Shadow

Summary: *Continued from "Shaken"* As Sofia and Cedric delve deeper into the cause of their individual nightmares, they soon discover that this matter is more complicated than they initially imagined.

Disclaimer: I do not own "Sofia the First!"

A/N: This is going to be a bit darker… Granted, since it's me, there will be positive elements in here and for the most part a happy ending. But as Craig Gerber himself said, sometimes people have to go through things to get the happy ending they want. So bear with me. ;)

"They say we all have shadows…the doubting darkness that can follow us until we can no longer breathe…" Cedric turned from the mirror in front of him, casting his reflection behind him. "Well, that may be, but what if we…are the shadows? What if the person seen on the outside is truly a mask for the person on the inside?"

"An excellent point," a dark voice replied, chuckling sinisterly. "What if, indeed!"

And with that, the darkness swallowed him.

Cedric sat up in his bed, panting and holding a hand to his heart. It was racing. He peered around his dark room, seeing no trace of anything sinister or unusual, yet still feeling really uncomfortable. He glanced above his head and saw Sofia's dream catcher hanging inconspicuously. He sighed, reaching up and caressing the feathers. She'd given it to him to alleviate some of his nightmares. So much for that idea…

His sleeping patterns had gotten worse instead of better these last few weeks. He could barely function in day-to-day activities. He'd broken more vials than he cared to admit. He'd nearly knocked Wormwood over in a hasty sprint to answer the door at one point, which the raven had obviously not appreciated or forgotten for that matter. And his work…

Cedric shuddered as he reflected on his work progress…or lack thereof. While King Roland hadn't requested anything of him lately (which gave him a bit of relief), he was certain this quiet spell couldn't last forever. Therefore, he had to do something to snap himself out of it. He couldn't—wouldn't—go on like this.

"This is ridiculous," he whispered as he finally calmed down enough to breathe normally. Sighing, he threw the covers back and rested his feet in a pair of slippers before standing up. He grabbed his favorite everyday robe and tied it around his pajamas. "If I can't sleep, then I guess I'll just…take a walk." He was going to say 'work,' but with his current track record, he assumed it'd be best not to take any chances.

He slipped out of his workshop door, careful not to wake the sleeping Wormwood, before making his way down the stairs. Reaching the ground floor, he stepped from his tower and into the main corridor.

He gasped when he felt a slight intrusion. Someone had literally just run into him. Glancing down, he blinked. "Sofia?"

Sofia blinked up at him in return. "Mr. Cedric?" she asked, confused. "What are you doing down here?"

"I might ask you the same thing," he answered, folding his arms. "Why aren't you sleeping?"

She frowned. "I…had a bad dream." She saw the look on his face and became concerned. "You did too, didn't you?"

"I'm afraid that dream catcher of yours didn't work on me…" He sighed, pressing onward with his apprentice following him. "And if I can't sleep, I can't work. So I figured a bit of fresh air might do me some good."

"I'll go with you." She smiled when he glanced at her warily. "I won't talk your ear off or anything, Mr. Cedric. I promise." She giggled as he rolled his eyes.

"I'll believe that when I don't hear it." He grasped the handle of the door and pushed it open, leading her outside first.

Sofia inhaled slowly, breathing in the night air, and sighed peacefully. "Why can't our dreams be like this?"

"What? Dark and cold?" He wrapped his robe a little tighter and yawned. "I think those two elements are pretty well covered, Sofia."

"No!" She smiled, shaking her head. "Calm…peaceful. And I just want to know what the cause of all of this is, and why the dream catcher worked for me and not for you."

"That's easy," Cedric replied. "My mother put a spell on it specifically for you…not for me."

"But…" She sighed, uncertain of her next argument. She shook her head. "Whatever is going on, we'll figure it out together, right?"

"Sure."

Sofia frowned, stopping her friend and placing a hand on his arm. "Right, Mr. Cedric?"

The sorcerer stumbled over his thoughts before nodding once. "Right, Sofia…or we can at least try."

The princess smiled and led him over to a tree, sitting underneath it as he lowered to the ground next to her. "What are your dreams about?"

Cedric shook his head. "I don't want to frighten you."

She looked at him wearily. "I doubt anything you've seen in yours could be worse than what I've seen in mine."

