Looking over her kingdom as the sun arose into the skies, Nightmare Moon looked out to all she once ruled, not wanting to look at the ruined city of Canterlot. She didn't seem to get much sleep now a days. Once a being who defended her subjects from their own nightmares, and yet she was powerless to combat her own. Though her eyes didn't show it, but Nightmare was quite the tired mare. She must sleep about three hours a day in total, but she didn't know. She made sure to keep her composure strong and at the very least looking vigilant as to keep the other guards from taking advantage of her.

Nightmare watched the sunrise every day, finding the occurrence soothing and refreshing to bask in its welcoming light. She would close her eyes and let the sun wash over her, as if rejuvenating her each morning. Nightmare did this routine every day since she took up residence in Canterlot Castle once more in the guise of Nightmare Moon and Tirek's trophy.

Once the sun was no longer touching the horizon, Nightmare concluded her morning rituals and walked back into her room. It was the only place in the castle she felt remotely safe, yet she felt like a prisoner no matter where she went. The only time she felt free was traversing the vast collective unconscious that was the dream world. Yet she herself slept so little, greatly cutting her time there due to lack of energy and concentration. Thus, making her personal chambers the closest thing to sanctuary she had.

Turning away from her balcony, Nightmare returned to the interior of her room. When Tirek took control of the castle, he began to remodel it to fit his ego. Though he could have changed everything with a mere flick of his wrist, he saw it beneath him and sent his slaves to do the work for him instead. Stain glass windows were smashed, statues were replaced, and history books were rewritten to erase all evidence of a time before Tirek's rule. He wanted to make sure that his subjects remained miserable, for what purpose she did not know. Luckily, her room was untouched, the slaves not having reached her room at the top of a tower. Or maybe they had no idea what to do with it.

Her attention turned away from her bed and to her desk. It was mostly for decoration since she no longer had any royal duties to perform. All she had left were her personal duties and the desk served no other purpose other than to be a table for her lamp to give illumination for her room at night. Then there were her photo of herself as Luna and her sister in Ponyville when she came back from banishment. Nightmare could see herself smiling with her sister, a look of happiness in her their eyes from being freed from the curse for so long.

The photo was a memory of a triumphant day for them all, but as the sun came in through her window, she could see a reflection of her current form, her smile fading as she saw herself as Nightmare Moon. Making her think that all of her efforts were for not. With a depressive sigh, she walked to her door to leave her tower, not wanting dull her mood so early in the morning. Besides, she needed to bring Celestia breakfast. She was finally eating again and wanted to make sure she kept her strength up. Though, as the thought of Celestia came to mind, so did Sombra, which brought Nightmare the want to vomit.

Sombra's proposition had never left her mind. The thought of the guards having their way with Celestia was not an image she wanted to imagine, but to see Sombra's filthy dick touch her sister filled Nightmare with a fiery rage. And all she had to do to make him stop was to take Celestia's place. The subject had sent Nightmare deep into thought, making her trip on the last step down with a yelp of surprise. She regained herself and began heading to the kitchen for her daily routine.

She had made the trip to the kitchen to feed her sister twice a day. It was originally only once since she barely ate, but now that she started eating again, Nightmare Moon was determined to keep her sister healthy. Though, what she wanted was to see her happy again. The smile she gave her last time was faint but it meant the world to Nightmare and she wanted to see it again.

her walk to the kitchen was a quiet one. The slaves had not yet awaken, giving Nightmare plenty of time to cook her food. She had come into the kitchen far more times as Nightmare Moon than as Luna. Familiarizing herself with the layout as best she could to make her sister's meals, taking many attempts via trial and error to increase her cooking skills. But now, she knew where everything was and her cooking abilities were only growing with each creation. It had become a sort of hobby to her, and was one of the few things that gave her joy now a days.

