• Published 4th Oct 2015
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Of Flame and Shadow - Garuda IV



Dark Flame was a young stallion of the mining village, Stonewall. But after a dragon thought to be of myth attacks, Dark becomes the only survivor and now attempts to remake his life. However, his past isn't willing to let him go so easily.

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Chapter 54- A Vision of the Past

Dark didn't know where he was. Last he remembered, he and Twilight fell asleep together in their bed. Now confusion, he blinked as he tried to look around at his surroundings. However, he couldn't move his head, leaving him to see the miles and miles of frozen tundra ahead of him. And beyond that on the horizon, a long string of mountains.

What the- were the hay am I? Dark wondered. Where's Twilight? How'd I get here... and why can't I move my body?!

A few minutes later, his body began to walk ahead on its own. As it did, Dark tried to strain his neck to look around at anything, but still couldn't. Refusing to give in, he continued his struggle, just to find himself tired. Relaxing, he watched as he continued to tread through the snow in his-

Wait. Why are my claws and arms black again?

His head beginning to turn, Dark saw a faint glimmer off in the far distance to his left. Feeling like ignoring it for some reason, he pressed onward towards the mountain range ahead of him.

"Such an eyesore," a familiar voice muttered. "One would think to do something to hide that light. With it shining like that, it'll act like a beacon for anything wanting to attack it."

Nocturne?! But how?! Dark questioned worryingly. What's going on here?! Did he overtake me in my sleep and we switched roles with me trapped inside his body now?!

As it to answer his question, his body deployed its black wings and took-off from the ground, but kept low to the ground as he flew. Ten minutes later, he reached the edge of a snow-covered forest where he then landed. Upon landing, Dark finally noticed just how tall he was as the tops of the pine trees barely came up to the top of his back, leaving his head easily exposed up above the treetops.

Oh, yeah. Something's up here, and I'm now inside Nocturne's body. It has to be it. Getting an idea, Dark tried to shout out at Nocturne to get his attention, but not a sound left his mouth. Confused, he tired to speak again, only to hear silence from him. Great. I can't talk now? What the hay is going on?!

Knowing that this is now Nocturne's body, Dark begrudgingly watched as he lowered his head below the treetops and continue forward down what appeared to be a faded trail. The farther into the forest he went, the darker the forest became, both in light source and the feeling that the forest gave off.

Kinda reminds me of the Everfree Forest, only... darker? Dark mused. How's that possible, though? I thought that the Everfree Forest was the darkest forest in all of Equestria. Suddenly, a lightbulb went off in his head. Wait. Are we even in Equestria right now?

Mentally shaking his head, Dark watched as Nocturne continued deeper into the forest. Almost to the base of the mountain range now, Dark noticed that all of the plants that they'd passed had gradually gone from their natural brown barks and green pine needle, to everything being a pitch-black. Even the wildlife seemed unusually scarce.

Well, I can see why Nocturne would want to come here, Dark thought with a mental huff. It's definitely dark and gloomy enough, but you'd think that as the Lord of Death that he'd want to be somewhere more... cemetery-like. Then again, I'm not like that. On the other claw, though, he was borne into the role where as I just took over for him. That, and the sky is nice and dark with those snow clouds, so that's- hello, what do we have here?

Coming upon the base of the mountain, Dark saw something unusual on the side of the mountain. As they got closer, he could see that the area they were walking to had been artificially carved out of the mountain. Stone pillars aligned both the outside and inside of what appeared to be a monstrous doorway into the mountain.

"Ahh. Home sweet home," Nocturne sighed in relief.

Wait. Home? Dark questioned. He never said anything about having a home... and I still don't know where we even are!

With Nocturne walking inside, Dark looked around as best as he could to take in all of there was, which wasn't much really. Besides the evenly symmetrical stone-carved walls, there wasn't anything interesting about this place. Several minutes later, however, they reached what appeared to be an antechamber adorned with skeletons from all different kinds of creatures embedded within the walls.

Oh, great. His home is a giant crypt, Dark thought with a mental eye-roll. What's next? A throne made of bones?

Walking through the antechamber, Nocturne entered into a domed room several hundred feet big with pillars holding it up. In the center of it lay a dragon-sized fire pit with bones burning inside it, doorways leading into different rooms off to the sides, and a river of fire lighting the room along the edge of the walls. And, as thought to taunt Dark, towards the back of the room sat a throne of bones massive enough to accommodate Nocturne himself.

You've got to be kidding me, Dark groaned with a mental facepalm. He actually has a throne of bones. Well, nothing screams 'Lord of Death' more than a giant throne made of bones I suppose.

However, for all of the death that surrounded them, there was something out of place. Over at the foot of the throne, a heap of fur laid curled up.

Noticing it, Nocturne made his way over before he stood over it. Looking down upon the intruder, he began to notice a few distinct shapes on it, like the mane and tail, hooves, and a horn on its forehead. Upon closer inspection, he saw the colors of the stallion's black mane and gray coat. Giving a snort, Nocturne lowered himself down to speak to it.

"Who are you and how did you find this place?" he asked, his voice echoing off of the walls.

Shifting his head, the stallion opened his green eyes and looked up at Nocturne. "My name is Sombra, and I hail from the Crystal Empire."

Wait. This is King Sombra? Dark questioned. But he's suppose to be dead... and he isn't really acting like what Twilight described him to be.

