

He hadn't used them in years, but with everything going on in his life lately Spike had been bringing it whenever he packed a bag.

Spike took a smooth and highly polished black onyx the size of a bit from the contents and refilled the bag with the rest.

Spike held the tiny stone in his claws, filling it with just a bit of his mana. Then once he was satisfied with it, he placed the stone in the corner of the map atop the compass rose. Spike then tapped it three times, and withdrew his hand.

The stone seemed to wobble and shiver, moving itself around the map until it was all the way across from where it had started.

"San Palomino Desert... Farrier's Gulch? I guess that makes sense. I'm just glad the hoard spell I used is still working in spite of everything that's happened." Spike sighed.

Spike vaguely wished he hadn't gotten Sombra's location. Now he could fly to the San Palomino, and he could find Sombra. But at the same time, he knew Sombra had asked for time to clear his head. He had every right to mourn, and to get his head on straight in solitude.

Spike cursed himself and rolled onto his side in a vain attempt to ignore the worry, but after a few minutes he heard something.

The stone was moving gain.

Spike rolled back again, his face barely an inch above the stone. Slowly, it moved right into Central Equestria. But it didn't stop, it went up and up, until it rested on the frozen north. The only possible explanation was that Sombra had shadow jumped to the Crystal Empire.

Spike instinctively looked to his shadow, but nothing happened, and there was no telltale tingling sensation.

Spike did the only thing he could think to do and got up off the floor, hurriedly packing away the map and stone. Soon, Spike unlocked the balcony doors of his chambers and took a leap. Before long he was gliding high above the empire, looking for signs of Sombra.

Maybe he ported back to the dome? What if when he finds out I'm not there he tries my shadow? Maybe he'll just come up the tunnel I cleared after he left? Spike thought as he surveyed the ground from the sky.

After a few minutes Spike circled back around to the other side of the castle and found a group of guardsponies setting up what looked like a stage. It wasn't particularly odd for a show to be in the pavilion, but guardsponies setting up instead of stagehands and performers was unusual enough to warrant investigation.

Spike fell to the Earth as a fireball, shrinking to his more manageable size.

He landed in a nearby alleyway to avoid causing a fuss, then walked up to the stage.

It was a relatively small stage, and two podiums were being erected. On the front of each were two empty slots for something large and square, and beneath that was a rectangular display screen. Spike's mind immediately pieced it together as the set of a game-show.

But as far as Spike knew there weren't any game-shows in the empire.

He was about to turn away and continue his search for Sombra when someone tapped on his shoulder.

When he looked over, Spike saw the last mare he had expected to see. A periwinkle-blue unicorn mare with silvery-white hair. She had traded in her cape and hat for a white suit with a black undershirt and rosy-pink tie. She looked like the stereotypically overdressed game-show host.

"Spike, how are you? Long time no see. I'm your bae's new employee, slash publicist, slash whatever. Long story. Anyway, today is you-know-who's show. We've been busy the last day, and we just need you to play along." Trixie explained.

Spike's brain tried to quit on him briefly, but it manged to reboot itself and process what the pony he hadn't seen in over fifteen years was telling him.

"Wait... How? But... What? Where is he then?" Spike sputtered in defeat.

"Just go with the flow for now. I had to call in a ton of favors to get all this gear and camera setups on a day's notice. The S-man called in the rest. But you should probably get it straight from the horse's mouth." Trixie said noncommittally.

Trixie's shadow stretched and met Spike's, and in that instant Spike felt Sombra's presence. Trixie's shadow shrunk back to it's proper alignment. At which time, Spike heard feedback on the earrings he had hidden on the back of his ear-fins and listened intently.

Spike... I'm sorry I left so abruptly. But I'm ready to move forward now. But for us to move forward... I can't hide anymore. Just follow Trixie's lead for now. She means well, and she does have a certain stage presence. Sombra whispered via the link.

"It's alright. I trust you. Just don't do anything you aren't ready for." Spike replied, clutching his ear-fin.

I love you.

"Love you too."

