Sombra: The Shadow Over Ponyville

by Blaster Master

Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Sneaking out of Ponyville was certainly a challenge unto itself, but not entirely unfeasible. Twilight teleported herself and Zecora from rooftop to rooftop, avoiding the ground patrols and casting spells to help the two avoid perception by patrolling Pegasi.

After they made it outside the perimeter of Ponyville, they headed along the road towards the forest, past Fluttershy’s cottage, and into the forest itself. Nearly every time Twilight had come in before, something had gone wrong: between Nightmare Moon’s numerous attempts to kill them, to walking into a patch of Poison Joke, to being turned into stone by a Cockatrice, and being pursued by a fire breathing dragon, it was a wonder Twilight had ever managed to leave the Everfree Forest in one piece. But with Zecora’s guidance, they were able to avoid the serious hazards and navigate through the trees. And with Twilight’s magic they were able to clear hazardous brush away, teleport short distances, and light the darkness.

With their combined abilities, they indeed made good time, as Zecora guessed. But things certainly weren’t allowed to go perfectly. After about two hours or so, the Zebra enchantress came to a stop.

“What is it?”

“Hear me, extinguish your light,” Zecora advised “And hope that I am not right”

Twilight’s horn dimmed, plunging them into darkness. Without her eyes, Twilight’s other sense became far more acute, which was when she heard some branches snapping. But even more importantly…

She smelled bad breath.

“Zecora…?” Twilight whispered.

“Stay very still Twilight, and have no fear. When I signal, shine your light bright and clear.”

Twilight waited, but felt sweat trail down her neck as the smell got worse and she heard faint growling.
The moments stretched on for an agonizing eternity, as the beasts drew closer, but finally Zecora yelled:

“NOW!”

Twilight flashed her horn brightly, illuminating a pair of Timberwolves nearly six feet away. The predators were dazzled by the sudden light and howled in surprise and anger. Suddenly, Zecora was a blur herself. Moving with speed and grace, she unleashed what Twilight could only assume was some kind of martial arts prowess, striking the Timberwolves again and again with her fore and back hooves, screaming in her native tongue all the while. Within a minute, the two wolves had crumbled into a pile of sticks.

“That was amazing!” Twilight clopped her fore hooves briefly in applause.

“Now is not the time for there to be praise.” Zecora warned, already moving. “Soon they will rise again in a blood craze.

Their presence means we have much more to fear. They are guards, meaning we are very near.”

***

Things started to get weird a short time later. As Twilight and Zecora walked along, Twilight heard something crunch under her hoof. But not like a branch or leaves. It sounded like… Glass?

Twilight shined her horn down and was shocked to see herself looking back at her.

“What the…?”

Suddenly, Twilight focused her light ahead further and saw the light glisten off the glassy trees and bushes. The foliage of the forest glittered as if it was frozen solid, and the look reminded her entirely too much of the caves beneath Canterlot, where the Changeling Queen had kept her and Cadance prisoner.

The Crystal Caves…

“What is all this now? How very queer…This is new since last I was here.”

“That settles it then…” Twilight muttered to herself “I don’t know how, but-AH!”

Her light had shined her light upon a face, one which Twilight recognized.

“The Diamond Dogs…” Twilight breathed. The three leaders of the Dogs had been trapped in crystal, their last moments of horror frozen on their faces for all time.
“What are they-?” Twilight started, but then gasped. The pieces fell into place in her mind, “They must have been the ones who grabbed Rarity and Pinkie Pie during the hydra attack…”

“Such a grim and terrible fate … Our foe’s cruelty must be great …

There! Twilight! Over in that tree!” Zecora called, pointing her forehoof, “The source of the evil you seek!”

The ‘tree’ as Zecora called it was definitely something more now. It was tree-shaped, but covered completely in dark purple crystals while also glowing a faint, pulsing red.

“What is it?” Twilight asked to no one in particular.

