A shadow of what I once was.

by FaelaArts

I've got to find a way.

The first thing Twilight tried was digging underneath the detection spell. However, after digging for a while she felt her body stop responding and walk back into the castle, and cast a spell, caving in her tunnel. Gritting her teeth, she turned and headed for a utility closet.

Grabbing a screwdriver, she headed back to her room and tried to remove the collar while she looked at it from the mirror. After a few tries to find purchase, she tossed the screwdriver away and instead tried to undo the screws with her magic. Growling as she realised they must have been made out of the same material as magic limiters, she growled and began to pace.

‘Okay Twilight, think. You’ve got Rarity, yourself, not enough magic to teleport, and a collar that won’t come off. There must be a way out of this situation.’ Twilight sat down on a chair and breathed out, letting her head flop down onto the nearby table.

“I’m trapped, and there’s no way out,” she spoke, letting sadness creep into her voice. What should she do? Sombra had more or less admitted to lying about the test, and she had no way to break out with her current arsenal. Biting her lip, she rose once more and nodded to herself.

“Alright, I can’t give up hope yet, despair is the enemy here. I need to find...something that will give me the edge. Of course, the Library!” Twilight beamed as she stepped out of her room, heading for the smaller library that was situated in the castle. There might just be something she could use to escape in there.

“Oh,” she looked at the ashes remaining in the library, and knew they had been burned the moment Sombra had taken over. Twilight paused a moment to mourn the lost knowledge, and sat down in the ash.

’I’ve got to keep my spirits up, a chance will come.’ Twilight stood up and marched back to her room, pausing as her mind repeated her sentence a few times. It had sparked something, she decided to continue the thought.

’A chance to defeat Sombra...Of course! Sombra!’ Twilight grinned, of course! Sombra was the one thing she had that might produce unknown results! If she talked to him he might let something slip she could use!

Twilight walked toward the throne room, and knocked on the door. It opened with a creak, and Sombra was staring at her as she walked in.

“Sombra, I have some questions and you will answer them!” Twilight stamped a hoof once, standing tall and proud. Sombra sat up straight, and tilted his head.

“If it get’s you to admit you have been defeated and submit to my will once more, so be it.” Sombra stood up with a groan, and approached Twilight.

“Where is Celestia and Luna?” Twilight decided the first thing to do would be to find out where everypony was.

“Down in the dungeons guarded by an army, if you were so inclined to think of trying to free them.” Sombra stopped a few steps away, and yawned once more.

“What of the Changelings?” Twilight knew Sombra had likely punished them badly, having some strange hate for Changelings that she didn’t know the reason for.

“After extracting them from the prison cell, I sent them to be executed one by one in front of ponies.” Sombra turned and headed back for the throne, and sat down. Twilight blinked, and tilted her head. Wait, prison cell? Luna had sent her an update via Spike about the Changelings, they had been released and were slowly becoming Equestrians.

“Sombra, Celestia freed the Changelings yesterday. They’re now Equestrian citizens.” Twilight took a step forward as Sombra blinked, and glanced toward the window.

“Well yes, but I sentenced them all to a year in prison for being Changelings, before I executed them.” Twilight frowned. While that was a possibility, she decided to pinch herself again. Yes it still hurt. It couldn’t be a dream, and yet…

Suddenly, it all clicked.

“You couldn’t give me five more minutes?” Sombra glared at Twilight irritably as the world around them shattered, and they were once more in white.

“Sorry, but you ruined it when you spoke about the Changelings. How did you make me feel pain?” Twilight pointed to where she had pinched herself, and Sombra sighed irritably, and everything flashed brightly, blinding Twilight. When she could finally see again, she was back in Sombra’s room, who was currently sipping a drink.

“It isn’t that hard to simulate small pain when I know exactly what your intention is, and what you expect it to feel like.” Sombra stood up as the crystal around Twilight shattered, and he levitated the limiter back into a drawer. Twilight rubbed her arm, where it still hurt from where she had pinched herself, twice.

“What were you going to do if I didn’t figure it out?” Twilight flared her wings and cracked her joints. She didn’t know how long she had been under but it felt like ages.

“Mention how I was controlling every pony with fear magic.” Sombra glanced to Twilight as he once more levitated the bed back to its normal position, opening the curtains and turning off the lamp. Twilight winced, Sombra knew her well it seemed. A small fact like that would have easily been picked up on.

“As it stands, you passed. I will now teach you the proper spell, and not the makeshift one you used back at my castle.” Sombra walked over, and a light spark traveled down his horn as he tapped it to Twilight’s, sending knowledge across. Blinking in surprise, she turned and tilted her head.

“But wait, this is just a-” Cutting herself off, she remembered what Sombra had said before the final test, and changed her question.

“But if this spell only converts emotion into magic, and vice versa, how did you become corrupted?” Twilight winced as Sombra’s eyes flared bright green and he growled, pushing her out of the room and into the hallway.

“I will tell you the same thing I told that orange one’s sister: It depends on your definition of corruption.” Sombra stepped into his room, and slammed the door in Twilight’s face. Twilight stood there for a moment, and then slowly walked away, biting her lip.

Author's Note:

Worst kept secret of all time: Was this a dream?

Comments

[Dream Seeker]

Absolute power corrupts absolutely. I think that Sombra was just so powerful he got corrupted manually, not magically corrupted.

[PinkieLunaShy]

5177650

He just killed any feelings I had towards him..... Killjoy.

[FaelaArts]

5178002
That's Sombra for you

[the other sans]

5178002 such is a crush... You get crushed eventually *ba dum tsh*

[PinkieLunaShy]

5178609

That was a good one!

[TwibraFlattercordlover]

5177911

What

[Super Ponyman]

Was this a dream?

I do not think that is an exact way of describing it, it might have been a simple dream, or a vision of the future, well a possible future.