After his all too brief conversation with Sombra, Spike assisted Trixie and the guards by setting up the fold-out bleachers, and barely noticed the arrival of several familiar faces. His mother, Celestia, Luna, a tall mare that was quite obviously Selene in a trench-coat and sunglasses, and the royal family of the Crystal Empire themselves. Amore' and Rampart both waved to Spike, who almost dropped the heavy aisles of seats when he waved back.

After everything had been set up, Trixie directed the VIP's to their seats.

Celestia, Luna, Selene, and the Crystal Royalty got seats up front.

Much to Spike's confusion, Twilight took a seat at the game-show podium on the audience's left. But Spike was even more surprised when the guards wheeled out a semi-opaque box they placed behind the other podium. It was a privacy booth of some sort, just big enough for one pony.

Spike saw ponies looking at the scene with great curiosity, many of them were even filling up the newly erected seats. He supposed that whatever was going to happen, he might as well play along. Sombra was being silent, likely because he was nervous.

Once Spike was in position behind the stage, he erupted into flames to which he received startled gasps, and then cheers once he emerged in his full glory. Trixie had explained during setup that he was to be the judge, though he only now began to understand what that meant.

But what no one other than Spike realized was that his looming shadow drifted in the direction of the privacy booth behind the unoccupied podium. Spike felt Sombra leave him, and a silhouette filled the booth. No one could really see who was inside, and nopony had noticed Sombra enter unnaturally due to Spike's impromptu show of growing several times his apparent size.

The last additions to the apparent game-show were a large monitor bordered in lights, and a number of press-ponies. It seemed at least one representative journalist from every major news source and journal of opinion was invited. In fact, they seemed to be almost half of the audience, though the majority was still crystal ponies.

Once the seats were all full, and a great deal of other patrons had decided to stand or hover if they possessed wings.

Trixie summoned up a microphone once attendance met her standards.

"Hello there, ponies of the Crystal Empire~! I'm your host, Trixie Lulamoon! Welcome! We've got a big show for you here today! If I could, please direct your attention to the monitor."

Everyone, including Spike looked as directed, and saw a blown-up image Spike recognized as himself and Sombra dancing at the gala months before. Then it changed to the night of Twilight's Birthday, where Sombra could be seen with the rest of the group. Then several pictures of Spike and Sombra, as well as Sombra and Luna, and even Celestia out on the town.

They were pictures from the less reputable papers around the country, and none of them got very good angles. All someone not in the know could glean from it was a well dressed stallion with a dark coat accompanying Spike and his family. Nobody could glean his identity.

"This mystery stallion has been all the tabloids can talk about these days, am I right? It's been ages since everyone's favorite reptile was spotted with a date, and now this stallion nobody can get a decent photo of is everywhere with him! Well, wonder no more folks! By the end of today, everyone will have the answer!" Trixie shouted.

That sent a wave of excited chatter through the crowd, and it set the reporters scribbling on their notepads.

"Before we reveal his identity, we're gonna get you ponies hyped! Today, we've got a quiz show between the mystery stallion, and Spike's own mother! She's already given our guy her seal of approval, but everyone knows how much the crystal ponies love their hero. We want to see their reaction before we drop the metaphorical curtain!" Trixie explained.

The crystal ponies all cheered and stomped their hooves excitedly, while both Spike and Twilight were trying not to look too embarrassed.

As soon as the crowd calmed down, Trixie pulled a hefty stack of cards out of her suit.

"Okay ponies. These questions have been written by Princess Celestia, Luna, and your own Princess Cadence! So you know they're gonna be fair. Let's get to it shall we?" Trixie informed them, hyping up the crowd even more.

Spike had a terrible feeling in his gut, but he couldn't do anything. Everyone was there already, and the crowd was practically on the edge of their seats already. If he bailed now, whatever Sombra was planning would go to waste. Each podium lit up with either Sombra or Twilight's cutie marks, and either display lit up and read zero.

"Okay then. Our first question is... What is Spike's favorite snack? Everybody knows the big guy loves to eat." Trixie read off the first card.

