Moonshadow

He had returned. No one knew how or why.

The black stallion, who once sowed terror and desolation among ponies, now lay behind the cold bars of Canterlot's dungeon. His imposing figure, once a symbol of untamed fury, seemed diminished in the prison's shadows. Yet, his eyes still burned like embers, filled with memories of battles fought under darkened skies.

After defeating him for good, the Crystal Empire believed the darkness was gone. 

But in the silence of the arctic, where the wind sang forgotten songs, an anomaly emerged: a shattered black horn, radiating a dark energy that throbbed with the scream of pure suffering, a lingering agony that seemed to crawl through the echoes of the ice. Archaeologists found it in the far north, beyond the last vestige of life, but they did not see the danger hidden in their discovery. 

Unknowingly, they brought the key to destruction to Princess Cadence.

As the heir of the empire, Cadence wielded Amore's magic, an ancient and powerful blessing, as mysterious as the hearts of the ponies she ruled. She knew that Amore's magic kept the darkest creatures at bay, but this time, something was different. The darkness within the horn seemed alive, as if it awaited something... or someone.

With the horn in her possession, Cadence attempted to purge its curse. But as she cast the spell, her heart was far from the love that had given her lineage its name. Instead, she felt fear—deep, ancient fear—and a growing hatred that fed on every dark whisper escaping from the horn. What was meant to protect now awakened the worst in her, and instead of sealing the evil, she fed it. 

The horn gleamed, and a crimson light burst forth into a swirling darkness. 

Thick smoke rose, coiling through the air, wrapping everything in a tempest that seemed to devour light itself. At its center, a silhouette began to take shape—a familiar, feared figure… one she loathed with every fiber of her being.

Before her stood a massive black stallion, as imposing as in the worst of nightmares.

His body, encased in tarnished silver armor, gleamed faintly in the dim light like an ancient specter returning from the shadows. A blood-red cloak billowed behind him, and upon his head, a dark and grim crown, bearing the weight of centuries, sat as a witness to fierce battles.

Cadence charged into battle with fiery determination, determined to protect her kingdom. However, the monstrous beast—a creature of insidious cunning, feline agility, and superhuman strength—seemed to toy with her hope. With a swift, brutal movement, he tossed her against the throne like a mere plaything. Each blow felt like a cruel whisper, mocking the princess's dreams of victory as he reveled in her torment.

When she thought it was the end, Twilight Sparkle appeared, like a lightning bolt amidst the storm.

Five long years had passed, and the current ruler of Equestria had not only grown in wisdom but in power. Now, she faced the dark stallion with the confidence of one who knew her magic could rival the shadows. Her dark spells clashed against the powerful blasts of light emanating from her horn, while her wings kept her agile in the air, dodging the black crystals that ricocheted off the vaulted ceiling.

But Sombra did not falter.

The beams of light barely ruffled his dark coat, and with a roar of fury, the dark stallion charged at the young monarch. Twilight met him with the shield of her majestic wings, deflecting his attack and throwing him back to the ground. In a blink, the two were locked in violent combat. Horn against horn, hoof against hoof, each strike crackled with sparks of pure magic that illuminated the chamber like an unceasing lightning storm.

It was a battle of titans.

Sombra possessed brutal strength, but Twilight matched him in skill and surpassed him in magic. Her eyes gleamed with fierce determination as each blow made the very air tremble. Both knew they could fight for a thousand days without tiring, but the cost would be the complete destruction of Equestria.

In a moment of advantage, Sombra unleashed his most deadly spell.

A green lightning bolt, streaked with violet and black, tore through the air, aimed straight at the alicorn. But Twilight, with her characteristic precision, deflected the bolt with a single movement, sending it back toward her foe. The magic struck Sombra with such force that it not only hit his body but delved deep into his mind, tearing through the dark veils that shielded his soul.

A swirl of black smoke revealed a sad and distant memory.

