A Vignette of Apples

by Draxonos135

#ShadowDealings

Sunset and Vignette hopped through the portal and arrived back at Sunset's apartment, the former standing upright while the latter was on all fours.

"Wait a minute, how are you standing up?! We both entered on all fours!"

"Yeah, the switch between quadrupedal and bipedal is kinda tricky; I'll teach you how its done another day."

Then, the duo turned around, and noticed a shivering Starlight near the desk, looking positively traumatized.

"Is that the Starlight girl the princess sent?" Vignette asked as she stood up and dusted herself.

"She has to be, 'cause I've never seen anybody like her in this world," Sunset stated as she walked to the Pony-turned-human and extended her hand forward. "Here, give me your hand."

Starlight eyed Sunset in confusion.

"I mean, your front hoof. Sorry, the terms of this world stuck to me."

Starlight nervously moved her hand-hoof to Sunset's hand, and helped the pony-turned-human stand up.

"H-H-H-How did you ever get used to this?"

"It wasn't easy, that's for sure," Sunset sighed. "Anyway, did you manage to figure out anything about what we're facing?"

Starlight lowered her head and frowned. "It's... It's something... Twilight and I faced before."

This immediately got Vignette's attention, who faced Starlight as she asked, "What's that supposed to mean?"

Sunset turned back to Starlight, visibly worried. "Starlight, what happened?"

The pony-turned-human lowered her head and explained:

"A long time ago, I joined Twilight, her friends, and the Pillars of Equestria on a quest to vanquish an ancient monster-"

"Wait, the Pillars of Equestria?" Sunset asked. "I thought they've been dead for over a thousand years."

"It's complicated: what you need to know is that, once they were freed, so was an ancient creature known as the Pony of Shadows."

Vignette turned to the window and walked to it, scanning the street as Sunset and Starlight kept talking:

"I've heard about the Pony of Shadows, that it was sealed by the Pillars of Equestria."

"They sealed it with them, and by releasing the Pillars, so did the Pony of Shadows."

Eventually, Vignette found the twisted, shadowy centauroid abomination, her eyes widening at the sight as Starlight continued:

"It used one of the Pillars' friends, Stygian, as a host, but we combined our powers to release him, sending it to another dimension."

"Specifically, here."

Sunset and Starlight turned to Vignette, who faced them with shock as she clarified:

"This Pony of Shadows was sent through a dimensional rift to this of all dimensions."

"And it somehow found a new host, one that caused it to turn into the twisted beast wrecking havoc right now!"

"ViGNetteeEeEe!"

The girls ran to the window and looked outside, seeing the creature looking at them and contorting one of its hooves into an arm. It reached desperately towards the building, a single red eye replacing one of the beast's pitch white eyes as it screamed in layered agony:

"vIGneeeEeeeEeeEEttEEEee!"

The best contorted back to its former form, and the girls quickly hid inside.

"That thing knows who I am..." Vignette turned to Starlight. "How's that possible?"

"The Pony of Shadows doesn't just take over a Pony for a host, it connects to their memories, doing everything it can to further the symbiosis between them," Starlight grimaced. "It must've done the same to its current host."

Hearing that, Vignette looked back at the trinket she received from Zecore, and held it tightly.

"Sunset, you and Starlight go back to Equestria."

Sunset flinched. "Wait, what?!"

"Believe me, I would love nothing more than to tear her and the princess down for bringing that monstrosity to this world, but we don't have time for that," Vignette looked at her trinket again. "I'll deal with the Pony of Shadows. Sunset, you take Starlight back to Equestria, then come back here and wait until the monster's been dealt with."

That said, Vignette stood up and walked to the door.

"Vignette, wait, what are you thinking?! There's no way you can face that thing alone!"

"If that thing knows who I am, then there's only one person who could be their current host. I'm gonna use them to my advantage. Besides, your friends must be fighting it as we speak."

Vignette opened the door, and swiftly left the building.

To think this is the way I'd face you... Dad...

---

Applejack crashed on a wall as the shadow centauroid swung its tail wildly and stomped the ground with its hooves. One of those stomps headed straight for her, but Rarity appeared in front of her and summoned a crystal shield.

"Rarity!"

"Applejack, use your strength!" Rarity gritted her teeth as the shield began to crack. "I don't know how much longer I'll keep this at bay!"

Applejack nodded, stood up, and jumped towards the monster's leg, ready to grab it with all her might.

However, when she tried to do so, she harmlessly phased through it and hit the ground, she and Rarity looking at the beast in shock before the latter ran away, her shield collapsing soon after.

"Applejack, what happened?!"

"Ah definitely reached for it, as soon as ah reached for the leg, I phased throu' it like nothin'," Applejack explained, looking at the beast in disbelief as she finished, "Ah think that thing's amorphous."

This was only further confirmed when a girl with rainbow hair, blue skin and wings flew across the monster multiple times, phasing harmlessly each time until she landed next to the duo.

"It's like that thing wasn't even real! How are we supposed to fight something we can't even touch?!"

"I might have an idea."

The girls turned around, and saw Vignette entering the battlefield, a determined expression on her face.

Naturally, Applejack was the first one to react to Vignette's return: she ran up to her and hugged her joyously.

