The staircase was illuminated by a small orb of light, revealing only a few feet of the spiraling corridor. Shade let the light float ahead of him as he descended the curving flight. He whispered under his breath as he moved down the stairwell.

"What am I doing?"

It was a good question. He had sworn he would never come near this place again. Yet here he was, descending into the deepest level of the Crystal Empire's library. To a room that would never see the light of day.

Shade had been in the Empire for two weeks now, compiling histories to form a full narrative for his own volume. But he'd hit a wall. One he'd been dreading for years.

He had tried to recall his own memories but found them fuzzy. Whether that was due to age or repression, he wasn't sure. Either way, the only idea for jogging his memory had sent a shiver down his spine. He didn't want to do it but could see no other way. And now he was descending to a room that had been untouched for over twenty years.

Shade came around the last turn of the stairs to discover a too familiar door. Sweat rolled down his brow as he unhinged the door with magic, pulling it open slowly. The smell of ash and smoke wafted out into the corridor, churning Shade's insides. It was as if the fire had only just been put out. How could it still smell so foul?

Willing the orb of light forward, Shade entered the room. As soon as he set one hoof in, his mind was flooded with the memories of that awful day. He remembered entering the room the first time, unaware of what it held within. He remembered finding Emerald Dawn's record of the Dark Times. And he remembered Sombra's tome, wrapped in the leathery hide of one of his victims. Every page of that tome was burned into Shade's head. And what he hated the most was that he'd put it there willingly.

Trying to keep the contents of his stomach from making an appearance, Shade fought his way through the memories of the manuscript. His eyes screwed tightly shut as he concentrated. It was as revolting and nightmare-inducing as he recalled. It had taken years for him to have a peaceful night's sleep. All of that therapy was wasted now it seemed. His eyes flew open and he screamed at the wall in pain, frustration, and terror. As he ran out of breath, he realized something that made his blood run cold.

His screams weren't echoing.

He slowly turned, taking in the room. Ash covered every surface. And the candle cast an eerie, red glow... Shade's eyes locked on the candle.

"I...didn't light you..."

He turned his gaze to the doorway. The door was shut.

In a panic, Shade jumped at the door, trying to open it. It wouldn't budge, not even to shake in its frame. It was as if it were heavier than stone. He struggled against the door for several seconds before falling to the ground. The only sound in the room was Shade gasping for air; partly from exhaustion, but mostly from the ensuing panic attack.

His eyes found the candle again, the flame flickering as if being touched by a breeze. Shade couldn't feel a breeze though. Only the cold stone of the floor. As he exhaled another shaky breath, it became apparent that the exhaling was becoming visible. The temperature was dropping. Sweat began to trickle down his forehead as fear took hold.

"Is...someone...there?"

He slowly stood and approached the desk where the candle sat. For the first time, he realized that there was a rather large pile of ash on the desk itself. A shudder ran through Shade's body as he realized what the ashes had formerly been. Not wanting to dwell on the pile, he looked around the room again. There wasn't much else to see besides his own shadow, cast against the door in the candlelight. It took a moment for Shade to make the grave realization.

The shadow wasn't his.

And it's eyes were green.

Before Shade could muster up a scream, he heard a noise behind him; like sand sifting through an hourglass. He turned around to the pile of ash, discovering it had begun to move. The shadow appeared on the wall in front of Shade, looking down at the pile as it emitted a low rumble; like a chuckle. The ash shifted more and began to form a shape. Shade watched in horror as he began to recognize the object; Sombra's tome.

The candlelight flared even brighter, and the shadow grew bigger. Shade found himself on his knees, unable to move in the presence of the specter. And then something slammed into the door behind him. The shadow grunted in confusion. In that moment, Shade found an ounce of courage and stood back up.

"Go back to Tartarus where you belong."

Shade shot the tome with a ball of flame and it turned to ash once again. The shadow glared at him for a moment.

"You can't escape my memory."

The door shook in its frame this time. The shadow began to shrink as the candle grew dimmer. But its eyes were locked with Shade's.

"I'm still a part of you whether you like it or not."

The door shook a second time as the lights went out and Shade was left in the darkness.

"You may not possess any of my power anymore, but I'm still there. Everything is. Amore, Luna, the War...everything."

Shade shook his head.

"What are you talking about?"

A gust of wind hit Shade's face, sending one last chill down his spine. He turned to the door at the sound of it swinging open. He half expected to hear guards from the palace or perhaps even Shining Armor.

"You shouldn't have come back Shade."

Shade's ears perked up at the voice. It seemed foreign to him. But part of him knew that voice...

"Go! And never touch this place again."

Shade moved forward in the darkness, feeling a weight lift as he exited the room. As he took a deep breath, he realized who had saved him. The door slammed shut behind him and he spun around in the darkness, praying for an answer.

"Emerald?"

No answer came.

-------------------------------------

Shade found himself walking back to the palace, not sure of when he'd gone outside. His head was swimming, trying to process what had just occurred. He knew that he had at one point held a sliver of Sombra's soul within him, but he'd prayed it had been extinguished long ago. But now...

He found his mind feeling cluttered all of a sudden. It was as if he'd read an entire library in an afternoon. He looked around the street, trying to distract himself.

Wow. Not much had changed since he was young. He remembered running through these streets as a colt, when his biggest worry was being scolded by-

Shade shook his head. That wasn't right. He didn't grow up in the Empire!

And yet...

He distinctly remembered the time that the owner of the fruit stand had scolded him for knocking over one of the baskets, scattering fruit across the street and causing three ponies to slip and fall. It had been so funny at the time! Mother hadn't thought so...

Shade shook his head again. No! That wasn't right at all! He was Shade, son of Chrysalis. He was married to Rarity. They had a daughter. They currently resided in Yakyakistan.

He could still feel the soft touch of Her lips against his...

Shade collapsed in the middle of the street. A crystal pony came trotting over.

"Are you okay?"

Shade looked up at the pony as tears began falling down his cheeks.

"Please...get Shining Armor and Cadance."

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