This morning, she would most likely make try and perfect the one thing that has eluded her for so long. A dish that she had failed at many times and had considered giving up entirely on before it would drive her deep into madness itself; Pancakes. Taking a deep breath, Nightmare fetched her apron and began collecting ingredients. Eggs, Flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, etc. SHe brought them all together and wasted no time. There was no need for her to look at the her book, she had practically memorized the process. "Mmm, something smells delicious." Nightmare paused as she was about to mix the ingredients into batter, a scowl slowly crossing her face.

"Begone Sombra. I'm busy. I have no interest in your harassment so early in the morning." She pretended he wasn't there but she had grown to sense his presence to keep him from sneaking up on her. Though, what surprised her most was that he didn't go for her, but to fetch a glass of milk.

"While I would love to grasp your curvaceous form, I must admit it is a little early in the morning for such activities. Maybe later in the afternoon when I'm nice and erect." He said with a chuckle, wiping away the milk. Nightmare kept to her work, mixing the batter until it was nice and thick. "Though, I must say I am surprised to see you so dedicated to feeding that cow in the dungeons." Nightmare stopped her mixing for a moment to take a deep breath to calm herself, immediately going back to work afterwards. "Especially when you could be cooking for somepony much more noble and deserving."

"Maybe. Would you let me know when he or she gets to the castle? I'll be sure to make them a nice brunch." Sombra got a chuckle out of that one.

"Funny. But I am truly baffled by something."

"Sombra, you shock me! I thought a lot of things baffled you. Like why is the sky blue, or what fire is." Nightmare poured the batter on the hot pan, hearing the satisfying sizzle as she patiently stood by with a spatula. She could hear Sombra break out into a small fit of laughter, somehow entertained by her mockery.

"No my sweet. I am just baffled is all about why you even bother with her. She's a burden on you." Nightmare froze as she felt his cold fingers on her shoulders. She took another deep breath and turned to him with a scowl.

"I 'Waste my time with her', as you put it, is because I love. I was promised that she would be safe if I coöperate. After seeing her chained and completely malnourished and covered in the seed of the guard, I make it my duty to see to it that she is kept alive. She is all I have left and I assure you I will do what I can to keep her with me."