"Hmm. Nachos?" Twilight asked more than answered.

"Vanadium emeralds and extra salty pretzels crushed and mixed with bacon bits and made into chocolate clusters. He calls it dragon chow." The stallion in the booth stated factually.

To simplify things, Spike raised his hand over the privacy booth with a thumbs up. The podium in front of Sombra dinged, and the display that bore his cutie mark lit up and read out ten points. Twilight got a few disappointed looks from the audience, which she took a little offense to.

"Hey, Spike is the one that always cooked. I burned ice cream once." Twilight replied.

Twilight found her retort lacking, in that it only caused laughter in the audience.

"Settle down, folks. Our next question is... What is Spike's favorite song?" Trixie read off another card.

Twilight and Sombra were both quiet for a few moments, and the audience was anxiously awaiting the call.

"Majestic, by Wax Fang?" Sombra stated with a modicum of certainty.

"Sound of Pulling Heaven Down, by Blue October." Twilight declared.

Spike seemed to think for a moment, having a hard time deciding. In the end, he hovered his hands over both his mother and his lover and gave them both signs of affirmation.

"I really like music, and those are two of my favorites... I couldn't decide." Spike explained sheepishly.

The crowd seemed mildly disappointed, but couldn't hold it against Spike.

After a few more questions it seemed Twilight and Sombra were equally versed in Spike lore. But Twilight still had an advantage. All the questions about Spike's childhood were obviously hers for the taking. Though the points weren't all that important, they just needed to show how much Sombra cared.

"Okay, next up... What is Spike's favorite book?" Trixie read off another card.

Twilight's eyes lit up like stars, and her mind immediately began cross-referencing the absurd number of titles in her mind with Spike. Conversely, Sombra had no difficulty coming up with his answer. Though no one could see it, he had a confident smirk on his face.

"The Firesong Novels." Twilight declared confidently.

"Issue three-twenty-six of Power Ponies with variant cover number two. Wherein a grown Hum-Drum discards his status as a sidekick and dons a new costume, taking the name Sparktacular as he strikes out on his own as a hero." Sombra countered with absolute certainty.

Twilight's eyes shrank to pinpricks as she realized Spike's great love of comic books outweighed his fondness of a good novel. Feeling foolish, she didn't even bother to look up as Spike conceded the victory to Sombra. With that win, Sombra and Twilight were now tied at five-hundred points apiece.

Twilight wasn't all that upset, as the plan was going smoothly.

Unfortunately her pride would take some time to heal.

"Well folks, we've proved our mystery stallion here cares for Spike just as much as his own mother. So, are you all ready to see who he really is? To give him a chance to speak?" Trixie implored the crowd.

The crowd was practically singing their mystery stallion's praises, and at the same time dying of anticipation. They cheered and bellowed in excitement as Spike took hold of the privacy box and slowly began to lift it off the stage. At the same time, all those who knew the identity of the mystery stallion rose from their seat and joined Twilight in front of the stage.

Spike finished removing the box, and everyone gasped, then fell silent.

Standing before them was the most feared being in the history of their nation.

Sombra, in all his dark glory. No one dared run or hide behind anything other than their hooves, lest they risk arousing the mad king's ire. Yet everyone found themselves surprised when Sombra did nothing. He didn't move, except for his mane and tail which flowed about without direction.

After everyone had the needless panic out of their systems, Sombra managed to muster the courage to speak.

"Ponies of the Crystal Empire... I apologize for this farce. My... publicist, came up with this idea. I only agreed to it because I didn't wish to start a panic by merely marching into town. Though, I suppose it was effective enough." Sombra began.

Trixie, ever the focus of attention gave a bow to the crowd, despite the less than proper compliment.

While the crystal ponies were practically paralyzed, the journalists were eating up the situation even more than the impromptu game-show and tabloid confirmations. Flash-bulbs and pens were working like mad. There was no way the media wasn't going to put on an almost literal circus of speculation and slander unless they got the whole story.

After a reassuring look from Spike, Sombra continued.