In the heart of the mythical empire, a young colt with jet-black fur stood alone, apart from the cheerful bustle of the others. He did not laugh or play like his peers, who frolicked carefree around him. Instead, he curled up in a corner, his eyes filled with tears, his small body wracked by sobs. His heart was torn by an inexplicable pain, a suffering no one else seemed to see or hear.

No one answered his cries.

The adults, their gazes full of disdain, trotted past, indifferent to his sorrow. There were no words of comfort, no helping hooves. He was left alone, abandoned in a bright world that, to him, was colder than any desert.

Time passed, and the colt was forgotten.

Now, he stood in the midst of an endless desert, under a starless sky, where his presence was as insignificant as the wind sweeping the sand. And it was there, in that unfathomable void, that a crimson crystal appeared, glowing with an ominous light. From its depths, a dark whisper emerged:

"Your destiny has arrived, child," it crooned in a cold, eerie melody.

The darkness enveloped him.

There was no resistance, only surrender. The young colt, consumed by abandonment and pain, twisted and contorted under the shadow that swallowed him whole. Slowly, he became what he had feared most—the monster that now haunted his darkest nightmares.

Twilight, shaken, broke free from the illusion, her wings flapping desperately as she escaped the remnants of that nightmare that still seemed to cling to her mind. Her heart pounded as she turned to face her enemy. In the distance, his ragged breathing echoed faintly, his chest rising and falling violently, each breath like a contained thunderclap. The muscles of his body twisted under his skin, tense, filled with dark energy. He lifted his head wearily, and his gaze, empty, devoid of life's spark, locked onto her.

"Fool," he rasped, a harsh laugh tearing through the air. "My worst nightmare... is my own life."

As the day waned, the castle of Canterlot echoed with murmurs and the rhythmic clatter of hooves. The unsettling atmosphere was palpable.

"What are we going to do with him?"

"Same as last time."

"We don't even know how to activate that power."

"Would Tartarus hold him?"

"What if he escapes?"

The bearers of the Elements of Harmony huddled together, discussing their next steps with nervous glances exchanged. Just then, the creaking sound of the door opening interrupted them.

A light purple unicorn burst into the room, panting.

"I got here as fast as I could!" Starlight exclaimed, trying to smooth her disheveled mane before joining the others. "Are you serious!? King Sombra, the tyrant who brought the Crystal Empire to its knees… is here, in the castle!?"

The girls exchanged perplexed glances at Starlight's unexpected excitement.

"I'm sorry, it's just... last time he returned, I never got to see him. It's… impressive."

"Uh, Starlight, we literally have a monster right near us," Rainbow Dash reminded her dryly.

"I know, but it's exciting to see an ancient villain, a legend from a thousand years ago!" Starlight tried to justify herself.

"You've already met Chrysalis and Tirek," pointed out Applejack.

"Yes, but this is different! Sombra is a pony who wields dark magic. I've only ever read about him, never seen him in action."

"Trust me, we've seen him in action... we've never experienced anything more horrifying. I can't believe a pony could be capable of such evil," Fluttershy whispered, her voice trembling with terror.

"He's not a pony," Twilight's voice broke through the air, grave and measured, as she entered the room.

"Twilight, what do you mean?" Starlight asked, frowning.

Twilight took a deep breath, pulling an ancient book from her satchel. "This is his journal."

She opened the pages, stopping near the end, where a single word, unfamiliar to all, seemed to glow ominously—Umbrum.

"It was written before he was banished."

A chill ran down the spines of the group, as if a shadow had slipped into the room.

"But... what is an Umbrum?" one of them asked, voice trembling with uncertainty.

Twilight inhaled deeply, letting the rising dread lace her words.

"I don't know," she admitted, her voice heavy with restrained anxiety. "In ancient times, they sent monsters to the arctic wastelands to imprison them..."

She trailed off, her eyes staring into an unsettling void.

"But the old records are lost, destroyed over time. There's barely any trace left of Princess Amore."