"Fine, but what are you doing here?"

"I've read about this place in a hidden tome I found, and have come seeking you."

Nocturne chuckled. "Do know of whom you are talking to, pony?"

Sombra nodded. "I do. You are Nocturne, Lord of Death. And this place is your temple."

Nocturne was silent, now eyeing the stallion thoroughly from horn to hoof. "And yet you still came here. Why?"

Standing up on shaky legs, Sombra looked up to Nocturne with a look of determination. "My magic is weak. That is why I have come here." Sombra bowed. "I wish to learn from you. I want to become stronger, so that my magic may one day help the ponies of the Crystal Empire."

Nocturne snorted. "My power isn't one that mortal ponies should be meddling in. My magic is death, plain and simple." He turned around and began walking away towards one of the tunnels. "Go. Leave this place and return to your home."

"No."

Nocturne froze in place, his last clawstep echoing throughout the room. "What?"

"I'm not leaving."

Turning back around, Nocturne vanished from Sombra's sight before reappearing above him, his eyes glaring dangerously at him.

"You are not learning my magic!" Nocturne boomed.

"Yes I am!" Sombra shouted back. When Nocturne didn't respond, he continued. "I came here for one reason, and I am not leaving without it! I only brought enough supplies with me for the journey here. So either I stay and learn from you, or I die!"

Silently, motionlessly, Nocturne stared-down Sombra, who in turn stared straight back into his eyes with determination. After a few minutes of gauging the stallion's reaction, Nocturne gave an amused chuckle before turning serious again.

"If I did teach you my magic, what would you do with it specifically?" he wondered.

"I will use it to help protect the Empire." Sombra paused as a faint blush crossed his muzzle. "And to protect her."

Nocturne arched an eyebrow. "You're a stubborn one, aren't you?"

Sombra nodded. "I don't like to lose. And on the off chance that I do, I find a way to come back and finish it."

Well, if nothing else, this should at least be entertaining. "Very well then." Nocturne stood on his legs with his arms and wings spread wide. "I welcome you, Sombra, to the Shadow Temple!"

'Shadow Temple'? Dark questioned with an arched eyebrow.

"'Shadow Temple'?" Sombra mimicked. "Why'd you call it that?"

"Because 'Death Temple' sounds stupid, and 'Death's Crypt' sounds too cliché to me." Nocturne returned to all fours and furrowed his brows. "But be warned, pony. The kind of magic that I'm about to teach you is very dangerous. I'm not sure what it'll do to you as a pony. For all we know, this power may turn you mad."

"I'll take my chances," Sombra said, his resolve unmoving. "Master Nocturne."

Nocturne nodded. "Very well. First we eat, then, my Apprentice, your lessons will begin."

Apprentice? Dark echoed. But they're not suppose to take on any apprentices, and Nocturne's was over a thousand... no way. It was as though a switch had been flipped in Dark's mind. Is this one of Nocturne's memories? Well, this explains why I can't move and why it's like as if I'm watching it through his eyes.


Two years have passed since Nocturne had taken Sombra on as his apprentice, and during that time, Sombra had taken to this new magic rather well. As time passed, Sombra had to adjust to his new life. With him learning from Nocturne, he wasn't allowed to return to the Crystal Empire until his training was complete, a requirement that he didn't seem to mind much. Another thing that Sombra had to come to terms with was the new diet. Between not being allowed to return to civilization yet, and Nocturne's diet, Sombra had little choice but to eat meat like Nocturne. Thankfully for him, none of the meat was pony. As time passed, his flat teeth had changed into fangs to accommodate his new diet.

"Good," Nocturne said, circling around as he watched Sombra. "Feel the shadows around you, for they are your best friend and greatest weapon."

Sensing the shadows dancing around him, Nocturne continued to watch until the shadows erupted with black crystals.

He's progressed better than I thought, he mused.

"Well?" Sombra asked, glancing to Nocturne expectantly. "Is this good enough, or shall I continue?"

"That's good. You may stop for now."

Nocturne shrunk his body down to being a few heads taller then Sombra while he retracted the crystals back into the shadows.

"So, will I begin the next level of my training yet?" Sombra asked, getting an irritated snort from Nocturne.

"I told you that this kind of magic takes time to master," Nocturne said. "While you've made good progress so far, you cannot rush it."

Sombra stamped in hoof in anger. "I've been studying your magic for years now! You've taught me how to control shadows and how use your magic to raise the dead for the last year, but nothing more beyond that!"

"Because it's dangerous!" Nocturne boomed. "This isn't the sort of magic that one should just use at will. The shadows are fine, but not those beyond that."

Using the silence as a time to calm himself, Nocturne closed his eyes in thought. Then again, he has been patient... perhaps I'm just being overly cautious. However, I'll need to make sure that he's ready. But first...

Nocturne raised his claw, causing several shadowy ribbons to began converging into the palm of his claw. Slowly, it then began to take on a form of what looked like a long, slightly-curved pole. That was, until one of the ends had a curve starting to jut out from it. Once the shape was formed, the shadows faded, revealing Nocturne's scythe. While the pole was as black as his skin, at the top of it was a gray dragon skill with a long, curved blade protruding out from its maw.

"This is my weapon," Nocturne spoke, having Sombra's complete attention. "It's name is Death Reaper, and it's what is called a Living Weapon."

