//------------------------------//
// But We Can't 
// Story: Dark Magic 
// by newHelm 
//------------------------------//

	Rarity sat on the cushion and huffed. She was messing with her mane as she and her friends would occasionally glare disdainful at the small orange drakos before them. He was about the size of Spike, when he first left. To make matters worst, he kept insulating them.
"And you pink pony, you're fat!" Not very cleverly, or entirely accurate.
"That'll be all Toothfire. Run along and train." The dark, deep, hissing voice caught all of their attention. Sombra was back. "Sorry to have left you ladies alone, but I had a small problem to deal with."
Rainbow Dash tried to pounce on him but was held back by two of her guards. She was no longer sad, it had been funneled into her rage. "I hope you have even more trouble! Spike's comin for you, and I'll spit on your head after he's done!"
He smiled and put a hoof under her chin. "I'm counting on it. He'll put your heads on a pike and parade them in front of my army. My trouble was the troops want you dead now, but I want the princesses to know my power. With Spike my greatest soldier." He tossed her head aside and turned his back to them.
He walked towards a small table and poured himself a drink. "Do you know his little nickname and how he came to be called such?"
Twilight narrowed her eyes. "What has that got to do with anything."
Audibly smacking his lips, he turned and smiled. "So you are curious. You ponies gave him that name, Traitorous King. You see, most drakos have two shades of the same coloring, except special few. On top of that only one family line is purple and green."
Rarity gasped. "Dark magic!"
"Ah, the prissy fancy one noticed. Yes his line is embedded with dark magic. It comes from his ancestor, the lord, king, and god of the drakos, Shadowfang. He was my master."
He admired the look of shock and horror on their faces. All except for Rarity, who stared defiantly, and Pinkie Pie who looked crestfallen. "I see these two already knew, but how much?"
Pinkie Pie further shocked her friends. "Spike is the rightful king of the drakos. His mother and the previous duke were in love and wished to escape with the kings new egg. They did not want him to be turned into what their race had become. They planned their escape, but she died, along with the king. The duke managed to get the egg to princess Celestia before taking the throne. The king is the only drakos with dark magic and has to rape his future wife to create a future heir. Spike knew all of this. The war is because they blame Celestia for destroying their kingship line. Spike blames himself." Tear filled eyes looked up at Rarity's glaring ones. "I'm sorry, he said he would leave and not come back if I told! He said he would have trouble looking me in the eyes after I figured it out, and could never stand the guilt! I'm sorry! He still won't look at me!" She crumpled to the floor and sobbed. Rarity softened, chiding herself for her petty behavior.
Dark laughter filled the room as Sombra walked slowly towards the pink devastated pony. "This is why you are weak." He put on a mock sad face on. "Oh no! He won't look at me, the world is ending!" He delivered a swift kick to her side and smiled at her gasp of pain. "Bring them to the main hall, I wish to show them how futile their fight is."
They were swiftly brought and dumped on the floor in the main hall. When Rarity looked about, no guards were around them. They had the elements and Sombra in front of them. Twilight's voice rang out. "What are you playing at Sombra?"
"Giving you what you wanted. Me, alone, now harmonize me." He smiled a wicked grin at them.
Twilight hardened her glare as she spread her legs. "Come on girls! We can do this! He's giving us a free chance, let's show him what we have!" They rose into the air, elements glowing as Twilight's eyes and crown blanked. Energy surrounded them and Rarity could not help but think of Spike. She had to save him, to keep this evil pony from harming her Spike, and she glowed brighter for it. The energy spiraled and shot off as a rainbow straight at Sombra. It circled the evil pony till he was hidden. Faster and faster it went until the energy exploded out.
The girls fell to the floor and looked at the cloud of dust that covered the area. Hope burned in their eyes, until the dust cleared. There stood, a little tired but fine, Sombra. He grinned with malice as he approached them slowly.
Rainbow Dash and Applejack were the first to recover and sprinted towards him. He smiled as he grabbed Rainbow's tail with magic and slammed her into Applejack. "I bet you are wondering just what happened. Well for a start, I'm in complete harmony."
Pinkie Pie jumped at him. He swatted her out of the air. "I'm not out to cause senseless mischief, or control everything."