Sombra looked to her unamused, but slowly he started to grow a smile. A rather devilish smile at that. "Well, if that is how it is." Done with his harassment, Sombra began to leave the kitchen. After finding his entertainment and what he wanted being fulfilled. "Oh, by the way... your food is burning." Raising a brow in confusion as to what he was talking about. Remembering what she was doing, she turned back and immediately flipped the cake in the pan, only to find that the side had turned black. She turned back to Sombra to scold him for distracting her, only to find that he was gone. She sighed to herself and went back to her food, pushing all thoughts of Sombra out of her mind to get back on track.

~~~~~

Walking down the long stone steps to the dungeon, Nightmare was done in the kitchen for today. In her hand was a simple bowl of oatmeal with a bit of honey mixed in. With Sombra's harassment added in, she didn't feel like getting angry at a breakfast baked good. She vowed to get pancakes correct someday, but as for now oatmeal would suffice for Celestia's nourishment.

Taking deep and calming breaths, trying to put on a friendly face for when she greeted her sister. Almost masking the sound of the small uproar that had occurred in the dungeons. The ponies were frantically talking among themselves, all trying to figure out what was wrong and what was going on. Nightmare just kept on walking, holding the oatmeal and forcing everything out of her mind that had occurred this morning. In fact, she was fairly certain that morning didn't even exist and she just suddenly found herself walking down the steps with food in her hands. With a sigh of relief, Nightmare was ready to face her sister.

Though, she suddenly found something else. At the height of the uproar, she snapped out of her trance and found herself at Celestia's cell and could see why the ponies were talking. Celestia was gone.

Confused and looking about to make sure that this was in fact her sisters cell, she looked around the dungeon a bit. Her cage was in fact on the left side of the long hallway and was in fact the third from the end of said long hall. And yet, she didn't see her sister in there. It certainly smelt of her, that much was for certain. Nightmare had spent hours cleaning out her sisters filth from her dungeon after no pony else wanted to or even cared. Not wishing to return to that memory, she turned to the cage opposite of hers as it was still held a pony. A heavily scarred stallion missing his left eye. "You there, prisoner." Nightmare called out." Where is Princess Celestia."

He merely growled at her, an action she did not appreciate. He remained silent, but she did not. "Has any pony seen where the princess has gone to?"

"Don't say a fucking word! Any of you!" The stallion cried out, grasping the bars like a wild animal. She could see his tattered wings flare out in rage. "She's a traitor! She betrayed all of us, left us to rot in this forsaken dungeon!"

"I'm looking for the Princess. I wish to know if she is safe." The stallion growled again.

"I would rather see her dead than in this living hell." Nightmare merely cocked an eyebrow and looked around, the dungeon going fairly silent.

"Very well then." Nightmare said, taking a few steps forward. "I will offer this bowl of oatmeal to the first pony who tells me where the princess went." As if on cue, the entire dungeon went on in a ravenous flurry of grabbing and gibbering nonsense. Each pony telling her various things, some she couldn't even hear through the noise. With a chuckle, she looked to the unicorn next to the uncooperative pegasus. "You, you could see what happened. Where is my sister?"

"She was taken!" He said, his lips forming what little water they could to form saliva. "A-A few guards came and got her, undid her bindings and dragged her down the hall."

"When?"

"I-It was an hour... o-or a few minutes. I have no idea, time means nothing to us anymore. Now, c-can I please have the oatmeal?" With a smile, Nightmare slowly presented the food to him only to retract it, a look of disappointment in the young unicorn's eye could be seen.

"You said they undid her bindings. How was this possible? There are a select few who can do that with specially made keys. What did the guards look like?"

"Th-They were big, bulky minotaur. Wearing these jagged and spiked armor." Nightmare's smile vanished immediately upon hearing the description. Her body began to shake furiously, making the bowl and spoon jangle. Her eyes flared with rage, making the stallion reject the food in favor of safety. She threw the wooden bowl onto the ground, spilling it on the stone covered floor soaked in filth. But it didn't matter to the stallion, he gladly ate it furiously, thankful to have food in him for so long. Nightmare had stormed off through the hallway.

The prisoners backed away from their cells, having returned to silence as they saw her expression of anger in its purest and rawest of forms. They all feared for their lives as they thought she would snap on them, but she never did. She was saving her rage for one pony in particular and she wanted him to feel every ounce of her anger made real through her bare hands. She couldn't kill him, she wasn't even supposed to do him harm ordered by Tirek himself. But that didn't matter to her anymore. She wanted to kill Sombra, and she'd do it in front of everypony if even a single hair on her coat was harmed.