"Is there something special about it?" Sombra asked, getting a nod from Nocturne.

"Living Weapons are very rare and very dangerous. Even making one would most likely kill you as it requires a lot of your own blood to create."

"Anything else?"

"Yes. As the name suggests, this weapon is alive in a way. It'll know who's wielding it, and it it's not its owner, then it'll curse them by taking over their body. However, this is a way to bypass that."

"How?"

"Only if its owner has allowed for another to use it." Nocturne held the weapon out towards Sombra. "Like how I am with you right now."

Sombra looked at the weapon with unease. However, with an irritated grunt and motion from Nocturne, Sombra took the weapon with his magic and held it.

"It feels... strange," Sombra said, looking over the scythe.

"Don't worry about it," Nocturne told him. "Now, since you can now wield it, and after seeing how far you've come in your training, perhaps it's time that I sent you on your first assignment."

Sombra looked at Nocturne in surprise. "Are you being serious?"

"I am. Now, this assignment is more of a test. If you pass, you'll progress onto the next stage of your training. If you fail, however, then it's another year. Do you accept?"

"I do."

"Very well then. In that case, there's a group of gryphons that have been murdering the ponies in a village to the west of the Crystal Empire. There will be a few dozen of them, so I'll be letting you use Death Reaper while you're on this mission."

"Won't using this give me an already bigger advantage over them?" Sombra questioned. "I don't need this weapon to take them all out."

"It would be wise for you to not underestimate your enemy," Nocturne warned. "Ponies have been sent to deal with them, each failing to do so. Keep the weapon with you, just incase you find yourself needing it."

Not wanting to push his luck any further, Sombra gave a quick bow and strapped the scythe onto his back. With a final bow, he then turned his body into shadows and left on his assignment.

Huh. Well, aside from that outburst, Sombra seems like an alright pony, Dark thought with a shrug. Wonder what happened to him that turned him evil.


Okay, now this looks like the Sombra that Twilight told me about.

A few weeks had passed since Sombra was sent off on his assignment. When he returned, he wasn't the same pony as before. His black mane was now like shadows dancing like a flickering flame, his pupils became slitted, his irises turned red and his whites now green with a purple mist flowing out of the corners.

Upon seeing him, Nocturne gave a low, displeased, and threatening growl. "Sombra, what is the meaning of this?"

Sombra laughed, his voice lower and more threatening than it had been before he left.

"Isn't it obvious?" he asked with a fanged grin. "I passed my test, just like you wanted. And I must say that those gryphons weren't what I was expecting, especially when they began to pathetically beg for their lives."

"And what about my Death Reaper?"

"Oh, you mean this?" Sombra asked mockingly, using his shadows to pull the Death Reaper scythe out from his shadows before giving it a spin and sending it back. "Well now, since I can use it because you said that I could, I figured that I'll just keep it for myself."

"You would dare betray me?!"

Sombra frowned. "After all that I've done for you, you never trained me further than you did. I bet that you didn't even have the intent on going through with your end of the deal, even if I did succeed."

Nocturne sneered as his body began growing. "Be careful what you say with me, Apprentice."

"Or what?"

"I'll kill you myself."

"Oh... like this?" Sombra cockily asked, using his magic to pull Death Reaper out from the shadows beside Nocturne's neck before swinging.

Barely having any time to react, Nocturne tried to doge the swing, but it still made contact with him. However, by some stroke of luck or lack thereof, the scythe sliced one of his fangs off, causing Nocturne to roar in pain. While he recoiled from the pain, Sombra quickly grabbed the fang from the ground with his magic and tucked it away in his saddlebag.

"YOU WILL DIE!!!" Nocturne bellowed, growing to his full height and breathing his shadow breath across the ground.

However, unlike the sounds of pained screaming he was expecting, Nocturne instead heard Sombra laughing as his body turned into shadows before fleeing.

"With this fang of yours, I will have what I wanted," Sombra said as he fled. "And just to make sure that you can't follow..."

Once outside of the cave, Sombra used his magic and sealed the entrance tightly with crystals.

It took Nocturne a few minutes of pounding away at it, but the crystals eventually gave out under his strength. Free, Nocturne scanned the horizon for any signs of Sombra. However, with him in his shadow form, and the constant overcast from the storm clouds, Sombra was long gone by now.

Hearing a rumbling behind him, Nocturne turned around to see cracks quickly forming around the entrance to his temple. Due to Sombra's placement with his crystal barricade, the stone had been weakened enough for it to cave-in on itself. It was then, having lost his temple, Apprentice, fang, and Living Weapon, all within minutes of each other, that Nocturne let loose a piercing roar of rage and humiliation.

Dark gave a mental sigh. Alright, so what Aero said about Nocturne's apprentice was correct and all, but what caused it to happen?

"I do not know, but I believe that it is time that we changed the scene."

Before Dark knew it, the entire scene had changed from a snowscape, into a green, grassy field with a tree providing him shade. Feeling the restraints from before gone, Dark looked himself over, seeing that he was no longer looking through Nocturne's eyes, but was back in his own body. Breathing a sigh of relief, Dark sat down and leaned his back up against the tree.

"I must admit that that was a rather interesting dream." Looking up from his spot, Dark saw Luna standing a few feet ahead of him. But before he could scramble up and bow to her, she raised a hoof for him to stop. "There is no need for that, Dark." She walked beside him and sat herself down. "So?"