"Well…" He glanced down at his gloved hands and recalled his most recent dreams. "It usually starts off with nothing but darkness. Soon, a mirror appears, and I walk toward it. I stare at my reflection, but the reflection doesn't copy me like it's supposed to. Usually, it seems to have a mind of its own… And before I can do or say anything, some evil-sounding voice comes out of the darkness and starts taunting me."

Sofia blinked and frowned. "Taunting you?" This sounded a bit different from her nightmares, in which her amulet was stolen and her friends and family were getting hurt. Maybe they weren't related after all? "How?"

"Uh, well… Th-That's not so important." He really didn't want her prodding him on this issue, because his dreams even scared him. Telling the young princess about them could only be a bad idea at best and the very thing that ended their friendship at worst.

"Mr. Cedric."

"Ugh, fine." He inhaled, unable to believe he was about to divulge his dark subconscious to her. Then again, she wouldn't let up until he answered her either way. She was pretty stubborn when she wanted to be. "Several nights ago, my dreams involved you, if you must know."

She blinked in surprise. "Me?"

"Yes." He glanced away and folded his arms. "My first few dreams were about something or someone trying to…" He glared at the night air, as if the evil entity from his dreams happened to be within his vision or something. "…trying to take you away…"

Sofia moved over to her mentor and leaned toward him, hugging him gently. "No one will take me away, Mr. Cedric. I promise." She smiled sweetly toward him as he finally looked back at her.

Cedric sighed, unfolding his arms and wrapping one around her for comfort. "I know… I just… Well, there was more to it than just that, really."

She nodded, encouraging him to continue.

"It was more than your disappearance or leaving… It seemed more like the darkness or the evil entity was trying to…destroy you."

Sofia didn't even flinch when he said that, but she noticed his visible discomfort in admitting that to her. "Is that why you're not sleeping very much?"

"How am I supposed to sleep with the taunting voices and the images of your death, Sofia? How?!" He removed his arm from her side and clasped his hands together, lowering his head. "I never should have told you all of this."

"I'm glad you did," she contradicted, moving in front of him and taking his hands again. "We'll figure this out, Mr. Cedric…"

"I hope so…" He sighed when she squeezed his hands comfortingly. "I won't let this control me… There has to be redemption…right?"

"Redemption…?" She frowned in confusion.

"N-Never mind." He glanced up and saw that the moon had risen high in the night sky. "We need to get back inside, Sofia. You need your rest. I'll return the dream catcher to you so at least one of us can sleep tonight."

Sofia smiled thoughtfully as they stood. "I have a better idea."

Back in the tower, Sofia reached up to Cedric's bed and unhooked the dream catcher. She carried it back into the workshop where Cedric sat waiting for her. She placed the item on the table and climbed onto her stool so she sat across from him. She smiled brightly.

He lifted an eyebrow at the girl. "What?"

"I think we should try putting a stronger spell on this."

Cedric sighed and shook his head. "I'm afraid it won't work, Sofia… I've tried everything I can think of."

She pondered his words and picked up the dream catcher, holding it thoughtfully before looking up at her mentor and smiling gently. "Not…everything."

"This is hopeless," Cedric complained a few minutes later, lying in his bed with his covers tucked under his chin. He stared at the ceiling, willing himself to go to sleep, but obviously failing.

"Relax," Sofia encouraged him, giggling. "My mom used to do this to get me to sleep. Now close your eyes."

He rolled his eyes before complying, exhaling deeply. He just wanted to get a good night's sleep without the plaguing nightmares. He just wanted to wake up well rested. Was that so much to ask?

The princess tied the dream catcher above his bed again, just in case, before lowering her hands. She reached out and traced her fingers over Cedric's forehead ever so lightly, making him snicker at the tickling sensation. "Mr. Cedric!"

He chuckled. "It tickles, Sofia! What exactly is this supposed to do?"

"Relax you. Now be still." She grinned as he shook his head disbelievingly and closed his eyes again. She did as her mother used to do and traced his forehead, brows, nose, and cheeks, each gentle movement making him more relaxed. She smiled when his breathing evened out and became more sleep-induced. Realizing he was asleep at last, Sofia giggled softly. "Good night, Mr. Cedric." She turned and left the room, quietly pulling his door shut behind her.

While the rest of his night started out quite pleasantly, it wasn't meant to last. Soon enough, the nightmares came again…

"You will never be able to outrun the truth."