She kicked the door down and began to run through the castle, using her developed sense to find Sombra. Originally used as a warning, Nightmare was now using it to track her prey. Her wings were folded to help her run faster through the halls. She may not be able to fly, but she knew a thing or two about aerodynamics. Though, turning a hall, she ran into what felt like a brick wall and fell to the ground. Her rage temporarily calmed, a small pounding in her head as she looked up at a very tall and very intimidating figure. Her eyes widened as she recognized who it was, and as she saw the look of dissatisfaction on his face. "Watch where you are going." He commanded in a stern tone. If it had been any pony else, they would find their faces liquefied and on the marble floor as they tried desperately to scoop it up.

"I-I'm sorry my lord." Tirek merely snorted at his wife and took a step back to let her stand up.

"Why are you running through the halls like a mere foal?"

"If you must know, I am looking for Sombra. He has... crossed a line." Nightmare said, recollecting her thoughts.

"As luck would have it, I know where he is." Nightmare had perked her ears up as she looked up at the tall centaur. "He has summoned my presence in the throne room for a gift. At least that is what his guard had informed me." Nightmare began to think for a moment as to what Sombra was doing, but snapped out of it once Tirek walked past her and towards the throne room. Seeing as how she knew where he was, Nightmare began to follow.

The walk was awkward to say the least, if not terrifying. Nightmare was used to keeping up an appearance in front of the usurper king of the land, but she had never been with him in utter silence before. It was unnerving to her. She wanted to break the silence a few times, but was a little frightened to say anything or race ahead after what had happened.

When they finally reached the throne room, Nightmare was more than happy to throw open the doors and rush inside, only to pause as to what she saw. On knees with her mane wrapped in his hand, Nightmare could see Sombra holding Celestia hostage. "Ah. My lord. You have arrived, and with your lovely mare."

"Not by choice, I assure you." Tirek retorted. "What is the meaning of this Sombra. The princess was supposed to stay inside the dungeon. Those were my exact orders."

"I know, your highness." Nightmare merely watched, waiting for an opening to rush in and save her sister, but Sombra's attention was fixed on the both of them. "You see, I saw that our lovely queen has devoted too much time to this whore, when she should be spending it where she belongs." Nightmare gritted her teeth as she looked to Sombra, only to gasp when he pulled out his jagged crystal sword. Gently applying it to her throat, Nightmare was about to rush in until she felt a heavy hand take hold of her shoulder. She saw that it was Tirek's, gently holding her back.

"Sombra, I will tell you this only once. Put your sword down, and return the Princess to her cell. Now." Tirek showed no emotion or sense of alertness. Nightmare saw it as not caring for her life. Nightmare however, struggled to release herself from Tirek's grasp, yet to no avail.

Sighing, Sombra held the blade closer to Celestia's throat. "I'm afraid I cannot do that. Nightmare must be a proper queen and serve her betters to their fullest. Who knows, maybe without this trash, she could finally grant you an heir to the throne." With a sadistic smile, Somrba lifted Celestia's head up so the last thing she would see was her sister and the fear in her eyes while Nightmare could only see her glazed and emotionally dead spheres that had once been her own.

With a swift motion, Sombra did the deed, making Nightmare cry out for her sister in horror. She could feel tears running down her eyes as a soft chuckle started to form from Sombra. Though, that stopped soon enough once he saw that there was no blood, not even a small cut or parting of her coat. Baffled, Sombra tried to behead her again, but nothing happened. He sat her down and began to swing his sword along her head again and again yet the sword never even once moved Celesta. "W-What is the meaning of this?" He asked, looking a little scared himself.

Tirek let go of Nightmare, who stood in shock as she watched what went on. Tirek's shadow looked over Sombra who was furiously trying to do anything to the princess of the sun. He began to sweat heavily as he lost his strength from his furious swipes of his heavy sword. "I-...I-I don't understand. Ho-GAK!" Nightmare yelped as he felt a massive hand of a giant wrap around his skull, slowly lifting him up into the air.

"What part of put your sword down did I not make clear?" Sombra said through gritted teeth. Sombra cried out in agony as he felt his skull starting to crack.

"P-Please. I-I only had the best of inte- AAHHH!!!"