"So?" Dark echoed, confused at what she was getting to.

"Tell me of your thoughts."

Dark gave an audible sigh. "I can't really say. He seemed to be alright at first, but I don't know what happened that caused him to change when he left on his assignment."

Luna nodded. "Tell me, have you had any dreams like that before?"

"None. This is the first time that this has happened." Dark turned to look at Luna. "Dow did you find me anyway?"

"I sensed something wrong with your dream and came to investigate it. I'm actually surprised that your dream was a memory."

"So I was right," Dark said, getting a nod from Luna. "But, why is it that I just now had a memory of Nocturne's?"

"I cannot say. However," Luna's brow furrowed, "I can assure you that it cannot be good."

"She's right. It isn't good, nor is it a coincidence either."

Through a ripple in the air, Nocturne slowly materialized at his full-height in front of Dark and Luna before laying down to be more at their eye-level.

"So, I finally get to see you in your true form, Nocturne," Luna said.

"Yes, but that's not what's important right now, is it, Princess Luna?" Nocturne questioned.

"No, I suppose not."

"Nocturne," Dark spoke, "what was it that you were saying before?"

Nocturne's face took on a serious expression. "A few hours ago, I felt an uneasy disturbance. And I believe that it's linked to you having this dream."

"Well? What is it?"

Nocturne gave Dark a deadpan look. "Take a guess."

After a moment, Dark's eyes widened in realization. "You don't mean Sombra, do you?" he asked, getting a nod from Nocturne. "Why didn't you tell me sooner?!"

Nocturne gave a coy grin. "Because you and Twilight were too busy making the beast with two backs at the time, if you get my meaning."

Dark's face turned a bright shade of red as he understood Nocturne's meaning. Unfortunately for Dark, Luna did too as her face became flustered. In embarrassment, Dark snapped his attention between the blushing Luna, and the now chuckling Nocturne.

"Dude! Not in front of Princess Luna!" Dark shouted.

Luna cleared her throat before speaking. "Perhaps we should get back on the topic at hoof?" she suggested, getting an eager nod from Dark.

"Very well," Nocturne agreed before turning to Dark. "But don't expect to hear the end of this, Dark."

"I swear, Nocturne, I'm this close to bitch-slapping a dragon," he threatened.

"Alright, alright."

"Good. Now, why do you say that it's Sombra?"

"Because that's who it felt like."

"But the Crystal Heart destroyed Sombra," Luna reminded them.

"I know, I heard Twilight telling Dark the story, but I still feel it."

"Well then, can you tell us where it's coming from?"

Nocturne shook his head. "Not exactly, but I can tell you that it's coming from up north."

Dark tapped his chin in thought. "You think that it could be coming from your temple?"

He snorted. "I doubt it. You saw how the entrance caved-in, and that was the only entrance into it."

"Have you ever gone back there to check?" Luna asked, getting a headshake from Nocturne.

"No. I have never had a reason to return to it... too many bad memories."

Dark sighed sympathetically. "After watching what happened in your memories, I can understand why."

"Still, though, a thousand plus years is a long time," Luna commented. "For all we know, an opening may have revealed itself."

"It is possible," Nocturne said agreeingly. "However, due to my current situation, I can't go and find it."

"If you can tell me, I can visit Cadence and Shining Armor in their dreams and tell them."

"When did you come into my dream, Princess?" Dark asked.

"When Nocturne took Sombra in as his apprentice."

"Okay. In that case, it's located in a dark forest at the very base of the mountain. I'm sorry that I can't be anymore specific."

Luna gave a thankful nod. "That is fine. It may not be much, but it will help in our search. Thank you for your assistance, Dark. I will be sure to visit them and my sister and tell them about this after our business here is concluded. Perhaps even Twilight too?"

Dark shook his head. "If it's alright with you, Princess, I'd rather not disturb Twilight's sleep right now. I'll tell her about it when we wake up. Besides, I doubt that she would like to get up right now."

Nocturne chuckled. "After the way you two went at it, I'd doubt that she'd want to get up at all." Before Nocturne could react, a massive black portal appeared in front of him, followed by a claw and arm identical to his own that slapped him and sent him tumbling several dozen yards before skidding to a halt. "Ouch! Damn it, Dark!"

"I told you that I'd bitch-slap a dragon, Nocturne!" Dark told him, trying and failing to hide his blush.

Despite this being a dream, Nocturne still rubbed the spot on his cheek where Dark had struck him as he glared at him.

"Umm... perhaps we should end our conversation now and call it a night?" Luna suggested, her face now as red as an apple.

"Fine with me," Dark said.

"Fine," Nocturne mumbled.

"Very good then. In that case, I wish you a good night's rest, Dark," Luna said before standing up and lighting her horn. "And don't worry about your dreams. I'll make sure that your next one is a pleasant one before I go and deliver the message."

"Thank you, Princess," Dark thanked, bowing as the scenery around him changed once again.

With Dark content with his new dream, Luna made her way out of it and back into the Dream Realm. Taking a moment to find Shining and Cadence's dreams, she was about to enter when she felt that the heat on her face from hearing about Dark's and Twilight's activities hadn't dissipated yet. And so, she stood outside of the door, filling her mind with clean thoughts to help fight her blush down. Once she felt it was low enough, she opened the door to their dream... which turned out to be a mistake. Upon seeing their dream, Luna immediately slam the door to their dream shut, her blush having returned with a vengeance.