Cedric looked around, baffled as to the location of the disembodied voice. Yet…why did it sound so familiar? When he turned around, he found yet another mirror, his reflection staring back at him.

He nearly fainted when he saw the reflection speaking to him.

"And the truth is, Cedric, the darkness is a part of you. I am a part of you. And no dream catcher or childish hope can ever change that." The reflection smirked at him, filling his mind with terrible images and thoughts. "Are you now willing to admit that you and I are one and the same?"

"N-No! I'm nothing like you." He turned, folding his arms.

"Are you quite certain about that?" His reflection smirked, holding up his own wand and pointing it toward the sorcerer. "Care to test that theory?"

Cedric whirled around in time to see the mirror empty. "What the…?" He winced when he felt a sharp pain in his head, almost as if his mind had been impaled. "W-What is going on?!"

"No one can deny the darkness… No one is without his demons."

Cedric sat up in bed again that night, but he wasn't panting nor was his heart racing again. His eyes glazed over, dull rather than curious. He stood up and ambled over to his mirror. "…No one…can deny the darkness," he whispered absently before blinking once, slowly, before collapsing against the corner of the wall and passing out.

The next morning, Sofia entered the workshop to check on her friend. She blinked as she looked around, not finding him anywhere. "Mr. Cedric?"

"He hasn't been out of his room all morning," Wormwood informed her as the girl glanced toward him. "I'm not sure what's going on with him, but it can't be all that good."

She frowned. "Why do you say that?" Even though she already had a pretty good idea…

"I'm not oblivious, Princess. I've seen his actions these last several weeks. Something is wrong with him, and he's not acting like himself." He sighed. "I'm not exactly sentimental or anything, but I just want Cedric back to his normal, annoying, random self.

The princess giggled lightly and nodded. "You and me both. Don't worry, Wormwood. We'll figure this out. I'm going to check on him real quick." She walked to his room, standing before his door and knocking on it. Hearing nothing, she grew a bit concerned and pushed his door open gently.

She gasped when she saw her mentor sleeping yet leaning into the corner of his room. "Oh, Mr. Cedric…" She walked over and grasped his hand, pulling him out of his dream world. "Mr. Cedric?"

The sorcerer stared uncertainly at her before wincing. Cedric grasped his head. The keening sound from his dreams echoed even louder in his ears now. He felt as if he were being ripped from the very fabric of reality.

"Mr. Cedric," Sofia started gently, hesitating before beginning to approach him again, cautiously. "Mr. Cedric, are you…?" She couldn't bring herself to finish the question anymore. Of course he wasn't all right. While she'd had similar symptoms with the lack of sleep and vivid nightmares or dreams, hers weren't nearly as bad as his. She just wished she knew what to do to help her friend.

Cedric finally focused enough to address his student seriously. "Run," he told her simply, his eyes opening long enough to look toward her meaningfully before closing them again. "Please, Sofia…run."

"But I-!"

Cedric's eyes snapped open, and his hand reached out to slam against the wall, barely missing her in the process. "You just can't take a hint, can you?! You can't have everything go your way, little princess! You truly believe 'love' and 'friendship' can cure any problem? Life is not some sort of fantasy, Sofia! Wake up!"

Sofia blinked, her eyes watering at his harsh words toward her. "Mr. Cedric? Wha… What are you talking about? You're not acting like yourself." She reached out to him.

He smirked. "On the contrary, Princess Sofia…" He watched her face contort into dismay when he used her title. "I'm finally starting to be exactly who I was meant to be…"

"Please, let me help you…?" A feeling of emptiness settled in her stomach, making her cringe.

"You don't seem to get it! You don't know me, Princess… You've no idea what I'm capable of doing. All this time, you've had a curtain drawn over your eyes. You see what you want to see, and…who wouldn't? What a nice picture you've painted of me…" He stepped up toward her, making her ease back uncertainly. "…But it's not real! It never was and never can be."

"M-Mr. Cedric…" Tears brimmed in her eyes, but she wouldn't let them fall. He couldn't see her cry…ever. "I don't like this side of you."

Cedric smirked and looked to the left, seeing the mirror next to him. "I'm not the 'Mr. Cedric' you know, Princess…" His own reflection, an actual reflection this time, smirked back at him. "Just call me…Shadow Cedric."