"LIES! You only seek your own goals. I know how you look at her," Nightmare snapped back into reality to listen. "You only did this to break her. To make her one of your slaves back at your tower."

"B-But... h-h-how di-"

"Isn't it obvious you fool?!" Tirek threw his general across the large room like a mere plaything, rolling across the marble floor and smearing the ground with his dark blood. "It was part of her bargain she made. As long as she remains within these walls, neither she nor Celestia will be harmed." Sombra merely lay down, bowing and groveling to his king.

"I-I am sorry my lord. I had no idea. Please, I beg your forgiveness." Tirek stood before him, looking at his sorry excuse for a general. Nightmare watched in disbelief as she saw what looked like fear in his eyes. She would be lying if she said she didn't enjoy this on some level.

"You beg for forgiveness after directly refusing an order from your king?"

"I-I had no idea there was a barga-" Sombra's skull burst like a watermelon as Tirek brought his hoof down onto him. With a snort, Sombra lifted his hoof to see Sombra's lifeless body and the mess of gore that was once his skull. As she watched, Nightmare felt a great weight lift off of her shoulders. She felt almost... happy. Tirek reached down to the corpse and lifted him up by his arm. Reaching into his belt pockets, he found the keys used to undo Celestia's shackles before tossing the body aside. Turning his attention to Nightmare, he started walking towards her and the exit. "Here, take your sister back to her cell."

He tossed the keys to Nightmare, making his way out of the room, his time wasted. The keys fell to Nightmares hooves, stunned at what had transpired. All she could do is look on in shock. Snapping out of her trance, she picked up the keys and went over to her sister. "Come Celestia, let's get you back. No shackles this time." Celestia didn't respond, but she did stand up when Nightmare lifted her up off the ground.

Escorting her out of the throne room, Nightmare closed the doors and left to see Celestia to her cell. The image of Sombra's corpse haunted her. She was glad to see the general gone, that went without saying. It just felt too good to be true to her. The constant advances, the constant threat of rape, and now it was over with a mere movement of a hoof.

Reaching for the door into the dungeon, Nightmare removed herself from her thoughts to help Celestia down the stairs. The dungeons had gone silent, the prisoners looking at Nightmare and Celestia as they walked back to her cell. Some sighed in relief at the safety of their princess while others sneered at Nightmare. She didn't care either way, all Nightmare wanted was for her sister's safety.

Walking up to her cell, Nightmare sat her down but didn't bother putting her in shackles. She had always hated those things on her sister. Now that she had the key, she didn't give the shackles a second thought. Sitting Celestia down on the hard floor, Nightmare stood up and looked down on her sister. Celestia still seemed lifeless but she knew better. With a smile, Nightmare brought her into a quick hug before standing back and locking her cell with her key. "I'll return with a bed tomorrow Celestia. In the mean time, just ha-... be safe." Celestia didn't say a word, but she saw a faint nod and a smile form on her face. It may not have been much, but it meant the world to Nightmare. Almost bringing a tear to her eye.

Waving goodbye, Nightmare took her leave from the dungeon. Once outside, she sighed from relief that her sister was safe. In her hand was the key to her cell, now that Sombra was gone, she felt that she could sleep peacefully for a change. Looking about, Nightmare could see that the castle had become more lively as she could see the guards patrolling the halls and slaves doing their daily work. With no other duties to take part of, Nightmare began her retreat to her private quarters.

"Your highness!" A voice called out. Turning to face the voice, Nightmare was greeted by a griffon drenched in sweat. He fell to his knees mid run, unknowingly doing a power slide across the marble floors and came to a stop before Nightmare. Raising an eyebrow in confusion at the strange beast, who was now trying his damnedest to catch his breath, Nightmare patiently waited for him to get what he needed out. "Please... forgive... my... delay." He said in between breaths, creating a puddle of his own sweat.

"I assure you I'm in no hurry. Please, take your time." The griffon nodded, splashing a few drips of his sweat onto her dress while she looked at him with a dead-panned stare. "Would you like a glass of water?" He shook his head no. Nightmare sighed as she tapped her hoof, waiting for him to deliver his message. A few minutes passed as he calmed down. Nightmare had no idea if he had been deliberately wasting her time or he had single handedly sprinted to the borders of Equestria to Canterlot in one go.

"Okay... Guh. Okay, I think I'm good." He rose to his paws and saluted Nightmare. "I have an important report to deliver."

"Clearly not important enough." The griffon blushed a bit and cleared his throat.