"I can't believe this! Both couples on the same night!" Luna shouted to herself in disbelief, the image of what she saw having been burned into her mind. With a heavy sigh, she left the Dream Realm and returned back in the throne room. "Forget it. I'll just tell them in the morning. Right now, though, I need a drink... or, more like a lot of drinks."


Dark and Twilight were having a peaceful breakfast together with Soul. After they ate, they walked Soul to school and dropped him off. With that done and them being alone, Dark explained to Twilight about the dream that he had, and the talk with Nocturne and Luna afterwards. This was a mistake, however, for as soon as Twilight heard, her pleasant mood turned to panic. And before they knew it, Twilight was running through town with Dark in tow in her magic.

"Twilight, can you wait for a moment?" Dark asked, floating alongside her in her magic.

"We can't!" she said panickly. "If it's about King Sombra, then we need to get the girls together and tell them!"

"But Pinkie and Applejack are-"

"INCOMING!"

Looking off to their right, Dark's and Twilight's eyes bulged as they both saw Pinkie riding on top of a flying boulder, waving Applejack's hat around her head while Applejack herself was holding onto the boulder for dear life. With a yelp, Twilight ran out of the way with Dark and casted a barrier around them. A few seconds later, the boulder crashed into the ground, kicking up the dirt into a dust cloud.

"Whoo! Hey, Applejack, let's to that again!" Pinkie said somewhere inside of the dust cloud.

"Hay no!" Applejack curtly replied. "Ah'm never gonna do that ever again!"

"Awww, but it's so much fun traveling by boulder."

Lowering the barrier, Twilight created a gust of wind that blew the dust away, revealing Pinkie happily sitting on top of the boulder while Applejack had fallen off and was now sprawled out on the ground.

"Pinkie? Applejack?" Twilight called confusingly. "How did you get here? You should still be in Appleloosa... and what did you mean you traveled by boulder?!"

"Oh, heya, Twilight, heya, Dark," Pinkie waved. "Just what I said."

"But how? And what happened in Appleloosa? Did you two solve the friendship problem?"

"Eeyup," Applejack answered, her voice muffled from her spot on the ground.

"It was pretty easy, actually," Pinkie said.

"Alright, how?" Twilight questioned.

Applejack rose up to her hooves, having had enough time on the ground. "It's thanks ta the new Ranger in Appleoosa."

"A Ranger?"

"Yep," Pinkie replied, bouncing off of the boulder and down beside them. "Nice guy too. Hey, Applejack, what was his name again?"

"His name is Trotter, Appleloosa Ranger."

"Trotter?" Twilight repeated.

"Yep again," Pinkie confirmed with a bounce before pointing over to the boulder. "He's also the one who sent me and Applejack back to Ponyville on the boulder."

"But that doesn't make any sense! How can a single pony do something like that?! Is he a new alicorn?!"

"Eenope," Applejack said. "He's an earth pony."

Twilight's legs gave out on her, forcing her to sit on her rump with eyes wide and mouth agape while her magic sputtered out, causing Dark to drop to the ground with an "Oomph".

"A single earth pony stallion did that?" Dark asked, standing up and dusting himself off.

"Eeyup. Y'all shoulda seen him. Not only did he help us solve the friendship problem, but he also roundhouse kicked a tornado into a breeze, killed fifty pony-eating vultures that were flyin' around us with one crossbow bolt without even shootin' it, and he knocked out Braeburn by punchin' him once in the face with his fifth hoof. And that was all in a single afternoon."

"... with his what now?"

"It came out from his beard," Pinkie said, earning her a confused and somewhat disgusted look from Dark. "They say that he is so tough, there's no chin under his beard, there is only another hoof."

"... I don't even know where to start with him. Have either of you seen or heard of him before?"

"Eenope," Applejack answered, shaking her head.

"Me neither," Pinkie happily replied before tapping her chin in thought. "Although, now that I think about it, he does kinda remind me of my great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, greater, great, great, great, great, grandpa who's name I can't seem to remember."

Looking over to his side, Dark saw Twilight still frozen in place. Giving a small chuckle, Dark leaned over and gave her a quick peck on the cheek, snapping her out of her stupor.

"I'm sorry," she apologized, "what were you saying now, Pinkie? The last thing I remember you saying was that this Trotter stallion bucked a boulder that you and Applejack were sitting on all the way from Appleloosa to Ponyville."

Dark placed a claw on Twilight's shoulder. "It's probably for the best that you don't know, Twilight."

With some reluctance, Twilight nodded and decided to drop it. A moment later, though, she bolted back up as she remembered what she and Dark came out to do.

"That's right!" she exclaimed. "Pinkie, Applejack, I need you two to meet me in the castle. There are a few things that Dark and I need to tell you girls."

"Sure thing, Twilight," Applejack said, turning around and going with Pinkie towards the castle. Only that Pinkie didn't go with her. "Pinkie? Somethin' wrong?"

"Nope," she happily answered, hopping over to the boulder. "Just gonna take care of this boulder."

"And how do you plan on doing that?" Twilight asked.