“It is the architect of your misery,” Zecora said, maneuvering behind Twilight “And it is time you met him face-to-face.”
Just as it registered that Zecora had broken her rhyming scheme, Twilight was bashed over the back of the head, knocking her forward onto her face. Her vision swam and she looked back and up at Zecora, confused and accusing.

“Zecora? What-?”

“You have no idea of the depth of whom you face,” ‘Zecora’ responded, pacing around her “You are a child Twilight Sparkle, a mere student. And I… Will be your teacher”

“You don’t need to teach me anything, because I know who you are!” Twilight said as she got to her feet “I studied all the signs, investigated all the clues, drew all the lines, and they all pointed me to you… King Sombra!!”

Black energy erupted from Zecora’s legs and travelled up her body, transforming her into the terrifying image of the Shadow King himself, his red cape flowing, his silver armor glinting, and his eyes blazing.

“Very good, Twilight Sparkle… I am impressed.”

“But how is this possible? You were destroyed by the power of the Crystal Heart! We saw you!”

“Indeed. Those treacherous Crystal Ponies destroyed my physical body, but I endured. My life essence barely contained in my horn, I survived in the frozen wastes of the north for months. But I recovered and was drawn here.

By you.

You were the one who found the Crystal Heart. You were the one who bested my castle. I was nearly whole again, but YOU are responsible for extending my suffering! I’m barely alive, not even a physical being anymore, a creature of shadow and hate!”

“But if you’re just life essence in a horn, how are you-?”

“Speaking to you now? This body does indeed belong to your friend Zecora. The story I told you was true, she did try to stop me. She thought her pathetic magicks could contain King Sombra! All I’ve done is pour a little bit of my life essence into her, and then cast an illusion to make her look more… Aesthetically pleasing.”

“You monster!”

“I may be a monster, but I’m a monster whose company you’ll have to endure a little while longer, because now we will talk Twilight Sparkle. Because it’s not just important that you suffer, you must understand why you are made to suffer.”

“Why should I listen to you!?” Twilight demanded as she shifted herself into a ready position, her horn aglow with magic.

“Because you have no choice,” Sombra said simply, “You won’t attack this body because it belongs to your friend. And you don’t have the strength to blast through that tree to get to my horn before I’ve killed you six different ways.” Hesitating for a moment, she realized he was right and her horn ceased glowing.

“OK, let’s talk.”

***

Spike was keeping a close eye on the clock. Twilight hadn’t given him an exact time, so he’d decided to wait for three hours. He half hoped that Twilight and her friends would come rushing in the door at the last second, but the time came and the Elements of Harmony did not arrive. Spike nodded with resolve and headed outside, but as he exited the library, the ground began to shake. An earthquake was hitting Ponyville for the first time in a long time, and the Ponyville citizens hid under doorframes and tables, waiting the tremor out.

But then things got strange.

The strange, dark trees that dotted the town suddenly began to glow with malevolent energy, with black lightning seeming to arc out of them. Suddenly, the black bark exploded off the trees to reveal crystalline antennas beneath, dark and forked, pointing to the sky. The crystals fired beams of energy which went high into the sky, connected at a single focal point, and rebounded into a dome of black and purple magic over Ponyville. Pegasi Royal Guards tried to race the shield to get out before they were closed in, but they only slammed into the shield and were contorted as painful magic coursed through them upon contact with the shield. Unicorn Royal Guards tried to use their magic on the shield and on the crystals making it, but it was useless. The town of Ponyville, from Fluttershy’s cottage to Sweet Apple Acres, and everypony inside it, was trapped.

Lt. Broadsword nearly knocked the door off its hinged with his forehoof as he entered the Golden Oaks Library.
“Ms. Sparkle!” The Lieutenant called, “Do you know anything about magic barriers? We need some assistance with-”
The words died in his throat as he realized that she should have indicated her location. A quick and through search of the library proved what he suspected.

Spike heard the Lieutenant’s loud cursing from his place hidden in the upper branches of the library.

“I hope you’re having better luck then us, Twilight…” Spike muttered.