"Vignette! You're back!"

Vignette returned the hug and patted Applejack's back. "Yeah, I am."

"Ah'm so glad you're okay," Applejack said as she and Vignette separated. "Did you find anythin' useful?"

Vignette showed everyone the trinket.

"Okay, that's a pretty gem and everything, but does it do anything in particular?" Rarity asked. "I don't think the beast is gonna be distracted by-"

"I'm not going to use this thing to distract."

"Then... What are you planning to do?"

"You'll see soon."

Vignette walked past the duo and headed to the centauroid abomination, the rainbow-haired girl wasting no time shouting:

"Hey! You forgot your transformation!"

Ignoring the statement, Vignette kept walking until she was right in front of the beast, and exclaimed:

"Pony of Shadows!"

The beast looked down at Vignette, glaring at her as she added:

"I'm here to bargain."

"Vig... Nette..." The monster hissed. "Ever since I got a host, your name keeps ringing in my head. It's utterly annoying; dealing with it, as well as this twisted body of mine, is just unbearable!"

"Well, if that's the case, then we might get somewhere here," Vignette narrowed her eyes. "I got a proposition for you."

"You? A proposition? For me?" the shadowy beast narrowed his glowing eyes. "I've already been traumatized by this world's species! What could you, a member of said species, offer me?"

"I want you to release the hosts you have right now," Vignette smiled. "And take me as your host instead."

Rarity and Applejack's eyes widened.

"I refuse!" the beast yelled.

"Whoa, hold your horses! Or in this case, hold your... Self?" Vignette snickered. "I'm not done explaining the offer just yet."

The beast raised an eyebrow, allowing Vignette to continue:

"If you take me as your host, I'll make it so the body you get as a result is similar to the Pony body you're accostumed to."

"And just how do you expect to do that?"

Vignette snickered some more, then folded her arms before proudly stating:

"I'm a Ponyshifter!"

The atmosphere became chillingly quiet as everybody, even the Pony of Shadows, looked at Vignette in incredulous disbelief.

The rainbow-haired girl and a Pink girl laughed out loud while Applejack and Rarity exchanged looks of concern.

"My goodness, one trip was all it took to drive her nuts."

"Equestria really is terrifyin'."

"I'm sorry... What?" The Pony of Shadows edged closer to Vignette. "What's this about a Ponyshifter?"

"I was told that any human who goes to Equestria and stays long enough in there will become something that's both Human and Pony, and the ability to switch between those forms at will," Vignette smiled. "And, like, I told you, I'm one of those creatures. I was gifted the ability by Princess Twilight herself, even!"

Suddenly, the beast slammed one of his hooves next to Vignette, the lady looking shocked, but standing firm as it responded:

"Princess Twilight? That's a name I've grown to resent. A name that fills me with rage."

"Believe me, we're on the same page there. I mean, I'm not getting filled with rage, but I certainly don't like the princess any more than you do."

The beast lowered its eyelids.

"Besides, you don't even have a way out of here, do you? Wouldn't you rather be stuck in another universe in a form you're comfortable with, rather than a twisted, unnatural hybrid?"

The monster paused... And eventually, it transformed into an ethereal cloud of pitch black miasma, floating in the air before opening its glowing, pitch white eyes.

This ended up releasing three people: King Sombra, as well as a pair of men with skin matching Vignette's, and red-white toned hair.

"Alright then, I've done my part of the deal."

Then, the cloud headed straight for Vignette.

"Now you do yours!"

Vignette smirked and took out the gem, which glowed as she shouted:

"Gotcha!"

"What?!"

Once the gem glowed brightly enough, the Pony of Shadows found itself being absorbed by the object, unable to do anything but scream as it was imprisoned.

"Nooooooo-Imeanitsbetterthanthatlastformbutstill-nooooooooo!"

Eventually, the mass of magic was absorbed, turning the gem pitch black as Vignette took a moment to look at the imprisoned magical creature, who tried to break out of the gem, causing it to shake on her hand.

"You... You... You tricked me!"

"That I did."

"Release me this once!"

"And where would you go, genius? You have no way back to Equestria, and the only possible hosts you got would turn you back to that twisted monstrosity you were just a second ago. For all intents and purposes, this gem is the only place for you now."

The creature fell completely silent, and Vignette smiled as Applejack and Rarity ran to her side.

"You did it, Vignette!" Rarity chirped. "You nearly gave us heart attacks but you did it!"

"Thanks, now," Vignette handed the gem to Applejack. "Please, when Sunset comes back, give this to her and tell her to take it back to Equestria."

Applejack raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

"'Cause I don't have enough strength left to do it myself."

And with that, Vignette toppled back and hit the ground, losing consciousness shortly after.

"Vignette!"

Author's Note:

And that, Princess Twilight and company, is how you seal an ancient magical evil and not have it become another dimension's problem.

And before anybody asks, Vignette's not dead, she just lost consciousness due to exhaustion.

We got a few more chapters before this story closes. Who knows what'll happen next?!

Comments

[Scholarly-Cimmerian]

Huh. Vignette handled that really well, I must say.

[Pete100]

I was honestly expecting a bigger and longer fight.