With a small grin, Pinkie pulled out of her mane a pair of scissors with "Property of Trotter, Appleloosa Ranger" printed on the side of it. Once she was up alongside the boulder, she opened it up before pressing the scissors against the boulder and somehow, cut it clean through the center. With it cut in half, the two halves fell apart and crumbled away into dust, leaving Dark, Twilight, and Applejack gawking in disbelief.

"Hey, look! Scissors does beat rock after all."


Twenty minutes later, everyone was gathered in the throne room, including Spike and Dark, who once again opted to sit on the floor alongside Twilight.

"So, Twilight," Rarity began, "what was it that you wanted to tell us?"

While Twilight felt ready before, now that everypony was present, she wasn't feeling as sure as she thought.

"Well... it's a few things actually," she nervously began. "Three to be exact."

"Well? Spill it then," Rainbow told her. "If it's worth calling all of us here, then I'm sure that it's something good."

"Depends on what you mean by 'good'," Dark commented with a shrug. "Depending on which topic we're talking about."

"Umm, if I may ask you, Twilight?" Fluttershy spoke, getting a nod from her. "Does it have something to do with you and Dark adopting Soul?"

The four other mares all looked wide-eyed at the couple. "WHAT?!"

"When did this happen?!" Rainbow shouted in surprise.

"Yesterday, actually," Dark answered.

"This is so awesome!" Pinkie shrieked, literally bouncing off of the walls. "It's not how I thought it would be, but I can finally get to throw a 'Congratulations On Being A Parent' party for my friends!"

"My goodness, Twilight," Rarity said. "What ever made you two decide to adopt somepony?"

"No kiddin'," Applejack said, readjusting her hat on her head. "Ah'm gone for one day and y'all go off and adopt somepony."

Twilight gave a sad sigh. "Dark saved him from a pack of timberwolves out in the Everfree Forest."

"Now what's he doin' livin' out there?"

"He's an orphan, Applejack," Twilight softly answered. "And in a way, we're the reason for that."

Dark placed a claw over Twilight's hoof. "You're not responsible for it, Twilight. It was an unfortunate accident."

"I know," she said, "but it doesn't change the fact that I still had a hoof in it."

Applejack raised an eyebrow. "Ah'm sorry, Twi, but what are y'all talkin' about?"

"You girls remember my brother's wedding?"

"You mean when that ugly bug queen invaded and got blasted away by your brother and Cadence?" Rainbow asked, getting a nod from Twilight. "Yeah. What about it?"

"As it turns, when Queen Chrysalis and her changeling got blasted out of Canterlot, one of the changelings landed near where Soul and his parents lived in the Everfree Forest. His mother found and helped the changeling, but it turned on them, killing both of Soul's parents before a manticore ate it."

While Fluttershy, Pinkie, and Rarity had tears in their eyes, Rainbow sighed.

"What's what they get for trusting a creepy bug," she commented. "And why did they do that anyway?"

"This is the second reason why you were all called here," Dark began, taking over for Twilight. "You see, the reason why they did that is because Soul's mother was a changeling too."

The room turned deathly silent as they let those words sink in, not even the sound of them breathing could be heard. A full minute later, Fluttershy spoke up.

"But if Soul's mother was a c-changeling, then wouldn't that make Soul..."

"A half-changeling, yes," Dark finished. Before he could blink, he found himself face-to-face with Rainbow.

"What in the hay are you thinking?!" she shouted. "You're letting one of those monsters live with you!"

"Have you forgotten that I said that he was only half-changeling?" he reminded her. "That means that Soul is also half-pony, thanks to his dad."

"So what?! He's still a changeling!"

Applejack's eyes shot open. "And he's in the same class as Apple Bloom!"

"And Sweetie Belle!" Rarity exclaimed.

A few seconds later, Rainbow's eyes widened too. "And Scootaloo!"

"We have ta go warn them!" Applejack said, jumping up out of her throne before being held in mid-air by Twilight. "What the hay, Twilight! Ah have ta go save Apple Bloom from him!"

"It's alright, you don't have to," Twilight calmly said. "Look, I already talked to Cheerilee about it, so she knows and is alright with it."

"Is she really?" Rainbow questioned. "Or is she just under his mind control magic?"

"Girls, please, listen. Soul has been living on his own and going to school for years. Do you really think that he would do anything like that and risk exposing himself?"

"But he's a changeling for Celestia's sake!"

"Who's parents were hunted by Queen Chrysalis and her changelings for them being married together," Dark said, now getting a little annoyed by this.

"Are you serious?" Rarity questioned.

"Yes. Turns out that Soul's mom had fled the Hive when she was Soul's age because she didn't like how Queen Chrysalis was treating ponies."

"Please, girls," Twilight pleaded. "I know that none of you care much for changelings, but if I can change my mind about Soul, then why can't you all? Look, he's done nothing bad ever since he's been here, and that was while he was unsupervised. Now that Dark and I are taking care of him, I'm sure that he'll continue to behave himself."

Although she still felt uneasy about it, Rarity retook her seat. "Will he be causing any problems?"

"Besides pulling a prank like the one he did with those pies on Hearts and Hooves Day, I wouldn't think so," Dark answered.

Rarity gave a small nod. "Very well then. While I'm still not sure about this idea, I'm willing to trust you and Twilight with him."

"Wait. So he was the one who pulled those pranks?" Pinkie asked, getting confirming nods from Twilight and Dark. "I like him."