"I am indeed Sombra, but I am no king. What you all know of me is false. A demon... created me, from shadows and darkness, so that it might wear me as a suit after it had lost it's own body. Before I took my first breath, I was possessed. The powers my body possesses were used in concert with the demon's, and it was used to horrible effect against all of you.

"But I will not lie. Celestia and Luna defeated the demon with light, forcing it into hibernation. When I returned from the ice, I was in control of my actions. But I had no idea who, or what I was. The echoes of the demon's thoughts were all I knew, so I sought to continue it's work, until I was stopped. I spent fifteen years in a coma, but I have been back for six months, learning of the world." Sombra revealed.

There was a flurry of murmurs amongst all the photography and note taking, which Sombra had expected. He didn't think anyone would believe him, which was why he was calling in favors.

"That being said, I fully expected and understand your skepticism. Which is why I am not alone. I have Spike, and my sister, and a family of friends. Most of which you all know, and will trust far more than me." Sombra continued.

Celestia was the first to step up, as she had promised she would.

"Sombra awoke in a specimen jar in Twilight Sparkle's laboratory. When he got his body back, he had no powers. I put him in Spike's care, because Spike is strong and of impeccable character. Time and time again, Sombra has proved himself to Spike, and to me. Sombra is a strong individual, not only in terms of power, but of spirit. I respect him, and trust him." Celestia informed the crowd.

There were a number of murmurs of people sounding doubtful, but there were equal numbers of those who were either confused or starting to believe. It wasn't much, but it was honestly more than Sombra had expected. And yet there were still others who cared enough to speak.

Selene ripped off her simple disguise, revealing her majesty to the world with a flourish.

Luna stepped forward with her, and the two held hooves.

"Once I was alone in the darkness, so I used magic to create someone who would love me. This is what began my fall as Nightmare Moon. But after I returned, I grew lonely again, and resurrected her. Selene. In secret, she has been my wife for seven years. Each and every time we attended an event as Nightmare Moon, we were fused as The full and true Nightmare. We have achieved a love unlike any other, and we hope you in the crowd will understand." Luna began.

"Over the course of the last few months, we have trained Sombra to control his incredible power. He is the only one that understands Luna and myself, and I am proud to say I have adopted him as my brother. We three are creatures of darkness, but it is time we take our place in the light. All we want is for the world to know the truth." Selene finished.

Selene shimmered and bled into Luna, and in less than the time it took to blink Nightmare Moon stood beside Celestia, minus her armor and finery. Everyone was a bit taken aback, but they were too enraptured to interrupt the onslaught of crown secrets being revealed. This was the biggest thing to happen in the two nations since Tirek.

A mostly starstruck percentage of the audience cheered, though many of the doubters were equally shocked and appalled with Nightmare Moon as they were Sombra. But still, Sombra remained thankful for his sisters and held his head high. The anxiety was there, but it was currently taking a back-burner to the love and admiration he was feeling from those that stood before him.

Cadence, Shining Armor, and the children were the next to step up.

The crystal ponies waited for them to speak with baited breath. But what no one expected was that it was the children that were the ones to act first. Quite possibly the most beloved ponies in the whole country, standing up to speak for quite possibly the most hated person in the country.

"Uh... Hello? We wanted to say, we were scared of Sombra when we first met him. But he stayed with Spike on Hearth's Warming, and he got everybody really thoughtful presents. He even figured out Auntie Pinkie Pie was gonna have a baby before she did." Rampart started.

"And he was never too busy to play with us when everybody else was doing grown-up stuff. He taught us how to play chess, and gave us a card game so we can play it with him and Spike. He even let us win sometimes, but we knew he was just being nice. My special talent is matchmaking, and I think Sombra belongs with Spike." Amore' added.

Sombra hadn't expected the children to speak on his behalf, but it meant the world to him.

He wiped a tear from his eyes, and he walked up to Spike.

Without warning, he created a massive hand from his mane and pulled the full sized Spike down to his level and placed a kiss on his snout in front of everyone. Spike laughed and did his best to kiss Sombra back in his current state. Then he picked the little stallion up and placed him on his shoulder.