Twilight shot a beam of magic at him as Rarity as flung as many items she could, chunks of rock and fallen weapons. He raised a shield and grinned. "I just want what's owed."
Rainbow Dash and Applejack began their own assault on the shield. "I am the king of the Crystal Empire and I want my kingdom back!"
Pinkie Pie began to beat on the shield. "My master created the empire for me to rule! It is mine by right!"
Fluttershy got up from her corner and helped in the assault. "And my magic is perfect!"
He raised a hoof and sent them flying back. Drakos soldiers grabbed the element bearers and dragged them in front of the evil king. "My magic comes from the natural being. True it's the darker nature of ponies and drakos, but still natural. Fear, anger, greed, lust, lies, suspicion, I use these and bring them forward."
He raised Fluttershy's eyes to look into his own. His eyes shined with magic as her's became green with red pupils. Her screams of terror hurt ever ear, till a drakos guard strapped her mouth shut. "Unlike that simpleton Discord, I bring out the worst in you, not try and change you."
He stepped up to Rainbow Dash and sniffed. "Ahh, delicious hate. With a hint of fear. You're afraid to hate the drakos because your friend is not just a drakos, but their king. Here's a tid bit, ponies gave him the name. Traitorous King, traitor to his own kind, but also to ponies. If he were to give himself up, the war would end. His stubbornness caused this war." He grinned as her anger rose, but not at him.
Rarity had heard enough. "You and the rest of those nasty brutes would manipulate him and have him consumed by dark magic! He would become a mindless killer! I have no doubt you would still initiate this war! Spike would never let anypony or drakos die senseless deaths."
It was her turn to face Sombra's evil glare, till it faltered for a moment. "You have a touch of nightmare energy about you. I see, you have come to terms with your faults, because of our drakos friend."
"He is not your friend!"
"Still, corruption overtook you. No wonder he admires you. Shadowfang did like the devil mares more. Seems like Spike picked up some of his heritage's nature. You do remind me of a younger version of her."
Before she could question him of his meaning, they were distracted by the sounds of combat. "Ahh, it seems like our guest is here to save his friends. Tell the guards to die admirably. They will lose and die, but that is no excuse to not fight as hard as they can."
"You're despicable."

Spike was not liking their odds. Macintosh and himself were tearing through the ranks, Burns right behind them. Surprisingly, Flash Sentry was keeping up, not as well but still doing good. The problem was that the halls were filled with drakos and they would be too tired to do much of any saving. He had an idea, but Burns was proof of how dangerous it was. "Guys, I have an idea, but it could kill us all. It will kill everything else though. What do ya say?"
"Eeyep."
A nod from Burns, who seemed to know what he was saying.
"If it saves Twilight, yes!"
"Form tight behind me." Spike backed up till every drakos was in front of him, the ponies got behind him.
He watched as the drakos charged. He took a deep breath and blew. Purple flames erupted from his jaw. It flew through the hall, burning every drakos in its path. The flames were death itself. The drakos that the flames missed, found small purple flaming imps jump from the fire, drag them back into the inferno.
When Spike stood, the hall was filled with burnt, dead, drakos bodies. "Come on."
He looked back and laughed at the sight of Flash swatting at a purple flame imp. "A little help guys!"
Spike waved a claw and it burned out. With a laugh, he jerked his head. "Come on, let's go."
They sprinted down the hall. Spike blew a burst of green flame at the door in front of them and it turned to ash in seconds. They jumped through the doorway and stopped. Standing in the middle of the room was Sombra, and just behind him were the six ponies they had come to save. "Let them go!"
Sombra grinned. "If you turn yourself over to me."
Before anyone could protest, he tossed his machete down. "Fine, but them first."
He was focused on Sombra, but he still heard his friends scream out against the idea.
"How about I kill them now, or you join me and they could be slaves or maybe your chew toys, if you catch my drift."
"You're sick!"
"They would be alive."
Spike rubbed his face and closed his eyes. He hadn't planned on Sombra waiting for him. He had to stall for Shining Armor. When he opened his eyes, he had to stop from smiling. A new plan had just been formed. Thank you Skrilla.
"I got a new idea. I kill you, and you die."
Sombra smile widened. "How about I do this." He shot off a blast of dark magic at Spike, who fell to his knees and clutched his heart. "And you kill those monkeys trying to free my prisoners."