"Just like that?" Rainbow wondered.

"Yep. If he has a fun sense of humor and likes to pull funny pranks like that, then even if he's a changeling, he can't be that bad."

"And what about you, Fluttershy?" Rainbow asked, turning her attention towards her.

Fluttershy nervously shuffled a hoof as all eyes were on her. "Well, when I met him yesterday, he didn't seem like a bad pony to me. He was actually rather polite, well-mannered, and a bit shy when he first met us, but he never once did anything that would suggest that he'd be bad or evil."

I guess with Discord living with her, she would know what's evil and not, but still, Rainbow thought before turning to Applejack. "Hey, you're with me on this, right, AJ?"

Applejack shook her head with a defeated sigh. "As much as Ah would like ta go over ta Apple Bloom ta check on her, seein' as how Soul hasn't done anythin' too bad other than that prank and some smaller harmless ones, Ah'm willin' ta give him the benefit of the doubt for now."

"And how about you, Rainbow?" Dark questioned. "What are you going to do?"

Feeling outnumbered in this, Rainbow returned to her throne in defeat with a huff. "Fine. But I'm still going to keep a close eye on him."

"Thank you, Rainbow," Twilight thanked. "You can trust us with him."

"I know that I can trust you and Dark. It's Soul that I don't trust."

"Hopefully you will over time."

"Maybe. But we'll just have to wait and see if he does anything first." Rainbow sighed and shook her head. "I still can't believe that you two went on and adopted a half-changeling like that."

"I have to agree with Rainbow on that one," Rarity said. "That's quite the bit of news indeed."

"You should wait until we tell you the third thing," Dark commented.

"What do you mean, darling?"

Taking a breath, Twilight answered her. "The last thing that we needed to tell you is about King Sombra."

"Yeah? What about him?" Rainbow asked.

"We're not sure," Dark began answering, "but last night, I had a dream that turned out to be one of Nocturnes memories about his time teaching Sombra."

"So, Nocturne's the one responsible for King Sombra being an evil tyrant?" Rarity asked.

"No. Nocturne was betrayed by Sombra. Now, if we could get back to what I was saying?" he asked, getting an apology for them interrupting. "Thank you. Like I was saying before, I had a dream of one of Nocturne's memories. When Princess Luna came in and ended it, Nocturne appeared and the three of us talked about it. Now, we don't know what exactly is going on with Sombra, but whatever it is, it's enough to get Nocturne rattled."

"Ah take it that somethin's bein' done about that?" Applejack wondered.

"Yes. Princess Luna told me that after she'd leave that she'd tell Shining, Cadence, and Princess Celestia about it. I also gave her the general area of Nocturne's old temple ruins so that Shining's and Cadence's guards can check it out."

"Is everything going to be alright?" Fluttershy asked.

"Don't worry, Fluttershy," Twilight said. "I'm sure that everything will be fine. The princesses wouldn't allow for somepony like King Sombra to return. Speaking of the Princesses." Twilight turned to Dark. "While you were talking to Princess Luna, did you happen to mention to her about us adopting Soul?"

Dark shook his head. "Sorry, Twilight, but my mind was a bit preoccupied with our conversation about Sombra."

"Fair enough," she sighed. "Guess that I'll just have to have Spike send them a letter."

"Or we can tell them when we go to visit Canterlot for the weekend next week," Dark suggested. "Same with your... parents... crap."

"Language, Dark!" Rarity scolded.

"Sorry."

"Why are you heading up to Canterlot?" Rainbow asked.

"Well, as it turns out," Twilight began, "Dark sent an application up to the Canterlot Coliseum for a shot at becoming the Coliseum Champion, and he was accepted!"

"Sweet! Can I come and watch?"

"I don't see why not. Anypony else want to come?" she asked, getting a nod from everypony. "Alright then. In that case, we leave next week on Friday. The match will be on Saturday, so we'll get there a day early and get settled in."


Up in the frozen north, in one of the caves within the mountain range, the cloaked stallion was focusing his magic on the horn that he found laying in the snow. After months of practicing his magic, he became strong enough to cast a regeneration spell. However, while he'd all but mastered it, it was proving to be rather difficult to cast on the horn.

"Celestia bucking damnit," he growled under his breath. "How much longer is this going to take?"

Over a month ago, he finally learned how to properly cast it. Ever since then, he's been pouring all of that power into regenerating the horn he found.

"If you really are who I think you are, then I'll need your assistance."

His horn already glowing blue, the cloaked stallion poured more of his magic into the spell. Moments later, the entire chamber was blinded in a blue light before a magical shockwave knocked the stallion off his hooves. With a groan, he got back up and used his wings to blow the dust away, revealing the horn still laying on the ground where he left it. Letting out a furious roar, he fired a beam of magic into the structure behind him, sending hundreds of bones scattering across the ground.

"Why isn't this working?!" he shouted to nopony in particular.

With another enraged shout, he took the horn in his magic and threw it off into the shadows before hearing it hit the side of the wall. Snorting angrily, he began pacing around the massive bonfire in the center of the cave. However, while he was busy brooding, he didn't notice something happening with the horn.

It started out slowly, but as the minuets rolled by, black flesh began to bubble out of the bottom of the broken-off horn. Slowly yet steadily, it expanded until it was a blob the size of an adult pony. Once it reached that point, it began to sink in and take the shape of an adult stallion. With it's body shaped, it rapidly grew gray fur and a black, flowing mane and tail. Then, with it's eyes and fanged mouth formed, it roared loudly, announcing its return.