Once Spike was sitting upright again, Sombra looked down upon his whole audience.

"Let me make my intentions clear. Whether or not you approve of me, I exist. I have a family, and all the same rights as anyone else. I would like to make a positive mark on the world, but I thought it would be best to formally apologize to the crystal ponies, even though I had little to no control over events. Spike and I are very happy, and we have no intention of letting public opinion effect that." Sombra declared.

Spike couldn't help but smile, and struck a pose for the crowd.

He put his bicep in perfect display, and turned his head so that they could compare his mark to the one on Sombra.

"You heard him. He's staying with me, and anyone that says otherwise can file complaints directly to me. Truth be told, I didn't know today was the day Sombra was gonna have his coming out party, but I'm all in. I love Sombra, and I'm happy I don't have to hide it anymore." Spike added.

"I love you too, Spike." Sombra declared loud enough to be heard.

Spike surveyed the crowd, and saw that many of the ponies were wearing soft expressions. They at least wanted to give Sombra a chance, which was all they could ask of them. The mood fell just a little bit when they saw some of the crystal ponies leave.

Can't make everyone happy. Spike sighed internally.

After fielding quite a few questions from the press, Sombra offered to speak with any of the crystal ponies who would have him. Only a handful took him up on it, but most of them seemed to find him agreeable enough. Trixie's show had painted Sombra in a favorable enough light that most were apt to give him the benefit of the doubt.

Though to Sombra's chagrin more people were ready to speak with Selene via Nightmare Moon than him. Though once he realized just how many of them were starry-eyed fan girls he let it go. He didn't want that sort of attention.

The day seemed to have went off without a hitch, until about an hour before sundown.

The unofficial conference was beginning to wind down, and everyone was helping disassemble the stage and seating. It happened very suddenly, and no one heard or saw anything. Sombra merely fell to the ground out of nowhere, dropping the sound equipment he had been holding.

The ponies that were still around gasped and screamed as they turned to see an arrow sticking out of his temple.

Fortunately, Nightmare Moon was on the case.

Using her ability to turn into stardust and smoke, she darted off in the direction the arrow had come from. In the space of about thirty-five seconds she returned, a red crystal unicorn stallion with a longbow and quiver in tow. She dropped him on the ground and reformed standing on top of him, keeping him pinned.

Spike scooped up Sombra, and set him upright. He wobbled just a bit, but stood firm in Spike's palm. The stallion's expression of confident victory changed to one of abject horror as the arrow sunk into the depths of Sombra's personal darkness. Then, a hand erupted forth from his mane with the offending weapon in it's grasp.

With a single motion, the arrow snapped in half and fell to the ground.

"You okay?" Spike asked, more out of obligation than concern.

Sombra blinked a few times in rapid succession, then shook his head. Afterwards he seemed quite alright, more peeved than anything. He dusted himself off, and looked up at Spike.

"Yes. I'm fine. It was disorienting more than anything. Though we may wish to have a chat with the would-be assailant. I'm fairly certain that arrow was coated in something foul. Second time someone has tried to poison me this week." Sombra replied, rightfully annoyed.

Everyone had almost forgotten the stallion on the ground, as most were unaccustomed to Sombra's immortality.

Sombra floated down from Spike's hand, and Nightmare Moon released the stallion from her clutches. His chances were slim to none as far as escape was concerned. Over half of the most powerful creatures on Earth happened to have him surrounded.

"May I ask your name, sir?" Sombra asked the assailant.

The stallion remained silent.

Sombra didn't seem disheartened, but instead used a tendril of shadow to pilfer the bow and quiver from off the ground. He inspected them, then passed them off to Shining Armor, as he was the one familiar with weapons and was tied for highest authority in the empire. Afterwards, Sombra returned his attention to the stallion.

"While I don't see any reason to press charges, I would like you to think about your actions. I do not die, and conventional weapons are all but useless. Therefore, you may take as many attempts on my life as you wish. I might even sleep a little better at night knowing someone who was hurt by me, even indirectly, got to take out a bit of their frustration.