Sofia gasped and turned, running from the room. Her sense of fear had kicked into overdrive. This was not her Mr. Cedric. She knew that now. Reaching the workshop, she looked desperately toward Wormwood. She ran over and grabbed the raven into a sort of hug before leaving the tower with him as quickly as her feet would carry her.

Shadow Cedric, as he wished to be called, chuckled from his place next to the mirror. "You can run, little princess…but you can't hide."

Sofia collapsed against her door in her room, having made sure it was locked first, and slid down to the floor. She released Wormwood, who fluttered from her arms and onto the floor. She glanced at him as he stared back at her in confusion.

"What was that all about?" he asked, annoyed.

"I…" She sighed, leaning her head against the door. "Mr. Cedric wasn't acting like himself, Wormwood… He asked me to call him 'Shadow Cedric.'"

"…How ominous." He huffed and tapped his talon on the floor. "So what do we do now?"

"I don't know."

"You don't know?" He gestured emphatically with his wings. "You're Sofia, princess of Enchancia, do-gooder extraordinaire! You always know what to do!"

"Well, now I don't, okay?!" She sighed, putting her head into her hands and releasing a few pent-up tears. "I don't know what to do, Wormwood… Mr. Cedric isn't even himself anymore, and I can't reach him. I get this horrible feeling whenever I'm around him, and I feel like he wants to…"

"To what?" The raven watched her, a little concerned for once.

"I feel like he wants to hurt me…" She frowned, wiping her tears away. "But that's not right, is it? Mr. Cedric is my best friend, my teacher…my mentor. We're always together, working on things and spending time together… He couldn't actually try to hurt me or do something to make me upset, right?"

Wormwood became rather silent at that point, a guilty look on his visage.

The princess noticed this silence and turned to her temporary companion. She frowned. "Wormwood?"

"Hmm?"

"What do you know that I don't?"

Oh, no. Oh, boy, this wasn't going the way he'd hoped it would. Sure, he knew the princess could use a heavy dose of reality when it came to Cedric and his intentions, but this wasn't exactly the way he'd planned to go about it. Actually, he hadn't planned on getting involved at all. It was one giant mess now. "Nothing," he lied.

Sofia reached down, taking Wormwood into her hands as gently as she could, and stared at him. It was as if she planned to figuratively rip away the layers he hid behind. "Are you sure?"

Well… He could be truthful with her, but he'd seen her emotional state just now. If she reacted like this when she thought Cedric was just being mean, how would she react if she knew of Cedric's plans to steal her amulet and conquer her kingdom by force? …Yeah, he decided to stick with his original plan. "Positive."

The princess sighed. "In that case…I…guess we're in this together, right?"

The raven gave the princess a dubious look. "I beg your pardon?"

"We—"

"There is no 'we,' Princess Sofia." He waved a wing back and forth between them. "There's you and there's me. We do not work together. I'm not Cedric." He paused when he realized what he'd just said, and realized how harsh it might have sounded to the young girl. "…No offense."

Sofia folded her arms. "Fine. I'll get Clover to help me then. What was I expecting, asking the mean, snarky raven for help?" She stood up and turned away from him, mentally counting down in her mind. "Five, four, three, two…"

"Okay, fine," Wormwood drawled with a scoff as he flew up to her shoulder again. "But this is to help Cedric. Besides, he needs to feed me."

The princess smirked at his reasoning before rolling her eyes and nodding. "Of course." She then smiled genuinely. "Thanks, Wormwood."

"Don't mention it." He glared at her pointedly. "Ever."

To be continued…

A/N: I had originally planned to have this be one large story, but with circumstances that have come up recently in both my personal life and work (I promise it's not serious-just busy), I've decided to at least post this up so you all could have something from me. :) I hope you enjoy it so far. I know it's a lot darker than usual, so hang in there. But you know me. Things usually get better…eventually. Oh, and here's a mini preview for the next chapter!

PREVIEW:

"You mustn't be discouraged, Sofia," Cedric told his apprentice softly and weakly as he leaned against the wall. "Just because there's a darkness in me, that doesn't mean it will be the same for everyone…" He sighed, resting a hand over his heart. "…Maybe I can't be saved, but… I do thank you for trying, and for not giving up on me."