Uncertainty weighed down on the ponies like a thick fog. It wasn't just Sombra they were facing now, but something unknown. If his presence as a pony had been terrifying enough, what unimaginable horrors could an Umbrum unleash? And even more troubling—what other creatures might still lie hidden in the arctic, waiting to be freed?

"So, you're telling me the Crystal Empire... is a prison for monsters worse than Tartarus?!" Rainbow Dash shouted, her voice filled with disbelief.

"We don't know what kind of prison it is or how many ancient creatures were locked away," Twilight said, pointing to the book, "but there's someone who does."

Her friends looked at her, bewildered, trying to piece together whom she meant.

"You're not seriously thinking of talking to him, are you?" Rarity asked, her voice tinged with dread.

"Twilight, we love you, but you can't reason with him," added Applejack, her concern palpable.

"Has anyone actually tried?" Starlight interjected, feeling increasingly sidelined.

"Yeah, we tried... while he had his horn at our throats," Rainbow Dash retorted, her tone laced with sarcasm.

"Girls, calm down. He's under my spell. He can't hurt us… for now," Twilight reassured them, though her voice wavered slightly.

"We trust you, Twilight," Fluttershy said softly, approaching her friend. "But we can't keep him here."

Twilight took a deep breath, fighting to suppress the rising tension in her chest. The weight of her responsibility bore down on her, and her mind raced for a solution.

"It'll only be a little longer… until I decide what to do with him," she murmured, her voice betraying her growing worry.

Fluttershy gently placed a hoof on Twilight's, her eyes filled with kindness and understanding.

"We believe in you, Twilight. We're here for you."

The others nodded in agreement, offering supportive glances.

Twilight lingered alone in the room after the others had left, pacing in circles. Her wings occasionally flared as she trotted, the echo of her hooves bouncing off the stone walls. She was lost in thought until a voice broke through her inner turmoil.

"Are you okay, Twilight?" Starlight's voice pulled her back to reality. Twilight tried to compose herself, but her friend saw through her facade.

"Something else is bothering you, isn't it?" Starlight gently prodded.

Twilight sighed, levitating the journal with a faint glow of magic, her eyes scanning the worn pages. The weight of the secrets it held seemed to grow heavier in her grasp. After a moment of silence, she handed the book to Starlight with a solemn expression.

"The Umbrum aren't the only thing on my mind," her voice, though soft, cracked slightly with a mixture of determination and doubt. "I feel it's my duty to help him."

I lay back against the cell's cold wall, my nose desperately trying to grasp something beyond the pervasive stench of decaying rock. The metallic scent in the air evoked images of fresh blood, a foul odor even for me. Yet the stench that finally reached my senses was even more familiar and abhorrent.

To a rabbit, a fox is a threat, and to a blackbird, a hawk. There, in the shadows of my confinement, descended my now enemy.

Starlight and Twilight descended into the dungeons to confront the ancient dark king.

Before them lay the stallion, who, in a feeble attempt to appear strong, tried to rise. It was a futile effort, evident from the spasms that betrayed his deplorable condition. With a false show of bravado, he spoke.

"So... you've come to kill me. What's it going to be this time? Stone? Disintegration?" he mocked. "Feel free to try. It doesn't matter. I always come back... Death is not enough to stop me," he concluded with a haughty tone.

"Don't you ever tire of being so fatalistic and sadistic?" Starlight retorted with a smirk, an attempt that, judging by Twilight's expression, was poorly received.

"One of the few pleasures left to me... that and frightening ignorant ponies," he said, taking a step forward. Both mares instinctively recoiled, which only widened the sadistic grin on the dark stallion's face.

Twilight was questioning her plan. Before her was literally the champion of an entire evil race, a being who had enslaved a whole empire. Even weakened and imprisoned, he was not to be taken lightly... but at this point, she had nothing left to lose.

"So, you're an Umbrum," she stated plainly, not asking but declaring a fact.

The reaction was immediate. Sombra's ears folded against his head, his crimson eyes widened and dilated, clearly taken by surprise. He let out a guttural growl, and his fangs—so unusual for a pony—along with his dangerous expression, made him resemble a dark wolf on the hunt.