"A-Anyway. I'm a scout for his graciousness' army. I was sent to investigate the pillar of light that had occurred some time ago." Nightmare narrowed her eyes a bit. She knew full well what the pillar was but she didn't know if Tirek or any of his followers did.

"And what have you found?"

"Well, there was signs of magical doing. We found two gallon containers of synthetic magic, both emptied in their entirety, signs of a summoning circle."

"What sort of summoning circle?" The griffon was unsure, bringing out a notepad and looking through his notes.

"Uhhhh... It was inconclusive as to what sort. The wood was pretty old and most of it was eaten away by termites." Nightmare sighed in relief. She didn't want any fool trying to replicate the spell that had brought Aaron here. "Of course, there was a strange book." Nightmare's eyes shot open at the mention of a book. The griffon began to rummage through his bag and pulled out a familiar tattered tome. She gulped as her hands slowly and shakily reached for it.

"W-Where did-"

"I-It was found in pony. The bakery specifically."

"Ponyville?" Nightmare said in surprise. "What has become of the town?"

"Decimated, you highness. There wasn't a soul say for the small squad of guards that were stationed to patrol it that month." Nightmare was rather impressed. Ponyville was not exactly the safest place to be, but the fact that Twilight had been so bold as to choose that as her hide out for so long. It was a surprise she had not run into Applejack sooner. She looked to the griffon with a kind and warming smile, something the soldiers were not treated to often.

"You have done well, child. May I take the book please?" The griffon looked hesitant as Nightmare held out her hand to take the tome from him.

"W-With all do respect. I have orders to return this to my superiors."

"I am your superior." Nightmare trailed a seductive finger down the griffon's beak, turning his legs into jelly. "Now, why don't you let me take that book off your claws and-" She was surprised that he relinquished the book so easily. Usually she would have to bed a guard who had something she wanted. "Thank you." The griffon was shaking and had returned to sweating. How he was not completely dehydrated was a miracle of science itself. Nightmare sized the griffon up and sighed. "What's your name?"

"I-Its Gust, your grace." With a chuckle, Nightmare planted a soft kiss on the griffon's cheek, turning his face a light shade of red. "Th-Thank you." He said like an awkward teenager. "Permission to pass-out your highness?"

"You may." The griffon gave a final salute before collapsing on the cold marble floor, his body rejoicing due to their much desired rest. With the book in hand, Nightmare began to return to her room. As she walked the only path she had ever bothered to memorize in the castle, Nightmare opened the book and took a look at its contents of the book. As suspected, the diagrams, words, mathematical equations all added up to absolute gibberish. Looping math equations, contradictory instructions, and the just plain incomprehensible, she'd expect nothing less from Star Swirl; the bearded.

Yet, unlike most ponies, Nightmare knew better. Before she continued on with her read, she looked about the castle for any pony that may see her. She wanted to keep the book's presence hidden. Casually tucking it underneath her arm, she walked up the long stairwell that led to her quarters. Locking the door behind her, Nightmare sat the book on her desk and got a better look at the contents. Skipping through the pages, she found a crease in the paper. Skipping to the page, Nightmare soon found an interesting sight.

Twilight had taken notes in the book. Translating the script yet leaving half of it undone to keep intrusive eyes out of her business. Nightmare had enough knowledge to decode his work. Combined with Twilight's translations, she quickly gathered the proper technique for reading Star Swirl's journal.

With a victorious smile, Nightmare began to apply what she had learned. She knew that Star Swirl used hundreds, maybe even thousands of codes to protect his work. Some techniques he developed himself. But, she had an advantage other trespassers didn't have. She knew Star Swirl and could use her personal knowledge to find what she wanted. Though, one thing lingered.

Turning back to the pages with Twilight's notes, she carefully tore the pages out. The spell for summoning more humans was already halfway translated, and if they are as dangerous as Star Swirl believed, one was just enough. With the pages out and little evidence they were ever there, Nightmare lit a match and set the pages ablaze. The pages burned well, too well in fact. They lit up as if they were drenched in lamp oil, nearly burning Nightmare's fingers.

She dropped the pages into a wastepaper basket and watched them burn away to darkened ash. With a look of victory, Nightmare let out a chuckle as she turned the first page. Reaching for a sheet of parchment and her quill, Nightmare began to translate what she could of the book's contents. In which, she would gladly feed to Aaron to aid him in his quest.