"However, there are a great many ponies in this area that might have gotten hurt, or even killed had things played out differently. There are also children present, and something I absolutely cannot abide by is traumatizing children. Mortality is not a concept I wish for ones so young to wrestle with. Should you pull another stunt like this, I will not hesitate to call the constables, or guards, or what have you, and do everything I can to see you prosecuted." Sombra promised the stallion.

Their was no hostility, or fear, or even anger in his tone. If anything, Sombra sounded disappointed in the as of yet unnamed stallion. Such a strange circumstance actually cut the stallion's ego deep enough to wound his sense of justice, or thirst for revenge. Whichever had fueled the attack.

After Shining Armor had gotten a turn with him, the stallion was set free, though a guard went with him to confiscate the poison and his weapons weren't returned.

After everyone split up and went home, and the last of the reporters had been shooed away, the main group headed into the castle for dinner. Everything went well enough, though some of the staff were a bit uncomfortable just yet. Sombra insisted on clearing the table himself, and that none of them should help him.

Trixie even got to catch up with Twilight, while Sombra and Spike headed back to Spike's room.

"So. Trixie? Never thought I'd see her again. What was she doing out in Farrier's Gulch?" Spike asked as he got into bed.

"She wanted a new start, and I helped her along. She's an odd one, but I'm hardly one to judge." Sombra replied, "You used the hoard spell to find me, didn't you?"

Sombra hadn't missed a step, as usual. Spike could only blush and nod in reply. He hated being two steps behind, but he found Sombra's intellect sexy at the same time.

"I wouldn't have blamed you for coming to get me... I half expected it, really. I felt like a fool for running way. I should have just talked to you. You knew what I was going through better than I did, and you could have helped." Sombra admitted.

Sombra got into bed and curled up beside Spike, feeling both accomplished and foolish. The day had been more or less won, but after everything that had transpired he felt tired. The whole world would know about him in the morning, and it would be difficult moving forward. But Sombra knew it would be worth it in the end.

"Spike... I think the mark on your arm is fading a bit. Let me fix it for you." Sombra asked of Spike.

"Uh... Okay?" Spike complied, showing him his bicep.

Sombra formed a hand of shadows much smaller than he normally did, and he reached into his own chest. Spike was alarmed, but Sombra wore a mask of calm and tranquility. From within himself, Sombra pulled his beating heart. A black recreation of the hearts Spike had seen in books, but it thrummed and beat with the pink spirit energy Sombra exuded.

"Forgive me if it's a tad morbid, but... Spike The Dragon, I give you my heart. A symbol of love, to let you know that while I cannot die, there is no living without you. Do you accept it?" Sombra asked, a smile on his face.

Spike's mind raced, but his heart understood right away.

It was up to his mouth to break the stalemate.

"I do." Spike answered.

Sombra raised the heart up to Spike's bicep, and phased it into the mark on his arm. Spike couldn't feel it after that, but then Sombra moved his hand over Spike's and directed it to the mark. Sure enough, Spike could feel it beating, faster and faster as he held it.

"Oh my gods... That's the craziest and most romantic gesture ever. So... That was a proposal, right?" Spike asked excitedly.

Sombra chuckled, and nuzzled up against him.

"Yes. Just as soon as we're done with all this Dootha business, we'll tie the knot. Then, we take our trip to Neighpon. After that... Well, we'll think of something." Sombra resolved.

Spike practically crushed Sombra in a hug, but Sombra didn't care. Everything was right with the world, at least in his view. Horrors were working against them in the darkness, preparing to rend his happiness asunder. But Sombra now had everything to lose, and the darkness was more than ready to rend them in kind, if given the chance.

Author's Note:

So, due to circumstances beyond my control (illness, prior obligations, etc.) I had to rush this chapter a little. That's also why you're getting a Thursday release. Regardless, I hope it turned out alright.

Thanks for reading, and for your continued patronage.

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