Surprised by the sudden roar, the cloaked stallion jumped around and lit his horn to attack. However, upon seeing the slitted red eyes with purple mists glowing from the shadows, he instead began to chuckle before breaking into a maniacal laughter.

"It worked!" he shouted in glee. "The spell finally worked!"

"Cease your shouting, peasant!" the unicorn snapped, causing the other stallion to silently glare at him. "Now, tell me who you are."

The cloaked stallion smirked as he pulled his hood down and spread his wings. "I am the one who regenerated you."

"I know that already. Do not believe that I wasn't unaware of my surroundings just because I was a horn. Now tell me, who are you and why are you an alicorn?"

"Heheheh. I'm no alicorn," he said cockily. "Much like you, this horn of mine is actually a fang of my former Master." Seeing his eyes widen, the cloaked stallion continued. "Yes, I know all about you, Sombra, King of the Crystal Empire and former Apprentice of Nocturne."

Sombra narrowed his eyes and stepped out from the shadows. "You seem to have me at somewhat of a disadvantage. Judging by how you know all of that, I assume that you were an apprentice too then."

"Yes. My Master was Aurora, Lady of Life."

Sombra chuckled. "Amusing how we both had the same idea in achieving power." He paused as he looked around the area, quickly recalling this place. "How did you find this place?"

The cloaked stallion smirked. "I thought that you said that you knew what happened around you?"

"Not when you stuff me into a saddlebag like some common trinket!" Sombra snapped.

"Fine, fine. Anyway, I had to hide from the princesses and found this place. Not exactly my most ideal place to hide, but it's worked perfectly in hiding me these last few months."

This raised some questions for Sombra, along with a curious eyebrow. "How did you get inside? This place was sealed by a cave-in that I created."

"I noticed that it looked like a cave-in, but there was a gap big enough for me to walk through, even with my wings spread."

"Very well. Now, tell me what you did that forced you to flee from the princesses."

He frowned. "I've been trying to kill a certain stallion who just happens to be very close to Princess Twilight Sparkle."

Sombra's mane flared as his eyes began to glow brighter. "Since when did she become a princess?!"

"I don't know, but she and the other princesses have interfered with my plans to kill him."

"So much trouble for a single stallion," Sombra muttered, shaking his head in disappointment. "Does this stallion have a name?"

"Dark Flame. And he's not a unicorn stallion, but a kirin."

Interesting, Sombra thought. "And how powerful is this Dark?"

"He's consistently fought against dragons, and fought off an army that was comprised of timberwolves, manticores, cockatrices, hydras, and an ursa major."

Sombra gave a fanged grin. "So he's powerful then."

"Very. I've tried using numbers against him, and have even sent him to a different dimension with the help of that arrogant prince, but he's still here."

Chuckling darkly, Sombra shrouded his body for a brief second before it retreated back into his own shadow. When it did, it left his body covered with a silver crown, silver armor, and a red cape.

"If he's as powerful as you say, then perhaps we could benefit from one another," Sombra said, causing the cloaked stallion to tap his chin in thought.

Hmm. Perhaps that was my mistake to begin with. I used a prince when I should've been using a king instead, he mused. "What do you suggest?"

"From how I see it, our targets seem to align. I want to retake the Crystal Empire-"

"How does that align with my goals of killing Dark?!"

"You will be silent when I am speaking!" Sombra snapped. "Like I was saying, I want to retake the Crystal Empire, along with my revenge on Princess Twilight Sparkle and her dragon."

"Why them?"

"Because if it wasn't for her dragon, I would be in control of the Crystal Empire right now!" Sombra then gave a malicious grin. "As for Princess Twilight... well, a king needs his queen after all."

Great, another one pegging for her. Still, it should prove as extra motivation. the cloaked stallion thought, facehoofing and shaking his head. "Fine. It doesn't matter to me what your endgame is, just as long as you help me kill Dark."

"If it means that killing him gets me my queen, then so be it," Sombra said. "Now, onto other matters."

"Yeah? What?"

"When you were casting your spell, I noticed that your magic was a bit crude." Sombra smirked. "I can help you with that and more. Consider it your reward for assisting me."

"How so?" he questioned. "From what I understand, you use death magic where as I use life magic."

"While it is true that life and death are polar opposites, they do have a sort of gray area. That is what I'll be teaching you."

"And what would that be exactly?"

Sombra grinned widely. "Resurrection."

The cloaked stallion's eyes widened. "What you're talking about is along the lines of necromancy."

"In a way it is. But either way, as students of life and death, we can still bring life to corpses, no matter how long its been, or how degraded the bodies are. Do you accept?"

"I have no problems with it, but how will that help us, exactly?" the cloaked stallion questioned.

"Simple," Sombra said with a shrug. "We're going to build an army and attack the Crystal Empire. Once I have it under my control again, they'll come to us to try and liberate it. That is when we'll attack Dark. However, my magic is weak now, so I will need time to rest before I can start teaching you."

"Fine, I get it. And that plan sounds great and all, but where are we going to get an army big enough to conquer an empire?"

Sombra chuckled and gestured around him with a hoof. "We already have our army. All we need to do is resurrect them."

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