~~~~~

In the dark throne room where Sombra lay lifeless, a lone figure soon emerged out of the thickest of shadows. His soft and decrepit old hooves gently tapped along the hard floors of the castle as they made their way towards Sombra's corpse. The figure was draped in tattered robes, moldy and brown as if lifted out of a grave. The being's breathing was coarse and rough, sounding like he could drop dead at any moment. The being looked down at Sombra, shaking its head dismissively at the headless pony "Oh Sombra, you poor child." The stranger began to cough. "How many times must I raise you from your grave?" The stranger's coughing fit echoed through the throne room.

He could hear the door open, a curious slave had heard the coughing and had come to investigate. She was a lanky mare, in what should have been the prime of her youth. The strange pony disappeared as the slave came into the room. Tirek gave strict orders that no pony was to enter the throne room today, yet her curiosity got the better of her.

She gasped as her eyes set on the corpse. She wanted to run for dear life and act as if she didn't see anything, yet another wanted to see who the poor soul was. Looking out into the halls, she saw that no pony was around and slowly made her way to the body. She was undoubtedly scared, one doesn't come across a body everyday. The lowly slave wanted to make sure it wasn't any pony she knew or held dear to her heart.

Sombra was at her hooves, the pool of blood running around them. She could barely make out who it was, but she could tell it wasn't any pony she knew. Relieved, the slave's curiosity was sated. Though, as she started to leave, a chill ran through her, making her shiver from the cold. Her pegasus coat would do barely anything about the weather these days. "Hello, young one." Came a stranger's voice. She gasped, only to hear a sickening crack of bones and flesh. The slave fell dead to the floor with a light thump. Her head facing the opposite direction with a permanent look of surprise in her eyes. "Ponies these days. Like cats you are. So curious." The stranger chuckled as he gently took hold of her shoulder with one bony hand and placed her fingers at the mare's lips.

A soft glow began to form in her mouth, a small ball of glowing white smoke emerged from her muzzle. "Oh. So fresh. I must thank you my dear. You have saved me the trouble of finding fresh produce for this buffoon." The stranger chuckled as he gently placed the ball of light on top of Sombra as his other hand waved along the gore that was once his head. The sound of meat slurping and churning filled the room as the rotting meat of Sombra's head began to retreat to their original form. Nerves reattached themselves, bones fell into place like a puzzle, and the meat regrew itself into their original form. The soft pink flesh was soon coated by a black fur and a thick black coat. The stranger's bony fingers guided the ball of light into his chest, melting into his skin.

Within seconds, he found results. Sombra gasped for air to fill his lungs as he broke into a coughing fit. His body was getting back to work of keeping him alive. Once the coughing had stopped, Sombra had calmed himself into heavy breathing. "Arise, pet." Sombra obeyed the strangers command and arose. He had a blank look on his face with glazed over eyes, looking off into the distance at nothing in particular. He just awaited his orders. "There we go. Fit as a fiddle." The stranger circled around Sombra, cleaning off any excess blood that may have stained his armor.

"Now then, do you know where you are?" Sombra didn't respond, a soft bit of drool forming at his lips. "Do you know who I am?" There was still no response. "Do you know who you are?" No response again. This made the stranger chuckle. "It is alright. You're still getting used to the new brain. You'll remember who you are soon enough. But listen close." Sombra merely blinked in an unsynchronized manner, it was the best response the being had gotten out of him thus far. "I have a special project for you coming up and I need you to be quite alive for it." Sombra let out an inaudible moan as his arms hung low. "Return to your home, Sombra. Oh, and leave Nightmare. The old mare has had enough of your coltish charms for a while now." He chuckled to himself as his hand patted Sombra's cheek.

With his orders clear, Sombra turned around and started to walk into the shadows where no pony could see him leave. He vanished without a trace, leaving the being alone with the dead slave. Seeing no further use for her, the being took his leave as well. All trace of Sombra was now gone as well as the being who raised him from the dead. All that remained was the lifeless body of the slave who had gotten too curious for her own good.

Author's Notes:

Writers block is a bitch! Well, regardless, I hope you guys liked the chapter. As always, thanks for reading. Now, I can get to the parts I've been waiting for.