"Where did you find that out?" he demanded in a dangerously deep baritone. Both mares felt a shiver run down their spines at the sight before them. Even exhausted and trapped, the Umbrum could still instill fear in the hearts of ponies.

Twilight, stepping forward in defiance, replied, "I read your journal."

This seemed to bewilder the dark stallion, as it was surprising to him that the book had survived over a thousand years. Relaxing his posture and regaining composure, he reflected. He had not thought about that journal in a long time. He was surprised that the chronicle of his suffering had survived the ravages of time to end up in the hooves of the mare before him.

"What do you want from me?"

"Information. Many things have been lost to time about ancient Equestria, knowledge from a thousand years ago that now amounts to dust and ashes... but you know it," Twilight explained.

"What makes you think I'm willing to cooperate?" the stallion turned his back.

"I don't think you have an alternative," Twilight declared with cynical finality.

Sombra clicked his tongue in disdain. He acknowledged the truth of his defeat but would not yield to her, not again.

"The Umbrum. They abandoned me at the edges of their prison, disregarding everything and everyone, obsessed only with their insatiable thirst for destruction," he continued, his voice laden with bitterness. "I was their champion, and they left me to the brink of our race's extinction," he cleared his throat, his tone echoing with a somber resonance. "They lack the grandeur and vigor that I possess. They are mere opaque vapors, pretending to be what they are not: a simple pony."

Awaiting the worst, the princess remained as still as a block of ice. The coldness of her expression was almost tangible, a shield of serenity amid the chaos surrounding her. She straightened, her majestic bearing a reminder of her unshakable dignity, and met the stallion's gaze.

"Thank you," the princess spoke, her voice, despite its gentleness, resonated with the firmness of an irrefutable truth.

The stallion, with his sleek coat and imposing presence, raised an eyebrow in surprise and curiosity as he watched the mares leave the dungeon with quiet steps. His gaze drifted slowly around the dim corners of the place, making circles in a near-mechanical manner, like a dog patrolling its territory. Threats and thanks floated in the air but did not disturb the creature's calm.

Determined to find refuge in sleep, the stallion settled in a secluded corner, where the light was scarce and the cold was biting. He didn't know how, but his determination was unwavering: he would find a way out of that place, with the perseverance only a true will could provide.

In the royal chamber, Twilight sought out Spike. The teenage dragon, engrossed in a comic, tried to clumsily hide it upon seeing her.

"Spike, I need you to arrange for a room near the north tower. Send the designer to the throne room; I'll be there in a few minutes," Twilight ordered with resolve.

Hearing this, Spike immediately got up and went off to find the designer, leaving Twilight alone with Starlight.

"I didn't know we had guests. Who will be staying here?" Starlight was met with an accusatory glance from Twilight. She instantly understood whom Twilight was referring to.

"Are you sure you want to release him so soon? I feel bad for him too. However, he is... unstable."

"Don't worry, I have a plan," Twilight said as she grabbed a quill and paper. "We won't make any progress if he keeps sleeping with the rats."

Starlight nodded, acknowledging the validity of her mentor's words. More than anyone, she understood what it was like to be treated with disdain. But she was a pony. Was it really possible to purify someone whose nature seemed rooted in evil? She could only hope Twilight's plan would succeed.

The alicorn elegantly settled at her desk, the soft creak of the wood under her weight creating a symphony of serenity in the room. Candlelight cast dancing shadows on the walls, and the subtle scent of wax and ink filled the air. With delicate movements, she picked up the yellowed parchment that lay in a corner, its edges worn and paper marked by the passage of time.

With a contemplative pause, her eyes settled on the words she was about to write, words she had not penned in years. The quill glided over the parchment, tracing letters that seemed to whisper forgotten stories and hidden feelings. "Dear Princess Luna," she began, the fresh black ink contrasting with the aged tone of the parchment, like a thread of hope amid ancient memories.